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Road Deaths

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many deaths there were in motor accidents during the period of the annual Christmas anti-drink campaign in each of the last five available years in which a contributory factor was (a) consumption of alcohol, (b) consumption of non- prescription drugs and (c) tiredness of the driver. [27379]

Mr. Spellar: Information is not available for the periods requested. National estimates of drink drive fatalities are only made based on the involvement of a

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driver who had consumed over the legal limit of alcohol. These estimates are not produced for time periods of less than one calendar month. No estimates are made of road deaths involving the use of non-prescription drugs or tiredness of a driver.

London Underground

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many staff came in (a) one hour and (b) two hours late on each London Underground line and in total in (i) the last five years and (ii) each of the last 12 months; and what were the reasons given for the absence. [27710]

Mr. Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd., who have advised that the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the drop out rates of persons applying for management positions on the London Underground (a) within one month, (b) one to two months and (c) two to six months after the application was received, within the last 12 months. [27708]

Mr. Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd., who have advised that within the last 12 months the number of applicants for management positions who withdrew applications, did not attend interviews or refused job offers is as follows:

(a) within one month of receipt of application—20 applicants

(b) one to two months afterwards—75 applicants

(c) two to six months afterwards—37 applicants.

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how long it took on average to recruit new management staff for London Underground from (a) previous internal positions and (b) external positions in the last 12 months. [27707]

Mr. Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd., who have advised that in the last 12 months it took, on average, 8.8 weeks to recruit management staff from previous internal positions, and 10.6 weeks from previous external positions.

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the meetings he has had in the last 10 months with London Underground. [28481]

Mr. Spellar: My right hon. Friend and ministerial colleagues meet London Underground representatives on both a regular and ad hoc basis, to discuss a variety of relevant matters.

Air Traffic Control Centre, Prestwick

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the National Air Traffic Service Prestwick Centre will be completed. [27730]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 16 January 2002]: The events of 11 September 2001 have led to a review of the phasing of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS)

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capital investment plan, which includes the New Scottish Centre (NSC). Work on the NSC building has been suspended, but continues on evaluating systems solutions.

My officials continue to be in close discussion with NATS, who are keeping the position under review. NATS will commission further work at NSC as soon as traffic forecasts make it prudent to do so.

Oil Tankers

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make it his policy to refuse access to UK waters of single hull oil tankers; and if he will make a statement. [28045]

Mr. Spellar: The rights of innocent or transit passage, as provided in the United Nations convention on the law of the sea, benefit UK ships in foreign territorial waters and prevent the UK from refusing access through UK territorial waters to single hull oil tankers. However, it was recently agreed that after 2007 the oldest (unprotected) type of single hull tankers will not be allowed to operate anywhere; and the UK will not permit newer single hull tankers, fitted with partial protection, to enter its ports after 2015, exercising a new right which that agreement has given.

Correspondence

Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he intends to respond to the concerns raised by the Cally Rail Group in letters of 4 October 2001 to himself, and of 24 October and 17 December 2001 to his Department, in connection with the carrying out of Channel Tunnel Rail Link work on and around Caledonian Road, London N1. [28039]

Mr. Byers: My Department wrote to the Cally Rail Group on 17 October and 5 December 2001 and has subsequently provided a holding reply to their letter of 17 December. A further substantive reply has now been sent offering a meeting with representatives of the group.

Strategic Rail Authority

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether his Department's statements and the SRA plan have taken into account the delays in establishing the first special purpose vehicles in estimating completion dates for infrastructure investments. [28567]

Mr. Spellar: To avoid possible delays the Strategic Rail Authority has set aside funds within its strategic plan to help reduce commercial risk in projects before competitions to build them are held.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which new recommendations from multi-modal studies have been included in the SRA plan. [28565]

Mr. Spellar: The Strategic Rail Authority is working with my Department on the processes by which the study outcomes will be taken forward in the short, medium and long terms. The authority is currently undertaking further work on the access to hastings study.

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Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what impact the Strategic Rail Authority's new strategic plan will have on plans for the proposed Worcester Parkway station at Norton; and if he will make a statement. [28597]

Mr. Spellar: The Strategic Rail Authority's strategic plan makes it clear that £430 million will be available over the next 10 years for the Rail Passenger Partnership Scheme which is designed to provide partnership funding for local schemes which support local and integrated transport objectives. The scheme was recently relaunched by the authority and the bidding criteria were not affected or altered by the strategic plan.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what mechanism the £7.5 billion public sector funding will be used to lever in the new commitments that will deliver the (a) short and (b) medium term priorities set out in the SRA strategic plan. [29232]

Mr. Jamieson: The private sector investment will be levered in through the franchising process, Special Purpose Vehicles and specific funding schemes such as the Rail Passenger Partnership fund.

Central Trains

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reason a two-year extension to the Central Trains franchise is expected to achieve an early increase in capacity. [28573]

Mr. Spellar: An extension to the existing Central Trains franchise will provide an opportunity to secure early new investment in, for example, new rolling stock and additional services.

Rail Network

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the (a) capacity and (b) levels of usage of the rail network to carry individual services. [28548]

Mr. Spellar: The Strategic Rail Authority has carried out numerous studies to gauge rail use and travel patterns in order to help determine priorities for investment. It has also carried out specific capacity studies to determine where enhancement is required. The priorities for investment have been identified in the authority's strategic plan.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the changes to subsidy resulting from the implementation of cost plus agreements on the railways. [28561]

Mr. Spellar: Under 'cost plus' agreements, the franchisee does not commit to a subsidy/premium profile for several years at a time. Instead, the franchisee is paid an agreed margin on the costs it is expected to incur in running the franchise in the coming year.

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Prolonging these arrangements has led to a number of problems and the Strategic Rail Authority intends, as soon as possible, to replace those franchises on 'cost plus' terms with longer-term franchise contracts negotiated through competitive processes.

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