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Rail Passenger Numbers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) of 23 January 2002, Official Report, column 872W, on railways, what estimate he has made of the likely resource requirements generated by growth in passenger numbers when setting the level of annual resource spending. [36319]

Mr. Jamieson: Revenue support to train operators is projected on the basis of a basecase growth scenario, as set out in the 10-year plan background analysis, plus anticipated additional growth through investment at a sectoral level. The actual levels of subsidy to or premiums from a passenger train operator are set through commercial franchise negotiations.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the relationship between projected rail passenger growth in the 10-year plan and inter-urban fares if such fares rise by more than the retail prices index. [36451]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is carrying out a review of fares regulation, which will include an assessment of the relationship between fares levels and patronage.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2002, Question 32547, on future rail passenger demand, if he will place a copy of the spreadsheet reports and the report on future rail passenger demand for Eurostar in the Library. [37224]

Mr. Jamieson: No. It is not normal practice to disclose such information under Section 13 of Part 2 of the code of practice on access to Government information.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the target increase in passengers on the railways over the next 10 years is accounted for by population increase in the south-east. [37460]

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Mr. Byers: The modelling of passenger rail demand is detailed in the 10-year plan year background analysis document. Changes in population will be closely correlated with and will impact upon the principal factors driving future demand but this impact cannot be separately identified.

Rail Investment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for what reason the public sector capital investment in the railways falls on a year by year basis between 2005–06 and 2010–11. [36318]

Mr. Jamieson: The fall in public investment in the railways in the latter years of the 10-year plan is primarily due to the completion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Capital grants in respect of this project will greatly reduce when the link is completed in 2007.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the planned investment in the railways, at today's prices, over the next 10 years as at (a) 20 July 2000, (b) 14 January 2002, (c) 29 January 2002 and (d) 7 February 2002. [37524]

Mr. Jamieson: The planned public sector revenue and investment funding to rail over the 10 years to 31 March 2011 at the particular dates was:

(a) £29.1 billion, as set out in Table A.3 of the Ten Year Plan for Transport.

(b) £33.5 billion, incorporating a £4.5 billion increase in public funding for rail since the 10-year plan. This total was included in the SRA Strategic Plan, and its profile is set out in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 23 January 2002, Official Report, columns 871–72W.

(c) the same as (b).

(d) the same as (b).

The totals are given in cash prices. At each date the projected private sector investment in rail over the same 10 year period is £34.3 billion.

Car Traffic Growth

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes his Department has made to the projection for car traffic growth in the period covered by the 10-year plan; and if he will make a statement. [36310]

Mr. Jamieson: The 10-year plan was developed on the basis of a modelled forecast increase in all traffic in England between 2000 and 2010 of 17 per cent., compared to an increase of 22 per cent. without the plan ("Transport 2010: The Background Analysis", figure 13). The plan did not include separate figures for different vehicle types, but car traffic accounts for about 80 per cent. of vehicle kilometres travelled. No new traffic growth forecasts have been issued by the Department since the 10-year plan was published in July 2000.

The current review of the plan is being informed by further modelling, using our national model that we have been revising over the past year. We intend to publish the review in the summer.

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Rail Strategic Plan

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 730W, on what calculations the assumption about peak period growth in London was based; and on what basis his Department reached the assumption about inter-city growth detailed in the footnote. [36238]

Mr. Jamieson: It reflects the Department's judgment, as set out on pages 8 to 10 of the background analysis, of the estimated basecase growth in rail passenger traffic by the particular sectors and on the current and expected capacity without the additional 10-year plan investments.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1190, on the strategic rail plan, if he will list the projects to which contractual commitments have been made; and in what years the remaining £8.1 billion has been provisionally allocated. [36320]

Mr. Jamieson: Contractual commitments for public investment support have been entered into for around £7 billion of network grants, £3.5 billion of capital grants to the CTRL and around £30 million of freight facilities grants. These commitments are included in the profile of public investment support set out in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 23 January 2002, Official Report, column 872W.

Port Charges

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to reduce port charges in the UK; and if regional ports will receive subsidies to help alleviate port charges and increase their competitiveness. [36132]

Mr. Jamieson: I have no plans to intervene in the commercial operations of harbour authorities, which charge users of harbours for the services that they provide. We believe that port operations should not in general need public subsidy.

Ministerial Boxes

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by what means ministerial boxes are conveyed from private offices in his Department to his Ministers; how frequently and at what expense private courier firms are employed for such a task; and which courier firms have been used for such duties. [36269]

Dr. Whitehead: Currently all ministerial boxes are carried by the Royal Mail. On one occasion (3 February 2002) a private company was used to transport the boxes of the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble), boxes due to local difficulties due to the late opening of the Northampton office. The cost of this was £147.00 compared to £70.83 plus unspecified charges for bringing staff in to open the depot and collect the boxes. The courier firm used was Racer. Local difficulties have now been resolved and the Royal Mail are now again collecting the boxes.

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Departmental Staffing

Sir George Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his staff complement dealing with walking and cycling policy in May 1997 was; and what the complement is now. [36155]

Mr. Spellar: I have recently increased the complement of full-time posts wholly or mainly concerned with cycling and/or walking from 11 to 12. The number had been 11 since early 1999. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

In addition I am at present inviting tenders for a three-year contract to promote the cycling strategy in the English regions. I expect the contractor to employ about 20 people on this task.

Sir George Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the complement in his cycling and walking division to be able to meet the demands to deliver the national cycling strategy target of raised cycling levels. [36153]

Mr. Spellar: I keep all staff complements under regular review. My assessment is that the present complement for cycling and walking, together with the contract mentioned in my reply to the right hon. Member's previous question, is adequate for the task in hand.

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