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Aerodromes
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuance of unofficial safeguarding arrangements for (a) gliding sites and (b) other licensed and unlicensed aerodromes provided for in paragraph 9 of the annexe to Circular 2/92; and if he will make a statement; [52870]
- (2) what progress his Department has made on the revision of Circular 2/92; and if he will make a statement. [52869]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department carried out a public consultation last year on a proposal to revise Department of the Environment Circular 2/92 on the official safeguarding of aerodromes, technical sites and military explosives storage areas. Following the end of the public consultation period, and discussions with the main stakeholders, my Department last month issued for further comment by those stakeholders a second draft of a revised Circular. In doing so the Department has reinstated the recommendation contained in the 1992 Circular, to operators of smaller aerodromes and of sites for other aviation activities, such as gliding or parachuting, to lodge an 'unofficial' safeguarding map with local planning authorities, together with the offer by the Civil Aviation Authority of advice on a format for such maps.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made on a safeguarding publication to be issued by the Civil Aviation Authority concerning the operators of unlicensed aerodromes and gliding sites; and if he will make a statement. [52871]
Mr. Jamieson: I understand from the Civil Aviation Authority that it has undertaken to publish guidance on aerodrome safeguarding for all aerodrome operators. A complete draft of the guidance is at present being considered by an industry working group, and the intention is that the final version will be available to complement the proposed new Departmental Circular to local authorities on safeguarding consultation requirements. Notwithstanding the proposed changes to those requirements, and the proposed publication of guidance, the Civil Aviation Authority will maintain its own safeguarding expertise and will continue to provide advice to aerodrome operators as the need arises.
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Roads
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what major infrastructure work has been carried out on the (a) A12, (b) A14, (c) A140 and (d) B1113 in the last 15 years, in each case giving (i) the aim and nature of the works, (ii) details of the Government body responsible, (iii) the length of time the works took and (iv) the costs of the works; [50643]
- (2) what works are planned on the (a) A12, (b) A14, (c) A140 and (d) B1113; [50644]
(3) on how many days in 2001 the level of traffic on the (a) A12, (b) A14, (c) A140 and (d) B1113 was two or more times the daily average on these roads; [50646]
(4) how many (a) cars, motorbikes and vans, (b) lorries and (c) camper-vans and caravans use the (i) A12, (ii) A14, (iii) A140 and (iv) B1113 each day; and what the estimate is for the increase in traffic on each road over the lifetime of the Ten-Year Plan; [50645]
(5) what recent representations he has received from (a) the Highways Agency, (b) local authorities and (c) others, with regards to the (i) A12, (ii) A14, (iii) A140 and (iv) B1113. [50648]
Mr. Byers: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mrs. Theresa May, dated 29 April 2002:
- I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the A12, the A14, the A140 and the B1113.
- During 2001, the level of traffic on the trunk road section of the A12 and the A14, at sites where traffic flows are measured, was never two or more times the daily average at those sites.
- The A140 ceased to be a trunk road on 1 June 2001, when responsibility passed from the Secretary of State to the Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils. At sites where traffic flow was measured by the Highways Agency before June 2001, the traffic flow was never two or more times the daily average at the same sites during 2000.
- The B1113 is not a trunk road and we do hold any traffic data for it. This road is the responsibility of Suffolk County Council.
- Details of past and future improvements to those roads that are, or were, our responsibility are set out in the Annex to this letter.
- The DETR publication 'National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain) 1997' (NRTF) sets out the latest forecasts for growth in the volume of motor traffic (excluding motorcycles) on roads in Great Britain until the year 2031. The forecasts are based on current policies, the best available evidence of behaviour and the capacity of the current road network. The publication is available on the DTLR website www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk. The forecasts are broken down by type of road, area and vehicle. Where detailed estimates of traffic growth for a particular location are required, the Department recommends the construction of a local traffic or transport model, incorporating the Department's national trip end model forecasts. For all-purpose trunk roads, NRTF predicts growth patterns between 2001 and 2010 within the range 11.5 per cent to 18 per cent. The Highways Agency does not hold traffic data in the form requested.
- We have received a number of representations recently about the A12 and the A14. Particular issues included our proposals to install lighting on the A12 Brentwood Bypass in Essex and to improve the A14 between Thrapston and Brampton and at Rookery Crossroads; about traffic queuing problems on the A14 westbound at Junction 4 of the A14 (A14/A6 North) in Northamptonshire; about the
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- adequacy of the slip roads at the Swavesey and Boxworth junctions in Cambridgeshire following the opening of new service area facilities and about general issues relating to both roads.
Radioactive Materials (Transportation)
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on recent changes to regulations regarding the transportation by road of radioactive material. [52688]
Mr. Jamieson: I will shortly lay new regulations to align the requirements for domestic road transport of radioactive material in Great Britain with those applying in Europe and by other modes internationally.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the average time in days for processing and dispatching replacement vehicle registration documents by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency was in the last 12 months. [53199]
Mr. Jamieson: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency monitor their annual performance against turnround performance targets sanctioned by the Secretary of State.
For the year 2001–02 in respect of registration documents issued in response to customers notifying changes to their own or the vehicles details, the agency processed and despatched 95 per cent. of all transactions within 11.4 days.
Vehicle Ownership
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many cars are registered to households in (a) Dumfries and Galloway region, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK. [52905]
Mr. Jamieson: The numbers of currently licensed cars registered to keepers with addresses in the Dumfries and Galloway unitary authority, Scotland and the United Kingdom are shown in the table. The figures for Great Britain are as at 30 September 2001; the figure for Northern Ireland (649,400) included in the United Kingdom total is as at 31 December 2001. The totals include cars registered to companies and other entities as well as to individuals.
| Area | Number of cars |
|---|---|
| Dumfries and Galloway unitary authority | 62.0 |
| Scotland | 1,922.0 |
| United Kingdom | 25,629.4 |
Vehicle Accidents
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people in (a) mid-Essex and (b) the county of Essex have (i) died and (ii) been injured as a result of vehicle accidents since 1 January 2001. [52606]
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Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not yet available.
Abandoned Vehicles
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make it his policy that persons who abandon vehicles receive penalty points on their driving licence. [52591]
Mr. Jamieson: Abandoning a vehicle is a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of a £2,500 fine, six months' imprisonment, or both. We have no plans to change those penalties.
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