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Green Transport
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he has introduced to support environmentally friendly transport, with particular reference to rural areas. [55128]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government have introduced a range of measures to encourage environmentally friendly transport. These include lower fuel duties for cleaner fuels; reduced vehicle excise duty and lower company car tax for cars that emit less CO2; and grants under the 'TransportAction' programme to help car owners, hauliers and transport operators to buy or convert vehicles to run on cleaner fuels such as LPG and natural gas.
In February the DTI announced its 'LPG Boost' to the TransportAction programme, an initiative to increase the number of LPG converters in rural areas and further raise awareness of this cleaner fuel.
Public Service Vehicles
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has (a) to update the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990 and (b) to issue guidance to the operators of public service vehicles in relation to the reasonable precautions to be taken to ensure safety of passengers after they have entered a vehicle but before they have become seated. [56844]
Mr. Jamieson: The Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990 are currently being amended to reflect the introduction of regulated buses and coaches under the Disability Discrimination Act. The changes apply to the use of equipment fitted to the vehicle such as ramps and lifts, additional duties towards disabled people carried in the vehicle and to the carriage of assistance dogs. The amending regulations will be laid shortly, and will apply to regulated buses and coaches from September.
As explained in my written answer to the hon. Member on 8 May 2002, Official Report, column 220W, bus drivers and conductors (where present) are already required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of passengers who are on, or who are entering or leaving, the vehicle. This regulation is long-established and well understood and we see no need to issue guidance to operators.
London Underground
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the maximum annual bonus is that he estimates will be
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achievable under each of the three PPP contracts; and what the maximum annual penalty is that can be levied on each of the three PPP consortia. [56212]
Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 14 May 2002]: London Underground is responsible for the PPP contracts for the modernisation of the underground's infrastructure. Under these contracts, the performance of the private sector infrastructure companies will be measured in terms of the capacity, reliability and ambience of the travelling environment they deliver on the tube network. Payments will increase as performance improves.
There is no cap on the maximum annual penalty that can be levied under the tube modernisation contracts. Indeed, if performance deteriorates below set levels, the rate at which the contractor is penalised increases. Ultimately, poor performance could result in the contractor defaulting on the contract.
Railways
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much the Strategic Rail Authority has spent (a) on its own account and (b) in grants to organisations on feasibility studies into the possible re-opening of closed railway lines; and if he will make a statement. [55442]
Mr. Jamieson: The table indicates how much the Strategic Rail Authority has spent, or committed to spend, on feasibility studies into the re-opening of closed lines.
| Project | Approximate cost (£) |
|---|---|
| West Midlands Capacity Study | 100,000 |
| East Coast Main Line-related routes | 1,000,000 |
| East London Line Extension | 4,000,000 |
| Matlock to Buxton | 190,000 |
The authority is considering giving support to a number of other schemes.
Disabled Access (Railway Stations)
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what cost estimates have been prepared by the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to ensuring that all stations conform with the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 by 2004. [55202]
Mr. Jamieson: Station operators are responsible for ensuring that their stations meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Rail Safety
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will publish the draft legislation to take forward the recommendations of Lord Cullen's inquiry into rail safety. [57146]
Mr. Byers: The only recommendations which are likely to require primary legislation are those concerning the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Rail Industry Safety Body. In the case of the Rail Industry Safety Body, however, the Rail Regulator may be able to establish this through licence changes, in which case
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primary legislation will not be needed. We will publish proposals for any legislation that is required in the current Session.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people died as a result of railway crashes in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [57122]
Mr. Jamieson: Information held by the Health and Safety Executive on the number of train incident fatalities each year since 1997 is contained in the table.
| Passengers | Railway staff | Other people(6) | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 2000–01 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| 1999–2000 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 33 |
| 1998–99 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 1997–98 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
(6) Pedestrians, car drivers, cyclists
Road Accidents
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) how many people died as a result of road crashes which occurred on (a) 10 January, (b) 10 February, (c) 10 March and (d) 10 April; [57118]
- (2) on how many days in the last 12 months the number of people killed in road crashes totalled (a) seven and (b) more than seven; and what the highest number was on a single day; [57117]
(3) how many people died as a result of road crashes in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [57120]
(4) what the average number of people who died each day as a result of road crashes in the last 12 months for which figures are available is; [57119]
(5) how many people died as a result of road crashes which occurred on 10 May. [57116]
Mr. Jamieson: Numbers killed in road accidents in Great Britain in each of the last five years for which figures are available:
| Killed | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 3,598 |
| 1997 | 3,599 |
| 1998 | 3,421 |
| 1999 | 3,423 |
| 2000 | 3,409 |
In 2000 the average number of people who died each day as a result of road crashes in Great Britain was nine.
The numbers of people who died in 2000 as a result of road crashes in Great Britain which occurred on the dates requested are as follows:
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Motorways
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the impact of noise on schools is part of the criteria used to consider noise reduction programmes on motorways. [57097]
Mr. Jamieson: Following consultation on establishing priorities for the resurfacing of concrete trunk roads, one of the agreed criteria is to give priority to those sites where treatment would benefit the greatest number of people. Although not mentioned specifically, schools are generally found in areas of high population density, which would be given priority under the agreed criteria.
Number Plates
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many refusals of transfer of cherished plates have been made, and on what basis refusals were made, in the latest year for which figures are available. [56877]
Mr. Jamieson: No information is kept on the number of cherished transfer applications that are refused. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many cherished number plates were transferred and how much was received by the Government for transfer of cherished plates in the last year for which figures are available. [56876]
Mr. Jamieson: The number of cherished transfer applications processed in the UK in financial year 2000–01 was some 259,400. The total fees from those transactions was some £21.4 million.
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