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Strategic Rail Authority

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Strategic Rail Authority will announce the preferred bidder for the Trans-Pennine Express franchise. [69435]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority has received Best and Final Offers from the three short-listed counterparties: Arriva, Connex, and the FirstGroup/Keolis consortium. The authority is evaluating those proposals and will make an announcement in due course.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the accounting subsidiaries of the SRA. [69945]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 214W.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the SRA first made a payment to Network Rail as a legal entity. [69943]

Mr. Jamieson: No payments have been made so far by the SRA to Network Rail.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will offer a contract for a satellite tracking system to monitor oil spills; and if the contract will include night-time flying. [69687]

Mr. Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has concluded a trial on the potential for the use of satellite tracking systems to monitor oil spills and is currently evaluating the results. The MCA is also liaising with the Department for Trade and Industry on the best way forward for future satellite surveillance for the detection of marine oil spills in UK waters.

15 Jul 2002 : Column 13W

To improve detection of oil spills during hours of darkness, the MCA has recently ordered increased night-time flying of its contracted aerial surveillance aircraft.

Consultations

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people (a) were invited to respond

15 Jul 2002 : Column 14W

and (b) responded to his consultation on (i) joint consultation with DTI and DEFRA, (ii) road traffic and (iii) electromagnetic compatibility. [69459]

Mr. Jamieson: As well as the individually directed invitations to comment that are counted in the table, full consultation papers were available on the Department's website and supplied to enquirers on request.

Consultation(a) Organisations and interested parties consulted (b) Responses
(i) Joint DTLR, DTI, DEFRA and Treasury consultation on the draft Powering Future Vehicles Strategy15777
(ii) Road traffic consultation concerning the draft Road Traffic (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 200225159
(iii) Electromagnetic compatibility consultation274107

Software

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in his Department. [69306]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport sets out the specific business requirements that software is required to meet. Suppliers are free to propose open source software to meet these requirements.

The Department's use of open source software will follow the Government's policy when published, currently planned for summer 2002. The draft policy may be viewed at http:// www.govtalk.gov.uk/rfc/rfc_document.asp?docnum=429.

At present, less than 1 per cent. of departmental software is open source.

School Transport

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the allocation of funding and (b) the number of schemes under Safe Routes to Schools by LEA. [69486]

Mr. Jamieson: Aside from major local transport schemes (ie those with a gross cost exceeding £5 million) capital funding to local authorities for road maintenance and smaller scale integrated transport measures such as safe routes to school are provided in the form of a single block allocation. It is for the authorities to decide upon the use of such funds in line with the priorities and objectives established in their plans.

We therefore do not allocate funding for specific safe routes to school projects. However, the table shows the information provided within the local transport plan Annual Progress Reports submitted in August 2001 by those English authorities outside London who estimated the number of schools implementing their first safe route scheme, established wholly or partly using local transport plan capital funding.

Authority2001–022002–032003–042004–052005–06
Bath and NE Somerset46666
Barnsley43233
Bedfordshire34555
Birmingham3115161515
Blackburn42222
Blackpool22222
Bolton32333
Bournemouth22222
Bracknell77652
Bradford306888
Brighton12332
Bristol888910
Buckinghamshire911101010
Calderdale66666
Cambridgeshire1413101010
Cheshire1520303030
Cornwall88101010
Coventry1111111111
Darlington42222
Derby45555
Derbyshire04322
Devon59988
Doncaster22222
Dorset66656
Dudley33333
Durham1515202020
East Sussex22222
East Riding02233
Essex5840404040
Gateshead1212121212
Gloucestershire44222
Halton22222
Hampshire129865
Hartlepool55566
Herefordshire44444
Isle of Wight678910
Kent33333
Kingston upon Hull910101010
Kirklees02246
Knowsley612182430
Lancashire515202020
Leeds10000
Leicester114445
Leicestershire2928272730
Lincolnshire22232
Liverpool33333
Luton76666
Manchester2020202020
Medway22244
Middlesbrough24333
Milton Keynes610101010
North East Lincolnshire12311
North Lincolnshire22225
North Somerset36666
North Tyneside1410101010
Newcastle1010101414
Norfolk10101066
Northamptonshire1621212121
Northumberland710101010
Nottingham810101010
Nottinghamshire619202121
Oldham160000
Oxfordshire1929000
Peterborough43333
Plymouth44444
Poole44400
Portsmouth22222
Reading45555
Redcar and Cleveland24444
Rochdale42211
Rutland74550
South Gloucestershire4571015
South Tyneside97666
Salford1122
Sandwell66677
Sefton74444
Sheffield60000
Shropshire1214141712
Slough24556
Solihull32455
Somerset80000
Southampton29555
Southend66666
St. Helens34444
Staffordshire44444
Stockton on Tees12222
Stoke on Trent128888
Suffolk1313131313
Sunderland95555
Surrey1219283537
Swindon125555
Tameside22222
Telford and Wrekin34444
Thurrock105555
Torbay44444
Trafford2010101010
West Sussex2113172317
Wakefield1010101010
Warrington34455
Warwickshire1920202020
Wiltshire1920121212
Wirral1010101010
Wokingham815151010
Wolverhampton33333
Worcestershire3060606060
York1010101010

Source:

LTP Annual Progress Reports 2001


15 Jul 2002 : Column 15W

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it a requirement that transport for schoolchildren and pre-school children should be fitted with seat belts. [69545]

Mr. Jamieson: All minibuses and coaches used specifically for school transport have since 1998 been required to be fitted with seat belts. This requirement would also apply to pre-school transport for children over three.

In addition, all new cars and buses (apart from buses designed for urban use and standing passengers) are now required to be fitted with seat belts.


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