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15 Oct 2002 : Column 709W—continued
Nuclear Waste
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many movements of spent nuclear fuel occurred in each year from 1997 (a) by air within UK airspace, (b) by sea within UK waters, (c) by rail and (d) by road. [73946]
Mr. Jamieson: This Department does not hold statistical information of the type requested.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what rules are in place to govern the safe transfer of nuclear waste between countries. [74594]
Mr. Jamieson: The rules covering sea and air transport of radioactive material are, respectively, the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code (Amendment 30–00) produced by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the
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Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, 2001–2002 Edition, produced by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Within Europe, international road transport is covered by the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), 2001 Edition, produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Similarly, rail transport is covered by the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) Appendix B. Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM) Annex 1 Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID), 2001 Edition.
All rules for the safe transport of radioactive materials are based on the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency (the latest version being the 1996 Edition (revised)).
Thameslink 2000
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the Thameslink 2000 project. [74747]
Mr. Jamieson: Planning and associated applications are currently before the Deputy Prime Minister.
Transport Services (Taunton)
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport (a) surveys and (b) studies underway cover Taunton. [74094]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government are funding through the Highways Agency two studies covering Taunton and one survey (at various locations). Similar information of a much more localised nature would be available from Somerset County Council itself.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the (a) reliability and (b) punctuality of rail services between Taunton and (i) London, (ii) Aberdeen, (iii) Plymouth and (iv) Penzance. [74093]
Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority publishes performance statistics for all train operating companies every three months in National Rail Trends and every six months in On Track. The figures for each operator are not broken down to route level. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects new trains to be deployed on the Paddington to Bristol line in sufficient numbers to ensure that all Paddington to Taunton services use high-speed train sets. [74095]
Mr. Jamieson: The few remaining locomotive hauled (class 47) services to the west country were withdrawn with the introduction of the winter timetable on 29 September. Services are now provided by a
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combination of High Speed Trains (HSTs) and new Class 180 Adelante trains, both of which are capable of speeds of 125mph.
British Transport Police
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many arrests were made by British Transport Police in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001. [73808]
Mr. Jamieson: The British Transport Police do not separately record numbers of arrests. They processed the following numbers of persons for allegedly committing offences:
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 36,607 | 39,832 | 38,119 | 32,300 |
The figures for 1997 are not readily available and were recorded using different Home Office rules that would not be comparable with the figures for subsequent years.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) officers and (b) other staff there were in the British Transport Police in (i) 1997, (ii) 1998, (iii) 1999 and (iv) 2000; and how many there are now. [73809]
Mr. Jamieson: The British Transport Police have provided me with the following information:
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officers | 2,132 | 2,095 | 2,113 | 2,091 | 2,109 | 2,123 |
| Support Staff | 461 | 492 | 524 | 523 | 565 | 644 |
West Coast Main Line
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of the West Coast main line next year on Wilmslow; [74432]
- (2) what discussions he has had with Railtrack and Network Rail on opening the branch railway line from Styal to Manchester during the closure of the West Coast main line next year; [74430]
(3) if he will list the persons and organisations consulted before his announcement that the West Coast main line will close next year. [74431]
Mr. Jamieson: These are matters for the Strategic Rail Authority. On 9 October, the SRA published for consultation their draft Strategy for delivering the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line. The Strategy includes consideration of alternative service patterns on sections of line when work is in progress.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost to public funds is of the West Coast Mainline upgrade to date. [73798]
Mr. Jamieson: No public funds have been expended specifically on the West Coast Main Line route modernisation project. However, to the extent that the
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estimated costs of the project have already been taken into account by the Rail Regulator in determining Railtrack's income requirements, an element of that income will have been supported by public funding to train operating companies using the line which has flowed through to Railtrack in the form of access charges, and by public funding for network grants paid to Railtrack.
Huntingdon–Oxford Train Service
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage the initiation of the train service between Huntingdon and Oxford. [74219]
Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority commissioned a study of the wider strategic options for services on the East-West corridor. This confirmed that viable options exist for services on the Oxford-Milton Keynes corridor, but found little evidence that services east of Bedford would be economically viable or provide value for money if supported by public funds. However, the SRA is exploring with Network Rail and other relevant parties options for keeping parts of the East-West route in railway ownership and safeguarding potential infrastructure alignments in the West Coast and East Coast Main Line upgrades.
Public Transport Assessment
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to undertake an assessment of the road and public transport infrastructure in London and the South East of England before the house-building programme announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review begins; and if he will make a statement. [73509]
Mr. Jamieson: We are working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to develop its comprehensive long-term programme of action for building sustainable communities. Transport has an important role in this, and we will be working closely with regional and local partners to understand their particular transport needs as plans develop.
Disabled Access
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent changes have been made to public transport in the United Kingdom to ensure better access for disabled people. [74471]
Mr. Jamieson: We are using the powers in Part V of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to introduce regulations which will ensure that public transport is accessible to disabled people, including those who need to travel in a wheelchair.
The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998 were the first to be made and affect all new passenger rolling stock entering service since 1 January 1999. Those regulations apply not only to rolling stock on mainline services, but also to light rail systems and underground systems.
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Similar regulations—the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000—apply to new buses and coaches with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers which are used on local and scheduled services. Those regulations have applied since 31 December 2000. Different dates for compliance with the wheelchair access requirements have been set for different vehicle types, ie
- For full size single and double deck buses—31 December 2000
- For smaller buses and all coaches—1 January 2005
Separate dates have also been set for all vehicles to comply with the regulations, ie
- For full size single deck buses—1 January 2016
- For double deck buses—1 January 2017
- For smaller buses—1 January 2015
- For coaches—1 January 2020
The Act also makes provision for accessibility regulations to be made for licensed taxis. We are currently considering how best to take forward those provisions. In the meantime we have already introduced a requirement for taxi drivers to accept assistance dogs accompanying a disabled person and to carry those dogs free of charge. That requirement came into force on 31 March 2001.
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