| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
28 Oct 2002 : Column 586W—continued
Cycleways
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend the number of cycleways, especially in rural areas. [77072]
Mr. Jamieson: The responsibility for providing cycling facilities rests with local traffic authorities.
They have powers to provide cycle lanes on the carriageway and cycle tracks away from the road. It is for individual authorities to decide local priorities and allocate funding for schemes in rural areas.
Departmental Job Vacancies
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many job vacancies there were at (a) administrative assistant or equivalent, (b) administrative officer or equivalent, (c) administrative executive officer, (d) higher executive officer, (e) senior executive officer, (f) grade 7 principal and (g) positions above grade 7 level in his Department for jobs located in (i) London and (ii) the South East between 1 April 2001 and 31 March; and what is the total employment for each Civil Service grade. [76556]
Mr Jamieson: We do not have central records readily available for vacancy figures as at 1 April 2001. Vacancy figures detailed in the table are at 1 October 2001. Figures for the Department's agencies are not held centrally and therefore are not available.
28 Oct 2002 : Column 587W
| Responsibility level | Vacancies (all London) | Total staff |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 and above | 1 | 293 |
| Grade 7 | 24 | 631 |
| Senior Executive Officer | 37 | 464 |
| Higher Executive Officer | 56 | 880 |
| Executive Officer | 73 | 950 |
| Administrative Officer | 96 | 959 |
| Administrative Assistant | 9 | 201 |
| Total non-industrial staff | 296 | 4,380 |
(8) All vacancies are in the London region.
Drivers (Mobile Phones)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's (a) policy and (b) advice on the use of hand-held mobiles while driving. [77070]
Mr. Jamieson: The advice in Rule 127 of The Highway Code is never to use a hand-held mobile phone when driving. The Department's leaflet 'Mobile Phones and Driving' provides more detailed advice—the text is
28 Oct 2002 : Column 588W
available on-line at Xwww.think.dft.gov.uk/mobile/index.htm". This advice has been supported by publicity campaigns.
The Government is currently inviting comments on the possible introduction of a specific offence to prohibit the use of any hand-held mobile phone or similar device by drivers. The Department's consultation document is available on-line at Views are requested by 25 November.
East London Underground Line
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce plans to extend the East London Underground Line to stations in south London. [77292]
Mr. Spellar: As soon as we have taken a decision on the project.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) the number of people employed, (b) the role and terms of reference and (c) the annual budget of (i) the Northern Lighthouse Board and (ii) the Commission for Integrated Transport for each year since 1997–98. [76524]
Mr. Jamieson: The information is as follows: (i) The Northern Lighthouse Board
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of employees (inc. part-time) | 395 | 359 | 365 | 369 | 358 | (9) 343 |
| Part-time | 151 | 142 | 146 | 160 | 157 | (9) 135 |
(9) Average for the year to 30 September 2002
(b) The role of the Northern Lighthouse Board is to provide and maintain aids to navigation around the coastline of Scotland and the Isle of Man and to deliver a reliable and economical service that enables all classes of mariner to navigate safely within its area of responsibility.
| # million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 23,461 |
| 1998–99 | 22,057 |
| 1999–2000 | 28,185 |
| 2000–01 | 22,930 |
| 2001–02 | 24,210 |
| 2002–03 | 22,140 |
(ii) The Commission for Integrated Transport
The Commission for Integrated Transport was established in July 1999.
| 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board members | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Secretariat | 6 | 7 | 10 |
(b) The role of the Commission for Integrated Transport is to provide independent advice to Government on the implementation of integrated transport policy, to monitor developments across transport, environment, health and other sectors and to review progress towards meeting the Government's objectives. Its remit includes:
reviewing and monitoring progress towards objectives and targets set out in the Integrated Transport White Paper;
continuing and refreshing the transport policy debate;
fostering consensus among practical providers;
identifying and disseminating examples of best practice from home and abroad;
advising on developments in Europe, including relevant EU initiatives;
advising on the role of existing and emerging technologies; reporting regularly on progress against the objectives and outcomes in the 10 Year Plan.
| #000 | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 387 |
| 2000–01 | 695 |
| 2001–02 | 2,239 |
28 Oct 2002 : Column 589W
London-Ipswich Links
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his response to the consultation process on the London to Ipswich Multi-Modal Study. [77680]
Mr. Jamieson: The London to Ipswich Multi-Modal Study, as with all Multi-Modal Studies, has undertaken consultation exercises at various stages to ensure that the views of local public, businesses, environmental interests, transport users, operators and other regional interests are taken into account. The final report is due by the end of November 2002 and will include a section relating to communication and consultation undertaken as part of this study. We will announce our response to the Study after receiving views on it from the East of England Local Government Conference (RPB).
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about upgrading the A12 between London and Ipswich. [77681]
Mr. Jamieson: I have received no recent representations about upgrading the A12 between London and Ipswich. However, transport issues in this corridor are being studied in the London to Ipswich (LOIS) multi-modal study. The study final report will be published by the end of November 2002 and will set out proposals for improvements for all modes of transport in the A12 corridor.
Motorway Central Reservations
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for planting foliage in central reservations of 10 metres or more on motorways. [76569]
Mr. Jamieson: There are no plans for new planting on existing wide central reservations on the existing motorway network.
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been commissioned on the effect of foliage in central reservations of motorways on driver psychology. [76570]
Mr. Jamieson: No research has been commissioned by my Department into the effect of foliage in central reservations of motorways on driver psychology.
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has commissioned research into the effect of planting foliage on the central reservations of motorways in other countries on (a) safety, (b) the environment and (c) tourism. [76571]
Mr. Jamieson: No. A working group was set up in 1988–89 that examined the design options for central reservation policy. It took account of European practice at that time. It did not find any evidence of significant benefits for safety, the environment or tourism in the use of such planting.
Recruitment Advertising
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many non-devolved posts were
28 Oct 2002 : Column 590W
advertised in the press in each year from June 1999; and what percentage of them were advertised in the Scottish press. [76849]
Mr. Jamieson [Holding answer 24 October 2002]: My Department does not hold centrally, information on the coverage of the posts it has advertised. None of our advertisements have used Scottish press, except where the post is to be based in Scotland. All of our advertising media is chosen to achieve as broad a reach as possible, and includes UK wide newspapers and the web.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |