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3 Dec 2002 : Column 673W—continued
Speed Cameras
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed site speed cameras are in operation. [84594]
Mr. Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.
Speed Limits
Mark Tami : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines he has issued to local authorities regarding suitable speed limits on roads adjoining school premises. [84583]
Mr. Jamieson: Guidance to local authorities on the setting of local speed limits exists in the form of Circular Roads 1/93. Additionally, legislation and guidance exists that allows local authorities to introduce 20 mph zones and 20 mph speed limits. Traffic calmed 20 mph zones have been particularly successful in urban areas, including around schools as they ensure compliance with the speed limit thereby substantially reducing the risk of accidents.
Strategic Rail Authority
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) the staffing and (b) the overall budget of the SRA has changed in each year since its inception. [84271]
Mr. Jamieson: For staffing, I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 2 December 2002, Official Report, column 500W.
The budget for 2001–02 at the start of the year was £1,280,619,000. During the financial year, the budget increased to £1,871,992,000. The budget for 2002–03 at the start of the year was £2,166,535,000. That total was recently increased to £2,351,535,000. These increases reflect increases in the scope of SRA expenditure.
Sustainability Strategy
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the sustainability strategy is for his Department; and if he will make a statement on how it has changed since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. [83503]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department is committed to the objectives set out in the Government's overall strategy for sustainable development, XA Better Quality of Life" (Cm 4345), published in May 1999.
Our policies, including those set out in the Integrated Transport White Paper (Cm 3950) of July 1998; the associated policy statements, such as the Sustainable Distribution Strategy of March 1999; the 10 Year Plan
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for Transport published in July 2000, which sets out an investment programme to 2010; and the on-going Powering Future Vehicles initiative; will help to deliver not only the UK's sustainable transport priorities, but also the transport outcomes of the World Summit for Sustainable Development.
WSSD outcomes and first views on follow-up will be reflected in the Government's annual report on UK progress on sustainable development for 2002.
Traffic Accidents (Lancashire)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents resulted in a fatality in Lancashire in each of the last five years. [85342]
Mr. Jamieson: Figures for road fatalities in Lancashire for 2001 and the five preceding years are shown in the table.
The first column shows the number of accidents in which fatalities occurred, and the second column gives the total number of people killed as a result of those accidents.
| Number of fatal accidents | Number of fatal casualties | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 81 | 87 |
| 1997 | 75 | 79 |
| 1998 | 81 | 84 |
| 1999 | 70 | 79 |
| 2000 | 60 | 65 |
| 2001 | 74 | 76 |
Transport 10-year Plan
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expenditure is allocated under the Strategic Rail Authority's 10-year plan for (a) multi-modal studies and (b) projects relating to access to airports; and if he will make a statement. [83666]
Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan does not break down proposed expenditure on this basis. Proposals for funding of all rail schemes are assessed and taken forward according to their affordability and value for money.
Trinitas Services Ltd.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether the proposal on the level of interest rate to be charged on the loan to Trinitas Services Ltd. after the third year of the loan being drawn down was referred to the Treasury for instructions on the terms to be applied to the loan; and, how this transaction is governed by Government fiscal policy; [83577]
- (2) whether the decision to provide an interest-free loan from the General Lighthouse Fund to Trinitas Services Ltd. was put to the (a) Lights Finance Committee and (b) Lights Advisory Committee for approval. [83523]
Mr. Jamieson: As the General Lighthouse Fund provided the loan to Trinitas Services Ltd., the Treasury was not consulted on the terms of the loan. No public funding was included.
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The loan was submitted to the Lights Advisory Committee for approval but not to the Lights Finance Committee.
Unregistered Vehicles
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what power (a) the Mayor of London, (b) the Greater London Authority and (c) other local authorities have to pick up and crush unregistered vehicles; what restrictions there are upon them taking that action; and if he will make a statement. [84065]
Mr. Jamieson: We are not aware of a particular problem (e.g. of abandonment) in respect of the very small number of unregistered vehicles in the UK. However, we are aware of the considerable problem of unlicensed vehicles.
Local authorities have various powers to deal with abandoned vehicles. Among these will be a number that are also unlicensed and in determining whether a vehicle is abandoned, the absence of a tax disc may be a significant, but not the only factor. Section 4 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 Act provides that a local authority may destroy a vehicle immediately which is in their custody and on which no current vehicle excise licence (tax disc) was displayed at the time of its removal.
Although local authorities have however, no general power to deal with unlicensed vehicles as such, powers now exist for the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to devolve its powers of enforcement in dealing with unlicensed vehicles to local authorities wishing to use them. To date six local authorities have been given devolved powers to clamp and impound unlicensed vehicles on behalf of the Secretary of State. These are the London Boroughs of Croydon, Lewisham, Newham and Wandsworth, together with Hastings and Southend-on-Sea borough councils.
These councils seek authorisation from DVLA to clamp any unlicensed vehicles. If the vehicle is not claimed after 24 hours it is removed to a secure vehicle compound. The vehicles are kept in the compound for a minimum of 7 days to allow DVLA to write to the registered keeper informing them of the whereabouts of the vehicle and what steps they will need to take to reclaim the vehicle. If the vehicle still remains unclaimed, DVLA will give authorisation for the vehicle to be disposed of, this is usually by crushing.
West Coast Main Line
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains (a) arrive at and (b) depart from Preston station each day. [85325]
Mr. Jamieson: The information is contained in the National Rail Timetable.
PRIVY COUNCIL
Pre-legislative Scrutiny
Mr. Allen: To ask the President of the Council pursuant to his reply, 19 November 2002, Official
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Report, column 44W, on pre-legislative scrutiny, when decisions will be made on the form of scrutiny to which a number of bills will be subject. [83808]
Mr. Robin Cook: A decision will be made on the form of scrutiny to which a draft bill will be subject once the timetable for its publication is firmly established.
TREASURY
Manufacturing Exports
Mr. Hoyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the amount of exports from the manufacturing sector in the North West in the last three years. [84081]
John Healey: The estimates for manufacturing exports from companies in the North West are shown as follows, for 1999–2001 and 2002 year to date, together with corresponding estimates for the UK as a whole.
Manufacturing exports from the North West have averaged 1.69 billion per year over the period 1999–2001. This compares to £21.9 billion per year average for UK manufacturing exports (North West being 7.7 per cent. of the UK figure).
| Year | Exports from North West | Exports from UK |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1.67 | 20.3 |
| 2000 | 1.71 | 22.6 |
| 2001 | 1.69 | 22.8 |
| 2002(9) | 1.23 | 16.6 |
(9) Year to date.
Ordnance Exports
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arms, munitions, and military equipment were exported for sale from Great Britain to the Government of Israel in 2001–02; and what the total value of such exports was. [83888]
John Healey: Information in the format requested would enable individual businesses to be identified and cannot be disclosed. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (third party commercial confidences) applies. However, information on the value of strategic exports to Israel for 2001 can be found in Appendix C of the Strategic Export Controls Annual Report, which is available in the Library.
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