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18 Dec 2002 : Column 812W—continued
Guided Bus Routes
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will to announce whether Cambridgeshire County Council has been successful in its bid for a guided bus along the Cambridge-Huntingdon route. [88150]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department is still appraising the proposals. As this would be a large and expensive scheme, we have asked independent external consultants to undertake a technical audit of the information received, in order to help us form a view on whether the proposal passes the established tests that determine eligibility for government funding. We will continue to work with the promoters to resolve outstanding issues as soon as possible, and would hope to be able to give them a provisional view of the scheme in advance of the next local transport investment settlement. This would be without prejudice to any statutory approvals that may be required.
Motorway Congestion
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he will make of the South and West Yorkshire multi-modal study into motorway congestion; if he will set up further studies with a
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broader focus; and if he will bring forward the further investment into rail and tram routes suggested in the study. [87432]
Mr. Jamieson: We are currently considering the study recommendations together with the comments received from the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and others. An announcement giving our response to the study recommendations and on the way forward will be made in spring 2003.
Rail Passenger Partnership
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications there have been for the Rail Passenger Partnership in rural areas since its launch; how many have been accepted; and what the average amount spent on each bid has been to date. [88144]
Mr. Jamieson: The Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) scheme was launched in 1999 with a budget of #105 million over three years. In December 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority re-launched RPP with a budget of #400 million until 2010–11.
It is not possible to give a precise figure for the amount spent exclusively in rural areas, as many of the schemes for which funding has been awarded by the SRA are of benefit to rural and non-rural areas. However, since the launch of the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme, applications for 68 schemes containing a rural element have been received. Of these, 36 schemes have been approved for funding. There are a further 13 schemes with a rural element where the Strategic Rail Authority are awaiting formal bids. From the total of those approved bids containing a rural element, the average RPP funding awarded is around #100,000.
Railways
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of changes in the average level of insurance paid per annum since 1995 within the railway industry related to cover for (a) rolling stock, (b) stations, (c) personnel, (d) passengers and (e) other infrastructure. [87628]
Mr. Jamieson: In February 2001, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) took over responsibility for approving all licensed operators1 third party insurance arrangements from the Rail Regulator. Neither the SRA nor the Regulator holds information on premiums paid.
Scottish Airports (Public Transport Facilities)
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of passengers who flew from (a) Edinburgh, (b) Glasgow and (c) Prestwick airports travelled to the airport by public transport in each year since 1995. [88082]
Mr. Jamieson: The available information is as follows.
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| Edinburgh airport | Glasgow airport | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 37 | 31 |
| 2001 | 46 | 34 |
(1) Taxi/minicab or bus/coach. For passengers whose journey included more than one mode, the final mode has been used in the calculation.
Secretary of State Representative
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2002, Official Report, column 673, what resources the Secretary of State representative will have at his disposal; where he is based and if the Secretary of State has powers to intervene to direct him to act. [87521]
{**con**}{**/con**}
Mr. Jamieson: (1) The following major resources are available to SOSREP:
- Aircraft
- 2 surveillance aircraft and 2 dispersant spraying aircraft.
- Helicopters
- 4 x search and rescue helicopters.
- Emergency towing vessels
- Four Government funded emergency towing vessels, strategically placed around the UK.
- Counter pollution and salvage stockpiles
- The MCA has extensive stockpiles of specialised counter pollution and salvage equipment located at Milford Haven and Burnt Island and can provide equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and intrinsically safe equipment in the event of an incident.
- Personnel
- In the event that SOSREP is unavailable when an incident occurs, the following officers may also exercise the SOSREP powers: the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's chief executive, director of operations and deputy director of operations.
- The MCA has 10 designated marine casualty officers (MCOs) around the country that during an incident would go aboard a casualty to act for SOSREP.
- SOSREP has one full time administrative support officer that deals with the every day running of the SOSREP system.
- SOSREP also has a list of independent call-off contractors that can provide salvage, technical or specialist advice. During incidents when a salvage control unit has been set up, SOSREP can request additional administrative support and this is usually provided by the coastguard service.
- Buildings and offices
- SOSREP's office is located within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's headquarters in Southampton. SOSREP has access to all the facilities within the agency's building including the maritime emergency incident room from which the first stages of an incident are often controlled until the individual response units have been mobilised.
- SOSREP also receives information from, and can make use of, the 19 coastguard stations that are located around the UK coastline.
(2) The powers of the Secretary of State:
Lord Donaldson's 1999 Review of Salvage and Intervention and their Command and Control concluded that:
- XMinisters are entitled to be kept informed in the case of more serious incidents and may subsequently be accountable to Parliament. However, whilst operations are in progress, they must stand aside, and be seen to stand aside, leaving operational
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- controls in the hands of the Secretary of State's specially trained and appointed representative. As in military operations, with which a serious incident has much in common, Ministers must back the man in control or sack him."
Stingray
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2002, Official Report, column 214W, on the Stingray system, how the revenue generated from enforcement against VED evaders caught by the Stingray systems compared with the target set in October 2001; and if he will make a statement. [88149]
Mr. Jamieson: No separate target was set for the Stingray ANPR camera systems in October 2001. The Stingray system was intended to, and did, contribute towards the total VED enforcement target of 720,000 successful cases for the year 2001–02. The actual figure achieved was 799,800 cases.
Trains (Chorley)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve rail services between Manchester and Blackpool serving parts of Chorley borough area; and what plans he has to increase the number of trains stopping at Euxton Balshaw lane station. [87516]
Mr. Jamieson: The SRA is combining the local and regional services currently operated by Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western—including those between Manchester and Blackpool—to form a new 'northern' franchise, in line with its new franchising policy announced on 6 November. The SRA expects the franchise to be operational in summer 2004. There are no specific plans to increase the number of trains stopping at Euxton Balshaw lane station at present, but operators can seek to increase service levels at their own discretion.
Vehicle Excise Duty
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many successful cases against evasion of vehicle excise duty there were between October 2001 and October 2002. [88084]
Mr. Jamieson: In the 13 months between October 2001 and October 2002 DVLA took successful action against 870,383 offenders.
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