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13 Jan 2003 : Column 394W—continued
Alternative Fuels
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the road haulage industry and vehicle manufacturers regarding (a) the use of alternative fuels and (b) the development and use of lean, clean and low noise engines. [90323]
Mr. Jamieson : Ministers meet regularly with representatives of the road haulage, motor and oil industries to discuss the development of clean fuels and technologies, both individually and through a number of high level committees. The Road Haulage Forum, for example, discusses progress in modernising the industry, including through the introduction of clean vehicle technologies. The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, which will be launched on 16 January 2003, will allow Ministers to work closely with all stakeholders to encourage the development and use of clean, low carbon vehicles and fuels.
Central Railways
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the SRA report on central railways to be published; and who will be responsible for publication. [89690]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 351W, to the hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley).
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the Strategic Rail Authority report on Central Railway; and if he will make a statement. [89691]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 December 2002, Official Report, column 351W, to the hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley).
Diesel Technology
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives the Government have put in place to encourage (a) vehicle manufacturers and road haulage companies to cut emissions on existing diesel technology and (b) the wider use of alternative based vehicles. [90322]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government have introduced a number of incentives to encourage the wider use of cleaner vehicles and fuels, and has published the XPowering Future Vehicles Strategy", which provides a framework for future fiscal and other incentives.
All new vehicles have to meet minimum European emission standards that are set to become progressively tougher over time. This will ensure that all vehicles—including heavy diesel vehicles—become less polluting over time. In addition, my Department sponsors the CleanUp programme that provides grants towards the cost of fitting trucks—and other vehicles—with
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pollution reducing technologies such as particulate traps. In many cases, trucks fitting such devices can also benefit from lower Vehicle Excise Duty.
More generally, the Government are encouraging the wider use of cleaner fuels and vehicles through:
- favourable fuel duty rates for cleaner fuels, including LPG, natural gas and biofuels;
company car tax and vehicle excise duty regimes based on CO2 emissions, with discounts for alternatively fuelled vehicles; and
grants through Transport Energy programmes towards the additional cost of purchasing cleaner vehicles such as electric, hybrid and gas vehicles.
Dismantled Railway Lines
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many feasibility studies the SRA commissioned in 2002 into the possible re-opening of dismantled railway lines; and if he will make a statement. [88957]
Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) does not commission feasibility studies into the re-opening of dismantled railway lines. Parties who intend to make bids for Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) funding however, often carry out feasibility studies and three such bids have been received during 2002. Therefore, no specific studies into dismantled railway lines have been commissioned by the SRA in 2002.
Driving Licences
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests were received in the past 12 months to replace (a) photocard and (b) counterpart driving licences. [90024]
Mr. Jamieson: The photocard and the paper counterpart together constitute the complete driving licence. DVLA expects to process some 680,000 applications for duplicate driving licences (i.e. where the licence has been lost, stolen or defaced) by the end of the current financial year. Figures are not available for which part of the licence has been lost but DVLA believes that most cases involve loss of the paper counterpart.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a breakdown of the average costs incurred, per application, by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for providing (a) replacement photographic driving licences and (b) replacement counterpart driving licences in 2001–02. [90025]
Mr. Jamieson: The average cost of replacement licences of all types, per application, in 2001–02 is estimated to be around #5.60. DVLA does not maintain a breakdown of transaction costs into the categories requested.
Freight
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Government assistance has been given to UK freight transport since 1997. [90318]
Mr. Jamieson: Government policy is to promote an efficient, safe, and sustainable UK freight industry across all modes; rail, road, air, sea and inland
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waterway. Since 1997 the Government have implemented a variety of fiscal and non-fiscal measures to support this policy.
Detailed information in relation to all freight transport modes across the United Kingdom could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Investment
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional investment in travel by sea there is in his spending plans for 2003–04. [89566]
Mr. Jamieson: None. The Department does not subsidise travel by sea.
London Underground (PPP)
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much money has been spent by his Department on (a) consultants' fees and (b) lawyers' fees for the London Underground PPP; [88978]
- (2) what has been the cost to his Department, and its predecessor Departments, of preparing the PPP for London Underground. [88977]
Mr. Jamieson: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State explained when giving evidence to the Transport Select Committee on 18 December 2002, the estimated cost to London Transport and to the Department of preparing for the PPP, including the costs being repaid to all bidders, is likely to total around #500 million.
The PPP amounts to an unprecedented modernisation of the entire underground network over the next 30-years. The level of bid development costs reflects this and also the lengthy duration of the bidding process, which commenced in October 1999. Nonetheless, the level of bid costs represents only an extremely small proportion of the value of investment that will be delivered over the life of the contracts.
It is normal practice for eligible bid costs to be recoverable under PFI contracts. In this instance, the amounts to be recovered have been verified through an independent review to ensure that the costs have been reasonably and properly occurred and were appropriate for a transaction of this nature.
The Department has sought to keep its costs to a minimum by making joint use of London Transport's advisers, expenditure on which is regularly reported to Parliament, mostly recently on 25 November 2002, Official Report, column 63W. As this made clear, London Transport's expenditure on external consultants, including legal advice, from 20 March 1998 (the date of the Government's announcement) to 30 September 2002, for work on the PPP and restructuring of London Underground, was #96.3 million. As a result of the delayed implementation of the PPP, London Transport currently estimate that the final amount should be between #103-#105 million, an increase of between #5–#7 million over its December 2001 forecast. Around #1.6 million of this increase arises from the Mayor's second unsuccessful legal challenge in July 2002. The court granted that these costs should be fully recovered from Transport for London.
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The Department has separately spent around #1.5 million on independent external advice where this has been appropriate.
Manchester Airport
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aircraft transport movements there have been at Manchester Airport in each month since December 2001. [90732]
Mr. Jamieson: The information is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | |
| December | 11,750 |
| 2002 | |
| January | 12,804 |
| February | 11,993 |
| March | 13,260 |
| April | 13,504 |
| May | 15,791 |
| June | 16,022 |
| July | 17,070 |
| August | 17,469 |
| September | 17,123 |
| October | 16,338 |
| November | 13,495 |
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