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23 Jan 2003 : Column 512W—continued

Paper Supplies

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the suppliers are of his Department's (a) paper and (b) paper products. [91909]

Mr. Jamieson: My Department's printing paper is supplied by Robert Horne Paper Company, James McNaughton Paper Company, Premier Paper and Howard Smith Paper. Copier paper and other paper products are supplied by Banner Business Supplies Ltd.

Pollutant Spillage Courses

Mr. Sanders : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities that have taken up pollutant spillage courses offered by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. [91767]

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Mr. Jamieson: In the last 15 months the MCA have trained over 80 local authority delegates on six Oil Pollution, Contingency Planning and Response courses. These delegates have come from the following councils:


The MCA have also run two day hands-on training courses for county, unitary and district councils in the following areas since the summer of 1999: Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Hampshire, West Sussex, Cumbria, Somerset, Argyll and Bute, Fife, Kent, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall, Essex, Teeside, Highland, Humberside, Tyneside, Gwynedd and South Wales. Before April 2003 courses will also be run in Inverclyde, North East Scotland, North Devon, Humberside, the Isle of Wight and Dorset. When organising these courses the host council will always invite their neighbours. For example the Fife Council course was attended by all the councils surrounding the Forth and Tay estuaries.

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Press Releases

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92455]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:

(a) The number of press releases issued by each relevant Department excluding agencies, is set out in the table. Those on transport issues are included in overall totals for the former Departments of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), as separate data is not held.

Number of press releases issued

Number
Department of Transport
1995—1996422
1996—1997401
April 1997—15 June 199738
Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (c)
16 June 1997—1998817
1998—19991,217
1999—20001,153
Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (c)/ Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (c)
2000—2001768
Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions
2001—2002488
April 2002—28 May 200273
Department for Transport
29 May 2002—17 January 2003121

(b) Quarterly information for Department for Transport, since its creation, is as follows:

Press releases issued by the Department for Transport

QuarterNumber
29 May to end of June 200217
July—September 200257
October—December 200243
1 January 2003—to date (17 January 2003)4

Quarterly data for the former Departments is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rail Services

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the request of the Western franchise to receive a subsidy from the Strategic Rail Authority to run services on the Swindon-Cheltenham line in place of Virgin Trains. [92070]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority has agreed that, from May 2003, Virgin Cross Country will no longer run services on this route, but First Great Western will provide an enhanced service.

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The Authority has also invited proposals from Wessex Trains to run services on the route. It is currently considering these.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out an investigation into the ability of train operating companies to cease fulfilling timetabled services. [92071]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 20 January 2003]: The minimum level of services which train operators are required to provide is prescribed in franchise agreements, primarily through the Passenger Service Requirement.

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what remedial action has been taken by train operating companies with passengers in excess of capacity as required by the terms of their franchise; how much funding is committed to this by Central Government; and how the money is distributed; [92128]

Mr. Jamieson: Investment by train operating companies and Network Rail (formerly Railtrack) is made for a variety of reasons including tackling overcrowding. It is not possible to ascribe particular amounts to a single objective. Nor is there a single amount committed by Central Government.

Where train operators breach their 'Passengers In Excess of Capacity' limit the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) can require an action plan to be produced. The SRA now publish information on these in the June edition of 'On Track'. This is placed in the Library of the House.

Road Deaths

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 627W, on road deaths, whether his Department has specifically requested from the Netherlands (a) figures on accident reductions and (b) details of the effects on traffic flows and the behaviour of road users generally, where traffic lights have been removed. [92609]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department is in touch with the official responsible for the work in the Netherlands. Accident figures and the effects on traffic flows have been discussed in general terms and we have asked for any formal figures that may be available. It is important to note that a great deal of work has been done to change the appearance of the roads concerned and reduce vehicle speeds as part of influencing drivers' behaviour. More than just the removal of traffic signals is involved and this needs to be considered when looking at accident and traffic flow figures.

Roadworks (London)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reports of hazards to pedestrians have been (a) reported and (b) investigated by the

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Health and Safety Executive as a result of Transport for London road works in Wandsworth between 2001–02. [92126]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not readily available. Reports to the Health and Safety Executive regarding hazards to pedestrians are normally recorded as complaints concerning the contractor actually doing the work, not the ultimate client. During the period 2001–02 HSE recorded a total of 18 complaints concerning public safety in the London borough of Wandsworth: in 14 of these it proved possible for HSE to carry out investigations. From a further search of available data there is no record of any of these complaints having concerned Transport for London roadwork's.

Rolling Stock

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when all Mark 1 rolling stock will be removed from service. [92622]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is leading an industry wide Mark 1 Replacement Programme to ensure that all Mark 1 rolling stock is removed from the Network by 31 December 2004, as required in the 1999 Rail Safety Regulations. In the course of investigating this project, it has become clear that it may be necessary to provide for around 300 to 350 vehicles to operate on the network after December 2004, but the SRA expects these vehicles to be removed from the network in spring 2005.

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