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3 Feb 2003 : Column 37W—continued
Advertising
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advertising is displayed on his Department's website from other Government Departments and agencies; on what other Government Department websites information from his Department
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is advertised; over what time this advertising has, or will be, displayed; and under what guidance, direction and agreements any such advertising is displayed. [93239]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department is taking part in a pilot to promote campaigns across Government websites, in conjunction with No. 10, DFES ODPM, Home Office, HSE, the Office of the E-Envoy and ukonline.gov.uk. Each of these Departments has included two or three campaign promotions into the pilot, which are then rotated across the websites taking part.
All the campaigns being promoted are from other Government Departments or agencies and follow government accessibility guidelines on online advertising and promotion.
The pilot commenced on 10 December 2002, and is due to end on 10 June 2003. The campaigns are delivered via Real Media, a third party solution provider.
Air Marshals
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for air marshals on aeroplanes, with specific reference to (a) the number stationed on a plane during a flight, (b) the estimated cost of one plane journey with air marshals and (c) domestic flights; and if he will make a statement. [94277]
Mr. Jamieson: My right hon. Friend announced on 19 December 2002 that a capability had been developed to place armed police officers aboard UK civil aircraft, should that be warranted, as a sensible addition to the security measures available for addressing the threat to UK interests and UK aviation. It would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of this new capability.
Air Transport Consultation
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many copies of the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK have been issued (a) by hard copy and (b) by website download, broken down by region. [94926]
Mr. Jamieson: Estimates of consultation documents (main, summary and questionnaire) by region that have been issued and downloaded from the website up until 30 January 2003 are shown as follows:
| Region | Number of documents dispatched | Number of documents downloaded |
|---|---|---|
| South East of England | 184,100 | 150,600 |
| Midlands | 180,200 | 23,300 |
| South West of England | 34,100 | 19,600 |
| Wales | 12,900 | 5,900 |
| North of England | 106,700 | 16,900 |
| Scotland | 28,600 | 31,700 |
| Northern Ireland | 20,700 | 6,140 |
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many completed questionnaires and
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other responses to the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK he has received, broken down by region. [94927]
Mr. Jamieson: Estimates of responses received (questionnaires and others) by region that have been received up until 30 January 2003 are shown as follows:
| Region | Number of completed questionnaires received | Number of other responses received |
|---|---|---|
| South East of England | 11,290 | 35,000+ |
| Midlands | 18,140 | 35,000+ |
| South West of England | 1,110 | 400 |
| Wales | 90 | 40 |
| North of England | 2,760 | 600 |
| Scotland | 890 | 200 |
| Northern Ireland | 130 | 120 |
| Total | 34,410 | 70,000+ |
Airports (Midlands)
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters he has received (a) supporting and (b) opposing the Midlands New Site Option contained within the National Consultation on the Future of Air Transport in the UK: Midlands. [94928]
Mr. Jamieson: We have not yet analysed all the responses to the consultation but we will produce a summary after the consultation closes.
British Transport Police
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) causes of occupational stress in the British Transport Police. [93689]
Mr. Jamieson: The British Transport Police (BTP) have provided the following information about absences in the BTP since 1 April 2002:
| Mental health(2) | Stress(2) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police officers | Support staff | Police officers | Support staff | |
| Absences | 50 | 17 | 21 | 7 |
| Number of officers/staff | 49 | 17 | 21 | 7 |
| Current absences | 17 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| Duty days lost | 2,172 | 4,660 | 829 | 172 |
| Percentage of total duty days lost | 12 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
(2) The figures for mental health include those provided for stress.
The BTP are unable to provide information regarding the causes of occupational stress within the force. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Crime Reduction and Community Safety announced on 31 October 2002 the Governments "Strategy for a Healthy Police Service" with the aims to promote and maintain good health in all police forces, reduce injuries and manage all cases of ill health more effectively. The BTP themselves have a number of strategies regarding the prevention and management of ill health. This includes the provision of 11 internal health managers and advisers. External occupational health providers and counselling services are also available to the force.
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The BTP is currently running a 'Buddy' pilot system scheme where trained BTP volunteers provide a 'first contact' facility to advise and assist staff. The BTP are also evaluating the work of the ACPO Joint Working Group on Health and Safety Welfare.
Car Navigation
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Department is taking to ensure that (a) commercial in car route management systems and (b) the Highways Agency's variable message signs do not divert motorists on to unsuitable local roads. [94837]
Mr. Jamieson: In-vehicle route guidance systems that take account of prevailing traffic conditions ("dynamic systems") require an operator licence under the Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Act 1989 and associated regulations. Licences are only issued if systems meet certain safety and routing design and performance criteria, which include a check that they avoid diverting drivers along unsuitable local roads. Other route guidance systems do not require licensing.
The Highways Agency's VMS signs are used to assist the police with local incident management and to notify drivers when it is advisable to make strategic long distance diversions. Local diversion routes are devised by the police in collaboration with the local Highway Authority. Long distance diversions are selected from sets of recommended strategies agreed with all involved parties.
Chancery Lane Underground Derailment
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the Chancery Lane Underground derailment; and what investigations are taking place into its causes. [95086]
Mr. Jamieson: The independent Health & Safety Executive has begun a full investigation into the train derailment at Chancery Lane station on Saturday 25 January, to establish the causes of the incident. Initial indications are that the derailment was caused by a traction motor falling from beneath the train onto the track. London Underground is also conducting its own investigation. A summary of their findings and recommendations will be made public.
Crossrail
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he will respond to the proposal submitted by London Regional Metro; [94512]
- (2) if he has received a costed funding proposal for the SRA/TfL Crossrail project. [94513]
Mr. Jamieson: It is premature to determine how best Crossrail may be taken forward or financed until route options have been considered and a business case for the project established.
The Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London are aiming to report to Ministers on these matters by the end of February.
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Driving Licences
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many applications for short period licences were received in 2002; and how many were determined later than (a) one month, (b) three months and (c) six months after the date of application; [94501]
- (2) what the average time in the last year taken to determine applications for short period driving licence renewals was where the medical condition of the applicant had to be considered. [94500]
Mr. Jamieson: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's published charter standards for dealing with all applications, where a medical condition has to be considered, are as follows (no separate figures are available for short period driving licences):
- (a) if a decision can be made based on the information originally provided by the applicant, the Agency aims to make a decision on 90 per cent. of cases within 15 working days;
(b) if further information is needed about the medical condition from the applicant, his doctors or other sources, the Agency aims to make a decision on 80 per cent. of cases within 90 working days.
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