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7 Apr 2003 : Column 51W—continued
Central Line
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timescale is for the opening of the remaining stations on the Central Line. [105821]
Mr. Jamieson: I am pleased to report that following the reintroduction of a service on the western section of the Central Line between Ealing Broadway and Marble Arch on Monday 24 March, London Underground began running a service from Loughton to Ealing Broadway through central London from 3 April. I expect a service to be running to all stations on the line by Easter.
Central Railways
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the
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(a) report and (b) recommendations of the Strategic Rail Authority regarding the proposed Central Railway project. [104146]
Mr. Jamieson: Ministers have not yet reached a decision on Central Railway's proposed hybrid Bill. We are considering whether and in what form to make available the SRA's advice, in line with our commitment to open government, bearing in mind that some of the information it contains may be commercially sensitive.
Chancery Lane Derailment
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the meetings that have taken place between Ministers in his Department and London Underground Ltd. to discuss the consequences of the derailment at Chancery Lane. [107254]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) on 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 537W.
Dartford Tunnel
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans the Government has to refurbish the Dartford Tunnel; [107587]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the condition of the Dartford Tunnel. [107586]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from David York to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 7 April 2003:
- Tim Matthews has been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the condition and refurbishment of the Dartford Tunnel. I am replying as Tim is currently away on Highway Agency business.
- The Tunnels at the Dartford Thurrock Crossing were opened in 1963 and 1980 and were constructed to the standards applicable at the time. Standards are constantly reviewed and improvements to the tunnels are carried out where it is considered appropriate and practical to do so, but the Tunnels at Dartford cannot meet all of the latest standards applicable throughout Europe.
- Both the tunnels at the Dartford Thurrock Crossing were recently refurbished. This work included the construction of new road decks. All improvement works identified by the regular inspection regime were carried out to ensure that the tunnels were in very good condition when the Dartford River Crossings concession ended a few days ago.
- The Highways Agency has plans to install an automatic fire detection system this year to supplement the 24-hour CCTV surveillance and manual fire alarm system already in place. Further improvement are being considered.
- If you would like further information about this matter, you may wish to contact Steve Ashley in the Agency's Dorking office on 10306 878254.
Mersey Tunnel
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the policing of the Mersey Tunnel, with special reference to the deaths of Darren Franey and Scott Veach. [105691]
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Mr. Jamieson: The Government are sorry to learn of the circumstances which led to the death of Darren Franey and Scott Veach.
Responsibility for the policing of the Mersey Tunnels rests with Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority (Merseytravel), under provisions in the County of Merseyside Act 1980.
We, along with colleagues at the Home Office, will give careful consideration to the reports and recommendations that have been produced following the investigation into this tragic incident by Merseyside police under the supervision of the Police Complaints Authority and by the Coroner.
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on who sets the performance standards for the Mersey Tunnels Police Force; and what relation they have to the Police Complaints Authority. [106028]
Mr. Jamieson: Responsibility for the policing of Mersey Tunnel rests with Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority (Merseytravel), under provisions in the County of Merseyside Act 1980.
As Merseytravel is primarily responsible for the safe operation of the Mersey Tunnels, it falls on it to ensure that the law enforcement officers it appoints are trained to a standard that protects both the officers involved and users of the Tunnels and to provide such facilities necessary for the officers to carry out their duties in a safe and proper manner.
The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has no remit over the Mersey Tunnels Police. As a "non-Home Office" force they fall outside the primary legislation of the Police Act 1996 and no subsequent agreement has been reached to bring them within the PCA's remit. However, the Tunnel police have an agreement with Merseyside police for the investigation of incidents involving Merseyside police vehicles within the jurisdiction of the Tunnel police. Merseyside police do fall within the remit of the PCA; therefore, any investigation undertaken by the Merseyside police can be supervised by the PCA.
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Motorways
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what risks he has identified in (a) permanent removal and (b) variable removal of a hard shoulder on a motorway; [106894]
- (2) what steps he will take to ensure the safety of motorists on motorways where there is a variable or permanent removal of the hard shoulder; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost. [106893]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 March 2003, Official Report, columns 618–19W to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell).
Rail Freight
Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the role of rail freight in the UK freight market. [107026]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government are committed to increasing rail freight's modal share of the freight market in line with its commitment to sustainable distribution. The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan, published on 30 January, sets out its plans for achieving the increase in rail freight envisaged in the Government's 10 Year Plan for Transport.
Rail Funding
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) amount and (b) source of funding (i) paid, (ii) contracted and (iii) agreed to be paid by non Strategic Rail Authority sources, to supplement the Rail Passenger Partnership schemes set out on page 23 of the Strategic Rail Authority Annual Report 2001–02. [104491]
Mr. Jamieson: The information is not readily available in precisely the form requested. Information about the total amount of support from non-Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) sources to supplement the Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) schemes set out on page 23 of the SRA's 2001–02 Annual Report is shown in the table below. The non-SRA funding element of RPP schemes often includes sponsorship from more than one source. Typically schemes include support from the local authorities and the relevant train operating company, and other sponsors to date have included (amongst others) Network Rail, the Countryside Agency, Regional Development Agencies, Community Rail Partnerships, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive.
(3) References to £0 non-SRA sponsorship in this table do not take into account benefits in kind (e.g. in terms of staff resources) provided by the relevant train operating company to enable the scheme to operate.
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Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the total level of Rail Passenger Partnership funding to be paid by the Strategic Rail Authority during the financial year 2003–04, with particular reference to the nature of the schemes to which any such funding would be directed. [104493]
Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA's) budget for Rail Passenger Partnership schemes in 2003–04 is £20 million of which £16.3 million is currently committed. Funding is directed to the provision of new or enhanced local and regional rail services that cannot be justified on financial grounds alone but which contribute to the Government's wider objectives for rail, including modal shift and integration with other modes.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the (a) amount and (b) source of funding (i) paid, (ii) contracted and (iii) agreed to be paid by non Strategic Rail Authority sources to
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supplement Rail Passenger Partnership Scheme applications of 2002–03 which have been (A) approved, (B) deferred and (C) cancelled; [104494]
- (2) if he will list the (a) location, (b) nature of the schemes, (c) amount of funding requested and (d) current stage of approval of Rail Passenger Partnership applications made to the Strategic Rail Authority in 2002–03, broken down into those (i) rejected, (ii) which reached pre-qualified status and (iii) which have had funding approved. [104492]
Mr. Jamieson: The information cannot readily be provided in precisely the form requested. The table as follows sets out details of RPP scheme applications in 2002–03, their current status and the amount of SRA and non-SRA support involved in the case of schemes that have been approved. The level of funding for schemes prior to approval stage is liable tochange.
Schemes may be deferred, cancelled or rejected for a number of reasons, such as failure to meet SRA's value for money and affordability criteria, failure to attract adequate sponsorship from non-SRA sources, and withdrawal of the application by the sponsor.
(4) References to £0 non-SRA sponsorship do not take into account benefits in kind (e.g. in terms of staff resources) provided by the relevant train operating company to enable the scheme to operate.
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