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3 Jun 2003 : Column 182W—continued
Roads Improvement Programme
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to upgrade main roads in West Somerset. [115608]
Mr. Jamieson: The Secretary of State has no plans to upgrade main roads in West Somerset district, as it is the responsibility of Somerset county council as the highway authority.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the roads in the Targeted Programme of Improvements, in each case stating whether an Environmental Impact Assessment has been conducted in accordance with Directives 85/337/EEC and 97/11/EU prior to its inclusion in the programme. [115719]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Don Foster, dated 3 June 2003:
- I have been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your parliamentary question asking the Secretary of State to list the road schemes in the Targeted Programme of Improvements and to state whether an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted prior to inclusion in the programme.
- The schemes in the TPI are listed in the attached annex. Please note that schemes that have been opened to traffic are excluded from the list. Prior to entry in the TPI, options are assessed using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) to ensure that decisions are based on a balanced view of the economic, environmental, safety, accessibility and integration implications.
- We have identified the schemes where an Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out prior to TPI entry. When the TPI was introduced, these schemes were in the former roads programme and had already reached the stage in their development at which these assessments are carried out.
- If you require any further information about this, Martin Steward in the Agency's Birmingham office would be pleased to help you. His telephone number is 0121 678 8324.
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Roads Management
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 onto unsuitable local roads. [115728]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 3 February 2003, Official Report, column 40W.
Rural Transport
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) resource and (b) capital expenditure on rural transport in each year since 1998–99, broken down by (i) public and (ii) private expenditure. [115722]
Mr. Jamieson: Annual public expenditure on the Government's dedicated rural transport programmes since 1998–99 is set out in the following table:
| Rural bus subsidy grant | Rural bus challenge | Countryside agency rural transport programmes | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource | Revenue | Capital | Resource | Resource | Capital | |||
| 1998–99 | 24.1 | 1.6—no split available | 2.3 | 28.0—no split available | ||||
| 1999–2000 | 30.5 | 0.3 | 5.0 | 3 .3 | 34.1 | 5.0 | ||
| 2000–01 | 31.7 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 4 .8 | 38.3 | 7.7 | ||
| 2001–02 | 40.4 | 3.9 | 8.1 | 7 .4 | 51.7 | 8.1 | ||
| 2002–03 | 46.8 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 14.0 | 70.7 | 9.3 | ||
Local transport authorities are also free to use their Revenue Support Grant and Local Transport Plan block capital allocations for rural transport projects and initiatives, although neither the Department for Transport nor the Office of Deputy Prime Minister break down this public expenditure by rural area. Private expenditure on rural transport is not monitored.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the impact of expenditure on rural transport since 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [115723]
Mr. Jamieson: Funding for rural transport services has been available since 1998–1999 through my Department's Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus Challenge and the Countryside Agency's rural transport schemes. The Rural Bus Subsidy Grant is supporting 1,900 new or improved routes in England on which about 21 million passenger journeys were made in 2001–02, improving access to services and facilities for those living in many rural areas. The Rural Bus Challenge supports innovative rural bus projects and 259 projects have been awarded grants since 1998. These projects have provided many new flexible demand responsive and community transport services throughout England. My Department
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has commissioned research on the impact of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and the Rural Bus Challenge scheme and will publish a report shortly.
The Countryside Agency administers the Rural Transport Partnership Scheme and since April 2001 the Parish Transport Grant. These schemes are supporting small scale transport projects developed locally by rural communities and parishes to improve accessibility for socially excluded groups. 466 projects, ranging from community transport schemes, wheels-to-work initiatives, public transport information to local walking and cycling improvements, have been supported in 2002–03. The Agency is currently carrying out a study of the impact and effectiveness of the Rural Transport Partnership Scheme, the results of which will be published in Spring 2004.
Secondments
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees have been seconded from Capita to the Department and its predecessors since 1997; how long they worked in the Department; and what positions they held. [115623]
Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport has only been in existence since May 2002. In the financial year 2002–03 there were no secondments from Capita to this Department.
Service Delivery Agreements
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which United Kingdom commitments arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (a) have been incorporated into the Department's existing delivery plan for Service Delivery Agreements and (b) will be incorporated in its delivery plan for Service Delivery Agreements in advance of the 2004 Spending Review. [113877]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department will take account of all of the Government's international commitments on sustainable development in its delivery and business planning processes.
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