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9 Jun 2003 : Column 590W—continued

British Transport Police

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend the jurisdiction of the British Transport Police in respect of matters outside their immediate operating areas. [117730]

Mr. Jamieson: The current railways jurisdiction of the BTP is provided by the British Transport Commission Act 1949 that allows their officers to act as constables on certain railway property, in the vicinity of this property and elsewhere in matters connected with the railways. This jurisdiction will be replaced by proposals in the Railways and Transport Safety Bill, currently before Parliament, which provides for an officer of the BTP to have all the powers and privileges of a constable on key pieces of railway infrastructure and throughout Great Britain for a purpose connected to a railway or to anything occurring on or in relation to a railway.

The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 provides BTP officers with the powers and privileges of a constable outside the railways in certain urgent circumstances not related to the railways.

Buses

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend the regulations on the passenger capacity of buses to recognise passengers' baggage as a restricting factor. [118033]

Mr. Jamieson: I have no plans to amend the Public Service Vehicles Carrying Capacity Regulations to recognise passenger's baggage as a restricting factor. It would be impracticable to do this as luggage can vary so much in terms of size, weight and shape.

The driver of a bus is responsible to ensure the safely of passengers on their vehicle and is permitted to limit the number of passengers and their baggage that may be carried if they believe that it would become a danger.

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Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 4 April 2003, Official Report, column 879W, on CO2 emissions, if he will break down the figures for road transport to show cars and light vans. [117722]

Mr. Jamieson: Annual carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and other emissions from the transport sector are published each year in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, which is available at www.naei.org.uk, and in Transport Statistics Great Britain, which is available via my Department's website at www.dft.gov.uk. Ratified data are available up to the year 2000. Detailed CO2 emissions for cars and light goods vehicles since 1990 are set out in the following table (all figures are given as megatonnes of carbon equivalents).

	Cars	LGV
1990	18.76	3.43
1991	18.68	3.54
1992	19.02	3.60
1993	19.13	3.67
1994	18.69	3.76
1995	18.30	3.86
1996	18.93	4.11
1997	19.05	4.15
1998	18.81	4.32
1999	19.06	4.32
2000	18.93	4.34

Note:

Figures given in this table are emissions "by source" and do not include emissions from the production of transport fuels and electricity. "Other transport" includes railways, domestic aviation and military aircraft, shipping, naval vessels and off-road sources. For further details, please see the explanatory notes in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory and in Transport Statistics Great Britain.

Channel Tunnel

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to the French Government in respect of the losses suffered by Road Track Ltd. as a result of the closure by SNCF of the Channel Tunnel and criminal damage committed in French freight yards; and if he will make a statement. [118212]

Mr. Jamieson: Throughout the period of major disruption to freight services from Calais Frethun, the Government made repeated and strenuous representations to the French Government about the effects on UK and foreign businesses and the need for urgent action by the French authorities to restore normal service. The Government have made clear that it is for the individual companies concerned to seek compensation from the French authorities or the railway operator, as some are now doing.

Community Transport Schemes

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support his Department has given to community transport schemes in each year since 1997. [117528]

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Mr. Jamieson: A wide range of community transport services have since 1 May last year been eligible for the first time to receive Bus Service Operators Grant from my Department. 800 community transport organisations have already been accepted as eligible under this scheme. Expenditure in the scheme's first financial year, 2002–03, was £0.6 million and is expected to rise to £3 million this year.

Community transport has also benefited significantly since 1998 from support of projects submitted successfully by local authorities to our Rural and Urban Bus Challenge competitions. We estimate that around one-third of the 400 projects supported under these schemes have a community transport element. In total over £120 million has been awarded in Challenge grants to local authorities. However, it is not possible to identify separately the proportion of this total paid by authorities to community transport bodies.

In addition, my Department has since 1994 supported the Community Transport Association's Information and Advice Service. Until 2000–01 this grant was £70,000 annually and has been £100,000 annually since then.

Concessionary Travel

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of pensioners use the concessionary travel scheme that operates within the Greater London area. [117151]

Mr. Jamieson: While figures for the actual usage of freedom passes are not available, in 2002, 83 per cent.of women over 60 and men over 65 obtained a freedom pass.

As men aged 60 to 64 have only been eligible for a freedom pass on age grounds alone since 1 April 2003, there are no reliable figures for this age group.

Croxley Rail Link

Claire Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the Croxley Rail Link project. [117407]

Mr. Jamieson: My officials are working with the local authority promoters to develop the case for this scheme in order that it can be assessed within this year's local transport capital settlement.

Cycles

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the new requirement for the fitting of a bell for pedal cycles for sale includes a requirement on the owner to have a working bell or other warning device fitted to the machine when it is being ridden. [117387]

Mr. Jamieson: The Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 2003, which will introduce a requirement for a bell for all new pedal cycles, only covers their supply. There will be no requirement for the owner to have a bell or other warning device when the cycle is in use.

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Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make it a requirement for the owners of pedal cycles to have working front and rear lights and a rear reflector fitted to the machine; [117404]

(2) if he will make it a requirement for manufacturers, distributors and retailers of pedal cycles to fit front and rear lights and a rear reflector. [117405]

Mr. Jamieson: The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 already require pedal cycles in use on the roads between sunset and sunrise to be fitted with and use front and rear lamps and a rear retro reflector. Lamps and reflectors must be in good working order and lamps must be clean.

The Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 1984 already require a rear reflector to be supplied on all new cycles. As many pedal cycles are never used after dark, the Government have no plans to extend this requirement to include front and rear lamps or to require owners of pedal cycles to have lamps fitted and working at all times.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to issue guidance to airlines flying to and from the UK to inform passengers of the risks of deep vein thrombosis. [118071]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department of Health issued advice in November 2001 to UK and other airlines flying to and from this country on the risks of deep vein thrombosis. One of the tasks of the new Aviation Health Unit we are setting up within the Civil Aviation Authority will be to advise on keeping guidance such as this up to date.

Departmental Expenditure

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list departmental expenditure for each year since 1997 and the administration costs limits set for 2003–04. [117733]

Mr. Jamieson: My Department came into existence in May 2002. However, comparative figures for the financial years 1998–99 onwards are available in the Department's Annual Report 2003 (Cm 5907), copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Total public spending for the financial years 1998–99 to 2001–02, estimated total public spending for 2002–03, and planned total public spending for 2003–04 to 2005–06 is shown in Table A1 of the Report. Expenditure against administration costs limits from 1998–99 to 2001–02, estimated outturn for 2002–03 and the administration costs limits set for 2003–04 to 2005–06 are shown in Table A5.

Information for 1997–98 is not available on a comparable basis.

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