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16 Jun 2003 : Column 19W—continued
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the targets he has set to improve energy efficiency within his Department; and what steps are being taken to achieve these targets. [119534]
Mr. Jamieson: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Under Secretary for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 581W.
Mail Transportation
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Royal Mail and (b) EWS concerning the transport of mail by rail. [118687]
Mr. Jamieson: My right. hon. Friend has spoken to EWS and others on several occasions in relation to rail freight.
Marine Accident and Investigation Branch
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Marine Accident and Investigation Branch reports have been published in each year since 1998. [119344]
Mr. Jamieson: Since 1998 the numbers of Marine Accident Investigation Branch reports that have been published are:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 5 |
| 1999 | 27 |
| 2000 | 40 |
| 2001 | 42 |
| 2002 | 40 |
| 2003 | (2)15 |
(2) to 12 June
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to release the Marine Accident and Investigation Branch report into the sinking of the Solway Harvester. [119345]
Mr. Jamieson: A summary report of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's investigation of the loss of the Solway Harvester with seven lives was published on 13 June 2003. The full report will follow the conclusion of criminal legal proceedings in the Isle of Man.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met Isle of Man police to discuss the timing of the Marine Accident and Investigation Branch report into the sinking of the Solway Harvester. [119346]
Mr. Jamieson: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no meetings with the Isle of Man police in connection with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch's report of the loss of the Solway Harvester.
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Mersey Tunnels
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when in each of the last 10 years he received the accounts of income and expenditure of the Mersey tunnels. [118465]
Mr. Jamieson: These details are provided in Merseytravel's Revenue Outturn forms which are submitted annually to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (and in previous years to its predecessor departments).
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the extent to which central Government funds given to the Mersey Tunnels have been spent on (a) the Mersey Ferries and (b) other purposes in the last five years. [119499]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government do not provide funding direct to the Mersey Tunnels. Central Government funding is provided to Merseytravel as the passenger transport authority for Merseyside.
Mobile Phones
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned into the number of deaths caused by drivers using mobile phones in England in each of the last five years. [118992]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 800W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen).
Multi-modal Studies
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) the expected travel time savings for (i) public transport users and (ii) motorists and (b) the expected effect upon carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the implementation of each of the multi-modal study recommendations announced in his statement to the House of 10 December 2002, Official Report, columns 155–58; and if he will make a statement. [119136]
Mr. Jamieson: Assessments of travel time savings and carbon dioxide impacts for the multi-modal studies, on which we announced our conclusions in December 2002, were made by each study for the strategy as a whole rather than for individual schemes. Full assessments of travel time savings and carbon dioxide impacts of individual schemes will be produced by the relevant delivery agency as scheme proposals are developed in more detail. This work is currently in hand for the road schemes being taken forward by the Highways Agency.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the advice he has received from (a) the Countryside Agency, (b) the Environment Agency, (c) English Heritage and (d) English Nature on the multi-modal studies that have (a) concluded and (b) are shortly to conclude. [119138]
Mr. Jamieson: The statutory environmental bodies have provided advice to study teams at various stages during the multi-modal study process. In addition, at the request of my Department, they have provided
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comments on the recommendations of the multi-modal studies which have issued final reports. Under part 2, paragraph 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, this advice is confidential.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on his decisions regarding the outstanding multi-modal studies. [119139]
Mr. Jamieson: We are currently considering the final report and recommendations from a number of multi-modal studies, together with the views of the respective regional planning bodies. We will make an announcement in due course.
National Air Traffic Services
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from airline companies about National Air Traffic Services' performance; and if he will make a statement. [118729]
Mr. Jamieson: Ministers have received no recent representations from airline companies about National Air Traffic Services' performance. NATS is a private sector company and I would expect any complaints to be made directly to its management or to the Civil Aviation Authority, its regulator.
Number Plate Cloning
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 594W, what discussions he has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency concerning the detection and prosecution of motorists who clone licence plates. [118961]
Mr. Jamieson: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has clear procedures in place to deal with instances where vehicle cloning is suspected. Agency Intelligence officers carry out initial investigations to establish whether there are in fact two vehicles displaying the same registration mark. Information is then passed to the police for further action where appropriate.
Official Spelling
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that official (a) correspondence, (b) reports and (c) documentation from his office uses the English spelling of words where this differs from the US version. [118869]
Mr. Jamieson: It is the Department's policy to use UK rather than American spelling of English words. Where we employ specialist proof readers, we direct them to use the Oxford English Dictionary as their reference. The spell check facility on our IT systems is set to the UK English dictionary. The Department also publishes guidance for staff on drafting in plain English.
Partnership Agreements
Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to conclude a partnership agreement with the trade unions representing the staff in his Department. [117448]
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Mr. Jamieson: In my Department there is no partnership agreement. However, in the case of the Department's collective Agencies, DVLA operate a 'partnership agreement' with the Trade Unions.
Pensioners (Free Travel)
Mr. Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on reducing travel costs for pensioners. [117861]
Mr. Jamieson: I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 January 2003 Official Report, columns 508–09W. This Government has guaranteed that older people (over age 60) and disabled people are entitled to a free bus pass allowing half-fare travel on local buses, as a minimum. That is better than anything else provided previously. We have also recently introduced a half-fare for older people (over age 60) and disabled people on many scheduled coach services, in return for the operators of those services receiving grant from my Department.
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