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16 Jun 2003 : Column 22W—continued
Race Relations
Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in his Department and non departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117469]
Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport is committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality. As a new Department, we published our first Race Equality Scheme—in agreement with the Commission for Racial Equality—on 31 March 2003. The Scheme will run for two years to bring it into line with those of other Departments. The Scheme covers the activities of the Department and its Executive Agencies as an employer as well as a policy maker and service provider. It also includes the non- departmental public bodies for which the Department is responsible.
The Scheme has built on the results of extensive research, which the Department has carried out to identify the specific transport needs of people from different ethnic and faith communities.
The Scheme includes a Race Equality Action Plan, which lists the key activities the Department will undertake through the two-year period of the Scheme. We will monitor, evaluate and consult on progress against these activities. We will review our progress and publish our findings. Each of the six Executive Agencies will develop their own Race Equality Action Plans by October 2003.
Rail Services
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he plans to review the future of the Stranraer to Glasgow rail link south of Girvan. [118338]
Mr. Jamieson: Local rail services in Scotland, including those from Stranraer to Glasgow, are a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive.
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Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the case for a mainline railway station at Cairnryan. [118340]
Mr. Jamieson: Local rail services in Scotland and consideration of the case for a mainline railway station at Cairnryan are devolved matters.
Road Building
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Civil Engineering Contractors' Association about new road building projects. [119480]
Mr. Jamieson: I am not aware of any formal representations from this Association but my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Transport met them in January of this year to discuss the 10-year plan for transport and the outcomes of the multi-modal studies.
The Highways Agency regularly meets with the Association at a local level to discuss procurement issues and the current programme of work on the trunk road network.
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of the level of Government spending needed to complete the road network consisting of the A6 bypass, Poynton bypass, and Manchester Eastern Link Route West compatible with the South East Manchester Multi Modal Study for each of the next eight years. [118470]
Mr. Jamieson: The recommendations of the South East Manchester multi-modal study were accepted in March 2002 and the local authorities were invited to continue the detailed development of the proposed road schemes at a reduced scale than those remitted to the study. It will be for the local authorities to determine the priority and timetable to implement the schemes.
Road Safety
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government have to introduce a speed hierarchy for rural roads; and if he will make a statement. [119926]
Mr. Jamieson: Following the publication of the Rural Road Hierarchy report in November 2001 we are progressing work to improve safety across our rural road network. This includes the development of a framework to assess what speeds are appropriate together with surveys of what speeds are actually being driven on rural roads. This will feed into other work including a review of the guidance on setting speed limits towards the end of the year.
South Coast Multi-modal Study
Mr. Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on the south coast multi-modal study report. [119597]
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Mr. Jamieson: We are currently considering the final report and recommendations from a number of multi-modal studies, including the south coast corridor multi-modal study, together with the views of the respective regional planning bodies. We expect to be in a position to make an announcement before the summer recess.
Speed Cameras
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras were in use in each of the last five years broken down by (a) fixed and (b) mobile cameras and by police authority. [118559]
Mr. Jamieson: That information is not held centrally.
Sustainable Development
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment is made (a) of the environmental impact and (b) against sustainable development criteria of bids for (i) grants and (ii) contracts awarded by his Department; who makes such an assessment; and whether these assessments are published. [119536]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 165W.
Transport (North Staffordshire)
Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) Advantage West Midland and (b) the Government Office for the West Midlands on transport provision in North Staffordshire. [119154]
Mr. Jamieson: In response to the MidMan multi-modal study (MMS) and the draft Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) for the West Midlands, Staffordshire county council and Stoke-on-Trent city council are initiating a comprehensive transport study for North Staffordshire. This study will develop the specific transport measures, which will be required to respond to the challenges raised by the local regeneration strategy, the low demand housing pathfinder, and the urban renaissance which is at the heart of RPG.
Advantage West Midlands (AWM), Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM), and the Highways Agency (HA) are working with the local authorities and will be supporting the study financially and with specialist expertise. It is expected that the results of the study will feed into the next round of Local Transport Plans, due to be submitted in July 2005.
Transport and Social Exclusion
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans his Department has made for the implementation of accessibility planning promoted in the Special Exclusion Unit's report 'Making the Connections: Transport and Social Exclusion'; and what funding his Department has allocated to local authorities for this purpose; [119133]
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- (2) what the (a) remit, (b) membership and (c) timetable is of the working group set up to examine accessibility, auditing and planning referred to in paragraph 5.33 of the Social Exclusion Unit's report 'Making the Connections: Transport and Social Exclusion'. [119137]
Mr. Jamieson: The remit of the Central-Local Working Group on Accessibility Planning is to develop, pilot and evaluate aspects of the accessibility planning process and to share good practice. The group comprises representatives from the Department for Transport, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Local Government Association, Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers and Passenger Transport Executive Group. It also includes authorities that have been recognised for work of particular relevance to accessibility planning through the Beacon Council and Centres of Excellence initiatives and authorities that are piloting accessibility planning as part of the Department's research programme.
The working group has met three times since publication of the SEU report in February 2003. It has agreed a forward work programme to inform departmental guidance to transport authorities on accessibility planning, to be published next year. Authorities preparing second Local Transport Plans (due in 2005) will be asked to lead accessibility planning and incorporate it into their next LTPs.
No additional funding has been provided for this work. The intention of accessibility planning is to ensure that existing funding, for transport, other services and regeneration, is used more effectively to make it easier for people to get access to jobs and key services.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the dissemination of the findings of the Social Exclusion Unit's February 2003 report, "Making Connections: Transport and Social Exclusion" (a) to local authorities and (b) to other transport providers, including private operators; and if he will make a statement. [119134]
Mr. Jamieson: The "Making the Connections" report was widely disseminated. Approximately 4,000 copies were sent out via post and email to those involved in the consultation and to other interested parties. Copies were sent to every local authority (including Shire Districts, where appropriate) in England—a copy to the Chief Executive and one to the person responsible for local transport planning (where appropriate)—well as to all the members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which includes private operators. The report is also being sent to all local strategic partnerships.
Ministers and officials have spoken at a wide range of events across the country which encompassed all sectors, such as transport planners, bus users, bus operators, community transport providers and the Local Government Association.
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