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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 June 2003
TRANSPORT
Congestion Charging
12. Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on congestion charging in metropolitan areas outside London. [119414]
Mr. Darling: Apart from Durham County Council, whose scheme order was approved on 24 September 2002, no other local authority in England has submitted either a road user charging or a workplace parking levy scheme order for my confirmation.
15. Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effect (a) congestion charging and (b) motorway road pricing may have on (i) road safety and (ii) congestion. [119417]
Mr. Darling: The responsibility for developing urban congestion charging schemes lies with local authorities. We would expect local authorities to evaluate the impact of any proposed schemes on road safety and congestion, among other things.
At the national level we recognise the need for action to tackle congestion, but believe that the UK must have a proper debate before any decisions are taken. We need to look carefully at the implications of any national level road pricing, including the effects on road safety and congestion.
Level Crossings
13. Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on the maintenance of level crossings. [119415]
Mr. Jamieson: None. I understand that the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate have ongoing discussions at local and national level about safety arrangements; and that Network Rail has recently revised its level crossing management strategy to ensure that the risks associated with usage are reduced to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable.
Potters Bar Rail Crash
14. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to make a full response to the recent Health and Safety Executive report into the Potters Bar rail disaster. [119416]
Mr. Darling: The next stage is for the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate to agree with Network Rail and others a strategy, including a timetable, for addressing the recommendations in the report. This will be published.
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Bus Services (Disabled Access)
16. Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with bus companies about improvements in the accessibility of bus services for disabled people. [119418]
Mr. Jamieson: We maintain a close dialogue with industry to ensure that Regulations which require all buses and coaches on local services to be accessible by 2020 are working effectively. Also, we have regular discussions with operators on meeting targets, including one for 50 per cent. of buses to be accessible by 2010.
Rail Policy
17. Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to visit Cefn Cribwr as part of his assessment of overall rail policy objectives. [119419]
Mr. Jamieson: There are no current plans for Ministers to visit Cefn Cribwr.
Rail Services (Cotswolds)
18. Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about rail services on the Cotswold Line; and if he will make a statement. [119420]
Mr. Jamieson: No such representations have been received.
A50 (Stoke-on-Trent)
Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) original projected total cost and (b) the final cost of Phases 1a, 1b and 2 of the A50 road construction in Stoke-on-Trent was. [119153]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Stevenson, dated 17 June 2003:
- I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the original and final costs of Phases 1A, 1B and 2 of the A50 road construction in Stoke-on-Trent.
- The A50 Blythe Bridge to Queensway scheme was constructed under separate contracts for each of the 3 phases. The costs were as follows:
| Original tender cost | Final outturn cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1A | 23.072 | 41.815 |
| Phase IB | 28.414 | 50.015 |
| Phase 2 | 21.307 | 30.706 |
If you would like further information, the Agency's Project Sponsor for the A50 scheme is Frank Hayes He can be contacted at our offices at Broadway, Broad Street, Birmingham B15 1BL, or by telephone on 0121 678 8382.
Air Transport
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the proposed locations for
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holding stacks resulting from (a) a new close parallel runway, (b) a new wide spaced runway and (c) two new runways at Gatwick Airport. [119954]
Mr. Jamieson: The South East and East of England Regional Air Services study (SERAS) analysis has not attempted to identify proposed locations of holding stacks for any of the published consultation options. For all options, the SERAS noise appraisal required nominal aircraft departure and arrival routes to be drawn up.
If the air transport White Paper supports any option, and as part of any detailed design and project definition, additional work would be needed to optimise these routes and the air traffic control arrangements more generally.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on the volume of traffic on (a) the M25, (b) the M23 and (c) other roads of (i) a new close parallel runway, (ii) a new wide spaced runway and (iii) two new runways at Gatwick Airport. [119955]
Mr. Jamieson: The South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS) included an assessment of the type of road and rail infrastructure that would be needed both to connect the airport options to the strategic network and the type and scale of improvements that might be required on the strategic network.
The results of these appraisals for the Gatwick options are summarised in "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East (second edition)" main consultation document, sections 8.16 to 8.20. Further details are contained in chapter 8.5 of the SERAS Stage Two Appraisal Findings report.
Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an independent review of industry-funded research on air quality issues relating to his consultation on the future development of air transport in the South East. [119953]
Mr. Jamieson: Recent research into the air quality situation at Heathrow Airport is being published by British Airways and BAA plc as part of their responses to the Government's consultation on the future development of air transport in South East England. This new research will be assessed rigorously by the Government as part of the overall analysis of consultation responses.
Children's Car Seats
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations the Department has received about the criteria for assessing the safety of children's car seats; and if he will make a statement. [119164]
Mr. Darling: The Department has received no recent representations regarding the criteria for assessing the safety of child restraints. However, the Department is active in its support for activities contributing to
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improved child restraint standards. As representatives of the UK in the UNECE Group of Experts on passive safety, we argued successfully in Europe for the most effective requirements for the universal version of ISOFix including the provision of top tethers. This will offer a significant step in improved child restraints.
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Department collates statistics about injuries to children while in car seats; and if he will make a statement. [119165]
Mr. Darling: Information regarding injuries to children travelling in child restraints is not collected nationally in the official statistics. However, the clear road safety message from research is that child restraints are a very effective means of protecting children in cars.
Compulsory Purchase
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation is available to tenants of landowners whose land is compulsorily purchased for a new road scheme; and how this may be claimed. [119810]
Mr. Jamieson: Compensation payable to tenants where the landowner's interest has been compulsorily acquired for a new road scheme depends on the nature of the tenancy, that is, whether it is residential or agricultural and its duration. Generally, a tenant is entitled to compensation for the unexpired term of the tenancy and any other loss of injury sustained as a result. The acquiring authority will serve notice on the tenant and invite him/her to submit a claim for compensation.
I am arranging for copies of three booklets from the Compulsory Purchase and Compensation series to be placed in the Library, which contain information on the compulsory purchase procedure and rights to compensation.
- Booklet 1—Compulsory Purchase Procedure
Booklet 2—Compensation to Agricultural Owners and Occupiers
Booklet 4—Compensation to Residential Owners and Occupiers
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