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11 Sept 2003 : Column 410W—continued
Lane Designation
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the regulations required to help local authorities designate Quiet Lanes. [128869]
Mr. Jamieson: We are aiming to publish regulations on Quiet Lanes in draft for consultation later this year.
Maritime Safety
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to change regulations to ensure that anyone who sails a boat at sea has first participated in adequate safety training; and for what reasons there are no training requirements in place for those taking boats under 25 feet out to sea. [129119]
Mr. Jamieson: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in conjunction with other safety organisations has produced a voluntary code of Best and Safe Practice for Leisure Craft Users. This code is widely available, and encourages boat users to become familiar with their craft and to take a recognised training course. We keep the voluntary approach to training under review, taking account of the practicalities of implementation and enforcement that a regulatory regime would involve. All craft using our seas, regardless of size, must follow the rules of the International Regulations for the Avoidance of Collisions at Sea 1972 (as amended).
Railways
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the companies holding railway franchises indicating the nationality of the individuals and organisations holding a controlling interest. [128305]
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Dr. Howells: The majority of the holding companies are of British origin except for Keolis and Vivendi who are French. We do not hold information about the nationality of individual directors. Information about franchise operators and franchisees is available on the website of the Strategic Rail Authority at: http://www.sra.gov.uk/passengers/tocs.tt2
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public subsidies have been made available to the railway industry in each year since 1983. [128304]
Dr. Howells: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, columns 7–10W. In 2002–03, central Government support to the rail industry was £2,284 million. The increase in support since 2000–01 has helped to fund a substantial increase in investment from £2,958 million in 2000–01 to £4,888 million in 2002–03.
Road Safety
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many accidents involving drivers (a) mobile telephone use and (b) smoking were identified as contributory factors in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [128812]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not available as the official road casualty statistics which are collected by the police and reported to the Department using the STATS 19 accident report format does not currently include information on either smoking or mobile phones.
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) passengers and (b) crew in (i) public service vehicles, (ii) hired coaches and minibuses and (iii) taxis and private hire vehicles suffered fatal accidents in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [129334]
Dr. Howells: The number of passengers and drivers of coaches, minibuses and taxis who have died in road accidents is given in the tables below. Vehicles are defined by body type.
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus or Coach(1) | 17 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 17 |
| Minibus(2) | N/A(4) | 10 | 11 | 19 | 5 |
| Taxi(3) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus or Coach(1) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Minibus(2) | N/A(4) | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Taxi(3) | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
Notes and Definitions:
1. Bus or Coach (with 17 or more passenger seats) and including hired coaches
2. Minibus (8—16 passenger seats)
3. Taxis are defined as vehicles operating as a hackney carriage, regardless of construction, and bearing the appropriate district council or local authority hackney carriage plates.
4. N/A—Data not available prior to 1999
5. No data on crew other than drivers are available
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Road Projects
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes since 1997 have been made to the COBA formula for determining the value of road projects, with particular reference to the weighting of environmental factors against economic and safety considerations. [129261]
Mr. Jamieson: All major (and many minor) road projects are now analysed within the New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) framework, implemented in 1998. The NATA is a problem-oriented approach, focused on a range of alternative options to determine which provides the most effective solution within the context of a range of economic, environmental and social (including safety) objectives. Environmental factors are not given any explicit weighting. Rather an appropriate measure of each impact is presented to decision takers in the form of a one page Appraisal Summary Table to ensure that the full range of economic, environmental and social factors are actively considered during analysis and at decision points.
Runway Capacity (South-East)
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much additional terminal capacity would be required if two new runways were to be built at Gatwick; and how this additional capacity would be expressed as a multiple of the capacity at Heathrow Terminal 5. [128999]
Dr. Howells: The option for two new runways at Gatwick would provide total capacity of 115mppa. This is an additional terminal capacity of 75mppa beyond the base case capacity of 40mppa. Terminal capacity at Gatwick would be a multiple of 2.5 of the capacity at Heathrow Terminal 5 (based on T5 capacity of 30mppa). The amount and timing of terminal capacity provided would, in practice, depend on actual demand.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total net economic benefit would be using the assumptions recommended by the Treasury, of (a) a close parallel runway, (b) a wide spaced runway at Gatwick and (c) a new runway at (i) Heathrow and (ii) Stansted. [129006]
Dr. Howells: The total net economic benefit in present value terms, using the Treasury's assumptions, of (a) a close parallel runway at Gatwick is £1.8 billion, (b) a wide spaced runway at Gatwick is £4.4 billion, (c) (i) a new runway at Heathrow is £6.3 billion and (ii) a new runway at Stansted is £5.4 billion.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that in the forthcoming White Paper on Air Transport there will be no positive reference to new runways at sites, which were not included in the consultation on the Future Development of Air Transport, without a full public consultation. [129009]
Dr. Howells: The Government have not yet taken any decisions on policies for the air transport White Paper. A number of proposals for new airport capacity at sites which were not included in the Government's consultation document have been submitted as responses to the consultation. These are being
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considered. If the Government were minded to favour any of these options it would be necessary to consult separately on them.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his responses to the consultation on the Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom. [129010]
Dr. Howells: The Government intend to publish their conclusions on the Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom consultation in a White Paper later this year.
The Secretary of State gave an undertaking to the Transport Select Committee, in oral evidence on 21 May, to publish the White Paper before the end of 2003.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to recommend that BAA and the West Sussex County Council extend their 2001 legal agreement on Gatwick Airport until 2030. [129011]
Dr. Howells: The Government have not yet taken any decisions on policies for the air transport White Paper. The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom consultation closed on 30 June and the many thousands of responses are currently being analysed. It remains the intention to publish the White Paper later this year.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total percentage fall in the cost of air travel over the period 2000 to 2030 is assumed in the future demand forecasts given in the consultation paper 'The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom'. [129012]
Dr. Howells: The central national forecast published in 'Air Traffic Forecasts for the United Kingdom 2000', May 2000, assumed that there will be a 1 per cent. reduction per annum in air fares in real terms between 2000 and 2020. No further reduction was assumed between 2020 and 2030. However, as described in Chapter 5 of 'The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom—South East', February 2003, greater competition between airlines, including the impact of the No Frills sector, suggests that the decline in the cost of air travel will be greater. It is argued in 'The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom—South East' that air fares are likely to fall by 1.5 per cent. per annum in real terms between 2000 and 2020, giving a total percentage reduction in the cost of air travel of around 26 per cent. in the period from 2000 to 2030.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has requested the owners of Redhill aerodrome to provide additional details of their expansion proposals. [129103]
Dr. Howells: The Department held discussions earlier this year with several promoters of proposals for new airport capacity that are alternatives to, or variants of, options set out in the Government's consultation document, including with the owners of Redhill aerodrome.
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The aim was to provide guidance on the methodology used to appraise options in the SERAS study and on the information that was needed by the Department in order to appraise their proposals.
A number of the promoters submitted further material on their proposals. This is being considered.
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