| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
15 Sept 2003 : Column 507W—continued
Freight Transport
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the rail lines operated for freight purposes only, giving the mileage length of each line identified; and what assessment has been made of the potential use of each line for passenger traffic. [129251]
Mr. McNulty: The information on the first two points is contained in Appendix D of the "Review of Freight Charging Policy: Consultation on Costs", published by the Office of the Rail Regulator in November 2000. A copy of this document is obtainable from the Office of the Rail Regulator.
15 Sept 2003 : Column 508W
There is no systematic assessment of the potential use of freight only lines for passenger traffic. Proposals submitted by local stakeholders to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) are considered on a case by case basis, with each case being reviewed on its individual merits and against the SRA's planning criteria.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in percentage terms the movement of freight within the United Kingdom by (a) road, (b) rail and (c) water for each year from 1996 to date. [129262]
Mr. Jamieson: The information is in the following table.
| Road | Rail(3) | Water | Pipeline | All modes(4) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 66 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 100 |
| 1997 | 68 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 100 |
| 1998 | 65 | 7 | 23 | 5 | 100 |
| 1999 | 64 | 7 | 24 | 5 | 100 |
| 2000 | 62 | 7 | 26 | 4 | 100 |
| 2001 | 64 | 8 | 24 | 5 | 100 |
(3) Financial year figures.
(4) Figures for some years may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
Harbour Revision Orders
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the laws regarding harbour revision orders; if he proposes to change them; and if he will make a statement. [130210]
Mr. Jamieson: We have no current plans to change the legislation governing harbour revision orders although we are always willing to consider changes either suggested to us or that stem from our own experiences in processing them.
Public Transport
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he is making on the integration of public transport (a) timetables and (b) ticketing. [129455]
Mr. McNulty: My Department continues to support the traveline service, which offers integrated, multi-modal public transport route and timetable information through a single national telephone number. The service is now also available on the internet.
The Transport Direct service will launch in early 2004. It will provide route, timetable and fare information for all modes of public and private transport and provide for the purchase of tickets. Transport Direct will initially be provided through an internet portal and, ultimately, it is hoped that access will also be possible via digital TV, mobile and WAP phones, other handheld devices and high street kiosks.
Work is also continuing to encourage the PlusBus ticketing scheme that allows the addition of bus validity to national rail tickets. There are currently 102 stations participating in the PlusBus scheme, with a further 33 expected by the end of September 2003. A significant number of additions are expected next year.
15 Sept 2003 : Column 509W
Road Deaths
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents resulted in a fatality in Crosby in each of the last five years. [129456]
Mr. Jamieson: Information is not available on the number of fatal traffic accidents in Crosby.
The number of traffic accidents that have resulted in one or more fatalities in the local authority district of Sefton, which includes Crosby, are given in the table.
| Fatal Accidents | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 7 |
| 1999 | 5 |
| 2000 | 8 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 9 |
Shipping (Oil and Chemical Transfers)
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations apply (a) within UK waters and (b) beyond the 12 mile limit, for the ship to ship transfer of oil and other chemicals. [129160]
Mr. Jamieson: Regulations specific to ship to ship transfer operations within UK waters, remain in draft form as a Statutory Instrument and Merchant Shipping Notice at this time. No specific regulations apply beyond the 12 mile limit.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans are in place for dealing with spillages within and beyond the 12 mile limit from ship to ship oil and chemical transfers in Lyme Bay; and if he will make a statement. [129161]
Mr. Jamieson: Within the 12 mile limit of UK waters, transfers comply with draft legislation and include contingency planning for oil spills, mainly through the mechanism of Ship's Oil Pollution Emergency Plans (SOPEPS). Where cargoes being transferred are of a particularly persistent nature, appropriate oil recovery, collection and containment measures are also required in the form of a recovery vessel on stand-by throughout the operations.
Beyond the 12 mile limit, but within the UK's Pollution Control Zone, which can stretch up to 200 miles off shore, pollution resulting from ship to ship transfers would be treated in the same way as marine pollution from any other source.
Any Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) response would follow the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations and would be tailored to the circumstances of the incident.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of oil and chemical spillage have been reported as a consequence of ship to ship transfers of oil and chemicals off the UK coast in each of the past five years. [129162]
15 Sept 2003 : Column 510W
Mr. Jamieson: There have been no incidents of oil and chemical spills as a consequence of ship to ship transfer operations off the UK coastline in any of the past five years.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ship to ship transfers of oil and chemicals took place off the UK coastline in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) broken down by Government office region. [129163]
Mr. Jamieson: A break down of the number of ship to ship transfers off the UK coastline in the last five years is given in the table:
| Year | Total | Broken down byGovernment office region |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | Scottish waters |
| 2000 | 1 | South west |
| 2001 | 5 | 4 South west |
| 1 East | ||
| 2002 | 3 | 2 East |
| 1 South west | ||
| 2003 to date | 5 | 3 South west |
| 2 East |
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department monitors the ship to ship transfer of oil and chemicals off the UK coast. [129164]
Mr. Jamieson: There are only two locations outside harbour limits and within UK waters where ship to ship transfers are allowed to take place, namely off Lyme Bay, Dorset and Southwold, Suffolk. The industry has accepted current draft regulations governing these transfers as a common standard.
Agents for ship to ship transfers have to make an application to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) counter pollution branch at least 72 hours prior to the proposed transfer taking place. Permission for the transfer to proceed is only given after thorough assessment and may include limitations or specific requirements. Copies of the draft Statutory Instrument and Merchant Shipping Notice are supplied to the applicant for reference.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department enforces regulations covering the ship to ship transfer of oil and chemicals off the UK coast (a) within the 12 mile limit and (b) beyond the 12 mile limit. [129165]
Mr. Jamieson: The regulations governing ship to ship transfers are currently in draft form through Statutory Instrument, The Merchant Shipping (Ship to Ship Transfers) Regulations 1999 and Merchant Shipping Notice 1739, Ship to Ship Transfers of Dangerous or Polluting Cargoes at Sea. Although these regulations remain in draft form, industry has accepted them as good working practice and their contents are applied when assessing and vetting applications for ship to ship transfers within UK water.
There are no regulations controlling ship to ship transfer activities beyond the 12 mile limit.
15 Sept 2003 : Column 511W
Thameslink 2000
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the future of the Thameslink 2000 project. [129320]
Mr. McNulty: Progress on Thameslink 2000 is dependent on securing approval of the necessary planning and other powers under the Transport and Works Act. The Strategic Rail Authority and Network Rail are currently working to address design deficiencies identified at public inquiry. If a viable and economic solution can be found, a revised proposal will be submitted for consideration in the TWA process.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |