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29 Oct 2003 : Column 267W—continued
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on advertising in (a) 1995, (b) 1997 and (c) 2003. [133729]
Mr. McNulty: Expenditure is recorded on a financial year basis and is shown in the following table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 6.4 |
| 1996–97 | 5.7 |
| 1997–98 | 4.5 |
| 1998–99 | 4.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 5.2 |
| 2000–01 | 7.8 |
| 2001–02 | 9.8 |
| 2002–03 | 10.2 |
| 2003–04 | 9.5 |
(10) estimated advertising outturn
The increase in expenditure since 2000–01 reflects additional road safety advertising in support of the Government's road safety strategy "Tomorrow's Roads—Safer For Everyone" published in March 2000.
Driving Licence Applications
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his target is for the time taken to process a provisional driving licence application from the date of receipt of the application to the applicant receiving their licence; and what proportion of applications were dealt with within the target in each of the last three years. [134662]
29 Oct 2003 : Column 268W
Mr. Jamieson: The Secretary of State's targets for the last three years have been as follows:
| Year | Target | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 95% in 9 working days | Achieved |
| 2001–02 | 95% in 8 working days | Achieved |
| 2002–03 | 95% in 8 Working days | Achieved |
These performances have been reflected in the Agency's Annual Reports.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which medical conditions require further enquiries to be made in applications for provisional driving licences; and what representations he has received from disability organisations in relation to driving licence applications from people with medical conditions or disabilities. [134664]
Mr. Jamieson: The medical conditions which need to be declared and where further medical enquiries would normally be undertaken are listed on all the main drivers application forms. For example, the Dl application form (available from post offices) is used to apply for first provisional licences and the D42 and D46 forms which are automatically issued by DVLA to prompt the renewal of medically restricted licences and renewal at age 70 and thereafter.
We regularly receive representations from disability organisations and interested parties representing individuals suffering from medical conditions that may affect their ability to drive. This representation is welcomed and the information received is often referred to the Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panels to help inform their decisions on medical fitness to drive and future policies.
Trains (Smoking)
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to persuade GNER to follow the example of Virgin Rail in banning smoking on all trains; [134969]
- (2) what plans he has to bring together the Health and Safety Executive, train operators and Network Rail to discuss the impact on public health of smoking at railway stations and on trains. [134970]
Mr. McNulty: There are no such plans. Under the Railways Act 1993 (as amended by the Transport Act 2000) train operating companies may regulate smoking in railway carriages and at their stations. It is a matter for the train operators to decide whether, and where, to permit smoking.
Road Safety
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which proposals contained in his Department's road safety strategy require primary legislation; and in which legislation (a) they have been enacted and (b) he plans to enact them in each case. [133880]
29 Oct 2003 : Column 269W
Mr. Jamieson: The following primary legislation foreseen in the Government's road safety strategy "Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone" has been enacted as follows:
- Figures in square brackets [3] refer to the relevant chapter of the road safety strategy
[2] Change legislation on school crossing patrols, Transport Act 2000
[3] Introducing mandatory logbooks for learner car drivers (to include night-time driving), Transport Act 2000
[4] Strengthen police powers for roadside testing, accommodating drug screening devices and providing for drug recognition and impairment testing, Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003
[7] Tighten the seat belt exemption for people on "local rounds of deliveries", Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003
[10] Develop new technology which could help enforce the law more effectively e.g. digital breath-testing and drug-testing devices, Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003
- [3 & 8] Improvement of driver training and testing
[4] Introduce evidential roadside breath-testing
[4] Repeal UK drivers1 hours rules in favour of EU rules (pending outcome of European negotiations)
[10] Provide for driver improvement schemes as a court disposal
[10] Amend road traffic penalties in the light of Home Office Review of Road Traffic Penalties
- [6] Creation of a hierarchy of roads by road usage
[6] Development of a simpler method of making speed limits by reference to a speed management strategy
- [4] Giving police additional powers to undertake targeted breath testing
Transport for London (Budget)
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to increase the Transport for London budget for each financial year from 2005–06. [135175]
Mr. McNulty: The Progress Report on the 10-Year Plan for Transport, "Delivering Better Transport", published last December, set out indicative levels of spending in London through to 2010–11. Allocations for the period 2005–06 to 2007–08 will be considered in the forthcoming cross-Government spending review, the results of which will be announced next year.
Unsupervised Railway Stations
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet local authorities, train operators and Network Rail to discuss the elimination of graffiti at train stations and adjacent railway lines. [134958]
29 Oct 2003 : Column 270W
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions there have been by British Transport Police of individuals who commit acts of vandalism on (a) trains, (b) railway stations and (c) railway lines in each of the last 10 years. [134959]
Mr. McNulty: The British Transport Police (BTP) does not record crime statistics split by stations, lines and trains. Also vandalism is not classified as a crime group but the offence of criminal damage is the closest equivalent. Prosecutions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. However, the BTP have provided the information in Table 1 regarding the number of people arrested, summonsed or charged with criminal damage in the past six years which is the maximum period for which reliable data is available. Table 2 shows the total number of criminal damage offences reported and cleared for the last ten years.
| Time Period | Number of Persons Arrested/Charged/Summonsed for criminal damage offences |
|---|---|
| 1 October 1997—30 September 1998 | 607 |
| 1 October 1998—30 September 1999 | 669 |
| 1 October 1999—30 September 2000 | 644 |
| 1 October 2000—30 September 2001 | 537 |
| 1 October 2001—30 September 2002 | 549 |
| 1 October 2002—30 September 2003 | 554 |
| Annual criminal damage offences(1 April–31 March) | Reported | Cleared |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | 6,502 | 717 |
| 2001–2002 | 6,030 | 846 |
| 2000–2001 | 6,536 | 988 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,826 | 963 |
| 1998–1999 | 6,573 | 1,013 |
| 1997–1998 | 6,296 | 1,105 |
| 1996–1997 | 7,984 | 994 |
| 1995–1996 | 10,502 | 971 |
| 1994–1995 | 13,156 | 1,348 |
| 1993–1994 | 13,023 | 1,280 |
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unsupervised train stations there are in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Yorkshire. [134967]
Mr. McNulty: Figures for the number of unsupervised stations are not held centrally. There are no obligations on train operators about staffing stations per se. There are requirements to open ticket offices at the times specified in the 'Ticketing and Settlement Agreement' (TSA). The TSA includes over 1300 stations—more than half the stations on the network—including over 50 in Yorkshire. Train operators may staff stations and ticket offices over and above the requirements of the TSA.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent studies have been carried out by his Department into the impact on passenger numbers of fear of violence and antisocial behaviour at unsupervised railway stations. [134968]
Mr. McNulty: Departmental research was carried out last year on perceptions of personal security and concerns about crime on public transport. This included
29 Oct 2003 : Column 271W
discussions on staffing at railway stations, what makes people feel insecure at stations, what measures could be taken to improve people's perceptions, and the impact that all these have on people's willingness to travel.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking with Network Rail to tackle vandalism and graffiti at unsupervised railway stations; [134972]
- (2) what steps he is taking to protect the rail infrastructure from criminal damage. [134974]
Mr. McNulty: This is primarily a matter for Network Rail as owner of the national network infrastructure, and the train operators to which stations are leased. Our Directions and Guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority require it to encourage train operators to participate in both the Secure Stations and Secure Car Parks schemes, which award accreditation when specified standards of design and management are reached. The Strategic Rail Authority has funded the provision of CCTV at stations through its Rail Passenger Partnership fund, and CCTV will be provided at some stations under the Modern Facilities at Stations programme. We also support the initiative by the British Transport Police and train operators to recruit special constables from within their own staff.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operators on unsupervised stations. [134973]
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