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18 Nov 2003 : Column 729W—continued
Website
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the (a) content and (b) design of his Department's website. [139504]
Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has an ongoing programme of user testing for its website. The views of external and internal users are regularly sampled, with the findings feeding into improvements to layout indexing and contents. This development programme also takes account of the accessibility and usability guidelines set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Office of the e-Envoy.
TRANSPORT
A34
12. Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive a progress report from the Highways Agency on its review of the A34; and if he will make a statement. [138865]
Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency's Route Management Strategy of the A34 will report in Summer 2004 and will cover limited measures on the A34 itself. Also, the Government Office for the South East has initiated a scoping study into wider problems and issues along the corridor from Southampton to Bicester. Results of which will be known in the New Year and will inform future decisions.
Biofuels
13. Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking towards the introduction of (a) bioethanol and (b) biodiesel fuels for road users. [138867]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government introduced a 20 pence per litre fuel duty incentive for biodiesel in July 2002, which has already resulted in a big increase in biodiesel sales. A similar duty incentive for bioethanol is due to come into effect in January 2005.
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London Underground
14. John McDonnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on safety on the London Underground. [138868]
Mr. McNulty: London Underground is one of the safest transport systems in the world. Its safety is the responsibility of London Underground Ltd, which transferred from the Government to the London Mayor on 15 July this year.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the service levels stipulated in the agreement registered by the Government with private sector companies to run the London Underground. [138852]
Mr. McNulty: London Underground is run by London Underground Ltd. (LUL), which is owned by Transport for London. LUL's contracts with the private sector infrastructure companies require the latter to meet performance specifications designed to deliver faster, more reliable and more pleasant journeys for passengers.
Rail Services
16. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for improvements in rail transport in the West Midlands. [138870]
Mr. McNulty: A number of improvements have recently taken place. For the future, the Strategic Rail Authority has announced a new approach for planning of the railway network through "Regional Planning Assessments". These will establish key objectives for each region within a long-term context. The West Midlands Regional Planning Assessment is due for publication in Autumn 2004.
Cycling
17. Mr. Burstow : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's strategy for (a) increasing cycling journey numbers and (b) reducing cycling injuries and deaths. [138871]
Mr. McNulty: Our strategy for encouraging cycling involves improving both cycling infrastructure and promotion. We have assessed provision for cyclists in all English local authorities. We have initiated the Cycling Projects Fund and given over £4 million to local cycling initiatives. The Department is also a major contributor to the cross-departmental Activity Co-ordination Team, which is seeking to raise levels of physical activity across the board. On the safety front, and in addition to encouraging better facilities for cyclists, we are promoting measures which cyclists can take to protect themselves, such as taking cycle training and making themselves conspicuous. We are also improving training and testing for motorists.
A40
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of (a) traffic flows and (b) congestion on the A40 in Cheltenham since the opening of the new GCHQ building; [138915]
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- (2) what assessment he has made of the effect on traffic flows of recent changes to the A40 Sixways Junction in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham. [138916]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the Acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Stephen Hickey, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Stephen Hickey to Mr. Nigel Jones, dated 18 November 2003:
- I have been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about what assessments have been made on traffic flows and congestion at specific locations on the A40 in Cheltenham.
- The Highways Agency conducted a queue survey at the A40 Sixways Junction in Charlton Kings on Tuesday 4 November 2003. In the morning peak there appears to be little change in the length of queues; the main change is in the way the traffic moves. Since the installation of the new signals, traffic moves through the junction in a more orderly manner.
- No formal assessment of traffic flows has been carried out since the assessment that was made as part of the planning process for the GCHQ building. Not all relocations to the new building are complete therefore it is too soon for a meaningful assessment of the impact of the development to be conducted. GCHQ, Gloucestershire County Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and the Highways Agency are working together to find ways to mitigate the impact of the new GCHQ building.
A414
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he will take to improve road safety on the A414 from Chelmsford towards the M25. [138857]
Mr. Jamieson: The section of the A414 between Chelmsford and the M11/Harlow junction is the responsibility of Essex County Council. Essex County Council have identified the route as having a poor accident record and it is now the subject of a priority route study to determine the main causes and patterns of accidents. Initial analysis has been undertaken and accident remedial measures are being determined for implementation in the next financial year, subject to the availability of funding.
Altmark Case
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications of the Altmark case on (a) ferry services sailing from ports in Scotland, (b) the application of the EU Ports Directive in Scotland and (c) competition between modes of transport by sea, air and rail. [136497]
Mr. Jamieson: Financial assistance for ferry services within Scotland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive. The Altmark case is very complex and the Scottish Executive and my Department are assessing the potential impact of the judgment on domestic and international maritime services and inter-modal competition.
The Access to Port Services Directive has not yet been adopted. While its potential application in the UK, including Scotland, has been considered during the negotiating process, it has not been possible, as yet, to make a detailed assessment of the potential impact of the Altmark case on implementation.
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Road Safety
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the materials used to demarcate the hard shoulder on motorways in alerting drowsy drivers when they cross the hard shoulder; [138939]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the safety systems for demarcating hard shoulders on motorways. [138940]
Mr. Jamieson: Raised rib edge markings used to demarcate the hard shoulder have been found to be highly effective in alerting drivers of cars and light vehicles when they stray across the line onto the hard shoulder. They may be less effective in alerting the drivers of larger vehicles.
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Marshall-Andrews: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of night flights into Heathrow operated on (a) a westerly and (b) an easterly flightpath (i) in 2001, (ii) in 2002 and (iii) between January and August 2003. [138701]
Dr. Howells: The number and proportion of aircraft landing at night between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00a.m. on westerly and easterly flightpaths in each period was:
| Movements westerly | Proportion westerly (percentage) | Movements easterly | Proportion easterly (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 16,612 | 72 | 6,460 | 28 |
| 2002 | 18,095 | 69 | 8,129 | 31 |
| January–August 2003 | 9,373 | 64 | 5,282 | 36 |
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