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20 Nov 2003 : Column 1442W—continued
London Underground
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to reinstate independent electricity supplies to the London Underground; and at what cost. [139818]
Mr. McNulty: Following the power failure on 28 August, London Underground Ltd. (LUL) initiated an investigation of the incident and the effectiveness of their response. LUL will be publishing their report in the near future. Responsibility for London Underground transferred from Government to Transport for London (TfL) in July. Any future decisions on the power supply are for TfL and the London Mayor.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of security measures on the London Underground to counter the threat of terrorism. [140202]
Dr. Howells: In July this year my Department issued legally binding Instructions to London Underground Ltd. to formalise protective security measures already place. A supporting London Underground Security Programme was issued in August. This regime builds on the sound measures developed by LU and BTP over the past 30 years. The regime is designed to be responsive to the level of threat and to be proportionate. The security procedures are subject to inspection by inspectors from my Department.
Air Accidents
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many air accidents involving United Kingdom-registered airlines were reported for the last decade for which figures are available; and what the comparable accident level was for airlines registered in (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) Germany.[R] [140093]
Mr. McNulty: The following table sets out the number of total loss accidents for the United Kingdom, German and Irish airlines contained in the Airclaims CASE database for the period 1 January 1993 to 1 December 2002. The CASE database has been used as neither the Department nor the Civil Aviation
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Authority hold details of accidents involving German and Irish Airlines. A total loss accident is one in which the aircraft is damaged beyond economic repair.
| Passenger Operations | Cargo Operation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft < 5700kg mtwa | Aircraft > 5700kg mtwa | Aircraft < 5700kg mtwa | Aircraft > 5700kg mtwa | |
| UK airlines | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| German airlines | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Irish airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
mtwa = maximum total weight authorised
These figures are not directly comparable because of differences in other factors such as the number of hours flown.
Air Travel
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of people from the bottom 10 per cent. of income earners travelled by air in each year from 2000 to 2002. [137579]
Mr. McNulty: This information is not available.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from individuals and organisations opposed to an expansion in air travel in the last 12 months. [139355]
Mr. McNulty: Many thousands of letters, questionnaires, cards and petitions have been received as responses to the consultation on the future development of air transport in the UK, which closed on 30 June 2003. On publication of the White Paper we expect to make all responses available for public inspection, unless consultees have explicitly requested confidentiality.
Aircraft Pollution
Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will press the International Civil Aviation Organisation to examine the issue of night flights and aircraft noise at their next meeting. [140079]
Mr. McNulty: The reduction of aircraft noise is a major strand of work within the environmental programme of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
ICAO Resolution A33–7, adopted in 2001, emphasises the need for states to adopt a balanced approach to aircraft noise management, on an airport-by-airport basis. Key elements were incorporated into EU Directive 2002/30/EC and are now enshrined in UK law by The Aerodromes (Noise Restrictions) (Rules and Procedures) Regulations 2003(S.I.No. 1742).
The agenda for the next meeting of ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) in February 2004 will allow for substantial discussion of noise issues.
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Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will press the International Civil Aviation Organisation to examine the issue of air pollution caused by aircraft at their next meeting. [140086]
Mr. McNulty: Air pollution caused by air transport is a major strand of work within the environmental programme of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The Government regards this as important work and will continue to press ICAO for stringent action at the next meeting of its Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) in February 2004.
Arson (Railways)
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of arson on the railways there have been since March 2002, broken down by (a) train operating company and (b) line. [139800]
Mr. McNulty: The Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), advise that for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 there were 162 train fires in Great Britain caused by arson. A table recording the 162 incidents broken down by train operating company and by route is being deposited in the Libraries of the House.
During the same period there were also 84 fires at passenger stations, signal boxes and on the railway infrastructure reported to HMRI, although information is not currently available on how many of these were due to arson.
In addition, the British Transport Police have recorded 388 crimes of arson on the railways during the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003.
Buses
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) local authorities and (b) major bus operators on bus re-regulation. [139434]
Mr. McNulty: The current statutory framework for buses is set out in the Transport Act 2000. As with all other legislation, we keep the situation under review. Ministers therefore continue to discuss these matters with a number of groups and individuals representing both local authorities and bus operators.
Consultancy Contracts
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many consultancies were commissioned by his Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was. [130891]
Mr. McNulty: The Department was formed on 29 May 2002. 1,036 orders for consultancy valued at £122.2 million were raised in 2002–03. 717 orders for consultancy valued at £19.6 million were raised in the first six months of 2003–04.
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Consultants
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value was of (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by (i) the Rail Delivery Directorate, (ii) the Railways Restructuring Directorate and (iii) other directorates within his Department carrying out work relating to the railways, in (A) 2002–03 and (B) 2003–04 to date. [139729]
Mr. McNulty: The total value of consultancies used by DfT relating to the railways was £24.6 million in 2002–03 and in 2003–04 it has been £13.6 million to 31 October. Only a very small proportion of this expenditure relates to call-off contracts.
The figures include expenditure on contracts for legal and other advice.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by predecessor departments on external consultants in matters relating to transport in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) consultants used, (b) the nature and (c) the cost of the work in each case. [139730]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member, placing a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants used on a call-off basis by (i) the Rail Delivery Directorate, (ii) the Railways Restructuring Directorate and (iii) other directorates within his Department carrying out work relating to the railways, since 6 February; what the nature of the assignment for each consultant was; and what the value of work done by each consultant was . [139734]
Mr. McNulty: Since 6 February the Department has been using the following consultants to give the advice listed:
20 Nov 2003 : Column 1446W
The value of work done by individual consultants and advisers is commercially confidential, but, for all of them together, expenditure from 6 February to 31 October amounts to £16.5 million.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department and its predecessors on external research and consultants in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 to date, broken down by (i) aviation, (ii) local transport, (iii) mobility and inclusion, (iv) roads, vehicles and road safety, (v) shipping, (vi) integrated transport, (vii) railways, (viii) science and research, (ix) transport statistics, (x) freight logistics and (xi) other subjects. [139736]
Mr. McNulty: The information is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member, placing a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
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