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21 Jan 2004 : Column 1236W—continued
Shipping
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) injuries and (b) fatalities of employees of shipping companies there were in each year since 1997, broken down by company. [148486]
Mr. Jamieson: The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), a separate branch within the DfT, records injuries and fatalities to crew of UK vessels.
Regulation 9(1)(e) of The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 1999 has the effect of preventing the disclosure, for any purpose other than the investigation, of any report of an accident provided to the MAIB, including the names of the ship owners. However, where an investigation has been ordered by the Chief Inspector, regulation 10 provides that a report is to be made publicly available. The following table therefore shows figures only for injuries and fatalities to crew of UK registered merchant vessels for which investigations have been concluded and a report published, as at 16 January 2004.
Note:
1. Accidents to shore based workers onboard ships in port/drydock are reported to HSE, not MAIB.
2. There is no general requirement for foreign flagged vessels, even in UK waters, to report onboard accidents to personnel to UK authorities.
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Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) injuries and (b) fatalities to workers on ships there were in each year since 1997. [148487]
Mr. Jamieson: Figures for the number of crew killed and injured on UK registered merchant vessels, reported to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch of DfT by 15 January 2004, are as follows:
| Killed | Injured | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 | 329 |
| 1998 | 2 | 320 |
| 1999 | 4 | 278 |
| 2000 | 3 | 305 |
| 2001 | 3 | 287 |
| 2002 | 5 | 301 |
| 2003 | 2 | 261 |
Notes:
1. Accidents to shore based workers on board ships in port/dry dock are reported to HSE, not MAIB.
2. There is no general requirement for foreign flagged vessels, even in UK waters, to report on-board accidents to personnel to UK authorities.
3. The number of UK flagged merchant vessels increased by more than 20 per cent. between 2001 and 2003.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions, in each year since 1990, powers to direct a ship to leave UK waters have been used, giving in each case the reason for the direction. [148848]
Mr. Jamieson: The powers to direct a ship to leave UK waters have only been used on one occasion. On 19 July 1999, a direction was issued to the MV Rainbow Warrior for the purpose of securing the safety of the ship and of other ships, persons on the ship and other ships, and other persons and property.
Aviation
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further sanctions are available to his Department to recover fines where an airline has been banned from United Kingdom airspace due to non-payment of fines. [148960]
Mr. McNulty: The recovery of charges due under Carriers Liability legislation in respect of passengers arriving in the United Kingdom without the required documents is the responsibility of the Home Office. Such charges may be recoverable through the courts as a debt.
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However, if a carrier was not operating to the United Kingdom, the enforceability of a court's judgment would be a relevant consideration in deciding whether to pursue this course.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reduce the charges levied on users of British airspace as a result of the transfer of responsibility for aviation safety regulation from the UK CAA to the European Aviation Safety Agency. [149596]
Mr. McNulty: Regulation (EC) No. 1592/2002, establishing the European Aviation Safety Agency, applies to the design, production, and airworthiness of aircraft and aircraft products, together with associated personnel and organisations. It has no bearing on the way British airspace is managed or the charges levied with respect to the use of British airspace.
The Agency took up its safety regulatory duties on 28 September 2003, and for the time being, has authorised national aviation administrations, including the UK CAA, to carry out tasks on its behalf under national charging schemes. Until the Agency has established its own staff and processes, including a Regulation on fees and charges, we cannot estimate the precise effect on the work of the CAA. The CAA intends to review with UK industry the impact that EASA will have on the costs of its Safety Regulation Group and the associated charges to UK industry.
Bus Travel
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his plans to work with the Office of Fair Trading to clarify the position on the ability of bus companies and local authorities to offer through ticketing arrangements permitting cross-boundary travel by encouraging reciprocal arrangements. [148277]
Mr. McNulty: These matters are regularly discussed between my right hon. Friend and the Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
Car Insurance
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people driving on roads in England and Wales without adequate insurance cover in each of the last five years and (b) trends in driving without insurance in recent years. [148738]
Mr. Jamieson: Current estimates from the insurance industry are that there are about 1.25 million motorists driving while uninsured. No estimates are available for earlier years. Figures for convictions for uninsured driving show an average yearly increase of 1.2 per cent. since 1998.
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the average cost to the insurance premium holder in each of the last five years of driving without insurance. [148740]
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Mr. Jamieson: For the year 2002 the cost to each motorist's insurance premium is estimated at between £15 and £30. However, no figures are available for previous years.
Flight Paths
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department has issued to airlines in respect of flight paths that take commercial aircraft above 30,000 feet. [148589]
Mr. McNulty: The Department has not issued any guidance. When designing air traffic services routes, airspace planners are bound by the provisions of guidance material contained in the ICAO Air Traffic Services Planning Manual—Doc. 9426. In addition, the operational approval and aircraft certification given by the Civil Aviation Authority to aircraft operators covers the operation of aircraft at all phases of flight at any level.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what environmental assessment has been made of the (a) benefits and (b) disbenefits of commercial aircraft flying at (i) 20,000, (ii) 25,000, (iii) 30,000 and (iv) 35,000 feet. [148590]
Mr. McNulty: No specific assessment has been made of the benefits and disbenefits of flight at these altitudes. However, research jointly undertaken by DLR (the German aerospace agency) and Manchester Metropolitan University within the European research project, TRADEOFF, looked at the hypothetical impact of reducing cruise altitudes on contrail coverage and its radiative forcing (a measure of the climate impact), as well as the effect of increased fuel consumption (and hence CO 2 emissions). The research concluded that flying at lower cruise altitudes reduced contrail formation but increased fuel consumption.
Any detailed assessment would have to explore these trade-offs further. The research was not intended to suggest changes in operating practices, which would need full international agreement.
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