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28 Jan 2004 : Column 356W—continued
Coastguard Service Vehicles
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles used by the coastguard service were built in (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) outside the EU, broken down by make of car. [151199]
Mr. Jamieson: The number of vehicles used by the HM Coastguard service is listed in the following table:
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Drivers (Bioptics)
Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether European nationals who are licensed to drive in other EU member states using bioptics are allowed to drive using bioptics in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [151309]
Mr. Jamieson: One of the principal themes of the second EC Directive on driving licences (Directive 91/439/EEC) is the mutual recognition of licences, and all entitlements gained, between member states. Drivers from other member states who become resident in the UK, however, are subject to UK legislation and procedures. Information provided to such drivers informs them of the requirement to notify the Secretary of State of any medical conditions, including visual defects, that may affect fitness to drive. A driver who notified a visual defect or condition and was found to be unable to meet the required standards in relation to vision would not be licensed to drive in the UK despite the use of bioptic lenses.
Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of whether the European Directive on Driver Licensing allows the use of bioptics for driving; and if he will make a statement; [151310]
- (2) what policy has been formulated by the Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Visual Disorders regarding the use of bioptics for driving; and if he will make a statement. [151311]
Mr. Jamieson: Any assessment as to the degree to which the use of bioptic lenses for driving complies with the second EC Directive on driving licences (Directive 91/439/EEC) requires the advice of my Department's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Vision and Driving.
The Medical Advisory Panel advises on, rather than formulates, policy in relation to vision and driving. It has considered the issue of bioptic lenses and driving but feels that it is important to gain an understanding of other European member states' views and experience of this aid to vision before definitive advice can be given. I expect to receive the panel's advice, therefore, when the expert medical working group recently established by the EC Committee on the Driving Licence has considered the issue and the results of its discussions are known. The working group is expected to meet three or four times during 2004 and to report its results in approximately 18 months.
Driving Instructors
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many attempts approved driving
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instructors will be permitted to pass the test; whether ADIs will be removed from the register if they fail the test; when the Government intend to bring in these changes; and if he will make a statement. [149828]
Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 26 January 2004]: Driving instructors will not be limited in the number of attempts they are allowed to pass the computer-based assessment we are adding to their supervision arrangements. Only if an instructor was unable to pass the assessment at the end of a two-year period would action be taken to remove the person from the register.
We intend to introduce the assessment this autumn. It will comprise a multiple-choice question test of knowledge and understanding of driving theory and instruction, plus a moving-image hazard perception test. The knowledge test draws on a bank of over 900 questions and is more comprehensive than when most instructors qualified.
Hazard perception testing has been a key part of the qualification process for learner car drivers, lorry drivers, bus drivers, motor cyclists, potential instructors and driving examiners since November 2002. Extending it to driving instructors who have not been assessed in this key skill will help their standards maintenance and professionalism and result in a driving instructor profession better placed to deliver high-quality instruction.
We want to ensure that when the public, often young people, buy driving lessons they can have confidence that the instructor they choose will have kept up to date with developments in the learning-to-drive syllabus and be familiar with how the hazard perception test works.
East Midlands Airport
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he was notified that East Midlands airport was planning to change its name. [151060]
Mr. McNulty: The Department have received no formal notification from Manchester Airports Group, the owner of East Midlands airport, about the change of name. There is no requirement to notify the Department as it is a commercial decision for the airport operator.
Edinburgh Airport (Noise Pollution)
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of households which will be subjected to (a) a noise level of (i) 63dBa Leq or more and (ii) 69dBa Leq or more and (b) an increase in noise level of 3dBa Leq or more directly as a result of the increased use of the existing runway at Edinburgh airport as outlined in the recent White Paper on Aviation. [150974]
Mr. McNulty: This information is set out in the Scottish Consultation Document and supporting technical reports. These estimate the number of people who would be affected by different levels of noise under a range of runway options at Edinburgh airport including maximum use of the existing main runway, greater use of the existing crosswind runway and development of a new close parallel runway. Our analysis suggests that by 2030, under the maximum use option, and assuming a 8dBA technology improvement,
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there would be an increase of 300 people affected within the 63 dBA 16 hour Leq contour with no increase at the 69dBA 16 hour Leq contour. The equivalent figures with increased use of the crosswind runway are 800 and 200 respectively.
The numbers of houses within these contours in the maximum use case is estimated to be 400 at 63 dBA and 100 at 69 dBA. Under the crosswind option the equivalent figures are 600 and 100 respectively.
Information Technology
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what audit mechanisms are in place to determine whether all Information Technology hardware and software products are being properly utilised in his Department. [151057]
Mr. McNulty: The Department maintains a list of approved hardware and software products and specific approval is required for any purchase not on that list. Microsoft desktop and server software is procured through Office of Government Commerce licensing arrangements. These licences are managed using software tools at the Microsoft licensing site. Other key software is licensed under a corporate agreement with Novell and is audited annually by them. The Department also utilises asset tracking and discovery software to monitor what other hardware and software is being used on the Department's network.
Liquid Petroleum Gas
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tonnes of (a) 1,3-butadiene, (b) benzene, (c) particulates and (d) sulphur dioxide emissions he estimates have been saved as a result of the liquid petroleum gas duty rebate. [151037]
Mr. Jamieson: It is not possible to give a precise estimate. Liquefied petroleum gas is a clean fuel which results in very low emissions of a number of key air pollutants. It can have particular benefits, for example, when it is used as a substitute for diesel fuel in polluted urban areas. The nature and scale of the emissions savings, however, will depend on a number of factors, including the type of vehicle and fuel which is being replaced by LPG, and how and where it is being driven.
Mobile CCTV
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether funds retained by police authorities from fines imposed for exceeding speed limits may be used to set up mobile CCTV systems. [150019]
Mr. Jamieson: They cannot be used for this purpose. All fines resulting from speeding offences are paid to the courts. Funds returned to the safety camera partnerships (all these include the police) under the cost recovery scheme may only be used to cover the cost of purchasing, placing and operating speed and traffic light enforcement (safety) cameras.
Motor Vehicle Recovery
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were recovered from
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motorways in the last year for which figures are available by (a) a private breakdown recovery service and (b) a contractor engaged by the police. [151249]
Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 27 January 2004]: This information is not available.
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