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TRANSPORT
Dengie Village Link
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of public subsidy for the Dengie Village Link is in the (a) current and (b) next financial year. [152291]
Mr. McNulty: Dengie Village Link service was awarded £271,000 from Rural Bus Challenge funding and £106,274 from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant for the current financial year 2003–04.
The recently announced Rural Bus Challenge award will provide £840,000 of funding to the scheme over the next three years 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07. Announcement of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant for the next financial year has not yet been made.
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Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers the Dengie Village Link carried in the last 12 month period; and how many passenger miles this represented. [152292]
Mr. McNulty: The total number of passengers carried by Dengie Village Link during the last 12 months from January 2003 to December 2003 was 72,191.
Passenger mileage figures are not recorded.
Edinburgh Airport
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 (A) the construction and (B) use of a second runway at Edinburgh airport as outlined in the aviation white paper. [151706]
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, the development of a new close parallel runway, assuming a—14 dBA technology improvement, would reduce the number of people affected within the 63 dBA 16 hour Leq contour by 300 with an increase of 200 people affected at the 69 dBA 16 hour Leq contour.
The numbers of houses within these contours for a new close parallel runway is estimated to be 200 at 63 dBA and 100 at 69 dBA.
Road Deaths
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths have occurred on the A40 from (a) the M40 to the A312 junction, (b) the A312 junction to the A4005 junction and (c) from the A4005 junction to Westway in the last three years. [151486]
Dr. Howells: On the A40 from the M40 to the London Boundary there have been seven recorded injury accidents in the 36 month period to 31 December 2003. All accidents were coded as slight.
The section of the A40 inside London forms part of the Greater London Authority Road Network—now known as the Transport for London Road Network—and is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). Further information concerning the accident statistics of the road should be obtained from:
- Chris Lines
Head of London Road Safety Unit
Through Ticketing
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on how he intends to
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encourage through ticketing, particularly where changes in bus contracts for certain routes require a passenger to use different companies for their journey. [151942]
Mr. McNulty: Local authorities have a power under s135 of the Transport Act 2000 to require local bus operators to provide through ticketing. The Bus Partnership Forum, which I chair, has produced four templates intended for use as model ticketing schemes, including one that provides an example of a through-ticketing scheme involving different companies. We are placing the templates on the Department for Transport's website (under "Local Transport"), and I encourage all local transport authorities and bus operators to take advantage of these resources.
For services that are operated under contact to the local authority, there is nothing to prevent the authority imposing conditions as to ticket validity on those services.
Transport (Wales)
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the figures for (a) reliability, (b) punctuality, (c) the public performance measure, and (d) complaints for each train operator operating services in Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [151750]
Mr. McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) measures train performance by the Public Performance Measure (PPM), which combines reliability and punctuality. It is published by train operator in the SRA's quarterly National Rail Trends (NRT). The latest publication covers performance to the year ending 30 September 2003 and is placed in the Library of the House.
Until March 2003, complaints data by train operator were published in the SRA's six monthly On Track publication. Copies of On Track are placed in the Library of the House. In future, complaints data by train operator will appear annually in Quarter 4 of NRT which will also act as an annual compendium of statistics. This will be published in the summer.
Mr. Wiggin To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the rail infrastructure improvement schemes and their projected cost (a) being carried out in Wales and (b) planned for Wales. [151752]
Mr. McNulty: There are no infrastructure improvement schemes currently in progress. The Vale of Glamorgan line is planned to re-open between Barry and Bridgend later this year, with two new stations to be built at Llanwit Major and Rhoose. This scheme is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on aviation in Wales since the publication of the Aviation White Paper. [151753]
Mr. McNulty: Since the publication of the White Paper we have received one representation requesting further information about its conclusions for Wales.
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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Agricultural Employment
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget has been allocated for the enforcement of employment law in agriculture during the period covering the last two financial years; and how many enforcement officers are dedicated to investigating breaches of employment law in agriculture. [152096]
Alun Michael: The only employment law enforced by Defra is the Agricultural Wages Order made by the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948. Initial enforcement is undertaken by the five members of Defra's Agricultural Wages Team at an annual cost of some £133,000. This process is complaint led and complaints are investigated by Agricultural Wages Inspectors based in the Department's Rural Payments Agency. Some 37 Rural Payments Agency staff are authorised to investigate agricultural wage complaints. In the 2002–03 financial year it is estimated that agricultural minimum wage investigations undertaken by the Rural Payments Agency utilised staff resources of just over 0.5 staff years at a cost of £12,000. Rural Payments Agency staff inputs between April and December 2003 totalled some 0.25 staff years at a cost of £6,000.
Avian Influenza
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what records her Department keeps of outbreaks of avian influenza among (a) poultry flocks, (b) poultry meat processors and (c) egg processors in EU member states in the last five years. [151962]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 30 January 2004]: Our records show the following outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in member states in the last five years. These have all been in poultry flocks:
- Italy—1997 until April 2000;
- Netherlands—March to May 2003;
- Belgium—April 2003; and
- Germany—May 2003.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what biosecurity measures the Government have in place to protect (a) poultry farmers and (b) consumers from (i) legal and (ii) illegal (A) poultry meat and (B) egg imports from countries in South East Asia which have reported an outbreak of avian influenza. [151963]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 30 January 2004]: Defra issued advice on biosecurity and on health and safety to the farming industry on 5 November 2003. In view of the avian influenza situation, we are writing to all known poultry keepers and to veterinary surgeons to highlight the problem and to reissue the advice.
There is no legal trade in poultry meat or eggs from South East Asian countries affected by avian influenza other than from Thailand. Prohibitions have been
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placed on imports from Thailand of meat, meat products and meat preparations from species susceptible to avian influenza.
HM Customs and Excise are responsible for measures to detect and prevent illegal imports into Great Britain of prohibited animal products They have put in place measures to address the possibility of illegally imported products. This included notification to all Customs staff of the new controls prohibiting imports from Thailand and ensuring controls are in place to prevent any trade imports in accordance with the EU Council Directive.
The Food Standards Agency advice is that eating chicken and eggs is not considered a risk to consumers. This is because the risk to people arises from close contact with live chickens that have the disease, and not through eating chicken or eggs.
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