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4 Mar 2004 : Column 1147W—continued
TRANSPORT
Aircraft Security
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to protect British civil aircraft from man-portable projectile attack. [157058]
Mr. McNulty: Terrorist threats, including from man-portable air defence systems (MANPADs), are assessed on a continual basis and appropriate counter-measures are developed and reviewed accordingly. For the MANPAD threat this includes work on both ground-based and on-board security measures. It would not be appropriate on security grounds to disclose details about this work.
Chorley Transport Interchange
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government funding was provided for the building of the Chorley transport interchange. [157715]
Mr. McNulty: The total Government borrowing approval provided to build the Chorley transport interchange was £3,731,000.
This includes the two separate contracts for the new Chorley bus interchange (£3.267million) and the refurbishment of Chorley railway station (£464,000).
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Cycling
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much the Department spent on the promotion of cycle helmets in each of the last five years; and what assessment has been made of the cost-benefit achieved in terms of injuries prevented from (a) helmets and (b) other methods of reducing risk to cyclists; [158024]
- (2) what monitoring methods are used to assess the effectiveness of cycle helmets in reducing the (a) number and (b) severity of head injuries; and whether these methods would detect changes in the number and severity of head injuries arising from increased use of cycle helmets. [158025]
Mr. Jamieson: Since the creation of the Department for Transport in May 2002, the following has been spent on cycle safety campaigns, which include the promotion of cycle helmet wearing.
- 'Cyclesmart' campaign, targeting 7–11 year olds.
- £19,630
- 'Cyclesense' campaign, targeting teenage boys
- £25,480
- 'Cyclesmart' campaign
- £26,450
- 'Cyclesense' campaign
- £136,550
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My Department commissioned research on the effectiveness of cycle helmets, including the relative risk of injury to cyclists with and without helmets, by way of a literature review, and this was published in November 2002 (Road Safety Research Report No.30), a copy of which was placed in the Library. The conclusion from the review was that helmets have been found to be effective at reducing the incidence and severity of head, brain and upper facial injury, particularly for children. A fully quantified cost benefit review comparing the effectiveness of helmets and other methods of reducing risk to cyclists is not possible since many measures, such as education, training and publicity, are not fully quantifiable. The Department therefore pursues a comprehensive package of measures. This is proving effective, and deaths and serious injuries to cyclists in 2002 were 34 per cent. down compared with the 1994–98 baseline for our Road Safety Strategy.
Our casualty data does not allow us to monitor the number and severity of head injuries due to increased use of helmets because it does not identify injury by specific parts of the body. However, in addition to the periodic monitoring we carry out of the wearing rates for cycling helmets, we plan to initiate further research to explore the possible relationship between cycling casualties and cycling levels to throw further light on this subject.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage cycling in the City of Hereford; and if he will make a statement. [158645]
Mr. McNulty: We have allocated Herefordshire Council just over £11 million to spend on local transport schemes throughout the district in 2004–05 under the Council's Local Transport Plan (LTP) which includes measures to increase cycle usage. The Council's last annual progress report on its LTP showed a 4.8 per cent. increase in cycling in 2002–03. Hereford is also one of the seven shortlisted towns looking for support from the Department for a sustainable travel town initiative. Two towns will soon be selected to apply a package of measures to promote not only cycling, but also walking and public transport. We have budgeted £7.5 million for this initiative, which will run for five years.
Dibden Bay Container Port
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2004, Official Report, column 529W, on the Dibden Bay container port proposal and the New Forest National Park proposal, for what reason he declined to state whether or not he would make it his policy not to announce his decision on the port before the result of the public inquiry into the National Park is known; and if he will make a statement. [158828]
Mr. Jamieson: The answer I gave on 26 February 2004, Official Report, column 529W, stated that the publication of the report of the public inquiry into the proposal for the creation of a New Forest National Park was a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
A decision on the proposal for a new container port at Dibden Bay must be taken under a different statutory process and the timing of an announcement should
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therefore be separate from that for an announcement on a national park. It would not be appropriate to make it a policy not to announce a decision on the port before publication of the New Forest inquiry report. Issues relating to the proposals for the creation of a New Forest National Park were addressed at the public inquiry into proposals for a container port at Dibden Bay.
Integrated Kent Franchise
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the passenger usage data for (a) Faversham, (b) Selling, (c) Lenham, (d) Harrietsham and (e) Hollingbourne that the Strategic Rail Authority used in the consultation document on the Integrated Kent franchise for Faversham. [158827]
Mr. McNulty: The figures in the table are expressed as passenger journeys per day, using data for the year ending March 2003, and are based on ticket sales for journeys which either start, finish or interchange at the stations concerned.
| Ticket sales | |
|---|---|
| Faversham | 5,205 |
| Selling | 173 |
| Lenham | 459 |
| Harrietsham | 180 |
| Hollingbourne | 105 |
Source:
South Eastern Trains
Local Authority Grants (Lancashire)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants were awarded by his Department to local authorities in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in each of the last three financial years that fall outside the revenue support grant. [157266]
Mr. McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions on 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 749W.
Port Security
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to (i) screen incoming cargo containers for chemical and biological agents and (ii) make available radiation detectors at ports. [157057]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is responsible for protective security. I am the Minister responsible for HM Customs and Excise who are primarily responsible for screening cargo entering the United Kingdom. Customs work closely with the Home Office and the Police on security at ports.
Incoming cargo is screened for a variety of illicit materials. The Government does not give detailed information about these procedures as this information may be useful to terrorists. In this connection Exemptions 1, 4 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access
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to Government Information apply. Following the announcement of new funds for counter-terrorism measures which the Chancellor made in last year's Budget (HC 500), Customs and the Home Office will be wording together to deploy screening equipment at UK points of entry to detect the illicit importation of radioactive materials.
Railways
Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to relieve overcrowding on services operated by (a) South Central and (b) Thameslink. [157863]
Mr. McNulty: Under the Strategic Rail Authority's new franchise agreement with Go Via, capacity will be increased when a new fleet of trains is provided on South Central services from 2005. The two-year extension of the Thameslink franchise, effective from 1 April 2004, incorporates an option to provide additional capacity and services primarily on the Wimbledon loop where the route is most constrained. This proposal is subject to securing additional rolling stock and meeting value for money and affordability considerations.
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department defines overcrowding in respect of rail travel. [158062]
Mr. McNulty: There is no definition for crowding on the railways. However, all rail operators are required to provide a frequency of service and adequate capacity to prevent excessive crowding and to have in place strategies for dealing with regular systematic crowding when it occurs.
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway carriages which could be returned to passenger use are in storage; where they are being stored; and what instructions he has given to the Strategic Railway Authority regarding the disposal of railway carriages which have the potential for re-use. [156171]
Mr. McNulty: Carriages capable of reuse are principally those being replaced by new trains on cross country and the west coast main line. Primary responsibility for deciding their future use, if any, lies with their owners and operators. However, the Strategic Rail Authority's Rolling Stock Strategy encourages the cascading of surplus carriages to other uses and there have already been cases where this has happened. The number in storage at any one time fluctuates as vehicles are progressively withdrawn from service and others are redeployed or scrapped.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on proposals for a crossing of the railway line at Beddingham on the A27. [158882]
Mr. McNulty: I announced the decision on the final proposals for the Southerham to Beddington stretch of the A27 yesterday. The hon. Gentleman and other interested parties were informed in the usual manner.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allow regional passenger transport authorities to bid to run franchises. [158763]
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Mr. McNulty: Passenger Transport Authorities as local authorities are precluded from being franchisees by Section 25 of the Railways Act 1993. Only where a rail network has been designated as exempt from franchising, as with the Merseyrail network, can a Passenger Transport Authority be considered to run services on that network. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement to the House on 19 January that the current rail review would consider the scope for devolving more decision-making to the Passenger Transport Executives.
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