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London Rail Services

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the changes in rail services in Greater London recently proposed by the Strategic Rail Authority. [166179]

Mr McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority is developing a number of schemes which will improve rail services in the Greater London area including the East London Line extensions, Integrated Kent Franchise,
 
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Thameslink 2000, southern power supply upgrade and replacement of slam door trains with modern rolling stock.

Biofuels

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the consultation document on introducing the EU Biofuels Directive. [166181]

Mr. Jamieson: The consultation document will be published very shortly.

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to improve rail commuter services in the Elmet constituency. [166182]

Mr. McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority is actively working with the train operating companies to secure improvements to the operational performance of services.

A303

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the safety improvements to the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester to be completed. [166183]

Mr. Jamieson: I am expecting a submission shortly which will allow me to add the Sparkford to Ilchester Scheme into the Targeted Programme of Improvements. Its completion will be subject to the usual statutory procedures and availability of funds—hence I cannot be definite on its timing.

Regional Airports

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on improving road and rail transport links to smaller regional airports in the South East of England. [166184]

Mr. McNulty: Our policy on improving road and rail links to airports in the South East of England (small and large) is set out in the Future of Air Transport White Paper. This recognises that airports are part of our national infrastructure and requires the SRA, Highways Agency to take full account of a prospective airport developer. It also looks to airport operators to work with regional and local partners to ensure that regional and local transport strategies do the same.

Crossrail

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the options for financing Crossrail. [166185]

Dr. Howells: Adrian Montague's detailed advice on the current Crossrail proposals raises complex issues and requires careful consideration against pressures on transport spending, especially on rail. My right hon. Friend will make a statement in due course.

Transport Infrastructure (London)

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional funding
 
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required for transport infrastructure in London to meet the projected increase in population over the next 10 years. [166186]

Mr. McNulty: The Government is providing TfL with over £2.2 billion this year to improve transport across London—this is more than double the amount of funding given to London transport four years ago. Any additional funding required for transport improvements in London and other regions, in order to accommodate projected population growth, is being considered by the Department in the context of this year's Spending Review.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of extra funding needed for transport infrastructure in London. [166187]

Mr. McNulty: The Government is providing TfL with over £2.2 billion this year to improve transport across London—this is more than double the amount of funding given to London transport four years ago. Any additional funding required for transport improvements in London and other regions is being considered by the Department in the context of this year's Spending Review.

Road Noise

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency to discuss the issue of noisy roads. [166188]

Mr. Jamieson: I am in regular contact with the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency on issues concerning noisy roads. I have recently agreed the Highways Agency's Business Plan for 2004–05, which includes a commitment to resurface 50 lane kms of concrete road surface with lower noise surfacing. In addition, all maintenance work carried out on flexible road surfaces now uses quieter road surfaces.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the use of ripple print pads on road services to reduce (a) accidents and (b) noise. [166835]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department has been monitoring the effects of installing rumblewave surfacing (marketed as Rippleprint by Prismo Limited) at seven pilot sites. An initial report has been published by TRL Limited (TRL Report 545 Development of a novel traffic calming surface "Rippleprint"), and I have placed copies of this report in the Libraries of the House. A final report will be published later this year.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sound-absorbing concrete in reducing traffic noise. [166849]

Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency is keeping in touch with developments in Europe on work on noise absorbing concrete. In general, porous concrete has been shown to have similar noise absorbing properties to porous asphalt, with the same disadvantages of high cost and loss of benefit over time as the pores become clogged. Initial trials in European countries of a new
 
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surfacing using a resonant cavity formed in concrete below porous asphalt, have given lower noise reduction benefits than expected.

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on roadside noise barriers in each of the last 10 years. [166850]

Mr. Jamieson: Figures for the last 10 years are not available. Spend on noise barriers that are provided in conjunction with highway improvement scheme is not separately identified in the scheme cost. Spend on the installation of noise barriers provided retrospectively on older trunk roads that commenced in 2000, has been met by the £5 million per year ring-fenced allocation.

Stockport Station

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the new platform 1 at Stockport Station to be in use; who paid for it; and whether its introduction to use is dependent on a new signalling. [162420]

Mr. McNulty: These are operational matters for Network Rail. Network Rail will respond directly to my hon Friend.
 
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Rail Tracks (Speed Limits)

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway track are subject to speed limits imposed primarily or solely to prolong the life of the track; if he will list the locations thereof; and if he will make a statement. [163176]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 March 2004]: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail will respond directly to the right hon. Member.

Coastguard Services

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of savings that could be made by reducing the number of coastguard stations around the Scottish coast. [166773]

Mr. Jamieson: There are no plans to reduce the number of Coastguard Co-ordination Centres in Scotland and no assessment of savings has been made.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on coastguard services in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK in each of the last five years. [166774]

Mr. Jamieson: Coastguard expenditure in Scotland and the UK in the last five years is shown below:

	Unaudited 2003–04 £000s (subject to change)	2002–03 £000s	2001–02 £000s	2000–01 £000s	1999–2000 £000s
Scotland (including Shetland & Stornoway Helicopters)	£12,266	£11,718	£10,246	£10,715	£9,063
All of UK (including Scotland and Helicopters)	£34,849	£32,891	£31,121	£32,173	£28,105

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of coastguard stations around the Scottish coast. [166775]

Mr. Jamieson: There are no plans to make changes to Coastguard operations around the Scottish coast, but my Department will continue to keep effectiveness and efficiency under review to make the best use of technology and resources.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the level of planned future expediture on coastguard services in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK. [166776]

Mr. Jamieson: The level of planned future expenditure for Scotland and the UK on Coastguard services will be broadly in line with previous years.

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