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Rural Bus Services

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services in Burnley are supported by rural bus grants. [167883]

Mr. McNulty: Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) is paid to local transport authorities; in the case of Burnley this is Lancashire County Council. It is for the authority to decide which services should be supported with the grant. We understand from the County Council that 2 rural bus services serving Burnley are provided by RBSG. There are a further 7 rural bus services serving Burnley provided through Revenue Support Grant funding.
 
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Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services in Heywood and Middleton are supported by rural bus grants. [168548]

Mr. McNulty: Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) is paid to local transport authorities, in the case of Heywood and Middleton this is the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (PTE). It is for the authority to decide which services should be supported with the grant. We understand from the PTE that no bus services in Heywood and Middleton are provided by RBSG as this area is predominantly urban.

Shipping

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the Government has not yet complied with the EU Directive on vessel traffic monitoring and information systems. [167634]

Mr. Jamieson: The United Kingdom already implements much of what the directive requires. My Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency held a consultation on draft regulations to implement the remaining requirements, which ended on 23 April. Analysis of responses and introduction of those regulations, amended as necessary, will proceed without delay.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the UK Government will take against ships entering UK ports without International Ship and Port Security Code certification after 1 July. [167635]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport is the Designated Authority to oversee the implementation and compliance of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code in the United Kingdom.

Post 1 July implementation deadline, compliance with the ISPS Code will be required to guarantee entry into UK ports. Ships that do not provide evidence of having an International Ship Security Plan will be liable to control measures, which may include denial of entry, detention of a vessel or its expulsion from a port.

Taxis (Regulation)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will respond to the Transport Committee's Report on the Regulation of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicle Services in the UK. [168587]

Mr. McNulty: We shall respond shortly.

Unmanned Railway Crossings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed on unmanned (a) pedestrian and (b) vehicular railway crossings in each of the last five years. [167225]

Mr. McNulty: Details on the number of people killed on unmanned pedestrian and vehicular railway crossings in the five years 1999–2000 to 2003–04, provided by the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate, are set out in the following table.
 
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	Unmanned pedestrian level crossings	Unmanned vehicle level crossings
1999–2000	4	3
2000–01	3	1
2001–02	0	1
2002–03	2	7
2003–04 (Provisional)	3	5

Further details on accidents at level crossings are contained in the Health and Safety Executive's Annual Reports on Railway Safety, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

US (Visitor Visas)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to publicise the requirements of the US Administration for visitor visas for UK citizens. [168257]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

It is primarily the responsibility of the US authorities to provide information on their immigration and visa requirements for British citizens. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office gives information through its Travel Advice about certain aspects of US immigration procedures which may be of particular interest to British travellers. This is regularly updated to reflect the latest position and is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk.

West Coast Main Line

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the upgrading of the Liverpool spur of the West Coast Main Line. [166978]

Mr. McNulty: As part of West Coast Route Modernisation, it is planned to upgrade the line progressively between Weaver Junction and Liverpool, with the benefits being delivered from June 2005 onwards. These changes, along with improvements to other sections of the West Coast route, will provide for faster services between Liverpool, London and other key destinations.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total estimated cost is of the West Coast Main Line upgrade; and what proportion of this   cost is accounted for by (a) construction, (b) consultants and (c) compensation to train operating companies. [166007]

Mr. McNulty: The total estimated cost of the West Coast Main Line project is forecast to be £7.6 billion. The upgrade comprises a large number of individual contracts whose composition is a matter for the contracting parties.

Working Time Directive

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his response to the consultation into the implementation of the Working Time Directive for mobile workers in the transport sector. [165973]

 
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Mr. Jamieson: An announcement on this issue will be made very shortly.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Local Government Pension Scheme

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime   Minister if he will make a statement on his proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme. [168049]

Phil Hope: Draft regulations designed to ensure that the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales remains affordable to employers, members and taxpayers were circulated to interested parties for their comments on 31 March. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, the new provisions will come into force on 1 April 2005. The proposals reflect the policies set out in our June 2003 White Paper "Simplicity, security and choice; working and saving for retirement" (Cm 5835) and are part of a programme of changes to the scheme announced on 23 July 2003. Further measures to modernise the scheme and to ensure its sustainability for the longer term will be circulated later this year.

Balance of Funding Review

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether interim financial measures will be put in place pending the outcome of the Balance of Funding Review. [168585]

Phil Hope: No. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister awaits the report of the Review which is due in the summer. We shall then consider what action is appropriate.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with National Assembly for Wales Government on the (a) Balance of   Funding Review and (b) the parallel exercise in Wales. [168586]

Phil Hope: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 29 March 2004, Official Report, column 1256W. The Office Of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult the Welsh Assembly Government before making any changes as a result of the Review.

Diesel Spillages

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost has been to each fire brigade to clean up diesel spillage in each of the last three years. [168627]

Mr. Raynsford: The costs to fire brigades of cleaning up diesel spillages, or other hazardous chemicals, are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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