---

24 May 2004 : Column 1300W—continued

Car Clubs

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support his Department gives to promote car clubs. [174867]

Mr. McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 12 May 2004 Official Report, column 399W.
 
24 May 2004 : Column 1301W
 

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for    Transport what research his Department has undertaken into the reduction in car journeys attributable to car clubs. [174869]

Mr. McNulty: Last year the Department commissioned research into the influence of soft factors on travel demand. The final report, which will include a chapter on car clubs, is expected to be completed shortly.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities which support car clubs. [174870]

Mr. McNulty: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

Departmental Officials

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department and associated agencies have withheld details of their salaries and performance related pay in each year since 1997. [172086]

Mr. McNulty: Since the Department was formed in May 2002, there have been seven officials, out of a possible total of 42, who have withheld details of salaries.

Highway Code

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to review the stopping distances of cars shown in The Highway Code. [175079]

Mr. Jamieson: The stopping distances shown in The Highway Code will be reviewed as part of the major revision of the code which will start later this year, including full consultation with all stakeholders with an interest in The Highway Code and road safety matters.

Journey Times

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the impact of increasing time taken by commuter rail journeys into London on modal shift. [174074]

Mr. Darling: Minor timetable changes are regularly made to ensure timetables are robust and provide more reliable journey times for passengers. Where major timetable changes are proposed—for instance to address capacity problems—they invariably involve consultation with local or regional stakeholders.

Motoring Costs

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of motoring has been in each year since 1997, expressed at today's prices. [175075]

Mr. Jamieson: The following table shows how the cost of motoring ¹ , as measured by the Retail Prices Index, has changed in real terms each year since 1997. The cost of motoring decreased by 4.8 per cent. between 1997 and 2003.

¹  "All motoring" includes the cost of purchase, maintenance, fuel, tax and insurance.

 
24 May 2004 : Column 1302W
 

	Index (2003=100)
1997	105.0
1998	104.7
1999	105.6
2000	106.6
2001	104.1
2002	101.6
2003	100.0

Source:
Consumer Prices and Inflation Division, Office for National Statistics

MOTs

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure of the MOT computerisation project from its start was, broken down by (a) staff salaries, (b) office accommodation, (c) travel and subsistence and detached duty expenses and (d) fees to consultants. [173889]

Mr. Jamieson: The total costs incurred by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) on the MOT Computerisation project from its start are £13,362,000. Of this staff salaries account for £3,816,000; office accommodation £2,950,000; travel and subsistence and detached duty expenses £817,000; fees to consultants £3,615,000; and other costs £2,164,000.

Railways

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect upon costs in the rail industry of regulations prepared by the Health and Safety Commission concerning rail safety. [174813]

Mr. Darling: In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance first issued in 1999, all the railway safety regulations prepared by the Health and Safety Commission since then have been accompanied by Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs). Copies of all the RIAs were laid in the Houses of Parliament Libraries with the regulations.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Freight on Track campaign. [174999]

Mr. McNulty: The Government are committed to   developing a competitive and efficient freight distribution system that supports economic growth while protecting the environment and recognise the economic importance and environmental benefits of rail freight to the UK.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many containers and what tonnage of freight was carried by freight trains in each year since 1997. [175002]

Mr. McNulty: The tonnage for freight carried by freight trains on a yearly basis is contained in the Strategic Rail Authority's publication National Rail Trends, which has been placed in the Library of the House. The number of containers moved is not reported in the publication as that information is commercially sensitive.
 
24 May 2004 : Column 1303W
 

Roads (Derby)

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport   what assessment has been made of the means   of completing the road linking the A50 at the A514 junction at Chellaston with Wilmore Road in Derby. [174826]

Mr. Jamieson: The proposed link-road in question is a local road and as such is the responsibility of Derby city council. I understand that the scheme is to be appraised by the city council as part of a major transport study, currently under way, for the Derby Joint Local Transport Plan Area.

School Buses

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of school buses in each local authority are fitted with seat belts. [175099]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department does not collect this information.

Sea ports (Transport Links)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on providing rail and road links to ports. [175093]

Mr. Darling: We recognise the importance of good road and rail connections to ports and further improving access to them is an important objective of our 10-Year Transport Plan as well as being a significant issue for the regional planning process. Access to ports featured in several of the recent multi-modal studies and a number of the transport projects now being taken forward as a result of these studies will benefit ports related as well as domestic traffic.

Ship and Port Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of training is required for a ship security officer to be compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. [174608]

Mr. Jamieson: The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code requires the ship security officer to have received training in accordance with the guidance given in Part B of the Code. The guidance lists 25 training topics.

Ship security officers on UK registered ships are required to attend a training course that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has approved as meeting the Merchant Navy Training Board specification. 35 training providers have been approved to run ship security officer courses.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 26 April 2004, Official Report, column 782W, on shipping, how control measures for ships that do not provide evidence of having an International Security Ship Plan will be enforced. [171293]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport's Transport Security Directorate (TRANSEC), in conjunction with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency   (MCA), are developing appropriate response
 
24 May 2004 : Column 1304W
 
procedures to deal with ships that fail to provide evidence of an International Ship Security Certificate when seeking entry into a UK port. Consultation is on-going with a number of Departments and agencies including the MOD, Police, and Customs.

---