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7 Jun 2004 : Column 70W—continued
Montague Report
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the Montague Report; and what the reasons are for the delay in publication. [177218]
Mr. McNulty: 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.
Noise Pollution (Roads)
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on sound-proofing to reduce noise pollution from roads in each of the last five years. [174465]
Mr. Jamieson:
In the last five years the Highways Agency has spent around £429,000 on providing, or making grants for, sound-proofing of residential properties affected by highway works on the strategic road network. The breakdown of this expenditure by year is as follows.
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| Expenditure (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 3,400 |
| 2001–02 | 205,987 |
| 2002–03 | 121,363 |
| 2003–04 | 98,230 |
| Total | 428,980 |
Oil Transfers (Lyme Bay)
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many oil transfers have taken place off the coast of South Devon in Lyme Bay in each of the last 10 years. [177202]
Mr. Jamieson: The number of ship-to-ship transfers of oil conducted in Lyme Bay in each of the last 10 years is tabled as follows:
| Number of transfers | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 to date | 0 |
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the contingency plans drawn up by Devon, Torbay and Plymouth councils for coping with oil pollution spills; and whether those plans have been assessed in the light of projected levels of future oil transfers in Lyme Bay. [177203]
Mr. Jamieson: Every local authority contingency plan is risk assessed against pollution threats to the relevant local authority's area. All contingency plans are also assessed to ensure they are aligned with the UK's National Contingency Plan. The plans of the three councils in question have been exercised in the last 18 months and comply with UK policy.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) numerical and (b) percentage change in the number of oil transfers in Lyme Bay he has projected for the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [177204]
Mr. Jamieson: There is no projection of numbers of ship-to-ship oil transfers in Lyme Bay, as my Department is currently reviewing a number of draft proposals concerning the regulation of ship-to-ship transfer activities within UK territorial seas.
Ports Police
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which UK seaports have their own police forces. [177157]
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Mr. Jamieson: There are seven ports in England and Wales that have their own police forces. They are:
Bristol,
Dover,
Felixstowe,
Falmouth,
Liverpool,
Tees and Hartlepool, and
Tilbury.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish his conclusions on the arrangements for ports police in England and Wales. [177158]
Mr. Jamieson: A draft discussion paper on accountability and standards of the port police forces was circulated last year to the Association of Port Police Chief Officers' (APPCO) and the Home Office. Since then the Home Office have consulted on the role of small specialist police forces, including port police forces, in their consultation paper "Policing: Building Safer Communities Together". In addition the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are now undertaking their own review of port policing. Our conclusions on the arrangements for ports police need to take account of the results of these two exercises, expected later this year.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to whom ports police forces are accountable. [177159]
Mr. Jamieson: Port police forces are accountable to the relevant port authority by virtue of their establishment under Section 79 of the Harbours Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 or the incorporation of that provision into their own legislation.
Rail Service Franchises
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what costs have been incurred by the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of the tendering process for the (a) Scotrail and (b) Northern franchise; and what the anticipated final costs are in each case. [176271]
Mr. McNulty: To date, the Strategic Rail Authority has spent £2.8 million tendering the Scotrail franchise, and £2.6 million tendering the Northern franchise. The final cost is expected to be £3.9 million in both cases. The anticipated final costs include prudent provisions for evaluation and completion expenditure.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what costs were incurred by the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of the tendering process for the (a) Greater Anglia, (b) Wales and Borders and (c) TransPennine Express franchise. [176272]
Mr. McNulty: The full cost incurred by the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of the refranchising process for Greater Anglia was £4.0 million. For Wales and Borders the cost was £3.0 million, and for TransPennine Express £3.8 million.
Rural Transport Policy
Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanism the Government plan to use
7 Jun 2004 : Column 73W
to deliver rural transport policy (a) with reference to the future of the Countryside Agency and (b) following the ending of Rural Bus Challenge. [176913]
Mr. McNulty: To support the delivery of rural transport policy we are providing funding to local authorities to improve transport services in rural areas through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. Since 1998 the Rural Bus Challenge and Countryside Agency funding have been instrumental in pump priming rural transport projects.
Decisions on the future of the Rural Bus Challenge scheme will be announced following completion of the current review of bus subsidies and the Government's Spending Review. I understand that the future of Countryside Agency funding, which is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is yet to be decided.
Other funding sources available to all transport authorities are capital resources made available through the Local Transport Plan system and revenue support for local transport schemes through the Revenue Support Grant System.
Secure Stations Scheme
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what criteria stations need to meet to be designated secure stations under the Secure Stations scheme; [176965]
(2) how much money has been spent advertising the Secure Stations scheme. [176967]
Mr. McNulty: The Secure Stations Scheme is designed to improve and standardise good security practices at overground and underground stations. The Scheme awards Secure Stations status to those stations that have worked with their local British Transport Police Crime Reduction Officer to reach specified standards in crime management, station design, station management, and passenger perceptions. Criteria covered include lighting, maintenance procedures, passenger information, incident reporting, and staff training.
The Department has spent approximately £15,000 on the printing and distribution of the Secure Stations Scheme guidance. The Scheme is also promoted through meetings, presentations, magazine articles, seminars and conferences with relevant interested parties. Accredited stations are also able to advertise the Scheme themselves through local news features and their own publicity materials (e.g. posters, company magazines).
7 Jun 2004 : Column 74W
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many stations with Secure Station status have subsequently had the designation removed in each year since the scheme's inception; [176966]
(2) which stations have been designated secure stations under the Secure Stations Scheme. [177078]
Mr. McNulty: A total of 216 stations have been accredited under the Secure Stations Scheme. Of these, 86 are first time accreditations, 77 have been re-accredited and, as explained as follows, 53 have lapsed. A list of accredited stations has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Approximately two-thirds of all overground rail journeys and approximately one half of all London underground journeys involve passengers starting or finishing their journeys at a Secure Station.
Stations are awarded Secure Stations status for a two year period once they have met the required accreditation standards on station design, station management, crime management, and passenger perceptions. There is provision for the accreditation to be withdrawn if there is a clear breach of standards during that time. No stations have breached the standards during their accreditation period.
Accredited stations can apply for reaccreditation after their two-year award period has expired. Although a large number of stations have become reaccredited, 53 stations have not sought reaccreditation and, therefore, their accreditation status has been removed. There were two of these stations during 2000, three during 2001, 21 during 2002, and 27 during 2003.
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