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9 Jun 2004 : Column 468W—continued
Parking
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parking attendants (a) are employed and (b) were employed in 1999–2000 by local authorities (i) directly and (ii) indirectly through contractors. [177660]
Mr. McNulty: Statistics on the number of parking attendants employed by local authorities are not collected centrally.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) health visitors and (b) general practitioners are subject to parking restrictions while undertaking their professional duties; what rationale underlies his policy in this area; and if he will make a statement. [177613]
Mr. McNulty: Parking controls are determined by local traffic authorities taking into account local circumstances, including the need to ensure safety, relieve congestion and manage the space available for parking. Everyone is required to have regard to parking controls. Giving blanket exemptions from controls is likely to undermine their effectiveness.
Local schemes may provide for dispensations for those whose duties necessarily take them into areas where parking controls are in force. For example, the Association of London Government runs the London-wide Health Emergency Badge scheme which confers parking privileges, such as free parking at meters and the ability to park on yellow lines, to doctors, nurses, midwives and health visitors who are engaged in urgent or emergency health care away from their normal base. Local authorities outside London have their own arrangements for dispensations. The need to cater for the requirements of community health care visitors is an issue which my Department draws to the attention of authorities outside London applying for decriminalised parking enforcement powers.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects of decriminalisation of illegal parking, with particular reference to the use of private contractors by local authorities for enforcement of parking regulations; and if he will make a statement. [177662]
Mr. McNulty:
Research into the impact of decriminalised parking enforcement was carried out shortly after its introduction in the London boroughs of Bexley, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Westminster
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and outside London in the cities of Oxford and Winchester. In the case of Hammersmith and Fulham and Winchester, the parking attendants were directly employed by the authorities. In the other three cases, parking attendants were employed by contractors undertaking enforcement on behalf of the authorities. In all five cases, it was concluded that the introduction of decriminalised parking enforcement had led to improved compliance with parking regulations. Further details of the research may be found in the following Transport Research Laboratory reports:
"Special Parking Areas in London TRL Report 279 1997"
"The Special Parking Area in the District of Winchester TRL Report 333 1998"
he Special Parking Area in Oxford TRL Report 405 1999."
Road Safety
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the total number of (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of Bury, North constituency in each of the last 10 years. [176699]
Mr. Jamieson: The available information relates to local authority areas. The number of (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of the Bury local authority area in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, are shown in the table. Estimates on the basis of parliamentary constituencies will become available in the summer when I shall write to my hon. Friend with figures for Bury, North and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
| Killed | Serious | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 14 | 79 |
| 1994 | 8 | 90 |
| 1995 | 10 | 73 |
| 1996 | 3 | 68 |
| 1997 | 14 | 60 |
| 1998 | 6 | 29 |
| 1999 | 2 | 49 |
| 2000 | 10 | 40 |
| 2001 | 3 | 51 |
| 2002 | 8 | 53 |
| All | 78 | 592 |
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of Manchester, Central has been since 1997. [177694]
Mr. Jamieson:
The available information relates to local authority areas. In the Manchester local authority area there were 32 deaths in road accidents in 1997 and 15 deaths in 2002, the latest year for which information is available. The number of serious injuries rose by 3 per cent. from 244 in 1997 to 252 in 2002. Estimates on the basis of parliamentary constituency will become
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available in the summer, and I shall write to my hon. Friend with figures for Manchester, Central and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
Traffic Levels
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the projected growth by 2010 from the 1990 base level of (a) car, (b) freight and (c) total traffic for the EU, broken down by country. [176037]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not available. The Department for Transport's projections for growth of road traffic in England, between 1990 and 2010, based on the National Transport Model, are set out in the table.
| With 10 year plan1, 2 Index 1990 =100 | |
|---|---|
| Cars and taxis | 134–140 |
| Goods vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes gvw) | 119 |
| Light goods vehicles | 169–170 |
| Buses and coaches | 122 |
| All motor traffic | 136–142 |
(34) The range reflects key uncertainties in the modelling relating to forecasts of factors that influence travel, such as how people's choices are influenced by income growth and changes in the relative costs of each mode. In some cases both ends of the range produce the same forecast.
(35) Growth between 1990 and 1993 is based on Great Britain data.
Transport (Manchester, Central)
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the expected effect of investment railway improvements over the next 10 years upon residents in Manchester, Central. [177697]
Mr. McNulty: Residents of Manchester, Central will benefit from the new TransPennine Express franchise, which commenced in February. The franchise secures investment of around £260 million, which will include the introduction of a new fleet of 100 mph diesel trains leading to increased capacity, improved service quality and performance across the region. A new northern franchise, which will include local and regional services through Manchester, has been tendered competitively. Work continues on the West Coast Main Line upgrade, which will see a reduction in journey times on services to/from Manchester and an increase in service frequency.
Vehicle Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the common carcinogens emitted from petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK; and what tonnage of each was emitted in each year since 1997. [177479]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
(36) Benzo[a]pyrene is one compound from the "polycyclic aromatichydrocarbon" (PAH) group. The carcinogenic potency of these PAH's vary, and so Benzo[a]pyrene is used as an indicator for the PAH group.
(37) Excludes emissions from natural fires
(38) Dioxins and Furans are groups of compounds with different toxic potencies. Consequently, it is more representative to express the emissions in terms of "Toxic Equivalents" (TEQs). International Equivalents (I-TEQ) are used for these data.
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