16 Jun 2004 : Column 931W
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 16 June 2004
TRANSPORT
Air Transport
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what resources will be available to National Air Traffic Services to ensure that it is able to carry out the airspace work in time to meet the Aviation White Paper's timetable for new runways at (a) Stansted, (b) Heathrow and (c) Birmingham; and what reports he has received of difficulties with National Air Traffic Services which might hinder this work; [178481]
(2) what further steps he will take to ensure the robustness of the air traffic control system in the light of the construction of the new runways envisaged by the Aviation White Paper. [178482]
Mr. McNulty: The Government are satisfied—and the National Audit Office has confirmed—that last year's re-financing of NATS has put the company on a robust financial footing and that it is able to make further vital investment to expand capacity to meet future growth. Work on the investment programme has re-started and NATS will invest some £1 billion in the national air traffic control system over the next 10 years.
I have received no reports of difficulties within the company that might hinder NATS in carrying out the airspace work envisaged for it in the Aviation White Paper. The skills and experience necessary to carry forward airspace and procedure design work in support of such initiatives are, however, highly specialised, and NATS and the BAA are currently scoping the extent of the additional work required. This will identify the specific expertise and resources required, and whether NATS will need to seek additional skills as a result of this work.
Central European Time
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment has been made of potential change in the number of road traffic accidents as a result of moving to Central European Time. [178864]
Mr. Jamieson:
The most recent is a Government commissioned report, by the Transport Research Laboratory, published in October 1988, which concluded that if the UK adopted Central European Time (CET) i.e. GMT + one hour in the winter from October to March and GMT + two hours in the summer from March to October, thereby making the evenings lighter, there could be a saving of over 100 deaths per year, and taken together with serious injuries, save well over 400 such casualties.
16 Jun 2004 : Column 932W
Correspondence
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Minister for Roads will reply to the letter from Mrs. Mich Bingham of Cumberwell Drive. [179048]
Mr. Jamieson: There have been several letters from Mrs . Bingham, each of which were addressed to officials of the Highways Agency. All those received up to 8 June and requiring a response have been replied to.
Crime (Public Transport)
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many thefts were committed on (a) the railways and (b) buses in each year since 1997. [175453]
Mr. McNulty: The British Transport Police (BTP) have provided the following information on the number of recorded thefts on the railways within Great Britain since 1998; information is not readily available for earlier than 1998.
The offence of theft on the railway includes theft from the person, theft of personal property and theft of luggage. In April 2002 BTP adopted the National Crime Recording standard, which makes the reporting of crime more victim focused, and crime is assessed on the probability of such offences having taken place. A crime will be recorded if on the balance of probability: (a) the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law and (b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary. The introduction of this standard accounts for a proportion of the rise between 2001–02 and 2002–03.
| Total number of thefts | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 19,018 |
| 1999–2000 | 26,075 |
| 2000–01 | 23,670 |
| 2001–02 | 24,632 |
| 2002–03 | 32,035 |
| 2003–04 | 31,149 |
No data is held centrally regarding the number of thefts committed on buses. However, it is known that there were 254 robberies from bus crews in 2001 and 294 in 2002. The Safer Travel on Buses and Coaches Panel (STOP) has been established to look at ways to combat assaults, anti-social behaviour and vandalism at stops and stations and on vehicles and property. The Panel brings together those involved in dealing with the issue of safety and security, and includes operators, local authorities, police and unions. It is charged with the important task of facilitating the exchange of ideas and spreading best practice and is considering how the collection of accurate bus and coach crime data can be improved.
Cycling (Rochdale)
Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds in Rochdale since 1997. [178559]
Mr. McNulty:
A total of 10 miles of new cycle lanes in Rochdale have been provided using public funds since 1997.
16 Jun 2004 : Column 933W
Driving Licences
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were informed by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency that they are required to resit their driving test because they failed to apply for a full licence within two years of passing their original test in each year since 1997. [177491]
Mr. Jamieson: Information is not collected showing the number of drivers who have failed to claim their full entitlement within two years and have needed to retake their driving test. The Agency has tackled this in varying ways, including the issuing of reminders to drivers with unclaimed entitlement and more recently by adjusting the fee structure to allow updated licences to be issued free of charge.
DVLA and DSA will introduce a scheme later this year to streamline the process and remove the problem of unclaimed test passes. In most cases, the system will allow the updated licence to be issued automatically following a successful test, without the need for a separate application.
Flight Time Limitations
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his letter reference MC/015200/03 of 25 September 2003, what his latest assessment is of the value of the Flight Time Limitations Requirements; and if he will make a statement. [177822]
Mr. McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz) on 14 June 2004, Official Report, columns 696–97W.
Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants the Department has given to the research and development of Intelligent Speed Adaption Systems; and if he will make a statement. [177992]
Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport has not given any grants for the research and development of Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) systems.
Research into ISA is being carried out as part of the Department's managed vehicle safety research programme. The project began in 2001 and is expected to conclude in the autumn of 2006 at a cost of £1,951,525. An advanced digital map supporting the on-road ISA trials is funded by a separate contract at a cost of £158,383.
The main aim of the current project is to study drivers' behavioural adaptation over time. A trial of 20 ISA equipped cars is currently under way in Leeds.
A further project supports the main research and the general development of ISA nationally and internationally by providing expert advice on an ad hoc basis.
The Government currently has no plans to make the use of intelligent speed limiters compulsory. We hope that industry will take up the technology in response to public demand.
16 Jun 2004 : Column 934W
Parking
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much income has been derived by local authorities from parking (a) charges and (b) penalties in each financial year since 1997–98 (i) in total and (ii) broken down by local authority; and what proportion was collected through penalty charge notices in each of these years. [177661]
Mr. McNulty: Separate statistics on income derived by local authorities from parking charges and penalties are not collected centrally. Total income and expenditure on parking by local authorities in England since 1997–98 is shown in the following table. I have arranged for tables giving a break down by authorities for each year to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
| Total income | Total expenditure net | Current expenditure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 638,483 | 415,659 | -222,824 |
| 1998–99 | 654,685 | 407,503 | -247,183 |
| 1999–2000 | 725,184 | 438,277 | -286,907 |
| 2000–01 | 782,210 | 465,921 | -316,287 |
| 2001–02 | 861,152 | 518,453 | -342,699 |
| 2002–03 | 966,350 | 586,101 | -380,249 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |