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20 Jul 2004 : Column 132W—continued

MOT Certificates

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether cars registered in England, but whose MOT vehicle test certificate expires during their stay in Northern Ireland, will be exempt from prosecution (a) while in Northern Ireland and (b) immediately on their return to England where the
 
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vehicle owner can demonstrate that the reason for not having their vehicle examined was due to the industrial action of Northern Ireland civil servants; and if he will make a statement. [184763]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 16 July 2004]: The industrial action in Northern Ireland would have no impact on cars registered in Great Britain as such vehicles can only be MOT tested here. If the MOT certificate expires during a stay in Northern Ireland, the driver of the vehicle could face prosecution in the Province. On returning to GB, the vehicle would be exempt from the requirement to hold a MOT certificate provided it was driven directly to a pre-arranged MOT test.

Motorways (Traffic Officers)

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic officers have been deployed on motorways in England; and where they have been deployed. [184791]

Mr. Jamieson: There are currently 92 traffic officers, both on the road and in the control room, responsible for motorway patrols in the West Midlands. This will increase to 180 by the end of the year.

Nottingham East Midlands Airport

Mr. Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether an assessment has been made of the environmental impact of the proposed new noise preference routing (a) pole and (b) Trent 2 over southern and western Nottinghamshire for aircraft using Nottingham East Midlands Airport; [183978]

(2) whether the proposed flight path(a) pole and (b) Trent 2 over southern and western Nottinghamshire for aircraft using Nottingham East Midlands Airport has been agreed; [183979]

(3) whether he will impose time restrictions on using the flight path (a) pole and (b) Trent 2 over south west Nottinghamshire for aircraft using Nottingham East Midlands Airport to ban night flights between 11 pm and 6 am. [183980]

Dr. Howells: These proposed airspace changes have been the subject of an environmental assessment by Nottingham East Midlands Airport (NEMA). After careful examination of the proposals, the Department is satisfied that they provide a safe and effective solution for all airspace users in the East Midlands, while mitigating the environmental impact to the greatest extent possible. Officials have conveyed this response to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It will then be for the CAA to agree the changes with NEMA.

In order to mitigate the environmental impact of the new POLE Standard Instrument Departure route and following consultation, NEMA have given an undertaking that the route will not be used between the
 
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hours of 2200 and 0600. The Northwest bound Trent route has been realigned to avoid over-flight of Derby, which would represent a significant net environmental benefit.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations have been made to him from councils in Nottinghamshire about the proposed new flight paths over southern and western Nottinghamshire for aircraft using Nottingham East Midlands Airport. [183981]

Dr. Howells: None directly, though I am aware of representations made to the Civil Aviation Authority and Nottingham East Midlands Airport (NEMA) by various local authorities in this connection.

Road Congestion

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods of tackling road congestion between Manchester and Birmingham he has considered since 10 December 2002 in addition to widening the M6 motorway between junctions 11 and 20. [181667]

Mr. Jamieson: The document "Managing our Roads" published in July 2003 set out the Government's approach to tackling congestion and the various approaches which are being considered in addition to widening motorways. However, the Secretary of State for Transport has published a consultation paper "M6: giving motorists a choice", which invites views on a new expressway to run parallel with the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester as an alternative to widening the existing M6.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of road congestion in Essex in each of the last 10 years. [183599]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department does not make estimates of the costs of road congestion in Essex. Detailed information on traffic flows on all roads in the county would be needed for such an estimate. The cost of its collection to the highway authorities in the county would exceed the value of the information to decision-makers.

Road Contractors

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles used each of the roads built using the design, build, finance and operate contracting method, in each month of operation; who the contractor was in each case; how much was paid under each contract; and if he will make a statement. [180846]

Mr. Jamieson: The table shows the traffic figure (in vehicle kilometres) for each financial year for each of my Department's Design Build Finance and Operate projects since these were opened to traffic. Providing figures for each month would be disproportionately expensive.
ProjectCompanyLength of Road (km)1998–991999–20002000–012001–022002–032003–04
M1-A1Yorkshire Link Ltd.30640676716743769
A69Road Link (A69) Ltd.84489494488505526537
A19Autolink Concessionaires (A19) Ltd.11815651611163716981753
A50Connect (A50) Ltd.57675731793856864
M40UK Highways M40 Ltd.12238443859393239443944
A1(M)Road Management Services (Peterborough) Ltd.21405416429439449
A417/ A419Road Management Services (Gloucester) Ltd.52544574582604617641
A30/ A35Connect (A30/A35) Ltd.102591634649695




Figures are given in millions of vehicle kilometres.





 
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The following table shows the total payments made under my Department's Design Build Finance and Operate Contracts.
Financial year£ million
1998–99105
1999–2000119
2000–01142
2001–02130
2002–03128

CABINET OFFICE

Public Services

24. Ms Keeble: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to co-ordinate the improvement of public service delivery across Government. [184911]

Mr. Alexander: The Delivery and Reform Team, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, brings together those Heads of Units from the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and No. 10 that are concerned with the delivery of better public services and civil service reform. The Delivery and Reform Team ensures co-ordination from the centre of the overall strategy and key strands of the Government's agenda.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Analogue Radio

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what plans she has made for switching off analogue radio signals; what the likely timescale is; what criteria will be applied; what target she has set for the proportion of households with access to digital technology before the analogue signal is switched off; and if she will make a statement; [184127]

(2) what representations she has received regarding the switching off of analogue radio signals; and if she will make a statement. [184131]

Estelle Morris: Section 67 of the Broadcasting Act 1996 requires the Secretary of State to keep under review the development of digital radio for the purposes of considering how long it would be appropriate for sound broadcasting services to be provided in analogue form.

In particular, the Act requires her, on or before the fourth anniversary on which the first national digital multiplex is granted, to ask Ofcom and the BBC to report on the current position and future prospects for the provision of radio multiplex services; the availability
 
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of digital sound programme services and existing analogue services in digital form; and the ownership or possession of equipment capable of receiving digital sound services. These reports are to be submitted to the Secretary of State by 31 October. A number of other industry bodies have also been asked to submit any comments they wish to make. All contributions will be considered alongside the BBC and Ofcom reports, and the Government will publish their response.


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