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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 11 October 2004

TRANSPORT

Speed Cameras

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of funding an independent audit of every speed camera. [188154]

Mr. Jamieson: The 35 English and Welsh safety camera partnerships participating in the national programme confirmed to my Department in January this year that they were operating camera sites—lists of which my Department published in June and placed in the Libraries of the House—in line with the Department's rules and guidance for the programme.

I therefore do not regard a further audit as necessary. The cost of such an audit is estimated to be £200,000 or more.

Buses

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the quality bus contracts which have been agreed to date, giving the value, length and date signed in each case. [190069]

Charlotte Atkins: No quality bus contracts have to date been submitted to the Secretary of State for approval. We have issued for consultation draft guidance on the application procedure and the criteria for approval of schemes. As announced in the "Future of Transport" White Paper, we intend to streamline the statutory procedure by reducing the minimum period between making and implementing a scheme from the current 21 months to six months. Our guidance will make clear that use of the minimum period will only be appropriate for schemes with a limited impact on bus operators.

Cars

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated number of cars licensed in Britain was in (a) 1975, (b) 1985, (c) 1995 and (d) 2004. [189938]

Mr. Jamieson: The number of cars licensed in Great Britain, excluding exempt vehicles, at the end of each year requested was as follows:
Number of cars
197512,526,000
198516,454,000
199520,505,000
200324,985,000







 
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Congestion Charges/Road Pricing

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to introduce (a) congestion charges and (b) road pricing on roads in West Leeds; and if he will make a statement. [189952]

Mr. Jamieson: It is up to local authorities to decide whether or not to use the permissive powers of the Transport Act 2000 to introduce congestion charging in their areas.

Driving Licences

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many current UK driving licences were in circulation in (a) 1975, (b) 1985, (c) 1995 and (d) 2003. [189927]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
Licence type(1)1975198519952003
Provisional1,700,0004,038,3344,764,5256,225,946
Full19,400,00025,702,69631,670,58233,771,687
Total21,100,00029,741,03036,435,10740,027,633


(1) Estimated

Highways Agency

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) budget and (b) staffing figures for the Highways Agency has been in each year since 1997; and how many new Highways Agency roads were constructed in each of those years. [190174]

Mr. Darling: The financial resources allocated to, and consumed by, the Highways Agency in each year since 1997 are identified in the agency's published annual Business Plans for the years 1996–97 to 2004–05 and Annual Reports and Accounts for the years 1996–97 to 2002–03. Staffing figures are also identified in those publications, as are details of progress on the agency's major road construction and improvement schemes.

Leeds City Station

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's estimate is of the line capacity of the heavy rail links into Leeds City Station. [189922]

Mr. McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) advises that there is no simple way of defining the capacity of an individual station or route. The theoretical maximum capacity will be much greater than the actual capacity of an operational railway providing the mixture of services that demand dictates at an acceptable level of operational performance. The SRA's programme of Route Utilisation Strategies currently determines the most effective use of the network infrastructure. In accordance with the Government's White Paper "The Future of Rail", Network Rail will take on responsibility for drawing up these strategies, for agreement by Government.
 
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Motor Cycle Accidents

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been killed in motorcycle accidents in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [190250]

Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not available for the United Kingdom.

The number of people killed in accidents in Great Britain involving at least one motorcycle for each of the last three years is shown, in the table.
Number of fatalities in accidents involving a motorcycle:

YearKilled
2001643
2002656
2003742

Motorway Traffic Officers

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who employs motorway traffic officers; and what their (a) job description, (b) duties and (c) responsibilities are. [189497]

Mr. Jamieson: Traffic Officers (TOs) are directly employed by Highways Agency and will be designated to act on behalf of the Secretary of State in accordance with the Traffic Management Act. The Traffic Management Act 2004 sets out how the traffic officers will use their special powers in relation to managing congestion and the avoidance of danger to motorists.

There is a phased programme for the migration of functions from the police to Highways Agency traffic officers, to ensure that their responsibilities are undertaken in a safe and effective manner. The TOs will only undertake safety critical functions when they are accredited as being fully competent. A copy of the job description that describes the roles, responsibilities and main duties of the TOs in the West Midlands has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Not all of the responsibilities detailed in the job description will be undertaken until this phased programme of migration has taken place and further secondary legislation has been developed.

Network Rail

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the contingent liability in his Department's accounts of £21 billion principal for Network Rail's borrowing relates to. [189447]

Mr. McNulty: Details of the £21 billion principal of contingent liabilities in support of Network Rail's borrowing are set out in the Secretary of State for Transport's minutes to Parliament of 27 June 2002 and 4 February 2004.

Details of proposed new contingent liabilities relating to Network Rail's planned Debt Insurance Programme are contained in a minute from the Secretary of State for Transport laid before Parliament on 15 September 2004.
 
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Railways

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who will be responsible for the regional planning assessments in the Rail Review; and how the Rail Review takes passengers' concerns into account. [189332]

Mr. McNulty: The Department is currently discussing with the SRA, the ORR and the rail industry the details of how planning, including the regional planning assessments, will be conducted in future. Passengers views and concerns will be taken into account through a reformed Rail Passenger Council.

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements have been made to rolling stock on the Wharfedale Line since 1997; what contribution to those improvements came from public funds; what plans there are for further improvements; and whether Strategic Rail Authority resources previously earmarked for future increases in capacity are still available. [189727]

Mr. McNulty: As part of the specification for the Arriva Trains Northern franchise 16 new 3-car Class 333 EMUs were introduced in 2000. The SRA provided funding of £3,397,000 for a further eight vehicles to be available by September 2001 and £2,858,900 for another eight vehicles to be available by December 2003. There are currently no plans for SRA funding for further investment in rolling stock.

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to First Great Western Link on the proposed reclassification of the Henley-Twyford branch line as a community railway. [190217]

Mr. McNulty: None. The Strategic Rail Authority has proposed the designation of a number of local lines as Community Railways to allow them to be developed with the involvement of the local community. There will be consultation with local authorities before any route is designated.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of track there are in the rail network. [189599]

Mr. McNulty: Network Rail advises that its network comprises 19,698 miles of track.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what consultation he has (a) undertaken and (b) planned on the structure of the rail franchises in South Essex; and if he will make a statement; [189516]

(2) what plans he has to change the franchise structures of the (a) Fenchurch Street and (b) Liverpool Street rail lines. [189517]

Mr. McNulty: The Future of Rail White Paper proposes to reduce the number of franchises and we will be considering a range of options. This work is at an early stage but we will engage fully with the industry and consult stakeholders before finalising any proposals. As we have made clear, there is no question of contracts being broken.
 
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