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Rural Bus Challenge

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money was allocated from the Rural Bus Challenge to Buckinghamshire in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05. [191064]

 
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Charlotte Atkins: Buckinghamshire county council has been awarded funding for three Rural Bus Challenge projects and has received grant for these as follows:

Project	Total award (£)	Year of award	Grant paid to date by financial year (£)
Winslow Community Minibus	100,500	1998	50,705	1998–99
			19,400	2000–01
			18,065	2001–02
			12,330	2002–03
Easybus Project	985,000	1999	429,825	2000–01
			154,500	2001–02
			142,709	2002–03
			197,590	2003–04
			60,376	2004–05
On Call Project	350,000	2002	151,255	2003–04

Rural Transport Partnership

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much money was allocated from the Rural Transport Partnership for (a) dial-a-ride services, (b) car sharing schemes and (c) an internet based alternative transport guide for socially excluded groups in Buckinghamshire in (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05; [191063]

(2) how much was allocated in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05 for the Rural Transport Partnership in Buckinghamshire. [191087]

Charlotte Atkins: Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes are served by a single Rural Transport Partnership. The funding allocated to the Partnership between 2002–03 and 2004–05 is set out in the following table.

			£
	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
Total RTP funding	57,039	75,638	68,799
Of which:
Dial a Ride	4,381	12,013	10,500
Voluntary car schemes	8,023	14,506	(2)1,141
Alternative Transport Guide	373	373	(2)0

⁽²⁾ Funding for these schemes ended in early 2004.

Salisbury (Transport)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress on the Salisbury Transportation Package. [191758]

Charlotte Atkins: In February 2004 the Government agreed to increase their contribution for this scheme by over £8 million, to £21.928 million, and currently there are two park and ride schemes under construction, at Wilton, due to be completed in February 2005, and Britford, due for completion by the end of March 2005.

In addition, the Real Time Passenger Transport Information System, which is partially funded through this package, is undergoing system trials and it is hoped to be fully operational by the end of the year. This system will embrace bus routes radiating out from Salisbury that go as far a field as Trowbridge.
 
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Speed Cameras

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued in respect of the trigger level for speed cameras in the past 12 months; and what changes have been made. [192628]

Mr. Jamieson: Enforcement of the law is the responsibility of individual Chief Constables, who determine the speed at which their forces enforce speed limits, including the level at which speed cameras are triggered. This is not a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The Association of Chief Police Officers has recommended a minimum enforcement speed of 10 per cent. plus 2 mph above the speed limit, in its "Speed enforcement guidelines" to forces. The Department for Transport's current "Handbook of rules and guidance for the operation of the national road safety camera programme for England and Wales October 2003" notes this, but emphasises that the decision is a matter for individual Chief Constables.

Trams

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government have to introduce tram networks in cities which have poor public transport systems. [191487]

Mr. McNulty: In London, the introduction of tram networks is a matter for the Mayor. Elsewhere, in England, it is for local transport authorities to consider where tram schemes provide the best option, in the context of their Local Transport Plans. They would submit a major scheme bid to the Department for Transport following discussion with the Department. Any scheme would be considered on the basis of its value for money, including its wider benefits, and affordability.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Beef Exports

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department is making in promoting British beef exports into the countries of the European Union; and if she will make a statement. [191960]

Mr. Bradshaw: British beef prepared under the Date-based Export Scheme is being exported to a number of EU countries. In the light of recent positive Opinions from the European Food Safety Authority, we will continue to work with the EU Commission to ensure that restrictions on UK beef exports are eased as quickly as possible. Promotion of beef exports is undertaken primarily by the Meat and Livestock Commission, as well as the beef industry itself.

Bird Predation

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account was taken of the Government research on bird
 
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predation published in 1999 when the amendments to the licensing system for the control of the cormorant population announced by the Parliamentary Secretary for Nature Conservation and Fisheries on 16 September were being drawn up. [191473]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 15 October 2004]: Over £1.5 million has been spent on research and development relating to fish-eating birds since the mid 1990s, covering population estimates, bird movements, feeding behaviour, impact studies and management techniques.

The earlier research has contributed significantly to our understanding of the problem of fish-eating birds at inland fisheries and potential methods of resolving such conflicts. This research has demonstrated that cormorant conflicts at fisheries are site specific and this forms the basis for both the previous and new licensing strategies.

The Department is continuing to research the potential of fish refuges. However, like all management tools—refuges have some limitations and it is unlikely that they will be the answer to all cormorant predation problems.

CITES

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the proposals at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species from Namibia and South Africa to increase their export quotas of (a) black rhino and (b) leopard. [189217]

Mr. Morley: Proposals concerning export quotas for black rhinoceros and leopard were considered by the 13th Conference of Parties on 4 October. The UK Government's agreed common position, along with the other EU member states, was as follows:

(a) Black rhinoceros—We supported the amended Namibian proposal on condition that only adult males could be exported and that all hunting trophies would be marked with the country of origin, species, quota number and year of export. Similarly, following South Africa's amendment of their proposal reducing the annual quota from 10 to 5 animals, we supported it on the same basis. The amended proposal and draft resolution were adopted.

(b) Leopard—Namibia and South Africa—The EU supported these proposals which were adopted.

Commercial Woodland

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the total area of commercial woodland and forestry in England that is owned (a) by Forest Enterprise and (b) by private landowners and public limited companies. [190918]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 18 October 2004]: Details of woodland ownership in England are collected as part of the National Inventory of Woodland and
 
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Trees, which was last completed in 1999. Estimates for a range of ownership types are shown in the following table:
Area of woodland in England by ownership type⁽³⁾

Ownership type	Hectare (thousand)
Forestry Commission	223
Other public body (not FC)	27
Local authority	61
Private forestry or timber business	7
Other private business	147
Personal	481
Charity	68
Community ownership or common land	4
Unclassified	4
Total	1,022

⁽³⁾ National Inventory of Woodland and Trees, Forestry Commission 2000.

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