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16 Dec 2004 : Column 1262W—continued
Dorchester Road Relief Road
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what route he has approved for the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth; [204933]
(2) what funding has been promised in each of the next 10 years for building the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth; [204934]
(3) what discussions the Department had with Dorset county council about re-routing the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth; [204935]
(4) what factors led the Department to withdraw their support for building the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth on the Brown Route; [204936]
(5) if he will list each conditional approval for the building of the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth, identifying the route proposed, the date of approval and for the earlier schemes the date of and reasons for not proceeding. [204937]
Mr. Jamieson: Dorset county council's bid for funding the Weymouth Relief Road using the "brown" route was provisionally approved in December 2000 as part of the 2000 Local Transport Settlement. Subsequently in spring 2003, Dorset county council decided that the route should be changed to the "orange" route.
A bid for funding this revised scheme was submitted in July 2003. The funding bid was Provisionally Approved in the December 2003 Local Transport Capital Settlement, subject to the completion of the
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relevant statutory processes and final approval by Ministers. As part of this provisional approval, we agreed to provide up to £54.567 million.
Funding profiles have yet to be determined and will be finalised once .the scheme has completed its statutory procedures and returned for full approval. Officials from my Department and the Government Office for the south west have held a number of discussions with the promoters of this scheme, Dorset county council, over a number of years.
Conditional approvals for this scheme have been as follows:
December 2000—Dorset's funding bid for "brown" route scheme provisionally approved by Department for Transport.
December 2003—Dorset's funding bid for "orange" route scheme provisionally approved by Department for Transport.
Kent Integrated Rail Franchise
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will authorise the final invitation to tender for the Kent Integrated Rail Franchise; when he will publish the relevant and related information for stakeholders; when he expects the (a) tender process to be completed and (b) franchise to be awarded; and if he will make a statement. [204841]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 December 2004]: The final Invitation to Tender is being finalised and the SRA intends to issue this to bidders early in the new year. A stakeholder briefing setting out the future service pattern for Kent services will be published at the same time. Bids will be submitted summer 2005. It is intended that a new operator will be in place late 2005.
North-east Rail Services
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the potential closure of north-east rail services between (a) Saltburn and Bishop Auckland and (b) Middlesbrough and Whitby. [204829]
Mr. McNulty: None. There are no plans to close these services. The routes between Darlington and Bishops Auckland and between Guisborough Junction and Whitby are proposed for designation as Community Rail lines as part of the Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) Community Rail Development Strategy.
Paddington Rail Crash
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Department intends to meet the recommendations contained in the Paddington Declaration resulting from the public inquiries that took place following the crash. [204898]
Mr. McNulty:
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC), as the independent rail safety regulator, have published reports showing that 268 of the 295 public inquiry recommendations made following the Southall and Ladbroke Grove crashes have been completed.
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The HSC say that work is already well under way on the 27 outstanding recommendations and expects most of these to be completed by the time it publishes its next progress report in 2005.
Pharmaceuticals (Driving)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to advise people using (a) prescription and (b) over-the-counter pharmaceuticals of their possible effects on driving; and if he will make a statement. [204961]
Mr. Jamieson: Doctors and pharmacists should provide information on the effects on driving when dispensing prescriptions or other medicines.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides advice to medical professionals through its "At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive", which is available on the Agency's website (www.dvla.gov.uk).
The Department is currently researching the attitudes of UK health professionals about providing 'fitness-to-drive' advice to the public. This includes an examination of advice given in relation to medication.
Railway Network (Suicides)
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many suicides took place on the railway network in the United Kingdom in the last 12-month period for which figures are available; and what the equivalent figure was 10 years ago. [204725]
Mr. McNulty: The number of reported suicides on the railways in Great Britain for 2003–04 was 75, although this number is provisional and is subject to change based on Coroners' findings. The equivalent figure for 1993–94 was 141. This data is taken from the Health and Safety Executive's annual rail safety reports, copies of which are available in the House Library. The data covers all railways, including Network Rail, London Underground and heritage railways.
Regional Assemblies
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new transport powers he approved for elected regional assemblies in addition to the powers set out in the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill, between the publication of the Draft Bill and the close of poll in the North East referendum. [204592]
Mr. McNulty: The transport powers proposed for elected regional assemblies were clearly set out in the draft Bill and accompanying Policy Statement. They would have given an elected assembly a significantly greater role and say in transport issues than the existing regional assemblies.
Registered Motor Vehicles
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many registered motor vehicles there were on British roads in each decade since 1974; and what estimates he has made for the next three decades. [204900]
Mr. Jamieson:
The figures required, as at the end of each decade, are as follows:
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| Number (million) | |
|---|---|
| 1974–83 | 20.21 |
| 1984–93 | 24.83 |
| 1994–2003 | 31.21 |
This Department does not forecast registered vehicles. Its forecast of the growth of traffic during 2000–2025 is published on page 44 of the Department's White Paper 'The Future of Transport: a Network for 2030', a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
School Transport
John Thurso:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many and what percentage of trips to school by five to eight year olds were by bus in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were (a) under two miles and (b) two miles and over, broken down by region; [204716]
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(2) how many and what percentage of trips to school by nine to 16-year-olds were by bus in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were (a) under three miles and (b) three miles and over, broken down by region. [204717]
Charlotte Atkins: The National Travel Survey provides the data requested. In 2002–03, five to eight year olds made on average 18 trips to school by bus per year. This was 6 per cent. of all school trips. Of the school trips by bus, 31 per cent. were under two miles and 69 per cent. were two miles or above. Figures for regions cannot be provided because of the small number of primary school children that travel to school by bus.
The following table shows data for nine to 16-year-olds. The sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates for the North East and Wales.
Numbers of trips are averaged over all children. Bus includes local and private school buses. Figures exclude trips over 50 miles.
Source:
National Travel Survey, DfT
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