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23 Mar 2005 : Column 811W—continued
Concessionary Travel Schemes
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what change in the local Government Finance Settlement would be necessary to reimburse local government in full for the costs of replacing the national minimum standards for concessionary travel schemes for people over the age of 60 with a 100 per cent. discount on bus fares; [223247]
(2) how much additional government expenditure would be required to introduce concessionary travel schemes for people over the age of 60 with a 100 per cent. discount on bus fares. [223248]
Charlotte Atkins: From April 2006, the Government are extending the existing statutory minimum requirement so that older and disabled people in England will be guaranteed free off-peak travel on their local bus services, with no charge for the pass. The Government will be providing an extra £350 million in 2006–07 for the local Government Finance Settlement for local authorities in England, to implement this measure. Total additional government expenditure will be £420 million, also including consequential payments to Wales and Scotland under the Barnett formula.
Cycling
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average distance cycled per person in each year since 1980. [223591]
Mr. Darling: The National Travel Survey (NTS) shows the data requested in the following table.
Source:
National Travel Survey, DfT.
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Averages are taken over all the population living in households, not just cyclists. Equivalent information is not available for 1980–84 and 1987–88. Data are shown for three-year aggregates between 1999 and 2001 because of the smaller sample sizes during that period.
The NTS only collects data on travel by bicycle on the public highway and paved pathways with unrestricted access, and travel by bicycle off these routes will not be recorded. Trips by children's bicycles/tricycles intended as toys are not included.
Departmental Property (Trespass)
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of trespassing on his Department's property have been reported in (a) Leicester and (b) England since 1997. [222890]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and as a result the information provided only relates to the years 2002–03 onwards.
Comprehensive records on trespass are not kept by the Department and its six agencies. Where records are kept and are accessible without disproportionate cost the information shows that since 1 April 2002 there were 33 incidents of trespass in England but none in Leicester.
De-trunking Programme
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on (a) his de-trunking programme and (b) the level of resources transferred from his Department to local highway authorities for this purpose. [222482]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The policy of transferring non-core trunk roads (de-trunking) to local highway authorities was first set out in the White Paper A New Deal for Transport published in July 1998. De-trunking allows the Highways Agency to concentrate on the operation of the strategic (core) trunk road network, whilst enabling local authorities to consider their own priorities for the improvement of non-core routes. The aim has been to transfer some 3,200 kms (30 per cent.) of the trunk road network (as it was in April 1999) to local authorities in a phased programme. To date more than three-quarters (around 2,500 kms) of the programme has been completed since April 2001.
(b) Prior to the de-trunking of a road, the Highways Agency and local authority agree an appropriate level of funding for annual routine maintenance and in some cases' outstanding capital maintenance projects. The methodology for calculating the funding has been approved by the Local Government Association to ensure a fair transfer of resources. In the years following de-trunking, the authority can also make supplementary bids for additional funds for capital maintenance projects (bridge replacement, resurfacing etc.) on de-trunked roads as part of the LTP process. In 2004–05 around £33.1 million of routine maintenance funds, and £31.6 million of capital maintenance funds were transferred from the Highways Agency to local authorities for all de-trunked roads.
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Driving Licences
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fraudulent applications for driving licences there have been in each year since 1997. [223191]
Mr. Jamieson: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been refining enforcement processes in this area over the last few years and reliable figures are only available from 2003. Over this period, DVLA referred on average about 40 suspected fraudulent driving licence applications every week to the prosecution authorities.
General Lighthouse Fund
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was contributed by the General Lighthouse Fund to navigational aids in the territorial waters of the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and what his estimate is of contributions over the next three years. [222411]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 311W. The figures for the 2004–05 financial year are not yet available.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much was contributed by the central fund to the Northern Lighthouse Board in each of the last 10 years; [222412]
(2) what the annual budget of (a) the Trinity House Lighthouse Authority, (b) the Commissioners of the Irish Lights and (c) the Northern Lighthouse Board was in each of the last 10 years. [222415]
Mr. Jamieson:
The expenditure requirements of the three General Lighthouse Authorities are met from the General Lighthouse Fund. The annual expenditure figures available are set out in the following table.
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Expenditure figures for Trinity House Lighthouse Service prior to 1998 can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
(1) Approved budget
Sanctioned expenditure for Trinity House post 2004 includes the forecast cost of the redevelopment of Harwich buoy yard and offices and redundancy costs.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made with negotiations with the Irish Government on the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters. [222413]
Mr. Jamieson: The Irish Government's Department of Communication, Marine and Natural Resources have now stated that they have no objection in principle to participating in a review of the 1985 agreement. We are now developing proposals for their consideration as a matter of priority.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue from light dues has been collected from ships calling at ports in (a) Scotland, (b) the Isle of Man, (c) England and Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 10 financial years. [222414]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is set out as follows for the years 1997 to 2004. We do not have the data broken down in this way prior to 1997.
The figures are for general light dues and does not include income from UK fishing vessels and tugs.
The figures do not include any light dues refunds that were made.
The figures for ROI are shown in sterling after conversion from punts. Pre conversion figures shown as follows.
| Euros | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 3,154,666 |
| 1998–99 | 3,597,475 |
| 1999–2000 | 4,246,164 |
| 2000–01 | 4,396,336 |
| 2001–02 | 4,144,998 |
| 2002–03 | 5,268,091 |
| 2003–04 | 5,008,651 |
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