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4 Apr 2005 : Column 1189W—continued

Speed Limits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require local authorities to make 20mph the default speed limit outside schools. [223916]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department encourages local authorities to introduce 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones outside schools wherever appropriate, but recognises that particular circumstances at particular locations may make this inappropriate.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require local authorities to make 30mph the default speed limit in built-up areas. [223928]

Mr. Jamieson: Where built up areas have street lighting—as most do—30 mph is already the default speed limit, and local highway authorities are in any event able to set a 30 mph limit on any road.

Traffic Congestion

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is being taken to address congestion at the A14 and M11 junction. [224505]

Mr. Jamieson: Proposals to improve the A14 and M11 junction at Girton in Cambridgeshire are included in the proposed A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton Improvement. Public Consultation on proposals for the scheme started on 30 March 2005.
 
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Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is being taken to address traffic congestion at the M4 and M5 junction. [224504]

Mr. Jamieson: A study report was produced in 1998–99 which recommended measures to reduce congestion at the M4/M5 Almondsbury Interchange. Of these recommendations two schemes, to improve the M4 westbound to M5 slip road diverge and the M5 south to M4 east slip road, have been completed. Both of these schemes improved capacity and safety by widening of the carriageway and providing additional lanes.

Further work is also taking place on a wider look at future transport needs for the area through the Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study. Almondsbury Interchange and the nearby M5 Junction 16 are specifically identified as problems for the study to consider.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is being taken to address traffic congestion at the M40 and A46 junction. [224503]

Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency has recently improved the M40 and A46 junction at Longbridge in Warwickshire by resurfacing and widening the carriageway around the roundabout and on the slip roads. New traffic signals have also been installed. These measures will ease congestion in the short term.

Proposals to provide a bridge over the M40 and new link roads to further improve the capacity of this junction are included in the M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) Improvement. Draft Orders for the scheme are expected to be published in the autumn, and subject to satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures, work on the scheme could start in spring 2007 and be completed by autumn 2008.

Train Services (Leicester)

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains between Leicester and London St.Pancras (a) have been cancelled in the last (i) three and (ii) six months and (b) were cancelled in 2004. [223646]

Mr. McNulty: The cancellation figures are as follows:

	From Leicester	From London	Total
(a)(i)	48	49	97
(a)(ii)	69	73	142
(b)	176	201	377

Transport Access (Disabled)

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on providing improved access to transport for disabled people on (a) buses and (b) the rail network in (i) England and (ii) Leicester South in each year since 1997. [224279]

Charlotte Atkins: Regulations introduced under Part5 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) require that all new public service vehicles used on local and scheduled service with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers, and all new rail vehicles, have to be accessible to disabled people. In addition, duties under
 
4 Apr 2005 : Column 1191W
 
Part 3 of the DDA require service providers to take reasonable steps to provide access to transport infrastructure such as bus and railway stations.

Prior to July 2000 the Government provided funding to improve access to public transport through the Transport Policies and Programme (TPP) system. Local authorities were allocated funding for individual schemes on an annual basis. This system was replaced by the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process which takes a more strategic approach. Local transport authorities in England outside London produce 5-year LTPs, and report on progress against these plans in Annual Progress Reports (APRs). The first 5-year plans were submitted in 2000. The following table details the funding for bus grant schemes since their introduction in the 1998–99 financial year, allocated nationally and to the Central Leicestershire Local Transport Plan area, which includes Leicester, South. Decisions on how to target funding towards specific projects and initiatives such as those to improve public transport accessibility are made at local level.
Targeted bus grants⁽⁴⁸⁾ £ million

	Nationally	Leicester, South (Central Leicestershire) local authority
1998–99	43.7	0.63
1999–2000	49.3	0.56
2000–01	53.7	2.18
2001–02	77.3	1.84
2002–03	85.7	0.81
2003–04	88.4	0.92
2004–05	51.0	0.85

⁽⁴⁸⁾Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and both Rural and Urban Bus challenge funding

On access to the rail network, I announced on the 22 March a £370 million Access for All Fund for improving the accessibility of railway stations. The SRA is currently consulting on their Disability Strategy and the outcome will determine how best to spend this extra money. In addition, by the end of this year more than 4,000 new fully accessible rail vehicles will have been introduced onto the network since 1997 at a cost of £4.2billion. I note that many of these new trains serve Leicester station.

Zebra Crossings (Safety)

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred on or near zebra crossings in each year since 1997. [224491]

Mr. Jamieson: The numbers of recorded injury road accidents which occurred on or near a zebra crossing in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table:
Number of accidents occurring on or near a zebra crossing: GB 1997–2003

	Fatal	Serious	Slight	All
1997	53	921	5,742	6,716
1998	49	843	5,775	6,667
1999	39	769	5,452	6,260
2000	34	722	5,046	5,802
2001	50	673	4,836	5,559
2002	45	727	4,794	5,566
2003	31	672	4,868	5,571

 
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Building Regulations

Mr. Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to extend requirements to comply with building regulations to those ex-nationalised industries which are excluded; and when he expects to reach conclusions about minimising the range of Crown exemptions under these regulations. [224355]

Phil Hope: Amendments made to the Building Act 1984 by the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004 will allow the exemption from the requirements of the Building Regulations granted to statutory undertakers to cease to have effect. The Government will shortly be consulting on the removal of this exemption.

At present the Crown has immunity from complying with the requirements of the Building Regulations. There is provision in the Building Act 1984 for the partial removal of this immunity. The Government would need to consult with those covered by the immunity about how far and how quickly it should be removed.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish his proposed changes to part L of the Building Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [224358]

Phil Hope: Following a public consultation officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are reviewing the proposed changes to part L in conjunction with a Working Party of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. The proposals are expected to be finalised this summer and published at the first opportunity thereafter.

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