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6 Jul 2005 : Column 479W—continued
Light Rail
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2005, Official Report, column 1554W, if he will estimate the amount of public sector finance spent on construction of light rail schemes in (a) Manchester, (b) Liverpool, (c) Leeds and (d) Portsmouth. [9505]
Mr. Darling: Around £150 million of public sector finance funded Manchester Metrolink phase I. Around £160 million of public sector finance funded Manchester Metrolink phase II. Around £199 million of public sector finance has been spent on Manchester Metrolink Phase III. Of this, £42 million was used for advance works, and £38 million was used for land purchase.
Around £36 million of public sector finance has been spent on Merseytram. Of this, around £16 million has been spent on utilities and construction work.
Around £39 million of public sector finance has been spent on Leeds Supertram. Of this, around £5 million has been spent on construction costs with around a further £14 million on land and property purchase.
Around £10 million of public sector finance has been spent on the South Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme. Of this, around £1.5 million spent on land purchase.
Motorcycle Parking (London)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on increasing the number of parking bays in London for motorcycles. [9880]
Ms Buck: The Mayor now has overall responsibility for traffic management in London. However, responsibility for parking in London generally rests with the relevant borough. It is a matter for individual boroughs to decide on the nature and scope of parking provision and control and to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit the area. Ministers have regular meetings with the Mayor at which a wide range of transport matters are discussed.
Out-of-town Shopping Centres
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on traffic levels of the (a) expansion of out-of-town shopping centres and (b) reduction of local post offices, local bank branches and independent retail shops over the last 10 years. [9506]
Ms Buck:
As set out in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres, published in 2005 it is for local planning authorities, when selecting appropriate sites for
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allocation, to have regard to whether a new site is or will be accessible and well served by a choice of means of transport, especially public transport, walking and cycling, as well as by car; and the level of impact on car use, traffic and congestion.
My Department has made no assessment of the impact on traffic levels of the expansion of out-of-town shopping centres, reduction of local post offices, local bank branches and independent retail shops over the last 10 years. However, all applications for development are subject to the provisions set out in DTLR Circular 04/2001, Control of Development Affecting Trunk Roads and Agreements with Developers under Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980". Under these provisions the Highways Agency requires detailed assessments of the traffic impacts of planning applications, including applications for new retail developments, which potentially impact on the trunk road network. In addition, Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport, published in 2001 requires that, where developments will have significant transport implications, transport assessments should be prepared and submitted alongside the relevant planning application so that planning authorities can better assess the application.
Press Officers
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many press officers the Department and its predecessors employed in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year. [8132]
Ms Buck: The average number of full-time equivalent press officers employed by DfT and their cost for the years 2002–03 to 2004–05 broken down between the central department and the agencies is:
(24)Covers the 10-month period from the creation of the department in late May 2002.
Note:
Agency figures are for the full year.
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Information for each of the financial years between 1997 and 2002, when transport policy formed part of the remit of the former Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, is not available in a comparable format.
Detailed information on the numbers of permanent press officers employed in central departmental press offices, including the former Department of Transport (DoT) for the financial year 1996–97, was provided in a memorandum dated 16 June 1998 to the Select Committee on Public Administration and published in its report on the Government Information and Communication Service (HC 770) in July 1998 (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmpubadm/770/77002.htm).
Staff numbers and costs for press officers in the Department's agencies in 1997–98 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Roads
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken by the Highways Agency to evaluate the environmental impacts of route improvements to the A21. [8443]
Dr. Ladyman: The environmental impact of all motorway and trunk road improvement schemes is evaluated and assessed as required under of the Highways (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1999 and in accordance with the Highways Agency's Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Volume 5 Assessment and Preparation of Road Schemes", Volume 10 Environmental Design", and Volume 11 Environmental Assessment". Improvements to the A21 are subject to these procedures, and includes consultation with the statutory environmental bodies, whose comments and concerns are taken on board where possible.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effect of his recent announcement on road pricing on existing schemes in place on toll (a) roads, (b) bridges and (c) tunnels with particular reference to the planned extension of the M6 toll road to Manchester. [8589]
Dr. Ladyman: In line with its manifesto commitment, the Government are examining the potential of moving away from the current system of motoring taxation towards a national system of road pricing. The issue of how this would interact with tolling concessions would need careful consideration in any scheme design.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he gives to the Highways Agency on assessing road improvement schemes associated with accident block spots. [8451]
Dr. Ladyman:
All Highways Agency improvement schemes are assessed against the five criteria outlined in the Government's New Approach To Appraisal (NATA): safety, economy, environment, accessibility and integration.
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The safety and economic benefits of a scheme are calculated according to the methodology given in the Cost Benefit Analysis (COBA) manual (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Vol. 13). This takes account of the latest data on accident rates, and their costs. The methodology estimates the reduction in number of personal injury accidents due to the proposed road improvement.
The COBA manual is published by The Stationary Office. Advice regarding the application of NATA is included in Applying the New Multi-modal Approach to Appraisal to Highway Schemes" (known as The Bridging Document") published by the Department for Transport and available on their Transport Analysis Guidance website, WebTAG www.webtag.org.uk.
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