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11 Jul 2005 : Column 667W—continued
Concessionary Travel
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money will be allocated to each local authority to cover the cost of the concessionary travel fare scheme for pensioners. [9787]
Ms Buck: Final decisions on the distribution of the extra funding have not been made.
Consultation (North-West)
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations he consults when considering transport issues affecting the north-west region. [10427]
Ms Buck: On matters specific to the north-west we consult the local authorities, and regional representative bodies and a range of interest groups. National consultations on the whole range of transport matters will also include organisations representing the interests of those in the north-west.
Crossrail
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on private sector investment in the Crossrail project. [10369]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 7 July 2005]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh) on 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 528W.
Driving Licences (Eye Conditions)
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of issuing restricted driving licences to people with retinistis pigmentosa. [9036]
Dr. Ladyman: Based on current guidelines and expert advice, restricted licences (other than short period licences to allow for regular review) are not issued to those with retinitis pigmentosa.
A European Commission medical expert working group has been considering the medical standards applied across the European Union in relation to vision
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and driving and is due to report shortly. Existing licensing arrangements for people with visual problems will be reviewed in light of this report.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing a restricted driving licence to drivers who marginally fail the mechanical 120 degree test resulting from European Directive (91/439/EEC) which would be indicated on a vehicle with an R sign and which would restrict drivers to a speed of 40 mph and prohibit them from driving on motorways. [9037]
Dr. Ladyman: A European Commission medical expert working group has been considering the medical standards applied across the European Union in relation to vision and driving and is due to report shortly. Existing licensing arrangements for people with visual problems will be reviewed in light of this report, but it is unlikely that we will introduce a restricted license of the type described.
Driving Test Results
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) passes and (b) failures of motor car driving tests there were in each test centre in Worcestershire in each of the last five years. [11067]
Dr. Ladyman: The results of practical car driving tests conducted at Worcester driving test centre in each of the last five years are shown in the table:
Hastings to Bexhill Link Road
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received opposing the proposed Hastings to Bexhill Link Road; and if he will make a statement. [10621]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 7 July 2005]: My Department has, over the last twelve months, received written representations both for" and against" the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road, a proposed local transport major road scheme. Around 750 representations were received opposing the scheme.
Heathrow
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what extra security measures will be put in place to deal with increased traffic through Heathrow as a result of a fifth terminal being built. [10307]
Ms Buck:
Terminal Five, like the rest of Heathrow and other UK airports, will be subject to the UK national aviation security programme which is in place to prevent unlawful interference with civil aviation in the UK.
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Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the noise insulation scheme will be applicable to Kingston as a result of the fifth terminal being built at Heathrow. [10308]
Ms Buck: There are no requirements for provision of noise insulation that relate to the construction or coming into use of the fifth terminal at Heathrow.
Government policy on measures to address the impacts of future airport growth are set out in the White Paper, The Future of Air Transport" 1 . We expect airport operators to offer acoustic insulation to any residential property which suffers a daytime noise level of 63dBA Leq 2 and a large increase in noise (3dBA Leq or more). Noise contours to determine the relevant boundaries should be produced in 2007, comparing noise levels in 2006 with those in 2002, and at 5 yearly intervals thereafter.
Proposals for new noise insulation schemes in respect of night-time noise are set out in the consultation paper Night Flying Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports: Stage 2 of Consultation on Restrictions to apply from 30 October 2005" that we published in June 3 . The map at annex G of the consultation paper shows the proposed boundaries for the Heathrow scheme do not include any part of Kingston-upon-Thames. The consultation closes on 16 September.
2 A measure of long-term average noise exposure. For aircraft it is the level of a steady sound which, if heard continuously over the same period of time, would contain the same total sound energy as all the aircraft noise events. 3 The forthcoming publication of the consultation paper was announced on 9 June 2005, House of Commons, Official Report, column 59WS.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the revenue that will be generated by the expansive shopping arena planned for the fifth terminal at Heathrow. [10310]
Ms Buck: The provision of retail facilities was considered during the Heathrow Terminal 5 planning inquiry. The inquiry inspector's conclusions and his recommendation that Terminal 5 should go ahead were accepted in the decision letter of 20 November 2001.
The retail revenue that will be generated from the shopping facilities planned for T5 is a matter for the airport operator.
Identity Card
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of equipping premises for which his Department has responsibility with identity card readers, with particular reference to (a) airports, (b) seaports and (c) the British Transport Police. [9888]
Ms Buck:
We have been working with the Home Office to identify areas where the Identity cards Scheme could provide business benefits. On 28 June 2005, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary placed in the Library a paper containing the latest estimates of benefits of the Identity Cards Scheme which shows that the benefits outweigh the costs once the scheme is fully
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operational. The cost of equipping premises will depend on the nature of the use of the Identity Cards Scheme and the type of identity check(s) necessary to deliver the business benefits. In some cases, benefits could be realised without the use of card readers and the cost of installing any readers needs to be considered alongside future plans to refresh or upgrade IT systems. As the design of the scheme matures, during and after the procurement exercise, so will our understanding of where the scheme will be of most benefit which will allow us to further refine our estimates of costs and benefits.
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