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Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A66/A174/A1053 Darlington to Teesport, (b) A69 (Newcastle to Carlisle), (c) A69 Carlisle to Newcastle, (d) M1 Junction 30 to end (A1) and M62 and (e) M1 Lofthouse to Bramham link road in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how
 
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many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8756]

(2) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) M1/M10 (London to M6, Junction 19), (b) M11 London to Cambridge, (c) M18 Goole to Rotherham, (d) M180 Thorne to Brigg and (e) M2 Junctions 5–6 to Bredgar Section in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of likely future levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8758]

(3) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A46 Leicester to Lincoln, (b) A47 Thorney Bypass, (c) A47/A12 Peterborough to Lowestoft, (d) A5 Weeford to Fazeley Improvement and (e) A5/A483/A458 Shrewsbury to Chester to Welshpool in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of the likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8762]

(4) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A50 from A6 Island to Main Street, (b) A50 Stoke to Derby link, (c) A50/A500 Nottingham to Stoke, (d) A500 City Road and Stoke Junction Improvement and (e) A556 Knutsford to Bowdon in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of the likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8764]

(5) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) M20 Junction 10 Improvement, (b) M23 Hooley Junction Improvement, (c) M25 Heathrow Terminal 5, (d) M25 Junctions 12 to 15 widening and (e) M25 to Dover—M26/M20/A20 in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each stretch of road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of the likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8766]

(6) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A66 Carkin Moor to Scotch Corner Improvement, (b) A66 Dualling Bowes Bypass, (c) A66 Dualling Cross Lanes to Greta Bridge, (d) A66 Dualling Stephen Bank to Carkin Moor and (e) A66 Greta Bridge to Stephen Bank Improvement in the last year for which figures are available; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of the likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8767]
 
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(7) what assessment has been made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) M62 Junctions 25 to 27 and (b) A259(T)/A2070 Hastings to Ashford in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of the likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed; [8769]

(8) what assessment he has made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A34 Bicester to Winchester, (b) A38 Burton Bypass, (c) A419 Swindon to Gloucester, (d) A421 Great Barford Bypass and (e) A43/A45 (M40 Bicester to A14 Thrapston) in the last year for which figures are available before construction works began; how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many resulted in (i) fatalities and (ii) serious injuries; what forecast has been made of likely levels after construction works are completed; and when each scheme is due to (A) begin and (B) be completed. [8771]

Dr. Ladyman: A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House showing emission estimates for the Highways Agency road schemes where data is available.

A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House showing, for the Highways Agency road schemes where data is available, how many accidents occurred on each road in that year; how many fatalities and serious injuries occurred; and when each scheme is due to begin and be completed.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of carbon dioxide emissions from traffic on the (a) A13 between the M25 and Southend, (b) A127 between the M25 and Southend and (c) A130 from the A127 to its end on Canvey Island. [10948]

Dr. Ladyman: No such assessment has been made.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the UK's carbon dioxide reduction targets; and what her policy is on (a) disaggregating the targets between devolved regions of the UK and (b) devolving responsibility for meeting those targets to the devolved regions. [11310]

Mr. Morley: Estimates that were published in March 2005 show that the UK is on course to meet its Kyoto protocol commitment to reduce emissions of a basket of six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, by 12.5 per cent. Below base level years by 2008–12. The data released in March also indicates that, even without the further action currently being considered under the review of the UK Climate Change Programme, the UK will be about 20 per cent. below base year levels in 2010. This is a significant achievement.

The UK have set itself an ambitious domestic goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. Our most recent projections show that, on the basis of existing policies, emissions of carbon dioxide will fall by about 13 per cent. below the 1990 level by 2010. We therefore recognise that more
 
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needs to be done. Our review of the UK Climate Change Programme is examining how existing policies are performing and is considering additional measures that we could implement to put the UK back on track to achieving the domestic goal. The outcome of this review will be announced before the end of the year.

Many of the means by which emissions can be reduced have been devolved to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations, but the UK Government maintain overall responsibility for the Kyoto target and for ensuring that a programme is put in place for delivering it. The devolution legislation do contain powers that could be used to bind the administrations to the UK's international target but the Government do not propose to use these powers because it is confident that significant reductions can be, and are being, delivered through working in partnership.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations are also committed to the UK's domestic carbon dioxide goal. The nature of the 20 per cent. goal is different, in that it is not a legally binding target, and the UK Government and the administrations aim to achieve it through a balanced, partnership approach rather than through a set of quantified, contributions from the different parts of the UK.

Concessionary Travel

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of extending free travel to carers of people with disabilities. [12240]

Ms Buck: None. Local authorities will remain able to offer concessions to carers of people with disabilities. This will continue to be at their discretion, based on their judgment of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities.

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors were used to calculate the distribution of Government support for the half-fare concession for the over-60s; and if he will place in the Library the assessment of each relevant authority against those factors. [9874]

Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.

The Government provides funding for concessionary fares through the Revenue Support Grant system.

Concessionary fares is one of the services covered in the district-level Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Formula Spending Share formula. This formula looks at the relative need to spend by authorities on all services covered by the formula. It is not possible to disaggregate this formula.

Formula Spending Shares are neither the Government's assessment of how much an authority should spend on a particular service nor are they grant. Instead they are simply the formulae used to derive the amount of Formula Grant (i.e. Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed Business Rates and Police Grant, where appropriate).
 
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Formula Grant supports authorities over a wide-range of services. It is not intended to entirely support any of those services as authorities can also raise income from council taxes. It is therefore not possible to work out how much grant an authority received with respect to concessionary fares.

Details of the 2005–06 calculations of formula grant are already available in the Library of the House.

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