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10 Oct 2005 : Column 88W—continued
European Contractors
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list contractors based in other EU member states that are providing services to his Department. [15452]
Ms Buck: The following table shows contracts awarded/order placed to other EU member states between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005.
(27)Order placed with UK subsidiary.
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The Department does not always deal directly with the head office of a company and may not have any reason to request or hold this data. This information can therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. The above table has been compiled using readily available supplier information held by the central Department and its agencies.
Free Bus Travel
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will introduce free local bus travel for (a) pensioners and (b) disabled persons. [16728]
Ms Buck: The statutory entitlement to free off-peak local bus travel in England for people 60 and over and disabled people will come into effect on 1 April 2006.
General Lighthouse Fund
Tom Brake: 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 2004–05; and whatthe estimated contributions are for the next three years. [15968]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is set out as follows.
| GLF contribution relating to the Republic of Ireland (Sterling £ million) | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 6.88 |
| 2005–06(28) | 9.44 |
| 2006–07(28) | 8.19 |
(28)Estimated
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The figures for 2005–06 and 2006–07 include costs in relation to the new Head Office building at Dun Laoghaire for the Commissioners of Irish Lights; and are net of the estimated proceeds from the sale of the existing building in Dublin and the additional contribution from the Irish Government. The net cost of the project to the General Lighthouse Fund is expected to be £4.7 million with estimated running cost savings of £1.4 million per annum.
No detailed planning exists for 2007–08.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the cessation of payments from the UK General Lighthouse Fund for the provision of navigational aids in Irish territorial waters. [16052]
Dr. Ladyman: We have received representations from a number of interested parties including the Lights Advisory Committee, representing the maritime industry, the Independent Light Dues Forum, 12 from Members of the UK Parliament and two from Members of the European Parliament.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has 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. [16114]
Dr. Ladyman: We have begun to work with the Irish Government's Department of Communication, Marine and Natural Resources to review the current funding arrangements for the Commissioners of Irish Lights, focusing initially on agreeing common ground and exploring possible solutions.
We are keen to see progress in bringing these funding arrangements up to date as part of our wider work with all three General Lighthouse Authorities to make further gains in the cost-effective delivery of aids to navigation.
Graduated Driver Licensing Scheme
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme. [16324]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department has commissioned research on this topic and TRL report number 529: Graduated driver licensing—a review of some current systems" was published in 2002 (available on-line at www.trl.co.uk/1024/mainpage.asp?page=141).
As part of our Road Safety Strategy, we consulted in 2002 on a number of options for improving the safety of new drivers, including changes to the licensing system. Although some support was expressed for the introduction of a full graduated licensing system, the Secretary of State concluded that the skills needed to drive unaccompanied should be demonstrated at the time of the practical test, and that the introduction of new licensing arrangements such as a requirement to take a second practical test or the imposition of restrictions on newly qualified drivers, was not justified. The consultation document and decision letter are
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available on-line from the Department's website at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=10204&l=2.
Heathrow Airport
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will review the security arrangements in place at Heathrow airport for which his Department is responsible in the light of the recent London bombings, with particular reference to the training provided to British Airports Authority staff; [15155]
(2) if he will review the security arrangements in place at Heathrow airport which are the responsibility of his Department in the light of the recent London bombings, with particular reference to the training provided to the relevant staff. [15154]
Ms Buck: Training of staff at all UK airports is covered by regulations issued by this Department under the Aviation Security Act 1982. These regulations impose mandatory training on new employees, and regular refresher training for existing staff, undertaking a security duty. Regulations also impose mandatory training requirements on aircrew, and staff working for in-flight catering companies and cargo companies. Training, which can only be delivered by trainers accredited by this Department, is inspected by DfT inspectors.
The UK aviation security training programme is kept under regular review, both through a sub-committee of the National Aviation Security Committee, at which key industry stakeholders are represented, and regular liaison between officials and the industry, trade unions, police and security service.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the last on-the-ground measurements of noise from aircrafts using London Heathrow airport were taken. [15529]
Ms Buck: Departure noise is continually monitored by BAA at 10 fixed sites under the departure tracks at Heathrow. These are put in place to gauge whether departing aircraft comply with the noise limits specifiedin the noise abatement notice for Heathrow under Section 78(1) of the Civil Aviation Act 1982. Compliance is reviewed regularly through BAA's Noise and Track Keeping Working Group, and data is published annually in BAA's Flight Evaluation Report.
Data from the fixed monitors and additional mobile noise monitors is used to validate a noise exposure model for the 16-hour day time summer period. The Civil Aviation Authority, on behalf of the Department, uses the model to produce annual noise contours at Heathrow airport. The 2004 noise contours have recently been published on the Department's website.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the London Heathrow airport standard instrument departure and arrival routes pass over the Twickenham constituency. [15530]
Ms Buck:
The Twickenham constituency lies under four standard instrument departure routes when aircraft take off to the east. At Heathrow, given the direction of the prevailing wind, this is only about 20–30 per cent. of the time during a typical year,
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although prolonged periods of such operations can occur at any time. Twickenham is not directly over-flown by arriving aircraft approaching Heathrow.
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