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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2292W—continued
Air Passengers
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers arrived by air to theUK from (a) Vietnam, (b) Laos, (c) Cambodia, (d) Burma, (e) Thailand and (f) Indonesia in each of the last five years. [36437]
Ms Buck: The following table shows estimated number of passengers arrived by air to the UK from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia in each of the last five years. Reliable data for Laos, Cambodia and Burma are not available but are likely to be less than 15,000 per year.
Aircraft Landing Rights
Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirement there is on operators of foreign registered aircraft to indicate to United Kingdom authorities the purpose of the flight for an aircraft seeking landing rights at a UK civilian airport. [36050]
Ms Buck
[holding answer 8 December 2005]: Not all foreign operated flights into the UK require prior permission from the Secretary of State for Transport. Those stopping for non-traffic purposes (e.g. to refuel) and privately operated flights do not require prior permission. Where operators of foreign registered aircraft are required to seek permission to land from the Secretary of State in order to comply with Article 138 of the Air Navigation Order 2005, it is apparent from their applications whether the purpose of the flight is to carry passengers or cargo. Flights carrying dangerous goods or munitions of war are required to seek specific authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority.
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Airline Safety
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on commercial airline safety. [38240]
Ms Buck: The Secretary of State and the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority meet regularly to discuss matters of current interest, including any matters relevant to commercial airline safety. Officials within the Department also have regular meetings with the chairman and with the Authority's group director for safety regulation and there is day-to-day contact as necessary on a range of safety matters.
Airport Expansion (Northamptonshire)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of expansion of airport capacity in Northamptonshire. [36632]
Ms Buck: The Future Air Transport" White Paper published in December 2003 sets out a 30-year strategic framework for the development of airport capacity in the UK. The preceding studies and consultations led us to conclude that while a number of airports in the Midlands and the South East serve the Northamptonshire market, there is little demand for a commercial airport located within the county. There is however, nothing to prevent proposals for such an airport being brought forward for consideration through the planning system.
Alternative Automobile Fuels
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding the Government have allocated to developing (a) electric and (b) non-petrol fuelled automobiles in each of the last five years. [37953]
Dr. Ladyman: The Government's primary form of support for alternatively fuelled vehicles, including electric vehicles, is through duty incentives which are set out in the Alternative Fuels Framework published in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2003 pre-Budget report.
Since 2002 the Department for Transport has also provided grant funding towards the research and development of innovative vehicles with improved environmental performance. The grants are technology and fuel neutral so a breakdown of funding by technology or fuel type is not available. Actual spend for the years since the grants were launched are listed as follows:
| Financial Year | Actual spend (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 4.701 |
| 2003–04 | 3.076 |
| 2002–03 | 0.590 |
Up to £5 million has been allocated for this financial year (2005–06) but it is unlikely that actual spend will reflect this allocation due to the suspension of the programme for part of this year while State Aid clearance was sought from the European Commission.
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Aviation Pollution
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what economic modelling has been undertaken to assess the impact of Government policy on emissions trading on tackling climate change pollution from aviation. [38173]
Ms Buck: Analytical and modelling work has been undertaken by consultants for the European Commission looking at the feasibility and impact of emissions trading, emissions charges, and fuel taxation. The Department has not undertaken economic modelling since any scheme would be EU wide.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what economic modelling he has undertaken of the impact of (a) different oil prices, (b) emissions trading, (c) an emissions charge and (d) an increase in air passenger duty on the growth of aviation greenhouse gas emissions. [38190]
Ms Buck: Our forecasts for aviation and climate change, and the assumptions underlying them, are set out in Aviation and Global Warming", published by the Department for Transport in January 2004. The best case" scenario emissions forecasts assumed the introduction of economic instruments to tackle climate change, resulting in improved fuel efficiency. We have not undertaken analysis to consider these specific scenarios.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what economic modelling he has undertaken to assess the impact of participation in (a) the existing and (b) an aviation-only EU emissions trading scheme on forecast growth in aviation emissions of greenhouse gases. [38192]
Ms Buck: At present, it is too early to provide a reliable estimate of the impact emissions trading will have on forecasts of emissions from aviation. This will depend on a number of factors including the overall number of allowances and the detailed design for the inclusion of aviation into the EU ETS. These factors have yet to be specified and will be subject to discussion with other member states' governments.
Bus Services
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of total journeys taken by bus. [37173]
Ms Buck: The Department is undertaking a number of actions to increase the proportion of bus journeys:
We are also working with them to develop local demand management schemes where appropriate, supported by funding from the Transport Innovation Fund.
Alongside this, we will provide £8 billion of local transport capital funding over the next five years for local authorities to upgrade and improve their transport infrastructure.
We have introduced regulations to allow local authorities to enforce bus lanes and improve their effectiveness.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps have been taken to improve bus transport. [37954]
Ms Buck: Within the context of delivering our long-term strategy for improving bus services across the country, the most recent steps taken by the Government include:
Providing local authorities in England with the resources that allowed them to spend around £200 million in 2004–05 on bus-related infrastructure improvements.
Announcing the introduction of free concessionary fares for older and disabled people from April 2006.
Announcing the allocation of the first tranche of Transport Innovation Fund money to seven local authorities to support their development of demand management schemes.
Introducing regulations to allow local authorities to enforce bus lanes and improve their effectiveness.
In 2004–05, central and local government also provided around £1.6 billion to support local bus services.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people the bus network is capable of transporting at any one time. [38467]
Ms Buck: Information is not available in the form requested. However, details of the bus and coach stock by size of vehicle are given in annex A table 8 of the Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the value of second-hand buses purchased in the UK in each year since 1997. [38641]
Ms Buck: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the turnover of the bus industry in each year since 1997. [38805]
Ms Buck: The information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers were carried by the bus industry in each year since 1997. [38807]
Ms Buck: Information about bus passenger journeys can be obtained from Table C of the Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) new and (b) second-hand buses purchased in each year since 1997; [38809]
(2) what estimate he has made of new buses purchased in the UK in each year since 1997. [38806]
Ms Buck:
Information about the number of buses registered for the first time can be obtained from Table12 of the Vehicle Licensing Statistics: 2004", a
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copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library. There is no information available for purchases or changes of registration for second-hand buses.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were employed by the bus industry in each year since 1997. [38824]
Ms Buck: Information about staff numbers in the bus industry can be obtained from Annex A Table 6 of the Public Transport Statistics Bulletin GB: 2005 Edition", a copy of which is placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the public transport bus fleet is (a) double decker, (b) flexi-bus and (c) other. [38900]
Ms Buck: 36 per cent. of public transport buses are double-deckers. 1 per cent. are flexi-buses or bendy buses and the remaining 63 per cent. are single-deck buses.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) Lancashire county council and (b) district councils in Lancashire on the operation of the concessionary bus scheme. [37730]
Ms Buck: None. 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. The Department for Transport has issued guidance to local authorities on implementation but it is for individual concessionary travel authorities, to design and operate their local concessionary fares scheme.
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners in (a) Worcestershire, (b) Redditch and (c) Worcester will qualify for free off-peak local bus travel. [39123]
Ms Buck: Estimates of the numbers of those aged 60 or over who will be eligible for free off-peak local bus travel are shown in the following table.
| Authority | Population aged 60 and over |
|---|---|
| Worcestershire | 126.1 |
| Redditch | 14.0 |
| Worcester | 18.2 |
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