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30 Jan 2006 : Column 18W—continued
Car Insurance
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions have resulted from the campaign to target motorists driving without insurance. [46156]
Dr. Ladyman: The latest figures available are for the year 2003 when there were 320,937 convictions for uninsured driving.
No further figures are yet available for the year 2004, nor for the period since June 2005 when we began the introduction of new measures to tackle uninsured driving.
Congestion (West Midlands)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a league table to highlight the most congested roads in the West Midlands. [46312]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department for Transport will shortly be publishing journey time reliability data for individual roads on the strategic road network in England operated by the Highways Agency. These data will form the baseline for the new public service agreement target for the Highways Agency network. Performance on a sample of 25 of the most important roads in the West Midlands will be monitored as part of the Public Service Agreement relating to movements on a sample of routes in the ten largest urban areas in England. These data will not be presented in the form of a league table.
Cycling Accidents
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children under the age of 16 years have (a) died and (b) received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident in each of the past 10 years. [45887]
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Dr. Ladyman: The number of child pedal cyclists (aged 0–15) who were killed or seriously injured as a result of personal injury road accidents between 1995 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), is given in table.
(3) Deaths within 30 days of the accident
Information on the child pedal cyclists (aged 0–15) who received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident is not available.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the number of children who are killed or receive a serious head injury as a result of cycling accidents. [45891]
Dr. Ladyman: Our policy is to persuade cyclists to protect themselves by wearing helmets. We concentrate our paid publicity on teenage and child cyclists. The Department developed the 'Cycle Sense' safety campaign encouraging teenagers to wear cycle helmets, other safety issues are also addressed. The campaign consisted of a new website, posters and a supporting TV filler film. A new campaign is planned for summer 2006. Aimed at younger children, the 'Cycle Smart' campaign for seven to 10-year-olds is a series of posters and a comic that use Disney characters to communicate simple cycle safety messages, including helmet wearing. The latest edition was released in summer 2003 and we launched a new website, in partnership with Disney, on 18 March 2005. A new campaign is also planned for later this year.
In addition, the current version of the highway code includes a section for drivers on road users requiring extra care, including cyclists. We strongly advise parents to encourage their children to take cycle training, and not to let them out on the roads until they are clearly competent to handle their cycles safely. We have also established a new national standard for cycle training with more than 20 road safety bodies.
Departmental Assets
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the items valued at over £100 that have been reported as stolen from buildings occupied by his Department in the past 12 months. [43442]
Ms Buck:
Items reported as stolen, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2005, which have a value of more than £100 are listed below:
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All buildings have appropriate security measures in place including both a manned presence at some locations or remote monitoring and response arrangements elsewhere. Incidents are reviewed and action taken to risk assess the need for improved security in that location in accordance with Government guidelines. The majority of incidents have also been reported to the police.
Driving Instructors
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the results of his Department's review of the regulatory arrangements for approved driving instructors. [45604]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department's Road Safety Strategy, Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone", commits the Government to raising the standard of tuition offered by driving instructors. The Driving Standards Agency has commissioned three pieces of independent research into occupational standards for driving instructors and their continuing professional development. This can be viewed on the Agency's website. The Agency is currently engaged in discussion with the industry's consultative groups on how best to take these matters forward.
DVLA (Data Protection)
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the making available to third parties against payment by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of data relating to the owners of vehicles is consistent with the Data Protection Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [46274]
Dr. Ladyman: The Data Protection Act exempts from its non-disclosure provisions the release of information where the law allows it. Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002, permits the release of information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's vehicle register to the police, to local authorities and to those who can demonstrate 'reasonable cause' for receiving the information. 'Reasonable cause'' is not defined in legislation and requests are considered on their merits.
DVLA works closely with the Information Commissioner to ensure that disclosure is fair and lawful. The Information Commissioner has published guidance on his website.
I recently announced a review of these regulations and this will commence shortly.
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Gatwick Express
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the Gatwick Express. [44808]
Derek Twigg: Proposals relating to Gatwick Express will be made in the context of the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). An announcement about publication of the RUS will be made shortly.
Green Travel Plans
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what national target he has set for the number of (a) employers and (b) public sector employers implementing the Green Travel Plans by 2009. [45529]
Ms Buck: We have put in place a requirement in the planning system that significant new developments, both for the public and private sectors, should have a staff travel plan. However, the implementation of travel plans by employers for existing sites is voluntary. We have not therefore set a national target for their introduction. Instead, we promote the business case and other benefits of travel plans through our publications, conferences and other events.
Under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, Government Departments were mandated to implement sustainable travel targets to reduce CO 2 emissions through a range of measures. These included reducing both road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by at least 10 per cent. and single occupancy car commuting to the workplace by 5 per cent. by 2006, against a baseline year of 2002–03. The Framework is currently being reviewed in order to deliver a step change in the way the Government manages its land and buildings sustainably.
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