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9 Feb 2006 : Column 1368W—continued
TRANSPORT
A1079
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there have been on the A1079 road in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in fatalities in each year. [50128]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is as follows:
| Total accidents | Fatalities | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 59 | 3 |
| 2002 | 59 | 2 |
| 2003 | 55 | 3 |
| 2004 | 59 | 4 |
| 2005 | (4)43 | (4)4 |
| Total | (4)275 | (4)16 |
(4) Provisional data.
A21
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the South East of England Regional Assembly regional prioritisation and the proposed A21 upgrade. [49467]
Dr. Ladyman: On 31 January the Government received the South East region's advice on funding priorities, including schemes on the A21. This was submitted jointly by the South East of England Regional Assembly and Development Agency.
Heathrow Noise Review
Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account his Department took of the potential impact of the Review of the British Airports Authority Heathrow Noise Fines Fund in preparation of the Civil Aviation Bill; what discussions his Department has had with the review team; what assessment he has made of itsterms of reference; when he expects it to report; andwhether his Department plans to respond to its findings. [49860]
Ms Buck: The BAA Heathrow Noise Fines Fund is a matter for the airport operator concerned. The Department is aware that BAA is reviewing this fund, but has not discussed it with the review team or made any assessment of the review's terms of reference.
Highway Policy
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to permit traffic to turn left at red lights. [50073]
Light Dues
Tom Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will assess the ruling of the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament in favour of a petition from the Independent Light Dues Forum, with particular reference to the Petitions Committee's request that the European Commission and the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament begin a
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preliminary investigation into the compatibility of the British-Irish subsidy of navigational aids with the treaty establishing the European Community; [48387]
(2) whether he has conducted research into the likely consequences of the European Parliament and the European Commission finding that the Irish subsidy regime on navigational aids is incompatible with the Single Market. [48725]
Dr. Ladyman: We have received no notification or approach for information from either the European Commission or the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. We will await their consideration of the petition before deciding whether further action needs to be taken.
Rail Safety
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of trains are fitted with data recorders; and if he will make a statement. [47460]
Derek Twigg: All passenger and freight trains that operate on Britain's mainline rail network are fitted with a form of data recording system. The data recorded include information such as train speed, the brake controller position and brake equipment response. The information can be used to record and monitor a driver's and the train's performance. It is also of vital importance for investigating rail incidents.
Stage Cottage
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what refurbishment work has been undertaken at Stage Cottage, Hurst Green, East Sussex; and what the total cost of this work is expected to be. [49466]
Dr. Ladyman: Stage Cottage has undergone substantial re-decoration and refurbishment to make it suitable for the rental market. The ground floor bathroom has been converted into a study and a new family bathroom has been created upstairs. Floors in the kitchen, utility areas, and family bathroom have been tiled. Some bedroom walls have been re-boarded and plastered. The master en suite has been converted into a shower room. A large range cooker has been provided in the kitchen. Curtain poles have been fitted to windows and blinds fitted to kitchen and bathroom. Externally unstable paving slabs have been removed and the area re-turfed. A rendered wall has been redecorated and the fascia and soffit boards have been repaired and redecorated. The total cost of the work is £22,000.00 plus vat. This expenditure will be recovered from rental income within the next two to three years and reduced maintenance costs during the letting period.
Transport Demand Research
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Association of Train Operating Companies regarding using peak fare differentiation as a means of demand management on the railway network; and if he will make a statement. [49569]
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Derek Twigg [holding answer 8 February 2006]: The possibility of cheaper shoulder-peak fares to spread peak travel demand is one of many fares-related issues which need to be considered. However, no discussions with operators have yet been held.
Vegetable Oil
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on research into the use of vegetable oil as a fuel in each of the last five years. [50904]
Dr. Ladyman: The only such research this Department has funded was a study in 2003 of the relative emissions performance of two light duty diesel vehicles using various fuels, including unprocessed vegetable oil. The study showed that the use of unprocessed vegetable oil could result in significant increases in emissions of certain air pollutants compared to the use of ultra low sulphur mineral diesel. The total cost of the study was £80,153, and the results are available at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_027622.pdf
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Accountancy Profession
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates he (a) wrote to and (b) met with representatives of the recognised supervisory bodies in relation to their policies on ethnic monitoring and racial discrimination within the UK accountancy profession. [49721]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not written or met with representatives of the recognised supervisory bodies in relation to their policies on ethnic monitoring and racial discrimination
Alternative Fuels
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when companies will be able to bid for the £15 million funding package for UK demonstrations of hydrogen and fuel cell energy technologies announced by his Department on 14 June 2005. [50066]
Malcolm Wicks: The precise timing of the launch of the demonstration scheme is dependent upon EC state aid approval. The department is working up the details of the demonstration scheme in discussion with industry players, and has begun the process of obtaining EC state aid approval. The Department will publicly invite bids for project proposals when such approval has been obtained.
Carbon-free Electricity
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government are (a) commissioning and (b) sponsoring on the development of a hydrogen-based economy, with particular reference to the production of carbon-free electricity. [49343]
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Malcolm Wicks: The DTI commissioned two reports in 2004 in relation to hydrogen: Hydrogen Energy Support in the UK" and A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy in the UK". These reports have been published on the Department's website 1 .
Government research funding includes support for industrial collaborative research and development for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies through the DTI's Technology Programme. The programme seeks to advance these technologies for both stationary power generation and transport applications, with a view to achieving the cost reductions and performance levels necessary for commercial deployment. This support currently amounts to approximately between £2 million–3 million per annum.
Basic research in universities on both fuel cells and hydrogen is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), including through the SUPERGEN initiative. SUPERGEN supports the UK Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Consortium (UK SHEC) which has received funding of £2.5 million. This programme is supporting projects on: hydrogen generation; hydrogen storage; and socio-economic implications for a hydrogen economy. In addition to SUPERGEN, EPSRC has awarded £1 million to investigate the potential role of formic acid as a chemical method for the storage of hydrogen. £500,000 has been granted to three projects on fundamental science and engineering relevant to the hydrogen economy. EPSRC also contributes to projects through the DTI's Technology Programme. More widely, the research councils EPSRC, ESRC, and NERC have recently established the UK Energy Research Centre.
Hydrogen and fuel cell projects are also eligible to apply to the Carbon Trust for research funding. The list of projects currently funded (including those that relate to hydrogen and fuel cells) is available on their website at: http://www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/carbontrust/low_carbon tech/dlct2_l_4.aspx.
On 15 June 2005, I announced the Government's response to the report A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy Activity in the UK" 2 which includes a funding commitment of £15 million over four years for a UK wide hydrogen and fuel cell demonstration programme. The demonstration scheme is currently in preparation, and will require EC state aid approval.
The Government have also provided funding of over £450,000 for the trial of three hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses in London as part of the EU CUTE (Clean Urban Transport in Europe) project. £7.5 million of funding has been provided for the fuel cell and low carbon vehicle technology Centre of Excellence (CENEX) based in Loughborough.
The Department for Transport announced in January, as part of their Horizons innovative research programme, a competition for projects to investigate the options for the further steps required to move to the adoption of a hydrogen transport infrastructure. It is hoped to support between two and four projects examining the practicality and timing of the introduction of the required infrastructure to support hydrogen-fuelled vehicles at a cost of up to £500,000.
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1 The text of these reports is freely available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/hydrogen.shtml.
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