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7 Mar 2006 : Column 1270W—continued
Concessionary Travel
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to encourage neighbouring councils to co-operate to provide concessionary travel within a group of adjoining authorities; and if he will make a statement. [54780]
Ms Buck: We are keen for local authorities to work together to provide cross boundary, county or regional-wide schemes where that suits local circumstances. Local authorities will have discretion to work together to provide cross-boundary travel, as they do at present, based on their judgment of local needs and their overall financial priorities.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the new concessionary travel scheme on people who need public transport to attend a hospital in an adjoining local authority; and if he will make a statement. [54781]
Ms Buck: None. Local authorities have the discretion to offer travel concessions to a hospital outside their boundary based on their judgment of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities.
Departmental Energy Costs
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 2004–05. [51770]
Ms Buck: The Department spent £513,122 on gas and £2,166,870 on electricity in 2004–05 on the departmental estate.
Driving Standards (Commercial Vehicles)
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) persons and (b) organisations consulted on plans to introduce a certificate of professional competence for drivers of commercial vehicles; whether he is still consulting thereon; when he expects to introduce firm proposals; and if he will make a statement. [55875]
Dr. Ladyman:
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) held a 12-week public consultation on the introduction of a certificate of professional competence (CPC) for professional drivers, as required by EU directive 2003/
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59/EC. The consultation closed on 8 February, and DSA will shortly post the findings on its website. The directive requires legislation to be introduced by September 2006.
An indicative list of those who were invited to comment is contained in annex E of the consultation paper, which is available on DSA's website. Letters were sent to the 1,049 stakeholders on DSA's list of consultees, including bus and lorry companies, driver training organisations, local authorities and emergency services. Letters were also sent to some 834 individuals and organisations on DSA's voluntary register of large goods vehicle instructors; 168 delegated driving examiners; and the 977 training organisations which use DSA's dedicated test booking facility for commercial customers. The paper was posted on the Agency's website and publicised in DSA's trade magazine Despatch.
Since summer 2005, DSA has made numerous presentations across Great Britain to raise awareness of the directive. These helped to inform the content of the consultation paper.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a special category under his certificate of professional competence for drivers of commercial vehicles to enable a lower level of training to be undertaken where the driver only intends to drive a historic commercial vehicle and that vehicle is not being used for commercial purposes. [55876]
Dr. Ladyman: European directive 2003/59/EC requires most professional bus, coach and lorry drivers to hold a certificate of professional competence (CPC) in addition to the relevant driving licence. Bus and coach drivers are affected from September 2008; lorry drivers from September 2009.
There are exemptions to the general requirement for bus and coach drivers to hold a CPC. One of these covers situations where drivers are not working commercially.
Fair Trade
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much and what proportion of his Department's catering budget was spent on fair trade produce in the last period for which figures are available. [49963]
Ms Buck: Where figures are available, the amount spent on fair trade produce and the proportion of the catering budget that this covers is as follows:
The GCDA data relate to the period from April 2005 to January 2006. Data in respect of the DVLA cover the period from 2004–05 and includes expenditure on fair trade produce for hospitality purposes and for purchase in staff restaurants.
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Information on the proportion of the catering budget spent on fair trade produce and data on actual spend within our London HQ buildings can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Freight Control
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on changes to UK national control of freight following Commission Regulation 62/2006 of 23 December 2005, OJ L13 of 18 December 2005; what assessment he has made of the degree to which transfer of authority to a supranational structure has occurred; and what estimate he has made of the potential effect on costs. [53279]
Derek Twigg: The regulation is intended to improve the tracking and flow of rail freight throughout Europe. The regulation requires the European freight industry to cooperate and develop a deployment plan. There has been no transfer of authority to a supranational structure. An assessment of the life cycle cost of the system for freight is requested as part of the plan development.
Llansamlet Railway Station
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate inspectors visited Llansamlet railway station in 2004–05; and what assessment they made of the station facilities and security arrangements. [56080]
Derek Twigg: The Health and Safety Executive's Her Majesty's railway inspectorate (HMRI) made no visits to Llansamlet railway station during 2004–05.
M4
Mr. Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway are under repair on the M4 between junction 13 and the Almondsbury interchange. [55831]
Dr. Ladyman: A total of 9 miles westbound and 20.5 miles eastbound of the M4 between Junction 13 and Almondsbury is currently subject to roadworks. 0.5 miles of both figures is at Almondsbury, where safety barriers are being repaired; the remainder is for the installation of electronic driver information systems.
Marine Environment
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) current and (b) proposed new guidance for mariners on (i) Muckle Flugga, (ii) Fethaland, Shetland and (iii) Tor Ness, Hoy. [56831]
Dr. Ladyman:
As regards current guidance, a mariner planning a passage through the areas indicated in the Shetland and Orkney Islands would, as required by Chapter V, Regulation 34 of the Safety of Life at Sea
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(SOLAS) Convention, be expected to use the largest scale Admiralty charts of the region, supplemented by a number of nautical publications. The main publications are:
North Coast of Scotland Admiralty Sailing Directions (NP 52)—contains a wealth of information and guidance and intended to amplify that already contained on the charts;
Admiralty List of Radio Signals—in particular Volume 6.(1) which details pilot services, vessel traffic services and port operations;
if carried (although not required by law), the International Maritime Organization Ships' Routeing Manual which details all routeing measures adopted by the IMO. The information contained within the manual is also reproduced, as appropriate, on relevant charts and in relevant publications.
As regards new guidance, my Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency will publish a Marine Information Note which will advise mariners about the UK's Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), to be followed in due course by a Marine Guidance Note. I shall take the earliest opportunity to place the Marine Information Note, and the subsequent Marine Guidance Note, in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the new marine environmental high risk areas for (a) Muckle Flugga, (b) Fethaland, Shetland and (c) Tor Ness, Hoy. [56832]
Dr. Ladyman: The establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) is just one of a number of measures used to protect the UK coast from possible environmental impacts of shipping in addition to existing protective measures. As a result of their identification, ships' mariners are expected to take note of MEHRAs and either to keep well clear or, where this is not practicable, to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through a MEHRA.
The shipping industry will be made aware of the location of MEHRAs by means of markings on UK Hydrographic Office charts and through Marine Guidance Notices issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods he will use to assess compliance with the new guidance for mariners on marine environmental high risk areas; and after what period of time he will assess the impact of the measure. [56885]
Dr. Ladyman:
Marine environmental high risks areas are not intended as a mandatory compliance measure for mariners. They have been put in place to raise public awareness of the particular environmental sensitivity of these areas.
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Mariners will be expected in accordance with the Marine Guidance Note (to be issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency) to take note of MEHRAs and either to keep well clear or, where this is not practicable, to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through a MEHRA.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hours of surveillance the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has conducted in each year since 1997 as part of the attempt to prevent pollution. [56886]
Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the number of flying hours carried out for the purpose of detecting and deterring illegal marine pollution by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) contracted fixed wing surveillance aircraft, since 1997. Each yearly total includes 300 flying hours carried out on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), monitoring off-shore installation areas. This is in accordance with an extant MCA/DTI Operating Agreement.
In recent years, surveillance flights have been better targeted, with night flying hours increased. For the past two years the aerial pollution monitoring flights have been augmented by an on-going, targeted satellite surveillance program.
| Surveillance flight hours | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 925 |
| 1998 | 925 |
| 1999 | 925 |
| 2000 | 900 |
| 2001 | 900 |
| 2002 | 900 |
| 2003 | 850 |
| 2004 | 805 |
| 2005 | 805 |
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions for pollution at sea there have been in each year since 1997. [56887]
Dr. Ladyman: Individual harbour authorities prosecute pollution incidents within harbour authority limits, and the Department has no figures regarding the numbers of their prosecutions. Outside of those areas, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency deals with prosecutions. They have conducted the following numbers of prosecutions in respect of pollution at sea from ships under Merchant Shipping legislation:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 2000 | 2 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 4 |
All of the prosecutions were successful.
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The Environment Agency also has powers to undertake prosecutions for pollution at sea from land-based sources, under the Water Resources Act 1991. However, the Environment Agency database shows only two marine incidents within this period where an offender has been identified and prosecution recommended, and both of these incidents occurred in harbours.
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