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28 Mar 2006 : Column 858W—continued
Road Building
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each motorway and trunk road building project undertaken since 1997; and what the (a) tender cost and (b) outturn cost was in each case. [62182]
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Dr. Ladyman: A table listing works tender cost against works outturn cost for each publicly funded major project completed, since 1997 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Road Congestion
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to measure congestion on the road network; and if he will make a statement. [61114]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on congestion data sources, indicators and targets is contained in the document Congestion on the strategic road network: 2004–05 target baseline figure and methodology" at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/downloadable/dft_transstats_611157.pdf and Technical Notes for Spending Review 2004 PSA Targets" at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/pdf/dft_about_pdf_030578.pdf (sections PSA Target 1 and PSA Target 4). For the target on urban congestion (PSA 4) the Technical Note is provisional and we expect to set final targets in July 2006.
Road Humps
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has conducted on the impact on road casualties of the removal of road humps. [61509]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department has not conducted any specific research into the impact on road casualties of the removal of road humps. However, research does show road humps can achieve significant reductions in vehicle speeds, and that a 1 mph reduction in average speed can reduce accident risk by 5 per cent.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission research into the cost of removing all road humps in England. [61659]
Road Improvement Costs
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) of 19 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2318–2319W, on road improvement costs, how much compensation has been paid under part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 in each case; and what other costs in each case have been incurred by the Highways Agency which are not paid to the scheme contractor. [61750]
Dr. Ladyman: The latest agreed budget costs for schemes in the TPI, represent the current approved estimate of the full outturn costs and include land acquisition and compensation, VAT and the cost of statutory undertaker diversions in addition to payments to the contractor/designer.
No compensation has yet been paid under part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973, in relation to any of the projects listed. This is because such compensation can only be claimed from one year after road opening, and none of the schemes listed have reached this stage.
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Transport (East Croydon)
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve network capacity around East Croydon. [61253]
Derek Twigg: Future plans for network enhancements will be determined in the High Level Output Specification for the railway to be published in summer 2007. Network Rail is also about to commence the South London Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) which will inform this process and investment decisions.
Additional passenger carrying capacity in the Croydon area is being progressed as part of the implementation of the Brighton Mainline RUS and as part of other projects such as the East London line extension to West Croydon.
Transport Forecasts
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will take steps against planners and forecasters who consistently and foreseeably produce erroneous transport forecasts; and if he will make a statement. [61598]
Dr. Ladyman: The forecasts used to establish the design and the value for money of transport schemes are made by the sponsors of the schemes following guidance provided by the Department. We monitor the accuracy of transport forecasts and issue guidance to address factors which lead to inaccurate forecasts. The forecasts supporting bids for funding are scrutinised carefully by the Department. Those which do not follow the Department's guidelines or which appear to be biased are routinely challenged, leading to revisions in the analysis before funding is agreed.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Vehicle and Operator Services Agency test stations are owned by the Government; what the location of each station is; how many tests each conducted in the last 12 months; and what the estimated value of each test station is. [61740]
Dr. Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency owns 68 testing stations by way of freehold ownership, 19 by way of long ground leases and two by way of short ground leases.
A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House which gives the information requested for each testing station operated by VOSA in the last financial year for which records are available.
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Human Trafficking
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary about improving the support and assistance given to the victims of trafficking who agree to help the authorities in a prosecution case against those who trafficked them. [60375]
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Meg Munn: As a Member of the Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, I work closely with Home Office colleagues to ensure that provision for victims is sensitive to women's needs.
The UK is sympathetic to the needs of victims of trafficking. The POPPY Scheme already provides a supporting and protective environment in which victims can receive care and support while deciding whether to assist the authorities.
We propose to increase the geographical coverage of support services for victims and introduce support at varying levels of intensity according to individual need. We will use the evaluation of the POPPY scheme and the responses to the consultation on the proposed UK Action Plan on human trafficking to inform our decisions on the nature and scope of future support.
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary about the number of victims of trafficking who have been brought into the United Kingdom to be sold into the vice trade. [60376]
Meg Munn: As a Member of the Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, I work closely with Home Office colleagues to ensure that provision for victims is sensitive to women's needs.
We do not have the evidence base to enable us to estimate the number of trafficking victims brought into the UK to be sold into the vice trade. We are seeking more evidence of all human trafficking, including trafficking for sexual exploitation, as part of our current consultation on the proposed UK Action Plan on human trafficking. In that consultation, we state that we will publish research into the harms caused by organised immigration crime, including trafficking. This research will provide a better understanding of the trafficking problem faced in the UK and will be updated annually. This year we will commence a scoping exercise focused on trafficking and the off-street prostitution market.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Arms Exports
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government policy is on the marking and traceability of small arms and light weapons. [60939]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
The UK remains committed to international criteria on marking and tracing of small arms and light weapons (SALW). This is key to tackling the problem of illicit trade in SALW. The UK played a lead role formulating a politically binding UN instrument on the marking and tracing of SALW that was finally adopted in June 2005. We continue to work towards making this instrument legally binding. The UK is fully compliant with strict EU marking and tracing standards.
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