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29 Mar 2006 : Column 988W—continued
TRANSPORT
Aircraft Noise
John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to introduce limits on maximum allowable peak aircraft noise levels. [60787]
Derek Twigg: The Secretary of State uses his powers under section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 to set departure noise limits on aircraft taking off from the designated airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. At other airports noise management is the responsibility of the airport operator and in many cases, local planning conditions or other local agreements apply.
All civil aircraft operating in the UK must comply with relevant international noise certification requirements. The certification procedure requires determination of EPNL (Effective Perceived Noise Level) at three reference points; approach, lateral (sideline) and flyover and sets appropriate maxima. The requirements are incorporated into UK legislation by Statutory Instruments, such as The Air Navigation (Environmental Standards) Order 2002, SI 2002 No.798.
Concessionary Travel
Mr. Carmichael:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of local authorities that will be providing funding for the bus fare concessionary
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scheme of (i) up to £9,999, (ii) £10,000 to £19,999, (iii) £20,000 to £29,999, (iv) £30,000 to £39,999, (v) £40,000 to £49,999, (vi) £50,000 to £74,999, (vii) £75,000 to £99,999, (viii) £100,000 to £149,999, (ix) £150,000 to £199,999, (x) £200,000 to £299,999 and (xi) £300,000 and above. [61687]
Dr. Ladyman: None. The Government are providing local authorities an extra £350 million for 2006–07 through the formula grant system. The general consensus is that this will be sufficient in aggregate to fund the additional cost. It is up to each authority to reach agreement with their local operator on the level of reimbursement for carrying concessionary passengers taking account of local network conditions.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) technical, (b) logistical and (c) economic implications in areas where the concessionary travel scheme has been extended to allow cross-boundary travel. [61249]
Dr. Ladyman: None. We are introducing a national scheme in April 2008 which will allow older and disabled people free off-peak bus travel anywhere in England. In the interim, we are keen for local authorities to work together to provide cross-boundary or countywide schemes.
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities in North West England have entered into reciprocal agreements to allow pensioners free travel across district and county borders. [62203]
Dr. Ladyman: All schemes must meet the statutory minimum entitlement by 1 April 2006. The Department does not yet have full details of the discretionary enhancements that will be offered by local authorities. We will carry out a comprehensive survey of concessionary fares schemes later in the year.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities in Lancashire have not entered into reciprocal agreements to allow pensioners free travel across Lancashire. [61550]
Dr. Ladyman: All schemes must meet the statutory minimum entitlement by 1 April 2006. The Department does not yet have full details of the discretionary enhancements that will be offered by local authorities. We will carry out a comprehensive survey of concessionary fares schemes later in the year.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to Jodie Kidd for the recent advertising campaign on paying road tax via the internet. [61737]
Dr. Ladyman:
The contract with Ms Kidd is a matter that is confidential between both parties.
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Highways Agency Network
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many kilometres of lanes have been added to the Highways Agency network in each year since 1997; and what the cost per kilometre was in (a) cash and (b) real terms. [62181]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 28 March 2006]: The following table lists additional lane kilometres to the Highways Agency network, provided by publicly funded major schemes in each year since 1997, against their cost per kilometre in cash and real terms.
M18
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the subsidence between junctions 6 and7 of the M18 will be eliminated from the road surface. [61809]
Dr. Ladyman: Following a recent study of the subsidence and cracking of the carriageway between Junctions 6 and 7 of the M18, a scheme is being developed to address this in the 2007–2008 financial year; subject to the availability of funding. In the meantime, the Highways Agency will continue to monitor and maintain the motorway in a safe condition.
M4
Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the draw down of funding for planned improvements to the M4 motorway in Reading West constituency. [49833]
Dr. Ladyman: A scheme for improvements on and around Junction 11 of the M4, promoted jointly by Reading borough council and Wokingham borough council, has been provisionally approved for Local Transport Plan funding. We have received advice from the South East Regional Transport Board on its priorities for funding major transport schemes within its indicative allocation. The Board has given a high priority to this scheme, and recommends it receives funding for construction from 2008–09 onwards. We are currently considering this advice, and expect to set out decisions on the way forward later in the spring.
The Highways Agency is also studying potential measures to improve traffic flows and journey time reliability on the M4, including the section that passes through the Reading West constituency. Any improvement works that emerge from those studies will be considered for entry into the Targeted Programme of Improvements.
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M62
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely cost of policing and enforcing the proposed car-share lane on the M62. [61762]
Dr. Ladyman: The West Yorkshire police have confirmed that they see the monitoring and enforcement of the high occupancy vehicle lane on the M62 as an extension of their existing role of policing the motorway network, and that they do not envisage additional costs.
Oil Spill Contingency Plans
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK ports have an oil spill contingency plan; and how many of those plans were updated in the last five years. [60275]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 27 March 2006]: Currently there are 176 port and harbour oil spill contingency plans in the UK. It should be noted that in some circumstances an individual plan may be for more than one port or harbour. 63 of these plans have been updated in the last 5 years in order to obtain re-approval under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998.
Each OPRC oil spill contingency plan should be fully reviewed within five years of its submission to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). It must then be approved by the MCA so as to be valid for up to a further five years. Where any major change occurs which could effect the validity or effectiveness of a contingency plan a new plan must also be submitted for approval.
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