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18 Apr 2006 : Column 55W—continued
Nottingham East Midlands Airport
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what submissions he has received from the independent consultative committee on Nottingham East Midlands Airport in relation to the airport authority's 10-point plan to reduce noise from its operations. [62602]
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Derek Twigg [holding answer 30 March 2006]: As indicated at the time of the Government's decision not to designate NEMA for noise control purposes, progress on delivery of the '10-point plan' has been reviewed with the consultative committee and the airport. Additional proposals in the draft masterplan have now overtaken the '10-point plan'. However, I understand that the independent consultative committee intends to forward a submission on this issue after its next environmental meeting in June.
Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's employer contribution rates to the Principal Civil Service pension scheme are; what assumed rate of return underlies those contribution rates; and what the contribution rate would be if the assumed rate of return was in line with current redemption yield on index-linked gilts. [61902]
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy), on 29 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1030–31W.
Public Transport
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to reduce automobile use and increase the use of public transportation. [62995]
Dr. Ladyman: The ability to travel offers real benefits, underpinning the competitiveness of the economy and helping to build an inclusive society. It is therefore the Government's policy to meet the challenges of a growing economy and the increasing demand for travel so caused while minimising the negative impacts on society and the environment.
We are spending c.£87 million a week on the national rail network—which has seen reliability rise to above 85 per cent. and usage rise to a level not seen since the 1960s. We also contribute over £1 billion a year to improving London Underground services.
Local and central Government's funding support for bus services is £1.7 billion a year and bus patronage in England has risen by nearly 8 per cent. since 2000–01. In addition, off-peak bus travel will be free for those aged 60 and over and for disabled people at local authority level from April this year, with a national scheme due to begin in April 2008.
We have also made available £200 million p.a. from 2008–09 to 2014–15 within the Transport Innovation Fund to support schemes which tackle local congestion through a combination of demand management, including road pricing, and improved public transport.
Railways
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received from Arriva Trains Wales on the consultation on the First Great Western Trains proposed December 2006 timetable. [60823]
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Derek Twigg: The Department has received no representations from Arriva Trains Wales on the consultation on the First Great Western Trains proposed December 2006 timetable.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway crashes there have been in each of the last 10 years. [63001]
Derek Twigg: The details of all railway crashes for the last 10 years are published in the Health and Safety Executive's annual rail safety reports, copies of which are available from the House Library.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of railway expenditure has been derived from (a) passenger fares and (b) taxation for each year since 1994; and if he will make a statement. [49566]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 8 February 2006]: The information is not available in the form requested. Annual spend on the railway cannot be directly attributed to revenue generated from fares and Government support generated from taxation. However, passenger revenue and total government support for the railway for each year are as follows:
Note:
Because of changes in reporting requirements comparable data on passenger revenues are not available for 1996–97 and 1997–98.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the work of HM Railway Inspectorate. [60812]
Derek Twigg: The activities of the Health and Safety Executive's HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) include securing compliance with relevant health and safety legislation through a programme of planned inspection and through the provision of advice. Additionally, and where appropriate, they also take enforcement action to ensure future compliance and raise health and safety standards. These activities are governed by the need to ensure the most effective use of their time and public money. Their activities are prioritised to tackle the areas of greatest risk and to ensure the delivery of their key aims.
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will include proposals for reconstructing double-tracking and new loop construction on the Waterloo to Exeter line west of Salisbury in the invitation to tender (ITT) for the new South Western franchise (a) as part of the base specification and (b) as a price option; and when he will issue the ITT. [62488]
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Derek Twigg: The Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the South Western franchise was issued to bidders on 31 March 2006. Bidders will be asked to provide a priced option for operating an hourly service between London and Exeter and/or an hourly shuttle between Exeter and Axminster. Bidders have been asked to assume that the infrastructure necessary to enable these services will be funded from separate sources.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train stations are operated (a) by each train operating company, (b) by Network Rail and (c) by other operators. [61738]
Derek Twigg: The information requested can be found in the 8th edition of Comprehensive Guide to Britain's Railways", published by Rail Magazine.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stations on the rail network in England are unmanned at night, broken down by police authority area. [62628]
Derek Twigg: Details of the hours during which stations are staffed are available at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many penalty fare schemes have been approved for operation on trains in each of the last eight years. [61201]
Derek Twigg: The following new penalty fares schemes were approved in each year:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 12 |
| 2000 | 2 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 8 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 2 |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money was spent on repairing railways in (a) Romford and (b) Havering in each of the last 10 years. [63005]
Derek Twigg: These are operational matters for Network Rail and I have asked them to reply directly to the hon. Member.
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