| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
8 May 2006 : Column 19W
The figures from the year 1996-97 to 2001-02 show both removal from the register following a decision by Registrar and those who chose to leave the register. The figures from 2002-03 show only those who were removed as a result of the Registrar's decision.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority
Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applicants with only one fully functioning eye have successfully applied to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for a driving licence in each of the last five years. [68403]
Dr. Ladyman: These data are not available. However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has estimated that it deals with in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 cases per year in which a loss of vision in one eye is either declared on a driving licence application form, or notified during the currency of a driving licence.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passports sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) were subsequently reported missing in each of the last 10 years; and how many owners of passports lost by the DVLA have claimed compensation. [68707]
Dr. Ladyman: Original documents (including passports) have been required to support applications for first photocard driving licences since April 1999. Statistics are only available for the past five years.
Over this period the total number of passports reported as missing by drivers was 20,660 (14,968 UK and 5,692 foreign). To date 7,740 (5,282 UK and 2,458 foreign) have become the subject of claims for compensation. Approximately 25 per cent. can be attributed to a DVLA error in keying the address, with 75 per cent. due to non-delivery by Royal Mail. Over 12,500,000 applications for first photocard driving licences (ie those requiring the submission of identity documents) were processed during this period.
Drivers are requested to wait for a minimum of 15 working days before contacting DVLA about non-delivery of documents, but in many cases they do not follow this advice. DVLA officials will investigate every report, but it is a fact that many drivers do not bother to ring back if the documents later turn up.
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the additional average cost to each customer would be of secure delivery of passports returned by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority. [68708]
Dr. Ladyman: Holders of UK passports do not have to enclose them with their applications. Those who hold digitised passports only need to quote the passport number so that DVLA can check identity on line with the UK Passport Service. All other UK passport holders can have their applications checked at some 750 mainline post offices, and DVLA's local offices, for a small charge, with immediate return. Holders of EU passports, and those from certain designated countries, can take them for checking at three DVLA local offices (Glasgow, Nottingham, Wimbledon) and DVLA's Reception at Swansea.
To introduce a standard system of charging for the return of passports (and other identity documents) would be viewed as unfair to those members of the public who have no need to submit them. If offered as an individual service on request this could amount to £10 at the very least (£4.10p special delivery/£2.50p courier service plus additional clerical involvement at DVLA).
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passports returned by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority have been delivered by (a) standard mail and (b) recorded delivery in the last 10 years. [68709]
Dr. Ladyman: Original identity documents (including passports) have only been required to support applications for first photocard licences since April 1999. No historical data exists to distinguish between the use of standard and special/recorded mail, but current issue per day is 8,500 and 200 (97.7 per cent. and 2.3 per cent.).
Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many appeals were made (a) to magistrates courts in England and Wales and (b) to sheriffs' courts in Scotland against rulings of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency under the terms of section 92 and 100 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in each of the last five years. [68417]
Dr. Ladyman: Statistics are available only from April 2003 onwards and relate to both applications refused under Section 92 of The Road Traffic Act 1988 and driving licences revoked under Section 93 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The details are given as follows.
| Appeals lodged to magistrates courts in England and Wales | Appeals lodged to sheriffs' courts in Scotland | Total | |
Ethanol
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential for the widespread use of ethanol as a fuel in the UK. [68222]
Dr. Ladyman: The Government strongly support the use of high quality biofuels in the road transport sector. In the short term, we estimate that bioethanol has the potential to make up some 5 per cent. of total petrol sales in the UK. The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) which we announced last year is designed to ensure that this happens by 2010, and is
likely to mean that sales of bioethanol will amount to over a billion litres a year by that time.
We have made clear that we intend that biofuels should account for more than 5 per cent. of total transport fuel sales after 2010 so long as infrastructural requirements and fuel and vehicle technical standards allow, and subject to the costs being acceptable to the consumer. We would also want to put in place robust carbon saving and sustainability assurance schemes to ensure that the biofuels sold in the UK were from sustainable sources and were delivering the maximum possible carbon savings.
European Aviation Safety Agency
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects agreement to be reached on a programme of work designed to make the European Aviation Safety Agency fit for purpose. [66170]
Derek Twigg: The Civil Aviation Authority, together with officials in the Department, continues to work closely with the agency, other National Aviation Authorities and the Commission to put in place effective strategies to improve the agency's performance. The work that must be done to help EASA become fully fit for purpose has many different strands.
The EASA management board on 26 April examined the agency's draft action plan for implementing recommendations made by external consultants to improve the agency's financial, administrative and IT processes. The board expects to approve the plan at its next meeting on 2 June.
Railways
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the implications of the First Great Western Trains timetabling proposals for December 2006 for (a) intervals in service provision between Cardiff and Swansea during the evening peak time, (b) overcrowding on Arriva Trains Wales services and (c) train connection options for passengers travelling to Swansea on the proposed 1515 London Paddington to Cardiff service. [60821]
Derek Twigg: The number of other services, operated by Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), between Cardiff and Swansea will remain unchanged. Newer rolling stock is expected to be transferred to this route for December 2006. The Greater Western franchise specification was designed to improve the overall operational and financial performance of the train service and to ensure resources were used to best meet market needs. The timetable on each route, including London to Swansea, is derived from these requirements. The Department is discussing overcrowding with ATW.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions within the past three months the Heathrow Express service has been (a) delayed by more than 15 minutes and (b) cancelled. [68424]
Derek Twigg: Heathrow Express is not a franchise operating company. The Department of Transport does not therefore hold such information.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the British Railways Board (Residuary); and what that body's budget was in 2005-06. [68477]
Derek Twigg: BRBR had 21 full-time and 6 part-time employees as at 31 March 2006. In addition during the 2005-06 financial year the company was supported by additional resources from the Strategic Rail Authority and the Department for Transport.
BRBR's budget for 2005-06 was as follows.
Operating costs (stated net of property sales)—£25.6 million
Capital expenditure (relating to lease payments)—£7.8 million.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the total projected public expenditure is for all forms of national rail services for (a) London, (b) each of the English Passenger Transport Executive areas and (c) each of the English regions in each of the next six financial years; [68658]
(2) what the public expenditure was on all forms of national rail services for (a) London, (b) each of the English Passenger Transport Executive areas and (c) each of the English regions in each of the last 10 years. [68659]
Derek Twigg: The Department of Transport does not hold information on Government spending and investment at a regional level. This is primarily because franchise areas often encompass two or more regions and Network Rail is structured on a route by route basis which also serves more than one region.
Historic Government support to individual franchises is contained in the Annual Reports of the Strategic Rail Authority and in National Rail Trends, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State, made a written statement to Parliament on 10 February 2005, Official Report, columns 93-96WS setting out Government spending plans for rail as a whole to 2008-09.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reconsider his decision on announcement boards on South-West Trains as a matter of urgency. [69134]
Derek Twigg: Continuing improvements to the availability and reliability of the existing Class 450 Desiro fleet, which have been introduced to replace Class 458s and the Mark One fleet, mean that by the end of July, when the exemption in question expires, there will be no rolling stock availability implications for the ability of South West Trains to deliver their current timetable.
Road Construction
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which construction companies have (a) tendered for and (b) been awarded road construction contracts by his Department since 1997; and how much each contract was worth. [68097]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 3 May 2006]: The information requested regarding which construction companies have tendered for road construction contracts with the Highways Agency since 1997 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
A list of the major road construction contracts over £5 million awarded by the Highways Agency has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated carbon dioxide emissions from each (a) motorway and (b) trunk road scheme approved since 1997 were in each year of the operation of each such scheme; and what estimate he has made of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from each motorway and trunk road which is being assessed for inclusion in the roads programme. [68107]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 3 May 2006]: Carbon dioxide emission estimates for the Highways Agency motorway and trunk road schemes, in the Targeted Programme of Improvements, which was first launched in 1998, are given where data is currently available. A copy of the table showing this information has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Schemes that have not yet entered into the Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) do not have this information as the proposals are still at an early stage.
Road Schemes (Carbon Impact)
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirement there is under the New Approach to Appraisal to quantify the carbon dioxide impact of each road scheme he approves. [68054]
Dr. Ladyman: As part of assessing the impact of new proposals on the environment New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) requires scheme promoters to assess the impact of their proposals on greenhouse gas emissions. As carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered to be the most important greenhouse gas, changes in CO2 emissions are used as the key indicator for assessing the impacts of new proposals' on climate change.
For all schemes that cost in excess of £5 million, which must be approved by the Secretary of State, the Department's guidance requires scheme promoters to estimate the level of carbon dioxide emissions in the current year and in the opening year of the scheme, both with and without the scheme in place. The change in carbon dioxide emissions in the opening year of the scheme is then used to provide an overall assessment of the scheme's impact on greenhouse gases. At present only carbon emissions associated with fuel consumption are considered in appraisal.
Speed Cameras
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the speed camera sites identified in the Review of Sites 2004 where casualties had not been reduced remain in place; at how many sites the speed cameras have been removed and alternative measures introduced to reduce casualties;
and at how many of these sites the camera has been removed and no further action taken. [68759]
Dr. Ladyman: Following the publication of the site lists in 2004, the Department amended its Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the Safety Camera Programme to require safety camera partnerships to review existing sites as well as those areas where new sites might be appropriate.
Sites are selected locally as the right solution to a particular casualty problem and it is therefore appropriate for these reviews to be undertaken locally and the Department is not involved. We do however require sites operated as part of, or removed from, the safety camera programme to be recorded.
From the information held by the Department, 141 safety camera sites have been decommissioned between 1 January 2004 and 31 March 2006. The Department does not hold information relating to why these sites have been decommissioned or whether alternative measures have been introduced at these sites.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many cases speed camera partnerships have had their applications for the siting of speed cameras (a) accepted and (b) rejected; what average time has been taken to make a decision on an application; for what average number of days cases that have not had a decision have been waiting; in how many cases the decision has been appealed; and how many of these appeals have been (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful. [68760]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department requires that applications for new speed camera sites comply with the site selection criteria provided in the Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the Safety Camera Programme.
For 2006-07, all sites submitted as proposed camera sites were approved as they fully met the site selection criteria. These sites were submitted during February 2006 and were approved by the end of March 2006.
Transport Improvements (Tamworth)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport improvements for which his Department is responsible have there been in Tamworth constituency in the past 12 months; what further improvements are planned; and if he will make a statement. [68356]
Dr. Ladyman: The Tamworth constituency is benefiting from the Burntwood bypass local major road scheme, which was funded by the Department and completed in May 2005. In addition, local highway authorities receive integrated transport block funding which can be used for local highways or public transport capital projects. It is for Staffordshire county council, as the highway authority, to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
In the last 12 months, the following Highways Agency schemes have been completed in the area:
A5 Weeford-Fazeley Improvement
A5 Tamworth bypass—replacement of porous asphalt
A38 Milliards Cross to Swinfen—renewal of existing road surfacing
A38 Swinfen—lay-by resurfacing and improvements
A5 through Hints—renewal of anti skid surface
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |