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Sustainable Water Systems
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the use of sustainable water systems in new housing developments. [79209]
Ian Pearson: Defra is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to introduce measures that encourage the use of sustainable water systems in new housing.
DCLG has consulted on proposals for a new Code for Sustainable Homes. This would promote sustainable drainage and set out standards for water efficiency above the current statutory baseline. DCLG has announced plans to strengthen elements of the proposed code, and is considering making minimum standards of water efficiency mandatory. From April 2006 all new homes funded by English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation will be required to meet code level three (equivalent to the EcoHomes Very Good, 2006 standard).
In addition Defra and DCLG are working jointly on new regulations to improve water efficiency in buildings. We intend to consult jointly this summer on ways of making minimum standards of water efficiency mandatory in new homes, existing buildings and in respect of domestic uses in non-household property.
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Water Saving Group has had on rainwater harvesting for use in households. [79210]
Ian Pearson: The Water Saving Group is currently working on an agreed action plan to encourage the efficient use of water in households, although it has not looked at rainwater harvesting specifically. However, the Government's Market Transformation Programme is looking at technologies that could potentially reduce overall water consumption by reusing rainwater and/or greywater (from baths/showers etc). A project has started this year to develop the necessary evidence, economic case, feasibility, performance standards, policy action plan and impact scenarios to determine the best use of rainwater and greywater technology.
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are plans to provide financial incentives for households to use (a) rainwater harvesting and (b) other water conservation technologies. [79212]
Ian Pearson: The Government encourage the use of water butts as a sensible way to harvest rainwater for use in garden watering and car washing. As part of the duty to promote the efficient use of water by their customers, many water companies offer subsidised water butts, as well as other devices that can save water. Metered customers have a financial incentive to use water carefully and install water efficient fittings.
Transport
A303
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average daily (a) volume and (b) speed of traffic travelling on the A303 was in each year since 1997. [79980]
Dr. Ladyman: Average daily traffic flows on the A303 are available at several locations. However, not all locations have data as far back as 1997. Regular speed monitoring started in 2002-03. The following sites are typical of the flows on different sections of the road:
| Andover Bypass | East of Longbarrow Roundabout (near Stonehenge) | Ilminster Bypass | ||||
| Flow | Speed | Flow | Speed | Flow | Speed | |
Flows are average numbers of vehicles per 24-hour day (vpd) to the nearest thousand and speeds are the average spot speed for all vehicle types during the 24-hour day, in mph.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections have been made by his Department of traffic volumes on the A303. [79981]
Dr. Ladyman: Projections specifically related to the growth of traffic on the A303 in its entirety are not readily available.
Individual sections of the A303 have been subject to study or are part of the Highways Agency’s Targeted Programme of Improvements. For each of these studies and schemes, traffic forecasts have been produced and these can be made available from the Highways Agency upon request.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic (a) accidents and (b) fatalities have occurred on the A303 in each year since 1997. [79982]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road traffic accidents and fatalities that have occurred on the A303 in each year since 1997 are as shown on the tables below. The accident data for 2006 is not available at present. Information is not available for accidents where there is no personal injury.
| Accidents on the A303 from its junction with the M3 at Popham to the Wiltshire/Hampshire border | ||
| Number
personal injury accidents
(PIA’s) | Number
of fatalities as a result of
accidents | |
| Accidents on the A303 between the Hampshire/Wiltshire border (A338 junction) and its junction with the A30 in Devon | ||
| Number personal injury accidents (PIA’s) | Number of fatalities as a result of accidents | |
This is the most accurate information that the Highways Agency is able to provide.
A389 Kingsterswell Bypass
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has approved the construction of the A380 Kingsterswell bypass; and what funding has been allocated for the construction of the road. [80165]
Gillian
Merron: The Department has not received a proposal for
this scheme from Devon county council. We are currently considering the
advice from the South West region on the priority it attaches to major
transport schemes in the South West, including the Kingskerswell
Bypass, within the indicative Regional
Funding Allocation (RFA) for the region. We hope to announce our
response to the region’s advice before the parliamentary summer
recess. Any schemes identified for funding from the RFAs will be
subject to the Department’s approval
processes.
Aeroplanes (Air Quality)
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on contaminated air in airliners; [80119]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the effect on safety of contaminated air in airliners. [80147]
Gillian Merron: The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology did an investigation, which reported in November 2000 and said:
“The absence of confirmed cases of tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) poisoning from cabin air and the very low levels of TOCP that would be found even in the highly unlikely worst case of contamination from oil leaking into the air supply lead us to conclude that the concerns about significant risk to the health of airline passengers and crew are not substantiated.”
There is also a scientific inquiry under way into the global evidence and have commissioned the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) based at Imperial College (and funded by Government to advise the Food Standards Agency and other Government Departments) to review evidence from BALPA (the British Air Line Pilots Association).
The COT secretariat put up on its website on 21 June a draft discussion paper. It will discuss this with BALPA further on 26 June, and then there will be a full hearing, in public, which will take place on 11 July.
The next step is to wait for the COT review process to be completed. The Government will be guided by the COT conclusions and recommendations on the way forward.
Bus Journeys
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to help local councils and bus companies devise innovative ways of increasing the number of bus journeys, including by providing further Government funding; and if he will make a statement. [79183]
Gillian Merron: There are already a number of programmes in place that help councils and bus companies devise innovative ways of increasing bus patronage.
Councils have been able to apply for Kickstart and Rural/Urban Bus Challenge funding to pump-prime bus services that have the potential to increase patronage. DfT awarded £20 million for Kickstart schemes in 2005-06 to fund 43 bus services that could become self-sustaining. Between 1998 and 2003 the Rural and Urban Bus Challenge supported over 400 projects at a cost of £163 million.
In addition, the Government have provided£350 million for 2006-07 and a further £367.5 million for 2007-08 to fund free off-peak local bus travel for people aged 60 and over and disabled people. Thiswill be extended further to national bus travel from April 2008, for which the Treasury has earmarked up to an additional £250 million per year.
Also, all bus operators receive Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) which provides a rebate of about 80 per cent. of the duty paid by them on the fuel they use, with 100 per cent. rebate for environmentally friendly fuels. The budget for BSOG in England for 2005-06 was £380 million.
The Transport Innovation Fund is a new approach to transport investment which is not geared to particular modes, but will support measures which help to tackle congestion and promote national productivity. Up to £200 million of the fund has been made available specifically to support packages of measures that will address congestion in towns and cities through demand management and public transport improvements, including better bus services.
Cloned Number Plates
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many car number plate cloning incidents were recorded in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) Luton in the last five years. [80372]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of vehicles that are, or may have been, subject to vehicle cloning in Bedfordshire or Luton is not known. Nor are national figures available.
Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the letter from the Minister of State of 8 February 2006, reference SL/001336/06, in relation to the Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority, when he expects the undertakings made in the letter to be met; and if he will make a statement. [79774]
Dr. Ladyman: We are still considering the issues raised by the hon. Member and his constituent and will be in a position to provide him with a substantive reply very shortly.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his staff are (a) under and (b) over 55 years of age. [77419]
Gillian Merron: In the Department for Transport and its agencies, there are 16,530 staff under the age of 55 and 3,190 over the age of 55.
Disability Access
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations. [73116]
Gillian Merron: Audits have been conducted at our buildings to ensure that we are complying with our responsibilities under the employment and service provider provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Reasonable adjustments have been made at a number of locations (including our main HQ building) and further improvement work is in hand at some sites.
Information on the extent to which each building is complying with the employment and service provider provisions of the DDA is not collected centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
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