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10 July 2006 : Column 1421W—continued
Litter-picking on the verges and embankments is undertaken at regular three-monthly intervals. The offside lanes and central reserves are routinely swept and litter-picked every six months, and the hard shoulders are swept every three months. Where the Agency’s daily routine inspections identify a particular problem, additional litter-picking and sweeping is undertaken.
Outer London Orbital Road
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for an outer London orbital road that would include the part of the A130/A131 in the West Chelmsford constituency. [84076]
Dr. Ladyman: The Secretary of State for Transport has no plans for an outer London orbital road.
Pedestrian Accidents
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians were (a) killed and (b) injured by vehicles in West Lancashire in each of the past 10 years for which figures are available. [83643]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of pedestrians killed and injured in personal injury road accidents reported to the police in the local authority of West Lancashire from 1996 to 2005 are given in the table.
| Pedestrian casualties in West Lancashire local authority, 1996 to 2005 | |||
| Fatal | Injured( 1) | All casualties | |
| (1)Injured includes serious and slight casualties. | |||
Railways
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the role of the Office of Rail Regulation is in the determination of fare levels. [82501]
Derek Twigg: The Office of Rail Regulation has no role in setting fare levels.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his policy that cheap day return rail fares should apply all day. [82504]
Derek Twigg: Cheap day returns have never been valid all day, only after the morning peak. As these tickets are unregulated, the validity of these tickets is determined by train operators.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the amount by which fares would need to rise to reduce overcrowding by 10 per cent. on the 10 most overcrowded rail routes. [82506]
Derek Twigg: Although we have examined, and continue to monitor, the relationship between fares and demand, the Department has not conducted the specific research to answer this question.
Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding allocations are planned under the Railways for All small schemes fund. [81938]
Derek Twigg: We have received 43 separate bids covering 106 stations totalling £3.2 million. These bids are currently being assessed. Once this process is complete we will publish details of all the successful bids on our website.
Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place for funding projects other than those at stations from the Railways for All small schemes fund. [82047]
Derek Twigg: Access for All Small Schemes funding is intended to support innovative and locally focused solutions to access problems as well as schemes that demonstrate improvements to integrated accessible transport solutions. If projects other than those at stations can demonstrate that they meet the criteria for funding, including the requirement to provide match funding, they will be considered for funding in the same way as schemes for individual stations.
Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why the match funding requirement has been introduced for the Railways for All small scheme fund; how the requirement will be operated; and whether the requirement applies to all projects. [82048]
Derek Twigg: The match funding requirement for Small Schemes bids is intended to ensure that the funding is spread across as many schemes as possible. It also ensures that bidders are committed to the schemes and that those schemes have reached a credible stage of development.
Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations have bid for Railways for All small scheme funding. [82049]
Derek Twigg: We have received bids from 16 different organisations. These bids are currently being assessed. Once decisions on which schemes are to receive funding have been finalised, details of the successful bidders will be published on the Department’s website.
Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps will be taken to promote bids for Railways for All small scheme funding from as broad a range of organisations as possible. [82050]
Derek Twigg:
We are keen to attract bids from as many sources as possible. For future bidding rounds, in addition to any publicity on the Department’s website and in the press, the Department will again be writing
to a range of industry, local authority and disability organisations to advise them of the fund and the bidding process.
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department’s Access for All small schemes funding delivers improved accessibility for disabled rail passengers at Clapham Junction station. [82941]
Derek Twigg: Clapham Junction is one of the first 47 stations to be targeted for Access for All funding in the first three years of the Railways for All project. Officials from the Department are working closely with Network Rail and other stakeholders to ensure that an effective design is developed to deliver a step free route that is compatible with any future developments planned for Clapham Junction.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train services (a) were scheduled to run and (b) ran in each of the last 12 months, broken down by region. [82561]
Derek Twigg: That data is not held in full in the format requested.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many assaults there have been on railway station staff in each of the past five years, broken down by police authority area. [82441]
Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, in the specific format requested. However, I refer the hon. Member to my answer on this subject of 6 July 2006, Official Report, column 1267W. Information relating to assaults on railway station staff is held by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden road, London NW1 9LN.
Road Traffic Accidents
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people died as a result of road traffic accidents in each (a) London borough and (b) constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by age; and if he will make a statement. [82952]
Dr. Ladyman: A table showing the number of fatalities in road accidents in each (a) London borough and (b) national constituency, broken down by age group in each of the past five years has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents in the last year for which figures are available involved drivers who were foreign nationals. [83125]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available.
Defence
Advertising Campaigns
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advertising campaigns his Department has run since July 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [81911]
Mr. Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig) gave on 28 March 2006, Official Report, columns 899-900W, to the hon. Member for Wealden (Mr. Hendry).
Afghanistan
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of Operation Mountain Thrust on the likely outcome of the NATO International Security Assistance Force mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. [82732]
Mr. Ingram: The aims of Operation Mountain Thrust are to: help stabilise the security situation in the south in advance of transfer of authority to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force; and to create conditions in which reconstruction activities can take place across the region to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans, extend the authority of the Afghan Government and extend the rule of law.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the adequacy of levels of personnel and equipment available to NATO forces in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [82855]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 July 2006]: The levels of personnel and equipment have been constantly reviewed by NATO Defence Ministers since the Alliance took command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on 11 August 2003. The UK has been fully engaged with this process and has endorsed the robust force package provided.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the request for additional (a) fixed-wing aircraft, (b) helicopters and (c) personnel made by Lieutenant-General David Richards, Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan is supported by the Chief of the General Staff; when Ministers will decide what proportion of additional vehicles will be supplied by the UK; and if he will make a statement. [82861]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 July 2006]: Force generation for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is the responsibility of NATO. The UK responds to requests from NATO for additional resources as and when received, based on military advice, including from the Chiefs of Staff. The force package the UK has deployed to the South of Afghanistan in support of ISAF expansion was fully endorsed by all the Chiefs of Staff, as was the deployment of HQ ARRC, which Lieutenant-General Richards commands, to command ISAF. A statement will be made in the House should we decide to commit further forces to Afghanistan.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the Prime Minister has had with (a) his counterparts in other NATO countries, (b) the NATO Secretary-General and (c) his counterparts in other non-NATO countries on force generation for deployment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in the past three months; what the outcome of these discussions has been to date; whether they are ongoing; and if he will make a statement. [82862]
Des Browne [holding answer 6 July 2006]: My right hon. Friends and I, including the Prime Minister, have regular discussions with our counterparts in NATO and other ISAF troop contributing nations regarding the deployment of forces into Afghanistan.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are plans for International Security Assistance Force personnel to become involved in the interdiction of narcotics production of Afghanistan. [83216]
Mr. Ingram: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel do not have a direct role in targeted interdiction operations or in the eradication of poppy fields. Under the terms of NATO's operational plan for Afghanistan, ISAF forces can provide, within means and capabilities, training and operational support to Afghan Counter Narcotics forces.
Agencies Merger
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation are to merge; and if he will make a statement. [82702]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 3 July 2006, Official Report, columns 27-29WS.
Armed Forces Abroad (Telecommunications)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to negotiate with telecommunications service providers preferential rates for family members telephoning members of the UK armed forces serving abroad. [82977]
Mr. Watson: The telecommunications market is one of the most competitive and dynamic sectors of the UK economy, with a comprehensive range of services to suit a wide variety of needs. There is no likelihood that Ministry of Defence intervention in this market in general would provide any additional flexibility. However, for service personnel, their families and the defence community in particular, the Defence Discount Directory is continuing to work with the major service providers to explore what special discounts they might be able to offer. Also, service literature and websites give advice to families on general communications issues, with contact options that include telephone, e-mail, e-bluey and the British Forces Post Office system among others.
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