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Lorry Parks
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to provide secure lorry parks with appropriate facilities for drivers. [83407]
Dr. Ladyman: Department for Transport (DfT) has published guidance on how to set up and run Freight Quality Partnerships (FQPs).
FQPs are a means for local authorities, businesses, freight operators, environmental groups, the local community and other interested stakeholders to work together to address specific freight transport issues, including provision of secure parking and facilities for the drivers.
DfT has brought together the road haulage trade associations, motorway service area providers, the Highways Agency and the Home Office to seek a common understanding of how best to increase and improve provision of lorry parking. The Department will then follow this up with local authorities to raise awareness of issues facing road haulage operators including access to lorry parking and driver rest areas.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact of providing secure lorry parks on (a) crime and (b) road safety; and if he will make a statement. [83408]
Dr. Ladyman: While no formal assessment has been made of the impact more secure lorry parking might have on levels of crime, Home Office experience of safer parking facilities for cars indicates it would be a useful tool for reducing crime and the fear of crime. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), owner of the Safer Parking Scheme, is currently preparing guidance specifically to address the type of crime affecting light and heavy goods vehicle parking facilities.
The Department has undertaken no specific assessment on the impact on road safety but encourages drivers to make use of such facilities so that they can rest properly and reduce the risk of sleepiness while driving.
Low Carbon Buses
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Department’s announcement of 23 September 2003, how many demonstration low carbon buses have been produced using the funding announced. [82560]
Gillian Merron: The allocated funding for demonstration low carbon buses was subject to state aid approval by the European Commission. A review of this programme was undertaken during the state aid notification process and a decision was taken not to proceed with the programme. I refer the hon. Member to the written statement “Transport grant and advice programmes” made by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Transport on 7 June 2006, Official Report, columns 30-32WS, about that decision.
Motorcycles
Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of road accidents in each of the last five years which involved children of primary school age or below travelling as passengers on motorcycles. [83287]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving at least one child casualty aged 0 to 11 travelling as a passenger on a two wheeled motor vehicle (TWMV) in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
| Accidents involving at least one child casualty (aged 0 to 11) travelling as a TWMV passenger: 2001-05 | |
| Number | |
Motorways
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made with the introduction of motorway rest areas. [83348]
Dr. Ladyman: Currently under section 112 of the Highways Act 1980 the Secretary of State is not permitted to establish a picnic area on land adjacent to a motorway. An amending clause is included in the Road Safety Bill which is currently before Parliament. Subject to the acquisition of the necessary powers and funding the Government will consider the establishment of a pilot picnic area.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on current motorway safety programmes; and if he will make a statement. [83243]
Dr. Ladyman: A large proportion of the Highways Agency’s 2006-07, £2.2 billion programme budget contributes either directly or indirectly to road safety initiatives. It is not possible to separate specific spend on motorway safety programmes.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what obligations the Highways Agency is under to remove litter from motorway embankments and verges; and how often this (a) should be and (b) is done on the area surrounding the M57 and M58 motorways. [83467]
Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency is obliged, by the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to remove litter from motorways, including the central reservations, verges, and embankments. This arrangement has regard to the nature and use of the highway, and the need to limit disruption to traffic. To comply with the Act, which specifies, through a supplementary code of practice, standards of cleanliness and response times, the Agency undertakes a regime of sweeping and litter-picking on the M57 and M58 motorways.
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 last 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, but 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: The Access for All Small Schemes 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
be again be
writing to a range on 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 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: This 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 (Don 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 last 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. colleagues 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.
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