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Wildlife Sites
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards bringing 95 per cent. of all nationally important wildlife sites into favourable condition by 2010. [85460]
Barry Gardiner: As of 3 July 2006, 72.7 per cent. of the area of England covered by sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) was in favourable or recovering condition, compared with 56.9 per cent. in March 2003. This is good progress towards England’s public service agreement target for SSSIs and in line with our trajectory to achieve 95 per cent. by 2010.
Leader of the House
Divisions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many divisions were called off in each of the last three sessions due to failure to provide tellers; what the (a) date and (b) subject under discussion was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [87222]
Mr. Straw: The Journal Office of the House of Commons has supplied the following information for the last three Sessions, and for the current Session to date:
| Session | Date | Business |
| (1)
To 18 July
2006. | ||
Early-day motions (E-tabling)
Sarah Teather: To ask the Leader of the House whether he has examined the merits of enabling e-tabling of Early Day Motions; and if he will make a statement. [87730]
Mr. Straw: This is essentially a matter for the House. The Government are however aware of concerns about the principle of electronic tabling for parliamentary proceedings without strong safeguards to ensure that any new system is not open to abuse, and that the Member concerned is personally responsible at each stage. I understand that the Procedure Committee is currently examining matters relating to EDMs, including the procedures for their tabling. I look forward to the Committee's recommendations.
Parliamentary Questions
Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House what steps he is taking to ensure that ministerial answers to parliamentary questions address the terms of the questions being asked. [87753]
Mr. Straw: In answering parliamentary questions, as in other areas, Ministers are subject to the obligations set out in the Ministerial Code, which states that:
"It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament... Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest".
Ministerial answers should reflect the terms of the questions asked.
As I have already indicated to the House, I have raised the answering of parliamentary questions directly with ministerial colleagues. This covered the issue of content as well as the issue of timeliness.
Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House if he will ask the Modernisation Committee to examine the degree to which the quality of replies to parliamentary questions enables Ministers to be held accountable by hon. Members. [88280]
Mr. Straw: I have no plans to do so. I understand that the Procedure Committee may be considering an inquiry into parliamentary questions later this year. The Public Administration Select Committee (and its predecessor the Public Service Committee) has conducted regular inquiries since 1995-96 into aspects of the answers to parliamentary questions.
I also refer the hon. Member to the adjournment debate on written parliamentary questions of 28 June 2006, Official Report, columns 344-60, in which the role of parliamentary questions in contributing to ministerial accountability was discussed, including the pressure being placed on the system by the quantity of questions being tabled.
Transport
A13
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for improving the A13; what improvements were made to the A13 between Basildon and Southend-on-Sea during 2005; and if he will make a statement. [87256]
Dr. Ladyman: The A13 is the responsibility of the Secretary of State only between its junctions with the A1306 and A1089. We have no plans at present for improvements to this section of road. The remainder of the A13 is the responsibility of Southend on Sea borough council and Essex county council. Improvements to these sections of the road are therefore matters for these authorities. In his announcement of 6 July about Regional Funding Allocations, the Secretary of State approved entry into the programme of a scheme promoted by Essex county council for the improvement of the junction of A13 with A130 at Sadler’s Farm.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) minor and (b) serious accidents occurred on the A13 between the A405 and the M25 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [87258]
Dr. Ladyman: I presume the hon. Member means the A406. The number of serious and slight personal injury road accidents reported to the police on the A13 between the A406 and the M25 from 1996 to 2005 is given in the table.
| Accidents occurring on A13 between A406 and M25:1996-2005 | ||
| Serious | Slight | |
A21
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on properties purchased by the Highways Agency under compulsory purchase orders along the proposed A21 upgrade route. [86739]
Dr. Ladyman: No properties on this route have been compulsory purchased.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the environmental consequences of the proposed A21 upgrade. [87925]
Dr. Ladyman: The environmental consequences of the proposed A21 upgrade schemes are being assessed in accordance with the prescribed methodology set out in Volume 11 of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with residents in East Sussex regarding the proposed A21 upgrade. [87926]
Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency has had discussions with residents in East Sussex, regarding the proposed A21 upgrade, as part of public consultation undertaken from November 2002 onwards.
Discussions will continue with individuals, representative and statutory bodies on the issues raised by the proposals.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role (a) Rother district council and (b) East Sussex county council have played in the proposed A21 upgrade. [87929]
Dr. Ladyman: Rother district council and East Sussex county council have participated in the A21 upgrade consultation processes that have taken place both prior to and following the publication of the Access to Hastings Multi Modal Study.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency has spent on consultation fees while assessing the proposed A21 upgrade. [87930]
Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency spent £8,181.44 (ex-VAT) on the A21 upgrade consultation process that took place following the Access to Hastings Multi Modal Study.
These costs were incurred between April 2002 and February 2005 prior to Preferred Route announcements for the Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst improvement and the Flimwell to Robertsbridge improvement.
Accident Statistics
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal traffic accidents there were in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87498]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians have been (a) killed and (b) injured by vehicles in each of the last 10 years. [87123]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of pedestrians killed in personal injury road accidents reported to the police for the years up to 2004 is published in Table 2 of Road Casualties Great Britain: 2004. Pedestrian fatalities for 2005 are published in Table 1 of Road Casualties Great Britain: Main Results: 2005.
The number of pedestrian injured in personal injury road accidents reported to the police over the last10 years up to 2004 can be obtained from the in Table 5c of Road Casualties Great Britain: 2004 and Road Casualties Great Britain: 2002. The number of pedestrians injured in 2005 can be obtained from Table 1 of Road Casualties Great Britain: Main Results: 2005.
Copies of these publications are in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred on or near pedestrian crossings in each year since 1997; and how many of these accidents involved the (a) death and (b) injury of pedestrians. [87124]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accident reported to the police that occurred on or within 50 m of a pedestrian crossing facility, and those that involved a pedestrian death or injury are given in the table.
| Accidents on or within 50 m of a pedestrian crossing facility: 1997-2005 | |||
| All accidents | Accidents involving pedestrian death | Accidents involving pedestrian injury | |
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hit-and-run incidents there have been in each London borough in each of the last five years. [86772]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police which involved one or more hit and run drivers or riders for the years 2001-05, in each London borough is given in the table.
| Number of personal injury accidents involving one or more hit and run drivers/riders by London borough: 2001-05 | |||||
| Number of accidents | |||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Source: Transport for London | |||||
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents there were involving (a) pedestrians, (b) buses, (c) trams and (d) cyclists in London in each year since 1997. [87499]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury accidents reported to the police involving (a) pedestrian casualties, (b) buses, (c) trams and (d) cyclists in London in each year since 1997 are given in the following table.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sleep-related traffic accidents occurred on motorways in each of the past three years; how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries were incurred; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of such accidents. [87584]
Dr. Ladyman: I refer to my answers to thehon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 153W and to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 740W.
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