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16 Oct 2006 : Column 923W—continued
Railways
Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers travelled on the west coast main line in each of the last five years; and what the total number of passenger miles travelled was in that period. [93591]
Mr. Tom Harris: Statistics on passenger rail journeys are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. The 2005-06 yearbook edition covers passenger journeys on each train operator, including Virgin West Coast, but figures are not available for the whole of the west coast main line.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total amount of freight was moved by rail in each of the last 20 years. [93657]
Mr. Tom Harris: Statistics relating to the amount of rail freight moved in the years from 1986 to 2004 are published in the Transport Statistics Great Britain document which is available on the Department for Transport’s website (www.dft.gov.uk). The equivalent information for 2005 is available in the rail trends document that the Office of Rail Regulation publishes on its website: www.rail-reg.gov.uk. Copies of both documents are held in the House Library.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of rail track have been replaced in each of the last 20 years. [93659]
Mr. Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Gentleman should contact Network Rail’s chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.
John Armitt
Chief Executive
Network Rail
40 Melton Street
London NW1 2EE
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total (a) private and (b) Government expenditure has been made on rail services in each of the last 20 years. [93667]
Mr. Tom Harris: Details of historic Government and private expenditure on rail are contained in National Rail Trends (NRT) copies of which are in the Library of the House. NRT is also available on the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.129
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger rail journeys were made in each of the last 30 years. [93676]
Mr. Tom Harris: Statistics on passenger rail journeys are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. Longer time series are available in the Department’s publication Transport Statistics Great Britain. Both publications are available in the House Library.
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Government spending on British Rail was in the last full year before privatisation; and what the most recent full year's subsidy was of (a) the privatised rail companies and (b) Network Rail or its predecessor. [93681]
Mr. Tom Harris: Details of historical Government expenditure on rail are contained in National Rail Trends (NRT) copies of which are in the Library of the House. NRT is also available on the Office of Rail Regulation's website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.129
Road Building
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what length of roads has been built in each year since 1979. [94276]
Dr. Ladyman: The Secretary of State has responsibility for motorways and trunk roads in England only. I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2321W and 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1263-66W, for the information between 1997 and 2005. The total length of schemes completed on the trunk road network in England between 19 December 2005 and 12 October 2006 was 29.6 miles.
Information for other roads is not available, except at a disproportionate cost.
Road Noise
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government have taken to ensure the rural proofing of the policy on reducing noise problems from the trunk road network; and if he will make a statement. [93320]
Dr. Ladyman: No action has been taken on “rural proofing” the policy on reducing noise problems from the strategic road network. Where severe noise problems have been identified at locations alongside the existing network, resources have been targeted at addressing those locations where the noise levels are greatest and where greatest number of people would benefit from measures taken.
Safety Camera Partnerships
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many safety camera partnerships hold pre-driver education programmes; what the cost is of these programmes in each case; and what the names of the partnerships are. [92918]
Dr. Ladyman: Safety camera partnerships, as part of their annual operational case, inform the Department of plans they have for communications, which includes, education, training and publicity. Three safety camera partnerships are involved in pre-driver programmes, which are compliant with the netting off rules and guidance. These are:
| £ | |
Many if not all safety camera partnerships are involved in pre-driver training/education in an ad hoc way working with their partners, such as road safety officers within local authorities and the police as part of their communications strategy. The Department does not hold detailed information on this.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what legal authority and for what reason safety camera partnerships hold pre-driver education programmes; what legal remit they have to undertake such work; and from which part of his Department funding for the programmes came. [92919]
Dr. Ladyman: Safety camera partnerships are not a legal entity, but complement existing local authority and police statutory responsibilities and powers in respect of road safety. Communications activity is an important part of the safety camera programme and in order to help bring about a change in driver behaviour, Partnerships are encouraged to work with local agencies involved in road safety and to support wider road safety activities including driver education programmes. However, under the netting-off funding arrangements the Handbook of Rules and Guidance for the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales for 2006-07 permits only those costs directly linked to speed, red light running and/or safety camera enforcement to be reclaimed.
Speed Limits
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responses he has received from the police to the Setting Local Speed Limits circular published in August 2006; and if he will make a statement. [93963]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department has received no response from the police to its new guidance on setting local speed limits.
As explained in the Department's decision letter following public consultation, published in conjunction with the guidance, the Association of Chief Police Officers was represented on a stakeholder group which assisted the Department in compiling the new guidance. A summary of the police responses to the public consultation draft of the guidance is provided in section 8 of the Department’s decision letter.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to make changes to the national speed limit, with particular reference to newly qualified drivers. [93683]
Dr. Ladyman: There are no plans to make changes to the national speed limit, nor are there plans for newly qualified drivers to be subject to maximum speeds below the national speed limits.
Sussex Coastal Services
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opportunity for journey time reductions for Sussex Coastal Services he assesses that the Brighton mainline utilisation strategy may afford. [93787]
Mr. Tom Harris: The DfT published a consultation document on 29 September 2006 which set out four options for implementation of the Brighton main line route utilisation strategy [RUS]. The principal focus of the RUS is on delivery of increased capacity to relieve crowding on peak London commuting services and improved operational performance. However, all the options are also expected to deliver an improvement in journey times between Sussex coast stations and London termini due to the provision of separate services to and from the east and west coastway routes in place of the present combined services. Elimination of the time penalty when trains split or join at Haywards Heath is expected to reduce the overall journey time of these trains by between three and seven minutes, though this is subject to confirmation as the details of the new timetable are developed.
Untaxed Vehicles
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to improve the detection rate of vehicles using British roads without a valid tax disc; and if he will make a statement. [93464]
Dr. Ladyman:
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) operate a fleet of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras which are an integral part of the agency’s commitment to the reduction of vehicle excise duty (VED) evasion. These mobile systems can be used night or day to target potential unlicensed evaders. They are used in conjunction in combined operations with the police, and other agencies. Such operations can also contribute to road safety as many unlicensed vehicles
have mechanical defects, which are identified, and the appropriate action taken against the driver.
The DVLA ANPR units also operate independently throughout the country and will continue to be used as a high visibility deterrent against unlicensed offenders for the foreseeable future.
In addition and of increasing benefit is the initiative to enforce VED collection through a data match of vehicles on our record with the record of VED paid. This “enforcement from the record” is backed up by penalty notices and wheel clamping and has made a significant contribution to our success in reducing evasion of VED to 3.6 per cent. by 2005.
The DVLA also undertake with their partners NCR wide ranging wheelclamping operations targeting unlicensed vehicles. DVLA have enforcement field officers based around the country who also target unlicensed vehicles.
Vehicle Insurance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2006, Official Report, column 2524W, on vehicle insurance, if he will take steps to collect information on uninsured vehicles on a regional basis. [93552]
Dr. Ladyman: The Motor Insurers Bureau collects detailed information on uninsured drivers on a regional basis and this is made available to us and to the police whenever required.
Deputy Prime Minister
Key Workers
Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) officials and (b) others working for him have key-worker status; and what percentage this represents in each category. [93820]
The Deputy Prime Minister: None.
Education and Skills
Capital Funding
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much capital funding has been allocated to (a) Hull local education authority and (b) East Riding of Yorkshire local education authority in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [91880]
(2) which schools in (a) Hull local education authority and (b) East Riding of Yorkshire local education authority have received funding for capital projects in each year since 1997; how much was allocated, and for what purpose, in each case; and if he will make a statement. [91881]
Jim Knight:
This information is not held centrally in the form requested. Much of the Department’s capital resources have been allocated to schools and local
authorities by needs related formulae, so that investment decisions could be taken locally in accordance with locally prepared asset management plans. Capital allocations since 1997 for these local authorities and their schools are set out as follows:
| £ million | ||
| Kingston-upon-Hull( 1) | East Riding of Yorkshire( 1) | |
| (1) Annual fluctuations are largely due to some programmes, such as the Private Finance Initiative and the Targeted Capital Fund, recording the value of projects in the year the project began, while actual payments are phased over a longer period. (2) Includes PFI project of £3.9 million in 1997-98. (3) Includes PFI project of £26 million in 1999-2000. | ||
In addition to the above investment, Kingston-upon-Hull local authority joined the Building Schools for the Future programme in wave two. East Riding of Yorkshire is currently due to join the programme in one of the waves seven, eight or nine. Building Schools for the Future aims to renew or remodel all secondary school provision over the lifetime of the programme. The programme is expected to have 15 waves, with wave one starting in 2005-06.
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