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23 Oct 2007 : Column 229W—continued
Aviation: Security
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements she has put in place to ensure that medication taken into an aircraft cabin is required by the passenger. [159470]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no restrictions on non-liquid medicines. Passengers may take essential liquid medicine in cabin baggage if prior agreement has been obtained from the airline and the airport to carry the medication, and the passenger provides supporting documentation from a relevant qualified medical professional.
Departments: Correspondence
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department follows on the maximum time taken to respond to hon. Members’ correspondence; and what performance against that target was in the most recent period for which figures are available. [158584]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 22 October 2007, Official Report, column 45W.
First Group
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she last met representatives of First Group; and what the subject was of their discussions. [159760]
Mr. Tom Harris: The last meeting that my right hon. Friend had with representatives of First Group was on 19 July 2007. This was an introductory meeting with the Association of Train Operating Companies. At the meeting the rail White Paper was discussed.
I met a representative of First Great Western today to discuss rail services.
Heathrow Airport
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much her Department has spent on the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow process in each year since 2004; and if she will make a statement; [160393]
(2) which other organisations also provided funding in relation to work carried out as part of the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow; how much was provided in each case; and if she will make a statement. [160400]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Expenditure to date by the Department has amounted to roundly:
| £000 | |
These figures include the costs of consultancy work but do not include departmental staffing costs.
The Department does not hold information on costs incurred by other parties, the great majority of which will have fallen to BAA.
Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to apply for a temporary derogation in relation to nitrogen dioxide air pollution around Heathrow airport; and if she will make a statement. [160387]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The possible need for such a derogation in the context of Heathrow airport will depend on the outcome of our forthcoming consultation on the future development of the airport, and on progress with the draft proposal currently before the European Parliament for a new directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.
Lorries: M18
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will ban heavy goods vehicles from using the third lane of the M18 motorway north of junction 6 in both directions whilst the current roadworks are taking place and the inside lane is not in use. [159658]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Highways Agency has no plans to ban heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from using the third lane of the M18 motorway north of Junction 6 in both directions while the current road works are taking place. There is a 50 mph limit throughout the works and therefore HGVs should not cause a delay to other vehicles.
Motor Vehicles: Registration
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the compliance rate of the drivers of foreign registered passenger vehicles with civil and criminal legislation and regulation in England and Wales. [160107]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency’s effectiveness report records compliance rates for foreign registered passenger vehicles stopped by VOSA. No specific research has been commissioned in this area.
The effectiveness report can be found on
Navigation: River Thames
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with Trinity House on the working hours regulation of pilots on the Thames. [158485]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 22 October 2007]: None.
Public Transport: West Midlands
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to improve the availability of public transport in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry. [159810]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have invested in long-term public transport improvements in the West Midlands, including Coventry. Funding provided to local authorities in the West Midlands region for local highways and public transport capital projects has increased from £35 million in 2000-01 to £79 million in 2007-08.
West Midlands has also benefited from significant investment in major bus schemes, with £45 million committed since 2001 to schemes that are realising major improvements in bus services. These include the Outer Circle Bus Showcase scheme in Birmingham and the Coventry Bus Network Primelines schemes. Additionally, the Government provided £4.1 million of funding for a new public transport interchange at Coleshill Parkway, which opened in August 2007.
With regard to rail, Coventry and West Midlands has benefited from the £7.6 billion investment in the West Coast Main Line upgrade. Journey times from Birmingham to London have been reduced and by the end of 2008 the number of services on this line will increase to three trains per hour. Opportunities are also being taken to improve services as part of the new West Midlands franchise. London Midland will run additional train services from December 2008 between Birmingham and Northampton and between Birmingham and Liverpool.
The Government’s Rail White Paper sets aside £128 million for improvements to Birmingham New Street to increase passenger capacity at the station. The White Paper also sets out plans for increasing capacity by 26 per cent. between 2007 and 2014 on Birmingham services in peak periods through lengthening trains and extending platforms.
Railway Network
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will establish a dedicated unit within her Department to work with organisations working to re-open dismantled railways. [159767]
Mr. Tom Harris: We have no plans to do so. Regional and local authorities are best placed to judge the contribution that a re-opened station or line would make to transport provision in their areas. We therefore look to them to develop a business case and take forward proposals of this sort. The Department is always willing to talk to scheme promoters on this basis.
Railways: Fares
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the train operating companies and others on ways to simplify and give greater coherence to rail fares. [159990]
Mr. Tom Harris: Officials from the Department for Transport have been having discussions on behalf of my right hon. Friend with the Association of Train Operating Companies. The simplified fares structure which we are proposing is described in paragraphs 10.22-10.30 of the White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, published in July. I expect the proposals to be implemented by all operators in the course of 2008, reducing the number of ticket types in use across the network and making it easier for passengers to know they have the right ticket for their journey at the best possible price.
Railways: Finance
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the £15 billion for rail infrastructure which she announced recently will be set aside for (a) new stations and (b) loops to permit slow trains on high speed train lines. [159092]
Mr. Tom Harris: The rail White Paper published in July set out the Government’s objectives for the railways and committed £15 billion in overall Government support for the railway between 2009 and 2014 in order to achieve them. It is now for the industry to determine how the money available should best be allocated in order to meet those objectives. It is therefore not possible at this stage to say which schemes might receive funding.
Railways: Shropshire
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the ratio of capacity to passenger numbers on Arriva Trains serving Shropshire in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [159281]
Mr. Tom Harris: The following table sets out the average weekday loadings as of spring 2007 for Arriva Trains Wales services departing from Shrewsbury and Telford:
| Number of services | Number of passengers | Number of seats | Average load factor (percentage) | Highest load factor (percentage) | |
The Load Factor (LF) set out in this table is based on the utilisation of seats provided (i.e. load factors of greater than 100 per cent. mean passengers will be standing.
Road Traffic: A14
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent traffic flow data are for each section of the A14. [159210]
Mr. Tom Harris:
The road can be considered in three lengths; from the M1/M6 motorway interchange to A1
west of Huntingdon, A1 Huntingdon to A11 east of Cambridge, and A11 to Felixstowe.
The latest obtainable figures of traffic flow data are for the year to August 2007. The tables show annual average weekday traffic flows, which is defined as the average of flows for all weekdays (Monday to Friday) within the year.
The tables show for each of these three lengths of the A14: the three busiest links between junctions on each length, the annual average weekday traffic flows for each length, and the highest daily traffic flow over the last quarter for each length. Both directional flows of traffic, eastbound and westbound, are shown.
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