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22 Jan 2008 : Column 1815W—continued
Transport
Shrewsbury to London Rail Service
10. Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to attend the inauguration of the direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London; and if she will make a statement. [180544]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Department has not been notified of a planned date for the start of the service. But I expect it to bring major benefits to passengers from Wrexham and Shropshire and look forward to its inauguration.
Smartcards
11. Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities she expects to introduce smartcards for the National Bus Concessionary Fares scheme by 1 April 2008. [180545]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We expect all travel concession authorities to introduce smartcards for the new concession. We have provided authorities with around £31 million for the introduction of these cards.
Air Travel
12. Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research her Department has commissioned and evaluated on travel to and from airports by air travel passengers. [180546]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport uses data from surveys including the DfT public experiences of and attitudes to air travel survey and the Civil Aviation Authority's passenger surveys. The Future of Air Transport White Paper and the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow were supported by modelling of passengers' choice of surface access mode to airports. The Department recently published an analysis of end-to-end journeys, with a focus on Heathrow.
Rail Overcrowding
13. Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to tackle rail overcrowding on routes other than the west coast main line. [180547]
Mr. Tom Harris: The July 2007 rail White Paper committed the Government to spend £15 billion on their railway between 2009 and 2014. £10 billion of that is specifically devoted to measures to increase capacity. These include 1,300 extra carriages, £5.5 billion for Thameslink and £600 million for improvements at Birmingham New Street and Reading. We have also recently announced a funding package for Crossrail.
Air Transport Auxiliary
14. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals for an award marking the service given in the second world war by the pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary. [180548]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I regret to inform my hon. Friend that we have no present plans to do so. But he is welcome to write to me with details.
Metronet
15. Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she had on Metronet since it entered into administration; and what her latest estimate is of the costs to the public purse resulting from its entering into administration. [180549]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Mayor of London and Transport for London have provided regular updates on progress since Metronet entered administration.
The Spending Review settlement reached with TfL makes provision for costs arising from Metronet's administration.
The extent to which Metronet's delivery had slipped behind their spending, and therefore the scale of any long-term costs, will become clear only when London Underground have been able to review Metronet's detailed accounts, if they take control of the Metronet assets from administration.
Rail Staff
16. John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she had with railway companies and railway trades unions on assaults on railway staff. [R] [180550]
Mr. Tom Harris: The rail industry is undertaking a range of initiatives to help reduce the number of staff assaults and has set up a Rail Personal Security Group to address this. The British Transport police has made staff assaults a priority in its policing plan for the last three years.
Aircraft Noise
17. Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the impact of aircraft noise on quality of life; and what steps airports are taking to reduce such noise. [180551]
Jim Fitzpatrick: “The Future of Air Transport” White Paper provided a clear approach to the local environmental challenges of airport operation, in terms of noise and the impact on the area in which airports operate. In particular it set out our key aim to limit and where possible reduce the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise.
In addition to measures taken by airport operators, the Government have acted to strengthen airport operators’ powers to control noise at airports; implemented a new night noise regime for London airports that caps flight numbers at current levels and provide incentives for introducing quieter aircraft and continued to undertake appropriate research into aircraft noise.
Bus Accessibility
18. Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to improve the accessibility of buses to elderly people with mobility difficulties. [180552]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2000, the Government introduced the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations requiring all new and existing buses and coaches, with a carrying capacity of more than 22 passengers and used on local or scheduled services, to be accessible to the widest possible range of disabled people.
In addition, regulations were introduced in 2002 and 2006, which placed certain duties on bus and coach operators and staff with respect to disabled people.
We have also announced that free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England for people aged 60 and over and disabled people resident in England would be in place from April 2008.
Concessionary Travel
19. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government have to extend concessionary travel to forms of public transport other than buses. [180553]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We expect all travel concession authorities to introduce smartcards for the new concession. We have provided authorities with around £31 million for the introduction of these cards.
21. Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formula she has used in determining full funding for the concessionary bus fare scheme for pensioners when it is implemented nationally. [180555]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The chosen formula, following the Department's consultation last November, is based on data on eligible population, bus patronage, overnight visitors and retail floor space. Of the four options presented in the consultation, there was a clear preference for Option 4. Our proposed distribution amends this slightly to take account of the responses.
24. Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings she has had with bus user groups to discuss the forthcoming free off-peak national scheme for concessionary bus fares. [180558]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have undertaken meetings with stakeholder groups, including bus users, both at regional and national level. These discussions covered a range of issues, including the new national bus concession.
West Coast Main Line
20. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of recent service reliability on the west coast main line. [180554]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Department monitors the performance of all passenger train operators. In the year to 5 January 2008 West Coast trains achieved an average punctuality of 85.9 per cent.
Vehicle Size
22. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to report on the study her Department commissioned on longer and heavier vehicles in 2005. [180556]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The study was actually commissioned in October 2006 and the full report should be published by the end of February. At present, we do not intend to publish a response, but following speculation in the media about the Government allowing trials of “super” lorries, the Secretary of State has previously made clear that we are sceptical of these vehicles and have no plans to permit them in the UK.
Buses: Stockton
23. Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken by her Department to improve bus transport in Stockton. [180557]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Through the Local Transport Bill, we will give local authorities increased flexibility and powers to work with bus operators to improve local bus services.
Railways
25. Mr. McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to maintain levels of railway use. [180559]
Mr. Tom Harris:
Rail use has grown consistently in recent years. We expect that trend to continue. The rail White Paper incorporates our best estimate of future
demand and an undertaking to spend £10 billion between 2009 and 2014 on capacity improvements to cater for it.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the provision of rail services on 26 December 2008. [179509]
Mr. Tom Harris: Boxing day service provision is a matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network, and the passenger train operators.
Bicycles: Children
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in her Department's investigation into the wearing of cycle helmets by children. [180934]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is developing a new research project looking at a range of road safety and cycling issues. This will examine the following topics:
Road user safety and cycling data;
Cycling infrastructure;
Attitudes and behaviours; and
Bicycle helmets.
A draft specification has been prepared and we are discussing this with stakeholders. A meeting was held with cycling groups on 14 December, and a meeting with others including the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust is scheduled for 25 January. Once these meetings are completed, the Department intends to commission the research.
The Department also intends to publish the 2006 cycle helmet wearing survey shortly.
David Abrahams
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations (a) her Department and (b) the Highways Agency have received from (i) representatives of Durham Green Developments Limited and (ii) Mr. David Abrahams on Durham Green Business Park in the last 36 months. [170733]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 3 December 2007]: The information is as follows:
(a) The central Department has received no such representations.
(b) During the period August 2005 to October 2006 there were over 200 e-mail exchanges and four letters between the Highways Agency and its consultants, and the developer's consultants in relation to the Durham Green Business Park proposal. The Highways Agency and its consultants also attended three meetings with the developer's consultants; two of these were attended by David Martin (also known as David Abrahams). All these related to the potential traffic impact of the proposed development on the road network and mitigation measures required.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library a copy of all correspondence and documentation relating to the Durham Green Business Park planning application and development held by (a) her Department and (b) the Highways Agency. [171024]
Mr. Tom Harris: The central Department has not been party to any correspondence regarding the Durham Green Business Park planning application and does not hold any documentation relating to the application.
All correspondence and documentation relating to the Durham Green Business Park planning application held by the Highways Agency will be placed in the House of Commons Library as soon as it can be assembled. All correspondence and documentation related to the potential traffic impact of the proposed development on the road network and the mitigation measures required.
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances have been recorded in her Department of former employees accessing important and sensitive data after terminating their employment with the Department. [176933]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department, including its Agencies, is not aware of any instances where former employees have accessed sensitive data after the termination of their employment.
Level Crossings: Hampshire
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatalities and (b) injuries have resulted from accidents at each level crossing in Hampshire since 2002. [179736]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has provided the overall number of fatalities and injuries at level crossings in Hampshire since 2002 in the following table. Data for 2007 are not yet available.
| Fatalities and injuries at level crossings in Hampshire, 2002-06 | |||
| Fatalities | Injuries | Total | |
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