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25 Jan 2008 : Column 2324W—continued
Railways: North West Region
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions her Department has had with Blackburn and Darwen borough council on a funding bid to upgrade the rail track and service between Blackburn, Darwen and Manchester Victoria. [180503]
Mr. Tom Harris: Officials from the Department, along with Network Rail, met officers from Blackburn and Darwen borough council in November 2007 to discuss improvements to the railway line between Blackburn and Bolton that would be necessary to deliver the council’s aspiration for half hourly off-peak services between Blackburn, Darwen and Manchester Victoria. A funding bid has not been received from the council for this scheme.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains operate between Preston and Manchester via Chorley on a daily basis. [181795]
Mr. Tom Harris: 97 passenger trains operate between Preston and Manchester via (and calling at) Chorley, Monday to Friday.
Railways: Overcrowding
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the levels of overcrowding on trains running between Preston and Manchester at peak times; and if she will make a statement. [181453]
Mr. Tom Harris: There are no specific requirements regarding levels of crowding on this route. The Department’s general requirements for crowding are that passengers should not be expected to stand for more than 20 minutes.
The rail White Paper was published in July 2007. It sets out the resources we intend to make available to the rail industry and the increases in capacity, as well as safety and performance, that we expect the industry to deliver in return.
Railways: Prices
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, what measure of inflation is used by her Department in determining rail price increases under the terms of the South Eastern Franchise Agreement for 2008. [181858]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 24 January 2008]: The measure of inflation used for Southeastern’s January 2008 regulated fares was the July 2007 retail prices index figure—3.8 per cent.
Southeastern may price unregulated fares at its discretion.
Road Traffic
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average delay was on England’s motorways and trunk roads, expressed in minutes per 10 miles, in respect of (a) all journeys and (b) the slowest 10 per cent. of journeys in each year since 1997. [180959]
Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 22 January 2008]: The average delay on England’s motorways and trunk roads, expressed in minutes per 10 miles in respect of all journeys and the worst 10 per cent. of journeys in each year since 2004-05 is shown in the following table. The earliest available data are for the period August 2004 to July 2005 and the latest for November 2006 to October 2007. Data before 2004-05 are not held centrally on this basis.
| Average delay on England’s motorways and trunk roads for all journeys and worst 10 per cent. respectively, for each year since 2004-05 (minutes per 10 miles) | ||
| Average delay (minutes per 10 miles) | ||
| All journeys | Worst 10 per cent. | |
| Source: Information derived from the Highways Agency Traffic Information Systems database | ||
These figures represent average daytime delays (6 am to 8 pm) on the 91 routes currently used for monitoring performance on the strategic road network.
Delay is the difference between observed journey time and a reference journey time (the time that could theoretically be achieved when the traffic is free flowing).
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the appeal process is in the event of a disagreement in the application of a traffic regulation order. [180765]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Where traffic regulation orders are subject to civil enforcement by local authorities, a motorist wishing to dispute a penalty charge notice may make formal representations to the relevant local authority. If these are rejected, the motorist may appeal to the independent parking adjudicator. The grounds on which a formal representation and any subsequent appeal can be made include that the “alleged contravention did not occur”. This might be the case if there was a dispute as to whether the traffic regulation order applied to the conduct complained of (for example if there was a question as to when parking restrictions applied under the order).
Where civil enforcement has not been introduced, issues as to the application of a traffic regulation order would need to be raised in the first instance before the magistrates court.
Roads: Accidents
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents on roads in England involved drivers who were aged 17 in 2007. [180663]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available. Statistics on reported personal injury road accidents in 2007 are due to be published in June 2008.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of (a) drivers and (b) vehicle passengers who were (i) killed and (ii) seriously injured on roads were not wearing seat belts in 2007. [180665]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available. Research reported in the published “Second Review of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy” and “Road Safety Research Report No. 76: Trends in Fatal Car-occupant Accidents” both published on 26 February 2007, estimates that about a third of fatally injured car occupants were not wearing their seatbelts. For 2005 figures, it represents about 565 people, and it is estimated that about 370 people might have survived if they had been properly restrained. These reports are available at the following links and have also been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/strategytargets performance/2ndreview/
A research report giving further details on seat belt wearing has also been published by TRL limited.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) road traffic accidents, (b) road traffic fatalities, (c) accidents involving motorcyclists, (d) fatalities involving motorcyclists, (e) accidents involving bicyclists and (f) fatalities involving bicyclists there were in each county in the UK for each year since 1997. [180961]
Jim Fitzpatrick
[holding answer 22 January 2008]: Tables showing the number of (a) reported personal injury road accidents, (b) fatalities, (c) reported personal
injury road accidents involving at least one motorcycle, (d) motorcycle fatalities, (e) reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one pedal cycle and (f) pedal cycle fatalities in each county in GB for 1997 to 2006 have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures her Department uses to collect statistics on the number of road traffic accidents, with particular reference to accidents in Devon. [182118]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The national collision statistical reporting form (commonly known as STATS19) is used to collect standard information, when a personal injury road accident is reported to the police. The information is collected by the police at the scene of the accident or, in a minority of cases, it is reported by a member of the public at a police station. Some 50 data items are collected for each accident, including the time, location and circumstances of the accident, the vehicles involved and some information on each casualty. After processing this information is forwarded by each police force (via local processing authorities in the case of some forces) to the Department electronically and entered into a database. The data are checked, analysed and detailed results published annually in “Road Casualties Great Britain”.
Personal injury road accident data in Devon are collected on behalf of the Department by Devon and Cornwall constabulary. Accident and casualty totals for the year are agreed with Devon county council at the year end.
Roads: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects work to commence on the junction from the A12 Colchester Northern by-pass to the Northern Approach Road near the Colchester Community Stadium. [180903]
Mr. Tom Harris: Delivery of the junction is tied to planning consent and is a matter for developers to take forward in line with plans for delivery of proposed housing, employment and leisure facilities in North Colchester. Both English Partnerships and the Highways Agency are working to help bring forward time scales for delivery. In view of this, start date is not currently available, although it is anticipated that work could start during 2009, subject to the completion of statutory procedures.
Roads: Tolls
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the national roll-out of road pricing. [181975]
Ms Rosie Winterton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State speaks regularly to both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor about transport issues across the range of her responsibilities.
We continue to take forward work on road pricing, notably supporting local authorities in the development of local pricing schemes, and working with industry to explore how more advanced technologies might support schemes on a wider scale in due course. No decisions have been taken on national road pricing.
South West Trains
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors underlay her decision to allow South West Trains to close their existing travel centres and not require them to be retained for railway purposes; and if she will make a statement. [181093]
Mr. Tom Harris: The South West Trains franchise agreement does not require the provision of Travel Centres at its stations, nor does the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) which governs station ticket offices.
However, the change of use of part of a station or facility at that station, such as a Travel Centre, to another use which is non rail related is governed by the Network Modifications (Closures) regime contained in the Railways Act 2005 (“the Act”). Should South West Trains propose to change the use of Travel Centres with a non rail facility, their proposals will be dealt with under the provisions of the Act.
Virgin Rail: Rolling Stock
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made in discussions between her Department and Virgin Trains on the elongation of Pendolino trains from nine to 11 cars. [181442]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Department received in 2007 an unsolicited proposal from Virgin Trains to extend their franchise for two years (2012-14), which included a plan to lengthen Pendolino trains, which was analysed in considerable detail. The Department concluded that this proposal provided significantly less value for money compared with the likely outcome of the refranchising exercise scheduled for completion in 2012. The Department is preparing its own proposals to introduce extra capacity on the west coast main line.
Communities and Local Government
Allotments: Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of whether Chorley borough council makes adequate provision for allotments. [181705]
Mr. Iain Wright: The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. The Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 places a duty on local authorities to provide allotments where they perceive demand for them in their area.
Written representations may be made to the local authority on the need for allotments by any six resident registered electors or persons liable to pay council tax, and the local authority must take those representations into account (section 23(2) of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908). The council must assess whether there is a demand for allotments in their area. If the council then decides that there is a demand for them, they have a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of plots. In terms of the duty to provide under section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 there is no time limit for provision once it has been established that there is a demand.
The local government White Paper provides new opportunities for citizens to hold their local providers to account for quality of services and facilities.
Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation) requires local authorities to assess the needs of their communities for a range of open spaces, and to address any identified deficiencies in provision. This is consistent with our wider policy to give local authorities flexibilities and freedoms to determine what is most appropriate for their local area.
To further support local authorities, we are currently revising the good practice guide for the management of allotments in conjunction with the Local Government Association.
Community Development: Finance
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's planned expenditure on business support, promotion of enterprise and economic development is from 2007-08 to 2010-11; and which elements of this expenditure are planned to be funded through the regional development agencies' single pot. [179275]
John Healey: Communities and Local Government will provide £l,586 million in 2007-08, £l,548 million in 2008-09, £1,510 million in 2009-10 and £1,474 million in 2010-11 to the regional development agencies' single budget. The RDA single budget is intended to deliver a range of statutory objectives including regeneration, business support, employment, skills and sustainable development. The RDAs’ detailed proposals for business support covering the next three years will be set out in their corporate plans which will be published in the spring.
Communities and Local Government does not hold separate expenditure data for the range of the Department's planned spending on business support or promotion of enterprise and economic development, although the Department's funding is expected to contribute significantly to these areas, including through the RDAs.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions since her appointment as Secretary of State she has travelled outside the United Kingdom on official business; for what purposes; and at what cost. [182565]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 15 October 2007, Official Report, column 844W.
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