| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Feb 2008 : Column 148W—continued
Freight: Roads
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government have taken to assist the British haulage industry since 1997. [185629]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The most significant actions that the Government have taken have been announced in Budget and pre-Budget reports (PBRs), and the highlights of these are the focus of this response.
The Government announced in 1999 their intention to engage more fully with hauliers when they announced the creation of the Road Haulage Forum. This forum offered the industry, through representative organisations such as the Freight Transport Association (FTA), Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), the opportunity to meet Ministers regularly to explore any industry problems and discuss possible solutions.
The setting up of the forum was followed by the PBR 2000 announcement of the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund, which offered £100 million to the UK trucking industry. The modernisation fund was part of a package including a £220 million VED rebate and a freeze on fuel duties.
PBR 2005 saw the creation of the Haulage Industry Task Group (HITG). The group's aim was to develop a stronger evidence base to inform the Government's future policy decisions. The RHA and FTA were represented on this group, and the HITG reported its findings at PBR 2006. PBR 2005 also saw the Government announce £2 million for new enforcement equipment for VOSA.
PBR 2006 announced that the Government would undertake a feasibility study of options for better enforcement against foreign hauliers including a time-based charging system for use of UK roads (a vignette). A progress report was published last November.
Following last year's Budget announcement that there had been a significant increase in targeted checks by VOSA of vehicles on international journeys, PBR 2007 announced that an extra £2 million a year would be dedicated to the Government's ongoing drive to enforce road safety law for hauliers, with the focus particularly on those undertaking international journeys.
The Department also operates a Freight Best Practice programme which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the freight industry through improved operational efficiency. The industry benefit over the last two years has shown savings of £83 million. The free advice that the programme offers is available at www.freightbestpractice.org.uk, and further information on other actions the Government have taken to assist hauliers is available at
Galileo
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account was taken of the Transport Committee's recommendations (First Report, Session 2007-08, HC 53) on the Galileo project in the Government's subsequent position in European Union decisions on Galileo; whether any changes were made to the Government's position as a result of the Committee's report; how much the UK is committed to contribute to this project; and what discussions she has had with the Chairman of the Select Committee on this matter. [178810]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government welcomed the report of the Transport Committee, which agreed with much of our analysis on both the significant potential benefits of the programme and the questions giving cause for concern.
The Government's negotiating position at ECOFIN and the Transport councils was endorsed by Parliament following a debate in European Standing Committee on 26 November 2007. We worked with other member states to meet our concerns, and successfully reached agreement on the need for robust control of costs, clear and transparent governance, and maximum competition in procurement.
The UK has directly committed funds of €142 million as an ESA member state for the ESA element of the design and development phase of the programme. As EU member states contribute to the EC budget as a whole, rather than to individual spending programmes within it, there is no specific UK contribution to the EC budget-funded element of the development and subsequent deployment costs for Galileo.
There have been no specific discussions between departmental Ministers and the Chairman of the committee on Galileo since publication of the report, but the subject was raised at the Transport Committee hearing on 30 January 2008.
Heathrow Airport
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in relation to the “Adding capacity at Heathrow airport” public consultation document what is (a) the current proportion of twin-engined aircraft to four-engined aircraft using Heathrow airport and (b) the assumed proportion of twin-engined aircraft to four-engined aircraft used in projecting future noise and environmental modelling contained in the consultation document; and if she will make a statement. [182435]
Jim Fitzpatrick
[holding answer 25 January 2008]: Four-engined aircraft are estimated to account for some 15 per cent. of the fleet at Heathrow in 2005. The noise and environmental modelling reported in the Heathrow consultation documents assume an increase in the proportion of twin-engined aircraft over time, with the proportion of four-engined aircraft declining to around 12 per cent. in a mixed-mode scenario (2015) and 6 per cent. in a third runway scenario (2020). These forecasts are informed by current, known airline fleet replacement plans and discussions with airlines on likely future trends. More detail on the fleet
composition is set out in the two supporting technical reports, ERCD Report 0705 on noise exposure estimates and AEA report on emission summaries, both available on the DFT website:
Heathrow Airport: Safety
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the number of missed approaches made by planes landing at Heathrow in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement. [182434]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 25 January 2008]: This is an operational matter for NATS, the air navigation services provider at Heathrow airport. I suggest the hon. Member directs her inquiries to the chief executive of NATS.
Intimidation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of bullying were reported in (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last 12 months. [182845]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A total of 38 formal cases of bullying were reported in the Department for Transport and its agencies between January 2007 and December 2007.
Lorries
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when the study commissioned by her Department in December 2005 of longer heavier vehicles will report; and whether the full report will be published; [180127]
(2) what consultants have been employed by her Department in relation to the study commissioned in December 2005 of longer heavier vehicles. [180128]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The study was commissioned in October 2006 following a decision in December 2005 by the then Minister of State, Department for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman), to refuse applications from two hauliers each wishing to trial a goods vehicle longer and heavier than those currently permitted. This updates information provided in my answer of 17 December 2007, Official Report,
A freight transport consultant from Faber Maunsell was appointed to manage the study, with the research work being undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Heriot-Watt university. The full report should be published by the end of February.
Lorries: Environment
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact of allowing trucks of over 60 tonnes on the roads; and if she will make a statement. [178650]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 5 February 2008]: The environmental impact of such vehicles is currently being assessed in a study, the report of which should be published in full shortly.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Emergency Calls
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many 999 calls the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has answered in each of the last five years. [183341]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has collected statistics about the total number of reported incidents to coastguard rescue co-ordination centres for many years, but more precise information on the number of 999 calls received has only been collected reliably since April 2006. From April to December 2006 coastguard rescue co-ordination centres received 18,066 calls and in 2007 they received 21,321 calls to the end of November (the latest period for which information is available).
Maritime and Coastguard Agency: False Alarms
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hoax calls the Maritime and Coastguard Agency received in each year since 2000; and how many people were convicted for making such calls in each year. [185704]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has responded in some way to the following number of incidents, by year, which were found to be hoax.
| Number | |
| (1) Provisional figure. | |
Information on hoax calls are passed to the police and the MCA is not always aware of the outcome.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of (a) motor cars and (b) motorcycles being used on the road without the payment of vehicle excise duty in each region in each year since 2001. [181622]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Estimates of the number of unlicensed vehicles being used on the road in each region are not available.
However, the estimated rate of unlicensed vehicles seen in traffic is available for each region. These estimates represent evasion among vehicles travelling in each region, which may be different from the region in which each vehicle's keeper lives. Owing to small sample sizes estimates are not available for motorcycles,
but they are available for vehicles in the private and light goods tax class, as follows:
| Rate of unlicensed vehicles in traffic | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| Region | 2002 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
Roadside surveys were not conducted in either 2001 or 2003, and estimates are therefore unavailable for these years.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorists failed to pay vehicle excise duty in each of the last 10 years. [184957]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The estimated numbers of unlicensed vehicles in use in Great Britain are as follows.
| Thousand | |||
| Estimated number of unlicensed vehicles in use | Of which, number liable for vehicle excise duty | Of which, number exempt from vehicle excise duty | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |