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20 Feb 2008 : Column 733W—continued
Departmental Publications
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public information booklets were published by her Department in 2007; and what the (a) print run and (b) cost to the Department was in each case. [185798]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department and executive agencies produce a range of guidance that is disseminated to the general public covering advice on issues such as road safety, taxation of vehicles, learning to drive and concessionary bus fares.
Information on the print run and cost of each individual item produced in 2007 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority: Data Protection
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parking enforcement companies received personal information from the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority database after requesting a hard copy of this information in the latest 12 months for which figures are available. [185687]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database does not record parking enforcement companies as a separate category supplied with hard copy data under reasonable cause provisions. This information is not therefore available.
Driving Tests: Standards
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many times non-delegated driving examiners in the Driving Standards Agency were tested in 2007; [186688]
(2) how many delegated examiners there are working for the Driving Standards Agency; and how many delegated examiners were tested by the Driving Standards Agency in 2007; [186689]
(3) how many PSV/HGV tests were carried out by (a) delegated and (b) Driving Standards Agency examiners in 2007; and how many and what percentage of these resulted in the candidate passing in each category. [186690]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is in the following table.
| 2007 | ||
| Driving examiners employed by the Driving Standards Agency | Driving examiners employed by fire and police authorities and bus and coach operators | |
| (1) At 31 January 2008. (2) Only 209 examiners conducted a test in 2007. (3) Car, lorry, motorcycle and bus practical driving tests. Each examiner has several supervisory tests during a 12-month period. (4) More than one supervised driving test may be conducted during the visit to each driving examiner and each supervised examiner may have received visits on more than one occasion. | ||
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the arrangements for quality assurance in relation to delegated examiners and driving examiners in the Driving Standards Agency will be merged. [186691]
Jim Fitzpatrick: From 1 July 2008, all driving examiners employed by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and all driving examiners employed by fire and police authorities and bus and coach operators will be subject to a programme of a minimum six driving tests per year where the examiners performance will be observed and assessed by a more senior member of staff. There will be the provision for additional supervision where performance indicates a requirement.
Unsatisfactory performance will result in the examiner undergoing remedial training. In the case of continued unsatisfactory performance, the authority to conduct tests may be withdrawn (in line with DSA procedures).
Additionally, driving examiners, whether employed by DSA or the other organisations will receive independent quality assurance visits from members of the chief driving examiner’s team.
Freight: Industrial Health and Safety
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents resulting in fatalities caused by heavy goods vehicles carrying unstable loads of scrap metal occurred in each of the last five years. [187846]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available.
Itis Holdings
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments her Department and its agencies have made to Itis Holdings in the last 36 months. [184648]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport and its agencies have made payments totalling £3,472,125, including VAT, to Itis Holdings plc between 1 February 2005 and 31 January 2008.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many successful prosecutions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency secured against motorists failing to pay vehicle excise duty in each of the last 10 years. [184958]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of successful prosecutions in magistrates courts for unlicensed vehicle excise duty offences (section 29) for each financial year is as follows:
| April to March | Number |
The total number of prosecutions for the first 10 months of 2007-08 is currently 69,847.
Section 29 vehicle excise duty offences are identified by police and local authorities. Since the introduction of continuous registration (CR) enforcement from the record in March 2004, these reports have gradually decreased. Since 2004-05, in addition to the achieved prosecutions in the table, the following number of evasion cases have been successfully settled out of court:
| April to March | Number |
The total number for the first 10 months of 2007-08 is currently 381,980.
Motorcycles: Parks
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are in place restricting motorbike use in public parks. [187363]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Use of motorcycles on roads in public parks which are designated public highways will be subject to the road traffic Acts as set out in The Highway Code. Use of motorcycles on other roads, or elsewhere within a public park, may be subject to park regulations, which will be a matter for the relevant local authority.
Motorcycles: Public Footpaths
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the use of motorbikes on public pathways. [187362]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Rule 145 of The Highway Code makes it clear that it is illegal to drive or ride any vehicle on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway, except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency. Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints were made on the improper use of public pathways by motorbike users in the last 12 months. [187364]
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many accidents were reported due to the improper use of public pathways by motorbike users in the last five years; [187365]
(2) how many accidents have occurred within the last 12 months due to improper use of public pathways by motorbikers. [187366]
Jim Fitzpatrick: No information is available on accidents off the public highway.
The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one motorcycle in Great Britain in 2002 to 2006, by vehicle location on the public highway are shown in the table.
| Number of accidents | |||||
| Vehicle location | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| (1) Only when the lane is on the public highway | |||||
These data show the number of accidents involving at least one motorcycle and at least one casualty. They do not indicate the cause of the accident, including whether or not the location of the motorcycle was a contributory factor.
Roads: Accidents
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries occurred on roads in (i) Cornwall and (ii) England in the most recent year for which data is available, broken down by age. [187173]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of (a) deaths and (b) injuries resulting from reported personal injury road accidents in (i) Cornwall and (ii) England in 2006 by age of casualty are shown in the table.
| Number of casualties | ||||
| Cornwall | England | |||
| Age of casualty | Killed | Injured( 1) | Killed | Injured( 1) |
| (1) Slightly or seriously injured (2) Includes cases where age of casualty is not reported | ||||
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