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4 Mar 2008 : Column 2260W—continued

Deep Vein Thrombosis: Compensation

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will seek amendments to the Warsaw Convention to permit claims for compensation by air travellers who suffer deep vein thrombosis; what recent representations she has received on this issue; and if she will make a statement. [190856]

Jim Fitzpatrick: We currently do not have plans to seek amendments to the Warsaw Convention on this issue.

Research by the World Health Organisation published in 2007 showed that the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which applies to all forms of travel, appears to be predominantly the result of prolonged immobility. Certain categories of people appear to be at higher risk, such as older people, those with hereditary blood conditions, women using oral contraception, people undertaking journeys of more than 12 hours and very tall people.

The Department is not aware of any recent representations on this issue.

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Departmental Equal Pay

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will conduct an equal pay audit across her Department; and if she will make a statement. [190927]

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not the Department's intention to conduct an equal pay audit across the Department as a whole. It remains our opinion that pay audits should be individually undertaken by the DfT (Centre) and each Agency.

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Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) the pay increases for the 2007 pay round were paid, (b) the race impact assessments of the 2007 pay deal were completed and (c) the race impact assessments were made available to the recognised trade unions in relation to each of her Department's bargaining units. [190270]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 25 February 2008]: The following table gives details of when the 2007 pay increases for each of the bargaining units within the Department were made and indicates the current position with regard to the race impact assessments applicable to these.

	2007 Pay increase paid	2007 Race impact assessment completed	Race impact assessments made available to the TUS
Department for Transport (Centre)	The increase was paid in November 2007 backdated to 1 August 2007	A draft impact assessment was produced in November 2007. This will form part of an overall Equality Impact Assessment to be completed by March 2008	The assessment will be shared with the TUS on completion.
HA	The increase was paid in January 2008 and was backdated to 1 August 2007	An assessment has just commenced	An assessment has just commenced
DVLA	The increase was paid in November 2007 backdated to 1 August 2007	An assessment has not yet been completed	An assessment has not yet been completed
VOSA	The increase was paid in January 2008 and was backdated to 1 August 2007	An assessment has not yet been completed. This will be incorporated into an Equal Pay Audit in April 2008	An assessment has not yet been completed. This will be incorporated into an Equal Pay Audit in April 2008
VGA	The increase was paid in August 2007	Equality impact are an ongoing part of the pay round process	Assessments are shared with the TUS as part of the pay round process
MCA	The increase was paid in February 2008 and was backdated to 1 August 2007	An assessment has not yet been completed	An assessment has not yet been completed
GCDA	The increase was paid in April 2007.	An impact assessment was completed in May 2007.	The assessment was shared with the TUS in July 2007.
DSA	The increase was paid in December 2007	An impact assessment is being prepared.	An impact assessment is being prepared.

East Midlands Trains: Finance

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what premium East Midlands Trains is forecast to pay to the Government over the period of its franchise. [191146]

Mr. Tom Harris: Full details of the East Midlands Franchise were announced by the Department in a written ministerial statement to the House and a Stock Market Statement on 22 June 2007. This states that Stagecoach Midland Rail Limited will pay a premium of £133 million (net present value) over the life of the franchise.

Forced Marriage

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure that information on (a) helplines and (b) access to support for victims of forced marriage or persons in fear of forced marriage is made available at airports, ports and other public places within the responsibility of her Department. [185583]

Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.

The display of information on helplines at airports and ports is a matter for the individual companies and organisations. However, the work of the Forced Marriage Unit in promoting the issues of forced marriage to staff at points of entry and exit into the country has ensured that a number of airports and ports display literature on forced marriage which gives details on how to access support.

Freight: Industrial Health and Safety

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations govern the safe loading of scrap metal on to heavy goods vehicles for transit; what steps are taken to enforce these regulations; and if she will make a statement. [187845]

Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply.

There are no regulations that deal specifically with loading goods, including scrap metal, on to road vehicles. However, this activity is covered by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and where the loading of scrap metal is done using lifting equipment, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 will also apply. All these are enforced by health
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and safety inspectors. Regulation 100 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 covers the safety of loads being transported on vehicles, and this is enforced by the police.

Great Western Trains

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received from rail users on the performance of First Great Western; and if she will make a statement. [190987]

Mr. Tom Harris: In recent months Ministers and officials at the Department for Transport have received many representations from rail users regarding First Great Western’s performance.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written statement made by my right hon. Friend on 26 February 2008, Official Report, columns 73-4WS.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport: Transport

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent improvements have been made to transport links to and from Liverpool John Lennon airport; and if she will make a statement. [191284]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government's “Future of Air Transport” White Paper of 2003 supported the development of Liverpool John Lennon airport as a key driver to generating growth and investment in Merseyside and the north-west region, provided proposed developments took into account the local and wider environmental impacts of air travel. The airport already enjoys good surface transport links including an express bus service from the city centre, and the Liverpool South Parkway rail-bus interchange opened in 2006. The airport's draft master plan, published in 2006, explored a range of possible further options for transport links, and the airport's operator continues to work with local statutory agencies and other partners to evaluate them.

Oil: Prices

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department’s assumptions are of the future price of oil in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2020, (d) 2025, (e) 2030, (f) 2040 and (g) 2050. [184191]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 4 February 2008]: The Department uses oil price projections produced by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) in its modelling. The latest estimates were published last year in the Energy White Paper. These have been used for the latest road traffic, aviation and rail forecasts and are currently being integrated in the advice and software the Department provides for transport promoters preparing business cases for schemes. These long-term price projections are to 2020. For the latest transport modelling projections extend further, usually assuming no changes beyond 2020.

The current oil price projection (in 2006 prices) can be seen in the following table. DBERR produces a low, central and high price projection. These are real prices; nominal prices—which include the impacts of forecast inflation—would be higher. For example, the real price of $53 in 2025 is approximately $88 in nominal prices.

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2006 prices
	Low	Central	High
2010	25	57	70
2015	25	50	75
2020	25	53	80

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to obtain a modal shift from road and air to rail travel; and if she will make a statement. [190547]

Mr. Tom Harris: The Government's aim is to offer the public an informed choice of which mode of transport to use, rather than prescribing one mode over others. Our priority is to ensure that rail provides a viable alternative to road and air travel where possible. To this end, the White Paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, published in July 2007, commits £15 billion in public support for the railway between 2009 and 2014, with £10 billion to be spent specifically on enhancing capacity during that period.

Railways: Cotswold Hills

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to receive from Network Rail the business case for redoubling the single line sections of the Cotswold line between Oxford and Worcester; and if she will make a statement. [190424]

Mr. Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.

Iain Coucher

Chief Executive

Network Rail

40 Melton street

London NW1 2EE

Railways: Deaths

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities at footpath rail crossings caused by (a) accidents, (b) trespassers, (c) suicides and (d) other circumstances there were in each of the last three years. [190490]

Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation has provided the following data for fatalities at footpath rail crossings in each of the last three years:

	(a) Accident	(b) Trespass	(c) Confirmed suicide	Total
2005	1	0	3	4
2006	4	2	1	7
2007	2	3	0	5

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The data cover people who were fatally injured while on the crossing. Fatalities involving people who used footpath crossings to gain access to and trespass on the railway line are not included. The figures for 2007 are still provisional and are dependent on the outcome of coroners' inquests.

Railways: Franchises

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the franchise operator c2c on (a) the timing of franchise renewal and (b) the criteria for bidding for the franchise. [190493]

Mr. Tom Harris: The c2c franchise is due to expire in May 2011. The franchise agreement includes the provision to extend the franchise for a period of two years to May 2013, by agreement between the Department and c2c.

The criteria for bidding for a replacement franchise will be set out in the documentation seeking bids for the new franchise.

Railways: Hampshire

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she received from South West Trains notification of network modifications relating to travel offices in Hampshire; and if she will make a statement. [191178]

Mr. Tom Harris: South West Trains forwarded minor modification proposals covering a number of travel centres at their stations to the Department for Transport on 20 November 2007 and 24 December
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2007. Three stations in Hampshire are currently under consideration: Southampton, Winchester and Basingstoke.

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