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14 Mar 2008 : Column 694W—continued

Heathrow Airport: Planning Permission

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether she plans to make permission to build a third runway or sixth terminal at Heathrow airport contingent on a limit on further expansion; [191696]

(2) whether she plans to make permission to build a third runway or sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport subject to a cap on the maximum number of flight movements at the airport. [191697]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The recent consultation “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport”, which closed on 27 February, was about the Government’s policy towards expansion at the airport. No decision will be made until we have analysed the many thousands of responses we have received. It would not be appropriate to speculate on the outcome of that process. In addition, the decision would in any event be subject to obtaining the necessary planning and other statutory consents.

Inland Waterways

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the levels of traffic on major rivers and other inland waterways between 1997 and 2000. [191760]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is shown in the following table.

UK inland waters traffic, 1997 to 2000
1997 1998 1999 2000

Goods lifted (million tonnes)

Total

58.5

57.3

53.8

49.0

Of which:

Non-seagoing

4.8

4.3

4.3

4.3

Seagoing

53.7

53.0

49.5

44.7

Goods moved (million tonne-kilometres)

Total

1.9

2.0

1.9

1.7

Of which:

Non-seagoing

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

Seagoing

1.7

1.8

1.7

1.5

Source:
Department for Transport Statistics Bulletin: “Waterborne Freight in the United Kingdom 2006”

Members: Correspondence

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she will answer Question 177350, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth South on 9 January 2008, on the Portsmouth to Cardiff rail service. [193490]

Mr. Tom Harris: I replied to the hon. Member on 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 444W.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008, Official Report, column 885W, on motor vehicles: excise duties, if she will provide equivalent information for each year since 1996. [191749]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of vehicles wrongly impounded is available for the last two financial years only. The information available was provided in my answer of 21 February 2008, Official Report, column 885W.

Parking Offences: Unpaid Fines

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on the revenue to local authorities of the non-payment of parking fines in respect of vehicles where their legal keepers by virtue of their registration are (a) non-EEA—European economic area—nationals
14 Mar 2008 : Column 695W
and (b) nationals of other European Union member states; if she will bring forward proposals to address the effects on revenue; and if she will make a statement. [193688]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally. The enforcement of decriminalised traffic contraventions is a matter for the relevant local authorities, They are not required to provide such information to the Government.

Enforcement of penalty charges issued to keepers of foreign registered vehicles is a Europe wide challenge that needs a Europe wide solution. The Government are awaiting an expected draft directive from the European Commission on cross border enforcement, which will include road traffic matters.

Provisions are also included in the Local Transport Bill currently progressing through Parliament which will enable the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to request information from foreign registration authorities on behalf of UK authorities who wish to pursue unpaid penalties incurred by motorists in foreign registered vehicles.

Passenger Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of cruise ships operating from UK ports; and if she will make a statement. [192396]

Jim Fitzpatrick: No specific assessment of the environmental impact of cruise vessels has been undertaken. Cruise vessels are treated as any other vessel for the purposes of UK and international legislation and are required to comply with the relevant international standards.

Ports: Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue was raised by setting a mandatory charge for port waste reception facilities irrespective of use for entering a UK harbour in each year since 2003; and how much the scheme cost in each year. [192398]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Charges for use of port waste reception facilities are set by the port or terminal in question and established on a commercial basis to cover the cost of the provision of waste reception facilities. The Government do not record the costs of administering such schemes or the money collected through them.

In approving port reception facility plans the Maritime and Coastguard Agency considers the calculation of the charge to ensure it is proportionate to the cost of providing waste reception facilities.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ship operators were convicted following steps taken by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as a result of non-compliance with the Port Waste Reception Facilities Regulations 2003 in each of the last five years, broken down by the port, harbour or terminal authority where the non-compliance occurred; and if she will make a statement. [192399]


14 Mar 2008 : Column 696W

Jim Fitzpatrick: No ship operators have been convicted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the last five years under the Port Waste Reception Facilities Regulations 2003.

Roads: Accidents

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008, Official Report, column 886W, on roads: accidents, if she will provide this information for every parliamentary constituency. [191750]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Tables showing the numbers of reported personal injury road accidents, the number involving drivers under the age of 21, and the resulting fatalities in each parliamentary constituency in 1997 to 2006 have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2008, Official Report, column 737W, on roads: accidents, if she will provide the equivalent figure for each parliamentary constituency. [191753]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Tables showing the numbers of (a) deaths and (b) injuries resulting from personal injury road accidents in each parliamentary constituency by age of casualty have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred in (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and (b) Lancashire in 2007. [194718]

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.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new train carriages (a) entered and (b) were removed from service in each year since 2004; and how many are expected to (i) enter and (ii) be removed from service in (A) 2008, (B) 2009, (C) 2010 and (D) 2011. [190608]

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 29 February 2008]: The number of vehicles which have entered service since 2004 are as follows:

Number

2004

1,360

2005

710

2006

210

2007

15


We do not hold the numbers which were removed from service as this number constantly changes depending on the commercial deals made by the Train Operating Companies (TOCs). However, I would point out that there is very little useable stock available and the Department’s High Level Output Specification (HLOS) is about growing capacity of the network. The
14 Mar 2008 : Column 697W
numbers which are expected to enter service will depend on the vehicle delivery profile which is agreed with the manufacturer at contract signature.

Transport: Pollution Control

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) her Department and (b) its agencies’ green transport plans were introduced; and if she will place a copy of these plans in the Library. [191762]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport’s Travel Plan was published on its website on 28 November 2006. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Communities and Local Government

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the timetable for the implementation of (a) community call to action and (b) councillor call to action is; [193786]

(2) what steps she is taking to extend the community call to action to all local authority services. [193788]

Mr. Dhanda: “Strong and prosperous communities—The Local Government White Paper Implementation Plan: One Year On”, published in November 2007, states that Councillor Call for Action will be implemented during 2008.

On 27 December 2007 Communities and Local Government published the “Local Petitions and Calls for Action Consultation”, which seeks views on the implementation of the Councillor Call for Action. Paragraph 19 of the consultation document proposes a duty on local authorities to respond to local petitions where the subject of the petition relates to the functions of the local authority, or other public services with shared delivery responsibilities with the local authority. Paragraph 43 of the document states that the Government believe their proposed duty on local authorities to respond to qualifying petitions would amount to a community call for action, but seek views on whether other steps should be taken. The consultation will close on 20 March.

Audits

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements her Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment. [176628]

Mr. Dhanda: There is no centrally held information on requirements that are placed on contractors in this regard. Individual contracts will impose particular requirements on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment but terms and conditions vary between contracts, and there is no standard condition which runs across all contracts.


14 Mar 2008 : Column 698W

Bellwin Scheme

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value of applications made to her Department and its predecessors by local authorities under the Bellwin scheme was in each year since 1997. [193867]

John Healey: Since 1997, the Bellwin scheme has paid out the following amounts (to the nearest £1,000):

Amount (£)

1997-98

170,000

1998-99

440,000

1999-2000

350,000

2000-01

4,100,000

2001-02

25,800,000

2002-03

184,000

2003-04

0

2004-05

1,900,000

2005-06

1,940,000

2006-07

55,000

2007-08

(1)16,026,000

(1) To date.

The Department does not hold comprehensive historical records of all applications, not all of which will have resulted in the activation of the scheme.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) has been paid and (b) is outstanding for payment to local authorities in respect of claims under the Bellwin scheme in 2007. [193868]

John Healey: To date, £16,025,831 has been paid to local authorities under the Bellwin scheme in 2007-08. Around £6 million of claims are being assessed.


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