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1 Apr 2008 : Column 741W—continued
These figures do not include costs paid for by the individual and reclaimed through a travel and subsistence claim. Details of this additional expenditure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Driver Information Systems
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to publish her conclusions arising from the consultation on in-vehicle information systems. [196319]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department intends to publish a summary of the results of the initial consultation on in-vehicle information systems this spring. It will be available on the departmental website and copies will be sent to the Libraries of both Houses.
Drivers: Training
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new light goods vehicle drivers were trained in the last 12 months; and how many foreign light goods vehicle drivers were working in the UK. [197857]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DVLA does not keep information on LGV driver training nor can we identify the number of foreign LGV drivers working in the UK. We do, however record volumes of applications being processed for vocational drivers, which includes both LGV and PCV.
For the 12 month period ending December 2007, the number of first applications processed for vocational drivers was 73,475. This figure includes 60,119 provisional and 13,356 substantive applications.
Driving: Safety
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to educate the public on the possible effects of driving long distances when tired. [197624]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport continues to educate the public on the possible effects of driving long distances when tired through the THINK! road safety education campaign and motorway variable message signs. Drivers are encouraged to plan regular breaks on long journeys through a mix of:
Radio advertising;
Ambient advertising in service stations;
Online advertising on journey planning websites;
Partnership marketing activity;
Truck Back advertising;
Public relations activity; and
Distribution of promotional materials to road safety stakeholders for regional campaigns and the general public.
Advice on how to avoid and combat driver tiredness is in the Highway Code and on the Department’s THINK! website at:
Environment Agency: Heathrow Airport
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the Environment Agency's response to the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation; and what steps she plans to take as a result. [197540]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 31 March 2008]: We have received many thousands of responses to our recent consultation on further development at Heathrow and these are still being analysed. No decisions will be taken until we are in a position to consider the totality of responses.
Heathrow Airport: Carbon Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document did not refer to the effects of incoming international flights in estimating the likely impact of a third runway on carbon dioxide emissions. [197539]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 31 March 2008]: The method used to estimate the impact of additional capacity at Heathrow on UK aviation CO2 emissions in the ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’ consultation document is referenced at paragraph 2.23 of the impact assessment (annex B). Full details of the forecasting method can be found in chapter 3 of ‘UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts’, available at:
There is no internationally agreed way to allocate to individual countries the CO2 emissions from international flights. For reporting purposes, the UN framework convention on climate change requires each nation to report emissions based on aviation bunker fuel consumption, which is closely related to fuel used on departing flights. To ensure consistency with historic reported totals, and to avoid double-counting CO2 emissions, our forecasts include international aviation emissions on a departing flight only basis.
Heathrow Airport: Complaints
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints the Government received over delays and inefficiencies at Heathrow Airport in each of the last five years. [196169]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 25 March 2008]: The Department for Transport receive a number of letters about a variety of issues at airports e.g. baggage, disability issues, security, passenger information, delays; and these are sometimes taken up with the airport, airline or agency most concerned. The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost as these letters are not filed by airports.
Lorries
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to implement the findings of the recently published study by her Department of trials of longer, heavier vehicles. [190170]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The report of the study is due to be published shortly. Its purpose is to inform policy making rather than to advise on whether to allow trials. At present, we have no plans to introduce longer or heavier vehicles.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles were travelled by heavy goods vehicles in England in each of the last five years. [197534]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides the total distance travelled by heavy goods vehicles in England from 2002 to 2006.
| Heavy Goods Vehicles (billion vehicle miles) | |
Lorries: Accidents
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been caused by other vehicles hitting a heavy goods vehicle in each of the last 10 years; how many of these were attributed to poor visibility; and if she will make a statement. [198210]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of (a) killed and (b) injured casualties resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one heavy goods vehicle and at least one other motor vehicle in Great Britain in 1997 to 2006 are shown in the following table. It is not possible to determine the number of these accidents in which a heavy goods vehicle was hit by (rather than hit) another vehicle.
| Number of casualties | ||
| Killed | Injured( 1) | |
| (1) Seriously or slightly injured | ||
Details of contributory factors to road accidents have been recorded since 2005. In 2005 there were a total of 21 fatalities and 700 people injured in accidents involving at least one heavy goods vehicle and at least one other motor vehicle which had “vision affected” recorded as a contributory factor. In 2006, the equivalent figures were 14 fatalities and 669 people injured.
The contributory factor category “vision affected by” includes contributory factors “stationary or parked vehicle(s)”, “Vegetation”, “Road layout (e.g. bend, winding road, hill crest)”, “Buildings, road signs, street furniture”, “Dazzling headlights”, “Dazzling sun”, “Rain, sleet, snow or fog”, “Spray from other vehicles”, “Visor or windscreen dirty or scratched” and “Vehicle blind spot”.
Further information about contributory factors can be found in the ‘Contributory factors to road accidents’ article in ‘Road Casualties Great Britain’ at:
Motor Vehicles: Fines
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place to determine whether there are outstanding and unpaid penalties relating to vehicles leaving the UK. [197648]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The enforcement of a civil penalty charge—for example a penalty charge arising from parking, certain moving traffic contraventions, or from a road user charging scheme—is a matter for the issuing local authority. The Government are not aware of local authorities making arrangements to monitor vehicles leaving the UK for this purpose.
The enforcement of criminal penalties is an operational matter for HM Courts Service. HMCS does not routinely monitor vehicles leaving ports for the purpose of fine enforcement. The EU Framework on Mutual Recognition of Financial Penalties, once implemented, should ensure that future offenders from other EU member states pay the penalty for the criminal offences they commit.
Motorcycles: Licensing
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instructors have been trained to oversee tests under the second European driving licence directive for motorcycles; how many will be required to implement the tests; and if she will make a statement. [196708]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Driving examiners, not instructors, will conduct the motorcycling tests under the second European driving licence directive.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has trained 95 examiners to conduct the new practical test and a further 16 are to undergo training before the end of April 2008.
To meet the demand for tests in a full year the Agency estimates that it needs to have the full time equivalent of 75 examiners.
Parking Offences: Lorries
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers she plans to provide to the police to enable the enforcement of parking penalties imposed on foreign lorry drivers. [197781]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Provisions are included in the Local Transport Bill currently progressing through Parliament which will enable DVLA to request information from foreign registration authorities on behalf of UK authorities or the police, who wish to pursue unpaid penalties incurred by motorists in foreign registered vehicles.
Rackspace
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by (a) her Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years. [197500]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department was formed in May 2002. Since this date the central Department has placed orders for work totalling £17,619 (excluding VAT) with Rackspace Managed Hosting Ltd. as follows:
| £ | |
The Department’s agencies have not awarded any work to Rackspace since May 2002.
Railways: Overcrowding
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to minimise overcrowding on trains; and if she will make a statement. [196926]
Mr. Tom Harris:
The rail White Paper, published in July, committed £15 billion in total Government support to the railway over the period from 2009 to
2014. £10 billion of that will be devoted specifically to increasing capacity. Among a range of measures, there will be an extra 1,300 new carriages which will be targeted at the most congested routes on the network.
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2532W, on biofuels, under which of the articles of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order 2007 the Renewable Fuels Agency has been asked to conduct its review into the impacts of biofuel production. [197402]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Renewable Fuels Agency has been asked to lead the announced review into the wider impacts of biofuel production. Article 15 of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order 2007 gives the Renewable Fuels Agency various duties to report as requested to the Secretary of State on a variety of matters and the power to publish reports and guidance as it thinks fit.
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