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3 Apr 2008 : Column 1194W—continued
Bypasses: Construction
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many construction projects for trunk road bypasses have been authorised since May 2005. [198513]
Mr. Tom Harris: Five bypass schemes have been authorised since May 2005. These are:
A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass on 26 September 2006;
A38 Dobwalls Bypass on 24 August 2006;
A595 Parton to Lillyhall Improvement on 25 July 2006;
A3 Hindhead on 20 July 2006; and
A419 Blunsdon Bypass on 8 March 2006.
Details of these are published on the Department's website:
Departmental Domestic Visits
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what visits she made to (a) Harrogate International Centre, (b) International Conference Centre, Birmingham, (c) Manchester Central, (d) Scottish Exhibitional and Conference Centre, Glasgow, (e) Edinburgh International Conference Centre, (f) Bournemouth International Conference Centre, (g) the Brighton Centre, Brighton, (h) the Riviera Centre, Torquay, (i) Queen Elizabeth Centre, London, (j) Excel Conference Centre, Docklands, London, and (k) Business Design Centre, Islington, London, in the period 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007; and what events she attended at each. [197155]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State for Transport has visited the following conference centres in the period 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007. These visits relate to official engagements only.
Excel Conference Centre, Docklands, London
21 March 2006—Interspill conference
8 October 2006—Intelligent Transport Systems World congress
Business Design Centre, Islington, London
28 November 2005—Confederation of Business Industry conference
Queen Elizabeth Centre, London
9 March 2005—National Rail conference
15 March 2006—National Rail conference
17 July 2006—Ford conference
14 March 2007—National Rail conference
17 April 2007—British Chambers of Commerce Annual Transport/Roads conference
Departmental Internet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Wikipedia entries have been (a) created and (b) amended (i) by (A) special advisers, (B) Ministers and (C) communications officials and (ii) from IP addresses of (1) special advisers, (2) Ministers and (3) communications officials in (x) her Department and (y) its agencies since August 2005. [185523]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Current Ministers and special advisers have not created or amended any Wikipedia entries from IP addresses of special advisers or Ministers.
Departmental officials have created or amended factual entries that explain the role of the Department and the Executive Agencies. This has been done in accordance with the civil service code which states that civil servants should use resources only for the authorised public purposes for which they are provided and that civil servants should make sure public money and other resources are used properly and efficiently.
Heathrow Airport: Environment Protection
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will commission an independent scientific report into the likely environmental impact of a third runway at Heathrow. [197543]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 31 March 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) on 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1385W.
Lorries: Accidents
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it a requirement that left hand driven lorries operating in the UK be fitted with additional wing mirrors to improve safety of overtaking and visibility of cycles on the nearside; and if she will make a statement. [199236]
Jim Fitzpatrick: All new lorries, whether UK registered or visiting from another member state have, since 26 January 2007 been fitted with enhanced rear view mirrors that improve driver vision.
A European directive has recently been adopted which requires similar mirrors to be fitted to existing lorries, first registered from 1 January 2000. We will implement these requirements through our national legislation.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 21 February 2008 about the boatmasters' licences in relation to South Sands Ferry. [198824]
Jim Fitzpatrick: A response has been sent.
Motorcycles: Exhaust Emissions
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on carbon dioxide emissions from motorcycles, broken down by (a) engine size and (b) manufacturer. [198840]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does not, at present, hold information on the carbon dioxide emissions of motorcycles broken down in this way. There is currently no statutory requirement placed upon manufacturers to measure the carbon dioxide emissions of new models of motorcycle when they are approved. However, a legislative proposal from the European Commission mandating this measurement has been awaited for some time and is currently expected to be published early in 2009.
A limited amount of data categorised against engine size have been gathered, in the past, in research projects conducted by the Department and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The results of these are available on the Department's website and within the Passenger Transport Emissions Factors on DEFRA's website:
Public Transport: Finance
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding was provided to (a) regions and (b) local authorities to provide local public transport in each of the last five years; and how much has been allocated for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [195925]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is as follows:
(a) Regions advise central Government about priorities for major local authority schemes (including for local public transport) and certain Highways Agency projects. The total budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11 for these types of project the regions work to are set out in the following table.
| Planning assumptions for Transport | |||
| £ million | |||
| Region | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
(b) The local public transport elements of this funding are provided for local authorities. Detailed information on the funding allocated to local authorities in local transport capital settlements between 1997-08 and 2005-06 (inclusive) was deposited in the Libraries of the House on 18 January 2006. I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 March, Official Report, column 1392W, where information about the funding in 2006-07 and 2007-08 was placed in the Libraries of the House.
Most Government funding support for local authorities for local public transport services is provided within the revenue support grant, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). The revenue support grant is not service-specific and it is for local authorities to decide on its use. Transport for London receives a block grant for transport and has the discretion to decide on its use across different modes of transport.
In addition the Department, has provided local authorities in rural areas with a specific rural bus subsidy grant and also provides specific grants to assist local authorities with bus projects. From 2008-09 the funding for the rural bus subsidy grant is being pooled in a broad area based grant, administered by CLG.
The Department also provides support for investment in integrated transport improvements as part of the local transport capital settlements. It is for local authorities to determine how much of this funding to allocate to projects related to local public transport, in the light of their local policies and priorities.
Information about the distribution of the specific grants for bus services and the support for local transport investment in 2006-07, 2007-08 and for 2008-09 was also placed in the Libraries of the House on 20 March.
I am placing information about the distribution of the specific bus grants for 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 in the Libraries of the House. Information about the distribution of local transport capital funding, including for integrated transport, was placed in the Libraries of the House on 18 January 2006.
Indicative allocations of rural bus subsidy funding for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have been published at:
The local transport capital settlements for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have been published at:
Some funding support for rail services has also been provided via passenger transport authorities, although these authorities do not, in most cases, provide or procure the services themselves.
Public Transport: Tickets
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to promote the integration of rail and bus ticketing systems. [195943]
Mr. Tom Harris: There is already integration of bus and rail ticketing with multi-modal Travelcard-style tickets products in the large urban areas and Plus Bus serving most major towns and stations in the rest of the country.
Railway Stations: Construction
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new railway stations were built with public funding in (a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [197657]
Mr. Tom Harris: There have been no new railway stations opened in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear or the North East since 1997.
20 stations have been opened in England since 1997 with some public funding. These are listed as follows.
New stations that have been opened in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with public funding are a matter for the devolved Administrations.
| Station | Opened |
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