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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1443W—continued
In line with the Air Transport White Paper commitment, these forecasts assume that aviation meets its external climate change costs.
Table 17 on page 178 of the consultation document set out the carbon dioxide emissions under each option in total, on an annual basis, and the total climate change cost:
The UK is continuing to press for the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). As the Heathrow consultation document states, under current proposals aviation emissions would
effectively be capped at the average level over the period 2004 to 2006. This means that when the trading scheme is established, any additional aviation emissions above that level would lead to no increase in total emissions, since airlines would have to pay for the equivalent emissions reductions in other sectors.
JP Morgan
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department and its predecessors paid to JP Morgan in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of each payment was. [199612]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department was formed in May 2002. Since this date the Vehicle Certification Agency (VGA), an executive agency of the Department, has made payments totalling £1,587.31 to J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. These payments are in respect of bank charges on receipts and payments and some one-off set-up costs since 1 March 2005 for VGA's commercial banking services in the United States. The breakdown of annual spend in each year is as follows:
| Amount (£) | |
Lighting
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding the Highways Agency has allocated to research on (a) luminaire maintenance factors and (b) street lighting (i) in the last 12 months and (ii) the next 12 months. [199558]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Highways Agency in partnership with other UK local highway authorities proposed a study in 2007-08 to investigate luminaire maintenance factors. This study is due to complete in 2008-09 for which the Agency has allocated a £13,000 contribution.
The Highways Agency allocated £393,000 in 2007-08 and £165,000 for 2008-09 to fund a range of road lighting assessment projects. These are part of the Agency’s Efficiency Strategy for Road Lighting under the Sustainable Development Action Plan. This work will significantly reduce the Agency’s carbon footprint, and capital and operational costs due to road lighting.
Lorries
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has to improve training for drivers of left-hand drive lorries using UK motorways; and if she will make a statement. [199846]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no specific plans for the UK Government to train drivers of left-hand drive lorries. However, from September 2009 European directive 2003/59 EC requires all new lorry drivers across Europe to obtain an initial qualification—a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence—before being able to drive professionally. Additionally, all lorry drivers will need to undertake 35 hours periodic training every five years. So by 2014, all existing lorry drivers will also need to obtain the qualification.
M1: Road Works
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the roadworks between M1 (a) junction 1 and London Gateway services and (b) junctions 6 and 10 are taking place concurrently. [198736]
Mr. Tom Harris: Before scheduling the roadworks at Gateway services, the Highways Agency carefully considered the potential impact on road users. Based on the typical traffic flow over recent years on this part of the M1, and keeping the same capacity by ensuring all existing lanes are open during the day, any delay was assessed to be minimal.
It is normal practice to maintain a separation of at least 10 km between concurrent major roadworks on motorways, where possible. The Gateway services are more than 10 km from junction 6a.
Traffic flow at the Gateway services is half that at junction 6a, so many drivers will only experience one set of roadworks on the M1.
The Highways Agency concluded that the safety benefits from completing the roadworks between junctions 1 and the Gateway services justified putting them on at the same time as those between junction 6a and 10.
Both sets of roadworks are expected to be complete by the end of 2008.
M20: Noise
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of noise levels on the M20 between Maidstone and Ashford; what plans there are to resurface the road; and if she will make a statement. [199845]
Mr. Tom Harris: In 2002 the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) carried out a noise assessment on this section of the M20 on behalf of the Highways Agency. This was part of the Government's programme for prioritising the surfacing of concrete roads under the Ten Year Plan. The results of TRL assessment indicated that the noise levels on the section of the M20 between Junction 8 (Maidstone) and Junction 9 (Ashford) were three dB(A) more than predicted and therefore it qualified as a high priority site for resurfacing. There have been no further noise assessments on this section since 2002.
As the road surface on the M20 between Junction 8 and Junction 9 is still in a structurally sound condition there are no plans at the present time to resurface for at least five years.
M5
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) representations her Department has received and (b) assessment her Department has made of the safety of raised expansion joints on lane three of the M5, southbound between Junctions 1 and 2. [199862]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Highways Agency has not received any representations about raised expansion joints on this length of the M5.
The Agency makes regular safety inspections of the motorway network and these joints have not been identified as a particular problem.
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency has paid in compensation to motorists whose cars have been damaged by the surface of the road on the M5 in the last 12 months. [199863]
Mr. Tom Harris: The Highways Agency has not paid any compensation to motorists whose cars may have been damaged by the surface of the road on the M5 over the last 12 months.
Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's estimate is of carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007; and what estimate she has made of the projected total carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011. [200059]
Jim Fitzpatrick: According to the emissions inventory published annually by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from road transport in 2006 were 120.3 million tonnes. Data for 2007 have yet to be published.
The Department for Transport forecasts road transport CO2 emissions using the National Transport Model. This model produces forecast for 2010, 2015 and 2025, but not interim years. We, therefore, do not have a forecast of emissions for 2008, 2009 or 2011. Our 2010 forecast is for CO2 to be 2 per cent. lower than it was in 2003 and so in the region of 116 million tonnes.
Motorcycles
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she has taken to mainstream motorcycling in line with the Government's motorcycling strategy announced in February 2005. [199462]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government's Motorcycling Strategy includes a wide range of actions which aim to improve motorcycle safety and mainstream motorcycling. We regularly keep these actions under review, working with motorcycling industry and user groups through the National Motorcycle Council and its four sub-groups. We intend to publish progress on these actions together with details of revised actions later this summer.
Some examples of progress to date are as follows:
New guidance to local authorities on Use of Bus Lanes by Motorcycles;
Guidance to highway authorities on motorcycle-friendly infrastructure; and
Use of motorcycle-friendly crash barriers on parts of the HA network.
Motorways: Accidents
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the annual number of (a) crashes and (b) fatalities on the motorway network (i) with and (ii) without hard shoulder running. [194941]
Mr. Tom Harris: The analysis carried out to support the Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study published by the Department for Transport on 4 March considered that safety rates were the same for motorways with and without hard shoulder running. Thus, the analysis assumed that there would be a slightly larger increase in accidents with hard shoulder running compared with doing nothing, as a result of an expected small increase in traffic flows.
The criterion adopted for the M42 pilot was that there should be no overall deterioration in safety after the introduction of hard shoulder running.
The initial six month analysis suggests that this goal may have been achieved and possibly bettered. However, a longer run of data is needed for firm conclusions to be drawn.
Maintaining road user safety is and will remain a top priority and a safety case would be produced for each future hard shoulder running scheme, covering any additional hazards or risks. This analysis might require different methods of operation, implementation and equipment provision to ensure achievement of the required safety levels.
Night Flying
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many night flights there were from each regional airport in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [198766]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Transport does not hold information about the number of night flights at regional airports.
Information about night flight movements will be held locally by the airport operator and this will vary in scope and detail from airport to airport. The statistics for night flights at East Midlands airport (EMA) which were set out in my answer of 13 March 2008, Official Report, columns 531-2W to the hon. Member, were provided, on request, to the Department by the airport operator.
Parking Offences
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of successful prosecutions for illegal parking as a result of the recently announced changes to enforcement practices by local authorities. [198808]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Prosecutions are carried out by the police and the new parking regulations make no changes to their activities. 230 English local authorities have taken over from the police the enforcement of parking and that number increases each year. In those areas the number of penalty charge notices served by an individual local authority, and paid by motorists, will increase or decrease primarily according to local circumstances and local parking behaviour. The new regulations are aimed at improving parking behaviour, thereby improving traffic flows in the interests of other road users.
Public Transport: Carbon Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's strategy is for reducing the dependence of urban public transport on fossil fuels over the next 10 years. [188478]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Following publication of the Department for Transport’s “Towards a Sustainable Transport System” in October 2007, we intend to look at the full range of options for putting transport on to a less carbon-intensive path.
More specifically, we have been considering with stakeholders whether changes to the existing arrangements for the subsidy of bus services, which are the main form of urban public transport, would increase the contribution of buses to delivery of our environmental and other objectives. A key consideration is whether particular subsidy changes would incentivise improvements to the fuel efficiency of the bus fleet and the use of environmentally friendly vehicles. We published on 13 March a consultation document, entitled “Local Bus Service Support—options for reform”, which invites views on our proposals; and copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation which comes into effect in April 2008 will require the major oil companies and fuel suppliers that supply fossil fuels for road transport to ensure that a proportion of the road fuel supplied in the UK comprises renewable fuels such as biofuels. The level of the obligation will be 2.5 per cent. of total fuel supplied by the supplier in the first year (2008-09), rising to 3.75 per cent. in 2009-10 and 5 per cent. in 2010-11.
We are working with the rail industry to trial the use of biofuels which could, subject to satisfying concerns about carbon benefits and overall sustainability, reduce reliance on conventional fossil fuels. We will also keep under review the case for more strategic electrification of the rail network.
We also support the Commission’s intention to legislate to improve the average g/km carbon dioxide emissions performance of passenger cars. This should reduce use of fossil fuels, both by encouraging use of other fuel sources and by encouraging more efficient use by those vehicles that continue to be powered by oil products. We have pressed the Commission to commit to a target of 100 g/km CO2 average for 2020.
Rackspace
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008, Official Report, column 745W, on Rackspace, which of her Department's websites Rackspace was contracted to host between 2005 and 2008. [199662]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Rackspace were used by the Department during the development of a secure site to be used by the 38 safety camera partnerships operating within the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales. The work was, however, cancelled before completion following the Secretary of State's announcement on 15 December 2005 that the national programme was to cease on 31 March 2007.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008, Official Report, column 745W, on Rackspace, what the value was of each contract awarded by her Department's predecessors and its agencies between 1999 and 2002. [199663]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Due to machinery of government changes that took place at the beginning of financial year 2002-03 the Department for Transport is unable to answer questions about contracts awarded by predecessor Departments without incurring disproportionate cost.
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