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20 May 2008 : Column 189W—continued
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff who started employment with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since 1997 left employment within (a) one year and (b) two years. [206714]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information is available only for 2003 onwards.
The numbers of staff who started employment with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since 1997 that have left within (a) one year and (b) two years is shown in the following table:
| (a) Left within 1 year | (b) Left within 2 years (but greater than 1) | |
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (a) employs and (b) employed in 1997, broken down by (i) grade and (ii) office. [206715]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Information is only available from 2002.
The number of staff employed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is shown for 2002 and for 2008 by (i) grade and (ii) office location is shown in the following tables.
| (i) by grade | ||
| Headcount | ||
| Grade | 2002 | 2008 |
| (ii) by office | ||
| Headcount | ||
| Office | 2002 | 2008 |
Ministers: Official Cars
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 2 April 2008, Official Report, column 1020W, on Ministers: official cars, which former Ministers have been provided with cars by the Government Car and Despatch Agency since 1 January 2005. [204778]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of the numbers and cost of Government cars provided to Departments. The list for 2007-08, which will be published before the summer recess, will include information relating to cars provided to former Ministers.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many exemptions from road tax in each band were granted to disabled people in the last 12 months. [206788]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There were approximately 1.12 million vehicle excise duty exemptions granted to disabled people during 2007.
Public Transport: Disabled
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of bus and train providers she expects to have fulfilled their accessibility targets by (a) 2010 and (b) 2020; [206610]
(2) what steps her Department has taken to encourage bus and train providers to meet the deadlines under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 for accessibility; [206611]
(3) what proportion of bus and train providers have met the accessibility goals set by the Government. [206622]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Latest figures showed that 58 per cent. of buses were low floor and wheelchair accessible at 31 March 2007. This rises to over 80 per cent. in urban areas and 100 per cent. in London. The Disability Discrimination Act requires that all buses with a carrying capacity exceeding 22 passengers and used on local or scheduled services must comply with accessibility regulations by the start of 2017.
Over 4,700 accessible rail vehicles have been introduced into service since 1998 when the accessibility regulations took effect.
Railways: Stansted Airport
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if officials in her Department will meet representatives of Arriva Trains Cross Country in advance of decisions related to the December 2008 timetable change to discuss the provision of earlier weekday and weekend services between Peterborough and Stansted Airport. [206028]
Mr. Tom Harris: There are currently no plans to meet representatives of Arriva Cross Country Trains Ltd. to discuss the provision of earlier services between Peterborough and Stansted airport.
Provided Arriva Cross Country meets the minimum specification for this route, as set out in its franchise agreement, any decision on operating additional services is one for Arriva to take. Such decisions would be made on a commercial basis to meet passenger demand.
Railways: Tickets
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions her Department has had with train operating companies on the introduction of smartcard ticketing; and if she will make a statement; [206204]
(2) what cost-benefit analysis her Department has undertaken into smartcard ticketing across the rail network. [206205]
Mr. Tom Harris:
The Department for Transport, Transport for London and train operators are working together on the acceptance of Oyster Pay as You Go on rail services in the London Travelcard Zones and the
acceptance of ITSO Smartcards on Oyster equipment. Commercial and contractual negotiations are taking place.
The introduction of ITSO smartcards has been mandated in the most recently let franchises—South Western, West Midlands, East Midlands and Intercity East Coast, with the New Cross Country Franchise accepting smartcard tickets issued by other operators.
The costs and benefits of these smartcard schemes have been demonstrated in the confidential bidding process for these franchises.
Roads: Accidents
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of road accidents which resulted in death or serious injury involved drivers aged (a) over 75, (b) between 40 and 74 and (c) 18 to 39 years old in the last 12 months. [206952]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The latest reported personal injury road accident data available are for 2006. Data for 2007 data will be published on 26 June 2008.
In 2006, 4 per cent. of reported personal injury road accidents resulting in death or serious injury involved drivers aged 75 and over, 50 per cent. involved drivers aged between 40 and 74 years old and 65 per cent. involved drivers aged between 18 and 39 years old.
The total of these percentages exceed 100 per cent. as some accidents involve more than one driver. Information on damage only accidents is not collected.
Speed Limits: Road Signs and Markings
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the criteria are for the use of speed advisory signs on motorways; who is responsible for authorising the (a) operation of such signs and (b) the advisory speed displayed; what mechanisms are in place to provide assurance that such advice is appropriate; and if she will make a statement. [206521]
Mr. Tom Harris: The criteria that are used to set electronic speed advisory signs on the motorway are contained in the Policy and Procedures for the use of matrix signals by the Regional Control Centres which has been agreed between the Highways Agency (HA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). These signs can be set automatically by the system software or manually by the HA Regional Control Centre staff (RCC). The decision to set signals should be based on the information available and is the responsibility of the officer (Traffic Officer or police in charge of the incident at the scene) or the operator in the control room. Where an advisory speed limit sign is set manually by the operator, the decision on the advisory speed displayed is based upon information received from a number of sources including CCTV, traffic officers and police at the scene.
An RCC operator who has set signals manually has to monitor the situation to revise the signal setting as necessary, to prevent the setting of a misleading or contradictory series of signals and VMS messages and remove them when the incident has cleared. The automatic system will clear the signal once the incident has cleared.
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