Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Transport
Aviation: Carbon Emissions
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the merits of including aviation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme, with particular reference to the likely effect of aviation’s demand for carbon permits on other sectors of the economy. [218522]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In formulating the collective Government position, a range of impacts of including aviation in the EU ETS has been considered, including the economic impact on other sectors of aviation being a net buyer of carbon allowances.
Buses: Passengers
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of bus passenger numbers in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency. [217621]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available from the Department for Transport annual survey of bus operators, although local authority estimates of bus passenger journeys are published by the Audit Commission.
Cycling
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on advertising the Cycle to Work scheme in each year since the scheme began. [215704]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2005-06 the Department spent £9,067 on producing the ‘Cycle to Work Implementation Guidance'. In 2006-07 the Department's cycling delivery body, Cycling England, produced two promotional leaflets, one for employers and one for employees, which cost £10,710. Cycling England promoted the scheme and leaflets through a marketing agency during the 2006 Bike Week, which focused on cycle commuting and although it is difficult to disaggregate each element of their promotion of Bike Week, we estimate that the cost in specifically promoting Cycle to Work was around £6,000.
Since 2006 the market has matured considerably with around a dozen commercial providers now in operation and it is therefore in the interests of these providers to promote the scheme. The Department has not incurred any further expenditure other than minimal storage and distribution costs of the guidance and leaflets as they are still available on request.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the Cycle to Work scheme in each year since the scheme began. [215711]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There has been no assessment by the Department of the effect on carbon dioxide of the Cycle to Work scheme. The scheme is not run by the Department but was created by the bicycle industry to take advantage of the tax exemption provided in the Finance Act 1999 and the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. The Department's role has purely been to assist the bicycle industry in its implementation of the scheme.
There is no requirement for employers to register the scheme with the Department or Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. As we do not impose a burden on business to register centrally this information, we are not able to determine the precise level of participation in the scheme and therefore its impact on carbon dioxide.
Departmental Buildings
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which buildings occupied by her Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years. [214700]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The requested information has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008, Official Report, column 923W, on official cars, if she will require the Government Car and Despatch Agency to undertake an assessment of the effect of its purchasing patterns on the UK car manufacturing sector. [218124]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The ministerial car fleet represents an extremely small fraction (less than 0.0001 per cent.) of new cars sold in the UK each year. We do not consider that making an assessment of the impact of this procurement on the domestic car manufacturing industry would be productive.
Driving Tests
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average change in total costs for driving test candidates which will arise from (a) the relocation of the Trowbridge driving test centre in Chippendale and (b) the nationwide programme of test centre closures; and what costs to candidates have been taken into account in making decisions on closures. [218768]
Jim Fitzpatrick
[holding answer 14 July 2008]: No estimate has been made for changes in the total costs for driving test candidates when closing driving test centres in specific areas, or nationwide. This is due to the high number of variables that would have to be taken into account, such as where candidates live and the value
they place on their time. Any estimated costs could be based only on assumptions and could result in inaccurate figures.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is a trading fund and costs are largely recovered through test fees paid by driving test candidates. In order to keep any fee increases to a minimum, DSA seeks economies in the way it conducts its business.
The existing driving test centre provision is constantly monitored to ensure that acceptable service standards are maintained but there is no wasteful over-provision of facilities. The right balance needs to be struck between the provision of a satisfactory level of public service and the cost that service incurs.
M3: Surrey
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the accident rate at (a) Junction 4A of the M3 and (b) all three-lane motorway junctions was over the most recent period for which figures are available. [217343]
Mr. Tom Harris: Based on the three years of accident and traffic data up to 2006, the latest data available, the accident rate at (a) junction 4A of the M3 is 6.66 accidents per 100 million vehicle-km and (b) for all three-lane motorway junctions is 11.38 accidents per 100 million vehicle-km.
M66
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles which travel each day during peak periods between Bury and Manchester on the M66; and if she will make a statement. [217013]
Mr. Tom Harris: Information from the Highways Agency is that during the period Monday 23 June 2008 to Friday 27 June 2008 inclusive, the traffic flows during peak hours on the M66 between Bury and Manchester were:
| Vehicle volumes per hour between M66 junction 3 and M60/M62 junction | |
| Time of day | Total vehicles per hour |
These figures represent typical vehicle volumes for that route.
Motor Vehicles: Greater London
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of households in London who owned (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more cars in each of the last five years. [219048]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table gives estimated car ownership figures for households in London for the last five years, based on data from the National Travel survey.
| Household car availability, London, 2002-06 | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| (1) Totals may not sum due to rounding. | |||||
Motor Vehicles: Safety Measures
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her most recent estimate is of the percentage of towing mirrors on sale which have been E-marked. [218799]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department does not collect information on the number of towing mirrors on sale.
Motorways: Closures
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of costs to the economy of (a) the North West and (b) the UK arising from motorway closures in 2007. [219098]
Mr. Tom Harris: Figures on the cost of motorway closures to the economy are not routinely calculated.
However, delays are calculated for 91 routes covering most of the strategic road network, including strategic motorway routes in the North West. An estimate of daytime delays (6 am to 8 pm) for each of these routes is available for the period January to December 2007. This information was placed in the House Libraries of the House in response to an answer on 2 April 2008, Official Report, columns 1029-30W to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker).
Figures are presented on a rolling year basis. Delay is calculated as the difference between observed journey time and a reference journey time (the time that could theoretically be achieved when the traffic is free flowing). Figures for average delays on motorways and trunk roads for individual regions are not calculated on this basis.
Official Cars
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008, Official Report, column 923W, on official cars, if she will make an assessment of the effects of procurement policies for ministerial cars on the domestic car manufacturing industry. [218005]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The ministerial car fleet represents an extremely small fraction (less than 0.0001 per cent.) of new cars sold in the UK each year. We do not consider that making an assessment of the impact of this procurement on the domestic car manufacturing industry would be productive.
Parking
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008, Official Report, column 938-9W, on fixed penalties: appeals, what methods of redress are available to those whose parking contraventions have been observed or detected since 30 March 2008. [218785]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A motorist who considers that a penalty charge notice (PCN) served on or after 31 March 2008 did not contain the correct information may first make informal representation to the local authority. If this is rejected and the PCN is not paid, a notice to owner is served, against which a motorist may make a formal representation. If the formal representation is rejected, the motorist may appeal to a parking adjudicator.
Fixed penalty notices are only issued by the Police service.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average charge for a two-hour stay during working hours in a municipal car park is in each English local authority area. [218842]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by central Government.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what parking charges are applied at council-owned parking facilities in South Northamptonshire. [218843]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by central Government.
Parking: Schools
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department has issued on the enforcement of parking restrictions in areas denoted by zig-zag road markings outside school gates. [218461]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport’s guidance about parking enforcement covers the theory and principles of the process. It does not advise on how the process might be applied in particular situations. Those are decisions for the local authority concerned.
Road Traffic Offences: Cameras
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will instruct each safety camera partnership to publish the revenue resulting from fines attributable to each individual speed camera within their area on an annual basis. [218984]
Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no plans to instruct partnerships to publish details of fine revenue attributable to individual speed cameras. Since 1 April 2007 the individual local partnerships have had full responsibility for the deployment and operation of cameras, and publication of any such information is entirely a matter for them.
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