| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 July 2008 : Column 876W—continued
Transport
A1(M): Hertfordshire
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward plans to widen the A1(M) between Welwyn and Stevenage. [219699]
Mr. Tom Harris: There are no proposals to widen this section of the A1(M). The widening of the A1(M) between Welwyn and Stevenage is not in the East of England Regional Assembly's list of schemes to be prioritised for construction before 2015. The Region will have the opportunity to review its programme later this year and make recommendations to the Secretary of State should they wish to bring an A1(M) widening scheme forward.
A10: Royston
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward plans for a Royston southern by-pass on the A10. [219698]
Mr. Tom Harris: We are not aware of any plans for a Royston Southern by-pass on the A10 road. As the A10 is not a trunk road, any plans would have to be proposed by the local authority, in this case Hertfordshire county council, and submitted to the Regional Transport Forum for consideration of funding through the Regional Funding Allocation along with other regional proposals.
Biofuels
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to revise the carbon sustainability and reporting requirements for biofuels in respect of biodiesel from palm oil grown on tropical peatland; and if she will make a statement. [219627]
Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 17 July 2008]: The detail of the reporting requirements under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) is a matter for the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA). The RFA has produced guidance on the carbon and sustainability information that is required from transport fuel suppliers, which is available via the RFA’s website at:
The Government have encouraged transport fuel suppliers to source biofuels produced from feedstocks which meet qualifying environmental standards under the RTFO. In order for suppliers to report that their biofuel has met a qualifying standard, they must ensure that its production has not destroyed or damaged large above or below ground carbon stocks, and that it has not taken place on soils with a large risk of significant carbon losses such as peatlands.
At EU level, the UK has been pressing for mandatory sustainability criteria to apply to all biofuels. If adopted in the form currently proposed in the draft renewable energy directive, these would ensure that from around 2010 or 2011 biofuels produced on newly deforested tropical peatland would be ineligible for support anywhere in the EU.
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals to extend concessionary bus travel for school and college students. [219000]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport has no immediate plans to extend further the coverage of statutory concessions to school and college students. Local authorities retain the discretion to offer concessionary travel enhancements to young people in their area based on their assessment of local needs and circumstances, and many choose to do so.
Extending statutory concessions to young people could have significant cost and operational implications, especially as travel to school is during the morning peak and could have the unintended consequence of actually reducing the numbers walking or cycling to school.
From September 2008 the Education and Inspections Act 2006 extends entitlement to free school transport for pupils entitled to free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of maximum working tax credit. At secondary age, pupils attending one of their three nearest schools that is between two and six miles from their home, and those attending their nearest school preferred on grounds of religion or belief between two and 15 miles, will be entitled to free school transport.
Bus Services: Fares
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the year-on-year percentage change in adult bus fares in (a) passenger transport executive areas, (b) London and (c) other areas of England was in each year since 1986 before the effects of local and national changes in concessionary travel. [220277]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the estimated percentage change in local bus fares in each year from 1985-86 to 2006-07 for England, London, passenger transport executive (PTE) areas and other areas. The estimate for 2006-07 has been adjusted to show change before the likely estimated effect of the introduction of concessionary bus fares on 1 April 2006.
Data are not available for the period which covers the introduction of the national concession on 1 April 2008. Data are not available to adjust the data series for any discretionary local concessionary arrangements.
Calder Valley Railway Line
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to introduce additional rolling stock on the Calder Valley line; and how many units are to be introduced. [220043]
Mr. Tom Harris: We have specified that capacity for an extra 5,100 peak passengers should be provided into Leeds by 2014. Given forecast demand, it is likely the Calder Valley line will be one of the routes benefiting from this extra capacity. We are in discussion with the train operating companies on the best way to add peak capacity but it is not possible at this stage to say how it will be allocated between routes and how many additional carriages will operate on individual routes.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of (a) the number of computer devices left on overnight in her Department when not in use and (b) the cost of leaving computer devices on overnight when not in use in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [217872]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Neither the Department nor its agencies has the information to answer the question as requested.
As recorded in the answer I gave the hon. Member on 3 June 2008, Official Report, column 852W, the Department and its agencies all have policies of switching off computer devices (PCs, monitors, and printers) when not in use, and at night, and staff are regularly reminded to do so.
Apart from occasional compliance surveys at headquarters buildings there is no mechanism to estimate the number of individual computers left on overnight and when not in use, and there are no plans to introduce this.
DfT (Central) operates an automatic shutdown of non-essential computers from 7 pm every Friday. A monitoring analysis of the effect of this indicates annual savings of 3.7 tonnes of carbon emissions (13.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide) and a cost saving of £2,600.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) officials in her Department and (b) employees of (i) agencies and (ii) other bodies reporting to her Department were (A) dismissed and (B) disciplined for matters related to their conduct in the last two years. [217602]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Central Department and its agencies recorded the following instances of disciplinary action relating to employee performance in the period of the last two financial years:
| Number of occurrences | |
These figures exclude those of the Highways Agency, who could provide the information only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Research
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of her Department's budget and that of its predecessor was spent on research in each of the last 10 years. [218071]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Detailed historic information about budgets, and information prior to the formation of the Department for Transport in 2002, is not available. The following figures show the proportion of the Department's total DEL expenditure used on research between 2002-03 and 2007-08.
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | ( 3) 2007-08 | |
| (1) Taken from Table 2.1 of the SET Statistics (Science, Engineering and Technology indicators). These data can be found at http:/www.berr.gov.uk/dius/science/science-funding/set-stats/index.html (2) Taken from Table A1, (pages 207 and 208) of the Department for Transport Annual Report 2008, representing the sum of total resource DEL (including near and non-cash) and total capital DEL, less depreciation. (3) Figures shown for 2007-08 are provisional. | ||||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |