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14 Oct 2008 : Column 1038W—continued
Roads: Construction
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her latest estimate is of the construction cost per mile of a three-lane motorway with (a) a continuous hard shoulder, (b) emergency refuge areas every 500 metres, (c) emergency refuge areas every 800 metres, (d) emergency refuge areas every 1,000 metres and (e) neither hard shoulder nor emergency refuge areas. [222462]
Paul Clark: The estimated range of construction costs for one mile of three-lane motorway with a continuous hard shoulder is from £21.4 million to £35.0 million. This compares with a range of £19.3 million to £31.5 million for a three-lane motorway without hard shoulder. The estimated rates cover the construction costs of a new dual three-lane rural motorway including detail design costs and statutory undertakers' diversions, but excluding land costs, VAT and the Highways Agency's agent and administration costs.
The Highways Agency does not hold estimates for the costs of construction of a new motorway with emergency refuges at any distance, as they have never undertaken or considered a project of this type. The M42 Active Traffic Management Pilot cost £9.0 million per mile but this scheme added hard shoulder running and emergency refuge areas at around 500 metres to an existing three-lane motorway with hard shoulder. However, costs will vary on a scheme by scheme basis and so the M42 pilot might not represent the typical cost of adding hard shoulder running with emergency refuge areas at around 500 m.
Following the Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study, further work is under way to examine in detail the scope for a wider roll-out of dynamic hard shoulder running. This will include analysis of the cost of adding hard shoulder running to existing motorways with emergency refuges at around 800 m.
Rolling Stock
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy, when assessing the benefits of new railway rolling stock, to base such an assessment on the operational life of the stock rather than the length of franchise. [226688]
Paul Clark [holding answer 13 October 2008]: When taking a decision to procure or require the procurement of new rolling stock, the Department for Transport’s policy is to assess the life-time costs and benefits of that rolling stock. It is also open to the Department to take into account the life-time benefits of bidder proposals when appropriate in franchise competitions, for instance when considering the purchase of options.
Speed Limits
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what speed limit reviews his Department requires from local authorities before 2011; what guidance has been issued on how to conduct these reviews; and if he will make a statement. [226328]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department provides local traffic authorities with guidance to ensure local speed limits are appropriately and consistently set. The latest guidance was published on 8 August 2006 in DfT Circular 01/2006, “Setting Local Speed Limits”, and requested traffic authorities review speed limits on all of their A and B roads, and implement any necessary changes by 2011.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) developed a Speed Assessment Framework to assist traffic authorities with their decision making process with specific regard to rural single carriageway roads. The framework is available as a Traffic Advisory leaflet and as a downloadable spreadsheet from the TRL website.
Stansted Airport: Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional greenhouse gas emissions that would result from an expansion of air traffic capacity at Stansted airport. [226938]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Our current forecasts of UK aviation carbon dioxide emissions were reported in “UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts”, published in November 2007 and available at:
According to these forecasts, using Stansted’s existing runway to the new maximum permitted capacity would result in additional carbon dioxide emissions of around one million tonnes per annum by 2015. This would be equivalent to an increase of less than 1 per cent. in total UK transport emissions, or an increase of around 0.2 per cent. in total UK emissions.
These forecasts also show that the opening of a second runway at Stansted, which will be the subject of a separate planning inquiry in 2009, would cause the UK’s annual carbon dioxide emissions to increase by an additional 2.3 million tonnes per annum, when averaged over the period 2015 to 2075.
The Government’s strategy for tackling the climate change impacts of aviation are set out in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper. Our view is that the most effective way of tackling the climate change impacts of aviation is through including the aviation sector in a well designed, international emissions trading regime. This would ensure that any increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector would be matched by a corresponding reduction in another sector, which the aviation industry would pay for.
Tolls
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to (a) increase the number of toll roads in England and (b) remove existing toll roads. [225619]
Paul Clark: There are currently no plans to increase the number of toll roads or remove tolls where currently applied. As set out in the recent document: ‘Roads—Delivering Choice and Reliability’, the Department for Transport is considering the role that tolled lanes could play in managing new capacity.
Trains
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train carriages have been refurbished in the last five years. [225608]
Paul Clark: Rolling stock goes through major overhaul cycles approximately every six years, which would mean the majority of rolling stock will have had some form of modernisation in the last five years. The specific information requested is not collected by the Department for Transport.
Trains: Crimes of Violence
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many violent assaults there were on passengers on trains in each of the last five years. [225623]
Paul Clark: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:
parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in the processing of partial succession payments for the (a) Farm Woodland Scheme and (b) Farm Woodland Premium Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [225879]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Out of more than 10,500 Farm Woodland Scheme (FWS) and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) agreements existing in 2007, only 25 of them (one FWS and 24 FWPS) have been affected by partial succession. The total value of payments due for 2007 under these 25 agreements was £38,000 and so far, £5,000 has been paid. The Forestry Commission is expecting to pay the remainder within the next four weeks.
Of the 2008 payments due this autumn, 42 agreements (three FWS and 39 FWPS) are affected by partial succession. The Forestry Commission expects to be able to make payments for all of these, provided that they are not affected by other regulatory issues, by the end of 2008.
Batteries: Recycling
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what guidance he has received from the Waste and Resources Action Programme on the implementation of EU Directive 2006/66 on the recycling of batteries; [222738]
(2) what plans his Department has to increase capacity for battery recycling; [222740]
(3) what progress has been made towards establishing collection schemes for batteries. [222963]
Jane Kennedy: We are currently preparing regulations to implement the EU batteries directive. The directive requires greatly increased collection, treatment and recycling of batteries by 2012 with a further target by 2016. In accordance with the directive the UK regulations will require all shops who sell a significant quantity of batteries to collect batteries returned by members of the public. In addition batteries producers will need to set up other collections to meet their targets under the directive.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has worked in partnership with a range of Local Authorities and not-for-profit organisations that already run recycling collection services to pilot portable waste battery collection trials in the UK. Trials include establishing 'drop off points at supermarkets, as well as other methods of collection such as at the kerbside.
WRAP'S full report on the results from the trials is due shortly and will be available on the WRAP and DEFRA websites. It will be used to help Government and batteries producers to identify the best methods of collecting batteries.
We expect that the additional collection, treatment and recycling required will provide opportunities for UK companies to invest in increased capacity for battery recycling.
Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the vaccine for bluetongue to be available; whether there are plans to provide a vaccine for each strain of the disease; and whether cattle that have been vaccinated will be allowed (a) into and (b) out of the bluetongue zone. [225455]
Jane Kennedy: The UK was the first EU member state to order Bluetongue Virus (BTV) vaccine, and on 30 April 2008, the first batches became available, ahead of schedule, for use in the Protection Zone. The protection zone was expanded over the summer and since 1 September has covered the whole of England, enabling farmers to protect their animals from the threat of Bluetongue (searotype 8).
Protection zone restrictions apply to all keepers in the zone. Animals can only be moved out of the protection zone if they are vaccinated, naturally immune or moving for slaughter, subject to meeting certain conditions.
There are currently no vaccines licensed for us in the UK for other Bluetongue serotypes. We are currently in discussion with the veterinary profession and industry stakeholders on our vaccination plans for 2009.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many strains of bluetongue the Government has vaccines available. [225538]
Jane Kennedy: The UK was the first country in Europe to place an order for BTV8 vaccine. This vaccine is now available to farmers across England and Wales. The Government do not have available vaccines for any other BTV serotypes.
There are currently no vaccines licensed for use in the UK for other bluetongue serotypes. We are currently in discussion with the veterinary profession and industry stakeholders on our vaccination plans for 2009.
Cereals: Exports
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of grain grown in the UK were exported in each of the last three years, broken down by country of destination; and how much in each year was exported for (a) the production of food products and (b) the manufacture of bio-fuels. [226280]
Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the volume of cereals exported from the UK from 2005 to July 2008 broken down by country of destination. It is not possible to identify which of these will be used for food products or biofuels.
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