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29 Oct 2008 : Column 1036W—continued
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the business community about a third runway at Heathrow in the last two years. [227985]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers regularly meet and correspond with business representatives on a range of issues as part of the Department’s continuing engagement with aviation stakeholders. Over the last two years, previous Secretaries of State have attended a number of events either hosted by, or where the business community has been represented, on the specific issue of Heathrow airport, although not limited to discussions about the third runway.
In addition, a wide range of business organisations submitted responses to the ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport’ consultation which closed in February this year. All of the almost 70,000 responses to the consultation are being analysed and will inform decisions on Heathrow which we expect to take by the end of the year.
Highways Agency: Consultants
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure on consultants by the Highways Agency was in each year since its creation. [228127]
Paul Clark: Data is available only from 2002-03 and is shown in the following table:
| Consultancy expenditure (£ million) | |
The figures up to 2004-05 include all external consultants and technical advisers. The reduction in expenditure in 2005-06 was due to applying the revised Office of Government Commerce/Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy effective from 1 April 2005.
The revised OGC/Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy states:
'Consultancy falls under the wider category of Professional Services which comprises the following areas; General management and business, Legal, HR, IT,- Property, and Financial. Consultancy services cover one or more of advice, design and development, and implementation where the assignment is time limited or ad hoc, and is in addition to business as usual activity. Where these services are provided as part of steady state operations this should be recorded as staff substitution, even if a consultant is engaged.'
Expenditure in years 2002-03 to 2004-05 restated on the post 2005 basis is as follows:
| £ million | |
| Consultancy expenditure (restated ) | |
Consultants and technical advisers provide specialist advice, knowledge and services essential to maintain our infrastructure and deliver transport improvements. They are engaged only where the agency does not normally retain full-time in-house expertise.
The Highways Agency contracts out 95 per cent. of its total spend. This is for the maintenance of our national road network, to ensure we have properly maintained, safe and serviceable roads.
M1: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the date when the roadworks in Nottinghamshire on the M1 motorway north of junction 25 will be completed; and if he will make a statement. [229893]
Paul Clark [holding answer 28 October 2008]: The widening works between M1 Junction 25 to Junction 28 are currently programmed to be completed in autumn 2010.
Motor Vehicles: Licensing
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign-registered motor vehicles which had been in the UK for more than six months were registered and licensed in the United Kingdom in the period (a) January to June 2008, (b) July to December 2007 and (c) January to June 2007. [229123]
Jim Fitzpatrick: When a foreign vehicle is re-registered and licensed in GB we do not capture how long the vehicle has been in the country. The total number of foreign registered vehicles re-registered and licensed by DVLA is:
| Number | |
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents were caused by drivers without (a) valid insurance and (b) a valid driving licence in each year since 1997. [229948]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many vehicles a statutory off road notification was made in the third quarter of (a) 2008, (b) 2007, (c) 2006, (d) 2005 and (e) 2004. [229950]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following are the total statutory off road notifications (SORN) processed by the agency for July, August and September of the years stated. The totals consist of notifications made by both manual and electronic means.
| Number | |
Motor Vehicles: Lighting
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the terms of Commission directive 2008/89/EC, on the provision of daytime running lights on motor vehicles, permit (a) retailers before sale and (b) purchasers after sale to modify vehicles to remove the facility; and if he will make a statement. [227957]
Jim Fitzpatrick: When the directive comes into force it will require all relevant new type approved vehicles to be fitted with dedicated low-wattage daytime running lights (DRL), which automatically activate when the engine is started, in order to be eligible for registration and sale. While retailers here will not be able to remove or disconnect DRL prior to registering the vehicle, there would currently be nothing thereafter to prevent the DRL being removed or disconnected, provided that this could be achieved without interfering with other lighting functions.
We are now considering how best to require that DRL fitted from the implementation dates are adequately maintained, so as to ensure that they continue to function correctly after registration.
Network Rail: Standards
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Office of the Rail Regulator has issued an improvement notice against Network Rail in the last month; and if he will make a statement. [231218]
Paul Clark [holding answer 28 October 2008]: The Office of Rail Regulation has not served any improvement notices on Network Rail in the last month.
Railway Stations: Disabled
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on plans to use Access for All funding to make access improvements at Leominster railway station; and if he will make a statement. [228220]
Paul Clark: Earlier this year, my predecessor announced the inclusion of Leominster station in the Access for All programme, for delivery between 2012 and 2015. Subject to a survey and feasibility study to identify the most appropriate solution during 2009, construction is programmed to begin in autumn 2010 with completion currently forecast during summer 2011.
Railway Stations: Gatwick
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decision he has made on the redevelopment of Gatwick railway station. [227408]
Paul Clark: The Government have made no decision on the redevelopment of Gatwick airport railway station.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to Network Rail on upgrading Gatwick railway station before 2012. [227409]
Paul Clark: The Government have not made separate representations to Network Rail to upgrade Gatwick railway station.
The Government set out in July 2007 the improvements in capacity, reliability and safety they wished to be provided on the railway by 2014, and made significant investment available to pay for this. It is for the rail industry to determine the enhancements required to deliver this, subject to independent evaluation by the Office of Rail Regulation.
Railway Stations: Security
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stations (a) were accredited to (b) unsuccessfully applied for accreditation to and (c) were lapsed from accreditation to the Secure Stations scheme in each year since its inception. [227968]
Paul Clark: Stations are awarded Secure Station status for a two-year period once they have met the required scheme accreditation standards on station design, station management, crime management and passenger perceptions. After this two-year period, stations can seek reaccreditation under the scheme. The vast majority of accredited stations seek and obtain re-accreditation.
The figures requested are provided in the following table. No details are held on those stations which have unsuccessfully applied for accreditation since the scheme’s inception. However, since March 2005, stations which initially would not have gained full accreditation have been able to work towards accreditation. Six such stations have achieved full accreditation in this way.
The yearly accreditation figures represent stations that have received their accreditation or reaccreditation in that year. The figures do not include those stations in the second year of their accreditation period. For example, by totalling all new accreditations with those currently in the second year of their accreditation there are at present a total of 820 accredited stations in England, Scotland and Wales.
It should also be noted that the lapsed figures represent stations that that lapsed their accreditation (or re-accreditation) that year—however, they may have subsequently successfully gained re-accreditation thereafter.
| Accreditations including re-accreditations | Lapsed stations | |
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stations, which were working towards accreditation, subsequently failed to receive accreditation within 18 months, in each year since the introduction of the secure stations scheme. [227969]
Paul Clark: No stations which were working towards accreditation have failed to receive accreditation since the working towards accreditation category was introduced within the secure stations scheme in March 2005.
Railways: Fares
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints his Department received from members of the public on matters which fall within the remit of the approved penalty fares scheme in the last year for which figures are available. [227958]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not collate these statistics. However, there is a very small but regular flow of items of correspondence from passengers regarding National rail penalty fare schemes. These relate almost exclusively to unsuccessful appeals made by individuals to one of the two approved independent penalty fares appeals services.
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