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19 Jan 2009 : Column 1061W—continued


Network Rail: Disclosure of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will encourage Network Rail to respond to requests for information held as if they were subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [249220]

Paul Clark: Network Rail is an independent company. It is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 because it is not part of the public sector.

Overseas Lorries

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maximum charge is per day for a foreign haulage vehicle to enter the UK. [247431]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government do not charge foreign haulage vehicles to enter the UK.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign vehicles arrived in the UK each (a) day, (b) week and (c) month of the last two years. [247432]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does not collect information on the total numbers of foreign vehicles entering the United Kingdom. However quarterly figures are published on the number of road goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe and these are broken down by whether the vehicles are registered in the UK or not. These figures include vehicles travelling by ferry and through the Channel tunnel and exclude traffic across the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic. The web link to the latest figures is:

The following table gives the data for the last two years and excludes unaccompanied trailers.


19 Jan 2009 : Column 1062W
Road goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe
Thousands of vehicles

Quarter UK registered Foreign registered Unknown

2006

Q4

100

417

2

2007

Q1

101

421

2

Q2

103

427

3

Q3

101

426

3

Q4

95

444

3

2008

Q1(1)

98

430

2

Q2(1)

105

436

1

Q3(1)

101

408

1

(1) Provisional.

Railways: Fares

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent increase in rail fares has been announced by each train operating company. [247081]

Paul Clark: The Association of Train Operating Companies issued a press release citing the average fares rises for January 2009. This was published in November 2008 and is available from their website:

Railways: Timetables

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to encourage Network Rail to release to the hon. Member for Lewes the information he has requested from the company in respect of trains arriving at their scheduled destination at least one minute after the scheduled arrival time but within the timescale that allows them to be classified as on time. [249219]

Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the information his Department holds on very seriously delayed and cancelled trains in the last 12 month period for which figures are available, broken down by train operating company. [249310]

Paul Clark: The latest period for which cancellation figures are available for England and Wales is 9 December 2007 to 6 December 2008. The number of franchised passenger trains cancelled for their whole journey is given by train operating company in the following table:


19 Jan 2009 : Column 1063W
Train operating company Number of cancellations

Arriva Trains Wales

1,213

c2c

1,193

Chiltern

664

First Capital Connect

4,069

First Great Western

4,699

National Express East Coast

644

Merseyrail

1,799

Northern Rail

6,284

National Express East Anglia

6,975

Southeastern

4,878

Southern

5,722

Stagecoach South West Trains

4,017

TransPennine Express

1,082

Virgin Trains

1,266

Crosscountry

1,151

East Midlands Trains

1,630

London Overground

1,215

London Midland

6,174

Total

54,675


The total number of trains cancelled represents 0.9 per cent. of those scheduled to operate over the period in question. This is a reduction on the equivalent period the previous year when 1.2 per cent. of scheduled services were cancelled.

The Department for Transport does not have information on “very seriously delayed trains”. This is collected and processed by Network Rail. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chief executive of Network Rail at the following address:

Roads: Accidents

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of (a) serious and (b) fatal road accidents involved (i) foreign and (ii) UK road hauliers in the latest period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [247088]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number and percentage of (a) serious and (b) fatal reported personal injury road accidents in 2007 involving at least one (i) foreign and (ii) UK registered heavy goods vehicle (HGV) are given in the table.

Number of accidents

Fatal Serious

Accidents involving at least one foreign registered HGV

28

101

Accidents involving at least one UK registered HGV

374

1,246

Accidents involving at least one UK or foreign registered HGV

393

1,331

Percentage involving at least one foreign registered HGV

7

8

Percentage involving at least one UK registered HGV

95

94


19 Jan 2009 : Column 1064W

The percentages do not sum up to 100, because both foreign and UK registered heavy goods vehicle could be involved in the same accident.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported deaths as a result of road traffic accidents there were in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex in each year since 1997. [248828]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of fatalities from reported personal injury road accidents in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex in each year since 1997 are given in the table:

Number of fatalities

Eastbourne East Sussex( 1)

1997

4

43

1998

2

44

1999

2

48

2000

2

57

2001

4

41

2002

1

50

2003

2

47

2004

7

48

2005

2

58

2006

1

46

2007

3

32

(1) Includes Brighton and Hove UA

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of disabled people who used (a) the Severn Bridge and (b) the Second Severn Crossing who qualified for exemptions from tolls in the last 12 months; what estimate he has made of the level of exemptions fraudulently claimed in that period; and if he will make a statement. [248523]

Paul Clark: UK and EU Disabled Badge users are exempt from charges on the Severn bridge tolls. In 2008, it is estimated that the number of disabled badge holders passing through (a) the Severn bridge was 119,663 and (b) the Second Severn Crossing was 329,957.

Severn River Crossing plc who operate the tolls do not keep records of fraudulently claimed disabled badges, however checks on the validity of disabled badges, held by users, are made by toll collectors at toll booths.


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