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10 Feb 2009 : Column 1789W—continued
Transport
A303
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for completion of the dualling of the A303. [254680]
Paul Clark: Following our decision to give regions a greater role in determining priorities for major transport schemes within indicative allocations, it is for the South West region to advise on the relative priority of dualling improvements to the A303 alongside other proposed schemes in the region. We are expecting advice on the priorities for transport investment in the South West in the period to 2018-19 by the end of this month.
A303: Stonehenge
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation he had with Visit Britain on his Department’s review of the Stonehenge improvement scheme. [255776]
Paul Clark: The Highways Agency carried out a widely publicised consultation between January and April 2006 on alternative options for improvements to the A303 running past Stonehenge. There is no record of Visit Britain having responded to this consultation.
Cars: Insurance
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what system the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has in place to ensure that accurate and up-to-date car insurance information is held on its databases. [254582]
Jim Fitzpatrick: All motor vehicle insurance details are held on the insurance industry’s motor insurance database (MID) and it is the insurance industry’s responsibility to provide data to it. The Department requires 95 per cent. of new records to be on the database within seven days. The industry estimates that nearly 99 per cent. of all appropriate records are now on the database within seven days.
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle excise duty online renewals have been refused in the last period for which figures are available because car insurance details have not been held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database. [254583]
Jim Fitzpatrick: When customers apply for a tax disc on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Electronic Vehicle Re-licensing (EVL) service, the vehicle’s insurance is electronically checked with the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), these details are not held on DVLA’s database. If the insurance details cannot be traced with the MIB, customers are not able to make a re-licensing transaction through the EVL service. If customers have recently renewed, updated or changed the insurance policy, the vehicle details may not have been updated yet on the MIB. The reason for this is that the MIB only records the expiry date of the current insurance period. Once that current period ends the new insurance period updates the database.
The number of incomplete transactions from November 2008 to January 2009, where insurance details could not be found are:
November 2008: 109,050 out of 1,691,556 transactions
December 2008: 89,633 out of 1,622,678 transactions
January 2008: 130,231 out of 1,961,037 transactions
Driving Tests
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on revisions to the standard driving test. [254760]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In parallel with our wide ranging learning to drive consultation which looks at reforming the way that people learn to drive and are tested, we have initiated a programme of research to trial and evaluate the measures proposed. These include:
Evaluation of classroom-based discussion groups exploring young people’s attitudes to safe driving.
Assessing the impact of different educational interventions and access to learning materials on performance at the theory test.
Development of a self evaluation tool that could help learners identify their attitudes towards risk and safety.
Assessing possible changes to the content of the practical driving test, such as examiners giving candidates less direction for part of the test.
Development of a revised marking scheme for the practical test, based on a candidate’s demonstration of defined competencies rather than the current fault-based assessment.
We propose to publish reports of each of the research projects in due course.
Great Eastern Railway
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to increase capacity on the Chelmsford to Liverpool Street railway line. [254748]
Paul Clark: The Secretary of State for Transport set out his requirements for additional peak capacity into London Liverpool Street in the White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway” published in July 2007.
The Department for Transport is actively engaged in discussions with National Express East Anglia (NXEA) aimed at achieving early commercial agreement that will enable NXEA to increase the capacity it provides to meet this requirement. This will include services between Chelmsford and Liverpool Street.
Heathrow Airport: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many schools within the boundaries of areas surrounding Heathrow airport currently have air quality with a nitrogen dioxide level of 40 micrograms/m3 or greater. [254120]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The technical report “Population Exposure to Air Pollution”, published as part of the “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” consultation in November 2007, shows (Table 3.4) 16 ‘sensitive receptors’ (which includes schools) with nitrogen dioxide levels above the limit of 40 micrograms/m3 in 2002. Data for the current year are not available but no such exceedances are predicted in 2010 or future years, with or without airport expansion.
Heathrow Airport: Job Creation
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the number of new jobs which would be created by the expansion of Heathrow Airport. [254888]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The assessment of additional jobs from a third runway are set out in the recently published ‘Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport—Impact Assessment’. This is available at:
Table A1, page 92 shows the incremental impact of a third runway relative to the base case of no third runway. Additional capacity is likely to lead to around 8,000 additional on-site jobs by 2030.
Heathrow Airport: Noise
Norman Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of noise
levels in each London borough resulting from the establishment of the Heathrow third runway. [253847]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Noise impacts of a three-runway airport at Heathrow were presented in the November 2007 consultation document and supporting technical report on noise, both of which are still available on the Department’s website. The documents include a geographical presentation of noise contour details but do not provide figures by borough.
Highways Agency: Finance
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009, Official Report, column 300W, on motorways: repairs and maintenance, whether the £6 billion programme of national major schemes will be in addition to the annual budget for the Highways Agency programme of national major schemes; [255093]
(2) what the Highways Agency budget in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13 is for national major road schemes. [255094]
Paul Clark: In our July 2008 document “Roads - Delivering Choice and Reliability” we announced that up to £6 billion was being made available for improvements to national strategic roads in England. On 15 January 2009, we announced which schemes this funding would support up to 2015. This funding is in addition to the provision for major improvements to regional strategic roads and other Highways Agency activities such as maintenance and the Traffic Officer Service.
The budgets for the Highways Agency are set on an annual basis and published in their annual Business Plan. The 2009-10 Highways Agency Business Plan is due to be published by the end of March 2009. Precise budgets are subject to annual confirmation as part of determining overall public sector investment and the Highways Agency’s business planning process.
Humber Bridge: Tolls
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the toll for the Humber Bridge was for a single car crossing in each year since the bridge was opened; and if he will make a statement. [254774]
Paul Clark: The toll for a single car crossing in each year since the bridge was opened is:
| £ | |
This information is publicly available on the Humber Bridge website.
Kent
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) revenue payment, (b) capital grant and (c) supported borrowing funding has been made available by his Department to (i) Kent County Council, (ii) Thanet District Council and (iii) Dover District Council in 2008-09; and how much is planned in each case for 2009-10. [255092]
Paul Clark:
The following tables show the transport capital and revenue funding the Department for Transport
has allocated to Kent county council for 2008-09 and 2009-10. In county areas, funding is made to the upper tier authority. Allocations are not ring-fenced and local transport authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.
The tables indicate the proportion of capital allocations allowed for within the Department for Communities and Local Government’s formula grant settlement as supported borrowing, and the proportion of grant provided by the Department. Figures shown are in £ millions.
| Kent county council—capital funding | ||||||
| £ million | ||||||
| Integrated Transport(IT) Block | Highways Maintenance (HM) | Proportion of IT and HM provided as supported borrowing (percentage) | Proportion of IT and HM provided as grant (percentage) | Other funding( 1) (grant) | Total capital funding | |
| (1) Other capital funding comprises capital detrunking and capital road safety. | ||||||
Most revenue expenditure on transport is supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s formula grant, but the Department has made the following specific revenue grants to Kent county council:
| Kent county council—specific revenue funding | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Road safety revenue | Revenue detrunking | Specific bus grants( 1) | Total revenue funding | |
| (1) The figures comprise spend for the Urban Bus challenge (UBC), the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC), Kickstart bus projects and allocations for the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG). | ||||
The following table shows the allocations that the Department for Transport makes to Thanet and Dover district councils in respect of concessionary fares. (These authorities also receive additional concessionary fares funding through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s formula grant.)
| Concessionary fares funding( 1) | ||
| £ million | ||
| Thanet district council | Dover district council | |
| (1) Special grant allocation. | ||
Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Chelmsford
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many petrol stations in West Chelmsford constituency have active liquefied petroleum gas pumps. [254749]
Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held centrally by Government. However, information on geographical locations is available on the UK LPG website at:
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