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10 Feb 2009 : Column 1797W—continued
The Department for Transport works closely with Network Rail to monitor delivery of the programme, and is aware that initial progress has been slower than anticipated. Following an internal review in summer 2009, Network Rail put in place a revised contracting and delivery strategy, and delivery is now gaining momentum.
Network Rail are excluded from bidding for Access for All Small Scheme funding, the majority of which has been awarded to Train Operating Companies and local authorities. Of the train operating company schemes, 96 per cent. of 505 station projects were completed in 2006-08, delivering enhancements to over 480 stations. A further 149 stations are due to receive enhancements by train operating companies by 31 March 2009, under the 2008-09 programme, 56 of which are currently complete.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what matters were discussed at his recent meeting with the Association of Train Operating Companies and chief executives of the train operating companies; and if he will make a statement. [255982]
Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, South (Mr. Harris) on 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1609W.
Railways: Disabled
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place to evaluate performance against the undertakings made by those bidding for rail franchises in terms of the disability element of franchise bids. [254931]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport’s evaluation of franchise bids includes an assessment of compliance with the invitation to tender, which reflects the Department’s equality of access policies.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure that the disability element of rail franchising is scored in accordance with the Government’s disability equality duty. [254932]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport’s evaluation of franchise bids includes an assessment of compliance with the invitation to tender which reflects the Department’s equality of access policies.
Details that bidders are required to submit include:
compliance with their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act applicable to both stations and trains, including trains’ compliance with time scales required in accordance with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations;
consultation process to identify and address the reasonable needs of disabled passengers concerning existing facilities and planned enhancements;
procedures for the sale of tickets to disabled passengers;
staff training in disability awareness.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how local disability organisations are consulted on options for access improvements in major transport projects. [254933]
Paul Clark: Major transport project promoters are responsible for deciding how to consult with their local stakeholders, including disability organisations. If they are public bodies they have obligations under the disability equality duty to secure the views of a wide range of disabled people.
Railways: Franchises
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has agreed Transport for London’s Metro Standards for the Southern Franchise; and whether he has had (a) representations from and (b) discussions with bidders for the Southern franchise on deferral of the bidding deadline. [256020]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport worked closely with Transport for London in the development of the South Central franchise. The Government franchise specification has a number of service and staffing enhancements that will deliver significant improvements in the London area.
Alongside this, Transport for. London is funding a number of additional incremental enhancements that will bring the franchise specification nearer to the Metro standard aspired to by Transport for London.
The Department’s discussions with bidders during the bid preparation phase have not included consideration of an extension to this stage of the procurement process, and we have received no representations to this effect.
Rescue Services: Hope Cove
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the Hope Cove lifeboat service is re-instated in time for the Easter weekend. [254918]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s boat at Hope Cove may operate from 1 April 2009 in line with its standing instructions.
Road Traffic
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Traffic Management Act 2004 so that its provisions can be enforced in England on vehicles registered in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [254925]
Paul Clark: We have no plans to amend the Traffic Management Act. Local authorities that follow the procedures set out in paragraph 10.66 of the Department for Transport’s Operational Guidance to local authorities about parking policy and enforcement should have no difficulty in taking enforcement action against vehicles where the address of the registered keeper is in Scotland.
Roads: Freight
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has carried out on charges for foreign haulage vehicles to enter the UK; what estimate he has made of (a) the maximum feasible charge per vehicle and (b) the potential annual revenue to accrue from such charges; and if he will make a statement. [254758]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The Department for Transport undertook a freight data feasibility study last year to identify realistic and legal options to deliver a database
to link non-UK HGVs to their hauliers and enable enforcement agencies to better target their resources. This included consideration of a “vignette” scheme, a time-based user charging system.
The study found that less than 11 Euros, on average, could be raised per foreign HGV per day under a vignette—due to the limitations imposed by the EU’s E’urovignette Directive. Such a scheme offered a benefit to cost ratio of between 1.06 and 1.25 including ‘optimism bias’, with potential gross revenues of around £350 million over 10 years from non-UK hauliers.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency reserves for salt and grit the Highways Agency has; for how many days of adverse weather conditions he estimates such supplies would last; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that supplies are adequate. [255555]
Paul Clark [holding answer 9 February 2009]: The Highways Agency, for which the Department for Transport is responsible, operates a routine and winter service regime that requires its service providers to maintain sufficient supplies of salt for the treatment of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) for a continuous period of six capability days.
In the present conditions of continuous severe weather, and the provision of mutual aid to local authorities, enabling them to treat local roads and routes onto and off the SRN, the Highways Agency will aim to have salt supplies for at least three capability days.
Supplies for salt are being replenished by the Highways Agency’s service providers suppliers, but the national demand is placing a strain on availability. The Highways Agency is fully engaged with these suppliers to ensure that supplies are being targeted towards areas of the network that have the highest demand and is itself marshalling its existing supplies of the salt, where this is practical, to ensure the continued availability of the network.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much grit the Highways Agency holds; and how many days use this amount represents. [255660]
Paul Clark [holding answer 9 February 2009]: The Highways Agency normally retains supplies of salt that enable treatment of the Strategic Road Network for a continuous period of six capability days.
The volume of this equates to 85,000 cu m.
In the current conditions, the Highways Agency will aim to have supplies for at least three capability days.
Transport
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the period served by the Ten Year Plan for Transport will end; what assessment he has made of the merits of drawing up a successor programme; and if he will make a statement. [254699]
Mr. Hoon: The Department’s approach to long-term strategic planning has been set out in the publications “Towards a Sustainable Transport System” and, more recently, “Delivering a Sustainable Transport System” which enhance the direction first set out in the 10-year plan.
House of Commons Commission
Parking: Disabled
Roger Berry: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what provision is made for disabled holders of parliamentary passes to park in (a) Star Chamber Court and (b) Royal Court; [254408]
(2) how many disabled parking spaces there are on the Parliamentary Estate; and how many are reserved for disabled (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of the House of Lords. [254413]
Nick Harvey: There are four car parking spaces in Star Chamber Court which are reserved for the holders of blue disabled parking badges. Five car passes entitling the holder to park in Star Chamber Court have been issued; four of these are to Members. Parking in the House of Lords estate is a matter for that House.
Wales
Departmental Lobbying
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether Ministers in his Department received representations from (a) Lord Moonie, (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn, (c) Lord Snape and (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months. [255240]
Work and Pensions
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which ICT projects initiated by his Department were abandoned before completion in each year since 1997; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of (a) commencement and (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [251138]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was created in June 2001. Prior to that, the provision of detailed project information was the responsibility of different Departments and agencies.
Although the DWP does not have any discrete IT projects, it has a number of projects and programmes that include changes to, or new enabling, IT to a greater or lesser extent.
At present the Department has over 200 change projects, a significant number of which have an IT element which is critical to the success of the project. The number of projects in train at any one time will vary and the duration of the project lifecycle is usually more than one calendar year.
Provision of all information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. We have provided such information as is readily available in the following table. This includes:
those projects that have been formally abandoned before completion, in the last five years where the IT element is such that non-delivery of the IT would have significantly affected the project's ability to deliver the intended outcomes and where the investment in the project exceed £1 million;
the investment costs incurred and the main IT contractors involved, where appointed; and
the financial years in which the project commenced and was abandoned.
| Project name | Main IT Contractor | Commencement | Abandonment | Investment expenditure (£ million) |
| (1) BPRP: Of the total investment in BPRP, £73 million of the £143 million has been of continuing value to the Department. This is detailed in the Jobcentre Plus 2006-07 annual accounts. Part of the residual investment has been reimbursed to the Department, in work and kind, by the project's main contractor. (2) Retirement Planner: A closure date of 2004-05 was reported in a previous parliamentary question response. Ministerial agreement to suspend the project was finalised in 2005-06. (3) Including future commitments. | ||||
The costs of running the solutions implemented by the projects and programmes are not included as in the great majority of cases they are more than compensated for by the financial and non financial benefits they generate.
Any initiatives that are associated with ongoing system improvements or enhancements as part of normal Departmental business are also excluded.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what proportion of time each of his Department’s 25 critical systems were available in each month in 2008. [254527]
Jonathan Shaw: The information is not held in the format requested. The availability of the Department’s IT systems is calculated in a service measurement period (SMP) and not on a monthly basis. This cycle is based on the fiscal year.
The following information supplied shows the availability of the Department’s top 25 IT systems covering the period from 14 January 2008 up to and including 11 January 2009.
Each ‘Top 25’ system has reported 100 per cent. availability each reporting period in 2008 except where detailed as follows.
| Application | SMP11 14/01/08 to 10/02/08 | SMP12 11/02/08 to 16/03/08 | SMP01 17/03/08 to 13/04/08 | SMP02 14/04/08 to 11/05/08 | SMP03 12/05/08 to 15/06/08 | SMP04 16/06/08 to 13/07/08 |
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