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26 Mar 2009 : Column 570W—continued
Performing Arts
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years. [264065]
Mr. Hoon: The Department for Transport has engaged actors, musicians and other performers over the last five years. Performers are typically engaged through third-party suppliers contracted to deliver marketing and education products or staff training.
Examples include the use of performers by the central Department for THINK! Road Safety and Act On CO2 climate change commercials for radio, television and cinema as well as press, poster and online material. The Driving Standards Agency and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency have used performers in educational videos for young driver training and MOT testers respectively. The Highways Agency has used actors for role play in recruitment selection campaigns where this was considered beneficial and value for money. The Department has also used actors in role play exercises to aid learning and understanding in management development programmes and diversity awareness training, for example.
Central records do not identify the number and discipline of the performers engaged directly or indirectly by the Department and additional detail could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Railway Stations: Winchester
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train stations in Winchester constituency have been made accessible to wheelchair users in the last three years. [266069]
Paul Clark: No stations in the Winchester constituency have been made fully accessible within the last three years. Winchester station is set to benefit from a new obstacle-free accessible route in the period 2012-15 through the Government's Access for All programme. Micheldever, Shawford, Botley and Winchester stations have also been awarded more than £27,000 of Government funding through the Access for All Small Schemes programme towards over £65,000 of access improvements.
Railways
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average inter-city train speed was for each train operating company in each year since 1997. [264892]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold information on average speeds by train operating company.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether High Speed Two Ltd has been instructed to produce proposals for high-speed rail links other than between London and the West Midlands; and whether the route between London and the West Midlands will carry freight rail services. [266351]
Paul Clark: High Speed Two has been formed to help develop the case for high speed services between London and Scotland.
My noble Friend the Minister of State (Lord Adonis) has written to Sir David Rowlands, Chairman of High Speed Two (HS2) setting out what the Government expect of the company. A copy of this letter is available in the Libraries of the House.
As a first stage, High Speed Two will report by the end of the year with a proposed route from London to the West Midlands, setting out any necessary options, including freight capability of a new line and how best to use the released capacity as a result of HS2 on existing lines for both passenger and freight. It will also consider the potential for new lines to serve the north of England and Scotland, providing advice on the potential development of a high speed line beyond the West Midlands, at the level of broad “corridors”. We have asked the company to consider in particular the potential for HS2 to extend to the conurbations of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.
Railways: Finance
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport over what period his Department plans to allocate funding to High Speed Two; and from which budget. [265944]
Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 23 March 2009, Official Report, column 6W.
Railways: Overcrowding
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to extend the passengers in excess of capacity measurement to include services which do not start or end in London. [262451]
Paul Clark: In line with the initiatives in the White Paper "Delivering a Sustainable Railway" to provide additional capacity through the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) on the rail network, the Department for Transport is currently developing measures to monitor passenger numbers in defined regional cities in England. This is based on count programmes instigated by the Department from late 2006 to ascertain passenger demand in defined regional cities.
In addition, all franchises let after 2004, including those outside London, contain capacity benchmarks against which the operators are measured.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods his Department is considering to improve the accuracy of measurement of overcrowding on trains outside of London and the South East. [262933]
Paul Clark: The July 2007 White Paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, sets out a capacity metric in a High Level Output Specification (HLOS). The Department for Transport is currently developing a process by which it will report levels of crowding and delivery of the HLOS capacity metric across franchised train operating companies (TOCs). This will involve gathering information on crowding levels during the morning peak in London and in other cities.
In addition, all franchises let after 2004, including those outside London, contain capacity benchmarks against which the operators are measured.
Railways: Standards
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much compensation has been paid by Network Rail to train operating companies for delays in each year since 2000. [264893]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested. This is an operational matter for Network Rail. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail’s chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
Iain Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
Kings Place
90 York Way
London, N1 9AG.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much compensation has been paid to passengers by each train operating company for delays in each year since 2000. [264894]
Paul Clark: Information on compensation paid to passengers is not held by the Department for Transport. The hon. Member may wish to contact the individual companies for this information.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to business of (a) road and (b) rail congestion in the latest year for which figures are available. [264895]
Paul Clark: The Eddington Study, published in 2006, made use of analysis produced using the Department for Transport’s national transport model. This study looked at the costs of additional road congestion, rather than the absolute costs of congestion. It estimated that the increase in time lost due to road congestion between 2003 and 2025 for business (including freight) would be worth £10 to £12 billion by 2025 in 2002 prices. This is a direct cost to the economy.
No estimate has been made by the Department of the costs of rail congestion on business, measured either in terms of crowding or reliability.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of train (a) delays and (b) cancellations as a result of snow and freezing conditions there have been since 19 December 2008. [265439]
Paul Clark: Information on the disruption of rail services, including incidents of train delays and cancellations as a result of snow and freezing conditions, is collected and processed by Network Rail. The right hon. and learned Member may wish to contact Network Rail for this information at the following address:
Iain Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
Kings Place
York Way
London
N1 9AG.
Road Traffic: Road Works
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of the amount of congestion which is linked to street works in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough; [266424]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the year-on-year change in the amount of congestion resulting from street works in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough in each of the last 11 years. [266427]
Paul Clark:
In 2004, the third, and final, annual report commissioned by Department for Transport on the effectiveness of section 74 of New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 in reducing unnecessary disruption of the highway was completed. Using information provided
by 25 highway authorities across England, an extrapolation was made that there were some 1.2 million street works (works in the highway by undertakers, mainly utility companies). The study also estimated that the impact on congestion in England could be valued at £4.3 billion each year. A copy of the report has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
The Department has commissioned further research to study the adoption of new street work powers introduced through the Traffic Management Act 2004. This is expected to report in 2010.
Road Traffic: Traffic Lights
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of re-phasing traffic lights on levels of congestion in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough in each of the last 11 years. [266429]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has made no national or regional assessment of the effect on congestion of re-phasing traffic signals.
Road Works
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the first local authority road works permitting scheme to be established under the provisions of the Traffic Management Act 2004; and where he expects it to be established. [266044]
Paul Clark [holding answer 24 March 2009]: Applications to operate permit schemes have been received from Transport for London and 14 London boroughs for a London Common Permit scheme and from Kent county council for the Secretary of State's approval. The Kent application is currently being considered by officials in the Department for Transport. The applicant authorities for the London Common Permit scheme have, following an interim response from the Department, decided to carry out a further consultation—due to close on 5 June—before resubmitting the application. It is not possible at this stage to predict either the outcome of an application or, if successful, when a permit scheme may come into force.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has met representatives of utility companies to discuss street works since his appointment. [266509]
Paul Clark: The Secretary of State for Transport has not met representatives of utility companies to discuss street works. However, I had a meeting on 25 March with the National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG), which represents water and energy utility companies, as well as some telecoms companies, to discuss street works. I also spoke at NJUG's parliamentary reception and award ceremony in December 2008.
Road Works: Fixed Penalties
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much was paid in fixed penalty notices for street works issued under the provision of regulations in the Traffic Management Act 2004 in (a) each English region and (b) each London borough in each of the last three years; [266511]
(2) how many fixed penalty notices for street works have been issued under the provision of regulations in the Traffic Management Act 2004 in (a) each English region and (b) each London borough in each of the last three years. [266512]
Paul Clark: The powers to use fixed penalty notices (FPNs), as an alternative to prosecution, for certain offences under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 were brought into force on 12 May 2008.
The Department for Transport does not hold or collect information on either the number of FPNs given or the amount paid.
Roads: Accidents
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths there were resulting from traffic related incidents in 30 miles per hour zones in (a) Castle Point and (b) Essex in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [267052]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Numbers of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents on roads with a 30 mph speed limit in (a) Castle Point and (b) Essex in each of the last five years are given in the following table:
| Number of fatalities | ||
| (a) Castle Point | (b) Essex | |
Rolling Stock
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-44, on new trains (investment), how many of the 12,500 long-term jobs he estimates will be created or safeguarded by the contract to re-equip the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines with new inter-city express trains will be in (a) train maintenance and (b) the supply chain. [265031]
Paul Clark: Agility Trains anticipates that of the estimated 12,500 total jobs to be created or safeguarded, 2,500 will be directly employed by the Agility Trains consortium. Of these, an estimated 1,400 jobs will be safeguarded in train maintenance, and an estimated 1,100 jobs will be created in train and factory construction.
Of the remaining estimated 10,000 jobs, Agility Trains anticipates that they are likely to be within train vehicle component suppliers, third party suppliers and the wider economy.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-44, on new trains (investment), how much he expects to be invested in the UK by Agility Trains following the award of the contract. [265032]
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