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26 Mar 2009 : Column 575W—continued
Paul Clark: Agility Trains has stated publicly that it is committed to spending 70 per cent. of the contract value in the UK.
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), what discussions he has had with Agility Trains on (a) the proposed sites for the new maintenance depots and (b) upgrades to existing maintenance depots following the award of the contract. [265033]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport facilitated visits to existing Network Rail depots for all bidders during early 2008. Dialogue regarding the bidders' depots and maintenance proposals continued with both Agility Trains and Express Rail Alliance throughout the bidding process, up to the selection of Preferred Bidder. Further dialogue with Agility Trains, the Preferred Bidder, will continue until the award of the contract.
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), whether the (a) body shells, (b) engines and (c) bogies for the contract to supply new inter-city express trains are to be manufactured in the UK. [265035]
Paul Clark: Agility Trains has said that the body shells for the new trains will initially be made in Japan using Hitachi's friction stir-welding technique. The Department for Transport anticipates that Agility Trains will establish facilities for friction on stir-welding in the UK as soon as practicable following contract award. The company is yet to announce the source country for either the engines or the bogies for the new trains, but has committed to spend 70 per cent. of the Super Express Trains contract value in the UK.
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), whether an environmental impact assessment was made of the specifications for the supply of new inter-city express trains contained in bids submitted by (a) Agility Trains and (b) Bombardier Trains. [265036]
Paul Clark: The delivery of an environmentally sustainable solution for the Intercity Express Programme is a key objective for the Department for Transport (see section 1.2 of the Invitation to Tender). The technical appraisal of the Concept Train Design, from both Agility Trains and Express Rail Alliance, included an assessment of the environmental considerations defined by sections 3.6-3.9 (inclusive) of the Train Technical Specification and section 7.1.2 of the Invitation to Tender.
Both the Invitation to Tender and the Train Service Specification can be accessed via:
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), when he expects Agility Trains to establish facilities for friction stir welding. [265037]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport anticipates that Agility Trains will establish facilities for friction stir-welding in the UK as soon as practicable following contract award.
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), if he will make representations to his Japanese counterpart on the market access for the export of trains and rolling stock to Japan. [265038]
Paul Clark: The European Commission has highlighted the difficulties of entry for non-Japanese companies into the Japanese rail market. The Foreign Office continues to work with the European Commission—which is taking the lead in this area—to raise the issue of barriers to market entry with the Japanese government.
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 UK-based suppliers he estimates will benefit indirectly from the contract with Agility Trains. [265039]
Paul Clark: Agility Trains announced on 12 February that it was in advanced discussions with 20 UK-based suppliers. Since then, the company has put out a call for further interested suppliers, which can be found on their website at
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), when he expects to announce the location of the new train assembly and manufacturing facility to be established by Agility Trains following the award of the contract. [265040]
Paul Clark: The announcement of the location of the site is expected to be made by Agility Trains following contract award later this year.
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), whether production of the new inter-city express trains in the UK will be at (a) a manufacturing facility and (b) an assembly facility. [265054]
Paul Clark: The production of the new Super Express trains will be in a UK manufacturing facility.
Surveys
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 362W, on departmental surveys, if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of the 2008 staff survey undertaken by his Department. [263734]
Mr. Hoon: Staff surveys are valuable tools used by Departments to help them improve performance. The results of the most recent survey of the central Department for Transport are available on the Civil Service website at:
Traffic Lights
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many traffic lights there are on public roads in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough; [266423]
(2) what increase in the number of traffic lights on public roads there has been in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough in each of the last 10 years. [266425]
Paul Clark: This information is not held centrally. The Department for Transport does not collect information on the numbers of traffic signals in use in the UK.
Transport: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government is taking to improve transport links to seaside resorts. [265490]
Paul Clark: Transport relating to seaside resorts in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly government.
When determining funding for transport schemes in England, the Department does not explicitly take into consideration the fact that a settlement is a seaside town. The Government take a wide range of factors into account—including regeneration benefits—in the economic assessment of a scheme's benefits.
In recent years they have funded a number of local authority projects that improve links to seaside resorts. These include the Scarborough Integrated Transport Scheme and the A158 Burgh-Le-Marsh Bypass, which serves Skegness.
A further 13 projects that will improve transport links to seaside towns in England have funding allocated in the Regional Funding Allocation programme. These schemes are at various stages of development and should be completed between now and 2019, subject to meeting the Department's business case requirements.
As well as funding from the Regional Funding Allocation, local transport authorities are able to target resources, according to local needs and priorities, from their Revenue Support Grant and Rural Bus Subsidy Grant allocations to improve transport links to seaside resorts in their area.
A number of rail lines serving seaside resorts have benefited from the joint working of local authorities and the railway industry through community rail partnerships.
Transport: Expenditure
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of his Department's spending related to projects intended to encourage (a) cycling and (b) bus use in the last 12 months. [266431]
Mr. Hoon:
Overall spending in 2008-09 is forecast to be £18,101 million. Of this the Department for Transport has earmarked £20 million specifically for cycling schemes (which is 0.1 per cent. of the overall budget). Spending on encouraging bus use (including Bus Service Operators
Grant, Concessionary Fares and other items) was £703.5 million, which corresponds to 3.9 per cent. of overall spend.
In addition expenditure such as Sustainable Travel and Integrated Transport grants amounted to £3,927.1 million (21.7 per cent.). This incorporates an element for encouraging cycling and bus use that cannot be separately identified.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Subsidies
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets his Department has set in relation to the time taken for processing applications for funding under those components of the Rural Development Programme England which are administered by regional development agencies. [264216]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Details of Rural Development Programme for England processing targets are being discussed with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) as part of a review of existing service level agreements between DEFRA, RDAs and the Rural Payments Agency.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding he expects to be allocated in grants made under the Rural Development Programme England in 2009. [264217]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA manages its finances on a financial year basis (1 April to 31 March). DEFRA expects to spend £417 million on grants under the Rural Development Programme for England in 2008-09. We are currently budgeting to spend £550 million under the programme in 2009-10.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to simplify the application process for allocation of funds under the Rural Development Programme England. [264218]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is still at a relatively early stage of implementation and we are keeping all processes under review with delivery bodies. The general approach to applications is designed to meet the requirements of EU and national regulations and, where appropriate, tailored to meet regional needs. Natural England is currently reviewing the way it allocates funds to applicants to environmental stewardship as part of a scheme efficiencies project. Application processes will be formally considered as part of the RDPE mid-term evaluation.
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the mechanisms by which grants are awarded to applicants under Axis 1 and Axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme England. [264219]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA officials meet regularly with the Regional Development Agencies which are responsible for awarding grants under Axis 1 and Axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme for England where the effectiveness of their delivery mechanisms are reviewed.
Beavers
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the reintroduction of beavers into the wild. [265482]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Labour rural manifesto of 2005 said that a Labour Government would support the reintroduction of former native species if justified on environmental and sustainability grounds. However the Government are also committed to conserving our existing native species and habitats and it is important to use our resources wisely for this purpose. Any proposal to reintroduce formerly native species would therefore have to be very carefully considered.
I am aware that the Scottish Executive issued a licence for a trial reintroduction of beavers late in 2008 and that in Wales a feasibility study on reintroduction is currently under way. In England, the results of a joint scientific study into the desirability and feasibility of reintroducing the European beaver to the English countryside were published on 18 March 2009 by Natural England and the People's Trust for Endangered Species. Natural England jointly commissioned the study in order to better prepare itself for the possibility of a licence application to release beavers in England. The report identifies a number of benefits associated with the reintroduction of beavers. It also highlights a number of issues that we would expect to be thoroughly addressed before Natural England considered licensing a reintroduction programme.
We would expect Natural England to take account of the applicable International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines, to consider the views of interested parties and in particular to be satisfied that the reintroduction would not have a significant adverse impact on natural or semi-natural habitats, native wildlife or socio-economic interests and that measures could be put in place to deal with any unforeseen problems, should they occur.
Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of livestock farmers in each region who have vaccinated their livestock against bluetongue disease; and if he will make a statement. [263902]
Jane Kennedy: Vaccination in England and Wales for BTV8 is voluntary. This approach gives farmers the opportunity to judge for themselves the benefits of vaccinating. Experience in 2008 suggests that a majority of farmers do see the benefits of vaccination. A voluntary programme therefore enables these farmers to protect their livestock at the minimum possible cost.
We monitor uptake through sales data; farmers are not required to notify us of vaccination due to the additional burdens and costs this would involve. During 2008 overall level of uptake across England was 60 per cent., or 16 million doses sold.
| Region | Percentage uptake( 1) |
| (1) Approximately, according to sales data. | |
Vaccination played a vital role in keeping us free from circulating BTV8 disease last year. If adequate vaccination levels are not reached this year, and BTV8 is reintroduced, the disease will spread to unvaccinated animals. The disease is still present and circulating in neighbouring EU member states. Farmers and livestock keepers should not become complacent and should vaccinate their animals for BTV8 as soon as possible.
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