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2 Apr 2009 : Column 1421W—continued
Public Transport: Disabled
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that public transport is accessible to people with disabilities in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [265339]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities. The total allocation provided to the north east in 2008-09 is £76.184 million.
The ‘Access for All’ programme is part of the ‘Railways for All’ Strategy, and was launched by the Department in 2006 to address the issues faced by disabled passengers using railway stations in Great Britain. Details of all the stations currently in the programme can be found at:
To ensure that disabled people are able to use public transport, by law all new trains, buses and coaches used on scheduled services now have to be physically accessible, including to wheelchair users. We have set deadlines for all trains to be accessible by 2020 and all buses used on local or scheduled services will be required to meet accessibility standards by 2017.
In addition, the Department is currently consulting on issues to improve the accessibility of taxis.
Railways
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that Network Rail maintains its expenditure levels on track and overhead line renewals. [268669]
Paul Clark: Determining the appropriate level of expenditure on track and overhead line renewals is a matter for Network Rail and the independent Office of Rail Regulation. The Office of Rail Regulation's document, “Periodic review 2008—Determination of Network Rail's outputs and funding for 2009-14”, assesses the expenditure that Network Rail will need to undertake in 2009-14 on track and overhead line renewals as £3,869 million and £182 million respectively (both in 2006-07 prices).
Railways: Construction
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the analysis his Department has made of high speed rail using the criteria set out in his Department's New Approach to Transport Appraisal. [267522]
Paul Clark [holding answer 27 March 2009]: We have asked High Speed Two to report by the end of the year on a new line from London to the west midlands and advise on potential development further north. This will include relevant appraisals. The Department for Transport has not separately appraised high speed rail against New Approach to Appraisal criteria.
Railways: Freight
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department’s policy is on the proposed Kent International Gateway project at Junction 8 of the M20; and if he will make a statement. [266843]
Paul Clark [holding answer 26 March 2009]: The Strategic Rail Authority document, “Strategic Rail Interchange Policy” of 2004, which can be found at:
is still the basis for the Department for Transport’s policy on rail freight interchanges.
I cannot comment on merits of the Kent International Gateway terminal development proposal which is currently under consideration within the planning system.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Highways Agency has given any advice to (a) his Department and (b) other interested parties in respect of the Kent International Gateway project proposal at Junction 8 of the M20. [266845]
Paul Clark [holding answer 26 March 2009]: The Highways Agency has not given any advice to (a) other parts of the Department for Transport and (b) any other interested parties, although they have held discussions with the developer, Kent International Gateway Ltd and the respective local authorities, Kent county council and Maidstone borough council.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Faber Maunsell Report on logistical aspects of the Kent International Gateway project prepared for his Department; and if he will make a statement. [266847]
Paul Clark [holding answer 26 March 2009]: The Highways Agency has made the assessment that the operation of the proposed development and the transport impacts may not be as forecast by the developer for the Kent International Gateway Project.
Roads
Michael Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which roads for which the Highways Agency is responsible have distance marker posts marking
kilometres; what the cost of installing such posts has been to date; and for what reasons such posts have been installed. [268386]
Paul Clark: Distance marker posts, first installed on motorways in the 1970s, are small posts located at 100 metre intervals along the hard shoulder of all motorways.
Driver location signs are blue signs located at 500 metre intervals also along the hard shoulder. They enable drivers to pinpoint their location and the emergency services to locate the scenes of incidents, more quickly.
Following a successful trial in 2003, from 2007 onwards, driver location signs have been installed on 80 per cent. of the motorway network at a cost of £5.9 million. During 2009-10 signs will be installed on the remaining parts of the motorway network at a cost of £1.6 million.
Both show similar information, however, the driver location signs are designed to be able to be read easily from the carriageway.
Roads: Repairs and Maintenance
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect of snowfall on the cost of road repairs since 1 January 2009. [266434]
Paul Clark: The Highways Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the strategic road network. They have not separately identified or estimated over and above the cost of maintenance to the overall road network, expenditure on repairs incurred because of snowfalls experienced this year. The Highways Agency’s experience is that such costs are small compared to overall maintenance expenditure. The costs are likely to be for treating safety related defects, which are treated promptly as part of the routine and winter maintenance programme.
The management of local roads in England is the responsibility of each local highway authority. The Department for Transport has not made an estimate of the cost of repairs to local roads caused by this year’s severe winter.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide funding for local authorities to develop indoor salt storage facilities. [267116]
Paul Clark [holding answer 26 March 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s written ministerial statement of 12 March 2009, Official Report, columns 29-32WS. This advised that he had invited the UK Roads Liaison Group (UKRLG) to review the lessons learnt from the severe winter and to recommend what steps could be adopted by local highway authorities, trunk road authorities, producers of salt and other stakeholders to ensure the effective treatment of England’s road network. A copy of the terms of reference of the review are available in the Libraries of the House.
Issues relating to salt storage will form part of that review.
UKRLG have been asked to report back by the summer, and we will present the conclusions to Parliament.
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 carriages to be supplied by Agility Trains for the contract for new inter-city express trains will be manufactured solely in Japan. [265034]
Paul Clark: Agility Trains has indicated that only around the first 70 pre-series vehicles, out of an order for up to 1,400, will be manufactured solely in Japan. They are committed to spending 70 per cent. of the super Express Trains contract value in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the 217 new carriages announced for London Midland in August 2008 are in use. [267640]
Paul Clark: As of March 2009, 52 new Class 350/2 carriages are in service with London Midland. The remaining 165 new vehicles are expected to be in service with the operator by the end of 2010.
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the 1,300 new rail carriages announced by the Government in August 2008 are in use on the rail network. [267641]
Paul Clark: As of March 2009 the following new carriages are in service on the rail network:
London Midland—52 Class 350/2 vehicles
First Capital Connect—4 Class 377/5 vehicles.
A further 253 new carriages are expected to be in service with these operators by the end of 2010.
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail users (a) complained about and (b) received compensation for overcrowding on trains in the latest period for which figures are available. [267642]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. However, The Office of Rail Regulation publishes complaints data supplied by train operators to the department in National Rail Trends, which can be found at
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported incidents of passengers being (a) taken ill and (b) injured on board trains as a result of overcrowding there were in the latest period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [267643]
Paul Clark: There have been no reports of passengers taken ill as a result of overcrowding on board trains. In 2008, one passenger injury due to overcrowding on board trains was reported to the Office of Rail Regulation.
Railway incidents are reported to the Office of Rail Regulation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95). Under RIDDOR 95 the reporting trigger
for a non fatal injury to a passenger is that they are removed from the site of the accident immediately to hospital.
Incidents involving people being taken ill on board trains are only reportable if the illness or medical condition can be directly attributable to the operation of the railway; and the person is removed from the site of the accident immediately to hospital.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of March 2009, Official Report, columns 1611-2W, on rolling stock, whether the additional vehicles for South Central and South Eastern listed in his Department's Rolling Stock Plan will be cascaded ex-Thameslink stock. [267669]
Paul Clark: It is not possible to be definitive in respect of the actual solutions for capacity enhancement for these franchises at this time.
Discussions with the respective train operators (or, in the case of South Central, the bidders for the new franchise) are ongoing.
Speed Limits: Cameras
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras there are in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough. [266422]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport only holds information about the number of safety camera sites operating within the National Safety Camera Programme for England and Wales which started in 2001 and ended on 31 March 2007.
The table shows the number of fixed speed camera sites (including average speed cameras) operating at 31 March 2007 within the national programme in each region and the total for England. Separate information for each London borough is not held. Different areas entered the national programme on different dates, and in many cases had established camera sites before joining the programme which are not shown in the table.
Since 1 April 2007 the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. The number of cameras in place since then will therefore be a matter for each individual partnership.
| Fixed safety cameras in England | Number |
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