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22 Apr 2009 : Column 754W—continued
Network Rail: Incentives
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the documents held by his Department setting out the incentive structure for Network Rail. [269058]
Paul Clark: Decisions on the bonuses payable to Network Rail staff are a matter for the company’s independent Remuneration Committee, not for the Government. The details of the company’s annual Management Incentive Plan are published in its annual report and accounts, which can be found on the Network Rail website at
Bonuses are determined against key performance indicator targets set by the independent Office of Rail Regulation in accordance with condition 16 of Network Rail’s network licence.
On 1 April the Office of Rail Regulation introduced changes to Network Rail’s network licence to strengthen the company’s accountability. These require Network Rail’s Remuneration Committee to be more transparent in its executive bonus decision making process; and to publish an annual account of how the bonus awards have been calculated. The formal licence modification notice can be found on the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at
Network Rail: Pay
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is consulted on the (a) salary and (b) bonuses of board members of Network Rail; and if he will make a statement. [268874]
Paul Clark: Decisions on the remuneration and incentivisation of Network Rail's executive directors are a matter for the company's independent Remuneration Committee. Bonuses are determined against key performance indicator targets set by the independent Office of Regulation in accordance with condition 16 of Network Rail's network licence. The terms of Network Rail's Management Incentive Policy can be modified only with the consent of the Office of Rail Regulation.
As part of the Office of Rail Regulation's Periodic Review 2008 Final Determinations, changes were introduced on 1 April to Network Rail's network licence to strengthen the company's accountability. These require Network
Rail's Remuneration Committee to be more transparent in its executive bonus decision-making process; to publish an annual account of how the bonus awards have been calculated; and to explain how it has taken into account input from the Office of Rail Regulation.
Parking: Fees and Charges
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the policy is of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on whether their staff who have a parking space in an area with workplace parking charges should have the cost of the charge met by their employer. [270266]
Paul Clark: There are no areas with a workplace parking levy. The Department for Transport is currently considering whether to confirm Nottingham City council’s workplace parking levy order.
Parking: Public Consultation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of each response to his Department's consultation on Workplace Parking Levy—Completing the Legal Framework. [270105]
Paul Clark: An announcement will be made in due course.
Public Transport: Rural Areas
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the Taxiplus pilot scheme as proposed in paragraph 8.10 of the Commission for Integrated Transport’s study, A New Approach to Rural Public Transport. [270048]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is considering the recommendations made by the Commission for Integrated Transport in its report A New Approach to Rural Public Transport. We have not made any detailed cost estimate of the recommendation for a Taxiplus pilot scheme.
Railways
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will take steps to ensure that Network Rail does not defer essential renewal work; [268666]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure there is no reduction in the frequency of signal maintenance on railway lines; [268667]
(3) if he will take steps to ensure that there is no reduction in the frequency of rail track inspections. [268668]
Paul Clark:
These are operational matters for Network Rail as it aims to deliver the value for money needed to meet the output and efficiency targets for maintenance and renewal of the national network over the next five years of Control Period 4, set by the Office of Rail Regulation. Details of these targets can be found in “Periodic review 2008—Determination of Network Rail’s
outputs and funding for 2009-14”. As the industry economic and safety regulator, the Office of Rail Regulation will independently monitor the work.
Network Rail has announced that it will be investing almost £4 billion on an intensive track renewals programme to further improve the network between 2009-14. Total outputs will remain as previously planned, though phasing adjustments in the early part of the five-year period will result in less track renewal work in 2009-10 to allow time for new, more efficient working practices to take effect. Network Rail has made clear that only non-critical work will be deferred.
Network Rail’s decision relates solely to track renewals. The company has assured the Department for Transport that maintenance and track inspections will not be affected.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely change in the number of rail passengers in the 12 months from April 2009. [269755]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not make forecasts of year-on-year changes in rail passenger numbers. The Government’s High Level Output Specification for the railways for the period 2009-14 is set out in the White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, published in July 2007. This forecasts rail passenger numbers for 2008-09 and specifies the additional numbers to be accommodated on the network by the end of the 2013-14.
Railways: South East
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any bidders for the South Central rail franchise run existing rail franchises to which his Department has assigned red light status as part of its routine review of the operational and financial performance of train operating companies. [269000]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport assesses the financial profile of all the bidders as part of the evaluation of all franchise tenders.
The Department does not comment on the financial performance of the companies operating existing franchises as that information is commercially sensitive.
Railways: Standards
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish statistics showing the number of delay minutes on the railways in each year since 1997, broken down by cause of delay. [269057]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold information specifically about delay minutes on the railways broken down by cause of delay.
Data on rail performance, including on delay minutes, are published by the Office of Rail Regulation. For recent annual assessments of Network Rail and whole-industry performance, the hon. Member may wish to consult the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at:
Historically published information can also be viewed at:
Roads: Birmingham
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has provided for highway maintenance and improvement in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in the last three years for which figures are available. [270034]
Paul Clark: Birmingham city council is the local highway authority for the area covered by the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency. The funding support allocated to the authority by my Department for highway maintenance and improvements for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 is shown in the following table.
| £000 | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
Birmingham city council are a partner in the joint West Midlands local transport plan (LTP). This LTP was allocated a road safety grant for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. The details of the allocation are:
| £000 | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
It is for Birmingham city council to decide how their funding is spent in line with the authority's priorities.
In addition, central funding support for services, including routine highways, is provided by Communities and local Government through the revenue support grant. This funding is not ring fenced.
Roads: Sight Impaired
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a moratorium on all shared surface streets incorporating roads and pavements until after the publication of his Department’s research into the effect of shared surface street design on partially sighted people. [270295]
Paul Clark: We have no plans for a moratorium on shared surface street schemes. The Department for Transport is aware of and appreciates the concerns of some disabled people regarding shared surfaces, but there is no conclusive evidence that such schemes are inherently less safe than conventionally kerbed streets. There is a considerable amount of anecdotal evidence that shared space schemes (which often include shared surfaces) enhance the public realm, and can deliver accessibility benefits without compromising safety.
The Department intends to make evidence-based policy in this area, and to understand how shared space could be made to work for all road users, including visually
impaired people. It is for this reason that the Department is conducting a comprehensive two-year research project into shared space, aimed at informing future policy and guidance.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much salt was (a) ordered and (b) received by the Highways Agency from Salt Union in each week between 1 January and 16 February 2009; [267114]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) his Department’s and (b) the Highways Agency’s correspondence on delivery plans and priorities with Salt Union which took place between 26 January and 9 February 2009; [267115]
(3) what assistance with salt supplies the Highways Agency provided to Gloucestershire County Council between 26 January and 9 February 2009; [267117]
(4) pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2009, Official Report, column 1102W, on roads: snow and ice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice issued daily to salt suppliers on each day between 26 January and 9 February 2009. [267165]
Paul Clark [holding answer 26 March 2009]: The Highways Agency’s contracted service providers are responsible for delivery of the winter service on the strategic road network, including the purchase of road salt. The Highways Agency does not purchase salt directly and does not hold information on orders placed or salt received by its service providers.
The central Government led advisory salt prioritisation process was based upon information provided by trunk road and local highway authorities on salt stocks, estimates of future usage derived from Met Office forecasts, and an assessment of the available market supply. The process involved officials from the Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Highways Agency, the Local Government Association and the Department for Transport.
During the weekend of the 7 and 8 February 2009, one of the primary salt suppliers could not make deliveries due to drivers hours restrictions. The Highways Agency provided haulage to deliver 4,457 tonnes of salt to 55 local authorities in England, including 784 tonnes to Gloucestershire county council.
Agreement was sought from the salt suppliers for the Department for Transport to provide the correspondence between them and the Department, covering delivery plans and priorities. We were requested not to provide any information which could identify named customers, as that information was considered to be commercial confidential. The following summary of advice provided on priorities for deliveries between 26 January and 9 February by Government to the salt suppliers therefore includes aggregated data only.
| Date of advice | Delivery date | Number of local highways authorities suppliers advised as a priority for delivery( 1) | Number of national highways authorities suppliers advised as a priority for delivery( 2) | Total tonnage |
| (1) Includes English and Welsh authorities. (2) Highway agencies advised deliveries are recorded as a separate location for each delivery. Scotland’s deliveries were for the 9 February only and are recorded as a single entry for all locations. | ||||
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