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20 May 2009 : Column 1389W—continued

In addition, a further 31 claims were brought against the Department during 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. These cases have not been broken down further by category in order to protect the confidentiality of the persons concerned.

Overall, 12 cases were contested and decided at a full hearing of the Employment Tribunal.

18,600 people are employed by the Department for Transport and its agencies.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274535]

Mr. Hoon: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

M1: Speed Limits

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009, Official Report , column 989W, on M1: speed limits, what his latest estimate is of the timetable for the installation of speed cameras between junctions 8 and 9 on the M1. [276438]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The installation of speed cameras between junction 8 and junction 9 on the M1 is expected to take place in early 2010.

20 May 2009 : Column 1390W

M18: Lorries

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1603W, on M42: lorries, if he will introduce a restriction on overtaking by heavy goods vehicles on the M18; and if he will make a statement. [276437]

Paul Clark: There are currently no plans to introduce a restriction on

overtaking by heavy goods vehicles on the M18, since it does not meet the relevant criteria.

As part of the Highways Agency's strategy to tackle congestion, the Agency has considered sites for implementing the HGV lane restrictions. Such sites should meet the following criteria namely; two lane motorway and all purpose trunk roads with gradients where HGVs represent a high proportion of traffic.

Railways: Carbon Emissions

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the likely effects on levels of carbon dioxide emissions of the planned electrification work on the rail network. [276020]

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport is working with the rail industry to assess the case for electrifying the Great Western and Midland Main Lines. Electrifying these two lines would reduce rail's carbon emissions by approximately 3 per cent. or 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Roads: Accidents

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents there were on stretches of roads with a (a) 20, (b) 30, (c) 40 and (d) 50 miles per hour speed limit in each of the last five years. [275831]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents on urban/rural by speed limit of the roads in each of the last five years is given in the following tables:

Number of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accident, broken down by speed limit and rural/urban, 2003-2007 GB
	2003				2004				2005
Speed limit	Urban		Rural		Urban		Rural		Urban		Rural
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
20 mph(1)	4	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	7	7	1	0
30 mph	898	74	185	8	787	73	197	9	811	77	179	8
40 mph	164	14	129	6	176	16	137	6	132	13	126	6
50 mph	34	3	121	5	33	3	106	5	24	2	119	6
60 mph	36	3	1,446	63	36	3	1,330	62	46	4	1,300	60
70 mph	71	6	418	18	47	4	364	17	29	3	427	20
All limits(2)	1,207	100	2,299	100	1,082	100	2,135	100	1,049	100	2,152	100

20 May 2009 : Column 1391W

20 May 2009 : Column 1392W

	2006				2007
Speed limit	Urban		Rural		Urban		Rural
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
20 mph(1)	13	1	4	0	6	1	3	0
30 mph	769	72	173	8	729	75	170	9
40 mph	181	17	143	7	119	12	134	7
50 mph	25	2	105	5	30	3	95	5
60 mph	38	4	1,292	61	40	4	1,202	61
70 mph	43	4	386	18	49	5	369	19
All limits(2)	1,069	100	2,103	100	973	100	1,973	100
(1) Includes residential 20 mph zones plus areas where by-laws restrict the speed limit to 20 mph. (2) Includes unknown and other speed limits.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents in each of the last 11 years were caused by drivers who had been granted a full driver's licence less than one year prior to the accident. [276465]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in road accidents in each of the last 11 years were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. [276466]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available.

Speed Limits

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Highways Agency on the reduction to 50 miles per hour of speed limits on single carriageway trunk roads under the Agency's control. [276296]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Highways Agency has been represented on a Steering Group responsible for the development a new road safety strategy for Great Britain. Aside from the Highways Agency, the Group comprises officials from the relevant Whitehall Departments and from the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government.

The work of the Steering Group led to the consultation document on a new road safety strategy which we published on 21 April. This contains proposals to encourage highway authorities, including the Highways Agency, to reduce speed limits from 60 mph on those rural single carriageways roads where accident risks are high, on a carefully targeted basis.

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