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16 Jun 2009 : Column 173W—continued
Humber Bridge: Tolls
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the Secretary of State plans to respond to the report of the planning inspectors on the proposed increase of the Humber Bridge toll; and if he will make a statement. [279928]
Mr. Khan: We are considering the inspectors’ report following the public inquiry on the Humber Bridge Board's toll review application and a decision will be made as soon as possible.
London Gateway Port: Expenditure
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been allocated by London Gateway Port to finance improvements to the (a) local and (b) strategic road network in the area. [279784]
Paul Clark [holding answer 15 June 2009]: Improvements to the local and strategic road networks are required as planning conditions for London Gateway. The allocation of finance by London Gateway Port for the road network improvements is a matter for the port company.
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how much his Department has spent on (a) programmes aimed at reducing levels of uninsured driving and (b) establishing a system of continuous insurance enforcement in each year since 2004; [279582]
(2) how much his Department has spent on the report it commissioned from Professor David Greenaway on uninsured driving in the UK. [279583]
Paul Clark:
Programmes aimed at reducing levels of uninsured driving have included the Greenaway report of 2004; legislation in the Serious Organised Crime Act
2005 to give the police enhanced access to the Motor Insurance Database together with powers to seize vehicles found in use uninsured on the road; and, preparation for the proposed initiative to introduce Continuous Insurance Enforcement from comparison of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) vehicles database and the Motor Insurance Database.
The approximate costs are as follows:
| £ | |
The 2004-05 figure includes the approximate cost of the Greenaway study, at £20,000, and the 2008-09 figure includes £1 million for the DVLA to begin to produce the detailed business case for the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) project.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the amount uninsured drivers have cost (a) motorists with insurance and (b) the insurance industry in each year since 2004. [279598]
Paul Clark: No official estimates are made.
However, the motor insurance industry estimates that the cost to the average motorist of accidents involving uninsured and untraced drivers is of the order of £30 per year on the premium paid.
The cost to the motor insurance industry can be indicated by the levy made each year by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) on its members, that is, on all organisations in Great Britain offering motor insurance cover. The levy covers the cost of compensation paid by the MIB to the victims of accidents involving uninsured or untraced drivers. The MIB levy reached the following levels:
| £ million | |
However, the MIB levy takes no account of payments made by insurers in circumstances where, although strictly no insurance cover could be held to be in place, the insurer accepts an obligation to pay. Overall, such payments are estimated to bring the overall cost figure to around £500 million per annum.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects continuous insurance enforcement to be introduced across all insured vehicles. [279599]
Paul Clark: Delivery of the continuous insurance enforcement (CIE) scheme is planned to commence in 2010-11 starting with an initial publicity campaign to raise public awareness.
Motorcycles: Accidents
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on measures to reduce the number of young people killed or seriously injured while riding mopeds; and if he will make a statement. [280119]
Paul Clark: A recent report by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) addressed moped casualties. The Government's Motorcycling Strategy sets out a range of measures to improve the safety of all powered two wheeler users, including young moped riders. It was published in February 2005 and a revised action plan was issued in June 2008. This includes THINK! publicity for powered two wheeler and other road users, improvements to rider training, a safer road environment and safer vehicles and equipment.
Public Transport: Recreational Spaces
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department allocated for transport connections to nature parks in (a) Essex and (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years. [280225]
Mr. Khan: Funding provided by the Department for Transport to local transport authorities is not generally ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities. Figures are not available at constituency level.
The Department provides integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities to support capital investment in transport, which may be used for a range of purposes as the authorities see fit. Allocations provided to Essex since 2004-05 are shown in the following table.
| Allocation ( £ million ) | |
Public Transport: Tickets
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) of 3 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1135-6W, on public transport, what meetings his Department has had on the development of the consultation on an integrated ticketing strategy in England since the date of that Answer. [279464]
Mr. Khan:
The Department for Transport has met a number of key stakeholders since 3 February 2009. These include the devolved Administrations, local transport authorities, the Local Government Association, the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers, independent transport consultants, ticket machine and smart ticketing manufacturers, credit card and payment
companies, other Government Departments and a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Transport and Tourism. The Department has also presented the emerging findings of the strategy work at meetings of the Transport Card Forum and the Transport Group.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) of 3 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1135-6W, on public transport, when he expects the consultation paper on an integrated ticketing strategy for England to be published. [279465]
Mr. Khan: The consultation paper will be published shortly, subject to gaining the necessary approvals for such a cross-cutting policy area.
Railway Stations: Stockport
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the level of accessibility of rail stations in Stockport; what plans he has to improve accessibility at these stations; and what estimate he has made of the cost of doing so. [279765]
Chris Mole: Improving access across the national network is a key objective of the Department for Transport, and a number of stations in the borough of Stockport are benefiting from investment under the Department’s Access for All Programme. Stations have been selected based on usage, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area, as set out in the Railways for All Strategy.
Cheadle Hulme and Marple stations have been identified to be provided with obstacle free routes to all platforms by 2011, and Hazel Grove has recently been completed. Network Rail estimate the investment required to deliver these projects at around £5.9 million.
In addition, small schemes funding of £76,000 has been offered to projects with a total value of £329,000 at Brinnington, Gatley, Heald Green, Romily, and Davenport. This funding is providing access enhancements such as help points, hearing induction loops and customer information systems.
Stockport station itself was upgraded by Network Rail in 2002, to provide level access to platforms and to comply with standards in the SRA publication “Train and Station Services for Disabled Passengers: A Code of Practice”.
More information about station facilities at a local level is held by train operators and the Association of Train Operating Companies.
Railways
John Barrett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what account his Department takes of the effects on tax revenue of modal shifts when assessing the merits of expenditure on high speed rail. [280251]
Chris Mole:
The account taken of changes in tax revenue from modal shift in the economic appraisal of all schemes, including high speed rail, is set out in the
paper "NATA Refresh—Appraisal for a Sustainable Transport System" published on the Department for Transport's website at:
Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House.
John Barrett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has conducted research on modal shifts arising from the introduction of high speed rail. [280253]
Chris Mole: We set up the company High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. to help consider the case for new high speed services from London to Scotland. As part of this work, High Speed 2 will be considering international experience and assessing the scope for modal shift arising from the introduction of high speed rail.
Railways: Fares
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average difference between the price of a walk-on train ticket and a ticket for the same journey purchased in advance. [279651]
Chris Mole: No estimate has been made. Many routes do not have advance purchase tickets and where they do they vary considerably in price and quota availability.
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of amending all rail franchises to reflect the assumption of an increase in unregulated fares of RPI plus one per cent. made in the new South Central franchise (a) in January 2010 and (b) on the renewal date of each franchise. [279709]
Chris Mole: Unregulated fares are a matter for individual train operating companies. Fares policy relating to unregulated fares has not been amended as a result of the South Central franchise replacement. In this case, the winner's bid is based on unregulated fares increasing on average by RPI +1 per cent. across the life of the franchise, but this is not a contractual commitment.
The Department for Transport has not assessed the cost implications of limiting unregulated fare increases.
Railways: South East
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 9 June 2009, Official Report, columns 32-34WS, on the South Central Franchise, what the cost to the public purse was of re-letting the franchise. [279706]
Chris Mole: The total costs of re-letting the South Central franchise are not yet finalised given that the agreement was only signed on 8 June and some additional costs are likely to be incurred during the mobilisation phase of the project.
However, the external costs invoiced and paid by the Department for Transport to 11 June 2009 are £761,298.
The new franchise will provide a premium to Government of £534 million over five years and 10 months.
Railways: Trees
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will instruct Network Rail to consult local residents and businesses when planning to undertake tree clearance work on railway embankments. [280393]
Chris Mole: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, whose first priority is to operate a safe and reliable railway. However, Network Rail's consultation procedures now involve more proactive local stakeholder consultation.
Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the likely economic effects on the transport industry of the amendment of the definition of relevant hydrocarbon oil used for the purposes of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. [279543]
Mr. Khan: It is currently very difficult to assess the economic impact the change in the definition of relevant hydrocarbon oil may have had on the transport industry. This is because the Renewable Fuels Agency, who collect and publish data on the supply of biofuels in the UK, will not have a complete dataset of the biofuel supplied for the reporting period 2008-09 (when the change was introduced) until later this year.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the amendment of the definition of relevant hydrocarbon oil used for the purposes of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation on progress towards his Department’s renewable transport fuel targets. [279544]
Mr. Khan: The definition of relevant hydrocarbon oil in the 2007 Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation order has now been amended so that the obligation applies to fuel suppliers as originally intended. The effect of the definition on the volume of biofuel supplied in the first obligation year (2008-09) will not be known until later this year. The Renewable Fuels Agency are expected to publish available data shortly.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many certificates issued under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme have been revoked owing to the (a) detection of fraud and (b) provision of inaccurate information to the Administrator of that scheme since the RTFO came into force. [279545]
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