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16 Jun 2009 : Column 178W—continued
Mr. Khan:
The number of certificates issued under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme that have been revoked owing to the detection of fraud is
zero. The number revoked due to the provision of inaccurate information to the Renewable Fuels Agency as administrator of the scheme is 66,668. This represents a mere 0.005724 per cent. of total certificates.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to include greenhouse gas savings in the targets set out in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. [279548]
Mr. Khan: Under the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) suppliers of fuel will be required to achieve an overall 6 per cent. greenhouse gas (GHG) saving by 2020 for the fuel they supply compared against 2010 levels. We shall be consulting with stakeholders about how best to implement the FQD requirements into a UK scheme and we shall consider how targets for GHG savings for fuel suppliers might play a role.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what meetings his Department has had with outside organisations to prepare the UK's National Action Plan under the renewable transport fuel obligation. [279549]
Mr. Khan: Following the Renewable Energy Directive being adopted in March 2009, officials at the Department for Transport established a stakeholder advisory group with representation from key industry and non-governmental organisations, as a platform for regular consultation on policy options arising from the implementation of this directive. This will include the preparation of the National Action Plan, once the Commission's adopts a template setting out reporting requirements by the end of June 2009.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of electric and hydrogen-fuelled cars towards the 2020 target for the renewable transport fuel obligation; and what methodology was used to make this assessment. [279551]
Mr. Khan: Under the EU Renewable Energy Directive there is a specific target for the share of renewable energy use in UK transport by 2020. Following full public consultation, the Department for Energy and Climate Change are due to publish the Government's Renewable Energy Strategy this summer. This will include an assessment of the potential contribution that electric vehicles may have toward the transport target based on uptake scenarios from the recent Arup-Cenex study. Due to the uncertainty around hydrogen vehicle uptake by 2020 and the potential impact toward the transport target, these will not be assessed.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the Government's National Action Plan required under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will be published; and if he will make a statement. [279552]
Mr. Khan:
Under the Renewable Energy Directive, the UK is required to submit a completed National Energy Action Plan to the European Commission by 30 June 2010 for their assessment. The Commission will then publish all member states' action plans in their
website, alongside any recommendations arising from their assessment. Statements will be made in accordance with due parliamentary process, as and when required.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of reaching the target for 3.25 per cent. of all road transport fuel to come from biofuels by 2009-10; and what recent steps he has taken to increase levels of sustainability of biofuels for use in vehicles. [279578]
Mr. Khan: The likelihood of reaching an obligation level of 3.25 per cent. for the current obligation year will depend on a number of factors including the availability and cost of biofuels. The 20 pence per litre duty incentive for biofuels will remain until April 2010 and this is likely to continue to incentivise their use during this obligation year.
Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) suppliers of fuel are required to complete reports on the environmental performance of the biofuels they supply. Biofuels supplied under the first nine months of the RTFO achieved average greenhouse gas savings of 46 per cent. against the Government's indicative target of 40 per cent. The UK has also been instrumental in lobbying for mandatory biofuels sustainability standards across the European Union. These will come into force by December 2010, as a result of the recent EU Fuel Quality and Renewable Energy Directives.
Road Traffic
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps the Government is taking to address road congestion. [279254]
Chris Mole: For strategic roads, the Department for Transport delivers a wide range of measures to tackle congestion through the Highways Agency. On a day-to-day basis these include managing incidents and events more effectively with the Traffic Officer service, preventing incidents with queue warning systems, improving capacity, reducing delays from road works by safely increasing speed limits and delivering better information services to drivers to help them make better choices on how and when they travel.
The current three-year reliability delivery plan is worth £1 billion. In addition, the Highways Agency is planning and undertaking major capital projects. A package of major capacity improvements worth up to £6 billion was announced on 15 January 2009. Investment is paying off with delays now lower than they were when congestion was first measured in 2004-05.
For local roads, transport improvement priorities are determined locally with a sophisticated mix of measures to improve alternatives to car travel as well as general improvements to road capacity and traffic management. Schemes include bus lanes, traffic calming, cycle routes, pedestrian crossings, urban traffic control, park and ride, junction improvements, better information and work with employers and schools on travel plans to promote non-car travel. The Department provided £0.6 billion in 2008-09 for integrated transport improvements. For the 10 largest urban areas, the Department has put in place a congestion performance fund worth £60 million over four years to 2010-11.
Tyne and Wear Metro
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how many passengers have travelled on the Tyne and Wear Metro in each year since 1997; [279250]
(2) how much capital funding his Department and its predecessors provided for Tyne and Wear Metro in each year since 1997. [279253]
Mr. Khan: The number of passenger journeys on the Tyne and Wear Metro in each year since 1997 is as follows:
| Number of p assenger journeys (million) | |
Since April 1997 the Government have provided the following specific capital funding:
| Purpose | £ million | |
The Government have also supported investment in the Metro through local transport capital block funding provided to the Tyne and Wear local authorities and the Passenger Transport Executive (Nexus) though the Local Transport Plan (LTP) system and previous arrangements. The proportion of this funding spent on the Metro is a matter for the local LTP partners and information is not held centrally. Nexus has also received grants from the European Commission for Metro capital funding.
In addition the Government have provided an annual subsidy for the Metro in every year since 1997. Up to and including 2004-05 this was provided solely as revenue support although Nexus were able to use this for capital spending on the Metro. Since then the annual subsidy has included the following specific elements of capital grant:
| £ million | |
York-Beverley Railway Line
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the possibility of reopening the Beverley to York railway line; and if he will make a statement. [279927]
Chris Mole: Neither I nor my predecessor have had any recent discussions with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the possibility of reopening the Beverley to York railway line. The council would be aware that it would be for the local authorities to determine whether reopening the line is the best way to address local transport issues.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of alcohol-related offences resulted in (a) cautions, (b) conditional cautions, (c) penalty notices for disorder and (d) criminal convictions in (i) England, (ii) Essex and (iii) Castle Point in each of the last five years. [278009]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 11 June 2009]: Information showing the number of offenders cautioned for alcohol related offences in England and Essex from 2003 to 2007 is in Table 1.
Information relating to conditional cautions is not available separately. The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.
A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued by the police for certain alcohol related offences such as being drunk and disorderly and drunk in a highway. The number of persons issued with a PND for alcohol related behaviour offences in England and Essex police force area, 2004 to 2007 (latest available) are given in Table 2. The PND scheme was implemented in all 43 police force areas in England and Wales in 2004.
The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for alcohol related offences in England and Essex, 2003 to 2007 is in Table 3. These figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
It is not possible to further breakdown data to constituency level (i.e. Castle Point) as this level of detail is not held centrally.
Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
| Table 1 : Number of offenders( 1) cautioned for alcohol related offences in England and Essex police force area, 2003 to 2007( 2,3,4) | |||||
| Area | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| (1) Includes offences under the: Licensing Act 1872 s.12; Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 ss.1(2)(3)(4) and 1A(2)(3)(4), 2(1)(2), 5B(2)(3), 5C(3)(4), 5D(2)(3), 6(2); Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 s.1; Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 ss.12, 17, 25(3)(a)(b), 25(4)(5), 32; Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91; Licensing Act 1964 ss.5C(5), 6, 6, 19, 28(3), 34, 36, 39(1)(2)(3)(4), 45, 48, 51(4), 53, 59(1)(a)(b), 71(4), 72, 84, 85(2), 89, 155(1)(a), 157(1)(a)(b), 157(1)(b), 159, 160,(1)(a)(b), 161(1)(2), 162, 163, 164(1)(2), 165, 166(1)(a)(b), 167, 168A, 168(1)(2), 169A, 169B, 169C(1)(2)(3), 169E(1), 169F, 169G, 170, 171A(1), 172, 172A, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179A(6), 179B(5)(6), 179E(8), 179H(2), 181A(1)(2)(3), 183(1)(2)(3), 184, 185, 186,187(3)(4), 188, 193(7) Sch.8 Appendix C s. 6, Appendix D; Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 s.1; Licensing Act 2003 ss.33, 40, 41, 46, 49, 56, 57, 59, 82, 83, 93, 94, 96, 108, 109, 123, 127, 128, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 147A, 148, 149(1)(3)(4)(7(a)(b), 150(1)(2), 151, 152, 153, 156, 157, 158, 160,161, 165,168, 179,197, Sch.8 paras 1 and 22; Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 ss.11, 27; Road Traffic Act 1991 s.3; Late Night Refreshment Houses Act 1969 ss.7(2), 8, 9(1)(4), 10; Town Police Clauses Act 1847 ss.35, 61; London Hackney Carriage Act 1843 s.28; Merchant Shipping Act 1995 s.101 (1)(a)(b), (4) and (5); Licensing Act 1902 ss.2, 6(2)(a)(b); Similar provisions in Local Acts; Road Traffic Act ss.4(1)(2) s.5(1)(a)(b), s.6(4), s.7(6); Road Traffic Act 1988 ss.3A, 7A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.56, Transport and Works Act 1992 s.31A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s.52; Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 s.3 [Sch. Para. 2, 3(a)(b), 4(1)(2)(3), 5, 6, 7, 8(2), 9(2)]; Licensing Act 1988 s.17,18; Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, s. 19; Children and Young Persons Act 1933 s.5; Criminal Justice Act 1996 s.6. (2) The cautions statistics cover simple and conditional cautions, reprimands and warnings. They relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit | |||||
| Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued for alcohol related offences( 1) in England and Essex Police Force Area, 2004( 2) to 2007( 3) | ||||
| Area | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| (1) Includes offences under the: Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.91; Licensing Act 2003 s.141, 146(1)(3), 149(1)(3)(4), 150(1)(2), 151; Licensing Act 1872 s.12; Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s.12. (2 )The offence of being ‘drunk and disorderly’ moved from the lower tier (£50) to the upper tier (£80) on 1 November 2004; Sale of alcohol to a person under 18, Purchasing alcohol for a person under 18, Delivery of alcohol to a person under 18 or allowing such delivery, Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises, Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises, were added to the scheme on 1 November 2004; Sale of alcohol to a drunken person, Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18, were added to the scheme with effect from 4 April 2005. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform— Evidence and Analysis Unit | ||||
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