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26 Jun 2009 : Column 1160W—continued
Transport
Bus Services: Concessions
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many pensioners in (a) Merseyside and (b) Crosby received a concessionary bus pass in the latest period for which figures are available. [282549]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many passes individual authorities have issued.
Merseyside and Crosby are part of the Merseytravel area. The last information held by the Department is that as of March 2009 Merseytravel had issued 307,132 passes to older and disabled people.
Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 704W, on the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission, who the UK representatives on the Intergovernmental Commission are; and how they were selected. [282585]
Chris Mole: The UK delegation to the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) currently comprises: Roy Griffins, Head of the UK delegation; Richard Clifton, Head of the UK delegation to the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority; Chris Whomersley, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Tom Dowdall, Home Office; Herve Mathevet, HM Revenue and Customs; Linda Willson, Department for Transport; and Brian Kogan, Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The delegation may be accompanied at meetings by expert advisers in relation to specific items on the agenda.
The Head of UK delegation, the Safety Authority representative, and the Office of Rail Regulation member are appointed by the Department following consultation with the Office of Rail Regulation. The Department also appoints its own representative. The remaining members of the UK delegation are nominated by the department or authority they represent.
Channel Tunnel Railway Line
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 704W, on the Channel Tunnel railway line: fares, if he will request the Intergovernmental Commission to raise with Eurotunnel the level of track access charges through the Channel Tunnel, with particular reference to the implementation of his policy of encouraging (a) high speed passenger rail traffic and (b) international rail freight. [282586]
Chris Mole: Under Article 12(1) of the Treaty of Canterbury of 1986, Eurotunnel are free, within the framework of national and Community law, to determine their commercial policy and tariffs.
It would be improper for the Intergovernmental Commission to consider any representation from the Department for Transport on this matter.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2009, Official Report, column 427W, on the Channel Tunnel railway line, for what reason no recent assessment of the effect of track access charges on the potential growth of international freight through the Channel Tunnel has been made. [282587]
Chris Mole: Any assessment of the effect of track access charges on the potential growth of international freight through the Channel Tunnel is a matter for Eurotunnel and the rail freight operators.
Cross-Channel Rail
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that SNCF does not secure a disproportionate share of cross-Channel rail traffic. [282562]
Chris Mole: It is for the rail operators to market their services to customers. As such the Department for Transport is not in a position to interfere in shares of cross-channel rail traffic.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 484W, on departmental billing, how much his Department’s non-departmental public bodies paid in interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years. [282331]
Chris Mole: One of the Department for Transport’s non-departmental public bodies, the Commission for Integrated Transport, incurred a cost of £91.13 (£50.00 late payment interest and a penalty charge of £41.13) in 2008-09 under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
None of the Department for Transport’s other non-departmental public bodies paid interest under the Act for the last three years.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Manpower
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency office in each of the last five years. [280314]
Paul Clark: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Driving: Licensing
Chris Grayling: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many applications for driving licences were found to be supported by birth certificates which claimed to but did not relate to the applicant in each of the last five years. [281934]
Paul Clark: The following table provides the number of applications for a driving licence, over the last four financial years, that were supported with a birth certificate that appeared not to relate to the applicant. These figures were not recorded before April 2005:
| Financial year | Total |
High Speed Trains
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what consideration he has given to the merits of transferring High Speed 1 to Network Rail. [282561]
Chris Mole:
Having considered various options, on 1 March 2006, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the best way of delivering continuing value for money for the taxpayer in relation to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (since renamed High Speed 1) would be for there to be an open, transparent and competitive process. The Government are currently engaged
in a restructuring of London and Continental Railways. Following this, it is the Government’s intention, as market conditions allow, to sell, via an open and competitive auction, a long-term concession for High Speed 1 in such a way as to maximise value for money for the taxpayer.
Motorcycles: Driving Instruction
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans his Department has to review (a) the compulsory basic training for moped riders and (b) the moped riding age. [281760]
Paul Clark: The Driving Standards Agency is reviewing the current arrangements for training learner moped riders in line with the commitments in the Government’s Motorcycle Strategy and plans to consult later this year. We have no plans to change our current minimum age of 16 years for riding mopeds.
Railways: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which railway stations in the London Borough of Bexley have received financial support from his Department for the installation of step-free access since 1997. [282755]
Chris Mole:
Access for all small schemes funding of around £41,000 has so far been offered towards step-free
access projects with a total value of about £86,000 in the Bexley Borough. This funding is being used to provide mobile access ramps at Purfleet; removal of steps to the entrance and widening of the footpath at Welling; a low gradient pathway to the platform at Barnehurst; and a dropped kerb at Bexley.
The latest application pack for Small Schemes funding, for projects to be delivered in 2010-11, is now on the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk/accessunder 'Rail' and we would welcome further applications.
Roads: Accidents
Mr. Randall: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road deaths there were in (a) London and (b) the London borough of Hillingdon in each of the last three years for which records are available; how many of those killed were (i) drivers, (ii) vehicle passengers and (iii) pedestrians; how many such deaths occurred in 30 miles per hour zones; and how many were attributable to excess speed. [281829]
Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following tables. Information on contributory factors is not available below Government Office Region level since the number of accidents is small and therefore it may be possible to identify individuals, so fatalities involving excess speed are not shown for Hillingdon.
| Road accident fatalities in London and in the London borough of Hillingdon: 2006-08 | |||||||
| Number of fatalities | |||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |||||
| Region | Casualty type | All roads | 30 mph roads | All roads | 30 mph roads | All roads | 30 mph roads |
| (1) Excluding Heathrow airport. | |||||||
| Fatalities in London in accidents where excess speed was reported( 1) : 2006-08 | ||||||
| Number of fatalities | ||||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | ||||
| Casualty type | All roads | 30 mph roads | All roads | 30 mph roads | All roads | 30 mph roads |
| (1) Includes accidents where one of the contributory factors exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions was reported, and in which a police officer attended the scene and a contributory factor was reported. | ||||||
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