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30 Jun 2009 : Column 153W—continued
Cycling: Schools
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport in how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools there is a cycling safety programme which has been approved by his Department. [282546]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport provides advice on safer cycling for children of all ages on its “Think” website.
The Department also funds cycle training in schools. Grants are available for local authorities and school sports partnerships for national standard cycle training promoted as Bikeability training in England. The decision on which schools take part is for individual local authority and school sports partnerships to determine. We do not therefore hold information about which schools have taken part to date, though we do plan to ask for it in the future as the delivery in schools expands. To date we have funded around 146,000 training places and have made grants of around £10 million available in 2009-10 to fund over 200,000 places.
Safety may also be covered in a school’s travel plan. Every school should have a travel plan by March 2010. We do not hold data on which plans include any safety aspect.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many local authorities were funding a cycling safety programme in schools on the latest date for which figures are available. [282558]
Mr. Khan: Most local authorities fund some form of cycle training in their schools usually through their Local Transport Plan funding. Not all of it is National Standard training (see reply to PQ 2588 08/09).
We have in recent years supplemented local authority spend and funded schools direct through their School sports Partnerships to increase the number of children who can receive national standard training as part of our target of delivering an additional 500,000 training places by 2012.
We announced cycle training grants amounting to £5.4 million earlier this year for 94 local authorities and our cycle demonstration towns. All bids for grant were awarded in full. This money will fund around 135,000 training places in addition to the estimated 100,000 being funded through our grants of £4 million to School Sports Partnerships. This builds on the 146,000 places we have already funded and goes a long way to meeting our 2012 target.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what core criteria his Department approves school cycling safety programmes; and what account is taken of the inclusion of training in safety in relation to heavy goods vehicles in the approval of such programmes. [282559]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport only provides grant for cycle training that meets the National Standard, promoted as Bikeability training in England. We have made over £9 million available to local authorities and school sports partnerships to deliver the national standard in 2009-10.
The National Standard replaces the old cycling proficiency and been designed and developed by leading experts in the road safety and cycling fields including RoSPA, Local Authority Road Safety Officers (LARSOA) and the Cyclists Touring Club. It is based on similar principles to lessons for motorcycles, allowing cyclists to assess risks and obstacles faced on the road. It involves a higher standard of cycle training, including an on-road element and is designed to give confidence and skills to deal with today’s road conditions. It can only be delivered by qualified national standard trainers.
The training consists of three levels:
Level 1: aimed at 7-9 year olds-off road teaching of basic cycling and balance skills;
Level 2: aimed at 10-11 years-on-road training building on the first level;
Level 3: aimed at older children/adults-includes tackling difficult road features (e.g. roundabouts) and the safe use of cycle facilities.
The National Standard deals with positioning and identifying the different hazards and road conditions cyclists may face on the road including being able to recognise the dangers that can be posed by large vehicles. Positioning and filtering is particularly important when sharing road space. Filtering allows a cyclist to move inside or outside of slow or stationary traffic but the choice to filter rests with the cyclist who needs to know how to judge when to filter. These skills are primarily taught at Level 3. Not filtering up the left of large vehicles at junctions is the main proviso cyclists are taught because the drivers of large vehicles have a blind spot on their nearside when turning left and the space there if occupied by a cyclist becomes closed.
A number of local authorities and other organisations give advice to HGV drivers about sharing road space with cyclists.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the efficient funding and delivery of cycling safety programmes in schools. [282560]
Mr. Khan: None since the Secretary of State only recently took office. However both Department for Transport Ministers and officials here engage with Her Majesty’s Government colleagues on these issues as necessary. Meetings are held regularly with the Department of Children, Schools and Families on the part increases in cycling, particularly cycling to school can play in improving the health and fitness of children as part of the Government’s initiatives to reduce child obesity and increase physical activity.
Departmental Manpower
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 200W, on departmental manpower, what recent forecast his Department has made of the number of posts in each bargaining unit on 31 March 2010. [282956]
Chris Mole: The table shows the forecast change in headcount (permanent staff and those on fixed term contracts), expressed as full-time equivalents, between 31 March 2009 and 31 March 2010 in the centre of the Department for Transport and each of the Department’s bargaining units.
| Actual for 31 March 2009 | Forecast for 31 March 2010 | Change | |
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of (a) white and (b) non-white staff received the highest performance marking in the core business units of (i) the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and (ii) the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in each year between 1997 and 2006. [282959]
Mr. Malik: I have been asked to reply.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Department for Transport were formed in 2002, from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. ODPM then became the Department
for Communities and Local Government (CLG) in 2006. CLG does not hold any data on performance management markings before 2002.
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of (a) white and (b) non-white staff received the highest performance mark in his Department's 2008-09 reporting round. [282960]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport line management are in the process of meeting all permanent staff to deliver annual performance management reviews. Once this process is completed, the results will be collated and published as part of the Department’s annual equality monitoring duties. The Department expects to finalise this process by November 2009.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which of his Department’s (a) agencies and (b) non-departmental public bodies have submitted bids for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers. [283030]
Chris Mole: Within the Department for Transport, its agencies and associated non-departmental public bodies no bids for efficiency savings have been submitted to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers.
Fuels: EU Law
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2009, Official Report, columns 427-8W, on diesel fuel: EU action, what information his Department holds on the applications (a) made by and (b) granted to member states for derogation from the Fuel Quality Directive 98/70 (EC) in respect of the sulphur content of fuel since its inception. [282575]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport is not aware of such a derogation ever having been either requested by or granted to a Member State. EU Fuel Quality Monitoring reports(1) suggest that, with the exception of transitional problems for two accession Member States in 2005, EU petrol and diesel are generally well within the mandatory sulphur content limits.
(1)( )http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/intemal_market/single _market_for_goods/motor_vehicles/interactions_industry _policies/l28077_en.htm
Highways Agency
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was paid in bonuses to (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff in the Highways Agency in each of the last five years. [282145]
Chris Mole:
Bonus payments to (a) directors are managed by the central Department. A comprehensive breakdown of (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff in the Highways Agency can be
provided only at disproportionate cost. However, total figures for each of the last five financial years are as follows:
| Financial year | PB1-8 |
Ports: British Overseas Territories
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent steps have been taken to strengthen security at seaports in British Overseas Territories. [282319]
Paul Clark: The security of seaports in the British Overseas Territories falls within the remit of the Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (TRANSEC) within the Department for Transport. TRANSEC provides the Governors and port facility operators in each territory with advice and guidance on port security, based on the globally-adopted International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code).
Railway Stations: Disabled
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the number of mainline railway stations in London that do not have full step-free access. [283012]
Chris Mole: Studies carried out for the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005 showed that 254 railway stations in London did not provide full step free access. More detailed information about station facilities is held by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and is available from the National Rail Enquiries Service at
A programme of access audits is currently under way to update this information.
Railways: Franchises
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what requirement for train carriages to have windows able to be opened by passengers his Department specified in franchise agreements. [283042]
Chris Mole: There is no requirement for windows that can be opened in any franchise agreement.
Railways: Hearing Impaired
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) holders of rail franchises and (b) other transport operators on the provisions they make for accessibility to their services by the deaf and hard of hearing. [281823]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has not had recent discussions with rail franchisees, or other transport operators, about the way they provide their services to deaf and hard of hearing passengers. However, improving access to travel for disabled people is an ongoing objective of the Government, and the Department expects all service providers to consider the needs of deaf and hard of hearing passengers as required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended).
The Department for Transport sets out the strategy for improving access to rail transport in ‘Railways for All: The Accessibility Strategy for Great Britain's Railways’. This strategy anticipates that holders of rail franchises will ensure their services improve access to travel for disabled passengers, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Railways: Maintenance
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many rail services of each train operating company were (a) planned to run, (b) cancelled and (c) not in planned preventative maintenance in the last quarter of 2008-09. [283065]
Chris Mole: The number of rail services (a) planned to run and (b) cancelled in the last quarter of 2008-09 are shown in the following table by operating company:
| Train operating company | (a) Number of trains planned | (b) Number of trains fully cancelled |
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