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14 July 2009 : Column 208W—continued
Hazardous Waste
Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what hazardous waste cargoes have been reported as having been lost overboard in UK waters since 1997 but have not been recovered; what packages containing hazardous goods were reported found in UK waters since 1 January 1997; what the (a) date of finding, (b) origin of the goods, (c) nature of the incident giving rise to the deposit of the package and (d) location of the find was in each case; and what reporting requirements apply in respect of such losses overboard (i) in UK waters and (ii) on UK-registered vessels carrying hazardous cargo. [286300]
Paul Clark: Details of hazardous cargoes lost overboard from ships in the UK pollution control zone are given in annual reports produced by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS). ACOPS reports for 2001-07 are available on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website-under the Emergency Response menu-at:
To provide the specific details as requested would incur disproportionate costs.
Reporting requirements for loss of cargo overboard are contained in the Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 2498-The Merchant Shipping (Reporting Requirements for Ships Carrying Dangerous or Polluting Goods) Regulations 1995. This can be found on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website at:
Local Government Finance
Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) which (a) specific and (b) area-based grants are distributed to local authorities by each division of his Department; [285113]
(2) what estimate has been made of the annual cost to (a) his Department of distributing each grant made by it to local authorities and (b) local authorities of administering each such grant; [285114]
(3) what (a) eligibility conditions and (b) compliance measures are in place in respect of the expenditure by local authorities of each grant distributed by his Department; and what recent estimate has been made of the annual cost to his Department of monitoring the compliance by local authorities with such measures in respect of each such grant. [285122]
Mr. Khan: The Government believe in giving local authorities greater flexibility to take decisions on local priorities. The introduction of the area-based grant has reduced ring-fencing, giving councils increased flexibility to manage their budgets. Alongside this, the new local performance framework has provided a simplified and more effective structure for priority setting and performance measurement.
The following specific revenue grants are being paid by the Department for Transport direct to local authorities in 2009-10:
Urban and rural bus challenge, and Kick start
Concessionary Travel
Cycling and walking funding
Urban congestion performance fund
Pump-priming for the Transport Innovation Fund
area-based grant is paid by Communities and Local Government on behalf of the Government as a whole. Funding streams from the Department which are being paid through area-based grant in 2009-10 are:
revenue funding for detrunked roads
revenue funding for road safety
rural bus subsidy.
The Department does not routinely estimate the costs of distributing grant each year, although it does consider the cost effectiveness of proposals as part of the policy development process. It also assesses whether there will be any new burdens on local authorities, and ensures that these are fully funded when a policy is implemented.
As area-based grant is not ring-fenced, it comes with no specific conditions or compliance requirements.
Eligibility conditions and compliance measures vary with each specific revenue grant. I am placing in the House of Commons Library a copy of all Grant Determinations for 2009-10 made by the Department. These set out the purpose of the grant and grant conditions.
The Department is also making available substantial capital support to local authorities in 2009-10. Information on grant arrangements for such support is on the Department's website.
Motorcycles: Licensing
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what percentage of motorcyclists were driving on a provisional licence in each year since 1997. [284807]
Paul Clark: The following statistics reflect the number of drivers held on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database holding motorcycle entitlement. Percentages are shown for both full and provisional motorcycle licence holders in Great Britain:
| Full/provisional | Provisional | Percentage provisional | Percentage full | |
Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many miles of motorway will be subject to road works in each region on England in August 2009; and what estimate he has made of the number of days on which traffic flow is likely to be affected by each such roadwork. [285779]
Chris Mole: The number of miles of motorway that will be subject to road works in each region in England in August 2009 are detailed in the following table:
| Region | Total number of miles of motorway that will be subject to road works in August 2009 | Approximate estimate of the number of road works schemes taking place on the motorway in August 2009 |
The number of days on which traffic flow is likely to be affected varies considerably according to the type of road works being undertaken in each region.
Railways
Ms Barlow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to require train operating companies to abide by their contractual obligations to increase paper waste recycling and reduce electricity usage; and what recent representations he has received from train operating companies on the matter. [285796]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is committed to including environmental objectives such as reducing energy consumption and increasing recycling in all franchises. Once these are agreed, they are monitored by the Department as part of the normal franchise management process. Earlier this month, officials discussed with train operators how to embed a wide range of sustainability issues, such as recycling and energy consumption in future franchises.
Railways: Fares
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proposals his Department is considering in relation to changes to the regime governing regulation of rail fares. [286113]
Chris Mole: My noble Friend, the then Minister of State for Transport announced in February that the increase in the cap for regulated fares (usually the retail prices index + 1 per cent.) will, in general, be applied to individual regulated fares next year as well as to baskets of fares. We also intend to regulate the rail Oyster Pay as You Go fares when these are introduced.
Railways: Finance
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much capital funding the Government has allocated to the rail network in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) England in each of the last five years. [286407]
Chris Mole: The information is not available in the form requested. A breakdown of annual expenditure by mode and region is available in the Department for Transport's Annual Report. Details of total historic expenditure are available in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies of these documents are available in the Library of the House.
Railways: Floods
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure the continued operation of the rail network in the North East in the event of flooding. [285225]
Chris Mole: Network Rail has contingency plans in place to deal with such incidents. In addition, the review into the 2007 floods conducted by Sir Michael Pitt provided a recommended action for the rail industry to develop plans to provide emergency welfare support to passengers stranded on the rail network. As a result, the Department for Transport has worked with Network Rail to review the current practice in relation to the recommendation.
Railways: Franchises
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether train operating companies which hold more than one franchise and default on the conditions for one franchise may retain the remaining franchises. [286832]
Chris Mole: There are cross-default provisions in all franchise agreements. The Secretary of State will consider the individual circumstances of the case in reaching a decision as to whether to apply them. The decision whether to cross-default can only be taken once one of the franchises has been terminated.
Road Traffic Act 1988
Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions inquiries into road accidents under section 180 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 have been held. [286838]
Paul Clark: No inquiries have been held under section 180 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Severn Bridge: Tolls
Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made on introducing facilities for payment of Severn crossing tolls by credit and debit card. [285959]
Mr. Khan: Detailed discussions are currently taking place with the Severn Crossings Concessionaire to resolve both technical and financial issues. This will then permit payment of tolls by credit and debit cards.
We recognise the importance of implementing card payments for the Severn crossings and are working to introduce this as soon as possible.
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