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20 July 2009 : Column 748W—continued
Airports: Noise
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the area was inside the (a) 57dB LAeq daytime summer contour and (b) 48dB LAeq nighttime contour for each major airport in England in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009; and what estimate he has made of the size of each such area if the planned expansion of (A) Heathrow and (B) Stansted takes place. [284704]
Paul Clark:
The Department for Transport produces annual 'daytime' aircraft noise contours (16 Hour 57dBA Leq) for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted-these airports have been designated for noise control purposes under section 80 and section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982.
Elsewhere it is the responsibility of the airport operator to decide upon the timing and form of any contours.
Information on noise contours around Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted for 2005 to 2007 is available on the Department's website:
The 2008 contours are expected to be published shortly.
Information about future projections is available in ERCD 0705 'Revised Future Aircraft Noise Exposure Estimates for Heathrow Airport'-also available on the Department's website. Additionally ERCD 0308 'Revised Future Aircraft Noise Exposure Estimates for UK Airports'-published at the time of 'The Future of Air Transport' White Paper in 2003-contained future projections for Stansted.
In terms of night time contours, the current night flying restrictions regime at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted set the following specific noise abatement objectives for each airport:
At Heathrow, to limit the 6.5 hour 48 dBA Leq contour (the winter and summer seasons combined) to 55 sq km by 2011-12;
At Stansted, to limit the 6.5 hour 48 dBA Leq contour (the winter and summer seasons combined) to 38 sq km by 2011-12.
As regards other airports, the European Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC, (END) requires member states to produce strategic noise maps every five years for major airports (with 50,000 and above movements). The maps are required to represent annual average noise values and use of four different parameters daytime (7 am to 7 pm); evening (7 pm to 11 pm); night (11 pm to 7 am) as well as an estimated annual 24-hour period. The range of contours extend-in five dB steps-for 50 to 70 dBA. Airports produced noise maps for 2007 and these are available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' noise mapping website:
Airports: South East
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what forecast he has made of the number of passengers using each airport in the south-east in 2030 on the basis of the most recent gross domestic product forecasts from HM Treasury. [288044]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport's latest forecasts of the number of passengers using each airport in the south-east in 2030 are given in table G3, page 135 of "UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts", published in January 2009. This is available at:
No update of these forecasts is currently available. The Department aims to publish updated forecasts when there is a policy need, as it did alongside the announcement of policy decisions on the future development of Heathrow airport.
Aviation
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport to how many airlines his Department has granted fifth freedoms in respect of a regional airport since October 2005. [287732]
Paul Clark: Since October 2005, the Department for Transport has issued operating permits to 267 different airlines allowing them to exercise fifth freedom rights from UK regional airports.
Aviation: Disabled
Dr. Vis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what obligations apply to air carriers to make available to passengers copies of the rules and regulations which apply to them in respect of the carriage of disabled people and the provision of supplementary oxygen to passengers who require it in flight. [287167]
Paul Clark: Airlines are not obliged under the regulation to make available the rules and regulations as set out. However, many airlines do lay out their policies on carrying medical oxygen on their websites.
The rules themselves are widely available. EU regulation 1107/2006 is published on the EU Commission website. Its obligations are explained in the Department for Transport code of practice, "Access to Air Travel for Disabled Persons and Persons with Reduced Mobility". The Department for Transport and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have also published a step by step guide called "Your rights to fly-what you need to know":
http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/aviation shipping/yourrightstofly
Free copies of these documents are available from the Department and the Equality and Human Rights Commission website. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what obligations apply to air carriers based in countries outside the EU in respect of the provision of mobility assistance to passengers on flights into the UK. [287168]
Paul Clark: Airlines based in countries outside the EU are governed by the laws of the state in which they are registered. Passengers needing assistance once they reach the UK should notify the airport where they will arrive 48 hours in advance of their requirements, either through their airline or travel agent. Passengers should always check before they buy a ticket whether the air carrier they choose to fly on offers them the service they want.
Bus Services: Concessions
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who (a) are entitled to and (b) hold a concessionary bus pass in (i) Test Valley borough and (ii) the City of Southampton. [288398]
Mr. Khan: During preparations for the introduction for concessionary travel, the Department for Transport used census data to estimate the number of older people eligible for a concessionary bus pass. The figure for Test Valley was 24,402 and for Southampton unitary authority was 40,145.
The Department is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many passes individual authorities have issued. The last information held by the Department was that as of April 2009 Southampton had issued approximately 37,000 new smartcard concessionary passes. Test Valley is part of the Hampshire Countywide scheme who had issued approximately 184,000 passes. This includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.
Channel Tunnel Railway Line
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2009, Official Report, column 1161W, on the Channel Tunnel railway line, whether the (a) Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission and (b) Office of Rail Regulation has powers to hear appeals in respect of Channel Tunnel access charges. [288054]
Chris Mole: A railway undertaking may appeal in relation to infrastructure charges to the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission under article 12.1 of the schedule to the Channel Tunnel (International Arrangements) Order 2005 (SI No. 2005/3207, as amended).
The Office of Rail Regulation has no powers to hear such appeals in respect of the Channel Tunnel, but may be called upon to assist the Intergovernmental Commission in dealing with them, under article 4A(1) of the same instrument.
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2009, Official Report, column 1161W, on the Channel Tunnel railway line, what assistance the Government plan to give new rail operators to obtain the necessary safety and access approvals to use the Channel Tunnel. [288055]
Chris Mole: The Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission has issued guidance to assist railway operators in making applications for part B safety certificates, which they issue in respect of the Channel Tunnel.
In addition, the Intergovernmental Commission expects to consult shortly on the specific safety rules that apply to the transit of passenger trains through the Tunnel. After 15 years of operation it is necessary to consider whether the rules that were originally put in place remain valid and to ensure that they do not act as an unnecessary obstacle to the free movement of traffic, while at the same time ensuring that existing levels of safety are maintained.
The Government believe that existing legislation do contain, and the new legislation covering Channel Tunnel access to infrastructure for international rail passenger services will contain, clearly specified requirements, so that new rail operators will not need assistance when making an application.
Cycling: Hampshire
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many qualified instructors of cycle safety training there were in (a) Test Valley borough and (b) Southampton in each of the last five years. [287763]
Mr. Khan: We do not hold this information.
There are over 3,000 national standard trainers in the country and over 170 organisations registered to deliver Bikeability training, the name under which the national standard is promoted in England.
This includes 10 organisations operating in Hampshire. Four of these, including the city council operate in Southampton. We do not hold details of how many national standard trainers each training organisation employs.
We have no information on the number of people who may deliver other forms of cycle training which does not meet the national standard in the Test Valley, Southampton or nationally.
Damian McBride
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date the Secretary of State last met Mr. Damian McBride in the course of his official duties. [287406]
Chris Mole: The Secretary of State for Transport has never met Mr. McBride in the course of his official duties.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons his Department's new probation policy does not make provision for women to take maternity leave during the probation period. [287209]
Chris Mole [holding answer 16 July 2009]: The Department for Transport's (central Department) staff handbook contains employees' contractual entitlements to maternity leave. These entitlements are unaffected by the Department's new probationary policy, which applies only to the central Department and not its agencies. In practical terms, new employees are unlikely to be taking maternity leave during their probationary period. If, however, the situation did arise, the employee would be entitled to take maternity leave in accordance with the maternity leave provisions in the staff handbook. In such a case, the employee's probationary period would be frozen and recommenced upon the employee's return from maternity leave.
Departmental Data Protection
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) attempts and (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [286540]
Chris Mole: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
The Department for Transport complies with the mandatory requirements of the security policy framework in relation to information security including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Jenny Willott:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) photocopiers, (b) scanning devices and (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there
were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [286165]
Chris Mole: The figures for the Department for Transport and its Agencies for photocopiers, scanning devices (SDs) and fax machines (FMs), excluding multi-function devices (MFDs), are given in the following table. The Department's policy is to gradually replace photocopiers and scanners with MFDs in accordance with the 'Greening Government ICT Strategy' published in July 2008:
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