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2 Nov 2009 : Column 633W—continued
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement. [295719]
Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 October 2009, Official Report, column 221W.
Motorcycles: Accidents
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accidents involving motorcycles resulted in (a) fatalities and (b) serious personal injuries in each local authority area in each year since 1979. [296853]
Paul Clark: Two tables showing the number of road traffic accidents involving motorcycles that resulted in (a) fatalities and (b) serious personal injuries in each local authority area in each year since 1979 have been deposited in the Libraries of the House. To allow for boundary changes, table 1 shows accidents in district authorities from 1979 to 1995 and table 2 shows accidents in highway authorities from 1994 to 2008.
Motorcycles: Safety
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what percentage of his Department's road safety budget is allocated to motorcycle safety in 2009-10; [296777]
(2) what his Department's budget is for (a) bicycle safety, (b) pedestrian safety and (c) motorcycle safety in 2009-10; [296778]
(3) with reference to page 5 of his Department's publication, The Government's Motorcycling Strategy, what percentage of his Department's budget is allocated to measures to mainstream motorcycling in 2009-10. [296779]
Paul Clark: Most spending on road safety is undertaken by local authorities from their own resources, including general Government grant and locally raised revenues. The total amount spent on road safety, including cycle, pedestrian and motorcycle safety, is not recorded. In 2009-10 the Department for Transport's spending on cycle, pedestrian and motorcycle safety is as follows:
Think campaign-£1,685,000 on all Child Safety, including the development of teaching materials for educational settings, £1,840,000 for teenage pedestrian road safety and £3,385,000 on motorcycle safety.
Road Safety Partnership Grant-£1,043,000 on motorcycle safety. Other programme budget for road safety projects that will impact on all road users, including pedestrians, cycles and motorcycles totals £6,775,000.
Research-£238,000 on our cycle safety project, £230,000 on motorcycle safety projects and £126,500 on motorcycle engineering projects. £149,985 on research into the feasibility of allowing motorcyclists to use Advanced Stop Lines at signal junctions, currently reserved for pedal cyclists.
Cycle Training-£9.5 million in direct grants to local authorities and schools to deliver over 200,000 additional National Standard cycle training places for children with a further £500,000 for extra trainers to deliver the increased training. The programme is primarily aimed at encouraging more children to cycle specifically on school journeys, but should help them to do so more safely.
The safety of all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists, also benefits from our activities and spending on broader road safety measures, including changes to the road environment and to improve driver behaviour.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with motor manufacturers on the requirement for daytime running lights. [296907]
Paul Clark: Department for Transport officials have been involved in ongoing discussions with motor manufacturers relating to the development and implementation of European requirements on the fitment of daytime running lamps to new vehicles.
Motorways: Closures
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many times a motorway has been closed because of someone on or near it threatening to commit suicide in the last 12 months. [296908]
Chris Mole: The Highways Agency has recorded 26 motorway closures owing to suicides or persons threatening to commit suicide in the year to September 2009.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions in the last 12 months the initial decision to fully close a motorway by a road policing officer has been reviewed by (a) a supervisor, (b) the Highways Agency and (c) the Highway Authority; and in how many such cases the decision has been overturned. [296909]
Chris Mole: A decision to close a motorway is made by the police where the nature and/or severity of the incident demands it.
Highways Agency Traffic Officers and their supervisors do not have the authority to overturn an instruction given by a police constable.
Discussion may take place between the Traffic Officer Service and the police following an incident to identify the best way forward in those circumstances, but a police officer's decision is final.
Therefore the Highways Agency, as Highway Authority, has not reviewed any initial decisions by a roads policing officer to fully close a motorway.
Network Rail: Finance
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of the proposed efficiencies agreed between Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation for the period 2009-14 are expected to arise from reductions in staffing. [296977]
Chris Mole: It is for Network Rail to decide how it achieves the efficiency improvements which the Office of Rail Regulation factored into its determination of the company's access charges for the period 2009-14. The Office of Rail Regulation will provide assurance that Network Rail's approach to achieving these efficiencies will also enable the company to continue to improve safety and performance and to increase capacity.
Office of Rail Regulation: Energy
Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificate and (b) advisory report for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by the Office of Rail Regulation. [289853]
Chris Mole: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) leases a portion of the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) central London estate to house its headquarters functions. The CAA manages the accommodation and has stated its intent to adhere to the arrangements being made for the private sector under the Government's carbon reduction commitment rather than the display energy certificate (DEC) requirement for public buildings.
The ORR rents desk space for 14 regional offices from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under a memorandum of terms of occupation. DECs and advisory reports for those buildings which fall under the DEC requirement will be placed electronically in the Libraries
of the House. A DEC is to be obtained in 2009 for two of the buildings and will be placed in the Libraries of the House when available. Three of the buildings are below 1,000 square metres so are outside the scope of the DEC requirement.
The ORR directly leases an office in Glasgow. However, due to its small size it is also outside the scope of the DEC requirement.
Parking Offences: Fees and Charges
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on levying (a) credit card fees and (b) other surcharges on parking fines. [294155]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport's operational guidance to local authorities in England on parking policy and enforcement was published in March 2008.
Railway Stations: Rolling Stock
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the capacity of the platforms at Euston station to receive the longer Pendolino trains planned for 2013; and if he will make a statement. [296744]
Chris Mole: Network Rail as custodian of the railway infrastructure has confirmed that Euston station can accommodate the longer Pendolino trains currently under construction.
Railways: Finance
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been (a) spent on and (b) not yet spent and contractually committed to the proposed Intercity Express Programme train. [296775]
Chris Mole: With regards to the amounts spent on the proposed Intercity Express Programme train, known as the Super Express Train, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1150-1W, to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers).
To date, there are no contractual commitments. The Department for Transport is currently in confidential commercial negotiations with the Preferred Bidder, Agility Trains.
Railways: Greater London
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) economic and (b) environmental benefits to rail freight operators of electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line; and if he will make a statement. [296772]
Chris Mole: This scheme was one of a number assessed in Network Rail's Network Route Utilisation Strategy concerning electrification which was published in October 2009. This can be found at:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20 documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/network/working%20group%204%20-%20electrification%20strategy/networkrus_electrification.pdf
Rolling Stock
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many railway passenger carriages have been (a) exported, (b) scrapped and (c) refurbished for future domestic use in each year since 1994. [296776]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested. It may be available from the relevant Rolling Stock Leasing Companies. For passenger rolling stock, these are Angel Trains, HSBC Rail and Porterbrook.
Transdev: Mergers
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) the French Government and (b) Transport for London on the proposed merger between RATP and the UK operations of the bus operator Transdev; and if he will make a statement. [297185]
Mr. Khan: I have had no discussions with either the French Government or Transport for London on this subject.
Transport: Planning
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which draft national policy statements under the Planning Act 2008 for which his Department is responsible he expects to publish before March 2010. [296502]
Paul Clark: I expect to have published draft national policy statements covering ports and national networks (covering strategic roads, railways and rail freight) by March 2010.
Transport: Working Hours
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road transport workers of the implementation of regulations on working time. [296208]
Paul Clark: The European Working Time Directive (2002/15/EC) on the organisation of the working time of mobile workers in road transport specifies the provisions for working time, breaks and night work. It is implemented in Great Britain by the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005. A comprehensive review of these Regulations was completed in 2008.
Following the introduction of the Regulations, Labour Force Statistics showed that there had been a small drop in the average number of hours worked by HGV drivers. At this stage, it has not been possible to ascertain whether the Regulations have improved safety for road transport workers.
Defence
Reserve Forces
15. Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the reserve forces. [296695]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answers the Secretary of State for Defence gave earlier to the hon. Members for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne) and Norwich, North (Chloe Smith).
Territorial Army
16. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to meet the training requirements of the Territorial Army and the cadet forces; and if he will make a statement. [296696]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 28 October, £20 million of new money from the Treasury has been ring-fenced for Territorial Army training.
17. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate the Chief of the General Staff has made of the Territorial Army retention rate from 1 April 2010. [296697]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Army were of course aware that the six-month reduction in training they proposed might impact on retention. They believed they could manage this risk. None the less having listened to the strength of feeling on this issue, I decided that training should recommence as soon as possible.
20. Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Territorial Army. [296701]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne), Norwich, North (Chloe Smith) and Croydon, South (Richard Ottaway).
22. Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on operational manpower levels of proposed reductions to Territorial Army training. [296703]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As we announced on 28 October, £20 million of new money from the Treasury has been ring-fenced for Territorial Army training. We have consistently made clear that TA members deploying on operations will get all the training that the Army considers appropriate and necessary.
24. Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future deployment of the Territorial Army. [296705]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Operational requirements and force levels, Regular and Reservist, are kept under constant review. All Territorial Army personnel who are mobilised for operations will be appropriately trained before they deploy.
Afghanistan
18. Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the internal and external threats to the military security of Afghanistan. [296699]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) and Kettering (Mr. Hollobone).
19. David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the internal and external threats to the military security of Afghanistan. [296700]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands), Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) and Leominster (Bill Wiggin).
21. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the Royal Air Force to UK military operations in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [296702]
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