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2 Feb 2010 : Column 175W—continued
Transport
Aviation
Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many aeroplanes of each (a) type and (b) maximum takeoff weight departed from UK airports in 2009. [314914]
Paul Clark: The information requested for 2009 is not available. Information for 2008 (the latest year available) has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Aviation: Security
Colin Challen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what categories of air passenger will be exempt from full body scans when departing from UK airports. [314585]
Paul Clark [holding answer 1 February 2010]: A written ministerial statement has been made on 1 February 2010, Official Report, columns 2-4WS concerning the use of body scanners at UK aerodromes. As stated in this, if a passenger is selected for scanning, and declines to do so, they will not be permitted to fly.
Chorley
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997. [314237]
Mr. Khan: The Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, has provided a new policy framework benefiting all local transport authorities. The framework gives greater certainty of funding, while encouraging more strategic transport planning with local consultation, and increasing local flexibility and discretion over resources. It was accompanied by a significant increase in capital funding: support from the Department for Transport for transport investment in Lancashire, within which transport authority Chorley falls, has risen more than threefold over the last decade.
Investment in Lancashire county council's local transport plan has delivered a number of improvements to the quality, safety and accessibility of the local transport network. Between 2004 and 2008, bus patronage per head of population increased by 18 per cent. and the number of people killed or seriously injured on the local highway network decreased by 5 per cent. In 2005, Lancashire county council submitted a successful bid to the Department for 'Kickstart' revenue funding of the 'Chorley Connect' bus network. The £800,000 award facilitated the implementation of a fully accessible integrated network of routes in partnership with Stagecoach North West, including new evening and Sunday services.
Additionally, several major transport projects have been successfully delivered within the Chorley constituency since 1997. The £3 million Chorley Interchange was completed in March 2003, providing significantly improved connections between bus and rail services in the town. In November 2007, the £8 million Eaves Green Link Road was opened, completing the southern and western bypass of Chorley. The new road has improved access to local services by public transport and will facilitate further economic development in the area. The project has also won a number of awards for its innovative approach to minimising the environmental impact of the development.
It was announced in August 2009 that Lancashire county council had been allocated £3 million from the Community Infrastructure Fund to support the
construction of a new railway station serving the Buckshaw Village development, to the north of Chorley. The new station will play a key role in supporting the sustainable development of the Central Lancashire Growth Point and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
Driving: Licensing
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what category of driving licence will be needed to drive a steam engine or steam lorry on the public highway when EU Directive 2006/126/EC comes into force in 2013. [314829]
Paul Clark: The new Directive will come into force on 19 January 2013. Those drivers who already hold a full car licence (category B) on that date will retain the right to drive a steam engine or steam lorry.
Drivers who pass a motor car test after that date will need to pass a further test in either a category c vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes) or category G (road roller) before they can drive a steam engine or steam lorry.
The Department for Transport is currently in discussion with the Commission about the possibility of an exemption from the requirement being offered to additional groups of drivers.
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people paid their vehicle excise duty online in each of the last three years. [314504]
Paul Clark: The numbers of people who have paid their vehicle excise duty online in each of the last three financial years and between April and December 2009 is shown in the following table.
| Number | |
| (1) April to 31 December | |
Parking Attendants
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the employment of traffic wardens. [314506]
Mr. Khan: None. Traffic wardens are employed by police forces rather than local authorities. Chapter 6 of the Department for Transport's Operational Guidance to Local Authorities on Parking Policy and Enforcement, published in March 2008, includes advice about Civil Enforcement Officers.
Parking: Public Holidays
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department provided to local authorities on whether Saturday 26 December 2010 should be deemed to be a Saturday or a public holiday for the purposes of parking restrictions. [314828]
Mr. Khan: It has not been necessary for the Department to issue guidance to local authorities on this matter. Local authorities' Traffic Regulation Orders will clearly indicate when parking restrictions are enforceable. Where they are enforceable, it is for individual authorities to determine how and when to enforce them, and to inform drivers effectively.
Planning Permission: Merseyside
Derek Twigg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to receive the Planning Inspectorate's report on the Mersey Gateway inquiry. [313424]
Paul Clark: The Inspector's report has now been received by the Department for Transport. Departmental officials are currently considering it.
Public Transport: Tickets
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of savings to his Department of the cancellation of the implementation of smart cards. [314281]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport has no plans to cancel the implementation of smartcards and has made no estimates of the savings that this could deliver. Following a consultation in the autumn, we published the Department's first Smart and Integrated Ticketing strategy in December 2009. The strategy has been well received and our research into the business case of implementing smart ticketing schemes is very positive. There are contractual commitments relating to smart ticketing in recent rail franchise agreements which mean that any cancellation would require these agreements to be renegotiated at cost to the taxpayer.
Roads: Salt
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many tonnes of salt are held by each local authority in England. [311996]
Mr. Khan: A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House which shows how many tonnes of salt local authorities estimate they have available, according to the local authority salt audit returns the Department for Transport had received at 10am on 21 January.
These figures provide a snapshot of one day and may not fully reflect the regional weather, salt delivery dates, weather preparedness or distribution practices.
Roads: Snow and Ice
Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department issues on the minimum amount of grit to be spread on roads in icy conditions. [312217]
Mr. Khan:
Gritting rates are a matter for each highway authority. The Department for Transport endorses the UK Roads Liaison Group's code of practice on highways maintenance management, 'Well-maintained Highways', which contains advice on winter service, including choice
of de-icing materials and target rates of salt. This guidance was updated following the severe weather experienced in February 2009. In addition, the Highways Agency has developed its own guidance for the treatment of the trunk road and motorway network.
In order to help preserve salt stocks during the severe and prolonged weather over the last month, on 8 January 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport asked the Local Government Association, on behalf of local authorities across England, the Highways Agency and the Mayor of London, to reduce their daily use by 25 per cent; on 12 January he further asked them to conserve significantly more than that, by reviewing their salt spreading strategy and for local authorities to prioritise their local networks as necessary.
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of repairs to roads following damage incurred during recent severe weather in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Leeds. [314468]
Mr. Khan: It will be for each local highway authority to assess the damage to its network resulting from the severe weather, and to estimate the costs of repair. The Department for Transport will consider any requests for financial assistance that local authorities may make, in line with its established criteria; and, it will provide engineering consultancy support to local authorities formulating bids. It will be for each bidding authority to demonstrate that the damage is exceptional.
The Highways Agency is responsible for the maintenance of the strategic road network in England. The Agency has a road maintenance programme to ensure that carriageway maintenance is carried out at the optimum time, to minimise deterioration in the condition of the road and damage caused by severe weather, while delivering value for money. It is inevitable however that the recent severe weather will, in a small number of locations, cause a deterioration in the road surface condition. The Agency does not however separately identify or estimate the additional maintenance costs directly associated with severe weather. The Agency's experience is that such costs are likely to reflect only a relatively minor part of the overall maintenance expenditure. Safety related defects such as potholes are treated promptly as part of the Agency's maintenance policy.
Slough
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000. [311980]
Mr. Khan: The Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Local Transport Act 2008, has provided a new policy framework benefiting all local transport authorities. The framework gives greater certainty of funding, while encouraging more strategic transport planning with local consultation, and increasing local flexibility and discretion over resources. It was accompanied by a significant increase in capital funding: support from the Department for Transport for Slough's transport investment has risen sevenfold over the last decade.
Investment in Slough borough council's Local Transport Plan has delivered a number of improvements to the quality, safety and accessibility of the local transport network. Between 2001 and 2007, the number of people killed or seriously injured on the local highway network decreased by 34 per cent., and bus patronage per head of population increased by 20 per cent. in the period 2004-08.
Slough borough council has worked closely with the Highways Agency to introduce ramp metering on the M4 around Slough. The project has contributed to reduced traffic flows on the motorway at peak times and provided road users with greater journey time reliability. Ramp metering is also contributing to the M4 Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) Action Plan.
A Quality Bus Partnership has been signed with First Berkshire which has brought about significant investment by both the borough council and the bus operator. Enhanced services have been provided to the major employment sites at Heathrow and the Slough Trading Estate as part of the council's accessibility and economic development strategies and upgraded bus stops and shelters have been installed along the A4 London Road.
In June 2009, Slough borough council's Planning Committee approved the master plan for the £450 million 'Heart of Slough' project, which will lead to the regeneration of a 29-acre site in the town centre. The project is to be delivered by the borough council in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency and Development Securities and will deliver 1,500 new homes, 35,000 square metres of office space, a new bus station and measures to improve pedestrian flow between the High Street and the bus and rail stations. The bus station is due to be completed in early 2011 and will form a key part of the borough council's vision for Slough as a regional transport hub.
Streatham
Keith Hill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [313392]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport (DFT) does not routinely hold transport statistics on a parliamentary constituency basis. However, the Department provides Transport for London (TfL) with a block grant to fund transport delivery in London. This grant has increased by just over 245 per cent. in the last nine years, rising to some £3.3 billion in 2010-11. Drawing on these and other resources, the Mayor is responsible for publishing, and through TfL, implementing a transport strategy for London, while the boroughs are required to publish local implementation plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
The additional funding that has been made available has helped deliver 1,089 million passenger journeys on the Tube in 2008-09, the highest ever. London Underground's scheduled service is now its largest ever, and in 2008-09 96.4 per cent. was run, the best annual result for 14 years.
Bus services in London have also improved. 2,247 million passenger journeys were made in 2008-09 and patronage grew by almost 47 per cent. between 1997-98 and 2007-08.
Concessionary travel continues to benefit elderly and disabled Londoners, and more than a million people currently hold a Freedom Pass.
South London rail routes serving Streatham have also improved. Southern have delivered a new fleet of trains, some of which operate on South London services, and the remaining rolling stock has been refurbished. Stations such as Streatham Hill and Gipsy Hill are being improved as part of the National Stations Improvement programme.
On the roads, national targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured by 40 per cent. and reduce the number of "slight" casualties by 10 per cent. (compared to the period 1994-98) by 2010 were largely exceeded by TfL by 2004, leading to TfL setting themselves new targets of 50 per cent. and 25 per cent. respectively.
Various improvements in relation to cycling have also been realised across London. In May 2010 TfL will launch its cycle hire scheme and construction of the first two (out of 12) cycle superhighways is presently under way. One runs close to Streatham through Lambeth to the City and is anticipated to be ready this summer. TfL report that cycling now accounts for 2 per cent. of trips in London compared to 1.2 per cent. in 2000, and between 2000-01 and 2007-08 TfL's automatic cycle counters reported an increase in cyclists of 91 per cent.
Vauxhall
Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [310328]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport (DfT) does not routinely hold transport statistics on a parliamentary constituency basis. However, the Department provides Transport for London (TfL) with a block grant to fund transport delivery in London. This grant has increased by just over 245 per cent. in the last nine years, rising to some £3.3 billion in 2010-11. Drawing on these and other resources, the Mayor is responsible for publishing and, through TfL, implementing a Transport Strategy for London, while the boroughs are required to publish Local Implementation Plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
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