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29 Mar 2010 : Column 764W—continued
Figures for 2009 will be published as soon as they are available.
Hotels
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what proportion of all hotel bookings made by his Department were made through the Expotel facility in the last year for which figures available. [324409]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport (central) made 2,328 bookings for overnight accommodation through Expotel in 2008-09, the Highways Agency made 2,937 and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency made 145. In each case bookings made by other means are not recorded centrally so the information defining Expotel bookings as a proportion of the total could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
In the same period the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) made 187 bookings through Expotel, amounting to 0.9 per cent. of the DSA total, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) made 4,998 such bookings representing 94.08 per cent. of the DVLA total.
The Government Car and Despatch Agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency could provide this information only at disproportionate cost.
Kemble-Swindon Railway Line
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of (a) the number of passengers on and (b) the income derived from rail journeys between Cheltenham and Swindon in each of the last five years. [324820]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has not made an estimate of (a) the number of passengers on and (b) the income derived from rail journeys between Cheltenham and Swindon in each of the last five years.
The franchised train operator running services between Cheltenham and Swindon is First Great Western. Therefore,
the hon. Member should contact First Great Western's Managing Director at the following address for a response to his question:
Mr. Mark Hopwood
Managing Director
First Great Western
Milford House
1 Milford Street
Swindon
SN11HL
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions his Department has had with (a) First Great Western, (b) the South West Regional Development Agency and (c) the European Commission on the provision of additional funding for the redoubling of the Swindon to Kemble line. [324834]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is in regular dialogue with First Great Western, Network Rail and local stakeholders, including the South West Regional Development Agency, on the funding and development of the Swindon to Kemble re-doubling project. The European Commission will consider the case for grant funding alongside other projects from across the Community.
Lorry Drivers: Licensing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 15 March 2010, Official Report, column 621W, on the Traffic Commissioners, how many heavy goods licences have been amended or revoked following representations from local authorities in the last 12 months. [324826]
Paul Clark: From April 2009 to date the traffic commissioners have reviewed six goods vehicle operator's licences under section 30 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 as a result of complaints received from local authorities and/or local residents. Of these, four resulted in licences being continued with amendments and two were allowed to continue without change.
Network Rail
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what information his Department holds on the number of unfilled vacancies in Network Rail's maintenance function; [325226]
(2) what discussions he has had with Network Rail on adjustment of its figures for redundancies in the control period (a) 2009 to 2014 and (b) 2014 to 2019; [325227]
(3) whether Network Rail has informed him of any proposed redundancies in addition to those already announced for the control period (a) 2009 to 2014 and (b) 2014 to 2019. [325228]
Chris Mole:
Staffing is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail is required by the independent Office of Rail Regulation to deliver substantial efficiency
savings and improvements for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the network over the next five years.
On 3 March the Office of Rail Regulation announced the outcome of its review of Network Rail's proposals for the restructuring of its maintenance function, and its support for Network Rail's goal of introducing greater efficiency into its maintenance practices in ways that sustain and improve safety. Network Rail has discussed its proposals in the course of its routine meetings with Ministers.
On 25 March the Office of Rail Regulation made clear that Network Rail's proposed new structure and revised key standards support their joint aims of safer and more efficient maintenance.
Official Cars: Expenditure
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost was of providing Ministerial cars in each of the last five years. [324821]
Paul Clark: Costs to Departments of ministerial cars are reported annually to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport through written ministerial statements and are available in the Libraries of the House.
Opposition
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has undertaken costings of the policies of the (a) Conservative Party and (b) Liberal Democrat Party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months. [324248]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has not undertaken costing of the policies of the (a) Conservative party and (b) Liberal Democrat party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months.
Public Transport: West Midlands
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has provided for the purpose of maintaining and extending (a) roads, (b) railway services, (c) bus services, (d) cycle lanes and (e) other transport services in (i) Birmingham and (ii) the West Midlands in each year since 1997. [325163]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport publishes estimates of its total expenditure on services by region and country, including the west midlands, in its annual report. These figures rest on a number of assumptions, for example about how total expenditure on strategic highways and rail should be attributed to different regions.
These figures exclude grant to local authorities, as this information is collated separately by CLG, DCSF, DWP and devolved Administrations. Details of the Department's funding for local authorities in the west midlands, which in general is not ring-fenced to particular transport services, may be found at:
The annual report does not provide specific figures for Birmingham and an estimate could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Railways: Construction
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what the (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure will be on the extension to the High Speed 2 route to Leeds over the period of construction; [324284]
(2) what the estimated total (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure will be on the High Speed 2 route from (i) London to Birmingham and (ii) London to Manchester over the period of construction; [324285]
(3) what estimated (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure will be incurred for the 335 mile Y network proposed in the High Speed Rail Command Paper over the period of construction. [324286]
Chris Mole: HS2 Ltd estimate that the capital cost of construction of the recommended high speed rail line from London to the West Midlands is between £15.8 billion and £17.4 billion. The estimated capital cost of construction for new lines from the West Midlands to the North West, and to Yorkshire via the East Midlands, is £5.4-5.8 billion (depending on routeing at Manchester) and £5.8 billion, respectively. All figures are in 2009 prices, include risk and optimum bias, and exclude rolling stock costs.
Unlike the London to the West Midlands cost estimate, those for the legs north of the West Midlands are not based on engineered routes. HS2 Ltd has been asked to carry out similar detailed planning work on route options from the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds, to be completed in summer 2011, with a view to consulting the public early in 2012.
Estimates of revenue expenditure during construction would be developed at a later stage were the Government to decide to proceed following public consultation.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons, of the three possible routes for High Speed 2 proposed through the Chilterns, he decided on the route through Chesham and Amersham constituency; on what evidential basis he made that decision; and if he will make a statement. [324349]
Chris Mole: The Government will not take a decision on the route of any high speed line from London to the West Midlands until public consultation has taken place. The route recommended by HS2 Ltd., which follows the A413 corridor and which the Government agree should form the basis of consultation, was considered to be the preferred route option because it offers cost and journey time advantages and because its local and environmental impacts are on balance lower than those of the two other routes short-listed by HS2 Ltd.
In particular, its environmental impacts are reduced by following existing transport corridors for more than half the distance travelled at surface level through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. HS2 Ltd. considered a number of further routes which it did not shortlist; the Government agreed that these were significantly inferior.
Further detail is set out in the Command Paper and supporting documents which were published on 11 March 2010.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what invitations the Secretary of State has received from hon. Members to speak in their constituencies on High Speed 2 since 1 March 2010; and (a) when and (b) in what form each such invitation was received. [324519]
Chris Mole: The Secretary of State has received a number of requests, both verbal and written, from a number of sources, including hon. Members.
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what assessment he made of the merits of choosing (a) the M1, (b) the M40 and (c) another existing transport corridor as the preferred route for a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham; [324888]
(2) what assessment he made of the merits of choosing a route alongside existing railway lines as the preferred route for the high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham. [324890]
Chris Mole: HS2 Ltd. drew up and assessed a large number of potential route options, including routes following several different existing motorway and mainline transport corridors. The process of route selection which the company undertook is set out at section 3.5 of its report to the Government, found at:
This includes detailed explanation of the sifting out of potential options, including the M1 and M40 corridors. The Government agree with HS2 Ltd.'s assessment of route options.
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to receive the results of the further work he has asked HS2 Ltd to carry out on the proposed high-speed rail route alignment near Stoneleigh, Warwickshire; and in respect of which sections of that route the further work is being undertaken. [324891]
Chris Mole: As set out in the Secretary of State's letter dated 18 March to HS2 Ltd., a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House and on the Department's website at:
HS2 Ltd. will report to the Government by the end of August, in preparation for the formal public consultation in the autumn.
Railways: South East
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of the completion of the works in the South East required as a consequence of the improvement notice service on Network Rail. [324702]
Chris Mole: The Office of Rail Regulation served an improvement notice on Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd. on 18 March requiring the company to comply with its own standards for inspecting structures to ensure safety. Network Rail is already fully funded to meet the requirements of health and safety law.
Rapid Transit Systems: Yorkshire and the Humber
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date he expects the tram-train pilot project proposed between Sheffield and Rotherham to end; and if he will take steps to reduce the proposed duration of the pilot project. [324592]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport, Northern Rail, Network Rail and South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority are working closely as industry partners to ensure the success of the project and following the proposed start of services from 2012 will review operations every six months.
There is no plan to reduce the duration of the pilot. Indeed it is hoped that it will be a success and a permanently useful transport link.
Taxis: Guide Dogs
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make it his policy to collect, through his Department's surveys of licensing authorities, data on the number of taxi and private hire drivers with exemptions from statutory duties to carry guide and other assistance dogs. [324698]
Mr. Khan: These data are already collected from local authorities in our biennial local authority taxi survey. Figures have not been included in any publication but are available on request.
Health
Ambulance Services: Greater London
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) ambulances, (b) rapid response vehicles and (c) air ambulances there were in each London borough in each year since 2000; [323800]
(2) whether he has made an estimate of the lowest number of (a) ambulances, (b) rapid response vehicles and (c) air ambulances available for emergency response in each London borough on average on a single day in each year since 2000. [323801]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally. The purchasing of ambulance vehicles is a matter for national health service ambulance trusts to manage in order to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand. The number of available emergency response vehicles is a matter for national health service ambulance trusts to manage in order to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average time taken for an ambulance to reach a category A emergency was in each London borough in each year since 2000; [323802]
(2) how ambulance services in each London borough were set (a) category A eight, (b) category A 19 and (c) category B 19 minute response targets in each year since 2000; [323803]
(3) how many times an ambulance service (a) did not meet the eight minute response target and (b) took over 15 minutes to respond to a category A emergency in each London borough in each year since 2000; [323804]
(4) what the average response time was for (a) air ambulances, (b) road ambulances and (c) rapid response vehicles in each London borough in each year since 2000. [323805]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect information on average response times to emergency calls by national health service ambulance trusts.
The data that the Department does collect on ambulance response times are published on an annual basis in the statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England". These documents have already been placed in the Library and are available on the Information Centre for health and social care website:
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