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6 Apr 2010 : Column 1162W—continued
The Department funds links to schools to encourage cycling and walking to schools, as a contribution to the total cost, with the rest of the funding coming from the local authority.
| Location | DfT fund (£) | Total cost (£) | |
Local authorities apply for grants to train school children in Bikeability level 2. Bikeability level 2 is an approved cycle training course normally undertaken by children in years five to six (ages 10-11).
Shropshire received the following:
| Shropshire (£) | |
Departmental Food
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what account his Department's food procurement policy takes of animal welfare. [325526]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport conducts its procurement in accordance with UK Government's value for money policies and principles, utilising collaborative arrangements where these are available and in accordance with the legal and regulatory framework.
The Department and its agencies generally provide staff catering and vending services via estates private finance initiative or facilities management contracts. These provisions are typically provided on a commercial basis and are not directly subsidised, and they operate in a very competitive environment.
For example, the Department's headquarter facilities management contract requires the contractor to comply with Government guidance on sustainable food and farming in the delivery of the contract. The contract also requires the contractor to take into account the Government's commitment to the public sector food procurement initiative, and directs them to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs websites. Thus the contractor is encouraged to consider higher level schemes for food standards and animal welfare.
Another example is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's estates private finance initiative contract, which requires the service provider to comply with the sustainable food procurement initiative and other Government guidance on food and farming in delivery of the service.
As and when each of the Department's catering contracts needs to be renewed, consideration will be given to emerging higher level welfare standards when specifying replacement contracts.
Hang Gliding and Paragliding: EU Action
Jacqui Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the possible effects on the sports of hang gliding and paragliding of proposals in the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation consultation on the draft Standardised European Rules of the Air; and if he will meet the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association to discuss the proposals. [325387]
Paul Clark: Eurocontrol is preparing the draft implementing rule on Standardised European Rules of the Air on behalf of the European Commission under the umbrella of the Single European Sky (SES) initiative.
The preliminary view of the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is that the proposals will not impact adversely on hang gliding and paragliding activities as the CAA, as the Competent Authority for the purposes of the legislation, will retain the discretion to permit visual flight rule flights. However, the UK will continue to seek clarity from Eurocontrol on the intent of the element of the regulation which concerns the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA).
The Department has set up a UK European Air Traffic Management Stakeholders Forum, as a requirement of the SES legislation, at which policy officials directly concerned in this work update aviation stakeholders across the board on SES proposals and elicit views. The BHPA is on the invitee list for the Forum which will next be convened in late spring. In the meantime, Eurocontrol's consultation is still open till 12 April for the BHPA to express its concerns directly to the Agency.
Humber Bridge
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects all lanes of the Humber Bridge to be open to traffic. [325708]
Mr. Khan: The lane restrictions are a matter for the Humber Bridge Board. My understanding is these are currently in place at the Humber Bridge and are essential for traffic management for the dehumidification work on the bridge, and that they will need to be implemented on a regular basis over the next two years.
The works have been carefully planned to avoid contraflow on the bridge other than when absolutely essential and generally only on weekends.
Humber Bridge: Tolls
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will consider requiring the Humber Bridge Board to reduce the level of toll on the Humber Bridge during periods when lane closure is in force. [325705]
Mr. Khan: There are currently lane restrictions in place at the Humber Bridge to allow dehumidification work to take place. The Board is monitoring closely the impact of the lane closures on congestion on the bridge. Toll levels are a matter for the Bridge Board. The tolls are levied for the crossing of the estuary and that service is being maintained.
Lorries: Testing
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many tests of heavy goods vehicles the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency conducted outside core business hours between April 2009 and February 2010. [325709]
Paul Clark: The total number of heavy goods vehicles tested (both motor vehicles and trailers) outside normal working hours between April 2009 and February 2010 was 9,963. This consists of first and annual tests and retests.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) evaluated on levels of demand for conducting annual tests of heavy goods vehicles outside standard working hours. [325710]
Paul Clark: Customer input into the requirements for, and likely uptake of, extended opening hours for annual tests of heavy goods vehicles has been provided from direct customer feedback and through quantitative customer research with 500 service agents in 2009-10 and a similar survey in 2008.
Public Transport: Shropshire
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average daily number of people using (a) buses and (b) trains in Shropshire in each of the last five years. [325442]
Mr. Khan: For bus usage, data for Shropshire are available from the local government National Indicator Set. The following table shows the figures for Shropshire for the relevant National Indicator (number 177-local bus and light rail passenger journeys originating in the authority area).
| Local bus journeys originating in Shropshire, 2004-05 to 2008-09 | ||
| Thousand | ||
| Total journeys( 1) during year | Average journeys( 1) per day( 2) | |
| (1) The national indicator definition includes bus and light rail journeys in these totals, although there are presently no light rail systems in Shropshire. (2) Average journeys per day for all days in the year, including weekends, school holidays and public holidays. The working day average is likely to be higher than shown here. Source: National Indicator Set | ||
These data are not necessarily consistent with the Department for Transport's published official statistics on bus patronage, and they have not gone through the same reconciliation and consistency checks. Department for Transport bus patronage statistics cannot be released at local authority level, owing to the assurances of commercial confidentiality given to local bus operators.
The Department for Transport does not hold any corresponding data on passenger rail journeys.
Railways: Construction
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) whether he has made an estimate of the number of business premises in (a) the parish of Coldharbour, (b) the parish of Aylesbury, (c) the parish of Stoke Mandeville, (d) the parish of Ellesborough, (e) the parish of Wendover, (f) the parish of Great Missenden and (g) the county of Buckinghamshire which lie within (i) 100, (ii) 200, (iii) 300, (iv) 400 and (v) 500 metres of his Department's preferred route for High Speed Two; and if he will make a statement; [322932]
(2) whether he has made an estimate of the number of dwellings in (a) the parish of Coldharbour, (b) the parish of Aylesbury, (c) the parish of Stoke Mandeville, (d) the parish of Ellesborough, (e) the parish of Wendover, (f) the parish of Great Missenden and (g) the county of Buckinghamshire which lie within (i) 100, (ii) 200, (iii) 300, (iv) 400 and (v) 500 metres of his Department's preferred route for High Speed Two; and if he will make a statement. [322934]
Chris Mole [holding answer 18 March 2010]: The effects of the recommended route on properties will be made available as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS), on which work is continuing. The AoS will be published later in the year in order to inform the formal public consultation which we expect to launch in the autumn. The Government will write to the owners of relevant properties at this time. Additional design work will be required to refine HS2 Ltd's proposals, and this would be likely to reduce the number of properties affected.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will send a copy of the consultation document on the Exceptional Hardship Scheme for the London-Birmingham high speed rail link to (a) each franchise that his Department considers may qualify for the scheme and (b) each parish council in which one or more such household is located. [325177]
Chris Mole [holding answer 30 March 2010]: Copies of the consultation document on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme have been sent to the parties listed at Annex B in the consultation document. The National Association of Local Councils, which represents the 8,500 town and parish councils in England, was sent copies of the consultation materials. Any interested party can respond to the consultation.
Copies of the consultation document are available on the Department for Transport's website at:
and can be ordered free of charge from DfT Publications (0300 123 1102) or
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) if he will publish the reports of all passenger demand modelling (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by his Department on the proposed HS2 routes; [325389]
(2) if he will publish the results of the investigations which have been made into the effect of modal switch in the context of passenger demand modelling for HS2; what methodology was used in the investigation; and if he will make a statement. [325390]
Chris Mole: All work commissioned and undertaken on demand modelling and on modal switch for HS2 Ltd.'s report was published alongside the Government's Command Paper on 11 March. In particular, I refer the hon. Member to HS2 Ltd.'s "Demand and Appraisal Report", published on the Department for Transport website at:
Railways: Shropshire
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with rail operators on rail services between London and stations in Shropshire. [325441]
Chris Mole: There have been recent discussions at official level with Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway and Chiltern Railways regarding services between London and stations in Shropshire. These discussions are ongoing.
Roads: Accidents
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many fatal road accidents there have been in North Shropshire constituency in each month of each year since 1997. [325440]
Paul Clark: The information requested in shown in the following table:
| Reported fatal personal injury road accidents in North Shropshire constituency( 1) , by month: 1997 to 2008 | |||||||||||||
| Fatal accidents | |||||||||||||
| Year/month | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
| (1) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries. | |||||||||||||
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