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21 Jun 2010 : Column 44W—continued
Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have applied for a (a) resident's and (b) Dart-Tags discount against the toll for the Dartford Crossing since the resident's discount scheme was introduced; and how many of those who have applied for the resident's discount were resident in Thurrock. [2761]
Mike Penning: Since the introduction of the Local Resident Scheme in November 2008, 22,702 people have successfully applied for a residents' discount for the Dartford Crossing; of these 11,506 were resident in Thurrock.
In the same period, there were 30,385 successful applications for a Dart-Tag account.
Departmental NDPBs
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reductions in expenditure each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible will be expected to make in (a) 2010 and (b) each year from 2011 to 2014. [3415]
Mr Philip Hammond: My Department's non-departmental public bodies have not been given specific budget reductions as part of my Department's overall reduction of £689 million for 2010-11. These savings are expected to be made in the central Department and its agencies.
For 2011-12 onwards no budgets have been set as they will be subject to the forthcoming spending review.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the functions of his Department's executive agencies; and if he will make a statement. [3417]
Mr Philip Hammond: The functions of my Department's Executive agencies will be considered, alongside all other departmental functions, in the context of the review of all Government spending now under way.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reductions are planned to be made in the funding provided by his Department to (a) Middlesbrough Council and (b) Redcar and Cleveland Council in 2010-11. [1968]
Norman Baker: The Government announced on 10 June plans for implementation of the £1.166 billion savings to be made from local Government grants in 2010-11, of which £309 million will be from transport grants.
Further information regarding how these reductions relate to Middlesbrough council and Redcar and Cleveland council can be found in the Libraries of the House and on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at:
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of the reductions proposed in expenditure on transport projects. [3496]
Mr Philip Hammond: As part of the planned spending review process, I will be reviewing all the Department for Transport's projects and programmes to ensure they represent value for money and are consistent with the Government's objectives, including the need to reduce the deficit, support growth and meet the 2020 carbon reduction targets.
Electric Vehicles
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which official in his Department is responsible for the implementation of a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. [2898]
Norman Baker: Michael Hurwitz heads the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, a team composed of officials from the Departments for Transport, Business Innovation and Skills, and Energy and Climate Change, who are responsible for the UK's ultra-low emission vehicle policy, including this Coalition commitment. An organisation chart for the Office for Low Emission Vehicles can be found at:
Local Government Finance: Wales
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes will be made in the grants provided by his Department to local authorities in Wales in 2010-11. [1672]
Mr Philip Hammond: Transport is a devolved function, so no grants are made by the Department for Transport to Welsh authorities.
Public Transport: Expenditure
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid in public subsidy to the (a) rail industry and (b) bus industry (i) in total and (ii) per passenger journey in the latest period for which figures are available. [1591]
Mr Philip Hammond: The information requested is as follows:
(a) (i) Total public subsidy figures to the rail industry for 2008-09, the most recent available, can be found in a table in the Office of Rail Regulation's current National Rail Trends publication at:
(Table 6.2a).
(ii) Subsidy figures are not compiled per passenger journey, so these are unavailable.
(b) The latest figures available for the bus industry are for 2008-09 and are separated between London and the rest of England due to the different nature of the markets (fully regulated and largely deregulated, respectively). The Department for Transport published revised statistics on bus passenger journeys during 2008-09 on 17 June 2010. These are available on the DFT website:
Total public subsidy to the bus industry is made up of the Bus Service Operators Grant and locally tendered subsidised services. Bus operators are reimbursed by local authorities for carrying concessionary bus pass holders so that operators are left no better or worse off for participating in the concessionary travel scheme. This is not a subsidy to the industry so has not been included in these figures.
(i) Total net public subsidy paid to the bus industry in 2008-09 by central and local government was £833 million in London, and £724 million in the rest of England.
(ii) This equated to a net public subsidy of 39 pence per passenger journey in London, and 30 pence in the rest of England.
Railways: Construction
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Exceptional Hardship Scheme which will compensate residents for any effects of prospective High Speed Rail 2 routes will be extended to local business premises. [2868]
Mr Philip Hammond: I cannot prejudge the outcome of the current consultation on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme, which ended on 17 June. We have received a number of responses relating to business premises. We will look carefully at the suggestions made by all respondents in deciding how to proceed.
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the decision to exclude from the High Speed Two hardship scheme those properties adjacent to tunnelled sections of the proposed route for the purpose of making such properties eligible for assistance from his Department. [2914]
Mr Philip Hammond: I cannot prejudge the outcome of the current consultation on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS), and reiterate that no decision has yet been taken on what properties would be eligible under any Exceptional Hardship Scheme. Representations on this topic have been received as part of the current consultation. We will look carefully at the suggestions made by all respondents in deciding how to proceed.
Speed Limits: Cameras
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in Dartford constituency; where each is located; and how many drivers have been prosecuted as a result of evidence obtained from each such camera over the last five years. [3121]
Mike Penning: The Department for Transport holds only information about speed cameras operating under the National Safety Camera Programme, which started in 2001 and ended on 31 March 2007. Separate information about cameras operating in Dartford is not held. The number of camera sites operating in Kent at the end of the National Safety Camera Programme was 129. Since then, the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. The number of cameras currently in place and their location will therefore be a matter for Kent county council and the local road safety partnership.
The number of drivers prosecuted as a result of enforcement by each speed camera in Kent is not held by the Department. However, details of fixed penalty notices issued and subsequently paid in Kent over the past five years are outlined in the following table which also includes penalties issued for red light offences:
| Speed and red light fixed penalty notices paid in Kent over the last five years | |
| Number | |
Transport: North West
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants his Department has allocated to (a) Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council and (b) other local authorities in the North West for which funds have not yet been released. [2842]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has allocated a range of grants to Wigan metropolitan borough council and other local authorities in the north-west, for which payments are due to be made at various stages over the course of 2010-11.
The Government have made clear that their most urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record deficit. To help achieve this, on 10 June the Department for Communities and Local Government announced £1.166 billion of savings from grants to local authorities. Aside from these grants, the Department is not withholding the release of funding allocated to north-west authorities in 2010-11.
The following table sets out the timing of payments for the Department's transport grants.
Travel
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to support the promotion of (a) cycling, (b) walking and (c) other non-car travel initiatives. [2899]
Norman Baker: The coalition agreement says that we will support sustainable travel initiatives, including the promotion of cycling and walking. In addition, we will explore the opportunities provided by alternatives to travel. Our approach will be considered in more detail as part of the spending review later this year.
Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement of 24 May 2010 and pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2010, Official Report, column 69W, on public expenditure: Wales, if he will provide details of his Department's non-devolved public expenditure savings that will be incurred in Wales, including an estimate of the financial savings. [2938]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 17 June 2010]: My Department is making in-year expenditure savings of £683 million.
Of this figure, Network Rail is finding savings of £100 million, and also deferring £17 million worth of lower priority schemes. Network Rail has not given any indication of what portion of this proposed reduction in expenditure will affect Wales.
The savings from Transport for London will not affect Wales nor will those from local government funding or from the Highways Agency, which are devolved areas.
The other element of the in-year saving is the £112 million savings from efficiencies in direct departmental spend. My Department's agencies, some of which are based in or have regional offices in Wales, will be taking their share of these. No estimate has been made of the savings to be incurred in Wales.
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