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Millennium Dome
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what contingency plans have been made to get visitors to and from the Dome in the event that the Jubilee Line extension is not completed in time. [57279]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Government welcome London Transport's revised strategy for phased opening of the Jubilee Line Extension project and their confirmation that it will open in good time for the Millennium Experience. It would however be irresponsible not to have in place contingency arrangements to manage problems on any of the main transport links to the Millennium site, including any major failure of the Jubilee Line. London Underground Limited are developing contingency arrangements for this, and other eventualities, in association with London Transport Buses, London River Services, the Government Office for London, the Highways Agency, the Association of Train Operating Companies, Connex South East, Docklands Light Railways and the New Millennium Experience Company.
Road Deaths
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many road deaths and serious road accidents there were in each month or other period for which the information is available since 1 May 1997. [59015]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Information for 1998 is not yet available by month. Information for 1997 is as shown. Other casualties involved in these accidents who sustained slight injuries are not shown.
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| Fatal incidents | Serious accidents | |
|---|---|---|
| May | 272 | 3,034 |
| June | 263 | 3,058 |
| July | 266 | 3,256 |
| August | 296 | 3,120 |
| September | 268 | 2,893 |
| October | 295 | 3,331 |
| November | 331 | 3,244 |
| December | 287 | 3,147 |
| Persons killed | Persons seriously injured | |
|---|---|---|
| May | 292 | 3,595 |
| June | 289 | 3,633 |
| July | 304 | 3,867 |
| August | 320 | 3,785 |
| September | 291 | 3,362 |
| October | 321 | 3,924 |
| November | 354 | 3,848 |
| December | 310 | 3,697 |
Car Sales
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many cars were sold in each month, or other period for which the information is available, since 1 May 1997. [59014]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The requested information, taken from DVLA records of new car registrations, is as shown.
| 1997 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|
| January | -- | 227 |
| February | -- | 179 |
| March | -- | 214 |
| April | -- | 170 |
| May | 167 | 172 |
| June | 149 | 170 |
| July | 36 | 40 |
| August | 526 | 506 |
| September | 157 | 166 |
| October | 158 | -- |
| November | 153 | -- |
| December | 89 | -- |
Car Journeys
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many car journeys were completed in each month or other period for which the information is available since 1 May 1997. [59017]
Ms Glenda Jackson: This information is not available on a monthly basis. Information on journeys is provided by the National Travel Survey. Over the period 1995 to 1997, the estimated average number of car driver journeys was 401 per person per year in Great Britain.
White Paper Documents
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he
9 Nov 1998 : Column: 28
expects each of the subsidiary documents referred to in the White Paper, A New Deal For Transport, to be published; [58527]
Mr. Prescott:
The Government will launch their consultation on road user charging and the workplace parking levy shortly. In the following months we intend to issue further daughter documents on sustainable distribution, local transport plans, shipping, buses, road safety and inland waterways. We will also be issuing a paper on ports policy. In many of the documents we will be consulting on detailed aspects of policy, and we therefore intend to issue the documents in an orderly way so as not to overburden consultees and so as to encourage full and considered responses.
Of the other relevant documents listed in Annex A, the response to the Royal Commission and the consultation paper on climate change have already been published. An action plan to encourage walking will be published shortly. The remaining documents--a report on the review of national air quality strategy, a revised strategy for sustainable development, consultation on draft or updated planning guidance, and progress reports from the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force--will follow over the next few months.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the (a) timetable and (b) budget for the transport problems to be considered by regional planning conferences through regional planning guidance systems detailed in Annex C of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England; [58694]
(3) what is the procedure for the implementation of recommendations made by the (a) regional planning conferences and (b) study programme listed in annexes C and D of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England. [58696]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
A New Deal for Transport and A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England describe the enhanced role that Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) will play in integrating transport planning with other types of land-use planning and identifying regional priorities for transport investment and management. Draft RPG will be prepared by regional planning conferences (RPCs), in consultation with the Government Offices and other regional stakeholders, and submitted to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will consider whether the draft should be modified in the light of an independent Panel report and issue the final version of RPG. The Secretary of State will be committed to taking forward those transport proposals in RPG for which central government are responsible. The precise timing will
9 Nov 1998 : Column: 29
depend on the circumstances of the particular public expenditure round. Other transport proposals will be delivered by local authorities through their local transport plans and by Railtrack and other transport infrastructure and service providers. Further guidance on the regional transport strategy element of RPG will be set out in a draft Planning Policy Guidance Note 11.
It is for RPCs, in consultation with other stakeholders and Government offices, to decide the timetable for updating RPG. All regions, except London and the West Midlands, are currently reviewing RPG. Following the Comprehensive Spending Review, my Department will be providing significant additional funding to support the research efforts of the Government offices and the RPCs in developing RPG and we will also be meeting the administrative costs of the RPG public examinations.
The programme of studies proposed in Annex D of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England will assist RPCs in addressing the most serious and urgent regional transport problems in either the current round or future updates of RPG. The studies will be led by Government offices in partnership with RPCs and funded by the Department at a cost of some £30 million over the next three years. We will shortly be consulting RPCs about our proposals. The first studies will begin in 1999-2000.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the impact of the transport policy measures announced as part of A New Deal for Transport, on (a) forecasts of future traffic made in the 1997 National Road Traffic Forecasts and (b) future levels of congestion on the motorway and trunk road network as shown in the Highways Agency's stress maps. [58699]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Revising and updating the 1997 National Road Traffic Forecasts to reflect the impact of the New Deal for Transport will involve new approaches to forecasting traffic and its environmental and economic effects. The Department is currently developing plans to take this work forward, on which we will be seeking advice from the Commission for Integrated Transport, after it is established next year. Our revised forecasts will also need to take account of the non-statutory 'interim' road traffic reduction reports we expect to receive from local highway authorities in July next year as part of their provisional local transport plans.
The Highways Agency's motorway and trunk road stress maps will be revised in line with the National Road Traffic Forecasts, which play a central role in their production.
Miss Geraldine Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if all outstanding claims arising out of the French lorry drivers' dispute have been settled. [58990]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We understand that at 10 September some 200 claims from UK companies were still under consideration by the French authorities.
9 Nov 1998 : Column: 30
(2) when the publications listed in annex A of A New Deal for Transport will be published. [58698]
(2) what is the (a) timetable and (b) budget for the study programme detailed in annex D of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England; [58695]
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