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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 21 October 2003
TRANSPORT
Trains (Television Cameras)
14. Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of proposals by train operating companies to install television in railway carriages. [132973]
Mr. McNulty: Television may be installed in railway carriages for either onboard entertainment or security purposes. The first is a commercial matter for operators. CCTV for security purposes has already been installed by some operators and the Department is working with the Strategic Rail Authority to continue to improve security on trains.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
15. Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport was assessment he has made of the possibility of Channel Tunnel Rail Link domestic service trains stopping in the Medway towns. [132974]
Mr. McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority yesterday launched a further public consultation on Channel Tunnel Rail Link domestic services, building on one carried out earlier this year. A particular issue for the consultation will be whether CTRL domestic services should run to the Medway Towns.
Bus Industry
16. Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to disseminate best practice within the bus industry. [132975]
Mr. McNulty: The Department will shortly be publishing two good practice guides, one drawing on experience with Rural Bus Grant and Rural Challenge, and one on tendering of bus subsidy contracts. The Bus Partnership Forum has produced a report on Understanding Customer Needs and a code of conduct on Service Stability. Guidance on Quality Bus Partnerships was published in 2001.
School Transport
17. Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with other Government Departments on the relationship between home to school transport and children's health. [132976]
Dr. Howells: My Department works closely with the Department of Health on all aspects of school travel policy. We are keen to encourage walking and cycling to school.
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Bus Deregulation
18. Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies he has undertaken to assess the impact of bus deregulation in metropolitan areas. [132977]
Mr. McNulty : The impact of bus deregulation was studied in the years following 1986. No recent studies have been undertaken but we continue to publish statistical data on kilometres operated, the cost of services, passenger satisfaction etc. We are in constant touch with the Passenger Transport Executives and major bus operators about local developments. Later today I shall be meeting representatives from Greater Manchester about bus regulation issues.
Transport Provision
19. Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the relationship between transport provision and access to public services. [132978]
Mr. McNulty: The Social Exclusion Unit's February 2003 report "Making the Connections" showed that provision of good local transport and provision of public services in accessible places are both essential to enable people to access the services they need when they need them. The increased funding for local transport we have already provided, and inclusion of accessibility planning in local authorities' next transport plans, will help authorities deliver real improvements in accessibility for their communities.
Air Travel (Compensation)
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what measures the Government will put in place to ensure that the proposed regulation establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights is proportionate and workable; and if he will make a statement; [133568]
- (2) if he will publish a regulatory impact assessment in respect of the proposed EU regulation establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights. [133569]
Mr. McNulty: The UK is supportive of the basic aim of this regulation, which is to protect passengers who are denied boarding or are the victims of commercial cancellations. However, we also believe a balance should be struck between the rights of passengers and the additional costs to airlines, which may ultimately be passed through to the consumer. Accordingly, we have been working hard to improve the original text, to try to make it more balanced and workable. Once the regulation comes into force it will be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in member states, who will be required to designate a body responsible for its enforcement and ensure that sanctions laid down for infringements are effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
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When the text of the regulation has been finalised we will be in a position to complete our Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will appear on the Department for Transport website in due course.
Driving Licences
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require drivers to be retested for their driving licence on a regular basis. [133540]
Dr. Howells: The Government do not consider that the regular retesting of all drivers would be a proportionate measure to deliver road safety benefits. Courts already have powers to require those drivers who offend to undergo a driving test. Where a driver is guilty of a serious offence, this involves an extended length driving test.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average waiting time was for a driver aged over 70 between applying for a licence renewal and the issue of the licence in each of the last three years. [133590]
Dr. Howells: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to return licences 15 working days following receipt of a valid application (i.e. one complete in all respects). This can take longer where further inquiries are required into an individual's health or personal details. This is published in the DVLA's literature that supports application forms. Apart from a courtesy reminder system there are no separate arrangements specifically for processing applications from drivers aged over 70.
Flight Paths (Walthamstow)
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what altitude restrictions apply to aircraft on flight paths above Walthamstow; and how these have changed in the last five years. [131582]
Mr. McNulty [pursuant to his answer, 14 October 2003, Official Report, c. 168–69W]: The airspace over all of Walthamstow above 2,500 ft has been classified as 'controlled' for many years. Over the southernmost quarter of the Walthamstow constituency the airspace has been controlled to ground level since the opening of London City Airport. Aircraft using Heathrow and City operate within this controlled airspace. Aircraft inbound to Heathrow will normally be above 5,000 ft.
Over the remainder of my hon. Friend's constituency below 2,500 ft, helicopters and general aviation aircraft from smaller aerodromes can determine routes and altitudes according to their particular requirements. Such flights are subject to the Rules of the Air Regulations, notably Rule 5, which means most will be above 1,500 ft.
There have been no changes to the airspace over Walthamstow in the last five years.
Grosvenor Square (Street Closure)
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the costs to his Department were of the (a) closure of Grosvenor Square and (b) policing of the private event held there on 11 September. [131411]
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Mr. McNulty: The event was organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and was policed by officers from the Home Department.
The closure of Grosvenor Square incurred no costs to the Department for Transport. The cost of the ad hoc policing arrangements to Government was approximately £7,000.
Light Rail Schemes
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the risk factors associated with light rail schemes (a) where there is a pre-existing light rail passenger base and (b) that rely on projections of passenger growth; and how this is reflected in his Department's costs and other assessments of such schemes; [131924]
- (2) what risk assessment his Department has made of the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway renewal proposals; [131925]
(3) what account his Department took of the (a) extent and (b) costs of Disability Discrimination Act 1995 compliance in 2004 in its assessment of the costs and value for money of the minimal option of works to keep the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway operational; [131927]
(4) whether his Department has included regeneration benefits from the upgrade of the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway in its assessment of its value for money and cost-benefit ratios; [131928]
(5) what assessment his Department has made of the success of (a) light rail and (b) bus schemes in attracting users to public transport; [131963]
(6) what his Department's policy is on the upgrade of existing light rail networks; [131964]
(7) what research his Department has undertaken of the (a) benefits and (b) costs of (i) upgrading existing and (ii) building new light rail systems; [131965]
(8) what (a) assessment his Department has made of the cost-benefit ratios and (b) value for money of the options for the renewal of the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway. [131966]
Mr. McNulty: The Department is nearing completion of its assessment of the proposals by Blackpool borough council and Lancashire county council to upgrade the Blackpool Tramway. In common with all transport projects considered by the Department, it is being assessed using the New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) framework, which pays attention both to those impacts which can readily be monetarised (such as time savings) and to others of policy significance (such as environmental impacts) which can only be considered qualitatively.
The NATA framework also requires the preparation of an Economic Impact Report on the possible regeneration impact of the scheme and a thorough quantified risk assessment, both of which the Council has provided. My right hon. Friend will take into account the findings of the appraisal in the light of all the other pressures on his programmes in deciding whether to fund the scheme.
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Lower-cost alternatives to the full scheme have also been appraised, taking account of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
A crucial, and difficult, part of the assessment of any light rail project is the forecasting of patronage. The uncertainties are always considerable, though greater in the case of proposals for an entirely new system than for an upgrading of a long-established line. Different scenarios, including optimistic and pessimistic, are examined to help capture the inherent uncertainty in forecasting future demand.
There has been no research on the relative costs and benefits of upgrading existing tram systems and of building new systems, since the circumstances and characteristics of individual schemes vary too greatly for such a comparison to be useful. For the same reason, the Department does not have any general policy as regards tram upgrades. Each proposed major local transport scheme is considered on its individual merits.
Evaluation Studies have been completed for new light rail systems, such as Croydon Supertram and Manchester Metrolink, which suggest that around 15 per cent. to 20 per cent. of passenger journeys on these systems would otherwise have taken place by car, and that generated trips can increase demand by up to 15 per cent. in the off-peak. However, there is also evidence that investment in buses can be successful in increasing public transport use. There is as yet only very limited experience in this country of guided bus schemes, which are the nearest bus-based equivalent to tram systems, and assessments of their relative attractiveness are therefore uncertain.
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