To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet local authorities, train operators and Network Rail to discuss the elimination of graffiti at train stations and adjacent railway lines. [134958]
None.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions there have been by British Transport Police of individuals who commit acts of vandalism on (a) trains, (b) railway stations and (c) railway lines in each of the last 10 years. [134959]
The British Transport Police (BTP) does not record crime statistics split by stations, lines and trains. Also vandalism is not classified as a crime group but the offence of criminal damage is the closest equivalent. Prosecutions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. However, the BTP have provided the information in Table 1 regarding the number of people arrested, summonsed or charged with criminal damage in the past six years which is the maximum period for which reliable data is available. Table 2 shows the total number of criminal damage offences reported and cleared for the last ten years.
| Table 1 | |
| Time Period | Number of Persons Arrested/Charged/Summonsed for criminal damage offences |
| 1 October 1997—30 September 1998 | 607 |
| 1 October 1998—30 September 1999 | 669 |
| 1 October 1999—30 September 2000 | 644 |
| 1 October 2000—30 September 2001 | 537 |
| 1 October 2001—30 September 2002 | 549 |
| 1 October 2002—30 September 2003 | 554 |
| Table 2 | ||
| Annual criminal damage offences (1 April-31 March) | Reported | Cleared |
| 2002–2003 | 6,502 | 717 |
| 2001–2002 | 6,030 | 846 |
| 2000–2001 | 6,536 | 988 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,826 | 963 |
| 1998–1999 | 6,573 | 1,013 |
| 1997–1998 | 6,296 | 1,105 |
| 1996–1997 | 7,984 | 994 |
| 1995–1996 | 10,502 | 971 |
| 1994–1995 | 13,156 | 1,348 |
| 1993–1994 | 13,023 | 1,280 |
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unsupervised train stations there are in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Yorkshire. [134967]
Figures for the number of unsupervised stations are not held centrally. There are no obligations on train operators about staffing stations per se. There are requirements to open ticket offices at the times specified in the 'Ticketing and Settlement Agreement' (TSA). The TSA includes over 1300 stations—more than half the stations on the network—including over 50 in Yorkshire. Train operators may staff stations and ticket offices over and above the requirements of the TSA.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent studies have been carried out by his Department into the impact on passenger numbers of fear of violence and antisocial behaviour at unsupervised railway stations. [134968]
Departmental research was carried out last year on perceptions of personal security and concerns about crime on public transport. This included discussions on staffing at railway stations, what makes people feel insecure at stations, what measures could be taken to improve people's perceptions, and the impact that all these have on people's willingness to travel.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking with Network Rail to tackle vandalism and graffiti at unsupervised railway stations; [134972](2) what steps he is taking to protect the rail infrastructure from criminal damage. [134974]
This is primarily a matter for Network Rail as owner of the national network infrastructure, and the train operators to which stations are leased. Our Directions and Guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority require it to encourage train operators to participate in both the Secure Stations and Secure Car Parks schemes, which award accreditation when specified standards of design and management are reached. The Strategic Rail Authority has funded the provision of CCTV at stations through its Rail Passenger Partnership fund, and CCTV will be provided at some stations under the Modern Facilities at Stations programme. We also support the initiative by the British Transport Police and train operators to recruit special constables from within their own staff.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operators on unsupervised stations. [134973]
None.