To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with local authorities about the timetable for introducing new parking regulations by October 2007; what estimate he has made of the costs to local authorities of the purchase of new hardware and software to prepare for the changeover; and what targets he has set for replying to parking authorities who submit queries on the new traffic management arrangements. (112732)

The timetable has been discussed with the group advising the Department, which includes representatives from local authorities and the local authority associations, and it is on their advice that there is a long period of time between the regulations completing their passage through Parliament and coming into force in late 2007. The Department’s draft regulatory impact assessment, as amended following consultation in July 2006, makes clear that there may be some up-front costs for the transition from decriminalised (DPE) to civil parking enforcement (CPE). These costs include training and IT costs. The amount will depend on the contract that the local authority has with its IT supplier. The Department’s target for replying to letters is 15 working days for those from MPs and 20 working days for those from other correspondents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been agreed for the establishment of a transitional regime for local authorities to migrate their existing parking regulations from the Road Traffic Acts to the Traffic Management Act 2004; what template has been established to enable local authorities to issue identical parking documents; and what consultation he has held with local authorities on the proposed changes in their parking procedures. (112737)

The Department consulted a range of groups and individuals, including local authorities, in July 2006 about draft regulations and statutory guidance to implement the parking provisions in part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. The responses to that consultation are under consideration and we plan to lay the regulations in Parliament early this year and bring them into force in late 2007. The regulations and guidance will make clear to local authorities the information that their parking documents must contain and the information that the Secretary of State recommends they contain.