To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many lorry movements carrying waste from tunnelling as part of the Crossrail project he estimates will take place in each month in 2012. (304287)

It is estimated that there will be around 60 lorry movements carrying waste from tunnelling as part of the Crossrail project per day during 2012. The need to reduce the number of such movements during the periods of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is recognised and is being actively considered by Crossrail Ltd. in consultation with the Olympic Delivery Authority, although the precise details will not be known until nearer the time.

85 per cent. of the excavated material from the tunnel drives will be removed by rail and boat, removing an estimated 500,000 lorry movements from the streets of London during the life of the project.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport by what means (a) contaminated tunnel waste, (b) non-contaminated tunnel waste and (c) waste of indeterminate quality from the Crossrail project will be disposed of. (304288)

Virtually all of the 7.3 million m³ of excavated material is expected to be clean and non-contaminated and can be reused elsewhere. A significant proportion of this material will be transported to Wallasea Island in Essex to enhance a nature reserve for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). This will be one of the largest new wetland nature reserves in Europe for some 50 years. Other sites being considered for this material include South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) regeneration sites in Kent.

If any contaminated material or waste of indeterminate quality is found it will be transported to a specialist treatment facility.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what requirements he has identified for the need to stockpile waste during the construction phase of the Crossrail project. (304289)

It is anticipated that all categories of excavated material will be transported straight to its intended destination without the need for stockpiling. However, each construction site will have limited stockpiling capacity in case of unforeseen incidents on the rail, water or road networks.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) carbon footprint and (b) environmental sustainability of (i) the construction of Crossrail and (ii) the completed scheme; and what benchmarking exercises his Department has carried out in this respect. (304290)

The carbon footprint and environmental impacts of Crossrail during both construction and operation were assessed and presented in the Crossrail Environmental Statement, which was published in February 2005.

As a sustainable transport project Crossrail forms part of the Mayor of London's ‘London Plan’ which was itself subject to a sustainability assessment.

In addition Crossrail has worked with the Building Research Establishment to develop a BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) for its sub-surface stations and is using that and the Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme (CEEQUAL) to benchmark the environmental performance of its designs.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what preparations have been made to reduce the effect of lorry movements associated with Crossrail construction during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (304291)

Crossrail Ltd. and the Olympic Delivery Authority are working together to ensure that the Games proceed unhindered, and to ensure that the impact of Crossrail works is minimised during the Olympic/Paralympic Games periods.

The need to reduce the number of lorry movements during the periods of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is recognised and is being actively considered. The precise details will not be known until nearer the time.