To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make it her policy for all legislation for which her Department has responsibility to be available online. [3713]

It is my Department's policy to make all relevant information available via its website as a matter of course unless that information should more correctly be published elsewhere online. For example, Acts of Parliament are published by HMSO. In these latter cases, my Department's policy is to provide links from its website to the information.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether guidance has been issued to courts requiring the granting of maintenance awards on an equal basis for each parent in cases where custody is awarded on an equal basis. [4032]

No guidance on this matter has been issued to the courts. Under existing legislation the courts are empowered to make a number of orders in relation to the division of family property and financial provision for children. The courts will consider a range of issues in each case, including the contribution, both financial and other, made by each of the parties to looking after the home and children. The courts have the discretion to make the orders that they see as appropriate and fair with regard to the specific circumstances of each case. The needs of children are always the paramount consideration. Orders are made with regard to the financial status, and disposable income, of both parties.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs at what age a coroner who was appointed in 1972 must retire. [4921]

There is no retirement age for coroners.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) oral and (b) paper-only family visitor appeals were received by the Immigration Appellate Authority in each month since 1 January 2004. [3297]

Provisional figures show the volume of monthly receipts at the adjudicator tier of the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA), for the period January 2004 to the end of March 2005, to be as follows:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) oral and (b) paper-only family visitor appeals were determined by the Immigration Appellate Authority in each month since 1 January 2004; and how many of each type of appeal were successful. [3298]

Provisional figures for the period January 2004 to March 2005 show the monthly volume of family visitor appeal decisions from an oral hearing, with appeal outcomes, at the adjudicator tier of the Immigration Appellate Authority, to be as follows:

And the provisional figures for family visitor appeals determined on the papers only, for the equivalent period, to be as follows.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs

(1) what the average time has been between deaths and inquests in the jurisdiction of the Teesside Coroner during the last 12 months; [4918]

(2) how many unfinished cases there are in the jurisdiction of the Teesside Coroner; and how many are over six months old; [4919]

(3) what the backlog of cases requiring inquests in the jurisdiction of the Teesside Coroner is; and how many are over six months old; [4920]

(4) what the average time has been between deaths and inquests in the coroners' jurisdictions (a) in the North East and (b) nationally during the last 12 months. [4922]

I will write to my hon. and learned Friend once the information is available.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many lay magistrates there are in Northern Ireland, broken down by (a) gender, (b) community background and (c) age. [4384]

The Lord Chancellor recently appointed 272 people to the new judicial office of Lay Magistrate in Northern Ireland. Of these,(a) 46 per cent. are male and 54 per cent. female; (b) 55 per cent. Protestant, 38 per cent. Roman Catholic and 7 per cent. Other, and; (c) 6 per cent. are under the age of 30, 25 per cent. are between the ages of 30 and 40, 24 per cent. are between the ages of 40 and 50, 27 per cent. are between the ages of 50 and 60 and 18 per cent. are over the age of 60.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she plans to publish the findings of the Fundamental Legal Aid Review announced in May 2004; and if she will make a statement. [2761]

We intend to set out our vision for the future of legal aid, outlining the Department's long-term strategy for reform and summarising the key findings of the Fundamental Legal Aid Review, in due course.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Departmenthas to amend the system of legal aid in fraud trials. [2823]

The Government are committed to overhauling the laws on fraud and the way fraud trials are conducted for the 21st century ensuring that they are quicker and more effective.

The Fraud Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will implement Law Commission proposals to remove the deception offences in the Theft Acts and replace them with a general offence of fraud which can be committed in three ways—by false representation, by failure to disclose information or by abuse of position. This will ensure that prosecutors are better placed to undertake short and effective fraud trials.

We intend to set out our vision for the future of Legal Aid, outlining the Department's long term strategy for reform and summarising the key findings of the Fundamental Legal Aid Review, including tackling fraud, in due course.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will extend the hours of polling for local government elections to the same as those that apply for general elections; and if she will make a statement. [3734]

The Government agree with the Electoral Commission that consistent hours of polling at all elections is desirable. Polling hours for all elections except parliamentary elections are set in secondary legislation by various authorities, such as the devolved Administrations, and those authorities will need to take decisions on this issue. I will consider carefully any suggestions for amendments to the rules of the elections for which I am responsible.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of her Department comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. [3554]

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 placed a general duty and specific duties on a number of public bodies. The list of bodies subject to the general and specific duties is updated periodically in consultation with the CRE. My Department's Race Equality Scheme sets out the departmental approach to compliance and has been recently refreshed to take into account new bodies who form part of my Department.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what training is undertaken by recorders of the Crown court before they are ticketed to try rape. [4683]

Judicial training is the responsibility of the Lord Chief Justice and is exercised through the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene.

The Senior Presiding Judge, on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice, authorises selected Recorders to hear cases involving rape or a serious sexual offence. Before being authorised, a judge must have wide and significant experience of the criminal justice system, and must have demonstrated the necessary sensitivity for these cases. These authorised Recorders may not hear such a case without first having attended the appropriate JSB training, and the designated course for this is the Serious Sexual Offences Seminar (SSOS). Authorised Recorders, along with other authorised judiciary, will be invited to continuation training every three years from the date of their first attendance.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how recorders of the Crown are selected as suitable to try rape cases. [4684]

The Senior Presiding Judge, on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice, authorises selected Recorders to hear cases involving rape or a serious sexual offence. Before being authorised a judge must have wide and significant experience of the criminal justice system, and must have demonstrated the necessary sensitivity for these cases. These authorised Recorders may not hear such a case without first having attended the appropriate JSB training, and the designated course for this is the Serious Sexual Offences Seminar (SSOS). Authorised Recorders, along with other authorised judiciary, will be invited to continuation training every three years from the date of their first attendance.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to reform legal procedures for dealing with terror cases. [3603]

The Government have indicated their intention to bring forward fresh counter-terrorism legislation and are currently considering what provisions it should contain. The intention is to bring forward proposals for pre-legislative scrutiny in late autumn.

To ask the Minister for Women what plans the Government have to provide working mothers with access to personal advisers in relation to child care; and if she will make a statement. [3888]

Jobcentre Plus have introduced Childcare Partnership Managers to help support the growth of local child care provision. They work alongside child care partners and employers to meet the child care needs of unemployed parents.

We realise that many working parents face difficulties in finding accessible, affordable and quality child care, which stops them making the most of their opportunities in work, training or study.

Childcare Partnership Managers have a key role to play in helping them find the child care they need when they need it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the provision of digital signals which would allow free view set-top boxes to be used in Welsh valley communities. [2767]

The topography of the Welsh valleys leads to problems in securing digital terrestrial reception. Of the 200 analogue transmitters in Wales, only nine have so far been converted to digital transmissions. This is to protect current analogue signals from interference. When switchover occurs, it is expected that all 200 transmitters will be equipped to broadcast digital signals.

We are committed to achieving digital switchover between 2008 and 2012, on a region by region basis, and will ensure that the interests of elderly people and other vulnerable groups are protected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the provision of the necessary resources to the Welsh Assembly Government to avoid the introduction of variable top up fees in Wales. [4692]

I understand that the Assembly and the DfES have agreed the financial transfer under the Higher Education Act 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials currently in the Department received honours in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours List; and at what rank of honour. [5110]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress towards rollout of digital television services. [4243]

Great progress has been made. 61.9 per cent. of households are now estimated to have digital television.

We welcome the fact that Switchco, the organisation which will co-ordinate the UK's switchover to digital television, is now in place.

As we said in our manifesto, we will achieve digital switchover between 2008 and 2012 ensuring universal access to high-quality, free-to-view and subscription digital TV. This will happen region by region, and we will make sure that the interests of elderly people and other vulnerable groups are protected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Advertising Standards Authority, (b) the Press Complaints Commission and (c) others about guidelines or legislation to ensure that explicit covers on men's lifestyle magazines are kept out of the reach of children; and if she will make a statement. [3415]

None. The Government believe that a free press is vital in a democracy and we would not, therefore, seek to intervene in what a magazine chooses to publish. The Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the Indecent Displays Act 1981, are designed to protect children and others from exposure to inappropriate material. Furthermore, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents operates a voluntary code of practice for the display of pornographic magazines; 'lifestyle' magazines are displayed at newsagents' discretion, and customers can seek to influence how that discretion is exercised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to ensure that the Royal Parks Agency takes full account of the environmental and social impact on communities and areas surrounding Royal Parks whendecisions are taken to restrict car access to those parks. [3032]

holding answer 13 June 2005

It is already the policy of the Royal Parks Agency to take full account of the environmental and social impact of decisions to restrict access to the Royal Parks for motor cars.

The agency is required under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to consult with local authorities before introducing any measures that might affect traffic on the authorities' roads. By the same token, local authorities are required to consult the agency before introducing any measures on their roads that might affect traffic on park roads.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many current television licence fees have been paid in each postcode area in Northern Ireland. [3510]

The BBC has responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system and the maintenance of television licence records. I have therefore asked the BBC's Head of Revenue Management to consider the question raised by the hon. Member and to write to her direct, placing a copy of the reply in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent collating statistical information relating specifically to tourism in each year since 2000, broken down by region. [3894]

Five main surveys are used to assess the volume, value and nature of tourism for the UK, its countries and the regions of England.

The contract costs for these surveys since 2000 are shown in the table along with the expenditure on the UK Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) First Steps Project and English Regions TSA report.

£000

⁽¹⁾Data from the IPS also provide key statistics for areas other than tourism—such as migration and balance of payments

⁽²⁾Estimated expenditure

The surveys all provide data at both national and regional levels, so results are to the equal benefit of all English regions.

Only survey contract costs have been provided, so human resource and other data collection costs have been excluded. For example, other data are collected by regional authorities in support of their tourism promotion objectives, though the amount spent is not held centrally.

All expenditure has been rounded to the nearest £5,000.

To ask the Leader of the House how many officials currently in his Office received honours in the recent Queen's Birthday Honours List; and at what rank of honour. [5115]

None.

To ask the Leader of the House how many and what percentage of staff in his Office have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade. [3551]

The Office of the Leader comes within the administrative responsibility of the Privy Council Office. No specific training has taken place on the duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 but in line with the Privy Council Office Race Equality Scheme the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality is built into PCO recruitment, training and performance management processes.

The Privy Council Office is committed to equality of access to development opportunities and its Management Board have signed a Statement of Principle to that effect. The Privy Council Office also includes questions on harassment and discrimination in its staff attitude survey and will be launching a programme of awareness sessions for staff later this year.

To ask the Leader of the House what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of his Office comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. [3552]

The Office of the Leader is not responsible for any bodies or organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to make all Acts of Parliament published before 1988 for which his Department is responsible available online. [3723]

The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) within the Cabinet Office is the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament, and responsible for the publication of Acts of Parliament. HMSO have considered the publication of Acts prior to 1988, which is the earliest date when these were available electronically, but have decided not to do so as many have been heavily amended and to publish them in their original form would be misleading for many users. The Government are, however, taking forward development of a Statute Law Database which will contain the fully revised and updated text of all legislation from 1275. It is expected that this will be made available to the general public during 2006.

The DFT Publication Scheme, published in November 2002, specifies the categories of information that the Department and its agencies publish at the moment and will publish in the future and explains how to obtain that information (which may be available directly through the DFT or elsewhere). Acts of Parliament and explanatory notes are not published on the DFT site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what steps he is taking to reduce aircraft stacking times over London; [4564]

(2) what the average daily composite time spent by planes destined for (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick held in stacking over London is; and what daily level of greenhouse gas emissions he estimates are attributable to this practice. [4565]

holding answer 14 June 2005

The operation of air traffic control stacking procedures is a matter for National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the air navigation services provider. NATS' service performance, including reductions in delays, is incentivised by independent economic regulation by the Civil Aviation Authority, subject always to overriding safety considerations.

Aircraft are held in stacks when demand dictates, or when they are affected by weather or other factors, and their rate of arrival would otherwise exceed the capacity of the airport to receive them.

The Future of Air Transport White Paper noted that future growth would require a structured programme for the redesign of UK airspace, taking into account safety and environmental considerations. As part of that, we look to NATS to operate and develop air traffic control efficiently, consistently with their overall objectives, and in particular to seek to minimise stack holding as far as possible, to reduce fuel burn and emissions.

Estimates of daily levels of greenhouse gas emissions attributable to stack-holding are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much private sector investment is expected to be made in Crossrail. [3966]

The Government are working with Transport for London on the options for funding Crossrail. It will bring forward funding proposals, including on the level of investment expected from the private sector, during the passage of the Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when London Heathrow terminal five is expected to be operational; and if he will make a statement. [4615]

BAA have announced that they expect phase one of Heathrow terminal five to be operational in March 2008, with phase two due to open in spring 2011.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of forecast consumption of hydrocarbons by international aviation for (a) 2005, (b) 2010, (c) 2015, (d) 2020, (e) 2025 and (f) 2030; and how much carbon will be emitted as a result in each case. [5027]

The table gives the Government's estimates for the forecasted amounts of emissions due to international civil aviation in the UK. More detail on the assumptions underpinning these estimates is available from Aviation and Global Warming, published by the Department for Transport in January 2004.

The following figures relate to international aviation estimates for each decade (i.e. 2010, 2020, 2030) with interpolated figures being provided in brackets for the years that fall between the published figures. The values for fuel and CO₂ have been reckoned assuming that one tonne of carbon corresponds to 3.67 tonnes of CO ₂ and that one tonne of fuel is equivalent to 3.15 tonnes of CO ₂ .

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the consumption of hydrocarbons within the air transport sector in England was in each five year period since 1990. [5028]

The information is not available in the form requested. The following table sets out the amount of aviation turbine fuel and aviation spirit uplifted in the UK. This covers domestic and international airlines, aircraft industry own use, private and business flying and armed services.

⁽³⁾Four years only—2004 available in July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) unclaimed and (b) returned sums from each local authority's local transport plans were in the last year for which figures are available. [3384]

Since April 2002 local authorities have been able to keep the single capital pot funding allocated to them for maintenance and smaller schemes. Typically we fund major schemes by 50 per cent. borrowing approvals and 50 per cent. by grant. Before prudential borrowing was introduced, the borrowing support for major schemes was provided through Supplementary Credit Approvals (SCA), and any returned SCAs were reallocated annually.

Following the introduction of prudential borrowing the Department carried out a final SCA reallocation exercise in respect of 2003–04 in August 2004. The amounts were as follows:

Final reallocation of SCAs in respect of 2003–04 amount rounded to nearest £000

Under the prudential borrowing system a local authority is supported by the allocation of Supported Capital Expenditure (SCE). The SCAs in the final reallocation were allocated as SCEs. A local authority may carry forward unused SCEs for a reasonable period as judged by the Department.

The grant support for local authority public transport major schemes is paid through Public Transport Facilities Grant.

The latest figures available for unclaimed Public Transport Facilities Grant cover 2003–04 and are detailed as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) whether the study into the provision of lighting at the convergence of the M26 and M20 at junction 3 has commenced; when it is expected to be completed; and what its anticipated cost is; [4569]

(2) how many accidents there have been at the convergence of the M26 and M20 at junction 3 in each of the last 10 years, broken down by degree of seriousness of personal injury sustained. [4570]

The Highways Agency has commissioned a study into the provision of lighting at junction 3 of the M20, which will be completed later this year, at a cost of approximately £3,000.

Over the last 10 years there have been 165 accidents on the M20 starting at Trottiscliffe Road Bridge at junction 3 down to the on and off slips at junction 5. The table shows the number of accidents broken down by degree of seriousness of personal injury.

Number of accidents: Boundary at Trottiscliffe Road Bridge to junction 5 before on/off slips

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the introduction of the MOT computerisation programme; and what it was when the contract to run the system was awarded. [3959]

The original contracted date for the first MOT stations to be computerised was May 2002. MOT computerisation went live for the first garages from 18 April 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in the testing of the MOT computerisation system by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Siemens Business Systems. [3988]

MOT computerisation underwent three phases of test and trials; one stage of office based user acceptance testing followed by two phases trialing the system in garages. The test and trials have now concluded; the system went live on 18 April 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the MOT computerisation system to be fully operational. [4009]

MOT computerisation began being rolled out operationally to garages on 18 April 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment was made of the MOT computerisation trial at 50 garages in 2004; and what conclusions were reached. [4010]

The second stage of trials in autumn 2004 initially involved 37 garages. Faults were discovered that needed to be corrected and retested so the trial was extended by a further three weeks and was broadened to include 72 garages. Following completion of the extended trial it was concluded that the service should proceed to the final stage of trials which started in February 2005.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the planned installation of the MOT computerisation programme in 1,000 MOT garages is expected to be completed; when the service is due to go live; and when it will be extended to all other MOT garages. [4011]

MOT computerisation went live on 18 April 2005. There are currently 2,730 garages who have conducted tests using the new system. The roll out of the system to all remaining testing stations depend on continued satisfactory performance and is planned to be completed by 31 March 2006.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was at today's prices of the original contract with Siemens Business Services to run the MOT computerisation programme; when this contract was awarded; how much has been spent to date; and what estimate he has made of how much will have been spent by the time the system is operational. [4012]

The cost of the contract with Siemens Business Services (SBS) to run the computerised MOT service is £1.09 per test at today's prices. As roll out of the system to the garages has commenced, payments to SBS have also commenced.

The MOT Computerisation Contract was awarded in 2000. Expenditure on the project to the start of rollout (18 April 2005) has been £24 million. Expenditure by the time the service is rolled out to all testing stations is estimated to be £30.5 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the MOT computerisation programme; and what assessment (a) has been conducted and (b) is planned of the (i) effectiveness and (ii) value for money of its implementation. [4013]

MOT computerisation went live in garages on 18 April 2005. To date 2,730 garages have used the new system and in excess of 340,000 tests have been recorded onto the database.

A report on the effectiveness and value for money of the implementation of the service was conducted by the National Audit Office during 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade. [3535]

All staff within the Department for Transport and its Executive agencies who are responsible for conducting Race Impact Assessments have attended training or are due to attend. This includes both the general and the specific duty. Further impact assessment training will be delivered as and when there is a need to train more assessors.

Information about the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the General and Specific Duty, and the Race Equality Scheme 2005–08 has been communicated to all staff via internal bulletins, intranet sites, induction training and included within diversity and equality training.

Number of staff who have attended training specifically on impact assessments. general and specific duty within the Department and Executive agencies

Note:

Total staff=194

Future training planned for 2005–06

Further training for impact assessments is scheduled within in some Executive agencies for 2005 to increase the number of staff trained in this area.

The central Department is also reviewing how to train all staff in the general and specific duty in 2005–06. This would increase the number of staff trained in the centre by a further 1,500 which is being considered to be mandatory training.

In addition, DVLA is also currently reviewing the training options available to include general and specific duty training to all staff, and expects to start this training later in 2005. This would involve training a further 7,000 members of staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the consultants Odgers, Ray and Berndtson conducting the selection process for the members of the Rail Passengers Council were chosen. [3928]

The Department for Transport selected Odgers, Ray and Berndtson from the list of 16 firms included in the Cabinet Office executive search call off contract to assist in the appointment of members of the Rail Passengers Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Department's plans are for the East Coast Main Line. [4382]

The new East Coast Inter City franchise commenced on 1 May 2005. Among the obligations within the new franchise are additional services to Leeds and the development of a study into the electrification of the rail network between Neville Hill and Hambleton South Junction. Later this month the SRA plans to publish a review summarising the work to date on the supply and demand for ECML train services and the options that can be considered for the future. It is planned that Network Rail, who have the responsibility for route utilisation, will consult further on the requirements for the line.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances of trespass there were on railways in the UK in each of the last five years. [4705]

According to the rail industry's Safety Management Information System (SMIS) data, the total numbers of trespass cases recorded on the national rail network in Great Britain for each of the last five years are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities arising from trespass there were on railways in the UK in each of the last five years. [4706]

According to the rail industry's Safety Management Information System (SMIS), fatalities due to trespass in the Great Britain in each of the last five years are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average fine for trespass on railways in the UK was in each of the last five years. [4708]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maximum fine available for trespass on UK railways was in each of the last five years. [4709]

In each of the last five years, the maximum fine for trespassing on the railways in contravention of section 55(1) of the British Transport Commission Act 1949 has been £1,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what account will be taken in drawing up further proposals for road charging of the effects of the London congestion charge on (a) numbers of people travelling and (b) methods of transport used; [3824]

(2) what estimate the Department has made of the cost of gantry construction and installation in connection with a road pricing system in the whole of the United Kingdom. [4556]

I refer the hon. Member to my answer given today to the hon. Members for Dundee, East (Stewart Hosie) and for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) what account will be taken of (a) engine size, (b) emissions and (c) fuel efficiency when calculating road charging prices; [2880]

(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effects on tourism of a road charging scheme; [2881]

(3) if he will make a statement on plans for a pay-as-you-go drive system. [2949]

In line with its manifesto commitments, the Government will examine the potential of moving away from the current system of motoring taxation towards a national system of road pricing.

The Feasibility Study of Road Pricing in the UK, published by the Department for Transport in July 2004, concluded that a scheme could reduce congestion by some 40 per cent. and achieve benefits of up to £12 billion a year in time savings and increased reliability. This would bring benefits for the economy as a whole and individuals using the road network for business and leisure.

The Feasibility Study recognised that before road pricing could be implemented much more work would need to be done. It is too early to specify all the details of a scheme, or to determine precisely its impacts. It will be important to learn from the experiences of charging schemes already in place, such as the London Congestion Charge. We need to design a system that works at a reasonable cost, with clear benefits to road users as well as the country as a whole. Key considerations include the need to safeguard our environmental objectives, respect privacy and the setting of prices.

More detailed work is now being taken forward to allow a decision to be made about whether national road pricing should be introduced and what form it should take.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many safety cameras are operated by each safety camera partnership in England, broken down by (a) fixed cameras and (b) mobile cameras. [4915]

For information on the number of fixed and mobile speed camera sites broken down by partnership, I refer to my answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, columns 617–19W. Further detailed information is available from partnerships.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Government will announce their decision on the funding of the revised South Hampshire Light Rail Scheme. [4712]

holding answer 15 June 2005

We will announce our decision soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal traffic accidents there were in (i) Brent, East and (ii) each London borough in each year since 1997. [2538]

The numbers of fatal and non-fatal accidents in the Brent, East parliamentary constituency for the years 1997 to 2003 (the latest year available) are shown in the following table.

Accidents by severity: Brent East constituency 1997 to 2003 -- Accidents

The equivalent information for each London borough is shown in the following table.

Accidents by severity: London boroughs 1997–03 -- Accidents

Accidents

Accidents

Accidents