Monday 22 March 2010
Aviation: Accidents
Graham Stringer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidents were recorded of objects falling from commercial aeroplanes over the UK in each of the last five years; and how many such objects have caused (a) personal injury and (b) damage to buildings. [323015]
Paul Clark: The statistics requested are set out in the following table.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100322/text/100322w0016.htm#10032227000003
Railways: Safety
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions the Secretary of State has had with the Office of Rail Regulation on the number of maintenance staff required to be employed by Network Rail in order to maintain present safety standards; and if he will make a statement. [323236]
Chris Mole: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 January 2010, Official Report, column 999W.
The independent Office of Rail Regulation has reviewed Network Rail’s proposals for the restructuring of its maintenance function so as to be assured that the safety implications of the changes are being well managed. The Office of Rail Regulation announced the outcome of this review on 3 March. Ministers have discussed the proposals in the course of their routine meetings with the independent Office of Rail Regulation.
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Driving: Licensing
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010, Official Report, column 1364W, on driving: licensing, how many people were disqualified from driving in each category of disqualification in the last two years for which figures are available. [323475]
Paul Clark: The information requested is not readily available and would incur disproportionate costs to gather. The Ministry of Justice publish a comprehensive breakdown of offences and disqualifications. This can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/criminalannual.htm
Motorcycles: Driving Tests
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what representations he has received on recent changes to the motorcycle test procedures. [323659]
Paul Clark: Since the new test was introduced on 27 April 2009, the Driving Standards Agency has received representations from the public and interest groups-primarily about the number of Module 1 test delivery points especially in rural areas, and incidents occurring during the Module 1 test. Some have asked for details of the test design to be reviewed.
In October 2009, the Transport Select Committee took evidence about the new motorcycling test. The Committee’s report has been published today.
Driving Standards Agency staff have also been engaged with motorcycling and other interest group through stakeholder forums and public consultation exercises.
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Network Rail: Industrial Accidents
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) employees and (b) contractors of Network Rail have been (i) killed and (ii) injured at work in each year since its inception; and what cause was attributed to each incident. [323728]
Chris Mole: Accidents and incidents on the railways are reported to the independent Office of Rail Regulation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).
Table 1 lists the number of Network Rail employees and its contractors fatally injured while undertaking railway operations reported to the independent Office of Rail Regulation. These data exclude such employees fatally injured in road traffic accidents and fatalities arising out of a railway under construction, the latter being reported to the Health and Safety Executive.
The data also excludes other railway employees (e.g. train crew) that have been fatally injured on Network Rail infrastructure. Table 2 lists all reportable railway employee fatalities that have occurred on Network Rail infrastructure, since Network Rail was formed in October 2002 to the end of 2008.
Injury data for Network Rail employees and contractors, and information on the cause of each incident could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100324/text/100324w0005.htm#10032439000009
Railway Signals
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many signals passed at danger incidents have occurred in each of the last five years. [323718]
Chris Mole: The number of signals passed at danger incidents that have occurred in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100324/text/100324w0005.htm#10032439000009
Railway Signals: Accidents
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many signals passed at danger incidents were attributable to (a) driver error, (b) defective signals, (c) obscured signals or (d) another cause in each of the last five years. [323730]
Chris Mole: There have been no fatalities or injuries caused by signals passed at danger on Britain’s railways in the last five years, and the numbers of signals passed at danger are decreasing year on year. Information on specific causes of these incidents could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) fatalities, (b) injuries and (c) incidents of damage to property have been caused by signals passed at danger incidents in each of the last five years. [323731]
Chris Mole: There have been no fatalities or injuries caused by signals passed at danger on Britain’s railways in the last five years.
Data for incidents of damage to property caused by signals passed at danger is not held.
Railways: Accidents
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many ( a) drivers, (b) conductors or other train staff and (c) passengers have been (i) killed and (ii) injured in railway accidents that did not occur within railway stations in each of the last 10 years; and what cause was attributed to each incident. [323727]
Chris Mole: Accidents and incidents on the railways are reported to the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95). Under these regulations, the geographical location of the accident/ incident is recorded. There is no further breakdown of location into a sub-category, e.g. station, signal box, on the line. Therefore, the breakdown of the data for accidents that have not occurred at stations and the cause of each accident could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the number of fatal injuries and non fatal injuries for the period 1999 to 2008 for all railway employees, including contractors, and passengers that have occurred on railway infrastructure can be provided and is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The data for railway employees have been broken down into train drivers, conductors and other train crew and other railway employees.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100324/text/100324w0006.htm
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) fatalities, (b) injuries and (c) incidents of damage to property on the railways have been recorded in each of the last five years; and what cause was attributed to each incident. [323729]
Chris Mole: The number of fatalities and injuries on the railways for the period 2004-08 is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The information is based on accidents notified to the independent Office of Rail Regulation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100324/text/100324w0006.htm
The number of incidents of damage to property is neither reported or held by the independent Office of Rail Regulation.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the last 100 railway incidents reported to the Office of Rail Regulation, Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate and the Health and Safety Executive were in each constituent part of the UK. [323733]
Chris Mole: In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, the independent Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is unable to provide information on the last 100 incidents reported to them.
Statements of how ORR is following the code can be found on its website at:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1862
Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many (a) individuals, (b) firms, (c) companies and (d) other organisations have been prosecuted for breaches of (i) health and safety and (ii) other legislation in respect of railway incidents in each year since its inception. [323734]
Chris Mole: Since its inception as the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways on 1 April 2006, the independent Office of Rail Regulation has brought 20 successful prosecutions for breaches of health and safety legislation in respect of railway incidents. Details of these prosecutions can be found on the independent Office of Rail Regulation’s website at:
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk
The independent Office of Rail Regulation has not brought any prosecutions for breaches of other legislation.
Details of prosecutions taken by the Health and Safety Executive prior to 2006 can be found in the Health and Safety Executive annual reports on railway safety, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House.
Speed Limits
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress his Department has made on the development of a digital road map containing speed limit data; and when he expects such a map to be available to the public. [323934]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has completed development of a draft technical document that gives traffic authorities guidance on how to collect and manage digital speed limit data in a nationally consistent way. This draft is being tested through pilots, first in Lancashire as part of a Road Safety Partnership Grant-funded project looking at an advisory form of Intelligent Speed Adaptation, and more recently through a second pilot with Greater Manchester, building on work they have started as part of their review of A and B road speed limits. The technical document will be made available to authorities to use following any necessary post-pilot revisions.
Thursday 25 March 2010
Road Works
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress his Department has made on amending the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Order 2002 in order to enable the installation of portable pedestrian crossings at road works. [324110]
Mr. Khan: The Department for Transport consulted on draft amendments to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 between September and December 2009. These include proposals to permit portable pedestrian facilities. Officials at the Department are considering the responses received and will be revising the draft regulations to address the issues raised.
