HC Deb 25 February 2003 vol 400 cc480-1W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the non-fatal injuries that occurred on the rail network required hospital treatment in each year since 1997; and what definitions his Department uses for the different categories of injury incurred by passengers on the rail network. [98589]

Mr. Jamieson

The recording of information on injuries occurring on the railway network are a requirement of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), 1995. It is a RIDDOR requirement that HSE is informed of the following injuries:

  1. (a) Fatalities;
  2. (b) Major injuries to railway employees;
  3. (c) Minor injuries to railway employees resulting in an absence from their normal range of work duties for more than three consecutive days;
  4. (d) Injuries to members of the public resulting in the injured person being removed from the site of the accident and taken to hospital for treatment.

Information provided by the HSE on the numbers in each year since 1997 of non-fatal injuries that occurred on the rail network is shown in the following table:

Mr. Jamieson

The Strategic Rail Authority's responsibilities and its relationship with the Scottish Government are set out in the Transport Act 2000. The SRA has overall responsibility for the strategic development of the national passenger and freight railway network serving Scotland, England and Wales.

The SRA must have regard to directions and guidance from the Scottish Ministers in respect of ScotRail services, provided these are not inconsistent with its directions and guidance from the Secretary of State or its financial framework. It also takes into account non-binding advice from the Scottish Ministers in respect of cross-border passenger services provided by non-Scottish franchises.

The SRA is working closely with the Scottish Executive on the replacement process for the current ScotRail franchise, which ends in 2004. The SRA must seek the consent of the Scottish Ministers before awarding the franchise.