§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the award schemes in(a) 2001 and (b) 2002 promoted by the Department; what their scope was; when the relevant participating organisations are scheduled to be sent results; and whether other parties will be given notification of the results at the same time. [102062]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Secretary of State sponsors the following awards.
Local Transport—Centres of Excellence initiative:
In March 2001, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions designated 16 English local authorities, or groups of local authorities, as Centres of Excellence for Local Transport Planning. This followed a competitive process, in which the Department, with the help of independent experts, assessed bidders on the quality of their Local Transport Plans, their target-setting and monitoring abilities, and their willingness to share experience and good practice with others. All bidders were notified of the results at the same time. In a separate initiative, Cornwall county council was designated a Centre of Excellence for Rural Transport, also in March 2001. There were no additional Centre of Excellence designations during 2001 or 2002. The Department for Transport now has responsibility for both schemes.
Secure Station Scheme:
The Secure Stations Scheme was launched in April 1998. The scheme awards Secure Stations status and certification to those stations that reach specified standards in crime management, station design, station management and passenger perceptions. The award is for a two year period, after which the station can apply for reaccreditation. During 2001, 60 stations were awarded either accreditation or reaccreditation; during 2002, the figure was 76. There are currently 170 stations (both mainline and underground) accredited under the Scheme.
56WThe Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards:
The Department is one of many partners ranging from national Governments to consumer and motoring groups involved in Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). This is an independent organisation that carries out crash tests of new cars and then publishes the results. The test programme is carried out in phases and the results are published by Euro NCAP twice a year. The cars tested are awarded between 1 to 5 stars, indicating the level of crash protection offered.
The Department contributes to the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards, run by the Prince Michael Trust. The Department comments on candidates for awards in its capacity as a member of the Prince Michael Road Safety Advisory Board.