§ John ThursoTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parking attendants(a) are employed and (b) were employed in 1999–2000 by local authorities (i) directly and (ii) indirectly through contractors. [177660]
§ Mr. McNultyStatistics on the number of parking attendants employed by local authorities are not collected centrally.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether(a) health visitors and (b) general practitioners are subject to parking restrictions while undertaking their professional duties; what rationale underlies his policy in this area; and if he will make a statement. [177613]
§ Mr. McNultyParking controls are determined by local traffic authorities taking into account local circumstances, including the need to ensure safety, relieve congestion and manage the space available for parking. Everyone is required to have regard to parking controls. Giving blanket exemptions from controls is likely to undermine their effectiveness.
Local schemes may provide for dispensations for those whose duties necessarily take them into areas where parking controls are in force. For example, the Association of London Government runs the London-wide Health Emergency Badge scheme which confers parking privileges, such as free parking at meters and the ability to park on yellow lines, to doctors, nurses, midwives and health visitors who are engaged in urgent or emergency health care away from their normal base. Local authorities outside London have their own arrangements for dispensations. The need to cater for the requirements of community health care visitors is an issue which my Department draws to the attention of authorities outside London applying for decriminalised parking enforcement powers.
§ John ThursoTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects of decriminalisation of illegal parking, with particular reference to the use of private contractors by local authorities for enforcement of parking regulations; and if he will make a statement. [177662]
§ Mr. McNultyResearch into the impact of decriminalised parking enforcement was carried out shortly after its introduction in the London boroughs of Bexley, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Westminster 469W and outside London in the cities of Oxford and Winchester. In the case of Hammersmith and Fulham and Winchester, the parking attendants were directly employed by the authorities. In the other three cases, parking attendants were employed by contractors undertaking enforcement on behalf of the authorities. In all five cases, it was concluded that the introduction of decriminalised parking enforcement had led to improved compliance with parking regulations. Further details of the research may be found in the following Transport Research Laboratory reports:
Special Parking Areas in London TRL Report 279 1997The Special Parking Area in the District of Winchester TRL Report 333 1998he Special Parking Area in Oxford TRL Report 405 1999.