§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on the proposed closure of traffic area offices; and if he will make a statement. [30464]
§ Mr. NorrisI expect to make an announcement shortly on the future structure of the traffic area network.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the redundancy costs involved in closing the traffic area office in(a) Leeds, (b) Manchester, (c) Birmingham and (d) Cardiff. [30466]
§ Mr. NorrisIt is not possible to give reliable estimates, as it would depend on how many and which staff were located.
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§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those organisations or individuals who have made representations following the publication of the Curtis review, indicating those that were in favour of closing one or more traffic area offices. [30488]
§ Mr. NorrisRepresentations were received from those listed in the following table, following the publication of the Curtis efficiency scrutiny of the traffic area network. Of those who commented on proposals to restructure the traffic area network, no organisation specifically supported the closure of one or more offices. However, some supported moves towards a more centralised administrative system.
Representations received from Association of Chief Police Officers Passenger Transport Executive Group Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) Road Haulage Association Association of District Councils Mr. Peter Snape MP Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers Trade Union Side Association of Transport COs (Scotland) Transport 2000 BRAKE Transport Tribunal Cabinet Office Traffic Commissioners
TAO Staff Total running costs £ Accommodation costs £ Lease expiry date1 Goods licences PSV licences North Eastern 49.5 1,165,387 230,401 December 2006 18,600 1,260 North Western 57 1,353,055 302,371 June 1999 20,000 1,180 West Midland 36.5 1,053,446 306,980 September 2004 13,100 720 Eastern 43.8 1,282,071 341,054 June 1997 19,250 990 South Wales 24 609,025 191,280 2020 5,900 470 Western 49.3 1,185,500 269,897 2015 16,050 1,170 South Eastern and Metropolitan 46 1,154,923 218,794 March 1998 14,500 940 Scottish 45 1,115,746 267,802 2012 10,100 990 1 In some cases there is provision to terminate the lease earlier.
Unit costs TAO Unit cost goods vehicle operator licensing £ Unit cost public service vehicle operator licensing £ Unit cost bus registration £ North Eastern 10.79 12.97 5.45 North Western 11.19 24.66 6.27 West Midland 13.26 26.27 6.81 Eastern 10.31 12.60 4.86 South Wales 14.64 26.69 6.25 234W
Percentage Service standards North eastern North western West midland Eastern South Wales Western South Eastern and Metropolitan Scottish Goods vehicle operator licensing New, replacement and major variation without Public Inquiry within deadline 96 91 87 84 98 91 82 97 New, replacement and major variation with Public Inquiry within deadline 89 78 72 37 70 58 59 87
Representations received from Confederation of Passenger Transport UK Welsh Office Council on Tribunals Freight Transport Association Lancashire County Council Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of his Department's overall budget is allocated to the traffic area office network. [30491]
§ Mr. NorrisSome 3.98 per cent. of the Central Transport Group's running cost budget net of VAT receipts.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by traffic area office(a) the current number of staff in post, (b) the total running costs, (c) the accommodation costs, (d) the unit costs, (e) the service standard achievements, (f) the expiry date for the building lease and (g) the number of goods and public service vehicle operator licences held in that area. [30465]
§ Mr. NorrisThe figures requested, for the financial year 1995–96, are in the tables:
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Unit costs TAO Unit cost goods vehicle operator licensing £ Unit cost public service vehicle operator licensing £ Unit cost bus registration £ Western South Eastern and 13.12 24.66 6.16 Metropolitan 11.70 21.74 5.07 Scottish 17.15 21.54 7.27
Percentage Service standards North eastern North western West midland Eastern South Wales Western South Eastern and Metropolitan Scottish Non-publishable variations within deadline 98 95 95 93 96 96 61 96 Refunds issued within deadline 100 90 97 85 98 96 86 99 Public service vehicle operator licensing New and Continuous applications without Public Inquiry within deadline 100 99 99 98 97 98 93 100 Variations without PI within deadline 100 99 98 100 98 94 82 100 New and Continuous applications with Public Inquiry within deadline 100 100 100 77 100 100 96 n/a Variations to licences with Public Inquiry within deadline 100 n/a 100 n/a 100 n/a 100 n/a Refunds issued within deadline 100 99 84 99 98 99 96 100 Bus registration Registrations processed within deadline 100 96 76 95 100 96 91 92