§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what resources he is making available for the promotion and improvement of cycling facilities(a) nationally, (b) in Staffordshire and (c) in Stoke-on-Trent. [15643]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonIn the current financial year a sum of £4 million has been allocated to the London Cycling Network; £79 million has also been allocated to local authorities outside London in 1997–98 for their integrated transport packages. Virtually all the packages include measures to promote cycling, but it is not possible to say how much local authorities will spend on cycling-related matters from their package allocations.
A total of £800,000 has been allocated to the North Staffordshire package in 1997–98. Staffordshire County Council has received £124,000 of this total and the City of Stoke-on-Trent £676,000.
The Department will continue to support these initiatives in future, as far as resources allow. It is not possible at this stage to predict the levels of funding that will be available in 1998–99 or in later years.
606WThe Government are playing a key role in working for a successful international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the forthcoming negotiations on climate change in Kyoto.