§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made over the last five years(a) within his Department, (b) in conjunction with other Government departments and (c) in conjunction with European bodies towards developing systems involving the use of new technology for safety-related road traffic law enforcement and the administration of penalties. [62544]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonRoad traffic law enforcement and the administration of penalties are mainly matters for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. However, my department, in conjunction with his, is interested in the potential of new technology to support its road safety and environmental objectives. To that end it has an extensive research programme and is also supportive of a wide range of research in the UK and in Europe which seeks to develop practical applications of new technology for road traffic law enforcement and the administration of penalties. Examples of this are the research projects on vehicle speed control being conducted on behalf of the Department by the Motor Industry Research Association and the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, and the field trials conducted in Sweden and the Netherlands evaluating different systems and technologies to control vehicle speeds externally.