§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates his Department has made of the economic and transport-related benefits to the United Kingdom and the European Union from the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system. [70697]
§ Mr. JamiesonI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon on 12 December 2001, Official Report, column 884W.
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations have been made by his Department into the possible use of the Galileo satellite system for monitoring the movements of motorists. [70696]
§ Mr. JamiesonNone. Satellite-based positioning systems do not of themselves permit the movement of vehicles to be monitored. However, many commercial "intelligent transport systems" such as those used for fleet management purposes by operators of commercial vehicles, do make use of satellite-based navigation technology, in conjunction with communication systems. Galileo could improve the performance of such intelligent transport systems.
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates have been made by his Department of the extent to which the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system will duplicate services available under the Global Positioning System. [70708]
§ Mr. JamiesonAt present the civil community makes use of an open access signal provided by the US Global Positioning System (GPS) but this is subject to US national security interests, is not guaranteed and is not adequate for some safety critical uses such as in air traffic management. GPS is managed and operated by the US Government and funded by the US Department of Defense (DOD). It was developed primarily as a military system with the main purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of US military forces. Through co-operation agreements, the US has made available the GPS military signals to NATO and individual States such as the UK. GPS will continue to be used by NATO and the UK for military applications.
Galileo has the potential to provide Europe with its own purpose built civil navigation and positioning system which could generate strategic and economic benefits to the UK, Europe and globally. For example, in transport it could help in the development of traffic management and intelligent transport systems across all modes of transport to help control congestion, reduce pollution and contribute to improved safety. Additionally, as it is intended that it should complement and be interoperable with the civil signal (and future planned signals) provided by GPS, users should obtain improved availability and reliability particularly in urban areas. The two systems could provide the integrity of service required for greater use of the technology in safety critical applications such as air traffic management.
The Government intends to work to ensure that there is co-operation with the US, so that Galileo is interoperable with GPS civil signals and is developed in such a way as to give value for money to UK and European taxpayers and users.
1269W
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total estimated cost is of the Galileo Satellite Navigation System; how much the United Kindgom is contributing; and if he will make a statement on the need for the Galileo system. [71032]
§ Mr. JamiesonA study carried out last year by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on behalf of the Commission has put the capital cost of Galileo at euro 3.4 billion, with annual operating costs of euro 224 million over a 20-year concession period. PWC considered that the programme would require some continued public funding for deployment of the system and payments during operation. Total public sector funding was estimated at some euro 3.8 billion, depending on the private sector assessment of revenues and risks, and subject to the outcome of a competitive tendering process for a public-private partnership (PPP) for the deployment and operational phases.
The UK is helping to fund Galileo through contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA), which is jointly funding and carrying out the programme with the European Union. For the definition phase (1999–2000) and some early development work (2001) the Government contributed about £10.4 million. For the development and validation phase (2002–05) which was approved in March by the EU Transport Council, negotiations within ESA over member states' contributions are still progressing. Funds for the development and validation phase are also being provided from the budget of the European Communities to which the UK contributes.
Galileo has been discussed at a number of European Councils including the Laeken Council in December last year, which reaffirmed the strategic importance of the project to Europe. The UK has always supported the Council's conclusions on Galileo as it recognises
Department Total despatched Regionally generated Despatched for national department Department for Transport 7 6 1 Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 218 125 93 Highways Agency 40 35 5 Health and Safety Executive 47 26 21 Totals 312 192 120 I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.