§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the short listing of railway operating companies for the Greater Anglia franchise; and if he will take action to reinstate First Great Eastern"s application. [107677]
§ Mr. Jamieson[holding answer 7 April 2003]: It is for the SRA to shortlist applications for franchises, subject to the Directions and Guidance issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. LazarowiczTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he expects to make a decision on the level of rail freight grants to be provided to the industry in 2004–05; [107027]
(2) what assessment he will make of the environmental impact of the Strategic Rail Authority"s decision to suspend new grant awards to the rail freight industry for 2003. [107028]
§ Mr. JamiesonNo assessment has been made of the environmental impact on the suspension of new grants awards under the Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA"s) Freight Facilities Grant Scheme. The SRA"s Strategic Plan provides an indicative budget of £20 million for freight Facilities Grants and £20 million for Track Access Grants for 2004–05.
§ Mr. LazarowiczTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding arrangements have been made as a part of the Strategic Rail Authority"s Strategic Plan 2003 to provide for Edinburgh to London Euston rail services. [107029]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Strategic Rail Authority is consulting on its West Coast Main Line Strategy, which will be published later this year. One of the options which is being considered, and on which local stakeholders" views are being canvassed, is the possibility of operating direct services from Edinburgh to London Euston either via Glasgow or via Motherwell. If such services came into existence, they would be part of the West Coast franchise. Accordingly, they would be funded under the normal arrangements for that franchise.
§ Mr. CollinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what performance indicators are in place to ensure that personal security issues and measures for rail travel are tackled satisfactorily; and if he will make a statement. [106889]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Secure Station and the Secured Car Park Schemes are the two benchmark schemes for reducing crime and the fear of crime in the railway160W environment. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has an obligation in its Directions and Guidance set by the Secretary of State to encourage accreditation under both award schemes.
The SRA published its new franchising policy in November 2002. This includes the development of key-performance indicators relating to personal safety and security in the railway environment.
§ Mr. CollinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to require future editions of the annual report on Railway Safety to incorporate all known data and performance measures on the(a) personal security of passengers and (b) outcomes of action taken. [106895]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Annual Report on Railway Safety only covers data recorded under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations, 1995 (RIDDOR). Information on the personal security of passengers and members of the public is not reportable under RIDDOR. However, the railway industry"s own safety body, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) (formerly Railway Safety) publish data and performance information on the personal security of passengers and members of the public in their Annual Safety Performance Report. In addition, the British Transport Police publish an annual Statistical Bulletin that includes data on all reported crimes on the railways in accordance with Home Office instructions and standards.