HC Deb 05 March 2003 vol 400 cc1019-20W
Mr. Tony Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Northampton South constituency, the effects on Northampton of his Department's policies and actions since June 2001. [100810]

Mr. Jamieson

Over the last three years my Department has allocated almost £37 million to Northamptonshire county council for the implementation of the Northamptonshire Local Transport Plan (LTP) (£11.866 million in 2001–02, £11.645 million in 2002–03, and £13.395 million for 2003–04). Such plans are an essential element of the Government's integrated transport policy, as set out in "Transport 2010—the 10-Year Plan", published in July 2000, and provide the delivery mechanism for a longer-term programme of local transport improvement and modernisation across the whole country.

Under the LTP system, funding is provided for a wide range of transport related activity, including the construction of major new road schemes, road and bridge maintenance, and the delivery of smaller integrated transport projects. While the local transport authorities, in this case Northamptonshire county council, are, quite rightly, allowed a good deal of flexibility on implementation of specific projects, they are required to submit Annual Progress Report (APRs), which include full details of the work undertaken and projects delivered in the previous year. Unfortunately, as the APR is a county-wide document, the information is not generally provided on a constituency or specific town or city basis and is reported on the financial year cycle. The following details for the 2001–02 period (April 2001-March 2002) are, however, worthy of note and provide a good example of the achievements being made:

Traffic Reduction in Northampton—inbound car vehicle traffic reduced by 3.8 per cent. Increase Cycling Journeys in Northampton—0.2 per cent. increase in cycle flows. Increase Bus Patronage in Northamptonshire—patronage increase of 7 per cent. Road Casualty Reduction in Northamptonshire—killed or seriously injured figures for 2001 brought down to 29 per cent. below the 1994–98 baseline.

A fuller range of statistics and figures on the numerous schemes the county council have introduced since April 2001 are contained in the APRs issued for 2000–01 and 2001–02, which are readily available from the council. Details for 2002–03 will be available in the summer, when the next APRs are due to be submitted.

In addition to benefits and improvements brought about by funding under the Local Transport Plan, my Department also provides funding through the work of the Highways Agency in terms of the maintenance and improvements of the trunk road and motorway network. During the 2001–02 and 2002–03 financial years, the Agency has spent £24 million on major routes in Northamptonshire, including electronic information signs on the Ml. In addition, since April 2001 the Highways Agency has spent £128 million on major routes as part of the Government's Targeted Programme of Investment.