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Traveline Public Transport Information Service
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the performance of the national bus information service Traveline (PTI 2000) is satisfactory.[HL1460]
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston): The national public transport information service, traveline, was switched on region by region last year. Experience showed that in some regions improvements in telecommunications equipment and computerised journey planners were necessary, together with gathering additional local data. These improvements are now in hand, allowing the service to steadily improve.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the database upon which the national bus information service Traveline depends will continue to be fully available in the future.[HL1461]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The national public transport information service, traveline, is operated by regional partnerships of transport operators and local authorities. Each region has developed its own approach to meeting the traveline requirement. Any database that a region has developed to support its service is the responsibility of the respective partners.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What discussions have taken place with the bus industry about the future performance and funding of the national bus information service Traveline; and whether any public funding will be made available to ensure that bus passengers have access to up-to-date information which is now available to rail passengers.[HL1462]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The national public transport information service, traveline, is led nationally by a steering group chaired by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). One of my officials represents the department on that group. Ministers and officials have also had periodic meetings with CPT officials and others in connection with traveline, including issues of performance.
The Government have made £10 million available to local authorities in 1998-2001 to enable them to play their part in getting essential building blocks for traveline in place.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to ensure that reliable information is available to travellers wishing to make multi-modal journeys.[HL1463]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The national public transport information service, traveline, provides multi-modal journey information about all forms of public transport. Currently available by telephone
(0870 6082608), the traveline partners have begun development of an internet-based service.Traveline is a step on the way to the more comprehensive, internet-based transport information service, Transport Direct, announced in the 10-year plan for transport, Transport 2010. The Transport Direct programme aims to provide the traveller with all the information he or she needs before and during a journey anywhere in the UK, and with the ability to buy the associated tickets.
Private Aerodromes: Airspace Safety
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will in the near future be reminding planning authorities of the obligations placed on private aerodrome operators by the Civil Aviation Authority for airspace safeguarding in CAP 168 and 428. [HL1499]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: We have no plans in this area beyond our proposed new direction and circular on the official safeguarding of aerodromes and navigation aids.
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will bring forward any new initiatives to promote improved co-operation by planning authorities with aerodrome operators so as to achieve satisfactory airspace safeguarding in the interests of air safety.[HL1500]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: My department issued for public consultation on 2 March, in conjunction with the National Assembly for Wales, drafts of a direction and a circular on the official safeguarding of aerodromes and navigation aids in England and Wales. Copies were placed in the Library. The Scottish Executive has begun a parallel consultation. The main proposal is that local planning authorities should be required to consult the officially safeguarded aerodromes or NATS instead of the Civil Aviation Authority. I believe that the individual aerodromes should be better placed than a single central organisation like the CAA to monitor the development of potentially significant proposals, and that the continuing involvement and local knowledge of aerodrome managements should make it easier to reconcile development proposals with the safe operation of the aerodromes.
Railway Deaths by Electrocution
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How the number of people electrocuted on the United Kingdom railway system compares to the total number of people killed on the railways for the last 12-month period for which figures are available.[HL1506]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The information requested is shown in the table below. The period covered is the 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000.
| Category | Total fatalities | Fatalities due to Electrocution |
| Passengers | 47 | 0 |
| Railway Staff | 5 | 0 |
| Other Members of the Public | 13 | 0 |
| Adult Trespassers and Suicides | 268 | 13 |
| Child Trespassers and Suicides | 6 | 3 |
| Total | 339 | 16 |
Further details can be found in the Chief Inspector of Railways Annual Report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain during 1999-2000. Appendix 8 of the report gives a further breakdown of fatalities and injuries to trespassers due to electrocution. Copies are available in the House Library.
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Pending the outcome of the "modernising NHS hearing aid services" project, all National Health Service trusts, with the appropriate staff, training, equipment and experience have been informed through a newsletter, that they are eligible to apply for access to the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) contract for digital hearing aids.
The following list gives the names of the NHS trusts which have been informed that they have been given access to the PASA contract for digital hearing aids and training by the project team as at 29 March 2001.
Brighton Health Care NHS Trust
Doncaster Royal Infirmary & Montagu Hospital NHS Trust
Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust
Guy's & St. Thomas' Hospital Trust
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Norfolk & Norwich Health Care NHS Trust
North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Devon & Exeter Healthcare NHS Trust
South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust (London)
Swindon & Marlborough NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust
Lord Paul asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have agreed the agency's key targets for 2001-02 and copies have been placed in the Library.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government have published their response to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report and copies have been placed in the Library. This is the first stage of our response--we are also preparing an action plan to reduce drug misuse related deaths which we intend to publish this summer. This action plan will set targets for agencies and government departments.
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Health Ministers will meet representatives of the Haemophilia Society to discuss how society members might play a role in the working groups and committees appointed to consider improvements to the national framework managing the use and distribution of blood products to people with haemophilia.[HL1443]
Which National Health Service Trusts, outside the 20 NHS Trusts participating in the Modernising NHS Hearing Aid Service project, have been informed that they meet the service criteria for accessing the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency contract for digital hearing aids; and whether they will explain the measures they are taking to provide funding for equipment and staff training to enable more trusts to meet the service criteria.[HL1399]
Whether they will publish the key targets for 2001-02 for the Medical Devices Agency.[HL1477]
When they will publish the Government's response to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report on Reducing Drug Related Deaths.[HL1517]
What are the working groups and committees appointed to consider improvements to the national framework managing the use and distribution of blood products to people with haemophilia; and what are their terms of reference and current membership; and[HL1442]
2 Apr 2001 : Column WA79
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There are currently no plans for a national service framework for managing the use and distribution of blood products to people with haemophilia; and a working group or committee has not been appointed to consider this issue.
The Haemophilia Alliance has issued a consultation document, National Service Specification for Haemophilia and Related Conditions, and has recommended that it is used towards the development of a formal service framework. The Government are giving careful consideration to this consultation document and will respond to the Haemophilia Alliance in the near future.
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