Written question asked by Viscount Thurso (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 14 November 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 19 November 2003. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 November 2003 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has conducted on the effect of climate change on railway infrastructure; what assessment he has made of the likely impact of future climate change upon the transport sector; and if he will place in the Library copies of reports published from research funded by his Department on the effects of climate change on (a) railways, (b) roads, (c) aviation and (d) other transport. - Inc ref to www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/impacts/01.htm. the Rail Safety and Standards Board research 'Safety Implications of Weather, Climate and Climate Change' April 2003, and 'Climate Change and the Highways Agency' January 2001. Copy of all three report in Library. (Info in Library Dep 03/2463 and Dep 03/2490).

Answer: John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted on the effect of climate change on railway infrastructure; what assessment he has made of the likely impact of future climate change upon the transport sector; and if he will place in the Library copies of reports published from research funded by his Department on the effects of climate change on (a) railways, (b) roads, (c) aviation and (d) other transport. [139761] Mr. McNulty: An assessment into the impact of climate change on transport policies was undertaken by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions in 2001 and is now available from the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ climatechange/impacts/01.htm. The Rail Safety and Standards Board published their own research, entitled `Safety Implications of Weather, Climate and Climate Change', in April 2003. This is available from their website, www.railwaysafety.org.uk. The Highways Agency completed a report entitled `Climate change and the Highways Agency' in January 2001. The report covered both the influence the Agency had on climate change as well as the implications of climate change on the Agency's operations. A copy of all three reports will be placed in the Library of the House.

Secondary information