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Dept for Transport

Answer

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency, the effects on Preseli Pembrokeshire of his Department's policies and actions since it was established. [211319] Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road casualties in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1 billion in 1996-07 to 40.9 billion in 2003-04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants-nitrous oxides and particles--fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002. Responsibility for a number of transport functions has been devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government. For example, it is the Assembly that provides funding to local authorities in Wales in support of their local transport plans. Funds from the Strategic Rail Authority have supported improved passenger facilities and integration at Harverfordwest station in Pembrokeshire. Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http:// neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past twenty years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

211319; 430 c1032-3W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Department for Transport Government departments Policy Pembrokeshire

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk