Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 CM 6527
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Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) Contents Front cover......................................................................................................................2 Foreword by the Secretary of State..............................................................................3 Introduction and structure............................................................................................5 Chapter 1 - The year in brief: our key achievements 2004-05 ...................................9 Chapter 2 -The responsibilities and organisation of the Department .....................13 Chapter 3 - Roads.........................................................................................................34 Chapter 4 - Rail ............................................................................................................43 Chapter 5 - Buses..........................................................................................................55 Chapter 6 - Making choices locally and regionally ...................................................67 Chapter 7 - Aviation and Shipping.............................................................................83 Chapter 8 - Freight.......................................................................................................94 Chapter 9 - Protecting the environment...................................................................101 Chapter 10 - Safety and security...............................................................................109 Chapter 11 - Electronic services for customers .......................................................121 1 Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) Front cover Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Transport, and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Command of Her Majesty. June 2005 Cm 6527 £30.65 © Crown Copyright 2005 The text in this document (excluding the Royal Arms and departmental logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the document specified. Any enquiries relating to the copyright in this document should be addressed to The Licensing Division, HMSO, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich, NR3 1BQ. Fax: 01603 723000 or e-mail: [email protected] 2 Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) Foreword by the Secretary of State This Government is committed to delivering a modern, sustainable, efficient transport network for everyone in Britain. Such a network can only be achieved by combining long-term planning with long-term funding. That's why the Future of Transport White Paper published last summer looked ahead to 2030 and beyond, and why the 2004 Spending Review raised planned transport investment from £10.4 billion in 2004-05 to £12.8 billion by 2007-08. That higher level of spending will grow in real terms (by 2.25 percent each year) through to 2015. Alongside long-term funding and planning, we are making significant improvements to the way transport is managed in this country. For example, we are restructuring the railways to improve performance, and get better value for the tax payer. We are improving the way transport is managed at local level through the latest Local Transport Plans. And we're getting better performance out of our road networks following the successful introduction of the Traffic Management Act. As this Department for Transport Annual Report 2004-05 shows, long-term planning, long-term funding, and better transport management are playing an increasingly important role in delivering our vision. Other highlights of 2004-05 include: £7.6billion West Coast Main Line rail upgrade - providing faster, more efficient rail links. The 2005 Railways Act, passed in April, providing a 30-year vision for rail after decades of underinvestment. Continuation of the rail renewal programme, which has seen more than 2,000 new rail vehicles entering service in recent years. More than one billion rail passenger journeys for the first time in more than 40 years. The progression of measures from the Air Transport White Paper of December 2003. With demand for air services expected to continue rising rapidly, the White Paper balances the benefits of providing for growing demand against the environmental impacts of extending capacity. The results of a study examining how a new system of road use charging could help make better use of road capacity. This concluded that a national scheme has the potential to cut congestion by about a half - as well as providing significant environmental benefits. 3 Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) The completion of seven major road schemes by the Highways Agency, with 14 others currently under construction - including the M25 widening. A rise of £200 million in funding for Local Transport Plans in 2004-05, to a total of £1.9 billion. Increasing bus and light rail patronage - with a strong local focus on providing accessible, integrated transport services. Traffic congestion down 32 per cent in central London following the introduction of Congestion Charging. We'll be maintaining the pace of change across transport in the coming year, with four Bills (covering road safety, Crossrail, merchant shipping, and civil aviation) introduced already in the new legislative programme. Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP Secretary of State for Transport 4 Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) Introduction and structure This report tells Parliament how the Department for Transport has spent its money and what it plans to do in the future. It describes our policies and programmes and outlines what we propose to fund in 2005-06. The figures contained within this report are unaudited and subject to change. Chapter 1: The year in brief This chapter lists the Department's key activities and achievements over the past 12 months. Chapter 2: The responsibilities and organisation of the Department This chapter describes the structure and functions of the Department and the role of executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Chapters 3-11: The Department's main activities These chapters set out the Department's programmes for each of the main spending areas following the structure of the Future of Transport White Paper, with an outline of current activities and future plans. Appendices Appendix A: Public expenditure core tables. There is a direct read-across between these tables and the Main Estimates 2005-06 published by HM Treasury. Appendix B: Recruitment and public appointment tables. Public appointments. Recruitment information. Numbers of senior civil service staff by pay band. Appendix C: Departmental strategies. Occupational Health and Safety Report. Publicity and advertising. Rural proofing. E-business. Appendix D: Public Service Agreement Targets. Appendix E: Departmental Investment Strategy. Appendix F: Public Accounts Committee recommendations. Appendix G: Better Regulation. Other key policy documents The documents listed in this section set out the Department's commitments to delivering results and achieving best value for money. They are a complement to this report. 5 Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 (CM 6527) Spending Review 2002 The Government's Spending Review 2002 New Public Spending Plans 2003-2006 (Cm 5570) was published in July 2002. It updated the plans set out in the Spending Review 2000 New Public Spending Plans 2001-2004 (Cm 4807) published in July 2000. Spending Review 2004 The Government's Spending Review 2004 New Public Spending Plans 2005-2008 (Cm 6237) was published in July 2004. It takes forward the Government's objective of a strong economy and a fair society with stability, security and opportunity for all. It sets out spending plans for the next three years and the further improvements in public services that are planned. The Public Service Agreement As part of the comprehensive spending review in 1998, each department entered into a Public Service Agreement (PSA). This identified its aims and objectives and the targets it was committed to achieve with the resources available to it during the three financial years from April 1999. Revised PSAs were agreed in subsequent Spending Reviews in 2000, 2002 and 2004. The Department for Transport's PSA for 2004-05 was set in Spending Review 2002. A new PSA for the period 2005-08 arising from the Spending Review 2004 came into effect from April 2005. This report describes the Department's performance against the targets in both PSAs. See Appendix D for more details. The Future of Transport: a network for 2030 This White Paper (Cm 6234) published July 2004 looks at the factors that will shape travel and our transport networks over the next 30 years. It sets out how the Government will respond to those pressures, safeguarding our economic and social well-being and our environment. The White Paper builds on the progress that has already been made since the implementation of the 10 Year Plan for transport. The Departmental Investment Strategy This is a summary of the Department's Investment Strategy published in June 2005. It sets out investment plans for the period covered by the Spending Review 2004 (2005 to 2008). 10 Year Plan The Department published the 10 Year Plan, Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan, in 2000. In December 2002 the Department published a report on