Oral questions in the Commons to transport ministers
yesterday included one on the Road Collision Investigation
Unit
Mr (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of
establishing a road collision investigation unit. [909580]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Andrew
Jones)
No assessment has been made of the merits of establishing a road
collision investigation unit, as there are well-established
collision investigation units in the police service, and
effective ways of reporting conclusions and outcomes. The
Department does, however, directly fund a programme of detailed
investigation under the road accident in-depth study, in
conjunction with police forces, coroners and several hospitals.
Mr Sheerman
The Minister knows of the interest that I take in this matter, as
chair of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety
and the international council for road safety research. There is
no doubt that we need an investigation unit to deal with sea, air
and rail transport. All the transport safety interests across the
board are in favour of the establishment of such a unit. We do
not think that it would be costly, and it would be effective.
Will the Minister think again?
I am aware of the hon. Gentleman’s long-established campaigning
interest in road safety, and I would just refer back to the
earlier answer: we have well-established collision investigation
units within the police service, so I see no point in
duplication.
(Cambridge) (Lab)
Collisions have a range of causes, but one of them is undoubtedly
the poor condition of our local roads. The Minister will be aware
of the ALARM—annual local authority road maintenance—survey
published this week showing that one in six local roads will not
be fit for purpose in five years’ time, and that the number of
potholes filled per authority fell by 19% last year. I anticipate
that he will tell me how just much money is being poured into
those potholes, but does he accept that short-term fixes are no
substitute for proper resurfacing, which for most roads currently
happens just once every 55 years?
The condition of the local roads is the responsibility of the
local highways authorities, and we are very keen to support them
in their work. I fully recognise that there is a backlog and have
seen various projections of how much that might cost to fill,
which is why we have allocated a record amount of money to
support local highways authorities. The sum stands at over £6
billion during this Parliament, including £250 million
specifically to help fix potholes.
Full list of Transport
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