Roads: Road Safety

Debate between Lord Haskel and Earl Attlee

Monday 1st July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, I am pleased to say that, at last, the Home Office has approved the drug testing equipment which will enable the police to move on to requiring a blood sample to be given. This is in accordance with recommendations from the North report. The Government are extremely concerned about cycle safety. We are pleased to see the increase in the amount of cycling taking place. However, the difficulty is that we are seeing an increase in the number of casualties and we do not fully understand why that should be. There is an increase because of the rise in the number of cyclists and the amount of cycling, but the increase in casualties is still too much and we are working hard on it.

[Lord Haskel]

My Lords, in the announcement that the Government made last week regarding the infrastructure, I could find nothing to help with the safety of cyclists. Did I miss anything or was there something in that announcement?

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, I do not think the noble Lord misses much at all. We have recently launched a Think Cyclist safety campaign and have made £35 million available to tackle dangerous junctions for cyclists across the country. The £35 million is part of the additional £107 million of investment in cycling that the Government have announced since February last year.

Cycling: Accidents

Debate between Lord Haskel and Earl Attlee

Thursday 8th December 2011 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, I thought I would get a question about red lights. We are extremely concerned about cyclists failing to adhere to the law, but noble Lords will understand that this is an operational matter for the police, who can best judge where to devote their efforts.

[Lord Haskel]

My Lords—

Roads: Cyclists

Debate between Lord Haskel and Earl Attlee

Wednesday 13th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, the short answer is no. The reason is that most offences are dealt with by fixed penalties—the penalty is about £30—but detailed records are not kept because that would not be a good use of public funds.

[Lord Haskel]

Does the Minister accept that most cyclists abide by the Highway Code purely out of a sense of self-preservation from the motorists who do not?

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, it is most important that every one reads the Highway Code from time to time, in order that they understand their obligations as road users.

Government: Ministerial Cars

Debate between Lord Haskel and Earl Attlee

Tuesday 5th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Haskel]

The Minister is keen on reducing the deficit. Are any arrangements being made for Ministers to share cars or, indeed, to use the mayor’s bicycle scheme?

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, we could use the mayor’s bicycle scheme if we wanted to. I regularly walk to my department. It takes me precisely 10 minutes to get from my desk to the Secretary of State’s desk.

Railways: Crossrail

Debate between Lord Haskel and Earl Attlee

Wednesday 23rd June 2010 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, it will be clear that there must be some impact—I cannot say that there will be none—but the work will be carefully managed to minimise the impact on the travelling public.

[Lord Haskel]

The Minister spoke about cutting costs. How will he ensure that it is not a matter of cutting corners?

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, it is clear that we will not cut corners. It is about finding good solutions to deliver the project to time.