Transport written question – answered at on 9 March 2005.
Greg Knight
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many snow ploughs and other snow-moving vehicles are operated by each local authority in England.
Charlotte Atkins
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport, Assistant Whip
holding answer
This information is not collated centrally by the Department for Transport.
The Department strongly recommends that local authorities provide a winter service, including snow ploughing, in accordance with the Code of Practice for Maintenance Management Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance" published in 2001 by the Institution of Highways and Transportation. This recommends that local highway authorities consult road users on a winter operational plan on an annual basis, and publish and implement it. This plan will inform deliberations on the numbers of specialised winter maintenance vehicles required.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Parliamentary questions are conventionally answered within seven days of being lodged, or on a particular day for so-called "Named Day" questions. (Source: House of Commons Information Office, Factsheet P1, "Parliamentary Questions")
A holding answer may be issued by a Minister if, for whatever reason, a substantive or final answer to the question cannot be provided in the time available.
