Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential safety benefits of requiring yellow box junctions at the intersection of road and rail at small level crossings; and if he will make it his policy to require those yellow boxes to be installed by highway authorities.  [125930]

[Due for Answer on 10 December.] 

ANSWER

The Minister of State for Railways (Chris Heaton-Harris): Network Rail, in its role as the national railway infrastructure manager, is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of public level crossings on the rail network in Great Britain and for assessing what safety measures are suitable at each crossing. It undertakes this in consultation with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), as the safety regulator, and with local highway authorities. There are no plans to require local highways authorities to install yellow box junctions at level crossings.