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Oil Spillage (Milford Haven)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the spillage of oil from the ship El Omar in the port of Milford Haven on Saturday 3 December including the cause of the spillage and the action taken to deal with it.
Mr. Portillo : The spillage occurred when the vessel was discharging its cargo at an oil terminal within the port of Milford Haven. The port authority has initiated proceedings against the master of the ship and it would be wrong for me to speculate on the cause of the spillage before any court proceedings that might ensue. As soon as the spillage was observed, the discharge of cargo was stopped ; the port authority activated the Haven anti-oil pollution plan for which it is responsible ; and it, together with the terminal operator and local authorities, initiated appropriate containment and clean-up action. This was hampered by strong winds.
When the Department's marine pollution control unit was made aware of the size of the spillage, clean-up advice and assistance were offered to both the port authority and local authorities. Although this was not required the unit satisfied itself that all parties were working together effectively to deal with the situation.
Yachts and Pleasure Boats
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to impose light dues on yachts and pleasure boats ; and if he will make a statement. Mr. Portillo : I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Sir D. Price) on 7 November at columns 71-72 ; and to my reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 14 November at column 467.
Traffic Examiners
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the level of enforcement activity by his Department's traffic examiners.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Substantial increases in the level of enforcement activity are being achieved by improved productivity and a targeting of resources on key priorities.
There has been a steep increase in the number of lorries weighed. During the six months April to September 1988 the traffic examiners weighed about 60,000 lorries. This is nearly 80 per cent. above the 1987 level and 125 per cent. above 1986. The corresponding increases in the number of tachograph charts checked were nearly 40 per cent. and 70 per cent.
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More rigorous and effective enforcement of the law on overloading and drivers' hours will improve safety and reduce road damage.London Regional Transport
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce his proposals for the levy on London's ratepayers in support of his grant to London Regional Transport for 1988-89 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Channon : I have today laid before Parliament a draft levy order under section 13 of the London Regional Transport Act which provides for a levy of 9.06p in the pound for 1989-90. This is estimated to raise £188 million, which is equivalent to 65.63 per cent. of my estimated expenditure of £286.6 million in grants to LRT in 1989-90. The balance of £98.6 million will be found from the Exchequer. The order is subject to affirmative resolution.
Highway Authority Expenditure
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much local highway authority expenditure he intends to accept for transport supplementary grant in 1989-90 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Channon : I have decided to accept £408 million of local authority highway expenditure for transport supplementary grant in 1989-90. Grant will be paid on this expenditure at 50 per cent. The total of £204 million TSG is nearly 7 per cent. higher than for 1988-89.
A total of 61 new major (over £1 million) schemes will be supported through TSG for the first time. Among these are the Maidstone spine road ; the west central route, Newcastle ; the Bexleyheath southern relief road ; the St. Helens to M62 link road ; further stages of the middle ring road in Birmingham ; and other important improvements in both urban and rural areas. A total of 17 of these schemes will directly assist inner city areas.
Some 300 other major schemes will continue to receive TSG support. Many of these schemes are already under construction or are due to start in the current financial year. Local authorities have reported completion of 58 TSG-supported schemes costing £227 million in 1987-88 and a start of works on 57 such schemes costing £262 million. During 1988-89, they plan to complete a further 67 schemes costing £267 million and start 95 costing £518 million.
In deciding the distribution of transport supplementary grant for 1989-90, I have considered carefully the transport policies and programme document submitted by each local highway authority, and have looked at the extent to which authorities' programmes relate to roads of more than local importance. Many local authority roads--such as major urban roads and roads on the primary route network--carry significant amounts of through traffic, and thus complement the trunk road network. Improvements to such roads are important locally because they save lives, reduce congestion and relieve communities from the effects of through traffic. They are also of national benefit by aiding the efficient flow of goods, people and services. TSG reflects the national taxpayer's interest in helping local authorities to improve these roads.
Many smaller schemes on these heavily trafficked roads produce very significant accident savings and other
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benefits. I have therefore also taken into account £56 million of expenditure on minor (under £1 million) schemes for grant in 1989-90.The amount of expenditure accepted for TSG and the amount of grant for each local highway authority is set out in the table. Councils are being informed individually today of their own figures.
The distribution of Transport Supplementary Grant for 1989-90
£ million
Authority |Expenditure accepted for|Grant
|TSG
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |8.392 |4.196
Bedfordshire |8.206 |4.103
Berkshire |2.390 |1.195
Buckinghamshire |2.458 |1.229
Cambridgeshire |4.596 |2.298
Cheshire |5.552 |2.776
Cleveland |8.984 |4.492
Cornwall |3.486 |1.743
Cumbria |1.280 |0.640
Derbyshire |3.030 |1.515
Devon |3.486 |1.743
Dorset |6.204 |3.102
Durham |3.830 |1.915
East Sussex |4.964 |2.482
Essex |10.148 |5.074
Gloucestershire |3.126 |1.563
Hampshire |9.664 |4.832
Hereford and Worcester |0.692 |0.346
Hertfordshire |6.100 |3.050
Humberside |10.442 |5.221
Isle of Wight |1.050 |0.525
Kent |22.512 |11.256
Lancashire |12.070 |6.035
Leicestershire |7.942 |3.971
Lincolnshire |2.378 |1.189
Norfolk |2.832 |1.416
Northamptonshire |8.250 |4.125
Northumberland |0.726 |0.363
North Yorkshire |5.306 |2.653
Nottinghamshire |4.108 |2.054
Oxfordshire |0.046 |0.023
Shropshire |3.358 |1.679
Somerset |7.570 |3.785
Staffordshire |5.984 |2.992
Suffolk |3.870 |1.935
Surrey |9.368 |4.684
Warwickshire |6.418 |3.209
West Sussex |3.052 |1.526
Wiltshire |0.218 |0.109
|------- |-------
Total Shire Counties |214.088 |107.044
Bolton |0.086 |0.043
Bury |3.396 |1.698
Manchester |2.656 |1.328
Oldham |2.194 |1.097
Rochdale |0.526 |0.263
Salford |5.582 |2.791
Stockport |0.036 |0.018
Tameside |1.132 |0.566
Trafford |3.530 |1.765
Wigan |1.996 |0.998
|------- |-------
Total Greater Manchester
Districts |21.134 |10.567
Knowsley |0.546 |0.273
Liverpool |3.524 |1.762
St. Helens |4.608 |2.304
Sefton |0.654 |0.327
Wirral |1.418 |0.709
|------- |-------
Total Merseyside Districts |10.750 |5.375
Barnsley |1.090 |0.545
Doncaster |1.322 |0.661
Rotherham |1.376 |0.688
Sheffield |1.170 |0.585
|------- |-------
Total South Yorkshire
Districts |4.958 |2.479
Gateshead |4.100 |2.050
Newcastle upon Tyne |5.526 |2.763
North Tyneside |0.620 |0.310
South Tyneside |0.430 |0.215
Sunderland |1.930 |0.965
|------- |-------
Total Tyne and Wear
Districts |12.606 |6.303
Birmingham |7.908 |3.954
Coventry |6.106 |3.053
Dudley |0.736 |0.368
Sandwell |1.886 |0.943
Solihull |1.052 |0.526
Walsall |2.144 |1.072
Wolverhampton |3.096 |1.548
|------- |-------
Total West Midlands Districts |22.928 |11.464
|------- |-------
Bradford |5.856 |2.928
Calderdale |0.168 |0.084
Kirklees |1.000 |0.500
Leeds |3.082 |1.541
Wakefield |0.616 |0.308
|------- |-------
Total West Yorkshire
Districts |10.722 |5.361
|------- |-------
Total Metropolitan Districts |83.098 |41.549
|------- |-------
City of London |0.388 |0.194
Barking and Dagenham |3.790 |1.895
Barnet |0.582 |0.291
Bexley |2.236 |1.118
Brent |0.900 |0.450
Bromley |7.666 |3.833
Camden |0.172 |0.086
Croydon |0.588 |0.294
Ealing |5.640 |2.820
Enfield |23.916 |11.958
Greenwich |0.046 |0.023
Hackney |0.820 |0.410
Hammersmith and Fulham |0.284 |0.142
Haringey |11.624 |5.812
Harrow |6.100 |3.050
Havering |0.414 |0.207
Hillingdon |9.060 |4.530
Hounslow |1.428 |0.714
Islington |0.296 |0.148
Kensington and Chelsea |1.266 |0.633
Kingston upon Thames |3.322 |1.661
Lambeth |0.364 |0.182
Lewisham |10.628 |5.314
Merton |8.560 |4.280
Newham |0.994 |0.497
Redbridge |0.678 |0.339
Richmond upon Thames |0.326 |0.163
Southwark |3.904 |1.952
Sutton |1.364 |0.682
Tower Hamlets |0.140 |0.070
Waltham Forest |0.952 |0.476
Wandsworth |0.866 |0.433
Westminster |1.500 |0.750
|------- |-------
Total London |110.814 |55.407
|------- |-------
Total England |408.000 |204.000
Table file CW881219.013 not available
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Thornaby and Middleton St. George Bypasses
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is yet in a position to announce the commencement of the Thornaby bypass and A67 Middleton St. George bypass.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Both these proposals are local authority schemes featured in their transport policies and programme. Starting dates will depend upon the priority afforded to them by the respective local authorities.
Manchester Airport (Accident)
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the report about the British Airways Boeing 737 accident at Manchester airport in 1985.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : A copy of the report was submitted to the Secretary of State on 15 December. Copies have also been sent to those persons whose reputation might be adversely affected by the report, in accordance with the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations 1983.
A period of 28 days is being allowed for affected persons to request a review board. Provided that no review is requested, the report should be published in March 1989.
British Rail
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to seek to limit the exemptions from statutory obligations laid on other transport undertakings currently applying to British Rail.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 12 December 1988] : Perhaps my hon. Friend could let me know which exemptions and which transport undertakings he has in mind.
Docklands Light Railway
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will have an urgent meeting with the acting chairman of London Regional Transport to discuss the technical efficiency and operating competence of the Docklands light railway ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 16 December 1988] : London Regional Transport is keeping my Department informed of the action being taken to secure a satisfactory performance of the railway during the major upgrading work currently taking place.
Hunts
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those hunts which have a right to cross railway lines in pursuit of their quarry ; what steps
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are taken to ensure that the exercise of such rights is consistent with the need to guarantee the safety of those travelling by train ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Portillo [holding answer 14 December 1988] : The information requested in the first part of the question is not readily available. Safety is the statutory duty of the British Railways board.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Grants (West Midlands)
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the grants available from his Department, and the criteria by which they are awarded, for manufacturing companies resident in the west midlands.
Mr. Atkins : Independent firms or groups with a payroll of fewer than 500 can benefit from the enterprise initiative, which offers financial support for between five and 15 man-days' specialist consultancy in a number of key management functions such as marketing, design, quality, manufacturing systems, business planning and financial and information systems. In the west midlands assisted area (the travel-to-work-areas of Birmingham, Coventry and Hinckley, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell, Telford and Bridgnorth and Kidderminster) the DTI will pay two- thirds of the cost of the consultancy projects, whereas elsewhere in the west midlands the Department will pay half. In addition, selective assistance is available for investment projects undertaken by firms of all sizes in the assisted area for projects that are commercially viable, create or safeguard employment, demonstrate a need for assistance, and offer a distinct regional and national benefit.
Grants of up to half the agreed costs can be made available to firms for collaborative research programmes conducted jointly by more than one organisation, such as industrial and commercial firms, universities and polytechnics, research and technology organisations and Government research laboratories.
All firms in the west midlands are also eligible for assistance under the various export services, some of which can provide financial assistance.
Investment
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the level of investment in 1985 prices in (a) new plant and equipment, and (b) new buildings for the manufacturing, construction, distribution and financial industries in each year since 1978, distinguishing between leased assets and purchased assets.
Mr. Maude : The required information is given in the following tables :
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Investment in the manufacturing industries<1>
£ million at 1985 prices
Direct Expenditure Leased Assets<2>
Year |New building work |Plant and machinery|Vehicles |New building work |Plant and machinery|Vehicles
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978 |1,386 |7,387 |874 |<3>- |492 |446
1979 |1,417 |7,713 |889 |<3>- |665 |349
1980 |1,143 |6,886 |654 |<3>- |899 |262
1981 |835 |5,164 |528 |<3>- |1,013 |152
1982 |714 |5,063 |560 |51 |989 |194
1983 |635 |5,237 |592 |20 |866 |192
1984 |929 |6,232 |649 |27 |916 |168
1985 |1,110 |7,020 |596 |56 |1,257 |221
1986 |1,007 |6,910 |562 |88 |824 |186
1987 |1,213 |7,289 |585 |22 |776 |165
<1> Divisions 2, 3 and 4 of the Standard Industrial Classification (Revised 1980).
<2> Assets leased from owners in the financial industries.
<3> Negligible.
Investment in the construction, distribution and financial industries<1> (excluding assets leased to manufacturers) £ million at 1985 prices Year |New building work |Plant and machinery|Vehicles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1978 |2,995 |3,304 |2,684 1979 |3,333 |3,970 |3,229 1980 |3,309 |4,272 |2,436 1981 |3,292 |4,360 |2,335 1982 |3,626 |4,811 |2,518 1983 |3,739 |5,213 |2,259 1984 |3,985 |6,367 |2,784 1985 |4,084 |7,332 |3,382 1986 |4,429 |7,701 |2,991 1987 |5,106 |9,091 |3,357 <1> Divisions 5, 6 and 8 of the Standard Industrial Classification (Revised 1980).
Mergers and Acquisitions
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the level of expenditure in standard 1985 prices on mergers and company acquisitions in the United Kingdom since 1978, distinguishing where possible between expenditure by British and non-British companies.
Mr. Maude : The information that is available is published in "Business Monitor" MQ7 "Acquisitions and mergers by industrial and commercial companies", together with articles on acquisitions within the United Kingdom and cross-border acquisitions published in "British Business" magazine on 11 November and 9 December respectively. These publications are available in the Library. The published statistics are at current prices : no appropriate price deflator is available to provide estimates at constant 1985 prices.
Eggs
Mr. Holt : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment has been made of the effect of reduced egg sales on the balance of payments.
Mr. Alan Clark : Information on trade in eggs for the 10 months to October 1988 suggest there has been no effect on the balance of payments.
Waste Recycling
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what initiatives he plans to take at European Community level, to ensure that European Community regulations on the transport of wastes do not have the effect of discouraging recycling.
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Mr. Forth : The United Kingdom Government will take every opportunity to advocate that necessary controls on the international movement of wastes do not have the effect of discouraging recycling.
Scrap Metal Recycling
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what initiatives he plans to take to encourage the recycling of scrap metals.
Mr. Forth : We shall continue our present initiatives of sector conferences, promotion of awareness in industry of the benefits of recycling and the provision of technical advice through our Warren Spring laboratory. Where appropriate, further initiatives will be introduced.
National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has any plans to revise the conditions attaching to grant in aid to the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I have no such plans at present, although the conditions are kept under review.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received concerning the political impartiality of advice given by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and local citizens advice bureaux offices.
Mr. Forth : The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux does not give advice direct to members of the public. So far as local citizens advice bureaux are concerned, I have not received any representations about the political impartiality of their advice to clients.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which union has negotiating rights for staff of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I understand from the national association, which is the employer, that the relevant trade union is Manufacturing Science and Finance (MSF).
Art Auctions (Buyer's Premium)
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will refer to the Office of Fair Trading the practice of the art auction houses of charging a buyer's premium ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Under United Kingdom competition legislation the Director General of Fair Trading has the
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primary responsibility for keeping commercial activities under review and he has discretionary powers to investigate practices which may prevent, restrict or distort competition in the supply of goods and services in the United Kingdom. If my hon. Friend has evidence that the practice which he refers to is anti-competitive he should bring it to the attention of the director general.North Peckham Task Force
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what evaluation of the achievements of the north Peckham task force has been carried out in terms of (a) persons trained, who have subsequently found paid employment and of (b) the cost, per job created both directly and indirectly.
Mr. Forth : The task force monitors all projects to check the numbers of people being trained, their names and addresses, and details of jobs obtained. The task force does not seek to create jobs but to give local people the skills to compete effectively in the buoyant London labour market.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give details of the total number of people training through programmes financed by the north Peckham task force ; and of those trained, how many were through (a) Brook Street bureaux and (b) South-East Adult Training.
Mr. Forth : About 1,200 people have been on training schemes for which the north Peckham task force has provided funds, of which 461 have attended programmes run by South-East Adult Training and 41 attended courses sponsored by Brook Street.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the projects financed by the north Peckham task force were funded under each of the four criteria defined on page 2 of the task force local link pamphlet.
Mr. Forth : There are no projects financed under the employment criteria. Those under the other three criteria are as follows :
Enterprise |Employability |Environment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gloucester shop |Technobus |North Peckham
shop |lighting upgrading
Winchcombe court |Womens New |Committee Against
|Technology Fair |Drug Abuse
Black Business |Teenage Information|North Peckham
Training |Network |Baptist Church
Southwark |South East Adult |Colegrove road
Environment |Training |allotments
Trust I
Artichoke mews |Rusjon |London Wildlife
|apprenticeship |Trust
Headstart in |Southwark AEI
Business
Vietnamese |Peckham Industrial
Headstart |Association
SCDA Translation |Ethnic Minority
|Database
SCDA SCO-OP |Southwark Fair
Technology
SCDA Exhibition |Southwark Sports
Peckham Trading Association
MARI I
Industrial Society--Training for Voluntary Groups
Fairbridge Drake Society
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Southwark CollegeSight and Sound I
London Community Cricket Association
Home Safety Scheme
Vietnamese Refugee Community
North Peckham Sewing Workshop
Practical Action
ILEA
South East Adult Training II
Brook St Phase II
Skills Survey
Newpin
Spotlight in Music
Warwick Park School
JETS Fair
Jobs in the City
MARI II
Afro-Caribbean Radio
Family Welfare Association
Princes Youth Business Trust PATH
Task Force Business Caribbean Teachers Association Development Fund
LENTA
Hotel and Catering Training
Board (HCTB) I
Apex Employment Resource
Centre
Video Unit
Southwark Chamber of Work and Schools Project
Commerce
City Technology Centre BBC/Project Fullemploy
URBED (Vietnamese BEP) Church and Community Project Southwark College Business Sojourner Trust Youth
Video
Association
Peckham Enterprise Centre Careers Service Newsletter GLEB
Industrial Society Management
Course
SLBI-Fashion South Ideal Homes Apprenticeships Southwark Environment Trust Brook St. Phase I
Forest of London
Computer Literacy on Outreach basis I
Children of the Inner City
Deptford Skills Centre
HCTB II
Walworth World of Work
London Fire and Civil Defence Authority
Find a Job Fortnight
Gloucester Grove Tenants Association Unemployed Project Project Fullemploy
Interactive Video
Vietnamese Refugee Community--Summer Skills
(Pan African Society)
Computer Literacy
Outreach II
Turkish Education Group
Southwark Architects Feasibility Study
Publicity Trailer
Sight and Sound II
Caribbean Teachers Association--(Computer Literacy Outreach III) NACRO Print Workshop
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