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|Number
---------------------------------
North Wales |240
West Wales |359
South-East Wales |590-630
The decision to phase implementation will stagger these numbers. Traditional nurse training courses will continue to be run to meet the manpower requirements of health authorities until Project 2000 is fully introduced in Wales.
PRIME MINISTER
Exchange Rates
Q6. Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning exchange rate policy.
The Prime Minister : I have received a number of representations.
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Human Rights
Q129. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on her policy regarding intervention in respect of abuses of human rights in Commonwealth countries.
The Prime Minister : Where Commonwealth countries' practice on human rights has given cause for concern, we have made
representations as necessary.
Official Visits
Q145. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Rugby or Kenilworth.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Q154. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Leith.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Q179. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Prime Minister when she next proposes to make an official visit to Disneyland, United States of America.
The Prime Minister : I have no plans to visit California.
Q210. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to a skill centre.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
German Unification
Q156. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions she has held with Chancellor Kohl and other heads of European Community states regarding the representation of Germany, following unification, in the European Parliament ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The implications for the EC of German unification were discussed at the European Council on 25 and 26 June. It is our aim to achieve integration into the EC of the territory of the former GDR without change to the structure of the Community's institutions.
Homelessness, London
Q184. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Prime Minister what plans she has to meet organisations representing the homeless in London.
The Prime Minister : I have no such plans. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and his ministerial colleagues have regular meetings with voluntary groups working with the homeless, and with local authorities in London and their associations.
European Court of Justice
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister when she plans to visit the European Court of Justice.
The Prime Minister : I have no plans to visit the European Court of Justice.
Local Authorities
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many official visits she has paid to local authorities since May 1979 ;
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(2) how many meetings she has had with the leaders of the local authority associations since May 1979 ;(3) on how many occasions leaders of the local authority associations have been invited to official hospitality functions at No. 10 Downing street.
The Prime Minister : I have met numerous local authority representatives since May 1979, in the course of visiting their counties, towns and rural districts.
Litter
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Prime Minister when she intends to implement her policy to introduce a £1,000 fine for dropping litter.
The Prime Minister : The maximum fine for dropping and leaving litter will be raised from its present maximum of £400 to £1,000 later this year, two months after Royal Assent of the Environmental Protection Bill. At the same time local authorities will be empowered to introduce schemes involving fixed penalties of £10.
Legislation
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether there is any continuing review of existing legislation to determine whether the law in Scotland and in Northern Ireland should, as far as possible, be the same as in England and Wales (a) overall and (b) in relation to penalties for offences which are covered by different pieces of legislation in the different legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom ;
(2) whether any automatic review of changes in legislation made in respect of England and Wales is made in order to consider whether the law in Scotland and in Northern Ireland should adopt the England and Wales position.
The Prime Minister : When preparing any individual piece of legislation in Scotland or Northern Ireland, related legislation is taken into account.
Engagements
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 June.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today, including one with the Governor of Hong Kong.
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TRANSPORT
Coaches and Lorries
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what statistics are collected on tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles ;
(2) what information his Department has on trends in the number of tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles on motorways and major roads.
Mr. Atkins : The vehicle inspectorate has statistics on those tyre failures on coaches and goods vehicles which it obtains from its own accident investigations and from police and other sources where a safety defect is suspected.
Since many tyre failures can occur without serious consequences or accident, these are not always brought to my Department's attention. Our statistics therefore are unable to reflect the actual field situation or failure trends. However, the statistics show that tyre failure was a contributory factor in less than one in every 250 accidents investigated.
Departmental Research (Expenditure)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total identifiable expenditure on research by his Department in each year since 1979 ; what proportion was awarded on a customer-contractor basis ; and what proportion of his total departmental budget was expended on research for each year.
Mr. Atkins : The expenditure on research and development by the Department of Transport is set out in the table, together with the proportion this represents of the Department's total expenditure in the financial years 1979-80 to 1988-89. All research commissioned by the Department is based on the customer-contractor principle.
Outturn prices
Financial year |R and D expenditure | Percentage of total
|£ million | DTp expenditure
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |17.8 |3.0
1980-81 |21.1 |3.0
1981-82 |27.5 |3.0
1982-83 |25.9 |2.4
1983-84 |<1>27.8 |2.8
1984-85 |32.7 |2.7
1985-86 |<2>25.0 |2.1
1986-87 |24.6 |1.9
1987-88 |26.4 |1.9
1988-89 |27.0 |1.9
<1> In July 1983, responsibility for air and marine transport was transferred to
DTp.
<2> In 1985-86, BR and LRT assumed full responsibility for their own R and D
expenditure. Government financial support continued to be provided through the
general revenue grants to BR and LRT; but the research elements cannot be
separately identified.
Stockport Bypass
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what technical problems remain to be overcome in the planning and design of the A6(M) Stockport north-south bypass.
Mr. Atkins : The design of junctions at Offerton road (A627) and Buxton road (A6), and extensive diversions of statutory undertakers' apparatus along the line of the route are among issues to be resolved.
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British Rail (Freight)
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Railfreight Users Group concerning the adequacy of preparations by British Rail for freight facilities.
Mr. Freeman : The recently formed Railfreight Users Group has been in touch with us and with British Rail. BR has offered the group an early meeting to discuss its concerns.
Birkham Wood
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he made of the environmental implications before deciding to route a bypass through Birkham wood ; and if he will now re-examine the designated route so as to minimise further the environmental damage.
Mr. Atkins : The road proposals affecting Birkham wood (Harrogate- Knaresborough southern bypass) have been promoted by North Yorkshire county council. Public local inquiries were held in 1989 to consider the proposals and the inspector has reported to the Secretary of State. At these inquiries evidence on the environmental implications of the route of the bypass through the wood was presented by the Nature Conservancy Council and others. This evidence was summarised in the inspector's report together with the county council's response.
An interim decision letter was issued on behalf of the Secretary of State on 23 November 1989 which was concerned with a technical defect in the compulsory purchase order. Once this issue has been resolved the Secretary of State will come to a decision in respect of the orders.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money is expected to be spent on road improvements connected with the construction of the channel tunnel, up to the end of 1993.
Mr. Atkins : The trunk road infrastructure to serve cross-channel traffic using either the ports or the channel tunnel, when built, has been put in place progressively over a good many years.
In addition to the network now in use, we have currently under construction or in preparation 31 schemes, valued at approximately £588 million at November 1987 prices, to complete or improve the major direct trunk routes concerned ; of these, we expect that eight schemes to the value of approximately £268 million will have been provided by the end of 1993.
Kent county council has a special package of 10 channel tunnel-related local road schemes, valued at approximately £75 million, which my Department is committed to supporting with transport supplementary grant. I understand that all but one of these schemes are expected to be provided by the end of 1993.
MV Marine
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the action that he proposes to take following the publication of the report of the inquiry into the loss of the MV Marine by the Bahamian Government.
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Mr. McLoughlin : We have received the report and it is being studied by members of my Department, and it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter at this time.
Railways (Noise)
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the names or grades of the members of his working party to study noise levels on railway routes with special reference to the channel tunnel high-speed link and other connecting routes.
Mr. Freeman : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 23 March 1990 at column 777, which gave both the terms of reference of the committee and its composition.
Street Works Legislation
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he intends to bring forward a Bill to reform present public utilities street works legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The Government accept that the arrangements for utility street works are in need of reform and intend to bring forward new legislation to implement the main recommendations of the Horne report "Roads and the Utilities". A Bill based on proposals contained in the consultation papers issued by the Department of Transport last year will be introduced as soon as a suitable opportunity can be found.
Radio Navigation System
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has regarding the current attitude of the Danish authorities towards participation in a civil Loran C marine radio navigation system to cover north-west Europe and the north Atlantic and to the siting of a transmitter station in the Faroes ; (2) pursuant to his answer of 25 April, Official Report, column 195, to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Sir D. Price), what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the fishing industry in the United Kingdom of the proposed change from the Decca navigation system to the Loran C system ; and what proposals he is considering to assist the industry to meet the costs of the changeover ; (3) with which countries his Department has discussed the proposal for an international civil Loran C system of marine radio navigation aid to cover north-west Europe and the north Atlantic ; and what progress has been made in these discussions ;
(4) what representations he has received from the fishing industry regarding his proposals on the length of transitional period required to convert from the existing Decca navigation system to the Loran C radio navigation system ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Discussions on the proposed north-west European Loran C system have been undertaken with Canada, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. Discussions are still proceeding, both on technical issues and on the draft of an international agreement. The Danish authorities have not yet reached a final decision on their participation. A Loran C
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transmitter already exists in the Faroes. The United Kingdom's continued participation is dependent on a satisfactory agreement being reached within an acceptable time scale.I have received no representations from the fishing industry about the transitional period since my right hon. Friend's announcement in April. This envisaged a period of over three years' joint operation of the Decca and Loran C systems before closure of the Decca service in 1997. The fishing industry had earlier urged the longest possible transition, ideally up to five years.
I accept there would be additional costs to users where it proved necessary to replace Decca receivers prematurely. No conclusive forecast can be made of such costs, which depend on a variety of individual circumstances, including the age of receivers and the operating environment. Since six years' notice would be given of the ending of the Decca service, a significant proportion of receivers would be replaced in this period in the normal course of events, whether through wear and tear or more attractive technology. I have no proposals for financial assistance to users to meet the costs of change.
Clyde Port Authority
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation he has undertaken of the trading or other performance of the Clyde port authority.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current payments made to the (a) chairman, (b) deputy chairman, (c) board workers and (d) managing director of Clyde port authority.
Mr. McLoughlin : According to the authority's accounts for 1989, the annual remuneration received by the chairman was £10,000 and the other non-executive members received £3,500. The highest-paid executive on the board received £48,587 and the two other executive members received between £30,000 and £40,000.
Vehicle Emissions
Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce harmful emissions from road vehicles ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : My Department has been active for many years in developing standards to tackle unacceptable vehicle fumes and noise and to secure a move from leaded to unleaded fuel. We have played a key role in securing agreement in the European Community to higher emissions and noise standards, and we have also taken the lead in making improved vehicle construction standards a priority so as to further improve safety.
I welcome the interest and co-operation of manufacturers in seeking to develop more environmentally friendly vehicles. However, if they are to continue to reach the standards built into their initial design, vehicles need to be properly maintained and properly tuned. Garages already offer this service to their customers. I have concluded there is a good case for adding a simple emissions check to the MOT test for all petrol-driven cars and light vans, starting next year. My Department is today issuing a consultation paper outlining what is proposed and seeking views. In future, the existing MOT test would include a tuning
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check. In the same way as the other items in the test, motorists would need to ensure their vehicle met the test requirements if it were to continue on the road.It is estimated that this proposal should improve fuel consumption and hence carbon dioxide emissions by about 4 per cent. averaged over the 16.5 million cars and light vans in the MOT scheme, with substantially larger benefits to carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. The net extra cost to motorists should be modest, given compensating benefits through reduced fuel bills. Like everyone else, the motorist will also enjoy the non- financial benefits from lower levels of pollution.
We shall also be looking at ways of increasing checks and testing techniques for emissions from heavy goods vehicles and buses, and are working with European colleagues on effective standards for testing vehicles with catalytic converters.
Select Registration Scheme
Mr. Maples : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current timetable for the start of the select registration scheme.
Mr. Atkins : The select registration scheme will start on 1 October 1990 with the H letter. Buyers of new vehicles after that date will be able to purchase an entitlement to any registration mark from the numerical range 1 to 20, for almost all possible three-letter combinations. The sales scheme will be widely publicised and I have placed copies of the Department's information leaflet in the Library.
M1 (Lane Closure)
Sir Neil Macfarlane : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has on the name of the haulage contractor and the goods that were being conveyed on 25 June which caused the closure of two lanes of the M1 ;
(2) if he will call for a report on whether the emergency services were affected by the closure of two lanes of the M1 on 25 June during the movement of the wide load vehicle ; what prior notification they were given ; and by whom ;
(3) who took the decision to permit two lanes of the M1 to be closed on 25 June for a wide load vehicle ; and on what date and time the broadcasting authorities were informed ;
(4) if he will make it his policy not to permit the closure of two lanes, in daytime, on the motorways for wide load transportation ; and if he will make a statement ;
(5) which section within his Department handles the arrangements for the movement of wide load vehicles on motorways ; upon what criteria decisions are based ; and who co-ordinates the details ; (6) what discussions took place between his Department and the police authorities prior to the closure of two lanes of the M1 on 25 June for an abnormally wide load vehicle.
Mr. Atkins : The abnormal load in question was a large transformer being transported from Goole docks to Ratcliffe power station in Nottinghamshire. The move was urgent, being necessitated by an electrical breakdown at the power station. In order to reduce the length of the road journey, the transformer was moved from its storage place at Kingsnorth power station on the Thames, by sea to Goole, from where it had to complete its journey by road. The total weight of the transformer and trailer was 377
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tonnes, its width was 5.6m and it height 5.25m. The haulier was Abnormal Load Engineering and the move was carried out on behalf of PowerGen.The police were notified at least three days before the move took place and they escorted the vehicles throughout the journey. The local radio stations and the Automobile Association were informed prior to the move. The emergency services were not affected, so far as I am aware. Had they been, the police were on hand to render assistance. I do not consider it necessary to call for a special report in this instance.
Movements of this nature have to be authorised in advance by officials in my Department by delegated authority from the Secretary of State. Before authorisation is granted, the necessity for the move is determined and a suitable route is worked out between my officials, all the police forces and all the highway and bridge authorities concerned. This route is issued to the haulier and all the relevant authorities and must be followed in detail. When the route has been agreed and issued, the special order authorising the move is made and circulated. In this case the route had already been worked out, as is often the case for routes from port to power station, so it was necessary only to obtain confirmation from all concerned that it was still suitable. The order was then signed and issued on 22 June by the special order section in the vehicle standards and engineering division of my Department.
The actual timing of a move such as this is determined by the police. They have the local knowledge to decide the best timing for minimising danger to other road users. In general, they consider that it is less dangerous to encounter a large, slow-moving vehicle in daylight, but they do appreciate that congestion is likely to be worse in the daytime and I understand that they are currently reviewing this policy. I do not consider it appropriate to interfere in this matter.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
National Quality Award
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 386, on a national quality award, if he will outline his reasons for the reply given .
Mr. Douglas Hogg : To encourage firms to improve quality we provide support for consultancy under the enterprise initiative and advice under the "Managing into the '90s" programme. Other activities are undertaken by a variety of outside organisations, including the British Quality Association, which runs its own British quality awards scheme aimed at heightening awareness of the importance of quality. We do not believe that it is necessary for the Government to create an additional award scheme.
Foundries
Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom foundries closed in 1989 ; and how many are still in production.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Business Statistics Office's figures for the number of foundries which were in production in 1989 will not be available until towards the end of this year. The comparable figure for 1988 was
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published in table 8 of the Central Statistical Office "Business Monitor" report on the census of production 1988--PA311.Industry Act 1980
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last made use of his powers under section 3(2)(a) of the Industry Act 1980.
Mr. Ridley : As reported to Parliament, in the summer supplementary estimates on class V vote 1, on 14 July 1988 my predecessor used his powers under section 3(2)(a) of the Industry Act 1980 to purchase a security in Rover Group plc for £547 million, following the agreement reached with British Aerospace plc, and approved by the European Commission, for the sale of the Government shareholding in Rover Group plc.
Details of my predecessor's use of section 3 of the Industry Act 1980 are given in reports under section 3(4) of that Act which have been placed in the Library today. I regret that, due to an administrative error, the reports were not laid before the House earlier.
HEALTH
Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the awards given to voluntary organisations under section 64 procedures for the financial years 1988-89 and 1989-90 into (a) awards for project funding and (b) core funding grants.
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