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with direct responsibilities for coach parking in London, I chaired a discussion with the main organisations involved on 16 October. We agreed the need to take a fresh look at six main topics : the provision of off-street parking facilities ; the provision of on-street parking arrangements ; the standard structure of the typical sightseeing tour route ; the arrangements for purchasing parking permits for the changing of the guard ceremony ; codes of operating and parking practice for British and foreign tourist coaches ; and coach terminal arrangements. Consideration of these issues will be taken forward by appropriate organisations with a view to the conclusions being studied at a further meeting in January.Regional Airports
50. Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to support regional airports.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government encourage the maximum use of regional airports, both to meet local demand and to relieve pressure on the London airports.
Over the past decade some £450 million of capital expenditure has been facilitated, through special borrowing approvals, for the development of local authority airports. Special borrowing approvals totalling £59 million are available for 1990-91, facilitating investment which the airports concerned estimate could total some £149 million this year.
We also very much welcome the contribution to the development of local authority airports which the private sector already makes through direct investment and joint venture schemes ; and we continue to look to the airports concerned and their local authority owners to take full account of the opportunities for private sector involvement as they formulate their plans for further expansion.
The working group now being established to take forward the Civil Aviation Authority's recent advice on long-term United Kingdom airport capacity is to examine regional airports' role in meeting overall growth in demand into the next century.
We are continuing to pursue liberalisation policies, both in the European Community and in bilateral negotiations, which increase further the scope for services from our regional airports.
51. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by how much traffic through the regional airports has grown in the last 10 years ; and how much it is forecast to grow.
Mr. McLoughlin : Passenger traffic through United Kingdom regional airports grew by 90 per cent. between 1979 and 1989 (from 17.8 to 33.8 million). The Department of Transport's most recent forecasts for this traffic, published in December 1988, set out figures based on different assumptions about the growth rate of the United Kingdom economy :
(million passengers)
|1995|2000|2005
----------------------------------
Low forecast |42.1|52.4|62.6
High forecast |51.0|68.2|87.4
Note: The statistics and
projections include Northern Irel
and and Isle of Man airports;
they exclude Gatwick, Heathrow,
London City, Luton and Stansted,
and also the Channel Island
airports.
By comparison with 1987, the 2005 figures represent an increase in regional airports' share of total United Kingdom traffic from 33.2 per cent to between 37.3 per cent. and 38.2 per cent.
Midland Line Electrification
52. Mr. Ashby : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about future plans for the electrification of the midland railway line.
Mr. Freeman : It is for British Rail to develop worthwhile future plans for the midland main line. I understand that BR is continuing discussions with the local authorities in the area.
Bypasses
53. Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses will be started this year.
Mr. Chope : Fifteen bypasses are planned to start in 1990-91. They will relieve cities, towns and villages throughout England of intrusive and polluting through traffic, bringing major environmental benefits to their inhabitants. The places being bypassed include Norwich, Brighton, Axminster, Whitchurch and Egremont in Cumbria.
Aviation Liberalisation
54. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when full liberalisation of European aviation will begin.
Mr. McLoughlin : EC Transport Ministers, meeting in June 1990, committed themselves to complete a single market in aviation by the beginning of 1993. In the interim, a second package of liberalisation measures, building on a first package in 1987, will apply.
Coach Fares
56. Mr. Marland : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the relative cost of coach fares in 1989 and 1979.
Mr. Freeman : I regret that we do not have information on a national index basis for coach fares.
Motorway Construction
57. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on new motorway construction in each of the past four years, at constant prices.
Mr. Chope : Spending on motorways changes with the balance in the national roads programme between motorways and trunk roads. Expenditure on motorways, including structural maintenance, for the last four years at 1990-91 prices was as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1986-87 |466
1987-88 |398
1988-89 |459
1989-90 |576
British Rail Investment
58. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current level of investment by British Rail ; and when this figure was last equalled in real terms.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail's latest forecast for railway investment in 1990-91 is some £820 million, which is the highest level in real terms since 1962. This includes investment in track, signalling, locomotives, rolling stock, stations and railway facilities, but excludes investment in non-railway items, pre-payments for channel tunnel-related items and expenditure on continuously welded rail (CWR).
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the British Rail investment projects currently approved by him including in each case the source of funding ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Current British Rail investment projects approved by my right hon. Friend include :
East coast main line electrification, and associated rolling stock and locomotives
31 additional mark IV coaches for the east coast main line 100 class 60 freight locomotives
700 deepsea container wagons
324 class 319/321 electric multiple units for Network SouthEast services north of the Thames and Thameslink
Cambridge to Kings Lynn electrification
180 class 165 Networker vehicles (for Thames and Chiltern lines) 400 class 465 Networker vehicles for Kent and inner suburban lines (with purchase of a further 276 vehicles approved in principle) 48 class 456 electric multiple units for Network SouthEast south central
Rail link to Stansted airport and associated rolling stock Waterloo resignalling.
Chiselhurst to Folkestone resignalling
British Rail's share of the Heathrow express project
447 class 158 vehicles for Provincial
Manchester airport rail link
Birmingham cross-city electrification and associated rolling stock 30 new passenger trains for channel tunnel services
20 class 92 freight locomotives for channel tunnel services Tonbridge to Redhill electrification
Construction of Waterloo international terminal and maintenance depot
British Rail has of course approved many other investment projects itself.
We do not apportion expenditure on particular projects between different funding sources.
Speed Limits
59. Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any proposals to increase the observance of the 70 mph limit by drivers of vehicles coming off motorways.
Mr. Chope : We are concerned to improve observance of speed limits on all types of roads. Motorways, including the sliproads, are among our safest roads. They carry 14 per cent. of all traffic but account for only 2.5 per cent. of those killed and seriously injured. Drivers leaving the motorway are advised in the "Highway Code" to adjust their driving to suit the new conditions and to check their speedometers since an incorrect perception of speed can occur.
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Duty-free Sales
60. Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered the effect on United Kingdom airlines, ferries and airports of the elimination of duty-free sales.
Mr. McLoughlin : Policy on any proposals which the European Commission might bring forward to eliminate duty-free sales would, of course, be a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. We are considering very carefully the evidence that has been, and continues to be, put forward by the United Kingdom industry on the effects of abolition.
Aircraft Safety
Sir Ian Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, following the decision of the United States civil aviation authorities that no seats should be allowed to block the safety exits from aircraft, and the immediate implementation of that directive by Pan-American and others, he will ask the Civil Aviation Authority to carry out an immediate and comprehensive review of the current practices of all airlines operating to and from the United Kingdom.
Mr. McLoughlin : Neither the Department of Transport nor the Civil Aviation Authority has any knowledge of any recent decision of the United States Federal Aviation Administration amending its requirements related to aircraft seating.
However, new rules were introduced by the United States Federal Aviation Administration on 5 October concerning the physical abilities of persons to be seated in exit rows and the display of instructions for opening emergency exits. Such rules are already in force for United Kingdom- registered aircraft.
The practices of airlines operating to and from the United Kingdom may differ to some extent, but all subscribe to the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Ports Police
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any proposals for reviewing the operation of the ports police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department wrote on 3 August 1990 to interested bodies in the ports industry and organisations representing the police seeking their views about the future of harbour authorities' powers to operate private police forces. They were invited to reply by 1 December. A copy of the consultation letter was sent to my hon. Friend ; copies are being placed in the Library.
Iraq
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate the role of Jayship Limited of London in the export of equipment to Iraq, following the detention of the vessel the Gur Mariner, managed by Jayship Ltd., on 13 September by the Dutch customs authorities at Flushing.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am fully aware of the circumstances of the detention of the Gur Mariner. The vessel, which had
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been en route to the middle east with cargo for Iraq at the time of the introduction of sanctions, returned to northern Europe on the initiative of Jayship Ltd. Its subsequent arrest was due to an action in Dutch civil law brought by Iraqi authorities. The arrest order has since been lifted. There was no question of the vessel or Jayship Ltd. attempting to break sanctions.Bus Passes
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to propose an amendment to section 93 of the Transport Act 1985 to end sexual discrimination over the minimum age at which bus passes may be issued.
Mr. Freeman : We have no plans to change the present arrangements which link eligibility for travel concession for elderly people to state pensionable age.
M20
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set a target for the M20 Ashford to Hollingbourne motorway, now under construction, to be open to traffic by next Easter.
Mr. Chope : The M20 motorway under construction between Maidstone and Ashford comprises two contracts. The contract completion date for the first from Hollingbourne interchange to Lenham is April 1991, but it cannot be opened to traffic before completion of the second contract from Lenham to Ashford interchange. That contract is due for completion in July 1991. As these are contractual dates I can give no assurance that an earlier opening will be achieved.
Roadworks
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is taken by his Department in advising highway and street authorities on the specification for reinstatements following work carried out by public and private utilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : At present specifications for reinstatements following utility street works are a matter for agreement between highway authorities and utilities. The Department recognises the unsatisfactory nature of much reinstatement work, and has been working with highway authorities and utilities on the production of a code of practice to establish a national specification and performance standards for reinstatements. These standards will be prescribed under the legislation it is proposed to introduce to reform the Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950.
Dangerous Driving
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will introduce legislation to provide for stiffer penalties for drivers who cause the deaths of other road users.
Mr. Chope : Our proposals for the reform of road traffic law are set out in the White Paper "The Road User and the Law" (Cm. 576). These include the creation of a new offence of
"causing death by careless driving while unfit through drink or drugs"
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and the reformulation of the reckless driving offences. Legislation to implement these proposals will be introduced at the earliest opportunity.Ports Consultation Document
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations were received by his Department on the British Ports Federation consultation document proposing a flat rate light dues charge for pleasure craft ; and when he expects to announce a decision on the proposals.
Mr. McLoughlin : About 90 representations have been made by bodies and individuals, generally opposing registration of pleasure craft for light dues purposes. Over 40 hon. Members have written on behalf of sailing clubs and yachtsmen in their constituencies. My right hon. Friend is still considering the matter.
Hydro-electric Barrier (Solent)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether any environmental ecological or tidal impact studies have been carried out by his Department for the hydro-electric barrier proposed for the western Solent between Hurst Castle and Fort Victoria ; and whether any consultation has taken place between his Department and the Royal Yachting Association, the Solent Protection Society and the Commercial Fishermen's Association ;
(2) Whether any public expenditure is planned for the proposed tidal barrage between Hurst Castle and Fort Victoria.
Mr. McLoughlin : No approach has been made to my Department about this proposed scheme, for which my right hon. Friend's consent would be needed. His concern is with safety of navigation and the right of innocent passage through the Solent. I am not aware of any plans for public expenditure on the scheme.
Isle of Wight Ferries (Signs)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his decision on mainland signs to the Isle of Wight ferries.
Mr. Chope : Signing on roads within the boundary of the city of Southampton is a matter for the city council.
We understand that Southampton city council intends to erect signs to Department of Transport standards reading "For Ferries Follow Waterfront". The Isle of Wight ferry will be clearly signed in the immediate vicinity of the ferry terminal.
Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in 1989-90.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 19 October 1990] : The Department spent £114,016 on official hospitality in 1989-90.
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SCOTLAND
Physiotherapy
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many places were available annually for training students in physiotherapy in each of the last 10 years ; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of existing places.
Mr. Rifkind : The number of places for training physiotherapy students in Scotland is available only over the last four years and is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1987 |153
1988 |155
1989 |154
1990 |160
Physiotherapy courses are heavily oversubscribed and there is no longer a limit on the number of student places. There is no indication that the number of physiotherapists qualifying each year is insufficient to fill vacant posts in Scotland. Recruitment and retention of staff in all the professions allied to medicine including physiotherapy is being examined by a paramedical manpower steering group recently established by the National Health Service management executive.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any recent information from UK Nirex Ltd. in regard to any changes in projected volumes of radioactive wastes that may be disposed of at Dounreay, should the site prove suitable after assessment and all planning consents have been obtained.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No. Dounreay is, of course, only one of the sites currently under investigation as a possible location for the proposed national deep repository.
European Regional Development Fund
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the annual sums of money committed since the inception of the European regional development fund to each recipient local authority and each regional council and the annual amounts paid to each from the fund.
Mr. Lang : The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Infertility
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the most recent figures available showing the number of clinics in Scotland offering (a) IVA, GIFT and other procedures and (b) GIFT and other procedures but excluding IVA ; and if he will also publish the total number of (i) single, (ii) twin, (iii) triplet, (iv) quadruplet, (v) quintuplet and (vi) sextuplet pregnancies following GIFT procedures in each category of clinic.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : I regret that this information is not held centrally. Some information on these matters is published in the annual report of the Interim Licensing Authority, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Rents to Mortages Scheme
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sales have been completed under the rents to mortgages scheme.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : By end September, 23 sales had been completed and a further 40 missives had been concluded with an entry date of 31 October or earlier.
Giant Hogweed
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in the past five years Scottish district or regional councils have used the provisions of the Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897 to serve notice on landowners to remove a nuisance, or to recoup losses for the removal of a nuisance from privately owned land ; and, of these, how many are related to the removal of Heracleum Mantegazzianum.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No record of local authorities' use of these powers is held centrally.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many recorded incidents there have been in the last five years of the hospitalisation of patients who have come into contact with the furocoumarins released by Heracleum Mantegazzianum.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information on the number of patients admitted to hospital suffering from the effects of Heracleum Mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is not collected centrally.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the origin and number of representations he has received in the last 12 months about problems created by Heracleum Mantegazzianum.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Six such representations have been received--three from Moray and one each from Edinburgh, Kyle and Carrick and Nithsdale.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions there have been in each of the years since 1981 under section 14(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act against landowners who have planted or caused to grow in the wild a plant listed in schedule 9 of that Act ; and whether any of these prosecutions related to Heracleum Mantegazzianum.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not separately identifiable within the Scottish Home and Health Department's classification of crimes and offences.
Electricity
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he plans to take to ensure Scottish generators of electricity from renewable sources are able to compete on equal terms with those in England and Wales
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in respect of qualification for inclusion under the non-fossil fuel obligation quota ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Lang : Arrangements for the non-fossil fuel obligation are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy. Scottish generators from renewable sources can sell their electricity in England and Wales on a levy exempt basis.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much he spent on fees to advisers on electricity privatisation in 1989-90 ; and what is the budget for the current year.
Mr. Lang : In 1989-90 the provisional outturn expenditure on advisers' fees and other expenses relating to the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Scotland is £3,811,000. The final outturn figure will be contained in the appropriation accounts to be published on 26 October. The supply estimates for 1990-91 included provision of £5 million for such fees.
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