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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 12 February 1991
TRANSPORT
Bus and Rail Travellers
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on bus and rail travellers in Greater London of the reduction in transport facilities recently announced by London Regional Transport.
Mr. Freeman : London Buses Limited has announced that it is planning to make a number of alterations to local bus services to match them more closely to passenger demand. Details of all the proposed services are not yet available ; they will be the subject of public consultation over the next few months. I understand that the changes that London Underground is developing are mainly reduced counter services at booking offices, made possible by the introduction in recent years of very reliable new ticket machines. I am advised that the changes to train services envisaged by London Underground are modest and are, in the main, aimed at improving reliability on lines where there are problems in providing a full complement of trains.
Halifax-Huddersfield Rail Link
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allocate funds to ensure that the West Yorkshire passenger transport authority is able to introduce in 1992 the railway link between Halifax and Huddersfield.
Mr. McLoughlin : If the West Yorkshire passenger transport authority seeks resources for this project, we will consider it on its merits, and taking account of the claims of other projects. Credit approvals for 1991- 92 have, however, already been allocated, so the earliest that resources for new projects could be made available is 1992-93.
A45
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many separate traffic engineering projects have been undertaken for the purpose of improving Rookery crossroads on the A45 over the past 10 years ; how much this has cost in 1990 values ; and whether he has any proposals for futher works ;
(2) what steps he is taking, together with the Suffolk county council, to help prevent further accidents at Rookery crossroads on the A45 ; and how soon he expects to publish plans for grade separation of Sow lane traffic entering and exiting Rougham industrial estate and east-west traffic on the A45.
Mr. Chope : There have been six engineering projects costing approximately £50,000 to 1990 prices. I shall write to my hon. Friend with details of proposals for further works.
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Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the number of injury accidents on or near the A45 at the Rookery crossroads at Rougham near Bury St. Edmunds in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Chope : The number of recorded fatal, serious and slight injury accidents at or within 20m either side of this junction in each of the past 10 years is as follows :
Year |Fatal |Serious|Slight |Total ------------------------------------------------ 1980 |- |- |1 |1 1981 |- |1 |- |1 1982 |- |2 |- |2 1983 |- |3 |- |3 1984 |- |- |1 |1 1985 |- |1 |- |1 1986 |- |- |1 |1 1987 |- |1 |- |1 1988 |- |1 |1 |2 1989 |- |1 |5 |6 1990 |1 |- |1 |2
Rail Electrification
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce his decision on rail electrification of the Western Region main line west of Reading.
Mr. McLoughlin : British Rail has no current plans for electrification of the main line west of Reading.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to his answer of 4 February 1991 Official Report, column 4, whether he will consult the chairman of British Rail in relation to the United Kingdom's participation in the European Commission high level working group with respect to low-platform wagon technology for through freight trains using the channel tunnel.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects United Kingdom approval of a standard low bogie system for running Berne gauge freight trains through the channel tunnel on to the United Kingdom railway network to be announced.
Mr. Freeman : Technical approval of freight wagons for operation in the United Kingdom is a matter for British Rail. Freight wagons for operation through the channel tunnel also require approval from Eurotunnel, the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority in consultation with Her Majesty's railway inspectorate, and other European railways. There is no proposal to run Berne gauge trains in the United Kingdom.
Cars (Carbon Dioxide Emissions)
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to introduce stricter limits on carbon dioxide emissions for cars.
Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the strategy set out in "This Common Inheritance"--Cmnd. 1200.
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Railway Safety
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail concerning their response mechanism to requests by fire services for trains to be stopped in emergency situations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : This is a matter for British Rail. I understand that BR is reviewing arrangements for emergency communication with fire services, and that BR aims to identify one railway control location for each geographical area of its operations.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formal machinery exists for meetings between British Rail and representatives of local emergency services.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail liaises at all levels with the emergency services. Emergency procedures are regularly rehearsed both as theoretical and practical exercises to ensure that the emergency services are in a position to deal effectively with any incident that may occur.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces Pensions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the full provisions of the armed forces pension schemes are set out ; and if he will summarise them.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The provisions of the armed forces pension scheme are set out in separate documents for each of the three services. For naval personnel, in Orders in Council ; for Army personnel, in the Army Pensions Warrant 1977 ; for RAF personnel, in Queen's Regulations for the Royal Air Forces.
Overall, the provisions of the scheme are extensive and detailed. In broad terms the following are provided for :
--a lump sum and immediate long-service pension for a member who retires on completion of at least a minimum period of reckonable service of 16 years for commissioned officers, and 22 years for other ranks ;
--a preserved pension and preserved lump sum, payable at age 60 or transferable to another scheme, for a member who completes at least two years' contracted-out service, but less than the minimum reckonable service required for the award of an immediate long-service pension ;
--a lump sum and immediate tax-free pension for a member whose service is terminated prematurely on medical grounds which are attributable to service, and where the assessed degree of disability is 20 per cent. or more ;
--a lump sum and immediate pension for a member whose service is terminated prematurely on medical grounds which are not attributable to service, or which are attributable but the assessed degree of disability is less than 20 per cent., provided that at least two years' reckonable service has been given ;
--a pension for the eligible widow or widower of a member, which is for current service normally one half of that which would have been payable to the member but which, in the event of death being attributable to service, is at a special enhanced rate ;
--a pension for each eligible child, up to age 17 or longer if full-time education continues.
In general the amount of lump sums, and rates of pension, are associated with rank held and length of service given. Awards made in cases where service is
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terminated on medical grounds which are attributable to service are not less than a guaranteed minimum level related to rank held and the assessed degree of disability. No minimum length of service is required in order for the member to become eligible for such an award nor, in the event of death attributable to service, for an award to any eligible widow or widower and child.Long-service pensions are increased from age 55 to reflect movements in the retail prices index since the date of award. Other pensions are index- linked from the date of award.
The provisions apply equally to male and female members of the scheme.
Gulf War
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the contributions made in cash and in equipment by each of the allied countries involved in the Gulf war.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The following nations have committed naval, land or air forces, or medical units, to the coalition forces or are providing practical assistance to these forces :
Argentina
Australia
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Canada
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Egypt
France
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Kuwait
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Niger
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Syria
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
A contingent of Afghan Mujaheddin is also serving in Saudi Arabia. In addition to making practical contributions to the coalition force, a number of nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and South Korea, are also providing financial support. Japan, Germany and Hong Kong are making a financial contribution to the coalition and Turkey has agreed that the United States may use Turkish bases for operations into Iraq.
The following countries are providing financial or practical assistance, including medical support, to the United Kingdom. Bahrain
Belgium
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CanadaDenmark
Germany
Hong Kong
Japan
Kuwait
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Portugal
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
United Arab Emirates
RAF Greenham Common
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the redeployment of units of the United States air force in the United Kingdom will have any bearing on the future of RAF Greenham Common as one of their standby bases.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The redeployment of United States dual capable aircraft in the United Kingdom, announced by my right hon. Friend on 5 February, will not have any effect on the future of RAF Greenham Common as a United States standby base.
Trident
Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the cost of the Trident programme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Tom King : I am pleased to announce that for the fifth year running there has been, in real terms, a reduction in the estimated cost of the Trident programme. The revised estimate now stands at £9, 863 million, based on the exchange rate used for the long-term costing of the defence programme, which this year is £1=$1.56. Although this estimate represents a cash increase of £483 million compared to that announced last year, after allowing for the effects of inflation and exchange rate variations, there has been a real reduction of £126 million, and a real reduction of £1,838 million over the original 1982 Trident II estimate. This is additional to the savings resulting from the decision to have United Kingdom missiles processed in the United States facility at King's bay, Georgia. The proportion of the programme to be undertaken in the United Kingdom has increased from 69 to 71 per cent.
The Select Committee on Defence previously asked that when announcing the annual revised estimate, I should report on the state of the project as a whole. I am pleased to say that the Trident programme remains on schedule to enter service in the mid-1990s. There has been no slippage in the in- service data since the decision to purchase Trident II was announced in March 1982. I am, as in previous years, sending to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Defence and the Public Accounts Committee a more detailed report covering the points on which the Select Committee on Defence sought advice. I am also placing a copy of this report in the Library of the House.
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