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General Pinochet
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he received concerning the visit to the United Kingdom of General Augusto Pinochet ; and what representatives of Her Majesty's Government met him during his visit.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We have received a number of representations, mainly letters from Members of Parliament and from the general public. General Pinochet was not met by representatives of Her Majesty's Government.
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Western Sahara
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions have been taken by Her Majesty's Government's representatives at the UN in supporting a referendum in the western Sahara ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Together with the other permanent members of the Security Council, we approved the secretary-general's plan on 22 April, subsequently endorsed by the Security Council on 29 April. We shall continue to do everything possible to assist the
secretary-general. His plan is the best way to bring this dispute to an end.
Soviet Exiles (Visas)
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Soviet Government about the number of Soviet exiles and their families who are being denied visas to return to the Soviet Union either as visitors or as representatives of non-governmental organisations to attend conferences ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : None. We are not aware of any Soviet exiles living in Britain who have been denied visas to visit the Soviet Union. If my hon. Friend has any specific cases in mind, we should be happy to look into them.
Baltic States
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will recommend at the forthcoming Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe Foreign Ministers meeting in Berlin that the declaration of independence by the Baltic states be referred to the disputes settlement mechanism agreed to at Valletta ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : No. The dispute settlement mechanism, whose provisions were agreed by experts from CSCE states at Valletta in February, can as currently constituted only address disputes between CSCE participating states. All participants in the Valletta meeting, however, agreed 10 principles describing how parties should behave in settling their disputes : it is open for the Soviet authorities and the Baltic republics to agree to apply these principles. We welcome the fact that discussions are now taking place between the Baltic and Soviet leaderships.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give for each available year from 1978 the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, expressing the figures in (a) cash terms, (b) 1990-91 money terms and (c) units of consumption for electricity in kilowatt hours, gas in therms, liquid fuel in litres and solid fuel in tonnes ; and if he will give the square footage of accommodation to which these figures relate.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Non-proliferation Treaty
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply on the non-proliferation treaty to the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill), Official Report, 17 May, column 304, whether the review of the NPT regime is carried out in collaboration with other Governments ; and what resources are committed by Her Majesty's Government to conduct the review.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We attach the highest priority to the success of the NPT regime and remain in close touch with our allies and partners on all questions relating to it. We devote considerable resources to the regime. The relevant section of non-proliferation and defence department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes the lead, working in close co- operation with, among others, departments in the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Energy.
TRANSPORT
Channel Tunnel
14. Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on the level of intended investment by British Rail for extra regional passenger and freight traffic consequent upon opening the channel tunnel.
Mr. McLoughlin : British Rail is planning to invest more than £300 million for international freight services. It expects regions outside London and the south-east to account for about 70 per cent. of its freight business through the tunnel. It has yet to submit investment proposals for regional passenger services.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to meet Ove Arup to discuss the channel tunnel rail link.
Mr. Freeman : My right hon. and learned Friend has agreed to a request from my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) for a meeting with Ove Arup to discuss its rail link proposal.
17. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a decision on the route of the channel tunnel high speed rail link.
Mr. Freeman : I refer to the answer that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State gave earlier to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock).
24. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next intends to hold meetings with representatives of the channel tunnel consortium to discuss relevant matters of transport co-ordination.
Mr. Freeman : I meet representatives of Eurotunnel from time to time to discuss issues of common concern.
25. Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met representatives of the local authorities in London regarding the high speed rail link ; and whether he has any plans for an early meeting with them.
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Mr. Freeman : On 4 February, representatives of the London borough of Newham gave me a presentation of their proposed route for the rail link into Stratford. I have no plans at present for further meetings with Newham or other London local authorities.InterCity Services
15. Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there has been an increase or a reduction in the services provided by InterCity as against the performance objectives set in the past two years ; and if he will make a statement on the future investment proposals of British Rail in this respect.
Mr. Freeman : Improving services remains one of InterCity's key objectives. InterCity fell short of its punctuality and reliability targets in the last two years. The electrification of the east coast main line, which will be completed next month, will bring a significant improvement. It will in turn allow InterCity to redeploy trains and resources to other routes. I am sure that improved quality of service will continue to be a part of InterCity's investment proposals wherever it is commercially justified.
Danbury (By-pass)
16. Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will visit Danbury to assess the need for a bypass.
Mr. Chope : I am afraid that this is not my responsibility as the A414 is a local road. Essex county council, the local highway authority, must decide whether a bypass is needed.
Crystal Palace (Underground)
18. Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to authorise expenditure on an extension of underground railways to Crystal Palace.
Mr. Freeman : My predecessor asked London Transport to consider, among other proposals arising from the London assessment studies, the case for a southern extension of the Northern line to Streatham and, possibly, on to Crystal Palace. That consideration is not yet complete. The question of authorising expenditure does not therefore arise.
Isle of Wight
19. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received for the Isle of Wight to receive primary route status.
Mr. Chope : Following the review of the primary route network in 1985 the Isle of Wight made a separate application later that year, and subsequently a further application in 1988, for some towns on the island to become primary route destinations. After careful consideration, both applications were rejected.
Road Safety
20. Sir Anthony Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further proposals he has to improve road safety ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I have today launched a national publicity campaign on compulsory seat belt wearing by rear seat adult passengers which comes into force on 1 July.
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Our proposals for reformulating the main bad driving offences and for providing tougher penalties for those who drink and drive are currently before Parliament in the Road Traffic Bill.In addition, regulations will be introduced shortly requiring speed limiters to be fitted to all new heavy goods vehicles from August 1992, and we propose to extend this requirement to most articulated vehicles now on the road.
Rail Transport
21. Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to boost rail transport.
Mr. Freeman : Investment in British Rail is currently at its highest level in real terms for some 30 years, and London Underground is also investing at record levels. Major projects under way include BR's investment for channel tunnel passenger and freight services, further new rolling stock for Network SouthEast and the electrification of the east coast main line, due to be completed this summer. London Transport's major investment includes extensions of the Docklands light railway, the Jubilee line extension and east-west crossrail.
Civil Aviation
22. Sir Robert McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the present position of discussions with the United States of America on civil aviation matters.
Mr. McLoughlin : Preliminary discussions have taken place about the possibilities for further liberalisation of transatlantic air services and talks will resume later in the year. Our aim will be to remove obstacles to fair competition, which hinder our airlines at present, and to remove unnecessary regulation.
Greater Manchester (Grants)
23. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants he has made to improve the quality of public transport in Greater Manchester in the past three years and approved for the next three years.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government are giving total grant of £53 million to the Manchester Metrolink project over the years 1988-89 to 1992- 93. Credit approvals have also been made available for this and various other projects, including the airport rail link.
Fishing Vessels (Safety)
26. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow by the Minister of Shipping on Monday 22 April, Official Report, column 755, he is now in a position to introduce legislative measures concerning the provision of immersion suits for the crew members of United Kingdom registered fishing vessels over 10 m in overall length ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The practicability of immersion suits for fishermen has to be established before legislative measures for this provision can be introduced. Funds have been allocated for a research programme to investigate the use of immersion suits, other buoyancy aids and recovery devices.
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Canning Town (Railway)
27. Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account he will take of his visit to Canning Town in consideration of requests for investment in interchange facilities between the three electrified lines which will serve that area.
Mr. Freeman : I found my visit to Canning Town on2 January very helpful in understanding the debate over the design of the new station there. Having heard what was said by the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) and others on that and later occasions, I remain content that the design proposed by the Underground is both reasonable and adequate.
The Gulf (Pollution)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer, Official Report, 15 April, column 1, what progress he is making with contracts to Alba International Ltd. of Aberdeen for clean-up operations ; and what discussions he has had with Bechtel.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government are not involved in the Gulf clean- up contracts to which the hon. Member refers--they are between the International Maritime Organisation and the company.
A1 Experimental Red Route
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the Transport and Road Research Laboratory report on the A1 experimental red route ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The findings from the preliminary monitoring done by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory on the operation of the red route were published on 28 May. A copy of the press notice was sent to all Members with a constituency interest and copies has been placed in the Library. In summary, the findings were as follows. Journey times have reduced, up to 30 per cent. between the peaks, and are now 40 per cent. more reliable. Bus journeys are significantly more reliable. The number of vehicles using the route has gone up slightly. Callers had increased at some 60 per cent. of businesses monitored, although at 20 per cent. the number of callers had gone down by more than 10 per cent.
Further monitoring will take place throughout 1991.
Road Hazards (Warning System)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to introduce a system of road hazard awareness similar to that in Germany in respect of use by drivers of hazard warning lights and lane discipline.
Mr. Chope : The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 have extended the use of hazard warning lights by allowing drivers on motorways and 70 mph dual carriageways to warn following drivers that they are slowing down because of a temporary obstruction ahead. The law in Germany is similar to that in this country.
M20
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether, when the line of the widening of the M20 between junctions 3 and 5 is published, those of the
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dwellings that have been acquired by his Department in connection with this widening scheme will be resold to individual home-owners as quickly as possible where they are situated outside the line of the scheme ;(2) when the dwellings that have been acquired by his Department in connection with the widening of the M20 between junctions 3 and 5 will be resold to individual home owners.
Mr. Chope : Dwellings that are clearly surplus to requirements will be released for sale as soon as the preferred scheme has been announced. Where there is some doubt, the properties will be retained until all the necessary statutory procedures have been completed. In both cases, the dwellings will be released subject to the expiry of any tenancies then in force.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what form of tenure, conferring what degree of security of tenure, the dwellings in his Department's ownership between junctions 3 and 5 of the M20 are currently being occupied.
Mr. Chope : Dwellings are currently let on two-year fixed-term tenancies with vacant possession on expiration of the term, unless extended by agreement.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the line of the M20 widening scheme between junctions 3 and 5, and when he expects construction of this widening to start and to be completed.
Mr. Chope : I hope to make an announcement about the form of widening for the M20 motorway between junctions 3 and 5 in the summer. The programme thereafter will depend to a large extent on the public's reaction to the proposals and the need for statutory procedures, including any public inquiry. Recent experience of other widening schemes suggests that construction could start by 1995 with completion two years later.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many dwellings between junctions 3 and 5 of the M20 have now been acquired by his Department ; and how many more he expects will be acquired in connection with the widening scheme between junctions 3 and 5.
Mr. Chope : Between junctions 3 and 5 of the M20, 193 dwellings have been acquired by the Department. A further 89 are in the process of acquisition. I cannot forecast how many more properties may be acquired.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the dwellings that have been acquired by his Department between junctions 3 and 5 of the M20 are being managed by (a) the North British housing association, (b) the Tonbridge and Malling housing association and (c) others.
Mr. Chope : All the dwellings acquired between junctions 3 and 5 of the M20 are being managed by the North British housing association.
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Energy Efficiency
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give for each available year from 1978 the amount invested in improving the energy efficiency of his Department in (a) cash terms and (b) 1990-91 money terms.
Mr. McLoughlin : Investment by the Department of Transport in energy efficiency over the past two years is estimated to have been :
|Cash terms |1990-91
|money terms
|£ 000s |£ 000s
------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |250 |270
1990-91 |270 |270
Before 1989-90 the Property Services Agency was responsible for most investment in energy efficiency measures and separate figures for the Department of Transport are not available.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the number of energy audits carried out in his Department in the last five years and for each audit a statement of its main conclusions.
Mr. McLoughlin : The number of energy audits carried out in the Department of Transport were :
|Number
----------------------
1986-87 |1
1987-88 |7
1988-89 |4
1989-90 |1
1990-91 |2
In each case a variety of measures to produce energy savings were recommended and have been or are being implemented.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the number of dedicated energy managers in his Department and the number of person-years devoted to energy management in the last year.
Mr. McLoughlin : In 1990-91 the Department devoted approximately three person-years to energy management. This included the time of a dedicated energy manager.
M11 Link Road
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the application of the European Community directive on environmental impact assessments to the proposed M11 link road and the east London river crossing ; with what result ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The European Commission wrote to the Government some time ago after receiving complaints alleging that environmental assessments under Community law should have been produced for both schemes. The Department answered these allegations in written responses to the Commission. The last correspondence with the Commission was in August 1990 and the Department has received no indication from it that it is about to reopen the matter.
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Railway Passenger Coaches
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to encourage the introduction of privately owned passenger coaches to supplement those of British Rail.
Mr. Freeman : We have set the British Railways Board the objective of increasing the involvement of the private sector, and there are already a number of privately owned coaches operating on British Rail track. Our ultimate goal is, of course, the privatisation of British Rail.
Glasgow Airport
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has concerning noise abatement measures in areas in the direct flight path of Glasgow airport ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : BAA is responsible for noise abatement measures at Glasgow airport. A number of such measures are in force including night restrictions and noise preferential departure routes. A noise monitoring system has been installed. These measures are similar to those at other major UK airports.
Hazardous Chemicals (Shipment)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out all regulations in place to cover the shipment of toxic and hazardous chemicals, including wastes in the English, Irish and Bristol channels.
Mr. McLoughlin [pursuant to his answer, 14 May 1991, col. 113] : The regulations covering the shipment of toxic and hazardous chemicals by sea are as follows :
The Merchant Shipping (Tankers) (EEC Requirements) Regulations 1981
The Merchant Shipping (Tankers) (EEC Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations 1982
The Merchant Shipping (Gas Carriers) Regulations 1986
The Merchant Shipping (IBC Code) Regulations 1987
The Merchant Shipping (BCH Code) Regulations 1987
The Merchant Shipping (IBC Code) (Amendment) Regulations 1990 The Merchant Shipping (BCH Code) (Amendment) Regulations 1990 MP and MS (Dangerous Goods and Marine Pollutants) Regulations 1990 The Merchant Shipping (Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk) Regulations 1987
The Merchant Shipping (Reporting of Pollution Incidents) Regulations 1987
HEALTH
Strokes and Heart Attacks
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will show separately for men and women the numbers of (a) heart attack cases and (b) stroke cases treated by the national health service in each of the last five years for which figures are available ; and if he will estimate the cost to the national health service of treating these patients.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information on the numbers of cases treated in NHS hospitals with a main diagnosis of heart attack or stroke are given in the tables.
Financial returns of health authorities do not identify costs of specific treatments and operative procedures.
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Estimated number of men and women where principal diagnosis is ICD410 Acute Myocardial infarction, NHS Hospitals England 1983-85, 1988-89 and 1989-90 Year |Males |Females -------------------------------- 1983 |66,084 |36,029 1984 |67,339 |38,249 1985 |70,613 |39,811 1988-89 |72,730 |42,545 1989-90 |71,019 |42,303 Source: 1983 to 1985 Hospital In Patient Inquiry 1988-89 onwards Hospital Episode Statistics. Note: Data from 1988-89 is provisional, based on incomplete data and may be subject to future revision.
Estimated number of men and women where principal diagnosis is ICD436 Acute but ill defined cerebrovascular disease, NHS Hospitals England 1983-85, 1988-89 and 1989-90 Year |Males |Females -------------------------------- 1983 |30,168 |35,885 1984 |30,879 |36,748 1985 |33,021 |40,791 1988-89 |33,125 |39,742 1989-90 |34,095 |41,270 Source: 1983 to 1985 Hospital In Patient Inquiry, 1988-89 onwards Hospital Episode Statistics. Data compiled by SM12A. Note: Data from 1988-89 is provisional, based on incomplete data and may be subject to future revision.
Cardiac Resuscitation
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has issued to district general hospitals and independent hospital trusts about the need for training in cardiac resuscitation.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This is a matter for local clinical management.
Census
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are applied to the appointment of temporary staff for the census.
Mr. Dorrell : Temporary staff employed on 1991 census work fall into two main categories : staff employed locally throughout Great Britain on the data collection operation, and staff employed in two central processing centres.
The temporary data collection staff are employed in a part-time capacity for periods ranging from a few weeks to 11 months. There are four different levels, census area managers, census officers, assistant census officers, and enumerators. The following main criteria were applied in selecting temporary data collection staff : Census area manager
Proven record of managing a large work force.
Census officer
Ability to manage a team of about 50 people.
Assistant census officer
Ability to supervise a team of up to 17 people.
Enumerator
Ability to apply detailed instructions and communicate with the public.
The temporary staff in the processing centres are employed in a full-time capacity for periods ranging from eight to 18 months. Most of the posts are for clerical or data processing staff. The following main criteria were applied in selection of temporary staff at the processing centres :
Ability to assimilate detailed written instructions quickly Ability to work quickly and accurately
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