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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 22 July 1991
TRANSPORT
Toy Rockets
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the possible threat to aircraft from toy rockets now on sale in the United Kingdom.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am advised by the Civil Aviation Authority that as aircraft structures are certificated to withstand the impact of birds weighing far more than these toy rockets, they believe that such rockets do not pose a major hazard to aircraft. Nevertheless, the CAA is examining amendments to the Air Navigation Order which would place restrictions on the use of such toys in close proximity to aerodromes. Currently under the provisions of the Air Navigation Order it is an offence for anyone recklessly or negligently to hazard an aircraft and the use of such rockets in such a manner constitutes an offence.
Railway Station Design
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what modifications have been made to the design of main rail stations since the terrorist bomb outrage at Victoria station ;
(2) if he will meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss the improvement of the design of major stations in order to make them less dangerous in the event of a terrorist attack.
Mr. Freeman : My right hon. and learned Friend meets the chairman regularly to discuss a range of railway matters. British Rail attaches high priority to security and safety and has undertaken a further review of security at stations since the bomb explosion at Victoria. It would not be in the public interest to disclose details of the further measures that BR has put in hand.
Road Accidents, Tower Hamlets
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list annual figures for road accidents in Tower Hamlets for each year since 1979.
Mr. Chope : The statistics available cover road accidents involving personal injury reported to the police. The table shows the number of such accidents each year in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, classified by severity of accident.
Accidents involving injury, by severity:
London Borough of Tower
Hamlets: 1979 to 1989
Number
Year Severity
|Fatal |Serious|Slight
----------------------------------------
1979 |14 |217 |984
1980 |14 |176 |950
1981 |13 |136 |975
1982 |16 |166 |1,162
1983 |20 |146 |1,021
1984 |19 |162 |1,078
1985 |8 |235 |895
1986 |16 |244 |978
1987 |9 |210 |936
1988 |14 |223 |974
1989 |12 |269 |1,032
LT Tendering Bus Unit
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what rules the LT's tendered bus unit operates ; who are the members ; and by whom they were appointed.
Mr. Freeman : The tendered bus division is a management unit of London Transport, staffed by LT employees. It is answerable to, and operates under the rules approved by, the LT board.
Recovery Services
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the minimum standards of equipment and personnel training for recovery services used in contra-flow situations.
Mr. Chope : The minimum standards of equipment and personnel training for recovery services at trunk road and motorway roadworks sites are those recommended by the Association of Vehicle Recovery Operators. These standards are currently being reviewed jointly by the Department, AVRO and the Road Rescue Recovery Association.
Slough-Windsor Railway Line
Mr. Watts : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, when he next meets the chairman of British Rail, he will discuss the scope for further development of the Slough-Windsor line ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail currently runs a well-used shuttle service between Slough and Windsor for both commuters and tourists. The introduction of new turbo rolling stock next year will being an even better quality of service.
I understand that BR is also investigating the potential for further developing tourist services in co-operation with the private sector. In the short term, and with some infrastructure development, there may be opportunities for occasional visiting steam trains to run into Windsor. Looking further ahead, it might be possible to develop a park-and-ride service which would help to relieve traffic congestion in Windsor. This would require a major new road scheme as well as more extensive rail infrastructure, including laying a second track, to cater for a greater frequency of service. The additional services could be provided by BR or as a joint venture with a private sector operator. In both cases it would be for the private sector to finance the necessary infrastructure work.
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Luton-Dunstable Rail Service
Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, when he next meets the chairman of British Rail, he will discuss the scope for the private sector operating a rail service between Luton and Dunstable ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I should like to encourage any private sector firm with a commercial proposition for running a public transport service over the route of the redundant freight line between Luton and Dunstable--for a rail service making use of the existing track, or an alternative proposal making use of the track bed--to approach BR. Any proposal would have to be fully self-financing, should not interfere with existing BR services and must, of course, be consistent with safe operation. I know that BR will treat any sensible approach seriously and will seek to co-operate fully. Indeed, BR is already co-operating with Luton and District Bus Company, which is investigating the scope for converting the track bed into a dedicated bus way. I must stress that approaches should not impose any cost burden on BR, or divert BR resources from other urgent tasks, such as the major resignalling programme.
If no commercial proposals for a rail service are forthcoming, BR plans to recover materials from the Luton-Dunstable branch for re-use elsewhere on the network. Proposals should therefore be submitted to BR no later than the end of September 1991.
National Bus Company (Accounts)
Mr. Forman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the National Bus Company's final set of accounts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The company's final report and accounts, covering the period from 1 April 1990 to 1 April 1991, have now been prepared and audited in accordance with the provisions of the National Bus Company (Dissolution) Order 1991.
These show that the surplus from the sale of National Bus Company now stands at over £168 million, of which £46 million arose from the sale of the subsidiaries and £122 million from the surplus on the pension funds. In cash terms the Exchequer has received much more. The original capital debt and later long-term loans amounting to some £96 million were repaid together with interest and early redemption penalty of nearly £31 million. Inland Revenue will in total receive £91 million by way of tax on the pension surplus, capital gains and depreciatory transactions. In total this successful privatisation of the National Bus Company has released £386 million to the Exchequer. A copy of the accounts has been deposited in the Library of the House.
A Bus Strategy for London"
Mr. Forman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will announce the Government's conclusions following the recent consultation on "A Bus Strategy for London".
Mr. Rifkind : The Government published "A Bus Strategy for London" on 11 March. It asked for comments to be sent in by 7 May. To date, 205 responses have been received. The Government expect to receive further
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comments in the coming weeks and months, but conclude that it would be appropriate to make a statement, at this stage, setting out preliminary conclusions on some of the key issues raised in the consultation exercise. Most of those who responded shared the Government's assessment that buses are likely to have an increasing part to play in meeting London's transport needs. There is widespread agreement that promoting the use of buses is a desirable and important policy goal. Although the consultation exercise showed a marked divergence of view about how this goal should be achieved, there was very little disagreement that the goal was the right one. The Government believe that deregulation will bring greater freedom of choice to both bus operator and passenger. Operators will have an incentive to provide the services the public wants. The operating environment will ensure that no one operator has an unfair advantage over another. The passenger will benefit from an increased number and variety of services. And there will be safeguards to ensure the provision of socially necessary services, and of adequate bus facilities. The Government's policy remains, as it has been since the Transport Act 1985 was introduced into Parliament, that the London bus market should be deregulated and privatised as soon as possible. Although a proportion of respondents commented unfavourably on this policy, no new or persuasive arguments against deregulation emerged during the consultation exercise. The Government are not persuaded by the argument that bus operators will target their services on a few key profitable routes in central London. The assumption that central London routes are the most profitable is not necessarily true : although revenue returns are higher in central London, so are cost levels. In fact, this criticism bears no relation to the actual plans of bus operators. As for the related argument that some less central areas will be left with few or no bus services, the bus authority will be charged with providing services which it judges to be socially necessary but which the commercial network has not provided. This will ensure an adequate Londonwide network of buses. Most of the responses received addressed the question what sort of body should be constituted as the bus authority for London. One option was to establish a passenger transport authority for London, whose responsibilities would cover bus, underground and rail services. The Government have already made it clear that they consider that it is not appropriate for nationalised industries such as BR and LT to be under local authority control. Moreover, the Government do not want London Transport to be distracted from the major challenges facing it in relation to London Underground and Docklands light railway. They have therefore ruled out this option. Of the other options discussed in the consultation paper, there was considerable support for vesting the responsibilities with London Transport, which has done so much already to improve the quality of service provided by buses in London. There was some support for creating a bus-only PTA or a new governmental agency to take on this role, but very little support for vesting responsibility in the individual London boroughs. In this matter, the Government have given particular weight to the views of bus operators, who expressed serious reservations about asking London Transport to take on this role. It was felt that an independent body, not distracted by the major challenges which LondonColumn 333
Transport faces in expanding and renewing London's underground system, would be better placed to promote the provision of bus services in London.The Government have decided, therefore, to create a London bus executive, with members appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport, which will concentrate exclusively on bus-related issues. The London bus executive will be responsible, in particular, for securing the provision of bus services on socially necessary but uneconomic routes. In discharging this responsibility, it will work closely with the London boroughs. It will also be responsible for ensuring the adequate provision of bus stops, shelters, stands and stations. And it will ensure that any gaps in the passenger information provided by bus operators are plugged. It will be funded mainly by Government grant. London Transport will remain responsible for the London Buses Ltd. subsidiaries until privatisation. Their experience and expertise will enable them to play a key role in helping to provide a smooth transition to the new regime. Many respondents expressed concern about the future of concessionary travel in London. This concern was unfounded. The consultation paper made it clear that there is no question of deregulation or privatisation leading to the demise of concessionary travel in London. The Government's proposals on this matter are as follows. Responsibility for setting the terms of a Londonwide concessionary travel scheme will remain with the boroughs. They will be required to publish, by 31 December each year, the details of a scheme for the coming financial year and of the terms on which operators will be reimbursed for carrying holders of concessionary travel passes. If no new scheme is published, the previous year's travel concessions will automatically be rolled forward. The London boroughs will have the same discretion as local authorities elsewhere to vary the terms of their concessionary travel arrangements. However, they will continue to be required to operate a Londonwide concessionary travel scheme. Bus operators will have an automatic right to participate in any scheme in their area, and the boroughs will have a power to compel bus operators to participate in the Londonwide scheme. There will be provision for appeals on matters relating to participation in the scheme and the terms of reimbursement for doing so.
Concern was also expressed about the future of Travelcard in London. Experience elsewhere in the country suggests that commercially priced common-ticketing systems such as Travelcard fill a strongly felt market need, offering advantages to both operators and passengers. Travelcard schemes will be able to continue after deregulation. The Government will be working actively with operators in the coming months to encourage them to come up with their own proposals for such schemes after deregulation. It was therefore decided that it is neither necessary nor appropriate to legislate to secure the future of the present Travelcard scheme or to ensure that a suitable successor scheme is devised. The Government have also concluded, however, that it is appropriate to legislate to secure the right of operators to enter Travelcard schemes operating in London, thus helping safeguard the position of new, smaller operators wishing to enter the London bus market.
Some respondents criticised the absence of any reference in "A Bus Strategy for London" to the future of services, such as Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard, which are
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provided specifically for elderly and disabled people with serious mobility problems. The reason for not mentioning these services is that it was never the Government's intention that they should be affected in any way by the deregulation and privatisation plans. LT's disabled passenger unit will remain intact, and the specialised services which it is responsible for providing will be unaffected by the proposed legislation. In addition, the London bus executive will be given a duty to have regard to the need of elderly and disabled people in the discharge of its responsibilities.The Government looked again, in the light of comments received, at the question of the future of the London Regional Passengers Committee. The Government conclude that the LRPC should continue to deal only with questions relating to services provided by or on behalf of London Transport and British Rail. It will have no formal role in relation to bus issues. There is no other part of the United Kingdom where transport consumer bodies have such a statutory role. Open competition in a deregulated market is the best safeguard of consumer interests.
Many bus operators, including subsidiaries of London Buses Ltd., expressed concern about the timetable for deregulation and privatisation. There is no need for decisions on these points to be taken at this stage. However, the Government are sympathetic to the view that privatisation of the LBL subsidiaries should take place sooner, rather than later.
Many detailed comments were received on other issues and initiatives dealt with in the consultation paper. In particular, many responses made suggestions relating to the introduction of bus priority measures and to the powers of the traffic commissioner and highway authorities to deal with cases where the introduction of new bus services was found to aggravate congestion problems. The Government will be considering these points further in the months ahead. The Government will also want to have available to them the results of the research referred to in paragraphs 98 to 103 of the consultation paper, before taking final decisions on such matters. As indicated in "A Bus Strategy for London", primary legislation will be needed to give effect to a number of these proposals. The Government intend to legislate on these points as soon as possible in a new Parliament.
Statistics
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how international freight transport statistics into and out of the United Kingdom will be collected after the elimination of custom checks following the completion of the single market.
Mr. Chope : Statistics on international road transport in United Kingdom powered vehicles will continue to be prepared, to meet EC directive 78/546, by means of the Department's "international road haulage survey" of United Kingdom hauliers ; the contribution from other EC vehicles will also be available, from data collected by the country in which the vehicles are registered, to meet the same directive. International freight traffic statistics by rail will also continue to be available to meet EC directive 80/1177.
Information adequate for government use on the contribution made by unaccompanied trailers will be
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available from the Department's annual port traffic returns, completed by harbour authorities. This source also provides information on transport by sea of containers and non-unitised traffic.Information on international freight transport with non-EC countries will still be available from Customs sources after 1992.
Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the quality of transport statistics provided to the European Commission by his Department.
Mr. Chope : The Department is responsible for supplying a variety of statistics to the European Commission, directly and through the Statistical Office. The one area where I have not been satisfied with the quality of statistics supplied relates to international road haulage by United Kingdom hauliers. The survey concerned has now been made statutory and I am confident that these statistics will be of good quality in the future.
Nuclear Fuel Flask Accident
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he has received from (a) British Rail, (b) British Nuclear Fuels and (c) Cumbria county council of lessons learnt from the recently conducted exercise involving a spent nuclear fuel flask accident in Millom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Exercises to test the emergency procedures in the event of a fuel flask incident are held at regular intervals and the recent one at Millom was attended by a representative of my Department.
Control and administration of these exercises is a matter for the nuclear industry and I am satisfied that such exercises reflect, as far as possible, any likely scenario should a real incident occur.
Tree Planting
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation has been made of the cost-effectiveness for investment approval of a planting programme of evergreen trees at railway line sides to protect overhead wires in high winds.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that British Rail has conducted a preliminary technical evaluation on the planting of evergreen trees along track sides, and is now considering whether to undertake a fuller study.
Road Surfaces
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of trunk roads and motorways completed for his Department over the past three years have been finished in concrete and blacktop, respectively.
Mr. Chope : Of the 400 km of trunk roads and motorways which have been completed since 1 August 1988, about 10 per cent. have a concrete surface. The remaining 90 per cent. have a black-top surface, and of these a significant proportion use concrete within the construction.
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the European limits on carbon dioxide emissions ; and when he intends to introduce legislation to introduce stricter limits.
Mr. Chope : The European Community and member states are willing to take action aimed at stabilising the total carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000 at the 1990 level in the Community as a whole. This assumes that other countries make similar commitments and acknowledges individual member states' own targets. The Environment White Paper published last year set out a first tranche of measures to control United Kingdom carbon dioxide emissions. The Government will publish a report in the autumn showing how our efforts are being put into practice.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those such monitoring.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and other measures and through specific programmes of support and assistance.
The Department of Transport's policies and performance indicators are published annually in the departmental report (Cm. 1507). Businesses both small and large benefit from the Department's encouragement of a fair and competitive market for transport services, from investment in transport infrastructure which helps to reduce congestion saving both time and money, and from the lifting of burdens caused by unnecessary regulation. Departmental procurement procedures also encourage the use of small firms.
Gibraltar Airport
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 8 July, Official Report, column 294, what are the reasons for Gibraltar airport not benefiting from the European Community liberalisation packages until the Gibraltar airport agreement is implemented.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Community noted that arrangements concerning the use of Gibraltar airport had yet to come into effect and decided that the liberalisation measures should not apply to Gibraltar until the Gibraltar airport agreement, relating to such arrangements, had been implemented. This temporary suspension will be lifted as soon as the agreement is implemented.
London Transport
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the real fares index for (a) London Transport bus services and (b) London Transport bus and underground combined in each year since 1971, using 1971 = 100.
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Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table.
London Transport real fares indices: 1971-1990
1971=100
Year |London |London
|Transport bus|Transport bus
|services |and
|underground
|services
--------------------------------------------------------
1971 |100 |100
1972 |104 |106
1973 |96 |99
1974 |83 |86
1975 |82 |89
1976 |100 |100
1977 |103 |113
1978 |109 |119
1979 |109 |119
1980 |128 |138
1981 |122 |127
1982 |139 |153
1983 |136 |137
1984 |118 |119
1985 |122 |122
1986 |126 |125
1987 |125 |125
1988 |131 |131
1989 |136 |136
1990 |135 |136
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger miles were travelled by London Transport buses, including tendered routes, in each year since 1971.
Mr. Freeman : The figures are as follows :
Year |Passenger
|Miles
------------------------------
1971 |2,907
1972 |2,856
1973 |2,958
1974 |3,061
1975 |3,039
1976 |2,980
1977 |2,919
1978 |2,819
1979 |2,690
1980 |2,578
1981 |2,511
1982 |2,330
1983 |2,440
1984 |2,587
1985 |2,562
1986 |2,698
1987 |2,786
1988 |2,769
1989 |2,728
1990 |2,713
Vehicle Licences
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) public service vehicles are licensed under the operators' licences requirements.
Mr. Chope : The latest information is that there are 453,139 heavy goods vehicles and 72,900 public service vehicles licensed under the operator licensing system.
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Urban Development Corporations
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers and responsibilities he exercises in relation to roads promoted by urban development corporations.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. and learned Friend has no direct responsibility for roads which are constructed under the urban development corporations' own planning powers rather than by a highway authority under the Highways Act 1980. He may, however, be required to confirm certain local authority orders relating to such roads if they are adopted as highways.
Lighthouses
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has on what has been the change in the average weekly number of employees employed at the head office of each of (a) Trinity house, (b) the commissioners of northern lighthouses and (c) the commissioners of Irish lights between 1985-86 and 1989-90 ; (2) what information he has on what has been the change in the average weekly number of employees of (a) Trinity house, (b) the commissioners of the northern lighthouses and (c) the commissioners of Irish lights employed at manned lighthouses between 1985-86 and 1989-90.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 19 July 1991] : The following is the information requested :
|Head |Lightkeepers
|office
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Trinity House:
1985-86 |181 |216
1989-90 |<1>30 |145
Northern Lighthouse Board:
1985-86 |88 |223
1989-90 |80 |156
Commissioners of Irish Lights:
1985-86 |91 |202
1989-90 |73 |107
<1> Following amalgamation of some former head office functions
with functions already located at outstations.
Bus and Coach Accidents
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list, for each of the last 10 years, the number of road traffic accidents involving buses and coaches by the age of the bus or coach involved.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 19 July 1991] : The information requested is as follows.
The statistics available cover road accidents involving personal injury reported to the police. The table shows the number of such accidents involving buses or coaches in Great Britain each year.
Bus and coach accidents involving injury, Great Britain: 1980 to 1989 Year |Accidents ------------------------------ 1980 |13,613 1981 |12,915 1982 |12,738 1983 |12,618 1984 |12,647 1985 |12,313 1986 |11,988 1987 |11,603 1988 |11,898 1989 |12,499 Source: Road Accidents Great Britain, HMSO.
The following table shows the number of buses and coaches involved in these accidents, by vehicle age group.
Buses and coaches in injury accidents, by vehicle age group,
Great Britain: 1980 to 1989
Vehicle age (years)<1>
Year |0 to 4 |5 to 9 |10 to 14|15 or |Unknown
|more
---------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |5,204 |3,477 |1,802 |637 |2,694
1981 |4,831 |3,498 |1,417 |662 |2,675
1982 |4,942 |3,639 |1,352 |891 |2,087
1983 |4,634 |3,576 |1,385 |1,045 |2,123
1984 |4,304 |3,854 |1,531 |1,078 |2,035
1985 |3,835 |4,233 |1,634 |1,295 |1,471
1986 |3,421 |4,203 |1,721 |1,028 |1,764
1987 |3,211 |3,896 |2,143 |929 |1,587
1988 |3,199 |3,861 |2,594 |958 |1,474
1989 |3,367 |3,792 |3,011 |1,125 |1,416
<1> Approximate. Based on prefix/suffix letter of registration
mark.
ENERGY
Electrical Appliances
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what progress the Government have made in encouraging the European Community to set minimum efficiency standards for certain categories of domestic and industrial appliances which vary widely in their use of energy since September 1990 ;
(2) since his answer to the hon. Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) of 25 February, Official Report, column 343, what progress has been made towards introducing a scheme for labelling electrical appliances with information about their energy efficiency.
Mr. Wakeham : The Government have encouraged and participated in the Commission's development of a proposal for a framework directive on mandatory appliance labelling, which is expected to be submitted to the Council in the near future. We are exploring with retailers and manufacturers the possibilities for an interim voluntary scheme which would enable the early introduction of labelling in the United Kingdom.
Agreement on energy efficiency labelling is an essential first step towards the successful introduction of minimum standards for appliances, and we support the Commission's intention to establish minimum energy performance levels, in the first instance by negotiating voluntary agreements with manufacturers.
Combined Heat and Power
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what action he has taken since September 1990 to promote the wider use of combined heat and power.
Mr. Wakeham : Earlier this year my Department successfully completed the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Great Britain, thereby enhancing the
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market opportunities for independent power projects, including combined heat and power. The Energy Efficiency Office continues actively to promote CHP through its best practice programme. It also works closely with the Combined Heat and Power Association and has recently collaborated with it on the power plus initiative.Energy Efficiency
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what new initiatives have been taken since September 1990 to encourage people to use energy more efficiently ; and what further action the Government intend to take in the longer term.
Mr. Wakeham : The Energy Efficiency Office, whose budget for 1991-92 has been increased to £42 million, has pursued a number of initiatives since the publication of the White Paper on the environment in September 1990. These initiatives include : establishment of the ministerial group on energy efficiency, under my chairmanship, which aims to promote awareness of and raise the profile of energy efficiency and monitor the effectiveness of the Government's energy efficiency programmes :
introduction on 1 January 1991 of the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme, which offers grants towards the cost of insulation measures in low income households ;
increased resources for the Best Practice programme, which continues to offer independent and authoritative advice and information on energy efficiency ;
reorganisation and strengthening of the EEO's regional energy efficiency office ;
encouragement for manufacturers and retailers in their current promotion of high efficiency lamps, which have already achieved substantial increases in take-up ; and
participation, in conjunction with other Departments, in a programme of some 80 seminars for public and private sector organisations ;
Further initiatives already announced, and on which work continues, include :
a major new three-year publicity campaign, conducted jointly with the Department of the Environment, has been announced and will begin this autumn. It is aimed at promoting energy efficiency in the home and explaining the impact of energy use on the environment ; a new promotional campaign aimed at the senior management of top energy users in the UK with headquarters in London and operational sites throughout the country ; and
further progress with the campaign on the Government estate. Continuing support is also being given to the promotion of home energy labelling and the development of a voluntary scheme for appliance labelling in advance of mandatory proposals from the EC. I will be publishing in the autumn a report on the achievements of the ministerial group during the first 12 months of operation.
British Coal (Capital Investment)
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make a statement on the action taken in response to the recommendations concerning British Coal's business planning in the 1989 report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the corporation's capital investment programme.
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Mr. Wakeham : On 19 July 1990, at columns 702-4, I informed the House that the British Coal Corporation had provided a second response to the MMC report on the corporation's capital investment programme, and that a copy had been placed in the Library of the House. Although the normal arrangements for following up MMC recommendations arising from section 11 inquiries do not require a further response from British Coal until 1992, I said that I would ask for an additional report this year on the steps taken to strengthen its business planning. British Coal has provided this, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Since British Coal last reported I have appointed Mr. Neil Clarke as chairman of the corporation in succession to Lord Haslam, and he has carried out, with my support, a restructuring of the board. I very much welcome Mr. Clarke's decision to charge a director, Dr. Moses, with the specific responsibility of developing and co-ordinating the corporation's strategic planning, and I am confident that this will satisfy many of the concerns expressed by the MMC. I believe that these and other arrangements put in place by the board will enable British Coal to meet the challenges of the future with confidence.British Coal will be submitting a final report to me next year on its implementation of all the MMC's recommendations. I shall inform the House when this further report has been made.
UKAEA (Financial Target)
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what financial target has been set for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for 1991 -92.
Mr. Wakeham : The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's financial target for 1991-92 will be 6.8 per cent. return on net assets on a current cost basis.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
Mr. Wakeham : The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and other measures, and through specific programmes of support and assistance.
In developing and implementing my Department's policies, full account is taken of the needs of small businesses. They have benefited from measures to encourage competition and stimulate energy efficiency.
Following the raising of the licensing limits in the Coal Industry Act 1990 there has been an increase in the number of
licensed--non-British Coal--opencast sites from 141 to 157 in the 12 months to March 1991, and an increase in the average size from 39,000 tonnes to 68,000 tonnes. The Government have continued to make available funding for British Coal Enterprise Ltd., resulting in a cumulative total of over 70,000 job opportunities, many of which are in small businesses, in 3,184 individual projects--this compares with 61,000 and 2,865 respectively in 1990.
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In August 1990, the Department's Offshore Supplies Office launched a one-year scheme to give support of up to 75 per cent. of costs for preliminary research and feasibility studies by small companies aimed at developing new technologies applicable to oil and gas drilling and production.The new regime for the electricity supply industry is having the effect of opening up the supply of electricity to competition, is giving small businesses a choice of electricity supplier, and is putting downward pressure on the prices they pay.
The Department continues to encourage the use of small firms for departmental purchases of goods and services where this is consistent with obtaining value for money. About 47 per cent. of purchases have been from them in 1990-91, compared with 43 per cent. in 1989-90 and 38 per cent. in 1988-89.
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