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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 11 February 1992
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
House Repossessions
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the number of court orders for house repossession in the area covering the Crewe and Nantwich constituency for the years 1979-80, 1990-91 and 1991-92.
The Attorney-General : The Crewe and Nantwich constituency is covered by Crewe county court. The figures for the number of orders made on mortgage possession actions for the year 1979-80 are not available. The table shows the number of actions entered and orders made in Crewe county court for the years 1990-91 and the first three quarters of 1991-92. These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts as not all the orders made will have resulted in the execution of warrants of possession. At this stage the 1991-92 figures are provisional and therefore liable to revision in the future.
Mortgage possession actions at Crewe county court
|Actions|Orders
|entered|made
------------------------------------------------------
April 1990 to March 1991 |290 |175
January 1991 to December 1991 |325 |206
Mr. Allen : To ask the Attorney-General how many mortgage repossession orders have been granted by the courts covering the city of Nottingham in each year since 1978.
The Attorney-General : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale) on 6 February 1992 at column 248 .
Derek Bentley
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Attorney-General what action the Lord Chancellor has taken in respect of papers relating to the case of Derek Bentley ; and if he will make a statement on his policy regarding making the papers available to the public.
The Attorney-General : The Metropolitan police file on the Bentley case held by the Public Record Office is closed for 75 years under a Lord Chancellor's instrument, made under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. Two excerpts from the Home Office file are likewise closed for 75 years ; the file as a whole will not be 30 years old until 1996. The court file is awaiting transfer to the Public Record Office and will be open to inspection on transfer. Questions of access to records which are subject to extended closure under the Public Records Act, or which are not yet 30 years old, are the responsibility of the originating department.
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TRANSPORT
Departmental Correspondence
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington can expect a response from the Minister for Roads and Traffic to his letter of 29 September 1991, requesting a reply to the deputation he received from Shrewley parish council.
Mr. Chope : I have written to my hon. Friend.
Driving Tests, Portsmouth
Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average waiting time for a driving test in Portsmouth.
Mr. Chope : I am asking the chief executive of the Driving Standards Agency to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Drivers (Eyesight)
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures are being taken to ensure that motorists meet the Department's eyesight requirements.
Mr. Chope : All drivers are required to pass the statutory number plate eyesight test at the start of their driving test. They are required to meet this standard at all times when driving. Drivers aged 70 or over are required to renew their driving licences at regular intervals, and at each renewal to certify that they meet the eyesight standard. The police have powers to stop and test drivers whom they believe have defective eyesight. There are about 300 prosecutions for eyesight offences each year.
Roads (Leicester) Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated total cost of (i) the A46/A47 link road and (ii) the Leicester eastern district distributor road.
Mr. Chope : Both these schemes are the responsibility of the local highway authority, Leicestershire county council.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received a copy of the kenwood proposals for the Leicester eastern bypass ; and if he will instruct the Department's consultants to discuss the kenwood proposals with interested parties.
Mr. Chope : Proposals for an eastern bypass of Leicester were received from a Mr. Henwood in 1987. We have no plans to discuss them with other parties.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he first received representations regarding the Leicester eastern bypass ; what are the expected dates for (a) the start and (b) completion of the Leicester eastern bypass ; and what is the total estimated cost of the Leicester eastern bypass.
Mr. Chope : The first correspondence about Leicester eastern bypass following the inclusion of the scheme in the national roads programme was received in summer 1989. Subject to the identification of a viable scheme, the availability of funds and the satisfactory completion of
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statutory procedures, work could start around the turn of the century and would take about two years to complete. The estimated cost of the scheme is £45 million.Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions (a) officials and (b) Ministers from his Department visited Leicester to acquaint themselves with the environmental problems associated with roads in the city.
Mr. Chope : It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate costs, to determine how many officials have visited Leicester to examine traffic-related environmental problems although officials do visit the city on a regular basis. I chaired the East Midlands regional annual consultative committee in Leicester on 17 December last year.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an independent survey of the traffic flows of eastern Leicester, relating to both the eastern distributor road and the Leicester eastern bypass.
Mr. Chope : The Department is already assessing traffic flows in connection with its Leicester eastern bypass scheme. This assessment will take account of the effect of other road proposals in the area.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Leicester western bypass was first proposed ; in which years consultation and design took place ; and what was the estimated cost of the bypass.
Mr. Chope : The Leicester western bypass was added to the national roads programme in 1976. Public consultation took place in 1978 and 1979. Design of the scheme has been a continuous process up to the invitation of construction tenders last month. The scheme is currently estimated to cost £87 million.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the present traffic flow on the distributor road network in Leicester.
Mr. Chope : The distributor road network in Leicester is the responsibility of the local highway authority, Leicestershire county council.
Data Information Systems
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what data information systems his Department has (a) agreed and (b) been consulted about with a view to taking part in ; what are the criteria for inclusion in such systems ; whether they will be linked to (i) the police national computer and (ii) other computer systems ; what data protection provisions apply to them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : My Department has only three data systems with external links or commitments to supply information to which data protection provisions also apply. They are :
the register of drivers and vehicles maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, from which information is currently supplied to the police for law enforcement in accordance with existing registrations under the Data Protection Act 1984 ; the traffic commissioners record of licensed goods operators, to which the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the
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Vehicle Inspectorate Agency and the Customs and Excise drugs intelligence unit have access for law enforcement and road safety purposes in accordance with existing registrations under the Data Protection Act 1984 ;the record of licensed public service vehicle operators currently under development which will operate under identical data protection registrations as that for goods vehicle operators.
In addition the traffic commissioners have access to the vehicle inspectorate's roadworthiness and enforcement database for road safety and law enforcement purposes.
The Department periodically reviews both the scope of and the means by which protected data is transferred to other agencies. The purpose for any external data request is considered carefully and the Data Protection Registrar would be consulted before any change in registration purposes implemented.
DVLC (Vehicle Registrations)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) vehicles in total were registered with the DVLC in each year since 1980 ; how many (i) motor cars and (ii) heavy goods vehicles are currently registered for addresses in the east midlands region ; and what is his estimate for the total number of (1) motor cars and (2) heavy goods vehicles in Great Britain.
Mr. Chope : The information requested is as follows :
Thousands
Year |Heavy Goods |Total Vehicles
|Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |475 |19,200
1981 |451 |19,347
1982 |436 |19,762
1983 |436 |20,209
1984 |437 |20,765
1985 |432 |21,157
1986 |435 |21,699
1987 |444 |22,152
1988 |462 |23,202
1989 |478 |24,196
1990 |460 |24,673
East Midlands Region: 1990
Thousands
Motor Cars |Heavy Goods
|Vehicles
------------------------------------
1,403 |37
It is forecast that the number of vehicles of body type car in Great Britain in 2000 will be in the range of 24 to 26 million. My Department does not forecast the number of heavy goods vehicles, but it forecasts that HGV traffic in 2000 will be 15 to 27 per cent. higher than in 1990.
Seat Belts
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 632, what steps he has taken to obtain the agreement of the European Community to compulsory three point belts for rear centre seating on all saloon motor vehicles.
Mr. Chope : Negotiations are still continuing in the European Community on dates for the fitment of three
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point belts for rear outer seats in new cars. Requiring three point belts in rear centre seats would be technically complex, would take time to develop and, would be unlikely to secure agreement. The quickest and most effective way forward is for manufacturers voluntarily to introduce three point belts for rear centre seats wherever technically possible.Transport Supplementary Credit Approvals
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the amount of transport supplementary credit approvals (a) applied for and (b) granted to Leicestershire county council in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Chope : Supplementary credit approvals were first introduced in the 1990-91 transport supplementary grant settlement. The figures are :
|Bid |Granted
|£ million|£ million
----------------------------------------
1990-91 |0 |0.081
1991-92 |0 |0.944
1992-93 |1.163 |1.312
Travers Morgan
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the contracts let by his Department to Travers Morgan since 1979.
Mr. Chope : This information is available only at disproportionate cost.
New Roads
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the considerations taken into account when proposing new roads.
Mr. Chope : The Government's objectives, as set out in the 1989 White Paper "Roads for Prosperity" are :
to assist economic growth by reducing transport costs ; to improve the environment by removing through traffic from unsuitable roads in towns and villages ;
to enhance road safety.
Taxi Drivers
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what appeal procedure is available to a taxi driver who is considered not to be a fit and proper person to hold a taxi licence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Any person who is aggrieved at the decision of a licensing authority to refuse, suspend or revoke a hackney carriage (taxi) driver licence for any reason has a right of appeal as follows :
In London
The appeal should be made under section 17 of the Transport Act 1985 to either the licensing authority (the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis) for reconsideration ; or to a magistrates' court.
An unsuccessful appeal to the assistant commissioner does not preclude an appeal to a Magistrates' court.
Outside London
In the case of councils who license under Part II of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 the appeal should be made to the magistrates court under section 59 of that Act. For councils who have not adopted the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and only license under
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the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, appeals should be made to the crown Court under Section 7(1)(a) of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1890.Any appeal to a court must be within 21 days of the licensing authority's decision.
As far as I am aware in general this system works satisfactorily.
London Taxis (Wheelchairs)
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he is giving to ending the requirements that each new London taxi is accessible to wheelchair users and that by 2000 all London taxis will be accessible.
The requirement of wheelchair access to London taxis was introduced at the instigation of the Department of Transport after extensive research. The availability of such taxis is already making a major contribution to the independent mobility of large numbers of disabled people.
A6
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his intention that the A6 should become a strategic alternative to the M1 motorway.
Mr. Chope : The A6 is already a strategic route within the national network of trunk roads.
Speed Limits
Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce speed limits of 20 mph in areas immediately adjacent to schools.
Mr. Chope : The Road Traffic Act 1991 makes provision for variable speed limits. My Department will be mounting trials involving the setting of 20 mph speed limits outside schools at the times when children are arriving or leaving. These trials will provide a basis for guidance to local authorities on the establishment of such limits.
Grant Projects
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will list the projects receiving transport support grant in Darlington since 1979, together with the amounts concerned.
Mr. Chope : Since 1979 three schemes have received transport supplementary grant in Darlington district. They are :
:
|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------
A6072
Heighington Bypass |1.8
A67
Teesside Link and Airport Access |6.3
A68
Darlington Cross Town Route Stage 1 |5.7
The Heighington bypass was completed in 1983 and the Teesside link is now under construction.
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Bus Use (London)
Mr. Wiggin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress on the allocation of resources for measures to promote bus use in London.
Mr. Freeman : I am pleased to announce the allocation of £500,000 of supplementary credit approvals in 1992-93 for bus priority measures in the boroughs of Haringey, Newham, Camden and Ealing. Table 1 sets out the detailed allocations. Further resources are being held for possible allocation to other schemes in south and west London and Tower Hamlets when details have been considered in respect of firm proposals.
0 Table 1 Local authority supplementary credit approvals for bus priority measures in London 1992-93 London boroughs |£'000 ------------------------------------------------ Haringey |100 Newham |200 Camden |100 Ealing |100
Rail Electrification
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the percentage of their mainline railway networks which have been electrified for each country in the EC.
Mr. Freeman : UIC figures for the percentage of the mainline railway network electrified for each country are as follows :
|Per
|cent.
--------------------------------------
Belgium (SNCB) |65
Denmark (DSB) |10
France (SNCF) |36
Germany (DR/DB) |38
Great Britain (BR) |27
Greece (CH) |0
Holland (NS) |69
Italy (FS) |59
Luxembourg (CFL) |72
Portugal (CP) |15
Republic of Ireland (CIE) |2
Spain (RENFE) |51
Source:-UIC International Railway
Statistics 1989.
Norsea
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the prototype launching gear involved in the accident on the Norsea ; when this launching gear was fitted ; whether similar launching gear is fitted on any other vessel ; and when the marine accident investigations branch inquiry will be completed.
Mr. McLoughlin : These matters will be addressed during the investigation being carried out by the marine accident investigation branch. It is far too early to say when the comprehensive investigation into this accident will be completed.
Severn Tunnel
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway workers have been arrested in connection with the recent Severn tunnel railway accident ;
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if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence submitted to the British Rail inquiry ; and what guidelines he has issued to the British transport police on co-operation with internal British Rail inquiries.Mr. Freeman : The British Transport police (BTP) have informed me that they arrested three British Rail staff in connection with their inquiries into the Severn tunnel train accident. No charges have been made and the staff have been released on bail pending enquiries. Publication of evidence to an internal British Rail inquiry is a matter for BR.
We are not aware of any lack of co-operation between the BTP and BR in their respective investigations into this incident. BTP are keeping HM railway inspectorate fully informed.
Life-saving Equipment
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will outline the procedures which govern the testing of prototype life-saving equipment on (a) operational ferries and (b) other vessels.
Mr. McLoughlin : The procedures for testing the life-saving equipment on all merchant ships are prescribed in the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Regulations 1986, as amended, and described in detail in the Department's publication, "Survey of Life-Saving Appliances ; volume 2". Prototype, modified and production appliances are subject to the appropriate strength and operational tests to ensure that they are safe and will be effective in service.
Rail Electrification
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has met representatives of Tayside and Grampian regional councils to discuss the financing of the electrification of the main east coast line between Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen ; if he plans to do so in the future ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Ministers have not met representatives from Tayside and Grampian regional councils to discuss the electrification of the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line. The councils should approach British Rail, as it is for BR to bring forward proposals if it considers there is a case for electrification and that it merits sufficient priority within its investment programme.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total mileage of the United Kingdom's mainline railway network ; how many of these miles have been electrified to date ; and how many miles are currently programmed to be electrified.
Mr. Freeman : InterCity mainline services currently operate over 3, 328 route miles of which 1,178 route miles are electrified. InterCity has not put forward any further plans for mainline electrification.
Fire Engines
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what income has been raised through road fund licences on vintage and private fire engines since exemption from such tax was removed.
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Mr. Chope : The information requested on the amount of duty collected from previously exempt fire engines is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There are however approximately 1,300 such vehicles identified prior to the change. If all of these relicenced for the full year in the private and light goods (PLG) taxation class, the revenue raised would amount to £130,000.Cargo Straps
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proposals he has to introduce regulatory control of cargo straps used by road haulage vehicles ;
(2) how many road accidents each year are attributable to failures of road haulage cargo straps.
Mr. Chope [holding answer Friday 7 February 1992] : There are no national statistics which identify the role of insecure loads in accidents. A recent study, however, estimated that nationally fewer than 30 fatal accidents each year involve insecure loads. It is uncertain how many of these involve cargo strap failure. The most important factor in reducing insecure load accidents is the configuration and type of restraint systems. A revised code of practice dealing with this is to be issued for consultation shortly.
Vehicle Movements (Greater London)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has of the likely number of daily vehicle movements in Greater London for the current year, 1995, 1997 and 2000 ; and what are the comparable figures for 1990, 1987 and 1980.
Mr. Chope [holding answer Monday 10 February 1992] : My Department does not have either forecasts or past estimates available in the form requested. Surveys indicate an overall traffic growth rate for Greater London of about 1 per cent. per year through the 1980s. Traffic growth was lower in inner London than in the outer areas. Traffic forecasts for London alone are not available.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Personal Information
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to allow a parent or student to consent to, or be aware of, those uses and disclosures of personal information not obvious at the time the parent or student provides the information ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : Guidance to schools on the implications of the Data Protection Act, issued last November, includes information on the data protection principles.
Data Information Systems
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what data information systems his Department has (a) agreed and (b) been consulted about with a view to taking part in ; what is the criteria for inclusion in such systems ; whether they will be linked to (i) the police national computer and (ii) other computer systems ; what data protection provisions apply to them ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Fallon : The Department's information systems are concerned wholly with the administration of the Department's business. It has no systems where information is made generally available which is not otherwise publicly available. Where appropriate such systems are registered under the Data Protection Act.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those full inspections which have taken place in relation to grant-maintained schools.
Mr. Eggar : To date there have been no full inspections of grant- maintained schools.
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