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Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to include an element based on the percentage of people with a long-term sickness or disability in SSA calculations in future ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : The need to incorporate in SSAs for 1994-95 information from the 1991 census provides an opportunity to take a more wide-ranging look at their composition. My right hon. and learned Friend has said that he will consider any representations for changes which are made to him.
Wetlands
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what impact the proposed new environmental protection agency will have on determining environmental policy towards wetlands.
Mr. Maclean : The proposed new Environment Agency will bring together all of the functions of the National Rivers Authority, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the waste regulation functions of local authorities to form an integrated body. It will have no responsibility for determining environmental policy towards wetlands, but may provide information on matters within its responsibilities. The Government are committed to the wise use of wetlands as part of their obligations under the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance.
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much English Nature spent on management agreements that involved the protection and management of wetland areas in the last financial year.
Mr. Maclean : English Nature spent £5,735,359 on management agreements in 1991-92. A breakdown of that expenditure for all 1,584 agreements by habitat type is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However £49,404 was spent on new agreements involving wetland or partial wetland sites concluded in 1992-93 where the annual payment exceeded £2,000 or where a lump sum payment in excess of £10,000 was made.
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all important wetland sites designated under the Ramsar convention to date.
Mr. Maclean : I was pleased to announce the designation of Roydon Common, Gibraltar Point and the Nene Washes as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention, and the extension of the existing Ouse Washes Ramsar site, on 5 March 1993. The United Kingdom has now listed 62 Ramsar sites, including one site in a dependent territory, the Turks and Caicos Islands. Details of the sites are as follows.
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United Kingdom sites listed as wetlands of international importance under the
RAMSAR convention
Name County/Region
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Bridgwater Bay |Somerset |5 January 1976
2. Bure Marshes |Norfol |5 January 1976
3. Cors Fochno and |Dyfed, Gwynedd and |5 January 1976
Dyfi |Powys
4. Hickling Broad and |Norfolk |5 January 1976
Horsey Mere
5. Lindafarne |Northumberland |5 January 1976
|(<1> 11 March 1992)
6. Loch Druidibeg, |Western Isles |5 January 1976
Loch a'Machair and
Loch Stilligary
7. Loch Leven |Tayside |5 January 1976
8. Loch Lomond |Strathclyde and Central|5 January 1976
9. Lough Neagh and |Antrim, Londonderry |5 January 1976
Lough Beg |Tyrone, Armagh and
|Down
10. Minsmere- |Suffolk |5 January 1976
Walberswick |(<1>19 May 1992)
11. North Norfolk Coast |Norfolk |5 January 1976
|(<1>20 January 1989)
12. Ouse Washes |Cambridgeshire and |5 January 1976
|Norfolk |(<1>5 March 1993)
13. Rannoch Moor |Tayside |5 January 1976
14. Abberton Reservoir |Essex |24 July 1981
15. Cairngorm Lochs |Grampian and Highland |24 July 1981
16. Claish Moss |Highland |24 July 1981
17. Loch Lintrathen |Tayside |24 July 1981
18. Rostherne Mere |Cheshire |24 July 1981
19. Silver Flowe |Dumfries and Galloway |24 July 1981
20. Chesil Beach and the |Dorset |17 July 1985
Fleet
21. The Dee Estuary |Merseyside, Cheshire |17 July 1985
|and Clwyd
22. Derwent Ings |North Yorkshire and |17 July 1985
|Humberside
23. Holborn Moss |Northumberland |17 July 1985
24. Irthinghead Mires |Cumbria and |17 July 1985
|Northumberland
25. The Swale |Kent |17 July 1985
26. Alt Estuary |Merseyside |28 November 1985
27. Leighton Moss |Lancashire |29 November 1985
28. Martin Mere |Lancashire |28 November 1985
29. Loch Eye |Highland |23 September 1986
30. Loch Skene |Grampian |23 September 1986
31. Rokliffe Marshes |Cumbria |23 September 1986
(part of Upper Solway
Flats and Marshes)
32. Chichester and |Hampshire/West Sussex |26 October 1987
Langstone Harbours
33. Upper Severn Estuary |Gloucestershire |5 February 1988
34. The Wash |Lincolnshire/Norfolk |30 March 1988
35. Pagham Harbour |West Sussex |30 March 1988
36. Din Moss-Hoselaw |Borders |14 July 1988
Loch
37. Gladhouse Reservoir |Lothian |14 July 1988
38. Bridgend Flats, Islay |Strathclyde |14 July 1988
39. Duich Moss, Islay |Strathclyde |14 July 1988
40. Gruinart Flats |Strathclyde |14 July 1988
41. Fala Flow |Midlothian |25 April 1990
42. Glac-na-Criche |Islay |25 April 1990
43. Feur Lochain |Islay |25 April 1990
44. Loch an Duin |North Uist |25 April 1990
45. North, Middle and |Turks and Caicos |27 June 1990
East Caicos Islands
46. Redgrave and South |Norfolk/Suffolk |15 February 1991
Lopham Fens
47. Rutland Water |Leicestershire |4 October 1991
48. Llyn Idwal |Gwynedd |7 November 1991
49. Llyn Tegid |Gwynedd |7 November 1991
50. Esthwaite Water |Cumbria |7 November 1991
51. Walmore Common |Gloucester |5 December 1991
52. Exe Estuary |Devon |11 March 1992
53. Old Hall Marshes |Essex |11 March 1992
54. Chippenham Fen |Cambridgeshire |11 March 1992
55. Burry Inlet |Dyfed/West Glamorgan |14 July 1992
56. Loch Ken and Dee |Dumfries and Galloway |31 August 1992
Marshes
57. Loch Spynie |Grampian |31 August 1992
58. Cors Caron |Dyfed |28 September 1992
59. Upper Solway Flats |Cumbria, Dumfries and |30 November 1992
and Marshes |Galloway
60. Roydon Common |Norfolk |5 March 1993
61. Nene Washes |Cambridgeshire |5 March 1993
62. Gibraltar Point |Lincolnshire |5 March 1993
(Wash Phase II)
<1> Extended.
Employment Protection Regulations
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of all circulars and other advice issued by his Department concerning the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive.
Mr. Robin Squire : No such circular has been issued to local authorities. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State intends to make a statement on this matter shortly.
Water Disconnections
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to enact for England and Wales provisions in respect of the authority for water companies or others to cause a disconnection of a domestic consumer's water supply along the lines of those in force in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 4 March 1993] : No. It is right that bills should be paid, but equally that companies should deal sympathetically with customers who are having difficulty meeting their bills. Significant safeguards exist to protect domestic customers of water companies in England and Wales who cannot pay, rather than will not pay, from the prospect of disconnection. In Scotland water supply is at present a local authority service.
Radiation Leak, Sellafield
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what monitoring has been carried out of the areas affected by the radioactive contamination resulting from the recent leak at Sellafield with regard to possible dangers to health.
Mr. Soames [holding answer 2 March 1993] : I have been asked to reply.
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This Department and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, as joint authorising Departments for the disposal of radioactive waste from licensed nuclear sites, place a statutory obligation on operators to carry out monitoring of discharges and environmental radioactivity as a condition of authorisations. When British Nuclear Fuel Ltd's monitoring at Sellafield indicated the recent enhanced discharges of radioactivity, the company carried out high-volume air sampling and extra sampling of milk and grass in the areas affected. This Department samples milk in the vicinity of the Sellafield site as part of our routine surveillance activity near all licensed nuclear sites. Following these incidents we have also analysed grass samples and our dry cloth deposition collectors located around the site which provide data on airborne activity.On the basis of the results of this sampling, our scientific assessment is that the radiological impact from these discharges to the most exposed members of the public is no more than 10 microSieverts. By contrast the dose to members of the public from normal background radioactivity is 2,200 microSieverts a year.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what implications, in terms of time and content, her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inquiry into the recent radiation leak at Sellafield will have for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution consultation into the proposed radioactive waste discharge authorisations from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., Sellafield site ; and if he will make it his policy that no decision will be made on the draft authorisations until the results of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inquiry into the leak are known.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 3 March 1993] : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution currently does not expect the investigations into the recent incidents at Sellafield to affect the timetable for assessing the results of the consultation exercise on the proposed new authorisations at Sellafield. HMIP and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food still currently expect to submit their report on the consultation process in early April 1993. Any decisions on the draft authorisations will take account of lessons arising from the investigations.
Staff (Working Hours)
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will undertake a survey of all offices and agencies for which he has responsibility to ascertain to what extent staff supplying a service to the public are curtailing their work on a Friday afternoon earlier than other days of the week ; and if he will make a statement on his policy on hours of staff working each week.
Mr. Howard : The staff in my Department and its agencies are conditioned to work 41 hours per week in London and 42 hours per week outside London. Both include five hours per week for lunch. In addition, if local management agree, staff can join the flexible working hours scheme. Staff who join the scheme must start work between 7.30 am and 10.00 am and must leave between 4.00pm and 6.30pm. The scheme is shortly to be amended so that staff will have the flexibility to leave between 4.00pm and 8.30pm.
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The hours worked by staff on any particular day is for local management to decide. This they will do taking into account the requirement, where necessary, to cater for the needs of the public. I see no need to undertake a survey.TRANSPORT
British Rail National Timetable
4. Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about a British Rail national timetable ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I have received a number of letters about future arrangements for a national rail timetable and have given a clear assurance that a national timetable will continue to be published.
Channel Tunnel
7. Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his timetable for the establishment of freight terminals for channel tunnel traffic in the west midlands.
Mr. Freeman : This is a matter for British Rail. I understand that it expects the Birmingham Euroterminal, serving the whole of the midlands, to be ready when the channel tunnel opens.
Cambridge (Southern Relief Road)
12. Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of Cambridgeshire county council's plans for a Cambridge southern relief road.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : This road would form part of the local road network which is the responsibility of the county council. My Department has had continuing discussions with the county council on its proposed Cambridge strategy, including the relief road.
Young Drivers (Casualties)
13. Mr. Gallie : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to introduce a package to reduce casualties among new and young drivers.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We are considering a number of possible measures to improve the safety of newly qualified drivers and hope to consult on proposals shortly.
Cleethorpes-Newark Line
14. Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to include the
Cleethorpes-Newark line in his east coast franchising proposals.
Mr. Freeman : When my right hon. Friend announced on 2 February the first services to be prepared for franchising British Rail had already announced its decision to withdraw its direct inter-city service from London to Cleethorpes in May. The franchise announced for the inter-city east coast main line does not therefore include the line from Newark to Cleethorpes.
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Civil Aviation Authority
15. Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the powers of the Civil Aviation Authority.
Mr. Norris : My right hon. Friend has no such plans.
Shipping Accidents
16. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken at the International Maritime Organisation to improve the compensation arrangements appertaining to shipping accidents.
Mr. MacGregor : The United Kingdom took a leading role in the adoption at the IMO last year of protocols ensuring higher limits of liability in the event of an oil spill. We are also working at the IMO to develop a convention to ensure high levels of compensation in the event of a chemical spill.
Waterloo-Exeter Line
17. Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects new trains to be in service on the Waterloo-Exeter route.
Mr. Freeman : The first new train for the Waterloo-Exeter line was delivered to British Rail on 23 January. British Rail expects it to enter service later this month. The remaining trains should be in service by July.
A550 Extension
18. Mr. Miller : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the cost of the proposed A550 extension.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The combined estimated cost of the two stages of the planned A550 improvement between Deeside park and the M53 is £49.2 million.
Breathalyser Tests
19. Mrs. Gillan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many breathalyser tests were carried out on motorists in England and Wales over the Christmas and new year period ; how many of these were positive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : A total of 59,069 tests were carried out, of which 4,248, or 7.2 per cent., were positive. The proportion of positive tests was slightly lower than for the previous Christmas. There has been a continuing downward trend in drink-drive accidents ; the number of fatalities has more than halved in the last decade, to around 700 in 1991. We are determined to get this number even lower.
Railways (Scotland)
20. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next intends to meet the Board of ScotRail to discuss railway matters in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : I have no plans to meet the board of ScotRail. At my regular meetings with the chairman of the British Railways Board we discuss a wide range of railway
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matters including those involving Scotland. I plan to visit Scotland later this month when I hope to meet the ScotRail management team.Road Accidents
21. Mr. Ancram : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the most recent progress in the aim to reduce the numbers of road accidents by one third between the years 1985 and 2000.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The aim is to reduce road accident casualties by one third by the year 2000, compared with the annual average for 1981- 85. The provisional figures for the 12 months ending in September 1992 show that fatalities are down by 21 per cent., serious injuries by 33 per cent. and all casualties by 3 per cent. on the target baseline.
Bypasses
22. Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses are planned to be started in the next financial year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Nineteen of the 41 new national road programme starts announced by my right hon. Friend on 4 February are bypasses and most of the others will remove traffic from local communities. In addition, local authorities plan to start another 24 bypasses on their roads.
West Coast Main Line
23. Mr. McKelvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the chairman of British Rail to discuss investment plans for the west coast main line.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport gave to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) earlier today.
Motorway Repairs (Land Rental Contracts)
24. Mr. Thomason : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect that the introduction of lane rental contracts for contractors undertaking motorway repairs has had on the speed of repairs.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We estimate that lane rental contracts are completed some 30 per cent. faster than conventional contracts.
Rail Privatisation
25. Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the impact of rail privatisation on the rail links to the north and the west of the Scottish highlands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I met the hon. Members for Ross, Cromarty and Skye (Mr. Kennedy), for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan), and for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (Sir R. Johnston), together with councillors and officials of the Highland regional council on 10 February to discuss the implications of passenger rail franchising for the highland lines.
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As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 2 February, we intend to franchise ScotRail passenger services as a whole. The east coast main line InterCity services are also being prepared for franchising, and that includes services to Inverness. Fort William will continue to be served by the west coast main line InterCity services when they come to be franchised.Subsidy will be made available to support franchised ScotRail services as at present and InterCity services if necessary. Service levels, which will be based on the timetable being operated by British Rail immediately prior to franchising, will be written into legally binding contracts between the franchising director and the franchised passenger train operators.
Road Programme
26. Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic effects of his road programme in the next financial year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The road programme aims as one of its objectives to assist economic growth by reducing transport costs. The programme of construction meets the needs of industry and other road users through the provision of a modern strategic road network. The benefit which roads generate for the economy is assessed by the use of cost-benefit techniques of economic appraisal.
In his statement to the House on 4 February, the Secretary of State pointed out that the 41 schemes due to start next financial year will bring substantial economic, safety and environmental benefits to road users and the country as a whole. The benefits of these new schemes in terms of accidents avoided and time savings to road users has been assessed at £2.5 billion.
Concessionary Bus Passes
27. Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he proposes to take to promote the availability of concessionary bus passes for pensioners.
Mr. Freeman : The promotion of concessionary bus passes for pensioners is a matter for local authorities.
Public Transport (Women's Safety)
28. Ms. Eagle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve women's safety on public transport systems.
Mr. Norris : My Department has a long-standing commitment to improve passenger safety on public transport.
The remit of my Department's standing panel on assaults on bus staff has been extended to include the monitoring of data on assaults on bus passengers and possible remedial measures. The panel has recommended that bus operators install radios and video cameras in their vehicles to protect both employees and passengers.
We have also co-sponsored the passenger guidance leaflet published by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, "Travel Safely by Public Transport". The leaflet contains practical safety advice for women using all forms of public transport.
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Concessionary Rail Travel
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 869, how many concessionary rail passes were issued to British Rail staff, their dependants and ex-British Rail staff in each of the last five years ; and what is the number of British Rail staff dependants who receive concessionary rail travel.
Mr. Freeman : The numbers of staff, including dependants, entitled to concessionary travel facilities, as at 9 January, were given to the hon. Member in my answer of 29 January, at column 869. Passes are issued to all those entitled on an annual basis and comparable figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
British Rail Employees
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by British Rail.
Mr. Freeman : The figure reported to my Department on 11 February was 131,651.
Red Route, West Wickham
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what traffic surveys were conducted in West Wickham high street before the formulation of the proposals to designate this stretch of the A232 as a red route.
Mr. Norris : None. As we made clear in our consultation document in January last year, the basis for the composition of the red route network was the existing primary route network, which consists of the best routes for traffic entering and leaving London and making longer distance journeys within it. The A232 West Wickham high street is a primary route.
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the likely increase in traffic growth through West Wickham high street following its designation as part of the A232 red route.
Mr. Norris : This is a matter for the London borough of Bromley to consider in preparing the red route local plan. If it foresees any increase in traffic, the traffic director would expect the local plan to include offsetting benefits in terms of reduced congestion, improved road safety, or environmental improvements on nearby roads.
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct the Traffic Director to pay an official visit to West Wickham high street before finalising his decision to designate this stretch of the A232 as a red route.
Mr. Norris : The A232 West Wickham high street was designated a red route by the Secretary of State on 11 June 1992.
I understand that the traffic director and his assistant director south- east visited West Wickham high street prior to attending a meeting of the London borough of Bromley's technical services committee on 20 January. The assistant director has also visited West Wickham high
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street on several previous occasions to inspect traffic conditions during the morning peak, lunchtime and early evening periods.Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration has been given to a possible diversion of the proposed A232 red route from West Wickham high street in order to meet the objections raised by local residents.
Mr. Norris : We carefully considered the London borough of Bromley's alternative proposal that the red route should by-pass West Wickham high street. We concluded, however, that no change should be made to our original proposal.
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received with regard to the proposed red route through West Wickham high street ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : We have received 517 representations and in addition four petitions containing a total of 341 names.
I am satisfied that the high street forms part of an existing strategic route through south London which will benefit from the introduction of red route measures.
Road Building and Management
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on road building and management in real terms (a) in 1979 and (b) in 1992.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : In 1991-92 prices, £1,035 million was spent in 1979-80 and £1,889 million in 1991-92 on new construction and capital and current maintenance of national roads in England.
Transport Expenditure
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the ratio of road to public transport expenditure by his Department (a) nationally and (b) in London.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Comprehensive details of the Government's expenditure on transport for the three-year period 1993-94 to 1995-96 are contained in the Department of Transport report 1993, Cm 2206. In this period, planned spending on roads amounts to £8,181 million and on public transport £6,760 million, a ratio of 1.21 to 1. Expenditure on transport in London is not identified separately and it would be difficult to produce reliable and meaningful figures. However, it is clear that a much higher proportion of transport expenditure in London is on public transport than is the case nationally.
Channel Tunnel (East Coast Link)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects passenger services via the channel tunnel to operate along the east coast main line ; whether designs for power-cars and rolling stock for such services have been finalised ; and when he expects orders for this rolling stock to be placed.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail expects to start operating international daytime services on the east coast main line towards the end of 1995. The dedicated trainsets for these services were ordered in December 1991.
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Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a map showing the rail route, together with speed restrictions, to be followed from the east coast main line to Kensington Olympia for onward service to the channel tunnel ; if he will outline all track and signalling works necessary for this route to be followed, stating in each case when such works are to be, or were started, and when they will be completed.
Mr. Freeman : These are operational matters for British Rail. The Department does not hold the information requested.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects freight services via the channel tunnel to operate along the east coast main line ; whether locomotives for such services have been ordered ; and when they are expected to begin service.
Mr. Freeman : The dedicated class 92 locomotives are on order and are due to be delivered from the autumn of 1994. The railways should, however, be in a position to run international freight trains from the time the tunnel opens by using other locomotives to provide traction through the tunnel.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the tender list for sections 102 to 112 of the Jubilee line extension.
Mr. Norris : No, this is a matter for London Underground Ltd. I understand that it is prepared to release such information in appropriate cases, but only after the award of contracts.
East Coast Line (Electrification)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the sources of funding for the east coast line electrification.
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