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Marchioness Disaster
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statements have been made since 8 December, other than by proceedings in Parliament, by Her Majesty's Government in relation to the Marchioness disaster.
Mr. Norris : The Department has responded to various sections of the media to the effect that the Channel 4 TV programme "Dispatches" broadcast on 8 December has not produced any material evidence on the loss of the Marchioness which was not considered by the marine accident investigation branch inquiry in 1989.
Transport Projects
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the public transport projects the Government are planning to invest in outside London.
Mr. Freeman : I refer my hon. Friend to the Secretary of State for Transport's reply on 15 December 1993 to the hon. Member for Dartford about the allocation of grant and credit approvals for roads and public transport in 1994-95. Tables 4 and 5 detail the package bids and local public transport projects to which resources will be allocated in 1994-95. A large part of the future public investment in the railway industry will also take place outside London.
A560, Stockport
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are his current plans for the improvement of the junction of the A560 at Stockport road west and Ashton road at Bredbury, Stockport.
Mr. Key : We plan to improve the junction as part of our proposals for the A6(M) Stockport north-south bypass and hope to publish plans for public comment in spring 1994.
Public Transport
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was expenditure on public transport in each region for 1992-93.
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Mr. Freeman : This information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the expenditure on public transport in Greater London and the south- east for 1992-93.
Mr. Norris : In 1992-93, current and capital expenditure by London Transport, docklands light railway and Network SouthEast totalled £4 billion. Expenditure on buses operating outside London in the south-east is not available.
Nuclear Materials
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 7 December, Official Report, column 136, if he will set out the reasons why his Department failed to provide a substantive reply within the statutory time limit of two months as set out in the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.
Mr. Key : Most of the time was taken in considering the legal aspects of the application.
M65
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the social and economic cost of safeguarding land for the possible eastwards extension of the M65.
Mr. Key : None. Any safeguarding has been a local authority matter.
Press Officers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many press officers his Department has employed in each year since 1983.
Mr. Norris : Details of staff in post in the Department's press office from 1984, including adminstrative support, are as follows :
Year |Total staff in post ------------------------------------------------------------ 1984 |12 1985 |11 1986 |11 1987 |10 1988 |10 1989 |12 1990 |12 1991 |13 1992 |13 1993 |15
Before 1984 the information division was a common service of the Department of Transport, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency. Figures before 1984 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Traffic Management
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what staffing resources he has allocated to the monitoring and compliance of enforcement and traffic management duties undertaken by the police.
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Mr. Key : In the first instance, it is the responsibility of individual chief officers of police to monitor the performance of their force. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has the statutory duty of promoting the efficiency of police and there is constant liaison between his officials and mine about all the aspects of traffic policing. It is neither necessary nor appropriate for any of my officials to undertake any systematic monitoring of the way in which the police perform their traffic duties.
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all enforcement and traffic management duties arising out of transport legislation which are currently the responsibility of the Home Secretary.
Mr. Key : Chief officers of police have responsibility for a wide range of traffic management and enforcement duties. A complete list could be provided only at disproportionate expense.
Parking on Pavements
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department is taking to raise public attention to the problems and dangers of parking on pavements.
Mr. Key : The Department has issued numerous posters and leaflets on this subject and has sent out the leaflets with the reminders issued to motorists when they need to tax their vehicles. We have also revised the section on parking in the new edition of the "Highway Code" so that it makes it clear that vehicles should not be parked on the pavement.
A13
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received, or expects to receive, the report from the inspector into the proposals for an underpass at the junction of the A13 Newham way and Prince Regent's lane, Newham, and when he expects to announce his decision concerning these proposals.
Mr. Norris : The inspector's report is not expected before early next year. The Secretary of State's decisions will follow as soon as possible thereafter.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he is giving to routing the channel tunnel rail link to King's Cross/St. Pancras in a deep tunnel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Union Railways' report, which we received on 29 October, includes a tunnel alternative to the surface route to St. Pancras along the north London line corridor. We are considering the information contained in the report, together with the many comments we have received during the consultation process, and will announce our decisions early in the new year.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters he has received from Islington residents in support of a deep tunnel link of the proposed channel tunnel link between Stratford and King's Cross/St. Pancras.
Mr. Freeman : In response to Union Railways' latest proposals we have received some 980 letters--and
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petitions with a total of 340 signatories-- in support of a tunnel alternative to the surface route to St. Pancras along the north London line corridor.Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of Islington residents on the route of the surface channel rail link who will be affected by noise and vibration (a) during construction and (b) during train operation.
Mr. Freeman : Union Railways' specialist consultants have assessed the scale of the noise and vibration impacts as part of their comparative appraisal of the options presented in Union Railways' report. Their work formed part of Union Railways' report to Government and will be published when the Government's decisions are announced.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Islington residents live within (a) 25, (b) 50, (c) 100 or (d) 250 m of the proposed channel tunnel surface link to King's Cross-St. Pancras.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not available.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies have been undertaken by his Department into the value of houses along the route of the proposed channel tunnel link in Islington ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Union Railways is aware of the value of properties affected by the rail link which may have to be taken or which are seriously affected and has taken this into account in estimating the cost of various options.
London Buses
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings he has held with the board of London Buses to discuss route tendering and contracts ; what conditions he has laid down for (a) London Buses and (b) private operators in the provision of licences ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The Secretary of State and I meet the chairman of London Transport regularly to discuss topics of mutual interest, including the development of a programme for tendering all LT's bus routes, whether currently operated by London Buses Ltd. subsidiaries or private operators, on a net cost basis. LT will announce the form and scope of the new arrangements in the new year.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many London Buses staff have been made redundant in 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94 to date ; and what was the cost to London Buses and the Government in each of those years.
Mr. Norris : London Buses Ltd. has advised that it has made the following staff redundant, and incurred the following costs :
Financial Year |Staff Numbers |Cost
------------------------------------------------------------
|£ million
1991-92 |568 |15.8
1992-93 |1,874 |35.0
<1>1993-94 |320 |7.8
<1> 5 November 1993
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of correspondence received by (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's agencies receives (i) and acknowledgement within five days and (ii) a substantive reply within 15 days.
Mr. MacGregor : All correspondence received by my Department and replied to by Ministers receives an acknowledgement which is dispatched within two days. In 1993, up to the end of November, 65 per cent. of ministerial correspondence received a substantive reply which was dispatched within 15 days. Some 19,023 ministerial letters were answered in this period.
Information about executive agencies' correspondence is not held centrally. This is a matter for the chief executives concerned.
Severn Tunnel
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to improve safety in the Severn tunnel following the accident in 1991.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail has implemented several measures to improve the detection of faults and maintenance of equipment. Interested parties are continuing to look at ways of improving liaison and site arrangements for the emergency services.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to improve safety throughout the British rail system following the Severn tunnel accident in 1991.
Mr. Freeman : Where appropriate, the improvements being implemented at the Severn tunnel will be applied at other locations on the British Rail network.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the Seymour inquiry report on the Severn tunnel accident which occurred in October 1991.
Mr. Freeman : The Health and Safety Executive expects to publish the Severn tunnel accident inquiry report by March.
In the meantime, British Rail has taken steps, with the support of the railway inspectorate, which should prevent a recurrence.
Public Bodies
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the regional and area offices of his Department, and of inspectorates, agencies, and other public bodies for which he is responsible.
Mr. Norris : The Department and its agencies have numerous offices of varying size throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These have been listed separately and copies of the information requested have been placed in the Library.
Aviation
Sir Keith Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest position reached in the bilateral talks on aviation matters with the United States Government.
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Mr. Norris [holding answer 16 December 1993] : The United Kingdom made an offer at talks on 7 to 9 December which provides for a much more liberal agreement with immediate benefits to passengers, airlines, airports and local communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
There are still a number of major obstacles which it is the function of these talks to overcome and we look forward to continuing the dialogue in January.
Shipping Accident, Arran
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will arrange for the marine accident investigation branch to carry out an investigation into the incident involving the fishing vessel Ocean Gem and the US Navy Ship Nitro off the coast of Arran on 10 October ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 16 December 1993] : The incident is reported as having occurred on 10 December. In accordance with normal practice, the case has been classified by the marine accident investigation branch as a hazardous incident and referred to the marine directorate for appropriate action.
Heathrow and South-West Quadrant Report
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the Heathrow west and south-west quadrant orbital movements study report.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 16 December 1993] : Yes. Copies of the Heathrow access and south-west quadrant study report have now been placed in the House Library.
Search and Rescue
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what consultations he had with the national marine safety steering committee before the Ministry of Defence decision on search and rescue provision on 7 December ;
(2) how many representations he made in respect of the Ministry of Defence review of search and rescue provision in south-west England and west Wales ;
(3) when he was informed that the Ministry of Defence was reviewing its decision of October 1992 on search and rescue provision in south-west England and west Wales ;
(4) what part his Department played in the review of search and rescue provision in south-west England and west Wales before the announcement made by the Ministry of Defence on 7 December ; (5) what consultations he had with the Wales district marine safety sub-committee before the Ministry of Defence decision on search and rescue provision of 7 December ;
(6) when he was informed of the decision of the 1993 Ministry of Defence review of search and rescue provision in south-west England and west Wales.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 16 December 1993] : In October 1992, the MOD announced the decision to transfer Sea King coverage in the area from RAF Brawdy to RAF Chivenor, as part of the future provision of RAF search and rescue helicopters. In March this year, the Ministry of Defence informed the Department of Transport that a review of RAF training establishments was being carried out by RAF Support Command, which would include the future of RAF Chivenor. Officials in my Department
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discussed the implications of this for civil search and rescue. The Minister for Aviation and Shipping was informed on 6 December of the outcome of the MOD review of flying establishments and that the 1992 SAR decisions would stand. The United Kingdom search and rescue committee is responsible for reviewing the general arrangements for civil maritime and aviation search and rescue. Since the committee accepted the decisions in the 1992 open government document, there was no need to refer the conclusions of the review of training establishments to the committee.Suppliers List
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Italian company Arc-Sipra seeking to be included on his Department's approved list of suppliers ; what has been his response ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key [holding answer 9 December 1993] : We have not received any communication from the company Arc-Sipra.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Review
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings he has had with representatives of the trading standards organisations in respect of the local government review.
Mr. Baldry : I shall be meeting Sir Gordon Borrie and my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden, (Mr. Mills), on behalf of the Institute of Trading Standards Administration, on 12 January 1994.
Urban Regeneration
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the initiatives through which urban regeneration funds have been made available and the amount that his Department provided.
Sir George Young : Several Government Departments contribute to urban regeneration through a wide range of programmes. My Department's main targeted urban group programmes are :
City Challenge/Urban Programme
City Grant/English Partnerships (URA)
Derelict Land Grant
Urban Development Corporations
Inner City Task Forces
City Action Teams
Figures for total public expenditure under these initiatives were provided in my reply to the hon. Member on 29 November, Official Report, column 381.
From 1 April 1994, the single regeneration budget will bring together 20 existing Government programmes worth over £1.4 billion in 1994-95.
Homelessness
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evaluation he has made of the number of people likely to be homeless over Christmas.
Sir George Young : My Department makes no estimates of the number of households likely to become
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homeless. In the three months to 30 September 1993, local authorities in England accepted 33,690 households as statutorily homeless. This is some 1,910--5 per cent.--fewer than in the same period last year ; the total of acceptances for the latest 12 months has now fallen in each of the last six quarters.As part of the £86 million rough sleepers initiative, the Government are funding the voluntary sector to run seven winter shelters for single people sleeping rough in central London. Around 360 bed spaces are being provided from 1 December to 31 March. A further 280 places are available at short notice in the event of particularly severe weather.
Sunday Shopping
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evaluation he has made of the magnitude of increased emissions of air pollutants that would arise as a result of increased traffic and electricity consumption created by full deregulation of Sunday shopping.
Mr. Yeo : No specific evaluations have been carried out. However, my Department's monitoring programme indicates that concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide are currently on average lower on Sundays than on weekdays by 16 to 26 per cent. in London.
Air Pollution
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total budget for the enhanced urban network air pollution monitoring programme for the current year and for the years 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Mr. Yeo : The total budget for the enhanced urban network air pollution monitoring programme for the current year--1993-94--is £2.722 million. The spend in 1994-95 will be determined when tenders from contractors have been assessed.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by which date he intends to complete the expansion of the enhanced urban network air pollution monitoring programme to 24 towns and cities, as discussed in his recent consultation paper on air quality monitoring networks.
Mr. Yeo : The date for completion of the expansion of the enhanced urban network air pollution monitoring programme will be decided in the light of responses to the consultation paper on air quality monitoring networks.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will issue a discussion paper on the best ways of bringing pollution levels down to achieve new air quality targets or guidelines.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the second report of the quality of urban air review group.
Mr. Yeo : The second report of the quality of urban air review group will be published in January 1994.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total budget for his air quality research programme for the current year and for the years 1993-94 and 1994-95.
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Mr. Yeo : The budget for air quality research for the current year-- 1993-94--is £9.657 million. The allocation for 1994-95 will be settled in due course.
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