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Mr. Watts: The A259 Brookland diversion scheme in Kent was completed at a cost of £2 million and opened to traffic on 9 October. Preparation work is continuing on other schemes to improve the A259.
Bournemouth Station
28. Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the restoration of Bournemouth station. [36485]
Mr. Watts: The Government and Railtrack are committed to the provision of a quality rail infrastructure. As part of this commitment, Railtrack is carrying out refurbishment work on Bournemouth station, a listed building, which involves restoring and cleaning the external brickwork and masonry of the station wall facing the town centre. This work began on 14 September.
Passenger Transport Services
29. Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in his plans for franchising passenger transport services. [36487]
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Mr. Watts: Passenger service requirements for 55 per cent. of services, in terms of passenger revenue, have been issued for consultation. Many have completed the process and been published in their final form. Tenders have been invited for seven franchises, covering 41 per cent. of all services, in terms of passenger revenue. Invitations to pre-qualify to bid for Chiltern Railways and South Eastern were issued on 3 October. The franchising director aims to award the first three franchises, for Great Western, LTS Rail and South West Trains, in December.
Buses, London
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of average traffic speed of buses in central London. [36463]
Sir George Young: The Government do not monitor the speeds of buses. London Transport data suggest that in 1994 the average speed of buses in central London was around 8 mph in peak periods and 9 mph in the daytime off-peak.
Crossrail
Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider the hybrid Bill procedure to secure parliamentary approval for the crossrail project. [35469]
Mr. Norris: No. The Transport and Works Act 1992 is a more appropriate vehicle for this purpose.
Vehicle Registration
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the present number of vehicles registered in the United Kingdom; and what is the current forecast for those numbers in 2000, 2010 and 2020. [36480]
Mr. Norris: There were 25.8 million vehicles in 1994. The Department does not make forecasts for all types of vehicles.
Nuclear and Toxic Wastes (Sea Transport)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in the current year on the environmental hazards posed by the sea transport of nuclear and toxic wastes. [36750]
Mr. Norris: In February of this year, a representation was received from Friends of the Earth, Guernsey expressing concern about the transport of nuclear waste from France to Japan. I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 6 March, Official Report, column 58. A similar representation has since been received from the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley), concerning the British registered ship Pacific Pintail and its passage around Cape Horn earlier this year while carrying vitrified residue from France to Japan.
Electric Cars
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many electric cars are estimated to be in use in the London area; what range of speeds the average such car is estimated to have; and if he will make a statement. [36845]
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Mr. Norris: There are 1,432 electric vehicles currently licensed in Greater London. The range and speed of these vehicles is not known but new commercially available electric cars currently available in western Europe are estimated to have an average range of 80 km--49 miles--and an average maximum speed of 86 kph--53 mph.
The Government are considering the role that electricity and other alternative fuels and vehicle technologies might play in minimising pollutant emissions from road vehicles. To this end, the development of electric vehicles has been followed with interest; but despite recent technological advances, their price, range of operation and performance still compare less favourably with that of petrol and diesel vehicles, particularly for passenger cars.
However, electric vehicles do seem to be more suitable for centralised low mileage delivery fleets like those operated by local authorities and bus companies. Such vehicles could offer air quality benefits while avoiding the limitations of electric operation and have been included in the Department's £1.2 million trial of alternative fuels.
Illegal Vessel Discharges
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many prosecutions have been brought, in respect of illegal discharges of oil or other pollutants by vessels in Scottish waters in each year since 1990; [37239]
(2) in respect of how many cases report have been made to appropriate shipping companies regarding allegations of illegal discharge of oil or other pollutants, in circumstances where there was insufficient evidence for court action; and if he will make a statement; [37240]
(3) how many prosecutions have been brought, in each year since 1990, in respect of illegal discharges of oil or other pollutants by vessels in Scottish waters. [37242]
Mr. Norris: These are operational matters for the Coastguard Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. James Wallace, dated 23 October 1995:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions as the questions deal with operational matters, for which I have responsibility as Chief Executive.
PQ 5/95/96
Since 1972 17 reports have been made to shipping companies regarding alleged pollution incidents involving their vessels. In all these cases, on the advice of the Treasury Solicitor, there was insufficient evidence to support court action.
PQ 6/95/96 and PQ 30/95/96
There have been 14 prosecutions brought in respect of illegal discharges by vessels in Scottish waters since 1990. There was 1 in 1990, 3 in 1991, 1 in 1992, 4 in 1993 and 5 in 1994.
Toxic Chemicals (Transport)
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implications of the spillage of toxic chemicals on a cross-channel ferry to Ramsgate in the second week of September, and its subsequent journey on the motorway network. [37373]
Mr. Norris: This incident concerned the spillage of approximately half a litre of benzyl chloride from a road tanker while leaving the vessel Sally Eurolink at Ramsgate. The incident was satisfactorily dealt with by
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the crew, and the lorry continued its journey. The incident did not demonstrate any deficiencies in the current procedure under the emergency schedule in the international maritime dangerous goods code.Road Tolls
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new proposals he has to introduce the tolling of vehicles for the use of (a) motorways, (b) estuarial crossings and (c) other roads. [38639]
Non-rebateable Fuel Duty (London Buses)
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 16 October, Official Report , column 73 , concerning the additional sums paid by London bus companies in respect of non-rebateable fuel duty to be paid in 1995 96, if he will estimate the total sum so paid consequent on all stage carriage bus services in London. [38398]
Mr. Norris: Information on fuel duty is not collected by geographical area.
Reverse Warning Aids
Sir Peter Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to make the fitting of reverse warning aids mandatory. [38409]
Mr. Norris: I have undertaken to review the case for the compulsory fitting of reversing alarms when considering other amendments to the construction and use regulations on vehicle noise, which are currently being finalised. I intend to canvass the views of interested organisations on this matter as part of the public consultation on those amendments.
Gas-powered Public Service Vehicles
Mr. Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to encourage the use of natural gas-powered public service vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [38038]
Mr. Norris: The Government are currently considering the role which natural gas and other fuels may play in public service and other vehicles. To that end, they are continuing to sponsor studies of alternative fuels, including the £1.2 million collaborative field trials. Natural gas- powered buses are included. Results should be available in late 1996.
Bull Bars
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new proposals he has to discourage the use of bull bars; and when he plans to introduce a total ban. [38163]
Mr. Norris: The Transport Research Laboratory is currently analysing police reports of accidents involving bull bars which occurred in 1994. The results will not be available until towards the end of the year and we will then decide what, if any, legislation is needed.
Meanwhile, officials of the Department of Transport are discussing the feasibility of prohibiting bull bars with the European Commission.
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Motorway Service Areas
Sir Michael Shersby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned as to the extent to which motorway service areas contribute to pollution of the environment resulting from (i) noise, (ii) litter, (iii) illumination of the night sky and (iv) atmospheric degradation from fuel emissions and to the loss of amenity caused by their development on green belt land; and if he will make a statement. [38352]
Mr. Watts: None. Since deregulation of the provision of motorway service areas in 1992, it is for private developers to provide an environmental statement for consideration by the local planning authority together with any application for planning permission for a proposed motorway service area.
Selby Bypass
Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the proposed cost and length of the Selby bypass. [37880]
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. William O'Brien, dated 23 October 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what is the proposed cost and length of the Selby Bypass.
The estimated cost of the proposed A63 Selby Bypass is £21 million; its length is 6 miles.
Mr. O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the timetable for the construction of the Selby bypass. [37881]
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. William O'Brien, dated 23 October 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the time-table for the construction of the Selby Bypass.
A public inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Order for the proposed A63 Selby Bypass was held in June of this year. In common with all other schemes in the National Roads Programme, the future timing of the Selby Bypass, particularly the start of works date, will depend on the availability of funds.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work on the channel tunnel rail link to commence. [37970]
Mr. Watts: The start of the main construction works will follow the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill gaining Royal Assent and the promoter completing sufficient design and other work to achieve the necessary raising of finance.
Rail Network (Speed Restrictions)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of rail track are currently
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subject to speed restrictions on each major line throughout the rail network. [37568]Mr. Watts: The current number of miles subject to speed restrictions on each of the major lines are:
Major Lines |Miles --------------------------------------------- West Coast main line |2 Midland main line |1 East Coast main line |1 Great Western |12
London Underground (Crime)
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) violent crimes and (b) sexual assaults took place on (i) men and (ii) women and (iii) in total in (1) 1993 and (2) 1994 at major railway stations and on London Underground. [37525]
Mr. Watts: The table shows the number of recorded offences for violent crime, including robbery, and sexual offences committed against males and females at all railway and London Underground stations in 1993 and 1994. For 1993, separate figures for males and females are not available. Figures for "major railway stations" might be available if the hon. Member would list them.
|Against|Against
|males |females|Total
----------------------------------------------------------
1993
Violent crimes (including
robbery) |- |- |3,878
Sexual assault |- |- |723
1994
Violent crimes (including
robbery) |3,028 |642 |3,670
Sexual assault |93 |472 |565
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Civil Servants (Party Political Activity)
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the rules relating to (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers participating in party political activity. [37999]
Mr. Horam: The rules on civil servants' political activities are set out in chapter 4 of the personnel management part of the civil service management code, a copy of which is in the Library. Special advisers are bound generally by the rules applicable to civil servants, with specific exemptions. They may, with the approval of their Minister, attend party functions, maintain contact with party members and take part in policy reviews conducted by their party. They may accompany, act for, or speak for their Minister in situations where the Minister can be seen to be acting in his or her capacity as a member of the Government. In other circumstances, including those where their Minister is taking part in party political activities, it may be
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appropriate for a special adviser to accompany the Minster, to provide liaison with their Department, and advise on any departmental business that may arise.Special advisers may assist with other internal party political matters, such as a leadership campaign, if they do so while on leave, or at times which do not interfere with their normal duties--for example out of office hours. In addition, and provided that they have the approval of their Ministers, special advisers are allowed to take part in all forms of local political activity, apart from local activities in support of national political activities.
Compliance Cost Assessments
Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which regulatory proposals have been abandoned because of their failure to meet the compliance cost assessment. [37755]
Mr. Freeman: The purpose of compliance cost assessments is to ensure that regulatory proposals are introduced only where they are justified and that costs to business arising from such proposals are taken into account as the policy proposal develops so that the resulting regulation imposes the least cost burden necessary. This enables different options to be considered at the policy-making stage with a choice of abandoning the proposal or amending it to reduce costs to the minimum. This is part of the Government's approach to "good regulation", making sure we get regulation right first time. An example of a regulatory proposal that has been abandoned because of excessive cost is an EC directive which would have required tactile danger warning symbols to be placed on certain liquid petroleum gas containers. The Commission agreed to revise the directive in the light of estimated compliance costs to United Kingdom business of £289 million per annum.
Deregulation
Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new studies have been initiated in response to the deregulation task force report; what is the name of these studies and their estimated cost; and when they are expected to report their findings. [37759]
Mr. Freeman: The Government accepted the task force's suggestion for a feasibility study into the practicalities of setting up a single information point to provide start-up businesses with details of all relevant licensing and regulatory requirements. An initial study--looking at the regulatory requirements on vehicle component manufacturers, corner shops, small hoteliers and builders--started in August and is due to be completed by the end of the year. It will cost about £160,000.
The Government also agreed to undertake an independent study into how the total burden of Government surveys might be reduced by up to 25 per cent., and to initiate a study to see how the burden of administrative forms might be reduced. Terms of
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reference for these studies, including estimated costs and completion dates, have yet to be finalised.In addition to these studies, all Government Departments have been asked to review the need for existing business licences and to identify suitable areas for merging or aligning different enforcement regimes.
Dr. Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many deregulation units have been set up in different Whitehall Departments. [37757]
Mr. Freeman: Each regulatory department has its own deregulation unit consisting typically of two or three staff whose work on deregulation is usually only part of their duties. There are 20 such units in total.
Dr. Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people work for the deregulation unit; and how many are needed to service the deregulation task force. [37772]
Mr. Freeman: The current staff total of the central deregulation unit is 41.6 staff years, including three staff who provide secretariat support to the deregulation task force.
Dr. Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the 250 business licences which are to be reviewed as part of the Government's new deregulation initiative, and the date each licence was originally introduced. [37758]
Mr. Freeman: My Department is currently compiling a full list of the licences which apply to business, which will be placed in the House of Commons Library, once complete.
The review is intended to examine all licences which apply to business, regardless of when they were introduced and by whom, with a view to abolition or, if there are strong arguments for retaining the licence, with a view to reducing the burden on industry. This reduced burden could be attained, for example, by simplifying the structure of the licence, continuous licensing, merging of different licences, offering greater scope for exemptions or narrowing the grounds for refusal.
WALES
Short-time Working
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates his Department has made of the number of companies currently on short-time working; and how many employees are affected by such short-time working. [37512]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The latest available information for Wales is published in table 1.13 of the Employment Gazette , September 1995, which indicates that an estimated 300 operatives in manufacturing in Wales were affected by short-time working in June 1995. Information on the number of companies affected is not available.
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in employment (a) male full -time, (b) male
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part-time, (c) female full-time and (d) female part-time in Mid Glamorgan and Wales; and what were the figures in (i) 1965, (ii) 1971 and (iii) 1979. [37515]Mr. Jones: The latest available information, which is for 1993, is published in table 4 on page 375 of the Employment Gazette , October 1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Data for 1971 and 1978 are available from the NOMIS database which can be accessed by the staff of the Library. Comparable information for 1965 and 1979 is not available.
National Vocational Qualifications
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate his Department has of the number of people under the new training for work programme who are working towards an NVQ in (a) Merthyr, (b) Rhymney, (c) Mid Glamorgan and (d) Wales. [37548]
Mr. Richards: The information requested is not readily available. Once it is available I will write to the hon. Member and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Ysbyty Gwynedd
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the total cost of the refurbishment of the foyer of Ysbyty Gwynedd and the consequent relocation of the WRVS shop and cafe. [37711]
Mr. Richards: This was not a scheme funded from the all-Wales capital programme and is therefore a matter for the Gwynedd hospitals NHS trust.
Public Appointments
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many advisory non-departmental public bodies there are in Wales; and what is their total membership. [38022]
Mr. Hague: Details of advisory non-departmental public bodies in Wales are set out in "Public Bodies" by HMSO. The latest edition shows that at September 1994 there were 24 such bodies with a total of 274 members.
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many executive non-departmental public bodies there are in Wales; and how many members are appointed by him in all such bodies. [38024]
Mr. Hague: There are 24 executive non-departmental public bodies in Wales to which I, or my predecessors, have appointed 184 members. Details are set out in "Appointments by the Secretary of State for Wales", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Farmers' Wives
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will (a) commission or (b) sponsor a study into the social and economic role played by farmers' wives in Wales. [37706]
Mr. Hague: I have no plans to do so. The Rural White Paper for Wales will address a whole range of issues which affect life in the Welsh countryside.
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Marriage Counselling Services
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the marriage counselling services in Dyfed and Powys, the amount provided from public funds in support of such services and the waiting time for appointments with them. [37707]
Mr. Hague: The information requested is not held centrally.
Hare Population (Wales)
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if estimates are available in respect of the hare population in Wales (a) as a whole and (b) on a local basis for the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [37708]
Mr. Hague: The most recent estimate indicates a population of approximately 50,000 brown hares in Wales in the early 1990s. No estimates are available on a more local basis. Further information can be found in "A Review of British Mammals: population estimates and conservation status of British mammals other than cetaceans" published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in 1995.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount he calculates was included in the rate support grant for each county in Wales to support under five education in the settlements for each of the last five years. [38337]
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