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Home Safety

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to provide specific funding for local authorities to provide home safety initiatives; [9682]

(2) what plans he has to make the provision of home safety initiatives a mandatory function of local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [9683]

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Mr. Maclean: I have been asked to reply.

None. Local authorities all over the country are already engaged in productive crime prevention/community safety initiatives with the police, local businesses and the voluntary sector. This has been achieved without central funding and without the burden of a new statutory responsibility. I see no need to change arrangements which have worked so well.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what analysis he has made of the consequences in Scotland of the changes to the budget of the home energy efficiency scheme; and if he will make a statement. [9382]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: I have been asked to reply. There will be no impact on low-income households in Scotland. The reduction in the budget will be met by requiring better-off householders who qualify for HEES grants because of their age to make a contribution of 75 per cent. towards the cost of the work.

TRANSPORT

Marine Safety Agency

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels within the Marine Safety Agency to cope with a marine accident on the scale of the Estonia accident. [8231]

Mr. Norris: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Graham Allen, dated 18 January 1996:

I am responding to your question to the Secretary of State for Transport asking what assessment has been made of the adequacy of staffing levels within the Marine Safety Agency (MSA) to cope with a marine accident on the scale of the ESTONIA accident.
The MSA is currently operating to a complement of some 175 professional and 190 administrative staff. Approximately half of these are based in our Southampton HQ, and the remainder are spread throughout the UK. I am satisfied that staffing levels are sufficient to undertake the tasks agreed in our Business and Corporate Plans. If another incident of the magnitude of the ESTONIA were to occur, then priorities would be reassessed.

Executive Agencies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if answers sent to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions by the head of executive agencies in his Department are (a) seen, (b) approved and (c) amended by him before they are sent; and if he will identify any letters to which amendments by him have been made in 1994-95. [7827]

Sir George Young: When my Department's agency chief executives are invited by Ministers to write to hon. Members to provide information sought in parliamentary questions, their replies are subject to ministerial approval. Letters that were amended in draft by Ministers could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

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Port of Fishguard

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with the Rail Franchising Director the introduction of a minimum passenger service requirement covering the port of Fishguard; and if he will make a statement. [8970]

Mr. Watts: No. The detailed specification of passenger service requirements is a matter for the Franchising Director. Services to Fishguard will be covered by the PSR for the South Wales and West Railway on which the Franchising Director will be consulting in due course. The new franchisee for Great Western train services--Great Western Holdings--has specifically committed to maintain the overall number of services in the 1995-96 timetable between London Paddington and Fishguard, until the timetable for 1999-2000 and subject to connecting ferry services continuing to operate during that period.

Rail Fares

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Consumers Association regarding the quotation of rail ticket prices; what assessment he has made; if he will make it his policy to require rail staff to quote the lowest possible fare available; and if he will make a statement. [8732]

Mr. Watts: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been sent a copy of the Which? survey into British Rail's ticketing and information services.

The survey is based on a small and selective sample of routes and does not provide a representative picture of BR's performance. Nevertheless, passengers have a right to expect accurate travel information and it has been recognised for some time that the present arrangements need improvement. A national train information system is being developed for the new railway, and rail privatisation, by introducing sector energy and know-how, should help address the shortcomings of the current systems.

Operators are already required to provided impartial and comprehensive information about rail fares.

MV Derbyshire

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with the MV Derbyshire family association regarding the proposed inquiry into the loss of the MV Derbyshire; and if he will make a statement. [9582]

Mr. Norris: We are currently consulting the Derbyshire family association on the arrangements for the return expedition to the wreck of the Derbyshire. We will take account of its views in defining the objectives and priorities of the expedition to ensure that this final re-examination is meticulously planned in the hope that we can gather as much information as possible about the cause of the loss, with resulting benefits to ship safety.

Rail Services (Adverse Weather)

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct Railtrack to seek advice from

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Austrian Railways on maintaining services in adverse weather conditions. [9826]

Mr. Watts: No. Railtrack maintains the infrastructure for which it is responsible in accordance with its contractual obligations to train operators and to rigorous safety standards which are overseen by the Health and Safety Executive.

Road Tax Evasion

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce road tax evasion. [9894]

Mr. Norris: A number of initiatives are planned. A scheme to wheel clamp vehicles for excise duty offences will be introduced in London shortly. Measures to improve the quality of the national vehicle record to make it more difficult for motorists to drop out of the licensing system are being developed. Use of camera technology to automate the detection of offence is also being taken forward.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the procedures for road tax evasion reporting by police and traffic wardens. [9895]

Mr. Norris: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency receives more than 1.5 million excise offence reports annually for enforcement action from the police and traffic wardens and other sources.

The recent study by the National Audit Office on vehicle excise duty on evasion and enforcement reported that some offence reports received were of poor quality and could not be successfully pursued. The exact number of these is unclear since precise figures are not available and other categories of cases not pursued are included in the calculation. If further work identifies this as an area of concern, it will be taken up with those who provide the agency with offence reports.

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to support the confiscation of unregistered and unlicensed HGVs. [9830]

Mr. Norris: Powers to wheel clamp and impound all types of unlicensed vehicles parked on the public road will be introduced shortly. A pilot wheel clamping scheme starting in London in February will enable us to assess the effectiveness of these powers in combating vehicle excise duty evasion.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to strengthen the enforcement of the maximum driving hours laws on foreign HGV drivers. [9831]

Mr. Norris: The European directive which lays down minimum targets for drivers' hours checks requires that roadside checks must be carried out without discriminating as to nationality. The UK exceeds the requirements for checks on drivers' hours. Funding for investigative work on all aspects of enforcement was increased this financial year by £350,000 and a significant proportion of this additional funding will be spent on drivers' hours checking and enforcement.

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Road Markings (Schools)

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to make it a statutory offence to park within the road markings outside school gates. [9829]

Mr. Norris: We have no plans to change the existing legislation, which provides for markings outside school entrances to be either advisory or enforceable. It is the responsibility of individual traffic authorities to decide what is appropriate in the light of local circumstances.

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