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Freight Facilities Grants
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sums have been invested by the Government under the Railways Act section 36 freight facilities grants system since 1993; and if he will make a statement. [9897]
Mr. Watts: The sum of £415,000 in November 1993 to the Huntsman Chemical Company Ltd. These environmental grants are awarded under section 140 of the Railways Act 1993 to help defray the capital costs of inland waterway freight facilities. In this instance, grant will enable the company to carry styrene monomer by water from Baglan bay, south Wales to its processing plant at Carrington near Manchester for the next 10 years, thereby removing some 6,000 lorry journeys a year from the roads.
Driving Tests
Mr. David Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how long on average those waiting to take a driving test have to wait in Portsmouth. [9919]
Mr. Norris: Waiting times at Portsmouth are currently six weeks for car tests and two weeks for motorcycle tests--both well within our service standards.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assurances were offered by Her Majesty's Government in respect of the funding of the channel tunnel. [10115]
Mr. Watts: I am not aware that any assurances have been offered by the UK Government. From the start it was always envisaged that the channel tunnel would be an entirely private sector project, and that the concessionaires would have no recourse to Government funds or guarantees of a financial or commercial nature. That remains the position.
Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from Eurotunnel in respect of the refinancing of the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement. [10113]
Mr. Watts: My right hon. Friend has received representations from Eurotunnel on a number of issues, including the company's current financial difficulties. It has been made clear to the company that any financial restructuring of Eurotunnel is a matter for the company to resolve in discussion with its bankers, and without Government intervention.
18 Jan 1996 : Column: 671
Road Network (Management and Maintenance)
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he intends to proceed with the Highways Agency proposals for new agency arrangements for the management and maintenance of the motorway and trunk road network which were the subject of consultation last year. [10663]
Mr. Watts: We intend to proceed on the lines proposed in the consultation. In general, we aim to establish new agencies whose size and coverage will be based on considerations of effective management and to enlarge competition by involving the public and private sectors with both tendering against a single common agreement. We are re-examining the proposed areas and timing of implementation in the light of the decision to increase the number of design, build, finance and operate schemes announced on 29 November. We have already announced our decision on the way forward in London. It was stated in the consultation document that we would continue putting in place new agency agreements for April 1996 where current agents were ceasing to exist, as in Avon and Humberside, or current private sector agencies were due for retendering, such as the term contracts in south and west London and consultancies for the midland links and Greater Manchester agencies. These are all proceeding to plan.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Mobile Phones
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many mobile telephones have been supplied to his Department in each of the last eight years; and in each year how many different suppliers were involved. [9127]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Headquarters--and associated officers--currently have 61 live contracts for mobile telephones with British Telecom, Cellcom and Talkland.
The telephones were supplied in each of the following years as follows:
| Supplier | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| April 1990 to April 1991 | British Telecom | 3 |
| Cellcom | 5 | |
| April 1991 to April 1992 | Cellcom | 3 |
| April 1992 to April 1993 | British Telecom | 6 |
| Cellcom | 9 | |
| April 1993 to April 1994 | Talkland | 11 |
| British Telecom | 4 | |
| April 1994 to April 1995 | Talkland | 1 |
| Cellcom | 1 | |
| Since April 1995 | Talkland | 10 |
| Carphone Warehouse | 8 | |
| Dictating Machine Co. Ltd | 8 |
Information prior to 1990 is unavailable.
I have asked the chief executives of the Court Service and the Public Trust Office to reply separately.
18 Jan 1996 : Column: 672
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. William Ross, dated 18 January 1996:
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to extend section 123 of the Land Registration Act 1925 to conveyances which do not accompany a transfer of the beneficial interest in the land; and if he will make a statement. [9107]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
A joint working group comprising representatives of the Law Commission, Land Registry and Lord Chancellor's Department has recommended that section 123 of the Land Registration Act 1925 should be extended to cover assents, vesting deeds, conveyances by way of gift, conveyances pursuant to a court order and first legal mortgages, and that there should be a power to extend to other dispositions after appropriate consultation. That recommendation, together with others in the working groups's report, published as Law Com. 235, has been accepted by the Government and legislation to give effect to the recommendations will be introduced as soon as there is a suitable opportunity.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action heads of his Department's executive agencies are taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses in the event of such agencies seeking to make economies; and if he will make a statement. [9143]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
The Lord Chancellor has responsibility for four agencies: The Court Service, HM Land Registry, The Public Record Office and The Public Trust Office. As the question concerns a specific operational matter, the chief executives of the Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office have been asked to reply direct. This answer is, however, given on behalf of the Court Service as the Lord Chancellor's Department welfare service provides pre-retirement courses for the Court Service. Courses are provided to meet demand and there are no plans to discontinue this practice.
18 Jan 1996 : Column: 673
Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 18 January 1996:
The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to respond to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 10 January 1996, regarding the action each Agency is taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses in the event of such Agencies seeking to make economies.
I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about the safeguarding of the provision of pre-retirement courses in the executive agencies for which he is responsible.
Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. William Ross, dated 18 January 1996:
The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to the above Question about the number of mobile telephones supplied to the Court Service and the number of suppliers used.
Not all Circuit offices keep central figures of the mobile telephones in use in their region and a number are supplied under local arrangements. To obtain more detailed information in the timescale allowed would incur a disproportionate cost. Nevertheless, I can confirm that in April 1995, the date on which the Court Service was established, approximately 411 mobile phones were in use throughout the Court Service. This figure now stands at approximately 502. Some 22 suppliers are involved.
The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply to your as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 10 January 1996, regarding the number of mobile phones purchased in each of the last eight years and the number of different suppliers involved.
The Public Trust Office has not supplied any mobile phones to its staff during the last eight years.
Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 18 January 1996:
The Public Trust Office does not run in-house pre-retirement courses due to the relatively small number of staff retiring each year. We do, however, offer external courses to such staff and there are no plans to discontinue this practice.
Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 18 January 1996:
Although the Public Record Office is making economies, it has safeguarded its provision of pre-retirement courses by maintaining the resources devoted to them at existing levels, and it plans to continue to do so.
I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning the provision of pre-retirement courses. It has long been the practice within HM Land Registry to offer all staff approaching retirement age the opportunity of attending a pre-retirement course and there are no plans to restrict this facility. These courses may be run either in-house on a regional basis or by the purchase of places on courses run by other departments or organisations.
I do hope that this answers the point raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
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