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TRANSPORT
Oil Spillages
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to reduce oil spillages at sea. [120]
Mr. Norris: My Department devotes considerable resources to reducing oil discharges at sea through the enforcement of international discharge regulations, the detection of vessels which breach those regulations and the deterrence of illegal discharges. We are also working with the International Maritime Organisation to make the discharge requirements more stringent.
Driving Licences
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the possibility of including photographs on the driving licence; and what plans he has to do so. [1488]
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Mr. Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Bar (Mr. Rooker) on 16 October, Official Report, column 73.
Railways (Expenditure)
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each of the last five years the total amount of subsidy to the rail system; and what is his projection for each of the next five years. [50]
Mr. Watts: Regarding the total amount of subsidy in the last five years. I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 7 November 1995 Official Report, column 769.
The level of public funding needed for the railways in the next five years will depend on the bids for franchises received by the franchising director. The Government believe that privatisation will bring improvements to efficiency and services. All these factors will affect the level of funding required by the railways.
Truck Access Grants
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of applications he has received for track access grants for services in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and if he will indicate what number he has approved. [1227]
Mr. Watts: We have received 14 track access grant applications. Five were for traffic in England, four for Scotland and five for Wales. One has been approved. Two applications have been rejected and one withdrawn.
Light Rail Funding
Mr. Sheldon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on light rail funding; and what assessment he has made of the benefits of Greater Manchester passenger transport authority's plans to extend Metrolink to Ashton under Lyne via the proposed national stadium site. [1746]
Mr. Norris: The Government fund light rail schemes out of the budget for local transport schemes, through the package approach. A separate budget for light rail does not exist, and such schemes can proceed only at the expense of other transport projects, both in the same area and in other parts of the country.
My support of light rail schemes is dependent on the following: whether the scheme can be demonstrated to be the right and most cost-effective solution to a particular urban transport problem; whether it has been planned within the context of a strategy or transport package to achieve mode shift away from the private car; and whether it will attract private sector investment. It should be remembered, however, that light rail is not the only solution to urban transport problems, and the difficulties and costs associated with developing schemes should not be underestimated.
We have not yet seen the economic case for the Metrolink extension to Ashton under Lyne, and I understand that Greater Manchester passenger transport executive has yet to apply for powers for this scheme under the Transport and Works Act 1992. Any progress
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with this extension will depend on the priority attached to it by the Greater Manchester local authorities and the availability of resources.
Mr. Battle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is considering a joint public-private venture for Railfreight Distribution as an alternative to privatisation; and if he will make a statement. [1463]
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions exist for ensuring that local bus operators are informed as early as possible of changes to railway timetables. [383]
Mr. Watts:
The provision of railway timetable information to bus operators is a matter for train operators and Railtrack. The railway industry is planning the development of a comprehensive national train information service intended to deliver accurate, consistent and impartial information services which will be available to third parties.
Ms Short:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has commissioned into the relative costs of operating passenger railway services (a) by the franchises, (b) by the British Railways Board. [1273]
Mr. Watts:
No studies have been commissioned. The franchising director has statutory responsibility for awarding franchises. In doing so he must satisfy a number of statutory duties and objectives, including the requirements to ensure good value for money in the provision of franchised services and to encourage competition in the railway industry.
Mr. Charles Kennedy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will express the average toll charge per mile for a car in respect of the new Severn bridge crossing; and if he will make a statement. [236]
Mr. Watts
[holding answer 21 November 1995]: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Charles Kennedy, dated 23 November 1995:
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Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on the British economy of that overseas aid which is tied to purchase of British goods; and if he will make a statement. [1540]
Mr. Hanley:
We have recently conducted an assessment of the impact on the British economy of that overseas aid procurement which is tied to purchase of British goods. The assessment concluded that the overall impact was very small. The United Kingdom will remain at the forefront of efforts to encourage untying on a multilateral basis.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid the United Kingdom allocates to those least developed countries which have a per capita gross national product of less than $750 US per year. [1550]
Mr. Hanley:
It is not practicable to allocate aid channelled through multilateral agencies, nor some bilateral aid--notably block grants to NGOs and other agencies--to specific recipient countries.
Of United Kingdom 1994-95 bilateral aid which can be allocated to countries, for all recipients, both developing and transitional:
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of annual gross domestic product the United Kingdom spent on overseas aid in each year since 1985. [1547]
Mr. Hanley:
The ratio normally used to relate aid to the size of the economy is net official development assistance as a percentage of gross national product. Figures for the United Kingdom since 1985 are as follows:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about average toll charges per mile for a car in respect of the new Severn bridge crossing.
The toll charges for the new Severn crossing will be the same as for the existing Severn bridge. For Category 1 Vehicles, that is motor cars and motor caravans, the toll charge per vehicle is at present £3.70. From 1 January 1996 the toll charge for motor cars will increase to £3.80 per vehicle.
The toll level is not generally expressed as a charge per mile. However, the new Severn crossing, which is due to open in 1996, will be approximately 3 miles long and the average charge per mile for cars will therefore be about £1.27.
I hope this is helpful.
For developing country recipients only the equivalent figures are 38 per cent. and 73 per cent. respectively.
36 per cent. went to countries on the UN's list of Least developed countries (LLDCs)
69 per cent. went to low income countries (defined as those with per capita incomes of less than US$676 in 1992)
| Year | UK net oda as a percentage of GNP |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.33 |
| 1986 | 0.31 |
| 1987 | 0.28 |
| 1988 | 0.32 |
| 1989 | 0.31 |
| 1990 | 0.27 |
| 1991 | 0.32 |
| 1992 | 0.31 |
| 1993 | 0.31 |
| 1994 | 0.31 |
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 246
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