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Transport Policies and Programmes

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place copies in the Library of all the decision letters for transport policies and programme bids submitted by local authorities in 1995. [18164]

Mr. Norris: I will write to the hon. Member.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to ensure that HGVs and other vehicles with restricted rear views, have correctly fitted and aligned rear-view mirrors. [18094]

Mr. Norris: Mirrors fitted to vehicles on the road are already required to meet specific standards in respect of installation and field of vision. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that the mirrors are adjusted correctly.

Airports

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the involvement of UK airports in the process of air service negotiations. [18443]

Mr. Norris: Where a UK airport has an interest in the outcome of air services negotiations, representatives from that airport are involved in the Department's internal briefing meetings where tactics and objectives are reviewed and a negotiating strategy agreed. At those briefing meetings, the Department also considers the case for the airport representatives attending the air services negotiations.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what rights have been negotiated for (a) UK and (b) foreign airlines to initiate new international services for UK regional airports in the last six months; [18445]

Mr. Norris: The United Kingdom already has a very large number of bilateral agreements with foreign partners

5 Mar 1996 : Column: 142

which allow the airlines of both sides access to regional airports in both countries. In most cases, it is solely a lack of demand that inhibits the provision of services under these agreements. In the past six months, new rights have been negotiated successively for:


Under the agreements with Mauritius, Bahrain, the Seychelles and Pakistan, UK airlines can serve any UK regional airport. However, the agreement with Israel specifies London as the only UK point for both sides. El Al's Manchester rights have been granted ex-gratia.

The only service which has been unable to operate to a UK regional airport because of a failure to achieve a successful negotiation of traffic rights in the last six months is a service to Jamaica applied for by Air Jamaica.

EC Aviation Directives

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the EC directives issued over the last two years relating to aviation. [18441]

Mr. Norris: Council directive 94/56/EC of 21 November 1994 establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of civil aviation accidents and incidents.

Transport Supplementary Grant

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport supplementary grant projects in England this year are for schemes individually costing less than £5 million; and what proportion of the total spending on transport grants is represented by schemes of less than £5 million each. [18297]

Mr. Norris: Transport supplementary grant is paid in support of major road schemes costing more than £2 million, bridge assessment and strengthening, and structural maintenance of principal roads. Of the £688.9 million expenditure accepted for TSG in 1995-96, £267.4 million--38.8--was for expenditure on bridges and structural maintenance, and £421.5 million-- 61.2 per cent.--was for major road schemes. Out of this £421.5 million, £60.3 million--14.3 per cent.--was for the 66 major schemes costing less than £5 million.

For 1996-97, the equivalent figures are: total accepted expenditure of £551.1 million, of which £190.9 million--34.6 per cent.--is for bridges and structural maintenance, and £360.2 million--65.4 per cent.--for major road schemes. Of this latter figure, £37.6 million-- 10.4 per cent.--is for the 36 major schemes costing less than £5 million.

Disabled People

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many national mobility centres there are in Great Britain; and how many of those are in Coventry. [18545]

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Mr. Norris: There are 19 independent mobility centres in Great Britain. None of those is in Coventry, but the city does have a commercial centre which, I understand, offers a similar service. The Department publishes information on the service provided by all the centres in the UK in its "Guide to Services in the UK offering Advice, Information and Assessment to Disabled and Elderly Motorists". A new edition is being prepared and I will send a copy to the hon. Gentleman when it is available.

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled people require specialised transportation. [18541]

Mr. Norris: There are about 6 million disabled adults in this country, of whom around 4 million have a disability which is likely to affect their mobility. Many are already using accessible mainstream public transport while others rely on specialist door-to-door services. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, regulations will be introduced requiring all future public transport to be fully accessible. This should mean that, increasingly, special services are seen as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, accessible public transport.

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to make accessible to disabled people information about transport suitable to their specific mobility needs; [18544]

Mr. Norris: The Department of Transport already provides a wide range of information to disabled people about accessible public transport services, special services and personal mobility. This information is generally available in print and alternative media including Braille, tape and large print.

A new edition of the Department's comprehensive guide "Door to Door--A Guide to Transport for Disabled People" will be published shortly.

All the Department's information is produced in consultation with disabled people, including our statutory advisers the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Passenger Rail Services

Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the progress of the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising towards securing by 1 April the transfer to franchise agreements of 51 per cent. or more of passenger services previously operated by the British Railways Board. [18488]

Mr. Watts: The franchising programme is making good progress. Fourteen of the 25 train operating companies, representing 61 per cent. of passenger revenue in the financial year 1994-95 have either been franchised or are in the process of being sold.

5 Mar 1996 : Column: 144

Rail Privatisation

Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which subsidiaries of the British Railways Board he estimates will be in public ownership at 1 January 1997. [18484]

Mr. Watts: The current subsidiaries of the board presently expected to be in public ownership on 1 January 1987 are British Rail Savings Co. Ltd., British Rail International Ltd. and Southdowns Village Ltd. A number of other subsidiaries may be formed between now and 1 January 1997, the majority of which are expected to be sold by that date.

Some passenger train operating companies may remain in public ownership on 1 January 1997. The precise number will depend on the progress which the franchising director makes in selling railway franchises this year.

The following are dormant subsidiaries of the board. They seem likely to remain subsidiaries at 1 January 1997:


Sea Empress

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requests for assistance have been received by his office in respect of clear-up operations following the Sea Empress disaster. [18358]

Mr. Norris [holding answer 1 March 1996]: I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. Tony Banks, dated 5 March 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about personnel involved in clear-up operations following the 'Sea Empress' disaster.


Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if animal welfare organisations involved in the rescue operations arising from the Sea Empress disaster will be able to claim compensation from the ship's insurers. [18353]

Mr. Norris [holding answer 1 March 1996]: Yes. Compensation for cost incurred and economic loss suffered as a result of the oil pollution damage for the Sea

5 Mar 1996 : Column: 145

Empress including the costs of reasonable measures taken to prevent or minimise the damage, will be available from the shipowner's insurer and from the international oil pollution compensation fund, which is funded by levies on the oil industry.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what accounts he has received from (a) the Milford Haven port authority or (b) other sources of the grounding of the Sea Empress; and if he will make a statement. [17980]

Mr. Norris: The investigation into the causes of the Sea Empress accident will involve the gathering of information from all relevant sources. The establishment of the inspector's inquiry has been advertised formally inviting all parties with material facts to come forward.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons no heavy duty salvage tug was available at Milford Haven on the day the Sea Empress went aground; and if he will make a statement. [17982]

Mr. Norris: I have asked the chief executive of the coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from C.J. Haris to Mr. Cynog Dafis, dated 5 March 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Question about tugs.


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