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Air Accident, Dominican Republic

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates the aircraft involved in the accident off the Dominican Republic on 7 February flew into the United Kingdom. [18672]

Mr. Norris: At the time of the crash the Boeing 757 aircraft involved was being operated by the Dominican airline Alas Nacionales on lease from the Turkish carrier Birgenair. Neither airline has operated services to the United Kingdom.

Between May 1992 and April 1993 the aircraft was one of eight of its type operated by the Canadian carrier Nationair. During that period Nationair operated many charter services to the United Kingdom. Our records do not show whether or not this aircraft was used on any given flight.

Agency Chief Executives

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the annual salary for the chief executive of each of his Departments' agencies for each year of their operation. [18671]

Mr. Norris: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 4 July 1995, Official Report, columns 119-21.

The following changes have taken place subsequently to some of the chief executives salaries:

Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency
1 August 1995: £55,802
Vehicle Certification Agency
1 August 1995: £48,193
Driving Standards Agency
1 August 1995: £59,044
The Coastguard Agency
1 August 1995: £52,230
Marine Safety Agency
1 August 1995: £47,427

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 215

Airport, Redhill

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the possibility of the creation of a feeder or reliever airport at Redhill. [18673]

Mr. Norris: None. On 5 April 1995, the Secretary of State for the Environment refused planning permission for an application for development of Redhill as a feeder-reliever to Gatwick.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) has been and (b) remains to be paid to the unsuccessful consortia which bid for the channel tunnel rail link contract. [19096]

Mr. Watts: The Government announced in March 1994 that they would be prepared to contribute to the costs of unsuccessful bidders in the channel tunnel rail link competition. That contribution would be £1.5 million or 33 per cent. of costs properly incurred in the preparation of bids submitted in March 1995, whichever was the less. Claims have been settled from the two consortia which were not shortlisted--Union Link and Green Arrow. The Government also indicated in 1994 that an additional contribution might be available in respect of costs incurred after tenders had been submitted. An offer of £1 million or 33 per cent. of costs, whichever was the lower, was subsequently made in respect of the period after shortlisting in July 1995. A claim has not yet been received from Eurorail CTRL Ltd. The decision to reimburse a portion of the bidders' costs reflected their large investment in preparing bids and the benefits derived by maintaining competitive pressure throughout the process. The amounts involved are small in the context of the size of the CTRL project.

Aircraft (Iceballs)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of iceballs from aircraft hitting houses occurred in the last five years; and how many injuries were caused by such incidents. [19085]

Mr. Norris: There have been 51 incidents of icefall from aircraft hitting houses over the last five years. One incident resulted in bruising when ice hit a roof showering the injured party with debris.

Late Trains

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much compensation has been paid by operating companies of the former British Rail to passengers in respect of late running trains. [19245]

Mr. Watts: Under British Rail's passengers charter, compensation is paid in respect of late running and cancelled trains. Between April 1994 and February 1996, British Rail's train operating companies have paid £7.9 million to passengers in the form of season ticket discounts and ex-gratia compensation.

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 216

Highways Agency Information Line

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many calls have been made to the Highways Agency information line in each month since September 1995 on the subject of (a) cones and (b) other matters; and what was the average cost to the agency for each call in each category. [19275]

Mr. Watts: The number of calls that have been received in the Highways Agency information line since September 1995 are as follows. The Highways Agency's records distinguish between (a) complaints covering a range of issues on roadworks and (b) general inquiries about roadworks.

	Complaints	Inquiries	Totals
October	485	650	1,135
November	331	746	1,077
December	158	356	514
January	166	65	231
February	105	406	511
	1,245	2,223	3,468

The Highways Agency does not keep a separate record of costs by category. The average cost to the agency for each call is about £2.50.

Trans-European Network

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now support the designation of the Penzance-Bristol mainline railway as a high-speed trans-European network route at the Council of Ministers. [18624]

Mr. Watts [holding answer 4 March 1996]: The Department has relied on advice from British Rail and Railtrack on the categorisation of TENs rail routes in the UK. The TENs maps are not a wish list; they must reflect current realities or investment priorities. The Bristol-Penzance line does not meet the criteria for designation as high-speed and Railtrack has no current plans to upgrade it. It is therefore rightly categorised as a conventional rail link. The feasibility studies for which we are now seeking TENs funding will examine the options for improving journey times on both the Penzance-Bristol and Reading-Taunton routes and form a basis for investment decisions in the future. This is a positive step towards securing the improved rail infrastructure that the west country is seeking.

Marine Accidents

Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he first received a copy of the marine accident investigation branch report into the grounding of the Borga; and what action he has taken to date to implement its recommendations; [18893]

(2) pursuant to his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 583, if he will place in the Library a copy of the marine accident investigation branch report into the grounding the Borga; [18902]

(3) what amendments he has made to the report of the marine accident investigation branch on the grounding of the Borga originally delivered to him. [18894]

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 217

Mr. Norris [holding answer 5 March 1996]: The report of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch into the grounding of the Borga has not yet been sent to Ministers. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library when it is published. The content of the report is entirely a matter for the MAIB, which is independent of Ministers; Ministers have no part in the drafting of the report.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which dates a heavy duty salvage tug was (a) present and (b) absent from the vicinity of Milford Haven during the last three months; and if he will make a statement. [17985]

Mr. Norris [holding answer 5 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. Cynog Dafis, dated 6 March 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Question about tugs.
A heavy duty salvage tug was in the vicinity of Milford Haven on the following dates:
14-15 December 1995
25 December 1995
24 January 1996
16-29 February 1996

ENVIRONMENT

Cement Kilns

Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to require that the maximum permissible concentration of heavy metals in secondary liquid fuel burnt in cement kilns shall be no more than the maximum permitted concentration in coal burnt in cement kilns. [18867]

Mr. Clappison: There are no limits set for heavy metals in coal. Limits on the heavy metals in the secondary liquid fuels are set on the basis of trial results and the requirement to meet emission limits.

Secondary Liquid Fuels

Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which waste regulation authorities in England have classified secondary liquid fuel as waste; what plans the Environment Agency has to apply the duty of care provisions of part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to secondary liquid fuels (a) in the area covered by each such authority and (b) in other areas of England. [18873]

Mr. Clappison: Whether or not a substance is waste must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. The Department has provided guidance on the interpretation of the definition of waste in DOE circular 11/94. No central record is held of waste regulation authorities' view on the definition of waste in relation to particular substances.

6 Mar 1996 : Column: 218

The duty of care is an essentially self-regulatory system and the Environment Agency will not have a specific duty to enforce it. The effect of regulation 4 of the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 will be to require a person on whom the Environment Agency serves a notice to provide a copy of the written description of the waste and the transfer note which those involved in the transfer of waste are required by regulation 3 to keep.

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