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Safety Signs
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken to implement EC directive 92/58 on safety signs for United Kingdom products. [18699]
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 4 March 1996, Official Report, column 7, about the EC safety signs directive 92/95/EEC.
Coal Mining Accidents
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of (a) fatal and (b) serious reportable accidents per 100,000 manshifts in the deep coal mining industry between privatisation and 31 December 1995. [20199]
Sir Paul Beresford: The figures are not available for the period in question. However, provisional figures for the period from 1 April 1995 to 30 September 1995 give rates of 0.08 fatal accidents and 3.17 major injury accidents per 100,000 manshifts in coal mines.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the accident rates recorded in the first year of the privatised deep coal industry. [20200]
Sir Paul Beresford: None. Full information for the year is not yet available.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action the mines inspectorate is taking to ensure that the accident reporting regime in the privatised deep coal mining industry adequately records the nature and cause of accidents so that preventative measures can be taken. [20201]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 apply to coal mining companies as they do to all other employers. Their effect is to require the coal mining companies to notify the mines inspectorate of fatal accidents; major injuries; and injuries that incapacitate people from undertaking work which they might otherwise reasonably be expected to undertake for a period of more than three consecutive days; and certain specified dangerous occurrences. As part of its normal programme of inspection the mines inspectorate seeks to ensure that the companies are complying with the 1985 regulations. The 1985 regulations will be replaced with effect from 1 April 1996 by the new revised and updated
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Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The new regulations will continue the core injury and dangerous occurrence reporting requirements.
Coal Mining (Safety Regime)
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact of the procedures set out in the Health and Safety Commission publication "Your Rights When Health and Safety Inspectors Take Action" on the safety regime in the deep coal mining industry; and if he will make a statement. [20202]
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 March, Official Report, column 364.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of the publication "Your Rights When Health and Safety Inspectors Take Action" (a) on the issuing of improvement notices and (b) on the issuing of prohibition notices; and if he will make a statement. [20203]
Sir Paul Beresford: It is too early to say what effect, if any, the procedures in the leaflet will have on the issuing of improvement notices. The commission is monitoring how the procedures are working in practice and will report to me. The leaflet has no effect on the procedure for issuing prohibition notices: It spells out practice that has always been followed.
Anti-competitive Behaviour, Lincolnshire
Mr. Elletson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet considered the response by Lincolnshire county council to the notices served upon the authority on 11 April 1995 under section 19A of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980; and if he will make a statement. [20732]
Sir Paul Beresford: My right hon. Friend has considered carefully the responses which Lincolnshire county council has made to the two notices served on the authority for financial failure of the direct labour organisation in 1993-94 and for alleged anti-competitive behaviour. In relation to the notice for financial failure, he is satisfied that appropriate steps have been taken, and will not be taking any further action. He has however today given the authority a direction under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 for anti-competitive behaviour.
After careful consideration, the Secretary of State remains of the opinion that the authority acted in an anti-competitive manner in awarding a contract for highways maintenance work worth £20,635,000 to its in-house direct labour organisation when it was not the lowest tenderer. He considers that the authority's concerns about the contractor's ability to do the work and financial status were not backed up by sufficient evidence, and therefore were not reasonable grounds for rejection of the lower bid which offered a saving of £2,240,000.
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The direction given to Lincolnshire county council requires the authority to retender the work so that new arrangements are in place by 1 January 1997. The authority will need to obtain the Secretary of State's permission if it is intended to award the work in-house, to consult the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and the Association of Consulting Engineers on matters contained in the specifications and the methods of tender evaluation to be used; and to seek the comments of the Association of Consulting Engineers regularly throughout the tendering process.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decision he has made concerning the membership schemes proposed by the Environment Agency for its regional environment protection advisory committees. [20893]
Mr. Clappison:
The consultation period on the membership schemes has now closed. After careful consideration of the responses received my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has approved the schemes in the form in which they were submitted by the agency. The agency will now be consulting on nominations for each committee.
Mr. Faber:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to amend the system of development plans prepared under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and if he will make a statement. [21092]
Mr. Gummer:
The plan-led system requires each district planning authority to have an area-wide local plan or unitary development plan. We set a target, agreed with local authorities, of getting a substantial majority of those plans prepared, debated and formally adopted by the end of 1996. The result of the most recent monitoring survey shows that 62 per cent. of authorities expect to have adopted their plan by the target date. This shortfall is disappointing.
I have been concerned at the length of time it is taking some authorities to adopt their plan. We consulted earlier about possible changes to speed up this process. The response was lukewarm about radical change, but supported change that could be achieved within the scope of existing legislation. Already the planning inspectorate has introduced more concise reports on local plan inquiries and a system of service agreements with local authorities on their likely length and cost.
I am proposing further changes that can be brought into effect quickly, with the publication of proposals to amend both the code of practice on development plans and the development plan regulations. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
In addition, I am not ruling out further changes, including measures that will require legislation, if these are wanted by the users of the development plan system. My Department will shortly be writing to interested organisations about this wider review.
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Mr. Barron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many, and which, health authorities and trusts operated negative equity buyout or similar relocation schemes prior to executive guidance being issued in October 1994; and how much was paid by each health service body under such schemes in each year. [19030]
Mr. Malone:
This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant ophthalmology sessions are available on average each week at present; and how many were available on average each week in each of the past five years. [19611]
Mr. Horam:
This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on community pharmacies of large supermarket chains selling (a) non-prescription and (b) prescription drugs below the recommended retail price. [19810]
Mr. Malone:
(a) None. (b) prescription drugs are not available for sale.
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