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Freight (River Thames)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the use of the River Thames for freight transportation; and if he will make a statement.[21755]
Mr. Norris: The River Thames working group has been working to promote the use of the River Thames for freight transport. The Government office for London will shortly be publishing draft strategic guidance for the River Thames which will include policies aimed at helping to achieve this goal. The Government continue to promote the transfer of freight from road to rail and water through the freight facilities grant.
Red Routes (London)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the London boroughs that have a red route system; and if he will list those London boroughs due to have such a system during the next 12 months. [21754]
Mr. Norris: The red route network in London was designated in June 1992. The red route measures are in operation or the works are under way in the London boroughs of:
| Borough | |
|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | A13, A406 |
| Barnet | A1, A41, A406 |
| Bexley | A2, A20 |
| Brent | A406 |
| Bromley | A20, A21 |
| Camden | A41 |
| Croydon | A23, A232 |
| Ealing | A40, A406 |
| Enfield | A10, A406 |
| Greenwich | A2, A20, A21, A102 |
| Haringey | A1, A10 |
| Havering | A12, A13, A127 |
| Hillingdon | A30, A40 |
| Hounslow | A4, A30, A205, A316, A406 |
| Islington | A1, A501 |
| Kingston | A3 |
| Merton | A3 |
| Newham | A13 |
| Redbridge | A12, A406, A1400 |
| Richmond | A205, A316 |
| Tower Hamlets | A13, A102 |
| Waltham Forest | A406 |
| Wandsworth | A3, A306 |
| Westminster | A41, A501 |
During the next 12 months implementation is programmed to begin in the London boroughs of:
22 Mar 1996 : Column: 392
| Borough | |
|---|---|
| Bromley | A232 |
| Camden | A41 |
| Ealing | A312 |
| Hillingdon | A312 |
| Hounslow | A312 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | A4 |
| Newham | A117 |
| Richmond | A205 |
| Wandsworth | A205, A3205 |
| Westminster | A5, A5205 |
Shipping (Working Language)
Mr. Clifford Forsythe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what monitoring is conducted to ensure that all passenger and freight ships operate a single designated working language on ships sailing between British ports.[21747]
Mr. Norris: The Marine Safety Agency has a target to inspect every UK and foreign passenger ferry at least twice annually. Foreign and UK cargo ships are also inspected regularly either under the port state control regime or under the Marine Safety Agency inspection programme for UK seagoing ships. Communication among crew members is monitored as part of these inspections.
Emergency and abandon ship drills can also be witnessed during inspections so providing an opportunity to test the ability of key crew members to communicate with each other and with passengers in an emergency. The Marine Safety Agency also has a special programme of concentrated inspections on ferries which involves a team of two or three surveyors making a voyage on the ferry, initially incognito, and focusing on the safe operation of the ferry.
Air Crash (Colombia)
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the action his Department has taken to ensure that parts taken from the American 757 crash site in Colombia are not resold within the United Kingdom. [21785]
Mr. Norris: Aircraft parts are strictly regulated in all member states of the joint aviation authorities by a control system known as JAA form 1. This includes a document which controls the release into service of aircraft parts. In the UK this scheme is administered by the Civil Aviation Authority.
All CAA approved maintenance organisations are regularly surveyed to ensure satisfactory standards are maintained. These checks include the sources and supply of spare parts, quality assurance programmes and stores procedures. Parts and components are not fitted to UK registered aircraft unless the certifying engineers are confident that they are in full compliance with the requirements of the CAA and those of the aircraft manufacturer.
22 Mar 1996 : Column: 393
Mr. John Marshall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the General Electric Company is contractually due to supply the first of the 104 new trains for the Northern line; and when he now expects that this train will be supplied. [22106]
Mr. Norris:
The details of GEC Alsthom's contract with London Underground for the supply of new trains for the Northern line are commercially confidential. However, I understand that London Underground expects the first train to enter service in mid-1997.
Angola
Mr. Robert Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UNITA military personnel have now been quartered under the United Nations Angola verification mission III operated in Angola in each of the UN quartering areas and in each of the age categories being monitored. [22101]
Mr. Hanley: As at 19 March the number of UNITA military personnel quartered in each of the four UN quartering areas was as follows:
| Vila Nova | Lunduimbali | Negage | Piri (Quibaxe) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military personnel quartered | 4,816 | 4,442 | 5,003 | 2,145 | 16,406 |
| Under 17 years old | 954 | 576 | 359 | 237 | 2,126 |
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many weapons of each kind have been handed in by UNITA personnel under the UNAVEM III operation in Angola; and in what condition the verification mission has judged them to be. [22102]
Mr. Hanley: As at 19 March the following weapons had been handed in by UNITA personnel at the quartering areas:
| Vila Nova | Lunduimbali | Negage | Piri (Quibaxe) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | 3,859 | 3,127 | 4,455 | 1,835 | 13,276 |
| Infantry | 437 | 361 | 211 | 35 | 1,044 |
| Artillery | 8 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| APC/tanks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 7 | 17 | 12 | 18 | 54 |
In his report to the Security Council of 6 March the Secretary General commented that 30 to 40 per cent. of the personal weapons collected are in very poor condition or not serviceable.
22 Mar 1996 : Column: 394
Research Establishments
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which former public sector research establishments in the Overseas Development Administration have been privatised since 1979; and which public sector research establishments in the Overseas Development Administration are currently undergoing reviews with a view to placing them in the private sector. [21940]
Mr. Hanley: From 1979 to date, no ODA research establishment has been transferred to the private sector. Over the period a number of separate bodies were brought together to form the Natural Resources Institute. The transfer of NRI to the private sector is in progress; a preferred bidder was announced on 5 March 1996, Official Report, column 166.
International Bodies (Funding Allocations)
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the funding allocations for each of the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96 for United Nations Population Fund, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the World Health Organisation special programme; and what is the proposed allocations to each of these organisations for the financial year 1996-97. [21987]
Mr. Hanley: The United Kingdom's multilateral contributions to the United Nations Population Fund, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the World Health Organisation special programme of research, development and research training in human reproduction are:
| Multilateral organisation | Expenditure 1994-95 | Expenditure 1995-96 |
|---|---|---|
| UNFPA | (10)11.650 | 6.750 |
| IPPF | 7.148 | 8.536 |
| WHO/HRP | (11)2.785 | 2.000 |
(10) Includes an advance on £3.75 million from 1995-96 f/y allocation.
(11) Includes an advance of £1.0 million from 1995-96 f/y allocation.