| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Public Transport Fares (London)
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what percentage of (a) London underground fares and (b) London bus fares will be capped as a result of his consultation on transport in London; [28417]
9 May 1996 : Column: 196
- (2) what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue to London Transport resulting from the proposed capping of fares in transport in London; [28416]
(3) what are the implications of his consultation on transport in London for the price of London Transport travelcards; [28415]
(4) what additional funding he plans to provide for London Transport following his decision to cap transport fares in London. [28418]
Mr. Norris: The London travelcard, excluding one-day tickets, is included in the range of fares subject to the franchising director's policy on passenger rail fares. There is no capping regime for other London Transport fares. However, as its document "A Transport Strategy for London" indicates, the Government believe that in future LT fares are likely to rise more in line with inflation than with earnings, implying average fares increases lower than in recent years. LT's revenue forecasts will continue to be taken into account in considering LT's funding requirements.
Vessels
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he proposes to issue his Department's consultation document on sub-standard and uninsured vessels; and if he will make a statement. [28472]
Mr. Norris: In the near future.
Salvage Tugs
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to enter into contracts for salvage tugs to be stationed at Stornoway and Dover during the winter months of 1996-97. [28474]
Mr. Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 18 March, Official Report, column 40.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation he has made of the stationing of salvage tugs at Stornoway and Dover during the winter months of 1995-96; and if he will make a statement. [28473]
Mr. Norris: The two tugs completed their 1995-96 trial on 30 April. The results are currently being analysed.
ENVIRONMENT
Office Space
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the square footage and cost of office space rented by his Department and its agencies and the number of his Department or agencies' buildings partly, or fully unoccupied together with the square footage of that unoccupied office space and its estimated rental value where available in each of the past five financial years. [27729]
9 May 1996 : Column: 197
Sir Paul Beresford: Prior to 1 April 1996, office accommodation on the civil estate was managed centrally by Property Holdings not by individual Departments. The information for the years requested is therefore not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRE | |||||
| Square footage | 19,786 | 19,786 | 19,786 | 19,786 | 19,786 |
| Cost (£000s) | 74 | 80 | 80 | 94 | 94 |
| HSE | |||||
| Square footage | 1,042,487 | 1,042,487 | 1,098,223 | 1,098,223 | 1,033,455 |
| Cost (£000s) | 6,603 | 7,729 | 8,155 | 9,173 | 8,836 |
The buildings used by these bodies have been fully occupied throughout the relevant period.
Air Pollution
Sir Graham Bright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the costs to public funds of (a) health care and (b) clean-up measures from pollution from diesel vehicles. [28178]
Mr. Clappison: Diesel vehicles emit a number of pollutants. Of these the pollutant most strongly linked with health effects is particulate matter less than 10 microns across--PM10. During winter episodes in most major United Kingdom cities the dominant contribution of primary PM10 comes from road traffic, notably from diesel-powered vehicles, increasing from about a quarter to in excess of 70 per cent. It is difficult to estimate precisely the effects on health of particles from diesel vehicles. Healthy individuals are unlikely to be affected by levels of PM10 found in ambient air in the United Kingdom. However, there is growing evidence of a link between PM10 and premature mortality, hospital admissions and ill-health in those with pre-existing heart or lung conditions.
Pollutants from road traffic, including diesel vehicles, have other environmental impacts, for instance soiling of buildings caused mainly by particulate elemental carbon. It has been estimated 1 that in the financial year 1990-91 the UK stone cleaning market had a value of £79 million.
1 Mansfield T (1992) Sources of Building Soiling and a Review of the Stone Cleaning Industry 1991, International Conference on Stone Cleaning, Edinburgh.
9 May 1996 : Column: 198
Sir Graham Bright:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what powers local authorities have to set pollution limits for vehicles used to undertake local authority services. [28179]
Mr. Clappison:
Statutory emission limits for new vehicles and for those in service are set by the Secretary of State for Transport and approved by Parliament. Local authorities have no special powers to impose different limits. It would be a matter for a local authority should it wish to set separate conditions for vehicles undertaking a local service, provided these did not breach compulsory competitive tendering requirements.
Sir Graham Bright:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many airborne particulates monitoring sites there are in the United Kingdom; [28180]
Mr. Clappison:
There are currently 22 sites in the Department of the Environment's national automatic monitoring network which measure fine particulate matter--PM1O. A further 26 PM10 monitors will be added to the network by the end of 1996, bringing the total number of PM10 sites to 48. The Department also, in co-operation with local authorities, monitors particles in the form of smoke at 225 sites throughout the UK.
In 1995, the annual average mean concentration of PM10, measured at the 16 national automatic urban monitoring sites in operation, ranged from 20 to 28 microgrammes per metre cubed. The maximum 24 hour running average concentration at the same sites ranged from 68 to 395 microgrammes per metre cubed. The average annual average concentration of smoke at 225 sites between April 1994 and March 1995 was 9 microgrammes per cubic metre. The maximum daily average smoke concentration during this period ranged from 9 to 263 microgrammes per cubic metre.
Current concentrations of PM10 from the national automatic monitoring network are updated hourly on the Internet (http://www.open.gov.uk/doe/doehome.htm).
Mr. Alex Carlile:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to place the funding of the fire service pension scheme outside the capping criteria; and if he will make a statement. [28248]
Sir Paul Beresford:
We have no plans to place the funding of the fire service pension scheme outside the capping criteria. Any decisions on capping criteria for 1997-98 will be considered in the context of the local government finance settlement.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent on official hospitality by his Department and all associated agencies in the financial year 1995-96. [28570]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Total expenditure by my Department and its agencies, including the residual
9 May 1996 : Column: 199
functions of Property Services Agency services, in 1995-96 is expected to be £107,000. This does not include the agencies which transferred to the Office of Public Service on 1 January 1996. I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service today.
Mr. Merchant:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he intends to consult on detailed proposals covering the remaining counties of England to exempt small rural settlements from the purchase grant scheme; and if he will make a statement; [28956]
Mr. Curry:
In March we issued a consultation paper on how we propose to exempt small rural settlements in England from the new purchase grant scheme. The paper set out the way we propose to implement the designation in England, and invited comments on our general approach, and on the detailed proposals for the first 15 counties and areas. Comments were sought from local authorities, housing associations, rural groups and other interested parties.
Today we issued a supplement to that paper, which gives detailed proposals for a further 15 counties or areas, covering Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; Cumbria; Devon; Durham; Gloucestershire; Greater Manchester; Hampshire; Hereford and Worcester; Hertfordshire; Humberside; Isle of Wight; Kent; Shropshire; Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.
We will also consult on the remaining areas of England shortly.
Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies of papers for each individual county or area providing copies of any maps needed have also been placed in both Libraries.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Environment Agency has now prepared its code on enforcement practice. [29042]
Mr. Clappison:
The Environment Agency's code on enforcement practice was adopted on 23 April and copies have been placed in the Library of the House. It takes the form of a statement of enforcement policy which sets out how the agency will operate, and detailed guidance for warranted officers, setting out their responsibilities. The documents will be revised over time in the light of experience and comments from all the agency's customers.
(2) what are the current levels of airborne particulates as measured in the United Kingdom. [28181]
(2) when he intends to consult on detailed proposals covering the remaining counties of England to exempt small rural settlements from the purchase grant scheme; and if he will make a statement. [29183]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |