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First Aiders

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether employees of his Department or agencies within his responsibility who volunteer to carry out first aid duties are remunerated. [32438]

Mr. Norris: No, with the exception of first aiders in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency who receive a small allowance on satisfactory completion of first aid training.

Aviation Safety (Turkey)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he sought from the Civil Aviation Authority on safety matters before granting a permit to Monarch Airlines Ltd. to wet-lease a TriStar aircraft registered in Antigua for a flight from the United Kingdom to Turkey on 19 May. [32279]

Mr. Norris: None.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he had with the Civil Aviation Authority over granting a waiver to Monarch Airlines Ltd. to lease a TriStar aircraft registered in Antigua for a flight from the United Kingdom to Turkey on 19 May under article 8.3 of European Council legislation 2407/92; and if such a waiver was granted. [32280]

Mr. Norris: None. A waiver was granted for the flight.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the civil aviation authority in Turkey. [32278]

Mr. Norris: None. Turkey is now a signatory to the joint aviation authorities arrangements and has committed itself to the implementation of all joint aviation requirements. These are generally more stringent than the minimum standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Turkey's national aviation authority will be assessed by the joint aviation authorities as part of the procedures for full membership. If any shortcomings are identified they will be addressed.

Commercial Vehicles (Disabled People)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that vans and other commercial vehicles adapted to carry

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 174

people with disabilities for their own personal use do not attract insurance premiums at rates applying to commercial vehicles. [32235]

Mr. Norris: The setting of insurance premiums is a commercial matter for the insurance industry. When the appropriate provisions come into force, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will prevent insurance companies from practising gratuitous discrimination by charging disabled people unjustifiable additional premiums. My Department is not aware of any cases of insurance companies charging disabled people business rates of insurance for converted commercial vehicles which are only used privately.

PTC Grades Pay Bill

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide the estimated outturn of the Public Service and Tax Commerce Union grades base pay bill for this financial year. [32441]

Mr. Norris: The estimated outturn for the PTC grades base pay bill in the central transport group for the current financial year is not yet known as pay negotiations for the 1996-97 PTC pay settlement are still in progress. The estimated outturn excluding the pay settlement is £14.5 million.

Vehicle Registration Offices (Lighting)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action has been taken to remedy the lighting deficiencies at the vehicle registration offices in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's Scotland and North area. [32436]

Mr. Norris: The lighting deficiencies in the Scotland and North vehicle registration offices have been identified. A plan of action has been drawn up which will enable all deficiencies to be rectified by the end of October 1996.

Traffic Area Office (Cardiff)

Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the role played by the traffic area office in Cardiff in the field of road safety and environmental protection in south Wales; and if he will make a statement. [32351]

Mr. Norris: I refer to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Lady Olga Maitland) on 10 June, Official Report, column 30. The contribution to road safety and environmental protection of any one traffic area office cannot be separately assessed.

Driving Standards Agency

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what health and safety training is undertaken by (a) senior driving examiners, (b) supervising driving examiners, (c) assistant chief driving examiners, (d) deputy chief driving examiners and (e) chief driving examiners as part of their supervisory training; [32338]

(2) what subsequent (a) assessments and (b) reviews have been conducted by the Driving Standards Agency on their health and safety risk assessments of the driving examiner grade; [32342]

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 175

(3) what large goods vehicles, passenger carrying vehicles and motor cycle testing duties were included in the risk assessment carried out for the driving examiner grade; [32331]

(4) if he will place in the Library a copy of the first draft of the risk assessment for the driving examiner grade; [32332]

(5) if he will list the driving test centres that have been closed (a) permanently and (b) temporarily over the last 12 months as a result of health and safety problems; and which driving test centres are currently being considered for closure; [32344]

(6) if the risk assessment for driving examiners included assaults on staff; [32401]

(7) how many recorded assaults there have been in each of the last three years on driving examiners; and how many driving test candidates have been prosecuted for such assaults in the same period; [32345]

(8) what measures are taken by the Driving Standards Agency to protect driving examiners from injury; [32340]

(9) if he will list for the last three years the dates of the health and safety inspections carried out at the Driving Standards Agency training centre at Cardington; [32348]

(10) if he will list the dates when the Driving Standards Agency health and safety committee has met over the last 12 months; [32443]

(11) on what basis it was decided not to provide first aid training for driving examiners; [32444]

(12) how many inspections of premises occupied by the Driving Standards Agency have been made to ascertain the presence of radon gas; [32339]

(13) which driving test centres in the Midlands and Eastern areas have had health and safety inspections carried out in the last two years; [32347]

(14) how many fax machines have been stolen from driving test centres, from which centres they were stolen; if they were insured; and if they were security marked; [32346]

(15) if he will list by location the driving test centres where the staffing complement has been increased to meet the demand for driving tests prior to the introduction for the theory test. [32442]

Mr. Norris: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Driving Standards Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Laraine Manley to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 12 June 1996:

Pqs re: dsa's health and safety procedures
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent questions about the Agency's Health and Safety procedures, staffing complements and security at driving test centres.
32338
Health and safety guidance to all Agency staff is implemented primarily by Health & Safety Advice Notes. These are drafted in consultation with the managers concerned and Trades Unions. The last three Senior Driving Examiner refresher courses, conducted during 1994 and 1995, included a unit given by the DSA Health Safety & Working Environment Unit, and this will continue with future such courses.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 176

32342 and 32331
The original driving test risk assessment focused on car tests only, as these account for most of the Agency's testing activities. An assessment was carried out during 1993/94 and the results were promulgated in May 1994.
Since then the following risk assessments have been conducted:
(a) risks arising from the wearing of motorcycle radios on test was undertaken in September 1995 and resulted in guidance being issued in November 1995.
(b) risks to driving examiners arising from vehicle pollution was undertaken in autumn 1995 and resulted in guidance being issued in January 1996.
(c) a Female Driving Examiner Breast Trauma risk assessment is currently subject to consultation with the Trade Unions.
(d) a large goods vehicle/passenger carrying vehicle risk assessment was completed in May 1996 and a draft report will be sent shortly to the Trade Unions for comment.
(e) a motorcycle testing risk assessment will commence shortly.
32332
The report of the driving test risk assessment was placed in the House of Commons Library in February 1996. Like any important document, a Health & Safety assessment report requires quality assurance and consultation with interested parties before its findings can be considered robust. I think it would be misleading to interested parties to publish preliminary drafts of such a report.
32344
The following driving test centres have been closed as a result of health and safety problems during the last 2 years:
(a) Permanently: Chaddesden (in Derby); Bounds Green (in London).
(b) Temporarily: Cardiff East; South Norwood Road (in London).
There are no further closures planned at this time.
32401 and 32345
The original driving test risk assessment, issued in May 1994, did not include reference to assaults on staff. The Agency has developed an Assaults Policy separately. Advice about assaults was issued to all staff in February 1995 following consultation with Trade Unions.
DSA does not have a record of prosecutions or convictions of candidates over the last three years. Since February 1995 there have been 14 physical and 103 verbal assaults report.
32340
Driving Standards Agency takes all reasonably practicable measures to protect Driving Examiners from injury by the following methods:
(a) providing an Agency Health and Safety at Work Policy.
(b) control of local Health and Safety matters by senior staff.
(c) providing written Health and Safety advice in the form of a Health, Safety and Working Environment manual for each location.
(d) empowering Driving Examiners to cancel or terminate tests if vehicles presented are in a dangerous condition.

(e) undertaking and making available risk assessments for working practices, associated risks and premises.


(f) training all new entrant driving examiners in a safe system of work and including Health & Safety modules in refresher training.


(g) ensuring adequate supervision.


(h) ensuring that new arrivals to all locations are briefed on emergency procedures and local risk control measures on their first day in that location by their line managers.


(i) visits from the Health and Safety Unit.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 177

32348
Formal Health and safety inspections were carried out by the Health, Safety and Working Environment Unit in November 1993, October 1994 and July 1995. Members of this Unit visit Cardington each month and carry out informal inspection.
32443
The Driving Standards Agency Health and Safety Committee has not managed to meet over the last 12 months owing to difficulties findings a date that suited the Trades Union representatives.
32444
Following consideration about first aid training for staff at driving test centres, it was decided that each centre would have one first aid appointed person, retrained every three years, but there was no need for cover during temporary absences.
32339
The Agency does not consider that such inspections are necessary.
32347
The Driving Standards Agency Health, Safety and Working Environment Unit have visited 17 driving test centres in the Midlands and Eastern Area; 3 have been visited twice. The Agency's Midlands and Eastern Area management have carried out 12 Health and Safety visits during the last 2 years.
32346
Fax machines were introduced into driving test centres in May 1995. Since that time, 18 machines have been reported stolen, from the following offices--Coventry, Crawley, Eastbourne, Gosforth, Grimbsy, Inverurie, Keighley, Kidderminster (twice), Neath, Norwood, Rotherham (twice), Wallasey and Washwood Heath (three times).
In keeping with general Government policy these machines were not insured. Nor were they security marked. The Agency, however, did keep a record of the serial numbers and these details were passed to the police when the thefts were discovered.
DSA is currently considering options for improving general security at driving test centres.
32442
The surge in demand for driving tests prior to the introduction of the theory test is expected to be a temporary phenomenon, so the Agency has not altered its formal staffing complements per test centre. It has, however, increased its examiner workforce in the face of this increase in demand for tests. Over the last 5 months 97 contract examiners have been allocated to centres to conduct practical driving tests, and these will be joined by another 135 shortly. These are employed on a contractual basis and will be used as and when required to increase test capacity. The Agency will be closely monitoring the position to ensure that we have sufficient flexibility to increase capacity further if required.
I attach a list which shows, by area, the allocation of these extra staff to each test centre.

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