---

Overhead Power Lines

Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the Swedish policy of not building houses close to overhead power lines. [34052]

Sir Paul Beresford [holding answer 21 June 1996]: I understand that the National Board for Industrial and Technical Development in Sweden has advocated a moratorium on erecting power lines near housing, pending the production of further technical guidance. In the UK, the National Radiological Protection Board has already issued guidance on the known health effects of electromagnetic fields and has recommended criteria with which the electricity industry complies.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Leasing

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, columns 355-56, if he will list the companies involved in each of the wet and dry lease applications in 1995, indicating the name of company from which the aircraft was leased, its country of registration and the date and route on which it was used; [33289]

(2) if he will list by company the number of (a) wet lease and (b) dry lease applications made in each of the last two years. [33535]

Mr. Norris: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

25 Jun 1996 : Column: 81

Honduran-registered Aircraft

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times Honduran-registered aircraft have flown into the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [33607]

Mr. Norris: The Department does not keep records of every flight into the UK. Not all categories of flight require Government permission, and flights may sometimes occur without authority. However, no scheduled services are operated by Honduran carriers to the UK.

Between 1 November 1993 and 15 January 1994, permission was granted to the Honduran airline, Omega Air, to operate one round-trip a week between Banjul and London, on behalf of Air Gambia. From 16 January to 25 March, this permission was extended to twice a week. No airline currently has permission to operate Honduran-registered aircraft into the UK.

Illegal Licence Plates

Mr. Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he has taken to review the implications for (a) accident reporting, (b) speed camera recognitions and (c) other similar matters of the use of illegal vehicle registration plates; [33841]

(2) what steps he is taking to curb the abuse of illegal vehicle registration plates. [33840]

Mr. Norris: We are planning later this year to bring forward legislation to strengthen the requirements governing the dimensions, spacing and character style of registration numbers to improve legibility and to reduce the scope for misrepresentation. This should facilitate accident reporting and improve the effectiveness of speed cameras.

Mr. Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of illegal vehicle registration plates. [33858]

Mr. Norris: None.

Mr. Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers are available to Ministry inspectors and police officers to prevent the use of illegal vehicle registration plates. [33839]

Mr. Norris: Sections 42, 43 and 44 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 make it an offence to use registration plates other than in accordance with statutory requirements. Such offences are prosecuted by the police.

Motor Caravans

Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how the fixtures and fittings in a motor caravan are categorised for road fund licence purposes; [33909]

(2) under what statutory authority vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight and registered as motor caravans are categorised by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority as private heavy goods vehicles for the purposes of charging road fund licence fees. [33910]

25 Jun 1996 : Column: 82

Mr. Norris: Fixtures and fittings in a motor caravan are treated as goods or burden for vehicle excise duty classification purposes. Privately used motor caravans are classed as private and light goods if weighing up to 3.5 tonnes and those weighing over 3.5 tonnes fall within the special vehicles class, as heavy goods vehicles used privately. VED of £140 and £150 respectively is payable. Those weighing over 3.5 tonnes and used commercially are subject to HGV rates of duty. Schedule 1 to the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 as amended by the Finance Act 1996 is the main relevant provision under which VED for motor caravans weighing over 3.5 tonnes and used privately is prescribed.

Excalibur Airlines

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which country the Excalibur Airlines aircraft on which passengers recently refused to travel from Orlando is registered. [33851]

Mr. Norris: Antigua

Car Insurance

Mr. David Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take measures to have proof of insurance displayed on the windscreens of cars; and if he will make a statement. [34264]

Mr. Norris: A number of possible measures to reduce evasion of the compulsory motor insurance requirements are being considered, including the introduction of a requirement to display proof of insurance on vehicles.

Search and Rescue Helicopters

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish his review on the provision of search and rescue helicopters around the United Kingdom coastline. [34439]

Mr. Norris: The report of the search and rescue helicopter review group was published on Monday 20 May, copies of which were placed in the Library.

Tamar Crossing

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to provide financial assistance towards the costs of strengthening the Tamar bridge. [34379]

Mr. Norris: Officials from the Government office for the south-west have discussed funding for strengthening the Tamar bridge with officers from the county council. The county council has been advised that if it thinks that it has an exceptional case for Government funding, it should submit a bid, which will be considered.

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the viability of the scheme proposed by Plymouth city council and Cornwall county council for a second Tamar crossing on the A38. [34378]

Mr. Watts: These authorities have not made such a proposal. However, the Secretary of State's proposal for a second Tamar crossing, and Plymouth city council and

25 Jun 1996 : Column: 83

Cornwall county council's proposal for strengthening the existing bridge, are being assessed at present and I hope to make an announcement in due course.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Custody Service

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans the Government have for the future of the custody service. [34726]

Mr. Freeman: The custody service is part of the Security Facilities Executive. I have been considering its future in the light of a report from consultants, and the views of customers, and have concluded that the custody service should be privatised. I believe that privatisation will secure the long-term interests of the taxpayer, as well as the staff and customers of the business.

The custody service is primarily involved in the provision of manned guarding services to Whitehall Departments. The majority of its customers have said that they would be content for the private sector to provide these services. Once the business has been sold, it will be free from Government operating constraints and will be able to offer services to new customers in wider markets.

Competitiveness

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the gold plating checklist referred to in this year's competitiveness White Paper. [34063]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The "Implementing European Law Checklist" was published by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 16 May. Copies have been placed in the Library.

HEALTH

Oral Contraceptives

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the differences in the estimates of venous thromboembolism risk associated with gestodene and desogestrel made by the Medicines Control Agency (a) prior to June 1995 and (b) in November 1995. [31896]

Mr. Malone: Information providing estimates of the risk of venous thromboembolism with oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene was not available to the Medicines Control Agency before June 1995. By November 1995, the results of three epidemiological studies were available which indicated that oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene were associated with about a twofold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolism compared with those containing levonorgestrel.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what written procedures the post-licensing business of the Medicines Control Agency have in place to ensure reliable decisions in respect of situations where several risks and benefits have to be balanced. [31865]

25 Jun 1996 : Column: 84

Mr. Malone: The post-licensing division of the Medicines Control Agency employs staff with extensive expertise in risk-benefit evaluation, who undergo regular training to maintain and supplement their expertise. A variety of written procedures relating to the handling and evaluation of information provides guidance to staff. For drug safety issues with important public health implications, it is normal practice for the MCA to seek independent expert advice on the issue, from the Committee on Safety of Medicines and/or its sub-committee on pharmacovigilance. Working parties with supplementary specialist expertise are also set up to evaluate certain issues.

---