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Air Traffic

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to update his Department's forecasts for air traffic for (i) passengers and (ii) air transport movements. [39389]

Mr. Bowis: The Department intends to publish updated air traffic forecasts early next year. In common with previous forecasts these will cover passengers at United Kingdom airports, but not air transport movements.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of air traffic at United Kingdom airports is interlining (i) to United Kingdom destinations, (ii) to European destinations and (iii) intercontinental destinations. [39546]

Mr. Bowis: No estimates of the proportion of total UK traffic that is accounted for by interlining have been published, but the Civil Aviation Authority has produced estimates for Heathrow and Gatwick on the CAA's survey of passengers at London airports in 1991--CAP610, tables 25 and 26. This showed that 26 per cent. of passengers at Heathrow were interlining in that year. Of these, 37 per cent. were travelling either to or from UK destinations, 54 per cent. were travelling either to or from other European destinations and the remaining 9 per cent. were interlining between non-European destinations. At Gatwick, 9 per cent. of passengers were interlining in 1991. Of these, 38 per cent. were travelling either to or from UK destinations, 50 per cent. were travelling either to or from other European destinations and the remaining 12 per cent. were interlining between non-European destinations. Figures for Manchester and other regional airports are given in the CAA survey of passengers at central England airports, CAP 618, Table 67.

Road Schemes

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by name those road schemes at the preferred route stage which will have an impact on (a) lowland heath, (b) Caledonian pine, (c) chalk grassland and (d) reedbeds, and if he will indicate in percentage terms the total area of the United Kingdom currently covered by these four habitats. [39498]

24 Jul 1996 : Column: 353

Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 21 July 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question asking if he will list by name those road schemes at the preferred route state which will have an impact on (a) lowland heath, (b) Caledonian pine, (c) chalk grassland and (d) reedbeds, if he will indicate in percentage terms the total area of the United Kingdom currently covered by these four habitats.
I have set out the schemes in the current programme which the Highways Agency expect to reach preferred route state during 1996/97.
Information on the impact, if any, these schemes will have on the four habitats listed is being collected and I will write to the hon. Member separately as soon as it is available. My Department does not have information on the total area of the UK covered by these habitats.
A1(M) Bramham--Wetherby
A1(M) Wetherby Bypass
A14 Rookery Crossroads Grade Separated Junction
A36 Beckington--East of Bath Improvement
A259 Guestling Thorn Bypass
M1 Junction 10 to 15 Widening
M5 Junction 17 to 21 Widening
M6 Junction 11A to 16 Widening
M6 Junction 16 to 19 Widening
M11 Junction 8 to 9 Widening
M40 Junctions 3 to 4 Widening and Junction 4 Improvement

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections he has made of the annual cost to public funds in the years beyond 1998-99 of the road schemes already let as design, build, finance and operate schemes and those schemes expected to start in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 1997-98. [39491]

Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 24 July 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question about DBFOs.
Tranche 1 contracts have been signed. Annual payments will be around £100m in 1999-2000 and will range up to £144m per year during the contract period. Negotiations on tranche 1A contracts are not all concluded, although they are expected to be completed during 1996/97. Tranche 2 has been announced but tenders have yet to be invited. At this stage any estimates of payments must be highly speculative but we expect the annual payments for both tranches together to range between £130m and £300m from 1999-2000 to the end of the contract period.

Heathrow and Gatwick Airports

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the channel tunnel on development of traffic at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. [39390]

Mr. Bowis: The Department of Transport's 1994 air traffic forecasts estimated the number of passengers the channel tunnel will divert away from the London airports taken together. No estimates were made of the likely impact on individual airports. The forecasts found that in 2010 between 7.6 and 12.8 million air passengers will divert to the channel tunnel from London airports.

24 Jul 1996 : Column: 354

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessments he has made of the effect of the opening of a fast rail link between London and the channel tunnel on the number of (i) air passengers and (ii) air traffic movements at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. [39391]

Mr. Bowis: The Department of Transport's 1994 air traffic forecasts estimate diversion from air to the channel tunnel of 7.6 million passengers a year under the low scenario assuming no high-speed rail link from London is in place and 12.8 million under the high scenario which includes a high-speed rail link in addition to a number of other more favourable assumptions. The Department has made no individual forecasts of the impact of the high-speed rail link on air transport movements at Heathrow and Gatwick.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each of the last 10 years the average passengers per air traffic movement at Heathrow and Gatwick airports for (a) scheduled operations and (b) charter operations. [39511]

Mr. Bowis: The table gives the figures requested:

Passengers per air traffic movement: 1986-1995

	Heathrow		Gatwick
	Scheduled	Non-scheduled	Scheduled	Non-scheduled
1986	110	12	80	136
1987	116	11	87	146
1988	116	12	89	151
1989	116	12	91	148
1990	118	18	94	153
1991	113	25	96	154
1992	117	45	92	161
1993	122	41	92	164
1994	127	36	92	167
1995	130	33	92	172

British Rail Vendor Unit

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) statutory and (b) other procedures govern the activities of the British Rail vendor unit. [39261]

Mr. Watts: The board of British Railways, appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport, prepares businesses for sale and sell them subject to the direction and consent of the Secretary of State whose objectives for such sales are set out in section 113 of the Railways Act 1993. The vendor unit carries out the day-to-day implementation of the board's sale strategy on certain disposals. The vendor unit follows procedures approved by the board and where appropriate agreed by the Department.

Marine Safety Agency

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by (a) classification society, (b) country of registration and (c) port in which they were detained, the number of ships detained by the MSA in each of the last two years. [39358]

Mr. Bowis: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.

24 Jul 1996 : Column: 355

Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 24 July 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of ships detained by the Marine Safety Agency (MSA) in each of the last two years.
The numbers of foreign flagged vessels detained by the MSA, listed by classification society, country of registration and port in which they were detained, in the calendar years 1994 and 1995 are given in the attached tables.
A list containing information about the foreign flagged ships under detention in UK ports, including the ships' particulars and the reason for detention, is published monthly by the MSA.

A27

Sir Terence Higgins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the report of the inspector at the public inquiry into his Department's proposals for the development of the A27 in the Worthing area; and when he expects to announce a decision on the route. [39631]

Mr. Watts: The inspector's report was received on 2 February and is being considered by the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport. They will announce their decision as soon as possible.

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