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Heavy Goods Vehicles
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those structures on (a) the M1, (b) the M6, (c) the M5 and (d) the M25 which fail to meet the standards for 44 tonne heavy goods vehicles. [40683]
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Mr. Watts: I will write to the hon. Member.
Trust Ports
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each trust port (a) its date of privatisation, (b) the sale price and (c) its current value as listed on the stock exchange. [40701]
Mr. Bowis: The month of sale and price of each of the privatised trust ports are shown below. Stock exchange listings do not provide comparable data: not all the ports were listed after privatisation, and several are now part of larger port groups.
| Port | Sale Price £ million | Date of sale |
|---|---|---|
| Tees and Hartlepool | 180.00 | January 1992 |
| Clyde | 26.00 | March 1992 |
| Forth | 112.70 | March 1992 |
| Medway | 29.70 | March 1992 |
| Tilbury | 32.00 | March 1992 |
| Dundee | 18.05 | November 1995 |
Roads Programme
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each of the last five years the budget for (a) re-signing, (b) landscaping and (c) lighting in the overall roads programme budget. [40700]
Mr. Watts: I will write to the hon. Member.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will update the figures and information given in his answer of 16 October 1995, Official Report, columns 75-80, in respect of road schemes completed for the last six years in respect of all projects; if he will identify which have been completed in the last 12 months; and what in each case was the average overrun. [40739]
Mr. Watts: I will write to the hon. Member.
Southend Test Centre
Mr. Channon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that the test centre in Southend will remain in operation for the foreseeable future. [41192]
Mr. Bowis: The Driving Standards Agency has no current plans to cease operations from its driving test centre in Southend.
Traffic Congestion
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 26 February to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Butterfill), Official Report, column 340, if he will now update the congestion or stress maps which were placed in the Library by producing a regional map showing more detailed forecasts of congestion for trunk roads in the north-west of England, with particular reference to key links on the motorway network in the region. [41243]
Mr. Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 26 February, to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Butterfill), Official
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Report, column 340, if he will now update the congestion or stress maps which were placed in the Library by producing a regional map showing more detailed forecasts of congestion for trunk roads in the midlands, with particular reference to key links on the motorway network in the region. [41242]
Mr. Watts: I have asked my officials to produce regional maps as requested covering each of the English regions and to place copies in the Library of the House within four weeks.
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are his latest estimates of the expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in 1996 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in. [41189]
Mr. Bowis: In each of the financial years from 1992-93 to 1995-96 the expenditure on external consultants, at 1996-97 prices, was as follows:
| Financial year | Expenditure £ million |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 226 |
| 1993-94 | 253 |
| 1994-95 | 208 |
| 1995-96 | 176 |
It is not possible to quantify the annual cost savings resulting from this expenditure.
Aviation (Unauthorised Landings)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he has received of unauthorised landings from the air during the last 12 months over (a) South, (b) West, (c) North Yorkshire and (d) Humberside; and if he will make a statement. [40832]
Mr. Bowis: It is not clear to what sort of landings the hon. Gentlemen is referring.
Combined Heat and Power
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capacity of electricity used in his Department's buildings is generated in a combined heat and power plant; and what plans he has to increase that capacity.[41312]
Roads (Litter)
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the reduction in grass cutting and litter clearance on trunk roads in urban areas. [40940]
Mr. Watts: I will write to the hon. Member.
17 Oct 1996 : Column: 1100
Transport Council
Mr. MacGregor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the outcome of the Transport Council held in Luxembourg on 3 and 4 October. [41344]
Sir George Young: The Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 3 and 4 October. My hon. Friend the Minister for Railways and Roads represented the United Kingdom.
The only item before the Council for decision was a proposal for negotiations with 10 central and eastern European countries on agreements aimed at integrating these countries' air transport markets with that of the Community. This was agreed. The Council met Transport Ministers from the 10 countries, as part of the agreed strategy of "structured relations" with these countries to help prepare them for EU membership. The discussion concentrated on the development of railways and combined transport.
The Commission reported on progress in the negotiations for land and air transport agreements between the Community and Switzerland.
The Council debated the Commission's White Paper on the future of the Community's railways. The United Kingdom welcomed the emphasis in the paper on greater commercialisation, the further separation of infrastructure and operations and open access for freight services.
The Council debated a draft directive on heavy goods vehicle taxation and road user charging, intended as a replacement for the existing directive, which has been annulled by the European Court of Justice. The Council also considered two proposals for further liberalisation of bus and coach services. The Council discussed a draft regulation on air transport, to extend and harmonise air carrier's liability in case of death or injury to passengers, and a draft directive on maritime safety, to introduce a harmonised safety regime for fishing vessels over 24m. It is planned that there should be further discussions at official level on all these proposals before the next Transport Council.
The United Kingdom presented a paper to the Council urging further work on methods of transferring the costs of marine infrastructure, such as navigational aids, from state budgets to users of the services provided. The Commission said that it would continue to look at this issue.
Other issues raised at the Council include aviation safety, air traffic management, and combined transport.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has given to tampon manufacturers in respect of overnight safety of products. [40740]
Mr. Horam:
I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his latest estimates of the expenditure on all
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external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1992, in 1996 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in. [41177]
Mr. Horam:
Expenditure on all external consultants for the Department and its agencies for the years 1992-93 to 1995-96 in--1995-96 prices-- is shown in the list. External consultants are used to assist in improving efficiency and effectiveness in the Department, but it is not possible to assess the savings which are a direct consequence of their activity.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into a vaccine against dengue fever; and if he will make a statement. [40861]
Mr. Horam:
Information on research commissioned by the Department of Health is contained in "The Centrally Commissioned Research Programme" and "The Centrally Commissioned Research Programme: Commissions in 1994-95", copies of which are available in the Library.
1992-93: £19.732 million
1993-94: £16.611 million
1994-95: £18.927 million
1995-96: £18.363 million.
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