| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Resource Accounting
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Attorney-General what progress his Department is making with the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and in respect of which financial year he expects to publish the first set of resource accounts. [4987]
The Solicitor-General: All the Departments and agencies for which the Law Officers are responsible will be introducing resource accounting systems during 1997, apart from the Serious Fraud Office which has already done so. The Law Officers' Departments and agencies, in common with other Departments, are preparing to implement resource budgeting in time to form the basis for the 2000 survey. As set out in Cm 2929, their first published resource accounts will be in respect of 1999-2000.
TRANSPORT
M6-M65 Link
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional traffic at (a) Blackburn, (b) Burnley and (c) Colne when the M6-M65 link-up is complete. [5240]
Mr. Watts: When the M65 Blackburn southern bypass is complete it is expected that the traffic could increase by about 10 per cent.--4,500 vehicles per day--east of M65 junction 6 at Whitebirk, Blackburn.
No estimate has been made of the increase in traffic on the M65 at Burnley or Colne.
Rail Freight
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had and with whom on encouraging heavy freight goods to travel by rail; and if he will make a statement. [5392]
Mr. Watts: Encouraging freight to travel by rail is an important element of the Government's transport policy. My right hon. Friend and I have frequent discussions with customers, operators and other interest groups.
Visual Flight Rules Procedures
Sir Keith Speed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consult with the Civil Aviation Authority to assess whether the existing visual flight rules procedures are adequate or in need of revision. [4804]
Mr. Bowis [holding answer 20 November]: Visual flight rules procedures in the UK comply with the minimum standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and contained in annexe 2 to the convention on international civil aviation. The Civil Aviation Authority is not aware of any problems with current VFR procedures but, as with all safety issues, they are kept under review.
21 Nov 1996 : Column: 635
MV Cap Afrique
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the total number of passengers and crew the MV Cap Afrique was carrying when it sailed at 17.30 hours from Dover on 6 November; [5408]
- (2) how many passengers and crew in total the vessel MV Cap Afrique is permitted to carry. [5407]
Mr. Bowis: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Elliot Morley, dated 21 November 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Questions about the total number of passengers and crew carried by the MV "Cap Afrique".
The MV "Cap Afrique" is a French registered ro-ro cargo ship. The total number of passengers and crew on board the ship when it sailed from Dover at 17.30 hours on 6 November was 25 persons. The total number of passengers and crew that MV "Cap Afrique" is permitted to carry is 30 persons.
Resource Accounting
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department is making with the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and in respect of which financial year he expects to publish the first set of resource accounts. [4994]
Mr. Bowis: My Department will be introducing its resource accounting system on 1 April 1998. The Department is preparing to implement resource budgeting in time to form the basis for the year 2000 survey. In accordance with Cm 2929, the first published resource accounts for the Department and all other Departments will be in respect of 1999-2000.
Air Freight
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards negotiating an open skies agreement for air freight between the United Kingdom and the United States; and if he will make a statement. [5460]
Mr. Bowis: Talks with the US Government about UK-US air services are continuing, with formal negotiations taking place in London on 4 to 6 December. Cargo services are one of the issues for discussion.
HOME DEPARTMENT
West Midlands Serious Crimes Squad
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those people convicted with the help of assistance from the west midlands serious crimes squad who have subsequently had their convictions overturned and the amount of compensation paid to each of them. [5000]
Mr. Kirkhope: The information requested is not available.
21 Nov 1996 : Column: 636
Closed Circuit Television
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications he has received from local authorities for CCTV installations; and if he will make a statement. [4828]
Mr. Maclean: Applications to the Home Office closed circuit television challenge competitions are made by local CCTV partnerships. Such partnerships are not necessarily led by local authorities, though most will involve them in some way. There were 480 bids in the first competition and 794 in the second. The closing date for bids in the third round of the competition was 20 November 1996.
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of CCTV systems in crime reduction.[4827]
Mr. Maclean: The reports that we have received from the police and closed circuit television operators confirm that there have been significant reductions in crime and the fear of crime in the areas where CCTV has been introduced. These reductions demonstrate the value of CCTV as a crime prevention measure. In addition, we have published a number of research papers examining various aspects of CCTV effectiveness, the latest of which was "CCTV in Town Centres: Three Case Studies", published in November 1995.
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV systems have been installed in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [4829]
Mr. Maclean: Information about closed circuit television systems which have not received Home Office funding is not collected. Of those schemes which have received funding from the Home Office, 73 have been installed in the past 12 months. Approximately 250 more are in the process of installation.
Animal Testing
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding the Government have made available for research into alternatives to animal testing in the past five years; what plans he has to increase this funding; and if he will make a statement. [5012]
Mr. Sackville: Figures for the total Government spending on research into alternatives to the use of animals in scientific procedures are not available. With regard to the Animal Procedures Committee, the Home Office has in the last five years made the following funds available:
1991-92: £215,000
1992-93: £253,000
1993-94: £308,000
1994-95: £273,000
1995-96: £253,000.
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a list of the applications which his Department has received in the
21 Nov 1996 : Column: 637
past year for licences to carry out animal tests, and the reasons why the applications were granted or not; and if he will make a statement. [5014]
Mr. Sackville: Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prohibits the disclosure of such information.
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to ensure that research into alternative methods to animal testing and the validation of such methods by public bodies and private companies is co-ordinated; and if he will make a statement. [5016]
Mr. Sackville: The United Kingdom Government helped to establish and subsequently endorsed the European centre for the validation of alternative methods--ECVAM. It is the job of the centre to co-ordinate research into alternative methods including developmental and subsequent validation work.
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to revise the licensing process for animal tests; if he will make it his policy to include (a) more rigorous cost-benefit analysis for the proposed testing, (b) details of what alternative tests have been considered and (c) the reasons why such alternatives cannot be used instead of the animal tests; and if he will make a statement. [5013]
Mr. Sackville: We have no plans to revise the licensing process. We are satisfied that the current cost-benefit analysis required under section 5 4 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is sufficiently rigorous. The need to consider alternative tests is adequately addressed by section 5 5 of the Act.
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken at an international level to ensure that alternative methods to animal tests are accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries; and if he will make a statement. [5015]
Mr. Sackville: The acceptance of alternative methods can be achieved only by their validation and incorporation into harmonisation processes and international guidelines, such as those promulgated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |