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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Indonesia

Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reason for delay in agreement of the draft report by the National Audit Office into alleged links between British aid and arms sales to Indonesia; and when he expects a publication date. [6397]

Dr. Liam Fox: The timing of the publication of National Audit Office reports is a matter for the Comptroller and Auditor General. The National Audit Office report into alleged links between British aid and arms sales to Indonesia will be published on 29 November.

TRANSPORT

Airport Inspections (Europe)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the extent to which each country in the European civil aviation conference is screening checked in baggage and transfer baggage to a satisfactory standard; [5927]

(2) if he will list for each member of the European civil aviation conference the percentage of checked in baggage and transfer baggage screened for security purposes. [5928]

Mr. Bowis: All international transfer and unaccompanied baggage is at present subjected to security screening in the United Kingdom, and the introduction of 100 per cent. hold baggage screening is nearing completion. All ECAC member states have accepted that measures to screen all international hold baggage should be progressively introduced. They are individually responsible for achieving implementation to defined standards. It would not be appropriate for security reasons to provide further details.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when officials from Transec last inspected airports within Germany; and if they were satisfied with the results of the inspections. [5929]

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 348

Mr. Bowis: My Department does not inspect airports overseas, as these are under the jurisdiction of the relevant sovereign state. However, Transec inspectors do make visits to overseas airports to assess the security afforded to and conducted by British airlines.

Airports in Germany were last subject to such a visit in December 1994. It would be inappropriate for security reasons to comment on the results of this, or any other, security inspection.

Channel Tunnel

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if staff aboard freight trains using the channel tunnel are required to be fluent in both French and English. [5942]

Mr. Watts: This is not a condition for their employment.

Women

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of those employed by his Department in 1992-93 were women. [6476]

Mr. Bowis: My Department's computerised personnel management systems record that on 31 March 1993, some 46 per cent. of the staff employed by my Department were women.

Women and Child Care Facilities

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many women are currently employed by his Department at each civil service grade. [6430]

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what child care facilities his Department provides for its employees; what facilities were provided in 1992; and how many employees have used child care facilities in each year since 1992. [6460]

Mr. Bowis: It has not been possible to assemble the information requested in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the information requested in the Library of the House.

MV Cap Afrique

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 21 November, Official Report, column 633, (1) how many passengers the MV Cap Afrique is permitted to carry; [6614]

(2) how many crew the MV Cap Afrique was carrying when it sailed from Dover on 6 November. [6613]

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 28 November 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Questions about the number of passengers and crew carried by the MV CAP AFRIQUE.
The Cap Afrique is permitted to carry 12 passengers. When it sailed from Dover at 17.30 hours on 6 November the ship was carrying 14 crew out of the total of 25 persons on board.

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 349

Aircraft Registration

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions (a) passenger and (b) cargo aircraft registered in (i) Anguilla, (ii) Antigua and Barbuda, (iii) Dominica, (iv) Grenada, (v) St. Lucia, (vi) St. Vincent, (vii) St. Kitts, (viii) Morocco and (ix) Suriname have flown into United Kingdom airports in the past 12 months. [4971]

Mr. Bowis: Not all categories of flight require specific Government permission, and my Department does not keep a record of every flight into the UK.

We are not aware of any commercial flights to the UK by aircraft registered in Anguilla, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Kitts and Suriname.

In the cases of Antigua and Barbuda, we are aware of one cargo charter service by Seagreen Air Transport, a single flight by a Caribbean Winds aircraft leased to Monarch Airlines, and nine flights by a Skyjet aircraft leased by Caledonian Airways. In addition a Skyjet aircraft was leased by Excalibur Airways from 31 May until 26 June.

In the case of Morocco, Royal Air Maroc operates scheduled passenger services to the UK using Moroccan registered aircraft. In the past 12 months, these have averaged seven flights per week. In addition, they have operated two ad hoc cargo charter services.

Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles have been scrapped following wheelclamping as a result of vehicle excise duty evasion; and if he will indicate the cost of the disposal of the vehicles. [6970]

Mr. Bowis: During the three month pilot scheme, 269 vehicles were scrapped. Costs were borne by the contractor.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the total revenues generated from the wheelclamping of vehicles for vehicle excise duty evasion; and how many vehicles have been thus wheelclamped. [6969]

Mr. Bowis: The pilot wheelclamping scheme for vehicle excise duty evaders ran from February to May 1996 in five London boroughs. The scheme produced an extra £2.1 million in extra vehicle relicensing and £35,000 in declamping and other fees. Around 21,000 additional licences were purchased over the three-month period. A total of 541 vehicles were clamped.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles are currently in storage as a result of being wheelclamped as a result of vehicle excise duty evasion; and if he will indicate the cost of their storage. [6944]

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 350

Mr. Bowis: No vehicles are currently in storage as a result of the pilot wheelclamping scheme. Vehicles are held for a minimum period of five weeks before disposal.

Traffic Area Network

Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the organisation of the traffic area network in the light of the forthcoming closure of the traffic area offices in Cardiff and Manchester. [7027]

Mr. Bowis: In the light of views expressed during consultation, we have decided to defer changes to the boundaries of the existing traffic areas. This will enable further work to be carried out on a new computer system for the traffic area network which may affect the organisation of work. It will also allow further consideration to be given to how traffic area boundaries should be re-drawn to meet concerns expressed in response to the consultation. As part of the future restructuring, it is planned to create a separate traffic area for Wales.

In the meantime, Mr. John Mervyn Pugh will remain traffic commissioner for both the west midland and the south wales traffic areas, operating from the traffic area office in Birmingham. Mr. Keith Waterworth, the traffic commissioner for the north eastern traffic area, will continue for the time being as traffic commissioner also for the north western traffic area, operating from the traffic area office in Leeds. Mr. Pugh will, however, be appointed as deputy traffic commissioner in the north western traffic area so that he can hear cases in north Wales on Mr. Waterworth's behalf. We also intend appointing a deputy traffic commissioner based in Wales to hear cases in both parts of the Principality. I will review the situation in a few months' time.

Franchising Director

Mr. Booth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what revisions he has made of his instructions and guidance to the franchising director. [7026]

Sir George Young: I have today written to the franchising director enclosing a new, consolidated version of his objectives, instructions and guidance--OIG. This consolidated version, which is being produced for ease of reference, does not change the franchising director's objectives, nor does it materially alter his instructions and guidance, other than to omit those sections of the previous version of the OIG which are now out of date. I am placing a copy of my letter, and the attachments to it, in the Library of the House.

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