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Bull Bars
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions he has drawn from the Transport Research Laboratory's study of accidents involving bull bars; and if he will make a statement. [10279]
Mr. Bowis: The Transport Research Laboratory published yesterday a study of accident data which suggests that the number of additional deaths and injuries caused by bull bars is significantly lower than had previously been assumed. Nevertheless, we cannot accept
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unnecessary deaths on the road, even if in single figures. We are still very much opposed to the fitting of aggressive bull bars and strongly support current European efforts to control their use. We shall also be studying the TRL report carefully to assess what further action is appropriate.
A copy of the TRL study has been placed in the Library.
Vehicle Fuel Tax
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the impact of a 5 per cent. annual increase in tax on vehicular fuel on road traffic. [10205]
Mr. Bowis: The impact depends on the price charged at the pump and the number of years over which the increase is imposed.
North Sea Pollution
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many oil or chemical pollution incidents have been reported by each member state party to the Bonn agreement on pollution in the North sea in each year since it came into force; and if he will place in the Library copies of each submission made by the United Kingdom under the Bonn agreement. [8366]
Mr. Bowis: The Bonn agreement secretariat has informed the Department's marine pollution control unit that, between 1984 and 1996 to date, it received 36 pollution reports from contracting parties as in the table.
| 1984 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1995 | 1996 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||||||
| Denmark | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||
| France | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Germany | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |||||
| Norway | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Sweden | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| United Kingdom | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
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18 Dec 1996 : Column: 669
The secretariat has said that the Bonn agreement 1983, as amended by the decision of contracting parties of 22 September 1989, does not impose a formal duty on contracting parties to send copies of all pollution reports to the secretariat. In practice, all contracting parties resort to instant operational contacts with neighbouring parties from the start of an incident, often under the umbrella of bilateral arrangements.
Since 1989, the marine pollution control unit has notified the Bonn agreement secretariat on five occasions of oil pollution or threatened oil pollution in the UK as shown in the table. The Bonn agreement does not require members to make submissions. Of the five UK incidents listed, reports of two--the Philips Oklahoma and the Braer--are available in the Library.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those airlines identified by the Civil Aviation Authority as a cause for concern in relation to safety which has resulted in additional ramp checks being undertaken. [8441]
Mr. Bowis:
Since January's announcement of a package of measures to increase the safety surveillance of foreign aircraft operating to the UK, the Department has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to carry out a number of ramp checks. Additional ramp checks have been necessary only in the case of Turkmenistan Airlines and Transarabian Air Transport. In neither case has there been evidence of on-going problems which suggest that these airlines are not operating in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's minimum standards.
Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each motorway and trunk road, in which parliamentary constituency each junction is located, based on (a) the present boundaries and (b) the new boundaries which come into effect from 1997. [9158]
Mr. Watts
[holding answer 16 December 1996]: The information in its entirety could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I can provide a list of the motorway junctions in England based on the current parliamentary boundaries. As the list is extensive, I will send it separately to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy in the Library.
Sir Roger Moate:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the draft orders for
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the Iwade to Queenborough improvement scheme, including the second crossing of the Swale; and what arrangements are being made for a public exhibition. [9587]
Mr. Watts:
We intend to publish the draft orders for this scheme on 23 January 1997. This will be followed as soon as possible by a local public exhibition of the proposals. At the exhibition, officials will be in attendance to explain the proposals and to answer any questions.
Official Ministerial Visits
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each of the Ministers in his Department how many official ministerial visits they have undertaken since 1 January; and how many of these have been abroad. [9377]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: Ministers carry out many visits in the course of their official duties. During the period in question, the number of official visits overseas by Ministers of this Department were as follows:
- my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary made 46 overseas visits, visiting 44 countries;
- the Minister for Overseas Development made 21 visits, visiting 26 countries;
- the Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley), made 12 overseas visits, visiting 28 countries;
- the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis), made 29 overseas visits, visiting 17 countries;
- the Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), made four overseas visits, visiting seven countries;
- and I made 18 overseas visits, visiting 18 countries.
Intergovernmental Conference
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support within the intergovernmental conference the presidency's proposal for a new article 3d in respect of environmental protection and sustainable development. [9404]
Mr. David Davis: The Government support the objectives of environmental protection and sustainable development. There is already a treaty basis for EC environmental action. The Government are considering how this might be developed without extending Community competence or majority voting.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support the Irish proposal to strengthen the nuclear safety provisions of the Euratom treaty at the intergovernmental conference. [9406]
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Mr. Davis: No. The proposal can be more appropriately dealt with in the context of wider international agreements in the nuclear area.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what environmental proposals the United Kingdom Government plan to put forward at the intergovernmental conference. [9408]
Mr. Davis: The Government are still considering what, if any, environmental proposals to put to the intergovernmental conference.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support within the intergovernmental conference the proposal that the Committee of the Regions should be allowed to bring actions before the Court of Justice for the purpose of protecting its own prerogatives. [9402]
Mr. Davis: The Committee of the Regions has a valuable role to play, but the Government do not agree that giving an advisory body of this kind direct access to the European Court of Justice would be appropriate.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the environmental issues in respect of which the United Kingdom Government will be supporting an extension of qualified majority voting at the intergovernmental conference. [9405]
Mr. Davis: None. As explained in the "Partnership of Nations" White Paper, at a time when there is serious public concern about the centralisation of decision making, the case has not been made for making it easier to override the objections of member states in matters of particular sensitivity. The Government therefore oppose the further extension of qualified majority voting.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Danish proposals of 6 September to the intergovernmental conference concerning the environment. [9407]
Mr. Davis: The Government support effective environmental action at the European level which takes full account of the principle of subsidiarity. The Government do not, however, support the Danish suggestion that qualified majority voting should be used for decisions on environmental taxes.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support within the intergovernmental conference the proposal to amend article 3b in respect of the application of the principle of subsidiarity to regional and local levels. [9409]
Mr. Davis: No. As Heads of Government agreed in 1992 at the Birmingham European Council,
- "It is for each Member State to decide how its powers should be exercised domestically".
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