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Air Traffic Control (Scotland)
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the new Scottish air traffic control centre to be fully operational. [18618]
Mr. Bowis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 February 1997, Official Report column 141, to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Mrs. Campbell).
London Transport Museum
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the income of the London transport museum for each of the last five years. [18621]
Mr. Bowis:
The income generated by the London transport museum, excluding Government grant, is as follows:
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Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the level of subsidy paid by London Underground Ltd. to London Buses Ltd. in each of the last five years. [18623]
Mr. Bowis:
The distribution of resources by London Transport to its businesses is an operational matter for LT. The cash it allocated to London Buses activities in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
1991-91: £1,201,000
1992-93: £1,429,000
1993-94: £1,172,000
1994-95: £2,043,000
1995-96: £1,977,000
| Year | Cash paid (£ million outturn prices)(8) |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 157 |
| 1992-93 | 174 |
| 1993-94 | 78 |
| 1994-95 | 43 |
| 1995-96 | 44 |
(8) Figures supplied by London Transport.
Taxi Licences (North Lincolnshire)
Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has approved the request from North Lincolnshire district council to allow it to implement a policy of vehicle age limits when licensing taxis in the former Glanford borough area. [18592]
Mr. Bowis: The council does not require the consent of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to implement such a policy. My right hon. Friend has consulted on a proposal to make an order under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 which would prohibit the imposition of age limits on taxis and private hire vehicles; the responses are being considered.
Rail Tickets
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 69, if he will list the consultants commissioned to test the capabilities of station ticket offices, indicating the cost of employing them. [18656]
Mr. Watts: Following a competitive tendering exercise in 1995, the Rail Regulator commissioned Steer Davies Gleave to verify the capabilities of station ticket offices. The cost involved is commercially confidential.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 69, if he will list the market research organisation commissioned to survey rail ticket outlets. [18655]
Mr. Watts: Following a competitive tendering exercise in autumn 1996, the Rail Regulator commissioned NOP Mystery Shopping to survey rail ticket outlets.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 69, if he will list the stations included in the Rail Regulator's survey of ticket outlets. [18657]
Mr. Watts:
No. The Rail Regulator's survey is a Mystery Shopping exercise. It would be inappropriate to identify the stations involved.
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Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 70, on what basis he believes it could be prejudicial to release information on the channel tunnel fire. [18654]
Mr. Watts:
The investigations into the causes and consequences of the channel tunnel fire are continuing to examine evidence and establish the facts relating to the incident. Until the results of these investigations are known it could be misleading to release partial information.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total amount paid by London and Continental Railways to Her Majesty's Government for its acquisitions during the privatisation of the railways. [18640]
Mr. Watts:
Nil. London and Continental Railways--LCR--was appointed in February 1996 to design, building and operate the channel tunnel rail link as part of the private finance initiative. An explanatory memorandum describing the Government's agreements with LCR was deposited in the House Library in March 1996.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the sale of the Department's former research site at Crowthorne. [18901]
Mr. Bowis:
My Department has exchanged contracts with Legal and General Assurance Society Ltd. to dispose of the research site at Crowthorne, to take effect from 25 March. The price is £18.2 million with a clawback provision on the undeveloped part of the site. The disposal represents a good deal for the taxpayer and the local community at Crowthorne which will have the benefit of a respected financial institution as the new landlord. The Transport Research Laboratory has a long lease for most of the site which has 14 years to run. TRL will be able to continue its excellent research, for which it is world famous.
Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) who is responsible for the maintenance of fences alongside railway lines; [18240]
Mr. Watts:
Responsibility for maintaining railway fencing rests the infrastructure controller, Railtrack, in the case of the main network.
The controller's general duties under sections 3 and 4 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974, to protect the public from its premises and activities, extend to taking reasonably practicable measures to prevent
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unauthorised access. This obligation will be made explicit in the Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1977 which come into force in early May. The new regulations will replace an existing fencing requirement in section 10 of the Railway Regulation Act 1842.
Guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate gives detailed advice on standards of railway fencing distinguishing between built-up and rural areas.
Sir David Madel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the purpose of his Department's press briefing to be held at the new en route centre at Swanwick on 6 March; how many previous press briefings at Swanwick have taken place in the last 24 months; by whom they were organised; who attended; and if he will make a statement. [18290]
Mr. Bowis
[holding answer 3 March 1997]: The press briefing at Swanwick on 6 March is not being held or organised by the Department of Transport. It has been arranged by the Civil Aviation Authority's corporate communications department--CCD.
The purpose is to demonstrate the systems integration achieved to date, prior to the commencement of air traffic controller training at the centre in the near future.
I understand that this is the first major press briefing to be held at the Swanwick centre in the past 24 months although numerous individual journalists have made visits during that period. All these visits have been co-ordinated by the CAA's corporate communications department.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much her Department estimates it cost to establish each executive agency associated with her Department. [16965]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The Employment Service is the executive agency associated with the Department for Education and Employment. The Teachers Pensions Agency was an agency until it was contractorised in October 1996. The cost of setting up these agencies can be calculated only at disproportionate cost and would, in any case, be marginal when set against their overall budgets.
Both the Employment Service and the Teachers Pensions Agency carried out broadly the same functions before they become agencies. Therefore, although no actual figures are available, the cost of setting up these agencies is likely to have been marginal. The benefits in
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setting up these organisations as agencies can be seen in their clearer roles and responsibilities and in the freedom to meet targets they are set by Ministers and the successful performance against those targets.
(2) what are the regulations governing the height and strength of fences alongside railway lines; and if these differ between built-up and rural areas. [18241]
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