| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Gazumping
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consider changes to the law to prevent gazumping and the late withdrawal from house purchase agreements. [2478]
Mr. Hoon: I have been asked to reply as responsibility for this topic lies with the LCD.
Work will shortly be under way across a number of Government Departments co-operating together which will look closely at the problem of gazumping and will lead to detailed proposals which will be in the interests of everyone involved in the sale and purchase of homes.
HSE Prosecutions
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of prosecutions which the Health and Safety Executive has brought against each local authority in England in the last three years; and how many have resulted in convictions. [3252]
Angela Eagle:
In the three years from 1993-94 to 1995-96, the Health and Safety Executive prosecuted local authorities in England 44 times for 51 alleged breaches of health and safety law and secured 50 convictions. Details from HSE records are shown in the table. Figures for the year April 1996-March 1997 are not yet available.
12 Jun 1997 : Column: 521
| Local authority | Occasions prosecuted | Breaches alleged | Convictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wealden District Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| East Sussex County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Islington | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Edmundsbury Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Norwich City Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Stevenage Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Salford Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lancaster City Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sunderland City Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Avon County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Somerset County Council | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| London Borough of Southwark | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| City of Birmingham | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bromsgrove District Council | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Doncaster Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Harrogate District Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Manchester City Council | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Durham County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| South Tyneside Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gateshead Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lancashire County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cleveland County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Surrey County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Harrow | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Colchester Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Tower Hamlets | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Helens Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Berkshire County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Greenwich | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cornwall County Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Haringey | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| London Borough of Barking and Dagenham | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| London Borough of Redbridge | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Corporation of London | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Bedford Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Wrekin Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Newark and Sherwood District Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Humberside County Council | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Rochdale Borough Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Liverpool City Council | 1 | 1 | 1 |
These figures have not been validated.
There have, of course, been successive cuts to the HSE's grant-in-aid over recent years. Despite considerable difficulty, HSE has sought to meet these budget reductions with least harm to its key areas of work such as inspection and other field activity. Nevertheless, this can lead to heavy workloads associated with
prosecution, discouraging it--especially when pitifully low fines from magistrates are taken into account. We are looking closely at this.
12 Jun 1997 : Column: 522
TRANSPORT
Rail Regulations
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the arrangements in place currently for claims handling in respect of claims against operators of rail services, with particular reference to the experiences of those persons submitting claims arising out of the Rickerscote rail crash at Stafford on 8 March 1996. [2862]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The arrangements for claims handling are governed by the Claims Allocation and Handling Agreement (CAHA), which is currently being reviewed by the Rail Industry Disputes Resolution Committee--a committee of industry representatives with an independent Chairman. Their proposals for changes to the Agreement will be submitted to the Rail Regulator for approval.
The Rail Regulator has initiated a separate review of third party liability insurance in relation to "privately owned rail vehicles" (defined as ones which are both owned by a company outside the licensing regime of the Railways Act 1993 and which are operated without the benefit of a lease or other agreement which transfers liability for the vehicle to a licensed train operator). He believes that it is in the interests of both the rail industry and third parties that a practical solution is found to the third party liability issues surrounding such vehicles. I understand the Rail Regulator intends to publish a consultation document later this year.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what public liability insurance is required of (a) Railtrack plc, (b) licensed operators of rail services and (c) other operators of rail services. [2861]
Ms Jackson:
Licensed operators, including Railtrack, are required by the Rail Regulator to carry third party liability cover of at least £155 million, unless the Regulator agrees a lower figure in specific circumstances. In the case of companies providing services to the rail network who fall outside the Regulator's licensing powers, the level of third party liability insurance is a matter of commercial judgment. However, in the case of unlicensed contractors and sub-contractors, the Regulator has required licensed operators to provide, in their own insurance, cover for the difference between the contractor's insurance and £155 million.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what regulatory framework governs claims procedures in respect of the franchised railway companies; and what role the Rail Regulator has in respect of them. [2863]
Ms Jackson:
All licensed railway operators, including Railtrack, are required by their licences to be a party to claims handling arrangements approved by the Rail Regulator. The railway industry established the Claims Allocation and Handling Agreement (CAHA) in early
12 Jun 1997 : Column: 523
1994. This continues to be the means by which all operators fulfil this licence obligation. The Rail Regulator is responsible for enforcing licence conditions.
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what policies are being pursued by the Government to encourage cycling; and if he will make a statement. [3049]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 3 June, Official Report, column 165: to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane).
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will meet the Rail Regulator to discuss whether adequate provision for the transport of cycles should be added to the obligations of train operators; and if he will make a statement. [3048]
Ms Jackson:
The provision of capacity for the carriage of bicycles is a matter for the Franchising Director. Franchise operators are required by their Franchise Agreements to ensure that facilities are made available for the carriage of cycles on trains, so far as is reasonably practicable and subject to the availability of appropriate space on their rolling stock.
The Government are keen to see proper facilities for cyclists who wish to use the railway. We are currently reviewing the Franchising Director's Objectives, Instructions and Guidance. As part of our review, we will be considering what action the Franchising Director should take to encourage increased carriage of cycles on trains.
Mr. Richard Allan:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to help businesses protect themselves against the losses caused by fraudulent credit card usage, with particular reference to telephone transactions. [2816]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
I understand that the banks are actively working with retail organisations to investigate methods of preventing all types of credit card fraud, including telephone transactions, and I strongly welcome this initiative.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage and how many documents in 1996 she estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by her Department in full, (d) retained by her Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of, and (g) otherwise unaccounted for. [2506]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 11 June 1997]: No document falls due for transfer to the Public Record Office until it is 30 years old. The suitability of a
12 Jun 1997 : Column: 524
document for selection for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |