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Rail Safety

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by train operating company the number of accidents occurring on rolling stock operated by that company since privatisation. [4447]

Ms Glenda Jackson: This information is not available in the form requested. Accidents may be reported to the Health and Safety Executive either by the train operating company or by Railtrack Plc (in which case it is not always possible to identify on whose rolling stock the accidents have occurred). In addition, separate statistics showing accidents happening after the operative date for each franchise are not readily available.

Rail Services

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by train operating company the number of occasions and the details of warnings issued by (a) OPRAF and (b) the Rail Regulator for not operating services to the levels specified in the passenger service requirement. [4445]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Franchising Director has proposed one draft enforcement order against a train operating company for a breach of the cancellation levels in the franchise agreement. The draft order published on 14 March against South West Trains, for poor

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performance in February and March, was withdrawn on 8 May following significant improvements in performance.

The Franchising Director issued a notice on 18 June about a breach by Island Line of its cancellation levels in March 1997. There will be no further action as the company is taking all necessary steps to secure future compliance.

The Rail Regulator is not responsible for enforcing compliance with passenger service requirements.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list by regional rail users committee the number of passenger complaints received for the last 12 months; [4510]

(2) if he will list by regional rail users committee the number of complaints relating to (i) punctuality, (ii) ticketing and (iii) other issues received over the last 12 months. [4511]

Ms Jackson: The most recent 12-month period for which details are available is the financial year 1996-97. The figures are as follows:

Public complaints received by the rail users' consultative committees and by the london regional passengers' committee1 April 1996 auntil 31 march 1997

Committee	Punctuality	Fares and tickets(7)	Other complaints	Annual total
LRPC	288	208	1,881	2,377
RUCC for southern England	99	29	896	1,024
RUCC for western England	321	80	1,011	1,412
RUCC for Wales	194	39	829	1,062
RUCC for the Midlands	155	18	314	487
RUCC for eastern England	77	54	538	669
RUCC for north eastern England	105	33	659	797
RUCC for north western England	272	86	1,116	1,474
RUCC for Scotland	42	24	385	451
National total	1,553	571	7,629	9,753

(7)Fares and tickets category includes ticket pricing levels and structure; Railcards, Railrover tickets and promotional offers; permited routes; acceptance of through tickets; and predatory fares/exclusionary behaviour.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by the train operating company the number of occasions recorded by OPRAF of that company operating trains with fewer carriages than specified in the passenger service requirement. [4444]

Ms Glenda Jackson: This information is not available in the form requested. A train is "short formed" if it operates with fewer seats than planned, whether or not the number of seats is specified in the passenger service requirement. Under their franchise agreements, operators face a penalty payment for every train short formed. Furthermore, a high level of short formations is liable to result in breach of the franchise agreement and enforcement action by the Franchising Director. There have been no material breaches of franchise agreements as a result of short formations; the performance payments of each operator will be published in the Franchising Director's annual report in the next few weeks.

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Vehicle Safety

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to encourage vehicle manufacturers to improve the design of their vehicles following the publication of the EURONCAP crash test results. [4450]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Manufacturers are involved in the EURONCAP testing and evaluation programme and I am keen that they use the results in developing future models. I also hope that the publication of the results of the second series of tests on 13 family-sized saloons on 1 July 1997 will create consumer pressure for improved designs; that has been the experience in the United States and Australia, where similar programmes have been operating for some years.

Mixed Oxide Nuclear Fuels

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) of 10 June, Official Report, column 409, if he will set out the basis for the statement that in the event of an aircraft accident mixed oxide nuclear fuel poses no significant risk to public health. [4375]

Ms Glenda Jackson: My statement was based upon the conclusions of the Advisory Committee on the Transport of Radioactive Materials (ACTRAM) an independent body charged with advising the Secretary of State for Transport and the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission on major issues related to the transport of radioactive material and on the robustness of the containers used.

In its report, The Transport of Civil Plutonium by Air, published in 1988, ACTRAM concluded: (14.2)

"The health risk to people from the current transport of civil plutonium by air to and from the UK is [also] extremely remote and acceptable."

Bearing in mind that the major hazard of plutonium is one of inhalation, its comments specifically on Mox fuel are particularly relevant: (14.3)

"Plutonium dioxide mixed with Uranium dioxide in the form of ceramic pellets constitutes no significant inhalation hazard."

A copy of ACTRAM's report is available in the Library.

Trees

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of trees planted by the Highways Agency (a) are red-leaved and (b) have leaves which turn red in the Autumn; and what plans he has to increase that percentage. [4313]

Ms Glenda Jackson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highway Agency to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Theresa May, dated 20 June 1997:

The Deputy Prime Minister has asked me to reply to your recent question asking what percentage of trees planted by the Highways Agency are red-leaved or have leaves which turn red in the Autumn; and what plans he has to increase that percentage.

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Unfortunately it is not possible to quantify this information. Most trees planted by the Highways Agency are native deciduous and although there are no red-leaved native trees, those such as the Wayfaring Tree can give a dense red colour in the Autumn. In general Autumn colour varies with species, soil and weather, and adds interest to tree planting's important role of helping to fit roads into their surroundings. There are no plans to change the current practice.

Seatbelts

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to extend the MOT test to include checks on the operation of seatbelts. [4451]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Mandatory seatbelts are already checked in MOT tests to ensure that they latch and unlatch correctly. The condition of the webbing, anchorage and retractor mechanism is also checked for deterioration. However, there is no check on the restraining operation of seat belts. It would be very difficult to devise a meaningful and reproducible test which could be carried out in 18,000 MOT testing stations across the country and we are aware of no evidence that seat belts fail to operate properly in practice.

Out-of-town Developments

Mrs. Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change the guidance to planning inspectors on granting permission to out-of-town or edge-of-town shopping centres. [3824]

Mr. Raynsford: Guidance is contained in PPG6: Town Centres and Retail Developments. It clarifies that the key tests that should be applied to assessing proposals for new retail development are the application of the sequential approach to site selection, the impact on the development plan strategy, the vitality and viability of existing centres, accessibility by a choice of means of transport particularly public transport, impact on overall travel and car use and other environmental impacts. We have no current plans to change it.

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