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SCOTLAND
Skye Bridge
Mr. Charles Kennedy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his plans in respect of the Skye Bridge tolls, following his recent meeting with the Highland Council. [6497]
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Mr. Dewar
[holding answer 3 July 1997]: We have looked carefully at the full range of options for making the toll regime for the Skye Bridge fairer. In doing so we have had to take account of the fact that we inherited the contractual commitments which the previous Government had entered into with Skye Bridge Limited. Those commitments guarantee Skye Bridge Limited a specific financial return on the bridge. Therefore any action by the Government in relation to toll levels which leads to a reduction in the revenues which would flow to the company renders the Government liable to compensate the company for that reduction in revenue.
This makes affordability a key issue. Simply buying out the contract is estimated to cost around £30 million. We cannot justify that in the face of the many pressing needs for future expenditure within my public expenditure programme. Spending on education and health, for example, has a higher priority in deciding how to deploy any public expenditure which we can free up by reordering priorities or improving the efficiency of programmes.
The idea of removing tolls completely through 100 per cent. shadow tolls is no less expensive than buying out the contract. Nor in public expenditure terms does it have the effect of spreading the cost over a number of years, as people have tended to assume. The full cost of the project would be a public expenditure charge immediately because of the absence of the transfer of risk to the private sector, which is what justifies the phased public expenditure cost for DBFO roads contracts entered into before construction has begun.
We looked at the option of partial shadow tolling. However, we concluded that this was not the fairest means of alleviating the impact of tolls. We consider that the impact of the tolls is most severe on local people and others who use the bridge most frequently. We can halve the car and motorcycle tolls for frequent users for almost the same cost as would be involved in reducing tolls across the board by only 10 per cent., through partial shadow tolling.
We believe that halving the discounted tolls for cars and motorcycles paid by frequent users would be a very significant benefit. Frequent users make 40 per cent. of all car crossings at present and most of them will be inhabitants of Skye or the surrounding area. This change will produce a toll of £1.25 compared to the current discounted ticket cost of £2.51 and the current cost to casual users of £4.40 in the low season and £5.40 in the high season. At the suggestion of Highland Council, I propose that the number of crossings necessary for car and motorcycle owners to qualify for the discounted toll should be increased from 10 to 20.
Highland Council put to me the case for some reduction in tolls for commercial vehicles. I looked very carefully at several options which they put to me and concluded that, since over 70 per cent. of commercial vehicles take advantage of discounted tolls at present, I should focus any reduction on these tolls as I have done for car users. A reduction of 25 per cent. in discounted tolls for large heavy goods vehicles will reduce the cost of each crossing by £6.32, from £25.27 to £18.95, which should produce very substantial cumulative benefits to the businesses
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concerned. I hope this will benefit the local economy either through the effect on consumer prices or by helping companies retain or increase employment.
Highland Council also made a case for a reduction in the toll for service buses, and I have decided to reduce the discounted toll for these by 25 per cent. from £15.27 to £11.45. This should enable bus operators to reduce fares and will, I hope, encourage the use of public transport.
I wish to assist the health of the local economy. The changes in tolls which I propose to make are likely to cost me a very substantial amount of money over the life of the contract. That will be matched by savings to bridge users, who will be free to spend that money in other ways. Since the benefits will be concentrated on local people, as a result of the approach which I have chosen, the extra spending power is more likely to flow to the local economy.
My officials are now in discussion with Skye Bridge Ltd. to agree the precise details and the arrangements to ensure that the effect of these changes on the Company's revenue is neutral. The timing of these changes will depend partly on the need to promote a variation to the Toll Order, which will have to be approved by Parliament, and on the need to complete the discussions with the Company. They will, however, be implemented as early as practicable.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if he will list the successful national lottery bids in Stoke-on-Trent, North, by category of national lottery funding, indicating the percentage they comprise of the total sums awarded nationwide in each category; [6281]
Mr. Banks:
To date over £3.7 billion has been awarded to 23,570 projects throughout the UK. Twelve of these awards are to projects in Stoke-on-Trent, North worth £2,938,508. The first table lists these together with the percentage they represent of the total sums awarded across England and the UK. The second table shows the number of applications received from Stoke-on-Trent, North.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to introduce restrictions on members of the bodies allocating lottery funds from taking jobs with organisations to which they have been making allocations. [6062]
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Mr. Banks:
Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), including those which allocate Lottery funds, are covered by the guidance on business appointment rules set out in the Treasury/Office of Public Service's "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. This requires NDPBs to consider whether they need to adopt rules comparable to those that apply to Crown servants in the light of their functions and of any potential for conflict of interest which might give rise to public concern. My Department has reminded those NDPBs for which it is responsible of this requirement, and asked them to consider whether appropriate clauses might also be inserted into the contract of employees in especially sensitive positions.
Staff of NDPBs generally were reminded of the need to observe the business appointment rules of their organisation in the model "Code of Practice for Staff of Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies" published by the Office of Public Service in August 1996, a copy of which is also in the Library of the House. My Department's NDPBs have all adopted, or are in the process of adopting, the model Code.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to increase sports facilities and opportunities for those with disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [5820]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer 1 July 1997]: This Government is determined to promote sport for people with disabilities. It is our aim to maximise opportunity for all people, no matter what their ability. There is an enormous amount of untapped talent, which given the right opportunities and encouragement could become our next generation of successful Paralympians.
I am taking a particular interest in disabled sports events. In the last two months, I have opened the World Blind Sailing Championships and the British disabled water skiing facilities at Heron Lake. I have attended disabled rugby at Loughborough University, a coaching session by the London Community Cricket Association for the disabled, fundraising for the Special Olympics organised by Sainsbury's and been to the British retinitis pigmentosa awards. I shall also be opening the Special Olympics in Portsmouth later this month.
We as a nation should take pride in the achievements of our disabled sportspeople. The success of our Paralympic team in Atlanta last year, winning 122 medals in total, 39 of them gold medals, was a considerable achievement and shows what can be done with effort and determination. As I said in the sport for all debate last week, we need more media coverage of these international events.
To ensure we build on this success, the British Academy of Sport and the regional centres of sporting excellence will address the provision for people with disabilities as an integral part of our overall strategy.
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Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if an application for Lottery funding for the Melbourne Sports Stadium in Chelmsford has been granted; and if he will make a statement. [6005]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer Tuesday 1 July 1997]: The English Sports Council is the statutory distributor in England of Lottery funds for good causes in sport. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not have any role in the decision-making process on individual applications. The English Sports Council has, however, advised me that the application referred to is still being processed and no decision has yet been taken.
(2) how many applications for each category of national lottery funding have been received from Stoke-on-Trent, North; and how many of these have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful, indicating for each successful scheme the value of the award, in each year since the inception of the national lottery. [6248]
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