| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Quangos
Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the quangos within his Department's responsibility which he has to date announced his intention (a) to abolish and (b) to make subject to a significant element of democratic accountability. [9681]
Angela Eagle:
The Assessment Panel for Construction Research--an advisory non-departmental public body--was wound up on 14 July 1997.
25 Jul 1997 : Column: 786
I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, gave to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Bradley) on 24 July 1997, Official Report, column 693, on the extension of democratic accountability to quangos.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance his Department has issued on the consideration of issues of crime prevention in the planning process. [10257]
Mr. Raynsford:
Circular 5/94, entitled, "Planning Out Crime", was published in February 1994 and gives advice to local authorities, developers and designers about planning considerations relating to crime prevention.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the inspectors's report and decision on the public inquiry into the Painshill Copse gipsy site. [9967]
Mr. Caborn:
My right hon. Friend issued his decision on this case on 23 July. He accepted the inspector's recommendation that permission be granted for the continued use of land at Lydia park, Painshill Copse as a residential gipsy caravan site, subject to conditions. I have sent the right hon. Member a copy of the decision letter and the inspector's report.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of new homes that will be built in 1999; and if he will make a statement. [9785]
Mr. Raynsford:
In recent years, my Department has not made national forecasts of the number of dwellings that will be built in future years. We are currently reviewing estimates of the requirement for housing up to 2016, and this will help to inform any future forecasts of house building levels.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many and what percentage of employees, in each payband, in the quangos for which his Department is responsible, are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [8959]
Angela Eagle:
The recruitment and employment of staff is the responsibility of each individual body which seeks to attract applicants from diverse backgrounds. The Department, for its part, is keen, wherever possible, to encourage equality of opportunity within non-departmental public bodies. The information requested is not held by my Department.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the decision on the 44-tonne weight limit for lorries will be announced. [10529]
25 Jul 1997 : Column: 787
Ms Glenda Jackson:
It is too soon to say. We are still considering the responses to the previous Government's consultative document and the wider policy implications.
Liz Blackman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, (1) pursuant to his answer of 3 July, Official Report, column 254, on permitted driving hours, when he expects an opportunity will arise to amend legislation to give officers powers to prohibit the drivers of UK registered vehicles; [10579]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We wish to remove any possible doubt that authorised examiners can enter and inspect vehicles in order to check tachographs and records and that they can require records to be sent to their offices for inspection and copying. These changes and those relating to the power to prohibit will require primary legislation and I can only reiterate that we will promote amending legislation when a suitable opportunity arises.
Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the improvements to the A303 Sparkford-Ilchester section approved at the public inquiry in August 1994 can proceed independently of the Salisbury bypass section of the A303. [9836]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
This scheme is included in the accelerated review announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport on 19 June. We hope to announce the results of that review later this month.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department will announce the results of its consultation paper on the vehicle year identifier. [10617]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We intend to make an announcement shortly.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of track access charges on rail freight operators. [10684]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
All Railtrack track access agreements are subject to the approval of the Rail Regulator. Railtrack is expected to allow onto the network freight flows which can cover at least the marginal costs they impose. For traffic which cannot even meet these costs, track access grant is available in recognition of the environmental and wider social benefits of sending freight by rail rather than by road.
25 Jul 1997 : Column: 788
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many cars have been modified for use of unleaded petrol in each of the last five years. [10251]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The information required is not held centrally. Most modifications to vehicles to enable them to run on unleaded petrol are likely to have taken place in the years immediately following the introduction of unleaded petrol in April 1987, encouraged by the duty differential in favour of that product. This is reflected in the rapid increase in unleaded petrol sales to 40 per cent. of total petrol sales by April 1991. From that date, subsequent increases in the sales of unleaded petrol are likely to be attributable primarily to the statutory requirement for new petrol-engined vehicles, with some time-limited exemptions, to be designed and constructed so as to be able to run on unleaded petrol, and from 1993, to the need for catalyst-equipped vehicles to use only unleaded petrol.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) cars, (b) motor cycles and (c) light goods vehicles, which are able to use (i) four-star petrol only, (ii) unleaded petrol only and (iii) either four-star petrol or unleaded petrol. [10249]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Vehicles which are able to use only unleaded petrol are generally those fitted with catalytic convertors. An estimated 7 million petrol-engined cars and light good vehicles are so fitted. An estimated 1.3 million cars and light goods vehicles not fitted with catalytic convertors must be able to use unleaded petrol. In addition some 604,000 motor cycles are estimated to be able to use unleaded petrol. The remaining 12.4 million cars and light goods vehicles and 130,000 motor cycles were originally designed to use leaded petrol. However, the experience of countries such as the United States and Sweden indicates that most of these can safely use premium or super-unleaded petrol as an alternative, with the addition of a lead-replacement additive if it is felt necessary to afford a greater degree of protection against the possibility of increased seat wear.
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will impose standards on the advertising of seat belts installation services. [10234]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Department has produced advice notes, setting out what we consider to be best technical practice, for those involved in the installation of seat belts. The issue of trading standards is the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry which has confirmed that legislation already exists to prevent traders from making false claims about their goods and services. Enforcement of these regulations is a matter for local trading standards officers.
25 Jul 1997 : Column: 789
(2) pursuant to his answer of 3 July, Official Report, column 253, on the powers of traffic enforcement officers, in what ways the powers of enforcement officers to inspect and remove tachograph charts and to search for other evidence will be clarified; and when he expects an opportunity for amending legislation will arise. [10578]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |