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New Local Authorities
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate
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his Department has made of the additional annual revenue costs or savings achieved by new local authorities created since 1994 relative to the revenue costs of their predecessor authorities in their last year of operation.[12940]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Department has made no estimates of this nature.
Mr. McGrady:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy towards the proposed shipment of radioactive materials from Australia to Dounreay. [12952]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Department will ensure that any such shipments of irradiated nuclear fuel for reprocessing comply with the appropriate national and international safety regulations, current at the time of shipment, to ensure control of the hazards to persons, property and the environment. In keeping with Government policy, the contract to reprocess this fuel, if signed, will contain a clause to ensure the return of the separated wastes to Australia.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements he has made for the Exchequer to share in revenue generated by the Railtrack/Virgin scheme for the modernisation of the west coast main line railway. [12877]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The franchise agreement with Virgin Trains requires Virgin to introduce significantly accelerated and enhanced services following the upgrade of the west coast main line. The franchise was let through the competitive tender process and the winning bid from Virgin commits them to turn a subsidy of £76.8 million in 1997-98 to a premium payment of £220.3 million in 2011-12. There are no arrangements for the Exchequer to share in revenues.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Highways Agency will place in the Library the names and addresses
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of the 4,000 people who objected to the M25 widening scheme between junctions 12 and 15 in the official consultation period that ended in July 1996. [12876]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: In accordance with registration under the Data Protection Act 1984, the names of the objectors were published with the decision letter issued on 18 March 1997, a copy of which was deposited in the Library. To place their addresses in the Library would contravene the provisions of the Act.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure all newly qualified drivers pass a specific motorway test before being allowed to undertake unsupervised motorway driving; and if he will make a statement. [12899]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: My noble Friend the Minister for Roads announced on 15 October that the Government would be setting new road safety targets for the year 2010. Targets will be set within an outline strategy for achieving them. The questions of new drivers and motorway training will be considered in setting that strategy.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what have been the transitional costs of transferring services from preceding authorities to successor authorities in respect of each local authority reorganisation, including fire service reorganisation, in England in (a) 1995, (b) 1996 and (c) 1997; and what are the estimated transitional costs for each such reorganisation in 1998. [12939]
Mr. Raynsford:
Resources in the form of supplementary credit approvals are made available to reorganising authorities under the local government reorganisation costs scheme. The supplementary credit approvals issued to each authority under the schemes for 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and the maximum amounts issued under the 1997-98 scheme are set out in the table. Figures for 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 include supplementary credit approvals issued by the Home Office to combined fire authorities.
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(4) Includes allocations to predecessor authorities.
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