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Bus Companies
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many national bus companies and municipal bus undertakings were privatised; and how many are still owned by the first owners following privatisation. [13712]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The 72 subsidiaries of the National Bus Company and the 10 companies in the Scottish Bus Group were privatised; 31 municipal bus companies have been sold by the local authorities concerned.
There is no requirement to report to this Department subsequent changes of ownership, which are a matter for the commercial market and, where relevant, the competition authorities.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what decisions were taken at the International Atomic Energy Agency annual general conference held in September in regard to assessment of the adequacy of existing IAEA regulations covering the transport of plutonium and high-level radioactive waste. [13699]
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Ms Glenda Jackson:
The general conference requested the IAEA to prepare, for its board of governors, a report on legally binding and non-binding international instruments and regulations concerning the safe transport of radioactive materials and their implementation.
Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to ensure that no local authority will be financially disadvantaged as a result of the scrapping of nursery vouchers. [13898]
Mr. Raynsford:
The combined effect of the revenue support grant allocations and specific grants to be given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment will ensure that all authorities are treated fairly, following the abolition of the scheme for nursery vouchers.
Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the guidelines for controlling the tipping of paper pulp waste from paper manufacture on farmland, upland and moors. [13691]
Angela Eagle:
The previous Government's response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Nineteenth Report on the Sustainable Use of Soil--CO428, January 1997--stated in paragraph 28 that the Water Research Centre and ADAS had been commissioned to develop further the criteria that determine in what circumstances the spreading on land of particular wastes benefit agriculture or result in ecological improvement; and that it would issue for public consultation good practice guidance reflecting the outcome of that research.
The Government plans to fulfil these commitments on receipt from the Environment Agency of the results of the research project. The original research project has been extended by the Environment Agency and is now expected to be completed by the end of March 1998.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list those regulations governing the level of sound played in clubs where music is played; [13706]
(3) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the long-term effects of unprotected exposure to high levels of sound in clubs where music is played; [13707]
(4) what plans he has to extend existing legislation on noise safety at work to clubs where music is played.[13709]
Angela Eagle:
Risks from noise exposure to people who work in clubs are covered by the Noise at Work Regulations 1989, while the health and safety of members of the public who attend clubs is governed by the general
4 Nov 1997 : Column: 148
requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. There are no plans to change this legislation in relation to clubs.
The licensing of clubs where music is played is the responsibility of the relevant licensing authority. It is for them to attach to licences such conditions as they consider necessary to protect the interests of both those attending the venue and those living nearby.
There has been substantial worldwide research on the effects of noise exposure on hearing, including work commissioned over many years by the Health and Safety Executive. In particular, the Health and Safety Executive published in 1985 a review by the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research of the literature on damage to hearing arising from leisure noise, including noise in discotheques.
There has been no assessment of measures to encourage the voluntary limitation of exposure to high decibel noise levels in clubs where music is played.
Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is considering to increase the installation of solar panels in domestic property and public buildings; and what part he expects this to play in meeting renewable energy targets. [14290]
Angela Eagle:
My hon. Friend the Minister of Science, Energy and Industry announced a review of new and renewable energy policy on 6 June, including consideration of what would be necessary and practicable to achieve 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity needs from renewables by the year 2010. The Government's support for solar panels will be considered in the context of this review. It is hoped that solar energy will be able to make a worthwhile contribution to UK power needs. However, currently the installation of photovoltaics in the UK is not cost-effective compared with other power generation options.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the number of representations he has received concerning regional development agencies. [14243]
Mr. Caborn:
We have received around 1,500 responses to the issues paper on regional development agencies which we published on 11 June.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the accident rates on the A1 red route for each of the last four years. [13990]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
For the section of the A1 red route from Stirling Corner to its junction with Pentonville Road the accident rates (in injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres) are:
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Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to support the EU zoo directive; and if he will make a statement. [13683]
Angela Eagle:
The Government supports efforts to improve zoo standards throughout the Community, which are long overdue. We believe that a directive would be the most effective way to achieve this. In deciding whether to pursue a directive in the Environment Council, we will need to consider whether it would attract sufficient support from other member states to secure its early adoption. We are discussing this with other member states as part of the groundwork for the forthcoming UK Presidency. If a directive is unattainable, the main alternative is to finalise a Council recommendation on zoos, which would be a significant step forward.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures his Department has taken to protect hedgerows; and if he will make a statement. [13682]
Angela Eagle:
Regulations for the protection of important hedgerows in England and Wales came into force on 1 June 1997. They control the removal of such hedgerows through a system of prior notification to the local planning authority. Although an important first step, we have instigated a review to consider how the regulations might be strengthened so that they give better protection for hedgerows. The review is being undertaken by a group which includes the statutory agencies, local authorities and the main farming and conservation bodies. It has been asked to report its recommendations by the end of December 1997.
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Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to take steps to bring the height of hedges under planning law; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the height of hedges. [13945]
Angela Eagle:
We have no plans to bring the height of hedges under planning law, but are considering whether there could be a case for some form of Government intervention in what, in general, are disputes between neighbours.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which (a) Minister and (b) civil servant has overall responsibility for ensuring millennium computer compliance in his Department and its associated public bodies. [13561]
Angela Eagle:
The Minister responsbile is the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hull, East (Mr. Prescott).
Each central directorate in DETR, executive agency and individual public body is responsible for ensuring compliance for the systems under its control. The Head of DETR's information technology services division has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the central Department's millennium computer compliance.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his latest estimate of the total cost of resolving the computer millennium problem in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which he is responsible; if he will state in each case (i) expenditure incurred to date, (ii) expenditure planned for 1997-98, (iii) expenditure planned for 1998-99 and (iv) expenditure planned for 1999-00; and if he will make a statement. [13558]
Angela Eagle:
The figures are provided in the following table:
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(2) what assessment he has made of measures to encourage voluntary limitation of exposure to high decibel noise levels in clubs where music is played; [13708]
1993: 90
1994: 98
1995: 99
1996: 88
| Latest estimate of | Expenditure | Expenditure planned for | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| total cost (£) | incurred to date (£) | 1997-98 (£) | 1998-1999 (£) | 1999-2000 (£) | |
| DETR (a) | 3 million | 0.2 million | 1 million | 1.5 million | 0.5 million |
| Executive agencies(24) | 15.5 million | 0.095 million | 2.2 million | 13.3 million | |
| Other public bodies (b) | 375 thousand | 25 thousand | 70 thousand | 210 thousand | 95 thousand |
(24) For Highways Agency (HA) the Latest Estimate of Total Cost is £15 million, mainly the cost of traffic control systems and the like. HA has not been able to break down Expenditure Planned between 1998-1999 and 1999-2000.
Figures are currently not available for:
(a) Government Offices (GOs).
(b) London Transport (LT). The Chairman of LT has been asked to write to you on this matter.
London Regional Passengers Committee (LRPC)
Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland and IOM).
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Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the action plan, due by 1 October 1997, for resolving the computer millennium problem in his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible; if such was fully completed on time; and if he will make a statement. [13557]
Angela Eagle:
The costed action plans will be analysed by the central IT unit (CITU) and the CCTA and the conclusions reported to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who will then inform Parliament.
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Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible completed the millennium computer compliance audits of systems; and if he will make a statement. [13560]
Angela Eagle:
In DETR, auditing was completed in October 1997.
In the Government offices for the regions, scoping of systems is being finalised and audits will follow.
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In the executive agencies, half had completed their audits in the first half of 1997. Some agencies have conducted audits in two stages with a high level audit already complete and a second more detailed investigation either under way or planned for early 1998.
In the other public bodies, auditing has been completed in a minority, is under way in others, and, in all cases, is planned to be completed by mid 1998.
Mr Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on what funding provision has been made to accommodate the expenditure needed to resolve the computer millennium problem; and if he expects to have sufficient funding to pay for the work necessary to achieve complete millennium compliance by 1 January 2000. [13559]
Angela Eagle:
The cost of preventive and remedial action on year 2000 will be met from existing PES provision.
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