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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 November 1997

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Cash and Running Costs Limits

Mr. Beard: To ask the Attorney-General what proposals there are to change the 1997-98 cash limit or running cost limit for the work of Her Majesty's Procurator-General and Treasury Solicitor. [14043]

The Attorney-General: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class VIII, vote 6 will be increased by £433,000 from £7,003,000 to £7,436,000. The running costs limit is also increased by £712,000 from £25,742,000 to £26,454,000. The increases reflect the increased demand for services, machinery of Government changes and a transfer of an end year flexibility amount from the Crown Prosecution Service to take account of the costs of the CPS review falling on the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers. The increase in the cash limit will be charged to the Reserve and will therefore not be an addition to the planned total of public expenditure.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

British Railways Board

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has set the British Railways Board an external finance limit for 1997-98. [14922]

Dr. Strang: I have set the British Railways Board an external finance limit of £69.7 million for 1997-98.

Transport Council

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Transport Council held in Luxembourg on 9 October. [14923]

Dr. Strang: The Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 9 October. I represented the United Kingdom.

The Council opened with a session of structured dialogue with Transport Ministers of the applicant central European countries--CECs. A report by the Commission on the recent Pan-European conference in Helsinki was followed by discussion of issues relating to market access. Three areas for future work were identified: the need to strengthen co-operation between the Community and the CECs; developing the mobility of citizens; and the need to take account of all modes of transport in negotiations in market access.

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The Council discussed air transport negotiations with the US. The Commission's view was that, although Community discussions with the US on regulatory issues had been useful, further progress would not be made unless market access was brought within the scope of the negotiations. The UK noted that success in its current bilateral negotiations with the US would bring benefits for passengers from the UK and the rest of the EU. The UK and other member states expressed doubts about the Commission's approach. The presidency concluded that there should be further work by the Commission, and a report back to the December Council.

The Council took note of the Commission's progress report on air transport negotiations with the CECs.

The Council debated a draft directive on airport charges. The debate focused on two aspects of the directive: the use of charges for cross-subsidy of smaller regional airports; and the variability of charges to reflect environmental considerations. The Council invited the Committee of Permanent Representatives to continue its examination of the proposal.

The Council reached unanimous political agreement on a directive on access to the occupation of road transport operator. This directive will raise the standards required of lorry, bus and coach operators in the Community.

The Council agreed conclusions urging greater emphasis on the public-private partnerships approach to Trans-European Network projects.

The Commission presented its White Paper on extension of the provisions of working time legislation to excluded sectors, including transport. It was noted that consultation with interested parties was still in progress. The UK, with some other member states, urged a case-by-case approach to the extension to transport, taking account of the needs of each form of transport.

The Commission presented the case for a Community-wide blood alcohol limit of 50 mg per 100 ml. The UK expressed its determination to further reduce alcohol-related roads deaths, and noted that it was important to consider other ways of reducing drink-drive accidents as well.

There was a discussion of weekend lorry bans in member states; the Commission undertook to produce draft legislation on this issue by the end of the year. The Commission also presented its draft regulation extending the Community's competition rules to air services to third countries.

Tax Advice

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the expenditure by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, on (i) tax consultants and (ii) other external tax advice in (1) 1995-96, (2) 1996-97 and (3) 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [13257]

Angela Eagle: For the Department and for non-departmental public bodies the information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. For agencies the figures are: 1995-96 Nil, 1996-97 £16,562 and 1997-98 (spend to date) £3,525.

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Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the policy of his Department on the purchase of tax avoidance advice; and if he will make a statement. [13258]

Angela Eagle: One agency of the Department has used tax advisers to enable it to fulfil its statutory tax obligations rather than for tax avoidance purposes.

Roads (Downland Design, Build, Finance and Operate Scheme)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what compensation payments are required to be made, and to whom, as a result of the decision not to proceed in July with the construction of the A27 Polegate bypass and associated works within the Weald and Downland DBFO scheme. [13776]

Ms Glenda Jackson [holding answer 3 November 1997]: We are currently considering whether the four consortia that submitted tenders for the Weald and Downland DBFO project should be compensated for their costs.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the total cost to the Government of compensation in respect of the postponement of the Downland DBFO Scheme. [14204]

Ms Glenda Jackson: We are currently considering whether the four consortia who submitted tenders for the Weald and Downland DBFO project should be compensated for their costs.

Ordnance Survey

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to change the 1997-98 cash limit and net running cost limit for the Ordnance Survey. [14400]

Mr. Raynsford: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary winter supplementary estimate for Ordnance Survey, the cash limit will be increased by a token of £1,000 from £6,759,000 to £6,760,000 and the net running cost limit increased from £3,025,000 to £3,026,000.

This supplementary estimate reflects an increase in running cost expenditure of £2,001,000 from £73,970,000 offset by an increase in appropriations in aid of £2,000,000 from £78,180,000 to £80,180,000.

Cash and Running Costs Limits

Ms Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change his Department's cash limits and running cost limits for 1997-98. [14401]

Mr. Prescott: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, my Department's cash limits will change as follows:


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The overall increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.


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