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Road Accidents
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will arrange for trading standards officers to obtain information on accidents from DVLA computers on-line. [17147]
Ms Glenda Jackson: DVLA does not hold a comprehensive record of accident-damaged vehicles. This information is available to trading standards officers from the Motor Insurers Anti Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR).
Bathing Beaches
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the beaches designated as bathing beaches for the purposes of European Union legislation on pollution in (a) 1987, (b) 1992 and (c) 1997. [17174]
Angela Eagle: There were 374,455 and 486 UK bathing waters identified within the scope of the Bathing Water Directive in 1987, 1992 and 1997 respectively. Lists are provided in the detailed summary of monitoring results which is placed in the Library each year. The summary for the 1997 season will be available early in the New Year.
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what data he has collated on the level of pollution on beaches not designated as bathing beaches. [17173]
Angela Eagle: The Environment Agency collect information on a site-specific basis in connection with their wider responsibilities for water pollution control. The information is available on the Agency's Regional Water Pollution Registers.
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what new steps are being taken to improve the quality of water at beaches in England and Wales. [17172]
Angela Eagle:
In July this year, the Government endorsed Environment Agency proposals for new standards to protect bathing waters. Under the new policy, sewage treatment plants with outfalls near bathing waters will have to meet higher design standards that will contribute to more beaches meeting Bathing Water Directive "guideline" standards for cleanliness. Improvements will also result from completion of the remaining schemes in the bathing water improvement programme and implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Priorities for additional investment by water companies on environmental improvements, including improved bathing water quality, will be considered next year as part of the current periodic review of water prices.
25 Nov 1997 : Column: 463
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what timetable and deadlines he is working to for co-ordinating the drawing up and adoption of Local Agenda 21s. [17296]
Angela Eagle:
At the United Nations General Assembly Special Session in June 1997, the Prime Minister called on all UK authorities to adopt Local Agenda 21 strategies by the year 2000. The Deputy Prime Minister will be launching a Joint Document next January, produced in conjunction with the Local Government Association and the Local Government Management Board, giving clear, practical guidance to councils showing why Local Agenda 21 strategies are needed and how to put an effective local strategy in place, building on the good practice that is being developed across the country. The document will ask all local authorities to send a copy of their strategy to the Chairman of the Local Government Association by 15 December 2000.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the documents which will incorporate the five year strategy for Her Majesty's Coastguard announced on 17 November 1997, Official Report, columns 9-10; [17548]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answers 24 November 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Wallace) on 21 November 1997, Official Report, columns 335-36.
The development of the strategy was an internal matter for the Coastguard Agency. The Chief Coastguard consulted with his Regional Controllers in drawing up the details. The first closures of rescue centres are not scheduled to take place for more than 2 years which allows time to discuss fully the implications and implementation with staff and trade unions. Any personnel disruption will be kept to a minimum and it is intended to reduce staff through natural wastage and voluntary retirement.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) whether, and at what cost, design consultants were employed in the preparation of the brochure "HM Coastguard: 5 Year Strategy"; [17603]
(3) on what date the brochure "HM Coastguard: 5 Year Strategy" was sent to the printers; and on what date that print order was completed; [17605]
(4) if the two pages headed "Some Questions and Answer" were printed separately from the remainder of the publication, "HM Coastguard: 5 Year Strategy"; on what date the contents of those pages were (a) approved by Ministers and (b) despatched for printing; and on what date those two pages were printed. [17606]
25 Nov 1997 : Column: 464
Ms Glenda Jackson:
On October 20 1997, the Coastguard Agency issued an information pack to provide journalists with background on the work of the Agency. Design consultants employed to advise the Agency on all its publications had some input into the provision of this press information pack, which did not contain any reference to the five year strategy. The cost of consultant advice on the press pack was around £140. The press information pack went to the printers on 7 October and the print order was returned on 15 October.
On 17 November 1997, Official Report, columns 9-10, when I announced the 5 year strategy, the information pack was reissued with the addition of two pages headed "Some Questions and Answers". These were photocopied separately from the rest of the pack on 14 November at the Agency's office and added to the press information pack for issue on the day of the announcement. The contents of the added pages were approved by Ministers when we approved the announcement.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish figures at the time of his announcement of the local government settlement for 1998-99 which reflect the impact of his grant and capping decisions on the actual financial position of each local authority. [17812]
Ms Armstrong:
I shall publish and place in the Library of the House tables of figures showing my proposals, for each English local authority, for Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) in total and for each major service block; and for each authority's entitlement to business rates, revenue support grant and special grant in respect of SSA reductions. I shall also publish figures showing the provisional effect on each local authority of the capping guidelines that will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. My officials will also send to each local authority an explanation of how their figures are derived. Subsequent decisions on budgets and local rates of council taxes are a matter for each local authority.
Ms Southworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the conference at Kyoto reaches effective conclusions. [16016]
Mr. Meacher:
The UK has played a leading role in the negotiations to date, including through our position as part of the EU Presidency Troika in which role I and EU colleagues lobbied the US earlier this month. We are continuing to press for a successful outcome at Kyoto, which must include agreement to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by all developed countries for the post-2000 period. To this end, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has recently chaired a meeting of key developed countries in Tokyo and is visiting India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to explore their positions further.
25 Nov 1997 : Column: 465
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the reasons for the Government's intention not to provide a choice between options in the referendum on the government of London. [17813]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Government are providing Londoners with a clear choice about the future government of their city. The Government were elected on a manifesto commitment that, following a referendum to confirm popular demand, they would establish a new Greater London Authority comprising an assembly and a mayor, each directly elected.
In accordance with that commitment, we will present the detail of our proposals to the people of London in a White Paper to be published in March next year. Londoners will then be given the opportunity to vote in a referendum on whether or not they consent to us implementing these proposals. In the event that they vote yes, the Government intend that legislation should be introduced next session to implement the White Paper proposals.
The Government are unconvinced by arguments for more than one question. The Mayor and the Assembly are not separable within the context of the Government's proposals. An authority without a directly elected Mayor would be a very different type of organisation. We do not believe that such an organisation would be capable of giving London the leadership it needs. A Mayor without an elected Assembly to hold him or her to account would be too powerful and unaccountable. Neither proposal would be in keeping with the clear manifesto commitment on which the Government were elected. It would not be responsible government to put unworkable options to the people of London.
(2) if he will list the consultative processes that preceded the five year strategy for Her Majesty's Coastguard; and what consultation he now proposes on the strategy. [17549]
(2) on what date the design and detail of the brochure "H. M. Coastguard: 5 Year Strategy" was agreed; [17604]
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