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Japanese Cars
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the emission levels of cars manufactured in Japan to run on low sulphur fuels imported into the United Kingdom for sale as second-hand cars relative to cars manufactured in the EU; and if he will make a statement. [30721]
Ms Glenda Jackson [holding answer 23 February 1998]: None. The proportion of such second-hand cars compared with cars manufactured directly for the EU market is very small. Any disparity between emissions levels will decline markedly from the year 2000, when new EU fuel standards are due to be introduced.
Mornington Crescent
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when Mornington Crescent London Underground station will be reopened. [30953]
Ms Glenda Jackson: This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd, but I understand that they are aiming to re-open Mornington Crescent station towards the end of next month.
Conferences
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many of his officials attended conferences (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) overseas; and how many and what percentage made (i) oral and (ii) written contributions to the matters under discussion in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [31177]
Ms Glenda Jackson: These data are not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost. Officials attend and speak at conferences as appropriate to fulfil their duties.
Rolling Stock Leasing Companies
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to investigate the profits levels of train rolling stock leasing companies. [31008]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 21 January that he had asked the Rail Regulator to conduct an urgent and
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wide-ranging inquiry into the operation of the rolling stock market. The Regulator has been asked specifically to examine the scope for the rolling stock companies to abuse their market power either through excessive pricing, through inadequate investment in new or refurbished rolling stock or more generally through their response to the requirements of train operators to secure improvements in performance. The Regulator has been asked to report by the middle of April. The Government will then consider, in the light of the Regulator's recommendations, whether further action should be taken.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps have been taken by his Department in conjunction with the trades unions and Employers' Federation to promote improved health and safety practice at work. [30829]
Mr. Meacher:
I am kept regularly informed by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), whose members include representatives of both employees and employers organisations, of measures and action taken to promote improved health and safety practice in the workplace. Much of HSC's work is done in consultation with their industry advisory committees which encourage the joint participation of all representative organisations in the improvement of health and safety at work and draw on the expertise and advice available on both sides of industry. These committees give the problems of particular industries close and more detailed attention.
I have recently allocated to the HSC/E an extra £4.5 million and I look forward to receiving their Plan of Work for 1998/99 which sets out detailed proposals of how resources will be used to achieve their aims and key priorities for the coming year. One of the HSC's key priorities will be to improve health and safety at work by promoting the full participation of key intermediaries and principal stakeholders, namely employers, employees and their representatives.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from Abbey National Plc on the subject of the current Energy Efficiency Bill. [31010]
Mr. Meacher:
The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) will shortly reply to a letter about the Energy Efficiency Bill which Abbey National Plc sent to my hon. Friend the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what will be the (a) timetable and (b) scope of the national debate on the achievement of the Government's (i) legally binding target set at the Kyoto conference and (ii) own target for reductions in CO2 emissions by 2010; who will be consulted; and when and how the Government will report on it. [31011]
Mr. Meacher:
The Government plan to publish a consultation paper on delivering their climate change targets in the summer. This will focus on our legally
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binding target under the Kyoto Protocol, but will also discuss policies that could help to go beyond that target and deliver our domestic aim. We have already started to consider a range of options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions with key players. We will continue this debate in the run up to publication of the consultation paper and afterwards, as we develop our national programme.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will amend the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Order 1994 (SI 1519) to add the words "Except Cycles" to No Entry signs. [29588]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
No. We do not believe it is generally safe or desirable to allow or encourage cyclists to ride past No Entry signs. We recommend that, wherever possible, a segregated cycle facility should be provided at the entry to a contraflow cycle lane. The Traffic Signs Regulations (which are made by Ministers in England, Wales and Scotland acting jointly) already contain positive signs to indicate that pedal cycles only may use particular routes, as well as signs to indicate that motor vehicles are prohibited from certain routes.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many responses have been received so far to the consultation on the revised Highway Code. [29589]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We have received some 420 responses to date.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of airline passengers and flight crew aboard (a) United Kingdom aircraft and (b) aircraft flying to and from the United Kingdom injured by turbulence while not wearing their seatbelts in each of the last five years. [31255]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Civil Aviation Authority does not hold information on injuries occurring on foreign registered aircraft. The number of injuries to passengers and flight crew on United Kingdom registered aircraft resulting from turbulence in each of the last five years is listed in the table. None of these injuries were serious. It is not known whether or not those injured were wearing seat belts.
| Passengers | Cabin crew | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 0 | 10 |
| 1994 | 2 | 5 |
| 1995 | 2 | 13 |
| 1996 | 4 | 9 |
| 1997 | 18 | 29 |
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of incidents in each of the last five years where turbulence has affected United Kingdom air carriers. [31256]
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Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Civil Aviation Authority require reports of turbulence encounters by UK registered aircraft when they result in an injury to an occupant of the aircraft or if the commander of the aircraft deems a "turbulence check" of the aircraft to be necessary. The number of reports of turbulence encounters involving UK registered passenger aircraft received by the CAA in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 46 |
| 1994 | 84 |
| 1995 | 74 |
| 1996 | 49 |
| 1997 | 86 |
Trust Ports
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to privatise the remaining trust ports. [31252]
Ms Glenda Jackson: We have no proposals to compel the privatisation of any of the remaining trust ports. We will consider on their merits any applications for voluntary privatisation put forward by individual trust ports under the Ports Act 1991.
Railways Pension Scheme
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from members of the Railways Pension Scheme 1994 concerning errors made in the computation of their pension rights; and if he will make a statement. [31027]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Since the General Election, we have received 3 queries from members of railway pension schemes about their pension entitlements.
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