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Age Discrimination
Ms Perham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the Government's policy in respect of age discrimination in staff promotion; and what guidelines are issued by (a) his Department and (b) other Departments. [31106]
Dr. David Clark:
Civil Service equal opportunities policy (as set out in the Civil Service Management Code (April 1996)) provides that all eligible people must have equality of opportunity for employment and advancement on the basis of their suitability for the work. There must be no unfair discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, or (in Northern Ireland) community background.
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Departments and agencies are required to develop their guidelines on promotion in line with this policy, as indeed my own Department has done.
My Department is currently working on guidance which will be issued to departments and agencies to help them avoid unfair discrimination on the basis of age.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many receptions have been held in his Department since he took office; how many people have attended; and what was the total cost of these events. [25160]
Angela Eagle
[holding answer 23 January 1998]: Four official receptions have been held. Approximately 170 people attended. The total cost was about £1,200.
Mr. Swinney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the location and running costs of each of his Department's buildings. [30136]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 18 February 1998]: The information has been placed in the library.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people killed in road accidents in England and Wales during 1997, were found to be over the approved drink limit. [30573]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
In 1995, the latest year for which detailed analysis of drink drive accidents is available, an estimated 280 drivers and riders of motor-vehicles who were over the legal limit for blood alcohol died in road accidents in England and Wales. It is estimated that there were 490 fatalities in England and Wales in that year in accidents involving a motor-vehicle driver or rider who was over the legal limit.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to improve public transport services in the south-west London area; and if he will make a statement. [30570]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
My Department is providing financial support to a range of public transport services in south-west London. They include the cross-borough SWELTRAC initiatives to improve public transport along key corridors between Croydon and Heathrow; a range of measures on the London Bus Priority Network comprising dedicated bus lanes and priority signalling; the "Countdown" passenger information system, which is being extended with a further 300 bus stops programmed for this year including sites in Wandsworth, Putney, Earlsfield and Tooting. Works are also in hand on the Croydon Tramlink project, linking Wimbledon to
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Croydon, programmed for completion by the end of 1999. Modernisation of the Northern Line to Morden is ongoing and new privately financed trains are being introduced shortly. In addition South West Trains is committed to a £90 million investment in new rolling stock for their services, while Thameslink Trains are enhancing station facilities on the Wimbledon loop.
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce legislation (1) to provide for noise warnings to be displayed on (a) ghetto blasters, (b) hi-fi equipment and (c) personal stereos and (2) for dance events to be prohibited from playing music at levels above 85 decibels. [30739]
Mr. Meacher:
Risks from noise exposure to people who work at music events are covered by the Noise at Work Regulations 1989, while the health and safety of members of the public who attend is governed by the general requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
In 1993 the Health and Safety Commission, the Home Office and the Scottish Office published a "Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Pop Concerts and Similar Events". That guidance recommended that audiences should not be allowed within 3 metres of any speaker at outdoor events and that audiences should be advised in advance if the sound level is likely to exceed 96 dB(A).
The Government do not consider it appropriate to extend legislation to provide warnings on music equipment that is for personal use.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish the results of the strategic roads review. [31210]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The results of the roads review will be published later this year, after the publication of the Integrated Transport White Paper.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the occasions that the CAA has been called on to use funds from the ATOL bonding scheme for each of the last five years, indicating the companies and amounts involved. [31191]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The information requested constitutes a rather lengthy document. I have therefore arranged for it to be placed in the House Library.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to extend the length of the franchises for the existing rail operators. [31212]
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Ms Glenda Jackson:
Any requests for franchise extensions would be considered on their merits. As I told the House on 28 October 1997, Official Report, column 806,
before the Government could
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress he has made in his review of the problem of car clocking; and when he expects to bring forward legislation on this matter. [31187]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Government recognise the seriousness of the offence of clocking. A voluntary mileage recording system, administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, was introduced in 1992. Recent changes to the vehicle registration system have brought about a welcome increase in compliance. A review to consider whether this system should become mandatory has concluded that there should be no change at present. The subject will be kept under review in the light of further experience of the voluntary system.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to give additional powers to planning authorities to enable them to intervene in disputes between neighbours caused by (a) Leylandii trees and (b) other excessively high boundaries; and if he will make a statement. [30800]
Mr. Caborn:
Planning permission is already required where a fence, wall or gate would be over one metre high and next to a highway used by vehicles, or over two metres elsewhere.
I am considering whether some form of Government intervention in relation to Leylandii trees and other high boundary hedges is necessary.
Mr. O'Hara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will reduce the vehicle licence fee for diabetics by an appropriate amount in recognition of their being precluded by the second EC directive on vehicle licensing from driving certain classes of heavier vehicles. [30849]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
No. The Directive does not change the rights of insulin-dependent diabetics to drive the large majority of vehicles in the private and light goods category. We do not believe that a concessionary rate of Vehicle Excise Duty would be appropriate in these circumstances, especially since the keeper--who is responsible for paying VED--and the driver of a vehicle are not necessarily the same person.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment his Department has made of occasions where
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incorrect waste landspreading has taken place during the last five years; and if he will list the relevant sites; and if he will make a statement; [31303]
(3) what powers the Environment Agency have to prevent or suspend landspreading; and if he will make a statement. [31302]
Angela Eagle:
Under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is unlawful to deposit, recover or dispose of controlled waste without a waste management licence, contrary to the conditions of a licence or in a way which causes pollution of the environment or harm to human health. Where someone purports to be carrying out an activity which is exempt from waste management licensing but fails to comply with the conditions of the exemption, that person may be prosecuted under section 33 of the 1990 Act for carrying out a licensable activity without a licence. The Environment Agency is responsible in England and Wales for the enforcement of these provisions.
The conditions of the current exemption for the landspreading of specified wastes are set out in paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. The Water Research Centre and the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) have been commissioned to develop further the criteria that determine in what circumstances the spreading of particular wastes benefits agriculture or result in ecological improvement. The original research project has been extended by the Environment Agency and is now expected to be completed by the end of April 1998.
"there would need to be very convincing arguments of public interest and value for money"
"justify the renegotiation of contracts which were freely entered into following a competitive process".
(2) what period of notice for the pre-notification requirement for waste landspreading he plans to set; and what plans he has (i) to require the submission of information on (a) the agricultural and ecological impact on the proposed site and (b) the proposed methods and equipment to be used for the landspreading and (ii) to introduce a fee payable for each pre-notification made to fund the Environment Agency's periodic inspections of the landspread sites; [31301]
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