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Compensation Claims
Mr. Townend: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the total cost to public funds of claims by employees and the public for compensation in respect of (a) personal injury and (b) employment protection in the latest year for which figures are available. [59054]
Mr. Meale: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy in the Library.
Supermarket Developments
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received from supermarket chains regarding planning policy for supermarket store developments. [58884]
Mr. Raynsford: The Secretary of State has received a number of letters from representatives of the retail sector, but has had no direct representations about planning policy for supermarket store developments. My colleague the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning and I have met representatives of the retail sector recently.
M65 (Blackburn)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reasons resurfacing work is being carried out on parts of the M65 at Blackburn. [59473]
Ms Glenda Jackson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 17 November 1998:
I have been asked by the Transport Minister, Glenda Jackson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the M65 at Blackburn.
Small areas of the road surface of the M65 Blackburn Southern Bypass have proved to be sub-standard and have had to be replaced for safety reasons. The problems only became apparent after traffic started to use the road, which was opened in December 1997.
The cost of the work was met by the Contractor who originally constructed the Motorway.
The work was carried out at night to keep inconvenience to traffic to a minimum and was completed in the early hours of Friday 13 November.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate
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was made of the final construction cost of the Jubilee Line Extension in each year since the project was started. [59588]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
At project go-ahead in October 1993, the project was expected to cost £1.9 billion plus a further £219 million on improvements to the core network related to the JLE project. This estimate remained unchanged until August 1995 when cost increases were identified, bringing the total to £2.3 billion. In 1996 a revised forecast of £2.69 billion was made. This increased to £2.76 billion in 1997. London Transport's latest estimate of final cost is £2.85 billion, but this is being reviewed, having regard to the rephased programme for line opening in 1999.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to be in a position to publish the responses to his Department's consultation document on tightening the laws relating to drinking and driving; and if he will make a statement as to what action he proposes to take. [59700]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We shall make an announcement when we have finished considering the responses to our consultation exercise.
Mr. Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the degree of correlation between the incidence of childhood cancers and proximity to industrial sites. [59609]
Mr. Meale:
The Small Area Health Statistics Unit at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine has carried out a number of studies of cancer incidence and mortality around industrial sites at the request of Government Departments. A study of lympho- haematopoietic cancers around all industrial complexes in Great Britain which include major oil refineries specifically examined rates in children aged 0 to 14 years of age. It found no evidence of association between residence near oil refineries and the overall incidence of lymphatic and haematopoietic malignancies in this age group.
The results of this work are due to be published early next year and a copy will be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to require the manufacturers and retailers of visual display units to affix to the front of the screen surround a notice advising users of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. [59653]
Mr. Meale:
There are no plans to require manufacturers and retailers of visual display units to affix any information about the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 to the front of the screen surround. The Regulations place duties on employers rather than on manufacturers or suppliers. Employers are required to provide health and safety
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information and training to all their employees who habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of their normal work.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to publicise more widely the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, Guidance on Regulations and Supplementary Practical Advice Guide. [59654]
Mr. Meale:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently revised and reissued its free guidance booklet "Working with VDUs". Since February, over 174,000 free copies have been sent out and over 25,000 priced packs of 10 leaflets have been sold. "Working with VDUs" includes details of HSE's comprehensive priced guidance on the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 and explains how to obtain copies. In addition, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspectors and Local Authority Enforcement Officers raise awareness of the Regulations and guidance during their inspections of workplaces.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to extend the duties to clean railway stations and other railway property under the Environmental Protection Act
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1990 to companies which took over responsibility for maintenance of property previously managed by British Rail. [59614]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
An Order to place a duty on the privatised railway companies to clear litter from their land will be laid before Parliament early in the new year.
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the dates during the last six months when there was no officer on duty at Tyne-Tees coastguard station qualified above the rank of coastguard watch assistant. [59886]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
During the last six months, there has been no period when the watch complement at the Tyne-Tees coastguard station fell below the required criteria.
Mr. Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the aircraft movements at Heathrow airport between midnight and 7 a.m. on Christmas morning 1997, indicating (a) airline, (b) aircraft, (c) origin or destination and schedule and (d) actual times of arrival and departure. [60185]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The information from Heathrow Airport Ltd is as follows:
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(5) Actual Time of Arrival--time of touchdown of aircraft.
(6) Scheduled Time of Arrival--refers to the time the aircraft was scheduled to reach the stand after taxiing from the runway exit.
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There were no departures during the period midnight and 0700.
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