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Ship Passengers (Compensation Claims)
Mr. Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action the Government are taking to ensure the availability of adequate compensation to meet claims arising from the death of, or injury to, passengers on board ships. [60989]
Ms Glenda Jackson: I have signed an order today which will triple the minimum amount of compensation available for passenger claims. The order will affect ferry operators, travel agents and tour operators whose principal place of business is in the UK. The new limit of liability of 300,000 Special Drawing Rights--SDR--(about £250,000) per passenger takes effect on 1 January 1999.
As soon as a suitable legislative opportunity presents itself, we wish to extend this protection more widely to include all passengers whose journey has a link with the UK. This would require the UK withdrawing from the 1974 Athens Convention. This Convention entitles foreign carriers to an outdated limit of liability of 46,666 SDR (about £38,000) per passenger. In the meantime, the UK will continue to press within the International Maritime Organisation for swift revision of the Athens Convention to provide for even higher compensation amounts, guaranteed by compulsory insurance cover.
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I accept, and applaud, the fact that insurance and shipping companies have sometimes not bound themselves by the limits following accidents involving major loss of life. However, we must not be complacent, and this is why the Government intend to work towards better legal protection for all passengers.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the outcome of the meeting with Green Ministers. [61128]
Mr. Meacher:
Green Ministers met on 18 November to discuss how to deliver the Greening Government Agenda. The meeting discussed action arising from the Government's response to the Environmental Audit Committee's Second Report on the Greening Government Initiative. We noted particularly that the Deputy Prime Minister had asked Green Ministers to consider and report to the Cabinet Committee on the Environment (ENV) on how far sustainable development can be incorporated into the remit of all existing Departments and their Non-Departmental Public Bodies. Each Green Minister confirmed that they were reviewing the position in their own Department, and would report back to the next Green Ministers' meeting early in 1999.
Green Ministers went on to discuss progress in integrating the environment into policies and operations. We agreed to establish a working group to consider the scope and format of future Green Ministers' reports to ENV, and the first published report on the activities of Green Ministers, to be produced in summer 1999.
Green Ministers' meetings normally consider one cross-cutting issue in some detail. On this occasion we discussed how to get the most from Green Transport Plans and the action that would be needed to meet the specific targets set out in the White Paper "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone".
The meeting ended with a preliminary discussion of the consequences for the Green Ministers' network of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Green Ministers decided to examine in more detail the membership implications of devolution and to propose future arrangements at the next meeting in February.
Twelve Green Ministers attended the meeting on 18 November; other Departments were represented by officials.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what decision has been made about a name for the new agency to be created by the merger of the Countryside Commission and those parts of the Rural Development Commission not being transferred to the regional development agencies. [61129]
Mr. Meacher:
I have accepted a recommendation made jointly by the two Commissions that the name for the new body should be the Countryside Agency. This name will be included in the order under section 35 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 which will effect the formation of the new body, and which will be laid before Parliament in the New Year.
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The Commissions also propose that this name should be accompanied for day-to-day purposes by the strapline--working for people and places in rural England.
Ms Ward:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response he has made to the Football Task Force report into improving facilities for disabled supporters. [60871]
Mr. Banks:
I fully support the practical recommendations made in the Task Force's report to improve access and facilities at football grounds for supporters with disabilities. I have written today to the bodies identified in the report as having a role to play in implementing the relevant recommendations.
There are several recommendations which are for Government to progress. These relate to amending the Approved Document (AD) for Part M of the Building Regulations to require all new stadia, new stands and extensions to existing facilities to provide wheelchair spaces in accordance with the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds; to drawing up a sliding scale for the numbers of designated seats for people who are ambulant disabled or visually/hearing impaired within new stands or stadia, and amending Part M accordingly; and to extending the future role of the Football Trust to improve disabled facilities at grounds.
Any changes to the Building Regulations require statutory consultation and will be based on the advice of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. The British Standards Institution have begun a comprehensive review of BS 5810 Code of practice for access for the disabled to buildings, and it is the intention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to use this standard and its supporting research, once it has been completed, as a basis for developing proposals through the Building Regulations Advisory Committee to revise the AD for Part M.
In the interim, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have taken the opportunity to include references to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds in the current revision to the Approved Document to extend Part M to new housing. This will draw the guidance to the attention of interested parties.
The review of BS 5810 includes access for the ambulant disabled and when the Green Guide is next updated the standard will be taken on board.
The Football Trust is an independent discretionary trust. Any decisions on its future role is a matter for the Trustees, in accordance with the Trust Deed.
The recommendations made by the Task Force provide an excellent assessment of what has been achieved in the provision of facilities for disabled supporters and where improvements can still be made. The Government are determined to maintain the momentum of progress, by, for example, the continuing implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
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Mr. Leslie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many indemnity undertakings were given by Departments under section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980 for the six-month period ended 30 September; and what was the value of (a) any contingent liabilities in respect of such undertakings given at any time under that section which remain outstanding as at 30 September, (b) non-statutory Government indemnities in respect of loans handled by the Government Art Collection which remain outstanding as at 30 September and (c) non-statutory undertakings to Her Majesty in respect of loans from the Royal Collection which remain outstanding at 30 September. [60972]
Mr. Chris Smith:
The provision for the Government Indemnity Scheme is made by the National Heritage Act 1980. The scheme facilitates public access to loans of works of art and other objects of public display made to museums, galleries and other such institutions by private owners and non national institutions. It does this by indemnifying lenders against loss or damage to their loan. Loans covered by the scheme must be for public benefit. The scheme also covers loans of such objects for study purposes within borrowing institutions where this would contribute materially to the public's understanding or appreciation of the loan. Examples of this are enhancing interpretation or explanation to the public of objects or bringing into the public domain, the conclusions of any study.
| Department | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 516 |
| Scottish Office Education and Industry Department | 62 |
| Welsh Office Education Department | 44 |
| Department of Education for Northern Ireland | 14 |
| Department | £ |
|---|---|
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1,557,374,160 |
| Scottish Office Education and Industry Department | 115,648,368 |
| Welsh Office Education Department | 39,302,926 |
| Department of Education for Northern Ireland | 5,627,210 |
The value of non-statutory Government indemnities to cover loans handled by the Government Art Collection and which remained outstanding as at 30 September 1998 is £8,000,000.
The value of non-statutory Undertakings given to Her Majesty in respect of loans from the Royal Collection and which remained outstanding as at 30 September 1998 is £107,200,583.
25 Nov 1998 : Column: 8
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