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Aircraft Emissions

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the emissions of NOx from aircraft operating within United Kingdom airspace in each year since 1980. [60930]

Ms Glenda Jackson: No such estimates are produced for the whole of United Kingdom airspace. An annual estimate is made of the NOx produced by civil aircraft, on domestic or international flights at UK airports, during ground movements and in the landing and take-off cycle, up to 1,000 metres. This is published in the Digest of Environmental Statistics. Information from the Digest for the period 1980 to 1996 (the latest year for which figures are available) is given in the table:

NOx Emissions 1980-1996

	Thousand tonnes
1980	10
1981	9
1982	10
1983	10
1984	11
1985	11
1986	11
1987	12
1988	13
1989	14
1990	12
1991	14
1992	14
1993	15
1994	15
1995	16
1996	17

The UK has played a major part in securing reductions in NOx emissions in standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and will continue to do so.

30 Nov 1998 : Column: 51

National Rail Inquiries

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish, for each month since its inception, the average time taken by National Rail Inquiries to answer a call; and if he will make a statement. [61509]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Information on the average time taken to answer a call is not recorded by the National Rail Enquiry Scheme (NRES). NRES is required by the Rail Regulator to answer 90 per cent. of all calls and to record the percentage of calls answered within 30 seconds. The Rail Regulator monitors performance against both targets but his priority has been to ensure that NRES meets its 90 per cent. target. He is currently considering formal enforcement action following recent disappointing performance by NRES.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the information provided by National Rail Inquiries in respect of (a) timetable information and (b) price options. [61508]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Following the Rail Regulator's mystery shopping survey into accurate and impartial retailing last year, the Association of Train Operation Companies (ATOC) agreed to carry out further similar surveys. ATOC is currently carrying out surveys into the accuracy of information provided by both the National Rail Enquiry Scheme and station ticket offices. The results are expected to be published early next year.

French Nuclear Reactors

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the recent Greenpeace report on the impact on the United Kingdom of emissions from French nuclear reactors; and if he will make a statement. [60942]

Mr. Meale: My Department has not received a copy of the report referred to, but it is understood from the Greenpeace press release that it relates to computer modelling of the dispersal of aerial discharges from the La Hague nuclear reprocessing plant.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on Thursday 17 November 1998, Official Report, columns 487-88.

30 Nov 1998 : Column: 52

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of measurable radioactivity recorded in southern England is attributable to emissions from French nuclear reactors. [60943]

Mr. Meale: Measured levels of radioactivity in air, rainwater, lakes and reservoirs, and radiation levels over beaches in southern England are indistinguishable from levels of both natural origin and from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons and the Chernobyl reactor accident. The low levels of man-made radioactivity found in marine foodstuffs and sediments sampled from the coastal waters of Southern England cannot be attributed to particular sources.

Cyclists and Pedestrians

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce targets for reductions in casualties among (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians expressed in terms of casualties per mile travelled. [60932]

Ms Glenda Jackson: On 15 October 1997 the Government announced that they will be setting new road safety targets for Great Britain for the year 2010. There will be one target figure for the reduction in road accident deaths and serious injuries, and another for slight injuries. We are still considering the details of the target.

Rail Electrification

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list, for each EU country, the percentage of rail track operated for passenger purposes which was electrified in (a) 1977, (b) 1987 and (c) 1997. [61655]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Department does not collect statistics separately for electrified passenger track. However, for the years for which statistics are available, the percentage of electrified track in each EU Member State is:

			Percentage
Country	1975	1987	1996
Austria	46	54	60
Belgium	32	61	73
Denmark	4	8	17
Finland	7	25	35
France	27	34	45
Germany	25	34	45
Greece	0	0	0
Irish Republic	0	0	2
Italy(1)	49	57	64
Luxembourg	33	67	95
Netherlands	61	68	73
Portugal	11	14	22
Spain	27	44	56
Sweden	62	64	68
United Kingdom	20	25	30

(1) National Railways only

Sources:

International Comparisons of Transport Statistics 1970-94 (DOT)

EU Transport in Figures Statistical Pocket Book 1998 (European Commission)

30 Nov 1998 : Column: 53

Dangerous Driving

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the charge of dangerous driving and the appropriateness of the criteria which must be met before such a charge can successfully be brought. [60935]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Transport Research Laboratory is undertaking a research project to discover more about the process whereby charges are brought and prosecuted for dangerous driving, including the application of the criterion in section 2A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, or for the lesser charge of careless driving.

Shadow Strategic Rail Authority

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reason the Chair of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority will be required to work only two and a half days a week. [61652]

Ms Glenda Jackson: We have advertised this appointment of approximately 2.5 days a week because we judge this to be the right time commitment for the job of leading the British Railways Board as part of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority and, subject to legislation, the SRA proper with its full-time Chief Executive.

Packaging Waste

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the current review of packaging regulations will cover the benefits for supermarkets from their back of store waste and the effects of such benefits on others in the packaging chain. [61499]

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans his Department has to increase retailers' obligations under the packaging and waste regulations. [61636]

Mr. Meale: The review of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 covered a range of issues as set out by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment (Mr. Meacher) in his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien) on 17 December 1997, Official Report, columns 193-94.

Each of the four main sectors may have back-door waste to some extent. Those businesses that do have such waste are likely to use it towards the discharge of their obligations. Retailers are likely to have larger quantities of back-door waste than other businesses, but will incur costs in making that material available. They also carry a higher share of the burden. A share-out of the burden between industry sectors was agreed on the 15 December 1995, and that industry agreement is the basis of the present Regulations. Each sector's "activity" obligations in the regulations are:

Sector	15 December 1995 Agreed share of the burden %	Activity obligation in the Regulations %
Raw Material Manufacturer	5.5	6
Convertor	14.5	11
Packer/Filler	35	36
Sellers/Retailers	45	47

30 Nov 1998 : Column: 54

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