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Taxi Accessibility
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will delay implementing regulations on taxi accessibility until the Government have (a) considered the representations which it has received and (b) undertaken a study into the economic effects of the regulations and their timing; and if he will make a statement. [64975]
Ms Glenda Jackson: We are committed to introducing the taxi provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
We have completed a first round of consultation and we have considered the wide range of representations made by the taxi industry, local authorities and disabled people. There will be a further round of consultation later this year on the draft regulations. The consultation will include a Regulatory Impact Assessment, part of which is an assessment of the economic effects of compliance. This will be based on an independent study carried out by Cranfield University.
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Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what military issues will be considered in the scope of the re-opened public inquiry into the Otterburn ranges in Northumberland. [65047]
Mr. Raynsford:
The issues to be discussed at the re-opened public inquiry into proposals for the Otterburn Training Area in Northumberland are at the Inspector's discretion.
The new issues identified are in the Government Office's letter to parties dated 17 December 1998. I am arranging for the hon. Member to receive a copy and for copies to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate (a) the duration of and (b) the cost to his Department of the re-opened public inquiry into the Otterburn military ranges in Northumberland. [65049]
Mr. Raynsford:
I am unable to be precise about the duration of the re-opened inquiry, although, as the matters for discussion are restricted to new issues that have arisen since the closure of the original inquiry, an approximate estimate would be in the order of four to six weeks. Costs to my Department will involve only minor administrative sums: the larger portion of the costs being borne by the other parties.
Mr. Lock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what decisions have been made as to flammability requirements for the exit ways for floor coverings for public buildings within Euro class B of the draft European Construction Products Directive concerning flammability classifications. [65245]
Mr. Raynsford:
No decision has yet been taken with regard to the classes (which include considerations of flammability) which categorise the fire performance of floorings under the Construction Products Directive. The proposal for Euroclass B which is to be considered by the Standing Committee for Construction in March 1999 has now been amended, reducing the critical flux (heat flow rate) of materials in this class.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what work (a) is currently being undertaken and (b) is planned to upgrade the London Underground Piccadilly Line; what new trains will be provided in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [65065]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
London Underground are mid-way through a project to refurbish the entire fleet of 87 Piccadilly line trains. Refurbishment of 48 trains is already complete and London Underground expect that refurbishment of the whole fleet will be completed by December 2000.
Although London Underground are not planning to procure any new trains in the next three years for use on the Piccadilly line, there are proposals to refurbish 15 ex-Jubilee line trains and bring these into service on
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the Piccadilly line. These additional trains will make it possible to run a higher frequency 30 trains per hour (tph) service. London Underground expect that 4 ex-Jubilee line trains will be refurbished by December 2000 and refurbishment of 15 trains will be completed by December 2001.
There are also proposals for the construction of additional platforms at Oakwood and Cockfosters stations and improved access for trains at Cockfosters Depot. This project will provide improved train reversing facilities at the east end of the line in order to enable the introduction of the increased 30 tph service and improve service recovery times following disruptions. London Underground expect the works to start in June 1999 and to be completed by the end of 2001.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the number of dwellings in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Greater London and (c) the Edmonton constituency which are leasehold; how many of these in each case are former local authority accommodation; and how many of them are (i) houses and (ii) flats. [65064]
Mr. Raynsford:
The different property laws of the countries within the United Kingdom prevent an estimate of leasehold dwellings for the UK. The table, from the Department's Survey of English Housing, provides estimates 1 of the number of dwellings in Greater London and England which are leasehold; how many of them are houses and flats. The Survey of English Housing cannot produce estimates for parliamentary constituencies.
| Thousand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Houses | Flats | All | |
| Greater London | |||
| Ex LA accommodation | 2 | 82 | 84 |
| Other accommodation | 25 | 349 | 374 |
| Total accommodation | 27 | 431 | 458 |
| England | |||
| Ex LA accommodation | 36 | 141 | 177 |
| Other accommodation | 823 | 806 | 1,629 |
| Total accommodation | 859 | 947 | 1,806 |
(1) Like all estimates from sample surveys, these figures are subject to sampling variability.
West Midlands RDA
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reasons (a) Herefordshire and (b) Worcestershire are not represented on the board of the West Midlands Regional Development Agency; and if he will make a statement. [65111]
Mr. Meale:
As was made clear in our White Paper "Building Partnerships for Prosperity", the success of RDAs will largely depend on their boards. Because of this, our primary concern has been to choose people who will make an effective contribution whatever their background. Consistent with this aim, we have also sought to reflect an appropriate balance of regional interests in the composition of boards. However, it should
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be remembered Board Members are there to further the success of RDA, not as delegates of a particular area, but to take into account the interests of the region as a whole.
Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of genetically modified crops on moth populations. [65107]
Mr. Meale:
All applications for the release or marketing of genetically modified crops (GM crops) are reviewed in order to assess the potential effects of the GMOs on other species, before a decision is made whether or not to grant a consent. To date, no effects on non-target moths have been identified.
The European Corn Borer, a moth which is an important pest of maize, is susceptible to genetically modified maize varieties which have been modified to be resistant to this pest. Some varieties have been granted approval and are being grown in some European Community countries but, because this species is not a pest in the UK, it is unlikely to be grown here. The evidence suggests that other moths which do not consume the maize would be unlikely to be affected by this product.
The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), which advises the Government on releases and marketing of GMOs, has recently extended its remit to consider the wider biodiversity implications, so that any indirect effects of managing the GM crops on farmland wildlife would be assessed, as well as the effects of the GM crops themselves.
The Institute of Arable Crops Research in Rothamsted is carrying out research for the Department to investigate possible non-target effects of GM insect resistant crops on non-target insect species, under closely controlled laboratory conditions. The purpose of this research is to underpin the assessment of risks of that these crops may pose to non-target species. This work is not yet completed and it is too early to give any indications of the results. The final report for this contract will be published when it is completed.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimates he has made of the cost of implementing and operating a tax on pesticides. [65087]
Mr. Meale:
The research commissioned by my Department into the scope for a pesticide tax or charge has considered the potential costs of implementation. The Government will take this work fully into account in reaching a decision on whether to introduce such an instrument.
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