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Essential Car Use
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he received on possible exemptions from charges for essential car users in response to his consultation paper, "Breaking the Logjam". [70727]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
As at 11 February 1999, my Department has received 36 responses to "Breaking the Logjam", of which 18 raised the issue of exemptions from
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charges for essential car users. The issue has also been raised in general correspondence on a number of occasions. The closing date for responses to the consultation paper is 31 March 1999.
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what evidence he has assessed that genetically modified crops have caused (a) deaths and (b) health damage to humans. [70754]
Mr. Meale:
I am not aware of any evidence that genetically modified crops have caused (a) deaths or (b) health damage to humans.
Mrs. Dean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) on what date London Economics completed its field work for the second research contract into the environmental costs and benefits of the supply of aggregates; [71704]
(3) on what date he communicated the final conclusions of the second research contract carried out by London Economics into the environmental costs and benefits of the supply of aggregates to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. [71706]
Mr. Raynsford:
The fieldwork was completed on Friday 5 February. London Economics are preparing their final report which will include the conclusions of the project. We have not yet received the final conclusions and have therefore not communicated these to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Ms Moran:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the housing associations identified by the Housing Corporation as having rents above their recommended levels and in each case the percentage by which their average rents exceed the Housing Corporation's recommended levels. [71139]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Housing Corporation's requirement that year-on-year rent increases by registered social landlords (RSLs) should not exceed RPI+1 per cent. came into effect from 1 April 1998.
Published data on RSL rent increases relate to 1997-98, the year before the Corporation's performance standard became operative. The information is set out in a Corporation research publication (Source 32) a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Rent increases are shown for individual RSLs with more than 250 homes in ownership or management.
The Corporation has recently visited a number of RSLs with forecast rent increases in 1998-99 above RPI+1 per cent. as well as some which had high outlying rent levels compared to other RSLs as at 31 March 1998. The purpose of these visits was to establish the reasons for the rent variations and whether
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strategies were in place to achieve compliance with the Corporation's performance standards. The result of these investigations will be published shortly by the Corporation. I will ensure a copy is placed in the Library.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the total fees his Department has paid to date to consultants engaged in the financial and operational restructuring of London Underground; what additional sums he expects to pay consultants on this work; which consultants have been employed on the restructuring project; and if he will make a statement on progress made so far with the project. [71179]
Dr. Reid:
The Department has not paid any money to consultants engaged in the financial and operational restructuring of London Underground. However, London Transport has spent money on such consultants and I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake) by my hon. Friend the Minister for Transport in London on 13 January 1999, Official Report, column 212. It is not normal practice to publish forecasts of total costs, for the good reason that publicising such information could undermine the public sector's ability to manage the costs of advisers.
The main consultants employed by London Transport are:
Work on restructuring London Underground into one operations entity and three infrastructure entities is proceeding. London Transport expect to invite expressions of interests from potential bidders shortly.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of the contingency plans presented to his Department by London Underground last month for access to the Millennium Dome, in the event of the Jubilee Line extension not being open on time. [71419]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
I have, through my Millennium Access Co-ordination Group, recently examined in detail London Underground's proposed contingency plans to manage problems on any of the main transport links to the Dome. We are now close to endorsing their proposals, but I have asked London Underground to undertake further work on certain aspects before they formally move to the next stage of mobilising the plans. A summary of the finalised plans will be placed in the Library as soon as this further work has been completed and the plans have been formally endorsed.
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Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what controls exist on the trade in endangered species between states of the European Union. [71418]
Mr. Meale:
The trade in endangered species is regulated by Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97, which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) within the European Union. Certificates are required to enable the sale or commercial use of species listed in Annex A of the Regulation and to allow the movement of wild taken specimens of these species. Certificates are also required to enable the re-export of CITES specimens by other EU Member States and owners of CITES specimens may at any time be required to provide evidence to confirm that these were lawfully imported or acquired.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make an assessment of how his policy on investment in the railway infrastructure by Railtrack is affected by Railtrack's policy on dividend payments to shareholders. [71494]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
While recognising that Railtrack is a private sector company and must make a profit, the Government have made it clear that they are not convinced that enough of Railtrack's profits are being invested back into the network. Railtrack receives substantial public subsidy through the access charging regime. We need to be sure that the taxpayer is getting proper value for money.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how the best value regime will apply to the component parts of the GLA. [71105]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Local Government Bill applies the best value regime to both the Greater London Authority, so far as it exercises its functions through the Mayor, and the four functional bodies which will deliver the main London-wide services (Transport for London, the London Development Agency, the Metropolitan Police Authority, and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority).
The Bill also allows for the Secretary of State to provide, by Order, for the GLA to be a best value authority in relation to specified functions of the Authority which it does not exercise through the Mayor, and specified functions which are not functions of the Authority but are functions of another best value authority.
The Secretary of State may also specify, by Order, modifications to the way in which best value would apply to these functions. Any such Orders would be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure in Parliament.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the proportion of GLA expenditure which will be (a) self-financed and (b) met by grants. [71107]
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Mr. Raynsford:
In the White Paper "A Mayor and Assembly for London" published on 25 March 1998, we estimated that the annual costs of the Mayor, Assembly, their support staff and some central services would be about £20 million a year. We made it clear that the Government had decided to meet most of the cost themselves through grant and that London council tax payers would contribute about three pence a week on a Band D council tax bill.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish an indicative budget for the GLA setting out (a) the component budgets, (b) any central support costs and (c) income from (i) grants, (ii) council tax and (iii) charges. [71106]
Mr. Raynsford:
I will publish the GLA's budget for 2000-01, including the information requested, following the local government finance settlement in February 2000. Publication of later years budgets will be a matter for the Mayor.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what consultations and on what timetable his Department is undertaking to inform the preparation of the GLA's first budget. [71108]
Mr. Raynsford:
The GLA will not exist at the start of the financial year 2000-01, so their budget for that year will be set by the Secretary of State. Detailed transitional arrangements for the GLA's first year budget have yet to be settled. My Department will be consulting interested parties widely over the coming months, to enable the GLA's budget for 2000-01 to be prepared in provisional form by the end of November 1999 and finalised by the end of February 2000, in line with the timetable for local government finance generally.
(2) on what date he received the final conclusions of the second research contract carried out by London Economics into the environmental costs and benefits of the supply of aggregates; [71705]
PricewaterhouseCoopers (financial)
Freshfields (legal)
Ove Arup and Partners (engineering)
Arthur Andersen (operations entity design)
PA Consulting (Infrastructure entities design and financial modelling)
Horngold and Hill (project management)
Richard Ellis (property)
Sedgwick (insurance)
Bacon & Woodrow (pensions)
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