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Driving Licences
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change the minimum age at which provisional or full driving licences may be issued for private cars. [77562]
Ms Glenda Jackson: There are at present no plans to change the minimum age of 17 to hold provisional or full car driving licences.
New Roads and Street Works Act 1991
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many representations from local authorities complaining about the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 he has received since 1 May 1997. [78057]
Dr. Reid: While correspondence is received from time to time on specific aspects of the Act and the secondary legislation, including responses to specific proposals to revise regulations and codes of practice, no central record is held of the number and character of the letters received. In co-operation with the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee, the Department keeps the workings of the Act under constant review, and a number of initiatives are currently under way to improve the operation of the Act's provisions.
Utility Contractors
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the research by the Transport Research Laboratory into utility contractors compliance with national specifications will be made available. [78058]
Dr. Reid: It is the Department's normal practice to publish the results of research. In this case, we expect the results to be published in the near future. Arrangements will be made for copies of the publications to be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
Regional Airports
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy regarding ownership of regional airports by local councils. [77910]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Many regional airports, of different sizes, are owned by local authorities. The largest of these airports are structured as public airport companies, with the local authorities as the shareholders. Airports can benefit from local authority ownership and it is for local authorities to decide for themselves whether they wish to own airports, either wholly or through joint ventures with the private sector. The Government will remove central controls over borrowing from public airport companies which are able to demonstrate that they are financially sound. This will enable them to compete for business on a level playing field with private sector airports. Earlier this month we laid an order which will remove borrowing controls from four public airport companies with effect from 1 April. It is open to other public airport companies to apply in the future.
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Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for how long NATS has been negotiating with the preferred bidder, Sky Solutions, to agree the new Scottish air traffic control centre PFI; and if he will make a statement. [77919]
Dr. Reid:
NATS have been negotiating with Sky Solutions as preferred bidder since February 1997. Negotiations are continuing and I have now taken action to ensure that officials from my Department and from the Treasury are fully involved.
Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will estimate the lead time required for construction and commissioning of a new Scottish air traffic control centre; [77921]
(3) what assessment he has made of the implications of a delay in commissioning a new Scottish air traffic control centre for (i) the airlines, (ii) air users and (iii) NATS in terms of (a) provision of services, (b) costs to service providers, (c) costs of continued use of existing air traffic control equipment at Atlantic House and (d) consequent costs of the control centre project; and if he will make a statement. [77922]
Dr. Reid:
NATS estimate the lead time for the New Scottish Centre to be about 5-6 years. The consultation period on the Government's preferred option for the future of NATS--establishing a public-private partnership--has now closed and we are actively considering the responses received. At the same time, the Government and NATS are reviewing the procurement options for the New Scottish Centre to ensure that they provide the best fit with the PPP and provides best value for the taxpayer, NATS customers and for Scotland. The Government are keen to ensure that the NSC is completed in time to meet NATS operational needs.
Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the scheduled operational date for the new Scottish air traffic control centre at Prestwick (a) was when the original tender documents were issued and (b) is currently. [77920]
Dr. Reid:
At the time the original tender documents were issued in 1995, NATS estimated that the centre would be needed in around 2000. This date has been subject to revision in the light of ongoing planning work by NATS. Their current estimate is that it will be needed in 2005-06.
Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if it is his policy to implement the two centre strategy for air traffic management independently of any decision on the future structure and ownership of NATS; if implementation of this strategy will be mandatory for any future owner of NATS; and if he will make a statement. [77923]
Dr. Reid:
The Government remain firmly committed to implementing a two-centre strategy for NATS and to having one of those centres at Prestwick. My Department
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is working closely with National Air Traffic Services Ltd. (NATS) to develop the arrangements for financing the project.
No final decisions have been taken on the future of NATS and my Department is currently developing detailed proposals, taking account of the views put to us in the recent public consultation. We will be making a statement in due course, but our commitment to the two-centre strategy will be reflected in any future arrangements for NATS.
Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the responses to the consultation on the proposed public-private partnership for NATS. [77924]
Dr. Reid:
We concluded the public consultation on our proposals for National Air Traffic Services Ltd. (NATS) on 31 January 1999. Some 230 responses were received. We will, in due course, make the responses publicly available, except in those cases where confidentiality was requested.
Ms Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those recommendations contained in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency report on the technical audit of NATS new en route centre and future of air traffic management which NATS have implemented. [77917]
Dr. Reid:
We have received the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency report on NATS new en route centre. Working with NATS, we are actively considering the suggestions and the best ways of implementing them. I will make a statement on this subject in due course.
Mr. Prior:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average time taken for the determination by district auditors of challenges to town and parish councils with annual expenditure levels of under £100,000 in the last year for which figures are available. [77190]
Ms Armstrong:
This information is not held by either the Department or the Audit Commission.
Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress he has made on the proposals for noise mitigation on existing trunk roads announced in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England". [78304]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State announced today that we have established criteria and a budget to deal with some of the most serious and pressing cases of traffic noise on existing trunk roads as promised in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England".
The Government recognise that excessive traffic noise is an important issue for many people. Noise mitigation was not required on roads built before 1969, and in many cases the mitigation provided on roads built between 1969 and 1988 (when the approach to assessing traffic noise was changed) was based on unrealistically low predicted noise levels. This means there has been inequity in the
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treatment of residents living close to certain trunk roads built before 1988. To help us identify the most serious and pressing cases we are today establishing criteria which will be used in an initial sift. Cases satisfying these sift criteria will be studied in greater depth to determine whether practicable and cost-effective mitigation can be provided. An annual ring-fenced budget of £5 million has been set aside to deal with the most serious of these trunk road cases in England.
(2) what options for the procurement of a new Scottish air traffic control centre will be considered in response to decisions on the future structure of NATS; and if he will make a statement; [77918]
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