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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Herbicide-resistant Crops
Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of herbicide-resistant crops on vulnerable species of birds. [80792]
Mr. Meacher:
I am aware that many species of farmland bird are in decline in Britain and so I take very seriously the potential effect that the introduction of herbicide-resistant crops might have on these vulnerable species.
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The Government have undertaken to fund a four year research programme into the effect of the management of genetically modified herbicide-resistant crops on farmland wildlife as announced in my answer on 15 April 1999, Official Report, columns 301-02. These farm-scale evaluations will begin in spring 1999 and will consider spring and winter-sown oil seed rape and maize. The research programme will concentrate on monitoring the diversity and abundance of plants and invertebrates in GM herbicide-resistant crops compared with conventionally managed non-GM equivalents. It is not planned that birds will be included in the monitoring programme. However, existing research has been able to demonstrate connections between some bird populations and, for example, weed and insect abundance in crops. In this way, the results of the plant and invertebrate monitoring will be used to predict whether an adverse affect on bird populations is likely to occur.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will pay the postal costs of voluntary bodies and registered charities requested to respond to Government consultation documents; and if he will make a statement. [80920]
Mr. Meale:
Numerous responses have been received to my Department's consultation documents and we are grateful to the many organisations and individuals who have taken the time to let us have their views. My Department has no plans to pay postal costs incurred by organisations that responded.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's policy when (a) conducting legal proceedings and (b) seeking legal advice as to the circumstances in which Queen's Counsel should be instructed; and for each of the last three years (i) on how many occasions his Department instructed Queen's Counsel and (ii) what was the total cost of instructing Queen's Counsel. [81770]
Mr. Meale:
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions predominately uses junior counsel when it is necessary to instruct counsel to provide legal advice, as does the Treasury Solicitor when instructing counsel in court proceedings involving the Department.
The two First Treasury Counsel are both junior counsel and they will advise and represent the government without a Queen's Counsel in many of its important civil cases. In addition, the Attorney-General maintains four panels of junior Counsel whom departments are expected to use for the majority of the government's civil litigation. The approval of the Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General is required before a Queen's Counsel can be instructed to appear for any government department in civil litigation.
In determining the level of counsel to use (whether in connection with civil or criminal proceedings, or the provision of legal advice), the department will consider the individual circumstances of each case. It will take into account, amongst other things, the importance and sensitivity of the case, the complexity of the law, the
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weight and complexity of the evidence, and the degree of experience and expertise required before deciding whether to instruct Queen's Counsel or junior counsel.
The information as to cost is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will investigate the quality of repairs undertaken by the Highways Agency to the A38 Bridge over the M4 at Almondsbury in 1998; and if he will make a statement. [81956]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The repairs carried out in 1998 to the A38 bridge over the M4 at Almondsbury included road resurfacing and strengthening works necessary to ensure that the structure remained safe for future use.
The Highways Agency was not satisfied with the surfacing laid by the contractor and negotiations have led to that surface being replaced at no expense to the taxpayer. The repair work began on 19 April and subject to weather conditions should be completed within 2 weeks.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met representatives of the RAC to discuss congestion charging. [82255]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Ministers from the Department meet representatives of the Royal Automobile Club from time to time to discuss matters arising out of the Integrated Transport White Paper. The last such meeting, which was attended by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport, was on 19 January 1999.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Highways Agency has to update the existing motorway and trunk road stress maps. [82258]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Highways Agency intends to publish in its 1998-99 Annual Report a map derived from Trafficmaster data showing congested sections of its network.
New stress maps for the motorway and trunk road network based upon a calculation of traffic flow and capacity will be published when the data for 1998 are available later this year.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what monitoring of air quality has been conducted, and what were the results thereof, in relation to the A13 and abutting residential areas, from the vicinity of Dagenham Dock to Central London; and if he will make a statement. [82034]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 26 April 1999]: Local air quality studies of the existing levels of pollutants were undertaken by the Highways Agency in 1992 and in
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1998 in order to assess the potential effect of the proposed junction improvement schemes for this section of the A13. The most recent monitoring data were gathered in the vicinity of the A13/A112 Prince Regent Lane junction for the period January to May 1998. The pollutants monitored were Carbon Monoxide, PM10, Nitrogen Dioxide, Benzene and 1-3 Butadiene.
When compared with National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS) objectives, to be achieved in 2005, the monitoring data indicate that the objective for PM10 (50 microgrammes per cubic metre as a running 24 hour mean) is currently exceeded. However, as a non-standard measuring method was used, the scale of this likely exceedence cannot be certain. The 99 percentile of a running 24 hour mean over the monitoring period was 113 microgrammes per cubic metre at the roadside. Mean Nitrogen Dioxide measurements exceeded the value of the NAQS annual mean objective (21 ppb) and were made using the standard method. The mean roadside concentration was 38 ppb. It is therefore possible that the 2005 objective is currently exceeded but a longer period of monitoring would be needed to confirm this. Monitoring of the other pollutants indicated current levels below the 2005 objectives.
Local authorities are currently monitoring air quality more generally in their areas as part of the local air quality management process, with the aim of achieving the objectives of the NAQS by the year 2005. Where a local authority's review and assessment of local air quality indicates that air quality objectives are not likely to be met, then local authorities must declare Air Quality Management Areas. For each Air Quality Management Area, the local authority must draw up an action plan, setting out measures through which the objectives may be achieved.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what information he has obtained about the speed of traffic movements, congestion and impediments to mobility at peak times on the A13 from the vicinity of Dagenham Dock to Central London; and if he will make a statement; [82033]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the frequency and scale of congestion on the westbound A13 section from the vicinity of Dagenham Dock to Central London; and if he will make a statement. [82032]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 26 April 1999]: As these questions relate to operational matters, I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.
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(2) if he will convene a meeting of representatives of the Highways Agency, the London boroughs and the Traffic Section of the Metropolitan Police to examine what interim measures could be introduced to minimise traffic congestion and to maximise mobility in the westbound section of the A13 from the vicinity of Dagenham Dock to Central London; and if he will make a statement; [82031]
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