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Street Lighting

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce competition into the market for street lighting connections; and what estimate he has made of the potential savings for local authorities from such competition. [82140]

Ms Glenda Jackson: This is a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply. I understand that he has already conducted a consultation on this and related issues and is in the process of examining the options arising from that consultation.

Planning Application (New Mills)

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what grounds the Government Office for the South West issued an article 14 direction to the Stroud District Council in

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relation to the planning application (No. 98/1386) by Renishaw plc at New Mills, Wootton under Edge, Gloucestershire; and if he will reach his decision by 1 May. [82453]

Mr. Caborn: An Article 14 Direction was issued in order to give the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions more time to consider the application by Renishaw, which was referred to him by Stroud District Council. He will reach a decision as quickly as soon as possible but is unable to give an undertaking that this will be done before 1 May.

Pesticides

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made by the inter-departmental group reviewing the Government's existing arrangements for monitoring pesticide-related ill health. [82857]

Mr. Meale: The Review has been completed and a copy of the group's final report has been placed in both Libraries of the House.

Railways

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a consultation document on his plans for changes in the arrangements for the application of public subsidy to the railways. [82629]

Dr. Reid: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 20 April 1999, Official Report, column 479.

Rail Punctuality

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to amend the compensation arrangements for season ticket holders, with particular reference to the moving average punctuality statistics, when the rail company charters are next reviewed. [81513]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Changes to the compensation arrangements linked to average punctuality would be a matter for negotiation between Opraf and the train operating companies. Opraf's remit is to ensure that the standards set out in the Passenger's Charters are being met. Opraf cannot unilaterally require improvements. The moving annual average is still seen as a reasonably fair way of compensating season ticket holders for poor performance and there are no current plans to change it.

Executive Agency Targets

Mr. Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what targets he has set for (i) the Driving Standards Agency, (ii) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (iii) the Highways Agency, (iv) the Vehicle Certification Agency and (v) the Vehicle Inspectorate. [82894]

Mr. Prescott: The key targets have been set for the agencies. They are included in the agencies' business plans, which include management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks, where appropriate to the agencies' business. Copies of the business plans will be placed in the Library in due course.

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The key targets for the Driving Standards Agency are to:

contribute to a reduction in the numbers killed or seriously injured in accidents involving drivers aged 17-21 compared with the average for 1993-1997, with no rise in casualties;


achieve the following customer service targets:


80 per cent. of all Test candidates will be satisfied with the overall level of service received from the Agency;


95 per cent. of candidates for the theory test obtain a booking at their preferred test centre within two weeks of their preferred date;


the national average practical test waiting time for car tests will not exceed six weeks;


appointments for car tests will be available within 10 weeks at 99 per cent. of permanent driving test centres;

keep 99.5 per cent. of theory test appointments;


99.5 per cent of practical test appointments are kept, where they are in place two days prior to the test appointment;


95 per cent. of all incoming calls to booking offices will access the handling system without receiving an engaged tone;


all calls will be answered by a human voice in no more than 20 seconds, after being routed by the call handling system;


achieve an average annual return on capital employed on statutory activities of six per cent. of net assets over the period 1 April 1997 to 31 march 2002; and


increase the weighted average of fees by no more than the RPI in each of the three years during the period 1 April 1997 to 1 April 2000 and by no more than the RPI minus one per cent. in each of the following two years.

The key targets for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are to:

make an overall efficiency gain of 2.6 per cent;


achieve a yield:cost ratio of 2.9 to 1 on enforcement (i.e. recoup £2.90 for every £1 spent);


achieve the following customer service standards;


98 per cent. of Driving Licences issued error-free;


98 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free;


97 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free;


ensure the following document turn-round times:


95 per cent. of Ordinary driving licences within 10 days;


95 per cent. of Vocational and first Provisional licences within nine days;

95 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents within 12 days;


95 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents within 13 days;


achieve a figure of 94 per cent. of all telephone inquiries being answered within 30 seconds;


achieve a figure of 96 per cent. of all written inquiries being answered within eight days.

The key targets for the Highways Agency are to:

ensure that the percentage of the trunk road network having a zero residual life at the end of the financial year 1999-2000, is less than the figure published in the 1998 report of the National Road Maintenance Condition Survey;


complete 1,750 lane kilometres of pavement renewal, including reconstruction, overlays, inlays, resurfacing and surface dressing;


develop jointly with DETR (C) indices of the condition of road pavements, suitable for publication by 31 March 2000;

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ensure that major roadworks on existing roads are:


no more than 2.5 miles (4km) long;


at least six miles (9.6 km) apart, except in urban areas (defined as areas where the speed limit is 30 mph or less), emergencies and otherwise agreed with DETR (C);


complete 100 bridge maintenance schemes each costing over £200k;


ensure that there is no material disruption to the network as a result of the Millennium Bug by:

carrying out a risk assessment on all known Agency control systems, road side equipment and facilities by the end of June 1999; and


having Agency wide business continuity plans and contingency plans in place;


complete 100 road schemes costing between £100k and £3 million aimed at improving road safety, contributing to an efficient economy, improving conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians (together with reducing community severance). These schemes are also aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of motorways and trunk roads on the environment and facilitating integration with other forms of transport promoting choice and information for travellers;


contribute to the Government's target of reducing road casualties by one-third by the year 2000, ensuring that the average accident rates between 1996 and 1999 across the motorway and all purpose trunk road network do not exceed 20 personal injury accidents for every 100 million vehicle kilometres of travel;


progress the Traffic Control Centre Public-Private Partnership to the point of inviting best and final offers by 31 March 2000;


achieve 85 per cent of scheme milestones identified in Annex C of the Business Plan;


put property to economic use ensuring that:


the percentage of vacant residential properties at the end of the year does not exceed 18 per cent. of the residential portfolio; and

the percentage of vacant habitable properties empty for more than six months at the end of the year does not exceed three per cent. of the residential portfolio;


develop and introduce jointly with DETR (C) a revised set of efficiency targets and indicators by 31 March 2000;


publish a policy statement and action plan by 30 September 1999 on how the Agency will take forward the Government policy on Greening Government Operations;


attain Investors in People by 31 December 1999;


manage the Agency's resources (programme and running costs) within the agreed financial allocations ensuring that Agency expenditure is with the target ranges of 95-100 per cent. for the following:


actual programme expenditure as a percentage of voted programme;


actual running cost expenditure as a percentage of voted running costs;


meet all agreed key milestones for the successful introduction of resource accounting and budgeting as shown on page 28 of the business plan;


continue to improve value for money across the Agency's activities. This target is achieved by attaining eight out of nine of the performance indicators as set out on page 29 of the business plan;


fulfil the obligations of the Road Users Charter as specified in Annex E of the business plan;

ensure the service provided to the public by the Agency is in accordance with the six Whitehall Standards listed in Annex F of the business plan.

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The key targets for the Vehicle Certification Agency are to:

achieve break-even or better on the commercial accounts whilst achieving at least a six per cent. rate of return on capital employed;


have at least 98 per cent. of approval certificates issued error-free;


have at least 98 per cent. of all invoices issued error-free;


audit at least 50 per cent. of VCA's approved-type approval and 100 per cent. of the management system certification procedures with all non-compliancies found having corrective action plans agreed within 30 working days at the most, with those plans being completed within the specified time;


ensure that the figure for debtor days is 70 or less;


invoice within one month after the completion of all Management System Certification assessment activities;


achieve Investors in People accreditation by the end of the year;


outturn within the NRC limit.

The key targets for the Vehicle Inspectorate are to:

meet the quality and general effectiveness levels as specified in the Business Plan measures set for 1999-2000;


meet the requirements on levels and types of activity laid down in the Memorandum of Agreement on each Road Transport Enforcement Scheme as agreed with the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions;

continue to improve customer focus across VI through the implementation of initiatives in line with Better Government and government direct policies;


break even while achieving an average six per cent. real rate of return on capital, over the period 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2003;


achieve an Aggregated Cost Efficiency index of plus one per cent;


improve staff awareness and satisfaction as measured through the annual survey and assessment against the Investors in People standard;


secure the long-term development of the organisation through implementation of the Information Systems Strategy and progression of the MOT Computerisation project.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets he has set the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Executive Agency for 1999-2000. [82896]

Mr. Raynsford: The Agency's principal financial target for 1999-2000 is to achieve a minimum contribution to the Exchequer of £1,245,000.

Operational targets have been set to increase occupancy of the three key conference areas as follows: Churchill Auditorium to 222 days; Fleming Room to 240 days; Mountbatten Room to 200 days.

The Agency is also being required to achieve additional room hire revenue from banqueting of £175,000 and has the following key customer targets to meet:

An overall score for quality of staff of 80%.

An overall score for customer satisfaction of 78%.

An overall score for quality of venue of 75%.

The number of complaints received to be less than 2 per 100 events,

An average response time when answering complaints of less than four working days.

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