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Millennium Compliance
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the cost implications involved in ensuring that traffic lights within the UK are Year 2000 compliant. [82256]
Ms Glenda Jackson: There is no estimate of the cost implications involved in ensuring the Year 2000 compliance of traffic lights. Most are on local roads for which local highway authorities are responsible and costs are not available centrally. However, most of the equipment used at traffic lights has to have Statutory Type Approval, for which the Highways Agency are responsible. They have a budget of approximately £200,000 to establish the compliance of equipment in use and results are being made available to all highway authorities.
Tube Trains (Clapham Junction)
Mr. Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to enable tube trains to run on existing lines to Clapham Junction. [82422]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Deputy Prime Minister gave permission for London Underground (LU) last August to do preparatory work for securing the legal powers necessary to build the southern extension to the East London Line.
Construction of the southern extension would open up a wide range of new journey opportunities and LU is consulting on possible routes through south London.
The Government and London Transport are looking at options for taking the project forward and we are clear that the future Mayor will have a role in the decision on the project.
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Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many prosecutions have been brought by local authorities under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, broken down by county. [82561]
Mr. Meale:
This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of old hedgerow were removed in each of the last five years prior to the enactment of the Hedgerow Regulations 1997; and how many miles have been removed since its enactment, broken down by county in each case. [82560]
Mr. Meale:
The last survey into changes in countryside hedgerows in England and Wales covered the years 1990 to 1993. This estimated that on average some 3,600 km of hedgerow were lost due to outright removal each year. A survey of hedgerow stock will be undertaken as part of Countryside Survey 2000. This will provide a basis for analysing changes which have occurred since the earlier survey.
Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what monitoring his Department carries out of local authorities with regard to their implementation of the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. [82562]
Mr. Meale:
In 1997, the Local Government Association surveyed their members in order to inform the review of the Hedgerows Regulations. The results are included in the report of the review group, Review of the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 ISBN 1 85112 091 2, published in July 1998. Apart from this, while the current Regulations are under review, my Department has not devoted resources to gathering data from local planning authorities on how they are working in practice.
Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what requirements are placed on organisations organising motorised sporting events and rallies to consult local communities and agencies. [82352]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 28 April 1999]: The RAC, as designated by the Secretary of State, is authorised to approve most events on the public highway and is required to consult the police and local highway authorities before they take place. In very limited circumstances applying to events with 12 or fewer competitors (as prescribed by article 5 of the Motor Vehicles (Competitions and Trials) Regulations 1969) there are no requirements.
A number of bodies have been given the power to authorise off-road events. It is a matter for those bodies to consider whether consultation is required for specific events.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has and what targets he has set to reduce fat and oil contamination in the public water system. [82716]
4 May 1999 : Column: 302
Mr. Meale:
Sewerage undertakers have powers to control and reduce discharges of fat and oil into sewers. If they consider the discharge constitutes trade effluent, their consent is required in accordance with the provisions of the Water Industry Act 1991. The consent may set conditions and require the elimination or diminution of any specified constituent of the trade effluent before it enters the sewer. Such a discharge without the undertaker's agreement is a criminal offence.
If the sewerage undertaker does not classify the discharge as trade effluent, it is still an offence under section 111 of the 1991 Act for a person to empty into a public sewer, or any drain or sewer connecting with a public sewer, any matter which is likely to injure the sewer or drain, to interfere with the free flow of its contents or to affect prejudicially the treatment and disposal of its contents. Any person who is found guilty of an offence is liable to a fine or imprisonment. I consider these statutory controls are sufficient to deal with and reduce the problem of fat and oil entering the sewers.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what environmental appraisal his Department has undertaken of (a) the Water Industry Bill, (b) the Greater London Authority Bill and (c) the Local Government Bill; if he will make these appraisals available to the House; and what changes were made to these Bills as a consequence of the appraisals. [82565]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 29 April 1999]: (a) An environmental appraisal of the Water Industry Bill was published when the Bill was introduced on 26 November 1998.
(b) After careful consideration, the view was taken that no environmental appraisal for the Government's Greater London Authority proposals was necessary. This was because the proposal's impact would be upon the governance structures of London and, as such, would have no environmental impact.
However, promoting the objective of sustainable development will be an explicit and fundamental consideration for the Greater London Authority. The Greater London Authority's principal purposes are promoting economic development and wealth creation in London, promoting social development in London and promoting the improvement of the environment in London. The Authority's general purpose is conferred to enable it to further one or more of those purposes. In exercising the general power to do anything which it considers necessary to further any one or more of these purposes, it will be required to have regard to the effect its actions would have on the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom. And where it does exercise its general power, it is required to do so in a way which is best calculated to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom.
(c) No environmental appraisal was undertaken of the Local Government Bill as its content has no direct implications for the environment. The Bill deals with local
4 May 1999 : Column: 303
management and financial issues. Notes on the effects of the Bill on public sector finances and public sector manpower, a summary of the Regulatory Appraisal and a statement of the Bill's compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights are included in the Explanatory Notes to the Bill.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the names and qualifications of the individuals appointed to the regional development agencies in England. [82701]
Mr. Meale:
The names of the members of the Regional Development Agencies were announced at the time of their appointment in answer to a parliamentary question on 14 December 1998, Official Report, columns 318-20. In conjunction with that announcement a Departmental press release was issued providing biographical details of the board members. A copy of this was placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he has issued to local authorities concerning the erection by (a) local authorities and (b) others of county signs at the historic boundaries of those counties. [82847]
Mr. Caborn:
No guidance has been issued to local authorities relating specifically to signing of historic county boundaries. But signs erected for commemorative rather than traffic management purposes are controlled by district planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992 in accordance with DOE circular 5/92.
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