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Planning Applications
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by local authority the number of planning applications that have been referred to his Department in each of the last 12 months. [82710]
Mr. Raynsford [holding answer 30 April 1999]: The numbers of planning applications referred to the Department under directions applying to departure applications, shopping development and playing fields, from April 1998 to March 1999, are shown in the table. Information relating to individual local planning authorities could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
(1) came into effect on 23 December 1998
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M1 (North-east Link)
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received calling for a motorway link between the north east of England and the M1 motorway; and if he will make a statement. [82631]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Representations have been made over many years calling for the North East to be connected by a motorway link to a national motorway network.
Most recently, as part of the Government's Road Review, a number of representations were received identifying certain points and areas for action, including the need to offset the region's peripherality by better transport links, particularly in terms of providing a motorway connecting to the south.
Due account was taken of all views expressed in pulling together the targeted programme of improvements and the series of proposed studies as set out in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England" published in July 1998. These include a study of the non-motorway section of the A1 between Bramham and Barton.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his letter of 16 July 1998 (MR/PSO/8216/98), what progress he has made towards electronic publishing of carbon dioxide figures. [81910]
Mr. Meacher:
Estimated UK emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants for 1970-96 are available from the National Air Quality Archive on the Internet at the following address: (http: // www.environment.detr.gov.uk / airq / aqinfo.htm). The DTI also publish carbon dioxide emissions on their site (http://www.dti.gov.uk/epa). Later this month my department will be releasing 1997 emission estimates for all the main air pollutants and DTI will be releasing provisional 1998 emissions estimates for carbon dioxide.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 January 1999, Official Report, column 451, what further proposals on the Clean Development Mechanism he has submitted to the UN Framework Convention. [81937]
Mr. Meacher:
The EU submitted a first proposal on the modalities and procedures for the clean development mechanism to the Secretariat of the UN framework Convention on Climate Change on 2 March. This served as an input to the UNFCCC technical workshop on the
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Kyoto mechanisms which took place in Bonn 9-15 April. I have placed a copy of the submission in the House Library.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met representatives of (a) the Road Haulage Association and (b) the Freight Transport Association; what plans he has to meet them in the future; and what proposals he has put to each organisation regarding the impact of increased duty and excise charges. [82777]
Dr. Reid:
Ministers have frequent contact with representatives of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Freight Transport Association (FTA) most recently. On 26 April my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister attended and addressed the FTA Annual Dinner. On 27 April I had an informal meeting with David Green, Director General and Lawrence Christersen, President of the FTA together with other FTA representatives. I also had an informal meeting at the House of Commons with Steve Norris, Director General of the RHA and with a number of individual road hauliers. Both the FTA and the RHA were represented at the inaugural meeting of the Road Haulage Forum on 8 April. I will be attending the RHA's Annual Dinner or 11 May, and I expect to continue to meet representatives of both Associations frequently.
I have put no proposals to them regarding the impact of increased duty and excise charges. Tax matters are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Road Haulage Forum's main task is to establish the facts on the competitiveness of the industry but it will also be looking at a range of other issues.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to call in for further consideration the proposal to build a new Safeway supermarket in St. Anne's, Lancashire. [82673]
Mr. Caborn:
The Secretary of State is waiting for further information from the Local Authority before he can begin to consider the application. I shall write and let the right hon. Gentleman know the Secretary of State's decision.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what procedures must be followed by a local authority seeking to close, on a permanent basis, a section of the public highway in connection with development. [82672]
Mr. Prescott:
Section 247 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, enables a developer to seek the stopping up or diversion of a highway to enable a development which has planning permission to proceed. A similar procedure exists under section 248 of the Act for side roads, and under S249 a local highway authority can apply to pedestrianise a road. All stopping up orders are subject to an objection procedure. Where there are
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unwithdrawn objections, the Secretary of State will usually call for a public inquiry to be held before deciding whether the order should be made or not.
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what costs were incurred by the Government in relation to the Royal Train in 1998-99; how many times it was used for official Government business; and at what cost on each occasion. [83078]
Mr. Prescott:
The cost of the Royal Train is met as part of the Grant-in-aid which is the annual funding provided by the Department to meet the cost of official royal travel by air and rail. Figures for the use of the Royal train during 1998-99 (which include both a fixed and variable cost element) are currently being finalised but it is estimated that the total cost will be about £825,000. This represents a decrease of 29 per cent. on 1997-98 and 56 per cent. since the Grant-in-aid was established two years ago.
The Train was used once for official Government business during 1998-99--for a function hosted by Mrs. Blair for the wives of the G8 Heads of Government on 16 May 1998. The £11,382 variable cost of the use of the Train, plus a £4,250 contribution to fixed costs, was met by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Ann Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals London Transport has for publishing information about tenders for bus services in London. [83339]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
London Transport Buses has recently reviewed its policy in this area and I welcome its decision to expand its disclosure of tender results. LTB intends to publish new information on the London Transport Web site and will also make hard copy versions available on request.
The relevant information will be the number of tenders, the successful bidder, the value of the selected bid and the range, and the cost per scheduled mile. In addition to basic information about the route and service, LTB will also publish information about any alternative service options which were considered.
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will publish a list of (1) task forces and (2) policy reviews established by his Department since May 1997 which (a) had external members recruited by way of public advertisement, and details of any person so appointed and (b) engaged in public consultation exercises, and the form that these took; [74456]
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(3) if he will list for all task forces and policy reviews with external members established by his Department since May 1997 (a) their dates of establishment, (b) those which have issued final reports and their dates of publication, (c) those which have been terminated and their dates of termination and (d) for those bodies still in existence, expected reporting and termination dates. [79283]
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Mr. Morley:
The following table sets out the details of Policy Reviews with external members established by my Department since May 1997. My Department has only one Task Force and this has no external members. None of these Reviews or the Task Force have any sub-groups, working parties or other subsidiary committees.
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(2) if he will list all those task forces and policy reviews with external members established by his Department since May 1997 which have set up (a) sub-groups, (b) working parties and (c) other subsidiary committees; [79260]
| Review | Date of establishment | Publication date of final report | Date of termination (if applicable) | Expected reporting date | Expected termination date | External members recruited by public advertisement | Details of members recruited by public advertisement | Details of public consultation exercises |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review of the Current Rules of Quarantine on Imported Pet Animals | 24 November 1997 | 23 September 1998 | 23 September 1998 | n/a | n/a | Yes | See the following | On 9 December 1997, relevant organisations were asked to comment on a number of detailed scientific issues |
| Review of Public Analyst Arrangements in England and Wales | 23 April 1998 | 28 October 1998 | 28 October 1998 | n/a | n/a | No | n/a | This review was publicised by means of a News Release and drawn to the attention of 44 outside bodies with invitation to submit comments. Oral evidence taken from the 4 organisations most directly affected (APA, LGA, LACOTS and ITSA) |
| Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group | 8 April 1998 | n/a | n/a | Late 1999 | Late 1999 | No | n/a | Consultation letters were issued on 23 June, 27 July and 6 October 1998 inviting submissions to the Group. In addition, 6 regional meetings and a number of national meetings have enabled views to be put directly to the Group |
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The Advisory Group on Quarantine--Membership
Chairman
Professor Ian Kennedy
Professor of Health Law, Ethics and Policy at the School of Public Policy, University College London.
Members
Dr. Michel Aubert
Director of the Laboratoire d'etudes sur rage et la pathologie des animaux sauvage, Centre National d'Etudes Veterinaires et Alimentaires, Nancy, France.
Dr. Barbara Bannister
Consultant in Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Royal Free Hospital, London.
Mr. Paul DeVile
Small animal veterinary practitioner in Eastbourne. Past president of the British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
Dr. Chris Dye
Senior Epidemiologist at the World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland (on secondment from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine).
Dr. Andrew Higgins
Scientific Director and Chief Executive of the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket.
Professor Oswald Jarret
Professor of Comparative Virology, University of Glasgow.
Professor Herbert Sewell
Professor of Immunology at the University Hospital Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University.
Sir Joseph Smith
Retired Director of the Public Health Laboratory Service.
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