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SCOTLAND
Warm Deal
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in implementing the Warm Deal programme in Scotland under the New Deal. [85407]
Mr. Macdonald: By 31 March 1999, 37,000 houses had been insulated under the Warm Deal by 450 New Deal employees.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Rural Bus Services
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if it is his policy that all underspend on the Rural Bus Services Grant for 1998-99 will be added to moneys available to improve rural bus services in 1999-2000. [85658]
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Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: The 1998-99 underspend on the grant has been added to the sum available for allocation to local authority schemes successful in the rural bus challenge competition, as was reflected in the total amount of challenge awards announced on 16 December.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in what ways the harvested material from the genetically modified crop test sites of (a) herbicide resitant oilseed rape, (b) high laurate modified oilseed rape, (c) herbicide resistant maize and (d) herbicide resistant beet will be disposed of. [85942]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: The method by which harvested material from experimental releases of genetically modified crops is disposed of is specified in every consent, the details of each consent are available on the statutory public register held at my Department.
Typical means of disposal of harvested material include the methods set out as follows:
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from the Countryside Alliance concerning his recent consultation paper on the use of lead shot over wetlands; and what reply he has sent. [86046]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: My Department has received a number of representations on the proposed regulations on the use of lead shot including those of Countryside Alliance. Their views on the Regulations will be considered along with those of other organisations and individuals who have commented.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to lay before Parliament delegated legislation dealing with lead shot. [85917]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: It is the intention of my Department to lay the Statutory Instrument on the use of lead shot before Parliament in time for regulations to come into force in England on
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1 September 1999. From 1 July, any regulations to restrict the use of lead shot in Scotland and Wales will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly respectively.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on trends in the levels of (a) ammonia, (b) benzene, (c) mercury and (d) phosgene in the atmosphere. [86026]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: (a) Ammonia--My Department has been funding a nationwide network of around 70 sites to measure the ambient concentrations of ammonia since 1996. To date, there is not a sufficiently long dataset to discern authoritatively any trends, although early indications are that there is substantial seasonal and inter-annual variability. There are larger concentrations in spring and summer, and the largest concentrations are in warm, dry years. On the basis of natural variability, monitoring for more than five years will be necessary to clearly detect changes in response to changes in national emissions. Numbers of livestock and nitrogen fertiliser usage, which are the main sources of ammonia, have declined since the mid 1980s.
Earlier ad-hoc monitoring campaigns from this period are not sufficient to demonstrate increased concentrations in the 1980s compared with the present. Much longer term datasets of precipitation chemistry and deposition have shown that atmospheric ammonia increased substantially between 1950 and the 1980s, which can be explained by both increases in livestock numbers and nitrogen fertiliser inputs.
(b) Benzene--My Department has funded the continuous real-time measurement of benzene in the air since 1993. There are now 13 sites in the network, including roadside, urban background, and rural locations. In 1997, the running annual mean for benzene from this network ranged from (rural) 0.5-(urban centre) 2.1 parts per billion. To date, there is not a sufficiently long dataset to discern authoritatively any trends. Results of the monitoring are available in the Department's Digest of Environmental Statistics, and are available on the Department's internet site.
(c) Mercury--Mercury is predominantly present in the UK atmosphere as either particulate mercury or other semi-volatile mercury compounds. This leads to measurement problems in that it is difficult to measure the two phases in the same sample. My Department has been measuring mercury at three sites--Chilton in Oxfordshire, Styrrup in north Nottinghamshire and Wraymires in the Lake District. These are all relatively remote locations. Measurements have been taken of particulate mercury and of mercury in rain. Table 1 lists the atmospheric concentrations of mercury (ng m-3) at rural locations. The particulate mercury is only a small fraction of the total, perhaps 4 per cent. Table 2 gives mercury concentrations in rain water (g l-1>) at rural locations, mercury is rarely detectable in rain water. There is no trend to speak of in either of these measures of mercury concentrations, except that analytical detection limits have improved markedly in recent years.
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(a) Herbicide resistant oilseed rape seed is harvested and buried in landfill sites or incinerated, depending on quantities. The green plant material is treated with herbicide and then incorporated into the soil on site.
(b) High laurate modified oilseed rape seed is harvested and used for research or stored in bonded warehouses pending decision on future uses. Green plant material is treated with herbicide and then incorporated into the soil on site.
(c) Herbicide resistant maize is chopped and incorporated into the soil, incinerated or buried in landfill depending on quantities.
(d) Herbicide resistant beet is taken for analysis and then incinerated. Beets not required for analysis are chopped by farm machinery and incorporated into the soil on site.
| Year | Chilton | Styrrup | Wraymires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 0.14 | 0.52 | <0.1 |
| 1993 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.29 |
| 1994 | 0.11 | 0.32 | 0.18 |
| 1995 | 0.095 | 0.21 | <0.1 |
| 1996 | 0.18 | 0.37 | 0.23 |
| 1997 | 0.07 | <0.2 | 0.19 |
| 1998 | 0.22 | 0.72 | 0.49 |
| Year | Chilton | Styrrup | Wraymires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | <1 | <6 | <6 |
| 1993 | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| 1994 | 0.026 | 0.031 | 0.019 |
| 1995 | <0.1 | 0.2 | <0.1 |
| 1996 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 |
| 1997 | <0.005 | <0.008 | 0.009 |
| 1998 | <0.006 | <0.006 | <0.006 |
(d) Phosgene--My Department has no information on the levels of phosgene in the atmosphere.
Air Safety
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many random ramp checks on foreign airlines have been undertaken by his Department in the last year; and in how many cases were problems found. [85844]
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 8 June 1999]: The Department asks the CAA to carry out checks on foreign-registered aircraft using UK airports where evidence suggests that ICAO standards may not be met. There were 63 checks in the year from 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999; of these, 28 revealed no problems or only minor differences from ICAO standards, such as, for example, a defective light bulb in the cabin. Six inspections revealed serious problems which required that the aircraft be detained until corrective action was taken. The remaining checks revealed less serious differences from ICAO standards, which were drawn to the attention of the operators and the relevant national aviation authorities.
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans Her Majesty's Government have for the future of the Safety Regulation Group following the reorganisation of the CAA. [85882]
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 8 June 1999]: The future of the Safety Regulation Group of the Civil Aviation Authority will be considered in the light of responses to the consultations on a public/private partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd. and on the institutional arrangements for transport safety across all modes.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what bilateral agreements the United Kingdom has established to govern the arrangements for checking the operating procedures of foreign aircraft flying into the United Kingdom. [85845]
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Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: There are no bilateral agreements specifying procedures for checking the operating procedures of foreign aircraft flying into the United Kingdom.
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