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Standard Spending Assessments
30. Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the principles and objectives underlying the review of standard spending assessments; and if he will make a statement. [85809]
Ms Armstrong: The objectives of the current review of revenue grant distribution are to investigate thoroughly whether there is a better way of determining the distribution of revenue support grant which is simpler, more stable, more robust and fairer than the present arrangements for SSAs. These objectives were set out in last year's White Paper, "Modern Local Government-- In Touch with the People".
Fishing Vessel Accidents
31. Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions pursuant to his answer of 9 February 1999, Official Report, column 148, on the consultation document "Fishing Vessel Accidents and the Recovery of Those Lost at Sea", when he expects to publish his response to the consultation exercise. [85810]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Good progress is being made on many of the issues raised in the consultation paper. The analysis of responses was discussed by the Fishing Industry Safety Group on 22 April. Members of the Group were invited to submit comments by 31 May and the Government will issue their response soon.
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32. Mrs. Gorman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what factors underlie the use of tonnes of carbon as a measure for greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. [85811]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Under international guidelines, greenhouse gas emissions are measured in terms of their global warming potential. Conversion to a common unit of measurement (whether in tonnes of CO 2 equivalent or tonnes of carbon equivalent) allows comparisons to be made between countries, between various policies and measures and between different greenhouse gases.
33. Mr. Gray:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the proposed road taxes for London on the use of private cars; and if he will make a statement. [85813]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Research undertaken by my Department and other organisations has shown that new charges could help to tackle London's congestion problems and generate a revenue stream for transport improvements. A further study is currently looking at how the new charging powers contained in the Greater London Authority Bill could be used in London. It will be for London's Mayor and boroughs to decide whether to introduce any charging scheme in London.
34. Ms Stuart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he will ensure that local transport plans meet the quality standards set out in the integrated transport strategy. [85814]
Mrs. Liddell:
We have produced comprehensive guidance for local authorities, setting down the criteria by which we will judge local transport plans. Officials, particularly in the Government Offices, are working closely with local authorities to help them deliver the best quality local transport plans that they can.
35. Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with Shropshire county council regarding council tax. [85815]
Ms Armstrong:
The Secretary of State received representations from Shropshire county council as part of the 1999-2000 local government finance settlement consultation process. Shropshire county council is also one of the 12 authorities with the largest increases in budget and council tax which we have called in to discuss their increases and put on warning for next year. I shall be meeting them on 24 June.
36. Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the income to be derived by London Transport
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from the Public-Private Partnership leases on London Underground's infrastructure in (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2001-02 and (iii) 2002-03. [85816]
Mrs. Liddell:
It is not the intention of the Public/Private Partnership to derive income for London Transport through leasing charges. The leasing of the infrastructure to the private sector is the legal mechanism necessary to allow private sector partners to undertake and finance the necessary maintenance, renewal and upgrade works to the system.
Mr. Ottaway:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with Railtrack plc on the possibility of granting them a public-private partnership of the whole London Underground system; and if he will make a statement. [86640]
Mr. Prescott:
I announced to the House earlier this afternoon, Official Report, columns 155-67, that I have agreed with London Transport that they should not hold a PPP competition for London Underground's sub-surface lines at present. This is to allow London Transport to explore with Railtrack whether there is a way of linking the national rail network to the sub-surface lines in a PPP, under which Railtrack would undertake and finance the maintenance and upgrading of the subsurface lines for London Underground, under contract to London Underground, and Railtrack would build links between the Underground and the national rail network, to allow new services for passengers running into the heart of London.
I also announced that London Transport is today inviting companies to pre-qualify as bidders to invest in the Underground through the Underground's two deep- tube infrastructure contracts. Railtrack have themselves confirmed that they will not be seeking to pre-qualify for the two deep-tube PPP competitions.
I met Gerald Corbett, Chief Executive of Railtrack, this morning, to discuss the work involved. Prior to this, my officials held a number of working level meetings with Railtrack.
37. Mr. Connarty:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what time
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scale he set for agreeing energy reduction plans with major energy user industries; and if he will make a statement. [85817]
Mr. Meale:
The Chancellor has asked energy intensive sectors of industry to make proposals for targets to improve efficiency and reduce emissions by October. DETR is leading the negotiations with the sectors concerned.
38. Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent steps he has taken to secure an improvement in rail services. [85818]
Mrs. Liddell:
The National Rail Summit on 25 February produced a package of measures to tackle medium to long-term problems, including the creation of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority under the Chairmanship of Sir Alastair Morton. The Deputy Prime Minister has also recently appointed a new Franchising Director and a new Rail Regulator.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the increase in (a) fuel burn and (b) emissions as a result of the increased times taken on scheduled flights to Scotland. [85872]
Mrs. Liddell:
We have not assessed whether the slight increases in some scheduled journey times reflect delays on the ground or in the air. That information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Without it, no estimate of any increase in fuel burn or emissions could be made.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many times Ministers in his Department have met their counterparts in the United States Government since 30 January 1999; and if he will list the dates and locations of each meeting, the Ministers involved on each occasion, and the name of the US counterpart at each meeting. [86292]
Mr. Prescott:
The information for DETR is as follows:
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| 1999 | Location | DETR Minister | US Counterpart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 January | London | John Prescott | Al Gore, US Vice President |
| 26 March | London | John Prescott | Rodney Slater, Secretary of Transportation |
| John Reid | |||
| 26-28 March | Schwerin, Germany | John Prescott | Carol Browner, Administrator, Environment Protection Agency |
| Michael Meacher | |||
| 20 April | Washington | John Prescott | Carol Browner, Administrator, Environment Protection Agency |
| Andrew Cuomo, Secretary Department of Housing and Urban Development | |||
| Rodney Slater, Secretary of Transportation | |||
| 22 April | New York | Michael Meacher | Frank Loy, US State Department |
| 14 June | London | John Prescott | Frank Loy, US State Department |
| Michael Meacher |
15 Jun 1999 : Column: 83
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