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Liquid Petroleum Gas
Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what grants are available towards the cost of converting private motor vehicles to be able to use liquid petroleum gas. [87959]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Energy Saving Trust's Powershift programme, funded by my Department, provides grants towards the cost of converting new vehicles (up to one year old) to run on alternative fuels, such as liquid petroleum gas. The value of the grant, which can cover up to 75 per cent. of the conversion costs, is determined by the improvement in emission performance as a result of the conversion. To date, the Powershift programme which is targeted at fleet operators has assisted in the purchase of over 1,000 vehicles.
Voluntary Sports Clubs
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 February 1999, Official Report, column 245, on voluntary sports clubs, what was the outcome of the review into rate relief for non-profit making sports clubs; and if he will make a statement. [87874]
Mr. Meale: We are making good progress with the review of the arrangements under which local authorities may grant relief from non-domestic rates to non-profit making sports clubs and will issue a consultation paper later in the year.
Genetically Modified Crops
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many hours HSE inspectors have spent undertaking field inspections of genetically modified trial crop sites for each month since October 1997. [87602]
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Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 22 June 1999]: Over the period in question, on average, HSE has devoted 75 inspector hours per month to inspection and enforcement on GM trial sites under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1997 (as amended) as required by the agency agreement with DETR. The detailed figures requested are given in the following table, up to April 1999, which is the most recently available information.
| Inspection hours | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | |
| October | 58.8 |
| November | 75.6 |
| December | 92.4 |
| 1998 | |
| January | 105.2 |
| February | 79.8 |
| March | 86.5 |
| April | 71.4 |
| May | 56.7 |
| June | 132 |
| July | 118 |
| August | 16.8 |
| September | 153.3 |
| October | 109.2 |
| November | 79.8 |
| December | 75.6 |
| 1999 | |
| January | 42.3 |
| February | 21 |
| March | 0 |
| April | 58.8 |
Transport Council
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the outcome of the Transport Council held in Luxembourg on 17 to 18 June; and if he will make a statement. [87977]
Mrs. Liddell: The Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 17 June. I represented the United Kingdom.
The Council expressed its condolences to the French and Austrian transport Ministers following the recent fatal fires in the Mont Blanc and Tauern Tunnels. The Presidency said that, during the coming months, the Council would be considering recommendations on tunnel safety, in accord with the remit of the European Council in Cologne.
The Council agreed a common position on a draft Directive aimed at avoiding pollution at sea by ensuring that ships discharge their waste while they are in port into properly planned and adequate waste reception facilities.
A common position was agreed on an amendment to the guidelines on transport Trans-European Networks (TENs), to clarify the eligibility of sea and inland ports for TENs funding.
The Council agreed a Resolution giving its support to the definition phase of the Galileo satellite navigation project. Ministers agreed that the Council should maintain oversight of this work, and at my request the Resolution included an instruction to the Commission to present the
24 Jun 1999 : Column: 447
results to the Council as soon as they are available, to allow early consideration of the validity of the project and of its advantages compared with current systems and their developments. The Council agreed to my suggestion that the Commission should in any case present a further report to the October Council.
The Council agreed a Resolution expressing concern about growing air traffic delays. I expressed concern about the inconvenience caused to business and leisure travellers and stressed the need to ensure that the powers in EUROCONTROL's new Convention were implemented and properly used to improve the situation.
The Council took note of reports by Member States on action they are taking to deal with the Year 2000 computer problem in their transport sectors, and agreed to return to the issue at the October Council. The Commission undertook to convene a high-level group to consider whether additional action was needed at Community level.
I joined others at the Council in suggesting that it is time for further progress to be made on EU rail liberalisation. At the end of the debate no agreement was reached, and the Presidency asked for further work to be done.
Under other business, the Council heard reports from the Commission on its negotiations towards Community membership of EUROCONTROL and the proposed new European Aviation Safety Authority. The Commission also reported on: the successful outcome of the renegotiation of the Warsaw Convention, which brings air passenger liability rights in line with Community rules; the establishment of a high-level group to prepare for an "innovation forum", as requested by the informal Transport Council at Dortmund; and the proposed allocation of quotas for lorry transit traffic through Switzerland.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on Government policy towards planning applications for out-of-town stores. [88119]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government's policy toward out-of-town retail development is set out in our Response to the House of Commons Environment Committee report on Shopping Centres [Cmnd 3729], which reaffirmed our commitment to Planning Policy Guidance note 6 (PPG6): Town Centres and Retail Developments. Further clarification of PPG6 was given in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, West and Hessle (Mr. Johnson) on 11 February 1999, Official Report, columns 309-10.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of journeys were on foot in the most recent year for which data are available. [88162]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
In 1995-97, 28 per cent. of journeys in Great Britain were on foot.
24 Jun 1999 : Column: 448
Mr. Pearson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Urban Task Force report will be published. [88448]
Mr. Prescott:
The Urban Task Force report will be published at 10.30 am on Tuesday 29 June. Copies of the Report and the Executive Summary will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library.
Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's latest assessment of trends in rail performance. [88571]
Mrs. Liddell:
My Department has today published the latest quarterly Bulletin of Rail Statistics, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Comparing the fourth quarter of 1998-99 with the fourth quarter of 1997-98, punctuality fell from 93.3 per cent. to 92.5 per cent. This is an unacceptable decline in performance. At the Rail Summit in February this year, rail companies agreed to improve performance year on year.
A calculation error made in 1996 means that the figures for national average punctuality have previously been understated. This does not affect the percentage punctuality figures that have been published for individual operating companies. The reliability figures are also unaffected.
However, current measures, including the corrected figures in this Bulletin, remain misleading. They are derived from Passenger Charter statistics, which do not cover all services and allow operators to disregard days ("void days") on which performance is very bad. The shadow Strategic Rail Authority are currently consulting on an improved measure of punctuality and reliability to be finalised this Autumn.
Punctuality is just one of a number of factors considered important by passengers. The new National Passenger Survey will ensure that all major passenger concerns will be monitored for each TOC. This will allow precise identification of areas for improvement and give passengers a voice in the running of the railway. First results from the National Passenger Survey will be published by the end of the year.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Attorney-General what (a) representations he made, (b) correspondence he had and (c) meetings he held about (i) the creation of the vacancy for Treasury Counsel (Common Law) in May 1997 and (ii) the filling of the vacancy. [88016]
The Attorney-General:
Soon after I was appointed Attorney-General in May 1997, I became aware of the fact that I would need to appoint a new First Treasury Counsel (Common Law) relatively soon as, although it was a matter for the Lord Chancellor, I believed that the then incumbent might be appointed as a High Court
24 Jun 1999 : Column: 449
judge shortly. The then Solicitor-General and I consulted widely, in meetings between May and November 1997, with members of the senior judiciary, the Treasury Solicitor's Department and others who could assist us in reaching a view as to who should be appointed as the next First Treasury Counsel (Common Law). I appointed Philip Sales after a meeting with him on 17 November 1997.
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