| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Construction Industry
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many deaths were recorded in the United Kingdom construction industry in the last 12 months. [107291]
Mr. Meacher: The table shows the provisional figures for fatalities in the construction industry for 1998-99. Final figures, which should be available in May 2000, may be slightly higher because fatalities include deaths up to a year after the date of an accident.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Employees(2) | 48 |
| Self-employed | 18 |
| Members of the public | 4 |
| Total | 70 |
(1) Provisional
(2) Including trainees
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect of Government policies on the long-term performance and profitability of the construction industry since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [107847]
3 Feb 2000 : Column: 657W
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Steadier growth in the economy and the introduction of expenditure plans that cover a full three years will free the construction industry from the damaging stop-go cycle that has so constrained its performance in the past. It will also provide a more secure base for innovation and improved profitability in the future. The Government are also encouraging the industry to radically improve its performance through implementing the recommendations of the Construction Task Force as set out in "Rethinking Construction".
It is too soon to assess what impact these initiatives are having on the long term performance and profitability of the industry. However, as a part of our drive to encourage radical change, we published last April the first set of standard, industry wide, key performance indicators (KPIs). If, as we intend, these are widely adopted by the industry they will provide an effective means of measuring progress in future.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what gross construction output as a proportion of gross domestic product was during 1998-99; and what the average was for European Union member states. [107849]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
In England in 1996 (the latest year available for England), gross construction output was about 8 per cent. of gross domestic product. Comparable figures for the EU as a whole show that construction made up about 12 per cent. of gross domestic product in that year.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the annual growth of the construction industry in each of the last 10 years. [107850]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Annual growth of the construction industry in England in each of the last 10 years has been as follows:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 21.5 |
| 1989 | 17.2 |
| 1990 | 5.0 |
| 1991 | -8.6 |
| 1992 | -9.3 |
| 1993 | -2.1 |
| 1994 | 7.3 |
| 1995 | 6.1 |
| 1996 | 6.8 |
| 1997 | 6.4 |
| 1998 | 7.5 |
Source:
Housing and Construction Statistics, DETR
A40 (Cheltenham)
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his decision to refuse Gloucestershire County Council's bid for funding for a route to bypass the A40 through Cheltenham. [107563]
Mr. Hill:
The Government Office for the South West wrote to Gloucestershire County Council on 16 December 1999 explaining why my Department was unable to accept the A463 Shipton Solers to Air Balloon scheme for support in the 2000-01 Local Transport Capital
3 Feb 2000 : Column: 658W
Settlement. The County Council has been advised to consider alternative solutions including looking at the feasibility of dealing with the safety issues by a combination of smaller scale schemes.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the decision in the appeal by Alba Proteins against conditions imposed on their plans by Eden District Council. [107578]
Mr. Meacher:
The Department published on 13 January this year a revised version of the statutory guidance relating to air pollution control from animal rendering processes: Process Guidance Note PG6/1(00)--The Processing of Animal Remains and By-Products. The parties to the Alba Proteins appeal will shortly be invited to comment on how any changes in policy, outlined in this revised guidance note, may affect the appeal. Following consideration of their comments, the Secretary of State should then be in a position to announce a decision.
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the credit rating of companies seeking to tender for services provided by his Department is checked before the contract is awarded. [107740]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Decisions on a bidding company's financial standing take account of latest available audited and interim accounts and any other relevant published information, which may include credit and debt rating. These checks are undertaken on contracts where the risk of early termination would place a financial and operational risk on my Department.
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how often the credit rating of companies supplying services to his Department is checked. [107751]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
During the period of a contract my Department will generally carry out checks into a company's financial standing if it has reason to believe that any of its contractors may be in financial trouble.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if there are sufficient air controllers trained and ready to operate the new En Route Centre at Swanwick from the date of opening. [108029]
Mr. Mullin:
NATS has carried out detailed planning of its requirements for air traffic controllers and the transitional arrangements for training controllers on the new system. NATS is confident that it will have sufficient appropriately trained and validated controllers to operate the new centre from the date of its opening.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the exact date on which the National Air Traffic Services facility at Swanwick will open. [108024]
3 Feb 2000 : Column: 659W
Mr. Mullin:
NATS continues to work towards the introduction into operational service of the New En-Route Centre in the winter of 2001-02.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the National Air Traffic Services at Swanwick will be fully operational at the time of its opening. [108028]
Mr. Mullin:
Yes, the New En-Route Centre will be fully operational at the time of its opening.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many recommendations of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have been implemented in the last 10 years. [108033]
Mr. Mullin:
The recommendations of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are in a variety of formats, including suggestions that reviews or research be carried out: for this reason there is no standard definition of whether a recommendation has been implemented or not. The Civil Aviation Authority has recorded its responses to those recommendations addressed to the Authority in terms of "fully accepted", "partially accepted" and "not accepted". Since 1 January 1990, 473 recommendations to the Authority have been fully or partially accepted and 66 not accepted.
It is not possible to give comparable information in respect of those safety recommendations addressed over the last 10 years to other organisations, such as foreign aviation authorities, as they may respond in a variety of ways. The CAA has agreed that, in future, its annual Progress Report on safety recommendations addressed to the Authority should include such information as is available on actions taken by other bodies in response to safety recommendations, in order to provide the public with a more complete picture of progress on all AAIB safety recommendations.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many recommendations made by the Air Accident Investigation Branch relate to the Manchester 737 accident. [108034]
Mr. Mullin:
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch's report on the accident to the Boeing 737, G-BEJL, at Manchester Airport on 22 August 1985 was published as Aircraft Accident Report 8/88 on 13 March 1989; it contained 31 safety recommendations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |