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Fuel Duty
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate how much it would cost to extend the fuel duty rebate to (a) school buses and (b) dial-a-ride schemes. [113583]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 8 March 2000]: Those school bus services which are registered with the Traffic Commissioner as local bus services, and which are normally available to, and used by, the general public, are already eligible for bus fuel duty rebate.
Possible changes to the scope of bus fuel duty rebate are currently being considered as part of the Commission for Integrated Transport's review of value for money from public financial support for bus services.
At this stage no estimate has been made of the cost of extending eligibility for the rebate specifically to dial-a- ride schemes or to those school bus services which are currently not eligible. Any such estimates would depend on the precise definition of the newly eligible services which was adopted for the purpose and a forecast of eligible mileage run by them.
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in which month he plans to publish the Green Paper on Housing. [113644]
Mr. Raynsford:
We will publish a Housing Green Paper in the reasonably near future aimed at ensuring everyone has the opportunity of a decent home. The Green Paper will be fully consultative and we hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity to let us know what they think of our proposals on the future of housing in the 21st century.
Dr. Marek:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2000, Official Report, column 6W, on the electrification of the North Wales main line, if he will place in the Library the evidence arising from the investigation into electrifying the North Wales line that led him to the conclusion that electrification could not be justified. [113631]
Mr. Hill
[holding answer 10 February 2000]: The Study which investigated the possibility of electrifying the North Wales main line was produced by Virgin trains to the Franchising Director in March 1998. The Study was produced on a commercial in confidence basis and I am therefore unable to place a copy in the Library.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) homeowners and (b) ethnic minority homeowners there were in Britain in each year since 1990. [113885]
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Mr. Raynsford:
The table shows estimates from the Labour Force Survey of (a) the total number of homeowner households; and (b) the number of homeowner households headed by a member of an ethnic minority, in Britain in each year since 1990.
| All home owning household | Home owning households with ethnic minority head of household | |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 14,725 | 479 |
| 1991 | 15,024 | 538 |
| 1992 | 15,191 | 555 |
| 1993 | 15,408 | 539 |
| 1994 | 15,660 | 520 |
| 1995 | 15,919 | 536 |
| 1996 | 15,625 | 530 |
| 1997 | 16,212 | 594 |
| 1998 | 16,385 | 635 |
| 1999 | 16,730 | 648 |
Notes:
1. Like all estimates from sample surveys, these figures are subject to sampling variability
2. Data shown are for the Spring quarter (March-May) of each year
Blight Notices
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he intends to take to amend the eligibility of small business owners to serve blight notices in the light of the 2000 non-domestic rating revaluation; and if he will make a statement. [114488]
Mr. Raynsford: The Town and Country Planning (Blight Provisions) (England) Order, laid today, will raise from £18,000 to £24,600 the annual rateable value limit at or below which businesses are eligible to serve a blight notice. The change, which will come into effect on 1 April 2000, means that small businesses will not be disadvantaged when the year 2000 non-domestic rate revaluation comes into effect on the same date.
The new threshold also applies to businesses claiming compensation for loss of value under Part I of the Land Compensation Act 1973 when their premises are affected by physical factors such as noise, vibration, fumes and artificial lighting from the use of new or altered public works such as highways and aerodromes.
This threshold also applies under the 1973 Act to enable proprietors aged 60 or over to claim disturbance compensation on the basis of the total extinguishment of their business when they are subject to a compulsory purchase order. This allows claimants of that age to retire if they do not want to re-establish their business elsewhere.
Mr. Quinn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the public inquiry into Railtrack's applications for orders under the Transport and Works Act 1992 in respect of Thameslink 2000 will commence. [114491]
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Mr. Hill:
The public inquiry will start on Tuesday 27 June 2000 at 10 a.m. at Bankside House, London School of Economics, 24 Sumner Street, London SE1 9JA. There will be a pre-inquiry meeting to discuss practical arrangements for the inquiry on Monday 10 April at 2 pm at the same venue. The inspector appointed to conduct the inquiry is Mr. D. Ward Bsc. CEng. MICE FIHT. The inquiry will also consider Railtrack's application for various listed building and conservation area consents required for the scheme. All persons who have made representations to the Secretary of State about Thameslink 2000 will be informed of these arrangements.
Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made with the development of a safety code for port marine operations; and if he will make a statement. [114492]
Mr. Hill:
The Port Marine Safety Code is being published on Monday and copies will be placed in the Library of the House. The Code represents an important waypoint in the development with all parties in the ports and shipping industry of an agreed national standard for the discharge by harbour authorities of their legal functions relating to marine safety. It applies to port marine operations the well-established principles of risk assessment and safety management systems. It establishes a measure by which harbour authorities can be accountable for the legal powers and duties which they have to run their harbours safely. We are asking all harbour authorities with these obligations, to prepare plans to implement the Code by the end of 2001. In the meantime, work will continue with the industry to develop competence standards for all port marine professionals, and associated qualifications. We are also supporting the development of a guide to good practice on port marine operations, which we hope will be completed this year.
Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will introduce the new European model parking badge for disabled motorists. [114549]
Mr. Hill:
The Regulations have been laid before Parliament today.
We aim to phase in the new parking badge over three years from 1 April 2000 as existing badges come up for renewal and as new applications are processed. It is, of course, only the design of the badge which is affected. The eligibility criteria and the concessions provided under the parking scheme will be unchanged.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to promote access to family planning services; and if he will make a statement. [113682]
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Mr. George Howarth
[holding answer 9 March 2000]: Family planning services are provided in community and hospital settings throughout Northern Ireland. To improve access provision has also been made for evening and weekend services and for services which meet the needs of particular groups such as young people. In addition 95 per cent. if General Practitioners provide family planning services.
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110155]
Mr. Ingram:
The Government Purchasing Agency follows the guidance issued by the Secretary of State in his Policy Statement on Green Housekeeping, which closely follows the model policy statement.
The Government Purchasing Agency has established contracts for the purchase of paper and timber products on behalf of the NICS, Departments, their Agencies and NDPB's.
The contracts require that where virgin pulp is used it must come from sustainably managed woodlands.
More guidance is available to buyers from the DETR's Green Guide for Buyers, which is available to all our staff on the Internet.
The Agency also issues to all our tenderers, the booklet "Selling to Government--A Green Guide for Suppliers of Goods and Services to the Northern Ireland Civil Service" which sets out the requirements for paper and wood products in more detail.
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110156]
Mr. Ingram:
The FSC label is accepted by buyers as demonstrating that timber and timber products have come from sustainably managed sources. However, it is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by the Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against procurement rules.
Specifying just the FSC label might also result in us failing to meet all our requirements as currently only a tiny percentage of timber products are currently FSC certified. That is why the Department's policy statement for greening its operations suggests that evidence of sustainability might take the form of a certificate issued under a credible, preferably independent, verification scheme; or other documents which demonstrate the operation of an environmental management system
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incorporating forest management criteria that conform with internationally recognised principles such as the Helsinki Guidelines.
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