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Ill Health Retirement Guidelines
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the ill health retirement guidelines for ME sufferers who are members of the Local government Pension Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [114380]
Ms Armstrong [holding answer 13 March 2000]: There are no medical guidelines on ill-health retirement for Local Government Pension Scheme members suffering from ME published by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Decisions on whether or not to retire an employee on medical grounds are for individual local authority employers to take within their available powers.
London Underground (Access)
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if each station on the new Jubilee tube line is fully accessible to disabled people; [114353]
- (2) what facilities exist at Westminster tube station for access without assistance to trains by wheelchair users. [114354]
Mr. Hill: London Transport's Unit for Disabled Passengers provides a comprehensive advice and information service for disabled travellers including a guide book entitled "Access to the Underground".
I can confirm that step free access has been provided from the street to Jubilee Line trains at all of the stations between Westminster and Stratford inclusive on the Extended Jubilee Line. (In addition, lift access has been provided to the East London Line at Canada Water, the
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Northern Line at London Bridge and the District and Circle Lines at Westminster as part of the Jubilee Line Extension project).
Mobility impaired passengers can travel unassisted at Canada Water, Canary Wharf and North Greenwich stations. At Stratford, West Ham and Bermondsey and Southwark stations lifts can at present only be used by passengers accompanied by staff. Unfortunately the lifts at London Bridge and Waterloo are not yet in service and some at Westminster station are temporarily unserviceable. Detailed plans are in hand to bring these lifts into service.
On Westminster station specifically, once all lifts are back in service, wheelchair users will be able to access trains on the Jubilee line unaided. (Assistance will continue to be available to wheelchair users travelling on the District and Circle Line at Westminster station since there is no level access between train and platform on this line).
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what evaluation he has made of the use of video conferencing by his Department to help reduce journeys by car for business purposes; and if he will make a statement on the contribution of video conferencing to reducing car journeys. [114579]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
My Department's travel plans promote the use of video conferencing as one of the means to reduce car journeys. DETR(C) has set a target to increase the use of video conferencing by 10 per cent. a year. Use of video conferencing will be included in future annual reports on greening DETR.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to publish a report on voluntary and community transport. [114483]
Mr. Hill:
A major review of voluntary and community transport, commissioned by my Department, was completed last summer and a report of the main findings was published in July and widely disseminated to voluntary transport groups and to local authorities, inviting their comments.
A list of action points has now been identified which affects both central and local Government and the voluntary and community transport sector itself. These points are being addressed.
In parallel the Department is running a series of seminars around the country in conjunction with the Community Transport Association and with local authorities to highlight key issues arising from the review.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has decided the date, time and venue for the proposed rail summit in May; and if he will make a statement. [114482]
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Mr. Hill:
It is now confirmed that the next National Rail Summit will be held at the QEII centre in London on the 25 May this year.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he will take to ensure sufficient availability of paper for the central production of the Greater London Mayoral Elections Booklet; and if he will make a statement. [114484]
Mr. Hill:
No measures are needed. I am pleased to say that all the necessary paper has been ordered at the request of the Greater London Returning Officer.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2000, Official Report, column 134W, on EU structural funds, if he will state in both sterling and euros the amounts allocated to (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c ) Wales and (d) England, the totals in each area of the matching funds required, and (i) the amounts so far agreed and (ii) yet to be found by Her Majesty's Government and other sources. [113728]
Mr. Caborn:
The table gives the 1999 EU structural fund allocations for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England for Objective 1, 2 and 5b. Objectives 3, 4, 5a and the Community Initiatives totalling £296 million, 448 million euros, are managed on a UK basis and cannot be attributed by region. The 1999 match funding figures do not include the UK managed funds or the amount yet to be found which is still to be calculated.
| £ | Euros | |
|---|---|---|
| Allocations | ||
| Scotland | 190 | 286 |
| Wales | 75 | 113 |
| Northern Ireland | 446 | 672 |
| England | 741 | 1,118 |
| Match funding | ||
| Scotland | 243 | 366 |
| Wales | 111 | 167 |
| Northern Ireland | 159 | 240 |
| England | 820 | 1,237 |
BNFL
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what liaison has taken place between his Department and the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, since July 1999, in respect of assessing progress made by BNFL in meeting the enhanced safety targets he established in his statement on the proposed PPP for BNFL. [114083]
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Dr. Howells:
While NII has no formal role in assessing BNFL's performance against the targets announced last July by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, my officials are in regular contact with HSE, of which NII is a part, on BNFL's safety performance.
Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the conclusions of the consultation on the document, "A Fairer Measure"; and if he will make a statement. [113963]
Dr. Howells:
The response to the DTI consultation paper on up-dating and simplifying the regulation of goods sold by weight or measure has generally been favourable. I hope to make a statement in the near future about the detailed legislative changes that the Government intend to propose.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for further research into international price comparisons. [114077]
Dr. Howells:
The international price comparisons survey published on 13 February 2000 was the first time the Government have tried to compare UK prices with those in America and other European countries. My officials shall be discussing with the Office of Fair Trading, retail groups, and consumer groups the lessons that can be learned and how we develop this research in the future.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations his Department had with consumer organisations on the range of products to be included in the AC Nielsen survey into international price comparisons. [114076]
Dr. Howells:
There were no consultations with consumer organisations on the range of products to be included in the international price comparisons survey. This was determined in close consultation with the contractor to ensure it reflected current consumer expenditure patterns.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response the Government have made to the Dresdner Kleinwort Benson report into international supermarket prices. [114081]
Dr. Howells:
Many organisations regularly produce international comparisons of supermarket prices. While taking an interest in these, the Government do not respond on an individual basis.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account he took of the potential for conflict of interest in deciding on an organisation to carry out a survey into international price comparisons. [114078]
Dr. Howells:
AC Nielsen were chosen to carry out the survey into international price comparisons following a competitive bidding process in full accordance with EC procurement legislation. In choosing them the Department
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took full account of the fact that they, like all market research companies, work for businesses that produce branded goods.
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