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Transatlantic Open Skies

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he

18 May 2000 : Column: 252W

will make a statement concerning the progress of the current negotiations on the Transatlantic Open Skies proposal. [122681]

Mr. Mullin: Following earlier meetings between my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and the US Secretary of Transportation, formal talks between the UK and the US on bilateral aviation issues resume on 13 June. The Government will continue to press for the liberalisation of air services between our two countries, in order to secure additional benefits for consumers, for the UK aviation industry and for the wider UK economy.

Civil Servants

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1999-2000; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [121644]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The headline pay settlement was 2.4 per cent. on the paybill and, together with the additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received performance-related increases averaging 4.0 per cent. The increases, payable from 1 August 1999, were not staged.

Open Government

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many applications for information he received under the Open Government: Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary session; and how many were granted. [121858]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, Official Report, columns 216-17W.

Green Transport

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the key buildings for which his Department (a) submitted and (b) did not submit green transport plans by March. [122610]

Mr. Hill: In line with the target set in the Integrated Transport White Paper for the introduction of green transport plans for key Government buildings by March 2000, we completed 50 plans covering all of DETR's key buildings:

DETR (C)
Great Minster House, London
Eland House, London
Ashdown House, London
Seymour House (now Hempstead House), Hemel Hempstead
Driving Standards Agency
Stanley House, Nottingham
Westgate House, Newcastle
Haymarket House, Edinburgh
Cumberland House, Birmingham
Caradog House, Cardiff
Charles House, Kensington
Cardington

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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Longview Road, Swansea
Trafford House, Manchester
Buckingham House, Preston
Eastgate House, Leeds
Edward House, Birmingham
Sidcup House, Sidcup
Parkway House, Chelmsford
Connect House, Wimbledon
Federated House, Dorking
City House, Leeds
Jefferson House, Leeds
5 Broadway, Birmingham
Heron House, Bedford
St. Christopher House, London
Tollgate House, Bristol
Sunley Tower, Manchester
Albion House, Bedford
Falcon Road, Exeter
Charter Court, Hemel Hempstead
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Spring Place, Southampton
Marine House, Aberdeen
Vehicle Certification Agency
Units 1, 2 and 3 Eastgate Office Centre, Bristol
Vehicle Inspectorate
Berkley House, Bristol
Welcombe House, Swansea
Planning Inspectorate
Tollgate House, Bristol
QEII Conference Centre
QEII CC, London
Government Office for London
Riverwalk House, London
GO South West
4th and 5th Floors, The Pithay, Bristol
Mast House, Plymouth
GO South East
Bridge House, Guildford
GO North West
Sunley Tower, Manchester
Washington House, Manchester
Cunard Building, Liverpool
GO Yorkshire and Humberside
City House, Leeds
25 Queen Street, Leeds
GO Eastern
Heron House, Bedford
Vision Park, Cambridge
Building A, Westbrook Centre, Cambridge
Traffic Area Network (TANU)
Hillcrest House, Leeds.

In addition, since March 2000, we have completed a plan for The Rent Service Agency's Clifton House (it became an Executive Agency with effect from 1 October 1999).

18 May 2000 : Column: 254W

Mobile Homes

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he plans to take in respect of the recommendation from the Park Homes Working Party regarding residential mobile home sites; and what is the timetable for such action. [122616]

Mr. Raynsford: My Department aims to publish the recommendations of the Park Homes Working Party by early July this year, with a deadline of 31 October for any comments interested individuals and bodies may wish to make. I will announce our conclusions in due course after that date.

HGVs

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce a night-time ban on the movement of all heavy goods vehicles in residential areas. [122337]

Mr. Hill: Responsibility for traffic management on local roads, including the question of whether or not to introduce a night-time ban on lorries in residential areas, is entirely a matter for the local traffic authority for the area concerned.

Bushmeat (Uganda)

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received concerning the trade in bushmeat in Uganda; and if he will make a statement. [122339]

Mr. Mullin: While the Government have received no specific representations on the situation in Uganda, illegal trade in bushmeat is a growing problem in many African countries, particularly in west and central Africa. I am very pleased that a United Kingdom paper on this issue, tabled by my Department for discussion at last month's Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), was given unanimous support. The result is the formation of a new international working group under the auspices of CITES, involving the key African countries concerned, donors such as the United Kingdom and United States, and relevant non- governmental organisations. As the issue goes beyond the strict international trade remit of CITES, the UK and Convention Secretariat are actively seeking the full participation of other international bodies such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Tropical Timber Organisation. My Department has already made £50,000 available in the current financial year to support this initiative. I hope others will soon follow.

London Underground

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what London Transport has spent to date on consultancy costs for the London Underground public-private partnership. [123029]

Mr. Hill: I understand from London Transport that their expenditure on external consultants from 20 March 1998 (the date the Government announced the PPP) to 31 March 2000, for work on the PPP and restructuring London Underground, was £60.3 million.

18 May 2000 : Column: 255W

TREASURY

Research and Development

11. Mr. Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the introduction of the new tax credit for companies investing in research and development. [121381]

Mr. Timms: The new R&D tax credit was introduced in April. It will benefit 4,500 companies and support almost £1 billion of R&D per year. The enhanced relief will reduce those companies' costs for carrying out R&D by between 24 and 30 per cent., reflecting the importance the Government attach to helping small businesses succeed by reaping the benefits of our new enterprise economy.

15. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on his measures to help companies with research and development. [121386]

Mr. Timms: Our new research and development tax credit, introduced on 1 April, has been warmly welcomed since its announcement a year ago. We received representations emphasising the importance of incentives for R&D in small and medium firms, and so that is where the credit is being targeted. We have also decided, responding to representations, that the credit should be available as well to companies not yet trading. The changes we have made in response to representations have increased by 1,000 the number of firms expected to benefit from the tax credit.

Charity Taxation

12. Mr. Hope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy on charity taxation. [121382]

24. Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the proposals in his Budget to increase giving to charity in Britain. [121395]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government are keen to encourage more people to give more to charity. A package of new taxation reliefs aimed at encouraging millions more individuals and companies to give every year to charities--"Getting Britain Giving"--is included in the current Finance Bill.

The reliefs go further than the Government's proposals in the review of Charity Taxation consultation document published a year ago and further than those announced by the Chancellor in his pre-Budget report in November. At every stage we have listened to the views of charities, those who represent them and donors. We now have a generous package of measures which we estimate will be worth £400 million a year to charities. It has been warmly received in all quarters.

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