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Flight Safety
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the result of the trials on the effects of mobile phones on flight safety carried out by the CAA; what recommendations have been made by the CAA as a result of these trials; and what changes will be made to flight safety rules as a result. [124783]
Mr. Mullin: The CAA carried out tests on the level of interference from passengers' mobile phones on the avionics systems of two aircraft parked at Gatwick Airport in February. These tests confirmed that mobile phone transmissions (including those made when a phone is on standby) made near an aircraft's flight deck or avionics equipment will produce interference that exceeds certification levels for some equipment. Consequently, the CAA will maintain their policy of prohibiting the use of mobile phones by passengers while an aircraft's engines are running.
The CAA is also consulting airport operators and airlines about the viability and value of additional measures to further minimise the risks of inadvertent operation of portable telephones. Such additional measures could include reminder notices in airport departure lounges and at aircraft boarding points and the introduction by airlines of detection equipment and related procedures to ensure telephones are switched off.
The full report of the tests is available on the CAA's website: www.srg.caa.co.uk/srg/srg--news.asp.
Waste Disposal
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2000, Official Report, column 570W, concerning the main waste disposal facilities in the East of England, if he will list the quantity of waste dealt with at each facility in 1998-99 or the nearest available year. [124804]
Mr. Mullin [holding answer 7 June 2000]: The quantity of waste dealt with, in tonnes of waste for 1998-99 (or the nearest available year), at the main waste disposal facilities in the East of England, is shown in the table.
(3) Landfill
(4) Not available
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8 Jun 2000 : Column: 313W
The data for landfills in Hertfordshire is missing. This is because the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes provision for licensees to request that such information be kept off the public register on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. The Agency is in the process of reviewing these cases.
Central Railway
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions his Department has had with Central Railway in relation to the company's plans for a high speed freight rail link with particular reference to the part of the route adjacent to or in the vicinity of the M25; and if he will make a statement. [124844]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 7 June 2000]: None.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what contacts have taken place between (a) officials, (b) special advisers and (c) Ministers in his Department and representatives of the Central Railway. [125062]
Mr. Hill: Officials met representatives from Central Railway in 1998 to discuss its revised proposals for a freight railway between Liverpool and Lille. Ministers have received further representations from the company from time to time, including copies of its consultation documents.
Rail Subsidies
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he takes to ensure that Government subsidies to privatised railway companies are not passed on to shareholders. [124805]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 7 June 2000]: Government subsidies to privatised railway companies take two forms: payments under franchise agreements to passenger train
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operating companies, and grant payments to rail freight operators under the track access and freight facilities grant schemes.
Franchise subsidies are agreed by the Franchising Director following competitive tender. Franchise payments are for specific contractual obligations, including minimum service levels, which the operator must fulfil.
Grant payments to rail freight operators are available on application in accordance with the published terms of the grant schemes. The grant payments are calculated at the lower of the environmental benefit gained, the economic need of the business, and, where applicable, the level of track access charge. Grant is paid only where the service or investment in question is actually delivered.
North Wales Main Line
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 23 May 2000, Official Report, column 436W, which external consultants the Franchising Director used to satisfy himself of the validity of the Virgin rail study on electrification of the North Wales main line; and what their terms of reference were. [124802]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 7 June 2000]: The Franchising Director commissioned MVA Ltd. in connection with the Virgin study. Their terms of reference were to make an assessment of the study to allow the sSRA to reach a view on the robustness of methodology and the merits of the proposed North Wales electrification scheme.
Rail Ticket Pricing
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that rail passengers are not overcharged when buying tickets. [124800]
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Mr. Hill [holding answer 7 June 2000]: A condition of station operators' licences from the Rail Regulator is that accurate and impartial advice on ticket pricing must be given to passengers.
Bus Monitors
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many bus monitors have been employed by the Vehicle Inspectorate in each year from 1997 to date. [124909]
Mr. Hill: The Vehicle Inspectorate employed 12 bus monitors in a successful pilot project in 1999. The same number will be employed in 2000.
Traffic Commissioner
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the sufficiency of the personnel available to the Traffic Commissioner within the South Eastern and Metropolitan traffic areas. [124908]
Mr. Hill: The level of resources, including the number of staff, required to support the Traffic Commissioner for the South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Area is assessed each year as part of the normal budgeting process. More generally, the Traffic Area Network is engaged in a major modernisation programme--called TAN 21--designed to equip all the Traffic Area Offices across the country with up to date management and business systems. This has involved a fundamental review of all the business processes carried out in the offices. The aim is to provide improved support to the Traffic Commissioners and a better customer service to the commercial transport industries.
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