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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Railways

16. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has met the Director General of the Association of Train Operating Companies to discuss the future of the railways. [124005]

Mr. Hill: I last met the Director General of ATOC on 1 November 1999 when among other topics, we discussed the Transport Bill, railway performance and railway safety. Officials from my Department have met with ATOC to discuss train operator's concerns about station leases, and to explore the extent to which the existing regulatory provision can safeguard against the public interest.

Housing

17. Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received concerning the construction of new houses on greenfield land and the green belt. [124006]

Mr. Raynsford: The Secretary of State has received a number of representations in the context of various reviews of regional planning guidance currently under way and in exercise of his other statutory planning functions. Most recently, I met the leaders of local authorities with strategic planning functions in the South East. I emphasised the Government's commitment to re-use brownfield land and existing buildings before building on greenfields.

Croydon Tramlink

18. Mr. Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received about the extension of the Croydon tramlink and its linkage to the London underground. [124007]

Mr. Hill: I understand that London Transport are conducting a study into the extension of Croydon tramlink to other areas and its interchange with other forms of public transport including the London underground. Ultimately, it will be for the Mayor to decide if any such extensions and linkages should be taken forward.

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Railway Lines

20. Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what Government support is available to industry to reopen disused railway lines to reduce the number of journeys by heavy lorries. [124009]

Mr. Hill: Support is available through my Department to assist companies in moving goods from road to rail where payment is justified by the environmental benefits.

A capital grant is available towards the cost of new or refurbished freight facilities, which might in principle include the reopening of disused railway lines.

Pensioner Transport Concessions

21. Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions are taking place between his Department and transport undertakers on concessionary transport for pensioners. [124010]

Mr. Hill: This has been one of the topics discussed at meetings between the bus industry and my Department which take place from time to time.

Traffic Reduction Policy

22. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress of the Government's traffic reduction policy. [124011]

Mr. Hill: As we set out in "Tackling Congestion and Pollution", published in January, our policies focus on improving the outcomes that matter to people, such as congestion, pollution and road safety, rather than national traffic volume figures. The Transport Bill currently before Parliament, and the 10-year plan we will be publishing this summer, demonstrate our commitment to put in place the policies and resources that are needed.

Waste Incineration

23. Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received concerning the waste incineration directive. [124012]

Mr. Meacher: Representations on a range of different aspects of the proposed Directive have been received from various environmental and rural organisations, industry

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representatives and individuals. As the hon. Member may be aware, recent interest has been focused on the implications of the proposal for operators of small-scale animal carcase incinerators.

Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of UK incinerators that fail to meet the terms of the EU Waste Incineration Directive. [125305]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The proposed waste incineration directive, the precise scope of which is yet to be finalised, requires upgrading of incineration plant to the specified standards within five years of its adoption. The consultants Entec UK Ltd. undertook a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed directive to underpin a regulatory and environmental impact assessment, and their report (copies of which are in the House Library) largely identified numbers of incinerators in different sectors, although subsequently we have received information that the report significantly underestimated the number of animal carcase incinerators. The National Farmers Union have suggested there are some 3,000 on-farm small scale animal carcase incinerators.

Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the organisations he has consulted over the EU Waste Incineration Directive. [125329]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: Copies of the various drafts of the proposed directive and the cost- benefit analyses DETR commissioned from Entec UK Ltd. were distributed as they arose to the trade representative organisations listed over the period since 1994, as well as to relevant Government Departments and environmental organisations. Trade representative organisations were also invited to meetings with DETR on the following dates: 27 April 1994, 25 September 1997 and 6 October 1998.



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Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU Waste Incineration Directive on the disposal of animal carcases in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [125306]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: No assessment has been made of the effect of the proposed waste incineration directive on options for disposing of animal carcases in the UK. The Waste Strategy 2000, published on 25 May, indicates that wastes should be managed in accordance with the Best Practicable Environmental Option, and should be disposed of as close to the point of production as possible, consistent with the need for effective environmental controls.

Congestion Taxes (London)

24. Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the introduction of congestion taxes and car bans in London. [124013]

38. Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the introduction of congestion taxes and car bans in London. [124027]

Mr. Hill: This is a matter for the Mayor of London.

Traffic Congestion

25. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if it is his policy to support the approval of ring roads as a means of reducing traffic congestion and pollution. [124014]

Mr. Hill: Our policy is to support road schemes if, after consideration of alternative options and full appraisal, it is concluded they provide sustainable solutions to transport problems and should be accorded priority having regard to available resources. In the case of local roads it is for authorities to justify road schemes as part of their Local Transport Plans.

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