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Parliament Square

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received about safety for (a) pedestrians and (b) cyclists in Parliament Square. [124859]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Parliament Square received extensive consideration as part of the "World Squares for All" Masterplan. We look forward to the implementation of the Masterplan proposals.

Bicycle Parking Facilities

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he provides external bicycle parking facilities for visiting members of the public at his departmental sites. [124860]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The facilities available for cyclists vary between our 1,250 plus sites but visitor parking provision is made at our three headquarters sites in London and at most of our buildings outside London. In some instances, where no facilities are provided, there are plans to rectify this situation.

Bicycle Use

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each year since 1990 the number of (a) people using bicycles, (b) miles cycled and (c) journeys made by bicycle. [124862]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The available information for Great Britain, from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' National Travel Survey, is shown in the table:

	1990-92	1993-95	1996-98
Percentage of households with at least one cycle	36	38	40
Stages per person per year(7)	20	18	17
Miles per person per year(7)	41	37	38

(7) The figures for journeys and miles per person per year are averages over all people in the survey

Further information is given in the Transport Statistics Report "Cycling in Great Britain" available from the House of Commons Library.

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made towards achieving the National Cycling Strategy's objective of doubling the proportion of journeys made by bicycle by 2002. [124863]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 9 June 2000]: We have endorsed the targets set by the National Cycling Strategy when it was launched in 1996, i.e. to double the number of cycle trips (based on 1996 figures) by 2002 and to double it again by 2012.

However, we now recognise that it is unlikely that the 2002 target will be achieved. It has become apparent that more preparation was needed than was originally anticipated in 1996. But with the increased provision of infrastructure and other measures by local authorities,

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following the introduction of Local Transport Plans and the Launch of the Road Safety Strategy, we are confident of achieving the target of a fourfold increase in the number of cycle trips by 2012.

London Buses

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the increase in journey times resulting from the replacing of two-person crews with one-person crews on central London bus routes in the last five years. [125607]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 12 June 2000]: This is a matter for London Bus Services Ltd. (LBSL), formerly London Transport Buses, as the organisation responsible for providing bus services in London.

LBSL have estimated that replacing open platform, crew-operated buses with one person operated vehicles increases journey times by between 12 per cent. and 20 per cent. The smallest increases in journey time are achieved on the latest generation of fully accessible low-floor buses, which have wide 'easy flow' entrances.

Gas Safety

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Health and Safety Executive started its investigation into gas safety due to be reported this summer. [124873]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: The Health and Safety Executive, on behalf of the Health and Safety Commission, started work on a fundamental review of the health and safety regime for the installation and use of gas at the end of 1998. A Discussion Document was published on 4 November 1999 with a formal consultation period to 4 February 2000.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the use of excess gas flow valves in housing in the USA. [124875]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: No assessment has been made.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the cost of installing excess gas flow valves in all local authority housing in England. [124871]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: No estimate has been made.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what safeguards exist to protect public sector housing against excess gas flow arising from (a) vandalism, (b) accident and (c) carelessness. [124874]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: Legislation covering the installation and use of gas requires that all gas fittings are properly supported and so placed or protected as to avoid any undue risk of damage to the fitting due to (a) vandalism, (b) accident and (c) carelessness.

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DVLA (Lost Passports)

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many passports submitted with driving licence applications have been lost by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the last three years; and how much compensation has been paid by the DVLA in relation to this. [125454]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 12 June 2000]: Since April 1999, when customers had to provide original identity documents with their photocard driving licence applications, the DVLA has reimbursed the replacement cost of 682 identity documents, of which 417 were passports, at a total cost of £17,000.

Of these cases Royal Mail accepted Responsibility for the loss of 487 documents and have reimbursed DVLA accordingly. In this same period DVLA has issued over 4 million photocard licences.

Diabetic Pilots

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the implications of the ruling by the Canadian Federal Government allowing the restoration of pilots' licences to pilots diagnosed with diabetes. [125711]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: The international standards for pilots' licences established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation do not permit individuals with insulin dependent diabetes to hold a pilot's licence. Under the terms of the Chicago Convention, any licence which has not been issued in accordance with ICAO standards must be endorsed to that effect and may be used in other states only with the permission of the state concerned. The CAA will not grant permission for any pilot with insulin dependent diabetes to operate in UK airspace.

Park Homes Working Party

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the report of the Park Homes Working Party will be available; and if he will make a statement. [125868]

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

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Middlesbrough

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what decision he has taken concerning a possible second inquiry into the future of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Hilda's, Middlesbrough. [125871]

Ms Beverley Hughes: None. The listed building consent applications to demolish the former Middlesbrough Cathedral, now known as the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and its former Presbytery, were called in by the Secretary of State on 13 April. Following a major fire on 30 May, the church building is beyond reasonable hope of being repaired and is to be demolished on grounds of

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public safety. The Secretary of State therefore on 7 June withdrew his direction to call in the application to demolish the church building. The adjacent presbytery survived the fire reasonably intact and remains called in. The public local inquiry will now be held into finding possible alternative uses for the presbytery building only. The length of the inquiry will therefore be shorter than was originally proposed for the joint inquiry into both buildings.

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