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UK/US Air Services

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with US authorities regarding fifth freedoms and cabotage rights in US airspace for UK commercial carriers. [126302]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 20 June 2000]: UK/US air services talks took place between 13-15 June in London. These talks, which covered a wide range of issues, including traffic rights, will continue in Washington on 5 July.

Rents

Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce measures to restrict rent officers raising annual rents above those applied for by landlords. [126670]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 20 June 2000]: Rent officers are required to set fair rents based on market rents less any element resulting from scarcity in accordance with the Rent Act 1977 and case law. We do not intend to require rent officers to take into account the rent applied for by the landlord. However, the House of Lords has granted the Government provisional leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal to quash the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order which we introduced in February 1999 to cap excessive increases in fair rents.

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Incineration

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent epidemiological research the Government have undertaken near incinerators; and what research they intend to undertake in the future. [126333]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) has carried out two Government-funded studies on cancer incidence around the older generation of more polluting incinerators ("Elliott P et al (1996). Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain. British Journal of Cancer, volume 73, pp 702-710", and "Elliott P et al (2000). Cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators in Great Britain. Part 2: Histopathological and Case-Notes Review of Primary Liver Cancer Cases. British Journal of Cancer, volume 82, pp 1103-6.") These found a small excess of primary liver cancer in people living near to incinerators between 1974 and 1987. The Government have sought advice on these studies from the Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC).

The COC has advised that it is not possible to conclude that this small increase in primary liver cancer is due to emissions of pollutants from incinerators, as it is not possible to rule out completely that it may be related to socio-economic factors. It has also advised that any potential risk of cancer due to living near municipal incinerators (for periods in excess of 10 years) was exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern epidemiological techniques. The COC has recommended that, at the present time, there is no need for any further epidemiological investigations of this subject. The COC's statement can be found on the Department of Health's website at www.doh.gov.uk/munipwst.htm.

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the Government's estimate is of the cost per year of continuous emissions monitoring at incinerators. [126805]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 20 June 2000]: It is not possible to estimate with precision the cost of continuous emissions monitoring for incinerators, as this will be site-specific, varying according to the nature and circumstances of the plant, and with the manufacturer and supplier of equipment used. The Environment Agency has estimated, however, that the installed cost for continuous monitoring equipment to meet the requirements of the forthcoming waste incineration Directive would be £50-60k per plant. Annual operating costs, including calibration, are estimated to be in the range £12-18k per plant.

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment the Government have made of continuous emissions monitoring at incinerators in Belgium. [126806]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The Government have made no assessment of continuous monitoring at incinerators in Belgium.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green), of 13 June 2000, Official Report, column 543W, on

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consultees, for what reason (a) Friends of the Earth and (b) Greenpeace were not consulted over the EU waste incineration Directive. [127000]

Mr. Hill: Friends of the Earth were included among those to whom copies of the draft Directive and copies of our consultant's cost-benefit analyses were sent for comment. Comments on the proposal were also invited from the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection. Greenpeace were not known to have such an active interest in incineration and related issues (for example, Greenpeace did not respond to the consultation on our waste strategy consultation document A Way With Waste, nor to the earlier consultation on Less Waste More Value).

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the implications of the Government's waste strategy on the need for additional waste incinerators. [126812]

Mr. Mullin: The Government's waste strategy is principally directed at reducing waste and, where waste is produced, at increasing recycling and composting in order to maximise the value recovered from waste and to meet the requirements of the landfill Directive.

The need for additional incinerators will depend on the success of the strategy in achieving waste reduction, and increasing recycling and composting.

Modelling of possible mixes of waste management options is included in the Regulatory Impact Assessment in the Waste Strategy 2000 (Part Two). The mix of facilities will be a matter for local authorities.

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has concerning the location of future incinerators. [126813]

Mr. Mullin: The location of facilities is a matter for local authorities. Suitable sites for new incineration plant will be determined by local planning authorities, in line with the decisions of regional planning bodies. Planning policy guidance on waste management in England is set out in "Planning Policy Guidance Note 10: Planning and waste management".

Jubilee Line

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 June 2000, Official Report, column 635W, for what reasons the section of the Jubilee line between Charing Cross and Green Park was not retained as a separate branch. [126999]

Mr. Hill: LUL consider that while it is sensible to retain the Green Park--Charing Cross spur for occasional special purposes (e.g. reversing empty trains), it would not be feasible to use it for passenger services. Up to 24 trains per hour serve the Jubilee Line. Dividing these to serve both the extension to Stratford and the spur to Charing Cross would result in an unacceptably sparse service for both routes, significantly reducing the attractiveness of operations on the extended line while providing only a limited service to Charing Cross. In addition, running services in this way would be more complex operationally and could have an adverse impact on reliability.

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Diabetic Drivers

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress of the review of the driving licensing regime for insulin users. [126582]

Mr. Hill: The following progress has been made:

(i) The Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Diabetes has been asked to reconsider their view on what constitutes "very exceptional cases". They have also been asked to compile relevant research data.

(ii) Inquiries have been made with other EU member states about arrangements for the licensing of insulin treated diabetics.

(iii) Preliminary inquiries have been made with the European Commission about the interpretation of Directive 91/439/EEC. Follow up arrangements are in hand.

(iv) Work has begun on developing the specification for two research projects to be initiated in this financial year. Tendering is expected to take place in early Autumn.

Radioactive Discharges

Mr. Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish a draft of the UK strategy for radioactive discharges. [127623]

Mr. Meacher: A draft of the strategy is being published for consultation today and copies are being placed in the Library.

The strategy demonstrates how the UK is going to achieve substantial and progressive reductions in radioactive discharges in the period to 2020, in order to fulfil the obligation entered into at the 1998 meeting of the OSPAR Commission.

Comments on the draft are invited. After taking accounts of the comments we receive, the Government intend to publish a final version of the strategy towards the end of the year. The Government will shortly publish a draft of guidance they intend to issue to the Environment Agency on the setting of radioactive discharge authorisations. The intention is that the guidance, when it is formally issued with the final version of the strategy, will ensure that discharge authorisations are consistent with the strategy.

The Government are determined to continue the downward pressure of radioactive discharges. This draft strategy marks a further step towards meeting our OSPAR commitments. We owe it to the future generations to get it right.

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