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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Refrigerants
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what alternatives to CFCs and HCFCs as refrigerant products his Department has identified which are non-flammable, non-toxic and energy efficient. [126977]
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Mr. Meacher: We recognise that for a number of applications, including some in refrigeration and air- conditioning, there is no immediate alternative to the continued use of HFCs. That is why we are not proposing a ban but rather are sending a clear signal to industry and end users that they need to look closely at all the alternatives and to select those that are more environmentally acceptable where they do exist, taking safety, feasibility and cost effectiveness into account.
GM Crops
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his policy is in respect of GM maize trials in the future; and what views have been expressed to his Department at local residents' meetings on GM maize trials. [127793]
Mr. Meacher: The Farm Scale Evaluations are a three-year programme. The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), which is overseeing the trials, has advised that there should be around 60 to 75 GM maize sites during this period. The SSC is due to meet in the autumn to consider its requirements for next year. It is too early to predict what it might advise.
The Scientific Steering Committee has stated that where farmers' normal rotation is to have consecutive years of maize on the same site, it is possible that trial sites used this year could be used again. However, site selection is a matter for SCIMAC and the independent researchers, using criteria set by the Scientific Steering Committee.
At each public meeting held during the spring, a range of views was expressed by local people, from strong opposition to definite support for the trials. One group of activists opposed to the trials attended several of the meetings.
DVLA (Data Protection)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many names and addresses of vehicle owners and keepers have been disclosed to third parties by virtue of that party showing reasonable cause for the disclosure in the last three years; if he can break down disclosure statistics by categories of reasonable cause if the DVLA alerts such third parties to the offence under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998; what data matching exercises he has undertaken to identify those who might be using the third party facility as a means of tracing individuals who do not want to be traced; and if he will make a statement. [129189]
Mr. Hill: The number of 'reasonable cause' inquiries of the vehicle register maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) during the last three years is as follows:
- 1997-98: 629,808
- 1998-99: 830,970
- 1999-2000: 883,522.
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car parking enforcement companies etc. Information is disclosed under strictly defined terms and conditions and recipients are subject to periodic audit.
Information is released to about 2,500 private individuals each year. They must give a full written explanation for their inquiry together with supporting evidence, such as a police incident or insurance policy number. Around 1,500 such inquiries are refused each year.
The Agency works closely with the Data Protection Commissioner to facilitate prosecution for the handful of offences that come to light each year.
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PFI Contracts
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the PFI contracts entered into by his Department, indicating (a) their dates of commencement, (b) their value, (c) if they have been subject to refinancing and (d) if his Department has a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing. [129048]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The tables set out the details requested.
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| PFI contract(1) | Date of contract signature | Capital value (£ million) | Subject to refinancing? | Does DETR have a claw-back entitlement to share in savings arising from refinancing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Tunnel Rail Link | February 1996 | 4,178 | No | (1)Yes |
| Birmingham North Relief Road(1)(Highways Agency) | February 1992 | (1)450 | No | No |
| A69 Carlisle to Newcastle (Highways Agency) | January 1996 | 9 | No | No |
| A1(M) Alconbury to Peterborough (Highways Agency) | February 1996 | 128 | No | No |
| A419/A417 Swindon to Gloucester (Highways Agency) | February 1996 | 49 | No | No |
| M1-A1 Lofthouse to Bramham Link Road (Highways Agency) | March 1996 | 214 | No | No |
| A50 Stoke to Derby (Highways Agency) | May 1996 | 21 | No | No |
| A30/A35 Exeter to Bere Regis (Highways Agency) | July 1996 | 75 | No | No |
| A19/A168 Dishforth to Tyne Tunnel (Highways Agency) | August 1996 | 29 | No | No |
| M40 Denham to Warwick (Highways Agency) | October 1996 | 65 | No | No |
| A13 Thames Gateway (Highways Agency) | April 2000 | 146 | No | No |
| Catering (Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre)(1) | February 1997 | 3 | n/a | n/a |
| MOT Computerisation (Vehicle Inspectorate) | February 2000 | 38 | No | No |
| Spirit IT (Countryside Agency)(1) | November 1997 | 4.5 | n/a | n/a |
(1) Contracting authority in brackets
(1) Although there is no clause for sharing in the benefits of refinancing of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the Department would directly benefit as it would reduce the requirement for an operating subsidy in future years
(1) Finance for the Birmingham Northern Relief Road has yet to be finalised
(1) Approximate figure
(1) The contractor did not require finance for this contract so refinancing would not arise
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(1) Contracting authority in brackets
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BSE
Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the health risks associated with spreading the condensate from the process of rendering cattle carcases on to land. [129649]
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Mr. Mullin: The Environment Agency commissioned an assessment of the risk from BSE infectivity from the spreading on to agricultural land of condensate from the rendering of cattle slaughtered under the Over-30-Months Scheme (OTMS). A copy is being placed in the Library of the House. The assessment concluded that:
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- The concentration of infectivity in condensate from rendering plants processing OTMS material is low, even when that condensate is untreated;
- Spreading of condensate on farmland is unlikely to represent a risk to people owing to contamination of drinking water with BSE infectivity, or to people being exposed to aerosols of the condensate as a result of the spreading activity; and
- Cattle grazing on treated land would be extremely unlikely to be exposed to a dose large enough to result in infection with BSE.
Petrol Prices
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact on the rural economy of recent increases in petrol prices; and if he will make a statement. [129643]
Mr. Hill: The Government recognise that transport provision is particularly important to people in rural areas because jobs and services are more widely dispersed than in urban areas. Within the 10 Year Plan for transport, we are developing a package of measures to improve public transport in rural areas and we shall be developing our ideas further in the forthcoming Rural White Paper.
We recognise that the car will remain central to rural life, and any substantial increase in motoring costs may have adverse impact on the rural economy. We are therefore carefully monitoring the recent increases in petrol prices. These recent increases have been primarily due to a sharp increase in international gasoline prices caused by the combination of higher crude oil prices and gasoline supply problems, especially in the United States, not the Government's tax policies.
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