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Drug Driving

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the research undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory on the effects of cannabis on driving will be published. [139738]

Mr. Hill: We expect to publish the first phase of the research on the effects of cannabis on driving before the end of the year. A further phase of the research programme, on the combined effects of alcohol and cannabis on driving, is in progress and will be completed next year.

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will initiate a television campaign to publicise the dangers of driving under the influence of (a) illicit drugs and (b) drugs sold over the counter at pharmacists. [139723]

Mr. Hill: As explained in the Government's Road Safety Strategy "Tomorrow's Roads--Safer for Everyone", the risks of driving while impaired by drugs need to be publicised.

The Department will be considering how this might be done in the light of what we have learned from research. For both medicinal drugs and illegal drugs, we aim to find the most effective way of conveying warnings to those most at risk. This may not necessarily be a television

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campaign but could be a targeted form of publicity which would allow advice to be tailored more precisely to specific types of drug or to the likely users of them.

Rent Tribunals (Ethnic Minorities)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people from ethnic minority communities sit on rent tribunals covering the Greater London area. [139762]

Mr. Mullin: There are 10 members from ethnic minorities appointed to sit on rent tribunals in the Greater London area. This represents 10 per cent. of the total membership of the London Rent Assessment Panel, from which rent tribunals are drawn.

Empty Properties (Wandsworth)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with Wandsworth Borough Council on the number of council properties that have been empty for periods longer than three months; and if he will make a statement. [139763]

Mr. Mullin: We have had no discussions with Wandsworth Borough Council on this issue.

Environment Agency (Complaints)

Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many complaints the Environment Agency has received in the last year in total; how many it has received in relation to (a) human sewage in water courses, (b) animal or chemical fertiliser pollution in water courses, (c) industrial pollution, (d) landfill sites and (e) quarries; and, of the complaints about quarries, how many related to (i) noise, (ii) dust and (iii) leachates. [139918]

Mr. Mullin: In the year to March 2000, the Environment Agency received 592 complaints. Figures for the most recent period available, April to October 2000, show it received 318 complaints.

The Agency's recording system does not break down complaints into categories requested and to do so would involve disproportionate cost.

Complaints relating to dust and noise are directed to the relevant local authority, as they are responsible for their regulation.

We will be discussing with the Agency ways in which it might alter its recording system so as to produce functional breakdowns of complaints in future.

Building Regulations

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what surrogate price he used to reflect the value of carbon saved into the cost of fuel, within the costings included in his consultation document on proposed alterations to Part L of the Building Regulations. [133594]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 23 November 2000]: The proposed amendments to part L of the Building Regulations have been subject to a full economic analysis of the costs and benefits involved. However surrogate prices for the value of carbon saved have not been used

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in the analysis, due to the absence of a consensus on appropriate values to employ. This accords with the approach taken in evaluating the costs and benefits of other measures included within the Government's draft Climate Change Programme.

National and international studies on surrogate pricing have produced widely differing estimates of the benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Expressed in terms of dollars, these estimates range from around $10 to $200 per tonne of carbon equivalent emissions in the period 2000-10.

Our proposals cover both new construction and more types of work on existing buildings. Around half the estimated carbon reductions in 2010 of 1.33 Mtonnes would come from the existing stock. For new dwellings average energy consumption and hence carbon emissions and householders costs would be reduced by about a quarter.

We have estimated that for new build the proposals would, if implemented, add up to £1,400 to the construction cost of new dwellings dependent upon size and up to £10 per m ² for other buildings. Some of those who have responded to our consultation believe these figures are too low and have suggested the figure for dwellings could be nearer £2,000. My department is now considering the proposals in the light of the consultation response in conjunction with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, and we will take these views into account. However, we shall want to know what surrogate carbon price would balance the national cost and benefit equation before making any decisions on how much and when the Building Regulations requirements should change.

Housing Regeneration Companies

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's plans for the role of housing regeneration companies in revitalising cities. [139792]

Mr. Mullin: The Housing Corporation is working with registered social landlords to pilot five housing regeneration companies in Coventry, Liverpool, London, Rochdale and Yorkshire. The aim is to test whether a single organisation can co-ordinate and deliver regeneration in a specific neighbourhood. The pilot housing regeneration companies will work across housing tenures, contributing to physical improvements in the housing stock and to wider initiatives such as training, employment and enabling communities to be more involved in the management of their neighbourhoods. In the light of these initiatives we will consider whether this approach could be adopted more widely to support the implementation of our regeneration policies set out in the Housing Green Paper and the Urban White Paper.

Flyposting

Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the individuals and companies prosecuted for the illegal erection of poster hoardings in the London area in 1999 and 2000; [140499]

(2) how many prosecutions have been pursued for the illegal erection of poster hoardings in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999 and (f) 2000; [140502]

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(3) what has been the average fine levied on persons or companies convicted of the illegal erection of poster hoardings in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999 and (f) 2000. [140501]

Ms Beverley Hughes: This information is not held centrally.

Radioactive Discharges

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many responses were received to the consultation paper on a UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges 2001-20; how many were received from outside the United Kingdom; if he will list the countries from which submissions were made; and when he estimates the strategy will be (a) completed and (b) published. [140513]

Mr. Mullin: In total 89 responses were received. Two responses were received from outside the United Kingdom, both from the Republic of Ireland. The Government plan to complete and publish the final version of the strategy by spring 2001.

Railtrack

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list, for each year since its formation, the grant paid to Railtrack, broken down by (a) capital developments, (b) safety measures, (c) conservation work, (d) revenue support and (e) training. [139975]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 27 November 2000]: In 1994-95 and 1995-96, when Railtrack was still in the public sector, grants of £32 million and £34 million were paid towards the cost of maintaining level crossings. Since its privatisation in 1996 the company has recovered those costs, and other costs, through access charges paid by passenger train operating companies and freight operating companies. So, although no grant has been paid direct to the company since 1996, its profitability is contingent on public money. Some 90 per cent. of its income is paid to it in access charges, a substantial proportion of which are supported by public money.

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his estimate is of the proportion of Railtrack profits derived from (a) track access charges, (b) sale of assets, (c) franchising of stations and (d) other sources. [139977]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 27 November 2000]: The derivation of Railtrack's profits is a commercial matter for the Railtrack Board. The company's Annual Report and Accounts 1999-2000 show that its 1999-2000 turnover of £2,547 million was made up of £2,175 million from passenger train operating companies, £158 million from freight operating companies, £135 million from property rental, £20 million from property sales and £59 million from other income (principally from Eurostar UK Limited, Heathrow Express and London Underground).

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his estimate is of the capital value of Railtrack (a) at the time of its establishment and (b) at the latest available valuation; and what sales of assets by the company have taken place. [140111]

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Mr. Hill [holding answer 27 November 2000]: Information on the value of Railtrack's assets is published in the company's annual reports and accounts which show that, on 31 March 1995, Railtrack had total assets of some £4.8 billion and net assets of some £1.5 billion. On 31 March 2000, those figures were some £8.4 billion and £3.5 billion respectively.

Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to discuss with Railtrack the representation at board level of professional engineers. [139828]

Mr. Hill: None. The composition of Railtrack's Board is a matter for the company and its shareholders.

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