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Information Technology
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the information technology projects undertaken by his Department and agencies responsible to his Department, including (a) start date, (b) planned completion date, (c) expected completion date, (d) planned costs and (e) the expected costs; and if he will make a statement. [98642]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The information that the hon. Gentleman requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
London Eye
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provision has been approved by the Health and Safety Executive for the evacuation of the London Eye in the event of an emergency; and if he will make a statement. [98634]
Mr. Meacher: There is no requirement for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to approve emergency evacuation procedure for the London Eye under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. The Executive has produced industry guidance for Safe Practice at Fairgrounds. The responsibility for the safe operation and the emergency arrangements belong to the operator. The Executive is in discussion with British Airways London Eye, the operator of the wheel, about escape procedures including the need to practise them before the wheel is used.
Energy Efficiency
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the savings which could be made in the management and maintenance of public sector housing by a programme of installing energy efficiency measures in order to end fuel poverty in public sector housing. [99115]
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Mr. Meacher:
Under my Department's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, the Building Research Establishment commissioned some limited studies in the early 1990s. The studies estimated that public sector landlords could expect to save of the order of £300 and £400 per dwelling per year as a result of applying comprehensive energy efficiency improvements to public sector housing. These savings resulted from reductions in management time dealing with rent arrears, lower management costs associated with handling fewer complaints, voids and vandalism, and lower maintenance costs. The studies are available as published Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme case studies (numbers 186, 187 and 189) and I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Green Ministers Committee last met; if he will publish the minutes of the last meeting of the Green Ministers Committee; and if he will publish the agenda for the next meeting of the Green Ministers Committee. [99201]
Mr. Meacher:
The Green Ministers Committee met on 9 November. The minutes and agenda are not made public, but the House is advised of what happened at each meeting. I refer the hon. Member to the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mrs. Gilroy), with regard to the outcome of the Committee's last meeting, which follows.
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the last meeting of Green Ministers was; what was discussed; and if he will provide a list of Ministers who now sit on the Green Ministers Committee. [99516]
Mr. Meacher:
The Green Ministers Committee met on 9 November. Baroness Young, of English Nature, gave a presentation about biodiversity and a lively discussion followed.
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Road Traffic
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what projections he has made of road miles travelled on UK roads for each year between 1999 and 2010 by (a) domestic cars, (b) commercial vehicles, and (c) public transport vehicles; [99184]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the effect on road congestion of increases in road fuel duties since May 1997; [99166]
(3) what projections he has made of the number of vehicles on UK roads in each year between 1999 and 2010. [99183]
Mr. Hill: Revised assessments of future traffic levels, taking into account the potential impact of the Integrated Transport White Paper are being prepared to inform the Government's first report under the Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998, which will be published shortly.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
"Consents to Prosecution"
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General how the Government proposes to respond to the recommendations contained in the Law Commission report, Consents to Prosecution (Law Com No. 255). [99521]
The Solicitor-General: We are grateful to the Law Commission for a very careful and thorough report. The proposals contained in the report are accepted in principle, subject to the following points. There is a clear need for rationalisation of the consent provisions which attach to certain criminal offences. In particular, the separation of investigation and prosecution effected by the establishment in 1986 of the Crown Prosecution Service reduces the need for consent provisions. The careful analysis of the consent regime, the justification for its existence and the way in which it has been applied to a wide variety of offences provides a useful basis for further work, which the Law Commission identifies.
The Government recognise that the current consent requirements are in need of reform and agree with the Law Commission's view that a consent provision must attach to a particular offence not to a particular defendant or class of defendants.
The Government share the Law Commission's view that further consideration will need to be given to the categories of case in which consent should be required. The categories set out in the report create a useful guide for analysing the offences which require consent, and
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these will need to be applied flexibly. In particular, the Government wish to leave open the possibility of requiring consent provisions where reasons of public policy make this appropriate. The Law Commission recognises that the category which relates to controlling the prosecution of offences where the prosecution may violate a convention right may not be confined to Article 6 cases, and that further consideration will be required. The report acknowledges that further work will need to be carried by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers aimed at identifying the scope of the necessary reform.
The Government welcome the Law Commission's view that some consent provisions should be retained. It may be appropriate at some future date to examine more widely the issues concerning the ability to bring private prosecutions.
The Government recognise the importance of the DPP's role in relation to taking over proceedings and discontinuance but, as the Law Commission acknowledges, there are a large number of designated authorities specified in consent provisions. Further consideration will need to be given to the position of the DPP in relation to those other prosecutors.
The Government welcome the proposal that, as regards existing legislation, provision should be made to enable, in appropriate cases, transfer of consent provisions by statutory instrument; and as regards future legislation, provision should be made to enable transfer of consent provisions by statutory instrument. Such statutory instruments will be made under the affirmative resolution procedure to facilitate scrutiny.
As acknowledged in the report, the report concentrates on guiding principles, and further work will need to be done before changes can be made to the existing consent provisions.
Work will begin on:
(a) identification of all the offences which require DPP or Law Officers' consent;
(b) further consideration of the scope of the first category, concerning possible violation of convention rights;
(c) further consideration of the position of the DPP in relation to other prosecutors including other Government Departments and agencies who are designated prosecutors;
(d) consideration of which consent provisions should be retained, applying in a flexible way the criteria set out in the Commission's report.
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