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Students (Fees)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the imposition of higher education tuition fees on student enrolments, broken down by (a) socio- economic class, (b) duration of course and (c) area of study. [99936]
Mr. Wicks: The Government believe the new arrangements for paying higher education tuition fees, in which students from lower income groups pay no fees, are fair and just. Students from the lower socio-economic groups have not been deterred from applying to enter higher education. Nor is there evidence that student choice, in terms of subject of study and length of course, has been affected.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the statutory restrictions on charging full-time students for the setting of fees for modules of instruction in higher education institutions. [99937]
Mr. Wicks:
Allowing higher education institutions to charge top-up fees would restrict access to students from
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less well-off backgrounds and limit student choice. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made it clear that any institution which charges, or announces its intention to charge, top-up fees could incur financial penalties. He is not aware of any evidence that this has had a detrimental effect on the ability of higher education institutions to run the courses they wish to provide.
Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when his Department will inform Banstead Downs Lawn Tennis Club of its decision on the club's proposal to purchase land owned by Surrey County Council and lay new tennis courts. [99576]
Jacqui Smith:
The Secretary of State has not yet made a final decision on Surrey County Council's application to sell an area of playing field to Banstead Downs Lawn Tennis Club. He has, however, indicated that he is minded to reject the application and the Council has been invited to comment. He will not make a final decision on this case until he has had the opportunity to consider further representations from the Council.
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18. Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the impact on road safety of the introduction of 20 mph zones. [99026]
Mr. Mullin:
Following their introduction in 1991, monitoring of the first 20 mph zones showed a significant reduction in accident casualties, particularly among cyclists and pedestrians. We legislated in the summer to allow local authorities to make 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones without the need to obtain the consent of the Secretary of State. It is too early to judge the effect of that on road safety.
19. Mr. Breed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to alleviate traffic congestion problems in Dobwalls, south-east Cornwall. [99027]
Mr. Hill:
Pending the outcome of the London to south Wales and south-west multi-modal study, the Highways Agency is looking at measures to relieve congestion and improve safety and has started a process of consultation to obtain local views on options.
20. Mr. Dawson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the strategy for regional development in the north-west. [99028]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Government are currently assessing the regional strategies of all eight regional development agencies following their handover to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 26 October. We aim to respond to the RDAs by the end of the year.
34. Ms Kelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the impact of the regional development agency in the north-west. [99044]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The North-West Development Agency has already made a good start. It has established itself as a significant regional body with the capability of improving skills and competitiveness and attracting inward investment in the north-west.
21. Dr. George Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans for further millennium villages. [99030]
Ms Armstrong:
The Deputy Prime Minister announced in October that a further five millennium communities competitions would take place. We are currently reviewing the lessons learnt from the first two schemes. English Partnerships jointly with the RDAs are being asked to come forward, with the support and active involvement of local communities, with options on
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suitable sites/localities for the competitions by February 2000. We have also asked them to examine further the options for delivering the competitive process and to present proposals within the same timeframe. We aim to announce the next millennium communities site in the spring of 2000.
We are also considering the findings of a research report commissioned by the Department earlier this year to create a framework to evaluate and measure millennium communities and other developments. This will be published in the new year.
We plan to disseminate the research widely and to promote a debate on its findings, including its proposals for a sustainability framework. We will also be disseminating the lessons learnt from the first two millennium communities so far.
22. Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to make an announcement regarding increasing the number of transatlantic air routes from Heathrow airport. [99031]
Mr. Mullin:
The UK Government are keen to liberalise air services arrangements between the United Kingdom and the United States, but we need to ensure that we do this in a way which is balanced and which enables UK airlines to compete on fair terms.
23. Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to encourage the use of cleaner fuels. [99032]
30. Mr. Sawford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to promote less polluting types of fuel. [99040]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
We have already introduced fiscal incentives to encourage the use of ultra-low-sulphur diesel, which now makes up the vast majority of diesel supplied in this country, and road fuel gases. We will continue to promote the use of cleaner alterative fuels through the Powershift Programme and, through active participation in European programmes, to improve the environmental performance of conventional fuels. We will continue to look for opportunities for cost-effective ways to promote all cleaner fuels.
24. Mrs. Lawrence:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce legislation on maximum passenger numbers in railway carriages for safety reasons. [99033]
Mr. Hill:
I have no plans for such legislation.
The Health and Safety Executive, which advises the Government on all rail safety matters, regard this issue as primarily one of passenger comfort, not safety.
Train operators must meet overcrowding standards laid down by the shadow Strategic Rail Authority for passenger comfort.
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25. Valerie Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of best value on the provision of local services to the public. [99034]
Ms Armstrong:
An interim evaluation of the 40 best value pilot authorities, carried out by Warwick Business School, was published on 22 November. All the authorities found the best value framework more challenging than they had expected. After only 12 months work there have been real examples of improved services and cost savings, and real engagement with local people.
26. Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to visit the A3 at Hindhead to discuss environmental safety and economic issues. [99035]
Ms Armstrong:
My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport met the right hon. Member on 13 September, when they discussed all the principal issues associated with the problems on A3 at Hindhead. He undertook to visit the area when his diary permitted.
27. Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what effect pricing levels set by Ofwat for 2000-05 will have on the cost of services to consumers. [99037]
Mr. Mullin:
On 25 November the Director General of Water Services announced his decisions on price limits for water and sewerage services for the period 2000-05. I have arranged for my hon. Friend to receive a copy of the Director General's decision.
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