| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
London Underground
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list (a) the EDP costs, (b) accommodation and telephone costs, (c) London Transport finance and HR services charges and (d) PFI contract costs incurred by London Underground Ltd. in 1997-98. [100934]
Mr. Hill: Figures for these items were given in my answer of 25 October 1999, Official Report, column 673W.
A more detailed breakdown of the costs referred to could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Seeboard Powerlink Consortium
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of high-tension and control cables (a) have been and (b) will be transferred to the Seeboard Powerlink consortium under the Power PFI contract. [100932]
Mr. Hill:
Under the terms of the Power PFI contract, approximately 1,000 miles each of high-tension and control cables (covering the entire Underground network) transferred to Seeboard Powerlink on 16 August 1998.
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 479W
Seeboard Powerlink is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of these cables for the duration of the contract.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans have been agreed with the Seeboard Powerlink consortium for the retention of generating plant at (a) the Lots Road and (b) the Greenwich power stations. [100933]
Mr. Hill:
Under the terms of the Power PFI contract, Seeboard Powerlink are working together with London Underground to close Lots Road Power station during 2001. Main power supplies for the Underground will then be obtained from the National Grid.
For the duration of the contract, Seeboard Powerlink will require Greenwich Power station to provide emergency power in the event of a failure of supplies from the National Grid. Seeboard Powerlink is responsible for maintenance and renewal during this period.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many London Underground sub-station staff were transferred to the Seeboard Powerlink consortium under the terms of the Power PFI contract. [100931]
Mr. Hill:
Under the terms of the Power PFI contract, 315 London Underground employees transferred to Seeboard Powerlink, including 148 sub-station staff.
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 480W
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the changes made to Comprehensive Spending Review spending plans for his Department since July 1998. [100891]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The following table sets out the spending plans within my Department's Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) as published in July 1998 (Table 8.1 of Cm. 4011) compared to the position following the 1999-2000 Revised and Summer Supplementary Estimates. For subsequent changes I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 5 November 1999, Official Report, columns 346-49W, and the Supply Estimates 1999-2000: Winter Supplementary Estimates published on the 18 November.
The changes between the CSR settlement and the present position for Housing and other and Regeneration, are the result principally of the establishment of the Regional Development Agencies (now included in the Regeneration line), which have taken over the administration of some programmes formerly included with Housing and other. The other changes are the cumulative result of a large number of: small technical (public expenditure classification) changes; transfers to and from other Departmental Expenditure Limits; and some minor transfers between programmes within my Department's DEL.
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 479W
| £ million | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSR (4) 1999-2000 | Latest (5) 1999-2000 | CSR (4) 2000-01 | Latest (5) 2000-01 | CSR (4) 2001-02 | Latest (5) 2001-02 | |
| Housing and other | 3,829 | 3,665 | 4,581 | 4,422 | 5,195 | 5,032 |
| Regeneration (including New Deal for Communities) | 1,352 | 1,443 | 1,533 | 1,621 | 1,765 | 1,849 |
| Transport | 2,880 | 2,935 | 3,231 | 3,172 | 3,673 | 3,575 |
| London Transport, Rail Franchise Payments and CTRL | 1,670 | 1,624 | 1,238 | 1,255 | 1,367 | 1,431 |
| Total DETR | 9,729 | 9,666 | 10,582 | 10,470 | 12,000 | 11,888 |
(4) As published in Table 8.1 of Cm 4011 (Modern Public Services for Britain--Investing in reform).
(5) Post Summer Supplementary/Revised Estimates position.
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 479W
Concessionary Bus Fares
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the national minimum concessionary bus fare for pensioners has been budgeted for introduction before 2001-02. [100890]
Mr. Hill: The Transport Bill published on 1 December contains our proposals for the introduction of the standard minimum for local authority concessionary travel schemes for pensioners. The standard minimum concession cannot be implemented until the necessary primary legislation has been enacted, so the earliest practical introduction date will be 2001-02.
Departmental Reports
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the titles of departmental reports being prepared for publication in the next 12 months, giving in each case the estimated date of publication. [100889]
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 480W
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions is preparing DETR Departmental Annual Report 2000, which will be published in spring 2000.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the completion of the A41 Aston Clinton bypass on traffic (a) volumes and (b) flows on the A41 through Aylesbury. [101117]
Mr. Hill:
I have asked the acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Peter Nutt, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mr. Richard Thorndike to Mr. David Lidington, dated 7 December 1999:
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 481W
Mr. Moore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on (a) how the debts of British Rail are to be managed and (b) the borrowing powers available to the Strategic Rail Authority. [100885]
Mr. Hill:
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is considering these matters with the Chairman of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority and the Treasury.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what powers he has to prevent drivers of motor vehicles from using hand-held mobile phones whilst they are driving. [100901]
Mr. Hill:
Drivers are charged with dangerous driving (Section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988) or driving without due care and attention (Section 3 of that Act) if using a mobile phone causes them to drive in such a manner; or with failing to exercise proper control of a vehicle (Section 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the benefit of the Merseytravel concessionary fares scheme to the (a) elderly and (b) disabled. [101166]
Mr. Hill:
I have not made any assessment of this scheme. It is for individual local authorities--in this case Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority--to decide whether to operate concessionary fare schemes and what level of benefit to provide.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to commission research on the needs of older single homeless people accommodated and rehoused via local authority homeless services. [101186]
Mr. Mullin:
Data are already collected on older households accepted as homeless by local authorities. Overall, the total number of such households has declined from 6,060 in 1993-94 to 3,700 in 1998-99. During this same period the proportion of these households, compared to other households accepted as homeless, has declined from five per cent. to four per cent. 1
The Department has no plans for additional data collection or research in this area at present.
7 Dec 1999 : Column: 482W
I have been asked by the Transport Minister, Keith Hill, to reply to your recent parliamentary question about the impact of the A41 Aston Clinton Bypass on traffic on the A41 through Aylesbury. I am replying in the absence of the Chief Executive, Peter Nutt.
At present over 26,000 vehicles a day use the A41 through Aston Clinton. Our forecasts show that 70% of this traffic would divert onto the bypass. They also show that other local roads would not be adversely affected by the opening of the bypass nor would the A41 through Aylesbury.
1 DETR, Information Bulletin, September 1999, Statistics of Local Authority Activities Under the Homelessness Legislation: England Second Quarter of 1999.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |