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Driving Licence
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to raise the minimum age for holding a driving licence. [101353]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 6 December 1999]: The training and testing of young and newly qualified car drivers is one of the issues being addressed in the Government's review of road safety strategy. The Government have considered a range of measures which might contribute to improving driving standards and road safety. The Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee recently suggested a minimum period of learning before a car driving test may be taken, and others have suggested changes in the minimum driving age for provisional and/or full licences. However, the Government have not yet reached a conclusion on these matters. We intend to have completed work on a new Road Safety Strategy early in the new year.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have put in place for the taking and keeping of minutes of meetings between Ministers and people outside his Department. [102378]
Mr. Prescott: Decisions on the format of minutes will depend on the nature of the discussion.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for each of
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the buildings under his Department's control, how many rooms are set aside for (a) ethnic minority religious use, (b) pregnant and nursing mothers and (c) smokers. [102442]
Mr. Prescott:
My Department does not keep a breakdown by building. Our policy is to make rooms available on request for religious use and pregnant and nursing mothers. The latest information is that we have 102 rooms dedicated for use by smokers.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the gender audit of public transport commissioned by his Department. [102479]
Mr. Hill:
The gender audit will be used to assist transport planners and operators to develop and implement transport plans and systems that meet women's transport requirements and encourage sustainable development. We are hoping to publish the audit in early 2000.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 2 December 1999, Official Report, column 277W, on the uniform business rate, when he expects information on the projected yield of the uniform business rate in England for 2000-01 to be available. [102812]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The information on each individual local authority's projected yield from uniform business rates in 2000-01 will be available by the end of March 2000.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will establish a research group to provide advice on sleep-related incidents across the transport modes. [102506]
(3) what advice he plans to issue to drivers to reduce the incidence of sleep-related road crashes; [102505]
(4) what research his Department is undertaking into sleep-related road crashes; [102504]
Mr. Hill:
The Department began a major research programme on fatigue in December 1992, conducted at Loughborough University. The first phase included a comprehensive study of HGV and car drivers. The results suggested that, for car drivers in particular, tiredness is a principal factor in around 10 per cent. of accidents.
The next phase of the research looked at the relative effectiveness of possible counter measures to tiredness, to ensure that drivers have the best possible advice on how to minimise the risk of a sleep-related accident. Recommendations derived from this work have since been incorporated into the Highway Code.
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Much of the research undertaken in the road safety area has relevance in rail, air and maritime situations and vice versa. It is also significant that leading experts in this field are very aware of each other's work. A further phase of the Department's research, begun in September, is reviewing successful measures that have been employed elsewhere in the world and in different operating environments. This includes a requirement to develop a targeted programme of publicity and education to counter driver fatigue. When this is completed in September 2000, the Government will consider what action to take, including whether to commission further research.
Sir David Madel:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce his decision on calling in the application for his determination and examination by a public inquiry in respect of the planning application by Asda Stores Ltd. for the redevelopment of the Queensway Hall site in Dunstable town centre; and if he will make a statement. [101981]
Ms Beverley Hughes
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: We are still considering whether call-in of this application would be appropriate. I will ensure that the decision is made within the next two weeks. In reaching our decision we will have regard to the Government's policy on call-in, set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning on 16 June 1999, Official Report, column 138W.
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the projected costs for the Rail Regulator for the financial years (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01. [102752]
Mr. Hill:
I am advised by the Office of the Rail Regulator that the latest estimated outturn of the cost of running the office for 1999-2000 is £10 million. Provision for 2000-01 was set at £9 million in last year's Comprehensive Spending Review. All expenditure by the Office is offset by licence fees recovered in accordance with the Railways Act 1993.
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the budgeted costs of Ofwat for the financial years (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01. [102746]
Mr. Mullin:
The Office of Water Services (Ofwat) is a non-Ministerial Government Department statutorily independent of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. It is financed by Parliament through licence fees received from the regulated water and sewerage companies.
Ofwat's expenditure profile for the years 1993-94 to 2001-02 is given in figure 22.a of the DETR Departmental Annual Report 1999, Cm 4204. Planned expenditure for 1999-2000 is £11.9 million. Planned expenditure in 2000-01 is £12.7 million.
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Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many drivers of Hackney carriages in Greater London have had their licences revoked in each of the last five years. [102451]
Mr. Hill:
The number of licensed taxi drivers in London (Metropolitan Police District) who have had their licences revoked 1 over the last five years is as follows:
(2) what assessment he has made of the number of road crashes in which sleep is a contributory factor; and if he will make a statement; [102503]
| Total number of revocations | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 35 |
| 1995 | 34 |
| 1996 | 41 |
| 1997 | 25 |
| 1998 | 54 |
| 1999 (January-November) | 23 |
1 The figures shown are for the initial decisions by the Licensing Authority, some of which were subsequently reduced to a period of suspension or set aside following:
(a) reconsideration of the original decision at a personal hearing; and/or
(b) an appeal to Horseferry Road Magistrates Court, under section 17 of the Transport Act 1985.
Millennium Dome (Public Transport)
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what public transport will be operational between Central London and the Millennium Dome on (a) 31 December and (b) 1 January. [102801]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 14 December 1999]: There will be no public transport to the Dome on 31 December. For security reasons there will be a traffic exclusion area around the Dome (which will not be open to the public). Bus routes will be subject to local diversions and North Greenwich station will also be closed to the public.
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