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Affordable Rented Housing
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his estimate is of the number of (a) new build and (b) newly converted affordable rented housing which will be available in (i) London and (ii) England in each of the next five financial years. [148387]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The Department does not make forecasts of new build or conversions.
Homes Bill
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many times (a) the Minister for Housing and Planning and (b) his officials met service charities to discuss Part II of the Homes Bill; and what the outcome was of these meetings. [149103]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: There have been no meetings between the Minister for Housing and Planning and service charities to discuss Part II of the Homes Bill. Officials from my Department's Rough Sleepers Unit have met service charities a number of times to discuss the prevention of homelessness among ex-servicemen.
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Clean Fuel Vehicles
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will estimate how many new and nearly new cars have high enough noxious emission ratings to qualify for a full conversion grant to LPG; [147898]
- (2) if he will list the schemes funded by his Department to encourage greater use of clean fuel vehicles, indicating the sums of money devoted to each such scheme; [147900]
(3) how many grants are paid by Government sponsored schemes to encourage the use of clean fuel vehicles; [147901]
(4) what plans he has to extend the eligibility of grants for conversion to encourage the use of clean fuel vehicles. [147902]
Mr. Hill: The Powershift programme, sponsored by my Department and operated by the Energy Saving Trust, provides grants towards the cost of converting new vehicles and those less than one year old to cleaner fuels including LPG. To be eligible for grant, conversion packages must be approved as safe and effective in reducing emissions. Grants range up to 75 per cent., depending on the reduction in emissions delivered.
Conversion packages eligible for grant are available for most cars. The number of cars whose conversions could attract the full 75 per cent. grant depends on the number of different cars, and different conversion packages, chosen by consumers.
The following table summarises the number of vehicles broken down by fuel type that have received grants from the Powershift programme:
| Fuel type | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01(2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquefied petroleum gas | 187 | 686 | 1,618 | 4,425 |
| Natural gas | 78 | 99 | 28 | 59 |
| Electricity | 38 | 47 | 105 | 82 |
| Total | 303 | 832 | 1,751 | 4,566 |
(2) Up to 31 December 2000
My Department is providing Powershift with £9.9 million for the current financial year and £30 million over the next three financial years.My Department also sponsors the Clean Up programme, also operated by the Energy Saving Trust, which aims to reduce emissions from existing vehicles operating in urban areas. The programme includes projects to fit emission reduction technologies and to convert older vehicles to run on cleaner fuels where it proves cost effective and environmentally beneficial to do so. Clean Up is currently receiving £6 million for this financial year and £30 million over the next three financial years.
My Department will also spend £9 million over the next three financial years to encourage the early introduction of technologies such as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles offering significant environmental benefits.
The Clean Up programme has only just been launched. However, it has already provided grants towards the cost of converting 25 existing London taxis to run on LPG.
My Department will be consulting shortly on the future direction of the expanded Powershift programme.
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Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will extend the scheme to allow new and nearly new cars to qualify for grant aid to encourage conversion to LPG and other clean fuel systems. [147899]
Mr. Hill: The Powershift programme, which is sponsored by my Department, provides grants towards the cost of converting vehicles less than one year old to cleaner fuels including LPG.
The Government have significantly extended the scale of the scheme. This year's budget is £9.9 million. This was increased in the 2000 spending review, to £30 million over the next three financial years
My Department will be consulting shortly on how the expanded Powershift programme should best be targeted in future years.
Correspondence
Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire of 14 November 2000 on behalf of his constituent Mr. Gillett. [149206]
Mr. Hill: I regret the delay in this matter. A reply will be sent to the right hon. Member shortly.
Heathrow Airport
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if preparatory building works for the proposed fifth terminal at Heathrow have begun. [148835]
Ms Beverley Hughes: This is a matter for the relevant local planning authority, which has responsibility for the enforcement of planning control.
Aircraft Icefalls
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many icefall incidents were reported for each month in 2000; [148838]
- (2) what bacteriological investigations are required when ice falls from aircraft occur; [148840]
(3) what plans he has to introduce fines for airlines which operate aircraft which show signs of leakage from toilet service valves; [148837]
(4) what arrangements have been made to compensate persons injured from ice falls where the airline concerned cannot be identified. [148839]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to my predecessor's reply on 23 November 2000, Official Report, column 287W.
The Secretary of State has no plans to introduce fines for airlines operating aircraft that show signs of defects in toilet service valves. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued guidance on checking aircraft water systems, but this only applies to UK operators and aircraft. Operators are instructed to carry out a regular review of their servicing procedures and scheduled maintenance requirements for such systems. The CAA also reminds
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operators of the requirement to initiate corrective action as soon as a defect on a sealing system is detected. Aircraft are regularly checked by the CAA in the UK and by other regulating bodies abroad for evidence of leaking systems. Responsibility for the safety of foreign aircraft however, rests with the respective State of Registry.
The details of all reported icefall incidents in the UK are included on the Civil Aviation Authority's Mandatory Occurrence Reporting System (MORS). The MORS database shows that a total of 39 incidents were recorded in the year 2000. A monthly breakdown is shown:
| Month | Number |
|---|---|
| January | 6 |
| February | 7 |
| March | 2 |
| April | 5 |
| May | 3 |
| June | 7 |
| July | 2 |
| August | 2 |
| September | 2 |
| October | 1 |
| November | 0 |
| December | 2 |
The CAA will investigate any icefall incident reported to them in sufficient detail to allow a probable identification of the source of the ice. However, this is not an easy process and it is extremely rare to be able to confirm the origin of an icefall. Where the source of an icefall can be identified then the operator, regardless of nationality, can be prosecuted under the Air Navigation Order. In such a situation, a person suffering loss or injury resulting from the icefall could also seek damages through a civil action under the Civil Aviation Act 1982. This course of action is only available where the offending aircraft can be identified.
Given the nature of icefall incidents, it is also extremely difficult for either the Government or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out a bacteriological investigation, and there is no current requirement to do so. In many cases the ice melts or disperses within a relatively short period after the time of the incident.
Apes
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received concerning the establishment of a labelling system of ape-friendly products for imports which have not resulted in the destruction of ape habitats. [148833]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: This Department has received 24 letters in support of a campaign launched in September 2000 by the Ape Alliance, calling for direct action to help conserve great apes, including the labelling of timber products from forests harvested in an environmentally responsible manner. Advice provided in my Department's "Green Guide for Buyers" and on our internet website, actively encourages buyers to purchase timber products from sustainably managed sources, and we are also investigating additional ways to help buyers to identify such products.
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