12 Feb 2001 : Column: 1W
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 12 February 2001
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Trunk Roads (Cambridgeshire)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was spent by his Department on trunk roads in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1990-91, at current prices. [142872]
Mr. Hill: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency and I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mrs. Anne Campbell, dated 12 February 2001:
- The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Keith Hill, has asked me to write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question relating to how much has been spent on trunk roads in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1990-91. I apologise for the delay in replying.
- As we do not keep financial data on a county basis, a very lengthy investigation of our records would be required to answer your specific question. In the early 1990's we used Local Authorities to manage trunk roads on our behalf; however, major Improvement Schemes and other major works were managed as a separate programme and costs were not necessarily attributed to an individual county and some schemes crossed county boundaries.
- Since the introduction of private sector Managing Agents in 1996, the management of the trunk road network is not constrained by county boundaries. This approach will continue when these contracts are renewed. However, Lord Whitty has asked me to investigate how the Highway Agency's future records could be kept on a regional or sub-regional basis.
- If you wish to discuss this matter further please contact Jim Boud, Highways Agency's Divisional Director, telephone 01234 796191.
Departmental Entertainment Costs
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was spent by his Department's Ministers on entertainment in 2000. [146372]
Ms Beverley Hughes [holding answer 22 January 2001]: Expenditure on entertainment by my Department's Ministers in 1999-2000, the latest financial year for which information is available, was £8,347. This compares with expenditure of £14,672 for the former Departments of Environment and Transport in 1996-97.
Waste Regulation
Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many enforcement officers are employed in London by the
12 Feb 2001 : Column: 2W
Environment Agency (a) to check trade waste agreements of businesses, (b) to check unauthorised waste carriers, (c) to tackle other breaches of the Environment Protection Act and the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 and (d) to tackle environmental crime in general. [148721]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The information is as follows:
(a) Trade waste agreements under section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are a matter for local authorities as waste collection authorities; and no enforcement officers are employed by the Environment Agency on checking them.
(b) and (c) The Agency employs 16 officers in the London area whose role includes checking unauthorised waste carriers and other breaches of the 1990 Act and the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989.
(d) A further seven full-time equivalents are employed by the Agency to deal with environmental crime in general in the London area.
Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many prosecutions have been brought by the Environment Agency for fly tipping in the past six years in (a) Lewisham and (b) London. [148728]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The information is as follows:
(a) Neither the Environment Agency nor the Crime and Criminal Justice Unit of the Home Office holds data on prosecutions brought in Lewisham.
(b) The term "fly-tipping" is not legally defined but is generally used to refer to the illegal disposal of waste on a site without either a waste management licence or a registered licensing exemption--in contravention of sections 33 or 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. However, it is also an offence under section 33 to dispose of waste in contravention of a licence. The available data neither separately identify the two different types of offence under section 33 nor distinguish between prosecutions brought by the Environment Agency, local authorities or the police.
Subject to these considerations, the total number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates courts for offences under sections 33 or 34 of the 1990 Act in the Metropolitan police area in the past six years is:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 31 |
| 1996 | 34 |
| 1997 | 39 |
| 1998 | 56 |
| 1999 | 70 |
| 2000 | Data not yet available |
Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many prosecutions the Environment Agency has brought against unlicensed waste carriers in London. [148733]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The available records do not separately identify waste carriers involved in prosecutions brought for contravention of waste management controls other than section 1 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 (offence of transporting controlled waste without registering). The number of prosecutions
12 Feb 2001 : Column: 3W
brought under section 1 of the 1989 Act in the Metropolitan police area for calendar years during which the Agency has been in operation is:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | (1)-- |
(1) Data not yet available
Countryside and Rights of Way Act
Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the timetable for publishing and implementing the regulations under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [148920]
Mr. Meacher: Substantial parts of the Act came into force on 30 January 2001 and further provisions, including the whole of Part IV (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), will come into force on 1 April 2001. The implementation of many of the remaining provisions depends on the making of a large number of regulations which my Department will be preparing over the next two or three years. Where appropriate, these provisions will be subject to public consultation.
We expect to lay regulations on vehicular access over common land in May. Immediate priority is also being given to regulations for the mapping of access land, the establishment of local access forums, statutory guidance for the preparation of rights of way improvement plans and making provision for disabled people. The implementation of the right of access to open countryside depends primarily on the completion of the mapping programme which the Countryside Agency have in hand.
King's Cross Station
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent reports he has received on the safety of King's Cross station in respect of the ventilation of smoke; and if he will make a statement. [149099]
Mr. Hill: I understand from London Underground that the magazine "Test" has published comparisons of fire safety at various European stations, which included King's Cross. It should be noted that, while the "Test" report contains some very valid points, it also appears to contain some errors in its description of escape routes from King's Cross and takes no account of the following points.
The basic controls against the risk of smoke at King's Cross are the same as those on the rest of London Underground.
- 1. Minimisation of potential sources of ignition, in particular strict enforcement of the ban on smoking;
- 2. Very careful selection of materials for the construction of stations and trains to minimise the degree to which they can support combustion and give off toxic fumes and smoke if affected by a fire. At King's Cross, all materials used since 1989 have been subject to these controls;
12 Feb 2001 : Column: 4W
- 3. In areas of higher risk such as machine rooms and stores, the provision of automatic fire detection and, particularly in the case of escalators, automatic fire suppression systems; and
- 4. Well rehearsed evacuation routines, which are used if a fire is suspected. In the case of King's Cross, evacuation is achieved within six minutes.
It should also be noted that King's Cross station is being redeveloped. This redevelopment will take into account modern practice in ventilation systems, in particular lessons learned from the Jubilee Line Extension project on active control of air-flows in an emergency.
To summarise, fire safety controls at King's Cross are the best that London Underground can achieve within the current constraints of the site. However, they are compliant with relevant legislation and plans for further improvement are already in hand.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |