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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 5 July 2001
TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS
London Underground
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to announce the completion of contract negotiations with the preferred bidders for the London Underground public-private partnership. [1034]
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the PPP will be signed for the London Underground. [1603]
Mr. Byers: Robert Kiley reported to me on 3 July that he had not been able to agree terms with the bidders for the modernisation of the underground consistent with the objectives of his agreement with the Government. Having carefully considered everything Mr. Kiley had to say, the
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Government have concluded that the best course is to proceed with plans for the modernisation of the underground, to create a 21st century tube which will be publicly run and privately built. I will today be asking London Underground to move quickly to progress negotiations, subject to the requirements to ensure safety, so that work can start as soon as possible. In doing this, and as a result of the discussions with Bob Kiley, London Underground plan to make a number of changes to deliver better public sector control, particularly in the area of safety.
Homelessness
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) families and (b) individuals in bed and breakfast accommodation were placed there by local housing authorities; how many (i) families and (ii) individuals are regarded as homeless; how many (1) families and (2) individuals are on housing waiting lists; and how many (x) families and (y) individuals are on transfer lists, in each London borough. [1049]
Ms Keeble [holding answer 28 June 2001]: The latest available information as reported by London boroughs is presented in the table. This represents households without distinguishing between family groups and individuals. Information on local authorities' transfer lists is not collected centrally.
(1) Decisions during the quarter are those where applicant households were found to be homeless and eligible for assistance under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 and associated legislation.
(2) Local authorities have different practices for compiling and managing housing register/waiting lists which mean that simple comparisons between authorities can be misleading.
(3) Information not reported
Source:
DTLR quarterly P1E housing activity and annual Housing Investment Programme returns
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National and regional information on local authorities' activity under statutory homelessness provisions is published in a quarterly Statistical Release published by the Department. A separate Supplementary Table provides summary data for individual authorities.
Copies of the Release and Supplementary Tables are held in the Library, and the latest edition, published on 15 June, presents statistics up to the end of March 2001.
Motorway-widening Schemes
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will require the preparation of an environmental impact assessment when the widening of motorways is proposed. [1332]
Mr. Jamieson: The publication of an environmental statement assessing the impact of a project for constructing or improving any highway is a statutory requirement under the provisions of Part VA of the Highways Act 1980 if the area of the project exceeds 1 hectare or is situated in whole or in part in a sensitive area.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy on the widening of motorways. [1331]
Mr. Jamieson: Our 10-Year-Plan, Transport 2010 includes provision for widening some 5 per cent. (360 miles) of the strategic road network. Such widening will be a key element in meeting our objective to reduce road congestion on the inter-urban network and in large urban areas in England below current levels by 2010 by promoting integrated transport solutions and investing in public transport and the road network.
Heathrow
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects to make a decision on a fifth terminal at Heathrow airport. [1311]
Ms Keeble: A decision will be issued as soon as possible consistent with full and careful consideration of the report of the inquiry Inspector.
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A5
Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proposals he has for improvement to the A5 between the M69 and A47 Longshoot junction. [1426]
Mr. Jamieson: The Highways Agency has a strategy for improving the A5. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. David Tredinnick, dated 5 July 2001:
- The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, David Jamieson, has asked me to reply to your recent question about proposals for improving the A5 between the M69 and A47 Longshoot Junction.
- A strategy for improvements to this section of the A5 was developed following the publication of the Inspector's Report on the Public Inquiry into the Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan. This strategy indicated the need for improvements to the road as a result of development proposals identified in the Plan and preliminary consultation, undertaken in June 1999, identified a number of possible improvement schemes.
- The enclosed leaflet sets out the broad programme although there have been a number of changes since it was published in March. Work is likely to start in the Autumn on two developer-funded schemes, the provision of roundabouts at Nutts Lane and Sketchley Lane, and we hope to start work this financial year on improving signing at Hinckley Railway Bridge and on the traffic signs at Stretton House Bends. Other developer funded schemes, including Dodwells roundabout and proposals at Wolvey Road and the M69 junction, are less advanced and will be dependent in part on the developers' timescales.
- More recently, work has started on the preparation of the Route Management Strategy for the trunk road corridor between the M1 and the A38 in the Midlands, including this length of the A5. This was mentioned in Gwyn Drake's letter to you of 19th January. This will look at the corridor as a whole and will recommend a range of highway improvements for inclusion in future works programmes. It will also review some of the improvements identified in the preliminary consultation, such as the pedestrian and cycle path on the north side of the A5 between the M69 and the Longshoot junction, and enhancements including "no waiting" restrictions, a 40 mph speed limit and street lighting. Public consultation is expected to start early in 2002, with the final strategy being published June.
- The result will be a Route Management Plan, which will include a ten-year strategy and a three-year action plan.
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- I trust that this answers your question but if you wish to discuss any aspect further, the Highways Agency Route Manager for this length of A5 is David Nock. He can be contacted at our offices at Broadway, Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1BL, or by telephone on 0121 678 8362.
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