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Corsham Station

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost is of the new Corsham station; and what part of that cost is being paid by (a) the Government, (b) Wiltshire county council and (c) Railtrack. [17043]

Mr. Jamieson: The total cost of the new station at Corsham is approximately £2.42 million. A grant of £1.28 million has been awarded from the Strategic Rail Authority's Rail Passenger Partnership scheme which is funded by Government. North Wiltshire district council is contributing £720,000, Wiltshire county council £100,000, Corsham Town council £25,000, First Great Western £40,000 and the private sector consortium promoting the nearby Pockeredge Farm housing development £252,000. Railtrack are not contributing to the capital costs.

Ordnance Survey

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what (a) performance targets and (b) financial objectives for the Ordnance Survey he has set. [18171]

Ms Keeble: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 27 June 2001, Official Report, columns 103–104W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Bennett).

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the level of consultation with external stakeholders during the quinquennial review of the Ordnance Survey. [19966]

Ms Keeble: Consultation with internal and external stakeholders constitutes an integral part of the first stage of a Quinquennial review. The review of Ordnance Survey provided extensive opportunities for consultation.

The details of the Quinquennial Review process were widely published with an open invitation to any organisation or individual with an interest in Ordnance Survey to make a contribution.

Responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders spanning central Government, the private sector, Ordnance Survey's customer and partner community, professional associations, user groups and individuals.

In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with a broad range of Ordnance Survey's key external stakeholders to ensure that their views were represented.

I am satisfied that the level and range of consultation was both adequate and appropriate to the review process.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what

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estimate he has received from the Railtrack Administrator about the minimum time required to end Railtrack's administration; [18940]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him of 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 605W.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what statutory powers govern his right of veto over the recommendations of the Railtrack Administrator about the future of the company; and if he will make a statement; [18949]

Mr. Jamieson: The administrators of Railtrack plc have a duty under section 59 of the Railways Act 1993 to manage the affairs, business and property of Railtrack plc for the achievement of the purposes of the railway administration order and in a manner which protects the respective interests of the members and creditors of the company in railway administration.

The purposes of a railway administration order are to secure the transfer of so much of the company's undertaking as is necessary to ensure that the company's railway related activities are carried on and the carrying on of those activities until then.

The transfer of the undertaking is effected by a scheme made by the company (acting by its administrators) under Schedule 7 to the Railways Act 1993. A scheme made under Schedule 7 cannot take effect unless it is approved by the Secretary of State.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information his Department has collated about Railtrack's creditors and their willingness to grant further credit to the company in Administration. [18938]

Mr. Jamieson: Railtrack plc's post-Administration trade and finance creditors are being financed through the Loan Agreement made available to Railtrack plc at the making of the Railway Administration Order. Since 7 October the Administrator has been in negotiation with a number of suppliers, who are continuing to provide goods and services to Railtrack plc (in Administration), on account of the continued support of Government.

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Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the Parliamentary Secretary's answer of 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 276W, on Railtrack, if he will publish the Government's estimated monthly financial commitments to the Railtrack administration, broken down into (a) running expenditure and (b) capital expenditure for as long as the Government estimates Railtrack to be in administration. [20087]

Mr. Jamieson: As the exact extent of the Administration is at this stage unknown, it is not possible to estimate monthly financial commitments to the Railtrack Administrator for the length of the Administration.

Strategic Rail Authority

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he last met the Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority. [18959]

Mr. Jamieson: Ministers meet the Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority regularly; specifically to discuss the authority's work and as part of wider industry meetings. The most recent meeting was on 8 November.

Light Rail Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total amount of public funding is for light rail and tram schemes within the £180 billion total for the 10 year plan. [19350]

Ms Keeble: The total amount of public funding for light rail and tram schemes within the £180 billion total for the 10 year plan is £2.4 billion.

Ministerial Visits (North-East)

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many times Ministers from his Department have visited (a) the Teesside area and (b) Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency to meet locally based businesses. [19071]

Dr. Whitehead: None.

Energy Saving Regulations

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of energy saving regulations on (a) new buildings, (b) refurbishment of existing buildings, (c) domestic buildings and (d) non- domestic buildings. [19105]

Dr. Whitehead: The Regulatory Impact Assessment that accompanied the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001 was placed in the Library of the House on 11 October when the Amendment Regulations were laid before Parliament. It can also be viewed on the DTLR website at http://www.safety.dtlr.gov.uk/bregs/brpub/ 02.htm. It sets out the impact in terms of million tonnes of carbon (MtC) likely to be saved in 2010. It does not precisely address savings in the categories set out in the question. However, the savings identified are as follows.

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MtC
New buildings0.7
Refurbishment of dwellings (rather than all buildings)0.7
New dwellings0.28
New and refurbished non-domestic buildings0.425

London Civil Contingencies Committee

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the London Resilience Sub-Committee referred to by Lord Rooker on 5 November 2001, Official Report, House of Lords, column 5, is the same body as the London Civil Contingencies Committee mentioned in a DTLR press release of 10 October. [19893]

Dr. Whitehead: Yes.

Fire Brigade (East Sussex)

Mr. Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what emergency funding is in place for East Sussex Fire Brigade to help it deal with heavy flooding in east Sussex. [19929]

Dr. Whitehead: The fire service is funded through the local authority revenue support grant system. In the event of a combined fire authority, such as east Sussex, incurring exceptional expenditure it would be able to seek any necessary additional funding from its constituent local authorities. These constituent local authorities would in turn be eligible to apply for emergency financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme, subject to the normal criteria that apply to that scheme.


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