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Car Fuel Efficiency and Emissions
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans the Government have to improve the clarity for consumers of the new car fuel efficiency and emissions labels. [27827]
Mr. Spellar: New requirements for labelling of passenger cars were recently introduced into UK law, in the form of regulations implementing EU directive 99/94/EC. This had the effect of adding information on CO 2 emissions to the information on fuel efficiency which was already displayed on labels in the UK. A new standardised format for labels was also introduced.
The directive requires member states to monitor and report on the effectiveness of these measures and the Government will be an active participant in the subsequent review by the European Commission. In order to better inform the UK position, the Department will shortly be conducting a consultation exercise on options for banded or comparative labelling.
Refurbishment
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of the cost of buildings refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last four years. [27964]
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Dr. Whitehead: The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Central) has carried out four major building refurbishments valued at more than
21 Jan 2002 : Column 568W
£1 million which attracted expenditure in the last four years.
Details of the expenditure are:
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relocation—Ashdown house (Victoria) | 6,516,488 | 3,960,801 | — | 4,307,195 |
| Relocation—Eland house | 3,470,301 | 1,279,561 | 1,518,702 | — |
| Romney House—GLA | — | — | 1,685,842 | — |
| Relocation—Hempstead house | — | 240,960 | 716,497 | 50,870 |
| Total | 9,986,789 | 5,481,322 | 3,921,041 | 4,358,065 |
Ordnance Survey
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received on the use of National Interest in Mapping Service Agreement funding of the Ordnance Survey. [28074]
Ms Keeble: Since the commencement of the National Interest Mapping Service Agreement (NIMSA) in April 1999 I have received two representations, from a Member of Parliament, which included references to the use of NIMSA funding to support colour imagery.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will provide a table showing the annual payments of National Interest in Mapping Service Agreement funding to the Ordnance Survey in (a) 1990, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [28075]
Ms Keeble: The National Interest Mapping Service Agreement (NIMSA) commenced in April 1999 and is based on the financial year April to March. Detailed is a table indicating the payments made since April 1999. The final figure to be paid for activities carried out during financial year 2001–02 will not be finalised until April 2002.
| Financial year | Payment |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 14.6 |
| 2000–01 | 13.5 |
| 2001–02(4) | 12.0 |
(4) To end December only
Note:
All figures have been rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether he has agreed that National Interest in Mapping Service Agreement funding for the Ordnance Survey should support aerial photography in colour. [28076]
Ms Keeble: No. National Interest Mapping Service Agreement (NIMSA) funding is directed towards the support of non-commercial database maintenance and other uneconomic national mapping activities that Ordnance Survey undertakes in the national interest.
Aerial photography is used as part of the database maintenance process and NIMSA has always contributed to its use for uneconomic data base maintenance activities.
The implications for NIMSA funding of Ordnance Survey's decision in May 2001 to change to colour photography, as part of a long term investment to improve services to customers, are currently under review.
Local Government Finance (Wiltshire)
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with Wiltshire county council about an interim award for 2002–03; if he intends the teachers' pay award to be paid from the revenue support grant; if he will make an extra grant for Wiltshire to cover (a) the duties under the Education Act 1997 to provide full-time education for excluded pupils and (b) the new special educational needs duties in early years; and if he will make a statement on the local government settlement as it affects Wiltshire, with particular reference to education and social services. [27893]
Dr. Whitehead: The provisional local government finance settlement for 2002–03 continues to give priority to education and social services. Provision for spending on education overall will increase by £2.1 billion or 8.7 per cent. Personal social services will increase by £684 million or 6.5 per cent. Wiltshire benefits from this extra money. Wiltshire's provisional education standard spending assessment increase for 2002–03 is £11.58 million or 6.5 per cent. We have been consulting on our proposals and have not met individual councils during this time. We have been carefully considering all representations on the provisional settlement as we take final decisions.
Wiltshire will also benefit from the overall increase in standards fund grant of £160 million and an increase in the direct grant for schools of 2.75 per cent. The increase in the education SSA already takes account of the prospective increase in teachers' pay, the duties under the 1997 Act to provide full-time education for excluded pupils and the new special educational needs duties in early years.
Galileo Project
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 3 December 2001, Official Report, column 53W, on the Galileo Project, and following the EU Transport Council meeting of 7 December 2001, if he will make a statement on the UK's commitment to the Galileo project. [28024]
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Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to my report of the Transport Council, which includes an account of discussions on Galileo, pursuant to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) on 12 December 2001, Official Report, columns 875–77W.
Following the Transport Council, the Laeken European Council reaffirmed the strategic importance of Galileo. It also invited the Transport Council to continue its work on the project with a view to deciding on funding for, and management of the development phase by next March and June respectively. The council was asked to take account of a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on the project, which the European Commission issued only on 22 November.
In principle the Government support Galileo, but, as my report of the Transport Council indicates, we and some other member states have outstanding concerns about cost-benefit, financial viability and management aspects of the project. Some of these issues are addressed by the PWC report. But PWC make clear that the system is likely to require more public funding than the Commission previously estimated, including ongoing support through the operational phase.
National Rail Academy
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the estimated annual running cost is of the proposed National Rail Academy. [28563]
Mr. Spellar: The concept of a National Rail Academy is still at a very early stage. The Strategic Rail Authority has commissioned the Rail Industry Training Council to consult with the industry on the establishment of such an academy and what form it might take. Until these facts are known it is premature to estimate running costs.
Trans-European Rail Network
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what circumstances the European Commission would have decision-making rights over an application for a derogation under Directive 96/48/EC and 2001/16/EC. [28557]
Mr. Spellar: The European Commission, normally acting on a qualified majority vote of member states, will decide on all derogations sought on the grounds that application of the technical specifications for interoperability would compromise the economic viability of an upgrading project on the trans-European rail network. This covers both infrastructure and rolling stock related projects.
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