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Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how a determination is made as to which flights arriving in the United Kingdom require pesticide disinfection. [25215]
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Mr. Spellar [holding answer 10 January 2002]: The port health authorities decide the routes into the United Kingdom on which disinfection of aircraft is required. They make their decisions in the light of the advice from the World Health Organisation on the risks to public health arising in different countries, either long-term or as the result of an outbreak of disease.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many road fatalities there were in each of the last five available years on (a) motorways, (b) dual carriageways and (c) single carriageways. [27378]
Mr. Spellar: The figures requested are as shown:
1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motorways | 165 | 191 | 174 | 202 | 189 |
Other roads: | |||||
Dual carriageways | 527 | 515 | 469 | 491 | 481 |
Single carriageways | 2,824 | 2,800 | 2,680 | 2,629 | 2,641 |
Other(8) | 74 | 87 | 88 | 94 | 90 |
Total | 3,598 | 3,599 | 3,421 | 3,423 | 3,409 |
(8) Includes roundabouts and one way streets
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish the total overtime payments in each of (a) the last seven years and (b) the last 12 months for each underground line. [27714]
Mr. Spellar: This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd., who have provided the following information. The information is not available in the precise form requested.
London Underground Ltd. was reorganised in September 1999, in preparation for the introduction of modernisation plans. Under 'shadow running' arrangements, information is collected from each infrastructure company and the operations company, rather than on the 'line by line' basis that reflected London Underground's previous structure. The table therefore records operational staff and engineering staff overtime costs by line until 18 September 1999, and subsequently overtime costs for staff in each of London Underground's reorganised components. Overall totals cover the same groups of staff and so are comparable.
Note:
For the year 19992000, figures in the upper part of the table are for the year to 18 September; figures in the lower part for the remainder of the year. Detailed monthly information is a matter for London Underground.
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Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations he has received from the RMT on the competitiveness of the British merchant marine and related employment issues; and if he will make a statement. [27637]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 15 January 2002]: The RMTs Acting General Secretary, Mr. Vernon Hince, wrote to my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson), recently to urge the extension of work permit requirements to one-port voyages. This is under consideration by the Home Office.
Mr. Hince also wrote to my hon. Friend last November about proposed dismissals of UK seafaring ratings by the P&O Group, a matter which was additionally raised at the
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4 December meeting of our Shipping Task Force.
We are deeply disappointed by the actions of P&O. These job losses are particularly regrettable at a time when we are seeing a revival in UK merchant shipping after a long decline, a revival to which the shipping unions have made an immense contribution.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of total local authority expenditure was met in each of the last four years by (a) central Government funds, (b) business rate payers and (c) council tax payers. [27936]
Dr. Whitehead: English local authorities have reported the following funding of revenue expenditure.
Revenue Expenditure(9) | Government Grant(10) | Non-Domestic Rates(11) | Council tax(12) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
£ billion | £ billion | Percentage | £ billion | Percentage | £ billion | Percentage | |
199899 | 50.189 | 25.291 | 50 | 12.531 | 25 | 12.332 | 24 |
19992000 | 53.651 | 26.421 | 49 | 13.619 | 25 | 13.278 | 25 |
200001 | 57.308 | 27.764 | 48 | 15.406 | 27 | 14.200 | 25 |
200102(13) | 61.270 | 30.341 | 50 | 15.144 | 25 | 15.245 | 25 |
(9) 'Revenue expenditure to compare with TSS' i.e. expenditure financed from Revenue Support Grant, specific and special grants within AEF, non-domestic rates, council taxes and balances. Also includes spending met by SSA Reduction Grant, Police Grant, Central Support Protection Grant (19992000 onwards) and General Greater London Authority Grant (200001 onwards). This column is not the total of the others. The difference is due to funding by balances and other adjustments.
(10) Includes Revenue Support Grant, specific and special grants within AEF, SSA Reduction Grant, Police Grant, Central Support Protection Grant (19992000 onwards) and General GLA Grant (200001 onwards).
(11) Distribute amount from non-domestic rate pool. This is not exactly equal to the payments from business in any year, but adjustments are made to the distributable amount in future years to ensure that, over time, all rates received are redistributed to receiving authorities. Includes City Offset.
(12) Gross of council tax benefit and council tax transitional reduction scheme.
(13) Budgets.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will investigate the settlement for local government with particular reference to the different sums that were allocated to smaller district authorities. [28261]
Dr. Whitehead: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already looked into the local government settlement for district councils. In his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush (Mr. Soley) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, columns 13637, he explained that he would introduce an alternative baseline for 200102 which, in effect, adjusts only for the transfers of service for which shire districts are responsible and that, in order to guarantee a minimum 2.3 per cent. increase for shire districts, he would ensure that all shire districts received a minimum grant increase of whichever increase is greater2.3 per cent. on the original baseline, or 2.3 per cent. on this alternative baseline.
Further details will be provided as part of the Government's final settlement proposals, which the House will have a chance to debate on 30 January.
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