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TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND

THE REGIONS

Hospitality

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the occasions on which he has received hospitality in his ministerial capacity from (a) Balfour Beatty plc, (b) Bombardier Transportation (formerly Adtranz), (c) WS Atkins plc, (d) Amey/Amec, (e) Bechtel-Halcrow, (f) Jarvis, (g) SEEBOARD Group plc, (h) Thames Water plc and (i) AEA Technology.[38987]

Mr. Byers: None.

Air Traffic Control

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what financial arrangements are in place for NATs to collect income generated from aircraft overflying the UK (a) from flights originating with the European Union,

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(b) from North America and (c) from the rest of the world to be collected from the CAA or the Government; whether all the income accrues to NATs; and if these arrangements can be changed by the UK unilaterally.[40608]

Mr. Jamieson: The UK is a member of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation ("Eurocontrol"). The Central Route Charges Office of Eurocontrol provides a centralised system for billing and collecting air traffic control charges. All aircraft flying in UK airspace, whatever their place of origin, pay their charges to the Central Route Charges Office, which reimburses direct to NATs En route Ltd the moneys owing to it.

The Central Route Charges Office also collects moneys on behalf of my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total costs were of the New En Route Centre at

8 Mar 2002 : Column 582W

Swanwick, Hampshire, up until the operational start date of the centre in January; and if he will make a statement. [40410]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of Tuesday 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 177W, given to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr Clifton-Brown).

Job No: 715993 Folios: 1011Operator: op19. Date: 08/03/02

Vacant Dwellings (Tyne and Wear)

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant residential dwellings there were in each year since 1997 in each local authority in Tyne and Wear, distinguishing between (a) local authority, (b) RSL, (c) public and (d) private sectors; and how many such vacancies were of more than six months duration. [40571]

Ms Keeble: The number of residential dwellings reported as being vacant in each year since 1997 in the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear by tenure is as follows:

Vacant Residential Dwellings on 1 April

	1997		1998		1999		2000		2001
	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months	Total	of which vacant for more than 6 months
Gateshead
Local Authority	600	198	363	72	447	48	601	100	463	76
RSL	83	n/a	112	n/a	111	n/a	151	n/a	117	n/a
Other public service	5	n/a	7	n/a	9	n/a	5	n/a	7	n/a
Other private sector	2,626	n/a	2,827	n/a	2,041	n/a	2,627	1,940	2,611	1,975
Total Residential stock	3,314	n/a	3,309	n/a	2,608	n/a	3,384	n/a	3,198	n/a
Newcastle upon Tyne
Local Authority	1,674	768	1,565	580	1,633	649	1,542	590	1,778	761
RSL	494	n/a	653	n/a	480	n/a	522	n/a	470	n/a
Other public sector	287	n/a	333	n/a	390	n/a	487	n/a	184	n/a
Private sector	4,385	n/a	4,455	n/a	5,402	n/a	5,471	n/a	1,323	921
Total	6,840	n/a	7,006	n/a	7,905	n/a	8,022	n/a	3,755	n/a
North Tyneside
Local Authority	1,437	820	1,604	1,009	1,170	683	1,119	561	1,057	607
RSL	116	n/a	197	n/a	114	n/a	147	n/a	116	n/a
Other public sector	0	n/a	1	n/a	0	n/a	3	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	2,619	n/a	2791	n/a	3,724	n/a	2,675	1,211	2,657	1,113
Total Residential stock	4,172	n/a	4,593	n/a	5,008	n/a	3,944	n/a	3,830	n/a
South Tyneside
Local Authority	371	44	426	49	368	30	495	68	518	119
RSL	46	n/a	120	n/a	132	n/a	32	n/a	86	n/a
Other public sector	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	766	n/a	1,223	n/a	1,841	n/a	870	450	1,973	661
Total Residential stock	1,183	n/a	1,769	n/a	2,341	n/a	1,397	n/a	2,577	n/a
Sunderland
Local Authority	663	207	968	381	1,085	644	1,102	686	0	0
RSL	100	n/a	72	n/a	94	n/a	85	n/a	1,009	n/a
Other public sector	2	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a	0	n/a
Other private sector	1,933	n/a	2,360	n/a	3,119	n/a	2,562	1,062	3,925	3,000
Total Residential stock	2,698	n/a	3,400	n/a	4,298	n/a	3,749	n/a	4,934	n/a

Notes:

RSL—Registered Social Landlord

Other public sector—includes Government Departments and public sector agencies (eg Health Authorities)

A level of vacancy is a usual feature of housing management, reflecting turnover and movement within the stock. There is likely to be some variation in the proportion of dwellings vacant in a local authority from one date to another during the year.

Source:

Housing Investment Programme (HIP) returns

8 Mar 2002 : Column 583W

Rail Safety

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what instructions his Department has issued to Railtrack since 1 September 2001 in relation to the work priorities of signalling engineers, with particular reference to the priority given to work on train protection and warning systems over other work. [40424]

Job No: 715993 Folios: 1013Operator: op19. Date: 08/03/02

Mr. Jamieson: This is a matter for Railtrack. TPWS is to be completed by the end of 2003. Railtrack are on schedule to meet this deadline.

Transport 10-Year Plan

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2002 ref. 37227, on 10 year plan funding, to which years the future controls periods refer. [40523]

Mr. Jamieson: To all future five-year regulatory control periods from 1 April 2006 onwards.

South West Regional Assembly

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the trunk road schemes in which the shadow South West Regional Assembly has intervened. [41136]

Mr. Jamieson: The shadow South West Regional Assembly has not intervened in any "trunk road schemes".

Job No: 715993 Folios: 1014Operator: op19. Date: 08/03/02

Road Safety (Cannabis)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent research his Department has carried out into the effect of cannabis smoking on the competence of road vehicle drivers. [40842]

Mr. Jamieson: Research undertaken by TRL Ltd on behalf of the Department, and published in December 2000, concluded that the effects of cannabis on driver performance were different from those of alcohol, but they were unpredictable and as such could be a hazard. The complete TRL Report 477 "The Influence of cannabis on driving" is available directly from TRL Ltd or is free via the Department's website at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/index.htm" under "DTLR Reports published by TRL". Alternatively, the summary of the report is available at "www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/research16/index.htm".

Road Detrunking Programme

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he will make available to county councils to accommodate their additional responsibilities under the detrunking programme. [41192]

Mr. Jamieson: We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the

8 Mar 2002 : Column 584W

year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding he plans to make available to the county councils as highway authorities to accommodate those additional responsibilities under the de-trunking programme. [41674]

Mr. Jamieson: We are committed to supporting the detrunking programme with a fair transfer of resources, discussed and agreed with the Local Government Association. Until the new system of local government finance comes into effect, resources for routine maintenance will be provided by special grant. In the year of detrunking and the following year if detrunking takes place on or after 1 July, resources for capital maintenance will be provided through 2-year supplementary credit approvals. Amounts will be determined with the new highway authority on the basis of an engineering assessment. After this capital resources will be provided via the local transport settlement.

Job No: 715993 Folios: 1015Operator: op19. Date: 08/03/02

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