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Bermuda

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his

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Department's policy is with regard to the use of opinion polls conducted in Bermuda on the proposed constitutional changes as evidence of Bermudan opinion. [73473]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our policy is to encourage the widest possible public consultation throughout the constitutional review process. Reliable and published opinion polls can play a part in that.

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he proposes to use to determine whether there is consensus in Bermuda on the proposed changes to the electoral system. [73474]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We propose to take into account the report of the Constituency Boundaries Commission, which itself invited the views of the public, the subsequent debate in the Bermuda House of Assembly, and any other available evidence of public opinion in Bermuda.

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department will make public the UK Civil Service College review of the Bermudan Civil Service. [73475]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Review of the Bermuda Public Service was commissioned by the Government of Bermuda. It is for them to decide when and if the report should be published.

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it his Department's policy to convene a constitutional conference to discuss proposed changes to Bermuda's constitution; and if he will make a statement. [73476]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: A Constitutional Conference has neither been ruled in nor out at this stage. We do not propose to reach a judgement on the case for a further process until we have received the report of the Constituency Boundaries Commission and there has been an opportunity for the House of Assembly in Bermuda to discuss the report.

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Bermudan Government have made to his Department explaining why it wishes to reduce the size of the House of Assembly; and if he will make a statement. [73477]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The current Government of Bermuda have made it clear that they favour a move from dual to single-seat constituencies. This commitment was part of their 1998 election manifesto. The Boundaries Commission are to produce a report, recommending the number and boundaries of constituencies within a margin no fewer than 20 and no greater than 40. The House of Assembly, which at present consists of 40 members, will then debate the report.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken to ensure that financial markets beyond those of the EU and Switzerland are off-limits to those members of the ZANU-PF whose assets are frozen. [72300]

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Mr. Macshane: Article 6 of the EU Common Position of 18 February, which imposed an assets freeze on senior members of the Mugabe regime, made clear that the EU "shall encourage third States to adopt restrictive measures similar to those contained in this Common Position".

The EU Accession States, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland have followed the EU's lead. The Government has made private representations to a number of countries to adopt similar measures. These efforts are on-going.

Burundi

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Burundi; and if he will make a statement. [73014]

Mr. Macshane: The conflict in Burundi has led to abuses of human rights and humanitarian standards by all sides. We have repeatedly called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and continue to register our concerns over human rights in Burundi in bilateral political discussions. We have also given material support to the Ministry for Human Rights in Burundi and the UN Human Rights Field Office in Burundi.

SADC

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the SADC Parliamentary Forum's electoral norms and standards; and what steps the Government are taking to promote them in Africa. [72299]

Mr. Macshane: Through our High Commission in Windhoek we are in contact with the Secretary General of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. We welcome the adoption of the Electoral Norms and Standards by the Parliamentary Forum.

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We welcome, too, the African Union's declaration on the principles governing democratic elections in Africa issued in Durban earlier this month.

We provide support to countries in Africa that are holding elections to assist them in meeting internationally recognised standards.

BAe Systems

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations have been carried out by UK agencies into the bribery allegations in the contract between BAe Systems and the Government of Qatar. [72546]

The Solicitor-General [holding answer 24 July 2002]: I have been asked to reply. At the request of the Attorney General of Jersey, the Director of the Serious Fraud Office exercised her powers under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 to obtain information in connection with criminal investigations that he was conducting concerning the affairs of the Yaheeb Trusts and the Havana Trust and their associated entities in Jersey. No other UK agencies conducted investigations. The Attorney General's criminal investigations are now concluded.

TRANSPORT

Rail Safety

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 10 June, Official Report, columns 781–782W, on rail safety, if he will list those occasions on which an incident involved trains or road vehicles carrying (a) hazardous substances and (b) nuclear flasks; and if he will make a statement. [62180]

Mr. Spellar: The number of road accidents involving vehicles carrying hazardous substances notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 since 1997 are provided in the table below:

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01(prov)
Overturning or serious damage to a tank while conveying by road prescribed dangerous substances, or the uncontrolled release or fire involving the substance being conveyed	49	28	21	26
Uncontrolled release or escape of a dangerous substance, or a fire involving the dangerous substance, when being conveyed by road in a vehicle	40	24	44	74

The number of rail accidents involving trains carrying hazardous substances registered by HSE's HM Railway Inspectorate since 1997 are in the table below:

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02 (prov)
Rail accidents involving trains transporting dangerous goods	15	11	4	4	16

Information on accidents and incidents involving the transport of radioactive material in the UK is published annually and placed in the Libraries of the House. The latest report, "Radiological Consequences resulting from Accidents and Incidents involving the Transport of Radioactive Materials in the UK—2000 Review, National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB)-M120", was published in October 2001. Data is still being collated for the 2001 report and is not yet available.

"Transport 2010"

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the planned review of "Transport 2010" will be accompanied by a published environmental appraisal. [63500]

Mr. Jamieson: We plan to publish a progress report on the 10 Year Plan in the autumn. This will include details of progress towards environmental objectives.

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Underground

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the backlog of (a) maintenance and (b) renewal work on the London Underground was for each of the last three years. [67787]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 8 July 2002]: This is a matter for London Underground.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers (a) he and (b) the Mayor of London (i) have and (ii) will have to place the Tube Infracos into administration; under what legislation these powers are in place; and if he will make a statement. [70813]

Mr. Jamieson: Neither the Secretary of State nor the Mayor have, or will have, any powers to place the infrastructure companies into administration. Decisions on such matters are, and will remain, for the Courts. Under the Insolvency Act 1986 (as modified by the Greater London Authority Act 1999), the Courts may consider and act upon a petition from any person (including the Secretary of State and the Mayor) for administration or winding-up of a company.

Additionally, sections 220–224 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 specify the circumstances under which the Courts could make a PPP administration order. Such an order would bring into effect a special administration regime designed to allow for the continued operation of a safe and effective passenger service. The Secretary of State has the power to make the Rules of the special administration regime.

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