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15 Jan 2003 : Column 624W—continued

Merchant Ships

Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many merchant ships have been chartered by the MOD in the past five years; what their names were; and what their flag states were. [88901]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

Some 367 merchant ships have been chartered by the Ministry of Defence over the period April 1997 to December 2002. I am placing a list containing the relevant information in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates Ministers in his Department and his predecessor's Department have held meetings

15 Jan 2003 : Column 625W

with members and officials of the United States Administration since 8 June 2001; where each meeting took place; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which United States Administration departments attended each meeting; and which members and officials from the United States Administration attended each of these meetings. [89466]

Mr. Jamieson: Ministers have held meetings with representatives of the United States Administration on a variety of transport issues since June 2001.

Pedestrians (Romford)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure the delivery of the accelerated town centre improvements to re-route traffic and enhance the pedestrian environment in Romford. [90796]

Mr. Jamieson: This is a matter for Transport for London and the London Borough of Havering.

For further information please contact:

Ben Plowden


Transport for London


Director of Borough Partnerships


Windsor House


42–50 Victoria Street


London SW1H OTL


Telephone: [phone]

Road Deaths

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress in assessing the work in the Netherlands where traffic lights have been removed in an attempt to reduce road deaths; and if he will make a statement. [90765]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department is aware of work in the Netherlands. We understand there have been accident reductions but we have seen no figures to quantify these claims or any details of the effects on traffic flows and the behaviour of road users generally.

15 Jan 2003 : Column 626W

We will continue to monitor the experiments and will work with UK local authorities who wish to trial some of the techniques that have been applied and which involve more than just the removal of traffic signals.

Seaports and Airports

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government has taken since 1997 to ensure that UK seaports and airports have the necessary capacity to satisfy demand. [90320]

Mr. Jamieson: We have undertaken a comprehensive assessment of existing airport capacity across the UK and possible options for expansion in the light of forecast demand. This formed the basis of our public consultation last summer, which is now being extended to include Gatwick options. Our conclusions will be set out in the air transport White Paper later this year. Approval has also been given to the construction of a fifth terminal at Heathrow airport which will substantially increase its passenger handling capacity.

A number of port operators are preparing major projects to increase port capacity which are at various stages in the planning approval process. One (at Felixstowe) has so far been approved, the public inquiry on another (at Dibden Bay Southampton) finished in December and the Inspector plans to submit his report by October 2003. A public inquiry into a third (at London Gateway) is scheduled to begin in February, and there are plans for development at Bathside Bay, Harwich and further expansion at Felixstowe.

West Coast Mainline

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the age of the rolling stock on the West Coast Mainline. [90724]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority provides information on the average age of rolling stock in their publication, XNational Rail Trends", which is placed in the Library of the House. The information is not available by particular routes.

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WALES

Accreditation

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88086]

Peter Hain: The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories.

Cardiff (Lord Mayoralty)

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the Lord Mayoralty of Cardiff. [89737]

Peter Hain: None.

Pension Credit

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about the impact of the Pension Credit in Wales. [89732]

Peter Hain: Regular ones. The introduction of the Pension Credit from October 2003 will benefit 250,000 pensioner households in Wales, with those on #150 per week benefiting from an extra #1,100 each year.

Rail Services

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with rail passenger groups in Wales on adequacy of rail services. [89738]

Peter Hain: A meeting of representatives from the Rail Passenger Committee in Wales is planned.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cricket World Cup

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made in the last six months to (a) the International Cricket Council and (b) the English Cricket Board with regard to (i) World Cup matches being rescheduled outside Zimbabwe and (ii) the England Cricket Team not playing in that country. [90644]

Mr. Straw: FCO officials have been in contact with the ICC and ECB since July 2002. They have provided briefing on the internal political, economic and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe and advice on how this might impact on security. Ministers have repeatedly made clear that decisions on England's participation in the match it is scheduled to play in Harare on 13 February rest with the ECB and the ICC, but that in the Government's view, it would be better if the team did not go.

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EU Accession States

Mr. Davidson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 136W, whether the Government plans to give (a) indirect financial support to campaigning groups within the 10 EU accession states and (b) other support to such groups and individuals; and if he will make a statement. [90738]

Mr. MacShane: The Government does not plan to give indirect financial support to campaigning groups within the 10 EU accession states.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 7 January 2003, Official Report, col.136W.

Hungary (Religious Discrimination)

Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of current levels of religious discrimination in Hungary. [90561]

Mr. MacShane: We believe there is no major religious discrimination in Hungary. Religious freedom is anyway enshrined in the Hungarian Constitution.

Hungary has also been assessed as meeting the Copenhagen criteria, which includes human rights for all citizens as part of the process of accession to the EU.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States on US plans for a post-Saddam Hussein government in Iraq. [90236]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regularly discuss all aspects of Iraq policy with our US colleagues. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained in his Written Ministerial Statement of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 4WS, our policy remains to ensure that Iraq complies with its obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions, including by giving up its weapons of mass destruction.

Lebanon

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received from the Government of Lebanon regarding the reported admission by Yusef Shaban that he had responsibility for the Lockerbie disaster. [90931]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have received no specific information from the Lebanese government on this matter, although we are aware of the case.

Lockerbie

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Lockerbie relatives on 17 December 2002. [88605]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement on Lockerbie made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 17 December 2002, Official Report, column 41WS.

15 Jan 2003 : Column 629W

Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the result of his meeting with the Lockerbie relatives on 17th December. [88606]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the statement on Lockerbie made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 17 December 2002, Official Report, column 41WS.

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