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Written Answers to Questions

Friday 28 March 2003

DEFENCE

Gibraltar

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government since 1 January on (a) the use of military facilities in Gibraltar and (b) Gibraltar's status in NATO; and if he will make a statement. [104981]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 March 2003]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not held formal discussions with his Spanish counterpart since December 2001. As close allies, we maintain contact on a wide range of defence/security matters. There has been no change to Gibraltar's status as a United Kingdom base. However, we have recently offered military facilities in Gibraltar to NATO for use in Active Endeavour, a NATO-led operation providing protection for allied non-combatant shipping in the Mediterranean.

Iraq

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use is being made of the British military base on Gibraltar in connection with the crisis in Iraq. [105247]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 24 March 2003, Official Report, column 12W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle).

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) staff and (b) funds will be under the control of his Department for post-conflict civil and military projects in Iraq; and if they will be at the disposal of any UK peacekeeping forces that may be established. [104033]

Mr. Ingram: Officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development are currently discussing these matters. The precise scale of the task and the extent of the Armed Forces' responsibilities following operations in Iraq is being refined as this campaign develops.

Ulster Defence Regiment

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers have been killed in Northern Ireland by terrorists since 1973. [105216]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 March 2003]: Since 1973 there have been 38 full-time members and 128 part-time members of the Ulster Defence Regiment who have been killed as a result of terrorists activity in Northern Ireland.

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TRANSPORT

Accidents (Daylight Saving)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the difference in the numbers of (a) fatal and (b) serious injury road accidents that would have occurred, had the UK adopted Daylight Saving of GMT/BST timetable in 1997. [104766]

Mr. Jamieson: The potential road safety implications of a change to Single Double Summertime have been previously investigated. A Government commissioned report by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), published in October 1998, concluded that if clocks were put forward a further hour over both the periods i.e. October to March and March to October, thereby making the evenings lighter, there could be a saving of over 100 deaths per year. The potential savings have not been mentioned again since then. But we are therefore aware of the potential road safety benefits. However, a wide variety of issues would have to be considered very carefully if a move to Single Double Summertime was to be considered, of which casualty savings is just one.

Given the potential wide-ranging implications for Britain, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) leads on Single Double Summertime. That Department reviews the issues from time to time. DTI have no plans for a review at present, but when the time comes, DfT will advise DTI of its findings.

Air Travel

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations there are as to the number of pieces, and sizes, of items of hand luggage which each passenger is entitled to take into the cabin of an aircraft. [105006]

Mr. Jamieson: Airline operators in the UK are required to follow the safety requirements set by the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure the safe storage of hand luggage during a flight. These require that all hand baggage be adequately and securely stowed, that it does not impede access to emergency equipment and that the maximum placarded weight in overhead bins is not exceeded.

It is the operator's responsibility to establish baggage handling procedures that comply with these requirements, including as appropriate, any restrictions on cabin luggage.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics are collected on incidences of ill-health in the British population as a result of infection caused by travelling by plane. [104488]

Mr. Jamieson: None. The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's report on Air Travel and Health in November 2000 concluded that the risk of transmission of infection due specifically to being in the aircraft cabin environment was no greater than elsewhere, at least in relation to major illnesses, provided circulation and filtration systems are working properly. Systematic records of the numbers of passengers where health has been allegedly affected by air travel are, therefore, not kept.

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Departmental Catering

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the department in 2002. [104262]

Mr. Jamieson: My department came into being in May 2002. The department's catering services are contracted out, with the contractor recovering costs through the sale of services. Under the terms of the contract the department met the cost in 2002 of replacement equipment valued at £10,000.

ERTMS

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Pendolino trains operated by Virgin plc will be fitted with ERTMS. [104990]

Mr. Jamieson: Pendolinos will not be delivered with ERTMS already fitted but they have been designed to accommodate it.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the introduction of ERTMS following the European Directive requirement that ERTMS be fitted on railway lines being upgraded; and if he will list those lines on which the system (a) has been and (b) has not been installed during upgrade. [104991]

Mr. Jamieson: In his written statement on 5 February 2003 the Secretary of State informed Parliament that he had accepted the Health and Safety Commission's advice that Level 2 of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is the best system for this country. This system, in a form suitable for the UK, is still at an early stage of development and not yet fitted to any UK line. Progress on UK development will continue through a single national programme that will be integrated and in step with European development of ERTMS and the associated specifications and operating rules.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when the installation of ERTMS will commence on high speed lines; [104992]

Mr. Jamieson: A single national programme for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) will be drawn together by the Strategic Rail Authority to allow focused UK development of ERTMS. Implementation will be in accordance with a proper and affordable migration plan and in line with future upgrading of railway lines wherever possible.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the national programme for the development of ERTMS; and what its budget is. [104994]

Mr. Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is developing the programme. The SRA has £5.875 million set aside for its development in the 2003–04 budget.

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John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what grounds he has rejected the setting of a statutory timetable for the installation of ERTMS as recommended by the Cullen report. [104997]

Mr. Jamieson: In his written statement on 5 February 2003 the Secretary of State informed Parliament that he accepted the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) advice that the timetable for installing the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), contained in Professor Uff and Lord Cullen's joint inquiry into train protection systems, was not viable. A copy of the HSC advice is in the Library.

European Transport White Paper

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what impact he estimates the European Commission's White Paper: European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide will have upon the (a) flexibility and (b) profitability of taxi cab drivers in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [104541]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government do not envisage that the proposals outlined in the European Commission's White Paper will have any direct impact on taxi cab drivers in the UK.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department will incorporate the proposals made in the Commission's White Paper: European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide into domestic legislation to ensure that road safety is improved. [104542]

Mr. Jamieson: The Commission has indicated that the new road safety action programme promised in the White Paper will be published soon. The programme is expected to identify the measures the Commission believes are needed to achieve its overall objective of 50 per cent. fewer deaths on European roads between 2000 and 2010. The White Paper indicated that the Commission would monitor progress towards the 2010 year target and, if by 2005 progress was unsatisfactory, would come forward with new proposals. As and when such proposals are tabled, the Government will consider them carefully to determine that legislation at the European level is both appropriate and proportionate.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that the financial cost of the proposals in the European Transport Policy for 2010 White Paper will not be carried by drivers in the UK. [104543]

Mr. Jamieson: The White Paper provides insufficient detail of the Commission's future plans to determine precisely what impact they might have in the UK. We shall need to look carefully at any formal legislative proposals which emerge before determining our final position. But, at this stage, we do not envisage any significant costs will fall directly on UK drivers.

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