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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 13 June 2003
TRANSPORT
Convention Reform
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress on the reform of the Warsaw Convention, with particular reference to (a) the cap on compensation awards, (b) compensation for psychiatric injury and (c) ratification of the Montreal Convention. [118695]
Mr. Jamieson: The 1999 Montreal Convention is intended to consolidate, update and eventually replace all previous international agreements on air carrier liability, including the 1929 Warsaw Convention. The Warsaw Convention will be subject to no further amendment or reform. The Montreal Convention removes liability limits in relation to claims for death and injury to passengers, but retains limits in relation to delay and baggage claims. The Montreal Convention does not acknowledge psychiatric injury as a separate head of claims. The UK is ready to ratify the Montreal Convention but since it contains issues that are subject to Community competence we are waiting until all 15 members of the EU are in a position simultaneously to deposit their instruments of ratification.
Highway Winter Maintenance
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has (a) to classify rock salt and its flow agent ferrocyanide as hazardous substances and (b) to restrict their use in highway winter maintenance operations. [118091]
Mr. Jamieson: Sodium hexacyanoferrate(II), rather than ferrocyanide, is the most common anti-caking (or "flow") agent used by the salt industry with rock salt for highway winter maintenance operations.
There are no plans to classify rock salt and its anti-caking agent as hazardous substances nor are there plans to further restrict their use in highway winter maintenance operations.
Maritime Security
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assistance has been given to the merchant shipping industry to increase maritime security in non-UK waters since 11 September 2001; and if he will make a statement. [118277]
Mr. Jamieson: My Department regularly issues advice to the United Kingdom merchant shipping industry. This includes information about the prevailing threat around the world, and appropriate security responses and enhancements. The advice is either issued directly or through representative trade associations.
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Detailed security guidance is issued to UK flagged cruise ships operating from overseas ports. This guidance is kept under review and has been enhanced since the events of September 2001. Measures contained in the guidance are appropriate to the level of threat, and implementation is monitored by my officials during regular overseas inspection visits.
In November 2002 my Department published a Marine Guidance Note containing security advice on measures to counter attacks against merchant shipping. This was issued to every UK seafarer.
Railways
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from train operating companies about the future of the railway network. [118525]
Mr. Jamieson: Ministers in my Department receive representations from train operating companies from time-to-time on a range of issues and meet with them on a regular basis.
Rapid Transit System (Cambridge-Huntingdon)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement about the viability of the rapid transit system between Cambridge and Huntingdon. [117976]
Mr. Jamieson: Work on the appraisal of this scheme is progressing well, but I cannot yet say when my right hon. Friend will be in a position to make an announcement.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Agency Workers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agency workers have been employed by the Department in each of the last two years; and at what cost to public funds. [115208]
Alun Michael: The cost to public funds of employing agency staff for each of the last two years is as follows (excluding Defra Agencies and for foot and mouth disease):
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 5,387,536 |
| 2002–03 | 6,277,965 |
Avian Influenza
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on preparedness for an outbreak of Avian Influenza in the UK. [118326]
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Mr. Morley: In the light of the outbreak of Avian Influenza in the Netherlands we have checked all elements of the Department's preparedness and are keeping the position under review in consultation with the industry. Veterinary field instructions were reviewed and amended in early March and are being further reviewed to reflect lessons learned in the Netherlands. Other elements of emergency preparedness including laboratory capacity, slaughter methods and disposal options have all been checked and updated as necessary. The supporting structures, systems and arrangements set out in the FMD Contingency Plan are ready to be employed. In the light of information on the Dutch outbreak and our experience with FMD in 2001, we would impose national movement controls immediately, unless there was very good evidence not to do so, in order to assess the source and contain any further spread of disease. We are liaising with the industry about arrangements allowing licensed movements.
We will be checking our emergency preparedness by holding an Avian influenza exercise later this month.
Countryside Agency
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her forecast funding of the Countryside Agency is for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [118602]
Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency has been allocated £98 million grant in aid for 2003–04 compared with £92 million in 2002–03. Decisions on future years have not been made but we have indicated to the Agency that it may provisionally plan on receiving a similar amount in 2004–05.
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the implications for property owners faced by environment charges for access resulting from changes in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [117553]
Alun Michael: Regulations under section 68 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, relating to vehicular access over common and other land, prescribe the compensation sums that property owners have to pay to landowners in connection with a statutory easement under the regulations. The compensation is 0.25 per cent.–2 per cent. of the value of the property served by the vehicular access, depending on its age. In addition, property owners may face other costs, such as getting their property valued.
These costs will not arise unless the property owner chooses to make an application under the regulations. They compare very favourably with the sums that property owners might have to pay if they were to negotiate the grant of an easement with the landowner outside the terms of section 68.
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Departmental Expenditure
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her departmental expenditure was for each year since 1997; and what administration costs limits were set for 2003–04. [117536]
Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to Chapter 5 of the 2003 Departmental Report. Defra did not come into existence until June 2001, but information about Defra's predecessor departments can be found in their annual Departmental Reports for 2001 and earlier years, copies of which are available in the Library of the House of Commons.
Eco-schools
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much financial grant her Department has given to EnCams for its Eco Schools programme in each year since 1997. [118692]
Alun Michael: Defra does not provide EnCams Ltd. with a specific grant for its Eco Schools programme, which is funded by SITA Environmental Trust. Annual grant to EnCams from Defra incorporates a funding element for management and administration costs. This enables EnCams to deliver on a wider range of campaigns and programmes, including its Eco Schools programme. Management and administration costs include salaries and employers' costs for EnCams staff, conference and workshop costs, and office costs.
Mr. David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many jobs are dependent on the Eco Schools programme in England. [118693]
Alun Michael: Defra funds the environmental charity EnCams, which is the parent organisation of the Tidy Britain Group, for work on litter, waste and local community initiatives in England. The Eco Schools initiative is a European Environmental award scheme funded by SITA Environmental Trust. The work of EnCams in this field has been welcomed by Ministers at Defra, as well as DfES but is in addition to the work that we fund. I understand that the work is currently undertaken by a central team but that EnCams may devolve the work to its regional teams in future.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements her Department makes to distribute information on sustainable development to Eco Schools in England. [118694]
Alun Michael: Officials from the Department and DfES are regularly in contact with EnCams Ltd, the environmental charity that runs the Eco Schools programme in England, about a range of sustainable development information that may be suitable for
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specific programmes. Any decision about what information to distribute to schools that participate in the Eco Schools programme is a matter for EnCams.
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