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16 Jun 2003 : Column 15W—continued

Departmental Website

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what actions he has taken or is taking to ensure that the websites of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are accessible to partially sighted and blind people; and if he will make a statement. [117332]

Mr. Jamieson: My Department's website (www.dft.gov.uk) follows the Office of the e-Envoy's Guidelines for UK Government websites to provide an accessible web site for partially sighted and blind people.

My Department will soon be replacing its website. The new site has been developed based on the Office of the e-Envoy's Guidelines but we have also designed it to take into consideration the way screen readers work by conducting rigorous screen reader testing using JAWS for Windows software. It has improved accessibility for partially sighted and blind people through the use of the access key system throughout the site on the most commonly used links. It has been rigorously tested so that the HTML conforms to the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative's AA standard. In addition, the site has been tested using the BOBBY analysing application, a well-known test of accessibility.

Agencies and non-departmental bodies are encouraged to follow the Government Guidelines.

Air Transport

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses had been received as of 31 May in response to (a) the consultation document, "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: A National Consultation" and (b) each of the regional consultation documents on the "Future Development of Air Transport" in the United Kingdom, broken down by region. [119318]

Mr. Jamieson : To date we have received over 140,000 responses to the consultation from across the UK. A breakdown by region is set out in the following table.

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Region	NOP Responses	E-mails andletters received
Scotland	1,080	520
South East	25,100	41,600
Midlands	22,390	44,200
North of England	3,550	890
South West	1,460	970
Wales	130	280
Northern Ireland	170	120
Total	53,880	88,580

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many copies of the (a) main document and (b) summary of the consultation documents (i) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: A National Consultation", (ii) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: North of England", (iii) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South West", (iv) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: Midlands", (v) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: Wales" and (vi) "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East" had been (A) issued in hard copy and (B) downloaded from the website, by 31 May; [119319]

(2) how many copies of the (a) main document and (b) summary of the (i) national and (ii) regional consultation documents on "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" have been issued in hard copy as a result of each exhibition which has taken place to promote the consultation, as of 31 May. [119320]

Mr. Jamieson: The following summary and main consultation documents have been distributed since the start of the consultation to 31 May.

		Main documents			Summary documents
	Hardcopy	Downloaded	Hardcopy	Downloaded
Midlands	37,210	11,330	46,850	12,680
Northern Ireland	4,680	4,160	9,520	3,180
North of England	13,490	15,720	48,990	8,810
Scotland	6,230	12,460	12,200	19,680
South East	57,970	96,800	198,940	89,490
South West	5,850	9,870	14,430	9,860
Wales	4,510	3,330	5,980	2,720

Note:

All figures rounded to the nearest 10.

The number of documents distributed at exhibitions is not available, but the figures in the table are inclusive of them.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to his Department has been of (a) the exhibitions promoting the consultation documents on the "Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" and (b) the printing costs relating to the publication of the consultation documents, as of 31 May. [119321]

Mr. Jamieson: As part of "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" consultation, 18 public exhibitions were held on the major airport development options. The cost of these was £1.1 million —this includes the cost of the two recent exhibitions on the Gatwick airport options. The cost of printing the

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consultation documents covering the whole of the UK, including the South East second edition paper, was £940,000.

Airline Security

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made in implementing the Wheeler Report on airline security, with specific reference to the concept of sky marshals. [118345]

Mr. Jamieson: A substantial programme of work is in hand to implement Sir John Wheeler's recommendations on airport security. These ranged widely across measures to strengthen security on the ground, to address through more co-ordinated assessments any potential vulnerabilities arising from serious and organised crime at airports, and to improve the overall strategic direction of airport security. Useful progress is being made in all of these areas.

Sir John's review was confined to security at airports rather than in the air. The Government announced on 19 December last year the development of a capability to place covert, specially trained armed police officers aboard UK civil aircraft, should that be warranted.

Airport Consultation (Midlands)

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide guidance to under 16-year-old consultees wishing to respond to the airport consultation process for the midlands; and for what reason the lowest age category exhibited on the questionnaire is 16 to 24 years. [119055]

Mr. Jamieson: We welcome views from all consultees, irrespective of age, and many people under 16 have already responded to the consultation in a variety of ways, including letters and petitions. There is no age eligibility criterion for completing the airports' questionnaire and all views will be given serious consideration in the analysis of responses.

Asbestos

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the actions his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are taking to comply with the requirements of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; whether he has made an estimate of the cost of compliance; and if he will make a statement. [117705]

Mr. Jamieson: The responsibility for taking action to comply with the requirements of the Control of Asbestos Work Regulations 2002 are delegated to the managers of the individual Property Centres within the Department. The action taken will depend on the nature of the property centres' occupancy of the buildings, whether or not asbestos has been found, where it is located and its quantity.

The Department's Headquarters building in London contains no asbestos but some has been identified in a number of buildings on the Agencies' estate. Where asbestos has been found its existence has been entered onto asbestos registers and specialist consultants or contractors handle its management or removal.

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Information about estimates for the cost of compliance and asbestos in non-departmental public bodies is not available and to obtain this would involve disproportionate cost.

Warsaw Convention

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which airlines flying into and out of the UK have (a) fully waived, (b) partially waived and (c) not waived their rights under the Warsaw Convention to (i) limit compensation payable in respect of passengers injured or killed while travelling with them and (ii) refused to pay compensation for psychiatric injury; and if he will make a statement. [118696]

Mr. Jamieson: There are approximately 113 non-EEA airlines regularly operating services to and from the UK. Of these the following are known to have waived certain rights under the Warsaw Convention.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air Mauritius, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, American Trans Air, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, CSA—Czech Airlines, Cubana de Aviacion, Cyprus Airways, Delta Airlines, Egyptair, Estonian Air, Eurocypria Airlines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air Lines, Lithuanian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Qantas Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, UPS Airlines, US Airways, Varig SA.

These airlines have waived their rights in relation to compensation payable in respect of passengers injured or killed while travelling with them. The Warsaw Convention makes no specific provision for compensation for psychiatric injury. In some jurisdictions, including the UK, compensation for psychiatric injury is possible when it is associated with physical injury.

Community air carriers and airlines based in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are subject to the provisions of Regulation 2027–97, which removes all limits of liability for passenger death and injury.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress of reform of the Athens Convention. [118697]

Mr. Jamieson: A Diplomatic Conference at the International Maritime Organization in October 2002, considered a draft amendment to the Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and Their Luggage By Sea, 1974. A draft instrument was duly adopted as the Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and Their Luggage By Sea, 2002. When in force, following ratification by 10 States, the 2002 Convention will significantly increase the amount of compensation available for death or personal injury claims to fare-paying passengers travelling on international services by sea. It will also make it easier for claimants to access compensation through a requirement on ship owners to maintain insurance cover, and by means of a right of direct action against the ship owner's insurer. The UK actively participated

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in the Conference and welcomes its outcome. The Government is currently exploring legislative options for implementation of the Convention in the UK.

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