| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Jul 2003 : Column 613W—continued
Network Rail
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of (a) the revenues and (b) the losses of Network Rail stem from the least used 10 per cent. of the railway network. [125763]
Dr. Howells: The revenues and costs of Network Rail are computed on a network-wide basis under a "single till" mechanism. However, as required by the rail regulator, Network Rail's business plan sets out elements of projected expenditure by route. Furthermore, as part of his current interim review of access charges the regulator has requested from Network Rail certain information on a disaggregated basis, with a view to developing greater local accountability and efficient allocation of resources.
Night Flights
Mr. Bellingham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment has been made by the Department of the economic cost of removing the ban on night flights at Heathrow airport, in terms of the
17 Jul 2003 : Column 614W
effect on property values on the flight path; what conclusions have been drawn; and if he will make a statement; [125820]
(2) what estimate the Department has made of the economic cost each year of continuing the ban on night flights at Heathrow imposed in 2001 in terms of its impact on the airline industry. [125821]
Mr. McNulty: There is no ban on night flights at Heathrow but, since 1962, various restrictions have been imposed on night flying, in recognition of the disturbance to some people from aircraft noise at night. The restrictions are reviewed from time to time. Details of the present restrictions are given in the consultation paper "Night Flying Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted" which sets out our proposal to extend those restrictions until October 2005. The consultation closed on 11 July.
Overseas Trips
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what overseas trips were made by (a) himself, (b) his ministerial team and (c) departmental staff in each month since 1 October 2002, specifying in each case (i) the participating Ministers, (ii) the destination of the trip, (iii) the purpose of the trip and (iv) the cost of the trip. [117529]
Mr. McNulty: The detailed information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All travel booked by civil servants is in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code.
The Government publishes an annual report of ministerial travel overseas. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the ministerial code.
US Warships (Disposal)
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of towing former US naval ships through the Pentland Firth. [125688]
Mr. Jamieson: No application has been received to enter the UK Pollution Control Zone which includes the Pentland Firth. UK agreement to a "passage plan" for the proposed tow is required in advance, and such agreement would depend on satisfactory conclusions following a risk assessment, including that of impact on the local environment.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on proposals to tow former US naval ships through the Pentland Firth en route to Teesside. [125689]
Mr. Jamieson: Proposals for such towage require prior UK agreement to enter the UK Pollution Control Zone.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the UK Administration will exercise its power to prevent the towing of former US naval ships thought to contain toxic chemicals through the Pentland Firth under article 19(2)(h) of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. [125690]
17 Jul 2003 : Column 615W
Mr. Jamieson: Article 19(2)(h) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), refers to acts of "wilful and serious pollution" contrary to UNCLOS. It does not limit proposals for commercial towage, for which separate prior UK agreement is required to enter the UK Pollution Control Zone.
Property Prices (Heathrow Flight Path)
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a review into the economic impact of Heathrow Airport on property prices for residential houses on the flight path; and if he will make a statement. [125824]
Mr. McNulty: House prices around Heathrow vary and are affected by many factors, as elsewhere. Both the economic benefits of the airport and the environmental disbenefits will affect property prices in a wider area than under the flight paths. There is already extensive worldwide literature on the effect of aircraft noise on house prices although the literature largely concerns day time noise and it is difficult to isolate aircraft noise (or any other single factor) as a discrete influence on house prices.
Ragwort
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contractual arrangements there are for the clearing of ragwort from highway land along (a) the A21, (b) the A259 and (c) other trunk roads in the Bexhill and Battle constituency; and what the cost has been in (i) the last financial year and (ii) this financial year to date. [126957]
Mr. Jamieson: I have asked the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Richard Bennett to Mr. Gregory Barker, dated 17 July 2003:
I have been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the clearance of ragwort along the A21, the A259 and other trunk roads in your constituency.
The clearance of ragwort on the trunk road network is carried out by the Highways Agency's Managing Agent Contractor as pan of their routine maintenance responsibilities. They carry out daily routine inspections of the network 10 identify general defects on the network including the presence of ragwort. Areas affected by ragwort are sprayed using herbicide during the main growing season and where appropriate cutting or weeding by hand of affected areas is also carried out, usually three times a year. Priority is given to the control of ragwort on highway land which is adjacent to or near agricultural or grazing land.
The only trunk roads in the Bexhill and Battle areas are the A21 and A259. All other roads in the area are local roads for which East Sussex County Council is responsible as the local highway authority. The removal of ragwort alongside these roads is a matter for the local highway authority to consider.
Ragwort is a growing problem on the truck road network and we have recently issued a press release which sets out how we intend to combat the problem. I enclose a copy of the press release for your information. You will see from the press release we spend in the region of one million annually to control ragwort.
The managing agent for this area changed on lst June and we have not been able to identify the cost of clearing ragwort on the specific routes you identify. However, expenditure so far this year for the area covered by the contractor (Kent, Surrey, West and East Sussex) is estimated at around £30,000.
Pretty But Poisonous: Highways Agency Tackles Ragwort
Ragwort's bright yellow flowers are a colourful sight on roadside verges, but the plant has a more sinister side.
Livestock in Britain are at risk of poisoning from common ragwort, so the Highways Agency is working to reduce ragwort growth on the verges of England's motorways and major trunk roads and to prevent the plant from spreading its seed.
Ragwort grows through two distinct stages—the rosette stage from germination to the end of May and the stem-flower stage from June onwards. The rosette stage is the early stage of growth where the ragwort is less noticeable but still poisonous with a dense rosette of leaves close to the ground.
The Highways Agency is using a two-step attack to deal with both stages of growth. The rosettes are being sprayed with an herbicide during May and June, and later, contractors will return to hand pull the older, more mature plants to prevent their seeds being dispersed.
"Ragwort is a difficult plant to combat as it is almost impossible to eradicate, at best it can be controlled. The seeds are very robust and can lie dormant in the soil for up to 20 years and so Ragwort grows unexpectedly in many different places. They can be carried for miles in the wind, and so as part of our work to control the problem, we encourage landowners to remove Ragwort from their land to try and prevent reinvasion.
The Highways Agency takes this perennial problem very seriously as Common Ragwort can pose a serious threat to equines and livestock, and there is no specific treatment once an animal shows symptoms of poisoning."
The Highways Agency spends in the region of £1 million each year to help control the spread of Ragwort along the 5,841 miles of trunk roads and motorways it operates in England, and supports the British Horse Society's (BHS) annual 'Ragwort Action Week' campaign.
1. The Highways Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, which manages, maintains and improves the network of trunk roads and motorways in England on behalf of the Secretary of State. It works closely with other transport operators and with local authorities to integrate the trunk road network with the rest of England's roads and other forms of transport. More information is available at www.highways.gov.uk 2. Sections of the following route verges will be timetabled for treatment: A27, A249, M20, M23 3. Common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea L.) is one of the five injurious weeds specified in the Weeds Act 1959. Landowners have a duty of care to prevent it spreading. 4. Ragwort is normally a biennial (rosette—spring 1st year; flowering—July/August 2nd year). The rosette stage is the early stage of growth where the ragwort is at its most poisonous and has a dense rosette of leaves close to the ground. In the stem-flower stage, the plant grows between 30cm and 100cm high with clustered bright yellow flowers. 5. Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds with a 70% germination rate. Ragworts seeds can be domant in the soil for up to 20 years. 6. Equines and bovines are more susceptible to ragwort poisoning than other livestock. Little can be done for the animal once the symptoms appear. Young animals are more susceptible than mature animals. 7. Ragwort acts as a cumulative poison, eventually destroying the liver. A small intake of ragwort over a long period can be just as damaging as a large intake on a single occasion.
Melese Glazer on 01306 878 110 melese.glazer@highways. gsi.gov.uk
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |