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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1061W—continued
Mapeley Steps Contract
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the then Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and Regional Affairs was a party to the agreement between the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise and Mapeley Steps Ltd (Bermuda) in April 2001 to sell buildings; and whether he received advice from officials with regard to (a) the contract and (b) where the purchaser company was based. [124866]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
The agreement for the transfer of buildings to Mapeley Steps Ltd. by the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise was signed by officials of those departments pursuant to a general authorisation to sign documents on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in whom the majority of the Civil Estate is nominally vested.
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Mersey Tunnels
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received a full set of accounts for the Mersey Tunnels illustrating income and expenditure with appropriate notes and an auditor's certificate in the last 12 months. [131229]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 626W.
Section 100 of the County of Merseyside Act 1980 does not require that the accounts sent to Ministers have to be accompanied by appropriate notes and an auditor's certificate.
Motorways
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from road hauliers and their associations on his proposal for use of motorway hard shoulders within the Active Traffic Management project. [130968]
Mr. Jamieson: No formal representation has been received from road hauliers and their associations on the proposals for the controlled use of the hard shoulder within the Active Traffic Management project. However, as part of the preparation for the trial of Active Traffic Management on the M42, the Highways Agency commissioned research to assess user attitudes to the Active Traffic Management proposals. The views of HGV drivers that use the M42 were sought as part of this work.
Representatives of the Highways Agency have also met and discussed the proposals for the M42 with a range of key stakeholders including the local emergency services. The road hauliers associations will be consulted in the future as part of the on-going stakeholder liaison.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to include in his public education programme the promotion of good lane discipline among the users of motorways. [130969]
Mr. Jamieson: There is a specific section in the "Motorways" part of the Highway Code on lane discipline. The Department has also produced a leaflet 'A guide to safer motorway driving' which includes advice on lane discipline.
Passenger Railway Carriages
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger railway carriages there were in (a) 1993, (b) 1998 and (c) 2003; and if he will make a statement. [128792]
Mr. McNulty: Figures are only readily available for the years 1995 and 2003. There were 9,979 vehicles in 1995 and 10,610 in 2003. This increase reflects both the fact that some operators have increased the number of services they provide and the statutory requirement to replace the Mark 1 rolling stock that is currently operated by the three franchises operating south of the river Thames (GoVia South Central, Connex South Eastern and South West Trains).
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Public Transport
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to extend public transport infrastructure since 1997; and what measures have been taken to ensure that the infrastructure is adequately maintained. [130453]
Mr. McNulty: We have launched a major programme of investment through the 10 Year Plan for transport, published in July 2000. This comprises a £180 billion programme of public and private funding aimed at improving transport infrastructure and services across all modes. Major additions and enhancements to public transport infrastructure started or completed since 1997 include:
- High Speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link
- Heathrow Express rail line
- West Coast Main Line upgrade
- Chiltern Line double-tracking
- Rebuilding of Manchester and Leeds stations
- London Underground Jubilee Line extension
- London Underground modernisation
- Docklands Light Rail extensions to Lewisham and City Airport
- New light rail lines in Birmingham, Manchester, Croydon, Sunderland and Nottingham
- Guided busways in Leeds, Bradford and Crawley.
The 10 Year Plan also included substantial increases in funding to improve the maintenance of infrastructure. Funding for local road maintenance has been doubled, with the aim of eliminating the long-term maintenance backlog by 2010. Network Rail is now focussing on reducing the maintenance backlog on rail, and plans toreplace 740 miles of track this year (compared to 300 miles achieved by Railtrack and in the run-up to privatisation). And substantial new investment is now going in through the PPP to tackle the long-term maintenance backlog on the London Underground.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to invest in public transport infrastructure in the next five years. [130454]
Mr. McNulty: Investment plans for transport over the current decade were set down in the 10 Year Plan for transport, published in July 2000. Up-dated plans were published in the progress report published in December 2002. Expenditure on public transport is not separately identified, but total investment (public and private) over the five years from 2004–05 on railways, and on non-roads transport by local transport authorities and the Mayor for London, is estimated to be around £48 billion.
Light Pollution
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to highway authorities about light pollution resulting from road lighting. [131235]
Dr. Howells: The Lighting Board of the Roads Liaison Group (which brings together representatives from national and local highway authorities across the UK) is producing a revised Code of Good Practice for Street Lighting. This will include advice on reducing light pollution. In the meantime, other guidance issued previously remains applicable.
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The Department of Transport published "Road Lighting and the Environment" in 1993 which gave advice on good street lighting practice to reduce sky glow and light pollution generally.
The Department also contributed to "Lighting in the Countryside: Towards good practice", which was commissioned by the Department of the Environment (now Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). The document provides guidance to local authorities, highway planners and engineers and members of the public. It demonstrates what can be done to lessen the adverse effects of external lighting, including street lighting. The advice is applicable in towns as well as the countryside.
Road Safety
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many signs there are on trunk roads indicating that queues are likely; and what plans the Government has to eliminate the causes in each case. [129149]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
European Cohesion Policy
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the Leipzig Declaration on European Cohesion Policy; and if she will make a statement. [130886]
Jacqui Smith: The Government's position on the future of the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds was confirmed in a statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 17 September 2003. Although some of the principles of the Leipzig declaration—for example, its emphasis on a strengthened Community regional and cohesion policy and an enhanced role for regional and local government—are reflected in the Government's approach, our overall position is somewhat different. In particular, we believe that richer EU member states should fund their own regional policy within an EU-wide agreed framework and we do not regard the current budget maximum, 0.45 per cent. of EU GDP, as a reference point for future Structural and Cohesion funding.
Arms Exports
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export credit guarantee arrangements have been made to support the Defence Systems and Equipment Information exhibition held in London in September; and if she will make a statement. [129915]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The ECGD has not made any arrangements to support the DSEI exhibition.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to ensure that end-user certificates used for arms exports carry (a) the serial numbers of the arms being exported, (b) the number
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of weapons to be transferred, (c) details of the transportation to be used to carry the shipment and (d) details of the route the shipment is to take. [131133]
Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates must be consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's export control website. Precise details of information required on end-user certificates will vary depending on the nature of the proposed export and end-user. There are currently no plans to amend this format.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, as part of her proposals for the secondary orders to the Export Control Act 2002, she will create a binding agreement with countries that receive arms exports from the UK that they will not re-export weapons of UK origin without first informing the UK Government. [131134]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government has no plans to introduce such binding agreements. The surest way to minimise the risk of UK arms being re-exported and ending up in the wrong hands is to carry out a rigorous assessment of export licence applications at the licensing stage.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Foreign Office passes to the export control organisations on emerging conflicts; and whether this information is then used for making decisions on reducing or ceasing shipments. [131138]
Nigel Griffiths: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office work very closely with the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation, to keep them fully informed of any changes in circumstances that might affect export licensing decisions. The Export Control Organisation then establishes which pending applications and extant licences need to be re-examined. Applications have been refused, or extant licences revoked, if the changed circumstances warrant this.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department has taken to increase the security devices used on end-user certificates. [131144]
Nigel Griffiths: Each page of a submitted EUC must contain an original signature and be dated. With each completed EUC, the end-user or consignees must provide a covering letter on their headed stationary signed by the same person who has signed the EUC. Both the EUC and covering letter must be in original format.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether contact details for the Export Control Agency are visible on end-user certificates. [131145]
Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates are provided by the consignee or end-user of the goods to be exported. The Department of Trade and Industry's export control address is included on all export licences issued on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
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Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there are provisions in the proposals for the Secondary Orders of the Export Control Act 2002 to regulate the provision of military and police training to embargoed countries. [131147]
Nigel Griffiths: Yes, where specified by the terms of the embargo.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether end-user certificates for arms exports set out the conditions under which the export licence has been granted. [131150]
Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates (EUCs) are provided by the consignee or end-user of the goods to be exported and must be consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's export control website. Conditions under which the export licence has been granted are set out on the export licence issued on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent to which her proposals for export control accord with Clause 5 of the resolution on Export Control passed by the European Parliament on 19 June. [131151]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government's proposals for export control are fully consistent with Article 5 of the EU Council Common Position on the control of arms brokering, adopted on 23 June 2003.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what international agreements the UK is party to on small arms regulation; and how her Department is ensuring these commitments are maintained, with particular reference to the proposals on export control. [131152]
Nigel Griffiths: The UK fully supports the UN Programme of Action (POA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons and actively participated in the first Conference in 2001 and the follow up Biennial Meeting of States, which was held in July 2003 to review progress on implementing the PoA. To help control the supply of SALW, the UK is leading the global effort to develop common international standards on arms exports. In December 2002 the UK was instrumental in securing "Best Practice Guidelines in the Exports of SALW" in the Wassenaar Arrangement, a group of 33 of the world's major arms exporters.
The UK signed the UN Protocol against the illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in firearms.
We continue to work in partnership with other Governments, NGOs and industry on policies and projects to implement the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms. This includes £20 million (2001–04) to curb small arms proliferation worldwide. The UK provides funding for research, projects such as weapon destruction, building awareness of small arms issues.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of how the Government's proposals on transportation of small arms, set out in the Department's consultation on the Export Control Act, comply with Clause II.12 of the
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United Nations Programme on Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. [131154]
Nigel Griffiths: The UK has fully taken into account it's international obligations on small arms, including the UN Programme of Action.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons all the recommendations set out in Clause II.14 of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects were not included in the Department's proposals for export controls, with particular reference to the creation of a register of arms brokers. [131155]
Nigel Griffiths: The Government believe that licence applications should be scrutinised on a case by case basis and that it is impractical to maintain a register of brokers who have been 'vetted' by the DTI.
The consultation document on the draft Export Control Bill explained that the Government proposes to register information on all those applying for licences, both for experts and for arms trafficking and brokering activities. It is intended that this database will be used for licensing and enforcement purposes, including on an international basis as appropriate.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department provides (a) financially and (b) in other ways to Interpol's international weapons and explosives tracking system; and what use her Department makes of the system. [131156]
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies her Department has (a) conducted and (b) collated on the export controls regime in (i) the US and (ii) other European countries. [131157]
Nigel Griffiths: The DTI maintains contact with officials in the export control regimes of other countries, for example through participation in the work of the international export control regimes and the EU Dual-Use Regulations Working Party. Collated systematic studies have not been carried out.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will amend her proposals on export control in response to the resolution passed by the European Parliament on 19 June calling on nation states (a) to adopt full extraterritorial legislation on export controls and (b) to establish registers for arms dealers. [131158]
Nigel Griffiths: The DTI can find no record of any resolution by the European Parliament on this subject.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arms embargoes the UK has imposed since 1997 on countries in response to (a) armed conflict and (b) human rights violations. [129848]
Mr. Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
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Since 1997 the UK has implemented mandatory UN arms embargoes on Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Ethiopia/Eritrea and Liberia, an EU embargo on Indonesia and a unilateral embargo on Zimbabwe. The latter was superseded by an EU arms embargo in February 2002. The UN arms embargo on Sierra Leone from 1998 was in response to internal armed conflict between the rebel militia group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and the government. In 1999 an arms embargo was imposed on Afghanistan because of internal conflict. In 2000, a UN arms embargo was placed on Ethiopia/Eritrea due to armed conflict between the two states. It was terminated in 2001. The UN arms embargo on Liberia from 2001 was imposed (superseding the UN arms embargo UNSCR 788 (1992)) because Charles Taylor's government was supporting the RUF in Sierra Leone, and at war internally with a rebel opposition group, the Liberian United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). The UN Security Council deemed that all of these conflicts represented a threat to international peace and security and therefore the Security Council acted under Chapter 7 of the Charter of the United Nations. An EU arms embargo was imposed on Indonesia in September 1999 because of conflict in East Timor; this was limited to four months and it fell away in January 2000. In February 2001, the UK imposed a unilateral arms embargo on Zimbabwe because of human rights violations involving repression by the government of the Zimbabwean public. In February 2002, the EU imposed an arms embargo against Zimbabwe for the same reason, which the UK now implements instead.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of how her Department's proposals for the secondary orders on export control will impact on the Government's commitment to improve human rights internationally. [129865]
Nigel Griffiths: The new controls will support the Government's commitment to human rights. Under current export controls, all licence applications received are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria that require the Government to give consideration to respect for human rights. The Government have made clear that these criteria will also form the basis for decisions on licence applications for exports subject to the new controls. By increasing the number of transactions subject to licensing, the new controls will increase the Government's ability to act to prevent human rights abuses.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her Answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 630W, if she will make a statement on the submission to the consultation on Export Control from Fund for Peace which was e-mailed to her Department on 1 May. [129805]
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons the National Criminal Intelligence Service was not included in the bodies consulted on the proposed legislative changes to export controls. [130028]
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Nigel Griffiths: The DTI consulted other interested Government Departments, including the Home Office of which NCIS is a part, when formulating policy in this area.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her assessment of US export controls included an analysis of the effect US export controls have on the competitiveness of US arms manufacturers. [130186]
Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 16 September 2003]: There is no assessment of the effect of other countries' export controls on the competitiveness of US arms manufacturers.
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