| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1851W—continued
Young Service Personnel
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many 16 and 17-year-olds are serving in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force. [196271]
Mr. Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many under 18-year-olds have died while (a) in service and (b) in training in each of the armed forces for the last 10 years; and if he will list the causes of death in each case. [196272]
Mr. Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
TRANSPORT
Airports
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with airport operators since the publication of the Future of Air Transport White Paper regarding compensation packages for properties close to expanding airports. [198920]
Charlotte Atkins: Officials in the Department held discussions with several airport operators where new runway development options were under consideration during the period leading up to publication of the White Paper, including BAA plc. Those discussions contributed to the views and conclusions set out in paragraphs 12.13 to 12.17 of the White Paper.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the mitigation of damage to local environments around expanding UK airports. [198921]
Charlotte Atkins: The Future of Air Transport White Paper set out in broad terms the measures which the Government expect to see taken by airports and others, and itself intends to take, in order to mitigate environmental disbenefits arising from airport development.
Work is now in hand on the programme of action summarised on p146 of the White Paper, including the preparation by airports of master plans and noise mitigation schemes, and a structured programme of work specifically on the possible future development of Heathrow Airport in keeping with noise and local emissions constraints. Detailed airport proposals for mitigation measures will fall to be considered through the planning system in due course.
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1852W
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) noise levels and (b) other environmental effects around Edinburgh Airport that would be consequent on the expansion of the airport as set out in the Future of Air Transport White Paper. [198922]
Charlotte Atkins: This information is set out in the Scottish Consultation Document and supporting technical reports. These estimate the number of people who would be affected by different levels of noise under a range of runway options at Edinburgh Airport including maximum use of the existing main runway, greater use of the existing crosswind runway and development of a new close parallel runway. Our analysis suggests that by 2030, the development of a new close parallel runway, assuming a -14 dBA technology improvement, would reduce the number of people affected within the 63 dBA 16 hour Leq contour by 300 with an increase of 200 people affected at the 69 dBA 16 hour Leq contour.
Full dispersion modelling was undertaken for a number of runway options at Edinburgh Airport which showed that, in terms of exceedance standards and properties affected, no local air quality problems were likely to arise.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the suitability of the compensation packages provided by airport operators for properties close to expanding UK airports; and if he will make a statement. [198923]
Charlotte Atkins: Representations have been received from three hon. Members. Others have been received from Uttlesford district council and from the Harmondsworth and Sipson Residents' Association. I answered a question from the hon. Member for Solihull (Mr. Taylor) on 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1114W.
Blue Badge Scheme
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what advice was taken from the Department of Health on the status of myalgic encephalitis sufferers when formulating the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge scheme; [199273]
(2) how many of those people in England eligible for a Blue Badge are suffering from myalgic encephalitis. [199291]
Charlotte Atkins: The Blue Badge Scheme is designed primarily to assist disabled people who are unable or have severe difficulty in walking, regardless of the nature of their disability. Local authorities, who are responsible for administering the Scheme, will decide on an individual's eligibility on the basis of these criteria. People with myalgic encephalitis will be eligible for a badge if their walking ability is seriously affected.
The Department does not hold data on the disabilities of individual blue badge holders.
We have had no separate discussions with the Department of Health (DH) on myalgic encephalitis. We have, however, worked very closely with that Department in taking forward the recommendations of
18 Nov 2004 : Column 1853W
the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee following the comprehensive review of the Blue Badge Scheme which we undertook.
Buses
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of quality contracts for buses on joint working between passenger transport executives and bus operating companies in providing bus services that meet the needs of the community they serve. [199218]
Charlotte Atkins: To date no authority has submitted a scheme for approval and therefore no assessment has been made of the effects of a quality contract on joint working between Passenger Transport Executives and bus operating companies.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is encouraging local authorities to run Quality Contracts for buses pilot schemes; and if he will (a) commission and (b) publish studies of such pilot schemes. [199219]
Charlotte Atkins: The Transport Act 2000 gave local authorities the power to introduce Quality Contracts. To date no authority has submitted a scheme to the Secretary of State for approval. Approval will not be on a pilot basis, although any scheme that is approved will be monitored closely by the Department. We are currently taking a number of steps to make the process less formidable. The Department will shortly be reducing the minimum period between making the approved scheme and implementing it from twenty-one to six months. Following consultation during the summer, the Department will also be publishing guidance to local authorities on how to apply for approval of a quality contract scheme.
As announced in "The Future of Transport", the Department is particularly encouraging local authorities to consider a Quality Contract, where it is linked to a wider strategy to tackle congestion and where PTEs are deciding a new balance between rail and bus.
Departmental Advertising Costs
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 1997–98, broken down by contractor. [197294]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was created in May 2002 and costs for years prior to this can be produced only at disproportionate cost.
The majority of the Department's media spend is on the THINK! road safety campaign with adverts produced covering a range of subjects such as drink drive, speed, seatbelts, mobile phones, plus specific creative work targeted at children and teenagers.
The cost of administration for the Department's advertising activity can be produced only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |