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13 Jun 2005 : Column 17W—continued
Regimental Uniforms
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new (a) Mercia, (b) Yorkshire, (c) Scottish and (d) Welsh regiments will each have one mess dress. [3255]
Mr. Touhig: A committee of representatives made up from the respective antecedent regiments has been formed to consider regimental dress and accoutrements requirements of the proposed Mercian Regiment, Yorkshire Regiment, Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Welsh Regiment. It is expected that the committee's decisions will be taken during the second half of 2005. Executive approval from the Army Dress Committee will be required before any announcement is finalised.
RFA Grey Rover
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the decommissioning date for RFA Grey Rover is. [2976]
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Mr. Ingram: The planned decommissioning date is 2006.
Scotia Graphics
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about Scotia Graphics of Coventry regarding the company's performance in delivering photographs to the families of soldiers who have been on passing-out parades; and if he will make a statement. [1893]
Mr. Touhig: The Ministry of Defence is aware of complaints against Scotia Graphics from families of soldiers who have passed out of the Infantry Training Centre Catterick and is sympathetic towards any family whose mementos of a proud occasion may have been lost. Although the Infantry Training Centre Catterick invited Scotia Graphics to offer their services to families attending the pass-out parade, direct responsibility for any failure by Scotia Graphics to deliver services is ultimately a matter between the company and its customers.
No further invitations will be made to Scotia Graphics.
Territorial Army
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the Territorial Army centres in the north-west of England. [2709]
Mr. Touhig: The Territorial Army is currently being rebalanced to align with the changes to the Regular Army under the Future Army Structures work. We do not anticipate that this will result in significant change to the existing Territorial Army Estate, including in north-west England.
Trafalgar Class Vessels
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which vessels in the Trafalgar Class have been subject to unscheduled operating restrictions in the last 12 months; what the causes were; and if he will make a statement. [2977]
Mr. Ingram:
Operating restrictions have been applied to two Trafalgar Class submarines in the past 12 months. Since September 2004, restrictions applied to the operation of HMS Torbay and HMS Tireless which prevented them from operating at sea, and they have remained in HMNB Devonport. As responsible nuclear submarine operators, the MOD keeps submarine and nuclear safety under continual review. This process identified a theoretical safety concern that potentially weakened the submarine safety justification for these vessels. It was decided that further work should be conducted to restore full confidence in the safety justification before these two submarines returned to normal operation. At no stage did this issue take the form of a fault or defect within these submarines and the decision to limit their operation was in line with the MOD's requirement to maintain the highest safety
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standards. The relevant further work on HMS Torbay's safety justification is nearing completion and work to support HMS Tireless' safety justification will be carried out as part of the previously programmed maintenance and upgrade period which she has just entered.
TRANSPORT
Aircraft Insurance Costs
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of Government regulations on insurance costs for classic aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [3125]
Ms Buck: Regulation (EC) No 785/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on insurance requirements for air carriers and aircraft operators, which entered into force on 1 May 2005, established minimum levels of passenger and third party insurance for almost all aircraft operating within Community airspace. Privately owned and operated classic aircraft are subject to these requirements which, in some cases, have led to an increase in premium because the amount of third party cover needed is greater than was in place on a voluntary basis before the Regulation came into force. The Government are concerned that this increase might prevent some historic aircraft from participating in commemorative events and has made representations to the European Commission to see if the Regulation can be amended to reduce the scope of the cover required without prejudice to people and property on the ground.
Airlines
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list airlines which have been banned from travelling inside UK airspace. [2950]
Ms Buck: Any airline from outside the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland which wishes to pick up or put down passengers or cargo in the UK requires a permit from the Secretary of State for Transport.
Currently the Secretary of State is refusing or wouldrefuse to issue permits to aircraft operated by the airlines listed below because of evidence that they are not receiving adequate regulatory oversight from their national aviation authorities:
In addition, the Secretary of State has suspended the permit of Phuket Airlines (Thailand) because of operational safety concerns.
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Airports
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's plans are for airport expansion. [2951]
Ms Buck: The Future of Air Transport White Paper, published in December 2003, set out a 30-year strategic framework for the development of airport capacity in the United Kingdom.
It is now for airport owners and operators to bring forward any proposals for specific airport development in the normal way.
Aviation Consultation (South-West)
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and which consultees responded to the Civil Aviation Authority's consultation on the west end airspace development incorporating route changes over Wales and South West England. [3031]
Ms Buck: This is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority and I have asked the Chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Bus Shelters
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on replacing, removing or fixing damaged bus shelters in each English region, in each year since 1997. [2413]
Ms Buck: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Car Clubs
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to promote the use of car clubs in London. [2506]
Ms Buck: The Department for Transport has taken a number of initiatives to promote car clubs, both inside and outside London.
In July 2004, we published Smarter Choices—Changing the Way We Travel". This sets out the findings from a major research project on the impact of a range of measures aimed at reducing traffic levels through encouraging people to choose different modes of travel from single-occupancy car use. The report contains a chapter on the potential effectiveness of car clubs.
This was followed up in December 2004 with Making Smarter Choices Work". It summarised the main report findings to help local authorities include measures such as car clubs in their local transport strategies. This was published in parallel with the revised Local Transport Plan guidance which included specific advice for local authorities on car clubs.
We have also published a new, research-based, best practice guide Making Car Sharing and Car Clubs Work" to encourage and help practitioners establish effective car clubs.
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Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research his Department has undertaken into the impact on the number of car journeys of car clubs; [1671]
(2) what research his Department has undertaken into the (a) trends in and (b) development of formal car-sharing through online systems; [1672]
(3) what research his Department has conducted into car-sharing schemes; if he will place copies of research findings in the Library; and what plans his Department has to provide guidance for local transport plans relating to car-sharing schemes. [1674]
Ms Buck: In July 2004, the Department for Transport published Smarter Choices—Changing the Way We Travel". This sets out the findings from a major research project into the impact of a range of measures aimed at reducing traffic levels through encouraging people to choose different modes of travel from single-occupancy car use. The report contains individual chapters on the potential effectiveness of car sharing and car clubs. Copies of the research are being placed in the Library. Building on the evidence presented in the report, we included specific wording and advice on car sharing and car clubs in the revised Local Transport Plan guidance which we published last December.
We have also published a new, research-based, best practice guide Making Car Sharing and Car Clubs Work" to encourage and help practitioners establish effective car share schemes and car clubs.
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