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Lower Air Space Radar Service
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions's consultation on the future funding of the Lower Air Space Radar Service (LARS) has been completed; and how and when they intend to report on this matter.[HL2940]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions issued a consultation letter to organisations representing airspace users on 16 August 2001. A workshop was held with key representative organisations on 9 January. The consultation process has been completed and the final report is currently in preparation. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.
Mode S Transponders: Swanwick Centre
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the National On Route Centre at Swanwick currently has the technology to deal with Mode S transponders.[HL2941]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The surveillance dataprocessing systems within the Swanwick centre were designed with Mode S in mind; consequently the capabilities are present. The systems will be developed and modified, as necessary, to meet the requirements for the introduction of Mode S within en-route airspace in 2005.
National Private Pilots Licences
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When national private pilots licences (NPPLs) will be introduced; and whether introduction would require primary or secondary legislation.[HL2942]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: An amendment to the Air Navigation Order 2000 to provide for the grant of national private pilot licences will be drafted shortly, with the intention of introducing the new licences by mid-summer 2002. bern
National Air Traffic Services
Lord Bowness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have made a £30 million contribution to the £60 million loan facility granted to National Air Traffic Services; and[HL2949]
For how long the £60 million loan facility will enable National Air Traffic Services to continue its operations; and[HL2950]
Whether the sufficiency of the £60 million loan facility to National Air Traffic Services (NATS) is dependent upon the lifting of the price cap imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority, as NATS' regulator; and[HL2951]
When they agreed to make a £30 million contribution to the loan facility to National Air Traffic Services; when the negotiations commenced; and whether in the light of various newspaper reports of 20 February they will reconsider the reply by the Lord Filkin on 14 February (HL Deb, col. 1179) that "the noble Lord . . . should not believe everything that is written in the papers on this matter".[HL2952]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September led to a downturn in air traffic, which has had a serious impact on NATS' revenues. Since that time, NATS' financial position has been regularly discussed by NATS, the Airline Group, the Government as the other main shareholder, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as regulator and the banks. All these parties are making a contribution to ensuring that NATS has a robust financial structure for the foreseeable future.
The banks and government are being asked to make a contribution through the provision of short-term financial support, likely to be in the form of commercial loans. The terms of Airline Group's contribution are being discussed. Final decisions have not yet been taken.
The loan would be intended to provide bridging finance until NATS' longer-term financial position becomes clearer. The longer-term position depends in part on the outcome of the CAA review of the price cap.
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will take immediate steps to improve the 23 British roads which the 2002 European Road Assessment Programme zero rated.[HL2968]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government put a high priority on road safety and reducing casualties on our roads. The demanding targets they have set for casualty reduction by 2010 endorse this and are backed by the Road Safety Strategy published in March 2000. The strategy explained the Government's commitment to improve safety on all roads in Great Britain for all road users, and work has already started to deliver improvements in order to meet the 2010 casualty reduction targets.
While the Government provide funds, local highway authorities and the Highways Agency in England, and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for carrying out road improvements. Authorities target individual locations or sections of routes that have been identified through an assessment procedure that includes analysis of accident data. Priority is usually given to treating those sites and routes that have higher than average accident trends.
The AA EuroRap programme is a welcome contribution to the road safety debate; it highlights the need for highway authorities continually to strive for improvement. It should also encourage drivers and other road users to take greater care and to play their part in improving road safety.bern
A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to hold a public inquiry into the proposed A303 Stonehenge (Amesbury to Berwick Down) improvement scheme; if so, when it will be set up; and where it will be held.[HL3010]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The decision on the need for a public inquiry into the A303 Stonehenge improvement scheme will be taken in the light of the nature and weight of objections to the statutory proposals due to be published towards the end of this year. It is too early to set a date or venue for an inquiry, although the venue will be in the vicinity.
A11 Trunk Road: Litter Clearing
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which company has the contract for litter cleaning on the A11 trunk road linking the M11 to the A14; when it was last cleaned up; whether they are satisfied with the present cleanliness of this road; and, if not, what they propose to do about it.[HL3012]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the sweeping and cleansing of trunk roads is the responsibility of the district, borough and unitary councils through which they pass.
Two district councils are responsible for clearing litter on the section of the A11 linking the M11 with the A14: South Cambridgeshire District Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council.
South Cambridgeshire District Council clears litter at lay-bys and interchanges on its section of the A11 every month. The remainder of its section of the route is cleared twice a year during the spring and autumn: it was last cleared in autumn 2001. Additional cleaning is done if the need arises.
East Cambridgeshire District Council carries out litter clearance on all of its section of the route every
20 days. The route was last cleared in early/mid-February.Both councils are encouraged to clear litter at the same time as the Highways Agency is carrying out work so that any necessary lane closures are kept to a minimum to reduce costs and to reduce disruption to road users.
In addition, the Highways Agency arranges for the immediate removal of refuse or debris reported or found on the trunk road which is considered to be a safety hazard.
The Highways Agency is not aware of any recent litter problems that could pose a safety problem on this section of the A11 trunk road.
Housing: One-person Households
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What systems and procedures they have put in place to monitor local authority compliance with the instruction in point 9 of the revised PPG3 to allow for growth of one-person households.[HL3022]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government are conducting research to consider the implementation of the policies set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 Housing (PPG3). The research will report the progress made by local authorities in assessing and planning for the housing needs of their communities. Housing Statistics 2001 provides information on the number of bedrooms in flats and houses completed in the English regions as a percentage of all additional dwellings. Local authorities should also report publicly on the variety of types and sizes of housing being provided in their areas. bern
Battle of Trafalgar Bicentenary
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they have taken to encourage and enable voluntary organisations, local authorities and schools to prepare and participate in plans to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005. [HL2922]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The Department for Education and Skills has no specific plans to encourage schools to participate in celebrations of the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. However, the Napoleonic Wars and the roles of Nelson and Wellington are cited in the history national curriculum as an example of a subject which might be studied by key stage 3 pupils to illustrate British history 1750 to 1900. It is for schools to decide if and how they wish to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005.
The Department for Education and Skills is not responsible for plans made by either local authorities or voluntary organisations.
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