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Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent public body and as such is responsible for the formulation of its own policy. It is not for Government to agree or disagree with its policies.

Official Histories

Lord Evans of Watford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Government have appointed Professor Rodney Lowe of Bristol University as the official historian to write the official history of the Civil Service since Fulton. The Government have also agreed to a list of topics for future official histories, as follows:



    The Criminal Justice System


    Chevaline


    Devolution


    Policy towards the Former Yugoslavia


    The D Notice System


    A Biography of Desmond Morton

Minister without Portfolio: Role

Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:

    How many people are employed in the office of the Minister without Portfolio and Party Chair, including the number of special advisers; and what is the annual cost, and[HL4764]

    What are the Ministerial duties undertaken by the right honourable Charles Clarke MP in his role as Minister without Portfolio, as opposed to those in his role as Party Chair.[HL4765]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston): As Minister without Portfolio, the right honourable Charles Clarke MP is a member of the Cabinet and 14 Cabinet Committees. In his Government role he is supported by a part-time private secretary. The Government do not provide any further staffing support for the Minister without Portfolio. The salaries of individual civil servants are not disclosed in order to protect their privacy in line with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

3 Jul 2002 : Column WA48

M1 and M6 Motorways: Lighting

Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What measures are being taken to ensure full overhead lighting on the M1 and M6 motorways.[HL4770]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Tim Matthews, to write to the noble Lord.

"Blue Skies Thinking"

Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will define what they mean by the term "Blue Skies Thinking" when asking advisers, paid or unpaid, to carry out this task.[HL4885]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: "Blue-skies thinking" is a term often used for strategic thinking which starts from first principles, takes an independent approach, and results in new ideas.

A2 Road Information

Lord Higgins asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Why the Written Answer by the Lord Macdonald of Tradeston on 18 June (WA83-84) regarding the blockage of the A2 road only answered one of the four points raised; and whether they will now reply to the other three.[HL4930]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The section of the A2 inside London forms part of the Greater London Authority Road Network (GLRN)—now known as the Transport for London Road Network—and is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). The road has been closed at Blackheath since Sunday 7 April. Further information concerning the reopening of the road should be obtained from:


    Peter Brown


    Assistant Director Street Management Services


    TfL Street Management


    Windsor House


    42-50 Victoria Street


    London SW1H 0TL

The Government have not had detailed discussions with the relevant local authorities about this matter.

The Highways Agency manages the trunk roads and motorways in England. The GLRN was defined by powers contained in section 14A of the Highways Act 1980 (inserted by section 260 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999). Roads designated as part of the GLRN under this power thereby ceased to be trunk roads. The Government have no plans to resume responsibility for these roads.

3 Jul 2002 : Column WA49

Royal Mail Deregulation: Traffic Congestion

Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What estimates have been made of the additional traffic congestion that will be caused by busy streets by additional vehicles involved in the deregulation of the Royal Mail.[HL4685]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: There is no official estimate of the additional congestion cost caused by deregulation of Royal Mail. However, a study of the costs of road and rail transport, published in August 2001, was carried out by the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds on behalf of the department. This showed that the congestion costs of an additional vehicle varied according to location and vehicle type.

For Light Goods Vehicles, those most likely to be used by Royal Mail, the typical figures in 2001 prices were:

Area TypeCongestion Cost (pence/vehicle kilometre)
Central London120
Inner London75
Outer London35
Central Conurbation55
Outer Conurbation20

Brixham Marina Wave Screen

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What health and safety inspections, independent of the operator, have been conducted by which authorities or agencies into the construction and maintenance of the wave screen at Brixham marina, operated and managed by Marina Developments Ltd.[HL4837]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston : I asked my officials to consult Torbay Council. They inform me that no health and safety inspections, independent of Marina Development Ltd, have been conducted into the construction or maintenance of the wave screen at Brixham Marina.

Brixham, Torquay and Queen Anne's Battery Marinas

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What health and safety inspections, independent of the operator, have been conducted by which

3 Jul 2002 : Column WA50

    authorities or agencies into marinas at Torquay, Brixham and Queen Anne's Battery, Plymouth, operated and managed by Marina Developments Ltd; and whether copies of any such reports can be placed in the Libraries of the House.[HL4838]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston : I asked my officials to consult Torbay Council and Plymouth City Council. They inform me that no health and safety inspections, independent of Marina Developments Ltd, have been conducted at Brixham Marina, Torquay Marina, or Queen Anne's Battery Marina.

Greater London Car Charging Proposals

Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they consider that the Mayor of London's car charging proposals for London will improve traffic flow in Greater London.[HL4898]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: This is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London.

Traffic Light Timings

Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether the changing by the Mayor of London of the sequence of traffic lights in London is consistent with the Government's transport policy. [HL4899]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: This is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London. Guidance is issued to practitioners but the responsbility for the decision to install traffic signals, their design, including the selection of timings, and maintenance is solely a matter for the traffic authority.

Cleaner Fuels

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether on environmental grounds biofuels are as satisfactory as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG), and whether they deserve the same rebate of duty. [HL4960]

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The duty incentives set for road fuel gases are aimed predominantly at improvements in local air quality where cleaner fuels have a key role to play. The reduced rate of duty for biodiesel, which will take effect from Royal Assent of this year's Finance Bill, contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A direct comparison between the fuels is therefore not appropriate.



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