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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.
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:
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
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.
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Tim Matthews, to write to the noble Lord.
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
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.
Lord Higgins asked Her Majesty's Government:
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 Networkand 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:
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.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
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 Type | Congestion Cost (pence/vehicle kilometre) |
Central London | 120 |
Inner London | 75 |
Outer London | 35 |
Central Conurbation | 55 |
Outer Conurbation | 20 |
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:
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.
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:
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.
Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: This is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London.
Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty's Government:
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.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
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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