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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 22 January 1991
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Oral Questions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average length of time taken and the average cost involved of officials' time in his Department preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The time taken in preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions is not routinely recorded in the FCO. Details of the average cost involved throughout all Departments was given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in her answer to the hon. Member on 18 December at column 112.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what savings his Department would make were no notice given of oral questions to Ministers and they were answered without civil service time being used on briefings.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : No savings would be made and costs would almost certainly increase significantly. If the oral question is known in advance briefing can be tightly focused, thus avoiding the cost of producing a detailed brief, covering all subjects that could possibly arise.
Entry Visas
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the past 12 months how many entry visa applications have (a) been received and (b) granted in respect of (i) Poland, (ii) Yugoslavia, (iii) Czechoslovakia, (iv) Romania, (v) Albania, (vi) Hungary, (vii) Bulgaria and (viii) the Soviet Union.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The figures for entry clearance applications of all types processed in 1990 in the countries concerned are :
|Received|Granted
------------------------------------------
Poland |44,912 |42,694
Yugoslavia |1,354 |1,133
Czechoslovakia |23,258 |23,184
Romania |9,911 |9,226
Hungary |19,452 |19,391
Bulgaria |7,712 |7,625
USSR |45,752 |45,585
There is no entry clearance post in Albania.
Mr. Roman Mronov
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Russian Government about their failure to grant an exit visa to Roman Mronov of Kharkov to allow him to join his wife, son and in-laws in Israel.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : We can certainly raise this case with the Soviet authorities, but in order to make our representations most effective we shall need further details.
THE ARTS
Libraries
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister for the Arts when the inter- library loan scheme, operated by the British Library at Boston Spa, changed its procedures in respect of books loaned to other libraries in respect of charges made for (a) late return and (b) non-return of items ; what other changes have been implemented ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Renton : In October 1990 the British Library introduced changes to its system for reminding customers about long overdue loans and charges for lost items. This followed a review in the light of increasing numbers of such items which were causing inconvenience to other customers, and discussions with representatives of other libraries.
The principal effect of the changes is to introduce a non-refundable administrative charge on long-overdue items following the issue of three reminders. The separate charge towards the cost of replacement of non- returned items will continue to be credited if they are subsequently returned within six months. Another change is to allow renewals on demand of items on loan if not required by another customer.
Antiquities
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will provide additional resources to the national museums to fund research on antiquities using the work of Professor Alec Jeffreys, FRS, of Leicester university in relation to stable DNA.
Mr. Renton : I understand that Professor Alec Jeffrey's work on developing DNA probes involving genetic fingerprinting has been undertaken not only in university departments but in museums, often utilising material from national museums.
The natural history museum has been developing DNA studies over the past five years and has recently constructed a special laboratory for this type of work. This work is supported through the museum's grant-in-aid and also by funding from research councils and private funding agencies. The museum's bid for funding from my Department in 1991-92 has been met in full.
TRANSPORT
Computers (Security)
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to ensure the security of (a) his Department's computers in-house and (b) lap-top personal computers when used by civil servants outside his Department's offices.
Mr. McLoughlin : It is not Government policy to disclose details of the protective security measures for safeguarding computers used for official purposes. To do
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so would be of assistance to potential attackers and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the measures. The measures are kept under review.Lindane
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the container of Lindane lost in the channel in 1989 has been located ; and if it remains unbreached.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 6 March 1990, at columns 559-60 ; the container of Lindane has not been located by the French authorities in whose area of responsibility it was lost and in consequence it is not known whether it has been breached.
The French authorities have not detected any increase in background levels of the substance in the course of their programme of sampling and analysis of seawater and fish. Sampling by our own fisheries department confirms this.
Nuclear and Toxic Waste
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for the last 12 months for which he has figures the tonnage of (a) nuclear waste and (b) toxic waste that has been (i) shipped and (ii) discharged from vessels within the limit of the Port of London Authority.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am informed by HM inspectorate of pollution that no nuclear waste has been shipped or discharged from vessels within the limits of the Port of London Authority during the last 12 months. Imports of toxic waste discharged from vessels within the Port of London Authority amounted to 1,189 tonnes between April 1989 and March 1990. No toxic waste was shipped for export. No information is collected centrally on domestic movements of toxic waste shipped or discharged at sea ports.
Child Pedestrians
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the child pedestrian casualties in Britain in 1989 occurred in a street where they lived ; and in how many of these cases were the motor vehicles involved travelling at above the speed limit at the moment of impact.
Mr. Chope : The standard report form, STATS19, sent by police to the Department of Transport for all road accidents, does not have information on the addresses of casualties or an estimate of the speed of vehicles involved in accidents.
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for a change in the law so that when a child pedestrian is knocked down in a residential street the burden of proof is on the driver that due care was taken rather than on the child.
Mr. Chope : We have no proposals for such a change in road traffic law which would be contrary to the general principle of the criminal justice system that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution. We are however taking other steps, including encouraging the introduction of 20 mph zones and traffic calming measures and launching a major publicity campaign, which will improve child road safety in residential areas.
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A13
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements to the A13 between the North Circular road and Butcher row are currently being undertaken ; at what cost ; and when they will be completed.
Mr. Chope : Departmental schemes currently under construction are :
Scheme |Works cost|Estimated
|£ million |date of
|completion
------------------------------------------------------------------
Leamouth Road Junction Interim
Scheme |2.0 |Mid 1991
West India Dock Road Junction
Advance statutory undertaker's
works |3.1 |Late 1991
The following schemes are due to start this year :
Scheme |Works cost|Estimated
|£ million |date of
|completion
---------------------------------------------------------------------
West India Dock Road Junction phase |Spring
1 |1.2 |1992
Canning Town Flyover/Ironbridge
widening Advanced Works phase 1
Bridge over A102 |0.5 |Late 1991
Other schemes in preparation are :
|Works cost
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Street/Blackwall Tunnel |3.5
West India Dock Road Junction phase 2 |0.6
Butcher Row Junction |0.7
Canning Town Flyover/Ironbridge
widening Advance works phase 2 |9.2
Canning Town Flyover/Ironbridge
widening |21.0
A13/A112 Junction Improvement |44.4
A13/A117 Junction Improvment |35.6
Progress on some of these schemes will be dependent on the completion of statutory processes which could be subject to public inquiry. Completion dates are therefore provisional.
Chief Inspector Transport Security
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the duties and activities of the chief inspector of transport security ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The chief inspector of transport security was appointed on 1 November 1990. His duties are to develop the necessary programme on the maritime side and oversee the implementation of aviation and maritime security measures. He also provides a source of advice on security matters in other forms of transport. In particular, he contributes advice on the security of channel tunnel operations.
Dangerous Loads
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines are issued to British Rail regarding co-operation with other agencies in planning
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emergency liaison procedures in case of accident during the transportation of (a) radioactive waste, (b) nuclear warloads and (c) toxic waste.Mr. Freeman : Responsibility for the safety of staff and the public rests primarily with the railway operator and advice is given on request. British Rail liaises at all levels with the emergency services. Emergency procedures are regularly rehearsed both as theoretical and practical exercises to ensure that the emergency services are in a position to deal effectively with any incident that may occur.
RAF Finningley
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest developments in making RAF Finningley a joint military/civil airport.
Mr. McLoughlin : The operation of joint military/civil airfields is not possible under United Kingdom aviation regulations. Civil aircraft may use military airfields subject to such flights being compatible with operational considerations. I understand that civil aircraft are already allowed to use RAF Finningley by prior permission, but the scope to accept additional civilian traffic is severely limited by the needs of military flying. Use of RAF airfields is a matter for the Secretary of State for Defence.
Oral Questions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what savings his Department would make were no notice given of oral questions to Ministers and they were answered without civil service time being used on briefings.
Mr. McLoughlin : The time taken in preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions is not routinely recorded in the Department of Transport. Estimates are however made where there is a likelihood of exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold--currently £250. However, following an interdepartmental exercise in 1972 an assessment was made of the average cost throughout all Departments of answering an oral question. This assessment was based on staff time, using average rates of pay and associated costs for grades concerned, together with a share of the cost of parliamentary sections and any substantial non-staff costs such as computer usage. This assessed figure is regularly updated and currently stands at £99.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average length of time taken and the average cost involved of officials' time in his Department preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions.
Mr. McLoughlin : No savings would be made and costs would almost certainly increase significantly. If the oral question is known in advance briefing can be tightly focused, thus avoiding the cost of producing a detailed brief, covering all subjects that could possibly arise.
Aircraft Safety
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Britannia Airways Boeing 757 which lost a wheel after taking off from Gatwick airport on 15 January was given a complete overhaul and service check ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. McLoughlin : The air accidents investigation branch is carrying out a field investigation into the incident and will publish a report in due course. I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy of the report.
Coaches, Central London
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many coaches are estimated to visit central London on an average day during the summer ; how many coach parking spaces are available (a) on-street and (b) off-street ; and if he will make a statement on proposals to increase the available number of such spaces.
Mr. Chope : Latest figures indicate that there are some 1,000 coach movements in central London each weekday. Parking provision is primarily the responsibility of local authorities. There are approximately 80 on- street and 450 off-street spaces, mostly used by tourist coaches. This excludes off-street provision solely for commuter coaches of which there is no record. My hon. Friend the Minister of State will shortly host a further meeting with interested parties to consider initiatives for improving the provision and use of parking spaces for coaches.
Airports
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he has made to examine the options put forward by the Civil Aviation Authority on new runway capacity in south-east England ; if he will list the membership of relevant working groups ; when he expects to announce a decision ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Parkinson) on 26 November 1990, Official Report columns 272-73, when he announced the terms of reference and subgroup structure, and those he had invited to become members, of the working group which he had announced earlier was to be established to build on the Civil Aviation Authority's advice on runway capacity.
Responses to those invitations have now been received. On the main group, in addition to the relevant Government Departments and the CAA, are the London and South East Regional Planning
Conference--SERPLAN--the Federation of Heathrow Anti-Noise Groups--FHANG-- the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign--GACC--the North West Essex and East Hertfordshire Preservation
Association--NWEEHPA--the Airfield Environment Federation--AEF--the International Air Transport Association, the International Air Carrier Association, the British Air Transport Association--BATA--the Airport Operators Association--AOA--the Joint Airports Committee of Local Authorities, BAA plc, the Association of British Travel Agents, the British Tourist Authority, and the Air Transport Users Committee.
The members of the subgroup which will examine environmental and developmental issues are SERPLAN, FHANG, GACC, NWEEHPA, AEF, the Kent training and enterprise council and the chairmen of the airport consultative committees for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Bournemouth, Bristol Lulsgate, Southampton and Lydd airports. On the surface access subgroup are British Rail, London Regional Transport, SERPLAN and BAA plc. On the noise subgroup are the CAA, FHANG,
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GACC, NWEEHPA, AEF, AOA, BAA plc and BATA. On the airport development subgroup are the CAA, BATA and the airport operators at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Bournemouth, Bristol Lulsgate, Bristol Filton, Southampton, Lydd and Manston airports. The subgroups will also include the relevant Government Departments.To ensure the working group has access to a wide range of views, its considerations are to be supplemented by a written consultation. A consultation document was issued on 20 December.
Until the group has completed its work and has presented its advice to my right hon. and learned Friend, it is not possible to indicate the timing of further steps. The group is to meet for the first time on 1 February.
Gulf Crisis
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to enable British airlines and others directly affected by the economic impact of the Gulf crisis to weather the financial problems facing them at the present time.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to offer financial assistance. He has, however, taken steps to provide certain reinsurance facilities under the terms of the Marine and Aviation Insurance (War Risks) Act 1952, to help ensure that British airlines maintain services that otherwise would not have been operated. These services provide an opportunity for members of the British community in the Gulf region to leave if that is their wish.
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Speed Restrictions
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to apprise local authorities of the Department's new proposals for 20 mph speed zones in association with the installation of road humps ; and if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities are encouraged to make use of these new regulations.
Mr. Chope : We have issued a new roads circular--4/90--on the guidelines to be followed by local authorities when considering new schemes. We are encouraging local authorities to establish 20 mph zones, and have allocated over £31 million for local safety schemes within the minor works allocation of the transport supplementary grant settlement.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the road transport sector.
Mr. Chope : The Government's strategy for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from road transport is outlined in chapter 5 of "This Common Inheritance"--Cm. 1200.
Trunk Roads
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the trunk road improvement schemes in England for which contracts were awarded in 1990.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 18 January 1991] : Contracts for the following schemes, valued at over £1 million were awarded in 1990.
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|Contract
|price
Scheme Successful tenderer £ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A42 |Castle Donington North, Contract 2 |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |16.8
A6 |Quorn and Mountsorrel bypass |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |31.8
A16 |Louth bypass |Clugston Construction Ltd. |4.9
A47 |Castor and Ailsworth bypass |Roadworks (1952) Ltd. |7.7
A604 |(M1/A1 Link) Contract 5S |Balfour Beatty Ltd. |30.7
A523 |Macclesfield relief road |Fairclough Civil Engineering Ltd. |18.7
A140 |Dickleburgh bypass |J. Breheny (Contractors) Ltd. |2.2
A23 |Brighton bypass, Sayers Common to Muddleswood |Amey Construction Ltd. |10.5
A650 |Drighlington bypass |A. F. Budge (Contractors) Ltd. |4.9
A1079 |Market Weighton bypass |Birse Construction Ltd. |3.3
M62 |Closed circuit TV installation, junctions 26, 27 and 29 |Serco Ltd. |1.2
A43 |Blisworth bypass |Galliford (UK) Ltd. |15.1
A47 |East Norton bypass |Midland Oak Contractors Ltd. |1.2
A30 |Plusha to Bolventor improvement |Balfour Beatty Ltd. |10.7
A595 |Hensingham bypass |Eden Construction Ltd. |4.3
A27 |Brighton bypass, Hangleton to Dyke Road |M. J. Gleeson Group Ltd. |8.8
A38 |Marsh Mills junction improvement |Hochtief Ag. |22.5
A1 |Bramham to Wetherby improvement |Monk Construction Ltd. |14.9
A10 |Brandon Creek to Southery improvement |J. Breheny (Contractors) Ltd. |1.0
A47 |Norwich Southern bypass, Contract 4 |A. F. Budge (Contractors) Ltd. |29.9
M40 |Widening junctions 4 to 5 |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |35.9
A42 |Castle Donington North, Contract 3 |Redland Aggregates Ltd. |2.8
A282 |Dartford-Thurrock Crossing, Northern approach improvement |Cementation (Major Projects) Ltd. |8.3
A30 |Penhale to Carland Cross improvement |Fairclough Civil Engineering Ltd. |9.1
M4 |Junction 12 improvements, (Section 278 agreement) |Associated Asphalt Co. Ltd. |1.3
A35 |Axminster bypass |Farr Plc |8.1
A41 |Whitchurch bypass |Birse Construction Ltd. |8.9
M40 |Longbridge maintenance compound, provision of new roundabout|Midland Oak (Contractors) Ltd. |1.1
A11 |Red Lodge bypass |J. Breheny (Contractors) Ltd. |4.8
A303 |Mere to Wincanton improvement |Wimpey Construction Ltd. |15.3
A30 |Zelah bypass |Dean & Dyball Ltd. |2.6
A23 |Purley Cross junction improvement, (Section 278 agreement) |Costain Civil Engineering Ltd. |1.5
M42/M40 |Umberslade junction improvement |Monk Construction Ltd. |1.5
M5/M6 |Closed circuit TV installation, Contract 5 |C. M. R. Electronics Ltd. |2.4
A27 |Brighton bypass, Patcham to Coldean |Amey Construction Ltd. |14.8
A3 |Liphook and Petersfield bypasses |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |35.8
A23 |Brighton bypass, Muddleswood to Patcham |Alfred McAlpine Construction Ltd. |14.3
A20 |Folkestone to Court Wood, Contract 1 |Balfour Beatty Ltd |27.3
A47 |Norwich Southern bypass, Contract 3 |May Gurney & Co. Ltd. |14.8
A49 |Weaverham Diversion |Birse Construction Ltd. |4.2
A65 |Draughton bypass |Shand Construction Ltd. |2.1
A47 |Norwich Southern bypass, Contract 2 |A. F. Budge Contractors Ltd. |8.6
A423 |Maidenhead Thicket to Burchetts Green improvement |Birse Construction Ltd. |8.4
A516 |Etwall bypass |A. F. Budge (Contractors) Ltd. |2.7
A59 |Mellor Brook bypass |Eden Construction Ltd. |1.9
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the trunk road improvement schemes in England for which his Department plans to award contracts during 1991.
Mr. Chope : [holding answer 18 January 1991] :] I shall make an announcement soon.
Coach Drivers
Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to take steps to increase the observance of the 70 mph speed limit by coach drivers on motorways.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 21 January 1991] : Enforcement of the law on speed limits is a matter for the police. Coaches first used on or after April 1984 are already required to be fitted with speed limiters to prevent them from being driven at more than 70 mph. From 1 April this year, coaches first used between 1974 and 1984 will also need to have speed limiters. From the same date we shall be including a speed limiter check in the annual roadworthiness tests of coaches.
Motor Vehicle Emissions
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has received about the possibility of setting MOT motor vehicle emission standards based on individual manufacturers specifications ; whether he will discuss with the European Commission whether variable standards would conflict with EC legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 21 January 1991] : Setting emissions standards based on vehicle manufacturers' specifications would result in a more demanding in-use standard than the one which has previously been allowed by the relevant EC type approval directive. We therefore propose to set carbon monoxide testing standards on the basis outlined in our consultation letter of 20 September 1990. I hope to be able to sign enabling regulations shortly.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Public Sector Manpower
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North dated 19 December 1990, Official Report, column 177, on public sector manning, if he will list those parts of central and local government which have (a) increased and (b) decreased manpower since 1979, giving numbers in each case.
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Mr. Mellor : I have placed the information requested in the Library of the House.
Excise Duties
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the price of the most widely selling category of cigarettes is accounted for by excise duties, including value added tax ; what are the comparable percentages on petrol, spirits, beers and wines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The percentage of price accounted for by excise duties and value added tax for the goods specified in the question is as follows :