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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 26 March 1991
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Sri Lanka
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the number of people who have disappeared in Sri Lanka in the last three years ; how many detainees are held by the Sri Lankan Government under emergency laws ; what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan authorities on human rights abuses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Reliable information is not available on the number of people who have disappeared or the number of detainees. We continue regularly to raise with the Sri Lankan Government our concerns about their human rights performance and the conduct of their security forces in dealing with the serious terrorist challenge they face.
Iraq (Humanitarian Assistance)
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what humanitarian assistance Her Majesty's Government are giving to Iraq via the European Community, the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations agencies, and other relief agencies.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom supports the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations relief agencies in Iraq. This year we have already given £2.5 million to the ICRC's Gulf appeal and US $1 million to the United Nations appeal co- ordinated by UNDRO. In addition, the EC Commission has given £8.75 million to support the relief activities in the Gulf region. The share of this attributable to the United Kingdom's aid budget is £1.75 million. All these funds are available for use in Iraq.
In the light of reports from the ICRC and United Nations Under-Secretary- General Ahtisaari, the United Nations sanctions committee, with full British support, has now made a general determination that humanitarian circumstances apply with respect to the entire civilian population of Iraq in all parts of Iraq's national territory and that the civilian and humanitarian imports identified in Mr. Ahtisaari's report, which are integrally related to the supply of foodstuffs and supplies intended for medical purposes, should be allowed with immediate effect.
TRANSPORT
Motorway Lighting
Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway there are in England and Wales ; and what proportion of these are lit.
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Mr. Chope : There are 1,640 miles of trunk motorway in England. About 30 per cent. of this length is lit. The Secretary of State for Wales is responsible for motorways in Wales.
Air Traffic Distribution
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which British-owned airlines were consulted prior to his recent announcement about traffic distribution rights at Heathrow airport ; what steps he took to ensure that airlines flying services from Britain's regional airports could continue to do so ; if he has discussed the allocation of Air UK's original slots with the Heathrow airport scheduling committee ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The hon. Member will be able to obtain from the CAA the names of the 54 United Kingdom airlines it consulted prior to offering advice on the need for the London traffic distribution rules. My right hon. and learned Friend explained in his statement of 5 March that removal of the rules did not impose any requirement on the operators of regional services to give up operating at Heathrow, and noted the existence of safeguards against unreasonable discrimination in an airport's trade practice or pricing policy. My right hon. and learned Friend has not discussed with the Heathrow scheduling committee the allocation of slots previously used by Air UK, as the Government are not involved in the slot allocation process.
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from British Northern Airlines about his Heathrow traffic distribution decisions and that airline's application to the Heathrow airport scheduling committee.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. and learned Friend has received no such representations from British Northern Airlines, although its concern to secure slots at Heathrow has been drawn to our attention by others. That is a matter for discussion between the airlines and the Heathrow scheduling committee.
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his decision on allocation of airlines to Heathrow in the light of the refusal by the Heathrow airport scheduling committee to allocate the slots previously used by Air UK to British Northern Airlines.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to review his decision to remove restrictions on access to Heathrow. The allocation of slots at the airport is the responsibility of the scheduling committee, which follows guidelines drawn up by the International Air Transport Association. The Government are not involved in the allocation process.
Holidaymakers (Consumer Protection)
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Association of British Travel Agents over extending consumer protection for all holidaymakers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Consumer protection matters in general, including package holidays, are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry ; I
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understand that the Association of British Travel Agents has had discussions with Ministers in his Department recently.The Association of British Travel Agents has also written recently to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, supporting his request to the Civil Aviation Authority, as announced in his statement to the House on 11 March, for advice on possible arrangements to give financial protection to scheduled air passengers ; air charter holidaymakers are already protected by the statutory bonding scheme for air travel organisers, and by the Air Travel Trust.
Offshore Standby Vessels
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to his answer of 14 March, Official Report, column 639, when his Department's latest standard for standby vessels will be applied to all such vessels.
Mr. McLoughlin : The latest standard is expected to be published in April. New ships will be required to comply in full, but in view of the significant changes that are to be made there will be a staged introduction for existing ships.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he proposes to change the record keeping by his Department to enable him to know when standby vessels are on station in the North sea.
Mr. McLoughlin : Since early 1990 most owners have been providing on a weekly basis information on the locations and time their vessels are on station as a check on the periods of duty at offshore installations. When the revised code is published next month this information will be sought on a voluntary basis for all standby vessels. In his report on the Piper Alpha disaster Lord Cullen recommended that the owners of standby vessels should be required to notify the regulatory body weekly as to the locations and functions of their vessels in the ensuing week. This will of course be a matter for the Health and Safety Commission once responsibility has been transferred to it.
Drivers (Working Hours)
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to introduce regulations to restrict the working of excessive hours by taxi and private hire drivers.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Government will be consulting trade organisations to establish whether the working of excessive hours is a widespread problem, posing a serious safety hazard. If it is, we shall have to identify appropriate remedial measures.
Goole Port
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many registered dock workers there were at the port of Goole for each of the years from 1985 to 1990 ; and how many of those dock workers are currently employed following the abolition of the dock labour scheme.
Mr. McLoughlin : The numbers of dockers registered at the port of Goole at the end of each year 1985 to 1988 and at 3 July 1989 when the dock labour scheme was abolished were as follows :
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Numbers of registered
dockworkers
Year |Numbers
----------------------------
1985 |189
1986 |169
1987 |169
1988 |165
3 July 1989 |164
I have no information about how many of these are currently employed following abolition of the dock labour scheme.
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the total tonnage of exports and imports handled by the port of Goole in each year since 1985.
Mr. McLoughlin : Annual tonnages of foreign trade handled at the port of Goole since 1985 are as follows :