House of Commons Hansard Debates for 6 Jul 1993

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what central Government funds are available in Scotland for specific grants to aid the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 5 July 1993] : My right hon. Friend does not have the power to pay specific grants for this purpose. If Scottish local authorities faced additional expenditure commitments as a result of resettling refugees and asylum seekers this would be taken into account, in consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, in the determination of the level of aggregate external finance.

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Water Supplies

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average amount of water used daily per household in Scotland.

Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 5 July 1993] : A recent study in Scotland indicated that the average domestic consumption for each household was 368 litres per day.

Public Places (Disabled Access)

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve access for people with disabilities to museums, galleries, theatres, libraries and sports arenas.

Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 5 July 1993] : It is for the management of each organisation to consider how its buildings and, in the case of museums, galleries and libraries, its collections can be made accessible to disabled people. The Government have close links with a range of statutory, voluntary and private sector bodies which are active in encouraging such organisations to increase access for disabled members of the public.

The Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require access for disabled people to the ground floor of all buildings other than dwellings and buildings used for storage purposes. These provisions, which were first introduced in 1986, apply to all new buildings and to alterations and extensions to existing buildings. Proposed amendments to the current regulations were the subject of public consultation. They would require access for disabled people to the upper floors of all buildings except dwellings and storage buildings. These amendments should come into force in Scotland in the new year and would apply to all new buildings and to alterations and extensions to existing buildings.

As far as sports stadia are concerned, ground managements are equally responsible for ensuring adequate access. I particularly welcome the provisions for the disabled being made at those stadia currently being redeveloped in terms of Taylor report requirements.

Coastal Planning

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he intends to take to implement the Government's response--Cm 2011--to the Environment Committee's second report of 1991-92. "Coastal Zone Protection and Planning in Scotland" ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 2 July 1993] : The House of Commons Select Committee on the environment report on coastal zone protection and planning examined coastal issues as they relate to England and Wales only. In their response, the Government accepted that the issues raised have a relevance to the United Kingdom as a whole and should be addressed according to the circumstances in different parts of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish Office is considering how best to take forward the Government's proposals in relation to Scotland and as a first step has commissioned a review of Scottish coastal issues.

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The Scottish Office is represented on the interdepartmental group which is responsible for the continued development of coastal policy on a United Kingdom--wide basis.

Further Education Colleges

Mr. Chisholm : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money was given to Scottish further education colleges in 1992-93 to prepare them for incorporation ; and what provision was made in the conditions of grant for bonuses to senior staff.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 1 July 1993] : Grants totalling £2.3 million were made to further education colleges in 1992-93 to meet costs associated with the incorporation process. It was for college councils to determine to what use the grants were put within their statutory powers as set out in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq (Sanctions)

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with President Clinton the effects of the imposition of the United Nations sanctions on disease and infant mortality in Iraq.

Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is in close touch with President Clinton about policy towards Iraq. We and the United States agree that Security Council resolutions 706 and 712 provide the best scheme for financing the United Nation's humanitarian operations in Iraq. Iraq has refused to accept the scheme.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Royal Parks Agency

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what sums are being spent out of public funds by the Royal Parks Agency on the building and equiping of the agency's new stables for constabulary and working horses in Richmond and Hyde parks, on purchase of horses and equipment, on the police riding mane ge at Richmond and on maintaining public buildings in Richmond park.

Mr. Sproat : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Royal Parks agency under its chief executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given and I shall place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Letter from David Welch to Mr. Harry Greenway, dated 2 July 1993 :

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked me to reply to your Written Parliamentary Question below. What sums are being spent out of public funds by the Royal Parks Agency upon the building and equiping of the Agency's new stables for constabulary and working horses in Richmond and Hyde Parks, upon purchase of horses and equipment, upon the police riding mane ge at Richmond and upon maintaining public buildings in Richmond Park?

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No new stables were built at Richmond Park. The existing derelict stables and yard were renovated and equipped at a cost of £63,242. New stables at Hyde Park were built and equipped at a cost of £38, 342.

There have been 4 or 5 patrol horses for the last 40 years or so in Richmond Park, with the Metropolitan Police providing mounted officers at Hyde Park until 1 April 1993. There is now a total of 10 patrol and 2 shire horses in Hyde and Richmond Parks, the additional horses being purchased and equipped for £49,000.

The police riding mane ge at Richmond Park cost £15,000 and maintaining the public buildings (stables) in future is estimated at £3,000 per annum.

Quangos

Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if he will list the former Members of this House who have been appointed by his Department to quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations ; and if he will list in each case the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment, and the party which the former hon. Member represented ;

(2) if he will list the names of individuals who (a) are spouses of hon. Members, (b) are members of the House of Lords, (c) are spouses of members of the House of Lords and (d) have been party candidates for Parliament, indicating for which party, who have been appointed by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations giving, in each case, the title of the post, any salary payable, and the duration of the appointment.

Mr. Sproat : The Department of National Heritage does not currently hold the information requested centrally and this could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

National Lottery

g tenders from bidders for a clause 5 national lottery licence, not to exclude consortia which include an organisation, whether from the United Kingdom or overseas, which is engaged in existing gambling activity.

Mr. Sproat : The responsibility for evaluating tenders and awarding the licence will lie with the director general of the national lottery.

TRANSPORT

Night Flights

Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has reached conclusions following the consultations on night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. MacGregor : On 28 January this year I published proposals for night restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. These followed a wide -ranging review of how we might best maintain the policy of continuing to protect local communities from excessive exposure to aircraft noise at night.

Our existing policy has brought very considerable benefits to local communities by controlling movements of most jet aircraft at night. At the same time industry has made great strides in phasing out older noisier aircraft. There has been a substantial reduction in the number of

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people affected by daytime aircraft noise above the recognised disturbance threshold. This trend will continue, and I have separately laid regulations before the House which will ensure that the noisier, chapter 2 jets will be phased out by 2002. These regulations are in line with international agreements which we have worked hard to deliver.

The central element of our consultation paper was a new system to maintain the protection offered to residents around Heathrow and Gatwick and extend similar protection to those around Stansted. Additional features were to move away from restricting numbers of movements to a system of quotas that would further encourage the use of quieter aircraft. Each aircraft type would be assigned a quota count (QC) for take-off or landing in line with certificated noise performance. The noisiest aircraft (QC8 and QC16) would not be allowed to be scheduled at night. We also proposed that there should be a QC0 category for all aircraft with certificated noise levels less than 90 EPNdB to provide a further incentive to airlines to accelerate changes in their fleets and scheduling in favour of the quietest aircraft. Our proposals also include harmonisation of the night restrictions period and other measures to make the system fairer all round.

Responses to the consultation have clearly demonstrated the importance local people attach to night restrictions. At the same time, it is clear that they have benefited from the introduction of quieter aircraft. Industry respondents for their part broadly accepted much of what was proposed although they argued that the threshold for QC0 could have been set higher. Some airlines also stressed the need for modest growth in quota to meet anticipated increases in demand over the next five years. However, leaving the movement of QC0 aircraft unrestricted raised concerns among local people that there could in theory be a major and uncheckable expansion in night flights.

I have concluded that local concerns would best be met by extending the quota system with a new QC band to cover larger aircraft below 90 EPNdB. Although the aviation industry will lose some of the benefits of the previous QC0 proposal, they will still be able to use the flexibility of the quota system in scheduling their movements. At the same time local people will have the assurance that the quota will cover all relevant aircraft movements, with a reduction in the types that are currently exempt. This provides an additional measure of protection and meets local concerns about the perceived threat of uncontrolled growth.

I have given careful consideration to whether I should increase the proposed quotas in order to accommodate the introduction of the QC category. On balance I concluded that the relatively small number of such movements at Heathrow could be accommodated within my previous proposal but that enhancement of the quotas would be appropriate at Gatwick and Stansted, because of the larger number of QC movements particularly at the latter where there is a significant number of mail and empty positioning flights.

I have put a full statement on the new quotas in the House Library.

I pay particular tribute to the commitment of BAA plc in establishing noise and track-keeping systems at the three airports. These systems will complement our new arrangements providing further monitoring--further protection for local people. They will also provide a comprehensive basis for the reviews that I am asking the

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aircraft noise monitoring advisory committee (ANMAC) to carry out on current noise limits by night and day and the aircraft noise classification system. The noise and track-keeping systems also give industry a ready means to check on its own performance.

In my decisions I have sought to maintain the essential balance between the aviation industry and local people. The aviation industry makes an important contribution to the economy and it is essential to preserve employment and business opportunities not only for the 100, 000 people who work in the industry but also for the wider contribution it makes to the local and national economy. It will be tough on industry and is a challenge to them to maintain progress at introducing quieter aircraft. It is just as important to ensure that local people should be able to enjoy a good night's sleep.

West Coast Main Line

Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage BR and the relevant private sector interests to seek help from the European investment bank for the upgrading of the west coast main line.

Mr. Freeman : It is not normally appropriate for BR to borrow from the European investment bank (EIB), as it can borrow more cheaply from the Government.

I have recently announced a scoping study to examine how the private sector can be involved in upgrading the west coast main line. The source of finance for the private sector is a matter for any eventual private sector partner in the upgrading project. But the benefits of EIB funding are widely appreciated, and the WCML would almost certainly be an eligible project.

Public Bodies

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to whom each of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Department of Transport is responsible ; whether the public bodies or their members in each case are subject to (a) surcharge, (b) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (c) scrutiny by the Audit Commission or National Audit Office, (d) the statutory provisions for open government which apply to local authorities, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens' charters ; and whether the chairpersons and members of the boards of each of these bodies are required to declare an interest.

Mr. Norris : Details of the four executive non-departmental public bodies in which the Department of Transport has an interest are listed in "Public Bodies 1992", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The functions and responsibilities of the three General Lighthouse Authorities are specified in their founding legislation. My right hon. Friend is responsible for the operation of the General Lighthouse Fund which funds the authorities. The Traffic Director for London is appointed by my right hon. Friend and is responsible to him. The answers to the other points raised are : (a) None of the bodies is subject to surcharge. (The concept of surcharge as used in the Local Government Finance Act 1982 applies only to local authorities.)

(b) The bodies subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner are :

Trinity House

Northern Lighthouse Board

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Traffic Director for London

(d) No. The provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 apply only to those local authorities specified in the Act.

(e) Performance indicators have been set for the Traffic Director for London and a system of indicators for the lighthouse authorities is under discussion.

(f) All bodies are being encouraged to follow the principles of the Citizen's Charter.

No requirements regarding declarations of interest have been imposed by my right hon. Friend on members of the three lighthouse authorities, the majority of whom he does not appoint. The Traffic Director for London does not have a board but he is required by the terms of his appointment to be alert to the possibility of any conflicts of interest and to consult my right hon. Friend in any case of doubt.

South Rock Light

Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether fishing boats in Northern Ireland are required to pay light dues to the Commissioner of Irish Lights ; who operates the South Rock light on the most easterly point of Ireland ; what navigation aids the South Rock light provides to fishing boats sailing to Portavogie harbour ; and if he will make a statement about the future of the South Rock light.

Mr. Norris : The Commissioners of Irish Lights are funded from the General Lighthouse Fund established by Section 1 of the Merchant Shipping (Mercantile Marine Fund) Act 1898. The fund's principal income is from light dues levied on shipping using ports in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Fishing vessels using United Kingdom ports are liable for light dues. In the Republic of Ireland light dues are determined by the Irish Government, who have not extended light dues to fishing vessels using ports in the Republic. The South Rock lightfloat is operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights. The lightfloat is moored 3.6 miles from Portavogie and is used by all craft for the purposes of marking landfalls, marking coastal passages and as a turning mark for vessels navigating on the north-east coast of Ireland. It clearly marks the dangerous waters to the west and is important for vessels entering or leaving Portavogie. There are no plans to make any changes to the South Rock lightfloat.

Rail Services (Clapham to Willesden)

Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions he has reached from his study concerning the practicality of introducing a frequent urban passenger service on the newly electrified railway line between Clapham and Willesden junctions ; what would be the estimated cost of re-establishing the intermediate stations at (a) Wormwood Scrubs, (b) Shepherds Bush, (c) West Brompton, (d) Kings Road, Chelsea and (e) York Road, Battersea.

Mr. Norris : The study's main conclusions were that the West London line provides the opportunity to introduce a new inner London rail service at relatively low capital cost, and that the project might be suitable for a joint venture initiative. Analysis of potential usage was inevitably subject to a wide margin of error, but suggested that, while not justified in financial terms, the project's estimated

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benefits/costs ratio would be about 1.8, excluding station investment. Detailed estimates of costs for individual stations were not made.

Local Authority Transport Companies

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from employees of local authority public transport companies about the security and comparability of their pension arrangements should their companies pass into private sector ownership.

Mr. Freeman : I have received representations from PTA company employees, the TGWU and ALBUM (the Association of Local Authority Bus Undertaking Managers). I know that this is an important issue and I will take account of the proposals in respect of pensions in each case at the time consent to the sale arrangements is sought under section 75 of the Transport Act 1985.

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to allow those local authorities which currently do not have an arrangement with his Department to enable their public transport company employees to remain in the local government superannuation scheme after transfer to the private sector to make such an arrangement.

Mr. Freeman : The guidelines on future membership of public pension schemes, such as the LGSS, were set out in a policy statement of July 1991. I am sending a copy to the hon. Member. We have no plans to extend the arrangements referred to.

Channel Tunnel (Rail Freight)

Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to his answer of 28 June, Official Report, columns 403-4, what is the Government's policy on the desirability of early construction of rail freight terminals to take advantage of the opening of the channel tunnel.

Mr. Freeman : Our authorisation of BR investment exceeding £400 million in preparation for channel tunnel freight services is indicative of the importance we attach to this new market. Terminal facilities are under development and BR expects to be able to meet forecast demand when the tunnel opens.

Roll on/Roll off Vessels

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the outcome of recent negotiations within the International Maritime Organisation on the safety of life at sea convention in regard to the risks posed by roll on/roll off ships and ferries ; and what was the United Kingdom's position on the policy matters discussed.

Mr. Norris : Despite some support, the United Kingdom's proposal to amend the convention that would have applied the SOLAS 90 standard to existing ferries within a reasonable timescale did not receive the requisite number of votes at the Maritime Safety Committee. The United Kingdom's position was to obtain similar safety standard for all ferries. This continued to be our objective at the meeting held recently with our European neighbours, which had a more positive outcome.

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Motorways (Charges)

Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans currently exist to put tolls on the motorway network.

Mr. Key : Draft orders were published last month for the construction of the Birmingham northern relief road. This will be this country's first privately built, operated and tolled overland motorway. The Green Paper, "Paying for Better Motorways", was published on 26 May in order to stimulate a public debate on the principle of introducing direct charging on the existing motorway network in Great Britain.

Noise and Pollution

Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce measures to reduce the noise and pollution resulting from projected levels of road traffic.

Mr. Key : Increasingly tight noise standards have been introduced for all types of vehicle. Since 1980 the noise from the heaviest lorries has been virtually halved. And tighter limits are now being negotiated in the European Community. These new standards will include for the first time standards for tyre noise.

The annual MOT and HGV and PSV tests include an inspection of the exhaust system. Vehicles can also be subjected to roadside checks. We hope to increase the level of these checks by collaboration between police, DoT inspectors and local authority environmental health officers.

We assess the impact of noise on residential property among other factors which influence the alignment of new roads. And the spread of noise is minimised by the use of cuttings, earth mounds and noise barriers. Quieter road surfaces are being developed.

Compensation is offered to householders where property values are diminished due to new road schemes. We are conducting research on whether the level at which this compensation is triggered is the right one.

Tighter controls on the amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and the oxides of nitrogen which can be emitted by petrol and diesel engined cars have been agreed in the European Community. These mean that new petrol- engined cars are now fitted with catalytic converters, reducing by about 75 per cent. emissions of the pollutants mentioned above.

A further directive has just been adopted which will bring emissions from light duty goods vehicles into line with those for passenger cars. It will apply to light vans first registered on or after 1 October 1994. The EC Council of Ministers is now discussing a draft directive for stricter limits on emissions from cars leading up to the year 2000.

In 1991, the Council agreed new tighter emission standards for diesel engined lorries and buses, to be implemented in two stages. From 1 October 1993, new vehicles will have to meet a substantially tighter limit on NOx emissions. There is also to be a limit for the first time on particulate emissions. From 1 October 1996 the NOx limit will be reduced to about half its present value, and the particulate limit will have a level of stringency similar to that to be applied in the United States from 1994. Limits for the year 2000 will soon be discussed within the EC.

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Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which system of motorway charging he proposes to introduce ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Key : The Green Paper "Paying for Better Motorways" is a consultation document. The Government have taken decisions neither on the principle of introducing direct charging on existing motorways nor on the method of doing so, other than to rule out conventional tolling with toll plazas and barriers.

Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing motorway tolls ; what consideration he has given to ways of meeting these costs ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Key : The Green Paper, "Paying for Better Motorways" (Cm 2200) describes a number of possible systems of direct charging. Their costs of introduction would vary and would be influenced by the detailed design chosen. It is not possible at this stage to estimate reliably the cost of introducing motorway charges.

Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made of the amount of money which could be raised by introducing tolls on the motorway network.

Mr. Key : We estimate that an electronic toll of around 1 p per mile for cars and light goods vehicles and an average of around 4 p per mile for other vehicles would generate revenue of some £700 million a year. A permit priced at, say, £50 a year for cars up and to £500 a year for the heaviest goods vehicles would raise some £500 million a year.

Traffic Calming

Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of his staff are employed currently (a) full-time and (b) part-time solely to promote traffic calming (i) in Marsham street and (ii) in each of his Department's regional offices.

Mr. Key : Traffic calming is a very important area of work in the Department because of the significant safety and environmental benefits it can bring. A substantial amount of effort is devoted to carrying out research and practical studies and to developing regulations, guidance and advice to help local authorities implement successful and cost-effective schemes on their roads. No staff spend all their time on this work, as it overlaps with the wider subjects of traffic management and road safety.

Quangos (Appointments)

Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the former Members of this House who have been appointed since 1988 by his Department to quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations ; and if he will list in each case the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment and the party which the former hon. Member represented ;

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his Department since 1988 to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations giving, in each case, the title of the post, any salary payable, and the duration of the appointment.

Mr. Norris : Detailed information on past and present appointees to non-departmental public bodies--formerly known as quasi autonomous non- governmental organisations--is not held in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, from such limited information as is available on present members of NDPBs, there is no evidence that any individual falls within the categories listed at (a), (b) or (c). As regards (d) , it is known that two serving members of the Disabled Persons Advisory Committee have been party candidates for Parliament. These are Sir John Hannam, MP and a former Labour Member of Parliament, Mr. Lewis Carter-Jones. Both were re-appointed as members of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee in December 1992 for a three year period to December 1995. Committee members are not paid a salary, but the Department meets their travel and subsistence costs.

Rail Users' Consultative Committees

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often the franchising director will be required to attend the rail users' consultative committees hearings to answer questions.

Mr. Freeman : We have made it clear that the franchising director will be expected to liaise with the rail users' consultative committees and we will be covering this in the Secretary of State's published objectives for him. I expect that the franchising director will attend meetings of both the central and regional committees from time to time as part of this liaison.

ENVIRONMENT

Dangerous Activities (Convention)

Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will sign the Council of Europe convention on civil liability for damage resulting from activities dangerous to the environment.

Mr. Yeo : The Government have no plans to do so.

Carbon

Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the cost to the economy of the measures announced to date for achieving a saving of 10 million tonnes of carbon per annum.

Mr. Yeo : Most of the measures announced to date as part of the United Kingdom's CO programme are aimed at improving the efficiency of energy use in the economy, with a net benefit to the economy. Savings are also expected to be achieved through an increase in the objective for renewable energy. This is part of the Government's continuing strategy to promote the development of new sources of energy to the point at which they become economic and can compete in the market place.

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