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United States Visiting Forces

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British bases are occupied by United States visiting forces; how many United States personnel are stationed at each; for what reasons sites used by United States visiting forces are designated as RAF stations; when and by whom this decision was taken; what parliamentary scrutiny of this decision has taken place; and if he will make a statement. [2155]

5 Nov 1996 : Column: 411

Mr. Soames: United States visiting forces are present at the following bases. Numbers of personnel at each base are shown in brackets.


The American presence is chiefly Air Force and as the sites are parented by the RAF they are designated as RAF stations. Parliament has the same opportunity to scrutinise this as with any other administrative decision.

Millennium Date Change

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the cost effects of the millennium date change on the computer systems operated by his Department. [2618]

Mr. Arbuthnot: The capability of MOD's existing computer systems to recognise the millennium date change remains under investigation and has been the subject of recent MOD-wide guidance requiring those responsible for current and planned information systems to assess fully the extent of the problem. Until these assessments have been made it will not be possible to assess the cost effects of the year 2000 date change.

Operation Seanuts

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the waste disposal programme, Operation Seanuts. [2601]

Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

Railway Inspectorate

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints have been received by Her Majesty's railway inspectorate relating to unqualified contractors working on the rail network in the last 12 months. [1445]

Mr. Watts: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 14 October 1996, Official Report, column 972.

5 Nov 1996 : Column: 412

Clapham Rail Crash (Recommendations)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the recommendations of the 1988 Clapham rail crash report which have not been put into operation. [1871]

Mr. Watts: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 24 July 1996, Official Report, column 347.

Watford Rail Crash

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the passenger train involved in the Watford train crash of 8 August was equipped with automatic train protection; and if the protection was operating at the time of the crash. [1873]

Mr. Watts: I am advised by the Health and Safety Executive that neither train involved in the accident near Watford on 8 August was fitted with automatic train protection.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the accident report into the Watford rail crash of 8 August. [1868]

Mr. Watts: The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is continuing its independent investigation into the cause of the collision. A report of the findings will be published by HSE when its inquiries are complete.

Railway Accident Reports

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has taken to prevent the naming of individual railworkers in advance of the publication of a railway accident report. [1869]

Mr. Watts: I deplore the leaking of railway accident reports and the premature and unauthorised release of the names of individual rail workers in advance of the publication of any railway accident report, and especially in advance of decisions being taken on whether any legal proceedings are to be taken as a result of any official investigation.

Rolling Stock (Safety)

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the safe operating life of mark 1 rolling stock. [1875]

Mr. Watts: Mark 1 rolling stock was built between 1951 and 1974, although the oldest stock currently in use all year round dates from 1956.

Mark 1 rolling stock was designed and constructed to have an expected life of between 30 and 40 years and is subjected to regular inspection and maintenance at planned intervals to ensure that it is suitable for service use.

There is no reduction in the level of operating safety of mark 1 rolling stock during its life provided that it is maintained appropriately.

5 Nov 1996 : Column: 413

Rail Safety

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of installing and operating automatic train protection on all trains on the network. [1872]

Mr. Watts: None. The British Railways Board estimated in 1994 that, assessing the project over a 20-year period, the net total cash cost of a network-wide ATP system would be about £759 million. The independent Health and Safety Commission advised that the introduction of ATP, as piloted, on a network-wide basis was not reasonably practicable, and that there were alternative safety investments which would be likely to yield greater effectiveness in terms of lives saved, and better value for money.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what (a) legislation and (b) other rules and regulations cover safety requirements for rail transport after privatisation; and if he will indicate in particular which legislation or regulations apply to the number of standing passengers permitted as a ratio of seated passengers; [1852]

Mr. Watts: The statutory requirements concerning railway safety which pre-date rail privatisation are referred to in annex 11 of HM Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways' annual report for 1994-95, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. These provisions are still in force.

Since the start of rail privatisation in 1994, the following safety regulations have been made under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974: the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994; the Railways (Safety Critical Work) Regulations 1994; the Railways and Other Transport Systems (Approval of Works, Plant and Equipment) Regulations 1994; the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail Regulations 1996; the Packaging, Labelling and Carriage of Radioactive Materials by Rail Regulations 1996. In addition, the Health and Safety Commission has recently submitted to the Secretary of State draft Level Crossings Regulations and draft Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations. The latter would repeal and replace most of the pre-1994 provisions.

There are no statutory provisions which cover the ratio of standing to seated passengers.

Heathrow Flight Path

Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the annual figures for the number of aircraft flying over Lewisham, East to and from Heathrow for each of the past five years. [2129]

Mr. Bowis: The information is not held in the form requested. Radar track recordings are not normally retained by National Air Traffic Services Ltd. for longer than 30 days. Heathrow Airport Ltd. holds information on aircraft tracks beyond a radius of 12 miles from the airport for the first 10 months of 1996 only, but analysis of this would incur disproportionate cost.

5 Nov 1996 : Column: 414

Mrs. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes there have been recently to the flight path of aircraft flying to and from Heathrow over Lewisham, East. [2202]

Mr. Bowis: The main departure route from Heathrow towards Dover used by Heathrow traffic during easterly operations was last adjusted by one degree on 19 August 1993 to compensate for the accumulated movement of magnetic north since the previous such adjustment made in 1986. There are no fixed routes for landing aircraft. Aircraft normally land and take off into the wind. Lewisham, East is overflown by Heathrow departing traffic during easterly operations, which occur about 25 per cent. of the time during an average year, and by Heathrow landing traffic during westerly operations, which occur about 75 per cent. of the time during an average year. Lewisham, East is situated between the holding stack, located since 1971 over the Biggin Hill and Orpington area, and the extended runway centre lines followed by landing traffic on final approach to Heathrow during westerly operations. It is also overflown during easterly operations by traffic landing at London City airport.

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