| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
EU Animal Welfare Inspections
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when an inspector from the European Commission last visited Britain in respect of animal welfare matters; which areas and which types of premises the inspector visited; in respect of which EC directives; and if he will make a statement. [4164]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 15 November 1996]: From 4 to 7 November an inspector visited a range of premises and facilities in Britain in respect of directive 91/628/EEC.
Cattle Certification
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many bovines animals were identified by his Department as having false or concealed identities on the first day of the special operation in the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan; and if he will make a statement. [2692]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 7 November 1996]: During a portal check at Stranraer and Cairnryan on Monday 28 October 1996, a consignment of 34 bovine animals was returned to Northern Ireland due to inadequate certification. The matter is under investigation.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Working Time Directive
Mrs. Roe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what advice his Department is circulating to Government Departments about the implementation of the working time directive. [4921]
Mr. Freeman: Officials have circulated advice to Departments and agencies. I have arranged for a copy of this advice to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
TRANSPORT
Donaldson Report
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the recommendations of the Donaldson report which were referred to in his answer of 14 March, Official Report, column 721, as under consideration (a) are to be included in the proposed Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Bill and (b) have been implemented to date; and if he will make a statement. [3507]
Mr. Bowis: The Government have accepted 91 of the Donaldson report's 103 recommendations and rejected only four. Eight remain under consideration. Of these, the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Bill includes enabling powers to take forward recommendations 95 and
19 Nov 1996 : Column: 478
96, proposing charges for port state control inspections and emergency response. There is no intention of charging for marine search and rescue.
A progress report giving details of the action taken as at 31 October on all the recommendations in the Donaldson report has been placed in the Library of the House.
Merchant Shipping (Waste Facilities)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the responses made to date to his Department's merchant shipping notice M1659 on the provision of waste reception facilities. [4127]
Mr. Bowis: Merchant shipping notice M1659 gave guidance to ports on the development of waste management plans; to date, 55 plans covering 67 ports have been received.
Aircraft Noise (London)
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aeroplanes have landed at Heathrow airport in 1996 before (a) 5 am, (b) 5.30 am, (c) 6 am, (d) 6.30 am and (e) 7 am. [3913]
Mr. Bowis: Records are not kept in the format requested, but I am able to provide the number of arrivals between 1 January and 31 October prior to 5 am, between 5.01 and 6 am, and between 6.01 am and 7 am. These figures have been taken from the London (Heathrow) airport runway utilisation logs produced by National Air Traffic Services.
Arrivals at Heathrow between midnight and 7.00 am (local time) 1 January 1996 to 31 October 1996
Midnight to 5 am: 1,419
5.01 to 6 am: 2,358
6.01 to 7 am: 9,025
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the proposals put before the European Commission on 6 November to amend the environmental and safety requirements for vessels carrying irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and high-level radioactive waste. [3917]
Mr. Bowis: An explanatory memorandum has been placed in the Library of the House on the Commission's proposal for a Council directive amending directive 93/75/EEC concerning minimum requirements for vessels bound for or leaving Community ports and carrying dangerous or polluting goods. The Government are not aware of any other current proposals to or by the Commission relating to the carriage by sea of irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium or high-level radioactive wastes.
19 Nov 1996 : Column: 479
MV Derbyshire
Mr. Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contractors were invited to tender for the phase 2 survey of the MV Derbyshire; how many contractors submitted tenders; what were the names of the contractors; what criteria were used to evaluate the tenders; and on what basis the contract was awarded to the Woods Hole institute. [4257]
Mr. Bowis: The project managers and the technical assessors to the Department and the European Commission advised that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is the organisation best qualified, in terms of photographic and sonar technology and experience, to meet the objectives of phase 2. In light of this advice the Department and the European Commission agreed that the work should be carried out by Woods Hole.
Mr. Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of the specifications drafted for phases 1 and 2 of the survey of the MV Derbyshire. [4258]
Mr. Bowis: I have placed in the Library copies of the specification for phase 1 and of the latest specification for phase 2.
Mr. Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of the phase 1 survey of the MV Derbyshire; and what is the estimated cost of the phase 2 survey. [4261]
Mr. Bowis: The cost of the at sea element of the phase 1 survey was approximately £0.175 million. The at sea and post-return data processing elements of the phase 2 survey are expected to cost £1.75 million.
Mr. Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the assessors' report of the phase 1 survey of the MV Derbyshire. [4260]
Mr. Bowis: I have placed in the Library the brief produced by the assessors on their return on the conduct and results of the phase 1 survey. Nothing further is being published but interested parties have had access to all the video material recorded during phase 1.
Parking Meters (Enforcement)
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the gross costs and charges of parking meter enforcement ceased to be part of the public accounts. [4357]
Mr. Bowis: Drivers who exceed the permitted time at a parking meter may incur an initial excess charge, subsequently followed by a penalty charge. Excess charges have always accrued to the local authority, which must maintain a separate account of income and expenditure arising from on-street parking places. Penalty charges are generally enforced by the serving by traffic wardens of a fixed penalty notice imposing a fine payable into court.
Where local authorities have assumed responsibility for on-street parking enforcement under the Road Traffic Act 1991, penalty charge notices are, however, issued by local authority-employed parking attendants and the income is retained by the authority. All London boroughs had taken
19 Nov 1996 : Column: 480
on this responsibility by July 1994, but outside London only Hampshire county council, in respect of the city of Winchester, has yet done so.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation arrangements have been offered to the owners of property alongside the railway as a result of the railway accident at Stafford; and in what ways these arrangements differ from those which British Rail used to make in similar circumstances. [4503]
Mr. Watts:
Compensation for property owners suffering loss as a result of any railway accident is a matter between them and whoever may be found liable for the accident. Claims will continue to be dealt with on the basis of liability.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |