| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Household Projections
Mr. Tom King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish the University of Cambridge Department of Applied Economics study on the need for social housing, referred to in paragraph 19 of "Planning for the Communities of the Future" (Cm 3885). [33829]
Mr. Raynsford: This report was published in January 1998. A copy of the report 'An Economic Model of the Demand and Need for Social Housing' published by DETR has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Tom King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the proportion of the total number of new homes required between 1991 and 2011 which are for existing households migrating to other parts of England. [33820]
Mr. Raynsford: The household projections are not an estimate of the number of new homes that are required. However, it is possible to identify how much of the projected change in household numbers for each region is due to migration of households into or out of the region.
Note:
The net figure for England of 526,000 households arises from net migration into England of the individuals from other countries.
Source:
DOE, Household Growth: where shall we live?, TSO 1996.
11 Mar 1998 : Column: 190
Rail Freight
Sir Raymond Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what Government grants are available to Railtrack for investment in rail freight facilities. [33702]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Any company, including Railtrack, wishing to move freight by rail rather than by road is eligible to apply for freight facilities grant. The grant is awarded where the environmental benefits of avoiding road transportation justify Government support.
Ivory
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make it his policy to oppose the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species proposals on the ivory trade; [33617]
- (2) what recent representations he has received regarding the resumption of the ivory trade. [33616]
Angela Eagle: A number of individuals and organisations have expressed concern about the decision taken by a large majority at the CITES Conference in June 1997 to open the way for a limited resumption of trade in ivory. Many have also acknowledged the role played by the UK and other EU Member States in securing a deferral of commercial trade until essential safeguards are in place, including the establishment of systems for monitoring poaching and illegal trade. The EU abstained in the final vote but Member States have agreed to respect the majority will of the CITES Parties on a matter which is central to the basis of cooperation on which the future of CITES depends. Conservation of the elephant requires maximum effort to implement the full package agreed by the Conference which goes wider than commercial trade in ivory.
At its meeting in London last week, the CITES Standing Committee, under the UK's chair, reviewed progress. The Committee agreed proposals to allow audited ivory stockpiles to be sold for non-commercial purposes, and the proceeds used for conservation and related work in Africa. CITES representatives also endorsed proposals for two new systems for monitoring elephant poaching and trade. To assist further work, my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment
11 Mar 1998 : Column: 191
announced a contribution of £175,000. The Committee also allocated additional funds from the Convention's central budget.
Next year's meeting of the Standing Committee will decide whether the conditions which the Parties attached to the decision in 1997 have been met, and whether limited commercial trade can resume between three southern Africa countries and Japan.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the names of the consultants appointed to assist his Department's Salisbury Transport Study and their terms of reference. [33954]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Consultants, to carry out the main work of the Study, have not yet been appointed. A competitive tendering process will be carried out at the end of this month to decide which consultants to appoint. We hope to announce the name of the successful bidders in May.
The terms of reference for the consultants are due to be finalised within the next two weeks.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the spring deadline for the completion of the upgrade to the A406 at Sterling Way and Fore Street will be met; and what steps he is taking to ensure that there will be no further delay to the completion of these works. [33714]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 10 March 1998]: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Andrew Love, dated 11 March 1998:
Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will establish how many items of correspondence the Rail Regulator recorded as missing in the last year. [33690]
11 Mar 1998 : Column: 192
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The Rail Regulator has not recorded any items of correspondence missing in the last year. I understand, however, that he has assisted in the resolution of a complaint from one of the hon. Member's constituents, during which the train operator involved mislaid some earlier correspondence.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to announce his decision in respect of endangered species status for the basking shark; and if he will make a statement. [34009]
Angela Eagle:
Consultations have now concluded on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee's recommendations regarding species which should be afforded protection by their listing on Schedules 5 and 8 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Preparations for an Order to implement the necessary protection are underway, and an announcement of the levels of protection to be afforded to all the species subject to current review, including the basking shark, is expected to be made before the end of March 1998.
Mr. Etherington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the external financing limit for the British Waterways Board. [34327]
Angela Eagle:
The 1997-98 External Financing Limit for the British Waterways Board will be increased by £1,000,000 from £51,360,000 to £52,360,000. This will enable them to carry out additional major repairs to the canal network and other urgent maintenance. It will be funded by an increase in grant-in-aid to the Board arising from savings elsewhere on Class VI, Vote 3.
The Transport Minister, Glenda Jackson, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the improvements to the A406 at Sterling Way and Fore Street.
When I wrote to you last July, the timetable I gave you for the expected completion of the tunnel and for the full contract was considered realistic. However, since then I am afraid that progress in completing the tunnel has been seriously affected by the unexpected high volumes of water penetrating the walls of the tunnel structure, a problem which became more prominent with the high rainfall of the early winter months. Happily, the contractor has sealed the leaks and the problem is now under control. An added difficulty is the complexity of the mechanical and electrical equipment, which requires highly specialised and skilled personnel.
We now expect the tunnel to be completed and open to traffic this June, whilst the full contract is planned to be completed by late Summer. However, with the aim of bringing forward the completion of the full contract, we are working with the contractor to see whether any of the works planned to be carried out after completion of the tunnel, can be carried out in parallel with the tunnel works.
If it would help, I would be happy to arrange a site visit, so that you can see the problems at first hand.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |