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New Housing
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 1998, Official Report, column 543, if he will lay down mandatory minimum useable floor areas for houses and flats. [38225]
Mr. Raynsford: I have no plans to do so.
Bus Employees Superannuation Trust
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Lock) of 20 January 1998, Official Report, column 462, what action he proposes to take following receipt of advice from Counsel in respect of the Statement of Claim brought by the Trustee of the Bus Employees Superannuation Trust against his Department; when he proposes to take action; and if he will make a statement. [38072]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
After consideration by Ministers of the advice received from Counsel, and all the relevant background, my Department will be responding to the Statement of Claim in the near future.
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This is consistent with our hope that all outstanding legal matters concerning the former National Bus Company pension funds are satisfactorily resolved as soon as possible.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what regulations are in place for limiting noise levels in public places with particular reference to places of entertainment. [38175]
Angela Eagle:
Whilst there is no legislation setting specific noise limits for audience exposure to loud sound, employers and self employed persons are required under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that their business activities do not expose persons not in their employment to risks to their health and safety. This would include protection against risk of damage to their hearing.
Mr. Steinberg:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on the procedures followed when a complaint is received alleging that a garage is issuing MoT certificates illegally; [38117]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
I have asked the Chief Executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency, Mr. Ron Oliver, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Ron Oliver to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 8 April 1998
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Mr. Stunell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will propose measures to the EU Environment Council to reduce waste incineration to the same extent as the agreed reductions in landfill; and if he will make a statement. [38326]
Angela Eagle:
No, I will not. The European Commission is responsible for proposing European legislation; and while Member States can encourage it to bring forward particular measures, we have no intention of doing so for a measure along the lines suggested by the hon. Member. A significant increase in capacity for incineration with energy recovery is likely to be necessary both to move towards a more sustainable waste management system and to meet the requirements of the draft landfill directive. However, we have made it clear that incineration with energy recovery needs to be considered within a framework that favours waste minimisation and recycling.
The hon. Member may wish to be aware that the European Commission is currently working up a proposal for a new draft directive on emissions from waste incineration. It will replace the existing directives on incineration of municipal waste, with which full compliance has been achieved in England and Wales, and is likely to cover a broad range of other incineration plant. We support the need for strict emission standards for incinerations and welcome the consideration being given by the Commission to detailed issues.
Mr. John M. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on planning application No. 98/0259 in respect of a proposed motorway service station at Ravenshaw in Solihull. [37942]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
A planning application for a motorway service area (MSA) at Junction 5 of the M42 at Ravenshaw has been submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. The Highways Agency has been consulted and has requested a traffic impact assessment so that it can consider the effect of the proposal on the operation and safety of the motorway. This is the second recent planning application for a new MSA in this area but, whatever the merits of the individual sites, no more than one signposted MSA would be permitted on this stretch of the M42.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what consultations he has had with regional bodies regarding his Department's proposals on Planning for Communities. [38385]
Mr. Raynsford:
In drawing up the proposals set out in the policy document "Planning for the Communities of the Future" the Department had regard to the responses to
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the Green Paper issued by the previous Administration on "Household Growth: Where Shall We Live?". These included responses from several of the regional planning conferences.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the impact of his Department's proposals on Planning for Communities on counties where the structure plan has already been settled. [38387]
Mr. Raynsford:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 1 April 1998, Official Report, columns 530-31.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the membership of the taskforce, headed by Lord Rogers of Riverside, set up to look at the use of recycled land; and if he will make a statement on (a) its powers and (b) the relationship between the task force and (i) regional development agencies, (ii) Government regional offices, (iii) SERPLAN and (iv) county structure plans. [38388]
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Mr. Caborn:
The membership of the Task Force is currently being finalised. It will incorporate members with a range of backgrounds, including local authorities, the planning, architectural and development professions, interest groups and others with an interest in making the best use of previously developed land. The Task Force will be an advisory body, taking forward its objectives as set out in "Planning for the Communities of the Future". The role of the Government Offices for the Regions, SERPLAN and county structure plans, and the future role of Regional Development Agencies, will not be affected, although I hope that the work of the Task Force will assist these bodies in carrying out their responsibilities.
(2) what surveillance techniques are used in investigating garages suspected of irregularities in issuing MoT test certificates; and what training surveillance operatives receive. [38118]
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about procedures followed in cases of complaints alleging that garages are issuing MOT certificates illegally; and what surveillance techniques are used to investigate garages suspected of irregularities in issuing MOT certificates and what training surveillance operatives receive.
In cases where complaints are of a sufficiently detailed nature, the Inspectorate will investigate and take appropriate enforcement action against an MOT testing station. Police or Trading Standards Officers may also be involved in some cases, particularly if deception in vehicle sales is suspected. In other cases, complaints are used to target our advisory /counselling or enforcement activities. These can include a visit from a Vehicle Examiner to examine documentation or an incognito test in which a Vehicle Examiner submits a vehicle for test as a member of the public and observes the test to ensure that the correct standards are applied.
In cases where there is suspicion of irregularities, MOT testing stations may be observed from areas of public access or from surrounding premises to monitor vehicle movement and activities. The results of observations are compared with the issue of MOT certificates. The observation of vehicle movement at non-testing premises may also be linked to certificates issued from MOT testing stations. Staff involved in surveillance receive 'off the job' training on the requirements of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and 'on the job' training involving mentoring and sharing of best practice from managers and colleagues.
The Inspectorate carries out continuous reviews of procedures for maintaining security arrangements for MOT documentation. These have included improvements in design and printing techniques to make forgery more difficult and the introduction of a stolen test certificate hotline. Reducing the market for stolen and forged test certificates is one of the objectives of the Inspectorate's MOT
computerisation project which involves setting up a computer network linking all MOT testing stations (some 18,500) with a central database containing details of every vehicle tested under the MOT scheme. The project is in its early stages and is anticipated to go live in the early years of the next decade.
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