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Capital Expenditure
Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the public capital expenditure on transport by English region on a per capita basis (a) for the last five years and (b) as a forecast for the next three years. [49862]
Dr. Strang: The information my hon. Friend has requested for the past five years cannot be produced comprehensively except at unreasonable cost to public funds. There are forecasts for the future pattern of the expenditure in question. I shall write to my hon. Friend.
Organophosphates
Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 22 July 1997, Official Report, column 530, who is carrying out the research into the effects of low-level exposure to organophosphate pesticides on human health; where this research is being carried out; what is the total value of the funding; and if the Chemical Defence Establishment put in a proposal and bid for this research funding. [49994]
Mr. Meacher:
The main contractor for the research is the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh. Part of the study has involved visits to farms throughout Great
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Britain. In addition, some clinical work has been carried out by the Institute of Neurological Sciences at Glasgow. The total value of the funding is £500,000, jointly provided by the Health and Safety Executive, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health. The Chemical Defence Establishment did not put in a proposal or bid.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of incidents in the air related to disruptive behaviour and drunkenness reported to the CAA under the mandatory reporting system in each of the last five years. [50217]
Dr. Strang:
The number of incidents reported under the mandatory reporting system related to disruptive behaviour and drunkenness, which are considered relevant to flight safety.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 13 |
| 1994 | 32 |
| 1995 | 36 |
| 1996 | 68 |
| 1997 | 62 |
Council Tax
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he expects to make a decision regarding the creation of additional council tax bands; and if he will make a statement; [50439]
- (2) when he next proposes to review properties in relation to their council tax banding; and if he will make a statement. [50440]
Mr. Raynsford: Our consultation paper 'Improving local financial accountability' invited views on whether there is a case to change the council tax. The deadline for responses was 1 June. We have received a number of representations about the council tax bands. We are considering these and will set out our conclusions in a White Paper this summer.
Water Disconnections
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many water disconnections at domestic properties there have been in each year since 1993. [50183]
Angela Eagle:
The Director General of Water Services publishes data on disconnections twice a year, by water company area, for both household and non-household customers. Information about disconnections in the year to 31 March 1998, together with numbers of household and non-household disconnections in each year since 1989-90, was published in an OFWAT News Release on 14 May 1998. Copies of this and earlier OFWAT News Releases containing similar information are in the House Library.
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Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the number of private roads in England. [50184]
Dr. Strang:
Separate figures for England are not readily available. Records show that in 1972--the latest year for which figures exist--there were some 40,000 private streets throughout England and Wales, amounting to some 4,500 miles. The number will have declined since that time, but as records of streets made up for adoption are not held centrally it is not possible to say by how much.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the statutory duties of the owners of private roads with regard to their upkeep and lighting. [50185]
Dr. Strang:
In general, the responsibility of maintaining a private street falls to the owners of the adjoining properties (the "frontagers"). This is a matter of common law, rather than statute law, although under the Highways Act 1980 when there is an urgent need for repairs to obviate danger to traffic the local highway authority may by notice require the owners of the premises fronting the street to carry out specified repairs. The authority may also from time to time resolve to execute street works in order to make up the street to a standard they consider satisfactory, and the works may include lighting.
The common law imposes no obligations on frontagers to light streets, and while local authorities have certain statutory powers in respect of lighting there is no duty to light a private street.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those local authorities in England and Wales to which he has given consent to make registration schemes for houses in multiple occupation which vary from the model schemes prescribed in Circular 3/97; and which of the consents given were for (a) information schemes and (b) schemes containing control provisions. [50186]
Mr. Raynsford:
HMO registration schemes which vary from the model schemes prescribed in Circular 3/97 have been confirmed for the following authorities in England:
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In addition, my right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has confirmed one scheme containing special control provisions for Swansea.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to ban bull bars on vehicles. [50253]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Last year we consulted on a range of possible options for dealing with bull bars at a national level. Having carefully considered the responses to this exercise, we are now in the process of identifying how best to take matters forward. We are keen to see aggressive bull bars off the road, but we must ensure that any action we take deals effectively with the complexities involved.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the total cost for each of the past 10 years of the Strand Underpass in respect of (a) capital costs and (b) maintenance works. [50359]
Dr. Strang:
The City of Westminster is entirely responsible for the Strand Underpass. However, the following data on capital and maintenance expenditure have been obtained from that authority.
Notification schemes
North East Lincolnshire
York City
Schemes containing control provisions
Barnsley
Colchester
Ealing
Guildford
Hackney
Hounslow
Islington
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
Schemes containing special control provisions
Blackpool
Bournemouth
Portsmouth
Thanet.
| Year | Capital | Maintenance(11) |
|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | 83.098 | 302.697 |
| 1989-90 | 304.870 | 204.818 |
| 1990-91 | 2,535.137 | 229.923 |
| 1991-92 | 1,648.203 | 284.790 |
| 1992-93 | 105.802 | 129.945 |
| 1993-94 | 129.478 | 115.490 |
| 1994-95 | 406.741 | 117.861 |
| 1995-96 | 0 | 109.269 |
| 1996-97 | 0 | 128.545 |
| 1997-98 | 0 | 113.199 |
(11) These do not include routine costs for cleansing and carriageway relining
Global Warming
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his latest estimate of the level of global warming for the current year relative to the average for the period 1951 to 1980. [50361]
Angela Eagle:
Global temperatures recorded during the first six months of 1998 have been analysed and show that temperatures averaged from January to June have
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been 0.64 degrees Celsius warmer than the average measured for those six months during the period 1951 to 1980. A major contributor to this warmth has been the El Nino phenomenon. The Government do not, however, make forecasts of the average global temperature for the remainder of the current year.
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