To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to improve the machinery for the provision of services to hon. Members and the House. [58776]

The House of Commons Commission has decided to set up a review of the present system of management of the House and its facilities.It has appointed Mr. Michael Braithwaite, a management consultant, who will be supported by a team of officials to review

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if she will make a statement on the decision not to offer hon. Members the option of using bespoke House stationery printed on recycled paper. [58849]

The Committee's decision to introduce a standard House of Commons paper was made against the following background; (a) the maintenance of quality and standards; (b) the provision of extra security by the insertion of a unique Portcullis watermark licensed to the House of Commons; (c) a reduction in cost and range of bespoke products; and (d) environmental concerns.The hon. Lady will wish to note that the new paper is recycled from pre-consumer waste, typically using off cuts and reel ends from a previous manufacturing process.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will report progress on the New Parliamentary Building. [58682]

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 10 December 1997, Official Report, column 578, in which I reported that it is planned that the House will be able to occupy the building from the beginning of 2001. That remains so and the estimated cost is also unchanged.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress has been made by the House of Commons Commission in selecting a candidate for the post of Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. [59404]

A report recommending to the House Elizabeth Filkin, at present Adjudicator for the Inland Revenue and for Customs and Excise and the DSS Contributions Agency, is being published at 3.30 pm today as HC 1143. Copies are available from the Vote Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the European Commission about assistance to Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement. [58344]

We have had frequent discussions in recent months with the European Commission about assistance to Afghanistan. We and they are extremely concerned about the security of expatriate personnel in Afghanistan, and about the constraints which the actions of the Taliban and other factions have imposed on assistance activities. Our common objective is to secure an improvement in conditions in Afghanistan which will allow for the principled and effective delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much holiday entitlement civil servants have been allowed to carry forward to their next holiday year; [59026](2) on what date a civil servant's year starts for holiday purposes; and what the normal holiday entitlement is for new starters; [59025](3) what changes have been made to holiday entitlement rules for civil servants because of the Working Time Regulations 1998. [59027]

Responsibility for determining holiday entitlement for staff was delegated to departments and agencies on 1 April 1996, except for the amount of annual leave in the Senior Civil Service. In general, holiday entitlement within the Civil Service meets or exceeds the limits set by the Working Time Regulations; it is expected that most civil servants will be unaffected by the Regulations. Responsibility for decisions on whether any changes are required to comply with the Regulations lies with departments and agencies.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list those compliance cost assessments published during the latest six month period. [59094]

The Government are committed to ensuring that regulations are necessary, give effective protection, balance cost and risk, are fair and command public confidence. In accordance with this, we require Departments to produce and publish CCAs for all regulatory proposals likely to have an impact on business.I have presented to Parliament today a Command Paper listing 119 CCAs and regulatory appraisals incorporating CCAs published between 1 January 1998 and 30 June 1998. Also listed are 2 Regulatory Impact Assessments prepared in anticipation of the new guidance published on 10 August 1998. Copies of those listed have been placed in the libraries of the House. This is the ninth such Command Paper.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been affected by the exclusion of Crown Service prior to 1975 in the calculation of their Civil Service pension; and what plans he has to introduce retrospective legislation. [58106]

Information on the numbers so affected, particularly given the lapse in time, is not available.The Armed Forces pension scheme introduced arrangements, operative from 1 April 1975, which enable a transfer value representing accrued pension rights to be paid to another pension scheme. As with most improvements in pension arrangements, the change was not applied retrospectively. The Government have no plans for backdated changes to the Armed Forces (or other Crown service) pension arrangements.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure that judicial and magistrates' training programmes include training in awareness of the pressures on young people not to give evidence in cases involving child prostitution. [58328]

Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) which is an advisory non-departmental public body. The JSB also sets the syllabuses for, and monitors and evaluates the training of, lay magistrates.No training is currently given specifically on awareness of the pressures on young people not to give evidence in cases involving child prostitution. The JSB, however, runs regular induction and continuation courses for both full-and part-time judges in the Crown Court as well as seminars on serious sexual offences. These courses include training on children as witnesses. All lay magistrates receive training on disadvantaged witnesses, including children, and those who sit in the Youth Court receive additional training in evaluating young people as witnesses.Since January 1998 the JSB's Equal Treatment Advisory Committee has had the responsibility of advising the Board on all aspects of equal treatment training, including training on the needs of children. The Committee keeps the content of all JSB courses under review and is currently revising the guidance provided to all judges on equal treatment issues.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to require all task forces and equivalent bodies sponsored by his Department to publish their working papers and minutes on the Internet. [58774]

Information will be published on the Internet wherever practical and appropriate. Many documents published by the Department already appear on the LCD website at www.open.gov.uk/lcd.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects the Libra service to be fully operational in magistrates' courts (a) in Gloucestershire and (b) nationally. [57889]

Subject to award of contract, I anticipate the Libra service will be implemented at the first Magistrates' Courts Committee towards the end of 2001. It will be for Gloucestershire Magistrates' Courts Committee, in consultation with the Department, to agree with the Libra supplier when the service should be implemented in Gloucestershire.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor' s Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 June 1998, Official Report, column 71, if he will list the dates when those parts of the Defamation Act 1996 not yet in force are to come into force; and when the attendant rules of court will become effective. [58153]

I am not yet able to provide a list of dates but the remaining provisions will be brought into force as soon as reasonably practicable.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost to his Department of the review of the organisation and management of civil enforcement agents from its inception until the publication of his Department's considered response; and what plans he has (a) to conduct further reviews and (b) to introduce revised policies with regard to civil enforcement agents. [58154]

The Review was established in February 1992 and was concluded in April 1996. The work was undertaken by salaried officials and the cost was met from the Department's general running costs.

(a) On 25 March 1998, Official Report, columns 141–42, I announced the terms of reference and timetable for the Review of the Enforcement of Civil Court Judgments. This will include a review of the law governing the activities of bailiffs; and its second phase, commencing in July 2000, will include consideration of the type of agent or form of agency which should be responsible for carrying out enforcement.

(b) Changes to the Distress for Rent Rules 1988 governing the bailiff certification procedure are due to come into force next Spring.

The transfer of responsibilities for the enforcement of warrants from the police to the Magistrates' Courts Committees will take place when a suitable legislative opportunity arises. The Committees will be empowered to authorise companies and firms which will in turn issue employees with written authority to execute warrants.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his estimate of (a) the percentage of serious criminal cases being dealt with in Gloucestershire magistrates' courts within the 56 day performance indicator for each of the past five years and (b) the average delay in respect of collection of fines imposed by Gloucestershire magistrates' courts for each of the past five years. [57890]

The information available is shown in the table.

	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
Percentage of serious criminal cases dealt with within 56 days in Gloucestershire1	60	56	60	61	64
Average delay in respect of collection of fines imposed by magistrates in Gloucestershire2 (days)	275	264	242	272	297
1The figures given in the table are the percentage of defendants in Indictable/Triable Either Way cases. The interval quoted is First Listing to Completion.
2Average Debtor Days is the average time taken to enforce the collection of money owed to the court, including fines, fees, compensation awards and contributions to legal aid, not taking into account the delay between imposition and start of enforcement actions, known as 'time to pay'. The 1993–96 indicator values are artificially low because a proportion of the fines etc. which were imposed by magistrates would have been transferred out to other courts to collect, but were still included in the figures locally. The 1997 indicator shows a more accurate figure.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department when he plans to bring forward measures to reform the law affecting house purchase. [57751]

My Department, together with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and Department of Trade and Industry, will be issuing a consultation paper shortly that will canvass a range of proposals for changes to the conveyancing process. It would be inappropriate to make a statement about reforms until the Government have had an opportunity to consider the results of that conclusion.

To ask the President of the Council what representations the Government have made to the People's Republic of China regarding that country's maternal and infant health care law in respect of compulsory premarital check-ups. [57882]

I have been asked to reply.None. The health and development agencies of the United Nations—the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children's Fund—are working in China to secure respect for international standards of maternal and child health. The UK contributes to these programmes.

To ask the President of the Council (1) if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her private office, as at 1 October 1997; [56789](2) if she will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in her Department, by grade, as at 1 October 1997. [56787]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 5 November 1998, Official Report, columns 666–70.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a breakdown of the content of unauthorised emissions from United Kingdom incinerators since January 1996. [56746]

The table sets out the content of unauthorised releases into the environment since 1 January 1996 from the incinerators in England and Wales regulated by the Environment Agency under the Integrated Pollution Control regime.

Parameter	Number of unauthorised releases
Hydrogen Chloride	370
Particulate Matter	47
Oxides of Nitrogen	33
Carbon Monoxide	27
Sulphur Dioxide	9
Metals	7
Hydrogen Fluoride	4
Iodine	2

Estimates of the mass release, causes and likely environmental impact of each unauthorised release have been reported to the Environment Agency under the terms of the operator's authorisations. Copies of the notifications will have been placed on the relevant Agency and local authority public registers, unless they are subject to commercial confidentiality arrangements provided for by the legislation.No central record is kept of unauthorised releases from the smaller incinerators regulated by local authorities in England and Wales under the Local Air Pollution Control regime. However, details of any such releases will have been entered on the relevant local authority public register.For details of unauthorised releases from incinerators in Scotland and Northern Ireland, I refer the hon. Gentlemen to my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.

Edmonton Incinerator
Substance	Actual Emissions 1996 (Kgs)	Actual Emissions 1997 (Kgs)
Atrazine	0.0559	0.0700
Cadmium	3.8000	6.0100
Carbon Monoxide	276000.0000	330000.0000
Dichlorvos	0.0311	0.0300
Dieldrin	0.0138	0.0100
Fenitrothion	0.0332	0.0300
Hexachlorobenzene	0.0081	0.0100
Hexachlorobutadiene	0.0081	0.0081
Hexachlorocyclohexane	0.0088	0.0100
Hydrogen Chloride	2070000.0000	24800.0000
Hydrogen Fluoride	1487.0000	1800.0000
Mercury (to water)	0.1850	0.1200
Mercury (to air)	60.3000	139.0000
Metals—Group 3 (AS+CR+CU+MN+NI+PB+2N)	57.2000	1100.0000
Nitrogen Oxides (as NO2)	478000.0000	588000.0000
Organic Tin Compounds	0.0340	0.0300
Particulates	263000.0000	21900.0000
Pentachlorophenol Compounds	0.1080	0.0400
Polychlorinated Biphenyls	0.0300	0.0400
Simazine	0.0538	0.0700
Sulphur Dioxide	250000.0000	30700.0000
TEQ (Toxic Equivalent of PCDD + PCDF)	0.0055	0.0003
Trichlorobenzene—all isomers	0.0308	0.0400
Triflualin	0.0081	0.0100
Volatile Organic Compounds	1570.0000	11900.0000

Lewisham Incinerator
Substance	Actual Emissions 1996 (Kgs)	Actual Emissions 1997 (Kgs)
Cadmium	3.0000	12.1000
Carbon Monoxide	26500.0000	23400.0000
Hydrogen Chloride	15140.0000	27360.0000
Hydrogen Fluoride	80.0000	112.70000
Mercury	60.0000	40.3000
Metals—Group 3 (AS+CR+CU+MN+NI+PB+SN)	340.0000	57.7000
Nitrogen Oxides (as NO2)	986000.0000	914400.0000
Particulates	14610.0000	14000.0000
Polychlorinated Dibenzo-P-Dioxin—All congeners	0.00014	0.00003
Sulphur Dioxide	13440.0000	10640.0000
Volatile Organic Compounds	6150.0000	6342.0000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his Department, by grade, as at 1 October 1997; [56808]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a breakdown of emissions from (a) the Edmonton and (b) the Lewisham incinerators since January 1996. [56748]

Data on emissions from the Edmonton (London Waste Ltd.) and Lewisham (SELCHP) incinerators have already been published and are regularly updated. The data are available on public registers; either the Environment Agency's public register, Kings Meadow House, Kings Meadow Road, Reading or the local authority registers at Enfield and Lewisham Borough Council respectively.Information is also held centrally by the Agency on its Chemical Releases Inventory and the following table gives details of annual emissions from these two sites for 1996 and 1997. Details of the monitoring results on which these annual returns are based can be found on the public registers.(2) if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin of civil servants in his private office, as at 1 October 1997. [56810]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on 5 November 1998, Official Report, columns 666–70.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the safety of the packaging and containerisation of raw intermediate level waste for storage since March 1997. [57098]

None. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates the safety of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) storage on sites licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (as amended). HSE policy is that raw ILW should be conditioned into a passively safe form as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so. The HSE required that the research necessary to support the safety of the licensees' operations, which includes the storage of raw, packaged and containerised intermediate level wastes, is carried out by or on behalf of its licensees. The HSE has not commissioned or evaluated any research into the packaging and containerisation of raw ILW for storage since March 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the (a) number and (b) dates of meetings between Paul Hackett and Derek Draper since 2 May 1997. [58004]

I refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale), on 31 July 1998, Official Report, columns 606–07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what work Paul Hackett has carried out for the Cranfield Institute of Management since 2 May 1997. [58005]

Paul Hackett is a Fellow of Cranfield University School of Management and Director of the Cranfield Partnership Research Institute. These posts are a matter for the Cranfield University School of Management.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the carbon modelling consortium research showing potential absorption of carbon dioxide by carbon sink young trees; and if he will make a statement. [57878]

A preliminary assessment by the Hadley Centre of recently published research by the carbon modelling consortium suggests that the uptake of carbon by forests in North America may have been overestimated in this study. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is currently producing a special report on land use change and forestry issues to be published in 2000, and a full review of all relevant research on the global uptake of carbon by vegetation will be published by the Panel in its Third Assessment Report in early 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy on the inclusion of absorption of carbon dioxide by carbon sink young trees in the Kyoto emission reduction negotiations between the European Union and the United States of America. [57879]

The Kyoto Protocol allows the uptake in the commitment period, 2008 to 2012, of carbon by trees planted since 1990 to be taken into account in meeting commitments to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The text of the Protocol makes it clear that the natural regrowth of trees cannot be counted against commitments. Our policy is to ensure that the detailed rules on implementation of the Protocol reflect the fundamental principles agreed in Kyoto.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish his Department's analysis of the responses to the consultation paper, Access to the Open Countryside in England and Wales. [57858]

The Government expect to publish their analysis of responses to the consultation paper shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what have been the recorded levels of traffic on the A14 (A1-M1 link road) from the opening of the road to date. [58082]

Recorded average annual daily (24 hour) traffic flows on the A14 (M1-A1 Link Road) from the opening of the last section on 15 July 1994 (between Ml/M6 and A6) to date indicate the following:

	1995	1996	1997
Ml/M6 to A6 at Rothwell	31,000	1—	36,000
Kettering Southern Bypass	45,000	1—	52,000
Thrapston to A1	29,300	29,900	33,000
1Traffic counters were not available during part of the year—hence no accurate figures are available

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what were the projected traffic flows on the A14 (A1-Ml link road) at the time of the construction of the road. [58083]

Projected average annual daily (24 hour) traffic flows on the A14 (M1-A1) Link Road, forecast during the planning stages of the road, were:

	On opening	By 2007
M1/M6 to A6 Rothwell	24,000	33,000
Kettering Southern Bypass	27,000	44,000
Thrapston to A1	21,000	35,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to announce the start date for the construction of the Rothwell/Desborough bypass. [58085]

We are currently considering the construction programme for the schemes included in our Targeted Programme of Improvements listed in A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to de-trunk the A43 through Geddington, Northamptonshire. [58080]

The proposal to de-trunk the A43 through Geddington is subject to consultation with the local highway authority (Northamptonshire County Council). No timetable has been set for the process but we hope to begin negotiations shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps will be taken to curb the number of accidents arising from cyclists using the pavement. [58197]

The Government intend to extend the scope of the Fixed Penalty Notice regime to cover the offence of cycling on the footway. This measure will help streamline enforcement procedures, and act as a deterrent to illegal behaviour by cyclists.We are encouraging all local highway authorities to improve conditions on the road for cycling. Better provision for cyclists should help reduce the incidence of cycling on the pavement. We are updating our advice to local authorities on the design and layout of facilities, such as cycle tracks, shared by cyclists and pedestrians.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guarantees Bechtel has provided in respect of the completion of the Jubilee Line extension on time; and what are the penalty provisions. [58203]

Responsibility for completing the Jubilee Line Extension on time remains with London Transport, as has been the case since the start of the project. The contract with Bechtel contains incentives for earlier completion of the Extension and penalty provisions for lateness. Details of these arrangements are commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what tender process was carried out to appoint a project manager following the conclusion of the feasibility study into the Jubilee Line extension that the original management team would not be able to complete the project on time. [58201]

Bechtel's study recommended that a fresh approach be taken for the commissioning stage of the project, to enhance confidence that the line would open in good time for the Millennium Exhibition. Following consideration of the study's findings, London Transport appointed the company to provide resources to strengthen and refocus the project management team accordingly. This was done with regard to European Union procurement rules allowing derogation, where urgency in the procurement process can be demonstrated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was paid to Bechtel to carry out their feasibility study into whether the construction of the Jubilee Line extension could be completed to deadline. [58200]

London Transport invited two companies to make proposals for a feasibility study and, having seen the proposals, selected Bechtel. The level of fee is commercially confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the contract for the development of the new air traffic control system at Prestwick will be signed before all major software flaws are rectified in the Swanwick system. [58216]

[holding answer 3 November 1998]: NATS have assured the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee that no binding agreement with Sky Solutions would be signed until it was sure that the software at NERC could be made to work. Since then, the system has passed its acceptance tests, and preliminary findings by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) have concluded that there is no substantive reason to doubt that it will work.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the contractual dependencies between the contracts for the Swanwick and Prestwick developments. [58218]

[holding answer 3 November 1998]: There are no contractual dependencies between the Swanwick and Prestwick contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the contract with Lockheed-Martin for the development of the new air traffic control system at Prestwick will be signed. [58215]

[holding answer 3 November 1998]: Negotiations between National Air Traffic Services Ltd. (NATS) and Sky Solutions, the preferred bidder for the New Scottish air traffic control centre (NSC) at Prestwick, are nearing completion. NATS will then approach the Government for approval of the contract before it can be signed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if there is a deadline by which the contract for the development of the new air traffic control system at Prestwick has to have been signed. [58217]

[holding answer 3 November 1998]: No deadline has been set, but the Government are keen to see the development of the NSC in good time to avoid significant delays to air traffic over Scotland and Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact on Swanwick of entering into a public-private partnership agreement for NATS; and if he will put a copy of his Department's assessments in the Library. [58219]

[holding answer 3 November 1998]: The Government are currently consulting on the details of the proposed public/private partnership for NATS. In consequence, no decision has been taken on the timing or details of any sale. NATS intends to bring the Swanwick centre into service at the earliest opportunity consistent with maintaining the safety of the system and meeting the requirements of its customers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what sections of the railway track between (a) Carmarthen and Aberystwyth, (b) Pencader and Llandysul, (c) Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn and (d) Lampeter and Aberavon are no longer in public ownership; and what is the total mileage of those sections. [58436]

The British Rail Board has retained ownership of Pencader, Bryn Teify and Caradog Falls Tunnels since it is statutorily responsible for their maintenance. The collective lengths of these tunnels amount to less than one mile.The remaining sections of track were sold several years ago, mainly to adjoining land owners including public bodies such as the Forestry Commission and local authorities.More detailed information is not immediately available but I shall write to the hon. Member expanding on this in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to what extent the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals Service is understaffed; and how many staff have (a) left the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals Service, (b) been redeployed and (c) been made redundant in the last year. [58443]

The provision of Leasehold Valuation Tribunals is one of the functions of Rent Assessment Panels. The workload of a number of Panels has reduced over the last 12 months and adjustments have been made to staffing numbers as a result. The current staffing levels are considered sufficient to carry out the administration of the tribunals but we are keeping the position under review. The administrative staff are civil servants from my Department and, of the 21 staff who have left the Panels over the last 12 months, 7 have transferred to other posts in the Department, 3 have resigned, 10 have taken

New jurisdiction cases (Service charges/Appointment of a manager/Insurance)
Panel	1996–971	1997–981	1998–99(to date)
Wales	n/a	No cases received	No cases received
North Western	n/a	No cases heard	11 months
Chilterns, Thames and Eastern	n/a	No cases heard	No cases
London	n/a	No cases heard	8 months
Merseyside and Cheshire	n/a	No cases heard	No cases received
West Midland	n/a	4 months	6 months
North Eastern	n/a	No cases received	4 months
East Midland	n/a	No cases heard	No cases heard
South Western	n/a	No cases heard	7.5 months
Southern and South Eastern	n/a	No cases heard	9 months
1An application to a leasehold valuation tribunal could be made only on or after 1 September 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many appeals have been notified in respect of leasehold valuation tribunal decisions in the past year; what assessment he has made of the quality of the work of the tribunals; and if he will make a statement. [58442]

In the 12 months ending on 31 October, the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals (LVTs) have been asked for leave to appeal gainst 7 of their decisions in respect of service charge disputes. In total, 58 appeals against LVT decisions have been received by the Lands Tribunal during the same period—this latter figure includes both service charge cases and decisions on other matters for which leave to appeal is not required.The Leasehold Valuation Tribunals have provided an effective means of resolving a variety of disputes relating to leasehold property without the risks of high and uncertain costs associated with court proceedings. They have recently been given a new role in hearing service charge disputes and applications for the appointment of a manager under which they have, as yet, decided only a few cases. We are commissioning research to examine the effectiveness of the new regime, both directly and indirectly, in dealing with service charge disputes and we will continue to monitor their operation closely.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the budget for the leasehold valuation tribunals in each financial year since 1995; and what it will be for the year 1999–2000. [58444]

The cost of leasehold valuation tribunals is not separately identifiable within the overall cost of Rent Assessment Panels. The cost of the Panels in 1997–98 was £5.5 million. The resources allocated to the Panels in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 have been increased to £11.1 million in both years in anticipation of an increase in the volume of applications to leasehold valuation tribunals arising from the provisions in the Housing Act 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the average length of time before the cases of applicants to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals were heard (a) in the present financial year to date, (b) in 1997–98 and (c) in 1996–97. [58437]

The average length of time before the cases of applicants to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunals were heard was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown of the backgrounds of the members of the leasehold valuation tribunals; what expertise is sought for appointments; and what training is given (a) on appointment and (b) subsequently. [58445]

Leasehold valuation tribunals comprise qualified lawyers and valuers, and lay people, all drawn from the members appointed to the 9 Rent Assessment Panels in England. I have arranged for a copy of the current list of Panel members, which includes details of their backgrounds, to be placed in the Library. My Department is looking to recruit more lay people and to attract members from a broader constituency. The qualities looked for in members include relevant professional expertise, intellectual grasp, sound judgment, analytical skills, ability to work as a team member and, in the case of a chairman of a tribunal, the ability to control proceedings. On appointment, new members are subject to an induction programme, which includes the provision of guidance on the legislation and procedures relevant to tribunal work, attendance at tribunal hearings as an observer, ad hoc meetings on specific subjects and attendance on suitable courses where appropriate. This is supplemented by regular seminars for all members and the supply of guidance notes on legal, technical and procedural issues as they arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Green Paper on leasehold reform will address the question of social housing leaseholders. [58438]

Our consultation paper will seek views on a wide range of leasehold issues affecting social housing leaseholders and leaseholders generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations his Department has received on leasehold reform; and if he will make a statement. [58545]

We have received a large number of representations on leasehold reform. We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the leasehold system and are committed to thoroughgoing reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department proposes to publish the Green Paper on Leasehold Reform.[58544]

We hope to issue our consultation paper on leasehold reform shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions under the proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licences) Regulations 1996, what assumptions underlie the estimate of the savings if the work were undertaken by opticians. [58281]

The savings are based on the difference between the fees payable to doctors and specialists from April 1999 and an estimate on the costs provided by Opticians to undertake similar volumes of tests to an identical standard.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what fee is currently paid to the doctor or eye specialist when the Medical Adviser at the DVLA requests that a driver take a sight test to determine his fitness to drive. [58282]

The statutory eyesight standard for driving is the ability to read a car number plate at 20.5 metres. To establish if a driver's field of vision can meet the standard DVLA will pay a doctor or eye specialist a fee of £12.50 for a report from records or £56.25 if an examination is required.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the number of fatal accidents within the construction industry in England and Wales in each of the last three years. [58326]

The numbers of fatal accidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive and Local Authorities within the construction industry in England and Wales in each of the last three years are as follows:

Year	Number of fatal accidents
1995–96	68
1996–97	78
1997–981	69
1Provisional data

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Government will introduce legislation to ban the consumption of passengers' own alcohol in flight. [58416]

[holding answer 5 November 1998]: The Government have no plans to introduce such legislation.The problem of drunken passengers is already dealt with in the Air Navigation (No 2) Order 1995. This makes it an offence to enter an aircraft while drunk, to be drunk on an aircraft and to endanger the safety of an aircraft or any person therein. This legislation applies to UK registered aircraft regardless of where in the world they are and to foreign aircraft in UK airspace or whose next landing is in the UK. In addition, the commander of an UK registered aircraft may require a passenger not to consume alcohol if it appears that he is likely to become drunk. Failure to comply with the lawful commands of the aircraft commander is an offence.More generally, there are various actions which the airlines themselves can take to deal with the problem of potentially disruptive passengers and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport will be discussing these options with the airlines shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of respondents to the consultation exercise on the proposed Greater London Authority supported the additional member system of electing the authority. [58482]

Our proposals to elect the Assembly by AMS were set out in the White Paper "A Mayor and Assembly for London" (Cm 3897). These proposals were endorsed by 72 per cent. of those who voted in the referendum on 7 May 1998.We received a total of 1,289 responses to the consultation exercise on the Green Paper "New Leadership for London" (Cm 3724). Of these, 103 respondents favoured a system of proportional representation to elect the Assembly, as opposed to 33 who supported first past the post. Nine respondents specifically supported the additional member system (AMS).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many routes the punctuality of rail services (a) improved and (b) deteriorated in the last period for which records are available. [58672]

The latest figures released by the Franchising Director cover the three rail industry periods from 28 June 1998 to 19 September 1998. Comparing the annual average at the end of the quarter with the average of the beginning of the quarter, 26 route groups have shown an improvement, 32 have deteriorated and six remained static. Comparing average punctuality for the year ending September 1998 with that for the previous year, 19 route groups have improved, 42 have declined and three have remained static.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many representations he has received about noise from the M20 through Ashford; and if he will make a statement. [58356]

[holding answer 5 November 1998]: Since the Roads Review was announced in July 1998 we have received 65 representations and one petition containing over 50 signatures about traffic noise from the M20 within the District of Ashford (between Charing and Brabourne Lees).We recognise that traffic noise is a major source of concern to people. This is why in "A New Deal for Trunk Road in England" we announced that low noise surfaces would be used when roads are built or, where appropriate in those areas where noise is a particular concern, when they undergo major maintenance. I understand the Highways Agency plan to carry out technical surveys between Junctions 9 and 11 on the M20 later this year, which should determine the condition of the road surface and establish whether it should be included in the Agency's programme of future maintenance work.We also announced our intention, where re-surfacing cannot be justified on normal maintenance grounds, to establish a revised noise criteria and ring-fenced annual budget to enable the Highways Agency, over a reasonable period of time, to deal with some of the most serious and pressing cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has had on the performance of North West Trains towards meeting the standards agreed on its franchise. [58692]

Since the General Election the Franchising Director and I have received 232 representations about the performance and service quality of North West Trains.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy towards the proposed EU directive on civil subsonic jet aircraft. [58582]

To gain the benefits of early implementation the measure has been transformed into a Regulation which the UK supported when it was agreed at the Transport Council on 1 October as reported in the Parliamentary Answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport on 20 October 1998, Official Report, columns 1099–101. It is essential to maintain progress in reducing aircraft noise at source. This measure will help to ensure that the environmental gains achieved by the phasing out of older, noisy Chapter 2 aircraft by 2002 are not lost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the dates on which research has been commissioned by his Department, or its predecessor, into contained genetically modified organisms and their possible impacts on the environment if released; and if he will place a copy of the findings of such research in the Library. [59029]

The Department has commissioned research into contained genetically modified organisms and their possible impacts on the environment as follows:

December 1994, The Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, a study to review current large-scale activities with genetically modified microorganisms in the UK and the potential for any environmental risks arising from incidental discharge in waste streams.

October 1997, the Central Science Laboratory, to study the environmental risk of genetically modified plants in containment.

The reports of these studies will be published in due course and copies will be placed in the library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on how many occasions in each month, or other period for which the information is available since 1 May 1997 WHO guidelines for atmospheric pollution levels have been exceeded. [59016]

Air pollution data from national monitoring sites, from 1 May 1997, for four pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide) for which WHO have set guidelines, is presented in the tables. It should be noted that data are provisional from 1 April 1998.

Nitrogen dioxide
WHO 1-hour mean>=110.ppb
Month	Number of exceedences	Number of days	Maximum hourly ppb
May 1997	3	1	121
June 1997	2	2	249
July 1997	3	2	150
August 1997	4	4	144
September 1997	6	6	217
October 1997	35	3	249
November 1997	25	8	156
December 1997	6	3	154
January 1998	6	5	134
February 1998	9	7	132
April 1998	2	2	124
May 1998	3	3	122
June 1998	1	1	119
August 1998	3	3	123
October 1998	5	4	598
November 1998	1	1	190

Carbon monoxide
WHO 1-hour mean>=25.0ppm
Month	Number of exceedences	Number of days	Maximum ppm
October 1998	4	4	48.8

Carbon monoxide
WHO 8-hour running average>=10.0ppm
Month	Number of exceedences	Number of days	Maximum ppm
October 1997	2	2	12.1
November 1997	1	1	12.1
January 1998	4	4	11
October 1998	3	3	47.1

Ozone
WHO 8-hour running average>=60.0ppb
Month	Number of exceedences	Number of days	Maximum ppb
May 1997	51	8	80
June 1997	28	6	77
July 1997	47	9	83
August 1997	204	14	100
April 1998	1	1	64
May 1998	78	16	84
June 1998	11	2	72
July 1998	1	1	60
August 1998	34	4	101
September 1998	6	5	71
October 1998	10	9	72
November 1998	1	1	65

Sulphur Dioxide
WHO 24-hour running average>=44.0ppb
Month	Number of exceedences	Number of days	Maximum ppb
July 1997	3	3	82
September 1997	1	1	45
October 1997	9	8	78
November 1997	16	12	94
December 1997	8	6	92
January 1998	22	12	93
February 1998	2	2	56
May 1998	9	6	66
July 1998	2	2	65
September 1998	7	7	89
October 1998	2	2	47

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each month or other period for which the information is available since 1 May 1997, the total quantity of (a) CO2, (b) CO, (c) benzene, (d) sulphur, (e) NO, and (f) particulates emitted by road traffic, broken down by (i) car, (ii) motorcycle, (iii) van and (iv) lorry. [59013]

National UK emissions data are published annually in my Department's "Digest of Environmental Statistics", copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. UK emissions data are also available on the Department's air quality web site at http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/airq/aqinfo.htm and in the annual research report "UK Emissions of Air Pollutants", produced by the National Environmental Technology Centre. Annual UK emissions data are not yet available for 1997. A table showing the latest available published UK annual road transport emissions for 1996 follows.

UK emissions from road transport in 1996 Figures report by the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory for UK Digest of Environmental Statistics
Ktonnes	NOx	CO	SO2	Benzene	PM10	CO2 as C
Cars	523	2,798	14.6	23.0	13.2	19,324
Vans	58	306	5.1	1.5	8.1	3,329
HGVs	321	85	14.5	1.4	21.5	6,904
Buses	63	41	3.0	0.3	4.6	1,443
Motorcycles	1	70	0.1	0.2	0.4	118
All vehicles	966	3,299	37.2	26.3	47.7	31,118

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to require all task forces and equivalent bodies sponsored by his Department to publish their working papers and minutes on the Internet. [58769]

Given the wide range of subjects and sensitivities involved, it would not be appropriate to publish on the Internet the working papers and minutes of all task forces and equivalent bodies sponsored by my Department. However, in line with the Department's commitment to Open Government, Task Forces' reports will be made available on the Internet where appropriate, and any requests for additional information will be dealt with individually under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is his Department's policy towards permitted development rights on green belt land held by recently privatised companies, with particular reference to Railtrack; [58997](2) what is his Department's policy towards development in the green belt under permitted development rights. [59000]

Permitted development rights may be exercised in accordance with the various conditions and limitations set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. In exceptional circumstances, where there is a real and specific threat that permitted development is likely to take place which could damage an interest of acknowledged importance those rights can be withdrawn and the relevant development would then require a planning application. This would apply regardless of the type of developer. One reason for withdrawing permitted development rights might be that the purposes of Green Belt designation were threatened.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responsibilities for consultations Railtrack inherited from British Rail regarding use of permitted development rights. [58999]

British Rail had no specific responsibilities for consultations regarding the use of permitted development rights. However, guidance for non-statutory consultation with regard to the exercise of permitted development rights by statutory undertakers is set out in DOE Circular 9/95: General Development Order Consolidation 1995, and in DOE Circular 15/92: Publicity for Planning Applications. They make it clear that both the local planning authorities and the public should be informed of proposals for permitted development which are likely to affect them significantly, before the proposals are finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received about Railtrack's proposals to build a ballast storage depot at Hinkley Sidings under permitted development rights. [58994]

As of 5 November, the Government Office for the South East had received 30 representations from local people, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy towards the payment of compensation by a planning authority to private companies when their permitted development rights are blocked by use of an Article 4 direction upheld by his Department. [59001]

The withdrawal of permitted development rights by a direction under Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 may give rise to the local planning authority being liable to pay compensation under sections 107 and 108 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Any person interested in the land, or in any minerals in or under the land, may seek compensation for abortive expenditure, or other loss or damage directly attributable to the withdrawal of the permitted development rights. In order to claim compensation a planning application must have been made and permission refused, or granted subject to conditions other than those previously imposed by the Permitted Development Order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responsibilities for environmental protection and what requirements to have regard for greenbelt policies were inherited by Railtrack from British Rail with regard to permitted development rights. [58998]

There were no specific responsibilities of this kind. It is the responsibility of the local planning authority to decide whether to withdraw certain permitted development rights where permitted developments are likely to have significant effects on the environment. I would refer the hon. Member to my earlier answers to questions 58997 and 59000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to make a decision regarding the Article 4 direction from Oxfordshire County Council regarding the proposal to build a ballast depot at Hinkley Sidings. [58995]

A decision will he made as quickly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department received the Article 4 direction from Oxfordshire County Council relating to Hinkley sidings. [58996]

The request to confirm the Article 4 Direction was received from Oxfordshire County Council on 2 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to encourage the development of new rail routes for freight transport. [59223]

The freight grants scheme is designed to assist companies in moving goods from road to rail where payment is justified by the environmental benefits. We overhauled the grants scheme on coming to office; we doubled the grant spend in our first year to £30 million; we have increased the budget to £40 million for the current year, of which £32 million is already committed; and we will make still further money available over the next three years, if there is demand.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what weighting is given to the individual criteria and sub-criteria in the appraisal summary tables for road schemes published following the roads review. [58700]

Explicit weightings were not given to the criteria and sub-criteria in the Roads Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each local authority in England the bids made in their TPP submission for expenditure in 1992–2000 for (a) major highway schemes (eligible for TSG), (b) major highway schemes (not eligible for TSG), (c) structural maintenance on carriageways, (d) strengthening and structural maintenance on bridges, (e) assessment programme on bridges, (f) major public transport packages, (g) minor works: packages, (h) minor works: non-packages and (i) minor works: local safety schemes. [58701]

I shall be glad to provide the hon. Member with this information. In view of its extent I will provide it by letter rather than including it in the Official Report. I will write to him shortly. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish a policy document on airports. [58528]

In its White Paper "A New Deal for Transport", the Government said:

"We will prepare a UK airports policy looking some 30 years ahead. This will develop the application to UK airports of the policies set out in this White Paper—of sustainable development, integration with surface transport and contribution to regional growth. It will provide the framework within which those concerned can plan for the future with greater certainty. We will consult widely in preparing the new policy and will take account of the Inspector's report on the Heathrow Terminal 5 inquiry."

The Government are currently considering the precise scope, and the timing, of the policy statement and will announce their conclusions in due course. They will also consider what steps might be taken to develop thinking and focus the debate on the way forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of freight facilities grant was applied to inland waterways in the period since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [58873]

23 Freight Facilities Grants totalling some £19 million have been awarded since 1 May 1997. Two of the grants, worth about £240,000, were awarded to inland waterway applicants.Interest in grant for inland waterway schemes has historically been low. However, recent publicity drives by my Department have resulted in an increased interest in moving freight by inland waterway.We intend to consult on the details of a scheme to extend, the freight grants regime to coastal and short sea shipping.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the (a) membership of and (b) terms of reference for the Commission for Integrated Transport. [58697]

The remit for the Commission for Integrated Transport was set out in paragraph 4.4 of the White Paper 'A New Deal for Transport'. We expect to announce the appointments to the Commission early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in the Warrington, North constituency who received a court summons for unpaid water charges in each of the past five years; [58314](2) how many

Information is not available by constituency and my Department has made no estimated constituency breakdown of the information. Available figures provided by the utility regulators are as follows:

Year	Gas disconnections
1993	16,088
1994	16,393
1995	14,511
1996	8,820
1997	29,771

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects repair work on the Northern Line escalator at Embankment Station to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the cause of delay. [58317]

Embankment Station escalator number 4, an up escalator from the Northern Line dating back to 1985, suffered a major component failure in September 1998. As the escalator type is now obsolete no replacement parts were readily available. At this time however a similar type of escalator was being replaced at Paddington and a decision was taken to attempt to cannibalise this machine and work was carried out between September to mid-October. Upon completion of work London Underground Limited's (LUL) Chief Engineer (Lifts and Escalators) examined the escalator. Unfortunately because the parts from the Paddington escalator were worn and could not comply with LUL's very strict standard, the machine could not return to service.Since failing in September (and obviously during repair work) the escalator had been covered by hoarding. In a bid to assist passenger flow through the station the hoarding has been removed and the escalator is currently in use as a fixed stairway.Work is well underway to replace the failed escalator. A contract, worth approximately £1 million has been placed with the lift and escalator manufacturer Otis, which will commence work on installing a brand new escalator in January 1999. (The lead-in time for major components is between 12 and 16 weeks). It is expected that the new escalator will be fully operational by the end of July 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what consultations his Department had with the Directorate of Safety, Environment and Fire Policy at the Ministry of Defence, prior to giving consent for the laying of the Scotland-Northern Ireland electricity interconnector. [58710]

None. Consent was sought from the Department under Section 34 of the Coast Protection Act 1949. Consent under this Act is required if danger or obstruction to navigation is likely to result. The Department in making a decision under this section may consider only this question. It was concluded that the laying of the interconnector was not likely to cause such danger or obstruction and consent was accordingly given in February 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish a revised version of planning document MPG3: Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil Disposal. [58709]

My hon. Friend the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning published a draft revised MPG3 (Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil Disposal) for public consultation on 16 October. Comments on the draft guidance, which applies to England only, are requested by 15 January 1999.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland published draft revised planning policy guidance on opencast coal in Scotland on 23 October. Responses to that consultation paper are requested by 11 December 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what contingency plans have been made to get visitors to and from the Dome in the event that the Jubilee Line extension is not completed in time. [57279]

The Government welcome London Transport's revised strategy for phased opening of the Jubilee Line Extension project and their confirmation that it will open in good time for the Millennium Experience. It would however be irresponsible not to have in place contingency arrangements to manage problems on any of the main transport links to the Millennium site, including any major failure of the Jubilee Line. London Underground Limited are developing contingency arrangements for this, and other eventualities, in association with London Transport Buses, London River Services, the Government Office for London, the Highways Agency, the Association of Train Operating Companies, Connex South East, Docklands Light Railways and the New Millennium Experience Company.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many road deaths and serious road accidents there were in each month or other period for which the information is available since 1 May 1997. [59015]

Information for 1998 is not yet available by month. Information for 1997 is as shown. Other casualties involved in these accidents who sustained slight injuries are not shown.

Accidents
	Fatal incidents	Serious accidents
May	272	3,034
June	263	3,058
July	266	3,256
August	296	3,120
September	268	2,893
October	295	3,331
November	331	3,244
December	287	3,147

Casualties
	Persons killed	Persons seriously injured
May	292	3,595
June	289	3,633
July	304	3,867
August	320	3,785
September	291	3,362
October	321	3,924
November	354	3,848
December	310	3,697

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many cars were sold in each month, or other period for which the information is available, since 1 May 1997. [59014]

The requested information, taken from DVLA records of new car registrations, is as shown.

New car registrations: by month since May 1997
Thousand
	1997	1998
January	—	227
February	—	179
March	—	214
April	—	170
May	167	172
June	149	170
July	36	40
August	526	506
September	157	166
October	158	—
November	153	—
December	89	—

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many car journeys were completed in each month or other period for which the information is available since I May 1997. [59017]

This information is not available on a monthly basis. Information on journeys is provided by the National Travel Survey. Over the period 1995 to 1997, the estimated average number of car driver journeys was 401 per person per year in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he expects each of the subsidiary documents referred to in the White Paper, A New Deal For Transport, to be published; [58527](2) when the publications listed in annex A of A New Deal for Transport will be published. [58698]

The Government will launch their consultation on road user charging and the workplace parking levy shortly. In the following months we intend to issue further daughter documents on sustainable distribution, local transport plans, shipping, buses, road safety and inland waterways. We will also be issuing a paper on ports policy. In many of the documents we will be consulting on detailed aspects of policy, and we therefore intend to issue the documents in an orderly way so as not to overburden consultees and so as to encourage full and considered responses.Of the other relevant documents listed in Annex A, the response to the Royal Commission and the consultation paper on climate change have already been published. An action plan to encourage walking will be published shortly. The remaining documents—a report on the review of national air quality strategy, a revised strategy for sustainable development, consultation on draft or updated planning guidance, and progress reports from the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force—will follow over the next few months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the (a) timetable and (b) budget for the transport problems to be considered by regional planning conferences through regional planning guidance systems detailed in Annex C of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England; [58694](2) what is the

A New Deal for Transport and A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England describe the enhanced role that Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) will play in integrating transport planning with other types of land-use planning and identifying regional priorities for transport investment and management. Draft RPG will be prepared by regional planning conferences (RPCs), in consultation with the Government Offices and other regional stakeholders, and submitted to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will consider whether the draft should be modified in the light of an independent Panel report and issue the final version of RPG. The Secretary of State will be committed to taking forward those transport proposals in RPG for which central government are responsible. The precise timing will depend on the circumstances of the particular public expenditure round. Other transport proposals will be delivered by local authorities through their local transport plans and by Railtrack and other transport infrastructure and service providers. Further guidance on the regional transport strategy element of RPG will be set out in a draft Planning Policy Guidance Note 11.It is for RPCs, in consultation with other stakeholders and Government offices, to decide the timetable for updating RPG. All regions, except London and the West Midlands, are currently reviewing RPG. Following the Comprehensive Spending Review, my Department will be providing significant additional funding to support the research efforts of the Government offices and the RPCs in developing RPG and we will also be meeting the administrative costs of the RPG public examinations.The programme of studies proposed in Annex D of A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England will assist RPCs in addressing the most serious and urgent regional transport problems in either the current round or future updates of RPG. The studies will be led by Government offices in partnership with RPCs and funded by the Department at a cost of some £30 million over the next three years. We will shortly be consulting RPCs about our proposals. The first studies will begin in 1999–2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the impact of the transport policy measures announced as part of A New Deal for Transport, on (a) forecasts of future traffic made in the 1997 National Road Traffic Forecasts and (b) future levels of congestion on the motorway and trunk road network as shown in the Highways Agency's stress maps. [58699]

Revising and updating the 1997 National Road Traffic Forecasts to reflect the impact of the New Deal for Transport will involve new approaches to forecasting traffic and its environmental and economic effects. The Department is currently developing plans to take this work forward, on which we will be seeking advice from the Commission for Integrated Transport, after it is established next year. Our revised forecasts will also need to take account of the non-statutory 'interim' road traffic reduction reports we expect to receive from local highway authorities in July next year as part of their provisional local transport plans.The Highways Agency's motorway and trunk road stress maps will be revised in line with the National Road Traffic Forecasts, which play a central role in their production.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if all outstanding claims arising out of the French lorry drivers' dispute have been settled. [58990]

We understand that at 10 September some 200 claims from UK companies were still under consideration by the French authorities.

To ask the Prime Minister if the Government have completed their review of countryside responsibilities; and if he will make a statement. [57230]

The Government completed their Comprehensive Spending Review of countryside and rural policy earlier this year. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 29 July 1998, Official Report, columns 246–47.The Government' s new strategic approach—based upon a belief in the importance of integrating policies for rural areas, and ensuring that the rural dimension is fully reflected in wider policy-making—will enhance opportunity in rural areas, improve access to and enjoyment of the countryside and conserve and manage wildlife resources there. At Departmental level, work is in hand to improve co-ordination and financial planning of DETR and MAFF development programmes for rural areas. We have announced that from 1 April 1999 the work of the Rural Development Commission and the Countryside Commission will be brought together in a new agency to champion rural England. Regional Development Agencies will also have a specific remit to serve the rural areas of their regions, and will be responsible for developing an integrated approach to economic development and regeneration throughout their regions.The Government believe in a living, working and sustainable countryside recognising the important links between rural and urban policy.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) of 9 February 1998, Official Report, column 17, if he will give a definition of the term ministerial hospitality. [58730]

Ministerial hospitality covers expenditure on official entertainment hosted by Ministers including events organised by the Government Hospitality Fund. Hospitality is offered, and costed, on the same basis as it was by the last Administration.

To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he employs in selecting candidates to be proposed for appointment as life peers. [58683]

That the individual concerned should be able to make a significant contribution to the work of the House of Lords.