Lawrie Quinn - Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I wish to present a petition on behalf of Jean May Taylor and Graham Collins, my constituents, and of more than 3,500 local people from Scarborough who wish to see the devastating announcement by TransBus plc concerning the closure of the Plaxton bus and coach factory at Eastfield in my constituency reconsidered by the company, and to have the support of this House to achieve that aim.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance is issued to Government Departments on the conduct of Government business once an election is announced. [160945]

Marjorie Mowlam: The Prime Minister has written to ministerial colleagues about Government business during the election. Guidance for civil servants covering their conduct was also issued to Departments, and specific guidance has been issued to special advisers. Copies of all three documents have been placed in the Libraries of the House, as well as guidance on the use of the Knowledge Network system.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): After four years of steady progress in creating jobs in my constituency, does my right hon. Friend recognise the devastating impact of the closure of the Plaxton bus factory in my constituency, which is detailed in early-day motion 645? Will he endorse the progress made in the few days since last Thursday by our right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in setting up a rapid reaction force to work for the people of Scarborough and north Yorkshire? Will the Prime Minister assure the House that he will do his best to make sure that bus building in Scarborough survives?

The Prime Minister: I certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. I am aware of how important that industry is to his constituency and I welcome the progress made at recent meetings between my hon. Friend, the trade unions, the management, the Minister for Competitiveness, and other interested parties. Looking at all the options for sustaining a viable work force is the right way forward and we remain hopeful that, with the right spirit of partnership, which has certainly been present there up to now, we shall be able to find a way forward for my hon. Friend's constituents and the industry.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on recent developments in the post office network. [160589]

Mr. Byers: I am pleased to announce that the Government have reached agreement for the introduction of Universal Banking Services with 11 major institutions. The terms of a Memorandum of Understanding have been agreed and copies are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The banks will make their basic bank accounts accessible through the 18,000 post offices in the network, contribute £180 million to the costs of the Post Office card account, and commit to simple and straightforward account opening for those without bank accounts.

This is a major step forward both in ensuring the future of the post office network and in tackling financial exclusion. Universal Banking Services will provide a range of banking services which will enable a new income stream to come into the network and bring those people currently without bank accounts into the financial mainstream.

It is the latest in a number of measures the Government have announced recently to help strengthen the post office network.

In February I announced a new Government fund to help with the costs of relocating and refurbishing rural post offices. Grants to this fund now being considered include proposals to reopen rural offices near Dover and Cardiff. The Government hope to make several more similar grants shortly and this fund could provide the impetus for reopening up to 200 offices nationwide.

In March, we launched the latest phase in order to pilot post offices in Leicestershire and Rutland as "Government General Practitioners"--a new service that will offer a wide range of information and access to Government services aimed at the general public.

Last month I announced the appointment of Allan Leighton to the Board of the new Post Office company, Consignia, as one of five non-executive directors.

The appointment will add to the skills and experience available to Consignia. He will take special interest in the future development of the post office network.

I am informed by the Post Office that, subject to final verification, a net total of 112 urban offices and 435 rural offices closed in the year ending 26 March 2001¹). Of the closures in the year, only four are permanent.

In addition, 123 rural and 46 urban offices reopened in the year. Also, subject to final verification, net closures in the final quarter of the year ending 26 March 2001 were 113.

This indicates a significant downward trend in post office closures compared with the third quarter when net closures were 135 and the first half of the year when closures were running at a rate of 150 per quarter.

This means that during the period April 2000 to March 2001, in the first half of the year net closures were running at 300 whereas in the final half of the year closures were 17 per cent. lower at 248.

This would appear to indicate that the positive and practical steps taken following the performance and innovation unit report in June are having a beneficial effect.

¹ based on the Post Office's traditional definition of rural offices as those serving communities with under 6,300 residents.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 24, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,

Early estimates of the damage to the Scarborough economy indicate that £50 million each year will be lost as a result of one in every 20 workers losing their jobs. At a stroke, Scarborough becomes the worst unemployment black spot in Yorkshire and the Humber. The decision leaves us 42 miles from any potential alternative employment.

On Thursday evening, our confidence was broken and the community felt on the edge of bankruptcy. By Friday afternoon, however, thanks to the rapid response of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and my hon. Friend the Minister for Competitiveness, we had a glimmer of hope.

I believe that this matter deserves urgent attention in the House now, to ensure that the fullest attention of Parliament can be given to this important regional and national matter. The voice of Parliament needs to be heard. The matter is specific to the national debate on Britain's economic performance, as the likelihood is that foreign competitors will steal the important contribution that Plaxton has made to supplying coaches for Britain and the world.

The implications for the balance of payments are unacceptable and draconian. May we have a debate, Mr. Speaker, if not today, then in the near future?

Mr. Speaker: I have listened carefully to what the hon. Member has said and I must give my decision without stating any reasons. I am afraid that I do not consider the matter that he has raised appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 24, and I cannot, therefore, submit the application to the House.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to amend the regulations governing the Accommodation for Residential Care concessionary television licence scheme to prevent residents losing their entitlement to the concession following changes introduced by their housing managers. [157854]

Mr. Chris Smith: A number of hon. Members have expressed concern about residents in sheltered accommodation losing their entitlement to the £5 Accommodation for Residential Care television licence fee concession, as the result of changes to the way their accommodation is provided or managed. The Government share these concerns. We propose to introduce measures to preserve the rights of beneficiaries of the concessionary scheme who remain in a sheltered housing complex or residential home provided or managed by a local authority, a housing association or a development corporation, when the social mix or the level of warden cover change. We are consulting with the BBC on the formulation of the necessary amendments to the regulations governing the concessionary scheme.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My right hon. Friend knows only too well how many pensioners in my constituency have been helped by the Government's initiatives, but he also knows of my concern about pensioners who are not claiming their full entitlement. How does his Department propose to ensure that there is clear, easily understood information, so that pensioners can claim what is right for them--which is an entitlement and not, as the Conservatives would suggest, a handout?

Mr. Darling: The new Pension Service, which will be a dedicated service for pensioners, will, among other things, focus on how better to get across to people what is their entitlement. As a first step, the minimum income guarantee claim form, which was more than 40 pages long when originally introduced, has now been shortened to just 10 pages. Pensioners can also claim their entitlement by telephoning, and in future will be able to do so by other means as well.

We are anxious for two things to happen: we want pensioners to receive their entitlement, and we want that entitlement to be there in the first place. We will ensure that both the minimum income guarantee and the winter fuel payment, as well as other measures, are available to boost pensioners' incomes in retirement. That is crucial not just to Labour Members but, I believe, to the country as a whole.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the joint inquiry report into train protection systems chaired by Lord Cullen and Professor Uff is expected to report. [156641]

Mr. Hill: The report is being published today by the Health and Safety Commission. Copies are being placed in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent guidance has been offered to Government Departments on issues relating to devolution. [151646]

Marjorie Mowlam: I am today placing in the Library two further Devolution Guidance Notes which have recently been completed. DGN5--"The Role of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Post-Devolution"--and DGN9--"Post-Devolution Primary Legislation Affecting Wales". These guidance notes will be made available on the Cabinet Office internet site at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): As my hon. Friend the Minister knows, I represent the constituency of Scarborough and Whitby, which is very close to Fylingdales. The people of my constituency will welcome very much the consultation that was implied by the communiqué that was issued at the weekend. However, will there be any consultation with local people in the north Yorkshire moors area, should there be any further developments? Will there be any consideration of the fact that the base at Fylingdales is in a national park? Will that have any bearing on any potential developments at the site?

Mr. Vaz: I have listened to my hon. Friend and I can do no better than to pass on his comments to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will make a statement on employment relations within the Church of England. [149418]

Mr. Stuart Bell: The great majority of clergy in the Church of England are office holders rather than employees. Clergy with the freehold enjoy greater job security than many employees. As to the Church of England's administrative staff: the national organisations of the Church together employ about 600 staff on lines broadly comparable with the Civil Service, with which they have a pay and employment conditions analogue. Others throughout the Church of England are employed by Diocesan Boards of Finance, Boards of Education, parishes and so on.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What steps he is taking to widen access to the arts in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) Scarborough and Whitby. [149384]

The Minister for the Arts (Mr. Alan Howarth): Yorkshire Arts is strongly committed to widening access to the arts. Its budget from the Arts Council of England increased by 9.1 per cent. in 1999-2000 and in 2000-01 by 26 per cent., to £9.25 million. Among the excellent projects that are promoting wider access is Create, an arts development consortium working in partnership with Yorkshire Arts to promote residencies and participatory events at the Scarborough festival and, indeed, all the year round. That also benefits Whitby and rural areas in North Yorkshire.

Mr. Quinn: Such initiatives are extremely welcome in what are perhaps some of the most rural parts of the country. In the rural areas of North Yorkshire in particular, participation in the arts is difficult, whether in the performance arts or in other forms. I am especially pleased that many of the council estates in Scarborough and Whitby now have an opportunity to take part. This initiative from the Government is smashing and will make sure that we break down the barriers of exclusion in access to the arts. Will my right hon. Friend take an early opportunity to commend all the people at Yorkshire Arts for that important work?

Mr. Howarth: I very much appreciate my hon. Friend's comments. He is a great advocate of tourism and culture in his constituency and in Yorkshire. He and his constituents are fortunate of course to have Sir Alan Ayckbourn and the Stephen Joseph theatre in their midst. That theatre has been a priority for Yorkshire Arts.

Yorkshire Arts supports both the Crescent arts workshop--working to bring cultural opportunities to deprived estates in Scarborough--and the Whitby network, which provides a performance base in Whitby.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If he will make a statement on modernising British ports. [148440]

The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Mr. Keith Hill): The Government announced the publication of a ports policy paper, "Modern Ports", on 27 November. Ports have an important role in integrated transport policy. The paper identifies a number of specific initiatives that we hope to pursue. We intend to promote better regulation of the industry, and agreed national standards and good practice for port management and port operations alike. The paper sets out a balanced policy on port development that aims to make the best use of existing and former operational land and secure high environmental standards while supporting sustainable projects for which there is a clear need.

Mr. Quinn: This is a very important strategy nationally, but the work to be undertaken soon in the port of Whitby will be extremely important to many of my constituents. Does my hon. Friend agree that the harbour infrastructure developments in the port--to the tune of some £850,000, I understand--in addition to the needed rail and road land links into the port of Whitby, will deliver an important and viable future for my constituents? Will he support my plea for an inter-modal study to ensure that we can deliver the integrated transport policy to which he referred?

Mr. Hill: I am grateful for my hon. Friend's warm support for the Government's new investment in the port of Whitby. As he will be aware, my Department has approved nearly £500,000 for Whitby, and we have also approved investment worth £350,000 for the port of Scarborough. Both ports have received extra funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for other refurbishment projects totalling £500,000. My hon. Friend has made powerful representations in favour of improved rail connections to Whitby and road links to Scarborough. The Government are considering his proposals very carefully.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating staff and students at Hull university campus in Scarborough, who have made a special attempt to encourage more mature students to enter the education department for postgraduate qualifications? Will he also reserve time in his very busy diary to come and see the valuable work that is being done there? Will he say what measures he is taking to encourage more mature students to avail themselves of the opportunities to enter what I agree is the most important profession in the world?

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. David Blunkett): I am always up for a trip to Scarborough, but preferably when the weather is a bit better and the crabs are freshly in from the sea.

I congratulate the university on its initiative. Under the graduate teacher programme, which this Government initiated, more than 1,000 mature students are working as teachers, being paid the graduate salary. We will expand the initiative to 1,600 places this year--a solution that is providing an immediate answer--with those who have experience being able to use it in the classroom.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I congratulate my hon. Friend on recognising the particular needs of rural police forces, such as North Yorkshire, in maintaining contact with the public. May I invite him to make an early visit to the experimental police station in the East division in my constituency, which is focusing particularly on making that contact with rural constituents and ensuring that law and order is ever-present in rural areas such as mine?

The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Charles Clarke): I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. I should also like to take up that invitation when next I am able to do so. I was delighted that, only a couple of weeks ago, on 26 January, the North Yorkshire police force chief constable and the chairman of the police authority announced:

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My hon. Friend knows my constituency well. I have been doing my homework: I was with representatives of Age Concern on Friday. They told me that about 700 pensioner households in the Scarborough area are still, for whatever reason, classified as being in poverty, on the measures that they use. The main problem is that households do not claim payments to which they are entitled. Will the Minister offer me and the field-workers from Age Concern some advice on how to persuade those 700 households that they are entitled to this help, and that it would not constitute a handout?

Mr. Bayley: The Government have run the largest ever take-up campaign for pensioners. Record numbers of pensioners have applied for the minimum income guarantee and are getting it as a result. I hope that that has made a difference in my hon. Friend's constituency.

I join my hon. Friend in wanting to ensure that the message gets across that the minimum income guarantee is not a discretionary payment but an entitlement for pensioners on low incomes, and we are determined that such pensioners should receive it. I should be more than happy to visit my hon. Friend's constituency to talk to the representatives of Age Concern about how we can ensure that the campaign is a success.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My right hon. Friend will know only too clearly that many coastal towns around the country are in the most deprived areas. Along with Labour colleagues who represent those resorts and communities, I welcome very much the Government's approach in the report. Will my right hon. Friend say specifically whether Scarborough and Whitby, especially the communities of Eastfield and Barrowclough in Scarborough and Streonshalh in Whitby, will have an opportunity to participate in the urban renewal project?

Ms Armstrong: I know my hon. Friend's constituency well and I know the real problems faced by many seaside towns in this country. We have sought to target them specifically in the comprehensive spending review, and, although I do not have the names of Scarborough wards that are eligible, I can tell my hon. Friend that, as an authority, Scarborough has at least two wards on the index which will be able to apply to for the neighbourhood management pilots.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I have previously raised with my right hon. Friend the concerns of the communities of the North York moors, including my constituents and those of the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) and the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway). Is my right hon. Friend happy to confirm what he has previously told me, that the British people and this place would know first about any proposals on such a defence system, and that the immediate communities around RAF Fylingdales would be included in the process of understanding those proposals? We should be careful to note that, if there is to be a 21st-century bandwagon, the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks is the wrong test pilot to drive that bandwagon forward.

Mr. Hoon: I agree with my hon. Friend that, whenever the United States reaches a decision on what type of national missile defence it proposes to develop, it is important for such a system to be carefully considered in the United Kingdom and among our allies. That was one of the reasons why President Clinton decided to defer the proposal to the new Administration who are about to take office. It is obvious that there should be a debate in the United Kingdom, specifically among the people in and around Fylingdales.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): I am sure that my right hon. Friend is aware that although many sugar beet producers in North Yorkshire, particularly in my constituency, are concerned about their future, they support the end objective. One concern that they have expressed to me in consultation is that they cannot envisage the time scale of the initiative. Is she able at this stage to spell out when it will be fully implemented?

Clare Short: The current proposal from Pascal Lamy, the Trade Commissioner, is a three-year phase-in period, but the matter has not been finalised and longer phase-in periods have been discussed. Common agricultural policy reform must come because of the peace clause in the Uruguay round, which requires the World Trade Organisation to examine protectionism for agricultural production. The existing common agricultural policy would bankrupt an enlarged European Union, so reform is coming. Sugar producers must face up to the fact that it is unsustainable to have a guaranteed high price that is above international market prices. They need help to adjust, and I think that their friends will do that. They cannot go on under the present regime, because at some point it will collapse underneath them.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people leaving work because of long-term illness. [141821]

Mr. Bayley: We believe that people with long-term illnesses should have the support to remain in work. The Inland Revenue has introduced a Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) Fast-Track to make it financially possible for sick and disabled people to stay in work. This allows people who become long-term sick or disabled while they are in work to receive DPTC on their return to work where they need to move to a job with lower pay (e.g. because of reduced hours).

This Department is also working with the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health to implement, from next year, a series of Job Retention and Rehabilitation pilots to test the effectiveness of better co-ordinated, earlier work-focused interventions by health and employment services in helping people to stay in work.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will announce details of the local transport capital settlement. [142833]

Mr. Prescott: The Government's Transport strategy and investment plans were set out in "Transport 2010: the 10-Year Plan", published in July 2000. The 10-Year Plan provided the long-term framework for investment, which is now being implemented. It will put right the effects of years of under-investment that this Government inherited. The 10-Year Plan provided for £59 billion of expenditure on local transport - £30.6 billion of public revenue expenditure, £19.3 billion public capital investment, and £9 billion of private investment.

This Local Transport Capital Settlement is the first five-year allocation from the £19.3 billion of public capital investment. The total allocation for English local highways authorities outside London for the period 2001-02 to 2005-06 will be £8.4 billion. The five-year allocation is as follows:

LTP allocations	Major schemes, integrated transport schemes, and maintenance schemes
£ billion
2001-02	1.36
2002-03	1.52
2003-04	1.67
2004-05	1,94
2005-06	1.93
*Five year total*	8.43

Every authority will benefit from this significantly increased funding, which in 2001-02 represents a doubling over last year's allocation for English authorities outside London, with further increases in subsequent years.

Using this funding, local authorities, working in partnership with local people, transport operators, businesses and interest groups, will be able to make a real difference to the quality of transport in their areas.

In making these allocations, we have accepted, or provisionally accepted 67 new major schemes (those with a gross cost of over £5 million). These include 28 public transport and integrated transport schemes, including bus priority measures and guided bus schemes, to make journeys faster and more reliable with major new interchanges, and 39 road schemes, such as local bypasses and relief roads.

This allocation will also enable authorities to take forward the many smaller-scale improvements contained in their Local Transport Plans. These include improvements to public transport, such as priority bus routes, improved integration, better access to bus, rail, and light rail stations, more park and ride schemes, and improved waiting facilities at interchanges. They also include schemes to make local roads safer and less congested, and measures to encourage cycling and walking.

Within the overall allocation, we have also made provision for authorities to repair local roads and bridges, as announced on 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 492W. This funding, along with the additional revenue funding being made available through the highways maintenance standard spending assessment, should enable authorities to meet the target to halt the deterioration of local roads by 2004.

Copies of the Press Notice and a list of allocations for individual authorities have been placed in the Library of the House. Details have also been placed in Members' mail-boxes in the Members' Post Office Counter.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on UK assistance to refugees housed in camps in Gaza and the west bank; and what representations he has made to Israeli officials on a lasting peace settlement for the middle east. [141998]

Mr. Hain: This year the UK contributed around £10 million to the General Fund of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In October the Government also announced a contribution of a further £3 million to UNRWA's request to meet a cash shortfall. And on 1 December we announced an additional £5 million for UNRWA's special emergency appeal. We are in regular contact with Israeli and Palestinian officials to urge them to put in place further measures to end the violence and return to negotiations. We will continue working towards the goal of a just and lasting settlement in the middle east.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If he will make a statement on how his Department intends to promote seaside holidays. [141882]

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith): We are making good progress in promoting resort regeneration. This summer, the Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting toured seaside resorts, including my hon. Friend's constituency, to see at first hand the problems and the opportunities. We fund the British Tourist Authority, which does an excellent job in marketing England abroad. Regional tourist boards, local authorities and other destination organisations all play an important part in promoting seaside holidays. I am pleased that we have been able to secure regeneration assistance for a large number of seaside resorts.

Mr. Quinn: I thank my right hon. Friend for his answer. Not only Scarborough and Whitby, but the constituency of the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) are benefiting from objective 2 status. Will my right hon. Friend make every effort possible to discuss with lottery-awarding bodies whether we can lever in extra assistance for the many seaside resorts throughout the country that desperately need regeneration? I thank him and his Front-Bench team for all their efforts to promote the traditional seaside holiday in Britain.

Mr. Smith: I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Eight wards in Scarborough are included in objective 2 for potential funding. That is welcome. In relation to lottery funding, we are determinedly bringing pressure to bear on the lottery distributors to ensure that the spread of funding is fairer geographically throughout the country than it has been in the first five to six years of lottery funding. We shall look particularly at seaside resorts that have hitherto lost out in the fair sharing of lottery funds, and shall try to ensure that fairness is re-established over the coming years.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what amendment has been made to the exemption order for the fleet of new Class 460 trains introduced into service by Gatwick Express in respect of any of the provisions of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 1998; and if he will make a statement. [141621]

Mr. Hill: We have received a further application from Gatwick Express relating to their Class 460 trains. This seeks to amend the original Order by extending existing exemptions. The exemptions have been discussed with our statutory advisers the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. An exemption Order relating to the exemption of these trains has been laid in Parliament.

The exemptions will not prevent disabled people from using the new trains. Indeed, we believe that their introduction will make a significant contribution to improving mobility opportunities for disabled people.

In the House...

Questions in the House of Commons 2000-01