§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the achievements of his Department and his policies in helping small businesses over the last 12 months compared with the previous 12 months; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistic) results of such monitoring.
§ Mr. David MitchellSince my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State reported to the House last year we have taken the following initiatives:
For taxi and hire car operators:
—A thorough review of the legislation has been started.
For bus, coach and lorry operators:
—We have proposed dropping a number of superfluous items from annual roadworthiness tests.
For international hauliers:
—Considerable success in negotiations to increase lorry permit quotas for Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
For caterers:
—British Rail are providing increased opportunity to tender for on-train trolley services.
For business men with roadside premises:
—We have consulted about revising local highway authorities' powers over planning applications, with a view to changes later this year.
516WFor airline operators:
—The EC Council of Ministers has agreed on a package of liberalising measures, as a first step towards completion of the iternal market in 1992.
For Shipowners:
—The law on marine pilotage has been reformed and simplified, we have consulted about simplifying crew accommodation regulations; and provision has been made in the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 to enable further pressure to be put on EC member states to move towards liberalisation of shipping cabotage.
For MOT testing garages:
—The revised conditions of appointment for MOT testing garages have been reviewed.
The transport and road research laboratory monitors the effects of bus deregulation under the Transport Act 1985. Other measures do not lend themselves in the same way to the use of statistical performance indicators.