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Mr. Atkins : The Energy Saving Trust is an independent organisation, but I understand that its programmes for 1994-95 are as follows : (
(a) The Trust's pilot scheme for local energy advice centres is expected to spend about £3m, derived from a variety of sources, including this Department ;
(b) The Trust's pilot scheme to promote domestic combined heat and power is expected to spend about £1m. This is funded by British Gas out of a corresponding increase in gas tariff income approved by OFGAS. Similar funding for any further schemes developed by the Trust and put forward by British Gas will be subject to decision by OFGAS ;
(c) Regional Electricity Companies (RECs) have been set energy efficiency targets by OFFER in consultation with the Trust, and may raise around £22m from
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electricity franchise customers in 1994-95 to fund energy efficiency schemes. The savings achieved by schemes will be calculated by a method proposed by the Trust, and the Trust are devising various national schemes which would help achieve those savings.Single Regeneration Budget
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the European Union's funds, programmes or grants available for local authorities or others to apply for in respect of the regeneration of deprived and depressed areas ; how these link to the single regeneration budget ; and where details of all these funds, programmes or grants, including the criteria for successful applications, are made publicly available.
Mr. Baldry : The principal sources of European funding available to local authorities and others in respect of the regeneration of deprived and depressed areas are two of the European Community structural funds. These are the European regional development fund and European social fund. As grants from the structural funds normally contribute part of the total cost of a project, the single regeneration budget will provide an important source of matching funding. Both programmes will be administered by Government offices in the regions.
Regional plans for the Merseyside objective 1 area, covering 1994-99 ; objective 2--areas in industrial decline--for 1994-96 ; and objective 5b-- rural areas--for 1994-99, are currently being considered by the European Commission. Once these have been agreed, the formal arrangements for considering project applications, such as selection criteria, can be determined. Details of EC regulations and decisions relating to the funds are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, and information about programmes and guidance for applicants, can be obtained from the Government offices in the regions.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent changes have been made to the composition and remit of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee.
Mr. Atkins : All appointments to the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee, except three, end on 31 August 1994. An announcement about membership of the Committee will be made in due course.
Benefit Hostels
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government are yet in a position to say whether it will introduce a licensing system for benefit hostels.
Sir George Young : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale) on Friday 8 July, Official Report, column 327.
Dog Fouling
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to announce the recommendations of his Department's advisory group on litter on national legislation for dog fouling and the
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definition of dog mess as litter together with his response on a day on which the House is sitting before the end of July.Mr. Atkins : I intend to publish before the recess the report of the Department's advisory group on litter as a consultation document and I shall be encouraging all interested parties to let me have their views on its recommendations.
Multiple Occupation Houses
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many fire inspections of bed-sitters and houses in multiple occupation have taken place in each year since 1983.
Sir George Young : This information is not held centrally. Local housing authorities are responsible for inspecting houses in multiple occupation for fire safety and other purposes.
Captive Animals
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is his Department's policy to apply regulation 2(2) (a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 in relation to the state of any flora or fauna in the definition of the environment to animals held in captivity for scientific purposes.
Mr. Atkins : Where information falls within the scope of the regulations my Department's policy is to make it available unless there are good reasons, related to the regulations, for not doing so.
Whether information about animals held in captivity for scientific purposes is environmental information is a mixed question of fact and law which would need to be determined on a case by case basis.
Ofwat
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is his policy on the spending by Ofwat of money on hiring Government relations consultants to communicate with hon. Members or others ;
(2) what reasons he has been given by the Director General of Ofwat for hiring Ludgate Land Government Relations in order to write to hon. Members ; what was the cost ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : These are matters for the Director General of Water Services.
Urban Development Corporations
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much grant in aid has been made available to each urban development corporation since 1981 as a cash sum (a) at current prices and (b) at 1981 prices.
Mr. Baldry : The amount of grant in aid made available to each urban development corporation between April 1981 and March 1994, (a) at current prices and (b) at 1981 prices, is set out in the table.
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Grant in aid
£ millions
|<1>At current|<1>At 1981
|prices |prices
----------------------------------------------------------------
Birmingham Heartlands |14.9 |29.5
Black Country |222.7 |439.9
Bristol |64.1 |126.6
Central Manchester |59.0 |116.5
Leeds |44.7 |88.3
London Docklands |1,280.2 |2,528.2
Merseyside |229.6 |453.5
Plymouth |7.4 |14.6
Sheffield |65.1 |128.6
Teesside |206.2 |407.3
Trafford Park |133.7 |263.9
Tyne and Wear |197.8 |390.6
<1>Actual grant in aid paid to urban development corporations
has been adjusted in line with Her Majesty's Treasury's GDP
Deflator Indices. Current prices are 1994-95 prices.
Running Costs
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987-88.
Mr. Gummer : Information in the form requested is not available, but details of total running costs between 1987 and 1994 are published in the Department's annual reports.
Pollution Control
Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide guidance to local planning authorities on the relationship between planning and pollution controls.
Mr. Curry : I have today published planning policy guidance note 23 "Planning and Pollution Control", which clarifies the roles of the planning and pollution control systems. This stresses the need to avoid duplication of controls while improving dialogue between the different regulatory bodies. It provides guidance on the relevant issues planning authorities should consider in drawing up their development plans and in determining planning applications for certain industrial development proposals.
It builds on the long-established policy that planning should not duplicate other legislative controls. We have significantly strengthened our pollution control systems in recent years. Planning authorities should therefore focus on the wider land-use implications of proposed development leaving the control of emissions to pollution control authorities.
Trees (Environmental Damage)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the damage to Britain's trees caused by (a) ozone smogs and (b) acid rain.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 28 June 1994] : An assessment of the impact of air pollution on tree health in the United Kingdom was made in the terrestrial environment review group's second report, produced for my Department and published in April 1993. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House. My
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Department's critical loads advisory group and photochemical oxidants review group are currently engaged in a further assessment of the impacts of both acidic deposition and ozone on trees in the United Kingdom.Contracts
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what occasions in the last 10 years he or a Minister in his Department has given a direction to civil
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servants to award a contract against the advice of the civil service ; what was the subject matter of the contract and its value ; and when it was awarded.Mr. Gummer [holding answer 8 July 1994] : To the best of my knowledge, there have been no occasions over the last 10 years on which Ministers of this Department have given a direction to award a contract against the advice of the civil service.
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