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Red Squirrels
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposal he has to prevent further erosion of the red squirrel population in north-east England. [4951]
Mr. Clappison: Measures to safeguard the red squirrel population include full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and a prohibition on the release of grey squirrels to restrict their spread. English Nature's species recovery programme, which aims to achieve
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long-term sustainable survival of endangered species, includes the red squirrel. The programme features the restocking of small populations.
The Red Alert North-East partnership, which English Nature has part funded, is taking steps to improve status and general awareness of the red squirrel. They are also carrying out research into the sorts of conifer preferred by red squirrels.
Toxic Waste
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he plans to put to the EU Environment Council in Brussels on 18 to 19 December on the harmonisation of EU policies of self-sufficiency for the management and disposal of toxic and radioactive waste. [5014]
Mr. Clappison: There are no plans to discuss EU waste policies at the December Environment Council.
Areas of Tranquillity
Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce a definition of areas of tranquillity. [4824]
Mr. Clappison: Ministers have looked with interest at the recent work by the Council for the Protection of Rural England which aims to define tranquil areas. The Government have no plans to introduce such a definition.
Accomodation (Tourist Areas)
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which business organisations advertise the availability of residential vacancies in hotels, hostels and houses in multiple occupation in tourist areas to attract unemployment benefit claimants; what is the nature of such organisations; and if he will make a statement. [5392]
Mr. Clappison: My Department has not commissioned any research into this topic, but we have received evidence, both from right hon. and hon. Members, and the public, of this practice. The Government have already taken measures to tighten the planning controls on the switch of hotels into hostel use and have announced that we will shortly be bringing forward legislation to improve conditions and management standards in this type of accommodation.
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County Hall, London
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the financial arrangements between Whitbread plc and Shirayama Shokusan Ltd. in respect of county hall, London SE1; and if payment of the deferred element of the original purchase price will now be made to the London residuary body. [5311]
Sir Paul Beresford: The arrangements between Shirayama Shokusan and Whitbread are a matter for those two parties. Under the terms of its purchase of the riverside building, Shirayama is required from April 1997 to pay the deferred £10 million at the rate of 50 per cent. of the annual net profit of the hotel and other business activities in the riverside building, and in any event to pay the full sum by 2012, irrespective of any profits.
Water Leakages
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what leakage reduction targets each water company set out in their submissions to the Director General of Water Services at his five-year price review; [4608]
(2) if he will publish, company by company, the leakage reduction target plans submitted in their asset management plans at privatisation. [4609]
Mr. Clappison [holding answer 11 December 1995]: Projections for national reductions in leakage were contained in Ofwat's occasional paper 1, "Future levels of demand and supply for water", published in November 1994. Individual company projections of water balances provided for the periodic review were not necessarily on a consistent basis and are commercially confidential.
The Office of Water Services is currently assessing trends in leakage since privatisation on a comparative basis, as part of its contribution to the report for my right hon. Friend on the lessons to be learnt from the drought.
Housing, Kirklees
Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of new (a) private and (b) social houses commenced in Kirklees for each year since 1974. [4938]
Mr. Clappison: The table shows figures as reported to the Department by Kirklees borough council and the National House Building Council:
| Starts | Completions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private sector | Local authority and housing association sectors(7) | Total | Private sector | Local authority and housing association sectors(7) | Total | ||
| 1974 | 918 | 696 | 1,614 | 1,138 | 343 | 1,481 | |
| 1975 | 1,294 | 389 | 1,683 | 1,028 | 422 | 1,450 | |
| 1976 | 1,150 | 1,122 | 2,272 | 1,143 | 481 | 1,624 | |
| 1977 | 858 | 428 | 1,286 | 995 | 644 | 1,639 | |
| 1978 | 1,163 | 905 | 2,068 | 1,146 | 864 | 2,010 | |
| 1979 | 929 | 545 | 1,474 | 959 | 492 | 1,451 | |
| 1980 | 666 | 304 | 970 | 823 | 1,054 | 1,877 | |
| 1981 | 543 | 118 | 661 | 649 | 487 | 1,136 | |
| 1982 | 681 | 318 | 999 | 593 | 164 | 757 | |
| 1983 | 619 | 106 | 725 | 681 | 284 | 965 | |
| 1984 | 586 | 54 | 640 | 620 | 81 | 701 | |
| 1985 | 530 | 73 | 603 | 689 | 34 | 723 | |
| 1986 | 735 | 95 | 830 | 506 | 102 | 608 | |
| 1987 | 658 | 44 | 702 | 519 | 62 | 581 | |
| 1988 | 1,030 | 129 | 1,159 | 917 | 18 | 935 | |
| 1989 | 954 | 112 | 1,066 | 658 | 151 | 809 | |
| 1990 | 661 | 97 | 758 | 711 | 77 | 788 | |
| 1991 | 1,034 | 29 | 1,063 | 1,318 | 130 | 1,448 | |
| 1992 | 1,068 | 232 | 1,300 | 1,213 | 121 | 1,334 | |
| 1993 | 889 | 48 | 937 | 913 | 206 | 1,119 | |
| 1994 | 993 | 116 | 1,109 | 874 | 67 | 941 | |
Note:
(7) Local authority and housing association new build only.
Source:
Department of the Environment.
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Off-shore Conservation
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on (a) the funding of the seabirds and cetaceans branch of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and (b) its role in promoting off-shore conservation. [4994]
Mr. Clappison: The seabirds and cetaceans branch of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee is responsible for carrying out the special nature conservation functions of the three country conservation agencies--English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales--in off-shore areas, and provides advice on the animal species which live there. The budget for the seabirds and cetaceans branch in 1995-96 is £416,000.
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of income (a) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and (b) its seabirds and cetaceans branch, receive from the oil industry. [4995]
Mr. Clappison: In 1995-96 contributions from the oil industry represent 3.2 per cent. of the overall budget of the JNCC and 28 per cent. of the seabirds and cetacean branch budget.
Housing Association Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made, on the basis of the level of the housing association expenditure announced in the 1995 financial statement, of the number of housing association homes for rent which will be constructed in 1996-97; and what was his estimate of funding levels for 1996-97 on the basis of the 1992 financial statement; [5150]
(2) if he will estimate the funding available for new rented housing association homes in 1996-97 if the expenditure levels in the 1992 autumn statement had been maintained for each local authority in Yorkshire and Humberside; [5157]
(3) what estimate he has of the number of housing association homes for rent which will be built in 1996-97 in each local authority in Yorkshire and Humberside; [5158]
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- (4) what is the total central Government funding for new rented housing association homes for 1996-97, excluding tenant incentive schemes, do-it-yourself share ownership and major repairs of sales programmes for each local authority in Yorkshire and Humberside. [5159]
Mr. Clappison: The 1992 autumn statement provided indicative funding levels for 1993-94 to 1995-96, and not 1996-97. In 1996-97, funding for the Housing Corporation's approved development programme will be over £1 billion. Together with homes provided from local authority funding for housing associations and other sources, this is expected to provide around 60,600 homes for rent or shared ownership in 1996-97.
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