| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Local Government Finance
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many councils will have to reduce their capital spending as a result of the new rent capping proposals. [10507]
Mr. Clappison: If local authorities budget sensibly, they should be able to maintain their existing revenue contributions to housing revenue account capital expenditure.
Mr. Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the amount of credit approvals to fund local authority capital spending on housing in each of the last five years; what is his forecast for 1996-97 and 1997-98; and if he will express each statistic in (a) real terms and (b) as a percentage change on the previous year. [10500]
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 203
| Year | Local authority credit approvals (cash £ million) | Local authority credit approvals at 1994-95 prices (£ million) | Percentage change on the previous year (in cash terms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 (outturn) | 1,441 | 1,572 | -- |
| 1992-93 (outturn) | 1,194 | 1,252 | -17 |
| 1993-94 (outturn) | 1,120 | 1,141 | -6 |
| 1994-95 (outturn) | 872 | 872 | -22 |
| 1995-96 (est outturn) | 869 | 846 | 0 |
| 1996-97 (plans) | 789 | 747 | -9 |
| 1997-98 (plans) | 752 | 695 | -5 |
These figures exclude credit approvals for the estate action scheme, which has been subsumed into the single regeneration budged; the scheme has been grant-funded since 1995-96. The supplementary credit approvals issued to provide cover for specified capital grants are also excluded.
Mr. Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much revenue local authorities will lose in 1996-97 following the introduction of the new housing revenue account subsidy system. [10503]
Mr. Clappison:
Local authorities which budget within the Government's guideline rent increases will be unaffected by the new arrangements to limit rent rebate subsidy.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation was held with local authorities with respect to the new rent capping proposals. [10502]
Mr. Clappison:
Our proposals for the limitation of subsidy on rent rebate costs in 1996-97 were circulated for consultation to the relevant local authority associations and to all local authorities on 21 November 1995. We asked for comments by 15 December.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council tenants in the United Kingdom currently claim housing benefit. [10504]
Mr. Clappison:
When claiming housing revenue account subsidy, local authorities in England supply my Department with information about the number of council tenants in receipt of rent rebate. Based on these returns, there are an estimated 2,394,000 council tenants in England in receipt of housing benefit in 1995-96. My Department does not receive any information about the number of claimants in the other parts of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the 1996-97 guideline rent increases expressed in (a) real terms and (b) as a percentage increase on the 1995-96 amount. [10505]
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 204
Mr. Clappison:
There is no real terms increase in the 1996-97 average guideline rent per dwelling compared with 1995-96. In cash terms, the increase is 2.75 per cent.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what consultation he has had with local authority associations as to the capacity of their members to carry out the necessary assessments of air quality to comply with part IV of the Environment Act 1995; [10772]
Mr. Clappison:
My Department, together with the Scottish Office and Welsh Office, established a working group last November, with representatives of the local authority associations, to advise on implementation and operation of the local air quality duties under the Environment Act 1995. The working group is considering the timing of reviews and assessments and developing the necessary guidance for local authorities, before the commencement of the relevant sections of the Act.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the dates and attendance of all meetings between his Department and local government associations concerning the costs of implementing the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Regulations; and if he will make a statement; [11000]
Sir Paul Beresford:
This subject was discussed at a meeting on 6 December 1995 between my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration and the Association of London Government, and with all the local authority associations at the Housing Consultative Council on 7 December. My officials will be having further discussions with the local authority associations in the near future, to help us to identify these costs and to decide what financial assistance to make available to local authorities.
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the mobile phones which have been supplied to his Department in each of the last four years have been cloned; and on what dates. [11015]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The information available to my Department suggests that 13 mobile phones have been cloned during the past four years. The precise dates when cloning took place are not available.
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 205
Mr. Tipping:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what bids he has received from authorities that have been, or are to be, reorganised on 1 April 1995, 1996 or 1997 for reorganisation costs. [11068]
Sir Paul Beresford:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 December 1995, Official Report, column 923.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of state for the Environment (1) how much notice water companies are required to give to the public of an application for a drought order; [10849]
Mr. Clappison:
Applicants for drought orders are required under schedule 8 to the Water Resources Act 1991 to serve notices on a range of specified persons and cause notice of the application to be published in one or more local newspapers and in the London Gazette.
Mrs. Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 4 December, Official Report, columns 10-11, what is the latest position in respect of drought orders (a) applied for, (b) under consideration, (c) refused, (d) agreed and (e) withdrawn, by region. [10851]
Mr. Clappison:
The figures since August 1995 by National Rivers Authority regions are as follows:
(2) by what date he expects local authorities to complete assessments of air quality in their areas to comply with the air quality provisions in part IV of the Environment Act 1995. [10773]
(2) what is his estimate of the costs to local government of the implementation of the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [11001]
(2) what provisions govern the publicity given to an application for a drought order. [10850]
| (a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | (e) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northumbria and Yorkshire | 30 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| North-west | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| South Western | 15 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Southern | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Severn Trent | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Thames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anglian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mrs. Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation with other statutory or voluntary agencies is required before a water company makes applications for a drought order. [10852]
Mr. Clappison:
The proceedings on applications for drought orders, as set out in schedule 8 to the Water Resources Act 1991, require the applicant to cause notice to be served on the National Rivers Authority and every local authority, other than county councils, and water undertaker whose area would be affected by the order. It is the Department's practice to consult both the NRA and English Nature on each application.
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 206
Mr. Carrington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to help leaseholders of local authorities facing bills for estate action repairs and improvements where these costs are also met by Government-funded schemes. [11822]
Mr. Clappison:
We have today invited comments on proposals to remove this anomaly. We propose to require local authorities, and other social landlords, to reduce charges for works to the extent that these are funded by central Government--for example, under the single regeneration budget challenge fund. For schemes already in process or completed--for example, under estate action--when the measure comes into effect, we propose to permit landlords to reduce charges. I have placed in the Library a copy of our consultation paper "Leaseholders of local authorities, housing action trusts, urban development corporations, registered housing associations and other registered social landlords: proposals to reduce charges for estate repairs and improvements funded by central government." We have invited comments by the end of February, as we wish to introduce our proposals at the earliest suitable legislative opportunity. The Welsh Office will be consulting similarly in Wales.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |