12 Nov 1996 : Column: 101
Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 12 November 1996
ENVIRONMENT
Planning Guidance
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evaluation his Department has made of the capacity of the planning system to absorb a new (a) low-impact and (b) permaculture use class into existing guidelines; and what assessment he has made of the advantages of this policy. [3368]
Sir Paul Beresford: We have not conducted such research.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of the advantages of giving additional weight to environmental impact in determining planning restrictions on agricultural buildings. [3370]
Sir Paul Beresford: We published research on planning controls over agricultural forestry development last December. The report "Planning Controls over Agricultural and Forestry Development and Rural Building Conversations" is available from HMSO.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has (a) planned, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated into the advantages of establishing a permaculture use class within the planning system; and if he will make a statement. [3236]
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review (a) planning policy guidance and (b) other planning guidance on agricultural and other dwellings in the countryside in order to give greater weight to environmental and social sustainability; and if he will make a statement. [3299]
Sir Paul Beresford: We are reviewing PPG7. We issued a draft revision for public consultation earlier this year.
Standard Spending Assessment (Lincolnshire)
Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on discussions his Department has had with North Lincolnshire council and North East Lincolnshire council regarding their standard spending assessment for 1997-98. [3221]
Sir Paul Beresford: My officials have been in correspondence with the authorities on issues currently under consideration about possible changes in the standard spending assessment for 1997-98. Their views,
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and indeed those of others who have made representations to my Department, will be taken into account when we finalise our decisions on the 1997-98 settlement.
I have also met a delegation from the area, led by the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), which made representations about SSAs.
All authorities will have the opportunity to make representations on the proposals for next year's settlement during the consultation period which follows the provisional local government finance settlement soon after the Budget statement, which will be made on 26 November.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the role of low-impact and self-built accommodation in the provision of affordable housing; and if he will make a statement. [3373]
Mr. Clappison:
In the last financial year, 7 per cent. of all new housing completions in the United Kingdom were self-built. My Department has grant-supported a number of charitable trusts and agencies promoting low-impact self-build accommodation in the belief that this represents a valuable contribution to the provision of affordable housing.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has (a) planned, (b) commissioned and (c) evaluated into establishing practical criteria for assessing sustainable and low-impact developments, with particular regard to rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [3270]
Sir Paul Beresford:
We have commissioned good practice guidance on planning for sustainable development. Work on this continues, with a view to publication next year. We have no plans for research into "low-impact developments".
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the planning system to accommodate low-impact development; and if he will make a statement. [3359]
Sir Paul Beresford:
We have not conducted such research.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the advantages of amending the Building Regulations to make it obligatory to conform to the highest energy--saving standards; and if he will make a statement. [3188]
Mr. Clappison:
The Building Regulations require only that reasonable provision should be made for the conservation of fuel and power. They do not make it obligatory to conform to the highest energy-saving standards. The regulations were last amended in July 1994 and the changes came into effect in July 1995. In the normal way, arrangements have been made to assess the advantages gained from the changes after two to three years' experience.
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Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the chief executive of the Environment Agency concerning the agency's independent evaluation of Nirex's research on the suitability of sites near Sellafield for final disposal of intermediate-level radioactive waste; and what further discussions he plans. [3416]
Mr. Clappison:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no formal discussions with the chief executive of the Environment Agency but does from time to time have discussions with the chairman, Lord De Ramsey, on various matters.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has in respect of the funding of the leasehold enfranchisement advisory service in the coming financial year. [3537]
Mr. Curry:
The leasehold enfranchisement advisory service has submitted a proposal concerning future funding arrangements and this is being considered. No final decision will be made before the Budget when it will become clear what funds will be available to my Department in the coming financial year.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for a reformulation of the new rural business use class to a sustainable rural business use class; and what assessment he has made of the desirability of such a reformulation. [3503]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Department's consultation paper describing the proposed rural business use class made it plain that the objective was to encourage development that sustained the character of rural areas while controlling business uses that were likely to generate excessive traffic. As such, the proposal is already consistent with the principles of sustainable development.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many operatives have been registered under the construction skills certification scheme to date, broken down to show (a) bricklayers, (b) roofers and tilers, (c) painters and decorators, (d) partitioning fixers and (e) piling operatives, indicating in each case what percentage those registered represent of the total numbers employed in each grade. [3538]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
Information on registrations under the scheme is the property of Construction Skills Certification Scheme Ltd.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the code of management practice in respect of leasehold property for which provision was made in section 87 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993. [3536]
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Mr. Curry:
Two codes, entitled "Rent" and "Service Charges", concerning the management of residential property, have been prepared by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and submitted to the Secretary of State. They will be approved by order to be laid before Parliament on 21 November. A code of practice covering private sheltered leasehold housing, produced by the Association of Retirement Housing Managers, came into force on 1 January this year.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, column 463, if he will list the criteria for the future operation of the Building Research Establishment specified by him in April which were not satisfied by the proposal from the Construction Industry Council for a national centre for construction. [3566]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
My answer of 5 November made it clear that our judgment related to whether the package of proposals put forward by the Construction Industry Council provided a basis on which to take forward single tender sale negotiations, rather than whether the proposal for a national centre met particular criteria. It would be wrong, in any event, to enter into discussion about the merits of the NCFC proposal, when the Construction Industry Council bid for BRE, at its request, remains available for consideration, in competition with other bids that may come forward.
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