---

Planning Guidelines

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) 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; [3367]

(2) 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. [3377]

Mr. Kynoch: The Scottish Office has not planned, commissioned or evaluated any research on the subject of low-impact or permaculture use classes. The existing use classes, set out in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1989, are based on the actual use of buildings or land. Each class is made up of uses which are similar in nature and in their impacts on the environment and amenity. Their purpose is to determine whether a change of use requiring planning consent has taken place. Introducing new use classes based only on environmental impacts would not be practicable as they would be incompatible with existing use classes and other planning legislation. Environmental impacts are material considerations to be taken into account in determining individual planning applications.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment his Department had made of the capacity of the planning system to accommodate low-impact development; and if he will make a statement; [3356]

(2) 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. [3268]

Mr. Kynoch: The Scottish Office has not planned, commissioned or evaluated any research specifically on the subject of assessing sustainable and low-impact developments. However, the Scottish Office provides a range of guidance, advice and support designed to encourage sustainable development in rural areas which benefits local residents. The planning system is designed to be flexible enough to assess and accommodate all types

14 Nov 1996 : Column: 318

of development. Each planning application is considered on its own merits, taking account of all material considerations which apply in that particular case.

European Monetary Union

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment has been made of the effects of European monetary union on the Scottish economy; and what preparations have been taken in respect of such effects. [1532]

Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 31 October 1996]: I have been asked to reply.

An assessment of the implications for the whole of the United Kingdom of the European single currency will be made nearer the time. At this stage sufficient information to carry out a full assessment is not available. There are still many unknowns and uncertainties, including which countries are likely to meet the conditions for joining and how much convergence will have been achieved.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Concessionary Television Licences

Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will introduce a wider system of concessionary television licences for people in (a) sheltered accommodation and (b) elsewhere; and if she will make a statement. [3770]

Mr. Sproat: During the passage of the Broadcasting Act 1996, the Government undertook to address the situation arising when the residents of a sheltered housing scheme which meets all other qualifying criteria fail to qualify for concessionary licences because a small number of units within the scheme were purchased under the right to buy provisions before the accommodation was designated as sheltered housing. We hope to lay new consolidated television licensing regulations before the end of the year, and they will address this anomaly. There are no plans to extend any further the availability of concessionary television licences. As stated in the 1994 White Paper, "The Future of the BBC", Cm. 2621, the Government believe that the right way to help the less well off, of all ages, is through the welfare and benefit systems.

14 Nov 1996 : Column: 319

EDS Ltd.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many contracts her Department, agencies and associated bodies have had with EDS for each year since 1985; what was the value of each contract; if she will indicate for each contract (a) if it was completed, (b) what modifications were made at the request of (i) the company and (ii) the Department and (c) if work under contract is being undertaken in-house; and if she will make a statement on the number of job reductions in her Department arising from the contracting out of work by EDS. [3813]

Mr. Sproat: The Department of National Heritage was established on 13 April 1992 and The Royal Parks agency was established on 1 April 1993. Since those dates, the Department and its agencies have not let any contracts to EDS.

Football Grounds

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what is her policy in respect of premiership football clubs whose grounds need major work to bring them up to the standards of the Taylor report; [3685]

(2) what estimate she has made of the costs to premiership football clubs of major works required to bring their grounds up to the standards of the Taylor report. [3686]

Mr. Sproat: Premiership football clubs were required to meet the all-seater recommendations in the Taylor report by August 1994. All clubs in the premiership, except Sunderland, now meet these requirements. Sunderland was granted an extension to relocate to a new all-seater stadium in time for the start of next season.

ENVIRONMENT

Council Tax

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the Band D council tax precepts for all districts in Somerset, Devon, Wiltshire and Dorset in 1995-96 and 1996-97 and the percentage change, and (b) the same information for each other district in England where the band D increase was higher than 10 per cent. [3531]

Sir Paul Beresford: The basic amount of council tax set by a shire district for district level services comprises the district's own council tax requirement and those of parish councils within its area. The basic amount and the amounts accounted for by the parish precepts are shown in the table below. These amounts are added to the county council and the shire police precepts to form the band D council tax for each district's area.

14 Nov 1996 : Column: 320

Band D basic amounts of council tax in 1995-96 and 1996-97

		1995-96		1996-97
	council tax for district level services	Of which average parish precept	council tax for district level services	Of which average parish precept	Percentage increase in council tax (col3-col1) / col 1
	£	£	£	£	per cent.
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
Somerset
Mendip	86	21	108	23	25.2
Sedgemoor	90	12	94	13	3.5
Taunton Deane	30	4	71	4	135.7
West Somerset	99	23	105	23	5.7
Devon
East Devon	66	9	75	9	12.9
Exeter	72	0	65	0	-9.9
Mid Devon	81	11	88	13	8.8
North Devon	94	13	84	14	-10.3
Plymouth	122	0	152	0	24.8
South Hams	77	16	89	17	15.7
Teignbridge	74	14	91	15	23.1
Torbay	65	0	71	0	9.1
Torridge	28	9	49	10	76.0
West Devon	99	18	106	19	7.3
Wiltshire
Kennet	60	27	70	27	17.4
North Wiltshire	112	36	114	38	1.7
Salisbury	45	12	82	13	82.1
Thamesdoen	108	12	111	12	2.9
West Wiltshire	93	17	87	19	-6.6
Dorset
Bournemouth	71	0	69	0	-3.4
Christchurch	54	0	58	0	6.5
North Dorset	44	23	65	26	48.3
Poole	69	0	76	0	10.0
Purbeck	56	17	62	18	10.8
West Dorset	73	28	81	31	11.4
Weymouth and
Portland	85	0	71	0	-16.0

A table showing information for all other districts in England where the band D increase in council tax for district level services was higher than 10 per cent., has today been placed in the Library of the House.

Regional Development Funding

Sir Robert Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those applications from Cornwall and Devon that have given approval for European regional development fund objective 5b funding, indicating the financial amounts approved and the total cost of each project; how many applications have been submitted hitherto but refused; how many applications are currently being considered; and what is the total finance involved. [3455]

Sir Paul Beresford: I am today placing copies of the information in the Library of the House.

---