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Departmental Responsibilities

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those departmental responsibilities which relate to (a) England, (b) England and Wales, (c) England, Wales and Scotland and (d) the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the approximate proportion of the time and budget of his Department which exclusively relates to each of the above categories. [5964]

Mr. Bowis: This information would be disproportionately costly to compile. Page 1 of the transport report for 1994 summarises the geographical extent of the Secretary of State's main responsibilities, but this is not an exhaustive list. The transport report 1996 contains extensive information about the Secretary of State's responsibilities and expenditure plans. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices and the Department of the Environment publish their own reports, which include information on regional and local transport matters. Some regionally disaggregated expenditure figures are also given in "Transport Statistics Great Britain" and in the public expenditure analyses published annually by the Treasury.

A40

Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects the road improvement works on the A40 at Gypsy Corner and Western Circus to be completed. [7048]

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 567

Mr. Bowis: The timing of construction will be the responsibility of the successful DBFO company. We intend to issue a pre-qualification document shortly to gauge private sector interest.

Coaches

Sir Peter Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy in the period until the end of the derogation, to allow the UK coach industry to operate up to 18-tonne vehicles which comply with the 10.5 tonne rear axle limit. [6769]

Mr. Watts [pursuant to his reply 2 December. Official Report, column 475]: The Department of Transport will shortly be issuing a consultation document looking into the feasibility of allowing coaches to operate at 18 tonnes with a 10.5 tonne maximum drive axle weight. Pending the results of this consultation no decision will be made on whether or not to permit such an increase.

Information Technology Projects

Ms Church: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 7 November, Official Report, column 602, what were the proposed annual

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 568

savings for the 14 IT projects in the bands above and including £1 million to £2 million, undertaken since 1992; and what have been the realised annual savings. [6700]

Mr. Bowis [holding answer 28 November 1996]: A total of £11.9 million excluding three projects for which estimates are not available. Only one project has so far been completed.

ENVIRONMENT

Rents

Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each of the last six years the average rent registered by rent officers in each region of England for unfurnished lettings by (a) private landlords and (b) housing associations; and if he will list the average percentage increase on the previous registration in relation to the percentage change in (i) house prices and (ii) general inflation over the same period. [6122]

Mr. Curry: Available information is given in the tables. As rents registered by rent officers are typically re-registered every two years, percentage changes in respect of house prices and the retail prices index have also been quoted over a two-year period.

Average percentage change in rent officer registrations in relation to house prices Mean rent, and percentage change on previous registration, unfurnished lettings

	Private tenancies		HA tenancies		DoE mix-adjusted UK house price index.
Region and year	Mean registered rent (£pa)	Two year mean percentage change(1)	Mean registered rent (£pa)	Two year mean percentage change(1)	Two year mean percentage change
Northern
1990-91	1,087	24	1,416	20	45
1991-92	1,196	27	1,540	22	9
1992-93	1,395	23	1,705	21	3
1993-94	1,532	20	1,721	17	9
1994-95	1,590	16	1,945	13	3
1995-96(2)	1,631	17	1,892	12	-2
Yorkshire and Humberside
1990-91	1,260	25	1,577	22	39
1991-92	1,378	25	1,662	23	9
1992-93	1,539	22	1,878	20	2
1993-94	1,646	17	1,890	16	-2
1994-95	1,745	15	2,108	13	-4
1995-96(2)	1,845	14	2,165	11	-2
East Midlands
1990-91	1,356	25	1,615	20	17
1991-92	1,491	24	1,691	21	-2
1992-93	1,640	23	1,966	21	-5
1993-94	1,764	20	1,972	17	-6
1994-95	1,914	18	2,243	14	-1
1995-96(2)	1,995	15	2,230	14	0
East Anglia
1990-91	1,520	20	1,590	19	-5
1991-92	1,631	19	1,710	21	-14
1992-93	1,793	19	1,870	20	-10
1993-94	1,903	18	2,021	18	-8
1994-95	2,036	16	2,129	15	-2
1995-96(2)	2,085	13	2,209	12	3
Greater London
1990-91	1,834	21	1,716	21	2
1991-92	2,056	23	1,905	23	-7
1992-93	2,266	23	2,111	23	-14
1993-94	2,497	23	2,281	21	-11
1994-95	2,755	21	2,475	19	5
1995-96(2)	2,938	20	2,624	17	4
Rest of the South East
1990-91	1,736	27	1,848	23	-4
1991-92	1,996	31	2,043	25	-13
1992-93	2,307	32	2,318	27	-13
1993-94	2,535	26	2,397	22	-9
1994-95	2,701	22	2,685	18	2
1995-96(2)	2,896	20	2,800	17	4
South West
1990-91	1,707	26	1,955	25	-2
1991-92	1,972	28	2,101	27	-12
1992-93	2,158	28	2,407	22	-10
1993-94	2,384	23	2,400	17	-9
1994-95	2,483	16	2,616	14	1
1995-96(2)	2,623	16	2,646	13	5
West Midlands
1990-91	1,295	20	1,466	20	17
1991-92	1,383	23	1,623	23	1
1992--93	1,571	24	1,780	23	-3
1993-94	1,689	21	1,902	19	-3
1994--95	1,871	18	2,080	16	0
1995-96(2)	1,876	17	2,131	16	-1
North West
1990-91	995	20	1,313	18	45
1991-92	1,125	20	1,408	19	12
1992-93	1,227	18	1,551	19	1
1993-94	1,295	16	1,604	16	-3
1994-95	1,427	16	1,770	13	-2
1995-96(2)	1,443	16	1,815	14	0
England
1990-91	1,516	23	1,593	21	9
1991-92	1,717	25	1,740	22	-5
1992-93	1,905	24	1,941	22	-8
1993-94	2,075	21	2,026	19	-7
1994-95	2,246	19	2,238	16	0
1995-96(2)	2,381	18	2,293	15	2

(1) Rents are registered for a minimum of two years and percentage figures, reflecting the change compared with the previously registered rent, are based on this period.

(2) Mean registered rents and percentage changes on previous rent are for April-September 1995.

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 569

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 569

United Kingdom Retail Price IndexAll items (January 1987 = 100)

	Two yearly percentage change
1990-91	18
1991-92	15
1992-93	8
1993-94	5
1994-95	5
1995-96	6

Rough Sleepers

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding rough sleepers in the north-west. [6656]

Mr. Clappison: The consultation paper, "Rough Sleepers Initiative--Future Plans," was sent to all local authorities in England and to a number of voluntary and statutory sector agencies working with homeless people. It sought views on the future of the rough sleepers initiative and invited evidence on the extent of rough

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 570

sleeping. Eighty-six local authorities responded. In the north-west, these were the borough of Blackburn, Copeland borough council, Hyndburn borough council, Manchester city council, South Ribble borough council and Wigan metropolitan borough council. Only Manchester city council indicated any significant problem of rough sleeping.

Manchester city council was invited to take part in a detailed evaluation of the extent of rough sleeping and services available to people sleeping rough in Manchester. Similar evaluations were conducted in 22 other areas around England where consultation responses suggested the existence of a rough sleeping problem. They were co-ordinated by Shelter, on contract to the Department of the Environment. The single night headcount in Manchester, which formed part of the evaluation there, found 31 people sleeping rough. On the basis of these evaluations, the Government are extending help to tackle rough sleeping to a number of areas around England, including Manchester. These were set out in detail in my

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 571

right hon. Friend's answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham (Mr. Merchant) on 31 October, Official Report, column 187.

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to extend the rough sleepers initiative to the north-west; and if he will make a statement. [6657]

Mr. Clappison: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham (Mr. Merchant) on 31 October 1996, Official Report, column 187.

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