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Correspondence
Sir Keith Speed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Ashford sent to his Department on 4 October, 15 November and 30 December 1996, about the withdrawal of NATO medals when a WEU medal is awarded. [11040]
Mr. Soames: My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence has replied to my hon. Friend.
Ty Gwyn Centre
Mr. Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Ty Gwyn centre in respect of his Department's support for ex-service people. [11221]
Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member.
Anti-ballistic Missiles
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the use of lasers to develop a British anti-ballistic missile capability. [11223]
Mr. Arbuthnot: In our work to evaluate the options for active ballistic missile defence systems, we have studied a number of land, air and sea-based systems which, individually or combined, might provide a BMD capability. These included systems, at various stages of research and development, which employ laser technology.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Authority Structure Plans
Mr. David Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he plans to give to local planning authorities concerning their structure plans currently being considered to 2011 in the light of his intention stated in paragraphs 8.2 and 8.7 of "Household Growth: Where shall We Live?", Cm 3471, to revise planning policy guidance and to start to consider options immediately. [10845]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Local planning authorities should continue to prepare or update structure plans with reference to the current planning policy framework. Any policy changes that the Government consider necessary as a result of the current consultation on the Green Paper will need to be taken into account by local authorities when they are issued.
16 Jan 1997 : Column: 313
Contaminated Land
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish statutory guidance on contaminated land. [11173]
Mr. Clappison: A total of 299 responses have been received to the consultation on draft statutory guidance on contaminated land, to be issued under part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, inserted by section 57 of the Environment Act 1995. We are examining these responses, as well as the second report on the Environment Committee of this House, to see what changes are needed to the draft statutory guidance and my right hon. Friend will consider when to lay the final draft guidance once we have completed this.
Broadmoor Farm Business Park
Sir Robert Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to notify Caradon district council of his response to the two planning applications, 94/1331/0 and 95/282/0, about the proposed Broadmoor farm business park which were sent to the Government office of the south-west on 2 December 1996; and if he will make a statement. [11095]
Sir Paul Beresford: As soon as the Secretary of State has completed his consideration of the issues raised; I regret that I cannot comment further on these applications.
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging
Waste) Regulations
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. [11174]
Mr. Clappison: We hope to do so before the end of January.
Valuation Tribunals
Dr. Twinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response was received to the consultation paper on the appointment of valuation tribunals in the light of local government reorganisation in parts of England. [11855]
Sir Paul Beresford: The list of responses received has been placed in the Library of the House; copies of individual responses may be obtained through the Library. Regulations will be introduced shortly to give effect to the following measures.
- (i) That, with effect from 1 April 1997, the appointing bodies for the valuation tribunals listed in column 1 will be those authorities listed in column 2, who will be entitled to appoint members in the proportion given in column 3; the revised membership complement is shown in column 4.
16 Jan 1997 : Column: 314
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Appointing bodies | Proportion | Complement |
| Bedfordshire | Bedfordshire CC Luton UA | 2 1 | 21 |
| Buckinghamshire | Buckinghamshire CC Milton Keynes UA | 3 1 | 36 |
| Derbyshire | Derbyshire CC Derby City UA | 7 2 | 63 |
| Dorset | Dorset CC Bournemouth UA Poole UA | 6 3 2 | 33 |
| Durham | Durham CC Darlington UA | 5 1 | 42 |
| East Sussex | East Sussex CC Brighton and Hove UA | 2 1 | 36 |
| Hampshire South | Hampshire CC Portsmouth UA Southhampton UA | 5 1 1 | 35 |
| Leicestershire | Leicestershire CC Leicester City UA Rutland UA | 14 10 1 | 50 |
| Staffordshire | Staffordshire CC Stoke on Trent UA | 3 1 | 56 |
| Wiltshire | Wiltshire CC Thamesdown UA | 5 2 | 21 |
1. Vacancies should be filled as they arise--whether through retirement of members, or an increase in complement--by the new appointing authorities, until their entitlement is reached. All subsequent vacancies would be filled by the authority which appointed the departing member.
2. Where the appointing body by which a member was appointed has ceased to exist, it will fall to the president to give notice of termination of office, if so directed by the Secretary of State.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Hong Kong
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for the present Governor of Hong Kong to be involved in handover ceremonies on the return of Hong Kong to China; and if he will make a statement. [10888]
Mr. Hanley: Mr. Patten will be in Hong Kong as Governor of Hong Kong until midnight on 30 June. We will naturally be a full member of the British team at the handover ceremonies.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 3 December from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding the mother of a constituent. [10998]
Dr. Liam Fox: I shall be replying to the hon. Member's letter by 20 January.
Japan (War Reparations)
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the amount of reparations made by the Japanese Government to British prisoners of war since 1966. [11176]
Mr. Hanley: None. The question of reparations to the British Government was settled by the 1951 San Francisco peace treaty.
16 Jan 1997 : Column: 315
TRANSPORT
Roads Programme (Property Purchases)
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what income was obtained in each year since 1988 from the disposal of (a) houses, (b) other properties and (c) land which had been acquired for roads schemes but was no longer required. [10850]
Mr. Watts: The information is not available in the form requested. Total income from the sale of land in each of the years 1988-89 to 1995-96 was:
1988-89: £9.6m
1989-90: £17.5m
1990-91: £8.5m
1991-92: £15.3m
1992-93: £11.2m
1993-94: £21.4m
1994-95: £29.3m
1995-96: £43.1m
Mr. Watts: The information is not available in the form requested. Total land and compensation expenditure in each of the years 1988-89 to 1995-96 was:
1988-89: £66.3m
1989-90: £95.2m
1990-91: £157.3m
1991-92: £179.9m
1992-93: £259.7m
1993-94: £273m
1994-95: £217.2m
1995-96: £185.7m
Mr. Watts: The information is not available in the form requested. The number of properties and separately identified land holdings on schemes withdrawn from the roads programme in November 1996 is 1,055.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total purchase price of property purchased for the purposes of the roads programme and now surplus to requirements; and what estimate he has made of the present value of this property. [10848]
Mr. Watts: We are still to complete the identification of all the surplus following the November 1996 budget. To date, on all schemes, we have declared surplus property and land which we purchased for £138.2 million. The purchase price excludes compensation payable for disturbance, home loss removal expenses and fees, and so on. The resale value of these properties will depend on the state of the property market at the time of sale.
16 Jan 1997 : Column: 316
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each road scheme in the main and longer-term pre-1995 roads programme, the quantity and value of property (a) held, (b) acquired, (c) disposed of and (d) held but now surplus to requirements, incorporating the effects of the revisions to the programme in November 1995 and November 1996. [10851]
Mr. Watts: I have placed in the Library four lists showing every scheme for which the Highways Agency holds property, including withdrawn schemes, schemes under construction and completed schemes. The lists cover: (a) all property held, (b) all property acquired, (c) all property recorded as disposed of, (d) all property held but now surplus. Acquisitions and disposals do not record properties acquired under discretionary powers but immediately sold.
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