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Mr. Eric Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to promote more efficient energy use. [10593]
Mr. Clappison: My Department actively promotes energy efficiency through a wide range of initiatives and programmes across all sectors, including information and advice, voluntary schemes, and selective use of grants, incentives and regulation.
I am pleased that we were able to announce in the Budget an increase in funding for the Energy Saving Trust. Planned funding for the years 1997-98 to 1999-2000 has been increased by a total of £21.5 million.
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on genetically altered food imports; and if he will make a statement. [10609]
Mr. Clappison: A number of representations from various sources have been received on this issue. The importation and release of genetically modified organisms are controlled by part VI of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and regulations made under it. In accordance with this legislation, the Secretary of State, acting jointly with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, may grant a consent for the release of genetically modified organisms after evaluating the impacts and risks posed to human health and the environment. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has the general responsibility for the safety of genetically modified food.
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the starting date for the public inquiry into Surrey county council's proposals for a replacement Walton bridge over the River Thames and into the associated compulsory purchase orders. [11308]
Sir Paul Beresford: Arrangements for the public local inquiries into the proposed Walton bridge replacement are being held in abeyance pending expiry of the objection periods for the side roads order, compulsory purchase order and bridge schemes applications submitted to the
22 Jan 1997 : Column: 649
Secretary of State for Transport in relation to the proposal. It seems probable that joint inquiries into these applications and related planning and exchange land certificate applications will need to be convened. I can assure my hon. Friend that he will be notified as soon as a date for the inquiries has been agreed.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons the month of August was chosen for the count of income support claimant case load for each local authority in order for his Department to work out the standard spending assessment levels; and what consideration was given to seeking the most representative month. [11945]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Benefits Agency carries out its annual count of claimants in August as a matter of managerial practicality. Similar counts for other months are not available.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many income support claimants his Department was unable to allocate to local authorities on a postcode basis used for the standard spending assessment calculations; and how these claimants were finally taken into account. [11943]
Sir Paul Beresford: For 98.5 per cent. of income support claimants, it is possible to allocate them to a local authority area by reference to a postcode. The assumption made in relation to the remaining 1.5 per cent. of claimants is that, within each benefit office, the distribution among local authorities of claimants whose postcode is unknown is in the same proportions as for claimants at the same benefit office whose postcode is known.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the expected benefits in moving from a sample count of income support claimants four times per year to a 100 per cent. count on one date for use in the standard spending assessment calculations; and how seasonality is taken into account in the change. [11948]
Sir Paul Beresford: We wish to base the standard spending assessments on the most reliable data available. We received representations from local government that the 100 per cent. count provided more reliable data than the quarterly 5 per cent. samples. The main advantage of a 100 per cent. count is its comprehensiveness, compared with the quarterly 5 per cent. samples. The advantages and disadvantages of both sources of data were discussed with the local authority associations. The data were also examined by the Office for National Statistics, which tested whether there were seasonal effects on the data. It advised that an adjustment should be made on this account in relation to a few authorities. Adjustments have been made in the light of its advice.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to check pupil numbers in Birmingham used in the standard spending assessment calculations in respect of information given to him by the local education authority. [11946]
22 Jan 1997 : Column: 650
Sir Paul Beresford: The numbers of pupils used in the calculation of standard spending assessments are as estimated by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. The Department for Education and Employment has been asked to investigate the representations about pupil numbers which we have received.
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities which have had meetings with Ministers in his Department regarding the provision of revenue support grant for 1997-98. [11947]
Sir Paul Beresford: The table lists authorities which have had meeting with Ministers in the Department of the Environment during the consultation period on the proposed local government finance settlement for England for 1997-98.
Authority | Date | Minister |
---|---|---|
1. County councils (21 meetings) | ||
Bedfordshire | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Derbyshire | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Devon | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Dorset | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Durham | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Gloucestershire | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
Hampshire | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Hereford and Worcester | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Kent | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Lancashire | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Lincolnshire | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
Norfolk | 7 January | Mr. Clappison |
Northamptonshire | 16 December | Mr. Curry |
Northumberland | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Nottinghamshire | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Oxfordshire | 7 January | Mr. Clappison |
Shropshire | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Somerset | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Staffordshire | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Suffolk | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Warwickshire | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
2. Shire districts (26 meetings) | ||
Blaby (Leicstershire) | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
Castle Point (Essex) | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
Castle Morpeth (Northumberland) | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Copeland (Cumbria) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Darlington (Durham) | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Derby (Derbyshire) | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
East Hampshire | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Harlow (Essex) | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Hertsmere (Hertfordshire) | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
Leicester (Leicestershire) | 17 December | Mr. Curry |
Luton (Bedfordshire) | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Northampton (Northamptonshire) | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Nottingham City (Nottinghamshire) | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Plymouth City (Devon) | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Poole (Dorset) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Purbeck (Dorset) | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Rutland (Leicestershire) | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Salisbury (Wiltshire) | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Stoke on Trent (Staffordshire) | 18 December | Mr. Curry |
Warrington (Cheshire) | 9 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Waverley (Surrey) | 13 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
West Lindsey (Lincolnshire) | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
West Somerset | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Woking (Surrey) | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
York City (North Yorkshire) | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
3. Metropolitan districts (12 meetings) | ||
Barnsley (South Yorkshire) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Bradford (West Yorkshire) | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Birmingham (West Midlands) | 9 January | Mr. Curry |
Coventry (West Midlands) | 9 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Doncaster (South Yorkshire) | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Manchester (Greater Manchester) | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Rotherham (South Yorkshire) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Sheffield (South Yorkshire) | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
South Yorkshire districts | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
Stockport (Greater Manchester) | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Wolverhampton (West Midlands) | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
4. London boroughs (10 meetings) | ||
Brent | 7 January | Mr. Curry |
Greenwich | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Hammersmith and Fulham | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Harrow | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Havering | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Hillingdon | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Kingston upon Thames | 9 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Merton | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Redbridge | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Richmond upon Thames | 7 January | Mr. Clappison |
5. Unitary authorities (seven meetings) | ||
Bristol City | 8 January | Mr. Curry |
Ex Cleveland Unitaries | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Isle of Wight | 8 January | Mr. Clappison |
Middlesbrough | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
Redcar and Cleveland | 7 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
South Gloucester | 7 January | Mr. Clappison |
Stockton on Tees | 10 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
6. Police authorities (one meeting) | ||
Greater Manchester | 8 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
7. Fire authorities (two meetings) | ||
Humberside Fire | 6 January | Mr. Curry |
Tyne and Wear FCDA | 6 January | Sir Paul Beresford |
22 Jan 1997 : Column: 652
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in each of the past four years Ministers of his Department have met elected representatives of each metropolitan district and London borough to discuss levels of and calculations about the standard spending assessments, revenue support grant settlements and capping limits. [11949]
Sir Paul Beresford: The table lists those metropolitan districts and London boroughs which had meetings with Ministers in the Department of the Environment during the consultation period on the local government finance settlements in each of the last four years.
Metropolitan districts | London boroughs |
---|---|
Birmingham | Bexley |
Bradford | Brent |
Core Cities group | Camden |
Doncaster | Enfield |
Kirklees | Greenwich |
Liverpool | Hackney |
Rochdale | Havering |
Rotherham | Hillingdon |
St. Helens | Kensington and Chelsea |
Sheffield | Kingston upon Thames |
Solihull | Lambeth |
South Yorkshire districts group | Merton |
Stockport | Newham |
Wigan | Southwark |
Westminster |
Metropolitan districts | London boroughs |
---|---|
Barnsley | Bexley |
Birmingham | Brent |
Bolton | Croydon |
Bradford | Enfield |
Core Cities group | Greenwich |
Coventry | Hackney |
Kirklees | Harrow |
Knowlsey | Havering |
Liverpool | Hillingdon |
Manchester | Hounslow |
Newcastle | Kingston upon Thames |
Rotherham | Lambeth |
St. Helens | Merton |
Salford | Newham |
Sandwell | Sutton |
Sheffield | |
Solihull | |
South Tyneside | |
South Yorkshire districts group | |
Tameside | |
Wigan | |
Wirral | |
Wolverhampton |
22 Jan 1997 : Column: 653
Metropolitan districts | London boroughs |
---|---|
Birmingham | Brent |
Coventry | Greenwich |
Kirklees | Hackney |
Knowsley | Hammersmith and Fulham |
Liverpool | Haringey |
Manchester | Hounslow |
Rotherham | Lambeth |
Salford | Lewisham |
Sefton | Merton |
Sheffield | Newham |
Solihull |
Metropolitan districts | London boroughs |
---|---|
Barnsley | Barnet |
Birmingham | Brent |
Bury | Camden |
Coventry | Enfield |
Liverpool | Greenwich |
Manchester | Hackney |
North Tyneside | Haringey |
Salford | Harrow |
St. Helens | Havering |
Sandwell | Hillingdon |
Sheffield | Kensington and Chelsea |
Solihull | Lambeth |
Wigan | Lewisham |
Merton | |
Newham | |
Richmond | |
Sutton |
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what allowance is made for regional functions and factors in respect of metropolitan districts' level of standard spending assessments and revenue support grants. [11950]
Sir Paul Beresford: Regional functions are reflected in the formulae for standard spending assessments, and hence the revenue support grant allocations, by the inclusion of numbers of commuters, day visitors and overnight visitors.
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