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Energy Efficiency

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.

Genetically Altered Food

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.

Walton Bridge Replacement

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.

Standard Spending Assessment

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.

Standard Spending Assessment (Pupil Numbers)

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.

Local Government Finance

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.

Many other local authorities have raised revenue support grant issues in the course of meetings held throughout the year.

1997-98 settlement consultation meetings with local authoritiesTotal number of meetings: 79

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.

Standard spending assessments, revenue support grant and capping limits have also been discussed in other meetings held by Ministers over the years.

1996-97 settlement consultationMeetings with local authorities December 1995 to January 1996;

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

1995-96 settlement consultationMeetings with local authorities December 1994 to January 1995;

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

1994-95 Settlement consultationMeetings with local authorities December 1993 to January 1994

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

1993-94 settlement consultationMeetings with local authorities (December 1992 to January 1993)

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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