| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Willenhall Shopping Precinct
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress with the development of the Willenhall shopping precinct. [15597]
Sir Paul Beresford: I understand that Bellways Homes Ltd. and English Partnerships are likely to reach agreement this month on the amount of grant required to enable the redevelopment of the Willenhall shopping precinct to proceed.
Household Growth
Mr. David Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has received as part of the consultative process on his Department's Green paper, "Household Growth; Where will we Live," in respect of the imposition of time limits on the period of time for which a developer may retain derelict urban land. [16043]
Mr. Clappison:
The consultation period on the Green Paper ends on 17 March. None of the responses received to date has specifically covered this issue.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 448
Mr. Howell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of new households formed between the current date and 2016 will be occupied by people living alone. [16044]
Mr. Clappison:
The projected number of households in England at mid-year in 2016 is 23,598,000 a net increase of 3,421,000 on the projected number at mid year 1996. Of this net increase 2,753,000 households or 80 per cent. are projected to be one-person households where a one-person household is defined as someone living alone who does not share either housekeeping or a living room with anyone else.
Mr. Howell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of new housing was built on urban or brown field sites in (a) the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available and (b) the previous 12-month period. [16045]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The latest year for which figures are available is 1993. In that year 49 per cent. of new residential development in England was on land that had been previously developed for urban uses. In the previous year the proportion was 47 per cent. These figures were published in the Department's "Land Use Change in England Statistical Bulletin" last year. A new edition of this bulletin, with figures for 1994, will be published in May this year.
Mr. Howell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of cohabiting new households, expressed as a percentage of total new projected households, his Department predicts for the years (a) 2000, (b) 2008 and (c) 2016, respectively. [16330]
Mr. Clappison:
The net increases in the number of households headed by a cohabiting couple in England at mid-year 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 are projected to be 70,000, 122,000, 172,000 and 202,000 higher respectively than those at mid-year 1996, representing 8 per cent., 7 per cent., 7 per cent. and 6 per cent respectively of the net total new households projections on the same basis for these years.
Mrs. Peacock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what recent representations he has received concerning the taxation of show houses for local government purposes; what response he has made; and if he will make a statement; [16204]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Show houses are liable for non-domestic rates. We have received representations from the House Builders Federation and the Manufacturing and Construction Alliance that show houses should, instead, be subject to the council tax. We have agreed to meet both organisations to discuss this matter.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) at which meetings of the Building Research Establishment management board, held (a) prior
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 449
to 8 December 1996, (b) between 8 and 20 December 1996 and (c) since 20 December 1996, members of his Department's BRE privatisation team were present; [16490]
(3) which members of the Building Research Establishment management board are also members of the in-house bid team; [16492]
(4) if he will list the meetings of the Building Research Establishment management board which were attended by members of his Department's BRE privatisation team at which members of the BRE management board who were also involved in the BRE in-house bid team were present. [16541]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
All members of the BRE management board are members of the management bid team. Since the management bid team was authorised to enter the competition for the purchase of BRE, a member of the team of officials established by the Department to transfer BRE to the private sector has attended each meeting of the BRE management board. The meetings were held on 25 November 1996, 20 December 1996 and 27 January 1997.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the occasions during the past three years on which Ministers have met members of the staff of the Building Research Establishment, the names of all those who attended the meetings and the subjects discussed on each occasion. [16493]
Mr. Jones:
In the past three years, Ministers have visited the Building Research Establishment for the following occasions:
Ministers have paid routine visits to BRE, to see at first hand the work BRE does, as follows:
The Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister for Construction and Planning attended opening events to mark the BRE's 75th anniversary in London on 13 May 1996, and the Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office, the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson), attended the closing events in Glasgow on 3 October 1996.
On these occasions the Ministers took the opportunity to discuss operations across the establishment with a range of staff. Additionally, Ministers meet members of staff from time to time in the course of normal
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 450
departmental business, and at meetings, seminars and other functions organised by the construction industry and other interests.
Mr. Raynsford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has received about the possibility of the Building Research Establishment in-house bid team (a) having access to more information than the external bidders and (b) being treated in a different way to the external bidder in relation to meetings with other interested parties. [16489]
Mr. Jones:
None. The Department has taken all reasonable steps to ensure a level playing field between all bidders.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the prosecutions carried out in England and Wales by the Environment Agency for water quality and integrated pollution control offences, in each month since October 1996 indicating (a) the person or company prosecuted, (b) the date and outcome of the prosecution, (c) the nature of the offence and (d) the penalty imposed. [15670]
Mr. Clappison
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: I have arranged for the relevant details of prosecutions carried out by the Environment Agency for water pollution and integrated pollution control offences for the period October 1996 to January 1997 to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 101, if he will list the locations of the (a) incinerators and (b) tyre-burning plant tested for emissions in respect of the burning of cattle carcases; and if he will reconcile the figures for the total number of incineration plants set out in his answer and in the answer from the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of 11 February, Official Report, column 145-46. [16249]
Mr. Clappison
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: The incinerators are: Rechem, Fawley, Hampshire; Rechem, Pontypool, Gwent; Yorkshire Environmental, Knostrop, Leeds; Yorkshire Environmental, Ashford, Kent; Vetspeed, Royston, Herts. The tyre burning plant is Elm Energy, Wolverhampton.
The answers given by me and by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture on 11 February related to the questions asked. The Prosper de Mulder rendering plant at Widnes is the subject of an air pollution authorisation from the local authority, Halton borough council. Emissions testing has taken place. The incinerator at Vetspeed, Royston, burns cattle carcases, not rendered remains. The trial incineration of tannery waste at Pontypool, Knostrop, Ashford and Wolverhampton was listed in my reply for completeness, although rendering of tannery waste is not a process which meets the definition of rendering in the Animal By-Products Order 1992 and these incinerators were not, therefore, included in my hon. Friend's reply.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 451
(2) what is his policy on the taxation of show houses; and if he will make a statement. [16205]
(2) at which meetings of the Building Research Establishment management board held (a) prior to 8 December 1996, (b) between 8 and 20 December 1996 and (c) since 20 December 1996 members of the in-house bid team were present; [16491]
Minister for Housing and Planning, 16 May 1994, to open the Conseil International de Batiment international conference on the environment.
Minister for Construction and Planning, 5 February 1996, to see the first use of recycled aggregate in the foundations of the new energy efficiency building.
Minister for Construction and Planning, 12 June 1996, to seal a time capsule in the new building and to open the new Burn hall.
Secretary of State for the Environment, 17 June 1994
Minister for Construction and Planning, 30 March 1995
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison), 13 September 1996.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |