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Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many answers to parliamentary questions by Ministers in her Department in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if she will make a statement. [19341]
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Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 10 March 1997]: Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the large numbers of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my Department to systematically calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.
Mr. Hall:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list, in rank order, for each county or region an amount per head of population spent (a) weekly, (b) monthly, (c) annually and (d) in total on the national lottery. [19554]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the current amount of interest earned by Camelot in relation to the prize shortfall mechanism as set out in section 5 of the licence; and if he will make a statement. [19069]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 10 March 1997]: These are operational matter for Camelot Group plc. I have, therefore, asked the director general of the national lottery, who is responsible for regulating the operation of the lottery, to write to the hon. Members, placing copies of his response in the Libraries of the House.
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines his Department gives in respect of the construction standards for sheltered housing; and what funding his Department provides for the refurbishment of sheltered housing. [19218]
Mr. Clappison: My Department issues no guidelines in respect of the construction standards for sheltered housing. Guidelines for provision for elderly people are however included in the scheme development standards which the Housing Corporation requires as a condition of social housing grant. For local authorities, funds for the refurbishment of sheltered housing are included within their annual capital guideline but the proportion spent on these works cannot be separately identified. Housing Associations are primarily responsible for meeting the costs of refurbishment of their sheltered housing, however, in 1995-96, £7.4 million was allocated by the Housing Corporation for the re-improvement of properties of this type.
Utility Disconnections
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of households where (a) one and (b) two of the gas, electricity and water utilities, is currently disconnected. [19636]
Mr. Clappison:
The Office of Water Services collects and publishes data on total water supply disconnections in England and Wales twice yearly, covering the periods from 1 April-30 September and 1 October-31 March. At 30 September 1996, 449 properties disconnected during
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the preceding six months remained disconnected. Thirty-six properties disconnected during this period are known to have been empty.
Information on numbers of households remaining disconnected from gas and electricity services is not centrally available.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19394]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Department of the Environment is mainly a policy Department, which provides few services direct to the public. We have issued only a small number of customer charters and standard statements. The information requested in respect of these is as follows:
| Estimated total costs (£) | Approximate number of copies issued | |
|---|---|---|
| Council tenants charter | 274,500 | 935,000 |
| Planning charter standards | 55,000 | 60,000 |
| Charter standard statement for geographical information | 24,000 | 11,000 |
Royal Seaforth Terminals
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many accidents were recorded at the Royal Seaforth container terminal and Royal Seaforth forest products terminal in (a) 1995 and (b) 1996. [19436]
Sir Paul Beresford: The number of accidents recorded by the Health and Safety Executive as occurring at the Royal Seaforth container terminal and Royal Seaforth forest products terminal in 1995-96 was one and in 1996-97 there were eight.
Mobile Telephones
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to extend the period within which applications for antennae for mobile telephone transmission are considered; and if he will make a statement. [19840]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Outside the national parks and other protected areas, the erection of masts of up to 15 m high by licensed telecommunications operators is permitted by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, subject to the operator applying for the local planning authority's determination as to whether its prior approval to the siting and appearance of the proposed development will be required. We are not currently considering any change to the 28-day period within which the authority should notify the operator of its determination and either give or refuse approval.
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Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review planning guidance in respect of applications for sites and antennae required for mobile telephone use; and if he will make a statement. [19838]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Planning policy guidance note 8--revised December 1992--sets out policy guidance on planning for telecommunications development, including radio masts and towers and antennas required for mobile telephone systems. We have no immediate plans to amend planning policy guidance note 8 but have supplemented the guidance with a code of best practice on planning procedures for telecommunications masts, published in March 1996.
Mr. Tredinnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the final national air quality strategy; and if he will make a statement. [20066]
Mr. Gummer:
Following extensive consultation on proposals for a UK national air quality strategy, and careful consideration of the responses, the Government have decided to press ahead with steps to achieve by 2005 major reductions in the principal air pollutants which threaten health in the UK.
During a three-month consultation period, the Government received around 450 responses, 210 of them from local authorities. Most offered broad support for the general principles and approach proposed by the Government. They recognised the need for a strategic, integrated approach which is health-based and objective-led. While some responses urged even tighter objectives, and others raised concerns about the impact of costs on industry, a clear majority endorsed them and accepted that the target of achievement by 2005 was appropriate.
The strategy sets out standards and objectives for the control and reduction of the eight main health-threatening air pollutants in the UK--nitrogen dioxide, particles, ozone, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, benzene and 1.3 butadiene. The standards are health-based, on recommendations either by a panel of independent medical and scientific experts, or the World Health Organisation. Achievement of the objectives set out in the strategy should minimise the impact for air pollutants on human health in the UK.
The strategy is the first of its kind in Europe. It will offer everyone, even those most sensitive to air pollution, a very high level of protection. The objectives are ambitious and in some cases go beyond what is likely to be achieved by measures currently in place. However, the Government believe that protection of human health should be paramount and it will introduce further measures if necessary to achieve its pollution control objectives.
Air quality in the UK has improved considerably since the 1950s and 1960s. However, advances in scientific knowledge since then have led to a better understanding of the health effects of major air pollutants, and provided new technologies to tackle these. The Government have committed themselves, therefore, through the strategy, to the improvement of localised areas of poor air quality, to
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the reduction of any remaining significant risks to health, and to ensuring consistently good air quality throughout the country by 2005.
The strategy sets out the contribution key sectors, including industry, transport and local government will need to make towards the achievement of the objectives. It brings together the existing systems for controlling pollution and introduces a new system of local air quality management to complement them, and help clear up pollution "hot-spots". Because of remaining uncertainties over the exact reductions in emissions needed or achievable, for some pollutants, some of the objectives remain provisional. The strategy will be subject to periodic reviews, the first in 1999, to assess progress towards meeting the objectives and ensure their continuing relevance and the cost effective of the proposed measures.
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