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NATIONAL HERITAGE
Elgin Marbles
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to discuss the Elgin Marbles with the Greek authorities. [259]
Mr. Fisher:
I have no plans to discuss the Parthenon Sculptures with the Greek government.
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ENVIRONMENT AND THE REGIONS
Council Housing
Mr. John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his timetable for the release of capital receipts from the sale of council houses for the building of new homes. [173]
Mr. Raynsford: Legislation to facilitate the Government's Capital Receipts initiative will be brought forward as quickly as possible.
Rented Housing (New Build)
Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of houses which will be built for rent in England in the next 12 months. [34]
Mr. Raynsford: On current expenditure plans the Department estimates that around 26,000 new build housing association homes for rent will be completed in 1997-98 and a further 500 by local authorities. In addition, around 9,000 homes for rent will be provided by the purchase and rehabilitation of existing houses by housing associations.
London Docklands
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the sale price of the heritage river site recently sold by the London Docklands development corporation. [626]
Ms Angela Eagle: The sale price is commercial in confidence and the use likely to be allowable for the site under Tower Hamlets' development plan and following the planning inquiry held last year. The sale was announced by the LDDC on 12 May as "unconditional" which means solely that it was a straight sale without restrictive covenants. The new owners cannot build what they like on the land and they must gain approval for any development through the normal planning process. The planning authority for the Hermitage Riverside site is Tower Hamlets.
Global Temperatures
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions from what sources his Department evaluates information concerning global temperature changes. [516]
Ms Angela Eagle: Information concerning global temperature changes is compiled from observations made at more than 1,000 land meteorological stations and a similar number of ships and buoys around the world. Analysis of the data is undertaken by the UK Met Office, in conjunction with the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia.
Rented Housing (London)
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his
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estimate of the average rent levels in London for (a) council, (b) housing association and (c) private rented accommodation at the latest available date. [170]
Mr. Raynsford:
Latest figures of average weekly rents before deduction of Housing Benefit in London are:
| £ | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| Council | 52.72 | 30 April 1996 |
| Housing association | 50.28 | 31 March 1996 |
| Private | 114.00 | April 1995 to March 1996 |
The council and housing association rents are from administrative returns. The private rent is from the 1995-96 Survey of English Housing and, like all estimates from sample surveys, is subject to sampling variability.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to provide opportunities for local authorities in London to build houses for rent. [169]
Mr. Raynsford:
We will ensure that any resources released under the capital receipts initiative will be made available to local authorities to use in support of priority schemes which meet key objectives. We will be considering and consulting on these over the coming weeks.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the total expenditure in 1996-97 on Local Agenda 21 initiatives; what is his estimate for 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [503]
Ms Angela Eagle:
The Government do not require local authorities, or other interested sectors, to provide returns detailing Local Agenda 21 expenditure. There would be considerable methodological difficulties in trying to identify such expenditure because sustainable development is essentially about carrying out existing functions, including planning and economic development, in ways that are environmentally sustainable.
The Government's support for Local Agenda 21 includes modest funding for the co-ordinating and promotional work of the Local Government Management Board. But the bulk of Government funding for local authorities and others for projects in line with Local Agenda 21 principles is associated with other mechanisms such as regeneration programmes or the Environmental Action Fund.
The Government are determined to work in partnership with all sectors of society in pursuit of sustainable development. Local Agenda 21 initiatives, involving local authorities, business, the voluntary and community sectors, have a vital contribution to make. The UK is generally acknowledged to be one of the leaders in the field, with 70 per cent. of its local authorities committed to Local Agenda 21, and it is to be hoped that next month's UN Special Session will encourage other countries to make similar progress.
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Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to discourage smoking in public places. [438]
Ms Angela Eagle:
The Government intend to call a seminar of experts in the field of smoking reduction. The results of this seminar will inform policy, which will then be set out in a White Paper on our strategy to reduce smoking. We will also be drafting legislation to ban tobacco advertising. The Department of the Environment, which has responsibility for policy on smoking in public places, will continue to encourage those responsible for the management of public places to introduce smoking policies, against the targets set out in the 1997 White Paper "This Common Inheritance", and will be reviewing further steps that might be taken to speed up progress.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans next to visit Leicester's City Challenge. [799]
Ms Angela Eagle:
Ministers have no plans, as yet to visit the City Challenge area in Leicester. However, the regeneration of our towns and cities, especially those with severe problems, is a key Government objective. Therefore, when opportunities arise in the future, Ministers will be keen to visit important regeneration programmes, like the Leicester City Challenge.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate for each London borough of money available from capital receipts to finance a housing programme. [171]
Mr. Raynsford:
Local authorities already have usable capital receipts which are available for any capital purpose (including housing). The amounts of these receipts, for each London Authority, are set out in the table.
Source:
1995-96 capital outturn returns.
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TRANSPORT
Traffic Speeds (London)
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of average traffic speeds in central London. [176]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The latest estimates of average traffic speeds in central London, based on a speed survey carried out in May/June 1994, are just under 11 mph, with little variation between peak and daytime off-peak periods.
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