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Departmental Computer Systems
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that his Department's computer systems are millennium compliant; and if he will make a statement. [1250]
Mr. Prescott: DOE, DOT and their Executive Agencies have projects underway to tackle the problem. Both departments are undertaking system audits and holding discussions with product and service providers to analyse the problem in detail in order to produce costed plans by October 1997. The audits of many major systems are complete and some corrective work has been done. In some cases systems are being replaced with compliant ones before 2000.
Household Projections
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when his Department's housing statistics division will have prepared household projections for 1996 and 1997 for local authority areas in Tyne and Wear on the same basis as the OPCS household projections; and if he will publish both sets of figures. [1330]
Mr. Raynsford:
OPCS (now the Office for National Statistics) does not produce household estimates and projections which are the responsibility of my Department. These estimates and projections are, however, based, inter alia, on Office for National Statistics population estimates and projections. The latest household projections for mid-1996 for the five metropolitan districts of Tyne and Wear were published in March 1995 in "Projections of Households in England to 2016", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. These were compiled from the OPCS 1992-based sub-national population projections. Household projections were not produced for 1997. Planning has started for the next set of household projections, which
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will be based on 1996 sub-national population projections that the Office for National Statistics expects to complete in late 1998. The associated 1996-based household projections should be available a few months afterwards.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Gateshead | 86,000 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 121,000 |
| North Tyneside | 84,000 |
| South Tyneside | 66,000 |
| Sunderland | 120,000 |
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to receive the results of the research and reviews of the robustness of future household projections; and if he intends to make those results available to the House. [1342]
Mr. Raynsford: The most recent household projections have been subject to considerable public scrutiny since their publication in March 1995, in particular by the Environment Select Committee in evidence for its report on Housing Need in 1996. Whilst generally endorsing the projections, the Committee recommended that the Department continues to examine the extent to which household formation is affected by economic and social factors. This is currently being addressed by the Department of Applied Economics, Cambridge University, as part of a wider research project for the Department on the modelling of the need for social housing. The project has been extended beyond its original completion date and should now be finalised by the Autumn.
Last year, the Department also commissioned Heriot-Watt University to undertake a detailed literature review on household formation, with particular emphasis on evaluating the available evidence on the extent to which economic factors affect the propensity for new households to form. This work has recently been completed, and I expect to see the results shortly.
As is the usual practice with external research commissioned by the Department, I would expect reports to be published as soon as practicable.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has evaluated into the impact of international passenger survey statistics, and large student populations, on household projections; and what conclusions he has reached. [1340]
Mr. Raynsford:
My Department has undertaken no research as such on the impact of the International Passenger Survey statistics on the household projections. Projections of the future pattern of migration between England and the rest of the world are the responsibility of the Government Actuary's Department (GAD). In collaboration with other departments, GAD undertook a thorough review in 1992 of the methods used to set international migration assumptions. This led to a new methodology which was used for the first time in the
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preparation of the 1991-based national population projections. As with previous projections, the assumed level of migration over the projection period takes into account information from a run of previous years in order to even out the fluctuations from year to year. The robustness of sources of information on migration, including the International Passenger Survey, is kept under regular review by the Office for National Statistics.
We are currently investigating the effects of large student populations on the household projections. However, any proposals for revisions to the methodology for handling students in the underlying sub-national population projections will need to be discussed with the Office for National Statistics before they can be implemented.
Sir George Young:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what savings he will make by merging the Department of Transport and the Department of Environment. [1501]
Mr. Prescott:
I have been appointed Secretary of State to the two Departments. My priority is to realise the opportunities which will arise in areas of overlapping responsibilities. If organisational changes are necessary to maximise these benefits I will consider them, but they are not my starting point.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to alter the structure of the Government Offices for the regions. [1813]
Mr. Caborn:
My right hon. Friends the President of the Board of Trade and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment share with this Department responsibility for the Government Offices in the English regions. The network of Offices has an important part to play in advancing and implementing our policies, and we have no plans to change its structure.
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review SSAs. [456]
Ms Armstrong:
We are reviewing SSAs in consultation with the Local Government Association.
39. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on service levels on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. [485]
Dr. Strang:
Key services for the Gospel Oak to Barking line have been specified in the passenger service requirement for North London Railways, the operator of services on the branch.
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Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received regarding services on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. [482]
Dr. Strang:
I have received no representations regarding these services.
40. Mr. Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the advantages of resurfacing of the A34 between Wendlebury and Peartree roundabout. [486]
Dr. Strang:
I am advised that the surface of the A34 between Wendlebury and Peartree roundabout remains in good condition.
41. Mr. Gunnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if his Department will review the contribution from public funds towards the Leeds supertram scheme. [487]
Mr. Prescott:
I shall consider carefully any application West Yorkshire passenger transport authority makes for support for funding for Leeds supertram.
42. Mr. Nicholas Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the expansion of Manchester airport. [488]
Mr. Prescott:
The Government believe that the expansion of regional airports such as Manchester can make an important contribution to regional development and employment, but the environmental impact of particular proposals must be carefully weighed against their benefits.
43. Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to encourage cycling in urban areas. [489]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
We will support the objectives of the National Cycling Strategy and the aim of a fourfold increase in cycling by 2012, as part of an integrated transport policy.
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