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Seaside Resorts

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to visit (a) Southport and (b) other north-west England seaside resorts. [3310]

Mr. Tom Clarke: I shall be visiting Southport on Wednesday 25 June to address the National Conference of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management. I will be visiting north-west England again later in the year.

Coastal resorts are an important part of our heritage and account for some 44 per cent. of holiday spending in the United Kingdom. I am keen to see them build on this in the future so that local communities and businesses can share fully in the economic benefits of tourism.

Football

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will assess the advantages of permitting restricted standing room areas in new football grounds.[3809]

Mr. Banks: I believe we are striking the right balance in providing some of the most modern all-seater facilities in the world at our top clubs and allowing some standing accommodation at lower division grounds subject to stringent safety requirements. The Government is committed to delivering essential football ground safety improvements following the Taylor Report on the Hillsborough disaster. The £55 million funding package announced recently to assist the Football Trust with Taylor-related safety work demonstrates our commitment to this.

Television Licences

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many letters have been received by his Department concerning concessionary television licences since 2 May; and what response he has given to such letters. [5070]

Mr. Fisher: Since 2 May, the Department of National Heritage has received 49 letters from hon. Members and 71 letters from members of the public about reduced-fee television licences. The Government accepts that the current concessionary scheme can give rise to anomalies and is not wholly satisfactory, and will continue to examine ways in which it might be improved, but has no plans at present to introduce any changes.

Tourism (Social Chapter)

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the impact on the tourism industry of the United Kingdom adopting the social chapter. [3108]

Mr. Tom Clarke: Basic standards of employment, by creating a better rewarded and motivated work force, can help to improve business performance. Basic minimum standards will help improve competitiveness.

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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Water Charges

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on the use of council tax banding as the basis for water charges; [3844]

Angela Eagle: Under Section 145 of the Water Industry Act 1991, water companies must not base their charges on the rateable value of property after 31 March 2000. The Deputy Prime Minister announced at the recent Water Summit that the Government is to review the system of charging for water. Among other issues this review will consider alternative bases of charging, including the future use of rateable values, the use of council tax bands and metering policy. We shall be looking at the way in which metering works at present, taking special account of the effect on low-income households. We have made clear our opposition to compulsory metering for essential household use.

Technetium 99 Contamination

(West Cumbrian Coast)

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of recent British Nuclear Fuels monitoring figures in respect of the level of technetium 99 in crustaceans off the west Cumbrian coast; and what action he plans to take to eradicate the contamination. [4263]

Angela Eagle: Assessments of monitoring data of the levels of technetium 99 in crustaceans off the west Cumbrian coast are, in the first instance, matters for the Environment Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. British Nuclear Fuels plc has applied to the Environment Agency for variations to the certificates of authorisation under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 for the Sellafield site. These include a proposed reduction in the discharge limit for technetium 99. The Environment Agency is currently considering the applications and will shortly issue for public consultation the changes to the authorisations that it is minded to grant.

Housing (Improvements)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many properties underwent works through home improvement agencies in each of the last three years. [4292]

23 Jun 1997 : Column: 379

Mr. Raynsford: The table shows the number of jobs completed in the last three years by home improvement agencies in England funded by my Department:

YearNumber of jobs
1994-9521,735
1995-9624,129
1996-9727,137

Some properties benefited from more than one job but information about the number of properties receiving works is not kept.

Playing Fields

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to prevent the disposal for development of playing fields owned by (a) local authorities, (b) companies and (c) other bodies. [4478]

Mr. Raynsford: Under current legislation local authorities only need the consent of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to a disposal of land at less than open market value. However, the Government intends to ensure that those playing fields which schools and their communities need are not sold in future. My right hon. Friends, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and the Secretary of State for National Heritage are discussing this as a matter of urgency, looking at a wide range of options.

Green Ministers

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the Green Ministers appointed to date in other Government departments; and what guidance has been produced by his Department on the role to be played by Green Ministers.[4305]

Angela Eagle: The Ministerial Committee on the Environment has been set up to consider environmental policy issues with the following membership:


23 Jun 1997 : Column: 380

The Secretary of State for Social Security also receives the papers. She and other Ministers are invited to attend as necessary.

We are still in the process of appointing Green Ministers and a further announcement will be made once they have been established.

English Partnerships

Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each region the amount of money spent by English Partnerships in each of the last three financial years. [4608]

Angela Eagle: English Partnerships' expenditure by region on its development programme, excluding expenditure on the Greenwich Peninsula, in the last three financial years is as follows:

£ million

Region1994-951995-961996-97
North-east47.734.331.8
North-west52.952.050.4
Yorkshire and Humberside43.855.040.5
Midlands63.458.067.8
South-east10.325.636.0
South-west7.311.88.5
Total225.4236.7235.0

Natterjack Toad

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the sites designated as the natural habitat of the natterjack toad. [4593]

Ms Angela Eagle: Fifty sites have been designated for the natterjack toad in Great Britain, A list giving details of these has been placed in the Library.

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