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Structure Plans
27. Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that structure plan population and housing growth figures are commensurate with anticipated employment opportunities and job creation projections. [4690]
Angela Eagle: Existing national policy (PPG12) provides advice to local authorities on the content of structure plans, including the need to ensure that interactions between land use policies for housing and economic development are fully considered. It is open to the Secretary of State to object to a plan if this advice is ignored. These issues are also considered during the preparation of Regional Planning Guidance, issued by the Secretary of State. The Government is committed to a more integrated approach to the planning process at the regional level and is considering the role that Regional Chambers and Regional Development Agencies might play in this process.
Green Belt (West Midlands)
29. Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the protection of the Green Belt in the West Midlands with particular reference to the Meriden gap between Coventry and Birmingham. [4692]
Angela Eagle: Policy on Green Belts is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2. There is a general presumption against inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Inappropriate development can only be justified if there are very special circumstances whereby the harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations.
Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands, published in September 1995, reaffirmed this national policy and made clear that the Meriden Gap should remain in the Green Belt.
Within the Meriden Gap between Birmingham and Coventry, detailed Green Belt boundaries have been confirmed in the recently adopted Solihull Unitary Development Plan.
30. Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has for reassessing the funding of the new unitary authorities with particular reference to North-east Lincolnshire. [4693]
Ms Armstrong:
Discussions with local government on the distribution of Revenue Support Grant for 1998-99 are currently in progress. These discussions will cover most of the standard spending assessment elements received by unitary authorities.
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Mr. Charles Kennedy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans for a rolling programme of devolved decision making within England. [4674]
Mr. Caborn:
We want to encourage the development of representative regional bodies in England so that we can increase the Government's accountability. It is important, however, that uniformity is not imposed on the diverse English regions.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what use he plans to make of the Internet to make Government more open. [5104]
Angela Eagle:
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions already takes advantage of new technology, including the Internet, as part of its communications strategy. We promote the Internet as an important additional source of information across a wide range of the Department's responsibilities. Examples include the provision of national air quality data, up-dated hourly from the Department's monitoring stations, and full details of the Mobility Roadshow, being held at Crowthorne, with information on a range of production vehicles and equipment for disabled drivers.
The Department currently has two Internet sites averaging 33,000 accesses a week. Collectively both sites carry substantial guidance on open access with information on the Department's business, with named officials, addresses, and telephone numbers and an alphabetically listed public enquiry facility with over 70 e-mail addresses. As a result of our recent merger, arrangements are now in hand to move towards a single Departmental Internet site. Until the site is set up the current addresses are as follows:
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with the leisure industry concerning the dangers to their customers and employees from passive smoking. [5083]
Angela Eagle:
Officials from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have discussed passive smoking with representatives of pub and restaurant trade associations. The associations are well aware of the dangers of passive smoking and are keen to work with us to develop effective smoking policies.
The Government intend to hold a seminar of experts in the field of smoking reduction on 14 July 1997. The results of this seminar will inform policy, which will then be set out in a White Paper on our strategy to reduce smoking. As part of this, my Department will be looking for ways of speeding up progress in the introduction of more stringent smoking policies in public places.
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Mr. Peter Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to implement section 57 of the Environment Act 1995 (Provisions on Contaminated Land); and if he will make a statement. [5662]
Angela Eagle:
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 May to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett), Official Report, columns 84-85.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what criteria will determine the projects to be undertaken by the Environmental Task Force; to what extent the costs for non-Governmental organisations taking part in the scheme will be reimbursed; and what qualifications will be awarded to those taking part. [5664]
Angela Eagle:
Further information on the Government's New Deal programme, including the Environmental Task Force, will be announced as part of the Budget.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy on proposals relating to nuclear discharges into the marine environment to be considered at the OSPAR convention meeting in September. [6283]
Angela Eagle:
The UK delegation to the Oslo and Paris Commissions has made clear to our partners in those Commissions that the Government is reviewing the policy to be adopted on all the questions to be discussed at the forthcoming Ministerial meeting of the OSPAR Commission, among others those relating to radioactive substances, including waste. These reviews are not yet complete.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if housing benefit will continue to be paid via local authority housing revenue accounts. [5046]
Mr. Raynsford:
We are currently examining the financing of local authority housing as part of our comprehensive review of spending. Housing benefit granted by local authorities to their tenants as rent rebates is paid through local authority housing revenue accounts in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Legislation would be required to change this.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the reappointment date for each member of the Lake District Planning Board. [5824]
Angela Eagle:
Twelve members of the new Lake District National Park Authority were appointed by the then Secretary of State for the Environment with effect from 1 October 1996. They are listed below, together with the expiry date of their current appointments. Seven of
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the 12 members are appointed to represent the national interest, the remainder are parish members. The Authority has a further 14 members appointed by the local authorities in the area.
DOE-http://www.open.gov.,uk/doe/doehome.htm
DOT-http://www.open.gov.uk/dot/dothome.htm.
| Appointment expires | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Mr. William Cowx | 31 March 1998 |
| Mr. John Trotter | 31 March 1998 |
| Mr. Peter Dean | 31 March 1999 |
| Mr. John Fryer-Spedding | 31 March 1999 |
| Mr. Keith Harryman | 31 March 1999 |
| Mr. John Park | 31 March 1999 |
| Mr. David Thornton | 31 March 1999 |
| Parish members | |
| Mr. Thomas Coulthard | |
| Mr. Benjamin Dobson | |
| Mr. John Hayton | All 31 May 1999 |
| Dr. Helen Jones | |
| Mr. Jack Morris-Eyton |
Small Cetaceans Agreement
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the actions taken by the Government, pursuant to the Agreement for Small Cetaceans in the Baltic and North Seas. [6007]
Angela Eagle: The UK has taken forward numerous measures to implement the Resolution on the implementation of a Conservation and Management Plan, adopted by the Parties at Stockholm in September 1994. The Resolution established the following as priority actions: reduction of pollution; reduction of direct interaction with fisheries; reduction of indirect interactions with fisheries; reduction of disturbance; reduction of indirect disturbance; monitoring, status and population studies; education and promotion; and administration.
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