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Proposed Shopping Centre, London
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the decision to grant planning approval to Sainsbury to build a shopping centre between Richmond and East Sheen. [10605]
Mr. Raynsford: The decision was made by the planning inspector. I have therefore asked the Planning Inspectorate's chief executive, Mr. Chris Shepley, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from C. J. Shepley to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 25 July 1997:
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Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library copies of the risk assessments for those genetically modified organisms granted consents for (a) field testing and (b) marketing. [10950]
Angela Eagle:
The risk assessments for all the applications for consents for (a) field testing and (b) marketing of genetically modified organisms are placed on the statutory public register held by the Department. It would be unnecessary duplication to place and maintain them in the Library.
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by (a) company and (b) consent the function of genetic modification in each genetically modified organism granted experimental release. [10973]
Angela Eagle:
One hundred and twenty-four consents have been granted for the experimental release of genetically modified organisms since the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992 came into force. The information on granting of the consent to the company and the function of the genetic modification is on a statutory public register held by the Department.
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the dates on which consents were granted for the release of genetically modified organisms for (a) field testing and (b) marketing. [10971]
Angela Eagle:
For (a) field testing, 124 consents and for (b) marketing, two consents have been granted since the coming into force of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992. All these consents and their dates of issue are on the statutory public register held by the Department.
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many applications for consent to release organisms genetically modified for ampicillin resistance for the purpose of (a) field testing and (b) marketing are currently being considered by his Department. [10976]
Angela Eagle:
The Department is currently considering (a) one application for field testing and (b) no applications for marketing of organisms genetically modified for ampicillin resistance in accordance with the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992.
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list (a) the members of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and (b) their declared interests.[10970]
Angela Eagle:
The list of (a) members of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment--ACRE--and (b) their declared interests are published in the ACRE annual report, which is placed in the Library.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in each of the
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past five years how many planning applications were referred by (a) local authorities and (b) others to his Department; and how many in each category were called in. [10329]
Mr. Raynsford:
Planning applications are referred to the Department in a number of ways. Many are notified to my right hon. Friend under directions made under the Town and Country Planning Acts, particularly those involving development proposals that depart from the local development plan or retail development above a certain floor space. Others may be voluntarily referred to the Department by local planning authorities. In addition, any interested individual or body may ask my right hon. Friend to call in a planning application.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Question about the planning appeal decision to allow a food retail development and a non-food retail development on land at the former gasworks site located at Lower Richmond Road and Manor Road, Richmond.
The appeal proposal was the subject of an 8 day public inquiry. After considering all the evidence, the Inspector was satisfied that the proposed development would not have an adverse effect on the vitality and viability of the existing town centres in the Borough. He also found that there were no alternative town centre or edge-of-centre sites available for the development.
The Inspector considered the effect of the proposal on the road and public transport network. Again, however, he found no cogent grounds to justify withholding consent.
In the absence of any substantiated planning objections to the proposals, the Inspector therefore allowed the appeals.
| Year | Number of applications |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 101 |
| 1993-94 | 99 |
| 1994-95 | 167 |
| 1995-96 | 144 |
| 1996-97 | 139 |
Charity Shops
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of charity shops on town centre trading. [10370]
Mr. Raynsford: No such assessment has been made in the last three years. Although we are not aware of any assessment before that, this could be ascertained definitely only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the concession on business rates available to charity shops; what plans he has to alter the rules relating to business rates in respect of charity shops; and if he will make a statement. [10371]
Mr. Raynsford: Charities are entitled to 80 per cent. rate relief on their charity shops if they are used wholly or mainly for the sale of donated goods and the net proceeds are used for charitable purposes. Local authorities may top this up to 100 per cent. if they wish. Charitable rate relief will be looked at as part of the charities taxation review announced by the Chancellor in the Budget.
British Waterways Board
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to change the external financing limit for the British Waterways Board. [10467]
Angela Eagle:
The external financing limit for the British Waterways Board will be increased by £470,000 from £50,890,000 to £51,360,000. This will allow increased capital spending. The change will be made
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under the nationalised industries' end-year flexibility arrangements and takes account of a matching underspend against the board's 1996-97 external financing limit.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have for the radon-free measurement programme; and if he will make a statement. [10468]
Angela Eagle:
The Government are concerned by the threat posed to health by high concentrations of radon gas in homes and we therefore propose to complete the two-year programme, initiated by the previous Government, the second phase of which began in February this year. From early autumn, invitations for a free radon measurement will be sent to the remaining homes in England--nearly 178,000--which have a greater than 5 per cent. chance of being above the recommended radon action level and which have not already received an invitation. These invitations will ensure that every household in the most radon-affected parts of the country will have been offered a free radon measurement.
When we have the data generated by this programme, we will be able to consider, with local authorities, the best way to deal with this problem on a local basis.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what are the dates on which the next actuarial valuations of local authority pension funds are due to be carried out; [10623]
(3) when were the most recent actuarial valuations of local authority pension funds carried out. [10622]
Ms Armstrong:
I refer the hon. Member to the response that I have him on 14 July 1997, Official Report, column 6.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the cost to local authorities of employers' contributions made to occupational pension funds in respect of their employees in the last year for which figures are available.[10621]
Ms Armstrong:
For the year ending 31 March 1996, the most recent year for which details are available, the total amount of employers' contributions made to the local government pension scheme was £1.16 billion.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many employees of local authorities are members of public sector occupational pension funds. [10629]
Ms Armstrong:
There were 1.4 million members of the local government pension scheme at the end of 1995-96, the most recent year for which details are available. Figures are not available for local authority employees who may be members of other public sector occupational pension funds.
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Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact on local authorities of the changes to their tax treatment of the dividends received by occupational pension funds. [10620]
Ms Armstrong:
Until the results of the next actuarial valuations in England and Wales are available, it will not be possible to give a true assessment of any impact on the local government pension scheme.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many public sector occupational pension funds provide pensions for former employees of local authorities. [10628]
Ms Armstrong:
There are 90 administering authorities in England and Wales that provide pensions for former members of the local government pension scheme.
(2) how many local authority pension funds were in (a) deficit and (b) surplus at the date of the most recent actuarial valuations; [10624]
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