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Emissions
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the change in United Kingdom levels of emissions of (a) chlorofluorocarbons and (b) sulphur dioxide since 1979. [10980]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 28 July 1997]: Total UK emissions of sulphur dioxide have decreased from 5,553,000 tonnes in 1979 to 2,365,000 tonnes in 1995, a reduction of 57 per cent.
No information is collected on the level of emissions of CFCs, but information is held on the level of consumption. The earliest data are from 1986, when UK consumption was 58,357 tonnes. This decreased to 1,702 tonnes in 1995, a reduction of 97 per cent.
Environmental and Nature Conservation Bodies
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the role of environmental and nature conservation statutory bodies; which bodies will be subject to review; what will be the nature of the review; and what plans he has to consult non-governmental environmental organisations for their views. [10944]
Angela Eagle:
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the news release issued by the Deputy Prime Minister on 24 July about the reviews being undertaken by the Department,
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which includes reviews on the environment, and countryside and rural policy. Copies of the news release have been placed in the House Libraries. Officials conducting the reviews will be interested to receive the views of outside bodies.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to control noise pollution arising from refrigeration units on lorries. [10878]
Angela Eagle:
Manufacturers of refrigeration equipment are aware of the nuisance these devices can cause and I understand that noisier separate engines are slowly being replaced with more advanced systems which can be considerably quieter.
Traffic commissioners have powers when considering applications for operator licences to impose operational restrictions on a licence to minimise disturbance and, in certain circumstances, may refuse a licence.
Under part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended by the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993, local authorities have wide-ranging powers to prevent or abate noise nuisance which is prejudicial to health or a common law nuisance and which is emitted from vehicles, machinery and equipment in the street. If a local authority officer judges a problem complained about to be a "statutory nuisance" then he must serve an abatement notice on the person responsible or, where that person cannot be found, by placing the notice on the vehicle. Failure to comply with the terms of a noise abatement notice can result in substantial penalties.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which his Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all sub-contractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other Departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [10729]
Angela Eagle:
My Department authorises Chessington Computer Services Ltd., through its standard payroll input and retrieval system--SPIRE--to undertake the full range of payroll functions covering all staff including those in next steps agencies and, until 1 August those in the Government Office for the Regions.
My Department also carries out payroll work on behalf of the Office of the Rail Regulator and the London Regional Passengers Committee. Total costs in 1996-97, inclusive of internal and Chessington charges, were £2.04 million.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 23 July, Official Report, column 624, if he will provide an exemplification for each local authority of the revenue support grant they would receive in 1998-99 based on the figures for local government published in
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the Red Book and adjusted by the Budget, applying the distribution methodology used in the 1997-98 settlement.[10953]
Mr. Raynsford:
It is not possible to provide direct exemplifications in the manner requested. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made stated additions to net total standard spending and net aggregate external funding in the Budget. However, no decision has yet been made on the level of revenue support grant for 1998-99. A decision on the level of revenue support grant for 1998-99 will be announced later this year.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures (a) have been taken and (b) will be taken to decontaminate the land which is planned to be developed for the Millennium Experience at Greenwich; and what estimate he has made of the cost of these measures. [10596]
Angela Eagle:
Under the terms of the conveyance of the site, British Gas, the original owners, has completed the statutory decontamination of the site of the dome to the requirements of the Environment Agency and the London borough of Greenwich. British Gas contractors are now undertaking the statutory decontamination of the balance of the exhibition site and this work should be completed in October 1997. The cost of the decontamination is borne entirely by British Gas and is commercially confidential.
English Partnerships has completed the development remediation of the site of the dome and will let a contract in August to complete the development remediation of the balance of the exhibition site. English Partnerships' current forecast expenditure on development remediation of the exhibition site is £13 million.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will draw up a species action plan for the conservation of lophelia pertusa. [10657]
Angela Eagle:
The UK biodiversity group is currently reviewing the species and habitats for which further national biodiversity action plans should be prepared. It is expected to provide its advice to Government in the autumn.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to implement the recommendation made by the Environment Committee in its report on water conservation and supply--first report, HC 42, 1996-97, concerning the establishment of a water savings trust. [10648]
Angela Eagle:
Water companies are under a duty to promote the efficient use of water by their customers and have prepared water efficiency plans to implement that duty. In addition, the Government have recently established the environmental task force, which may have a role to play, for example through the installation of water-saving devices and promotion of water efficiency. The Government are keen that all complementary
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avenues, including the possibility of a water saving trust, are investigated, but do not envisage offering any assistance at this stage.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will encourage local authorities to identify brown-field sites for new housing wherever possible; and if he will make a statement. [10525]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Government already encourage local authorities to reuse previously developed land for housing wherever possible. Some of these sites arise from redevelopment opportunities which cannot always be foreseen, which means that they cannot always be identified in advance. It is therefore important that local planning authorities have clear policies in their development plans that encourage the reuse of previously developed land for housing, particularly within urban areas. This is also an issue that was raised by respondents to last November's Green Paper on household growth; we are currently considering all the responses received.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the implications of his policy and targets in respect of carbon dioxide emissions for proposals to extract oil in the Atlantic frontier area. [10658]
Angela Eagle:
The Government have set themselves challenging domestic target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. from 1990 levels by 2010 and we are currently looking at the policy options which could contribute towards that target.
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