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Local Self-government
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which clauses of
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the Council of Europe's charter of local self-government the Government plan to sign up to during the ratification stage. [12195]
Mr. Raynsford:
These are matters to be decided when, as we intend, we come to ratify the charter. It is the Government's belief, however, that this country's domestic legislation on local government conforms with the charter as a whole.
Mr. Salter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the current council tax bandings with particular reference to mobile home owners who live in properties worth less than the lowest banding threshold. [12021]
Mr. Raynsford:
I have asked officials to undertake a review of the council tax. This review will consider, among other things, the current council tax valuation bands.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what discussions she has had with the water companies concerning the metering of places of worship; [12095]
(3) what steps he is taking to exempt churches, mosques and temples from the compulsory installation of water meters. [12097]
Angela Eagle:
This Government have not taken part in any discussions on the basis of charging places of worship for water and sewerage services. This issue will fall within the scope of the Government review of the system of charging for water announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment in a written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) on 25 June 1997, Official Report, column 514. My Department has written to interested bodies inviting comments and in reply has received representations from religious bodies on the issues raised in the review, including the basis of charging for religious and community premises. The Government will consider all the representations before making proposals on charging. There will then be a period of formal consultation. The Government have made clear their opposition to compulsory metering for essential domestic use.
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consider, for local authorities that have provided adequate and well-maintained gipsy sites, providing financial assistance for emergency transit sites for other gipsies visiting their area. [11998]
Mr. Raynsford:
Exchequer grant at 100 per cent. was available for some 16 years for local authorities to provide both permanent, and transit, gipsy sites with a life of at least 10 years, and for temporary sites with a life of at least three years. Gipsy sites grant was never available for
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emergency stopping places which are often no more than redundant pieces of land with basic sanitary facilities for short overnight stops. Advice that local authorities should consider providing such sites in their areas, as a means for dealing with short-term unauthorised camping, was first enshrined in departmental circulars issued in 1977 and 1978.
We have no plans at present to reintroduce Exchequer grant aid for local authorities to provide gipsy caravan sites.
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that local authorities receive their full management and maintenance allowance for council-owned homes. [11997]
Mr. Raynsford:
In calculating each authority's entitlement to housing revenue account subsidy, the allowance made for expenditure on management takes account of a target management and maintenance score determined annually for each authority based on a number of indicators including the characteristics of its stock. Allowances for individual authorities are calculated to move gradually towards the target figures thus ensuring no dramatic changes in subsidy entitlement from one year to the next.
We will be making proposals later this year on HRA subsidy for 1998-99. We shall consult local authorities on the draft HRA subsidy determination in the normal way.
We are considering all aspects of the financing of local authority housing as part of the comprehensive spending review. It will see that taxpayers' money is being spent effectively in order to fulfil the Government's manifesto commitments.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many planning applications in England were referred to his Department (a) under directions made under the Town and County Planning Acts, (b) voluntarily by local planning authorities and (c) voluntarily by interested individuals or bodies; and how many applications in each category were in fact called in, in each of the last five years. [12109]
Mr. Raynsford:
As I explained in my answer to the hon. Member on 28 July, Official Report, column 42, the information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into Bioregional Network Production, and what estimate he has made of the number of (i) jobs which would be created and (ii) road miles which would be saved by promoting Bioregional Network Production models. [11993]
Angela Eagle:
I will write to the hon. Member.
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Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which local authorities have applied for the special control provisions to deal with problem houses in multiple occupation contained in the Housing Act 1996; and with which local authorities his Department is having discussions about such provisions. [11983]
Mr. Raynsford:
A registration scheme for houses in multiple occupation containing special control provisions has been confirmed, under the powers introduced by part II of the Housing Act 1996, for Portsmouth city council and will come into force on 1 September. My Department has held discussions about the possibility of introducing such schemes with two other authorities; Bournemouth borough council and Thanet district council.
Mr. Pond:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the real rises in rents for (a) council, (b) housing association and (c) private sector dwellings between 1979 and the latest date available. [12198]
Mr. Raynsford:
The average weekly rent for local authority tenants in England increased from £6.49 to £40.05 between 1979-80 and 1996-97, which represents a 135 per cent. increase in real terms after adjusting for inflation as measured by the GDP market price deflator. The closest comparison that can be made for average private sector rents is between 1978 and 1996-97 when rents rose from £6.70 to £76.49, a 263 per cent. increase in real terms. These average private sector rents are estimates from the 1978 private renters survey and the 1996-97 survey of English housing and are subject to sampling variability. No data on overall average housing association rents are available before 1984.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to take full account of issues of sustainability in considering the patterns of new housebuilding in and around Birmingham; and if he will make a statement. [12193]
Mr. Raynsford:
We are considering advice provided by the west midlands regional forum of local authorities on housing provision in the west midlands region up to the year 2011. They have taken into account national planning policies on sustainability in formulating their advice, and we have those policies very much in mind in considering our response.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the health and safety inspection arrangements at travelling zoos and circuses involving performing animals. [12085]
Angela Eagle:
Arrangements for inspections of health and safety at travelling zoos and circuses are a matter for local authorities who are the enforcing authority under the
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Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for these types of activity. The Health and Safety Commission has issued guidance to local authorities on enforcement.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the Government's response to the Environment Committee's report on shopping centres, fourth report, Session 1996-97 HC210; and if he will make a statement. [12317]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government have today laid before Parliament their response to the Environment Committee's report on shopping centres which was published in March 1997.
(2) what discussions he has had with religious leaders regarding the water metering of places of worship; [12096]
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