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Minister for London and Construction (Visits)
Mr. Ottaway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the towns and cities outside the United Kingdom visited by the Minister for London and Construction and the dates on which the visits took place since 1 May. [15025]
Mr. Raynsford: From 27 to 31 August, I visited New York, Boston and Washington, USA on a fact finding trip to learn about the US experience of Mayoral systems and to speak at the American Political Science Association Conference. On 24 and 25 September, I attended the EU Housing Ministers' meeting in Amsterdam. Between 3 and 10 October, I led a construction trade delegation of 17 British companies to promote British trade overseas. The delegation visited Amman and Aqaba in Jordan and Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo in Egypt. On 17 October, I visited Cologne in Germany to meet the Mayor of Cologne and discuss German Mayoral systems, from 6 to 9 November, I visited Madrid and Barcelona in Spain to learn about Spanish experiences of Mayoral systems and also to speak at the 1st Conference of the European Federation of Town Centres on Town centre management.
Pavements
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will issue guidance to local authorities concerning the exercise of their powers to keep pavements free of advertising boards and goods for sale. [14839]
Mr. Raynsford: There is sufficient guidance to local planning authorities on control of outdoor advertisements in the Department's Circular 5/92, using powers in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992. Local highway authorities have powers in the Highways Act 1980 to remove obstructions on pavements. Both planning and highway authorities must consider whether to exercise these powers on a case-by-case basis.
Consultants
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the consultancy firms and the directors of consultancy firms who are employed to work on best value pilots for local councils; and if he will make available details of these contracts. [14767]
Mr. Raynsford:
Following a competitive tender, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has awarded a research contract worth £ 1/3 million to the Local Government Centre at Warwick University's Business School to conduct an evaluation of all the Best Value pilot schemes. The study, which will be directed by Dr. Steve Martin, with Professor John Benington in support, started in October of this year and will finish in Autumn 2000. Principal researchers on the study include Dr. Mike Geddes and Dr. Jean Hartley (of the Local
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Government Centre), Dr. Ian Sanderson (of the policy Research Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University) and Tony Bovaird (Aston Business School).
The details of any contracts entered into by individual local authorities are matters for those authorities.
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many road accidents over the most recent annual period for which figures are available were (a) drink related and (b) drugs related. [14557]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: In 1996 there were 10,850 accidents involving death or injury in which at least one driver or motorcycle rider was over the legal limit. No comparable figures are available for drugs-related accidents. However the Department is currently one year into a three-year research programme to assess the incidence of drugs-driving and its implications for road safety.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what support he is giving to local authorities to develop road schemes using private sector finance. [14774]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 7 November 1997]: My Department has taken a number of measures to facilitate local authority PFI projects, including highway and other transport schemes. These include the introduction of a Bill to clarify local authorities powers to enter into PFI contracts, consultation on a draft instrument to permit local authorities to delegate a range of highway functions and the release of model contract documents developed for Highways Agency roads.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the estimates of the financial costs of the changes made to ACT in July 1997 budget made by (a) Chelmsford Borough Council and (b) Essex County Council; [15071]
Mr. Raynsford:
Representations have been received from the Local Government Association and several local authorities, including Essex County Council and Chelmsford Borough Council. The Local Government Association, with the support of my Department and the United Kingdom Steering Committee on Local Authority Pensions, is establishing by means of a national survey the impact of the Budget changes on local authority employers' pension costs. This information will be used to inform the actuarial valuations of each fund and how future employers' pension costs in Essex and elsewhere are affected. These factors, and any others which will
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emerge from the 1998 actuarial valuations, will be taken into account when the level of local authority provision is determined for 1999-2000 and for subsequent years.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what his Department's policy is towards existing planning guidance in relation to large out of town leisure complexes which may impact on existing facilities; and what plans he has to issue new planning guidance to cover out-of-town leisure complexes; [14739]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Government are firmly committed to the objectives of Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: "Town Centres and Retail Developments", which seeks to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of our existing city, town and district centres by making them the focus for investment, particularly in retail, office, leisure and other appropriate developments.
The Government propose to ensure that the approach in PPG6 is applied just as firmly to leisure developments as to retail developments. In applying the sequential approach to selecting sites, the Government will expect developers to demonstrate why they could not develop elements of a large scheme on more central sites, with less on-site car parking.
The current policy for leisure developments, therefore, consists of PPG6 and the Government Response to the Report of the Environment Committee (Cm 3729). We have no current plans to issue further guidance.
The Department will shortly be commissioning research on planning and leisure development. We will want to consider the implication of that research before considering whether guidance on this aspect needs to be amended.
Local planning authorities are required to determine planning applications in accordance with their development plans, unless other material considerations indicate otherwise. Factors such as the impact of large out-of-town leisure complexes on the neighbourhood are capable of being material planning considerations, and where appropriate, local planning authorities can impose conditions on planning permission to minimise such impacts.
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the hardship caused to pensioner one-person households who are unable to have water meters installed due to technical difficulties but are not entitled to rebates on their water rates; and if he will make a statement. [14097]
Angela Eagle:
The Government are undertaking a review of the water charging system in England and Wales to ensure that it operates in a fair and equitable way. We have made clear our opposition to compulsory metering for essential household use under current arrangements, but we shall be looking at metering policy including the availability of meters to customers who wish
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to pay on a measured basis. The review will pay particular attention to the effect of present charging methods on special cases such as large households, single persons and low income households including pensioners.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been his Department's role in developing the Government's proposals for health action zones. [14586]
Angela Eagle:
We have been working closely with the Department of Health to encourage positive links between health action zones and other area-based programmes such as the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund. An official from the Department will sit on a national reference panel to advise on the bids.
(2) what representations his Department has received in respect of making full compensation available to (a) Chelmsford Borough Council and (b) Essex County council for the impact that the changes to ACT will have on their budgets. [15073]
(2) what plans he has to issue new planning guidance to minimise the disturbance to local residents caused by large out-of-town leisure complexes. [14738]
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