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Regional Government
15. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards regional Government in England. [14855]
Mr. Caborn: We will shortly be publishing a White Paper on the regions setting out the Government's detailed proposals for taking forward the regional agenda in England.
28. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the discussions he has had with interested organisations on proposals for regional government. [14869]
Mr. Caborn: We have received around 1,500 responses to the issues paper on regional development agencies which we published on 11 June. The White Paper on the Regions which we will be publishing shortly will set out the Government's detailed proposals for taking forward the regional agenda in England.
Homes (Developed Land)
16. Mr. John M. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what is his Department's policy on the proportion of new homes required by 2016 which should be built on developed land. [14856]
Mr. Raynsford: The current policy is for local authorities to make the best possible use of previously used sites for accommodating the country's future housing requirements. The current national target is for half of all new housing to be built on previously developed land.
National Parks
17. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what representations he has received with regard to countryside protection in national parks. [14857]
Angela Eagle: Ministers on a regular basis receive a variety of representations about a range of issues affecting the national parks. The new National Park Authorities are achieving a great deal in pursuing their revised purposes as set out in the Environment Act 1995. In doing so they are often able to act as models for the conservation and enhancement of the wider countryside.
Local Authorities (Best Value Pilot Schemes)
18. Ms Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when he expects to make an announcement on local authority best value pilot schemes; and if he will make a statement. [14858]
Ms Armstrong: I will announce the list of authorities who will be invited to join the best value pilot programme in early December, following advice from an expert panel comprising representatives of central government, the CBI, the TUC and the Audit Commission.
27. Mr. Coaker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to make an announcement on local authority best value pilot schemes; and if he will make a statement. [14868]
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Ms Armstrong:
I will announce the list of authorities that will be invited to join the best value pilot programme in early December, following advice from an expert panel comprising representatives of central government, the CBI, the TUC and the Audit Commission.
20. Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the Government's plans for regional development agencies. [14860]
Mr. Caborn:
The White Paper on the regions which we will be publishing shortly will set out the Government's detailed proposals for regional development agencies in England.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he plans to replace all the existing inward investment agencies if regional development agencies are introduced. [14865]
Mr. Caborn:
The White Paper on the Regions which we will be publishing shortly will set out the Government's detailed proposals for regional development agencies in England, including their role in inward investment.
21. Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he proposes to adjust the revenue support grant in 1998-99 to take account of the relative costs of providing services between local authorities. [14862]
Ms Armstrong:
Our proposals for the distribution of revenue support grant for 1998-99 will be announced in due course.
As my hon. Friend the Minister for London and Construction said on 30 October 1997, Official Report, column 1082, we have recently announced that we intend to commission further research to examine the specific cost approach to calculating the area cost adjustment element of standard spending assessments.
As a consequence of commissioning this research we have decided not to implement for 1998-99 standard spending assessments any options for change proposed by the 1996 Review of the Area Cost Adjustment or the additional research on the area cost adjustment done this year. These options remain available for consideration alongside the findings of the specific cost research.
22. Miss Kirkbride:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change the planning guidance on the green belt.[14863]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Government's green belt policy remains as set out in Planning Policy Guidance note (PPG) 2.
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23. Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he will take to ensure that planning authorities abide by approved and current local structure plans. [14864]
Mr. Raynsford:
Section 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 requires that, where the development plan contains relevant policies, applications for development which are in accordance with the plan shall be allowed unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Applicants have the right of appeal against any decision by the local authority not to grant planning permission.
Under the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) Direction 1992, local planning authorities are required to notify the Secretary of State of planning applications for specified types of development which do not accord with the development plan currently in force, where they propose to grant permission. This enables the Secretary of State to consider whether to call in such applications for his own determination.
We have recently consulted on draft revised Directions and improved guidance for local planning authorities, and will issue a final version as soon as possible.
25. Mr. Stringer:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress he has made in his plans to secure greater localisation of business rates. [14866]
Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress he has made in his plans to restore a greater degree of local discretion over business rates. [14859]
Mr. Raynsford:
Since July we have been discussing with the Local Government Association and business representatives how rates could be returned to local control. We aim to issue a consultation paper at the end of this year.
26. Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many incidents of leakage of petrol from underground storage tanks at garages there have been in the past two years; and if he will make a statement about the role of the Environment Agency in such circumstances. [14867]
Angela Eagle:
In the period since January 1995 the Environment Agency recorded 55 incidents of water pollution from underground petrol storage at petrol filling stations in England and six such incidents in Wales.
The Agency is not responsible for licensing petrol filling stations. However, it is able to influence the siting of new petrol filling station developments as a statutory consultee under Town and Country Planning legislation and can object to petrol filling stations in sensitive areas of groundwater.
There are powers available to the Agency under section 161 of the Water Resources Act 1991 to carry out remedial pollution works and recover costs. The powers
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have not yet been used in relation to petrol filling stations. The new works notices power under section 161A of the 1991 Act, when brought into force shortly, will enable the Agency to require anti-pollution works to be carried out and thus be more proactive in preventing water pollution from petrol filling stations.
We are considering comments received during a consultation exercise earlier this year on water pollution from industrial and commercial oil storage, included the issue of whether petrol storage should be subject to additional measures of control.
29. Mr. Truswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to give increased decision-making power to local authorities. [14870]
Mr. Raynsford:
We believe that local decision making should be less constrained by Central Government and more accountable to local people. Our programme to modernise local government, therefore, includes in parallel with the renewal of local democracy, placing on councils a new duty to promote the economic, social, and environmental well-being of their area and ending crude and universal council tax capping.
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