| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Departmental Information
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal departmental guidance on the dissemination of information and if he will make a statement. [16312]
Angela Eagle: A revised version of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information was published in January 1997, and circulated to staff in the former Department of the Environment and the former Department of Transport. Copies are available in the Library.
Rural Crime
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's proposals on access to the countryside on levels of rural crime; and if he will make a statement. [16632]
Mr. Meacher: We have made no such assessment. We will take account of concerns about the impact of rural crime when we draw up our detailed proposals to give effect to our manifesto commitment to give people greater freedom to explore open countryside.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals
21 Nov 1997 : Column: 335
the Government have to ensure that increased public access to the countryside will not provide increased opportunities for rural crime. [16628]
Angela Eagle:
People may make known any concerns in their responses to our consultation paper on how to implement our commitment to give greater freedom to explore open countryside. We intend to issue this consultation paper shortly. We will take account of the responses in drawing up our more detailed proposals.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to ensure that all sewers and drains serving residential developments are of an adoptable standard. [16856]
Angela Eagle:
Under section 102 of the Water Industry Act 1991, the owner of a sewer can apply to the sewerage undertaker to have the sewer adopted. The sewerage undertaker may require that certain conditions are met before it agrees. There are no plans at present to require all existing unadopted sewers to be brought up to an adoptable standard or to require new sewers to be built to that standard.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received regarding Planning Policy Guidance Note 6. [16878]
Mr. Caborn:
We have received a number of representations. Our Response to the Fourth Report of the Environment Select Committee on Shopping Centres, published in July 1997 [Cmnd 3729], reaffirmed the policy set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 (PPG6).
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to revise Planning Policy Guidance Note 6. [16875]
Mr. Caborn:
We have no current plans to revise Planning Policy Guidance Note 6.
Mr. Ian Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown by type of all the employees, indicating separately auxiliaries and volunteers, working with the Coastguard over each of the past five years; and what changes will be made in these numbers consequential on the control centre closures and mergers announced on 17 November. [17028]
| Year | Total number of permanent employees | Total number of auxiliary (voluntary) coastguards |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 536.5 | 3,823 |
| 1994 | 544 | 3.454 |
| 1995 | 518.5 | 3,415 |
| 1996 | 516.5 | 3,200 |
| 1997 | (1)648.5 | (1)3,121 |
(1) Figures at November 1997.
21 Nov 1997 : Column: 336
As a result of the closure of the stations at Pentland, Oban, Tyne Tees and Liverpool, the Coastguard officers complement will be reduced by around 78 staff over the next four to five years, although there will be some additional posts at flank stations. This will be set against the increase in staff of around 200 this year and the overall result after 5 years will be a net increase in staff over last year's levels. The number of coastal rescue teams will not be affected by these changes, but the number of sector managers will be increased through additional posts at the locations where centres are to be closed.
Water Supply (New Developments)
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the requirement on water companies to supply water to all newly approved developments. [17067]
Angela Eagle: Under section 37 of the Water Industry Act 1991, a water undertaker is required to supply water to all persons who request it. This duty is enforceable by the Secretary of State. There are no plans at present to review this requirement.
Carrington Moss (Planning Application)
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what representations he has received regarding Manchester United's application for planning permission to build on green-belt land at Carrington Moss; [17188]
- (2) if he will list those organisations and individuals which have made representations to him (a) in favour of and (b) against Manchester United's planning application to build on green-belt land at Carrington Moss; [17186]
(3) what discussions he has had with directors of Manchester United regarding its application to build on green-belt land at Carrington Moss. [17187]
Mr. Raynsford: Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council referred Manchester United's application for planning permission to build a training facility at Carrington Moss to the Secretary of State, under normal procedures. The Secretary of State decided on 7 November not to call in the application.
Ministers received a number of representations on this matter. I will place a list of the names of the 51 individuals and organisations who provided written submissions opposing the proposal in the Library of the House.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will announce the conclusion of the recent review of regulations and guidance on compulsory competitive tendering. [17588]
Ms Armstrong:
I have today laid before Parliament new regulations which amend the existing framework for Compulsory Competitive Tendering in England and Wales to make it more flexible and encourage local authorities to move to a Best Value-based approach to service delivery. In due course we will be replacing CCT
21 Nov 1997 : Column: 337
with a new legislative framework on Best Value. In the meantime, I want local authorities to develop Best Value ahead of primary legislation.
These changes take account of the views of nearly 300 local authorities, professional bodies and relevant private sector interests who responded to the consultation paper I published on 25 July. Copies of these responses will shortly be placed in the House of Commons Library. The regulations themselves have also been the subject of consultation with local government and other organisations.
The key changes brought about by the Regulations are:
The changes emphasise voluntary competition. Competition will remain a vital element of Best Value but we are keen to use it in a more flexible and constructive way. We are increasing the credit that local authorities will get for any professional services work that they put out to competition voluntarily during the remainder of the CCT regime.
21 Nov 1997 : Column: 338
In recognition of the concerns expressed in the responses to our consultation paper, we have also decided to extend our original proposal to exempt work done on behalf of LMS schools from CCT, to cover all local authority maintained schools. This will reduce the administrative burden on school heads and allow local authorities to consider Best Value alternatives for schools.
(a.) a significantly enhanced credit for voluntary competition of 125 per cent. of its real value which offsets the amount of work which must be exposed to compulsory competition and is designed to encourage authorities to pursue this route ahead of Best Value;
I believe that we have made sensible adjustments to the regulations set in place by the previous Government. I believe that these will be broadly acceptable to all parties. The new Regulations will allow local authorities to develop Best Value alternatives which are consistent with the purpose of the primary legislation and allow them much greater flexibility. We have removed many of the prescriptive elements of CCT. Local authorities now have real incentives to seek partnerships with the voluntary and private sectors to deliver quality services.
(b.) Lowering of the competition percentage for finance to 40 per cent. and for construction and property to 55 per cent. A raising of the de minimis for construction and property to £450,000.
(c.) Moving the implementation date from a finance-based to a 4,000-properties de minimis level for housing management to 1 April 1999 and abandoning the previous Government's plans to move to a 2,500 property de minimis level;
(d.) a relaxation of the implementation timetable for reorganising authorities in England in respect of professional services, particularly for authorities reorganised in April 1996 and April 1997, and housing management. Also an alignment of implementation dates for professional services, where they have not yet been reached, to align with, or post date, the effective dates of the new Regulations;
(e.) exemption of all schools from CCT with a special credit within the Regulations to take account of the potential anomaly which might otherwise have increased the overall competition requirement within an individual local authority;
(f.) a significant reduction in the amount of detailed prescription in relation to tendering and evaluation of CCT contracts. The de minimis level for manual services is raised to £150,000;
(g.) removal of need for local authorities to prepare an annual statement of the costs of supporting their front line services (the 'SSSC').
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |