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Local Government Finance
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effects on each local authority of returning non-domestic rates to local government; [18346]
- (2) what plans he has to incorporate a resource equalisation scheme into the SSA in respect of the return of non-domestic rates to local authorities. [18347]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government will be publishing shortly a consultation paper on options for the localisation of non-domestic rates. The effects on individual authorities will depend on the specifications of the scheme, which will not be decided until after we have seen the responses to the consultation. However, resource equalisation between authorities will clearly remain essential.
Housing Associations
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much funding has been allocated in 1997 to housing associations for the conversion of properties to meet housing needs. [18570]
Mr. Raynsford: Allocations are made by financial year, rather than calendar year. In 1996-97 £191 million public funding was allocated to housing associations through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme and local authorities' Social Housing Grant for the acquisition and rehabilitation or conversion of properties to meet housing need.
A further £43 million was allocated to housing associations for improvement or conversion works to their existing stock.
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Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of procedures to take account of local water supply in respect of planning for new housing. [18524]
Mr. Raynsford
Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 (PPG12) already requires local planning authorities to take account of the capacity of existing infrastructure and the need for additional facilities in preparing their development plans. However, we are currently considering the need to revise and update PPG12 and we will consider whether further advice is required on this issue as part of that review.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many inspections have taken place of working conditions in the construction and agriculture industries in 1997 to date. [18572]
Angela Eagle:
In the period 1 January 1997- 21 November 1997, the Field Operations Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive made 31,843 inspection contacts in the construction industry. Inspection contacts in the agricultural sector over the same time period were 11,946. In addition to inspections, contacts are made for other purposes, including the investigation of accidents and complaints and for enforcement.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many inspectors are employed by his Department to inspect working conditions in the construction and agriculture industries in England and Wales. [18573]
Angela Eagle:
For England and Wales, the Field Operations Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive has allocated 103 operational inspectors to the construction sector and 65.9 to the agricultural sector.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list all those locations licensed by his Department for the use of radioactive materials; and if he will make a statement. [18368]
Angela Eagle:
There are 40 nuclear licensed sites, which are licensed and regulated by the Health and Safety Executive under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (as amended). As required under Section 6 of this Act, a list of these sites is held by the Department of Trade and Industry and is available for inspection by members of the public. Copies are also available for inspection at the Health and Safety Executive's Regional and other main offices.
In general, radioactive materials and waste are regulated under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (as amended by the Environment Act 1995) and the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985. Under the Radioactive Substances Act, the keeping and use of radioactive material, other than on nuclear licensed sites, must be registered with the appropriate Agency (that is, the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Scottish
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Environment Protection Agency in Scotland, and the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland). In addition, the Act also requires that the disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear licensed sites, and the accumulation and disposal of radioactive waste from all other sites, are authorised by the appropriate Agency. Certain classes of users and radioactive material are exempted from some or all of these requirements, by Exemption Orders which are Statutory Instruments made under the Act, or, in the case of certain Ministry of Defence sites, as a consequence of Crown Immunity.
The Environment Agency advise that in England and Wales there are currently in force approximately 5,700 registrations for the keeping and use of radioactive material and approximately 1,100 authorisations for the accumulation and/or disposal of radioactive waste. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency advise that in Scotland about 700 premises are registered for the keeping and use of radioactive material, and about 400 premises are authorised for the accumulation and/or disposal of radioactive waste. The Northern Ireland Environment and Heritage Service advise that in Northern Ireland approximately 120 sites are registered for the keeping or use of radioactive materials, of which approximately 25 are authorised to accumulate and dispose of radioactive waste.
Applications and certificates for registrations and authorisations under the Radioactive Substances Act (except any information specifically excluded by virtue of Section 39(1) of the Act on national security or commercial grounds) are available for public inspection at the area offices of the Environment Agency (in England and Wales); at the regional offices of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (in Scotland); and at the Head Office of the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland. No centrally held list is available. Subject to Section 25 of the Act, the appropriate agencies are also required to provide copies of registration and authorisation certificates and applications to relevant local authorities, which must themselves--subject to the provisions of Section 39(2)--make publicly available the information which they hold.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch report on the accident involving the vessels "Seahorse" and "Exodus". [18499]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
This accident, which took place in Irish territorial waters, was investigated by both Irish and UK accident investigators in full co-operation. The Irish authorities intend to publish their report.
The UK's Marine Accidents Investigation Branch conducted the investigation under their "Inspector's Investigation" procedure whereby the report is not formally published but is made available to involved and interested parties. A short summary of the report will be included in the forthcoming MAIB "Safety Digest". The next edition will be published early next year. Copies will be placed in the library of the House.
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Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each of the last 10 years, by incident, the number of passengers and crew killed in accidents involving (a) the rail network, (b) UK registered aircraft or aircraft within
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United Kingdom airspace, (c) ferries in the United Kingdom waters or registered in the United Kingdom and (d) river craft operating in the United Kingdom. [18173]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 18 November 1997]: Individual accidents could be listed only at disproportionate cost. The number of fatalities in each year are as follows:
(12) As far as possible the fatalities included in the table are those due to an aircraft, train or vessel accident, for example a collision. Fatalities due to the movement of a vehicle etc, for example due to the opening or closing of a carriage door at a railway station, are excluded.
(13) For railways, figures for 1991 are for the period January 1991 to March 1992. Those for the subsequent periods shown relate to financial years. Railways includes all railway undertakings in Great Britain.
(14) Figures cover both public transport flights and general aviation (executive, club and group, private and training flights). Most fatalities occur in this latter group.
(15) There were in addition six fatalities in 1988 and two in 1989 involving a United Kingdom registered merchant vessel. Available records do not indicate whether the vessels were ferries.
(16) Accidents reported to British Waterways.
(17) Not available.
3 Dec 1997 : Column: 225
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