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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Epping-Ongar Rail Line

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to make his decision on the sale of the Epping to Ongar rail line. [44889]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Secretary of State has given his consent to the sale and letters informing interested parties, including the hon. Member, have been issued. I hope that all parties will now support Pilot in their efforts to provide the passenger rail service that we all want to see operating on the line.

Weald and Downland DBFO Project

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 30 January 1998, Official Report, column 442, what compensation has been paid to the four consortiums which tendered for the Weald and Downland DBFO project. [46697]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The claims from the Tenderers for the cancelled Weald and Downland DBFO project raised a number of detailed issues which will take some time finally to resolve. In the meantime, interim payments of £1.3 million (excluding VAT) have been made.

Newsprint Recycling

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with representatives of the paper industry concerning the recycled contents of newsprint; and if he will make a statement. [46823]

Angela Eagle: I met the Chief Executive and Company Secretary of Aylesford Newsprint on 12 January this year. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment met representatives of the Newspaper Publishers Association on 9 February.

29 Jun 1998 : Column: 78

We are committed to substantial increases in recycling, and are determined to see an increase in the amount of recycled newsprint used in newspapers.

We shall shortly be receiving the interim report of the Newspaper Publishers Association's working group examining the factors governing the optimum recycled content of newspaper. We expect to see the industry setting themselves stringent targets, and we will work with them to achieve them. We have not however ruled out the possibility of introducing legislation ourselves, perhaps under existing powers.

Local Government Reorganisation

Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the bids for re-organisation costs for (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96, (c) 1996-97, (d) 1997-98 and (e) 1998-99, that have been made by local authorities subject to reorganisation on 1 April 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, and the proportion of the bids which were allocated supplementary credit approval cover for (a) to (e); and if he will list the capitalisation directions granted to those authorities in those same years. [47210]

Mr. Raynsford: I refer the right hon. Member to the replies given on 27 October 1997, Official Report, columns 808-14, 3 November 1997, Official Report, columns 72-73 and 17 December 1997, Official Report, columns 199-200. These replies gave bids and allocations for 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98, revised allocations for 1997-98 made after the mid-year review and initial allocations for 1998-99. Supplementary credit approvals (SCA) and capitalisation directions have not yet been issued for 1997-98 or 1998-99. The capitalisation directions for earlier years have generally equalled the SCA issued unless the authority has sought a lower amount, or a higher amount which has not exceeded the net revenue element of the final audited application for SCA.

The table lists the bids for 1997-98 and 1998-99, and the SCAs for 1994-95 to 1996-97 and allocations for 1997-98 and 1998-99 expressed as a percentage of bid.

29 Jun 1998 : Column: 77

	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98 mid year review		1998-99 initial
Local authority	SCA as % of bid	SCA as % of bid	SCA as % of bid	bid	allocation as % of bid	bid	allocation as % of bid
Isle of Wight	100	100	(21)--	(21)--	--	--	--
Cleveland	--	55	--	--	--	--	--
Hartlepool	100	86	93	1,910	73	720	100
Redcar and Cleveland	100	86	100	2,875	45	400	100
Middlesbrough	100	91	66	2,806	53	2,284	100
Stockton	100	100	87	1,952	66	1,661	99
Avon	--	94	--	--	--	--	--
Bristol	--	87	82	2,590	42	1,268	100
North Somerset	--	100	99	1,388	72	652	100
Banes(20)	--	100	100	2,444	69	1,280	100
South Gloucestershire(20)	--	100	100	2,255	53	1,000	100
Humberside	--	63	--	--	--	--	--
Kingston upon Hull	--	80	95	4,205	28	3,073	59
East Riding Yorkshire(20)	--	73	96	2,576	97	4,259	100
North Lincolnshire(20)	--	93	100	2,709	44	3,289	100
North East Lincolnshire(20)	--	89	100	2,256	84	1,853	100
North Yorkshire	--	68	100	--	--	--	--
Ryedale	--	(21)--	(21)--	--	--	--	--
Selby	--	100	100	--	--	--	--
York(20)	--	91	100	800	100	0	--
Bedfordshire	--	0	88	1,046	95	--	--
Luton	--	0	73	3,874	90	1,973	100
Buckinghamshire	--	0	(21)--	(21)--	--	--	--
Milton Keynes	--	0	100	3,614	83	2,250	100
Derbyshire	--	0	99	650	100	--	--
Derby City	--	0	78	3,025	97	1,602	100
Dorset	--	--	(21)--	(21)--	--	--	--
Bournemouth	--	0	100	2,900	100	500	100
Poole	--	0	91	3,300	91	1,100	100
Durham	--	--	(21)--	350	100	--	--
Darlington	--	0	100	2,794	71	993	100
East Sussex	--	--	73	2,641	76	--	--
Brighton and Hove(20)	--	0	52	4,721	85	1,207	100
Hampshire	--	--	72	2,884	55	--	--
Portsmouth	--	0	84	2,600	100	1,695	100
Southampton	--	0	76	4,586	70	2,185	100
Leicestershire	--	--	100	1,444	76	--	--
Leicester City	--	0	82	3,490	89	--	--
Rutland	--	--	100	1,160	100	1,065	100
Staffordshire	--	--	38	729	99	--	--
Stoke on Trent	--	0	72	2,725	95	1,348	100
Wiltshire	--	--	83	506	79	--	--
Swindon	--	0	47	2,720	73	902	100
Berkshire	--	--	0	9,801	42	--	--
Bracknell Forest	--	--	0	4,202	50	13	0
Newbury	--	--	0	2,843	84	(21)--	--
Reading	--	--	0	6,901	43	2,081	100
Slough	--	--	0	5,658	46	1,781	100
Windsor and Maidenhead	--	--	0	4,000	55	(21)--	--
Wokingham	--	--	--	7,431	47	2,262	100
Hereford and Worcester	--	--	--	2,735	84	--	--
Hereford City	--	--	--	375	67	--	--
Leominster	--	--	--	679	51	--	--
Malvern Hills	--	--	--	900	67	--	--
South Herefordshire	--	--	--	275	73	--	--
Herefordshire	--	--	--	4,888	61	5,155	100
Worcestershire	--	--	--	2,527	91	1,150	100
Malvern Hills (new)	--	--	--	385	100	360	100
Devon	--	--	--	4,404	68	715	100
Plymouth	--	--	--	6,286	46	10,109	100
Torbay	--	--	--	8,186	41	6,396	100
Essex	--	--	--	6,727	42	2,683	100
Southend on Sea	--	--	--	5,155	57	1,690	100
Thurrock	--	--	0	4,737	60	3,067	100
Nottinghamshire	--	--	--	3,617	66	3,334	100
Nottingham	--	--	0	5,694	54	3,920	100
Cheshire	--	--	--	5,605	45	3,345	68
Halton	--	--	--	3,547	70	2,832	100
Warrington	--	--	--	6,205	53	3,013	100
Shropshire	--	--	--	3,156	66	1,400	71
The Wrekin	--	--	--	6,803	44	4,301	100
Kent	--	--	--	4,697	68	986	76
Medway Towns	--	--	--	8,939	45	5,674	100
Cambridgeshire	--	--	--	1,863	75	320	100
Peterborough	--	--	--	5,429	63	2,204	100
Lancashire	--	--	--	5,290	53	1,465	100
Blackburn with Darwen	--	--	0	5,468	58	3,349	100
Blackpool	--	--	--	6,202	48	3,188	100

(20) Includes allocations to predecessor authorities

(21) No bid

29 Jun 1998 : Column: 81

29 Jun 1998 : Column: 81

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