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Eurostar
Mr. Snape: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what studies his Department has undertaken on the environmental effects of operating Eurostar trains on the North London line between Stratford and the link to St. Pancras. [62106]
Ms Glenda Jackson: None because the Channel Tunnel Rail Link has been planned and approved on the basis of two new tracks from the Channel Tunnel to the London terminus, St Pancras. The environmental effects of widening the North London line, rather than using the existing tracks, were assessed by Union Railways between 1992 and 1994 before adoption of the route now authorised under the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996.
Concessionary Fares
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions by what means he plans to establish a national minimum concessionary fares scheme in 1999. [62311]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The national minimum concessionary fare scheme outlined in our White Paper, "A New Deal for Transport", will require primary legislation. Implementation will therefore depend on the availability of Parliamentary time.
Sellafield
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish in the Official Report the text of the letter sent to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent in response to the question on representations on Sellafield of 19 November 1998, Official Report, column 835. [62484]
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Mr. Meacher:
A copy of the letter which I sent to my hon. Friend is attached.
Letter from the Minister for the Environment to Mr. Llew Smith, dated 3 December 1998:
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to extend the inspection regime for small and intermediate factories where responsibility for industrial emissions and air quality standards lies with local authorities. [62536]
Mr. Meacher:
None. My Department did, however, publish an action plan this October jointly with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Local
7 Dec 1998 : Column: 50
Government Association and others, which includes actions to improve local authority inspection practice for processes regulated under the existing Local Air Pollution Control regime.
Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what controls he envisages to give effect to the land use planning requirements of the COMAH Directive; and if he will make a statement. [62586]
Mr. Caborn:
The Government have today issued draft Regulations to implement the land use requirements of Directive 96/82/EC on the Control of Major Accident Hazards.
Amendments are to be made to the Planning Hazardous Substances consents procedures to implement these provisions of the Directive whilst maintaining existing health and safety standards where these differ from the Directive. Changes to the Development Plan Regulations will ensure that local planning authorities take account of the requirements of the Directive when drawing up their development plans.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the basis of his calculations of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 1999-2000. [62589]
Ms Armstrong:
The distributable amount of non-domestic rates in England for 1999-2000 will be £13,612 million. This is based on a non-domestic rate poundage (multiplier) of 48.9p and includes an allowance of £310 million for an Exchequer payment to the non-domestic rates pool, to compensate for the shortfall which would otherwise occur as a result of the regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to phase in the effects of the 1995 revaluation on rate bills.
The calculation for 1999-2000, and the prior-year figures on which this is based, are set out in the table:
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In answer to your recent parliamentary question, I promised to write to you with the information about the representations we had received on the Sellafield applications.
As you know in reply to Joan Walley's PQ we reported that 4 letters relating to the Sellafield MOX plant and 2 letters relating to the variations to BNFL's site discharge authorisations in response to the Environment Agency's statement on 23 October were received. However, one of the letters which was primarily about the MOX plant also made reference to the discharge authorisations and therefore the number of representations concerning the discharge authorisations figure should have been reported as 3 rather than 2.
The 4 letters referring to the MOX plant were received from an overseas government minister, an MP, a non-government organisation and a member of the public; all of which were opposed to the recommendations. The 3 letters referring to the variations to BNFL's site discharge authorisations were received from an overseas government minister, an MP and a non-government organisation; all of which were opposed to the recommendations.
You also asked to know what representations were received in the two months prior to the release of the Environment Agency documents. The number of letters received relating to the MOX plant were 3 and relating to the variations to BNFL's site discharge authorisations were 14. You may also wish to know that the 3 letters relating to the MOX plant were received from a non-government organisations and two members of the public. The 14 letters relating to the variations were received from members of parliament.
I am copying this letter to Joan Walley with apologies for our error and a copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.
Notes:
The amounts shown are those recorded in the post end-year (NNDR3) returns. For 1998-99 the amounts shown are the estimated outturn for the year based mainly upon authorities' provisional contributions to the non-domestic rating pool.
1. Item 1: The gross calculated rate yield represents the total value of non-domestic hereditaments on local rating lists times the multiplier.
2. Item 1(i)(a): The Transitional decrease adjustment includes the estimated amount of rates that will not be recouped from local list ratepayers under the transitional arrangements made by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
3. Item 1(i)(b): The empty property relief adjustments include voids and partially occupied hereditaments. The 1999-2000 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
4. Item 1(i)(c): Charitable rate relief. Figures for 1998-99 onwards include mandatory relief for village shops under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. The 1999-2000 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
5. Item 1(i)(d): Discretionary relief granted to charities, non-profit making organisations and for other reasons including, for 1998-99 onwards, discretionary relief for village shops under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. The 1999-2000 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
6. Item 1(ii)(a) and (b): The allowances for the costs and losses incurred by authorities in collecting non-domestic rates from ratepayers.
7. Item 1(ii)(c): City Offset--the amount which the City of London will not be required to pay into the non-domestic rating pool. It is the amount which will be retained by the City to meet its own expenditure.
8. Item 1(iii): net adjustment in respect of appeals and other amendments to the rating list affecting liability for previous years rates settled in that year.
9. Item 2: the rateable value of non-domestic hereditaments on the central rating list times the multiplier, less the net effect of transitional arrangements, and adjusted for appeals and other changes in respect of previous years.
10. Item 3: the 1999-2000 figure for Crown properties includes an allowance for the effect of transitional arrangements.
11. Item 4: the contribution from central government to offset the amount of the Secretary of State's estimate of income forgone as a result of transitional arrangements established by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
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