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Local Authority Housing Authorities
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list all local authority housing authorities specifying in respect of each whether the chair is a man or a woman. [65318]
Mr. Raynsford: This information is not held centrally.
Leylandii Trees
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will report on the progress of the Government's review of the legislation surrounding problems caused by leylandii trees; and when an announcement is expected to be made. [65277]
Mr. Meale: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Russell) on 17 November 1998, Official Report, column 473.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown of the changes to the criteria for calculating the Social Services SSA block in the local government settlements for 1999-2000. [65035]
Ms Armstrong: The changes proposed to the method of calculating standard spending assessments for 1999-2000 are:
- (i) Changing the formula for children's social services on the basis of research carried out by the University of York, and including an allowance for the higher costs of foster care in some areas;
- (ii) Changing the formula for elderly residential social services to: include claimants of disability living allowance; update gross costs and income from charges to allow for the effects of
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- community care; and change the measure of elderly population to exclude people living in institutions rather than in private households; and
- (iii) Changing the formula for elderly domiciliary social services to include an allowance for sparsity of population to distribute 0.5 per cent. of the total of this element of the SSA; and to adjust the cost allowance of each elderly domiciliary client to take account of each authority's potential to raise income from charges.
National Air Quality Strategy
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the outcome of the Review of the UK National Air Quality Strategy. [65561]
Mr. Prescott: I am pleased to announce today our proposals to amend the UK National Air Quality Strategy. Cleaning up the air that we breathe and delivering on the right to clean air is one of the top priorities of this Government. There is still some way to go to protect our health and the environment from the effects of air pollution. The proposals that I am announcing today deliver on our pre-election commitment to the right to clean air. But improving air quality is not just for Government, or industry, we all have a responsibility to do our bit to improve the quality of our air.
The National Air Quality Strategy was first published in March 1997 fulfilling the requirement under the Environment Act 1995 for a national air quality strategy setting out policies for the management of ambient air quality. The Government endorsed this Strategy in July 1997, but announced that it would be reviewed at the earliest opportunity in order to look at the prospects for delivering cleaner air more quickly. The Government accordingly brought forward to the end of 1998 the previously announced review, and as a result we have been able to make rapid progress on delivering our commitment to the right to clean air.
The Strategy sets health-based objectives for 2005 for the eight air pollutants which have the greatest impact on health. Our aim in the review was to look at the prospects for meeting the objectives sooner or introducing tougher objectives where feasible and justified. This has been a thorough and wide-ranging review, during which we considered the legal framework, the scientific, economic and technical basis for decision-making on air quality policy, and the case for changes to the scope and content of the Strategy. My Department has worked closely with the Scottish Office, Welsh Office and Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and we have consulted widely with stakeholders in producing our proposals.
We have now completed the review and propose to tighten the objectives for five pollutants; for benzene, 1,3-butadiene and carbon monoxide we propose to bring forward the date for achieving the objectives; for lead we propose to bring forward the date for achieving the existing objective and to introduce a new tougher objective based on the most recent health advice; for nitrogen dioxide we propose to introduce a tougher hourly objective, while retaining the current annual objective. Action is in progress at EU level on ozone and we have concluded that it makes sense to await the outcome of that before deciding how to move forward on this pollutant. On particles (PM 1 0 ) the work of the Airborne Particles Expert Group has shown that exceedences of our national
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objective are strongly influenced by sources from mainland Europe. This is not a problem that the UK can solve alone. We intend to discuss with our European partners how best this issue can be taken forward at the European level. In addition, it is not yet clear whether PM 1 0 or a smaller fraction of particles poses the greater threat to health. We have concluded that in the short term to incorporate the proposed EU vales for PM 1 0 will provide adequate protection as an interim step towards achieving the existing objective. We will look at this objective again, as well as those for nitrogen dioxide, when we undertake a further review of the Strategy in two years time. On sulphur dioxide, we propose to retain the existing objective, supplemented by the proposed EU limit values. We are also proposing to extend the Strategy to include objectives for the protection of vegetation and ecosystems. The changes we propose will also ensure that we deliver the limit values contained in the proposed first Air Quality Daughter Directive.
We will now consult widely on our proposals. We will produce a revised Strategy later this year, which will itself be subject to consultation before being finalised by the end of the year. This is the first in a rolling programme of reviews of the Strategy, to keep it up to date with technological and scientific advances, improved modelling techniques, an increasingly better understanding of the economic and social issues involved and to reflect developments in European legislation. We intend that the next review of the Strategy should start once this one is complete and further information is available on costs and benefits, the health effects of air pollution and the impact that policy measures will have on improving air quality.
We all have a responsibility to do our bit to improve the quality of the air that we breathe and the environment that we live in. The proposals that we have announced today set in place the framework to take this forward. I have placed copies of our consultation document in the Libraries of the House and the Vote Office.
Liz Blackman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made in his revision of the current Planning Guidance Note for Sport and Recreation (PPG17). [65431]
Mr. Raynsford:
In September last year, the Department published a research report entitled The Effectiveness of Planning Policy Guidance on Sport and Recreation which made recommendations about possible revisions that might be made to PPG 17. A number of regional seminars have sequently been held to take views on the recommendations set out in the report. A draft revised PPG will be issued for consultation later this year.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out his responsibilities in respect of the co-ordination of Government policy on environmental issues. [63731]
Mr. Meale:
Under the leaderhsip of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has policy responsibiities for sustainable development and the environment, including for 'greening' Government.
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The Deputy Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet Committee on the Environment (ENV) which considers environmental policies and co-ordinates those on sustainable development. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment chairs regular meetings of the Green Ministers Committee, and provides reports on the work of that Committee to the Chairman of ENV. Green Ministers are reponsible for ensuring that the right systems are in place in their Departments to support the integration of environmental considerations into policy making and operations.
Mr. Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells dated 29 September, about the A21 in Kent; [65435]
(3) when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells dated 26 November, about the A21 in Kent. [65437]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
My noble Friend the Minister for Roads and Road Safety replied on Tuesday 12 January 1999.
(2) when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells dated 7 September, about the A21 in Kent; [65436]
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