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Direct Labour Organisations
Mr. Lock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if his Department will conduct a review of the bodies which a direct labour organisation of a district council is permitted to enter into contracts with as specified in the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970; and if he will make a statement. [68567]
Mr. Raynsford: My officials are reviewing the way the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970 works. Any changes to its administration have to be considered in the context of the Local Government Bill, now before Parliament, which would allow the Secretary of State to modify existing legislation so as to facilitate local authorities achieving best value. It would be premature to discuss how this power might be exercised in advance of Parliament discussing the relevant provisions of the Bill.
Private Playing Fields
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to control development on private playing fields. [68566]
Mr. Raynsford: Planning Policy Guidance note 17: "Sport and Recreation" provides advice on this issue. It emphasises the special significance of playing fields, including those that are privately owned and that they should normally be protected from development, taking into account the long-term needs of the community for recreation and amenity open space.
Last month, my Department issued Circular 9/98: the Town and Country Planning (Playing Fields) (England) Direction 1998. This applies to any application for developing private land which is currently or has at any time in the five years before the application been used as a playing field by an educational institution.
Homelessness
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people are currently registered as homeless; and how many were so registered in May 1997. [68607]
Mr. Raynsford: Local authorities in England report in their quarterly P1(E) returns the number of households accepted as homeless and in priority need under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts.
The latest available estimates are for the quarter ending September 1998, when local authorities accepted some 27,500 households. The corresponding figure for the quarter ending June 1997 was 24,930 households.
Groundwater Regulations 1998
Mrs. Shephard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish the Groundwater Regulations. [68967]
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Mr. Meacher:
The Groundwater Regulations 1998 were laid before Parliament on 11 November 1998. Transitional arrangements under the Regulations came into force on 1 January, and the main provisions come into force on 1 April 1999.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received in response to public consultation on the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats (Extraction of Minerals by Marine Dredging) Regulations 1999; and if he will make a statement. [69213]
Mr. Caborn:
Public consultation on the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats (Extraction of Minerals by Marine Dredging) Regulations was carried out for a six week period in the autumn of last year. 46 responses were received from official bodies, from fishing interests, local authorities and environmental organisations. A list of the responses has been placed in the Library of the House and copies of all responses have been placed in the DETR Library. The Government are considering the responses.
Mr. Linton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what statutory authority exists for costs to be incurred by him in preparation for the establishment of the Greater London Authority and its functional and other associated bodies. [69214]
Mr. Raynsford:
The Greater London Authority (Referendum) Bill provides authority for preparations for the Greater London Authority itself. Authority for preparations for the remaining bodies will be provided by the Greater London Authority Bill once enacted. Parliamentary approval for expenditure on these remaining bodies will be sought as soon as practicable following enactment. This is likely to be through a Winter Supplementary Estimate for Class III Vote 4 (local government, England) for 1999-2000. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure in 1998-99 estimated at £320,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.
Waiting Lists
14. Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in the total number of people on NHS waiting lists in England since April 1998; and if he will make a statement on progress made in reducing waiting lists. [67172]
Mr. Denham:
The total number of people on National Health Service waiting lists in England has fallen by over 150,000 since April 1998. By next April, we will deliver a record reduction in waiting lists to below the 1.16 million patients inherited from the previous Government. This will be the first step in delivering our pledge to bring down the waiting lists by 100,000 from the level we inherited in the lifetime of this Parliament.
2 Feb 1999 : Column: 569
29. Mr. David Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in the total number of people waiting over 12 months for treatment on NHS waiting lists in England since May 1998. [67188]
Mr. Denham:
Over 12 months waiters have fallen by over 16,000, 22 per cent. since June 1998, to stand at 56,000 at the end of November 1998.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients need to be treated in the Essex Rivers health authority to meet his Department's waiting list target at 31 March 1999. [67191]
Mr. Denham:
The position as at November 1998 was that Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust will need to achieve a reduction of 2,324 in order to achieve its 31 March 1999 waiting list target. North Essex Health Authority will need to achieve a reduction of 3,362 in order to achieve its 31 March 1999 waiting list target.
16. Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision, per head of population, of renal services in (a) the South Lancashire health authority and (b) the rest of England. [67174]
Mr. Hutton:
The actual take-up figure in the area covered by South Lancashire Health Authority was 50 patients per million population in the most recent year for which figures are available, that is, the year ended September 1997. The most recent national figures available are from a survey of service provision in 1995. The number of new patients in England accepted on to treatment (dialysis or kidney transplant) for end stage renal failure in 1995 was 82 per million population.
17. Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of grant applications under the Investing in Dentistry initiative. [67175]
Mr. Denham:
To date, we have received over 600 Investing in Dentistry funding requests, 242 of which have been approved, and 236 refused. Decisions on the remaining applications will be made as soon as possible.
18. Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the total number of patients waiting more than 13 weeks for an out-patient consultation as of (a) the first quarter of 1997 and (b) the last quarter for which figures are available. [67177]
Mr. Denham:
In the first quarter of 1997-98, 2,690,000 first outpatient attendances were provided, with 290,000 patients waiting over 13 weeks at 30 June. In the second quarter of 1998-99 (the latest available),
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2,740,000 first outpatient attendances were provided, with 437,000 patients waiting over 13 weeks at 30 September 1998.
19. Dr. Whitehead:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many winter schemes were supported by his Department through his Department's targeted winter schemes money. [67178]
Mr. Hutton:
Over 2,000. These have enabled health and social services to work together to manage the very high emergency pressures we have seen over the past month.
39. Mr. Dennis Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schemes were funded by his Department through targeted winter schemes money. [67198]
Mr. Denham:
Over 2,000 schemes have been funded through this money. These have enabled health and social services to work together to manage the very high emergency pressures we have seen over the past month.
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