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Brain Cancer

Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each year between 1974 and the latest available date, the incidence of brain cancer ICD(9) 191 in children aged 0 to four years in Dumfries and Galloway (i) in total, (ii) by electoral ward and (iii) by sex; and how many cases would have been predicted in Dumfries and Galloway during that period on the basis of national rates for these diseases. [72330]

Mr. Galbraith: The tables show numbers of incident cases of malignant tumours of the brain in children aged 0-4 years resident in the Dumfries and Galloway Health Board area in each of the years 1974-96, and the number of cases which would be expected on the basis of incidence rates for Scotland as a whole. Because of the small number of cases overall it is not possible to provide figures broken down by electoral ward without jeopardising the confidentiality of individuals.

From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

Observed and expected cases of malignant brain tumours in children aged 0-4 years in the Dumfries and Galloway Health Board area in 1974-96

	Males
	Observed	Expected
1974	0	.10
1975	0	.18
1976	0	.15
1977	0	.10
1978	0	.03
1979	1	.08
1980	1	.13
1981	0	.05
1982	0	.11
1983	0	.19
1984	0	.13
1985	0	.16
1986	0	.05
1987	0	.24
1988	0	.16
1989	1	.11
1990	0	.08
1991	0	.20
1992	0	.11
1993	0	.08
1994	0	.16
1995	0	.11
1996	0	.05
Total	3	2.79

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	Females
	Observed	Expected
1974	0	.08
1975	0	.10
1976	0	.10
1977	0	.08
1978	1	.13
1979	0	.05
1980	0	.10
1981	0	.08
1982	0	.11
1983	0	.22
1984	0	.13
1985	0	.11
1986	0	.11
1987	0	.08
1988	0	.14
1989	0	.14
1990	0	.22
1991	0	.08
1992	0	.14
1993	0	.08
1994	1	.19
1995	0	.06
1996	0	.14
Total	2	2.66

Source:

Cancer Surveillance

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Road Safety Strategy

Mr. Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to launch the road safety targets and strategy for the period up to 2010. [69408]

Ms Glenda Jackson: It is now intended to publish the road safety strategy and targets later this year, in order to reflect the findings of the ongoing review of speed policy. It may be necessary to issue provisional guidance in the interim, which we are considering.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Road Safety Strategy will be announced. [71077]

Ms Glenda Jackson [holding answer 15 February 1999]: It is now intended to publish the road safety strategy and targets later this year, in order to reflect the findings of the ongoing review of speed policy. It may be necessary to issue provisional guidance in the interim, which we are considering.

House Building

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of (a) the number of new house building starts to be made in 1999-2000 by (i) private developers, (ii) registered social landlords and (iii) local authorities and (b) the number of existing empty homes to be brought back into use in 1999-2000 by (x) private owners, (y) registered social landlords and (z) local authorities. [72318]

25 Feb 1999 : Column: 403

Mr. Raynsford: The estimate of the number of existing empty local authority homes in England that local authorities propose to bring back into use in 1999-2000 is in preparation.

The Department does not forecast new housebuilding starts, nor the number of empty dwellings that will be brought back into use for other tenures.

Departmental Policies

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what systems he has in place to ensure that policies being developed by his Department are subject to a crime impact (a) assessment and (b) audit and are not likely to lead to enhanced criminal opportunities. [72751]

Mr. Prescott [holding answer 24 February 1999]: Government Departments work closely on policy development and in those areas where my Department is involved it supports fully the Home Office's aim to reduce crime and the fear of crime. Our research programme monitors and evaluates the effects of new policy and other initiatives.

Correspondence

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton of 12 November 1998. [73108]

Ms Armstrong: I wrote to the hon. Member on 18 February 1999, in reply to his letter of 18 January. As the hon. Member is aware, the Department has no trace of his original letter of 12 November.

Regional Development Agencies

Dr. George Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each of the English regional development agencies the current estimate of (a) their total budget on a per capita basis and (b) the percentage of the budget attributable to their administrative function. [73004]

Mr. Meale: The budgets for 1999-2000 for each of the English regional development agencies will be announced shortly. The budgets for 1998-99 cover administration resources only, and are as follows. It is not meaningful to express these figures in per capita terms.

Agency	£
North East Regional Development Agency	520,000
Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Development Agency	529,000
North West Regional Development Agency	327,000
West Midlands Regional Development Agency	384,000
East Midlands Regional Development Agency	406,000
Eastern Regional Development Agency	350,000
South East Regional Development Agency	461,000
South West Regional Development Agency	411,000
Total	3,388,000

25 Feb 1999 : Column: 404

Centre for Young Musicians

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he plans to transfer responsibility for the Centre for Young Musicians to the Greater London authority. [73112]

Mr. Raynsford: I am considering with colleagues the future provision for the Centre for Young Musicians.

The Greater London Authority will be a strategic authority which will address London-wide issues and will, with the co-operation of the responsible statutory authorities, have the powers to co-ordinate and assist with the provision of specialist services which may need to be delivered on a London-wide basis. The Authority will have discretionary powers to pay grant to assist in the provision of such services.

We would expect the Centre for Young Musicians, which is a centre of excellence for the encouragement and training of young musicians, recruited from across the whole of London, to fall into the category of organisations which the GLA may choose to assist in this way.

London Transport

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list London Transport property (a) assets, (b) rights and (c) liabilities. [73258]

Ms Glenda Jackson: As at 31 March 1998 London Transport's assets were as follows:

	Assets
Tunnels (including Jubilee Line Extension)	305 kilometres
Railway carriages	3,886
Track	1,093 kilometres
Bridges	978
Drainage Pumps	700
Underground stations	245
Escalators and lifts	372
Power stations	2
Sub-stations	131
Bus stations and stands	63
Bus shelters	6,370

Note:

These figures are currently being updated for 31 March 1999.

Property held by London Regional Transport and that of any subsidiary company is held subject to the provisions of the London Regional Transport Act 1984.

Rights and liabilities attached to such property will arise from either the instruments by which that property is held or the enactments under which property was acquired for the statutory purposes of London Regional Transport or any subsidiary of London Regional Transport.

To identify and list each and every right and liability connected with property assets held by London Regional Transport would incur disproportionate cost, however, general information about the management of such property can be obtained from the London Transport Annual Report 1997-98.

Aside from property, LT has other assets and liabilities relating to staff contracts, small fixed assets and so on. Again, these could be listed only at disproportionate cost.

25 Feb 1999 : Column: 405

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