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Rail Links

Mr. Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to consider (a) the order application for the link from London Underground's East London Line to Railtrack's South London Line and (b) the funding application for the southern link and the northern extension to the North London Line; and if he will assess the benefits of creating an orbital rail network for London. [74624]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Deputy Prime Minister gave permission for London Underground last August to do preparatory work for securing the legal powers necessary to build the southern extension to the East London Line. This work would need to be completed before an order application could be lodged.

London Transport and the Department are considering a number of ways in which both the Northern and Southern Extensions might be funded. Any appraisal of the extensions will take into account the benefit of establishing orbital railway links.

Planning Applications

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many

8 Mar 1999 : Column: 8

applications for consideration of planning applications by public inquiry have been received by him since May 1997. [74536]

Mr. Raynsford: Comprehensive records are not kept centrally of requests to my right hon. Friend to call in planning applications. However, of those called in in the period 1 May 1997 to 31 December 1998, 239 applications have been or are due to be considered at a public inquiry.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many planning applications have been called in by him since May 1997. [74535]

Mr. Raynsford: For the 20 months from 1 May 1997 to 31 December 1998, my right hon. Friend called in some 246 planning applications.

Self-financing Trading Operations

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will (a) list and (b) estimate for each of the past three years applications by local authorities in England and Wales for trading credit approvals or other borrowing requirements for the development and maintenance of self-financing trading operations other than airports. [74702]

Ms Armstrong: In the last three years my Department has received a large number of applications for extra credit approvals for a wide range of purposes, including for Trading Credit Approvals (TCAs) for self-financing schemes. Owing to the constraints on my Department's resources, such requests could only be approved in the most exceptional circumstances. Local government in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the effect on the Public Sector borrowing requirement for 1999-2000 of approving all applications by local authorities in England and Wales for trading credit approvals or other borrowing requirements for the development and maintenance of self-financing trading operations other than airports for that period. [74703]

Ms Armstrong: Local authority applications for Trading Credit Approvals (TCAs) can be made at any time of the year and therefore it would not be possible to estimate the amount of requests for TCAs my Department might receive in 1999-2000 or future years. Were an application to be successful the PSBR for 1999-2000 would be expected to increase by the amount of the credit approval issued. Local government in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Advance Corporation Tax

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will estimate the financial impact of the changes made to advance corporation tax since May 1997 on local authority budgets for 1999-2000; [74948]

(2) if he will estimate the cost per council tax payer for 1999-2000 by local authority of the changes to advance corporation tax introduced since 1 May 1997. [74947]

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Ms Armstrong: Actuarial assessments of the impact on local authority pension funds as a result of changes to advance corporation tax are not yet available for all funds. The Local Government Association, following a national survey last year, estimated the impact at £130 million. This was taken into account in the Revenue Support Grant Settlement for 1999-2000. It is not possible to say how these changes will impact on council tax. Local authorities will need to take into account all the relevant local circumstances in deciding on budgets and hence council taxes.

Sorting Office, Feltham

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he proposes to report on the planning application for a Royal Mail sorting office on the Feltham Marshalling yards site. [74886]

Mr. Caborn: We have decided not to intervene on this planning application and have written to the local planning authority today to tell them that they can determine the application as they see fit.

Merchant Ships

Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many merchant ships joined the United Kingdom register during the last year for which figures are available; and if he will indicate their (a) names and (b) previous flags. [74965]

Ms Glenda Jackson: In 1998, 30 trading vessels of 100 gross tons and over joined the UK register. Their latest recorded names and previous flags are as follows:

Name	Previous flag
Alexander	not known
Amandine	Antigua & Barbuda
Berge Hugin	Norway
Cape Sable	Liberia
Carole T.	Barbados
Clansman	newbuilding
Crear	newbuilding
Global Mariner	Hong Kong
Humber Fisher	newbuilding
Janet C.	Barbados
Johanna C.	Barbados
Loch Rannoch	newbuilding
Maersk Cotonou	Isle of Man
Mersey Fisher	newbuilding
Milford Fisher	newbuilding
Olaf	Norway
P&O Nedlloyd Genoa	Liberia
P&O Nedlloyd Kobe	newbuilding
P&O Nedlloyd Marseille	Liberia
P&O Nedlloyd Southampton	newbuilding
P&O Stena Elite	Bahamas
Red Jet 3	newbuilding
Sea Centurion	Sweden
Seacat Scotland	Uruguay
Solent Fisher	newbuilding
Stena Fantasia	Bahamas
Stena Lynx	Bahamas
Tor Gothia	Sweden
Tor Hollandia	Sweden
Wightstone	Honduras

Source:

Lloyd's Maritime Information Services Ltd.

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Development Projects

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the development projects involving sites larger than one hectare in the South East which he has called in the past year. [75499]

Mr. Raynsford: In the period from 1 March 1998 to 28 February 1999 the Secretary of State has called-in 20 planning applications involving sites larger than one hectare in the South East. These are as follows:

Extension of a quarry and new cement works at Holborough Quarry, Snodland, Kent;

Leisure development at Stone Lodge, Dartford, Kent;

Conversion of a house and outbuildings to residential units, North Frith, Tonbridge, Kent;

Development of land for bagging and storing topsoil at Honeypot Farm, Edenbridge, Kent;

Leisure development at site of High School for Girls, Chichester, West Sussex;

Housing development at Newdigate, Surrey;

Retail, leisure and restaurant development at land to the west of Park Street, Camberley, Surrey;

Mixed-use development including retail, leisure, restaurant and cinema at land to the north of Obelisk Way, Camberley, Surrey;

Extension to Nutfield Priory Hotel, Nutfield, Surrey;

Multiplex cinema, Port Solent, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, Hampshire;

Foodstore, Bordon Motors site, Bordon, Hampshire;

Foodstore, Southampton Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, Hampshire;

Storm Water Screen House, Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth, Hampshire;

Retail warehouse and restaurant, Churchill Way West, Basingstoke, Hampshire;

Two proposals for the redevelopment of Bracknell town centre, Berkshire;

Housing development, Grazeley, Wokingham, Berkshire;

Housing development, Spencers Wood, Wokingham, Berkshire;

Park and ride, Grain Silo, Cherwell, Oxon;

Multiplex cinema, Abingdon, Oxon.

Green Ministers

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the team of Green Ministers last met; what was discussed; and which departments were represented by officials. [75089]

Mr. Meacher: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 8 December 1998, Official Report, column 131, and also to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. Clapham) on 25 November 1998, Official Report, column 5. Those replies related to the last meeting of Green Ministers on 18 November 1998. The next meeting is scheduled for 22 March 1999.

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