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Planning Regulations (Telecommunications
Development)
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to amend planning regulations for telecommunications development. [87776]
Mr. Caborn: I have today laid before Parliament an Order to make the amendments to the telecommunications permitted development rights granted under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO), which I announced on 16 November 1998, Official Report, column 343, in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Mr. Ennis). These include a new 42-day prior approval procedure for ground based masts and strengthened planning controls in Sites of Special Interest. Subject to Parliamentary procedures, the Order will enter into force on 9 July 1999.
A Departmental circular, "Planning for Telecommunications", is being issued to accompany the changes made to the GPDO. The circular sets a clear policy framework for planning for telecommunications development to keep environmental intrusion to a minimum. We look to both local planning authorities and the industry to adopt a proactive approach to identifying the best environmental solutions for telecommunications development. Pre-application discussions between the parties will allow a constructive examination of different siting and design solutions for accommodating telecommunications development at the least environmental cost. The guidance also explains the scope of telecommunications permitted development rights and the operation of the revised procedures.
Copies of the Order, the accompanying Regulatory Impact Assessment and the circular have been placed in the Library.
Disabled Children
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways Quality Protects management action plans will improve the quality of services for children with disabilities in England and Wales. [86377]
Mr. Hutton:
Last September, we announced new Government objectives for children's social services, one of which addressed the needs of disabled children. In their Quality Protects Management Action Plans (MAPS), local authorities were required to set out how they would address these national objectives and to set their own local objectives. All MAPs have now been evaluated by
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regional social services inspectorate. We shall shortly be publishing a National Overview Report setting out the key messages from this evaluation.
We also consulted on the detailed sub-objectives supporting the main Government objectives, and I am grateful to those parents, voluntary and strategy organisations that responded. We plan to publish revised sub-objectives, including more addressing the needs of disabled children, later in the summer.
The Department has commissioned the Council for Disabled Children to analyse this year's MAPS from the perspective of services for disabled children with a view to recommending further work to enable local authorities to achieve their Quality Protects targets. We are determined to raise standards in the provision of services for disabled children under the Quality Protects Programme. This is an important means of achieving the successful implementation of the Carers National Strategy as it affects parents and carers of disabled children.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance indicators his Department has developed to quantify improvements in services for disabled children. [86382]
Mr. Hutton:
Later this year, the Department will publish sub-objectives for children's services as part of the implementation of Quality Protects. These will include sub-objectives for disabled children. Performance indicators for disabled children will be developed in partnership with all those with an interest, as improved statistical information becomes available. The Department is introducing a new data collection around children in need from February 2000, which could provide the basis for such indicators.
Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children's homes accommodating fewer than four children there are in (a) the Somerton and Frome constituency and (b) Somerset. [87047]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 17 June 1999]: Statistics are collected once every three years on the numbers of children's homes. At 31 March 1997, the most recent date that statistics were collected, there were no children's homes accommodating fewer than four children in the former shire county of Somerset. We do not have more recent information on voluntary children's homes in this category. Our latest information is that there are seven homes in Somerset, two of which are in the town of Somerton.
Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the arrangements are for the inspection and registration of children's homes accommodating fewer than four children; to whom the reports of routine and unannounced inspections are made available; how many unresolved concerns have arisen in such reports since May 1997; and what steps are taken to notify home authorities of concerns arising from such inspections which would affect children who are the legal responsibility of the home authority. [87048]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 17 June 1999]: Children's homes accommodating fewer than four children are not registered and inspected if they are run
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for profit by private organisations. Homes which are run on a not-for-profit basis by voluntary organisations are registered and inspected by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Voluntary children's homes are inspected by the social services inspectorate at least twice a year. One visit is announced in advance. The report of the announced inspection is published annually and the letter to the home reporting on the last unannounced visit is included in this publication. If there are any concerns about a home, additional inspections may be made.
Statistical records are not kept of the unresolved concerns that have arisen in the reports of individual inspections of voluntary children's homes. The social services inspectorate follows up any unresolved concerns with the home concerned. Social services inspectors may inform the local authority which is looking after the child of any concerns which subsequently remain outstanding.
Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions at a children's home accommodating fewer than four persons powers under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 have been used so that a child has been returned to the care of the home authority or to another institution. [87049]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 17 June 1999]: The Department is not aware of any such occasions. A child that is looked after by a local authority and is placed in a children's home remains the responsibility of that local authority, irrespective of whether the child is placed in a children's home within or outside that local authority. The local authority may move a child without the need to refer to these powers.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's letter of 6 January, what action has been taken to prevent illegal and unregulated fishing in the Southern Oceans by means of (a) direct action through management of the fisheries around South Georgia and (b) the United Kingdom's involvement in the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources with particular reference to the South Atlantic tooth-fish. [87182]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) continue to enforce rigorously the fisheries licensing regime in the waters of its maritime zone, through a variety of means, including the presence of Fisheries Protection Vessels and aerial surveillance. The GSGSSI incorporates into its fishing licence conditions regulatory measures agreed under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
New measures adopted in November 1998 at CCAMLR XVII, to address illegal and unregulated fishing, came into effect in time for the current fishing season in South Georgia. CCAMLR Parties are negotiating a catch documentation scheme to track international trade in tooth-fish and prevent imports of fish taken illegally. This scheme, plus additional measures, will be discussed
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further at CCAMLR XVIII in October. The UK has been actively involved in these negotiations. We will press for an early introduction of such a scheme.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan about separatism in south Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [87505]
Mr. Hoon:
Although we do not currently have British staff permanently in Khartoum, we maintain a regular dialogue with the Government of Sudan on a wide range of issues. The peace process in the Sudan is a priority for us and the issue of separatism arises in that context.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on reported bombing raids in southern Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [87117]
Mr. Hoon:
We have recently received reports by NGOs of aerial bombing in southern Sudan by Government of Sudan aircraft.
In Oslo on 25-26 May, the Government of Sudan and the SPLA both confirmed their commitment to maintain the current humanitarian ceasefire in Bahr el Ghazal. We shall continue to press the case for peace in Sudan.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning raids by Arab militia in southern Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [87116]
Mr. Hoon:
We have had a number of reports from UN agencies and other NGOs working in the field, of raids conducted by Arab militia groups in southern Sudan.
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