| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Unlicensed Tips
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful prosecutions have been brought against persons operating an unlicensed tip in each year since 1992. [87346]
Mr. Meale: Records for prosecutions by waste regulation authorities before their functions were transferred to the Environment Agency in April 1996 are not held centrally by the Agency. Whilst the results of prosecutions by the Agency since April 1996 are held centrally, the information is neither available on a database nor is it possible for the Agency, at reasonable cost, to distinguish between prosecutions for unlicensed tipping and other prosecutions under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many sites of special scientific interest there were in England on 31 March; and what was their total area in hectares. [87272]
Mr. Meale: As of 31 March, there were 4,045 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England, covering 1,035,821 hectares.
Polegate Bypass
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects work to begin on the Polegate bypass scheme. [87174]
Ms Glenda Jackson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Nigel Waterson, dated 21 June 1999:
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been paid to contractors in respect of the Polegate bypass scheme to date. [87173]
21 Jun 1999 : Column: 285
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The overall levels of compensation are close to being finalised with those tenderers who submitted tenders for the cancelled Weald and Downland DBFO Project, which included the Polegate Bypass scheme among others. Interim on-account payments totalling £5.0m (including VAT) have been made.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that the appointments of parish council representatives are confirmed in time for the annual meeting of the Northumberland National Park Authority on 23 June. [87507]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 18 June 1999]: Results from the elections for parish council representatives in all seven English National Parks are currently being received in the Department. They will be considered by the Secretary of State as quickly as possible. It is unlikely that the appointments will be made by 23 June.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made on the review of the definition of wood recovery in respect of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 from 1 January 2000. [87683]
Mr. Meale:
From 1 January 2000, wood packaging--including pallets and tea chests--will be covered by the Regulations. Obligated businesses will be required to recover a specified amount of wood packaging based on the quantity which they handled in the preceding year. There is no separate recycling obligation for wood.
The Environment Agency is currently considering the types of activity which may be regarded as 'recovery' in respect of wood packaging. It is anticipated that from 1 January 2000, a number of wood reprocessors will be accredited by the Agency and be able to issue Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRNs) as evidence of recovery.
The Environment Agency is working with the Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) to establish the weight of wood packaging, providing an average figure for each of the common pallet types. Such agreement is necessary because of the moisture content of a pallet varies throughout its life sometimes by as much as 50 per cent. An agreement on weights will help to make the Regulations easier to work with for obligated businesses and regulators alike. It is anticipated that a protocol will be agreed during the summer.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of canal towpath are used by cable companies for their transmission network. [87649]
Mr. Meale:
British Waterways manages 2,000 miles of canals and inland waterways in England, Scotland and Wales. There are 1,600 miles of canal towpath and around 450 miles are used by cable companies for a variety of communication purposes.
21 Jun 1999 : Column: 286
Mr. Dawson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the outcome was of Stage II of the Financial Management and Policy Review of the Local Government Commission for England; and if he will make a statement. [87903]
Ms Armstrong:
I have today placed in the Library a copy of the Report on Stage II of the Financial Management and Policy Review of the Local Government Commission for England (LGC), which I announced on 17 November 1997, Official Report, column 9. I have also placed in the Library a copy of the Action Plan for implementation of this Report's recommendations.
The report makes a number of detailed recommendations on the internal management of the LGC and the way the Periodic Electoral Reviews are carried out. These recommendations have been accepted and are being implemented as set out in the Action Plan.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to amend Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 in respect of out-of-town shopping developments; and if he will make a statement. [87770]
Gillian Merron:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made on reviewing the local government finance system; and in particular what research is being undertaken in support of the review. [87965]
Ms Armstrong:
My Department has let five contracts. Two cover research into the use of prudential indicators to regulate local authority borrowing, and a non-statutory scheme for debt provision. The other three contracts are in support of the review of the Revenue Grant Distribution System and comprise an opinion survey of local authorities, comparative lessons from approaches and developments in other countries, and potential new data sources for use in grant distribution. Further details of these projects are given in the Department's 1999/2000 Local and Regional Government Research. programme Annual Newsletter, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
The Government plan to publish a consultation paper on local government finance in spring 2000.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated for each of the last three financial years for (a) research into and (b) the treatment of autism; and if he will make a statement. [87010]
21 Jun 1999 : Column: 287
Mr. Hutton:
The Department has not directly commissioned national research on autism recently but a new research initiative on learning disabilities will be launched in the autumn which may attract proposals for research into autism.
The Department also manages the National Health Service research and development levy which is used to support research and development to the NHS in hospitals, general practice and other health care settings, and to fund the NHS research and development programme.
Management of much of the research supported by the NHS research and development levy is devolved and details of expenditure at project level are not collected routinely by the Department.
Project details of work directly funded by the Department or supported through the NHS research and development levy can be found on the National Research Register (NRR), copies of which are available in the Library. The NRR lists over 30 projects concerning autism for which the Department will be providing support funds.
In addition, the Medical Research Council (MRC)--which receives most of its income via grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry--funds medical research as part of the Government's funding of the science and engineering base.
The figures for the expenditure by the MRC on autism over the last 3 years are:
The Minister for Transport in London, Glenda Jackson, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking when work is due to start on the A27 Polegate Bypass.
You will recall that Lord Whitty announced last December that we would start construction work on the scheme in the financial year 2000-2001, making it one of the first in the Targeted Programme of Improvements to start.
We are aiming to award the construction contract for this scheme next summer, although we are looking to see if a more optimistic target could be met. Some advance works have already taken place with the demolition of derelict buildings on the route and the planting of around 5,000 trees and shrubs that will help shield properties from the new road.
| Year | £000 |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 770 |
| 1996-97 | 825 |
| 1997-98 | 905 |
The MRC have also recently made 2 major awards to researchers in the field (spend for which will not yet be reflected in the figures). These are: Professor P. A. Jacobs (Universities of Cambridge and Southampton) £1,100,000 over five years; and Professor A. Bailey (Institute of Psychiatry) £1,800,000 over four years.
The Department does not specifically allocate resources for the treatment of autism. It is for health authorities to decide how best to use the resources that have been allocated to them.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to investigate the use of the drug Secretin for treating sufferers from autism; and if he will make a statement. [87009]
Mr. Hutton:
I understand that Secretin has been used by a number of professionals in the treatment of autism particularly in the United States. However, it is not licensed for use for that purpose either here or in the United States. We are keeping the developing situation in the United States under review.
21 Jun 1999 : Column: 288
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |