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Quality Contracts
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how he will determine whether Quality Contracts are necessary in a local authority area; [91405]
- (2) how many Quality Contract pilot schemes he intends to approve, and when. [91323]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Quality Contracts for buses require primary legislation. As we said in our consultation document "From Workhorse to Thoroughbred--A Better Role for Bus Travel", we expect to give a very limited number of approvals initially to allow the Quality Contract approach to be tested. The broad criteria were set out in that document.
Public Transport Timetables
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the national public transport timetable information system to be available. [91324]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Good progress is being made with the relevant parties, building on existing local and national information sources, including the National Rail Enquiry Service. We expect to be able to introduce a national, multi-modal information system in the course of next year.
Household Waste
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many landfill sites (a) in Greater London and (b) outside Greater London receive household waste from Greater London. [91500]
Mr. Meale:
This information is not available centrally. The Municipal Waste Survey collects data from waste disposal authorities about the amount of municipal waste sent to landfill, but does not collect information about the individual landfill sites used.
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Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what national planning guidelines there are on the siting of transmission masts on schools and colleges; and if he will make a statement. [91501]
Mr. Raynsford:
Planning policy guidance on telecommunications development is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8 (revised December 1992), supplemented by DETR Circular 4/99 "Planning for Telecommunications". In addition, my Department has published in March 1996 a Code of Best Practice for local planning authorities and telecommunications code system operators on telecommunications prior approval procedures as applied to mast/tower development.
My Department has also issued for consultation the draft of a circular on land use planning and electro-magnetic fields (EMFs) prepared jointly with the Department of Health. The circular provides draft advice to local planning authorities in deciding applications for development giving rise to EMFs, such as telecommunications base stations. We are considering the responses received.
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many accidents have been recorded in science laboratories in the last 10 years in (a) schools and (b) higher educational establishments. [91278]
Mr. Meale:
The Health and Safety Executive's records for the years 1989-90 to 1998-99 show that there were 1,297 reportable accidents in school laboratories and 457 reportable accidents in laboratories in higher and further education establishments. These data include accidents to both students and employees.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the annual volume of carbon dioxide emissions which would be eliminated by the use of a 100MW tidal electric power plant. [91646]
Mr. Meale:
A 100MW tidal electricity generating plant would make an annual carbon dioxide saving of between 80,000 and 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide depending upon the type of fossil fuel fired electricity generating plant displaced.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) English Partnerships and (b) Rural Development Commission offices (i) have closed and (ii) will close as a result of the creation of the regional development agencies. [91512]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 15 July 1999]: 14 offices were transferred from English Partnerships to the Regional Development Agencies on 1 April 1999 under
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the Transfer Schemes made in accordance with the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. None of these has yet closed, but three are expected to do so.
7 offices were transferred as assets from the Rural Development Commission to the Regional Development Agencies on 1 April 1999 under the Transfer Schemes. Three of these have closed and one other is expected to do so.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the official engagements of each of his Ministers for the week beginning (a) Monday 12 July, (b) Monday 19 July and (c) Monday 26 July. [91527]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 15 July 1999]: It is not the normal practice of Governments to give details of forthcoming engagements.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) regional development agencies and (b) regional chambers have offices in Brussels. [91516]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Decisions on the establishment of offices in Brussels are a matter for the Regional Development Agencies and regional chambers themselves. I understand that no Agencies or regional chambers have dedicated offices in Brussels. However, two Agencies and two regional chambers share or have access to an office there.
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) English Partnerships staff and (b) Rural Development Commission staff (i) have moved offices and (ii) will move offices as a result of the creation of the regional development agencies. [91513]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Three hundred and seventy four staff transferred from English Partnerships to the Regional Development Agencies on 1 April 1999 under the Transfer Schemes made in accordance with the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. Of these staff, 61 have moved offices, and 43 others are expected to do so.
One hundred and four staff transferred from the Rural Development Commission to the Regional Development Agencies on 1 April 1999 under the Transfer Schemes. Of these staff, 29 have moved offices, and 25 others are expected to do so.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many new homes were built in Lancashire in 1998. [91586]
Mr. Raynsford
[holding answer 16 July 1999]: It is estimated that a total of 4,465 dwellings were completed in Lancashire in 1998.
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Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to devolve powers to local authorities in relation to planning decisions. [91587]
Mr. Raynsford
[holding answer 16 July 1999]: Most planning applications are determined by local authorities. My right hon. Friend has various powers in planning legislation. For example, he can make orders granting a general planning permission for specified categories of development and can make regulations setting fee levels for different types of application. Such powers are used primarily to ensure a consistent national approach to planning matters and we have no plans to devolve them to local authorities.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in existence on 1 May 1997 that (a) have been disbanded, indicating when they were disbanded, (b) will be disbanded in the next 12 months, (c) have had their functions transferred to (i) another non-departmental public body and (ii) a democratically elected body, (d) have been renamed but continue to perform a similar role and (e) have been unchanged; if he will indicate in (c)(ii) the relevant successor body; what new non-departmental public bodies have been established since 1 May 1997; and how many non-departmental public bodies his Department currently is responsible for. [90676]
Mr. Meale:
The information requested is as follows:
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Eight executive and six advisory NDPBs have been established since 1 May 1997. The eight executive bodies are the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs); One NorthEast, North West Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, Advantage West Midlands, East Midlands Development Agency, East of England Development Agency, South West of England Regional Development Agency and South East England Development Agency. The six advisory NDPBs are the Commission for Integrated Transport, the Committee on Chemicals and Materials on Construction for use in Public Water Supplies and Swimming Pools, the Expert Group on Airborne Particles, the Expert Group on Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies, the Expert Panel on Sustainable Development Education, and the Zoos Forum. In addition, Docklands Light Railway was reclassified as an executive NDPB on 1 April 1998 to enable it to receive grant-in-aid direct from the Department following the wind-up of London Docklands Development Corporation.
This Department currently sponsors 55 NDPBs--33 executive and 22 advisory bodies.
(a) Eleven executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by this Department have been wound-up since 1 May 1997; nine Urban Development Corporations (UDCs)--Birmingham Heartlands, Black Country, London Docklands, Merseyside, Plymouth, Trafford Park, Teesside and Tyne & Wear, which were wound-up on 30 June 1998, and Sheffield which was wound-up on 30 June 1997; North Hull Housing Action Trust was wound-up on 28 February 1999; and the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board was wound-up on 19 April 1999 and its functions were brought into DETR. In addition, the British Board of Agrement became an autonomous body, no longer classified as an NDPB, on 1 April 1999. Four advisory NDPBs have been wound up since 1 May 1997; the Assessment Panel for Construction Research wound up on 14 July 1997, the Advisory Committee on Plant and Machinery wound up on 14 May 1998, the Local Government Staff Commission (England) wound up on 12 May 1998, and the Export Action Group for Building Materials wound up on 31 May 1999.
(b) The Rural Development Commission (RDC), which is non-operational at present, is due to be wound up in the Autumn of 1999.
(c)(i) The RDC's programmes and most of its staff transferred to the Countryside Agency, which was formerly known as the Countryside Commission, and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) on 1 April 1999; some of the functions and staff of English Partnerships also transferred to the RDAs on 1 April 1999; and the Commission for the New Towns was merged with English Partnerships, although the two bodies remain legally separate, on 1 April 1999 for operational purposes. (ii) No bodies have had their functions transferred to a democratically elected body.
(d) Apart from the Countryside Agency, none have been renamed but continue to perform a similar function.
(e) Details of other NDPBs in existence on 1 May 1997 sponsored by this Department are listed in "Public Bodies 1998".
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