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Housing Developments
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that substantial new housing developments have access to the necessary infrastructure and services; and if he will make a statement. [94157]
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Ms Beverley Hughes:
The draft policy planning guidance note 3 (Housing), which is now being finalised in the light of consultation, requires all major housing developments to be planned as communities. This implies adequate infrastructure and services.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received on the recruitment and training of pilots for commercial airlines. [94027]
Mr. Mullin:
This is one of the issues that was considered by the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs (ETRA) Transport Sub-Committee into Aviation Safety. The report was published on 21 July 1999.
We are currently considering all of the Select Committee report's recommendations. Our response will be before the House as soon as possible.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's legislative proposals on the protection of (a) SSSIs and (b) other wildlife sites; and what plans he has for the restoration of damaged sites. [94380]
Mr. Mullin:
The Government will bring forward legislation to ensure the better protection and management of SSSIs as soon as Parliamentary time permits. Measures to be taken were set out in "The Government's Framework for Action" on 2 August.
Increased emphasis on positive management agreements, backed up by new powers to combat neglect, will lead to an improvement in condition for all our SSSIs through better protection and management.
In addition, we have set up a Local Sites Review Group to consider how local authorities and other bodies can best contribute to the identification, protection and management of locally important sites.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his proposals for the use of lead shot. [94378]
Mr. Mullin:
On 1 September 1999, legislation to restrict the use of lead shot came into force in England. Regulations to restrict the use of lead shot in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly respectively.
The regulation prohibits the use of lead shot on or over all Ramsar sites, as well as those Special Protection Areas and other Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) that have been identified as being sites important for waterfowl by English Nature. The regulation will also apply to areas below the high water mark of ordinary spring tides (only some of which are already designated as SSSIs). Outside these areas, the regulation prohibits the use of lead shot for shooting all species of Anatidea (ducks and geese) together with moorhen, coot golden plover and snipe.
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Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what contracts for the improvement of the A13 have been let; when, under the terms of the contract, they were due to be completed; and when each contract is expected to be completed. [94365]
Mr. Hill:
Three contracts have been let in recent years to improve the A13: West of Heathway to Thames Avenue, Thames Avenue to Wennington and Wennington to Mar Dyke.
The contractual completion dates are, respectively, May 1999, March 1997 and August 1998.
We expect the Heathway to Thames Avenue scheme to be finished around November/December 1999; the other two schemes were completed in May 1997 and October 1998 respectively.
The West of Heathway scheme has been delayed by problems with statutory undertaker's equipment and there have been some difficulties with the design and construction of a complex viaduct. The other two schemes were delayed because of problems with earthworks.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list his Department's spending on official publications since May 1997. [93678]
Mr. Prescott:
The spending on official publications since May 1997, which includes the costs incurred by the department in publishing, preparation, production and purchase of copies for official use, was £5,897,683. Where the Department makes use of a private sector publisher, the publishing, printing and design costs are generally met by the publisher as part of their acceptance of the risks of publication.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the titles of the in-house publications and newsletters which were produced for the staff of his Department, excluding non-departmental public bodies and agencies, in the last five years, specifying the dates on which each title was first produced, the frequency with which each title is produced and the current secrecy classification of each title. [93843]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
A list of corporate internal publications produced by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions since immediately before its creation in June 1997 has been placed in the Library. The Department's policy has been to rationalise the number of regular staff newsletters and magazines to improve communication and save money; periodic publications that have been incorporated into others have been marked with an asterisk.
Information about the former departments of the Environment and Transport before April 1997 is not readily available and could be gathered only at disproportionate expense.
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made in granting planning permission for Flaxmill; and if he will make a statement. [94123]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Secretary of State has decided that the applications for planning permission and for listed building consent with regard to Flaxmill should not be referred to him for determination. He has notified Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council of his decision. This is now a matter for the local planning authority.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce legislation to make negligent spillage of diesel on highways an endorsable offence; and if he will make a statement. [93646]
Mr. Hill:
There is an offence, under existing regulations, of "using a vehicle in a dangerous condition" the penalty for which in the case of goods vehicles and buses includes an endorsement of 3 penalty points. It would be for the police and the courts to decide whether such an offence might apply to a case where a motorist had spilled diesel on the road.
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 currently require that fuel tanks must be constructed and maintained in such a manner that neither liquid nor vapour can escape from them. Anyone failing to comply with these Regulations may be liable to a maximum fine of £2,500.
The European Parliament is currently considering changes to the Fuel Tank Directive (70/221/EEC) which would require fuel caps to be securely attached to the tank. When applied in the UK this amendment should reduce the risk of spillage even further.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to include road accidents caused by diesel spillage as a separate category within road accident statistics; and if he will make a statement. [93645]
Mr. Hill:
Data on the presence of oil or diesel on the road surface at the site of a road accident have been collected as a separate category within road accident statistics from the beginning of 1999. It was introduced following a review of the collection of national road accident statistics. No information is collected nationally on the contributory factors to accidents.
Mr. Pound:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the regional planning process in London. [94288]
Mr. Hill:
The Government are putting in place new procedures for the regional planning process in London. The proposals were outlined in the White Paper "A Mayor and Assembly for London" and are contained in the Greater London Authority Bill currently before Parliament.
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The Boroughs will remain the local planning authorities for their areas, but the Mayor will be responsible for drawing up strategic planning guidance in the form of a new Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) for London. The detailed content of the SDS will be for the Mayor to consider but, in general terms, it is expected to address all issues of strategic importance to the capital with a spatial dimension. The SDS will also provide a common spatial framework for all the Mayor's strategies and policies. Borough Unitary Development Plans will be required to be in general conformity with the SDS.
Present strategic planning policy for London is contained in The Secretary of State's Strategic Guidance for London Planning Authorities, and its annexes. This will remain in place until the Mayor produces the first Spatial Development Strategy.
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