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Millennium Experience
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to increase public participation in Millennium Experience celebrations at a regional level; and if he will make a statement. [94069]
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Janet Anderson:
The Millennium Experience is already achieving considerable success in encouraging public participation at a local and regional level through its National Programme of events and activities and through its involvement with the Millennium Festival. To date 10 National Programme strands have been launched and another will be launched in December. Through this programme and the Millennium Festival, NMEC estimates it will have reached 40 million people before the end of the year 2000. Equally importantly, it believes it will have delivered a programme which will not only have encouraged people to celebrate this momentous point in time but will have left a legacy, the value of which will continue to be felt long after the Dome has ceased to welcome the public.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what events are planned in Shropshire as part of the Millennium Experience (a) National Programme and (b) Manpower National Skills Festival; and if he will make a statement. [94068]
Janet Anderson:
The Millennium Experience National Programme is made up of a series of events and activities which aim to inspire everyone across the UK to take part and make a difference to us and to future generations. Shropshire and the West Midlands are keenly participating in many of these initiatives including over 40 major companies and public sector organisations signing up to Children's Promise; hundreds of schools busily composing a song for the Millennium as part of Voices of Promise; schools and the community in Shropshire performing in the Dome on 1 November 2000 for the Our Town Story show; and 74 Shropshire schools taking part in the creation of the greatest modern day domesday book on the internet. The area is also participating in the Manpower National Skills Festival, which encourages the promotion and celebration of vocational skills. The programme features regional contests and demonstrations culminating in the first-ever national skills championships at the NEC in Birmingham in July 2000.
Integrated Public Transport
10. Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the integration of public transport in rural areas. [94220]
Mr. Meacher:
Most of the proposals in our integrated transport strategy apply to rural areas just as much as other areas of the country. Local Transport Plans in particular will provide a much sounder base for local authorities to develop effective rural transport strategies. Additionally, in view of the urgent need to improve transport in rural areas, we have made available £170 million over three years to improve rural public transport.
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15. Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans for the future of housing tenancy arrangements. [94225]
Mr. Mullin:
I have no immediate plans to make any changes to housing tenancy arrangements. I am aware, however, of the discussion paper published by the Chartered Institute of Housing on a single form of tenure for social housing.
16. Mr. Greenway:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the priority he will give to bypassing towns and villages on major trunk routes in his roads programme. [94227]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
" A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England" sets out the priorities for investment in the trunk road network. Half the schemes in our targeted programme of improvements will provide bypasses of local communities.
17. Mr. Day:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that his target for house building on brown-field sites is met. [94228]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
We have set in hand a number of policy initiatives to help authorities substantially increase their reuse of previously developed land. Chief amongst these is our radical revision of the last Government's outmoded planning guidance on housing (PPG3), which has caused so much greenfield development over the last decade.
21. Mr. John M. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his target for the proportion of new housing to be built on brown-field sites. [94232]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Government's national target is that 60 per cent. of new housing should be built on previously developed land or provided by way of conversion of existing buildings.
24. Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many houses will be built on greenfield sites in Lancashire in 1999-2000. [94236]
Mr. Raynsford:
My Department does not estimate the number of new homes to be built. Estimates for Net Additional Dwelling Provision for 1991--2011, by county, are in Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (RPG13), but it does not make separate estimates for 'brownfield' or 'greenfield' sites.
25. Mr. Lilley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has further to restrict house building in the green belt. [94237]
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Ms Armstrong:
Planning Policy Guidance note 2--"Green Belts"--already recommends that local authorities' development plans should include a strict presumption against inappropriate development in the Green Belt. This includes most types of house building.
18. Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the draft Regional Strategies presented by the Regional Development Agencies. [94229]
Ms Armstrong:
Regional Development Agencies have today formally handed over their Regional Strategies to Ministers for consideration. We aim to respond to the strategies before the end of the year.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the regional development agencies' regional strategies will be published; and if he will make a statement. [96169]
Ms Armstrong:
The Regional Development Agencies' regional strategies were handed over to Ministers today. Copies of those which have been printed to date have been placed in the Library of the House. The remainder will be placed in the Library as soon as they are published.
19. Mr. Pound:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many young people sleeping rough in England have been settled in accommodation in the most recent year for which figures are available. [94230]
Mr. Mullin:
Comprehensive information on resettlement is not available. The Rough Sleepers Initiative has provided about 3,500 units of accommodation over the past 9 years, a large number of which have been let to young people.
20. Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made in the work of the regional development agency in the eastern region. [94231]
Ms Armstrong:
The East of England Development Agency has achieved much since their official launch on 1 April this year and are now fully established with a committed and enthusiastic Board.
The Agency have handed over the final version of their regional economic development strategy today and are currently working hard to finalise their first corporate plan.
They have already announced over £20 million of Single Regeneration Budget funding, £4.3 million for the Skills Development Fund, almost £3 million for the Rural Development Programme and are managing Land and Property Regeneration schemes with a value of £25 million.
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22. Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements he has made to ensure the accountability of English Partnerships to local communities. [94233]
Ms Armstrong:
In carrying out its activities in the former new town areas, English Partnerships has to have due regard for the convenience and welfare of people who live, work or carry on their business there. When drawing up its plans, it consults with local councils and other interested parties.
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