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Social Housing
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the rules regarding the location of the units of social housing which developers are required by local authorities to include within their developments, with particular reference to the scope for locating those units outside the local authority in question. [109023]
Ms Beverley Hughes: We have no plans to review planning policy on affordable housing. Draft PPG3: "Housing" reaffirms existing policy that local planning authorities may require an element of affordable housing to be provided in suitable residential developments where a local need exists.
Air Traffic Control
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to develop the working relationship between National Air Traffic Services Ltd. and Military Air Traffic Control. [108526]
Mr. Mullin [holding answer 8 February 2000]: National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) already enjoy a good working relationship and provide a joint and integrated air traffic control service. These working arrangements are being formalised in order to facilitate the public private partnership for NATS. Copies of the heads of terms of what will be the contract between the MOD and NATS have been made available to members of the Standing Committee considering the Transport Bill. I have sent a copy of this document to my hon. Friend today.
Road Congestion
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the cost of road congestion to business. [108529]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 8 February 2000]: A number of external estimates have been made of the value road users might place on the elimination of congestion from the on road network. The CBI have put this figure at £15 billion, some estimates are lower, but agree that the figure runs into billions every year and is rising.
The Department has made estimates of the amount of time lost on English roads as a result of congestion in 1996 and produced forecasts for 2010 under a number of illustrative scenarios. The results of this work are set out in our report "Tackling Congestion and Pollution", published last month. We will be doing more work in this area as part of our follow up to that report.
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Neither the external estimates, nor those undertaken by my Department, can be translated directly into assessments of the cost of congestion to business or more widely. This is because they relate only to the benefits road users might derive from reduced delays and take no account of the costs of achieving these reductions. The true costs of road congestion are the net economic and other benefits we forgo if we fail to tackle it.
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received concerning the Government's planning guidance issued to local authorities relating to mobile phone masts over the past three years; and if he will make a statement. [109288]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Department has received a range of representations on planning guidance and procedures for telecommunications over the last three years. We issued proposals to improve the arrangements in "Telecommunications Development Control" published in July 1998. This attracted 269 responses. Changes were implemented, by way of amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, in July 1999 and explained in Circular 4/99. We also issued for consultation in December 1998 the draft of a joint DETR/DH circular on "Land Use Planning and Electromagnetic Fields". This received 147 responses. The circular will be finalised as soon as practicable after the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones has reported in the spring.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the (a) number and (b) value of contracts let by his Department since May 1997 to external consultants and advisers for the management of competitive tendering processes. [109302]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The information requested cannot be provided on the ground of disproportionate cost, as it is not held centrally.
My Department would normally engage external consultants and advisers to manage competitive tendering processes only where particular expertise or knowledge is required which is not available in-house.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what registerable share holdings under the rules laid down for Ministers are held by the Minister for Transport; what board directorships he resigned on his first appointment as a Minister; and what matters pertaining to his Department's work the Minister does not handle in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest. [109386]
Mr. Hill:
The arrangements put in place by my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport for handling his financial interests on his first appointment as a Minister were made clear in a Press Notice issued by the Scottish Office on 3 August 1998. A copy was placed in the Library of the House. Investments which were not disposed of were placed in a blind trust with an instruction
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to the solicitors administering the trust that the trust should not deal in shares which relate to my right hon. and noble Friend's ministerial portfolio. In line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, my right hon. and noble Friend is not informed of changes in investments or the state of the portfolio. Consequently, my right hon. and noble Friend does not have any potential conflicts of interests.
Mr. Cotter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken to improve the payment culture in local government; and if he will make a statement. [109832]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1999, authorities will be required to report annually their performance against specified national performance indicators. An indicator is included in respect of the percentage of undisputed invoices paid within 30 days, or mutually agreed terms. The Secretary of State has set targets for such payment of invoices of 95 per cent. for 2000-01, 97.5 per cent. for 2001-02 and 100 per cent. for 2002-03.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the initiatives launched by his Department since May 1997 under which specific grants are allocated, indicating in each case and for each financial year the funding provided by central Government. [109310]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The information requested is given in the table.
| Initiative | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Deal for Communities | 0 | 12.5 | 48.5 |
| Rough Sleepers--London | 0 | 0 | 18.4 |
| Rough Sleepers--Outside London | 0 | 0 | 13.2 |
| Coalfields Regeneration Trust | 0 | (1)17.7 | 10.0 |
| Coalfields Fund | 0 | 0 | 5.0 |
| Grants to Audit Commission for Best Value Inspections | 0 | 0 | 5.0 |
| Rural Bus Subsidy Grant | 0 | 32.5 | 32.5 |
| Rural Bus Challenge | 0 | 5.0 | 15.0 |
| Rural Transport Partnership | 0 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Rail Passenger Partnership/ Infrastructure Investment Fund | 0 | 0 | 20.0 |
(1) Includes Coalfields Fund allocation for 1998-99
Countryside Traffic Measures Group
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what dates the Countryside Traffic Measures Group has met; what matters have been discussed; what conclusions have been reached; and if he will make a statement. [109382]
Mr. Hill:
The Countryside Traffic Measures Group has met formally on four occasions: 10 July 1997, 4 November 1997, 13 March 1998, and 3 November 1998, and at other times informally or to discuss individual schemes. The inaugural meeting agreed the main objective, which is to develop good practice guidance on rural traffic management designed with
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sensitivity to the countryside environment. Meetings subsequently have discussed and agreed the schemes to be included in the monitoring project and, latterly, progress of the schemes. Monitoring of the schemes is due to be completed in March 2001. Until then it would be premature to draw conclusions on the measures installed. My Department will continue to help the Countryside Agency and local authorities develop these measures.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what obligation is placed on Eurostar (UK) to offer reduced rail fares to senior citizens; and what plans he has to change this. [109381]
Mr. Hill:
Eurostar (UK) Ltd. is not obliged to offer rail fares at reduced rates to senior citizens and there are no plans to introduce such an obligation.
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