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Water Companies
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which water companies (a) have and (b) have not accepted responsibility for a free leak repair service for domestic supply pipes. [111275]
Mr. Mullin: All water companies currently offer some degree of free repair to all domestic customers' supply pipes, with the exception of Mid Kent Water. Most companies have some restrictions, for example up to a maximum cost for each repair, although many companies offer free or subsidised pipe replacement. Mid Kent Water will undertake free repairs only in areas where it considers water resources to be tight, but has not currently designated any such areas.
Full details for each company are provided in Appendix 2 of the Director General of Water Services' 1998-99 Report on Leakage and Water Efficiency.
Pollution (Falmouth Harbour)
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent directions he has given to the Environment Agency regarding pollution in Falmouth Harbour; and if he will make a statement. [111129]
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Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: Section 40 of the Environment Act 1995 provides for the Secretary of State to make directions to the Environment Agency in respect of the carrying out of any of its functions. No such directions have been made to the Environment Agency in respect of pollution in Falmouth Harbour.
In July last year I announced the designation of an additional 76 new shellfish waters, and the extension of 17 existing designations in England, including the Fal Estuary. In addition, My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made a number of designations of Sensitive Areas pursuant to implementation of the EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The most recent, made on 30 July 1998, included designation of the upper reaches of the Truro, Tresillian and Fal estuaries. In such areas, the Environment Agency is required to ensure through its discharge consenting powers that appropriate nutrient removal requirements are imposed through sewage discharge.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to publish a daughter document on facilities for pedestrians and strategies for promoting walking. [110746]
Mr. Hill
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: Guidance to local authorities on encouraging walking will be published shortly.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received about producing guidance for local authorities on a strategy for pedestrians. [110748]
Mr. Hill
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: The Secretary of State has received a letter from the Chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport about publishing guidance on encouraging walking. This is being considered by Ministers.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what planning guidance he will produce to encourage facilities for pedestrians and to promote walking. [110747]
Ms Beverley Hughes
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: The Government published for consultation last year a draft revision to Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 on Transport, which encourages local authorities to promote walking by a range of measures including the creation of safe and secure walking routes, improved design and access to new developments, pedestrianisation schemes, traffic calming and pedestrian-friendly road crossings. We intend to publish the final version of PPG13 later this year.
In September 1998, the Government published a good practice guide "Places, Streets and Movement: A companion guide to Design Bulletin 32. Residential roads and footpaths", which explains how the layout of residential areas can contribute to the promotion of walking.
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people sleeping rough died, broken down by cause of death, in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [111070]
Mr. Hill:
The Government do not collect this information. Research has, however, shown that the mortality rate of rough sleepers is higher than that of the general population; that rough sleepers are more likely than the general population to die of unnatural causes; and that they are much more likely to commit suicide.
Mr. Stevenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those local authorities that exceeded the council tax increase guideline set under the Council Tax Benefit subsidy limitation scheme in 1999-2000; what amount of subsidy is to be withdrawn from these local authorities in an individual basis; and on what date any withdrawal of subsidy will take effect. [111236]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Contributions to the cost of council tax benefit are required by 156 authorities in 1999-2000. Their contributions total £31.222 million. I have placed a table showing the individual figures for the 156 authorities in the Library.
Council tax benefit subsidy is paid in 12 monthly instalments during the year based on estimates submitted by the authority before the start of the financial year, and adjusted at mid year when authorities submit updated estimates. At the end of the financial year authorities submit final subsidy claims to DSS on actual expenditure when adjustments are made against previous estimates. The first subsidy instalments taking account of local contributions under the council tax benefit subsidy limitation scheme were made in October 1999 after authorities had submitted mid year estimates based on their contribution to council tax benefit.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 13 December 1999, Official Report, columns 59-60W, concerning parliamentary scrutiny of policy decisions or agreements on matters placed before the European Council at Helsinki on 10 to 11 December 1999, if he will list (a) the decisions approved there together with the title and reference numbers of related public documents; and (b) when they and related Government memoranda were placed in the Vote Office of the House. [105129]
Mr. Vaz:
Strictly speaking, the European Council does not take decisions, but notes documents submitted to it in Council Conclusions. A number of documents were submitted to the Helsinki European Council on 10-11 December 1999. The table gives the titles, references and details of the scrutiny history of each document.
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