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Empty Homes
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his target is for reducing the number of empty homes over the next five years. [116907]
Mr. Raynsford: We recognise that it is necessary for a proportion of the housing stock to be empty at any point in time to enable the process of buying, selling and letting to work efficiently. It is also inevitable that properties will be empty when under repair. We estimate the effective minimum level of empty properties is between 2 per cent. and 3 per cent. 3.7 per cent. of the housing stock was vacant on 1 April 1999.
We are pursuing policies designed to reduce the number of empty homes towards the minimum level.
Dial-a-ride
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the balance of advantage and disadvantage in establishing a fuel duty rebate for dial-a-ride services. [117149]
Mr. Hill: Possible changes to the scope of the existing fuel duty rebate scheme are currently being considered by the Commission for Integrated Transport, as part of its review of value for money from public financial support for the bus industry. At present a key eligibility criterion for rebate is that the bus service concerned should be available to the general public; we will give careful consideration to the case for extending eligibility in the light of the Commission's report expected later this year.
Housing Adaptations (Disabled Children)
Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to make housing adaptations more affordable for families with disabled children; and if he will make a statement. [117650]
Mr. Raynsford: Each year, nearly 25,000 people receive disabled facilities grants to help with the cost of adapting their homes. However, some parents of disabled children are finding it difficult to afford their contributions, because no account is taken of the additional cost of housing a disabled child.
To make adaptations more affordable, I am introducing into the grant assessment a new housing allowance of £65 for applications on behalf of a disabled child. For other applicants, the allowance for housing costs will increase by £10 to £50. The new allowances, which come into effect today, will save parents of disabled children up to £9,000 and other applicants up to £3,500, depending on the size of their contributions.
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what
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information he has collated on the manufacture in the United Kingdom of methyl tertiary butyl ether; when he expects the Environment Agency to complete its research project on the incidence of methyl tertiary butyl ether; and if this report will be published. [116237]
Mrs. Liddell:
I have been asked to reply.
It is estimated that about 90,000 tonnes of MTBE was manufactured in the UK in 1999, although not all of this was blended into petrol. The research undertaken by the Environment Agency will provide information on the incidences of MTBE in groundwater in England and Wales and should also provide further information on the amount of MTBE and other oxygenates used in petrol. The results of the research are due to be published in the summer.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he plans to take to ensure that the EU Court of Auditors' decision permitting release of agricultural support to farmers on condition that they minimise the width of hedges between fields, does not undermine the EU directives on biodiversity in the countryside. [116266]
Ms Quin:
I have been asked to reply.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Fearn) on 29 March 2000, Official Report, column 172W.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98 and (c) 1998-99 gross expenditure on (i) rent allowances and (ii) rent rebates for each local authority in England. [116700]
Angela Eagle:
I have been asked to reply.
The information has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Fitzpatrick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish statistics on the extent of Green Belt land in each local authority. [117772]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
I am today publishing estimates of the extent of Green Belt land in each local authority in England in the Information Bulletin 'Local Planning Authority Green Belt Statistics: England 1997'. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
The bulletin shows that there was very little change in the extent of Green Belt land between 1993 and 1997--an estimated net increase of just 1,850 hectares. This net increase is significantly less than that indicated by a comparison between 1993 figures published in PPG2, which have now been shown to be inaccurate, and the figures for 1997 calculated using digital (computerised) boundaries. Separately, we estimate that some 30,000 hectares have been added or proposed for addition to the Green Belt since May 1997.
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Mr. Gill:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the exemptions agreed in respect of farmers and growers in other EU countries to the Waste Incineration Directive. [116253]
Mr. Hill:
I have been asked to reply.
The European Council agreed a Common Position on the proposed Waste Incineration Directive in June 1999. The Common Position text excludes from the scope of the Directive experimental plants used for research, development and testing in order to improve the incineration process and which treat less than 50 tonnes of waste per year, and plants treating only the following wastes:
The Council decided it was appropriate to consider vegetable waste from the food processing industry and cork waste as biomass, and therefore to add them to the exclusions from the scope of the proposal alongside those originally proposed by the European Commission to avoid discouraging use of biomass for energy purposes.
The European Parliament is seeking to amend the list of exclusions, including by the addition of an exclusion for fibrous vegetable waste from sorting, screening and washing of virgin pulp and paper production, if it is co-incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered.
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There are no country specific exclusions from the scope of the proposal, nor does any individual member state have the right to opt out of parts of the proposal.
Mr. Gray:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116767]
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Mr. Morley
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: The Ministry and its Agencies are made up of more than 200 separate sites and this information is not readily available for all of those sites. We are preparing travel plans for all our key buildings (offices with over 50 staff) in line with the commitment set out in the Transport White Paper and we are reviewing our car parking requirements in that context. The number of workplace car parking spaces available at the buildings where we are developing travel plans are shown in the table.
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(i) vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry,
(ii) vegetable waste from the food processing industry,
(iii) wood waste with the exception of:
wood waste that may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment;
treated wood originating from building and demolition waste,
(iv) cork waste,
(v) waste excluded from the scope of the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC) as amended, pursuant to Article 2(1) of that Directive. (Article 2(1) excludes from the scope of the Waste Framework Directive the following:
(a) gaseous effluents emitted into the atmosphere;
(b) where they are already covered by other legislation:
(i) radioactive waste;
(ii) waste resulting from prospecting, extraction, treatment and storage of mineral resources and the working of quarries;
(iii) animal carcases and the following agricultural waste: faecal matter and other natural, non-dangerous substances used in farming;
(iv) waste waters with the exception of waste in liquid form;
(v) decommissioned explosives; and
(vi) waste resulting from the exploration for, and the exploitation of, oil and gas resources from off-shore installations and incinerated on board the installation.
| Building | Total car parking spaces |
|---|---|
| Nobel House, London, SW1P 3JR | 12 |
| Ergon House, London, SW1P 3JR | 1 |
| 55 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EY | 0 |
| 3/8 and 10 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HH | 0 |
| Eastbury House, London, SE1 7TL | 15 |
| Page Street, London, SW1 4PQ | (20)5 |
| Foss House, 1-2 Peasholme Green, Kings Pool, York, YO1 2PX | 270 |
| Government Buildings, Epsom Road, Guildford, GU1 2LD | 335 |
| Lion House, Willowburn Trading Estate, Alnwick, NE66 2PF | 56 |
| Wessex RSC, Block 3, Government Buildings, Burghill Road, Bristol, BS10 6NJ | 150 |
| Northern RSC, Eden Bridge House, Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8DX | 34 |
| North Mercia RSC, Electra Way, Crewe, CW1 6GJ | 150 |
| North East RSC, Government Buildings, Crosby Road, Northallerton, DL6 1AD | 168 |
| South Mercia RSC Block C, Government Buildings, Whittingdon Road, Worcester, WR5 2LQ | (21)176 |
| East Midlands RSC Block 7, Government Buildings, Chalfont Drive, Nottingham, NG8 3SN | (21)170 |
| Anglia RSC Block B, Government Buildings, Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 2DR | 450 |
| South East RSC Block A, Government Buildings, Coley Park, Reading, RG1 6DT | 136 |
| South West RSC Clyst House, Exeter, EX5 1DY | 242 |
| Quantock House, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3NX | 52 |
| Central Science Laboratories, Sand Hutton, York, YO4 1LZ | 496 |
| Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 OHT | 117 |
| CEFAS, Burnham Remembrance Avenue, Burnham-on-Crouch, CM08HA | 15 |
| CEFAS, The Nothe, Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT0 8UB | 28 |
| Veterinary Laboratory Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB | 440 |
(20) A travel plan has not yet been prepared for this site as the Ministry only fully occupied the building in February this year.
(21) The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is not the major occupier at these sites. Car parking spaces at the sites are allocated on a first come first served basis. The figures represent a percentage of the total car parking spaces available based on the number MAFF staff as a percentage of all staff on the site.
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