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Knowledge-based Economy (Regions)

35. Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to support the development of the knowledge-based economy in the English regions. [116179]

Ms Beverley Hughes: In the Budget, the Government announced a total of £210 million of new funding to encourage innovation, enterprise and the use of IT by businesses. This includes £50 million new funding over the next two financial years for the Regional Development Agencies to support their plans for developing clusters and business incubation. This is in addition to the £4 million RDAs will receive in 2000-01 from the Competitiveness Development Fund to spend on priorities they identify for increasing competitiveness in their regions.

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The Chancellor also announced an extra £100 million of public funds, £83.7 million of which will go to the English regions, towards a £1 billion umbrella fund to give better access to venture capital for small, growth companies in the regions. An additional £60 million package will promote use of electronic commerce by small firms and a 100 per cent. tax allowance will be made available for small firms buying information and communications technology equipment. A new research and development tax credit will encourage R&D by small and medium sized companies.

Bus Travel (London Commuters)

Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he will take to encourage more commuters to travel into London by bus. [116157]

Mr. Hill: The Government are firmly committed to improving the quality and reliability of bus services in London to make them a more attractive form of transport for commuter journeys.

Private Landlords

Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on anti-social behaviour in properties owned by private landlords. [116140]

Mr. Mullin: We fully recognise the devastating effect anti-social behaviour can have on people's lives and on whole communities. It needs to be tackled across all housing tenures.

The Housing Green Paper, which my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is publishing today, sets out our strategy for promoting a healthier private rented sector.

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary published the report of Policy Action Team 8 on 30 March 2000, setting out recommendations on tackling anti-social behaviour as part of our National Strategy for Neighbourhood renewal. This is being taken forward by the Home Office, working closely with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

New Houses (Surrey)

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the number of new houses that can be accommodated on brownfield sites in Surrey. [116154]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I have made no estimate. I have asked the South East planning authorities--SERPLAN--to consider the distribution of additional housing within the region, taking full account of national planning policies which make development of brownfields the first priority.

Local Government Employees (Pension Rights)

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what actions the Government are planning to take to protect the pension rights of employees who are transferred out of local government as a result of the termination of an agency

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agreement, with particular reference to employees currently being transferred to Severn Trent plc; if the Government will ensure that employees are offered a bulk transfer of past service rights from the Local Government Pension Scheme to the new employer's pension scheme; and if it will amend the LGPS Regulations urgently to permit an agreement enabling staff to remain in the LGPS. [117601]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997 allow bulk transfers of pension rights to be negotiated between local authority employers and private sector employers following any transfer of an undertaking. Within these provisions, the onus to ensure fairness and the protection of employees' pension rights rests with the appropriate employers involved in any transfer.

The extent to which employees in local authorities work on the delivery of privatised water company services through agency agreements, and the availability of alternative broadly comparable pension arrangements to those employed under them, is being established with the co-operation of the Local Government Pension Committee of the Employers' Organisation. In the light of that survey, I will consider carefully the need for any amendments to the Scheme Regulations.

Regulatory Reform

Mr. Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which Minister in his Department has responsibility for regulatory reform; and if he will make a statement. [117412]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Quinn) by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Websites

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each website (i) the topics that have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each website for each of the next three years. [116200]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The following information covers the main DETR site, agency sites and major NDPB sites.

DETR central site (www.detr.gov.uk)

(a) £5,000

(b) direct expenditure on web site operation in 1999-2000 was £90,000 (excluding staff costs); expenditure on coding and document conversion by policy divisions amounted to some £200,000; expenditure on new hardware and software was £4,000.

(i) The core web site publishes information covering the full range of the Department's responsibilities--aviation, construction, drinking water, environmental protection, housing, local government, London, local transport, mobility, planning, railways, regeneration, roads, road safety, shipping, wildlife and the countryside. Recent additions to the DETR site include a schools sub-domain, press releases,

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searchable databases and webcasting of press conferences. The web site also includes the Air Accident Investigation Branch and the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch, as well as two related sites, one providing air quality information and one with information aimed at local government. In addition it hosts several NDPBs--the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards and the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee.

(ii) Average of c2million hits and 900,000 page impressions per month

(iii) DETR is currently carrying out a major review of its new media strategy. Budgets for the website will depend on the outcome of this and of bids for resources from HM Treasury to support the Modernising Government agenda.

DETR Executive Agencies

Highways Agency

(a) £32,370

(b) 1998-99 £26,000; 1999-2000 £33,000

(i) corporate information (e.g. Annual Report), information about individual schemes, planned road improvements, contacts, forward programme for contracts, press releases, links to other transport sites

(ii) Average of 90,000 hits and 10,000 unique visitors per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £80,000; subsequent years--not yet finalised

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

DVLA Main site

(a) £1,600

(b) 1999-2000 £41,000 (including staff costs)

(i) information on vehicle registration, driving licences, contacts, contracts and tenders, Annual Report, current consultation papers, answers to frequently asked questions, links to other DVO sites

(ii) Average of 217,000 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £45,000; 2001-02 £50,000; 2002-03 £55,000

DVLA Sales of Marks site

(a) £15,000

(b) 1999-2000 £48,000

(i) promotion of scheme for sale of personalised vehicle registration numbers; on-line search facility for checking availability and price of particular registrations

(ii) Average of 250,000 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £48,000; 2001-02 £55,000; 2002-03 £50,000

Vehicle Inspectorate

(a) £200 (excluding staff costs)

(b) c£11,000 per annum (excluding staff costs)

(i) all aspects of VI work, educational and advisory road safety information, on-line access to publications

(ii) Average of 2,500 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £11,000; 2001-02 £11,000; 2002-03 £11,000

Driving Standards Agency

(a) set-up costs in summer 1999 were nil (site set up under commercial partnership contract with private sector provider)

(b) £50,000 per annum

(i) work of DSA, its objectives and structure; information on contacts, driving tests (including guidance on the conduct of tests and the theory test), test centre locations and publications; answers to frequently asked questions, press releases, Annual Report.

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(ii) 173,232 hits, 80,448 page visits and 13,584 unique visitors in February 2000

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £30,000; 2001-02 £30,000; 2002-03 £30,000

Vehicle Certification Agency

(a) £1,900

(b) £3,500 per annum

(i) information about VCA services to the automotive industry, contacts (for offices all over the world), VCA's role in DETR and DVO, publications, job vacancies

(ii) average of 1,000 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £12,000; 2001-02 £10,000; 2002-03 £10,000

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

(a) £3,000

(b) £6,000 per annum

(i) information about MCA's work and objectives, monthly list of vessels detained in UK ports for safety reasons, press releases

(ii) average of 180,000 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £6,000; 2001-02 £6,000; 2002-03 £6,000

QE II Conference Centre

(a) £11,000 (new site April 2000)

(b) £6,000 per annum (estimated for new site)

(i) information for meeting planners and delegates on facilities at QEIICC: promotional material; image gallery for downloading by designers, floor plans, location maps

(ii) new site to be launched in April 2000

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £6,000; 2001-02 £6,000; 2002-03 £6,000

Planning Inspectorate

(a) £1,300; new revised site to be launched April 2000 at cost of £35,000

(b) £1,500 per annum for old site; £10,500 for revised site

(i) Old site held information about PI's work and objectives, the work of a Planning Inspector and the Planning Inspectorate Journal. Revised site will also include Welsh language option, appeals guidance, performance information, Business and Corporate reports, forms, publications, information about working in PI, PI itself and its staff; feedback, help and search facilities; answers to frequently asked questions.

(ii) 1,600 hits per month for old site

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £10,500; 2001-02 £10,500; 2002-03 £10,500

Non-departmental public bodies

Countryside Agency

(a) £18,000 in April 1999 on merger of Rural Development Commission and Countryside Commission. Additional re-development cost of £75,000 to reduce running costs by enabling in-house management and development.

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(b) 1999-2000 £60,000 (using external consultants)

(i) Information on organisational structure, contacts, agency's role, events, meetings, initiatives and reports, answers to frequently asked questions

(ii) Average of 500,000 hits and 24,000 unique visitors per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £60,000; 2001-02 £65,000; 2002-03 £70,000

Audit Commission

(a) £49,065

(b) 1999-2000 £115,000

(i) Corporate information (including Annual Report), press releases, information on publications (including subscription service for technical reviews) and on Audit appointments, information for local authorities (including performance indicators), search engine, job vacancies.

(ii) Average of 243,691 page impressions and 28,669 visitor sessions per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £200,000; 2001-02 £75,0000; 2002-03 £75,000

Health and Safety Executive

HSE Open Government Website (www.house.gov.uk)

(a) £10,000

(b) c£15,000 per annum

(i) Information about the work of HSC/E, including proceedings of HSC and its topic and advisory committees, contacts, press releases, statistics, information sheets, publications, research reports, progress and opportunities, on-line inquiry service.

(ii) Average of 666,000 page impressions and 55,000 unique visits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £20,000; 2001-02 £25,000; 2002-03 £30,000

HSE e-commerce site (www.hsebooks.uk)

(a) £10,000

(b) £22,000 per annum

(i) searchable abstracts of publications, on-line ordering, downloading of some publications, catalogue of all free and priced publications

(ii) Average of 83,000 page impressions and 2,500 unique visits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £80,000; 2001-02 £50,000; 2002-03 £50,000

Environment Agency

(a) £20,000

(b) 1999-2000 £250,000

(i) State of Environment Reports, guidance for business, information on flood defences, waste and water conservation, flood warnings, corporate information, educational resources, information on research and development programme, on-line data on pollution, bathing water, and river quality, information in Welsh.

(ii) 340,000 page impressions and over 25,000 users in February 2000

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £1 million; 2001-02 £1.5 million; 2002-03 £2 million

Housing Corporation

(a) £45,000

(b) 1999-2000 £4,500

(i) Information on organisational structure, contacts and accessing social housing; all Corporation's free publications, including annual reports and circulars.

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(ii) Average of 10,000 hits per month

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £5,000; 2001-02 £7,500; 2002-03 £5,500

English Nature

(a) £8,366

(b) 1998-99 £34,691; 1999-2000 £49,966

(i) Corporate information (e.g. Charter, facts and figures, teams, position statements, council meetings, grant schemes, partner organisations), job vacancies, feedback, register, press releases, information about walks and events, on National Nature Reserves and Biodiversity Action Plan.

(ii) 463,639 hits, 93,076 page views and 19,404 user sessions in February 2000

(iii) Estimated expenditure for 2000-01 £58,000; 2001-02 £40,000; 2002-03 £45,000.

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