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Bus Shelters
Mr. Edward Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what policy guidelines his Department has issued to authorities responsible for bus shelters regarding consultation prior
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to erecting new shelters; and what plans he has to re-issue such guidelines to require consultation with local residents; [117274]
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Mr. Hill:
Decisions on expenditure on bus shelters are a matter for each local authority taking account of the availability of resources and the assessment of needs in their area. In developing bus strategies as part of their local transport plans, authorities will need to consider what improvements to bus infrastructure are needed, and what targets are appropriate in this regard. Local partnerships with the private sector can make an important contribution to achieving these improvements.
Bus operators and local authorities have permitted development rights under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to provide passenger shelters. The current guidance in DOE Circulars 15-92 and 9-95 makes it clear that there should be arrangements for advance notifications and publicity for individual proposals, wherever appropriate. We have no plans to re-issue this guidance.
London Transport has separate powers to erect and maintain shelters in London; these powers will be transferred to Transport for London under the Greater London Authority in July.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of rail freight's share of the freight market following the introduction of 44 tonne lorries. [117082]
Mr. Hill:
In its interim report "Permitting 44 tonne lorries for general use in the UK", the Commission for Integrated Transport considered carefully the impact of 44 tonne lorries on the rail freight market. They concluded that work to estimate the precise effect on rail freight's market share would be unlikely to produce reliable results in the light of the Rail Regulator's forthcoming review of track access charges and other factors.
The Commission has invited the shadow Strategic Rail Authority (sSRA) to develop detailed recommendations on measures to promote the growth of rail freight. We expect to be able to take the sSRA's proposals into account in developing our Transport 10-year Plan, due to be published in July.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many households in homes heated by community heating schemes are in fuel poverty; and if such households will be eligible to benefit from the Affordable Warmth Programme. [116676]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: The present estimates of the number of fuel poor households in England are based on data from the English House Condition Survey. Unfortunately it is not possible to identify the number of households heated by community heating schemes who are also suffering from fuel poverty.
I can confirm that households heated through community heating schemes will be able to benefit from the Affordable Warmth Programme announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Capital allowances will be made available to lessors on de-mountable heat exchangers, radiators and heating controls installed inside dwellings under the Programme.
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Lessors will be able to write off 25 per cent. of the cost of this equipment each year on the reducing balance basis against their taxable income, provided their expenditure is incurred by 31 December 2007.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how frequently he intends to monitor the number of households in England which are in fuel poverty. [116677]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: The present estimates of the number of fuel poor households in England are based on data from the English House Condition Survey which is carried out quinquennially. The Ministerial Group on Fuel Poverty is looking at how progress in tackling fuel poverty should be monitored in the future, and will consider whether estimates can be made available more frequently. This will form part of the overall strategy which the group aims to publish later this year.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 23 March 2000, Official Report, column 624W, on second homes, what change there was in the number of second homes owned between January 1995 and January 2000 in the South East, excluding London. [116776]
Mr. Mullin
[holding answer 30 March 2000]: It is not possible to give a robust estimate of the change in the number of second homes in the South East between 1995 and 2000. The following table shows the latest available regional estimates, based on averages over the three years ending March 1999.
(2) what targets he has for building new bus shelters and upgrading existing bus shelters for each of the next three years. [117273]
| Government Office Region | All second homes(7) | Owned second homes |
|---|---|---|
| North West and North East(8) | 31 | 27 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 19 | 16 |
| East and West Midlands(9) | 33 | 28 |
| East and South East(8) | 70 | 64 |
| London | 28 | 21 |
| South West | 44 | 40 |
| England | 225 | 197 |
(7) Second homes in England owned or rented by households whose main residence is also in England. Excludes homes which are the main residence of another household, or which the owners are intending to sell.
(8) Cannot be separated as the regional definitions changed during the survey period. Neither is it possible to give separate estimates for the 'Rest of South East' region used for regional planning purposes.
(9) East and West Midlands combined due to small sample sizes.
Note:
Like all estimates from sample surveys, these figures are subject to a certain amount of sampling variation and are not absolutely precise.
Source:
Survey of English Housing, three-year average to March 1999.
Works of Art
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent on (a) the upkeep and (b) the purchase of works of art in his Department for each financial year since 1992. [117483]
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Ms Beverley Hughes:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts on 4 April 2000, Official Report, columns 392-93W.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list his targets for asset sales for each local authority in the next financial year, listed alphabetically by Government Office region. [117296]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Government have not set targets for asset sales for individual local authorities.
The Government wish to see local authorities make the best possible use of their land, buildings and other capital assets, including the identification and disposal of those surplus to requirements. My Department has recently issued guidance on good practice in strategic asset management as part of the move to a 'single pot' for capital allocations.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that the Government fulfil their commitments under the Ospar agreement in respect of radioactive discharges; and if he will make a statement. [117154]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 4 April 2000]: The Government are fully committed to the agreement reached at the Ospar Ministerial Meeting in 1998, on the reduction of radioactive discharges. The UK's intentions for implementing this agreement were submitted to the Ospar Secretariat in October 1999 and a copy is in the Library. The UK is developing a national strategy for radioactive discharges, to cover the period 2001 to 2020. It is planned to issue a draft of this document for consultation before the summer and to publish the final strategy by the end of the year.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had on improving transport facilities for disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [117824]
Mr. Hill:
There are frequent and regular discussions with representatives of disabled people, including our statutory advisers the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), with the transport manufacturing and operating industries and with local authorities.
We have already brought forward regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 setting detailed technical access standards for all new trains. This year we will be bringing forward similar regulations applying to buses and coaches and we will be consulting on proposed regulations for taxis. These regulations cover facilities for wheelchair users and for people with a wide range of other disabilities.
Through the Local Transport Plans we are also ensuring that local authorities give due weight to the needs of disabled people across the whole spectrum of their
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responsibilities, including pedestrian facilities, transport infrastructure and voluntary and community transport services.
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