---

Serbia and Montenegro

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the embargo on (a) Serbia and (b) Montenegro. [118281]

Mr. Vaz: A number of sanctions measures are in place against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). United Nations Security Council resolution 1160 (1998) imposed an arms embargo on the FRY. The EU has imposed a number of measures on the FRY, including an arms embargo, a ban on the sale or supply of equipment which might be used for internal repression or terrorism, a ban on the sale and supply of petroleum and petroleum products, financial sanctions, a ban on flights and a targeted visa ban. These measures have included humanitarian exemptions where appropriate. Montenegro and Kosovo have been exempted from the flight ban and oil embargo, and from some aspects of financial sanctions. The flight ban on the remainder of the FRY has been suspended until the end of August.

Sanctions have put pressure on and isolated the Milosevic regime and its associates, and have limited Milosevic's ability to build up weaponry for use for external aggression or internal repression. Humanitarian exemptions and the targeting of sanctions measures on the regime have been designed to minimise the effect of sanctions on the general public of the FRY.

Britain-Russia Centre

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal contact his Department had with the Britain-Russia Centre during the last year; and if he will make a statement on the future relationship between his Department and the Britain- Russia Centre. [118641]

Mr. Vaz: My Department is in regular contact with the Britain-Russia Centre, including being represented in an ex-officio capacity on its Executive Committee. A statement on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's relationship with the Britain-Russia Centre is contained in the report by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Relations with Russia (page 124), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which members of the Britain-Russia Centre were consulted as part of his Department's last Quinquennial Review into the Britain- Russia Centre. [118665]

11 Apr 2000 : Column: 115W

Mr. Vaz: The individuals and organisations consulted during the 1999 Quinquennial Review of the Britain- Russia Centre included the Director, all members of staff at the Centre and also members of the Centre's Executive Committee.

Montenegro and Sandjak

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if there is an international presence in (a) Montenegro and (b) Sandjak. [118321]

Mr. Vaz: A number of international organisations, NGOs and charities maintain a presence in Montenegro. These include the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (principally through the European Community Monitoring Mission).

We are not aware of any international organisations based specifically in the Sandjak area of Serbia.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND

THE REGIONS

Devon County Council

Sir Peter Emery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what response he has made to Devon county council's request that certain commitments from their 1999-2000 social services programme can be charged against their 2000-01 grant. [118500]

Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply.

We have advised Devon county council that where they wish to fund ongoing projects from the Promoting Independence: Partnership Grant for 2000-01, they must be able to satisfy their auditors that they are providing the service to additional people, or more effectively than in the previous year.

Housing (South-east)

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to promote housing schemes for key workers in the South East. [116711]

Mr. Mullin: In addition to a number of existing schemes which support low cost home ownership, the Government's Housing Green Paper, "Quality and Choice: A decent home for all", invites views on a new Starter Home Initiative. This is designed to help key workers and others on low incomes to buy their own homes in areas of high house prices and high demand.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress on developing the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal. [117570]

Ms Armstrong: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will launch a framework document for consultation on the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal on Wednesday 12 April. The consultation period will run until the end of June. Copies of the document will

11 Apr 2000 : Column: 116W

be available in the Library of the House and in the Vote Office. At the same time we will be announcing offers of funding, worth at least £312 million over the next 10 years to seven more of our New Deal for Communities pathfinder projects to support long-term strategies for change in some of our poorest neighbourhoods.

Empty Properties (North-east)

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many council houses and properties owned by housing associations in the North-east have been empty for six months or more. [117975]

Mr. Mullin: The latest available information reported by local authorities to the Department indicates that on 1 April 1999 some 3,800 local authority owned dwellings (1.3 per cent. of total stock) in the North-east had been vacant for more than six months.

Equivalent figures are not available at regional level for stock owned by Registered Social Landlords.

Local Government Bill

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what environmental appraisal of the Local Government Bill he has carried out; and when he will publish the report of its findings. [118032]

Ms Armstrong: The provisions in the Local Government Bill deal primarily with the internal workings of local authorities and their councillors, and are unlikely to have significant impacts on the environment. For this reason, no substantive environmental appraisal was carried out.

Local authorities will be able to take steps under Part I of the Bill to promote and improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of their areas. However, the environmental impact of these provisions will depend on how authorities choose to exercise their powers. In these circumstances it is not possible to conduct a meaningful environmental appraisal.

Notes on the effects of the Bill on public sector finances and public sector manpower, a summary of the Regulatory Appraisal and a statement of the Bill's compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights are included in the Explanatory Notes to the Bill.

Driving Licences

Mrs. Fiona Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to change the age limits for holding UK driving licences. [118198]

Mr. Hill: There are no plans to change the age limits for holding driving licences.

There are, nevertheless, plans to establish a more structured approach to pre-test learning to ensure that new drivers have a broader and more extensive experience of driving conditions before they take their test.

This was announced in the Department's new road safety strategy "Tomorrow's Roads--Safer for Everyone" launched on 1 March--together with a number of other

11 Apr 2000 : Column: 117W

measures, and would be subject to public consultation. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library of the House.

Road Improvements (South Wiltshire)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations (a) he, (b) his Ministers or (c) his officials have received from Councillor Ricky Rogers concerning the ACT Parker Plan for road improvements in South Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement. [117994]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 6 April 2000]: The Secretary of State, his Ministers and his officials have not received any representations to date from Councillor Ricky Rogers concerning the ACT Parker Plan.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he intends to take forward and fund further work on the Parker Plan for road improvements in South Wiltshire; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultant's report on this scheme. [117993]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 6 April 2000]: I have asked the Highways Agency to place a copy of their consultant's report on the Parker Plan in the Library. There are no plans to fund any further assessment of the route proposals in the Parker Plan.

---