---

Secondments

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many employees of private companies are seconded to his Department; and what is (a) the length of their secondment and (b) the subject of their work. [124788]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The Department currently has 11 secondees from private companies. They are all envisaged to last for a period of 12 months and the areas of work covered are as follows:

Construction Industry Sponsorship (7)


Export Promotion and Construction Materials


Housing Care and Support


Integrated Transport Task Force


Environmental Protection Strategy.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2000, Official Report, columns 158-59W, concerning secondments, which of the secondees listed were appointed for a period of 12 months or less. [124830]

Ms Beverley Hughes: From the organisations cited in the answer of 9 February 2000, Official Report, columns 158-59W, secondments of 12 months or less were agreed with the following companies:

Kvaerner Construction


OVE Arup


Crown House Engineering


Bovis Construction


Kvaerner Cementation Foundations


Geoffrey Reid Associates


Marks & Spencer


Bellway Urban Renewal


KPMG


ABROS


OPM


Institute for Fiscal Studies


Buro-Happold


Christiani and Nielson.

Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 248W

other organisations. All sectors of the economy are involved: Voluntary, Education, Health, Public and Private. Interchange is a key component of the reform agenda. The Modernising Government White Paper committed us to increasing interchange, in particular by bringing in more people on secondment and sending more of our people out.

Building Regulations

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reason the publication of proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, relating to the conservation of fuel and power, has been delayed from Autumn 1999; when he intends to publish the proposed changes; and if he will make a statement. [124331]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 6 June 2000, Official Report, column 209W.

Bulk Hazardous Cargoes

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce a mandatory operating scheme for vessels carrying bulk hazardous cargoes through the Pentlands Firth. [124685]

Mr. Hill: A mandatory reporting scheme is under consideration by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Currently, a voluntary reporting scheme is being used by vessels, and MCA are also looking at methods to encourage vessels to further participate in this scheme.

Discussions at IMO are nearing a close concerning the carriage of transponders by vessels in the near future. This carriage requirement will automatically provide reporting and tracking information to the MC, which will be used in future operating schemes in the Pentland Firth.

Rough Sleepers

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what initiatives the Government are putting in place in Oxford to tackle rough sleeping. [124395]

Ms Armstrong: In 1999, £621,412 funding under the homelessness action programme was allocated to projects in Oxford for the three years from April 1999. This provided support for co-ordination, outreach and resettlement work and to staff working in hostels for rough sleepers.

In addition, the Department of Health provided £52,500 in 2000-01 under the homeless mentally ill initiative for working with rough sleepers with mental health problems.

We are currently working with all local authorities with a rough sleeping problem to revise their rough sleeping strategies. Following this review process additional homelessness action programme and drug and alcohol specific grant funding may be allocated to support the revised strategies.

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of rough sleepers in the UK are from ethnic minority groups. [124396]

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 249W

Ms Armstrong: Surveys and research from a wide range of sources consistently find that less than 10 per cent. of rough sleepers in England are from ethnic minority groups, with 90 per cent. or more being White UK or Irish. Tackling rough sleeping and related research in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in Oxford in 1999. [124397]

Ms Armstrong: A single night street count was carried out in accordance with DETR guidelines in Oxford on 20 October 1999 during which 16 people were found sleeping rough across the city.

Teesside Development Corporation

Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the report on inquiries into allegations against the former Teesside Development Corporation will be completed; and if he will make a statement. [125244]

Ms Armstrong: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House copies of the report prepared by officials of my Department.

They sought to establish whether there was any firm evidence which would support various allegations that had been made against the former Development Corporation. In the event, insufficient documentary evidence was found that would definitively prove or disprove the allegations.

However, some evidence emerged suggesting that a grant paid by the Corporation to a local company had been diverted. The police were informed and I understand that they are making further investigations.

Community Strategies

Ms Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish guidance dealing with the preparation of community strategies; and if he will make a statement. [125356]

Ms Armstrong: I am today publishing draft guidance to local authorities on the preparation of community strategies. This will be the subject of wide-ranging consultation over the course of the summer. We aim to issue final guidance to authorities in the autumn.

The draft guidance, "Preparing Community Strategies", recognises that the key to any effective community planning process lies in engaging local communities, listening to their concerns and addressing their needs and priorities.

Community strategies will represent a significant shift in the way local organisations work together and the way that they relate to local people. Strategies should bring together public, private and community sector organisations, and focus their activities on responding to local needs articulated by local people.

7 Jun 2000 : Column: 250W

Councils must fully involve local residents, business people and voluntary groups in the preparation of strategies which:

Establish an agreed vision for the area--setting out the sort of communities that, in the longer term, people want to live in;


identify the priorities for action that will help realise that vision; and

secure the commitment of the various partners to specific actions to help meet those priorities.

Community strategies must be holistic. They should look at all the needs of local communities--jobs and wealth creation, social conditions and the quality of the built and natural environment. They must plan for sustainable, inclusive communities which promote economic, social and environmental aims and contribute to a better quality of life for all.

I have placed copies of the draft guidance in the Libraries of both Houses.

HEALTH

HC1 Forms

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many HC1 forms are incorrectly filled in each year. [122781]

Ms Stuart: Where an HC1 claim form provides insufficient information for the calculation of entitlement to remission of National Health Service charges, the Prescription Pricing Authority seeks further information or clarification by telephone wherever possible. For 1999-2000, around 169,000 ¹ HC1 claim forms had to be returned because the matter could not be resolved in any other way.

¹ These are in respect of GB as figures are not collected separately for England.

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people apply each year for financial help with NHS health costs using an HC1 form. [122782]

Ms Stuart: In England for the year 1999-2000, the Prescription Pricing Authority received around 903,000 applications for help with NHS Health costs on an HC1 claim form. The number of people covered by the applications is not collected.

---