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Aircraft (Organophosphates)
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 December 1999, Official Report, column 103W, if his review of incidents involving possible organophosphate air pollution on board civilian aircraft has reached conclusions. [125342]
Mr. Mullin [holding answer 12 June 2000]: The investigation of these incidents is still under review. The report will be published following its outcome. I am unable to comment until that stage has been reached.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his policy is on planning protection for areas of outstanding natural beauty; and if he will make a statement. [125979]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government accept the view put by the then Countryside Commission in section 4 of their publication "Protecting our finest landscapes: advice to Government (1998)", that the landscape qualities of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are equivalent. Conserving and enhancing the beauty of the landscape are objectives for both types of designation. The Government therefore believe that the protection given to both types of area by the land use planning system should also be equivalent.
The Government's planning policies for AONBs are set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG) 7: "The Countryside--Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development (Revised February 1997)". PPG7 states that:
- The Government regards National Park Designation as conferring the highest status of protection as far as landscape and scenic beauty are concerned.
In relation to major projects, it is the Government's view that, henceforth, the assessment required in paragraph 4.5 of PPG7 in National Parks should also apply in to proposals for major development in AONBs. Such proposals should be demonstrated to be in the public interest before being allowed to proceed. Consideration of applications should therefore normally include an assessment of:
- (i) the need for the development, in terms of national considerations, and the impact of permitting it or refusing it on the local economy;
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- (ii) the cost of and scope for developing elsewhere outside the area or meeting the need for it in some other way;
- (iii) any detrimental effect on the environment and the landscape, and the extent to which that should be moderated.
The guidance in the preceding paragraph therefore replaces the last two sentences of paragraph 4.8 of PPG7.
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will make an announcement about new measures to conserve and enhance areas of outstanding natural beauty; and if he will make a statement. [125980]
Mr. Meacher: I am very pleased to announce today that the Government will shortly bring forward amendments to the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill, as part of a series of measures to safeguard the status of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and provide for their proper protection and management. The amendments will make provision for the creation of Conservation Boards for individual, larger AONBs where this would benefit their cohesive management and where there is local support for such a move. They will also require the adoption of a Management Plan for each AONB.
The Government have already indicated its support for AONBs through increasing the budget available to them, via the Countryside Agency, almost threefold over three years (from £2.1 million in 1998-99 to £5.9 million this year). We will continue to ensure that Government funding is available to work alongside local authorities in managing AONBs in partnership.
Air Traffic Control
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) of 8 May 2000, Official Report, column 266W, on air traffic controllers, if he will make a statement on progress made with achieving a full complement of air traffic controllers at Heathrow. [124403]
Mr. Mullin: Good progress has been made. The full complement of air traffic controllers is now in place at Heathrow.
Singapore Airlines
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will grant Singapore Airlines regulatory approval to operate transatlantic services from London Heathrow to the United States; for how many years this application has been outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [125896]
Mr. Mullin: UK/Singapore air services arrangements already provide routeing rights for airlines of Singapore to operate across the Atlantic from Heathrow to the United States. What they do not provide for, and what Singapore Airlines has been seeking specifically since 1989, are fifth freedom traffic rights for airlines of Singapore across the Atlantic to the US. During recent UK/Singapore air services negotiations, we have said that we would review the case for offering fifth freedom rights once the UK/US market had been liberalised.
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Local Government Pensions
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the rights of employees whose jobs have been compulsorily transferred from local government to other service providers as a result of the Local Government Pension Scheme Amendment Regulations. [125746]
Ms Beverley Hughes: Any compulsory transfer of staff, which occurs as part of the delivery of Best Value, involves local authorities having to consider the question of future pension rights as part of their contract specification and subsequent negotiations. The Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment etc.) Regulations 1999 provide private sector employers, bidding for a contract to deliver local government services, with an option of access to the Local Government Pension Scheme for those staff who transfer under the contract and who remain engaged in the delivery of those services. Alternatively, private sector employers can choose to provide broadly comparable pension arrangements and, within the statutory framework of the Local Government Pension Scheme, can negotiate the fair transfer of the accrued pension rights of the staff involved in the contract who decide not to leave their pension rights in the local authority scheme.
Other transfers which do not come within the prescribed ambit of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment etc.) Regulations 1999 can be dealt with in a similar way so as to ensure that in all cases transferring staff are treated equitably and fairly.
Departmental Running Costs
Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals there are to amend his Departmental Expenditure Limit and running costs limit for 2000-01. [126028]
Mr. Prescott: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class III, Votes 1 and 8, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2000-01 will change as follows.
The DETR Main Programmes Departmental Expenditure Limit will be increased by £22,928,000 from £10,838,414,000 to £10,861,342,000. This increase reflects transfers from other Government Departments of £1,390,000, a transfer of £24,000 from the Invest to Save Budget and a claim on the DEL Reserve of £21,514,000. The changes are set out in greater detail as follows.
(i) The changes for Class III, Vote 1 (Housing, construction, regeneration, regional policy, planning, and countryside and wildlife, England) are as follows: £1,200,000 will be transferred from Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration, and other services, England and Wales) to the New Deal for Communities in respect of the Neighbourhood wardens unit; a transfer of £190,000 from Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) for the Rough Sleepers Initiative; and a transfer of £24,000 to English Nature for an Invest to Save programme.
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(ii) The change for Class III, Vote 8 (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) is an increase of £21,514,000 for the implementation of the second phase of the Graduated Vehicle Excise Duty programme.
(iii) As a consequence changes to Class III, Vote 8 the DETR gross running cost limit will be increased by £16,372,000 from £684,556,000 to £700,928,000. This is the result of an increase in running costs on Class III, Vote 8 for the Graduated Vehicle Excise Duty programme.
The increase in the DETR Main Programmes Departmental Expenditure Limit will be offset by transfers and by a charge on the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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