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Quarrying

Mr. Rogers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which organisations representing the UK quarrying industry have been consulted about the proposed aggregates tax. [132259]

Ms Beverley Hughes: A range of quarry trade organisations has been invited by the Treasury, HM Customs and Excise and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to participate in the process of researching the environmental impacts of aggregate quarrying, developing the mechanisms of the proposed levy (including two consultations on draft clauses), discussing the content of a voluntary alternative package of measures, and clarifying the implications of the Chancellor's announcement in Budget 2000. Trade organisations recorded as having been involved in one or more of these processes include the British Aggregates Association, the British Cement Association, the Confederation of British Industry, the Quarry Products Association and the Silica and Moulding Sands Association. Views have also been received from representatives of the coal and ceramic clay producers.

Liverpool-Dover Railway

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment the Government have made of (a) the financial viability, (b) the practical viability, (c) the planning aspects, (d) the environmental impact and (e) the contribution to transport policies of the proposals made by Central Railway plc. for a freight-only railway from Liverpool to Dover. [132148]

Mr. Hill: None. I understand that Central Railway plc may intend to submit an application under the Transport and Works Act 1992 but no such application has yet been received.

Park Homes

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that recreational park home owners are included in legislation or other action arising from the report of the Park Homes Working Party. [132139]

Mr. Mullin: Owners of holiday park homes are not covered by the mobile homes legislation and did not fall within the remit of the Park Homes Working Party. We are now consulting on the recommendations of the Working Party, and any responses from interested bodies or individuals on the position of holiday park home owners will be considered. The Director General of Fair Trading has given his support to codes of practice for the letting, selling and siting of holiday park homes.

Social Exclusion

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 13 July 2000, Official Report, column 625W, who has been invited to the consultation meetings on the

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feasibility study of a recommendation made by the Social Exclusion Unit's Policy Action Team 16 (Learning Lessons); and where these consultation meetings will take place. [131659]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I have placed in the Library of the House a list of those invited to consultation meetings on the National Centre for Neighbourhood Renewal. The meetings will take place in central London.

Ribble Valley

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of all new developments in the Ribble Valley were built on brownfield sites in each year since 1994. [131661]

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Ms Beverley Hughes: The information is not available for local authority districts. The latest information for the North West shows that for 1994, 63 per cent. of all new development took place on recycled land.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what levels and type of pollution were measured in the Ribble Valley in each year since 1994. [131647]

Mr. Hill: Ribble Valley Borough Council (RVBC) established an air quality monitoring station in Chatburn in 1997. It is equipped to continuously monitor sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and PM10 particulates. The following data have been obtained:

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Chatburn air quality

	Sulphur dioxide		Nitrogen dioxide		PM10
Date	Maximum 15 minute mean recorded (ppb)	Number of exceedences of the 15 minute mean for SO2 (100ppb)	Maximum 1 hour mean recorded (ppb)	Number of exceedences of the 1 hour mean for NO2 (105ppb)	Maximum 4 hour mean recorded (ugm3)	Number of exceedences of the 24 hour mean for PM10 (50ug/m3)
April-September 1997	110	7	40	0	54	1
October 1997-March 1998	110	2	57	0	59	6
April-September 1998	107	2	26	0	53	1
October 1998-March 1999	59	0	38	0	43	0
April-September 1999	49	0	69	0	52	1
October 1999-March 2000	66	0	38	0	54	2
AQS objective	100	35/yr	105	18/yr	50	35/yr

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RVBC has concluded that the air quality in Chatburn already meets the Government's air quality objectives.

The Environment Agency also collects a large amount of monitoring data from the individual industrial sites it regulates. All these data are available on the public registers.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many new dwellings were built in the Ribble Valley in each year since 1994. [131657]

Mr. Mullin: The total number of permanent dwellings completed in Ribble Valley are as follows:

Period	Number
1994	242
1995	343
1996	271
1997	212
1998	179
1999	(1)126

⁽¹⁾ Figure reported for 11 months of the year

A303 (Stonehenge)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the total amount spent by his Department and its predecessors since 1986 is on (a) design work, (b) public consultation and inquiries and (c) other identifiable cost headings in connection with road improvements on the A303 past Stonehenge, including Countess Roundabout and Winterbourne Stoke. [131533]

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Mr. Hill: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Peter Nutt, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Peter Nutt to Mr. Robert Key, dated 24 July 2000:

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has asked me to reply to your recent question about the total amount spent by his Department and its predecessors on road improvements for the A303 past Stonehenge, including Countess Roundabout and Winterbourne Stoke since 1986.

Prior to 1 April 1996, the only expenditure by the Highways Agency and its predecessors that can be attributed solely to the A303/Amesbury-Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge relates to a public consultation exhibition held in 1993 costing £32,000 and a conference and exhibition in 1994 costing £78,000. Since then the Agency has spent £909,461 on the design of the A303 Stonehenge scheme, including preliminary work on the improvement of Countess Roundabout. In addition, a public exhibition was held in 1999 at a cost of £48,000.

If you wish to discuss this matter further, Mark Bailey, the Highways Agency's Route Manager for the A303 (telephone [phone]) would be happy to talk to you.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the deprived areas which will benefit from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. [132110]

Ms Armstrong: We will consult in the autumn on which local authorities should benefit from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

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Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions who will determine the spending allocations of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. [132115]

Ms Armstrong: The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions will bring before the House a Special Grant Report under section 88B of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the priorities will be for the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. [132114]

Ms Armstrong: The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will make a key contribution to the delivery of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal--including new targets for education, crime, employment, health and housing in deprived areas--and help to get money to where it is most needed. Authorities will work with new Local Strategic Partnerships to draw up local deprivation strategies which will spell out how the additional funding will help to renew the most deprived communities and promote closer co-operation with the police, health and other local services.

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) who the lead Minister will be for the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal; [132112]

(2) what the role will be of (a) the RDAs and (b) local authorities in the implementation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. [132113]

Ms Armstrong: The Report by the Social Exclusion Unit on a "National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: a framework for consultation", published last April, raised these issues in its key ideas 22, 23 and 24. Decisions on these and other points in the draft Strategy will be announced in the autumn when the National Strategy Action Plan setting out the Government's response to the consultations is published.

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on the role of the new National Centre for Neighbourhood Renewal; [132280]

(2) where the National Centre for Neighbourhood Renewal will be based; to whom it will be accountable; and what its budget will be. [132111]

Ms Armstrong: The Social Exclusion Unit's Policy Action Team on "Learning Lessons" (Policy Action Team 16) recommended setting up a National Centre for Neighbourhood Renewal, to play a leadership role in promoting effective, inclusive approaches to neighbourhood renewal. The Government have accepted this recommendation.

The Policy Action Team envisaged that the Centre would promote: quality training and development for neighbourhood renewal among policy makers, professional and practitioner groups and community organisations; better access to "lessons learned" from previous experience; better collaboration between those involved in neighbourhood renewal; better research on the issues; and better leadership.

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The Government are currently considering and consulting on the precise scope and functions of the Centre. This will include consideration of the location, budget and accountability arrangements.

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the relationship will be between local authorities, regional development agencies and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. [132116]

Ms Armstrong: In drawing up local deprivation strategies for using the new Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, local authorities will work with new Local Strategic Partnerships. The RDAs should be key members of the partnerships in the areas in which they are investing.

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