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TREASURY
E-commerce Consultation Forum
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the Electronic Commerce Consultation Forum has met; on what dates; if he will publish their deliberations and recommendations; and if he will list the sub-groups of the forum. [135899]
Mr. Timms: The Electronic Commerce Consultation Forum has met three times since its establishment in June 1999. The dates and minutes of these meeting and details of the sub-groups can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ e-commerce/ecom4.htm.
Beer and Cider Excise Duty
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Table B11 of his pre-Budget Report, what the assumptions are behind the increases in projected beer and cider excise duty revenues between the financial years 2000-01 and 2001-02 in respect of (a) the measure of inflation used, (b) the rate of inflation projected, (c) the month and year in which inflation is projected and (d) the increase in pence per pint of (i) beer and (ii) cider, will such an increase give rise to in financial year 2001-02. [138660]
Mr. Timms: The measure of inflation used is the all-items PRI in the 12 months to September 2001, as published in Table B3 of the pre-Budget Report. Estimates of the effect of duty changes on the price of
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beer and cider are published by HM Treasury in the "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs, November 2000", copies of which are in the Library.
Parliamentary Questions
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will provide a substantive reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle for answer on 6 November (ref. 135972). [138851]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Shortly.
Departmental Expenditure Limits
Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to amend the Inland Revenue Departmental Expenditure Limit and running costs limit for 2000-01. [139445]
Dawn Primarolo: Subject to parliamentary approval of the Supplementary Estimate for Class XVI, Vote 6 the Inland Revenue Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2000-01 will be decreased by £14,800,000 from £2,245,371,000 to £2,230,571,000. The Inland Revenue running cost limit will also be reduced by £3,500,000 from £2,377,079,000 to £2,373,579,000. This is needed to offset a reduction in anticipated receipts within the Valuation Office Agency.
The reduction arises from a £15 million transfer to the Cabinet Office for the Department's contribution to the Government IT gateway project offset by Valuation Office Agency award of £0.2 million from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND
THE REGIONS
Departmental Policies (Gorton)
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency, of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136169]
Ms Armstrong: The Gorton constituency has benefited from a range of Government initiatives since 2 May 1997 including:
Regeneration (including Housing Initiatives)
The capital receipts initiative in Manchester has allowed a greater degree of flexibility in investment in the council stock. The investment in the Gorton constituency in public sector housing is
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 6.3 |
| 1998-99 | 8.0 |
| 1999-100 | 6.9 |
| 2000-01(7) | 8.9 |
(7) Projected
Northmoor Road Renewal Area
This was declared in 1998 and is an integrated regeneration programme including social, environmental, and physical elements and has received approximately £3 million in funding from Single Regeneration Budget funding, Housing Capital Programme, and significant additional investment from the Housing Corporation and the private sector.
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This was declared in 1992, and was one of the first new-style housing "Renewal Areas". It has had approximately £2.8 million investment from Housing Capital Programme since 1997.
Longsight and Levenshulme form part of this Single Regeneration Budget scheme which also includes Ardwick. It has been allocated £9 million over the 1997-2004 period (to date £4 million has been spent by the partnership) to improve social and economic regeneration in the area.
The North West Development Agency have also spent £850k on a mixed use (residential and industrial) development in south Levenshulme.
Manchester will receive an estimated £41 million over the next three years as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund announced recently. The fund will help local authorities meet their Public Service Agreement targets in areas such as raising schools standards, and reducing unemployment--reducing burglary, narrowing the health gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country and improving the standard of social housing.
New East Manchester Ltd. one of three Urban Regeneration Companies in the country, has the responsibility to encourage development and improve demand across the whole of East Manchester.
The recent opening of the final section of the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road (Denton to Middleton) will improve communications to the constituency.
Expansion of the Metrolink will provide new links between Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Ashton and Manchester Airport. Total cost is £500 million of which £250 million will be provided by Government. While the constituency will not be directly served by a new line, new stations on the extensions to Ashton and Manchester airport will be accessible to the constituency.
The South East Manchester Multi Modal study which covers the constituency in its study area will make recommendations for a long term strategy, and a plan of specific interventions, to address the transport problems in the study area.
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Local Government Finance Settlement
The following table shows the Government Grant to Manchester as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. A statistical analysis of what proportion was spent in the Gorton constituency is not available.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 362.47 |
| 1998-99 | 375.62 |
| 1999-100 | 390.57 |
| 2000-101 | 401.97 |
The City Pride Action Plan area covers the Gorton constituency. The Plan has been allocated £36 million of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund grant to support a range of project activity from broad business support and innovation and technology to investment in the tourism and cultural sector.
In addition, the constituency overlaps 3 of the 6 Community Economic Development Action Plans that cover the city of Manchester. The 3 Action Plans--Princess Road Corridor, Stockport Road Corridor and East Link--have been allocated over £5.5 million and among the projects being supported in the Gorton constituency are:
- Rusholme Environmental and Physical Improvements (£70,000 ERDF)
- Longsight Millennium Recycling Action (£75,000 ERDF)
- Levenshulme Block Improvement Scheme (£100,000 ERDF)
- Monastery of St. Francis and Gorton Trust (£13,000 ERDF).
Local Transport Plans
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been applied for by each local authority in their local transport plans for (a) maintenance of principal highways, (b) maintenance and strengthening of bridges, (c) individual schemes costing over £5 million and (d) integrated transport measures costing less than £5 million for each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06. [138068]
Mr. Hill: I have placed a copy of the information requested in the Libraries of the House.
Volunteers
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will mark next year's International Year of Volunteers by spending a day working as a volunteer. [137427]
Mr. Prescott [holding answer 13 November 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 531W. I fully support the aims of the International Year of Volunteers and will consider any request to participate nearer the time.
Climate Change
Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to publish the UK's climate change programme [139109]
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Mr. Prescott: I have today laid before Parliament, "Climate Change: The UK Programme (Command Number 4913)". Our programme sets out how we will deliver the UK's Kyoto target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12 and move towards our domestic goal to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. We estimate that the policies and measures set out in the programme could cut the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 23 per cent. by 2010 and carbon dioxide emissions by 19 per cent. Further non-quantified measures could achieve the domestic goal.
I am also publishing the following documents alongside the programme, copies of which will be placed in the Libraries of the House:
- Projections of non-CO 2 greenhouse gas emissions for the United Kingdom and constituent countries;
- Energy Efficiency Commitment 2002-05--The Government's Provisional Conclusions;
- Climate Change and UK Nature Conservation: A Review of the Impact of Climate Change on UK Species and Habitat Conservation Policy;
- Summary of Responses to the Draft Climate Change Programme; and
- An information and activity pack on global warming for 7 to 11-year-olds.
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