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Town and Country Planning

25. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change the law relating to town and country planning. [138961]

Mr. Raynsford: We are undertaking a comprehensive programme to modernise the town and country planning system and update planning policies. New regulations have been introduced, for example in relation to the development plans process and planning appeals procedures. However, we have no immediate plans to introduce new primary legislation, though we remain committed to removing Crown immunity from planning control and have confirmed in the Urban White Paper that we intend to bring forward new legislation to reform the system of compulsory purchase as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

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MV Derbyshire Inquiry

27. Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he will take to ensure that Mr. Justice Colman's recommendations regarding safety at sea in the report on the re-opened inquiry into the loss of the MV Derbyshire are implemented. [138963]

Mr. Hill: Mr. Justice Colman makes a total of 24 safety recommendations addressed to the Department, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, the International Association of Classification Societies or the International Maritime Organization. My officials have already started discussions with those to whom recommendations are addressed to agree the appropriate way forward on each individual recommendation. These discussions will necessarily take some time and, in some instances, must await completion of the analysis of ongoing research. We hope to be able to submit a comprehensive report to Parliament early in 2001.

City Centres

28. Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to improve road conditions in city centres. [138964]

Mr. Hill: By tackling the backlog of expenditure on carriageway, footway, bridge, and street lighting maintenance, estimated to be £7 billion, in the next 10 years, we will greatly improve road conditions in city centres as well as more rural areas.

Floods (West Sussex)

29. Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on planning issues in relation to flood relief measures in West Sussex. [138965]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to reducing, as far as practicable, the risk to people and the developed and natural environment from flooding. They have provided guidance in Department of the Environment Circular 30/92, "Development and Flood Risk", which advises local planning authorities and others on the arrangements for ensuring that planning decisions take account of any risk of flooding, whether inland or on the coast. Revised guidance on this important policy area is due to be issued in PPG25 shortly.

Manchester Airport

30. Mr. Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on heavy rail investment as part of the ground transport interchange at Manchester airport. [138966]

Mr. Hill: Manchester Airport PLC, Railtrack and the shadow Strategic Rail Authority are working together to reach agreement on how this project is to be funded and to establish whether the franchise replacement process can serve this project.

Planning Appeals (Flooding)

32. Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he is giving inspectors on appeals relating to planning

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applications in balancing housing need against regulations of the Environment Agency in cases involving potential flooding. [138968]

Ms Beverley Hughes: Planning guidance is a material planning consideration which inspectors, as well as local planning authorities, must take into account in reaching their decisions.

In addition to the general guidance in Circular 30/92 on "Development and Flood Risk", which is being updated in PPG25, guidance on housing is given in PPG3 on "Housing". This requires the assessment of the suitability of sites for housing against flood risk, taking into account that such risk may increase as a result of climate change.

Affordable Housing

34. Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to improve availability of affordable housing to people in rural areas on low incomes. [138970]

Mr. Mullin: The Government are publishing its Rural White Paper today. This sets out our strategy for increasing the provision of affordable housing in rural areas. This strategy includes a significant increase in resources for the provision of affordable housing and more effective use of authorities' powers to deliver affordable housing through the planning system.

Midland Metro

35. Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress he has made in evaluating the proposals for extension of the Midland Metro. [138971]

Mr. Hill: My Department is currently considering proposals for Midland Metro extensions to Birmingham city centre and to Brierley Hill, alongside other bids for major schemes as part of the local transport plan process. I hope to make an announcement shortly.

Nuclear Waste Storage

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the Government consultation document on the storage of nuclear waste. [138834]

Mr. Mullin: We will publish a radioactive waste management consultation paper very soon. This will begin the process which will lead to the implementation of a radioactive waste management policy capable of commanding widespread support across the UK.

Floods

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment has been made of the impact on the safety of (a) the sewerage system, (b) dams and dykes and (c) public water supplies of the countrywide floods in November. [138984]

Mr. Meacher: Overall, the floods appear to have had little impact on the water supply and sewerage infrastructure. My Department is in discussion with representatives of the water companies to see what lessons can be drawn.

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While the sewerage system in some areas was unable to cope with the volumes of water generated, the safety of the system itself appears to have been largely unaffected.

There appear to have been no significant impacts on dam safety. Research sponsored by my Department is looking at the effect on reservoirs of more frequent and severe storm events. Many river dykes and flood storage areas were severely tested and the initial impression is that most performed to, or beyond, their design standard. A detailed assessment must await the Environment Agency's report on the event once the waters have subsided and immediate actions have been completed.

On water supplies, water companies took all necessary action to safeguard public health in supplying drinking water. This included the issue by four companies of advice to boil water as a precautionary measure where pumping stations or treatment works were flooded and the temporary removal from supply of some groundwater sources due to flooding.

Homeless Families

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his latest estimate is of the number of homeless families in (a) temporary accommodation and (b) bed and breakfast accommodation in (i) Greater London, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [139432]

Mr. Mullin: Information on households accommodated under statutory homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts in England is published in a quarterly Information Bulletin (to be called Statistical Release in future), "Statuary Homelessness Statistics".

Tables 5 and 6 of the Bulletin present a national and London summary of the number of households in accommodation arranged by local authorities as at the end of each quarter, while Table 8 sets out available information at London borough level. Supplementary tables present key information reported by each local authority, including the numbers in bed and breakfast and in other forms of temporary accommodation.

Copies are held in the Library and the latest edition, published on 12 September, covers statistics up to and including the second quarter of 2000.

Housing (Flood Plains)

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what role is played by the Environment Agency when local authorities are considering applications for planning permission to build housing on a flood plain; and if he will make a statement. [139414]

Ms Beverley Hughes: The role of the Environment Agency is clearly explained in Circular 30/92 on "Development and Flood Risk", which is currently being revised and strengthened as the new PPG25. It is to advise on flood risk to the development proposed, on the basis of its own surveys of flood risk and any information provided by the applicant, and to advise how proposed development would itself affect flood risk. It also has to consider how development would affect rivers and existing new flood defence operations in relation to its own interests.

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The Agency is a statutory consultee for various types of development, including all development requiring environmental impact assessment and local planning authorities generally consult it on applications with flooding implications. As part of its flood defence supervisory duty, the Agency is committed to keeping its guidance to local planning authorities under review and updating it as needed. In partnership with local authorities, it reports to MAFF, DETR and the NAW on the success of its responses to planning applications, including where decisions have been against the Agency's advise.

As a possible means of strengthening the Agency's role, we are looking carefully at the responses to applications and considering the option of a Direction to local planning authorities for them to refer to the Secretary of State major applications which they propose to approve contrary to sustained objections from the Environment Agency.

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the planning applications for building on flood plains which have been opposed by the Environment Agency in the past 12 months. [140719]

Mr. Raynsford: This is information that is collated by the Environment Agency. They report annually in June to MAFF and DETR on MAFF's high-level target 12--Development in areas of flooding. The June 2000 report covered the period from October 1999 to March 2000, and included details of over 400 applications ranging from small extensions to major residential developments. The Agency has also recently cited over 900 applications to which they have objected in 1999-2000. I have asked the Agency for a copy and will look at it carefully when I receive it.

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