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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Housing

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of high concentrations of houses in multiple occupation on local communities. [101050]

Mr. Mullin: I am aware of concerns that have arisen in a few town and city neighbourhoods and am considering how these might be tackled. The Government are committed to introducing mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation when parliamentary time allows.

London Airports (Passengers)

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the effect on the number of passengers passing through London airports in 2015, based on the recent studies of the European Commission and assuming all EU countries applied a similar rate of tax, if a fuel tax on all airlines were imposed (a) at a rate of ecu 245 per 1,000 litres and (b) at the same rate as motor fuel excise (excise duty and VAT) in the UK. [101807]

Mr. Mullin: We are currently reviewing the Commission's recent Communication and related study. We are also working, through the International Civil Aviation Organisation, to examine a range of market based options to limit or reduce emissions from aviation. It would be premature to focus on the effects of specific rates of tax on numbers of passengers at the London airports: no such proposals have been made.

Education Standard Spending Assessment

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the expected SSA per pupil is for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils for each shire county education authority for the year 2000-01. [101829]

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Ms Beverley Hughes: The information requested is in the table.

2000-01 Consultation SSA for primary and secondary education
£/pupil

Consultation SSA 2000-01
County CouncilPrimarySecondary
Bedfordshire 2,3903,081
Buckinghamshire2,3903,093
Cambridgeshire2,3132,964
Cheshire2,2572,897
Cornwall2,3693,058
Cumbria2,3573,031
Derbyshire2,2662,923
Devon2,3453,038
Dorset2,2822,926
Durham2,3903,095
East Sussex2,4453,166
Essex2,4413,147
Gloucestershire2,2822,935
Hampshire2,3273,014
Hertfordshire2,4743,170
Kent2,4433,149
Lancaster2,3613,043
Leicestershire2,2022,848
Lincolnshire2,3593,041
Norfolk2,3783,052
North Yorkshire2,3322,983
Northamptonshire2,3082,974
Northumberland2,3323,014
Nottinghamshire2,2912,962
Oxfordshire2,3973,070
Shropshire2,3042,960
Somerset2,3102,984
Staffordshire2,2372,884
Suffolk2,3132,960
Surrey2,4363,127
Warwickshire2,2672,918
West Sussex2,3663,044
Wiltshire2,2922,971
Worcestershire2,2562,902

Farm-based Waste Recycling

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what planning guidance he gives to local authorities on the development of sites for deep clamp processing in farm-based waste recycling. [101673]

Ms Beverley Hughes: There is no planning guidance relating specifically to the development of sites for deep clamp processing of farm-based waste recycling. General guidance on planning control over waste management facilities, including composting sites, is contained in PPG10. Guidance on development related to agriculture and to farm diversification is contained in PPG7.

Community Sports Clubs

Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what encouragement he gives to local authorities to give rate relief to community sports clubs; what statistics he collects in this regard; and if he will make a statement. [101721]

Ms Beverley Hughes: Local authorities have full discretion to award up to 100 per cent. rate relief to non-profit making organisations, including sports clubs that meet the qualifying criteria. The Central Council of

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Physical Recreation estimates that there are 150,000 voluntary sports clubs affiliated to the national governing bodies of sport in the United Kingdom. However, we do not hold centrally information on the number of clubs subject to non-domestic rates, their rateable values or their rates bills reflecting discretionary relief awarded by local authorities.

We have been reviewing the arrangements under which local authorities may grant this relief to non-profit making sports clubs and expect to issue a consultation paper early next year.

Homelessness

Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for each district and unitary authority in (i) the South East Region and (ii) the Eastern Region, how many people were (a) registered homeless and (b) on the local authority waiting list for the last and current financial years. [101826]

Mr. Mullin: Homeless households accepted by local authorities are those which, after investigation, were found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need under part VII of the Housing Act 1996. The latest available information is given in the table, covering 1998-99 and the first quarter of 1999-2000 for homeless households.

Homeless households accepted and in priority need Number of households on the housing register at
1998-991999-2000 (1)1 April 1999
South East Region
Adur294791,162
Arun19258689
Ashford89202,201
Aylesbury Vale21965841
Basingstoke and Deane146(2)n/a4,245
Bracknell Forest73211,308
Brighton and Hove8682343,610
Canterbury214571,920
Cherwell138502,422
Chichester88242,148
Chiltern12434667
Crawley19151465
Dartford86261,575
Dover107312,231
East Hampshire116261,828
Eastbourne466991,753
Eastleigh128261,200
Elmbridge188351,976
Epsom and Ewell7214537
Fareham12021929
Gosport254611,167
Gravesham84211,847
Guildford118381,603
Hart5836588
Hastings140301,490
Havant324712,714
Horsham22160710
Isle of Wight270691,122
Lewes18942818
Maidstone11439959
Mid Sussex205311,418
Milton Keynes5371852,835
Mole Valley83211,177
New Forest293661,383
Oxford382(2)n/a3,099
Portsmouth6701344,759
Reading4641233,343
Reigate and Banstead156281,155
Rother52101,176
Runnymede5823694
Rushmoor188(2)n/a2,221
Sevenoaks201421,444
Shepway128242,595
Slough21301,739
South Bucks3461,064
South Oxfordshire140431,488
Southampton6631593,699
Spelthorne59192,284
Surrey Heath11131436
Swale55221,815
Tandridge97261,077
Test Valley125301,723
Thanet42131,528
The Medway Towns113383,708
Tonbridge and Malling15045658
Tunbridge Wells24255674
Vale of White Horse126271,919
Waverley91141,288
Wealden185(2)n/a1,066
West Berkshire20941887
West Oxfordshire3891,453
Winchester55221,129
Windsor and Maidenhead4272,419
Woking120351,547
Wokingham122241,359
Worthing218(2)n/a1,361
Wycombe26837996
East of England Region
Babergh106(2)n/a1,074
Basildon429722,878
Bedford283842,449
Braintree167452,503
Breckland156411,477
Brentwood8922513
Broadland209431,066
Broxbourne376501,668
Cambridge200484,319
Castle Point15340662
Chelmsford316833,733
Colchester5881693,237
Dacorum223(2)n/a3,479
East Cambridgeshire167321,042
East Hertfordshire132311,502
Epping Forest119231,914
Fenland130311,839
Forest Heath6671,063
Great Yarmouth118301,915
Harlow252611,933
Hertsmere6410657
Huntingdonshire113191,791
Ipswich182462,764
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk95331,390
Luton209415,622
Maldon8427511
Mid Bedfordshire7381,648
Mid Suffolk89221,545
North Hertfordshire179651,955
North Norfolk18751860
Norwich4591192,909
Peterborough95253,129
Rochford6011873
South Bedfordshire282662,649
South Cambridgeshire67172,293
South Norfolk130351,524
Southend-on-Sea83(2)n/a1,070
St. Albans154(2)n/a1,603
St. Edmundsbury93271,801
Stevenage102223,249
Suffolk Coastal12138955
Tendring4251061,960
Three Rivers134(2)n/a818
Thurrock163381,795
Uttlesford73(2)n/a963
Watford176601,472
Waveney182451,675
Welwyn Hatfield262492,201

(1) April-June 1999

(2) n/a denotes that the authority has not yet reported

Source:

Housing Investment Programme returns 1999 and Quarterly P1E (Homelessness Activity) returns 1999 Q1


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Local authorities have different practices for compiling and managing housing register/waiting lists which mean that simple comparisons between authorities can be misleading.


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