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Vehicle Removal
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consult police and local authorities about amending paragraph 10 of the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles Regulations 1986 (SI 1986/183) so as to reduce the period before which notice must be affixed to vehicles about to be removed for destruction from seven to three days. [101719]
Mr. Mullin: We have no plans to consult the police or local authorities on changing the period of notice they must give before removing abandoned vehicles. The existing regulations are intended to provide owners with safeguards against a local authority prematurely assuming a vehicle is abandoned and having it towed away for scrap. They also ensure that local authorities do not have to go to the unnecessary expense of removing and storing vehicles that may not, in the event, have been abandoned.
We believe that the current legislation provides a good balance between the powers of the police and local authorities to deal with abandoned vehicles and the rights of vehicle owners.
Shropshire RSG
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in which years between 1979 and 1999 the Government's revenue support grant for Shropshire County Council increased by double the rate of inflation or more. [102137]
Ms Beverley Hughes: Revenue Support Grant (RSG) was introduced in 1990. Between 1990-91 and 1992-93, Shropshire County Council received no RSG directly; the grant was paid into the collection funds operated by billing authorities, and thus supported expenditure by all tiers of authorities.
Only in 1994-95 was the increase in RSG of 11.06 per cent. more than twice the rate of inflation of 1.43 per cent., as measured by the GDP deflator. The increase in 1999-2000 in RSG and the county's share of national non-domestic rates of 6.01 per cent. was also more than twice the rate of inflation of 2.25 per cent. The change in RSG was affected in 1995-96 by the transfer of the RSG for police service to West Mercia Police Authority and in 1998-99 by the creation of Telford and the Wrekin as a separate unitary authority, thus precluding meaningful comparisons for those years.
Thameslink 2000 Project
Mr. Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on Railtrack's applications for Orders under the Transport and Works Act 1992 in respect of the Thameslink 2000 Project. [102136]
Mr. Hill:
Railtrack applied in September 1999 for an Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 to revise the proposals contained in the November 1997 application
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for powers to improve and extend the Thameslink network. The Secretary of State has received a total of about 1,000 objections to both applications. In view of the range and nature of the objections he has decided that it would be appropriate to hold a public inquiry into this scheme. This will probably start in the spring of 2000.
Mr. Woolas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking relating to foreign aircraft operating to the UK over the Millennium period. [102448]
Mr. Hill:
My Department has issued foreign airlines with their normal operating permits for providing services to and from the UK. These permits are granted to airlines only if they comply with international safety standards. In view of the Y2K problem, my Department has taken the exceptional step of asking airlines to provide information confirming that flights would be free from any Y2K safety related risk. The airlines have been advised that, in the event of such information not being provided, the Department reserves the right to suspend their permits over the critical period.
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Two airlines have yet to provide confirmation that their flights will be free from any Y2K safety related risk. These are Gulf Air; and Southern Aviation (Zambia). These airlines have therefore been advised that, unless such confirmation is received, their permits to operate to the UK over the Millennium period will be suspended.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the basis of his calculations of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 2000-01. [102548]
Ms Armstrong:
The amount of non-domestic rates in England for 2000-01 to be redistributed to Local Authorities will be £15,400 million, although estimated payments into the pool in 2000-01 will be £14,342 million. The non-domestic rate poundage (multiplier) will be 41.6 pence. The Distributable Amount includes an allowance of £415 million for an Exchequer payment to the non-domestic rates pool, to compensate for the shortfall which would otherwise occur as a result of the regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the transitional relief scheme, announced on 25 November 1999, Official Report, column 770.
The calculation for 2000-01, and the prior-year figures on which this is based, are set out in the following table.
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Notes:
The amounts shown are those recorded in the post end-year (NNDR3) returns. For 1999-2000 the amounts shown are the estimated outturn for the year based mainly upon authorities' provisional contributions to the non-domestic rating pool.
1. Item 1: The gross calculated rate yield represents the total value of non-domestic hereditaments on local rating lists times the multiplier.
2. Item 1(i)(a): The Transitional decrease adjustment includes the estimated amount of rates that will not be recouped from local list ratepayers under the transitional arrangements made by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the transitional relief scheme, announced by written PQ on 25 November 1999, Official Report, column 770W.
3. Item 1(i)(b): The empty property relief adjustments include voids and partially occupied hereditaments. The 2000-01 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
4. Item 1(i)(c): Charitable rate relief. The 2000-01 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
5. Item 1(i)(d): Rural Shops and Post Office relief. Figures for 1998-99 onwards include mandatory relief for village shops and post offices under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. The 2000-01 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
6. Item 1(i)(e): Discretionary relief granted to charities, non-profit making organisations and for other reasons including, for 1998-99 onwards, discretionary relief for village shops and post offices under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. The 2000-01 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.
7. Item 1(ii)(a) and (b): The allowances for the costs and losses incurred by authorities in collecting non-domestic rates from ratepayers.
8. Item 1(ii)(c): City Offset--the amount which the City of London will not be required to pay into the non-domestic rating pool. It is the amount which will be retained by the City to meet its own expenditure.
9. Item 1(iii): net adjustment in respect of appeals and other amendments to the rating list affecting liability for previous years rates settled in that year.
10. Item 2: the rateable value of non-domestic hereditaments on the central rating list times the multiplier, less the net effect of transitional arrangements, and adjusted for appeals and other changes in respect of previous years.
11. Item 3: the 2000-01 figure for Crown properties includes an allowance for the effect of transitional arrangements.
12. Item 4: the contribution from central government to offset the amount of the Secretary of State's estimate of income forgone as a result of transitional arrangements established by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the transitional relief scheme, announced by written PQ on 25 November 1999, Official Report, column 770W.
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