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LSVT
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans his Department has to reform the voting rights of council tenants under large-scale voluntary transfers. [102063]
Mr. Mullin [holding answer 9 December 1999]: None. Although a ballot is not a statutory requirement, the best way of assessing the level of tenant support for a proposed transfer is a properly conducted formal ballot of all secure and introductory tenants who will be affected.
External Consultants
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on external consultants and advisers since May 1997. [102071]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
Estimated expenditure on external consultants and advisers by the Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions since May 1997 to 30 November 1999 is as follows.
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| Year | Agencies (13) | NDPB's |
|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 8.1 | 21.2 |
| 1998-99 | 14.3 | 23.1 |
| 1999-2000 (to date) | 10.8 | 22.5 |
(13) Figures for Agencies excludes the Highways Agency programme consultancy expenditure related to work on the road network.
London Underground
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent to date on (a) legal, (b) financial and (c) other consultancy costs for the London Underground public-private partnership for each of the three proposed infrastructure companies. [102247]
Mr. Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake) on 6 December 1999, Official Report, columns 430-31W.
Housing
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how the Government intend to deal with future housing allocations in local authority areas which have no brownfield sites left. [102217]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The amounts of previously developed land will differ between local authority areas but all authorities will be expected to contribute as far as possible to achievement of regional and the national 60 per cent. target for recycling land and buildings, and to set their own targets accordingly.
Hedges
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what plans he has to change the planning regulations on permitted development rights relating to the inserting of windows into existing walls of properties, in connection with the plans to control the height of hedges and other such trees; and if he will make a statement; [102211]
- (2) what plans he has to bring the height of hedges and similar trees under planning law; and if he will make a statement. [102212]
Mr. Mullin:
Last month my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment launched a consultation paper asking people for their views on possible solutions to the problems caused by high hedges. The consultation paper includes the report of a study, carried out by officials, which looked at the scale and nature of the problems and the effectiveness of a range of options for dealing with them. The study suggested that bringing the height of hedges under planning law might be disproportionate because it would not be targeted on hedges which were causing problems. It would also have other practical difficulties.
13 Dec 1999 : Column: 73W
The study did not consider changing planning regulations on permitted development rights relating to the inserting of windows into existing walls of properties.
We hope as many people as possible will respond to the consultation to help us decide whether more should be done to relieve this source of long-running and distressing neighbourhood disputes.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to change planning law to enable a third party to appeal to the Secretary of State against a planning decision made by the local authority; and if he will make a statement. [102207]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The Government have no current plans to introduce a right of appeal for third parties.
It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to act in the general public interest when determining planning applications. Local authorities must determine applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Such considerations can include views expressed by local residents and other third parties.
The scope for third parties to participate fully in the development control process has been increased in recent years, through the statutory requirements to consult on the preparation of the development plan and to publicise all planning applications.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the amount of the business rate carried forward from the 1999-2000 to the 2000-01 local government settlement. [102518]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The basis for the calculation of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 2000-01 is set out in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) on 9 December 1999, Official Report, column 604W. In arriving at the distributable amount we have estimated that there will be a cumulative surplus of £1,058 million from the pooling of non-domestic rates and redistribution to Local Authorities in England.
Mr. Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was collected in business rates from businesses in (a) Gloucestershire, (b) Tewkesbury and (c) Cheltenham in the last three years for which figures are available; and how much he expects will be collected in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. [102208]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
The amount of business rates collected by each shire district in Gloucestershire for the last three years is shown in the table, together with the estimated net yield for 1999-2000. Information for 2000-01 is not yet available.
13 Dec 1999 : Column: 74W
| £000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business rate receipts (14) for 1996-97 | Business rate receipts for 1997-98 | Business rate receipts for 1998-99 | Net yield for 1999-2000 (15) | |
| Cheltenham | 27,196 | 27,123 | 28,686 | 27,776 |
| Cotswold | 11,189 | 12,132 | 12,947 | 12,657 |
| Forest of Dean | 7,330 | 7,403 | 7,730 | 7,723 |
| Gloucester | 26,621 | 28,772 | 30,061 | 28,861 |
| Stroud | 12,848 | 13,373 | 14,683 | 14,631 |
| Tewkesbury | 11,147 | 11,876 | 12,462 | 12,229 |
(14) All business rate receipts are in respect of the year shown.
(15) The figure represents the gross yield reduced for mandatory relief, discretionary relief and transitional relief, but does not take into account any allowances for losses in collection and cost of collection. It was estimated just prior to the start of the financial year forming the provisional contribution made by the authorities to the business pool rate.
TREASURY
Employment
Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households which had no one in employment on 1 May 1997 now have a member of the family in paid employment. [101308]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 6 December 1999]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Jim Murphy, dated 13 December 1999:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking how many formerly workless households now have at least one person in employment.
The ONS collects information about workless households via the Labour Force Survey. ONS analyses are based on working age workless households, which are defined as households where there is at least one person of working age and no household members are employed. Although estimates of the total numbers of such households are available on a half-yearly basis the ONS cannot accurately identify how many households have changed status from workless to working or vice versa; only the net change is available.
The ONS estimates that between spring (March to May) 1997 and spring 1999 there was a net fall of 106,000 in the number of workless working age households (from 3,281,000 to 3,175,000).
Income Tax
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the case of a single person starting work on 1 January earning (a) (i) 50 per cent. and (ii) 75 per cent. of average earnings, (b) average earnings, (c) 150 per cent., (d) 200 per cent., (e) 300 per cent. and (f) 400 per cent. of average earnings, how much income tax that person would pay over a working lifetime of 40 years based on current rates of income tax and assuming an annual increase in average earnings of 2 per cent. per annum. [101949]
Dawn Primarolo: A reliable estimate could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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