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Wandsworth
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funding has been provided by his Department to the London Borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years. [143146]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The following funding was provided by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions to the London Borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years:
- 2000-001
- Government Grant for Local Authority General Fund Revenue Support: £202,785,000
- Housing Revenue Account Subsidy: £29,740,875
- Housing Investment Programme: £20,832,000
- All Services Basic Credit Approval: £16,794,000
- Single Regeneration Budget: £3,260,264
- Local Transport Capital Expenditure: £1,676,000
- Highway Maintenance Standard Spending Assessment: £7,293,000
- 1999-2000
- Government Grant for Local Authority General Fund Revenue Support: £200,512,000
- Housing Revenue Account Subsidy: £30,198,391
- Housing Investment Programme: £8,484,000
- All Services Basic Credit Approval: £731,000
- Single Regeneration Budget: £2,283,274
- Local Transport Capital Expenditure: £2,080,000
- Highway Maintenance Standard Spending Assessment: £7,968,000
- 1998-99
- Government Grant for Local Authority General Fund Revenue Support: £197,549,000
- Housing Revenue Account Subsidy: £33,601,236
- Housing Investment Programme: £8,249,000
- All Services Basic Credit Approval: £ nil
- Single Regeneration Budget: £2,226,000
- Local Transport Capital Expenditure: £2,308,000
- Highway Maintenance Standard Spending Assessment: £7,763,000.
Rollercoaster Crash (Blackpool)
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the outcome of investigations of the rollercoaster crash in Blackpool's Pleasure Beach in September. [143153]
Mr. Meacher: The HSE investigation of the incident when two trains were in collision on the PepsiMax Big One rollercoaster on 31 August 2000 is still in progress. An immediate Prohibition Notice on use of the ride other than for testing was served on Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 1 September. This was replaced on 15 September by a further Prohibition Notice restricting the use of the ride to one train only. The second Prohibition Notice is still in
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force and will remain so until Blackpool Pleasure Beach has demonstrated that action has been taken to ensure that a collision between two trains cannot take place.
HSE has not yet come to any conclusions about further enforcement action.
English Nature
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the Moors Management Agreement initiated by English Nature, relating to Thorne and Hatfield Moors, and make it available in the Library. [143133]
Mr. Mullin: Discussions are currently taking place with the operator of the permission with regards to the release of the Agreement. It is hoped that this issue will be resolved soon.
I will ask English Nature to write to my hon. Friend in due course.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of English Nature's progress in producing conservation objectives for important United Kingdom conservation sites; and if he will make a statement. [143134]
Mr. Mullin: In England there are 788 sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) which host features of European or international importance. Of these sites first drafts of conservation objectives for features of interest have been prepared for 557 SSSIs and a further 59 drafts will be prepared by 20 December. These draft conservation objectives are currently subject to internal discussion and review, and will be re-assessed in the light of agreed guidance from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which is expected early next year. English Nature aim to produce conservation objectives for the remaining 327 SSSIs by April 2003.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the timetable is for English Nature producing conservation objectives for Thorne and Hatfield Moors and surrounding sites of special scientific interest; and if he will make a statement. [143132]
Mr. Mullin: English Nature aim to produce conservation objectives for all internationally designated sites by March 2001, at which stage copies of each will be placed in the Library.
Conservation Sites
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to produce detailed guidance for local authorities on the conduct of planning reviews arising from the designation of special areas of conservation and other sites of European significance. [143139]
Ms Beverley Hughes: Guidance on the review of extant planning permissions which are likely to have a significant effect on special areas of conservation or special protection areas is already set out in Annex C to Planning Policy Guidance Note 9 on nature conservation.
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Playground Injuries
Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what statistics his Department collates about injuries to children playing in local authority playgrounds; and if he will publish them. [143379]
Mr. Meacher: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) collates statistics on those accidents which are reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The table contains the statistics for the past four years.
| Year | Fatal | Non-fatal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 0 | 278 | 278 |
| 1997-98 | 1 | 195 | 196 |
| 1998-99 | 0 | 125 | 125 |
| 1999-2000(18) | 1 | 104 | 105 |
(14) Children are defined as individuals aged one year and up including 15 years of age. A search criteria of 0 years produces records where age is not known as well as children aged under age of one. These data cannot be disagregated.
(15) Local authorities have been identified by HSE: client status code--04.
(16) Playgrounds have been identified by HSE: process environment code--5550.
(17) Injuries reported to HSE's Field Operations Directorate.
(18) Provisional.
Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to (a) compel or (b) encourage local authorities to ensure that children's playgrounds have soft surfaces to minimise the risk of injury. [143380]
Mr. Meacher: Health and safety legislation already compels local authorities to carry out an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of persons not in their employment who may be affected by the manner in which they carry out their undertaking. This would include assessing the risks in children's playgrounds and such assessments should consider whether the surface complies with published standards on impact absorbing surfaces. Guidance on these standards is available to all local authorities.
Where local authorities fail to ensure playgrounds have suitable impact absorbing surfaces, HSE is prepared to take enforcement action.
Rural Bus Service (Shrewsbury)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each year since 1997 (a) the amount paid to Shropshire from the Rural Bus fund and (b) the number of new or improved bus services in Shrewsbury; and if he will make a statement. [143389]
Mr. Hill: Rural Bus Subsidy Grant was introduced in 1998-99, in that year Shropshire received £630,354 and introduced 46 new or improved rural bus services. In 1999-2000 the grant was the same but the number of services grew to 58. Shropshire has again been allocated £630,354 for the current financial year.
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Shropshire was also successful with two bids totalling £43,500 in the 1999 Rural Bus Challenge competition. They have also bid for funding from this year's competition; we hope to announce the results of that shortly.
We have already announced that the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant is to continue and that the funding will be increased in future years. The Rural White Paper includes details of our intention to extend the grant to also provide for services in and around market towns.
Council Housing
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each year since 1997 (a) the financial value of capital receipts and (b) the number of council houses repaired or improved in Shrewsbury and Atcham; and if he will make a statement. [143371]
Mr. Mullin: Information reported by Shrewsbury and Atcham Council to the Department since 1997 is given in the table. These figures exclude Social Housing Grant.
| Capital receipts (all services) £000 Total receiptsUsable receipts | Number of LA dwellings repaired or renovated | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 2,659 | 736 | 433 |
| 1998-99 | 3,088 | 965 | 525 |
| 1999-2000 | 3,510 | 1,037 | 531 |
Note:
A proportion of capital receipts is "reserved", and must be set-aside as provision for credit liabilities. The remainder is "usable" and may be applied for capital spending as the authority sees fit.
Source:
Department of the Environment
Capital Outturn Returns (COR5) and Housing Investment Programme Returns
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