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SSAs
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he will provide amended figures for standard spending assessments in 2001-02 for those local authorities with housing responsibilities which have been given inaccurate information by his Department; [143668]
- (2) if he will list those local authorities with housing responsibilities which have been given inaccurate figures by his Department for their standard spending assessments in 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. [143669]
Ms Armstrong: Updated information on the Government's proposals for the 2001-02 revenue support grant settlement was made available to all local authorities on Friday 15 December. The updated information takes into account the basic credit approvals announced on, or shortly after, 6 December and the taxbase figures which we expect to use for the settlement calculations. The figures for all those authorities with housing responsibilities incorporate the latest information on the apportionment of their 2001-02 basic credit approval between the general fund and the housing revenue account.
Departmental Projects
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the projects undertaken for his Department by (a) outside consultants, (b) academic researchers and (c) university departments since 1 May 1997, giving the total expenditure incurred in each category. [144085]
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Mr. Mullin: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Silloth
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list all forms of assistance (a) available from, (b) allocated through and (c) provided with the support of the DETR, the DTI, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Education and Employment to Silloth in Cumbria. [143440]
Ms Beverley Hughes
[holding answer 21 December 2000]: The following forms of assistance are available to, allocated through and provided with the support of the DETR, DTI, DCMS and DfEE to Silloth. (In some cases the information is provided for Allerdale and Cumbria, on the basis that it is for the district council and county council to determine which areas will be targeted for assistance):
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Objective 2--European Funding
Silloth is eligible for Objective 2 European regional funding. Assistance available under the North West Objective 2 programme for the period 2000-06 totals £400 million. A further £240 million is available over the same period for Objective 3, which delivers the European Social Fund throughout the region.
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
Allerdale will receive about £1.712 million over the next three years as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund announced in October.
New Commitment to Regeneration
There is one Pathfinder in West Cumbria which covers Allerdale and Copeland.
North West Development Agency
Silloth has received Rural Development Programme funding of £65,900k and Redundant Building Grants of £63,201k from the NWDA.
Housing Investment Programme
Resources for housing for the whole of the Borough of Allerdale are provided through the Housing Investment Programme. For next year this will incorporate an Annual Capital Guideline of £1,122k, an additional amount of £122k to tackle housing problems in former coalfield areas, and £133k Disabled Facilities Grant to support the funding of adaptations.
Local Transport Plan
Cumbria county council received over £15 million for 2001-02 in the recent Local Transport Plan settlement.
Department of Trade and Industry
Silloth is eligible for Regional Selective Assistance, Enterprise Grant Scheme and SMART funding. To date Silloth has received one RSA offer of £20,000 for a project with expected costs of £183,000 and seven jobs created. The full amount of grant has been paid to the company.
In addition, through Business Link Cumbria, small businesses in Silloth have access to advice and financial assistance. This support will continue via the Small Business Service from 1 April 2001.
Department of Culture, Media and Sport
Lottery Awards
Organisations in Silloth can apply for Lottery Awards funding.
Sports Action Zone
The Sports Action Zone for West Cumbria will receive £70k per year for at least five years.
Notes:
1. At national level, £527 million was taken from the total SSA to fund the Nursery Voucher Scheme in 1997-98.
2. Funding for the reduction of (infant) class sizes was part of the Standards Fund in 1998-99.
3. Education Action Zone funding is paid to the Zone not to the LEA.
4. Standards Fund/Gest figures are DfEE contribution only and exclude capital funding.
5. Some elements of the standards fund are targeted at Adult education and under fours, these have been included.
6. Nursery education grant data are not available for 2000-01.
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Early Years
Cumbria has been allocated sufficient funding to create 808 (£959,904) new free part-time early education places in 2001-02 rising to 915 (£1,114,470) in 2002-03 and 1,037 (£1,294,176) in 2003-04. The Cumbria Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership is responsible for setting criteria, based upon need, to decide which children should receive these places.
Sure Start
The Allerdale district will receive a Sure Start grant of up to £3 million over three years as part of the third wave of funding.
Allerdale is part of the rural pilot programme which is exploring how services can best be delivered to families over a wider geographic area than that covered by other Sure Start Programmes.
Employment and Training
The Employment Service offers a full range of services to unemployed people in Silloth through its Jobcentres in Maryport and Carlisle. In addition, a vacancy display has been set up at Silloth's community centre, offering a freephone link to Maryport Jobcentre. This will be replaced next year by a vacancy kiosk with computer links to Jobcentre vacancies.
Workington and Carlisle each have Jobclub and Jobplan workshops which advise clients and offer support in finding employment. Intakes are on a weekly basis and travel expenses are refunded.
Maryport Jobcentre currently undertakes twice weekly sessions at Johnson Controls to take claims for benefit and offer employment advice to staff being made redundant. The redundancy has been declared large scale and early access to ES programmes is open for redundant workers. Ongoing meetings between Employment Services, Cumbria county council and Enterprise Cumbria Ltd. have now defined the plan to submit an application to the Rapid Response Fund to assist workers with additional support for re-training.
The local Jobcentre works closely with the local parish council and periodically holds advisory sessions for clients at the community hall.
New Deal for Young People
Silloth is part of the Cumbria Unit of Delivery (UoD). New Deal for Young People in the Workington parliamentary constituency has placed 652 people into employment since April 1998, 508 of whom were in sustained employment (employment exceeding 13 weeks).
Flooding (Burnt Oak)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement concerning the flooding of Deans Lane
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Allotments, Burnt Oak, from London Underground drainage works, and the consequent claims for compensation and proper reinstatement of neighbouring drains. [143797]
Mr. Hill [holding answer 21 December 2000]: No. This is an operational matter for London Underground and I understand that they are seeking to establish whether any significant damage has occurred, before determining appropriate action.
Air Quality
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will (a) make a statement on the Government's approach to the monitoring of air quality, (b) list those sites which the Government use for monitoring air quality and (c) make a statement on the role of local authorities in monitoring air quality. [143883]
Mr. Meacher: The air quality strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000, sets objectives for eight main air pollutants in order to protect people's health and maintain sustainable development. This strategy takes account of European legislation and international agreements essential to improve air quality across Europe and the United Kingdom. Over many years successive Governments have developed a variety of national networks which monitor and measure concentrations of the main pollutants in the ambient air. My Department continues to review and extend that coverage to ensure our obligations are fully met and it produces the information necessary for proper decision-making.
A detailed description of the networks, individual monitoring sites within the networks, and recorded measurements is available on my Department's worldwide website (http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/ airq/aqinfo.htm) within the national air quality archive. Copies of annual reports of the networks are also published on the Department's website. Summary information on measured pollution levels and their effects on people's health is available daily on Teletext and CEEFAX pages, as well as through weather bulletins. A copy of the air quality strategy is available in the House of Commons Library and a list of monitoring sites will be made available to the Library.
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Local authorities also have a key role to play in monitoring air quality. Under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995, all local authorities are required to review and assess their local air quality and to designate air quality management areas where they expect any significant problems. The monitoring of current levels of key air pollutants, combined with the forecasting of likely future levels of these pollutants, is a fundamental part of this exercise. My Department has provided over £12 million worth of supplementary credit approvals to local authorities in recent years to assist with the purchase of monitoring equipment, and has provided detailed technical guidance on operational monitoring issues.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent instructions he has given the Environment Agency with regard to the (a) monitoring and (b) enforcement of regulations relating to air quality. [143884]
Mr. Meacher: In the last four months, I have issued no new instruction by way of a direction to the Environment Agency with regard to the (a) monitoring and (b) enforcement of regulations relating to air quality. However, instructions were given which indirectly relate to air quality on the 25 October 2000, when a transitional direction was issued under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 to ensure directions previously made under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 continue to have effect under the new regime.
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