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Working Families Tax Credit

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Glasgow, Pollok are in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit. [147871]

Mr. Foulkes: Copies of the latest quarterly inquiries giving statistics for the Working Families Tax Credit and the Disabled Persons Tax Credit are in the House Library. These statistics contain estimates, based on a 5 per cent. sample of awards, of the number of recipients in each parliamentary constituency and in each local authority. As at August 2000, it is estimated that around 2,100 families in Glasgow, Pollok were in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Local Transport Plans

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that money allocated to local authorities for local transport plans is not transferred to other local authority services. [149172]

Mr. Hill: For 2001-02, the majority of capital funding allocated for local transport will be provided in the form of grant and supplementary credit approvals (SCA) which are ring-fenced for transport.

From 2002-03 the new cross-service single capital pot--which will include a contribution to cover small- scale integrated transport measures and maintenance of local highways and bridges--will be introduced to provide authorities with discretion over the allocation of capital funds across their functional responsibilities. This does not affect the need for authorities to allocate the resources required to deliver their objectives and targets. It does, however, allow them greater flexibility in the use of those resources and will help deliver improved outcomes and better services through more effective tackling of cross-cutting issues. Allocations for major transport schemes costing over £5 million will continue to be provided as grant and SCA and ring-fenced to the particular schemes concerned.

We have now put in place, under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000, a clear statutory duty on authorities to carry out their functions to deliver their local transport plans and we expect them to commit the resources to do so. We are also requiring authorities to monitor their progress against the objectives and targets set in their

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plans and to provide annual progress reports which we shall take into account in determining annual allocations to authorities.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the quality of the first round of local transport plans. [149170]

Mr. Hill: It is very encouraging to see the standard and commitment demonstrated by all authorities in completing their full local transport plans (LTPs). Overall, they represent a significant improvement on the provisional plans submitted in July 1999.

The plans demonstrate that authorities are taking forward the Government's integrated transport agenda at the local level, taking full account of the importance of the environment, safety, economy, accessibility and integration. The full LTPs are also increasingly integrated with wider corporate objectives, and recognise the role transport can play in tackling broader local issues such as health and social exclusion.

The commitment many authorities have shown in engaging local partners and communities in finalising their full plans has been particularly impressive, with many undertaking comprehensive and innovative participation exercises.

The plans also illustrate that authorities are aware of the importance of monitoring their performance and are taking steps to ensure that monitoring systems are in place to show how they will achieve their targets and objectives.

Oil Tankers

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what negotiations he is initiating to ensure that maritime states give shelter to oil tankers on the high seas which are in danger of breaking up. [148169]

Mr. Hill: This is a matter which potentially affects all maritime states, and the appropriate international forum in which to discuss it is the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Indeed, the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee is expected to discuss the issue of ports/places of refuge when it meets in May of this year.

Planning

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to levy charges on an increasing scale on developers who make repeated appeals in residential planning cases. [149057]

Ms Beverley Hughes: We have no plans to levy charges on developers who make repeated planning appeals. Section 70A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives local planning authorities the power to turn away planning applications where a substantially similar proposal has been rejected by the Secretary of State, on appeal or following a call-in, within the previous two years and where there has been no significant change in the material circumstances.

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Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will bring forward proposals to give objectors equal rights to developers and their agents when inspectors visit sites subject to residential planning applications. [149058]

Ms Beverley Hughes: Under the statutory rules for handling appeals by inquiries or hearings, all parties, including objectors, have an opportunity to attend a site visit if undertaken by an inspector. The rules for handling appeals by written representations do not include provision for a site visit, but an inspector will always make one. The planning inspectorate will notify objectors of the site visit arrangements if they have been asked to do so.

In all cases, inspectors refuse to hear evidence or submissions from any parties during a site visit.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will limit the number of appeals a developer can make in residential planning cases. [149059]

Ms Beverley Hughes: A developer's right of appeal to the Secretary of State against a local planning authority's refusal of, or failure to decide, a planning application is a long-established part of the planning system. Section 70A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 enables local planning authorities to turn away repeat applications in defined circumstances. We have no plans to change the current position.

Transport Infrastructure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the value was of Government financial grants to the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive for each year from 1996-97 to the most recent year for which figures are available. [149069]

Mr. Hill: I should first point out that there is a fundamental difference between Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) and Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs). The PTAs function is to formulate general policies for meeting public transport requirements in its area, and the function of the PTE is to put these policies into effect, with funding from the PTA.

The figure I am quoting relate to grants and borrowing approvals announced in the local transport capital expenditure settlements for the South Yorkshire PTA for the financial years 1996-97 to 2001-02. They are as follows:

	£ million
1996-97	3.251
1997-98	5.600
1998-99	6.125
1999-2000	8.500
2000-01	11.923
2001-02	22.500
Total	57.899

In addition, some of the funds initially allocated to the South Yorkshire PTA were transferred to the South Yorkshire districts in-year for public transport works. Of the total figure of £57.899 million allocated to the South Yorkshire PTA for the period 1996-97 to 2001-02, it is estimated that £43.894 million was transferred to the South Yorkshire districts. This gives an estimated residual figure of £14.005 million issued to the South Yorkshire PTA over the six year period.

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Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the value was of Government financial support for transport infrastructure projects affecting Doncaster residents, for each year since 1996-97. [149070]

Mr. Hill: The figures I am quoting relate to grants and borrowing approvals announced in the local transport capital expenditure settlements for Doncaster Metropolitan borough council for the financial years 1996-97 to 2001-02. They are as follows:

	£ million
1996-97	5.712
1996-98	2.732
1998-99	1.036
1999-2000	2.850
2000-01	19.684
2001-02	(8)24.790
Total	56.804

⁽⁸⁾ This figure includes £9 million Transport Supplementary Grant held back until required.

In addition, some of the funds initially allocated to the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (SYPTA) were transferred to the South Yorkshire districts in-year for public transport works. For the period 1996-97 to 2001-02 some £57.899 million was initially issued to the SYPTA, and of this it is estimated that £9.243 million was transferred to Doncaster Metropolitan borough council. This gives an estimated total of £66.047 million issued to Doncaster over the six year period.

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy regarding the use of a hybrid Bill as the means of promoting a transport infrastructure project to which the Transport and Works Act 1992 applies. [148976]

Mr. Hill: The Transport and Works Act procedure is the normal means of considering whether authority should be given for transport infrastructure projects that fall within its scope. This would not preclude the possibility of the Government promoting a hybrid Bill where we considered this to be an appropriate means of authorising a scheme.

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