| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Operation Care
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how many of the cases referred to the CPS as part of Operation Care were (a) accepted and (b) refused; and what the main reasons for refusal were. [151613]
The Solicitor-General: Operation Care is an investigation into allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children in care in the Merseyside area from 1960 to the present day. Since April 1996, when Operation Care commenced, Merseyside police have submitted cases relating to 181 suspects to the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS prosecuted 59 suspects; 20 pleaded guilty, seven were convicted after trial, 10 were acquitted, four died before trial and 16 suspects sill await trial. Allegations against a further 21 suspects have been referred back to the police for further inquiries to be made. In addition, one person has been cautioned for a single sexual offence, which was unlikely to result in a sentence of imprisonment.
The CPS advised the police that a prosecution was not justified in the cases of the remaining 100 suspects. There was insufficient evidence against 90 of the suspects. The
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 48W
circumstances of the remaining 10 suspects meant that the public interest test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors was not satisfied.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Housing
Mr. Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many affordable housing units were built in the Wandsworth planning area in (a) 2000, (b) 1999, (c) 1998, (d) 1997 and (e) 1996. [148123]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The information requested is, as far as possible, as follows:
- 1999-2000
- Units completed: 117
- Units approved: 42.
Earlier figures are unavailable as information of this type was not routinely collected before the 2000-01 Housing Investment Programme (HIP) allocation round.
Mr. Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many affordable housing units were built in the Wandsworth planning area through planning gain (Section 106) in (a) 2000, (b) 1999, (c) 1998, (d) 1997 and (e) 1996. [148122]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: The information requested is, as far as possible, as follows:
- 1999-2000
- Discounted/free land: nil
- Financial contributions: nil.
Earlier figures are unavailable as information of this type was not routinely collected before the 2000-01 Housing Investment Programme (HIP) round.
Departmental Policies (Tooting)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Tooting parliamentary constituency, the effect of his Department's policies and actions since 1 May 1997. [149866]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The principal kinds of funding which this Department has provided to the London Borough of Wandsworth since 1 May 1997 are shown in the table. These include grants and borrowing approvals for revenue capital expenditure.
It is not possible to determine how much of this money has been spent on Tooting. It is for the local authority to decide where, within its boundaries, these resources are invested.
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 47W
(23) This relates to the grants for 1998-99 as amended by 'The Local Government Finance Report (England) 1998/1999: Amending Report 2000'
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 49W
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 49W
Single Regeneration Budget (SRB)
SRB Round 3--Wandsworth Town--A new urban centre
Currently in its fourth year of operation, this Round 3 SRB scheme incorporates the original Round 1 scheme. The central aim of the scheme is to transform Wandsworth into a new urban riverside centre for the 21st century. This scheme is delivered through the Wandsworth Challenge Partnership.
SRB Round 4--East Battersea Powerhouse
This is a six-year programme to ensure the redevelopment of the Battersea power station site benefits the surrounding community and contributes towards the overall regeneration of the East Battersea area.
SRB Round 6--Young People--Agents for change in Tooting
The purpose of this seven-year programme is to support and involve young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged and socially excluded from mainstream activity, in the development of their community in the Tooting priority community area. It focuses on four themes: Young People and Society; Young People, Education and Learning; Young People and Work; and Young People, Health and Wellbeing.
Hastings Bypass
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the cost-benefit ratio is for the A259 Hastings bypass recommended by the Steer Davies Gleave multi-modal study, according to the same methodology used by his Department appraising other schemes. [150901]
Mr. Hill: Guidance on the methodology for multi-modal Studies (GOMMMs), published by DETR in March 2000, provided a framework for applying the Government's new approach to appraisal (NATA) as part of the multi-modal study process. GOMMMs was followed by the Access to Hastings study which was completed in November 2000. The final report for this study provides a table of impacts which contains all the significant costs and benefits of the strategies. The balance of this information gives an 'overall net value' of the strategies. This includes an assessment of the affordability of the strategies, represented in more conventional terms of a cost benefit analysis.
An error was made by the consultants in their cost-benefit analysis for their two preferred strategies within the final report. Revised figures have been circulated and provide a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 0.5 for Strategy 12 ("without bypasses") and of 1.0 for strategy 13 ("with bypasses"). An assessment of the A259 Hastings bypass schemes provided a BCR of 1.7. These figures relate only to the economic assessment and not to other aspects of the appraisal, for example the environmental assessment.
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 50W
Local Transport (Sefton)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much capital programme (local transport plan) has been allocated to Sefton Council for 2001 to 2006; and if he will indicate the sums allocated to support schemes relating to (a) travel to schools, (b) walkwise, (c) traffic management and signing, (d) CCTV televisions, (e) cycling measures, (f) bridge maintenance, (g) principal road maintenance, (h) quality of life, including local safety schemes, street lighting, traffic calming and home zones, and (i) forward planning, in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) each year since 1994. [151568]
Mr. Hill: The information is as follows.
The block allocation local transport plan settlement for Merseyside for 2001-06 is as follows:
| Integrated transport block | Maintenance | Total | |
| Allocation | |||
| 2001-02 | 34,000 | 11,164 | 45,164 |
| Indicative allocation | |||
| 2002-03 | 31,700 | 11,628 | 43,328 |
| 2003-04 | 32,000 | 8,721 | 40,721 |
| 2004-06 | 31,600 | 8,721 | 40,321 |
| 2005-06 | 31,900 | 8,721 | 40,621 |
Of the total allocation for Merseyside for 2001-02, £5.163 million has been allocated to Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC). This covers both maintenance (principal road and bridge maintenance) and the integrated transport block, which includes the other elements referred to in the question. It is for Sefton MBC to decide how it will spend this allocation, but expenditure should be in accordance with the aims and objectives of the local transport plan for Merseyside.
The indicative allocations for 2002-03 to 2005-06 are Merseyside-wide, and the five local authorities will together decide the exact allocation to each on an annual basis.
The allocation to Sefton MBC for 2000-01 was £2.847 million. This represents Sefton's share of the £22.967 million block allocation to Merseyside for the maintenance and integrated transport programme contained in the 'provisional' Merseyside Local Transport Plan.
Prior to the introduction of Local Transport Plans, local transport funding was allocated under Transport Policies and Programmes system. Funding was allocated in four areas and the figures for Sefton MBC are detailed in the table.
5 Mar 2001 : Column: 51W
| Bridge maintenance | Principal road maintenance | Local safety schemes | Minor works--transport projects under £2 million | |
| 1994-95 | 363 | 185 | 319 | 308 |
| 1995-96 | 328 | 248 | 266 | 1,220 |
| 1996-97 | 510 | 192 | 200 | 1,000 |
| 1997-98 | 605 | 540 | 225 | 957 |
| 1998-99 | 170 | 190 | 181 | 979 |
| 1999-2000 | 640 | 192 | 254 | 1,222 |
It was for Sefton MBC to decide how to spend these allocations on the other specific elements mentioned in the question.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |