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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Travellers
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money was spent by the Highways Agency in respect of their site occupied by travellers near the A50/A38 junction in Willington, Derbyshire on (a) clearing waste, (b) erecting barriers and (c) maintaining security in the last 18 months. [151813]
Mr. Hill: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Mark Todd, dated 7 March 2001:
- The Transport Minister, Keith Hill, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about costs incurred by the Highways Agency in clearing waste, erecting barriers, and maintaining security following its occupation by travellers in April 2000.
- The costs were £13,800, £3,700 and £17,200 respectively.
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Public Safety Zones (Biggin Hill Airport)
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the status is of the maps and co-ordinates issued by his Department showing public safety zones for Biggin Hill airport; what consultation preceded their publication; under what powers public safety zones are established; and upon what information the designation of the public safety zones is determined. [151995]
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: Public safety zones have no basis at present in legislation, although reference to them is included in Department of the Environment Circular 2-92 and they have existed near an increasing number of airports since their introduction over 40 years ago. Following a review of public safety zone policy and its administration, my Department carried out public consultation in 1997-98 on a proposal that public safety zones should be redefined on the basis of risk contour modelling. My hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Ms Jackson), the then Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, announced on 31 July 1998, Official Report, columns 638-39W, that public safety zones would correspond essentially to the areas which might be expected to experience an individual risk of death from aircraft accidents of one in 100,000 per year or greater, based on broad assumptions about the numbers and types of aircraft expected to use the relevant airports in 15 years time. She announced on 15 June 1999, Official Report, column 86W, that public safety zones would be defined on this basis at the other airports for which modelling work suggested that this would be justified. On the same day my Department issued for public consultation a draft circular containing guidance to local planning authorities for considering planning applications arising within public safety zones.
My hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin), then the Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, announced on 19 April 2000, Official Report, columns 495-496W, that public safety zones would be established for the first time at Biggin Hill and several other airports. On 26 May 2000 my Department asked local planning authorities to apply the guidance in the draft circular on an interim basis when determining planning applications within these zones. Biggin Hill is one of 26 airports for which public safety zones have so far been established and Ordnance Survey grid co-ordinates issued, based on airports' forecasts of the numbers and types of aircraft expected to use the respective airports in 2015. I hope to issue the final version of the guidance and definitive maps of the zones in the next few months.
Policy Planning Guidance Notes
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages in combining PPGs 15 and 16; and if he will make a statement. [151864]
Ms Beverley Hughes: We have made no such assessment and we have no current plans to combine these planning policy guidance notes.
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One NorthEast
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much funding was made available to One NorthEast and its predecessor bodies engaged in regional regeneration in each year since 1995. [152472]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The predecessor bodies of One NorthEast that were engaged in regional regeneration were English Partnerships North East Regional Office, the Northern Regional Office of the Rural Development Commission, the Northern Development Company and the Government Office for the North East. The funding to these bodies from central Government from 1995-96 to 1998-99 is shown in the table:
From 1 April 1999 One NorthEast was funded by grant in aid from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, from European programmes and from receipts generated from the management and disposal of its land and property assets. For 1999-2000 the grant-in-aid was £93,479,000 and for 2000-01 it is currently estimated to be £105,799,000.
| £ million | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Government Office for the North East(13) | English Partnerships(14) | Rural Development Commission(15) | Northern Development Company(16) |
| 1995-96 | 80 | 34 | 3.332 | 1.800 |
| 1996-97 | 158 | 32 | 2.674 | 1.813 |
| 1997-98 | 142 | 47 | 2.463 | 1.823 |
| 1998-99 | 20 | 43 | 2.322 | 1.826 |
(13) The funding relates to the Single Regeneration Budget that was administered by the Government Office for the North East until 31 March 1999. The funding relates to the relevant SRB bidding round and for approved schemes for up to seven years.
(14) English Partnerships funding is a mixture of grant-in-aid and income generated from assets. Funds from all sources were pooled and allocated to each English Partnerships region.
(15) The figures represent spending on the Rural Development Commission's Rural Programme for the North East region.
(16) The figures represent funding received from the Department of Trade and Industry for inward investment and Regional Supply Office activities only.
Regeneration Initiatives
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria for assessing applications for financial support for economic and physical regeneration initiatives for funds administered by his Department; and what account they take of (a) the variation in the availability of previously developed land and buildings and (b) other considerations of environmental capacity. [152338]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The assessment of applications for financial support for regeneration initiatives is based on a project appraisal. Guidance on appraisal is provided in the Treasury Green Book (1997) and in "A Framework for the Evaluation of Regeneration Projects and Programmes" (EGRUP, 1995). The basic requirements for an appraisal include assessing:
- need for the project;
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sustainability;
- aims of the project;
- alternative options;
- costs, values and benefits of a project, including social, environmental and economic effects;
- timing of these costs, values and benefits;
- value for money;
- additionality of outputs--looking at what additional outputs are delivered above those that would occur anyway;
- project viability and risks to the project, including details as to how these risks will be minimised.
The Single Regeneration Budget supports schemes run by local regeneration partnerships, which can include economic and physical regeneration projects. It is for the partnership to decide the criteria for supporting a project, subject to it linking to the overall scheme objectives agreed previously with the RDA; limits under EC state aid regulations; and rigorous project appraisal, which would include all of the above.
Cycling
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many kilometres of dedicated cycle paths have been created in each year since 1992. [152345]
Mr. Hill: Information about the lengths of cycle lanes created on the carriageway and cycle tracks away from the road is not held centrally.
We are encouraging all local highway authorities to increase the provision of cycle facilities in accordance with a cycling strategy as part of their Local Transport Plans.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent by Government on dedicated cycling infrastructure in each financial year since 1992-93. [152344]
Mr. Hill: This information is not available in the form requested.
As far as local authority schemes are concerned, no separate funding is made available to encourage cycling. It is for individual authorities to decide the amount to spend on cycling from their overall total allocation of funding. Total allocations, from which spending on schemes to encourage cycling could be made, have been as follows.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Year | Amount available |
| 1992-93 | 109 |
| 1993-94 | 125 |
| 1994-95 | 70 |
| 1995-96 | 128 |
| 1996-97 | 118 |
| 1997-98 | 79 |
| 1998-99 | 85 |
| 1999-2000 | 160 |
| 2000-01 | 250 |
| 2001-02 | 559 |
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Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent by Government on schemes in the Cycle Challenge project in each financial year since its creation. [152347]
Mr. Hill: The Cycle Challenge project was a one-off initiative. Payments were made only in 1995-96 and 1996-97. The Department spent £1,989,694.00 on 74 projects spread around the country. All the projects were designed to promote cycling at a local level.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent by Government on (a) research into promoting cycling and making cycling safer in each financial year since 1992 and (b) the marketing of the National Cycling Strategy in each financial year since its creation. [152346]
Mr. Hill: Government spend since 1992 on research into promoting cycling and making cycling safer is shown in the table.
| Year | £000 (gross) |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 186 |
| 1993-94 | 156 |
| 1994-95 | 239 |
| 1995-96 | 432 |
| 1996-97 | 508 |
| 1997-98 | 606 |
| 1998-99 | 283 |
| 1999-2000 | 493 |
| 2000-01 | (17)302 |
(17) Part year spend only
The Highways Agency also conducts research into promoting cycling and making cycling safer, on which we work collaboratively. The estimated spend last financial year was £100,000.
A contract to market the National Cycling Strategy was let in April 2000 and is due for completion in March 2002. The contract, which aims to deliver the main objectives of the Strategy to key decision makers in the public and private sectors, is worth £350,000. In addition, a further £35,000 was spent in 2001 on the production of a promotional video.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many kilometres of the London Cycle Network have been created in each year since its creation; and how much has been allocated to London boroughs for the London Cycle Network for each financial year since its creation. [152348]
Mr. Hill: The figures for kilometres created in individual years before 1997 are unavailable. In 1996-97 the London Cycle Network (LCN) was 908 kilometres long.
| Length (km) | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 908 |
| 1997-98 | 147 |
| 1998-99 | 161 |
| 1999-2000 | 129 |
The LCN is currently some 1,345 kilometres long.
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The following table provides details of the resources that my Department has allocated for the LCN under the Local Transport Settlement. Future allocations will be made by the Mayor and Transport for London.
| Allocation (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 3.00 |
| 1996-97 | (18)4.00 |
| 1997-98 | 4.00 |
| 1998-99 | 5.00 |
| 1999-2000 | 5.50 |
| 2000-01 | 6.00 |
| Total | 27.50 |
(18) Includes £1 million for London Cycling Initiative
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the timetable and interim targets are for completion of the London Cycle Network; and if he will make a statement. [152343]
Mr. Hill: Responsibility for the London Cycle Network has transferred to the Mayor.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the timetable and interim targets are for achieving the National Cycling Strategy's objective concerning the proportion of journeys made by bicycle; and if he will make a statement. [152342]
Mr. Hill: The Government endorsed the targets in the 1996 National Cycling Strategy, to double the number of cycle trips by 2002, and to quadruple them by 2012. To achieve increases on the scale envisaged, major improvements need to be made in the infrastructure for cycling. It has become increasingly clear that the interim target for 2002 did not allow enough time for such improvements to be planned and implemented. The Government remain committed to the target for 2012, and in the 10-Year Transport Plan we have set a new interim target of trebling cycling by 2010.
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