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Departmental Policies (Northampton, South)

Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Northampton, South constituency, the effects on Northampton of his Department's policies and action since May 1997. [11283]

Dr. Whitehead: The information is as follows:

Nature of funding	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Northampton borough council(2)
Revenue Support Grant (£ million)	7.322	8.080	7.550	7.249	7.772
Income from National Non-Domestic Rates (£ million)	6.021	6.171	6.674	7.548	7.359
South Northamptonshire
Housing Investment Programme (£000)	625	471	538	1,483	(3)2,135
Capital Receipts Initiative	—	—	—	n/a	n/a
Northampton
Housing Investment Programme (£000)	2,520	1,959	2,131	6,720	9,100
Capital Receipts Initiative (£000)	529	1,590	1,653	n/a	n/a
South Northamptonshire
Housing Revenue Account Subsidy(4) (£000)	807.27	—	—	—	817.05
Northampton
Housing Revenue Account Subsidy(5) (£000)	765.55	—	—	—	797.38
Northamptonshire county council allocations
Transport Supplementary Grant (£ million)	1.078	0.886	0.935	—	—
Transport Annual Capital Guideline (£ million)	1.078	0.886	0.935	—	—
Transport Block Supplementary Credit Approval (£ million)	1.300	1.369	2.236	5.089	11.866
Rural Bus Challenge Grant from 1999–2000 (£ million)	—	—	0.488	0.051	—
Rural Bus Subsidy Grant from 1998–99 (£ million)	—	0.697	0.697	0.697	0.890

⁽²⁾ Northampton borough council 2001–02 settlement key figures

Standard Spending Assessment (SSA)

Total SSA—£20.6 million

Increase over 2000–01—£0.615 million or 3.1 per cent. (average for class authority 4.6 per cent.)

EPCS SSA—£20.108 million

Increase over 2000–01—£0.503 million or 2.6 per cent (average for class of authority 4.5 per cent.)

General grant

Total grant—£15.131 million

Increase over 2000–01—£0.313 million or 2.1 per cent. (average for class of authority 3.9 per cent.)

Council tax 2000–01

Budget increase 3.4 per cent.—Band D council tax £145—Band D increase 5.9 per cent.

⁽³⁾ Includes MRA

⁽⁴⁾ Combined Management and Maintenance Allowance per dwelling 1.2 per cent. increase in cash terms but 8 per cent. in real terms.

⁽⁵⁾ Combined Management and Maintenance Allowance per dwelling 4.2 per cent. increase in cash terms but 5.4 per cent. in real terms.

SRB Funding in Northamptonshire

Year	SRB Rd 1	SRB Rd 5	SRB Rd 6	Total
1997–98	1,548,796	—	—	1,549,045.63
1998–99	1,024,501	—	—	1,549,045.63
1999–2000	1,783,938	11,954	—	3,098,091.26
2000–01	1,485,000	70,678	14,925	1,572,603.00
2001–02	942,812	96,678	134,700	1,175,190.50

SRB Round 1—Northampton Partnership—Target area—Northampton wards of Dallington and Kings Heath, Delapre, Southbridge, Castle and St. Crispin

SRB Round 5—Northamptonshire Connecting Communities—Target Area—whole county

SRB Round 6—Target Area—Northampton wards of Dallington and Kings Heath, Castle and St. Crispin

Rural Farm Building Grant

2001–02: £82,431—Towcester

The SRB funding represents the total SRB allocated during the financial year to a number of projects in the wards listed. The SRB Partnerships appraised and approved the vast majority of these projects. Therefore, East Midlands Development Agency does not have this information readily available. Moreover, as some of these projects operate in all wards and some in specific wards it is not practical to calculate how much funding has been allocated to individual wards.

1 Nov 2001 : Column: 791W

Planning Applications

Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the planning applications for housing development in Northampton on greenfield sites (a) which he has called in and (b) for which he has issued a holding direction since 7 March 2000, indicating (i) the location, (ii) number of houses and (iii) area of land involved. [11285]

1 Nov 2001 : Column: 792W

Ms Keeble: The planning applications listed are those submitted for housing development in Northampton on greenfield sites which the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has called in or issued a holding direction, since 7 March 2000. Also indicated is the location of the development, the number of houses to be provided and the area of land involved.

Hectares

Location	Number of houses	Area of land
(a) Cases called in since 7 March 2000
Banbury Lane Phase IV, Northampton	Approximately 175 dwellings	6.8
Land at Pineham North, Northampton	400 dwellings (as part of mixed use development incorporating B1 business, B2 industrial, B8 storage and distribution open space, landscaping)	68
	(b) Cases on which a Holding Direction was issued since 7 March 2000
Banbury Lane Phase IV, Northampton	Approximately 175 dwellings	6.8
Land at Pineham North, Northampton	400 dwellings (as part of mixed use development incorporating B1 business, B2 industrial, B8 storage and distribution open space, landscaping)	68
St. Crispins Hospital, Northampton	186 dwellings (plus some limited retail facilities)	7.4
St. Crispins Hospital, Northampton	900 dwellings (plus 150 bedroom hotel, local retain and community facilities)	72

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many planning decisions he has called in since 7 June; and when he will determine them. [11427]

Ms Keeble: Since 7 June 2001, 64 planning applications have been called in, of which four have subsequently been withdrawn by the applicants.

Called-in planning applications are normally considered at a planning inquiry, following which a planning inspector reports to the Secretary of State. We have set targets for Government Offices for the Regions to issue 80 per cent. of decisions on called-in planning applications in 13 weeks and 100 per cent. in 20 weeks following receipt of the inspector's report.

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the contracts awarded to (a) AEA Technology and (b) Amey Vectra Ltd. by his Department and its predecessor agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1999. [11017]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 29 October 2001]: The following contracts have been awarded by my Department and its predecessor agencies since May 1999 to;

(a) AEA Technology by:

(i) Central Department:

Management Support for the Safety & Health Business Plan;

Beacon Council Round 2 Theme Research: Sustainable Development/Local; Environmental Quality—Maintaining a High Quality Local Environment;

Contaminated Land Research Audit;

National Cycling Strategy—For the Provision of Marketing and Promotional Activities;

National Cycling Strategy—For services to promote the national Cycling Strategy;

Promotion of National Cycling Strategy;

School Travel Seminars 2000—Organisation of Workshops and regional seminars;

Are you doing your bit—travel awareness campaign research;

Provision of services to DETR/DEFRA;

DETR/DEFRA contribution towards cost of EU SAVE project (55 per cent.);

DETR/DEFRA contribution towards cost of EU SAVE project (20 per cent.);

DETR/DEFRA contribution towards cost of EU SAVE project (9 per cent.);

Provision of feasibility studies into environmental and marketing conditions (four contracts);

Air Quality at UK Regional Airports;

Local Air quality modelling for the South East and East of England Regional Air Service Study;

Regional Air Services Part 3: Air Quality Modelling for Midlands & Scotland

Professional Advice on Energy Matters;

Cost Effectiveness of noise reduction measures: Phase 1;

Ethanol emission testing;

Greener fleet certification scheme;

An in-service emissions test for spark ignition petrol;

Evaluation of traffic modelling & appraisal research programme;

In-Car particulate exposure;

Greener fleet certification scheme (company car fleets);

European particle measurement programme: Phase 1;

Rail research strategy co-ordinator;

Study of Air Quality at Airports (two contracts);

Comparative Study of the environmental effects of rail & short haul air travel;

Developed Countries Commitments to reduced/limit emissions of Greenhouse Gases during the period 2008 to 2012;

1 Nov 2001 : Column: 793W

Development & Implementation of a methodology to verify projected UK emissions of HydrofluoroCarbons, Perfluorocarbons & Sulphur Hexafluoride;

Assess atmospheric Ozone Measurement at Lerwick and Camborne;

Develop, maintain and archive the annual UK inventory of GHG emissions by sources and removals by sink;

Organise & provide technical support for IPCC expert workshop on good practice for reporting GHG Inventory guideline;

Carry out cost effectiveness analysis reduction Options for UK emissions of Methane and Nitrous Oxide;

Preliminary study to assess the likely effects of the EU Landfill Directive and the Government's draft waste strategy on GHG emissions.

(ii) Vehicle Inspectorate:

Diesel Emission Research;

Research Work on the Influence of On-board Diagnostic Fault on Vehicle emission.

(iii) Maritime and Coastguard Agency:

Ensure EUROSPILL was millennium compliant, update tidal data, display marine hazards;

Chemical dispersal of oil—a route for rapid removal from the environment;

Research project 473—Safety First Project;

General Technical queries in areas where the Agency does not possess the expertise Testing whether oil dispersant is still usable;

Administrating scheme and paying grants for scheme which supports merchant navy training.

(b) Amey Vectra Ltd by

(i) Maritime and Coastguard Agency:

Undertake surveys of customers and staff when requested by MCA on a call off basis.

(ii) Highways Agency:

Engineering Services.

Information on contracts let by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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