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Railways Act
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the occasions since 1997 when section 54 of the Railways Act 1993 has been used. [12740]
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Mr. Jamieson: Since 1997, section 54 has been used five times as follows:
- March 2000 in respect of 120 vehicles for Connex South Central
- March 2001 in respect of 818 vehicles for South West Trains
- July 2001 in respect of 240 vehicles for South Central/GoVia
- October 2001 in respect of eight new trailer cars and five new four-car units for Arriva Trains Northern
- November 2001 in respect of five two-car vehicles for Arriva Trains Northern.
Light Rapid Transport Scheme
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what contribution his Department is making to the light rapid transport scheme for Fareham-Gosport-Portsmouth; how the estimated cost of the scheme is to be financed; and if he will make a statement. [12664]
Ms Keeble: The agreement that the Government have reached with the authorities promoting the scheme provides for the public sector contribution to be shared between central Government and the authorities. This is in line with our general policy that about a quarter of the costs of a major public transport scheme of this kind should be met from local sources. The precise amounts involved will only be determined once the tendering process has been completed.
Affordable Housing
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what checks are made to ensure that affordable housing building takes place by house builders on former English Partnership land. [13004]
Ms Keeble: Each provider of affordable housing on English Partnerships land is contractually obliged to provide an agreed number of units, the delivery of which is confirmed upon practical completion of a particular development site or project.
Special Advisers
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received from civil service unions about the conduct of his special advisers since 7 June. [12992]
Airlines (Security)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received on (a) the deferred payment of air passenger duty, (b) the extra costs of airline and airport security and (c) maintaining insurance cover to airlines, since 11 September; and if he will make a statement. [R] [12975]
Mr. Jamieson: We have received various representations from the air transport industry on all of these issues. The Government moved quickly to underwrite, on a temporary basis, third party war risk insurance for UK airlines and service providers to the airline industry. The initiative has subsequently been widely copied elsewhere and was recently extended until
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23 November. The European Commission has set out guidelines on emergency aid measures which were endorsed at the meeting of European Transport Ministers on 16 October. We will take these guidelines into account in considering whether further aid should be provided to the British airline industry.
Flood Plains
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he is taking to ensure that house buyers are aware of the risks of purchasing a house built on a flood plain. [12889]
Ms Keeble: In September 1999 the Environment Agency published indicative floodplain maps using the best available current information. These were supplied to local authorities to inform the planning process and are updated annually. In December 2000 the Environment Agency placed these maps on the internet on their website www.environment-agency.gov.uk in the section entitled "What's in your backyard". Prospective home buyers can interrogate this site by postcode to see the area at flood risk. Further, more detailed information can be obtained by writing to the local Environment Agency area office.
Under the Government's proposals for sellers' packs, prospective buyers will be provided with key information about homes marketed for sale. Flood risk information is one of the items being considered for inclusion in the seller's pack. In the meantime, the Environment Agency is engaged in advanced discussions with the Law Society on making an 'Environment Agency Property Search Report', a standard part of the domestic and commercial conveyancing process in England and Wales. A pilot trial is running in North Wales and work is under way to extend this. Each Environment Agency report will include information on flood risk as well as other environmental data for which the agency has responsibility.
Local Government
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received about the effectiveness of local authority standards committees; and if he will make a statement. [12323]
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Dr. Whitehead: I have not received any representations about the effectiveness of local authority standards committees.
Recycling (London)
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which London-based organisations have received grants from (a) the single regeneration budget and (b) other sources to promote waste recycling in the past two years; and what the value was of grants in each case. [13277]
Ms Keeble [holding answer 8 November 2001]: Information on individual London-based organisations that received funding to promote waste recycling through the single regeneration budget is held by the SRB partnerships who distribute the funding. However, the London Development Agency, who are responsible for administering the SRB programme in London, have provided details of London SRB schemes that included waste management or recycling projects in their outputs in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. These are at table A. In addition, a SRB round 6 scheme "Re-engineering Secondary Materials for Thames Gateway" was awarded £5.4 million lifetime funding in summer 2000 but did not incur any project expenditure during 2000–01. This is run by London Remade, a strategic partnership between waste management companies, statutory authorities, London boroughs and community organisations, with the principal objective of promoting new markets and secondary industries based on reprocessing and reuse of London's recyclable materials.
The Environmental Action Fund, operated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), is designed to help voluntary groups advance the Government's environmental policies to London- based organisations to promote recycling and raise awareness of waste management issues. Table B lists the grants that were issued during 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02.
The Spending Review 2000 established a fund of £140 million specifically for local authority waste management and recycling. DEFRA will be consulting shortly on proposals for the distribution and use of this fund.
(7) Total award of SRB funding is for all the activities within the scheme
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| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | Project title | Amount |
| 1999–2000 | ||
| Hackney Community Recycling | Learning from Scrap | 48,743 |
| Safe Neighbourhoods Unit | Estate Recycling Support Project | 13,534 |
| Waste Watch | 3Rs for the 3rd Sector | 21,413 |
| Waste Watch | National Waste Awareness Initiative | 59,860 |
| Waste Watch | Supporting action on 'Less Waste More Value' | 99,000 |
| 2000–01 | ||
| Elephant Jobs | Community Composting | 14,500 |
| Elephant Jobs | Office Furniture Fittings | 26,108 |
| Hackney Community Recycling | Learning from Scrap | 49,439 |
| Safe Neighbourhoods Unit | Estate Recycling Support Project | 13,529 |
| Waste Watch | 3Rs for the 3rd Sector | 21,819 |
| Waste Watch | National Waste Awareness Initiative | 55,465 |
| Waste Watch | Supporting action on 'Less Waste More Value' | 110,000 |
| 2001–02 | ||
| BioRegional Development Group | An integrated Tree Station for London | 59,860 |
| Elephant Jobs | Community Composting | 14,500 |
| Elephant Jobs | Office Furniture Fittings | 26,108 |
| Hackney Community Recycling | Learning from Scrap | 33,250 |
| Waste Watch | National Waste Awareness Initiative | 71,680 |
| Waste Watch | Supporting action on 'Waste Strategy 2000' | 198,000 |
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