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South Coast Multimodal Study

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the South Coast multimodal study is permitted to consider the impact of fare reductions on train services, underwritten by (a) the relevant train operating company, (b) the SRA and (c) his Department, as part of its remit to find ways to maximise use of the existing infrastructure. [15390]

Mr. Jamieson: Our draft directions and guidance to the SRA require it to keep under review the level of regulated and unregulated fares. The South Coast multimodal study will consider rail options for the routes covered by the study in order to identify cost effective ways of improving rail travel in the study corridor. The Government Office and their consultants are working with the Strategic Rail Authority in identifying and developing rail solutions.

Highways (Consultation Exercise)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) organisations and (b) individuals who responded to the consultation on the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 section 64A—charges for occupation of the highway which closed on 12 October; and when the official Government response to that consultation will be published. [15954]

Ms Keeble: The list of those responding to the consultation under section 74A of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991—charge for whole duration of works—is set out. The Government intend laying regulations under section 74A before Parliament within a few days. As these are affirmative regulations, they will need to be debated in both Houses.


















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Hostel Beds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many hostel beds were available in (a) London and (b) the rest of the country in each of the last 10 years. [16218]

Ms Keeble: This information is not collected centrally.

Local Authority Repairs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many landlords have been prosecuted for disregarding local authority repairs notices since 1990. [16100]

Ms Keeble: This information is not collected centrally.

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which councils operate private leasing of unsold homes as a means of housing homeless families; and how many families are housed by each local authority in private leasing accommodation. [16097]

Ms Keeble: My Department seeks information about English local authorities' activities under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 on the quarterly P1 (E) housing returns. Data collected include the number of households being temporarily housed by the authority. These separately distinguish households in private sector accommodation that has been leased either by the local authority itself or by a registered social landlord, although the reason that the property became available for leasing is not collected.

Supplementary tables produced with the Department's quarterly Statistical Release on homelessness activity, present reported information on individual local authorities' use of various types of temporary accommodation, and of the numbers of households accommodated in them, on the last day of the quarter. The latest tables, published on 12 September 2001, cover the period to the end of June 2001. Copies are available in the Library of the House and are also on the DTLR website.

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Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many homeless people there were in each of the last 10 years. [16220]

Ms Keeble: The number of households accepted by local authorities in England under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts, as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, was as follows:

YearNumber
1991–92139,630
1992–93136,230
1993–94125,360
1994–95116,850
1995–96116,550
1996–97110,810
1997–98102,650
1998–99104,150
1999–2000106,130
2000–01114,350

Source:

DETR P1(E) housing returns (quarterly)


National and some regional information on local authorities' activity is provided in a quarterly statistical release published by the Department. Copies are available in the Library, and also via the Department's website. The latest edition, published on 12 September, presents statistics up to the end of June 2001.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Higher Education

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of school leavers (a) in the Buckingham constituency and (b) nationally entered higher education in each of the last four years. [14209]

Margaret Hodge: Figures for the number of school leavers who go on to higher education are not collated centrally on a constituency basis. The available figures for Great Britain, showing the proportion of under 21 year olds who enter higher education for the first time, are given in the table. The increase in the index in 1997–98 related partly to changes in the funding arrangements for higher education, with students choosing to enter HE rather than wait until 1998–99. There was a corresponding reduction in 1998–99 before the entry rates started to increase again in 1999–2000. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01, total HE students in English universities and colleges rose by 83,000.

Age participation index (API)(18) for Great Britain

YearAPI (percentage)
1997–9833
1998–9931
1999–200032
2000–01(19)32–34

(18) The API is defined as the number of GB domiciled initial entrants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate HE aged under 21, expressed as a percentage of the average number of 18 and 19-year-olds in the population.

(19) Projected: final data on initial entrants is not yet available.


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