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Social Housing

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) council and (b) registered social landlord properties, and what percentage of all properties in each case, in each region in England and Wales will have target rents above their actual rent at the end of the 10 year transition period, assuming that target rents rise in line with retail prices index over the same period. [14479]

Ms Keeble: Under the social rent reforms, we are protecting tenants by limiting actual rent changes to no more than £2 per week in any one year above the normal increase for inflation, even where this means it takes more than 10 years for actual rents to reach the target levels given by the reforms. Information on actual and target rents under the reforms is currently not available. Social landlords will only have completed their property valuations and calculated their target rents under the reforms around the turn of this calendar year.

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) council and (b) RSL properties, and what proportion of the total stock in each case, in each region in England and Wales will see (i) a reduction in their target rent as against their current rent, (ii) an increase in their target rent as against their current rents of under £10, (iii) an increase in their target rents as against their current rents of £10-£20, (iv) an increase in their target rents as against their current actual rents of £20-£30, (v) an increase in their target rents as against their current rents of £30-£50 and (vi) above £50 under the Government's rent restructuring proposals. [14478]

Ms Keeble: The information is currently not available. Social landlords will only have completed their property valuations and calculated their target rents under the reforms around the end of this calendar year.

Mr. Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the percentage of (a) council and (b) RSL tenants in London whose rents will rise as a consequence of the introduction of the target rents set as a consequence of the introduction of the rent restructuring proposals. [14521]

Ms Keeble: Our initial estimates were based on the English House Condition Survey database and information from landlords' statistical returns. At a national level, in April 2000 terms, they suggested the restructuring formula leads to increases in rents for around 53 per cent. of council tenants and 52 per cent. of RSL

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tenants. Equivalent figures have not been produced at the level of individual regions to avoid problems from small sample sizes.

Compulsory Training Directive (Minibus Drivers)

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact the European Directive on Compulsory Training for LGV and PCV drivers will have on voluntary minibus drivers required to hold a D1 driving licence. [14939]

Mr. Spellar: We have sought to assess the impact by seeking the views of interested parties on the draft Directive, including the exemptions it proposed to the compulsory training requirement. Copies of the Consultation Paper were placed in the House Libraries. As discussions have progressed, we have held meetings with groups with particular interests in minibus drivers, such as the Community Transport Association and the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Persons driving minibuses as volunteers may usually do so on the basis of holding a car driving licence. Under European driving licence laws they are exempt from the normal requirement to hold the higher standard vocational driving licence, provided they can satisfy the exemption conditions which generally relate to age and experience.

Discussions on the draft Directive have established that drivers who are not required to hold a vocational driving licence will not be required to undertake the compulsory training requirement.

Affordable Homes (London)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the number of affordable homes achieved via (a) section 106 agreements and (b) unilateral undertakings by London boroughs between April 2000 and April 2001. [14951]

Ms Keeble: Statistical data recently supplied by the London boroughs with their housing strategy submissions indicate that 1,010 affordable homes (completions) were provided through Section 106 agreements in London for April 2000-April 2001. However, these figures are provisional and require further validation and may include housing units achieved by way of unilateral undertakings.

In addition, we have commissioned detailed research into levels of affordable housing in London provided by Section 106 obligations.

Fishing Vessels

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many fishing vessels of over 12 metres have had an MCA sea worthiness test in each year for the last 10 years for which figures are available. [15663]

Mr. Jamieson: The number of fishing vessels over 12 metres in registered length that have undergone a survey and been issued with a UK Fishing Vessel Safety Certificate in the last 10 years is as follows.

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Year	Number of surveys
1990–91	508
1991–92	581
1992–93	550
1993–94	564
1994–95	395
1995–96	361
1996–97	399
1997–98	376
1998–99	274
1999–2000	303
2000–01	358

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many fishing vessels of over 12 metres length are registered which are liable for (a) a mandatory MCA test and (b) a sea worthiness certificate. [15662]

Mr. Jamieson: There are 1,236 fishing vessels over 12 metres in length registered in the UK. All these vessels are issued with a sea worthiness certificate in the form of a UK Fishing Vessel Safety Certificate and are subject to the mandatory tests associated with the certificate as appropriate to the individual vessels.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many fishing vessels of over 12 metres length have failed to pass their MCA sea worthiness test in each year for the past 10 years for which records are available. [15661]

Mr. Jamieson: In practical terms no fishing vessel over 12 metres in registered length fails its sea worthiness test when presented for survey. Vessels presented for survey are issued with a list of defects that are rectified before the Fishing Vessel Safety Certificate is issued.

Alternative Fuels

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to prepare for the European Commission's draft directive target of 2 per cent. road fuel provision by biofuel by 2005. [15615]

Mr. Jamieson: The draft Directive on the "Promotion of biofuels for transport" has yet to be discussed by member states, and it is premature to consider its implementation. The Government have already announced that biodiesel will attract a fuel duty rate of 20 pence per litre below the rate for ultra low sulphur diesel, to be introduced in Budget 2002. Bioethanol is one of the fuels to which the Government are offering support for research through piloting as part of the Green Fuels Challenge programme.

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what criteria he has used to assess the environmental benefits of (a) wheat grain and (b) cellulosic biomass as source material for bioethanol production. [15308]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government assess the environmental benefits of fuels including bioethanol produced from various feedstocks on a lifecycle basis. This includes consideration of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts such as noise, waste, biodegradability and biodiversity. Bioethanol is one of the fuels to which the Government are offering

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support for research, through piloting, as part of the Green Fuels Challenge programme in order to foster the development of lower-carbon bioethanol.

Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent comparison he has made of the relative greenhouse gas emissions of (a) biodiesel, (b) bioethanol, (c) compressed natural gas and (d) liquid petroleum gas. [15614]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government launched the Green Fuels Challenge in November 2000, consulting industry and environmental groups on the possible environmental and health and safety aspects of the range of alternative fuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. The outcome of the first stage of the Challenge was announced in the 2001 Budget. The criteria used for the consultation and a summary of the Green Fuels Challenge preliminary results are available on DTLR's and DEFRA's websites.

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