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Port Health Budget

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what are the areas of expenditure contained in the port health budget for each of the last three years for which figures are available. [20819]

Mr. Raynsford: English local authorities have reported the following expenditure on port health.

Port health expenditure 1995–96 to 1997–98£000

	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98
Expenditure
Employees	2,443	2,671	2,794
Running expenses	3,645	3,612	3,839
Joint arrangements	61	0	0
Total expenditure	6,149	6,283	6,633
Income
Sales	41	5	0
Fees and charges	1,393	1,675	2,386
Other income	289	204	137
Joint arrangements	91	173	70
Total income	1,813	2,057	2,593
Net current expenditure	4,335	4,226	4,040

No further expenditure details are available.

Audit Commission Inspections

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what directions he has given to the Audit Commission on inspections into the running of services by (a) Walsall MBC, (b) Hillingdon LBC, (c) Derby city council, (d) Malvern Hills DC and (e) Waltham Forest LBC. [20535]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 4 December 2001]: I have given the Audit Commission no directions on inspections into the running of services by these authorities.

Special Advisers

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 October 2001, Official Report, column 394W, on records kept under Clause 9 of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, if he will list the internal purposes to which he referred. [20384]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 4 December 2001]: These are set out in the clause to which the hon. Member refers.

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 388W

Rural Bus Challenge

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 943W, how much of the money spent on Rural Bus Challenge projects was spent in 2001–02; and where it was spent. [20704]

Ms Keeble: Local authorities have to date received the following amounts in Rural Bus Challenge grant in 2001–02. We expect challenge payments in the year as a whole to total about £20 million.

£

Local authority	Payment to date
Bedfordshire	116,791
Cumbria	343,500
Devon	271,000
Dorset	201,092
East Riding	166,863
East Sussex	466,888
Essex	571,805
Hampshire	521,260
Herefordshire	41,518
Hertfordshire	87,692
Kent	193,000
Lancashire	396,914
Leicestershire	279,540
Milton Keynes	101,965
Norfolk	75,055
North Lincolnshire	114,313
North Yorkshire	509,000
Northamptonshire	83,050
Northumberland	372,600
Nottinghamshire	185,764
Plymouth	141,400
Redcar and Cleveland	20,000
Shropshire	238,176
South Yorkshire	318,500
Staffordshire	97,548
Stockton-on-Tees	12,000
Suffolk	404,025
Thurrock	97,000
Torbay	111,340
Tyne and Wear	630,050
Warwickshire	135,405
West Yorkshire	208,928
Wiltshire	458,080
Worcestershire	757,645
Total	8,729,707

Building Regulations (Domestic Boilers)

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the reduction in anticipated carbon savings in 2010 resulting from the delay in implementation for a further five months of the requirements set out in part L of the Building Regulations for improvements to domestic central heating boilers. [18243]

Mr. Raynsford: Deferring implementation of the replacement boiler efficiency standards by five months will cause a slight reduction in the savings expected to accrue. My Department estimates that the cumulative effect of this reduction will be no more than 0.03 Mtonnes per year in 2010, and could be less. The outturn will be dependent on how market factors influence the take-up of the better heating control requirements that were introduced with the deferral to compensate for the lower boiler performances.

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 389W

Headlights

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to implement regulations in respect of vehicles' use of headlights during the hours of daylight; and if he will make a statement. [19606]

Mr. Jamieson: During daylight hours vehicles are already required by the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 to use headlamps in seriously reduced visibility.

The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has no plans to amend the regulations to mandate their use throughout the hours of daylight.

The European Commission's proposals to introduce pedestrian protection features in new cars by a negotiated agreement with car manufacturers included a commitment to fit daytime running lamps. This element of the agreement has been deferred for further consideration.

Health and Safety Executive

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many Health and Safety Executive inspectors are working in the field carrying out inspections; and how many (a) routine visits and (b) accident site examinations they made in 2000–01. [20722]

Dr. Whitehead: There are 1027.4 full-time equivalent inspectors working in the field carrying out inspections. This number does not include 125.3 full-time equivalent specialist inspectors who in the main carry out investigations rather than planned inspections.

In the year 2000–01 they made 80,447 planned inspections and investigated 15,489 incidents. There is no available data on the number of accident site examinations, instead HSE records the number of incidents investigated. In more serious cases several inspectors may make several site examinations for an individual incident investigation.

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total funding provided to the Health and Safety Executive for 2001–02 is; and what the proposed funding is for 2002–03. [20721]

Dr. Whitehead: The total funding for HSC/E for 2001–02 and proposed funding for 2002–03 is set out in the table. Budget data are provided in the HSC Strategic Plan 2001–04 published in October 2001.

Budget settlements for 2001–02 to 2002–03£ million

	2001–02 plan	2002–03 plan
Administration costs	193.7	195.9
Programme expenditure	49.4	54.4
Income	-59.4	-58.3
Total HSE resource budget	183.7	192
HSE capital budget	6.9	9.9
HSL resource budget	-2.2	-2.2
HSL capital budget	4.2	4.2
Total managed expenditure	192.6	203.9

Note:

From 2001–02, the Government have changed the way they budget and account for public expenditure. Under the new resource accounting and budgeting arrangements Departments and bodies such as HSE have to budget for non-cash costs such as depreciation on fixed assets and a 6 per cent. capital charge on net assets. This budget is reviewed on an annual basis. HSC/E's budget for non-cash costs in 2001–02 is £12 million. (The figures do not include this.)

5 Dec 2001 : Column: 390W

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received on the promptness of the response of the Health and Safety Executive following the gas explosion in Newton Heath, Manchester on Saturday 17 November; and if he will make a statement. [17148]

Mr. Byers: Pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 393W, I personally received representations from my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central. I share his concerns about this issue and have asked the Director General of the Health and Safety Executive to provide my hon. Friend with full progress reports of the investigation being conducted by Transco.

Fire Authorities

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make extra funding available to fire authorities to pay for anti-terrorist strategies; and if he will make a statement. [20720]

Dr. Whitehead: In the light of the events of 11 September, we have established with the fire service stakeholders a group, chaired by HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services. The group is evaluating, among other things, the existing response capabilities of, and the need for specialist appliances and equipment for, local authority fire and rescue services. The group will be reporting shortly and we shall consider the implications of its report, including the resource requirements, as a matter of urgency.

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