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Rail Regulator
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on intervening to give directions to the Rail Regulator; and if he will make a statement. [20270]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government have said that they wish to review the regulatory regime applying to the railways. The Government believe that any reviewed regime should contain an element of independent regulation.
Homelessness
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the estimated number of homeless people above the age of (a) 50, (b) 60 and (c) 70 years. [19361]
Ms Keeble [holding answer 3 December 2001]: This information is not collected centrally.
The Department collects summary information on the number of households accepted by local authorities in England under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Acts 1985 and 1996, as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need by main category of priority need. One of these categories is those households deemed vulnerable because of old age.
Some 4,000 households were accepted under this category in 2000–01, 4 per cent. of the total.
Age information on rough sleepers is not recorded in the format requested but information collected during counts of people sleeping rough and in homelessness agencies' client monitoring consistently shows that most rough sleepers are men, aged between 26 and 49.
In its 1998 report on rough sleeping, the Social Exclusion Unit reported that 6 per cent. of rough sleepers were over 60 years of age.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many homeless people there are in the Portsmouth, South constituency. [21796]
Ms Keeble: The latest available information reported to the Department by Portsmouth city council on the number of household accepted under the homelessness provisions of the Housing 1985 and 1996 Acts as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation is as follows:
| Number of households | |
|---|---|
| Accepted as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during July to September 2001 | 162 |
| Resident in temporary accommodation on 31 September 2001 | 70 |
Source:
DTLR P1(E) housing activity return (quarterly)
13 Dec 2001 : Column: 1017W
Train Delays
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received on the delays on trains over the last two months; and if he will make a statement. [20748]
Mr. Jamieson: I am aware of 184 written representations received in the past two months by this Department and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) about the performance of rail services.
External Consultants
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost was to his Department of the use of external consultants in each of the last four years. [21246]
Dr. Whitehead: Figures for the spend in 2000–01 is £98.7 million and in the year to date is £79.5 million. These figures include spend by the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Figures for the previous two years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Stocking Farm Scheme
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions further to his answer of 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 182W, on the Beaumont Leys Stocking Farm Scheme, if he will indicate (a) how many of the jobs were taken by residents of the area covered by the single regeneration budget (SRB) scheme and (b) how many of the jobs were sustained jobs; and if he will give a sectoral breakdown of the jobs. [21213]
Ms Keeble: Seven of the 29 jobs created in the Leicester North West SRB programme have been taken by residents from the SRB area. All seven jobs have been sustained for at least six months. Six of the jobs are in the education sector and one in the creative industries sector.
Rail Safety
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what steps have been taken to revise the railway safety group standard for crashworthiness with reference to (a) the design requirements for more realistic scenarios, (b) high speed accidents and (c) dynamic verification testing; [21172]
- (2) whether the group standard on signal sighting requires that explicit consideration be given to the readability of a signal. [21097]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 December 2001, Official Report, columns 568–93W.
Millennium Dome
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will state, on a monthly basis, from the date for which the most recent figures are available until December 2002, the (a) amount and (b) nature of any debts likely to be
13 Dec 2001 : Column: 1018W
incurred by the Millennium Dome if by that time no arrangements have been made and put into effect for its lease or sale. [21211]
Ms Keeble: After assuming the ownership of the Dome from the New Millennium Experience Company, on 1 July 2001, English Partnerships has not incurred any debts and is not expecting to do so in future. However, it has been incurring costs in relation to the Dome, as reported to both Houses recently. All such costs are to be recovered from eventual sale proceeds.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish a full prospectus of sale for the Dome site; and if housing built on the Dome site will meet the Government's 10-year target for house building on brownfield sites in London. [22760]
Ms Keeble: At present, we do not intend to publish a prospectus of sale for the Dome site, given the continuation of market testing. As previously stated, and on the basis of professional advice, we are in discussion with a small number of serious contenders. Information on the Dome and associated land is made available to interested parties as necessary, in the course of confidential discussions.
The building of houses on the Dome site is not proposed.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) how many staff English Partnerships will have on duty at the Ministry of Sound's new year's eve party at the Millennium Dome, broken down by the nature and purpose of their duty; [22861]
- (2) how many staff from the emergency services will be on duty at the Ministry of Sound's new year's eve party at the Millennium Dome; [22862]
Ms Keeble: Arrangements with the emergency services are a matter for the Ministry of Sound and the relevant services and authorities. I understand that discussions are on-going.
English Partnerships—as owner of the site—will have seven personnel on duty to supervise the Ministry of Sound's operations, including English Partnership's security in relation to those parts of the peninsula which will not be Ministry of Sound's responsibility. But prime responsibility for organisation of all aspects of the night's activities lies contractually with the Ministry of Sound.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 448W, on the Millennium Dome, for what reason the three holes in the internal lining of the roof of the Millennium Dome do not need repair; and if he will make a statement. [22798]
Ms Keeble: It is understood that the holes to the internal lining of the two skin roof were created during the construction and fitting out period for the Dome, and during the operational year of the Dome. These do not need repairing at present as they do not affect the operation and effectiveness of the roof and the inner lining.
13 Dec 2001 : Column: 1019W
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many staff of English Partnerships are working (a) full time and (b) part time on the (i) sale, (ii) leasing and (iii) maintenance of the Millennium Dome. [22853]
Ms Keeble: The numbers of staff directly employed by English Partnerships in relation to the Dome are:
| Full-time | Part-time | |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | 1 | 8 |
| Leasing | 0 | 4 |
| Maintenance | 4 | 8 |
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many staff were employed at the Millennium Dome in each month of this year, indicating for each member of staff (a) the length of their contract and (b) their responsibilities. [22854]
Ms Keeble: The information is not available centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information is given to those people and undertakings who have expressed an interest in (a) bidding for and (b) leasing the Millennium Dome; and if he will place a copy of this information in the Library. [22859]
Ms Keeble: The information supplied has varied depending upon the nature of the inquiry.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Ministry of Sound's period of hire of the Millennium Dome for their New Year's Eve party will (a) start and (b) finish; and if he will make a statement. [22860]
Ms Keeble: The Ministry of Sound commences setting up for the event on 17 December 2001, and has planning consent for the event to run from 7.00 pm on 31 December 2001 until 9.00 am on 1 January 2002. They are due to have removed all their equipment by 9 January 2002.
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