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Rents

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the impact of formula rents on local authority housing revenue accounts; and if he will make a statement. [20852]

Ms Keeble: We estimate that the impact will vary from authority to authority depending on how local authorities determine the means by which they implement rent restructuring.

Local Government Commission

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what time scale is set for the Local Government Commission to undertake a structural review of a local authority in England. [21632]

Dr. Whitehead: No structural reviews are currently taking place and so no prescribed time scales have been set.

Train Staff

Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what account he will take of train operators assuming a right to require staff to work their leave days unless specifically declaring their non-availability when renewing franchises. [21439]

Mr. Jamieson: Staffing matters, including working hours, are the responsibility of the train operating companies and are not prescribed in franchise agreements. There are no plans to change this.

New Deal (Young People)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people are employed by the Department under the new deal for young people; and at what cost to public funds. [21315]

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Dr. Whitehead: New deal recruits take up existing vacancies so extra costs are limited to the subsidy, where appropriate, and any additional training and development which may be needed. The total number of new deal 18–24 staff currently in DTLR is 29. The Department receives a subsidy of £60 per week for six months, for each full-time new deal employee. In addition, a training allowance of £750 is provided. The cost per employee is £2,190. The total cost to public funds for the 29 new deal staff in DTLR will be £63,510.

Local Government Association

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will outline the financial support given by his Department to the Local Government Association; and how this mechanism of funding operates. [20718]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The Government do not provide financial support to the Local Government Association.

National Association of Local Councils

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will outline what (a) financial and (b) other support he gives to the National Association of Local Councils. [20719]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The Government do not give financial or other support to the National Association of Local Councils.

Railtrack

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment was conducted by his Department into the value of (a) assets and (b) separate groups within Railtrack Group plc prior to Railtrack plc being placed into administration; and if he will place copies of the documentation in the Library. [21045]

Mr. Jamieson: An assessment of the cash-flows that Railtrack's assets would generate is included in the evidence presented to the High Court on 7 October, copies of which have been placed in the House Library.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to provide funding to Railtrack from the roads budget as (a) loans and (b) other financial arrangement. [23364]

Mr. Byers: We are reviewing our expenditure plans, as we always intended to do, as part of the Review of the 10-Year Plan and work on Spending Review 2002.

Rolling Stock

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to improve the arrangements by which train operating companies (a) purchase and (b) lease rolling stock from ROSCOs. [21049]

Mr. Jamieson: I am not aware of any specific proposals to change the arrangements for the purchase or leasing of rolling stock. However, the industry has experienced problems in getting new stock into service and the Strategic Rail Authority has therefore set up a

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cross-industry Working Group to develop the mechanics for ensuring rapid acceptance of reliable trains onto the network.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what arrangements are in place to assist train operating companies with the (a) purchase and (b) lease of new rolling stock in the latter years of their contracts as franchise operators. [21053]

Mr. Jamieson: There are provisions within the Railways Act 1993 (s27(9) and s54) and the Transport Act 2000 (s211) which, for example, enable specific undertakings to be given in respect of new rolling stock where the length of the new lease is greater than the remaining length of the franchise and which allow the SRA to ensure that specified rolling stock leases are passed from one franchisee to another in the event of a change of control.

Light Rail

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the allocated public funds for light rail under the 10 year transport funds has not been committed. [21850]

Ms Keeble: Our current estimate is that some £500 million of the £2.4 billion of public capital funding assumed in the 10 Year Plan for light rail is committed to schemes already approved. The precise amount will depend on the final funding arrangements to be agreed once the procurement processes for some of these schemes have been completed.

Motorway Service Areas

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has conducted into the relative merits of on-line and junction motorway service areas. [22064]

Mr. Byers: It is for the private sector rather than my Department to bring forward proposals for new motorway service areas and whether a developer opts for an on-line or junction location will depend on the circumstances of the individual case. The Department, through the Highways Agency, will invariably comment on specific proposals but it has no general policy preference between the two types of site.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what basis he decided that the planning inquiry into motorway service areas on the M4 and M40 should be treated as six individual inquiries; and what implication this has for the budget of (a) his Department, and (b) the local authorities concerned. [22063]

Mr. Byers: The planning inquiry into motorway service areas on the M25, M4 and M40 is being treated as a single inquiry. No decision has been taken to treat it as six individual inquiries. It is normal practice for the local authority to provide the venue and for the Planning Inspectorate to supply the Inspector, each bearing its own costs. At the pre-inquiry meeting on 3 December the

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preference at the meeting was to hold the inquiry at a single location and the local authorities concerned will be liaising on this.

Freight Factory Grants

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what freight factory grant money has been awarded to (a) the Port of Tyne and (b) DFDS since 1979. [21786]

Mr. Jamieson: The Port of Tyne has been awarded £977,350 through two freight facility grants, and the DFDS £2,549,922 through three freight facility grants. These awards were for improving rail facilities to allow freight traffic handled at the ports to arrive and depart by rail rather than road.

HMOs

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the local authorities in England who operate a discretionary registration scheme for houses in multiple occupation under Part XI of the Housing Act 1985. [22451]

Ms Keeble: The local authorities operating such schemes are as listed:


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