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British Partnerships

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people are directly employed under the auspices of English Partnerships; and how many equivalent full-time posts this represents. [34802]

Ms Keeble: As at 31 January 2002, 372 staff were directly employed under the auspices of English Partnerships. The full-time equivalent is 367.

Rail Use

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many (a) passenger kilometres were travelled and (b) freight tonnes moved on the railways in the (i) year to March 2001 and (ii) year to March 2000. [34783]

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Mr. Spellar [holding answer 8 February 2002]: The information is available in the Strategic Rail Authority's "National Rail Trends" publication, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the extent of vehicle excise duty evasion was in each of the last five years. [34784]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 8 February 2002]: The last national roadside survey of VED evasion involving the checking of over one million vehicle numbers took place in June 1999. This estimated that the revenue lost from VED evasion was equivalent to 3.9 per cent. of the total revenue that should be raised. The previous roadside survey was carried out in June 1994 when the evasion rate was estimated at 4.1 per cent. of total revenue due. Evasion was lower in 1999 than in 1994 for all main vehicle classes.

The next roadside survey will take place in June this year.

Neighbourhood and Village Action Plans

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what resources he will make available outside neighbourhood renewal areas to support an increase in community capacity to participate in the proposed neighbourhood and village action plans and local development frameworks. [35077]

Ms Keeble: The Green Paper "Planning: delivering a fundamental change" proposes that local authorities should work with Local Strategic Partnerships and other bodies to establish more effective mechanisms for community involvement in both the preparation of plans and in taking decisions on planning applications. The Green Paper acknowledges the importance of properly resourced local planning authorities to the delivery of an improved planning system. An increase in planning fees from April 2002 has been announced, and there is to be a review of that regime. The resourcing needs of the local planning service is also being considered in the context of the current spending review.

Planning Tariff System

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated to determine the developmental benefits will accrue from his proposed planning tariff system. [35072]

Ms Keeble: The Government propose that planning obligations should be refocused to deliver sustainable development and used as a mechanism to ensure that development provides social, economic and environmental benefits to the community as a whole. This proposal has not been explicitly researched.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much he projects will be raised by local authorities through the operation of his proposed planning tariff system. [35073]

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Ms Keeble: The consultation document "Planning obligations: delivering a fundamental change" proposes that a tariff should replace negotiated planning obligations in most circumstances and offers a number of options about how a tariff might be levied. The value of the tariff to each local authority will depend upon the precise workings of the tariff—to be determined in the light of the consultation—a local authority's policies in respect of levying the tariff, and the volume and value of development taking place in its area.

National Park Authorities

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance he has issued to regional assemblies on the involvement of national park authorities in their deliberations. [34826]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 8 February 2002]: Guidance issued in 1999 indicated that at least 30 per cent. of the membership of regional chambers should be drawn from economic, social and environmental partners (while maintaining a majority of local authority members). Subject to complying with the guidance it is for each chamber to decide on its membership.

Local Authority Housing

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the rent loss on vacant properties for each local authority with housing stock for the last year for which figures are available. [34823]

Mr. Byers [holding answer 8 February 2002]: A table showing the rent loss on vacant properties during the financial year 2000–01 for those local authorities with housing stock on 31 March 2001 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Some of the criteria that need to be taken into account when comparing rent losses across local authorities include:





Local authorities not shown in this table had no stock on 31 March 2001.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information on genetically modified organisms research is available on the public register; and what categories have been removed. [35075]

Dr. Whitehead: I have made a direction that the information concerning the location of and activities relating to those pathogens and toxins listed in Schedule 5

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of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 shall be withheld from the register maintained under section 24 of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000.

This is a sensible precautionary step in the current situation. It is a temporary measure which will keep off the register information which is sensitive on the grounds of national security. A system of annual reviews will be put in place to consider information excluded from the register, with the aim of keeping to a minimum information which has to be excluded in the interests of national security. The measure will affect only a small number of the contained use premises and activities notified under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000.

Premises where activities involving genetic modification are to be carried out and activities which are classified as having some risk to humans or the environment have to be notified to the competent authority under the regulations.

It is important to note that the action of withholding information from the register would not affect the arrangements in place to ensure the safety and security of the sites and materials concerned.

The public register was re-opened this morning. It contains all the information about notified activities except that relating to activities withdrawn from the register because of the direction. The register includes a list of these excluded pathogens and toxins but no details of the activities or their locations.

Travel Concessions (Pensioners)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer (ref. 33788), if he will list those authorities providing more generous pensioners' travel concessions than the statutory minimum. [34671]

Ms Keeble [holding answer 8 February 2002]: Based on my Department's recent survey, those local authorities with schemes that are better than the statutory minimum requirement (ie half-fares on local buses for elderly and disabled people, with no charge for the pass) are as follows:



















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