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Park Homes
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many park home sites operate under planning permission but without licences. [34814]
Ms Keeble: Under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 most park home sites must have a site licence issued by the local authority. There are some exemptions from the need for a licence, for example, in respect of parks operated by local authorities or sites used to accommodate those engaged in building work. We do not hold information on the number of sites for which licences are not held.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to prevent the operation of park home sites without a full licence. [34815]
Ms Keeble: One of the recommendations of the Park Homes Working Party was that there should be a requirement for local authorities to be notified of a change of ownership of a park, so as to allow a licence to be issued the new owner. In our response to the Working Party's recommendations, we have indicated that we agree that a formal requirement for notification of a sale could help authorities to operate controls more effectively. We will consider this, along with other recommendations, when taking forward the agenda for reform set out in our recent response to the Working Party's report.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action he will take to spread best practice in the park home industry to all park home sites. [34813]
Ms Keeble: Following recommendations made by the Park Homes Working Party, we have commissioned and published good practice guidance to local authorities on their roles with regard to harassment and illegal eviction, and site licensing. In addition, the Working Party suggested that the park home industry's voluntary model agreement for residents and site owners should be reviewed following discussion between residents' and site owners' bodies. We have welcomed this proposal and discussions between the parties have already begun.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action he will take to prevent abuse of service charges for park home residents. [34812]
Ms Keeble: Following a recommendation made by the Park Homes Working Party, we have commissioned a study of the economics of the park homes industry to assist in consideration of the principles on which pitch fees should be set and reviewed, and the maximum level of commission which should be set. We will consider the position on the payments made by park home residents in the light of the findings of this study.
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Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to reform the Mobile Homes Act 1983; and if he will make a statement. [34811]
Ms Keeble: Proposals for amendments to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 were included in the recommendations of the Park Homes Working Party. Following consultation, we issued our response to the working party's report on 29 November last year, and placed copies of it in the Library of the House. This gives a detailed response to each of the working party's recommendations and indicates how we intend to take them forward.
Departmental Underspend
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total underspend in his Department was on (a) capital and (b) non-capital expenditure in each financial year since May 1997. [34027]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 7 February 2002]: It is not possible to provide a split between capital and non-capital expenditure on a cash basis, except at disproportionate cost.
Asbestos
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action he has taken to strengthen the enforcement of regulations related to the handling of asbestos; and what future proposals he has in this area. [34809]
Dr. Whitehead: Through its programme of inspection of licensed asbestos work, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made it a priority to target specific categories of licensees and to inspect sites where the proposed method of work gives cause for concern.
Enforcement under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 (as amended) (CAWR) and the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (as amended) has continued to rise significantly.
A proposed amendment to CAWR, will place a duty on occupiers and anyone else who has maintenance and repair responsibilities to manage asbestos in workplace premises. The regulations are also being amended to include a proposal to require accreditation for the analysis of material to determine whether it contains asbestos.
The guidance in the existing CAWR Approved Code of Practice for work with asbestos is also being reviewed.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many prosecutions have been brought, and by which agencies, for breach of asbestos-related regulations in each of the past 10 years. [34810]
Dr. Whitehead: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)'s prosecution statistics are based on the information laid by health and safety inspectors before the courts in England and Wales and on the charges preferred in Scottish courts. Each information laid or charge
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preferred relates to a breach of an individual legal requirement and a duty holder may be prosecuted for more than one of these breaches.
The table sets out proceedings taken over the last five years by HSE under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 (as amended) and the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (as amended), the main regulations applying to asbestos activities. Access to older data is not readily available and would require restoration of archived databases. HSE does not record prosecutions taken by other agencies.
| Year | Informations laid | Convictions |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 42 | 34 |
| 1997–98 | 49 | 43 |
| 1998–99 | 46 | 43 |
| 1999–2000 | 151 | 49 |
| 2000–01(27) | 94 | 59 |
(27) Data for 2000–01 is provisional and subject to change.
Note:
Data from HSE's Field Operations Directorate (FOD), Hazardous Installations Directorate (HID), Land Divisions (exc mines, pipelines, explosives) and Nuclear Safety Divisions (NSD) (conventional safety only).
Travellers
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance he gives local authorities on the requirements of the Human Rights Act 1998 in applications for and enforcement of possession orders to evict travellers from unauthorised occupation of public parks and open spaces. [34897]
Ms Keeble: No specific guidance has been given to local authorities on the requirements of the Human Rights Act in relation to applications for and enforcement of possession orders to evict travellers from unauthorised occupation of public parks and open spaces.
However, local authorities as public bodies are subject to the Human Rights Act and need to weigh this as a consideration in reaching decisions about possession order actions.
Car Safety
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made on making car fronts safer since the publication of the Road Safety Strategy. [34845]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wigan (Mr. Turner) on 23 November 2001, Official Report, column 505W.
The European Commission's proposal to introduce pedestrian protection features in new cars by means of a negotiated agreement with vehicle manufacturers was approved by the Internal Market Council on 26 November 2001. It is currently being considered by the European Parliament.
Llandogo-Monmouth Bus Service
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the
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results were of the bus compliance officers investigation into the stagecoach red and white service between Llandogo and Monmouth; and what subsequent action has been taken. [35008]
Ms Keeble: Monitoring of the service by vehicle inspectorate bus compliance officers took place during December 2001. One timetable irregularity was found.
As a result of the monitoring exercise, the traffic commissioner decided that Red and White Services Ltd. should be reminded of their obligations to operate services in accordance with the registration, and that they could face disciplinary action if they do not. A letter to that effect was sent to the operator by the Welsh Traffic Area Office on 23 January 2002. The letter also advised that further reliability monitoring of the service would be conducted in the near future.
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