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Standard Spending Assessment
(Care Home Registration)
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the adjustments made to each local authority standard spending assessment as a result of the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission. [41375]
Mr. Raynsford: A table showing:
- the 2002–03 Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) as it would have been had the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission not occurred;
the actual 2002–03 SSA;
the difference; and
the percentage difference
for each authority with responsibilities for Personal Social Services has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what adjustment was made to the East Riding of Yorkshire standard spending assessment as a result of the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission. [41376]
Mr. Raynsford: The East Riding of Yorkshire would have had an SSA of £259.814 million if the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission had not occurred in 2002–03. This is
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£395,000 (0.2 per cent.) more than the actual SSA received by the East Riding of Yorkshire following the transfer.
Electoral Spending
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much was spent by (a) central Government and (b) local councils on (i) electoral registration, (ii) advertising and (iii) the conduct of elections in each of the last five years. [40866]
Mr. Raynsford: Information about local authorities spending on electoral matters is not held centrally. Central Government have incurred expenditure on advertising—to give information about electoral matters—and on the conduct of elections. I will write to my right hon. Friend shortly giving information about the level of this expenditure in relation to elections in England and Wales for which I am responsible and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Solway Harvester
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents received representation from the Attorney General of the Isle of Man on the release of the MAIB report on the Solway Harvester sinking. [41931]
Mr. Jamieson: The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents received a letter from the Attorney-General of the Isle of Man on 15 February 2002 requesting that the press briefing and release of the MAIB report on the Solway Harvester sinking be deferred until 15 May.
Hijackings
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures are being investigated by his Department to protect commercial aircraft, their crews and passengers from terrorist hijacking. [41448]
Mr. Jamieson: The UK National Aviation Security Programme has for many years contained a range of measures to deter and prevent the hijacking of passenger aircraft. These measures were substantially enhanced in response to the attacks on 11 September. In particular it has been a requirement since 18 September 2001 for cockpit doors to be kept locked.
In addition, the Cabinet Office commissioned, through the Committee on Domestic and International Terrorism, a wide-ranging review of aviation security following these attacks. As a result a number of potential measures have been identified on which work is currently being taken forward. However it is too soon to say what will be introduced as a result.
Rural Bus Services
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of people living in (a) each predominantly rural constituency and (b) rural areas nationally live within 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly. [41447]
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Ms Keeble: My Department's National Travel Survey indicates that 47 per cent. of rural households in England, defined as households in a settlement with less than 3,000 population, lived within about 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly in 1998 to 2000. This figure should be treated with caution as sample sizes for rural areas are small, despite aggregation of data over a three year period. For this reason, these data cannot be broken down to a constituency level.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding is being made available to meet the target laid down in the Rural White Paper for the proportion of the rural population living within 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly by (a) 2004 and (b) 2010. [41446]
Ms Keeble: We have made available £198 million for rural bus services in England over the period 2001–02 to 2003–04, through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus Challenge schemes. Funding for these schemes beyond 2003–04 will be decided in light of future spending reviews, reflecting our 10-year plan and Rural White Paper targets and commitments for rural transport. Local authorities also have the discretion to use revenue support funding allocated by my Department for additional rural bus services.
Congestion Charging (Disabled Drivers)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on congestion charging towards disabled drivers. [42217]
Ms Keeble: The Government recognise the enormous importance of personal mobility for many disabled people. We are committed to making regulations in due course to require an exemption from local road user charges for at least some disabled people covering the whole of England including London. These regulations will set a minimum standard which local authorities must meet. They will be free to introduce more generous concessions or exemptions if they wish.
We shall consult on the possible form of the England wide exemption after the current review of the disabled persons' parking badge scheme (the Blue Badge Scheme) is completed later this year.
Shoreham Harbour
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what reports he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the spread of business usage at the Harbour; [42324]
- (2) what discussions he has had with the Shoreham Port Authority about the establishment of cross Channel ferry services; [42318]
(3) what environmental impact assessment has been carried out with regard to the establishment of cross Channel ferry services from Shoreham Harbour; [42319]
(4) what representations he has received about the establishment of cross channel ferry services from Shoreham Harbour; [42317]
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(5) what representations he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about extending their borrowing levels; [42315]
(6) what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the number of people employed at Shoreham Harbour (a) by the Port Authority and (b) by businesses in the harbour in each of the last five years; [42358]
(7) what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority as to the proportion of Shoreham Harbour in operational use and on plans they have to increase this; [42326]
(8) what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the average number of daily lorry movements on port-related activity in each of the last 36 months. [42320]
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when his Department last met members of the Shoreham Port Authority; and where. [42316]
Mr. Jamieson: One of my officials met the vice-chairman and the chief executive on 1 February 2002 at the authority's offices.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost has been to (a) Shoreham Harbour and (b) SEEDA in consultation fees related to the Maritime Vision for Shoreham Harbour Project. [42321]
Mr. Jamieson: A steering group comprising several bodies runs the Shoreham Harbour Project and information in respect of consultation fees incurred by them is not held by my Department.
SEEDA has invested funding of £35,000 since April 2001 on the study (which includes consultation costs) in regard to the Maritime Vision for Shoreham Harbour. Prior to that date investment funding has been incurred by English Partnerships on the study through the former Partnership Investment Programme.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish remuneration figures for board members and executive employees of Shoreham Port Authority. [42322]
Mr. Jamieson: These are matters for the authority.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is towards using areas of derelict land at Shoreham Harbour for housing. [42323]
Ms Keeble: The Government's advice on housing as set out in "Planning Policy Guidance note 3" (PPG3) give precedence to locating new housing on previously developed land within urban areas. Regional Planning Guidance for the South-east (RPG9) advises that development plans should seek to achieve at least 60 per cent. of all new development in the South-east on previously developed land.
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