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Blue Badge Scheme
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will introduce a temporary blue badge scheme; and if he will make a statement. [50927]
- (2) what plans he has to speed up the processing of applications for blue badges. [50926]
Ms Keeble: The administration of the blue badge scheme is the responsibility of individual local authorities. When they have received the information they require to process an application they should be expected to do so without delay.
A comprehensive review of the blue badge scheme is currently being undertaken by my Department, which will look at the administration of the scheme and will also consider the case for temporary badges. Consultation on a discussion paper, which was issued to the main stakeholders, including disability organisations and local authorities, ended recently. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC- our statutory advisers on the transport and mobility needs of disabled people) are considering responses and are due to report their recommendations to the Secretary of State around the end of this month. In the light of those recommendations we aim to decide on the way forward with the scheme over the summer.
Parish Councillors
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many parish councillors have resigned in each month since 1 January. [50604]
Dr. Whitehead: The Department does not collect information on the number of councillors who resign from local authorities.
Drug Abuse
Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what resources his Department make available to local authorities to help them combat drug abuse. [48857]
Dr. Whitehead: The Government provide general grant for revenue expenditure through the local government finance settlement. It is for the local authorities themselves to determine how much of these resources they direct towards combating drug abuse. Government also provides the following ring-fenced grants to local authorities:
- A grant to support local Young People's Substance Misuse Planning (set at £4.5 million for 2002–03);
A grant for drug prevention in schools, provided through the Schools Standards Fund (£9.5 million for 2002–03).
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and Organised Crime in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 29 January 2002, Official Report, columns 295–96W.
Vacant Dwellings
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the effect on the housing market of vacant dwellings (a) in England and (b) in the local area. [50652]
Mr. Byers: In our assessment, in areas where the housing market is functioning well, vacant dwellings may lead to increased pressure on the housing stock and for development on greenfield land. They may also blight neighbouring properties. In areas of low housing demand, where the proportion of vacant dwellings may be more highly concentrated, they can escalate the decline of an area, act as a magnet for crime, vandalism, arson and antisocial behaviour and create negative equity problems for those living in adjacent dwellings.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the effect of vacant dwellings on the local housing market and for developing strategies to minimise their number, as part of their wider housing strategy.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings there were and how many vacant dwellings were privately owned in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area. [50653]
Mr. Byers: I have placed the information requested in the Libraries of the House. The table presents data showing the total number of vacant dwellings and how many of these were privately owned at 1 April in each local authority area in England for the last five years (1997–2001).
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings that have been (a) vacant for more than six months, (b) vacant for between three to six months and (c) vacant for less than three months, are waiting to be (i) sold, (ii) let and (iii) redeveloped. [50651]
Mr. Byers: The information is not available in the form requested.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many vacant dwellings there were and how many were privately owned in each of the last five years; and how many were vacant (a) for more than six months, (b) between three to six months and (c) for less than three months. [50650]
Mr. Byers: The number of vacant dwellings in England on 1 April in each of the last five years is shown in the table, together with the number that were privately owned.
| of which: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total vacant | Privately owned | |
| 2001 | 755,100 | 622,600 |
| 2000 | 760,500 | 623,200 |
| 1999 | 767,000 | 637,000 |
| 1998 | 753,300 | 623,300 |
| 1997 | 767,200 | 640,200 |
Information on the length of time dwellings were vacant is not available in the form requested.
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Mobile Telephone Masts
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will take steps to ensure mobile telephone masts should receive positive planning permission, regardless of their height. [50030]
Ms Keeble: On 22 August last year we introduced changes that significantly improved the planning procedures and guidance for telecommunications mast development. The changes, which included, amendments to the 1995 Order:
- strengthened public consultation requirements on mast proposals of 15 metres and below so that they are the same as for planning applications;
increased the time for an authority to deal with prior approval applications to 56 days;
underlined that school governors must be consulted on all proposals for new masts on or near a school or college; and
increased fees to enable authorities to carry out full public consultation.
Sustainable Development
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will define the phrase "sustainable development" as used by his Department. [49723]
Mr. Byers: My Department's approach to sustainable development is consistent with the Government's overall sustainable development strategy "A better quality of life" (Cm 4345) published in May 1999. The strategy has four main aims:
- Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
Effective protection of the environment;
Prudent use of natural resources;
Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
Fire Service
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 228W, on the cost of rescues by the fire service, what is the most recent guidance he has given to chief fire officers on recording the costs of (a) fires attended, (b) rescues from road traffic accidents and (c) other rescues by their fire authority. [46609]
Dr. Whitehead: Following the introduction of Best Value, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy published revised accounting guidance "Best Value Accounting—Code of Practice" for local authorities. Best Value authorities, including fire authorities, are subject to the revised guidance from 1 April 2001. The Code is reviewed on an annual basis. It contains sections on service expenditure analysis, including one on the provision of fire services.
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Shopping Centres
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's policy (a) towards new out of town shopping centre developments and (b) on new shopping centre developments within existing towns. [49002]
Mr. Byers: The Government's planning policy for town centres and retail developments, which is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres and Retail Developments (PPG6), seeks to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of our existing city, town and district centres to make them the focus for retail and other investment. The policy contributes to delivering the urban renaissance, securing more sustainable patterns of development and promoting social inclusion.
Proposals for new developments within existing city, town and district centres are not subject to the main policy tests in PPG6. They should, however, be in accordance with an up-to-date development plan and of a scale that is appropriately related to the size and function of centre, and its catchment, that they seek to serve.
Development proposals for new shopping centres outside city, town and district centres, or extensions to existing ones, are subject to the policy tests in PPG6. Where proposals are not in accord with an up-to-date development plan there is a requirement to demonstrate the need for any additional retail provision and to apply a sequential approach to selecting the location, starting with town centre sites, followed by edge-of-centre and only then out-of-centre sites in locations which are accessible by a choice of means of transport. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate that in considering more central locations they have been flexible about the format, scale and design of their development proposals and the amount of car parking.
A shopping centre proposal which a local planning authority is minded to permit and which is not in accord with the development plan for the area should be referred to my Department in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) (Departures) Directions 1999. The Town and Country Planning (Shopping Development) (England and Wales) (No.2) Direction 1993 requires referral of applications for retail proposals above a prescribed size. In the case of referral under either Direction, the Secretary of State will then decide whether the proposal should be called in for his own determination.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans his Department has to alter planning guidance and regulations relating to shopping centre developments;and if he will list the changes to planning guidance and planning regulations relating to shopping centre developments since 1997. [49001]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 17 April 2002]: We have no plans to alter planning guidance and regulations relating to shopping centre developments.
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There have been no changes to the policy since 1997, but it has been clarified through the following official statements and documents:
- the Government Response (July 1997) to the House of Commons Environment Committee's report, "Shopping Centres" (1996–97), which reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the policy in PPG6;
the parliamentary answer of 5 December 1997 (Hansard Vol. 302, columns 401–402) by the Minister for Planning, clarifying that extensions to existing retail developments would be subject to the same policy tests as new development;
the statement of 11 February 1999 by the Minister for Planning, clarifying that the need for new retail development should be taken into account in assessing development proposals; and
the Government Response (May 2000) to the House of Commons Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report on "The Environmental Impact of Supermarket Competition" (1999–2000), which among other issues, clarified how the sequential approach should be used to assess new retail development.
The Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation)(Departures) Directions 1999 reduced the floorspace threshold under which local planning authorities are required to refer to the Secretary of State planning applications involving retail and other commercial uses, from 10,000 to 5,000 square metres.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish a list of shopping centre planning applications that have been called in by his Department and the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions since 1997. [49003]
Mr. Byers: Since 1997, 30 shopping centre applications have been called in for the Secretary of State's determination. These are listed by region. For the purposes of the question shopping centres are developments involving 5,000 square metres or more of floorspace, including factory outlet centres. They do not include retail warehouse parks, individual freestanding retail warehouses, warehouse clubs or supermarkets.
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