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Public Service Agreement

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what public service agreement targets were due to be met by his Department by 31 March; how many of these have been met; and if he will make a statement. [50909]

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Dr. Whitehead: Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report.

New Deal

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people employed by the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits. [49601]

Dr. Whitehead: Information on the New Deal programmes is not collected centrally for non- departmental public bodies and therefore this is a matter for individual NDPBs.

Foreign Seafarers

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure the enforcement and application of international conventions covering pay, conditions, welfare, social security and other rights of foreign seafarers on UK ships. [50575]

Mr. Jamieson: International conventions are applied to UK and foreign seafarers alike on UK ships, in line with our understanding of the requirements of those conventions and they are enforced accordingly. Social security issues are, however, a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Performance Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to make 1 million more buildings cheaper to keep warm through the installation of energy efficient measures by 31 March will be met. [47219]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 10 April 2002]: I have been asked to reply.

Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 departmental report.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of whether the PSA target to increase the number of passenger miles travelled on national railways by 15 per cent. by 2001–02 will be met. [47264]

Dr. Whitehead [pursuant to his reply, 10 April 2002, c. 90–91W]: Information about progress on this PSA will not be published in the Department's annual report. We expect the final outturn figures to show growth of about 12 per cent. Following the accident at Hatfield there was a 5 per cent. decline in passenger kilometres, which has only recently been recovered. The passenger kilometre figures for 2001–02 will be published by the Strategic Rail Authority in "National Rail Trends" on 6 June.

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Use Classes/Temporary Use Provisions

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what steps he plans to take to take account of the views of local authorities, other organisations and individuals who have requested copies of his Department's consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions but to whom his Department has been unable to supply copies; [51597]

(2) how many copies of his Department's consultation document on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions were (a) printed, (b) distributed by his Department to its list of consultees and (c) kept by his Department for distribution on request to interested organisations and members of the public; [51598]

(3) when his Department ran out of copies for distribution of its consultation document on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions; [51599]

(4) many requests have been made to his Department for copies of the consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions; how many of those requests were refused because the Department had no copies in stock; and if he will make a statement. [51600]

Ms Keeble: Our consultation paper on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Use Provisions was published on 24 January 2002. Initially, a total of 3,519 copies of the consultation paper were printed. Of these, 2,125 were distributed by my Department to listed consultees. 1,300 were allocated for distribution on request to interested organisations and members of the public.

Approximately 540 orders have been taken. Since the initial stock of documents ran out on 15 March, an additional 66 orders have been taken. Another 500 copies of the paper have been printed to fulfil these orders and to accommodate further orders.

In addition to the paper copies of the consultation paper, it has been available on our website at www.dtlr.gov.uk since 24 January.

Following the end of the consultation period on 24 April 2002, we shall consider the views of all those who have responded before making any decisions on the future composition of the Use Classes Order and temporary use provisions.

Rough Sleeping

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 734W, on rough sleeping, if he will list those local strategies for which his Department has committed funding for 2002–03, and the relevant criteria for those strategies. [51740]

Ms Keeble: All local housing authorities in England have been given the opportunity to bid for revenue funding from 1 July 2002 until 31 March 2003 to support their homelessness strategies. The Government is interested in supporting strategies that are forward

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thinking, reflect the themes in the DTLR report "More than a roof", bring innovation to preventing homelessness and seek to achieve best practice.

Current funding arrangements prevail until June 2002 to give the Homelessness Directorate an opportunity to fully assess local authority strategies and bids.

A copy of the guidance on bidding for homelessness strategies has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Garden Hedges

Mr. David: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce proposals to give local authorities the power to intervene in neighbour disputes about overgrown garden hedges. [51538]

Ms Keeble: The Government will introduce legislation giving local authorities the power to deal with complaints about high hedges as soon as there is space in the parliamentary timetable.

Windows

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research the Government have commissioned into alternative glass suppliers that will meet the criteria set under S.I. 440. [51434]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: The Department has not commissioned research into alternative glass suppliers. However through contacts with glass manufacturers the Department has been informed that there are at least three companies supplying types of glass in the UK that enable window manufacturers to achieve the technical performance standards of Part L of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/2531) as amended by the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3335).

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if there will be exemptions for listed buildings where the design of windows could make it difficult to comply with the regulations under S.I. 440. [51437]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: S.I. 2002/440 does not set any technical standards. It enables self-certification by prescribed persons for certain types of building work. With regard to windows, S.I. 2002/440 introduces a new Building Regulation that enables members of the Fenestration Self-Assessment (FENSA) Scheme to self-certify their installation work complies with the applicable technical requirements. FENSA members may certify that work consisting only of the installation, as a replacement, of a window, rooflight, roof window or door in an existing building complies with regulation 4 of the Building Regulations. This regulation requires that the work complies with the applicable requirements of Schedule 1 of those regulations (S.I. 2000/2531, as amended by S.I. 2001/3335).

For building work comprising replacing windows guidance on compliance with the Building Regulations is given in Approved Documents L1 and L2. This includes guidance on what is reasonable provision for listed buildings. In addition to this, my Department has been working closely with English Heritage on a new

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publication advising on making reasonable energy efficiency provisions in conservation work. The publication is aimed at building control inspectors as well as builders, and I understand it will be published soon.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total estimated compliance costs are to (a) local authorities, (b) builders of new homes and (c) all installations of new windows in existing houses of Statutory Instrument No. 440 Regulation 16A; and what the average individual cost will be of applying for building regulation permission to comply with S.I. 440. [51431]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: In the regulatory impact analysis we undertook prior to laying the regulations, we considered that there would be no cost to local authorities from the introduction of S.I. 2002–440, as the provisions effectively relieve them of the burden of enforcement through building control. The builders of new homes will similarly not face a cost as the provisions deal solely with the installation of windows, and gas, solid fuel and oil-fired appliances, and plumbing in existing buildings. The cost for all installations of new windows in existing buildings through the need for installers to obtain membership of the fenestration self-assessment scheme was estimated at £1,715,000 against savings of £91,885,000 in the first year There will be no cost for applying for building regulation permission, as none of those registered with these schemes is required to give a building notice and pay a fee, in relation to carrying out work for which they are registered, and which is permitted not to be notified in the circumstances prescribed in the S.I.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what enforcement measures will be taken against those who do not comply with S.I. 440. [51432]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: The only offence created by S.I. 440 would be the failure of a person registered with the fenestration self-assessment scheme, not more than 10 days after the building work has been completed, to give a local authority a notice to that effect, or a certificate as evidence that the requirements of regulations 4 and 7 of the Building Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000 No. 2531) have been satisfied. Local authorities can prosecute any person that contravenes any provision contained in the building regulations under Section 35 of the Building Act 1984.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the Government will withdraw S.I. 440 and introduce a kitemark system in new windows for the glass and frames that would comply with specified 'U' values for insulation. [51435]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: No. S.I. 440 introduces a new building regulation that enables members of the fenestration self-assessment scheme to self-certify their installation work complies with the building regulations.

There are British Standards Institution Kitemark quality assurance schemes for window products, but none currently covers overall window U-values. More importantly however, as manufactured product schemes,

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they cannot address the compliance of installation work with the technical and workmanship requirements of the building regulations.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures will be put in place to prevent sole suppliers of hard-coat thermal efficient glass abusing their position to impose unreasonable price increases under S.I. 440. [51433]

Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 19 April 2002]: The Department is aware of at least three companies supplying hard-coat thermally efficient glass in the UK. There are also several other international flat glass manufacturers that might seek to trade in the UK depending upon how the market develops. There is therefore no need to put in place anti-monopoly measures.

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