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Dr. Robert Watson
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's response to US Government action to replace Dr. Robert Watson as the Chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. [52154]
Mr. Meacher: The UK supported Dr. Watson continuing in his post as Chair of the IPCC, but who the US supports is a matter for them.
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount expended was on overnight accommodation for emergency staff working on the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001; and what proportion of this sum was spent in (a) guest-houses, (b) bed and breakfast accommodation and (c) small hotels. [51264]
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Mr. Morley: Total payments for overnight subsistence for staff working on the Foot and Mouth crisis were as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 971,470 |
| 2001–02 | 19,808,069 |
DEFRA does not hold records by the categories requested (Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast, or small Hotels).
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the compensation levels paid for (a) cattle and (b) sheep slaughtered in the foot and mouth disease outbreak were; and what percentage they represent of the current values paid for restocking. [51282]
Mr. Morley: The compensation levels paid to farmers for cattle and sheep slaughtered in the foot and mouth disease outbreak is as follows:
| Average cost per animal | |
|---|---|
| Cattle | 1,163.33 |
| Sheep | 153.19 |
The percentage in relation to the current value of restocking is not available because we do not have the restocking prices.
Sustainable Development
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to promote the results of United Nations summit conferences relating to sustainable development. [44352]
Clare Short: I have been asked to reply.
We have publicised the results of the Financing for Development (FFD) conference on DFID's internet website. We intend to do the same for other major UN conferences. Hilary Benn the Under-Secretary has spoken to a meeting of NGOs about the results of FFD. We are submitting a memorandum on FFD to the International Development Select Committee. We will continue to press in a variety of international fora for progress towards implementing the commitments made at FFD, including on aid volume, aid effectiveness and strengthening the voice of developing countries in the international financial architecture. We intend to hold a meeting with interested NGOs and MPs after the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children to discuss its results.
TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
THE REGIONS
Rent Service
Mr. McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what performance targets he has set the Rent Service for 2002–03. [53679]
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Ms Keeble: Key targets have been agreed for the agency. They are included in the agency's business plan, which includes management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks. Copies of the business plan will be placed in the Libraries of the House in due course.
The Key Targets for the Rent Service are:
- To process 87 per cent. of housing benefit determination without an inspection within three working days
To process 87 per cent. of housing benefit determinations with an inspection within 15 working days
To process 87 per cent. of pre-tenancy determinations within four working days
To process 87 per cent. of redeterminations within 15 working days
To process 87 per cent. of fair rent determinations within 40 working days
To increase the number of cases determined per employees by a minimum of 3 per cent. while reducing the costs per cause by a minimum of 3 per cent. in real terms, and with improvements in the quality of service provided
To improve the agency's customer satisfaction rating from 80 per cent. to 85 per cent. in 2002–03.
Travellers
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many times local authorities and police forces have had to move travellers on from (a) public and (b) private land in 2001. [53255]
Ms Keeble: This information is not collected centrally.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what extra funding has been made available to local authorities in (a) London and (b) west Sussex in their standard spending assessment budgets this year to provide for the cleaning up of public land left in an unsatisfactory state by travellers. [53254]
Dr. Whitehead: The cleaning up of public land is within the district services section of the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services block of the local government finance settlement. Sums for individual services within this section are not identified separately.
Westfield Shopping Centre Company
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations his Department and its predecessor has received from the Westfield shopping centre company since 1997. [50080]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 17 April 2002]: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and analysis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. Some of these discussions take place on a confidential basis, and in order to preserve confidentiality it is not the normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.
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Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the Planning Minister was informed of the financial arrangement in place between Lord Levy and Westfield when he agreed to meet the latter. [49884]
Ms Keeble [holding answer 15 April 2002]: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 776W.
Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and analysis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. Some of these discussions take place on a confidential basis, and in order to preserve confidentiality it is not the normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the dates since 1 May 1997 when (a) Ministers and (b) officials have met representatives of Westfield. [52163]
Ms Keeble: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and analysis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. Some of these discussions take place on a confidential basis, and in order to preserve confidentiality it is not the normal practice of Governments to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies.
Planning
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he is taking to protect the Green Belt from further housing development. [53336]
Ms Keeble: Planning Policy Guidance Note 2—"Green Belts"—requires that local authorities' development plans should include a strict presumption against inappropriate development in the Green Belt. This includes most types of housebuilding.
Housing
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 798W, on housing, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance his Department issued to local authorities on the Cash Incentive Scheme in February 2000. [53017]
Ms Keeble: A copy of the guidance issued by the Department for the Environment Transport and the Regions to local authorities on the Cash Incentive Scheme in February 2000 will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what new affordable housing development schemes in each London borough are being funded by the Housing Corporation's approved development programme in 2002–03. [53019]
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Ms Keeble: The Housing Corporation's allocation statement for London for 2002–03 provides information on the allocations of public money made to housing associations for the provision of new affordable housing under the approved development programme (ADP) and safer communities supported housing fund in London. This document is published on the Housing Corporation's website at www.housingcorp.gov.uk. Figure 4.5 in the London allocation statement 2002–03 lists the schemes allocated funding in each London borough. I have placed copies of this table in the Libraries of the House.
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