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Fire Services (Radio Communications)

Geraint Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what effect the time scale proposed for the procurement of a national radio communications system for the fire services in England and Wales will have on the ability of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to have in place a new radio system by December 2005. [70001]

Mr. Leslie: The project to procure a national radio communications system for the fire service is now under way. A prior indicative notice was published under EU procurement rules on 11 July, and the project team are taking forward work on the development of project plans and system specification. We expect to publish a formal notice in the Official Journal of the European Communities by the end of this year. The new national procurement strategy will deliver new radio systems to fire authorities, including the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, from 2005 up to December 2007—but with higher levels of resilience and interoperability than planned under the previous regional procurement.

Haven Gateway Partnership

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that the Haven Gateway Partnership is treated as a legitimate stakeholder when economic and social regeneration initiatives and policies are being considered affecting the eastern region. [69988]

Mr. Raynsford: I recognise the important role that the Haven Gateway Partnership, working with the East of England Development Agency and other partners, is playing in raising the economic profile of the area, and it will continue to be consulted about policy proposals and initiatives in the east of England region that are relevant to that role.

Residential Property Conversions

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many existing dwellings were converted into multi- occupancy dwellings in (a) Greater London and (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1981. [69770]

Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many non-residential properties were converted into residential dwellings in (a) Greater London and (b) Hertfordshire in each year from 1981. [69769]

Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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Coalfield Regeneration Trust

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money from (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments has been granted to the Coalfield Regeneration Trust since February 2001. [70263]

Mr. McNulty: Since February 2001 the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has received the following sums of money for England:

(a) From ODPM—£26,107,681; and

(b) From DCMS (Heritage Lottery Fund)—£69,064.

The Trust has also received European funds of £1,272,112.

As announced in February 2001, from 1 April 2002 another £45 million will be made available from the ODPM to the trust over the three years to 2005.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to restrict the erection of telecommunications masts in residential areas. [70159]

Mr. McNulty: Mobile phone mast development in residential areas is subject to the normal telecommunications planning arrangements in place throughout England, set out in Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO). These arrangements were significantly strengthened last year and include improved requirements for consulting local people about mast proposals. The changes to the GPDO were underpinned by revised guidance, set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8, Telecommunications.

The Stewart Report on Mobile Phones and Health, published in May 2000, did not recommend that the erection of mobile phone masts should be restricted in residential areas and we have no plans to introduce such a restriction.

Unadopted Roads

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he gives to local authorities regarding the adoption of (a) unadopted and (b) un-made roads. [70397]

Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.

My Department does not give formal guidance to local authorities regarding the adoption of unadopted or unmade roads. However, the governing legislation applying to the adoption of unadopted roads is contained in sections 205–218 of the Highways Act 1980. Any decision to adopt these roads which are not highways maintainable at the public expense is a matter for the local highway authority.

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he provides to local authorities regarding the provision of services to properties located on unadopted roads. [70398]

Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.

The Government do not provide any specific guidance to local authorities relating to waste collection or street cleaning on unadopted roads.

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However, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on each waste collection authority to arrange for the collection of household waste in its area, except where the waste is situated at a place which, in the opinion of the authority, is so isolated or inaccessible that the cost of collecting it would be unreasonably high.

The Act also puts a duty on local authorities and statutory undertakers to keep their relevant land, including roads, clear of litter and refuse. However, this duty does not apply to unadopted roads as they are not 'relevant land' as specified under section 86 of the Act. The clearance of litter on these roads is therefore the responsibility of the residents on that road.

Abandoned Cars

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what date he sent new guidelines on dealing with abandoned cars to local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [70005]

Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to reply.

New Regulations (Statutory Instrument 2002–746) to reduce the time after which local authorities can remove vehicles abandoned on the highway came into force on 9 April. These were sent on 11 April under a letter of guidance to the chief executive of each waste collection authority, waste disposal authority and joint waste disposal authority in England.

Regulatory Accountability

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many regulatory proposals the ministerial panel on regulatory accountability has scrutinised in the last 12 months. [69678]

Mr. Alexander: I have been asked to reply.

It is established practice under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committee business is not disclosed.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Nuclear Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received concerning (a) current and (b) projected expenditure on nuclear energy publicity campaigns. [69447]

Mr. Wilson: None.

Nuclear Waste

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what testing procedures are employed, and at what cost, to ensure the safety of storage flasks used in the transportation of nuclear waste. [69038]

Mr. Wilson: In the UK, flasks used for the transport of radioactive material are approved by the Department of Transport to all relevant national and international regulations based on the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA's recommendations, "Regulations for the Safe Transport of

17 Jul 2002 : Column 346W

Radioactive Material, 1996 Edition (Revised)", contain very stringent design test requirements that all packages, including flasks, must meet.

The costs associated with testing such flask designs and the flasks themselves, are borne by the industry.

Nuclear Security

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent measures she has implemented to increase the Office of Civil Nuclear Security's anti-terrorist inspections at nuclear facilities. [69450]

Mr. Wilson: As stated in his recent Annual report, the Director of Civil Nuclear Security is recruiting extra staff to strengthen oversight and inspection at civil nuclear facilities.

Nuclear Plant Construction

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sites are being considered for the construction of nuclear plants. [69443]

Mr. Wilson: None. In common with all generation options, the initiative for bringing forward proposals to construct new plant lies with the market and the generating companies. British Energy and BNFL have said they have no current plans for such proposals.

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