5 Mar 2003 : Column 999W

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 March 2003

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

"Sustainable Communities in the East of England"

10. Alistair Burt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from Bedfordshire following publication of his plans 'Sustainable Communities in the East of England'. [100659]

Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with Bedfordshire County Council, Bedfordshire authorities, infrastructure providers and other local and regional partners, on detailed Assessments of the growth potential of the Luton and Bedford/Marston Vale areas. Both towns are key locations with the Milton Keynes and South Midlands growth area.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Deputy prime Minister what representations he has received from Bedfordshire following publication of his plans 'Sustainable Communities in the East of England'. [100657]

Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with Bedfordshire County Council and Bedfordshire districts, as well as infrastructure providers, on detailed assessments of the growth potential of the Luton and Bedford/Marston Vale areas. Both towns are key locations within the Milton Keynes and South Midlands growth area.

Regional Government

11. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in establishing regional governance in England. [100660]

Mr. Raynsford: The Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill had its Report and Third Reading in the House of Commons on 23 January 2003 and received its Second Reading in the other place on 24 February 2003. The Bill provides for the English regions to hold referendums about an elected assembly, and for a review of two-tier local government by the Boundary Committee before a referendum is held in a particular region.

As my right hon. Friend said earlier we have invited responses by 3 March 2003 to the soundings exercise.

Local Government Finance

12. Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the local government settlement for councils in east Sussex. [100661]

5 Mar 2003 : Column 1000W

Mr. Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the debate on the local government finance settlement 2003–04 which took place on 5 February 2003, Official Report, columns 353–406 and to the letter sent to the hon. Member on 3 February setting out the above-inflation grant increases for all councils in east Sussex.

13. Mr. Clappison: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from south eastern local authorities regarding the local government funding settlement. [100662]

Mr. Raynsford: 28 authorities in the south east responded to our consultation on the local government finance settlement 2003–04. In addition, eight authorities from this region came in to see Ministers to make representations on our proposals during this consultation period. Parliament has, of course, now approved the settlement which provides an increase in Government grant of £3.8 billion overall. This is an increase of 8 per cent. representing a continued significant real terms investment in local government.

Cash Incentive Scheme

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cash incentive scheme grants were made by each local authority in London in 2001–02; and what the total value was of these grants in each case. [99171]

Mr. McNulty: The number of cash incentive scheme grants made by those London borough's running schemes in 2001–02 and the total value of grants made are in the following table.

Total numberof grants Total expenditure (£000)

Barnet 32 686

Camden 33 797

Croydon 49 975

Enfield 49 1,183

Haringey 18 354

Harrow 1 20

Havering 3 37

Hillingdon 16 221

Islington 7 193

Kingston upon Thames 16 305

Lewisham 34 607

Merton 9 206

Sutton 1 22

Tower Hamlets 36 579

Waltham Forest 19 592

Wandsworth 35 756

Westminster 15 429

	Total numberof grants	Total expenditure (£000)
Barnet	32	686
Camden	33	797
Croydon	49	975
Enfield	49	1,183
Haringey	18	354
Harrow	1	20
Havering	3	37
Hillingdon	16	221
Islington	7	193
Kingston upon Thames	16	305
Lewisham	34	607
Merton	9	206
Sutton	1	22
Tower Hamlets	36	579
Waltham Forest	19	592
Wandsworth	35	756
Westminster	15	429

Council House Sales

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses have been sold in each year since 1997 in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the UK. [99928]

Mr. McNulty: Information is not available below local authority level. The available information reported by South Tyneside MBC and the other

5 Mar 2003 : Column 1001W

metropolitan borough councils comprising Tyne and Wear is in the following table, together with estimated number of sales in Great Britain. Information on the

5 Mar 2003 : Column 1002W

total number of council house sales in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997 is currently incomplete.

Sales of council dwellings in south Tyneside, Tyne and Wear and Great Britain: 1997–98 to 2001–02

All sales 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02

South Tyneside 283 209 355 ⁽¹⁾— ⁽¹⁾—

Gateshead 326 283 452 445 510

Newcastle upon Tyne 267 207 316 266(3) 569

North Tyneside 202 209 345 338 396

Sunderland 642 546 713 ⁽²⁾37,534 0(3)

Tyne and Wear 1,720 1,454 2,181 N/a N/a

Great Britain

Total sales 95,764 133,118 168,773 202,365 106,320

Of which to owner occupiers 59,513 56,298 71,965 69,779 69,061

All sales	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02


South Tyneside	283	209	355	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—
Gateshead	326	283	452	445	510
Newcastle upon Tyne	267	207	316	266(3)	569
North Tyneside	202	209	345	338	396
Sunderland	642	546	713	⁽²⁾37,534	0(3)
Tyne and Wear	1,720	1,454	2,181	N/a	N/a
Great Britain
Total sales	95,764	133,118	168,773	202,365	106,320
Of which to owner occupiers	59,513	56,298	71,965	69,779	69,061

⁽¹⁾ Not reported

⁽²⁾ Includes 36,356 dwellings transferred by Sunderland City Council to Sunderland Housing Group in March 2002

Note:

Where there has not been full reporting, the figures in brackets indicate the number of quarters for which complete information is available within the financial year.

Source:

DOE/DETR/DTLR/ODPM quarterly P1B return

Fire Service Deaths

Mr. Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) deaths in incidents attended by firefighters at night and (b) deaths in incidents attended by firefighters during day shift hours there were in each fire brigade area in the last year for which figures are available. [100123]

Mr. Raynsford: The latest data available are tabled as follows. These show fires and deaths occurring in fires attended by local authority fire brigades between the following time periods; (i) 9 am and 5.59 pm (i.e. the standard day shift), (ii) between 6 pm and 23.59 pm and (iii) between midnight and 8.59am. The "night" period has been split into more comparable time intervals rather than one 15 hour duration.

The time of the fire is defined as the time at which the emergency call was received by the local authority fire brigade and may differ in some circumstances from the time at which the fire actually started.

Information on deaths occurring in other incidents attended by fire crews (such as road traffic accidents) is not available by time of incident.

Deaths in primary fires⁽³⁾ by brigade and time of day, UK, 2001–02⁽⁴⁾

Total 09:00–17:59 18:00–23:59

Brigade Fires Deaths Fires Deaths Rate per 1,000 fires Fires Deaths Rate per 1,000 fires

United Kingdom 228,087 635 79,207 227 2.9 89,662 154 1.7

(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾ (614)

England and Wales 201,433 520 70,157 191 2.7 79,888 125 1.6

(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾ (498)

England 188,701 481 65,749 179 2.7 74,843 117 1.6

England-Non-Met Counties 105,588 276 37,792 108 2.9 40,959 69 1.7

Avon 4,883 7 1,414 1 0.7 2,032 1 0.5

Bedfordshire⁽⁶⁾ 2,045 5 603 1 1.7 797 3 3.8

Berkshire 2,649 5 947 2 2.1 902 3 3.3

Buckinghamshire 2,729 8 1,021 3 2.9 1,063 4 3.8

Cambridgeshire 2,373 4 808 2 2.5 879 1 1.1

Cheshire 3,403 6 1,243 4 3.2 1,230 0 0.0

Cleveland 3,600 7 1,269 4 3.2 1,573 0 0.0

Cornwall 1,472 7 647 2 3.1 447 2 4.5

Cumbria 1,666 4 683 2 2.9 585 1 1.7

Derbyshire 2,832 10 992 4 4.0 1,139 4 3.5

Devon 3,329 7 1,455 2 1.4 1,105 2 1.8

Dorset 1,950 8 693 5 7.2 742 1 1.3

Durham 2,398 6 841 0 0.0 1,014 4 3.9

East Sussex 2,822 7 1,054 1 0.9 1,038 5 4.8

Essex 4,597 10 1,632 6 3.7 1,774 1 0.6

Gloucestershire 1,720 6 658 2 3.0 621 1 1.6

Hampshire 4,344 14 1,795 8 4.5 1,584 3 1.9

Hereford and Worcester 2,083 4 843 3 3.6 791 0 0.0

Hertfordshire 2,826 9 1,023 6 5.9 1,126 3 2.7

Humberside 3,846 7 1,295 5 3.9 1,588 0 0.0

Isle of Wight 406 0 186 0 0.0 147 0 0.0

Kent 5,152 21 1,766 6 3.4 2,094 4 1.9

Lancashire 5,801 18 2,133 7 3.3 2,176 3 1.4

Leicestershire 3,254 14 1,121 8 7.1 1,319 3 2.3

Lincolnshire 1,861 5 679 3 4.4 793 0 0.0

Norfolk 2,282 8 816 2 2.5 845 3 3.6

North Yorkshire 2,088 2 703 0 0.0 876 0 0.0

Northamptonshire 2,663 4 903 2 2.2 1,058 0 0.0

Northumberland 1,205 2 374 1 2.7 522 1 1.9

Nottinghamshire 5,503 9 1,638 3 1.8 2,521 1 0.4

Oxfordshire 1,885 5 751 3 4.0 637 2 3.1

Shropshire 1,604 4 594 2 3.4 657 1 1.5

Somerset 1,787 10 676 3 4.4 606 1 1.7

Staffordshire 3,217 9 1,068 1 0.9 1,326 3 2.3

Suffolk 1,642 4 554 0 0.0 653 0 0.0

Surrey 2,447 3 969 0 0.0 866 1 1.2

Warwickshire 1,534 8 505 2 4.0 602 3 5.0

West Sussex 2,214 4 805 1 1.2 741 2 2.7

Wiltshire 1,474 5 632 1 1.6 492 2 4.1

Isles of Scilly 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 —

England-Met Counties 83,113 205 27,957 71 2.5 33,884 48 1.4

Greater Manchester 16,309 37 5,251 17 3.2 6,736 9 1.3

Merseyside 8,334 17 2,833 3 1.1 3,591 4 1.1

South 5,548 21 1,590 8 5.0 2,389 6 2.5

Yorkshire

Tyne and Wear 6,518 7 2,293 2 0.9 2,684 0 0.0

West Midlands 12,862 37 4,372 14 3.2 5,391 12 2.2

West Yorkshire 11,641 16 3,308 6 1.8 5,109 4 0.8

Greater London 21,901 70 8,310 21 2.5 7,983 13 1.6

Wales 12,732 39 4,408 12 2.7 5,045 8 1.6

North Wales 2,362 17 844 7 8.3 824 4 4.9

Mid and West Wales 3,947 13 1,521 4 2.6 1,539 1 0.6

South Wales 6,423 9 2,043 1 0.5 2,682 3 1.1

Northern Ireland 6,991 19 1,957 7 3.6 2,318 2 0.9

Scotland 19,663 96 7,093 29 4.1 7,456 27 3.6

Strathclyde 9,522 40 3,211 10 3.1 3,704 15 4.0

Highland and Islands 665 4 293 1 3.4 180 2 11.1

Grampian 1,664 16 625 6 9.6 565 7 12.4

Tayside 1,599 10 604 1 1.7 658 0 0.0

Lothian and Borders 3,731 14 1,350 4 3.0 1,456 2 1.4

Fife 1,229 5 478 3 6.3 430 1 2.3

Central 886 5 376 2 5.3 339 0 0.0

Dumfries 368 2 155 2 12.9 126 0 0.0

	Total	09:00–17:59		18:00–23:59
Brigade	Fires	Deaths	Fires	Deaths	Rate per 1,000 fires	Fires	Deaths	Rate per 1,000 fires
United Kingdom	228,087	635	79,207	227	2.9	89,662	154	1.7
(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾			(614)

England and Wales	201,433	520	70,157	191	2.7	79,888	125	1.6
(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾			(498)

England	188,701	481	65,749	179	2.7	74,843	117	1.6

England-Non-Met Counties	105,588	276	37,792	108	2.9	40,959	69	1.7
Avon	4,883	7	1,414	1	0.7	2,032	1	0.5
Bedfordshire⁽⁶⁾	2,045	5	603	1	1.7	797	3	3.8
Berkshire	2,649	5	947	2	2.1	902	3	3.3
Buckinghamshire	2,729	8	1,021	3	2.9	1,063	4	3.8
Cambridgeshire	2,373	4	808	2	2.5	879	1	1.1
Cheshire	3,403	6	1,243	4	3.2	1,230	0	0.0
Cleveland	3,600	7	1,269	4	3.2	1,573	0	0.0
Cornwall	1,472	7	647	2	3.1	447	2	4.5
Cumbria	1,666	4	683	2	2.9	585	1	1.7
Derbyshire	2,832	10	992	4	4.0	1,139	4	3.5
Devon	3,329	7	1,455	2	1.4	1,105	2	1.8
Dorset	1,950	8	693	5	7.2	742	1	1.3
Durham	2,398	6	841	0	0.0	1,014	4	3.9
East Sussex	2,822	7	1,054	1	0.9	1,038	5	4.8
Essex	4,597	10	1,632	6	3.7	1,774	1	0.6
Gloucestershire	1,720	6	658	2	3.0	621	1	1.6
Hampshire	4,344	14	1,795	8	4.5	1,584	3	1.9
Hereford and Worcester	2,083	4	843	3	3.6	791	0	0.0
Hertfordshire	2,826	9	1,023	6	5.9	1,126	3	2.7
Humberside	3,846	7	1,295	5	3.9	1,588	0	0.0
Isle of Wight	406	0	186	0	0.0	147	0	0.0
Kent	5,152	21	1,766	6	3.4	2,094	4	1.9
Lancashire	5,801	18	2,133	7	3.3	2,176	3	1.4
Leicestershire	3,254	14	1,121	8	7.1	1,319	3	2.3
Lincolnshire	1,861	5	679	3	4.4	793	0	0.0
Norfolk	2,282	8	816	2	2.5	845	3	3.6
North Yorkshire	2,088	2	703	0	0.0	876	0	0.0
Northamptonshire	2,663	4	903	2	2.2	1,058	0	0.0
Northumberland	1,205	2	374	1	2.7	522	1	1.9
Nottinghamshire	5,503	9	1,638	3	1.8	2,521	1	0.4
Oxfordshire	1,885	5	751	3	4.0	637	2	3.1
Shropshire	1,604	4	594	2	3.4	657	1	1.5
Somerset	1,787	10	676	3	4.4	606	1	1.7
Staffordshire	3,217	9	1,068	1	0.9	1,326	3	2.3
Suffolk	1,642	4	554	0	0.0	653	0	0.0
Surrey	2,447	3	969	0	0.0	866	1	1.2
Warwickshire	1,534	8	505	2	4.0	602	3	5.0
West Sussex	2,214	4	805	1	1.2	741	2	2.7
Wiltshire	1,474	5	632	1	1.6	492	2	4.1
Isles of Scilly	1	0	1	0	0.0	0	0	—

England-Met Counties	83,113	205	27,957	71	2.5	33,884	48	1.4
Greater Manchester	16,309	37	5,251	17	3.2	6,736	9	1.3
Merseyside	8,334	17	2,833	3	1.1	3,591	4	1.1
South	5,548	21	1,590	8	5.0	2,389	6	2.5
Yorkshire
Tyne and Wear	6,518	7	2,293	2	0.9	2,684	0	0.0
West Midlands	12,862	37	4,372	14	3.2	5,391	12	2.2
West Yorkshire	11,641	16	3,308	6	1.8	5,109	4	0.8
Greater London	21,901	70	8,310	21	2.5	7,983	13	1.6

Wales	12,732	39	4,408	12	2.7	5,045	8	1.6
North Wales	2,362	17	844	7	8.3	824	4	4.9
Mid and West Wales	3,947	13	1,521	4	2.6	1,539	1	0.6
South Wales	6,423	9	2,043	1	0.5	2,682	3	1.1

Northern Ireland	6,991	19	1,957	7	3.6	2,318	2	0.9

Scotland	19,663	96	7,093	29	4.1	7,456	27	3.6
Strathclyde	9,522	40	3,211	10	3.1	3,704	15	4.0
Highland and Islands	665	4	293	1	3.4	180	2	11.1
Grampian	1,664	16	625	6	9.6	565	7	12.4
Tayside	1,599	10	604	1	1.7	658	0	0.0
Lothian and Borders	3,731	14	1,350	4	3.0	1,456	2	1.4
Fife	1,229	5	478	3	6.3	430	1	2.3
Central	886	5	376	2	5.3	339	0	0.0
Dumfries	368	2	155	2	12.9	126	0	0.0

5 Mar 2003 : Column 1003W

00:00–08:59 Time of incident unknown

Brigade Fires Deaths Rate per 1,000 fires Fires Deaths

United Kingdom 59,191 252 4.3 27 2

(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾

England and Wales 51,367 202 3.9 22 2

(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾

England 48,088 183 3.8 22 2

England-Non-Met Counties 26,826 97 3.6 11 2

Avon 1,438 5 3.5 0 0

Bedfordshire⁽⁶⁾ 645 1 1.6 0 0

Berkshire 800 0 0.0 0 0

Buckinghamshire 644 1 1.6 0 0

Cambridgeshire 685 1 1.5 0 0

Cheshire 930 2 2.2 0 0

Cleveland 758 3 4.0 0 0

Cornwall 377 3 8.0 0 0

Cumbria 398 1 2.5 0 0

Derbyshire 701 2 2.9 0 0

Devon 770 3 3.9 0 0

Dorset 516 2 3.9 0 0

Durham 543 2 3.7 0 0

East Sussex 725 1 1.4 5 0

Essex 1,192 3 2.5 0 0

Gloucestershire 440 3 6.8 0 0

Hampshire 965 3 3.1 0 0

Hereford and Worcester 450 1 2.2 0 0

Hertfordshire 676 0 0.0 0 0

Humberside 963 2 2.1 0 0

Isle of Wight 73 0 0.0 0 0

Kent 1,292 11 8.5 0 0

Lancashire 1,493 8 5.4 0 0

Leicestershire 814 3 3.7 0 0

Lincolnshire 389 2 5.1 0 0

Norfolk 621 3 4.8 0 0

North Yorkshire 508 2 3.9 0 0

Northamptonshire 703 2 2.8 0 0

Northumberland 309 0 0.0 0 0

Nottinghamshire 1,344 5 3.7 0 0

Oxfordshire 497 0 0.0 0 0

Shropshire 353 1 2.8 0 0

Somerset 505 6 11.9 0 0

Staffordshire 817 3 3.7 6 2

Suffolk 435 4 9.2 0 0

Surrey 612 2 3.3 0 0

Warwickshire 426 3 7.0 0 0

West Sussex 668 1 1.5 0 0

Wiltshire 351 2 5.7 0 0

Isles of Scilly 0 0 — 0 0

England-Met Counties 21,26 86 4.0 10 0

Greater Manchester 4,322 11 2.5 0 0

Merseyside 1,905 10 5.2 5 0

South 1,568 7 4.5 0 0

Yorkshire

Tyne and Wear 1,541 5 3.2 0 0

West Midlands 3,099 11 3.5 0 0

West Yorkshire 3,224 6 1.9 0 0

Greater London 5,603 36 6.4 5 0

Wales 3,279 19 5.8 0 0

North Wales 694 6 8.6 0 0

Mid and West Wales 888 8 9.0 0 0

South Wales 1,698 5 2.9 0 0

Northern Ireland 2,710 10 3.7 5 0

Scotland 5,113 40 7.8 0 0

Strathclyde 2,608 15 5.8 0 0

Highland and Islands 192 1 5.2 0 0

Grampian 474 3 6.3 0 0

Tayside 337 9 26.7 0 0

Lothian and Borders 924 8 8.7 0 0

Fife 321 1 3.1 0 0

Central 171 3 17.5 0 0

Dumfries 87 0 0.0 0 0

	00:00–08:59		Time of incident unknown
Brigade	Fires	Deaths	Rate per 1,000 fires	Fires	Deaths
United Kingdom	59,191	252	4.3	27	2
(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾

England and Wales	51,367	202	3.9	22	2
(Estimates are shown in brackets)⁽⁵⁾

England	48,088	183	3.8	22	2

England-Non-Met Counties	26,826	97	3.6	11	2
Avon	1,438	5	3.5	0	0
Bedfordshire⁽⁶⁾	645	1	1.6	0	0
Berkshire	800	0	0.0	0	0
Buckinghamshire	644	1	1.6	0	0
Cambridgeshire	685	1	1.5	0	0
Cheshire	930	2	2.2	0	0
Cleveland	758	3	4.0	0	0
Cornwall	377	3	8.0	0	0
Cumbria	398	1	2.5	0	0
Derbyshire	701	2	2.9	0	0
Devon	770	3	3.9	0	0
Dorset	516	2	3.9	0	0
Durham	543	2	3.7	0	0
East Sussex	725	1	1.4	5	0
Essex	1,192	3	2.5	0	0
Gloucestershire	440	3	6.8	0	0
Hampshire	965	3	3.1	0	0
Hereford and Worcester	450	1	2.2	0	0
Hertfordshire	676	0	0.0	0	0
Humberside	963	2	2.1	0	0
Isle of Wight	73	0	0.0	0	0
Kent	1,292	11	8.5	0	0
Lancashire	1,493	8	5.4	0	0
Leicestershire	814	3	3.7	0	0
Lincolnshire	389	2	5.1	0	0
Norfolk	621	3	4.8	0	0
North Yorkshire	508	2	3.9	0	0
Northamptonshire	703	2	2.8	0	0
Northumberland	309	0	0.0	0	0
Nottinghamshire	1,344	5	3.7	0	0
Oxfordshire	497	0	0.0	0	0
Shropshire	353	1	2.8	0	0
Somerset	505	6	11.9	0	0
Staffordshire	817	3	3.7	6	2
Suffolk	435	4	9.2	0	0
Surrey	612	2	3.3	0	0
Warwickshire	426	3	7.0	0	0
West Sussex	668	1	1.5	0	0
Wiltshire	351	2	5.7	0	0
Isles of Scilly	0	0	—	0	0

England-Met Counties	21,26	86	4.0	10	0
Greater Manchester	4,322	11	2.5	0	0
Merseyside	1,905	10	5.2	5	0
South	1,568	7	4.5	0	0
Yorkshire
Tyne and Wear	1,541	5	3.2	0	0
West Midlands	3,099	11	3.5	0	0
West Yorkshire	3,224	6	1.9	0	0
Greater London	5,603	36	6.4	5	0

Wales	3,279	19	5.8	0	0
North Wales	694	6	8.6	0	0
Mid and West Wales	888	8	9.0	0	0
South Wales	1,698	5	2.9	0	0

Northern Ireland	2,710	10	3.7	5	0

Scotland	5,113	40	7.8	0	0
Strathclyde	2,608	15	5.8	0	0
Highland and Islands	192	1	5.2	0	0
Grampian	474	3	6.3	0	0
Tayside	337	9	26.7	0	0
Lothian and Borders	924	8	8.7	0	0
Fife	321	1	3.1	0	0
Central	171	3	17.5	0	0
Dumfries	87	0	0.0	0	0

⁽³⁾ A primary fire is any fire in a building or vehicle and/or a fire which involved casualties or rescues. Includes late call and heat and smoke damage incidents (not recorded prior to 1994).

⁽⁴⁾ Provisional.

⁽⁵⁾ The fatality figures for 2001–02 are likely to be revised as later information becomes available. Estimates for the revised totals for United kingdom and England and Wales are shown in brackets.

⁽⁶⁾ Since publication of 'Fire Statistics Monitor-Q1 2002' Bedfordshire has supplied data for quarter 1 2002. This means the figures here differ slightly from those previously published.

5 Mar 2003 : Column 1005W

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