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17 Jun 2003 : Column 168W—continued
Pollution
Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many pollution permit controls were approved for (a) incineration, (b) composting, (c) landfill and (d) material recovery facilities in the years 1999 to 2002 in the (i) Yorkshire and Humber, (ii) South East, (iii) South West, (iv) North East, (v) North West, (vi) East of England, (vii) East Midlands, (viii) West Midlands and (ix) London regions. [115769]
Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.
The table shows information from the Environment Agency's Regulatory Information System (REGIS), as at November 2002, for pollution permitted controls for (a) incineration, (b) composting, (c) landfill and (d) material recovery facilities in the years 1999 to 2002 for each RDA region.
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Property Inspection
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the inspection of property in multiple occupancy. [118986]
Keith Hill: Inspections of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are normally carried out by local authority environmental health officers under powers conferred upon the authority by Part XI of the Housing Act 1985. An authority has a right to survey or examine an HMO internally to check to see if it is being used as an HMO and to ensure that it is reasonably suitable for the number of occupants, whether any works are required, that it is not overcrowded, that the management regulations are being complied with, that conditions attached to registration are being adhered to and that any works the authority has required have been carried out to the authority's satisfaction. A person who obstructs an authorised officer (e.g. by refusing entry) is guilty of an offence and subject to a fine not exceeding £2,500. A local authority may apply to a Justice of the Peace for a warrant of entry if admission to the property
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had been refused. The warrant remains in force until the inspection has been carried out and permits entry by force.
Regeneration Funding
Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the regeneration and other specific grant funding, but not revenue support grant, given by his Department to local authorities (a) in each region of England and (b) in total in (i) 2001–02, (ii) 2002–03 and (iii) 2003–04 (estimated). [113214]
Mr. Raynsford: Tables setting out the available information have been placed in the Library of the House.
It should be noted that the table giving England totals is more comprehensive than the tables for individual regions. This is because regional totals for some grants are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for these grants are therefore given in the England table but not the regional ones.
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Social Housing
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the availability of social housing in Castle Point. [119000]
Keith Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Castle Point on 13 June 2003, Official Report, column ll56W.
Strategic Environmental ImpactAssessment Directive
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he intends to take to ensure his proposals in Sustainable Communities comply with the EU Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. [118816]
Keith Hill: The Communities Plan is a programme of work drawing together numerous Delivery Programmes. As such, it does not itself have an Environmental Impact Assessment or a Strategic Environmental Assessment. As appropriate, individual elements of the Plan will be subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Assessment at suitable points in the delivery process.
Sustainable Development
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the departmental strategy for sustainable development has been published; and if he will make a statement on what steps are (a) being taken and (b) planned to take forward the strategy. [116848]
Keith Hill: Delivering sustainable development is at the heart of the aims of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. On 5 February this year, we published our plan for building sustainable communities, which seeks to improve the quality of life across the country in support of the UK's Sustainable Development Strategy.
Telecommunications Masts
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the procedure for approving applications for mobile phone masts. [118993]
Keith Hill: Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised). The installation of any telecommunications mast in designated area such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and of a mast of more than 15 metres in height elsewhere, is subject to a full planning application. The local planning authority (or the Secretary of State on appeal) in the light of development plan policies and any
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other material considerations, including any relevant representations either for or against the proposal, will decide any such application.
The Department of Trade and Industry under the Telecommunications Act 1984 license telecommunications operators. Outside the designated areas mentioned above, licensed telecommunications code system operators are authorised under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO) to install specified telecommunications apparatus without the need to make a planning application to the local authority. Certain types of development however, such as the installation of ground-based masts of up to 15 metres in height, are subject to a prior approval procedure. Prior approval procedures allow the local planning authority the opportunity to say whether it wishes to approve details of the siting and appearance of the installation. If the authority considers that the development will pose a serious threat to amenity, it is able to refuse approval.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many appeals against decisions to grant mobile phone masts have been allowed in England in each of the last five years. [118994]
Keith Hill: The Information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Therefore, the following information relates to appeal decisions about telecommunications development generally.
| Appeals received | Appeals allowed | Appeals dismissed | Appeals withdrawn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 146 | 67 | 64 | 15 |
| 1999 | 147 | 85 | 52 | 10 |
| 2000 | 325 | 191 | 108 | 26 |
| 2001 | 621 | 379 | 194 | 44 |
| 2002 | 871 | 494 | 293 | 65 |
| January to May 2003 | 209 | 27 | 14 | 8 |
Note:
All figures relate to the year in which the appeal was received, not necessarily the year it was decided.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend the planning system to require sharing of telecommunications masts. [119599]
Keith Hill: The Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development was published on 11 November 2002. This firmly encourages mast and site sharing where that is the optimum solution in the individual circumstances. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to amend further the planning arrangements for telecommunications development at the present time.
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