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10 Mar 2004 : Column 1524W—continued
Mobile Phone Masts
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will provide further (a) planning guidelines and (b) resources to local planning authorities with respect to applications for G3 technology telecommunications masts. [160249]
Keith Hill: Current planning guidance for all electronic communication developments is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also issued a Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to change these arrangements at present.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is, however, making £350 million of additional resources available to planning authorities over three years to drive performance improvement. Authorities are free to spend this money in whatever way they wish.
Public Sector Procurement
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of public
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sector procurement as a tool for inner city regeneration; and what plans his Department has to develop the use of public sector procurement in the future. [158085]
Yvette Cooper: No specific assessment has been made of the effectiveness of public sector procurement as a tool for inner city regeneration. The National Procurement Strategy for Local Government, jointly published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Local Government Association (LGA) in October 2003, sets out a three-year strategy for procurement which encourages public sector bodies to consider wider corporate objectives such as economic and social regeneration as well as the need for better and cost-effective services for citizens.
Regional Assemblies
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for North Essex on 10 February, reference 155144, on elected regional assemblies; and what has delayed his response. [159828]
Mr. Raynsford: The relevant question was answered on 4 March 2004, Official Report, column 1106W.
It will be for the Elected Regional Assembly in each of the three regions to decide on how best to meet its long-term accommodation requirements, including location.
In reaching a decision on any initial temporary accommodation which may be required once an Elected Regional Assembly is in place, the Government will consult the regional chambers in the north-east, north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many regional assembly members would be elected by (a) a the first-past-the-post system and (b) the additional member system in each of the regions where the Government propose to establish elected regional assemblies. [159830]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister laid out in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", published May 2002 that the electoral system for the regional assemblies would be the additional member system. This will mean that two thirds of the members in each region will be elected as constituency members, and one third will be top-up regional list members. Each region will have between 25–35 members in total.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the number of assembly members for the proposed elected regional assemblies in the north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber will be determined. [159831]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", published in May 2002, that each assembly will have between 25 and 35 members.
Section 21 of the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003 requires the Secretary of State to direct the Electoral Commission to advise him. The topics on
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which advice can be requested are listed and include the number of electoral areas that an assembly should have. The Act requires that this direction be made no later than two years after a yes vote is gained in a referendum.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the constituencies for regional assembly members elected by the first-past-the-post system would be in (a) the north-east, (b) the north-west and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber. [159832]
Mr. Raynsford: Two thirds of the members in each region will be elected by regional constituencies under the first-past-the-post system, while the other third will be elected as "top-up" list members under the Additional Member System.
Section 21 of the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003 requires the Secretary of State to direct the Electoral Commission to advise him. The topics on which advice can be requested are listed and include the electoral areas for the assembly. The Act requires that this direction be made no later than two years after a yes vote is gained in a referendum.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether administrative cost savings consequent on the change in status of local government in North Yorkshire in the event of the establishment of a Regional Assembly would be deducted from future funding allocations to the county. [159196]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be discussing how to treat the costs and potential savings of reorganisation with local government. A working group has been established to look at costs and the wider practical implications of reorganisation. Its first meeting took place on 9 March.
South East England Development Agency
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list each project on the Isle of Wight funded by South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) in the last 12 months for which information is available, showing the (a) funding from SEEDA for each project and (b) intended outcomes of each project. [155257]
Mr. Raynsford: In the financial year April 2003 to March 2004, South East England Development Agency will invest a total of £13 million on 17 projects on the Isle of Wight. The purpose of those projects is to support the sustainable economic development of the Island. Forecasted core outputs should:
- create or safeguard 388 jobs, create or fill 1,672 learning opportunities between three and 30 hours duration and 112 over 30 hours and create 40 new businesses while sustaining a further 12 for 12 months. The following table applies this in more detail to individual projects.
SEEDA has also provided £35,000 towards the Island's Community Wind project. This has funded a feasibility study which has been extended to cover use of renewable energy in refurbishment and newbuild in an estate in Newport. As well as added value through dissemination there is also a possibility of creating two jobs.
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| Core tier 3 outputs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project | Forecast spend (£) | New jobs created/safeguarded | Hectares of brownfield land remediated or recycled | Number of learning opportunities created and filled (3–30 hours) | Number of learning opportunities over 30 hours | New businesses created | New businesses sustained for 12 months |
| Ryde 2000—SRB scheme | 1,699,000 | 25 | — | 307 | — | 25 | 12 |
| Island Inclusive—SRB scheme | 106,106 | — | — | 75 | — | — | — |
| Rural Development Programme | 400,000 | 17 | — | 52 | — | 14 | — |
| Leader+ (rural) | 100,000 | — | — | 133 | — | — | — |
| Market Town Initiative: (Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor)(8) | 184,342 | 2 | — | 5 | — | 1 | — |
| Regional Selective Assistance Project | 200,000 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Better Skills Better Community | 338,000 | — | — | 1,000 | — | — | — |
| Learning for all | 130,000 | — | — | 100 | 100 | — | — |
| Management Development—PLATO(9) | 25,500 | — | — | — | 12 | — | — |
| Isle of Wight Enterprise Hub(10) | 44,355 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cowes Marine Cluster(10) | 91,000 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Direct Development Activities (GKN, Cowes Waterfront, 3 Gates Road) | 9,600,000 | 300 | Output is notcalculateduntil land isremediated | — | — | — | — |
| Isle of Wight Economic Partnership Funding | 90,000 | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— |
| Total spend in Isle of Wight 2003–04 | 13,008,303 | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— | (11)— |
(8) Market Towns also deliver rural outputs such as improved community facilities and child care places.
(9) This programme applies across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and this represents a pro-rata allocation for the Isle of Wight.
(10) Will deliver supplementary outputs such as business advice.
(11) Not applicable
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