---

22 Mar 2004 : Column 641W—continued

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to his Department since 1 January 2003, broken down by (a) ordinary written and (b) named day; what percentage in respect of (a) were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage in respect of (b) were answered by the specified date. [157742]

Yvette Cooper: Since 1 January 2003 to 27 February 2004 (a) 2,941 ordinary written parliamentary questions and (b) 548 named day parliamentary questions have been tabled to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, of these (a) 87 per cent. were answered within 10 working days and (b) 84 per cent. were answered by the specified date.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister endeavours to reply to all parliamentary questions within parliamentary deadlines wherever possible.

Regional Assemblies

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who is responsible for the (a) design, (b) production and (c) distribution of the leaflets (i) "Your Say: A new opportunity for the North East", (ii) "Your Say: A new opportunity for the North West", (iii) "Your Say: A new opportunity for Yorkshire and the Humber", (iv) "Your Say: Business and Jobs" and (v) "Your Say: Assembly powers and responsibilities"; and at what cost. [162423]

Mr. Raynsford: The "Your Say" campaign is aimed at informing the public in the north west, north east and Yorkshire and Humber regions about the Government's proposals for giving the region's voters an opportunity to say if they want to have regional Government.

The Newcastle and Manchester based advertising agency Robson Brown was commissioned to design the three leaflets, "Your Say: A new opportunity" for the North East/North West/Yorkshire and the Humber and "Your Say: Business and Jobs" and "Your Say: Assembly" powers and responsibilities.

Production has been carried out by Robson Brown and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's print procurement team.

Distribution has been handled by the relevant Government Offices and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's retained distribution house.

22 Mar 2004 : Column 642W

The combined design costs of the "Your Say: A new opportunity" leaflets totalled £8,750.

Production costs to date of the "Your Say: A new opportunity leaflets" totals £28,586 for delivery of the following:

North West—171,200 leaflets

Yorkshire and the Humber—171,200 leaflets

North East—139,200 leaflets.

Design and production costs of "Your Say: Business and Jobs" totals £1,780 (5,000 copies per region).

Design and production costs of "Your Say: Assembly powers" and responsibilities totals £1,400 (5,000 copies per region).

Social Housing (Greater London)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new houses have been built in the social rented sector in Greater London in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year. [162346]

Keith Hill: The Housing Statistics Annual 2003 gives the number of completions of new dwellings built by Registered Social Landlords and local authorities in London as follows:

	RSL completions	Local authority completions	Total completions
1997–98	4,329	52	4,381
1998–99	3,198	35	3,233
1999–2000	2,934	0	2,934
2000–01	4,162	158	4,320
2001–02	3,512	27	3,539
2002–03	4,258	71	4,329

Data on the cost of completions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Sunset Clauses

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his policy on the use of sunset clauses in legislation; and which Acts containing such clauses relevant to his Department were passed in each year since 1997. [149329]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister actively promotes the better regulation agenda, part of which is the use of sunset clauses where appropriate. Policy officials are aware of guidance that encourages them to consider time limiting (or "sunsetting") at an early stage of policy development

22 Mar 2004 : Column 643W

and gives specific circumstances where this may be appropriate. The form in which particular aspects of policy are embodied in legislation is a matter for careful consideration by Ministers, who are advised in this respect by officials in conjunction with lawyers and Parliamentary Counsel. The use of a sunset clause (as of any other type of clause) would be the result of such consideration.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established on 29 May 2002, as a result of machinery of government changes. Since then, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of just one sunset clause in primary legislation for which it is responsible, namely section 1(7) of the Fire Services Act 2003, which prevents the making of an order (fixing firemen's conditions of service) more than two years after commencement of the Act (on the date of Royal Assent, 13 November 2003) except for an order revoking a previous order.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the minimum distance is that a telecommunications mast may be from houses. [161241]

Yvette Cooper: 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 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to introduce such a restriction.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that mobile telephone operatives consider the case for mast sharing before any application for new masts. [161242]

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Guidance Note 8, "Telecommunications" (PPG8), makes clear the expectation that developers should provide evidence to local planning authorities that they have carefully considered the use of existing masts, buildings and other structures before seeking to erect any new mast, regardless of size. The authority may be justified in refusing prior approval or planning permissions if it considers the evidence regarding the consideration of such alternative sites is not satisfactory.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will amend the General Permitted Development Order 1995, section 17 (A), to bring telecommunications masts and base stations erected on land owned by Network Rail into the full local authority planning process. [163037]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently taking forward a wide-ranging review of permitted development rights (PDRs), including those available to railway undertakers. On 10 September 2003 we published a research study on permitted development rights from Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Ltd. This includes a review of the operation of the PDRs available to railway undertakers.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering the Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners' report's recommendations carefully and when we decide which of the suggested reforms should be taken forward, we will undertake a public consultation.

22 Mar 2004 : Column 644W

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development issued by his office on 11 November 2002 covers the Tetra project. [161415]

Yvette Cooper: Tetra is the acronym for the TErrestrial Trunked RAdio, which is a standard for digital private mobile radio. Airwave mm O2 is currently rolling out a Tetra system on behalf of the Home Office for police forces nation-wide. Airwave have agreed to work to the guidance contained in the Code Of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8) in relation to the Tetra project. [161416]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to change Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) at present.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive concerning Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8) in relation to the Tetra project. [161417]

Yvette Cooper: The Scottish Executive was consulted prior to the publication of Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised).

TREASURY

Money Laundering

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has published for estate agents on the requirements of the money laundering regulations which comes into force on 1 March; and if he will make a statement. [162457]

Ruth Kelly: The Money Laundering Regulations 2003, which came into force from 1 March 2004, impose high-level objectives to counter money laundering upon those carrying out business in the regulated sector. The Government, in line with the approach taken in the 1993 Money Laundering Regulations, does not issue guidance on the Regulations, instead encouraging industry bodies, regulators and supervisory authorities to provide guidance upon how best to meet the requirements of the Regulations. This allows industry the opportunity to tailor procedures to the differing circumstances and risks specific to individual sectors, thereby encouraging a more efficient, proportionate and flexible way of complying with the regulatory requirements. We are aware that the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RIGS) and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) have drawn up guidance for members; the RIGS guidance to estate agent members and real estate auctioneers is also available to non-members and the general public on its web site.

Industry guidance can be submitted to Treasury for approval.

22 Mar 2004 : Column 645W

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a photcopy of a conveyancing solicitor's or conveyancer's identification documentation will be sufficient to enable estate agents to meet the money laundering regulations. [162458]

Ruth Kelly: The Money Laundering Regulations 2003 require, among other things, that identification procedures are maintained, in certain circumstances, which require the collection of satisfactory evidence of identity for an applicant for business.

We are encouraging, and working with, industry bodies to provide guidance as to what procedures might satisfy this requirement. Ultimately it would be for the courts to decide in individual cases whether identification procedures were sufficient.

---