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22 Apr 2004 : Column 641W—continued
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Local Government Finance
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the 10 (a) least and (b) most indebted local authorities are. [167063]
Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The 10 English local authorities that had the least net debt as at 31 March 2003 are:
City of London
Barking and Dagenham
Basingstoke and Deane
Bromley
South Oxfordshire
St. Edmundsbury
Dorset
Crawley
East Hertfordshire
Huntingdonshire
(b) The 10 English local authorities that had the most net debt as at 31 March 2003 are:
Newham
Islington
Southwark
Kent
Lambeth
Liverpool
Sheffield
Leeds
Birmingham
Manchester.
Source:
ODPM monthly and quarterly borrowing returns.
It should be noted that authorities with high levels of debt are generally those which have undertaken capital investment. Long-term borrowing to finance capital expenditure was regulated through the issue of credit approvals up until 31 March 2004 and, as from 1 April 2004, is subject to the Prudential System.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the Government intends to change the formula for distribution between authorities of housing revenue account and management and maintenance allowances; and what the sums involved are. [166891]
Keith Hill: Following wide consultation with local authorities and others last year, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced changes to the distribution of management and maintenance allowances within HRA subsidy to take effect from April 2004. Full details of each authority's allocation and the new methodology were published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website on 18 December 2003, as part of the General Determination of Housing Revenue Account Subsidy for 2004–05. We are considering some minor, technical improvements to the new formulae for 2005–06 and will of course consult before introducing any further change.
The changes are purely about distribution and have not made any difference to the total resources available for management and maintenance allowances. Transitional arrangements mean that all authorities will receive at least inflationary increases in their allowances in both 2004–05 and 2005–06, with most receiving more.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the latest allocation of Planning Delivery Grant to each local authority and region. [166899]
Keith Hill: The latest allocations of Planning Delivery Grant for 2004–05 has been made available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he intends to cap the council tax rise imposed by Herefordshire council; and if he will make a statement. [167293]
Mr. Raynsford:
When the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced the council tax increases for 2004–05 on 25 March, we confirmed that we were ready
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to use our targeted capping powers if necessary and that we aimed to notify any authorities which might be in line for capping by the end of April. I cannot say in advance which authorities these may be.
Correspondence
Mr. Paice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to reply to the (a) letters from the Chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council of 30 January and 2 April and the (b) letter from the hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire of 30 March, on the Smithy Fen travellers' site at Cottenham and requests for a meeting. [167174]
Yvette Cooper: I replied to these letters on 21 April 2004.
Development Planning
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest timetable is for implementing (a) regional spatial strategies and (b) local development documents. [166943]
Keith Hill: On commencement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, the majority of existing Regional Planning Guidance documents will become Regional Spatial Strategies and should be implemented in accordance with the implementation proposals set out in those documents over the 15 to 20 year periods they relate to.
Commencement of the Bill will also enable LPAs to prepare and adopt Local Development Documents in accordance with the programmes outlined in their Local Development Schemes. The Local Development Schemes will have to be in place by the end of this year and will set out a three-year programme for the preparation of Local Development Documents.
Drugs Litter
Mr. Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether powers exist to permit officers of a local authority to enter private property to retrieve drugs litter. [166793]
Phil Hope: Any tenant or owner-occupier has the right to enjoy their premises without disturbance. Local authority officers cannot enter private property without permission unless they have been given a specific power to do so. There are no specific powers that we are aware of, which relate to retrieval of drugs litter.
Fire Safety/Construction Products
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to consult (a) the Association of Fire Consultants, (b) the Passive Fire Protection Confederation and (c) the Active Fire Industry Confederation about European Commission proposals to amend the law on fire safety and construction products. [167223]
Mr. Raynsford:
The European Commission has not yet published its proposals for amending the construction products directive. When it does, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult relevant UK
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industry bodies in the usual way. We will ensure that the organisations referred to by the hon. Member are included in any such consultation.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on European Commission proposals to make the use of a CE mark mandatory for construction products. [167224]
Keith Hill: The European Commission has not yet published any proposals concerning the mandatory or voluntary nature of CE marking. When they do, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult UK industry in the usual way before deciding on the Government's policy on this matter.
Fires
Mr. Watson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of fires caused by cigarettes in each of the last five years; and how many deaths there were in such fires. [166841]
Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is in the following table:
| Fires(31) | Fatal casualties | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8,134 | 160 |
| 1999 | 7,919 | 130 |
| 2000 | 6,660 | 143 |
| 2001 | 6,839 | 146 |
| 2002(32) | 6,192 | 123 |
(31) Estimate based on sampled data.
(32) Excluding a period of 10 days of industrial action in November 2002
Green Belt
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government's strategy on building on the Green Belt is. [166945]
Keith Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member on 15 December 2003 Official Report, Hansard (column 748W).
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