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28 Apr 2004 : Column 1131W—continued
Rail Freight
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide (a) grants and (b) other incentives to logistics companies in Northern Ireland to encourage the movement of freight via rail rather than road; and if he will make a statement. [168214]
Mr. Spellar: There are currently no plans to provide grants or other incentives to encourage the investment of freight via rail in Northern Ireland.
Water Charging
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to protect (a) those on low incomes and (b) other vulnerable people from the impact of the introduction of water charging in Northern Ireland. [168641]
Mr. Spellar:
The Government are committed to introducing household water and sewerage charges that are fair and affordable. We are currently developing proposals for the basis and form of household charges to be introduced within the government's wider policy and resources framework. This work is currently examining how we might best protect those on low incomes and other vulnerable people from any excessive
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impact, or hardship, that may arise from the introduction of water and sewerage charges. The results of this analysis will be set out in an Integrated Impact Assessment, which will be published for consultation later this year.
Water/Sewage Pipes
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the state of Northern Ireland's water and sewage pipe infrastructure. [168192]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated 26 April 2004:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question (168192) about the state of Northern Ireland's water and sewage pipe infrastructure. I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of the Water Service.
Water Service recently completed a comprehensive Asset Management Plan that identified the investment needs for all water and sewerage assets over a twenty year period. This required an assessment of the performance of the current assets and future performance requirements to meet more stringent and demanding statutory obligations and standards of service. The Plan concluded that some £3 billion was required to improve the water and sewerage infrastructure over the 20 year period and approximately half of this was required to upgrade watermains and sewers.
The conclusion of the Asset Management Plan demonstrates that the overall condition of the water and sewerage infrastructure is not satisfactory. To address this Water Service is investing £590 million over the three year period to 2006 on water and sewage infrastructure as part of its programme to comply with EU directives, protect the environment and deliver customer service improvements. In addition, a substantial Public Private Partnership programme, involving a number of large wastewater and water treatment works valued at £269 million, is also being taken forward.
A series of discrete watermain and sewerage networks rehabilitation studies are currently on-going to identify specific capital investment requirements to achieve compliance with EU directives and provide for existing and future demand for services. This approach will enable Water Service to target current and future capital investment on watermains and sewers to areas of greatest need, thereby attaining best value for money.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Attachment of Earnings Orders
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of attachment of earnings orders issued on employers in each year since 1997, broken down by reasons for the orders. [168156]
Mr. Leslie:
Figures relating to the number of attachment of earnings orders are provided in the table. Information relating to the breakdown by reasons for the orders is not available centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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| Attachment of earnings orders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Judgments | Maintenance | |
| 1997 | 65,669 | 1,194 |
| 1998 | 43,440 | 876 |
| 1999 | 34,399 | 190 |
| 2000 | 35,545 | 156 |
| 2001 | 42,011 | 150 |
| 2002 | 39,855 | 141 |
| 2003 | 40,384 | 855 |
Court Fines (Merseyside)
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the collection of fines imposed by magistrates' courts in Merseyside. [167964]
Mr. Leslie: There has been a steady improvement in the fine collection performance of the Merseyside Magistrates' Courts Committee (MCC) over the last year. The rolling payment rate stands at 52 per cent. at the end of February, which is a 13 per cent. point increase on the quarter one figure of 39 per cent., with further improvements planned for 2004–05.
Referendum Costs
Mr. Kevin Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the estimated costs associated with holding a national referendum are. [167828]
Mr. Leslie: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline, West (Rachel Squire) on the 1 April.
Small Claims
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many money claims issued against (a) travel operators and (b) tour operators were taken to the Small Claims Court in each year since 1997, broken down by circuit; how many of these (i) were disputed, (ii) found in favour of the claimant and (iii) found in favour of the defendant; and how much was awarded to the claimant in each year, broken down by circuit. [168868]
Mr. Leslie: The information requested is not collected centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Commercial Leases
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations the Department has received on proposals to ban upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases; and if he will make a statement. [168904]
Keith Hill:
The issue of upwards-only rent reviews in commercial leases has been of longstanding concern, and prompted the introduction in April 2002 of a new Code of Practice by the property industry. Over the last year, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received seven letters, from the British Retail
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Consortium and certain companies and individuals, expressing concern about upwards-only rent reviews in commercial leases. The issue was also discussed at a meeting of the Property Consultative Group, which I chaired on 3 December 2003.
The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) announced the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's decision to go out to consultation on legislative options in a written statement on 23 April 2004, Official Report, column 32WS.
Empty/Second Homes
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list all authorities in England and Wales showing the (a) number of empty homes, (b) yield of council tax from empty homes, (c) number of second homes, (d) council tax discount applied to second homes and (e) council tax yield from second homes. [166886]
Mr. Raynsford: The most recent available figures for the numbers of long-term empty and second homes within the area of each English billing authority relate to 1 November 2002 have been made available in the Library of the House.
If all billing authorities reduced their second homes discount to the minimum possible figure of 10 per cent., we estimate that about £65 million could potentially be raised in England. If all English authorities removed their discount for long-term empty homes completely, this could raise a further £160 million.
Information on changes to discounts made for second or long-term empty homes for 2004–05 in England is still being collected from individual local authorities and so is not yet available.
Initial information provided on budget returns suggests, however, that almost half of the 1.2 per cent. increase between 2003–04 and 2004–05 in the total tax base for English authorities is due to reductions in second homes discounts and reductions or removals of discounts for long-term empty homes. This is equivalent to about 100,000 Band D properties.
Figures for Welsh local authorities are a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households received an empty homes council tax discount in England in each year since 1997. [169494]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information in the form requested. Returns by local billing authorities show the number of dwellings subject to a discount as at 16 October each year, rather than the total number of dwellings which have received a discount in the year. Authorities have only been asked to identify long-term empty property discounts separately from other discounts since 2001. The reported figures for dwellings subject to a long-term empty discount are:
16 October 2001: 340,000
16 October 2002: 376,000.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not yet have all the necessary returns from authorities to calculate a figure for 16 October 2003.
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