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30 Apr 2004 : Column 1325W—continued

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent changes have been made regarding the use of free postage for military personnel serving in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [170106]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my Written Ministerial Statement of 27 February 2004, Official Report, column 70WS, and subsequent answers of 5 March 2004, Official Report, column 1155W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr. Hancock), and 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 1605W, to the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk (Mr. Simpson).

Manning Control

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers subject to manning control in the last
 
30 Apr 2004 : Column 1326W
 
10 years are (a) still serving on an S-type contract and (b) have been discharged, and under what careers regulations; and if he will make a statement. [169171]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 29 April 2004]: The number of soldiers discharged under Queen's Regulations 9.413 'Not required for a full Army career' following manning control review in the last 15 calendar years to 2002 was given in the answer on 27 November 2002, Official Report, columns 332–34W, as updated by the answers given on 16 September 2003, Official Report, columns 705–06W, and 13 March 2004, Official Report, column 386W.

Of these, 319 soldiers are currently serving on an S-Type engagement.
 
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Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who were subject to manning control and were discharged or signed on to S-type contracts and subsequently discharged since 1994 have been called up for service in UK operational deployment (a) in each of the last eight years and (b) on Operation Telic; and if he will make a statement. [169172]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 29 April 2004]: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence Statistics

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the contribution his Department makes to the West Midlands economy. [168466]

Mr. Caplin: Publication of this information in the annual Defence Statistics report was suspended in 2002 because of concerns about its quality. Work is in place to improve the quality of these statistics with a view to their inclusion in the future.

Defence makes an important contribution to the West Midlands economy through the presence of service and civilian personnel in their local communities, and through expenditure with companies based in the West Midlands and payments by the Department to local authorities. The Department's Defence Bills Agency database records that in 2002–03 the Ministry of Defence spent some £300 million of equipment and non-equipment expenditure to firms based in the West Midlands.

The Department also conducts regional impact assessments to inform decisions affecting Defence estate and personnel.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Antisocial Behaviour

Ms Keeble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many evictions by housing authorities for antisocial behaviour took place in (a) the last three months of 2003 and (b) the first three months of 2004. [169807]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not request that local authorities supply information on the number of evictions they have carried out due to the antisocial behaviour of tenants.

Betting Shops

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he gives to local authorities in consideration of an application for planning permission to open a betting shop from someone who has already successfully applied for a licence to run that business. [170138]

Keith Hill: There is no specific guidance on applying for planning permission for a betting shop, although we
 
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published "Planning Permission: A Guide for Business" in 1998 which informs applicants that betting offices are in the A2 (Financial and Professional Services) Use Class as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. The Use Classes Order makes clear that planning permission is needed to change the use of premises to a betting office. The Order is currently being revised, but the announcement on 27 November 2003 on proposed changes does not include any proposal to change the position of betting offices.

Even if an applicant has a bookmaker's permit to run a betting office in a particular location, he will still require permission to change the use of premises under the Town and Country Planning Act. We have no proposals to issue any guidance.

Planning (Flag Poles)

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what planning restrictions apply to (a) the erection of flag poles and (b) the flying of national flags; and if he will make a statement; [169752]

(2) if he will make it his policy to issue planning guidance to remove the need for planning permission for flag poles up to 18 feet in height in or on domestic properties. [169751]

Keith Hill: Under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992 ("the regulations"), prior local planning authority consent is not required, in respect of a site where planning permission has been granted for residential development, so long as the flagstaff is vertical, does not exceed 4.6 metres in height, and is not within a conservation area, area of outstanding natural beauty, National Park, the Broads area or an area of special control under the regulations. The flag advertisement can only be displayed for the period of one year. Otherwise express consent from the local planning authority is required.

National flags are exempt from control under the regulations provided each flag is flown from a single vertical flagstaff and it does not have anything else added to the design of the flag or any advertising material added to the flagstaff. We shall be amending the Regulations to exempt from control national flags however they are flown from a flagstaff.

Land Use Change

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much land changing to residential use was within 1997-designated Green Belt in each year since 1997, broken down by region. [169495]

 
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Keith Hill: The available estimates are from Land Use Change Statistics for 1997, 1998 and 2000, are in the following table. Much of the development was on land
 
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that was already developed and the second part of the table shows the amounts of greenfield land used for residential development.
Land changing to residential use within 1997 designated Green Belt

Region	1997	1998	2000
		Hectares
All on Greenbelt land
North East	5	10	0
North West	75	90	65
Yorkshire and the Humber	60	50	30
East Midlands	10	10	20
West Midlands	45	35	55
East of England	40	60	50
London	10	20	25
South East	135	85	145
South West	25	30	40
England	405	395	430
On greenfield (not previously developed) Land
North East	5	10	0
North West	50	65	30
Yorkshire and the Humber	40	35	25
East Midlands	5	5	5
West Midlands	30	20	35
East of England	15	20	25
London	0	10	10
South East	90	50	100
South West	20	25	35
England	255	230	265

Mrs Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new dwellings were built within 1997-designated Green Belt in each year since 1997, broken down by region. [169496]

Keith Hill: The available estimates are from Land Use Change Statistics for 1997, 1998 and 2000, in the following table. Many of the dwellings were built on land that was already developed and the second part of the table shows the numbers just on greenfield land.
New dwellings built within 1997 designated Green Belt

		Dwellings
Region	1997	1998	2000
All on Green Belt land
North East	50	140	20
North West	930	855	945
Yorkshire and the Humber	630	675	505
East Midlands	225	145	270
West Midlands	660	600	705
East of England	470	845	625
London	180	655	590
South East	855	800	890
South West	155	310	160
England	4,155	5,015	4,710
On greenfield (not previously developed)Land
North East	35	130	15
NorthWest	495	410	330
Yorkshire and the Humber	335	360	370
East Midlands	95	75	35
West Midlands	335	220	335
East of England	105	135	280
London	5	240	205
South East	300	300	220
SouthWest	90	195	70
England	1,790	1,985	1,895

 
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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much land within 1997-designated Green Belt changed to developed use each year since 1997, broken down by region. [169545]

 
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Keith Hill: The available estimates are from Land Use Change Statistics for 1997, 1998 and 2000, tabled as follows:
Land changing to developed use within 1997 designated Green Belt

hectares
Region	1997	1998	2000
On green field (not previously developed) land
North East	110	10	45
North West	335	295	110
Yorkshire and the Humber	295	290	60
East Midlands	60	75	70
West Midlands	85	65	75
East of England	155	85	50
London	50	20	15
South East	270	100	430
South West	55	70	115
England	1,410	1,005	965

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the locations of each development on (a) Green Belt land and (b) non-Green Belt green field land for which he or his predecessors have given planning permission since 1 May 1997. [169546]

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister or his predecessors have granted planning permission on 162 sites on Green Belt land between 1 May 1997 and 31 March 2004. A table of the locations of these sites has been made available in the Libraries of the House.

Information on non-Green Belt green field land is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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