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25 Oct 2004 : Column 1088W—continued
Regional Assemblies
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) pursuant to section 37 of the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill (Cm. 6285), what estimate he has made of the annual cost of the provision of pension benefits for north east regional assembly members and employees; and what plans he has to set limits on (a) the making of payments towards the provision of pension benefits and (b) the cost of the establishment and administration of schemes for the provision of pension benefits; [192757]
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(2) what estimate he has made of what the total value of a regional assembly member's pension benefits will be after 30 years in post. [192756]
Mr. Raynsford: Assemblies will, as good employers, be expected to provide suitable pension benefits for employees and meet the reasonable costs involved. I do not propose to set any limits on payments to be made towards pension benefits or on the cost of administration of pension schemes.
Member salaries and pension benefits will be a matter for each assembly, although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will ask the Senior Salaries Review Body to recommend initial salary levels. The north east assembly will have 25 members most of whom will be paid on a part-time basis. It is unlikely that many members would remain in office for 30 years, and any estimate of the likely value of pension benefits for anyone serving that length of time would be highly speculative.
Telecommunication Masts
Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure best practice and a common approach are adopted in relation to planning procedures relating to mobile phone masts. [193356]
Keith Hill: Best Practice in relation to planning for mobile phone network developments is set out in the Code of Best Practice for Mobile Phone Network Development. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is commissioning a study to assess the impact that the code has had since its introduction and how local authorities have implemented the code and how the public perceives its operation.
This will provide the Government with evidence on whether the code has been effective and whether there are any areas of weakness that need to be addressed. In light of this evidence the Government will consider whether any changes to the code are appropriate.
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Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of telecommunication installations completed in the last 12 months have been allowed under the permitted development rights conferred under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. [193358]
Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has made to the Mobile Operators Association on improving consultation with local communities on the development of telecommunication equipment in their area. [193359]
Keith Hill: Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister meet regularly with the Mobile Operators Association to discuss a range of issues including the operators' progress in meeting their commitments to improved local consultation.
Town and Country Planning Act
Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to enhance the policing of agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and what advice he plans to offer to local authorities to ensure that developers deliver on their commitments. [192963]
Keith Hill: Section 106 agreements (Planning Obligations) are binding legal agreements between the parties involved, and as such are enforceable by the courts. It is therefore for local authorities to monitor the implementation of planning obligations and take action where appropriate. The Government are due to issue shortly a revised draft circular on planning obligations for consultation, which will include updated guidance on the monitoring and implementation of planning obligations. The final circular, due to be published in spring 2005, will be accompanied by Good Practice Guidance which will also cover this issue.