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Illegal Encampments

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who is responsible for the payment of the costs of (a) eviction and (b) clearing sites following illegal encampments of travellers on private land. [199295]

Keith Hill: The cost of eviction of unauthorised encampments of Gypsies and Travellers on private land is borne by the landowner, except where the police have used section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to direct the campers to leave. The cost of site clearance after eviction is borne by the landowner.
 
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Ministerial Expenses

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [191403]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. The amount spent by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on maintenance, renovation, council tax and running costs of Government owned official residences assigned to Ministers in the Office by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was £60,331.09 in 2002–03 and £38,360.97 in 2003–04.

The maintenance, renovation, and running costs cover work across the whole of Admiralty House, of which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contributes a set proportion.

There has been no expenditure on residences for use by officials.

New Housing

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of new houses built since 1997 were built on (a) greenfield and (b) brownfield sites. [199137]

Keith Hill: The latest published figures from Land Use Change Statistics show the proportions of new dwellings on undeveloped (greenfield) and previously-developed (brownfield) land in England are tabled as follows:
Percentage

	Greenfield	Brownfield	All
1997	44	56	100
1998	42	58	100
1999	41	59	100
2000	39	61	100
2001	37	63	100
2002	33	67	100
2003	33	67	100

Notes:
1. The figures for dwellings on brownfield land include conversions.
2. The 2003 figure is provisional.

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new houses have been planned by his Department for construction in (a) North West Leicestershire and (b) the East Midlands over the next 10 years; what proportion will be on brownfield sites; and what proportion will be affordable housing. [199179]

Keith Hill: For North West Leicestershire the well advanced Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan covering the period 1996–2016 looks to the North West Leicestershire district council to provide a total of 7,350 dwellings.

The current Regional Spatial Strategy (issued as RPG8 in January 2002) for the East Midlands issued in January 2002 establishes an average housing provision figure of 13,700 per annum for the Region between 2001 and 2021. This will be increased by the current proposed changes for the revised Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which proposes increases in Northamptonshire, part of
 
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the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area, that would bring the regional average housing provision up to 15,925 houses per annum.

PPS11 advises that RSS should include targets for the proportion of new dwellings to be built on previously developed land or through conversions. Recent achievement in the East Midlands has been around 40 per cent., with wide variations across the region. This is lower that the national figure of 60 per cent. and may reflect the character of the Region, which is substantially rural, with no major metropolitan area. Policy 21 of the proposed changes for RPG/RSS8 published in July 2004 sets a target of 60 per cent. by 2021.

Policy 26 of the existing RSS indicates that there could be a need for affordable housing provision across the Region of around 3,400 dwellings per annum. More work is being done on assessing this need and the Government are currently considering whether to issue evidence-based regional affordable housing targets, which would take into account the different types of affordable housing, e.g. low cost market housing, mixed tenant housing and social housing.

Regional Chambers

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the procedure for regional planning in the event of a regional chamber being dissolved. [198485]

Mr. Raynsford: Since the issue of PPG12 in 1992, there has been an expectation that each English region should have up-to-date regional planning guidance in which the regional planning body would have an important role in preparing. That role is currently discharged by regional chambers, established following the Regional Development Agencies Act (1998). It would be very regrettable if a regional chamber were dissolved and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister see no reason why this should happen. But under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, 2004, the regional planning body does not have to be the regional chamber and regional planning procedures are not dependent on there being regional chambers. The Act provides for a regional planning body to be recognised by the Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, and for at least 60 per cent. of the members of that body to be members of local authorities, National Park Authorities and, where relevant, the Broads Authority.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which paragraph (a) 11 and (b) 13 of PPG8 relating to consultation with schools about transmission masts erected nearby is followed by telecommunication companies. [199027]

Keith Hill: The Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development was produced to provide clear and practical advice to ensure the delivery of significantly better and more effective communication
 
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and consultation between operators, local authorities and local people. It provides more detailed advice than is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 on Telecommunications (PPG8) about how schools and colleges should be consulted in relation to telecommunications developments. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has commissioned 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 an indication of the extent to which the guidance at paragraphs 11 and 13 of PPG8 is followed.

Mr Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Local Government Association in the last 24 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts. [199028]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no record of receiving any representations from the Local Government Association in the last 24 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many representations he has received from hon. Members in the last 12 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts. [199029]

Keith Hill: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it is not possible from the central recording systems to accurately identify all of representations received from hon. Members that included the issue of changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applications for mobile telephone masts he (a) rejected and (b) approved in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [199300]

Keith Hill: The information on appeal decisions held by the Planning Inspectorate refers to telecommunications generally. The following therefore includes radio and television masts, satellite dishes and other antennas as well as mobile phone masts. The figures for England and Wales are tabled as follows:

	Allowed	Dismissed	Split
1998–99	27	33	3
1999–2000	99	75	1
2000–01	203	115	0
2001–02	323	181	1
2002–03	562	337	2
2003–04	393	298	1
4–29 October	141	133	0

Split refers to when the inspector has allowed part of the appeal but has dismissed another part.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines are in place to encourage siting of mobile telephone masts away from areas of population when there is no bearing on the quality of reception; and if he will make a statement. [199302]

 
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Keith Hill: Current planning guidance for all electronic communication developments is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also issued a Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development.

As mobile telecommunications systems are demand-led, the increase in the use of mobile phones has meant that operators need to continually expand their networks to accommodate customer requirements of service and quality. The greatest need for base station sites is usually in built-up areas where there is the greatest density of mobile users and within a mile or two of the main roads, where the demands on network capacity are greatest.

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.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the risks posed by mobile telephone masts located in petrol stations; and if he will make a statement. [199303]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister develops planning policies based on the advice from experts working in other Government Departments and agencies who assess the risks associated with mobile phone base stations. The Health and Safety Executive are responsible for policy on chemicals and flammables and liaises with the Petroleum Licensing Authority.

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