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24 Jan 2005 : Column 198W—continued
Local Government Finance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) specific, (b) special and (c) non-ring-fenced grants that the Government has allocated to local authorities in 2004–05. [207921]
Mr. Raynsford: The following table lists all grants allocated to local authorities in England in 2004–05 within Aggregate External Finance (AEF) in addition to Revenue Support Grant, National Non-Domestic Rates and Police Grant. There are other grants outside AEF but these are not provided for an authority's core services and relate, in the main, to areas of funding which are passed on by local authorities, such as Mandatory Student Awards.
(64) LPSA Reward Grant—this is the maximum provision as specified in individual councils LPSAs, and "allocations" will depend on performance. This is the revenue element of the grant, the other £101 million being capital.
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Minerals Planning Guidance No. 3
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the operation of Minerals Planning Guidance Note 3; and if he will make a statement. [210047]
Keith Hill:
The Coal Producers Federation (COALPRO) has made representations to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about Minerals Planning Guidance Note 3 "Coal mining and colliery spoil disposal". It suggested that the test of the circumstances within which it is appropriate to permit opencast coal applications in paragraph 8 of MPG3 has sometimes been misinterpreted and that this has contributed to the significant decrease in new planning permissions for open cast coal extraction in England in recent years. It also considered that policies in some draft Regional Planning Guidance and local planning documents prepared by Minerals Planning Authorities do not
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accord with that national guidance, for example by applying a double test of environmental acceptability and local community benefits whereas these are specified as alternatives in MPG3. On careful reading, the meaning of this paragraph should be clear, and at present there are no plans to review MPG3. However officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, together with those in the relevant Government Offices, will continue to examine and comment on regional and local planning documents to help ensure that these conform to national policy on this and other matters dealt with in MPG3.
Mobile Network (Code of Best Practice)
Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects his Department to complete the study of the effectiveness of the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development. [210696]
Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has commissioned the University of Reading and Arup to undertake a study to assess the impact that the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development has had since its introduction. We expect their work to conclude at the end of March.
New Dimension Programme
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the management structure of the Department's New Dimension programme is; and if he will make a statement. [209718]
Mr. Raynsford: The New Dimension programme is managed in accordance with the Office of Central Government Commerce (OGC) guidelines. As required by OGC for programmes of this size and profile, the Senior Responsible Officer is a Grade 3 Civil Servant and I am the named responsible Minister. The New Dimension programme is part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Fire Resilience Programme, which is overseen at Director General (Grade 2) level.
New Dimension is part of the Government's overall civil contingencies programme. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently investing £188 million of resources in the fire and rescue service on mass decontamination equipment, urban search and rescue equipment and high volume water pumps. The programme is currently developing on budget, on time and to high quality standards.
Open Cast Coal Mines
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many open cast coal mining planning applications were made in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; how many approvals were granted (a) by local planning authorities and (b) on appeal in each of those years; and what tonnage was approved for extraction in each of those years. [210048]
Keith Hill:
Figures for the years 1991–92 to 2000–01 are tabled. Figures for subsequent years are available only with respect to approvals on appeal or call-in and for the calendar year 2003.
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n/a = Not applicable
Source:
1991–92 to 2000–01 figures are derived from "Opencast Coalmining Statistics" (a Planning Officers' Society Publication). Figures for the calendar year 2003 are derived from "Opencast Coal Mining Statistics" produced by the British Geological Survey.
Organic Waste Disposal
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the farming of worms in connection with the business of organic waste disposal is regarded as an agricultural activity for planning purposes; and if he will make a statement. [210357]
Keith Hill: Section 336 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defines "agriculture" as including, among a number of specific activities:
"horticulture, dairy farming, the breeding and keeping of livestock (including any creature kept for the production of food, wool, skins or fur, or for the purpose of its use in the farming of land), the use of land as grazing land, market gardens and nursery grounds."
In the first instance it is for local planning authorities to determine the status, for planning purposes, of particular developments and activities.
It may ultimately fall to the courts to interpret and decide such matters.
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