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8 Mar 2005 : Column 1671W—continued
Reapprovals
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list major project report projects that have been subject to re-approval since financial year 1997–98; and what the date of re-approval was in each case. [219039]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
Shoeburyness Ranges
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has evaluated on the work carried out using radioactive materials at the Shoeburyness ranges as part of the original nuclear weapons programme; and what reports he has received on releases of radioactive material at the Shoeburyness ranges as part of the original nuclear weapons programme. [218571]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has just commenced a Land Quality Assessment (LQA) of the entire Shoeburyness site. It is expected that appropriate assessments of any historic radioactive contamination associated with the use of radioactive materials in support of the nuclear weapons programme will be conducted and reported upon as necessary as the LQA progresses. This work will build upon a Land Quality Statement, compiled in 1997, relating to areas of the Shoeburyness site formerly used for research in support of the nuclear weapons programme. The broad history of the part of Shoeburyness (AWE Foulness) formally used for these purposes is available in the report (ISSN1478–7008) of a desk-top investigation published by English Heritage in 2004.
Textile Procurement
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with officials from the Department of Trade and Industry about the procurement of textiles. [219755]
Mr. Ingram: Ministry of Defence officials are in regular contact with officials in the Department for Trade and Industry on procurement issues, including textiles, and the Department is also represented on an inter-departmental committee chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at which a range of public procurement issues are discussed.
Tsunami
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 21 February, Official Report columns 113–14W, if he will make it his policy not to recover any costs, marginal or otherwise, from the Department for International Development in relation to the relief effort following the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. [217947]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 24 February 2005]: The Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development agreed at the outset that the extra costs of the military assistance requested by DfID, for which the MOD does not have a budget, would be reimbursed by DfID. This approach is in line with normal practice and
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consistent with Treasury guidance on interdepartmental services. The MOD's activity—the full costs of which are estimated to be some £14 million—was central to the delivery of relief and it is realistic to see its additional costs as within the scope of the relief effort. There is no intention to review the policy.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 21 February, reference 214418, what chargeable costs have arisen to date that are recoverable from the Department for International Development in relation to the relief effort following the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. [217948]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 24 February 2005]: The Ministry of Defence's extra costs reported to the end of January 2005 in relation to the relief effort following the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami amount to £1.7 million. All of this is related to costs for which MOD is not funded and which we would not otherwise have incurred. It is, therefore, recoverable from DfID as agreed at the outset and consistent with Treasury guidance on interdepartmental services. The full cost of MOD's activity in relation to this relief effort are estimated to be some £14 million.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Advertising Regulations (Lettings)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in which areas special exemptions from the Control of Advertising Regulations have been requested to allow controls on letting boards for rented property; in whichareas exemptions were granted; and for what reasons. [220398]
Keith Hill: Since May 2002 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received requests for directions restricting deemed consent for the display of estate agents' boards from Westminster city council, Brighton and Hove city council, Charnwood borough council and Leeds city council. All directions were granted under regulation 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992, except for the direction for Leeds city council. We are currently considering the council's latest application. The directions that have been granted were to protect the visual amenity of residential areas of special quality from persistently high numbers of estate agents' boards and because there was no other way to effectively control the display of estate agents' boards.
Business Rates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1078W, on business rates, what the estimated average business rates bill for 2005–06 is. [217854]
Mr. Raynsford: As made clear in my answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1078W, to the hon. Member, this information is not yet available.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) amount and (b) proportion of local government
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revenue was accounted for by (i) revenue support grant,(ii) other grants and funds, (iii) national non-domestic rates and (iv) council tax in (A) England and (B) each council tax levying authority in England in 2004–05. [220273]
Mr. Raynsford:
The information requested has been made available in the Library of the House.
8 Mar 2005 : Column 1674W
London Parks
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each London borough council spenton maintaining London parks in each year since 1997. [219613]
Phil Hope: The amount each London borough council spent on parks and open spaces in each year since 1997 is tabled as follows:
All figures are shown in £000s and the amounts are as reported by the local authority.
The data are taken from outturn figures for 1997–98 to 2002–03 and budget estimates for 2003–04 and 2004–05.
Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.
Figures for Hounslow and Hillingdon are not separately identifiable from other costs and are not included in this table.
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