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25 May 2005 : Column 152W—continued
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Customs 2002 Committee, (ii) Committee for the application of the rules on the manufacture and placing on the market of certain substances used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and (iii) Committee on the movement of air or sea passengers' baggage (principles) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [553]
John Healey: The information requested is given as follows:
(i) The work of the Customs 2002 Committee was completed before the start of the presidencies in question.
(ii) Meetings of this Committee were held as follows, all in Brussels, under Commission chairmanship:
29–30 September 2003, attended by the Home Office and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).
(iii) The ad hoc committee relating to the baggage regulation has not met the last four years.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Customs Co-operation Subcommittee—EEC-Hong Kong, (ii) EEC—Mexico Special Committee on Customs Co-operation and (iii) Advisory Committee on the Communities' Own Resources met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [575]
John Healey: The information requested is given as follows:
(i) and (ii): These committees are run by the European Commission and we have no relevant information relating to them.
(iii) Advisory Committee on the Communities' Own Resources.
All meetings held in Brussels, as follows:
HM Customs and Excise were represented at each of these meetings except the meeting on 20 April 2004 where the UK was represented by HM Treasury.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Customs Code Committee—customs valuation, (ii) Customs Code Committee—customs warehouses and free zones and (iii) Customs Code Committee—customs procedures with economic impact met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [630]
John Healey: The information requested is as follows.
(i) Customs Code Committee—customs valuation
(ii) Customs Code Committee—Customs warehouses and free zones
(iii) Customs Code Committee—economic impact
Information is not available at this stage.
All the meetings listed under (i) and (ii) were held in Brussels and were attended by officials of HM Customs and Excise.
Orkney and Shetland Businesses (Crown Estate)
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much businesses based in Orkney and Shetland have paid in rents to The Crown Estate in each of the last five years. [583]
John Healey:
The total amount of rent paid to The Crown Estate from Orkney and Shetland over the last five years is as follows:
25 May 2005 : Column 154W
| Financial year | £ |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 1,047,700 |
| 2001–02 | 998,900 |
| 2002–03 | 697,100 |
| 2003–04 | 730,100 |
| 2004–05 | 1,118,500 |
| Total rents | 4,592,300 |
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Coldeast Hospital Site
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his Department's plans for the Coldeast hospital site in Fareham. [736]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 24 May 2005]: On 7 April 2004 my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health announced an agreement in principle to transfer surplus non-operational NHS sites to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. On 1 April 2005 my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minster and Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the transfer of the first NHS sites. 67 vacant sites transferred to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005, including the Coldeast hospital site in Fareham.
The sites will be used to respond to housing needs, especially those presented by the first time buyer market and to promote the regeneration of priority areas in line with the sustainable communities plan. Specific proposals for individual sites will now be taken forward by English Partnerships in consultation with local partners including the local planning authority.
Development (Hertfordshire)
Mr. Walker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he is taking to encourage the development of brownfield sites in Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement. [839]
Yvette Cooper: Government policy set out in PPG3: Housing requires that all local planning authorities undertake an assessment of urban capacity in order to establish how much housing can be accommodated within urban areas. PPG3 also requires that regional planning bodies draw on such assessments in preparing draft revisions to regional spatial strategies and in proposing regional targets for the re-use of previously developed land. The level of development to be provided in Hertfordshire, its location and the balance between greenfield and brownfield development will be determined through the ongoing review of the regional spatial strategy for the east of England.
The Government have also introduced a greenfield direction which requires local planning authorities, that have not reviewed their development plans, to notify the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy
25 May 2005 : Column 155W
Prime Minister, of any planning application comprising five hectares or more of greenfield land or 150 dwellings or more on greenfield land which the local planning authority intends to permit.
Mr. Walker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he is taking to protect Hertfordshire's green belt from further development; and if he will make a statement. [842]
Yvette Cooper: The Government place great importance on safeguarding the purposes and functions of the green belt. Government policy set out in PPG2: Green Belts requires that once the extent of green belt boundaries have been established they should only be altered by development plans in exceptional circumstances. The Government's representations on the east of England plan advise that the panel set up to conduct the examination in public will need to rigorously test whether those exceptional circumstances exist.
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