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8 Jun 2005 : Column 562W—continued
Public Toilets
John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many public toilets there were on a given date in each year between 1990 and 2004, broken down by Government Office Region. [1618]
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Mr. Woolas: The provision and maintenance of toilets in public places is at the discretion of local authorities who have, under section 87 of the Public Health Act 1936, a power to provide public conveniences, but no duty to do so. For this reason, the information requested is not held centrally. The information in the following table has however been obtained from commercial and industrial property data held by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
(4) Data as at 1 October 2000, and 1 April for 2002, 2003 and 2004.
The table gives the number of public conveniences as at 1 October 2000 and 1 April for 2002, 2003 and 2004. No data prior to 2000 and for 2001 are currently available. The statistics are provisional pending the release of revised VOA commercial and industrial property data on 30 June 2005.
Totals given in the table show conveniences that are open to the public. They will include stand alone conveniences, and also those located in (for example) car parks and shopping malls.
Sustainable Communities
John Battle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the Royal Institute of British Architects' proposals for Better Neighbourhoods—Designing for Sustainability; and if he will make a statement. [1731]
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Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to delivering high quality, well-designed sustainable communities that can offer everyone a decent home that they can afford in a community in which they want to live and work, now and in the future. I welcome the continuing commitment of the Royal Institution of British Architects to this important agenda.
The Government are committed to promoting sustainable forms of new development. Examples include:
utilising public land to demonstrate best practice in sustainable design and construction techniques and mixed tenure through programmes such as English Partnerships' Millennium Communities programme;
Planning Policy Statement 22, which advises on renewable energy, expects local planning authorities to devise policies that promote and encourage the development of renewable energy resources;
Raising building energy performance standards through a review of Part L of the Building Regulations;
support to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to provide Enabling advice to all of the 17 Building Schools for the Future Pathfinder and Wave 1 local education authorities.
Decisions on taxation are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Travellers
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list planning permissions for Traveller sites that were refused by the local planning authority but were granted on appeal by the Secretary of State in each year since 2001. [279]
Yvette Cooper:
The list detailing all the planning appeals for Traveller sites decided between 1 January 2001 and 30 April 2005 has been made available in the Library of the House. The list is sorted by appeal decision date and shows who decided the appeal—either The Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the First Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister or the First Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. During the period, 111 appeals were allowed and 230 appeals were dismissed.
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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the performance of the Rural Payments Agency in dealing with the common agricultural policy reforms, with particular reference to single farm payments. [1322]
Jim Knight: Ministers meet regularly with officials from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). RPA is part way through a major change programme which, since the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP), has focused on the introduction and administration of the single payment scheme (SPS). The time scales for the implementation of the change programme were acknowledged to be stretching from the outset. Despite this challenge, RPA has made considerable progress with the introduction of the single payment scheme.
By the 16 May closing date 115,196 applications to the SPS had been received, and I am satisfied that this covers not only applications from those previously in receipt of subsidy but has also brought additional land into the scheme thus contributing to the Department's sustainable agricultural and environmental objectives. The number of applications received is in line with RPA's projections for applicants to the new scheme.
RPA has been working closely with the National Farmers Union and other industry representatives to ensure the successful launch of the SPS. This was a very large undertaking reflecting the scale of the reform of the CAP successfully negotiated by this Government, and included:
the provision of extensive information on the RPA website, resulting in approximately 6,000 hits per day at peak periods;
distribution of over 12,000 videos, CD-ROMs and DVDs with key excerpts of the road shows introducing and explaining the SPS; and
the distribution of specimen forms to enable applicants to prepare the information required to apply for the scheme in advance of receiving the application form.
The change programme is closely monitored through a joint RPA/Defra programme board which reports via the permanent secretary to Ministers. The programme makes use of regular external reviews, including the Office for Government Commerce Gateway Review process, who reported in their latest review of the programme in January 2005 that the review team finds that the programme is under strong leadership and has very visible ministerial and Defra support. They also considered that the programme continues to be
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managed in a professional manner and given stability in the programme scope, there is the desire and capability to deliver the programme successfully against challenging time scales.
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Committee for the implementation of the Community framework for co-operation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution, (ii) Committee for the implementation of legislation on ambient air quality assessment and management, (iii) Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates and (iv) Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of the directive on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [571]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Committee for the implementation of the Community framework for cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution sits twice yearly. In relation to the specified presidencies, the committee sat as follows: (a) once during the Italian Presidency in September 2003; (b) once during the Irish Presidency in March 2004; (c) once during the Netherlands Presidency in September 2004. The UK expert attending each meeting was the Head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Counter Pollution and Response Branch.
The Committee for the implementation of legislation on ambient air quality assessment and management did not meet during the Italian, Irish or Dutch Presidencies.
The Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates relates to part of Directive 80/779/EEC which was repealed with effect from 19 July 2001. This committee therefore did not meet during the periods in question.
The Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of the directive on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide relates to part of Directive 85/203/EEC which was repealed with effect from 19 July 2001. The committee therefore did not sit during these Presidencies.
Angus Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Committee for the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to noise emission in the environment by equipment for
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use outdoors, (ii) Committee for the adaptation to technical progress and for the implementation of the directive on contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms and (iii) Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress and implementation of the directive on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [629]
Mr. Morley: The Committee for the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors falls within the responsibility of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. This committee did not meet during the Italian, Irish or Dutch Presidencies.
The Health and Safety Executive have confirmed that the Committee for the adaptation to technical progress and for the implementation of the directive on contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms did not meet during the three Presidencies.
Between June 2003 and December 2004, the periods in question, the Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress and implementation of the directive on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms met twice in the form of the Competent Authorities meetings on 3 December 2003 and 1 April 2004. Both meetings were held in Brussels and were attended by Defra policy officials. The purpose of the meetings was for member states to share experiences of operating the directive.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Committee for the implementation of the directive relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars, (ii) Advisory Committee for the implementation of the directive on the limitation of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations and (iii) Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the directive on the prevention and reduction of the environmental pollution by asbestos met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [634]
Mr. Morley: The Committee for the implementation of the directive relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars did not meet during the Italian, Irish or Dutch Presidencies.
No meetings were held, during the periods in question, of the Advisory Committee for the implementation of the directive on the limitation of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations.
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As to the Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the directive on the prevention and reduction of the environmental pollution by asbestos, I understand this committee did not meet during these Presidencies.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the (i) Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of the directive on a limit value for lead in the air, (ii) Advisory Committee for the implementation of the directive on the reduction of the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels and (iii) Committee for the adaptation to technical progress and the implementation of the directive on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement. [637]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of the directive on a limit value for lead in the air relates to part of Directive 82/884/EEC which was repealed with effect from 19 July 2001. This committee therefore did not meet during the Italian, Irish or Dutch Presidencies.
The Advisory Committee for the implementation of the directive on the reduction of the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels did not meet during the periods in question.
The Committee for the adaptation to technical progress and the implementation of the directive on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations did not meet during these Presidencies.
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