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28 Mar 2006 : Column 924W—continued

Local Government Restructuring

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings (a) he has and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Prime Minister concerning local government restructuring. [60129]

Mr. Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister meets the Prime Minister regularly to discuss a wide range of issues. Ministers from his Department also attend meetings with the Prime Minister at which a variety of issues are raised.

Mobile Phone Masts

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1)what the planning process is for applications for new (a) pico cell, (b) micro cell and (c) macro cell mobile phone masts; [60126]

(2) whether planning permission is required to upgrade a 2G/2.5G mobile phone mast to 3G. [60124]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The terms picocell, microcell and macrocell are industry terms to distinguish different types of radio base stations. However, there is no industry standard or agreement on the specific types of base station to which each term applies and therefore these terms are not helpful for determining whether planning permission is required or not.
 
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In general terms a picocell is typically smaller than a microcell, although the distinction is not always clear. Picocell base stations are usually used to extend coverage to indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to add network capacity in areas with very dense phone usage, such as train stations. The planning system cannot extend to changes inside a building unless there are internal features which have been listed. Other picocells antenna and small microcell antenna might be considered de minimis", i.e. it does not have a material effect on the external appearance of the building or structure on which it is installed and therefore will not require planning permission.

Otherwise all electronic communications development will require planning permission unless it is development permitted by Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995", as amended. Whether planning permission is required to upgrade an existing mobile phone mast to a 3G mobile phone mast will need to be determined on a case by case basis.

It should be noted that simply because small developments may not need planning permission it does not mean that there is no public consultation. The code of best practice that was produced jointly by central and local government and the mobile phone industry is clear that every potential site is rated using the Traffic Light Model. This model determines the level of public consultation that will be required if the site is selected for the installation.

Muslim Communities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with representatives of (a) UK Muslim communities and (b) UK Muslim youth groups in each of the last three years. [54764]

Mr. Woolas: This information is not collected centrally.

The Deputy Prime Minister has a wide range and number of meetings in his role as Deputy Prime Minister, First Secretary of State, Member of Parliament and Constituency MP.

The Government aims to achieve constructive dialogue with the broad range of faith communities and is supporting and encouraging interfaith and multi-faith activities and dialogue.

Pavement Maintenance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each London local authority spent on maintaining pavements in each year since 1997. [61885]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each London local authority spent on compensation for injuries caused by damaged pavements in each year since 1997. [61886]

 
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Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Relations/Advertising

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each London local authority spent on public relations and advertising (a) in each year since 1997 and (b) in each month since May 2003. [61888]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Bodies

Mr. Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the staff of regional bodies are (a) male and (b) female. [60020]

Mr. Woolas: For the Government offices for the region I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 March 2006, Official Report, column 528W.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested about any other regional bodies, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Voluntary and Community Sectors (Funding)

Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Department will increase the funding it makes available to the voluntary and community sectors. [61173]

Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister already makes a significant amount of funding available to the voluntary and community sectors, including through local area agreements, community empowerment networks, groundwork federation, special grants programme and new deal for communities.

We have no current plans to increase funding to the voluntary and community sectors.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Agri-environment Programme

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated for the agri-environment programme in 2006–07; and how much has been spent on the programme to date. [62075]

Angela E. Smith: The agri-environment budget for the current scheme year, which commenced on 16 October 2005, is £12.25 million. Expenditure to date totals £5.4 million.

City of Derry

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of all the legal advice received by the Department of the Environment since 26 March 2003 regarding the official name of the City of Derry. [58624]

 
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Angela E. Smith: It is not the Government's practice to disclose legal advice.

Cleaner Neighbourhoods

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the cleaner neighbourhoods consultation to commence; what format he expects it to take; and if he will make a statement. [61490]

Angela E. Smith: An initial cleaner neighbourhoods consultation document seeking views on a range of local environmental quality issues in Northern Ireland is expected to be issued by the Department of Environment by the end of May 2006.

Coastal Erosion

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Northern Ireland (1) what recent assessment he has made of coastal erosion around Northern Ireland; [59607]

(2) what assessment he has made of the incidence of coastal erosion around Northern Ireland. [59876]

Angela E. Smith: A comprehensive report on Implications for Climate Change for Northern Ireland: Informing Strategy Development", published in 2002 by the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER), examined the likely impacts of climate change across a wide range of sectors, including coastal impacts. Findings included loss of intertidal areas of open coasts, loss of marshes with associated habitat and erosion of dune coasts.

The DOE has recently commissioned SNIFFER to provide an updated report. The study will incorporate a risk assessment and will recommend adaptation strategies for the key impacts identified. Coastal impacts will be included. The work is due to be completed by the end of 2006. It will also help inform Northern Ireland's input into wider UK policy.

Coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon and no overall assessment of its incidence has been made but the relevant statutory agencies do monitor and, where necessary, respond to incidences of such erosion which might affect services for which they are responsible.

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