Ministerial Corrections
Thursday 6 December 2007
Communities and Local Government
Household Rubbish
Mr. Brian Jenkins (Tamworth) (Lab): My hon. Friend will realise that we all pay for household collection through the council tax. Does he recognise that improving recycling is one the main contributory factors to reducing household waste? Will he re-emphasise that and send out one of his circulars to each council saying that it is up to them to decide their policies, and not this Government?
[Official Report, 27 November 2007, Vol. 468, c. 132.]
Letter of correction from Mr. Dhanda:
An error has been identified in the oral answer given to the hon. Member for Tamworth on 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 132.
A letter has been sent to the MP and made available in the Library of the House.
The correct answer should have been:
Mr. Dhanda: We want to work with local authorities and, as I say, it is up to them if they want to be among the five pilots. The mood that we sense among local authorities is that this process is a positive way of reducing waste, increasing recycling and having more money to return as rebate. This will not be a profit-making exercise. All revenues raised through charges under a scheme have to be paid back as rebates.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Bone: ...Given that 52,000 new homes are to be built in north Northamptonshire over the next few years, 30 per cent. of which will be for migrant workers, and that no infrastructure programmes are being planned, will she come to my constituency and explain to the protest groups why no such infrastructure plans exist for Wellingborough as part of the growth strategy?
[Official Report, 27 November 2007, Vol. 468, c. 137.]
Letter of correction from Yvette Cooper:
An error has been identified in the oral answer given to the hon. Member for Wellingborough on 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 137.
A letter has been sent to the MP and made available in the Library of the House.
The correct answer should have been:
Yvette Cooper:
We have put substantial investment into infrastructure and we are going further. We have set out proposals for £1.7 billion of additional infrastructure investment over the next three years from our Department alone. That is in addition to the investment from the Department for Transport and so on. Also, we are today publishing the Planning Reform Bill, which includes proposals for a community infrastructure levy. I would
encourage people in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency to look properly at that and at other ways of raising additional infrastructure funding for his area.
Housing and Regeneration Bill
John Bercow: I am grateful to the Minister of State both for her generosity and for her concern for my physical health.
The draft south-east plan presented to the Government in March 2006 proposed the creation of 28,900 new homes per year. I do not sniff at that—there is a need for new housing—but the plan added the rider that the creation of new homes should be closely related to the availability of infrastructure and associated services. Now that the Government’s panel of planning inspectors has said that it does not accept that new home levels should be contingent on infrastructure, I eagerly anticipate discovering on which side of the argument the Minister falls.
[Official Report, 27 November 2007, Vol. 468, c. 148-49.]
Letter of correction from Yvette Cooper:
An error has been identified in the oral answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham on 27 November 2007, Official Report, column 148.
A letter has been sent to the MP and made available in the Library of the House.
The correct answer should have been:
Yvette Cooper: The hon. Gentleman knows that I obviously cannot comment on the details of the south-east plan, which is still going through the planning process. However, he will be aware of my frequently stated view that at a time when we face growing pressure from first-time buyers and rising demand for new housing the South East England regional assembly's proposal to cut the level of new housing in the south-east is bonkers. It is not an appropriate position for that regional assembly to have adopted. We need more housing, but I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we need more investment in infrastructure. From my Department alone, we set out proposals to increase the level of infrastructure to £1.7 billion over the next few years; there are proposals from other Departments, too. Today, as part of the Planning Bill, we published details of the community infrastructure levy that will allow local councils to raise additional resources for local infrastructure. I urge the hon. Gentleman and his party to support that proposal so that we have the parks and play areas as well as the new transport systems we need to support new homes for the future.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council of England: Finance
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) grant-in-aid and (b) National Lottery funding was allocated to the Arts Council England (ACE) in each of the last five years; and how much ACE awarded to brass bands in the same period. [157098]
[Official Report, 22 October 2007, Vol. 465, c. 36W.]
Letter of correction from Margaret Hodge:
An error has been identified in the written answer given to Jeff Ennis the hon. Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough on 22 October 2007, Official Report, column 36W.
The correct answer should have been:
Margaret Hodge: This information is shown in the table.
| £000 | |||
| Grant in a id (revenue) allocated to ACE | National Lottery allocated to ACE | Awards made by ACE to brass bands( 1) | |
| (1 )Figures include both Grant in Aid and National Lottery funding. | |||
A copy of this letter has also been sent to Jeff Ennis for information.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Gough Island: Nature Conservation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the native sea bird population on Gough Island. [167238]
[Official Report, 26 November 2007, Vol. 468, c. 220W.]
Letter of correction from Meg Munn:
An error has been identified in the written answer given to Mr. Andrew Rosindell, the hon. Member for Romford on 26 November 2007, Official Report, column 220W (PQ 167238).
The correct answer should have been as follows, reflecting that rats are not a predator of seabirds on Gough Island:
Meg Munn: Mice have been identified as the main predator of seabirds on Gough Island. The Overseas Territories Environment Programme, a joint FCO and DFID funded programme, has provided £54,954 to the Tristan da Cunha administration, with technical support being provided by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, to assess the potential for the eradication of these rodents from Gough Island.
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