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Ordnance Survey: Comprehensive Spending Review
Lord Mason of Barnsley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review was for the Ordnance Survey.[HL3035]
Baroness Hayman: The resources that have been made available to Ordnance Survey for the three year Comprehensive Spending Review period are as follows:
- 1999-2000 £23 million
2000-2001 £19 million
2001-2002 £18 million
In addition to resources for NIMSA, resources are also available for other investment required by Ordnance Survey.
Special Waste Regulations 1996 and Waste Management Licensing Regulations: Consultation
Lord Burlison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many responses they have received to the consultation exercise for amending the Special Waste Regulations 1996 and Waste Management Licensing Regulations.[HL3034]
Baroness Hayman: The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions received 53 direct responses. The Scottish Office received a further 30 responses and the Welsh Office two. I am depositing a list of those who responded in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies of the letters will be placed in the relevant departmental Library. We will issue a response once a full analysis has been undertaken.
Regional Development Agencies: Payment of Board Members
Lord Burlison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What proposals they have for the payment of board members of the new regional development agencies.[HL3033]
Baroness Hayman: As we stated in our White Paper Building Partnerships for Prosperity we propose that all Regional Development Agency board members be paid. The Regional Development Agencies Bill currently
before Parliament provides for remuneration of board members to be determined by the Secretary of State. Subject to Parliamentary approval of this provision, we propose to pay the chair of each Agency a notional full time rate of £110,000 per year--this would amount to £44,000 for two days per week. We propose to pay the deputy chair a notional full time rate of £70,000--this would amount to £14,000 for one day per week. Other board members will be paid at the rate of £7,000 per year for two days per month. These payments are in line with those made to members of similar Non Departmental Public Bodies.Fishing Vessel Accidents and the Recovery of those Lost at Sea: Consultation Paper
Lord Ewing of Kirkford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish the consultation paper on fishing vessel accidents and the recovery of those lost at sea.[HL3032]
Baroness Hayman: We are publishing the Consultation Paper today. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House and it will be distributed widely to representatives in the fishing industry, and to others who have written to Ministers on this subject. The consultation period will extend to 31 October and the Government will announce the results by the end of the year.
Environmental Protection Programmes: Public Expenditure Plans
Baroness Lockwood asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish details of the public expenditure plans for environmental protection programmes.[HL3009]
Baroness Hayman: Yes. We are today publishing details of the provision for environmental protection programmes, as agreed in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review. In addition to the extra £174 million for energy efficiency announced by my right honourable friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 14 July provision for our other environmental protection programmes is being increased by £80 million over the next three years.
£150 million of the new energy efficiency money is added to the existing £75 million a year expenditure on the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme creating a new expanded fuel poverty programme to help another 1,000,000 vulnerable households whose homes cannot be heated to the minimum level for good health.
Support for the Energy Saving Trust is increased from £19 million, this year, to £22 million for 1999-2000 and to £25 million for each of the later years. An extra £1.5 million is provided for Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme in 1999-2000 and further increases are planned to provide, among other things, new
programmes of advice to businesses to help improve energy efficiency.The extra £80 million for environmental protection will enable us to:
- (a) make £50 million available to local authorities to support implementation of the new provisions for contaminated land in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (inserted by Section 57 of the Environment Act 1995), which we intend to bring into force in July 1999. The funds will support local authorities in developing inspection strategies, carrying out investigations of individual sites and taking forward necessary enforcement action; and
(b) increase grant to the Environment Agency by a total of £13 million over three years to help implement new European Directives, and to support the Agency's role in the new contaminated land regime; and
(c) increase funding for environmental research, for a number of small programmes which promote environmental improvements and for pneumoconiosis compensation grant.
| Programmes | Actual Provision 1998-99 | Planned Provision 1999-2000 | Planned Provision 2000-2001 | Planned Provision 2001-2002 |
| £ millions | £ millions | £ millions | £ millions | |
| Energy Efficiency | ||||
| Home Energy Efficiency Schemes | 75.1 | 75.1 | 125.1 | 175.1 |
| Energy Efficiency Best Practice | 15.1 | 16.7 | 19.8 | 22.5 |
| Energy Savings Trust | 19.0 | 22.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| Sub-total Energy Efficiency | 109.2 | 113.8 | 169.9 | 222.6 |
| Contaminated Land | ||||
| Implementation of S57 by Local Authorities | -- | 14.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Capital Funding for Local Authorities | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Sub-total Contaminated Land | 14.0 | 29.0 | 33.0 | 33.0 |
| Environment Agency | 100.9 | 106.1 | 106.0 | 103.4 |
| Small Programmes Promoting Environmental Improvement (national)(1) | 15.6 | 18.5 | 18.5 | 18.5 |
| Programmes Promoting environmental improvement through international co-operation(2) | 10.6 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 12.9 |
| Environmental Research | 28.3 | 29.8 | 29.8 | 29.8 |
| Other environmental monitoring(3) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Grants towards main water supply and sewerage in rural areas etc. | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 5.4 |
| Air quality, smoke control and other capital programmes(4) | 5.9 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Pneumoconiosis Compensation grant(5) | 6.9 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
Notes:
(1) Includes: Environmental Technology Best Practice, Tidy Britain, Going for Green, Environment Action Fund, UKEB, Environmental Publicity and Mersey Basin Foundation.
(2) Includes: Darwin, UNEP, East European Environmental know-how fund, Chernobyl Sarcophagus and other international subscriptions for 2000-1 and beyond. For 1998-99 excludes provision for Know-How and Chernobyl following transfers.
(3) Includes: Radon Measurement, NETCEN and Met Office Emergency Pollution Response (part of the Radio-Active incident monitoring Network (RIMNET).
(4) Includes: provision for supplementary credit approvals for Air Quality and Smoke Control, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the Isles of Scilly.
(5) Pneumoconiosis compensation grant is administered by the Health and Safety Executive.
Lord Mancroft asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who erected and paid for the metal deer-proof fencing on either side of the M.40 motorway between junctions 8 and 9; why; and what is the cost.[HL2912]
23 Jul 1998 : Column WA142
Baroness Hayman: Deer fencing was provided by what was then the Department of Transport on the M.40 between Junctions 8 and 9 as part of the construction of the motorway.
Deer move across the line of the motorway between Boarstall and Shabbington Woods. Fencing was installed to direct the deer to special crossing points as there was a high probability that they would stray onto the motorway.
The total cost of providing 10.4km of deer fencing and 7.9km of deer/badger fencing in 1989 was £300,000.
Transport Policies and Programme: Bids
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will allow local authorities an extension of the time allowed for them to submit their Transport Policies and Programme bids for 1999-2000 to enable them to take account of the contents of the Integrated Transport White Paper.[HL3010]
Baroness Hayman: The guidance we issued to local authorities in April on the submission of their bids is consistent with the main messages in the White Paper. If authorities wish to take some time to ensure that their TPPs reflect those messages they will not be penalised. Under the TPP procedures they are always allowed a period in which to amend their TPPs. This year authorities have until 10 October to make changes to their bids.
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