Affordable Houses (Lancashire)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much turnover new town land in Lancashire has been allowed for affordable houses in the last five years; and if he will list the sites. [47427]
Ms Keeble: Over the last five years approximately six hectares of New Town Land in Lancashire has been released for development of affordable houses. The sites are:
(i) Cottam Hall, Preston
(ii) Eastway, Fulwood
(iii) Railway Road, Skelmersdale.
Boundary Commission for Wales
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Boundary Commission for Wales will report its results. [45903]
Dr. Whitehead: The Commission anticipate that they will commence their next general review and a review of Assembly electoral regions in December 2002. They are obliged by statute to submit their report by 15 December 2006, but hope to do so before the end of 2004.
Trial Lane Rental
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the predicated annual income generated by the trial lane rental schemes is. [49874]
Ms Keeble: The Government is not yet in a position to calculate accurately the amount likely to be raised by the lane rental pilot schemes in Camden and Middlesbrough. However, we have appointed consultants—Halcrow—to monitor the pilots and they will be reporting to us in due course on the effect of the schemes in reducing disruption which utility street works cause to road users as well as the charges paid by utility companies.
Local Authorities (Joint Working)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress since the issue of draft guidance in December 2000 on powers to enable joint working and pooling of budgets between local authorities and other public agencies. [47266]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Following consultation with local authorities on draft guidance on the well being power provided under Part 1, Section 2 of the Local Government Act 2000, the Government published final guidance in March 2001. Copies are available from the DTLR website.
The Department also published on 29 March 2001 a Consultation Paper, "Working with Others to Achieve Best Value: A Consultation Paper on Changes to the Legal Framework to Facilitate Partnership Working". The proposed Section 16 powers complement the provisions in the 2000 Act, extend the approaches available to other local authority functions, and go further in some areas of activity. We expect to lay the Orders before Parliament later in the year.
15 Apr 2002 : Column 735W
Mr. Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those local authorities imposing an increase in council tax for a Band D property in excess of 10 per cent. in financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2001–02. [48735]
Dr. Whitehead: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 9848W, on the New Deal for Young People, what information he collates on the subsequent destinations of people who were employed by his Department under the scheme. [50338]
Dr. Whitehead: Records are not kept of whether New Deal staff take up employment on leaving this Department.
Maladministration
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what payments have been made to individuals following findings of maladministration by ombudsmen with responsibility for agencies under the remit of his Department in the last 12 months; and what plans he has to review the powers to increase the level of awards that can be made. [47954]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 10 April 2002]: The Department has made four such payments totalling £535,215.54 to individuals in the past 12 months.
There are no statutory limits to the level of payments that can be made. Payments are based on the merits of individual cases.
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many times Ministers in his Department have travelled abroad at taxpayers' expense since March 2001; what countries they visited; and what the total cost of each visit was. [47105]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 10 April 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, on 11 April 2002, ref. (47100).
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many times special advisers have accompanied Ministers on overseas visits in each of the last five years; which countries were visited; and what the total cost of each individual visit was. [47135]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 10 April 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Westmoreland and Lonsdale (Tim Collins) on 7 March
2002, Official Report, column 572W. Details of special adviser travel for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible.
User Consultation
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what new steps his Department took in 2001–02 to consult the users of its services about their wishes and expectations; and if he will publish the findings. [47304]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 10 April 2002]: The executive agencies of DTLR regularly consult their customers and representative bodies on customer service issues. In many cases the overall results are published in their annual reports. The outcomes are used to inform service developments. The methods and timing of consultation are designed to fit the nature of individual services and are kept under review.
External Consultants
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much his Department has spent on external consultants in each of the past five years. [46035]
Dr. Whitehead [holding answer 26 March 2002]: The Department's consultancy spend is as follows:
2000–01 98,700,000
2001–02 119,022,000
These figures include spend by the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Figures for the previous three years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Multi-Modal Studies
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when and where the recent DTLR Multi-Modal Study infrastructure charging seminar took place; and who attended it. [49462]
Mr. Byers: The seminar was held on 1 February in the conference hall at Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton Street, London SW1. It was attended by officials from DTLR, the Government Offices for the Regions and the Highways Agency and by consultants working on each of the multi-modal studies.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to increase security at UK airports. [45902]
Mr. Jamieson: Following the attacks on 11 September, heightened aviation security measures were immediately introduced at all UK airports and for all airlines operating from the UK. Security requirements remain at an enhanced level.
An additional package of action was announced by the Secretary of State on 28 March, following the review of airside security carried out as a result of the recent
robberies at Heathrow. Measures include enhancements to current access control systems, extensions to the use of counter terrorist checks and criminal record checks for airport staff, and improvement of CCTV systems at airports.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards an Open Skies agreement with the US. [49873]
Mr. Jamieson: The Government would like to liberalise the UK-US aviation market in a way that would allow UK airlines to be able to compete with US airlines on fair terms. We are reviewing the policy options for achieving that objective.
Airports (Slot Allocation)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on European airport slot allocation. [49818]
Mr. Jamieson: Slot allocation is governed by European Regulation 95/93. The Commission issued a proposal to amend this regulation in June 2001. This proposal is being carefully considered following consultation with the UK aviation industry. The UK's objective is to ensure the most efficient use of scarce airport infrastructure.