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ENVIRONMENT
Household Growth
13. Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on household growth. [7863]
Mr. Gummer: The latest projections for England show a rise in the number of households--by up to 4.4 million over a 25-year period up to 2016. I am determined to ensure that the maximum number of these are accommodated on land that has already been used--particularly in our city centres.
Local Government Finance
15. Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the local authority financial settlement for 1997-98. [7865]
29. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact of the Budget settlement upon local authorities in England. [7879]
Mr. Curry: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made to the House on 27 November, Official Report, columns 337-42.
23. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in respect of the standard spending assessment for Essex county council and Basildon district council. [7873]
Sir Paul Beresford: We have one representation from Essex county council about pupil numbers. We have not received any representations from Basildon district council on the provisional local government finance settlement for 1997-98.
28. Sir Colin Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the extent to which the present formula for deriving standard spending assessments reflects accurately the differing costs of providing services in sparsely populated rural areas and areas of urban density. [7878]
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Sir Paul Beresford: The research we commissioned into sparsity and local authority costs found that the size of the current allowance for sparsity in standard spending assessments is about right.
Research into density concluded that other measures of urbanness might also be relevant, but that further study would be needed.
For 1997-98, we therefore propose no changes in the basis of the sparsity and density allowances.
30. Mr. Pearson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received following his statement on the local authority finance settlement for England in 1997-98. [7880]
Mr. Curry:
Following my right hon. Friend's announcement on 27 November, authorities have until 3 January 1997 to make written representations on the 1997-98 settlement. We have received 45 written representations so far.
17. Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact on rural East Anglia of proposals to reduce business rates for village shops. [7867]
Mr. Curry:
We consulted widely on our proposals for a village shop rate relief scheme; local authorities in East Anglia welcomed the proposals as a positive measure to help rural communities in the region.
18. Mr. Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to provide resources to each local authority to install central heating in each council dwelling built before 1974. [7868]
Mr. Clappison:
At the time of the 1991 English house condition survey, 73 per cent. of local authority properties built before 1974 had central heating. Local authorities receive allocations from the Government each year through the housing investment programme and other programmes. It is for them to decide how best to use these locally-determined priorities.
19. Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the preservation of public open space and green belt land in Greater London. [7869]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Government remain committed to the preservation of green belt and open space land in London, as demonstrated in the recent publication of the housing Green Paper and revised strategic guidance for London planning authorities issued earlier this year.
20. Sir Michael Shersby:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the
17 Dec 1996 : Column: 541
practice of developers of paying the relevant local planning authority to conduct public opinion surveys in order to gauge the likely reaction of residents in surrounding areas to their proposed development; and what assessment he has made as to whether such payments detract from the independence of the planning system. [7870]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
There is no reason why developers should not pay all or part of any cost involved in procuring public opinion surveys, if that is relevant to the consideration of a planning application. The value of such an arrangement would be dependent on the professionalism with which the survey was conducted and the integrity of the local authority involved.
21. Dr. Spink:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of countries which will meet their current commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [7871]
Mr. Gummer:
All developed countries are committed, under the framework convention on climate change, to aim to return their emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2000.
It seems that three European Union countries, including the United Kingdom, are currently on course to meet this commitment.
22. Mr. Day:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about unified business rates for small businesses in areas affected by out-of-town shopping development. [7872]
Mr. Curry:
I have received a number of such representations.
24. Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the millennium compliance of his Department's computer systems and of those in local government, together with those with which they are connected; and if he will make a statement. [7874]
Mr. Gummer:
My Department is aware of the potential problems to departmental systems that may be caused by the millennium date change.
The Department is a member of the public sector year 2000 group and is currently undertaking a study which will produce a year 2000 compliance audited inventory of systems, which will form the basis of a costed departmental year 2000 programme.
It is for individual local authorities to assess for themselves the millennium compliance of their computer systems and take whatever action they consider necessary.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received asking him to call in the application for a ferris wheel on the south bank. [7875]
17 Dec 1996 : Column: 542
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
My right hon. Friend received 25 representations asking him to call in the proposed ferris wheel. When the application was referred to my right hon. Friend as a departure from Lambeth's development plan, the council provided copies of over 100 representations it had received. By a large majority, these were in support of the proposal. My right hon. Friend considered all these representations very carefully before deciding not to call in the planning application.
26. Mr. Peter Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress being made by the city challenge partnerships. [7876]
Mr. Curry:
Annual reports, reflecting the performance of all 31 city challenge partnerships during 1995-96, were received during the summer. The reports are very encouraging and show that city challenge is having a significant impact in regenerating some of the worst areas of urban deprivation.
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