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21 Jan 2003 : Column 268W—continued
Wholetime Equivalent Staff
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the distribution of his Department's wholetime equivalent staff was, including the staff in agencies and other bodies reporting to him, in each Government office region and nation of the UK (a) in 1996 and (b) at the most recent available period. [90469]
Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 609W.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Cheverton Down
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he asked for an Environmental Impact Assessment to be provided for the application for a wind energy development at Cheverton Down, Isle of Wight, which was referred to him for call in; and if he will make a statement. [90989]
Mr. McNulty: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not required for the wind energy development at Cheverton Down. Responsibility for determining the planning application, and therefore for deciding whether EIA would be required, rested with the local planning authority, the Isle of Wight council. The council originally granted planning permission in 1995, and in 2002, determined an application to vary one of the conditions attached to the permission. A request by local residents that my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister should call in that application for his own determination was declined.
Fire Officers (Herefordshire)
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire officers are employed in Herefordshire. [91747]
Mr. Leslie: On 31 March 2002, the number of fire officers employed in Herefordshire was 352 whole-time, 355 retained and 25 fire control.
Greenfield Sites
Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he intends to take to ensure that the guidance in PPG3 is complied with following the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Rowlinson v. Warrington borough council. [92328]
Mr. McNulty: It is normally for local planning authorities to determine planning applications made to them. In doing so they are required to take account of all considerations which may be material, including
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the guidance in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: 'Housing'. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to monitor their performance.
Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he intends to take to protect greenfield sites in areas where a council's committed land supply meets or exceeds regional planning guidance requirements, following the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Rowlinson v. Warrington Borough Council. [92329]
Mr. McNulty: Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, "Housing", introduced a series of tough new measures designed to meet the country's future housing needs in the most sustainable way possible, including a sequential approach which gives priority to re-using brownfield sites in urban areas in preference to developing greenfield sites. Local planning authorities should revise their plans to take account of the guidance in PPG3 and Regional Planning Guidance, and they should seek to do so as quickly as possible.
In considering planning applications for housing development in the interim, before development plans can be reviewed, local authorities should have regard to the policy contained in PPG3 as material considerations which may supersede the policies in their plan.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not convinced that it is necessary to issue further advice in the light of the decision in Rowlinson v. Warrington Borough Council, which was determined on the facts of the case.
Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he intends to take to protect greenfield sites in North Warrington, following the recent decision in the case of Rowlinson v. Warrington Borough Council. [92331]
Mr. McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects the local authority concerned to implement Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, "Housing".
Housing Corporation
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding has been allocated to the Housing Corporation for the current financial year for new dwellings; how much will be given for the next financial year; and what figure the Corporation has stated it needs to meet requests made by registered social housing landlords for new dwellings. [91140]
Mr. McNulty: In 2002–03, the Housing Corporation have allocated £820 million to new-build schemes through their approved development programme (ADP).
The amount for new-build schemes for the 2003–04 ADP has not yet been determined.
The ADP is run on the basis of competitive bids, and commonly attracts bids from registered social landlords amounting to three times the available funds from the Housing Corporation.
Housing Transfers
Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the total value of payments made to local
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authorities was in each year since 1997 regarding overhanging debt payments for authorities transferring housing stock; [90986]
- (2) what total payment has been made to date to local authorities to pay off debt left after housing transfers. [90985]
Mr. McNulty: Payments are made directly to the Public Works Loans Commissioners to repay local authority "overhanging debt" after housing transfer. Since the arrangements to repay overhanging debt were put in place in 1999, payments totalling £132.68 million have been made in 2000, payments totalling £143.49 million in 2001 and payments totalling £256.733 million in 2002; a total of £532.9 million.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average cash reserves were for shire county councils in each of the last 10 years. [92065]
Mr. Leslie: The average cash reserves for shire county councils were as shown in the table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 20.8 |
| 1993–94 | 32.6 |
| 1994–95 | 45.9 |
| 1995–96 | 47.0 |
| 1996–97 | 38.9 |
| 1997–98 | 37.7 |
| 1998–99 | 30.5 |
| 1999–2000 | 32.0 |
| 2000–01 | 34.7 |
| 2001–02(27) | 39.8 |
(25) Cash reserves include schools' reserves, other earmarked reserves and unallocated reserves.
(26) County councils underwent reorganisations between 1995–96 and 1997–98, resulting in the creation of Unitary authorities. Both the number of county councils and the average geographical area for which remaining county councils were responsible therefore reduced during this period.
(27) Provisional.
Source:
RS forms 1992–93 to 2000–01.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cash reserves of (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council and (b) Shropshire county council were in each of the last 10 years. [92066]
Mr. Leslie: The cash reserves of Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council and Shropshire county council were as shown in the following table:
(28) Cash reserves include schools' reserves, other earmarked reserves and unallocated reserves.
Source:
RS forms 1992–93 to 2001–02
21 Jan 2003 : Column 271W
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from North Tyneside council regarding the level of the council's financial settlement for 2003–04. [91857]
Mr. Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received one representation from the Tyneside council regarding the provisional local government finance settlement 2003–04. The representation by email was received after the deadline for the close of consultation.
Public Amenities (Charitable Trusts)
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he gives local authorities in respect of handing
21 Jan 2003 : Column 272W
over control of public amenities to charitable trusts which have exemptions for tax and business rates; and if he will make a statement. [91146]
Mr. Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not provided any advice to local authorities on the transfer of public amenities to charitable trusts.
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