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Local Government: Unitary Authorities
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many unitary authorities there are in the United Kingdom; when each was created; and what is the current population of each. [HL3198]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): All principal local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are unitary. The 32 in Scotland and the 22 in Wales were created in 1996 and the 26 in Northern Ireland in 1972. Local government matters therein are matters for the devolved Administrations.
In England, this responsibility falls to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Unitary authorities here were created at different times. There are a total of 115, including the 32 London boroughs and the 36 metropolitan district councils created in 1986; others were created between the years 1995 and 1998. A table with the names and the populations of the relevant local authorities has been placed in the Library of the House.
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National Parks: Quarrying
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to stop permanently quarrying at Backdale Quarry in the Peak District National Park. [HL3210]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): It is for mineral planning authorities in the first instance to consider whether quarrying at any particular mineral site should be stopped permanently. This may be done at working mineral sites by the making, subject to confirmation by the Secretary of State, of an order revoking the mineral planning permission. Because extant planning permissions are property rights, they cannot be removed without the payment of compensation for lost mineral production. This can be very substantial.
As the noble Lord may be aware, mineral extraction at Backdale Quarry is currently temporarily stopped by a notice issued by the Peak District National Park Authority, the mineral planning authority for the park. It is my understanding that this notice will remain in place until the outcome of current enforcement action in respect of the extent of limestone extraction.
It remains open to the Peak District National Park Authority to decide whether this particular permission, or any other, should be revoked to stop mineral extraction permanently. Decisions about revocation of mineral permissions must be made on the basis of all the relevant facts and planning issues, including consideration of the contribution the many mineral sites in our national parks make to our national mineral supply. The authority would also need to consider the resource consequences of any revocation.
Northern Ireland Office: Block Grant
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 6 March (WA 25), whether the Northern Ireland Office departmental expenditure limit has replaced the Northern Ireland Office block grant. [HL2602]
Lord Rooker: The term “block grant” refers to cash funding drawn down from HM Treasury by the NIO which is paid directly on to the Department of Finance and Personnel to fund NI departments. The NIO has a separate, resource-based budget allocated by HM Treasury referred to as the departmental expenditure limit. The Bloody Sunday inquiry is funded from this budget.
Northern Ireland: Place Names
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel uses the word Derry in the return address for the collection of rates; and, if so, why it uses this word. [HL3184]
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Lord Rooker: Rates demands issued in April 2007 for Derry, Strabane, Limavady and Coleraine district council areas include the word Derry in the return address. This error will be corrected in all future communications.
Olympic Games 2012: Security
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their current estimates of the cost of providing security for the London Olympic Games in 2012. [HL2894]
Lord Davies of Oldham: I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 15 March (Official Report, col. 450) on progress towards the Olympic Games and the Paralympics in 2012. This included reference to an allocation of £600 million within the overall budget for wider security on top of the ODA budget for site security.
The Home Office and Olympic security co-ordinator are developing and costing the security planning and operation for London 2012. This will be published when appropriate.
Questions for Written Answer
Lord James of Blackheath asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has so far been unable to answer Lord James of Blackheath's Question for Written Answer of 22 March (HL2959) which was due for answer on 5 April. [HL3192]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Answer to Question HL2959 was provided on 20 April.
Railways: Leatherhead Station
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which train operator is responsible for providing information and timetables when buses are substituted for trains at Leatherhead station; and what action they will take in the event that this information is not provided. [HL3163]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Leatherhead station is owned by Network Rail and is served by Southern and South West Trains. The lead operator at the station is Southern and it is responsible for providing information to passengers who use the station.
Where engineering works affect services at the station, Southern will ensure that all relevant information is displayed at the station including details of any replacement bus services. This information will also be available on its website and National Rail Enquiries. If the department becomes aware of instances where this does not occur,
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Regional Development Agencies
Lord De Mauley asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many new jobs have been created by each regional development agency in each of the last three years. [HL3157]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Truscott): Regional development agencies report on new jobs created and jobs safeguarded together. The following table gives the numbers of new and safeguarded jobs created and sustained by each regional development agency for the past three years.
| RDAs/Years | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 (half year) |
The figures for 2006-07 are half-year figures only. Full-year figures will be laid before both Houses in July and will be available in their Libraries.
Roads: Belfast
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to provide traffic-calming measures in the Ballyhackamore area of Belfast; and what is the timescale for such measures. [HL3232]
Lord Rooker: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to these questions.
Letter from Dr Malcolm McKibbin to Lord Laird dated April/May 2007.
You recently asked Her Majesty's Government a Parliamentary Question regarding, what plans they have to provide traffic-calming measures in the Ballyhackamore area of Belfast; and what is the timescale for such measures. As this issue falls within my responsibility as chief executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
In my letter dated 6 November 2006, in response to your previous Parliamentary Question relating to this issue (HL 8130), I listed the streets in the Ballyhackamore area that our local officials had assessed for traffic-calming measures.
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I am pleased to advise that the consultative and legislative processes have now been successfully completed for Holland Drive, Kirkliston Park, Hewitt Parade, Enid Drive and Enid Parade. Traffic-calming measures on these streets are programmed for completion before the end of May 2007.
There are, however, a number of outstanding objections relating to the provision of traffic-calming measures on Earlswood Road, Belmont Church Road and Sydenham Avenue, and at present no decision has been taken whether to proceed with traffic-calming measures on these streets.
In Clonlee Drive and Irwin Avenue, scores from assessments were sufficient to merit the inclusion of schemes in the 2007-08 traffic-calming programme. However, as with all works of this nature, implementation of any proposal is subject to the successful completion of the consultative and legislative processes. I am therefore unable to confirm at this time whether these schemes will be implemented.
Preliminary assessment scores of Dundela Avenue, Dundela Gardens, Belmont Avenue and Halstein Drive indicate that schemes at these locations would not be as high a priority when compared to other competing sites in our eastern division. While we do not have any plans at present to provide traffic-calming measures at these locations, they will however remain on our list for possible inclusion in future years.
Roads: Congestion
Lord Whitty asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Bassam of Brighton: For urban roads managed by local authorities congestion is measured as person journey time per mile on a set of key routes into urban centres in the 10 largest urban areas in England. The first performance information showing change against the 2004-05 baseline will be included in the Department for Transport autumn performance report to be published at the end of 2007.
For strategic roads managed by the Highways Agency congestion is measured in terms of delay on the worst 10 per cent of journeys. The first performance information, relating to a subset of the network, was published in the last autumn performance report, in December 2006. The next performance information will be published in the department's annual report in about a month's time.
Data for earlier years are not available on the same basis.
Royal Air Force: Board of Inquiry
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there will be an inquiry into the deaths of a father and his two children in a fire at their home on a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on 18 March. [HL2903]
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The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Yes. A board of inquiry was convened on Monday, 19 March, and was adjourned pending the outcome of a police and fire service investigation into the cause and the coroner's inquest.
Smoking: NHS Residential Care
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
What restrictions on the right to smoke cigarettes apply in the case of mentally confused persons who reside on a permanent basis in residential care facilities managed by the National Health Service either directly or indirectly through sub-contractors. [HL3248]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Smoke-free (Exemptions and Vehicles) Regulations 2007 set out how the smoke-free provisions within the Health Act 2006 (c.28) will apply to mental health units. In addition to requirements set out in smoke-free regulations, mental health units may wish to implement their own policies on smoking on a voluntary basis.
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