HC Deb 04 December 1985 vol 88 cc287-8
Mr. Freeman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of derelict land grants disbursed in the last 12 months for which statistics are available.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

In the year to September 1985, £65 million was paid in derelict land grant to local authorities and other bodies. I have increased the resources available this year to £82 million. I shall shortly issue a circular on reclaiming derelict land —it is an essential tool for urban regeneration.

Mr. Freeman

Will my right hon. Friend write today to the Archbishop of Canterbury and remind him that many Christians are also Conservatives who agree that the derelict land grant programme is a sensible way of helping inner cities, unlike the Archbishop's commission's proposals, which amount to worn-out Socialist dogma of spending an extra £4 billion of public money?

Mr. Baker

I should be happy to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss the problems of the inner cities with him. I would draw to his attention —some parts of the report recognise it —the considerable resources that are applied to dealing with the inner city problems. The increase in derelict land grant has been from some £23 million when we came to office to £82 million this year —well in excess of the rate of inflation and a substantial increase in real terms. I think that the money is very well spent in dealing with many of the problems mentioned by the report —housing, enterprise workshops and regenerating our inner cities. I should like the country to recognise the enormous amount that we are doing.

Mr. Litherland

With one quarter of the industrial sites in Manchester now lying vacant, what assistance will the Government give for demolition and the refurbishment of those sites in the north-east of Manchester?

Mr. Baker

I am well aware of the problems of the decline of some of the industrial base of Manchester. We provide extra assistance through derelict land grant. I have seen several projects in the city, some of which are part of the urban programme, which are revitalising the centre, particularly the old central railway station, which I hope will become a magnet for exhibitions and so on. That programme will continue. This year I am concentrating the urban programme more on the cities and towns with the greatest need.

Mr. Hickmet

Is my right hon. Friend aware of how important these grants are in my constituency? Is he aware that last year his Department gave a derelict land grant of £1.4 million to the Normanby park steelworks site, and that currently the local authorities have put in an application for more than £16 million? Will my right hon. Friend consider that application sympathetically?

Mr. Baker

My hon. Friend has been to see me twice about those matters. I was glad to approve a grant of £1.4 million for private derelict land recovery of the old Normanby steelworks. My hon. Friend is right in saying that a substantial application is before me and my Department. It emphasises the importance of that spend. We have to bring that derelict land back into effective use.

Mr. Foot

When the right hon. Gentleman meets the Archbishop of Canterbury, will he tender a collective apology on behalf of all Cabinet members, or on behalf of only a few of them? Will he pass on to the Archbishop the message from the chairman of the Conservative party that he is now praying for the Church of England?

Mr. Baker

I speak for the Government in these matters. There was some talk that the report had been leaked before the weekend, when it had been intended for publication on Tuesday. However, I understand that it was on sale on Saturday morning in Dillon's bookshop.