HC Deb 18 May 1988 vol 133 cc935-6
5. Mrs. Maureen Hicks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which areas have received Government assistance under the urban regeneration grant and urban development schemes in the last six months.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. David Trippier)

Thirty two urban development and urban regeneration grants totalling £36.4 million have been approved since November 1987, including one urban development grant of £529,000 in my hon. Friend's constituency. I have made arrangements for a list of the areas receiving assistance to be placed in the Library.

Mrs. Hicks

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the substantial urban development grant that he has recently given to Wolverhampton. Is he convinced that the new city grant that has replaced it will be even more attractive to developers?

Mr. Trippier

I am convinced that the new city grant will be more attractive. We have cut out a considerable amount of bureaucracy that was attached to the former grant regime. We have streamlined the process, giving the private sector direct access to the Department of the Environment. I have given an undertaking that a decision on the applications will be made within a shorter time scale than hitherto.

Mr. Steen

Is not the most important problem to which urban regeneration grant should be directed getting rid of the 100,000 acres of public derelict, vacant but under utilised land on the register? Although my hon. Friend has made some steps towards getting rid of the land, more land is coming in because of the planning process. At the present rate it will be at least 1,000 years before we get rid of all the land on the register.

Mr. Trippier

I agree with the thrust of my hon. Friend's question. I draw his attention to the fact that almost half the public land registered last year was directed by the Department of the Environment to be sold. The problem is not confined to local authorities, but occurs in Government Departments as well, and as a result of the initiative in the "Action for Cities" presentation by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister we are taking further steps in that direction.