§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce legislation to extend the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act to the London Docklands Development Corporation; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will place in the Library the minutes of the London Docklands Corporation board meetings.
§ Sir George YoungNo.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will release the 1984–85 corporate plan of the London Docklands Development Corporation.
§ Sir George YoungIt is up to the London Docklands Development Corporation to decide whether to publish its corporate plan. As I told the hon. Member on 17 September, whilst it had been LDDC's intention to publish the 1984–85 plan in July, the corporation decided it would make more sense to delay publication until the next update of the plan was available, looking ahead to 1985–86. The first volume of the updated version of the plan was published on 5 October. I understand that the second volume—the detailed operational plan—is expected to be published in a few weeks.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps the London Docklands Development Corporation has taken to ensure that revenue funding for health schemes initiated by the docklands joint committee continues to be available.
§ Sir George YoungThe London Docklands Development Corporation is not the statutory authority for the provision of health facilities in Docklands, although the corporation is willing to consider giving financial assistance to projects which make a contribution to the regeneration of the area. In accordance with the normal rule applying to urban programme expenditure, projects which need continued support once U.P. finance expires are expected to seek alternative sources of funding including, where appropriate, support under local authority main programmes. The LDDC is willing to consider cases which cannot be treated in this way on their merits, but it is not the corporation's policy to support particular projects merely because they have been supported in the past. Such a policy would make it impossible to accommodate new projects.
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§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will arrange for the publication of reports produced by officers of the London Docklands Development Corporation that come before the London Docklands Development Corporation board;
(2) if he will publish the dates of future London Docklands Development Corporation board meetings;
(3) what are the dates of the next three meetings of the London Docklands Development Corporation board;
(4) what are the dates of the next three meetings of the London Docklands Development Corporation housing and planning committees;
(5) if he will make available to the public the minutes of London Docklands Development Corporation board meetings;
(6) if he will make available to the public the agendas of the next three board meetings of the London Docklands Development Corporation.
§ Sir George YoungNo. These are matters for the London Docklands Development Corporation.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the London Docklands Development Corporation has funded any capital expenditure or additional services in the new health centres in docklands; and what measures the London Docklands Development Corporation propose to implement to ensure that such health centres provide a full range of services;
(2) what plans the London Docklands Development Corporation has for joint projects with district health authorities in docklands.
§ Sir George YoungThe LDDC has not directly funded any capital or additional services in the new health centres in docklands. It has, however, provided funds to a number of voluntary organisations over the past year including £19,796 for the pathway officer to the Society for the Mentally Handicapped, £18,746 to McMillan's Service for professional assistance to the terminally ill and assistance with minibus and transport costs to organisations including Helping the Homeless, Salvation Army, West Ham Central Mission and Charterhouse Mission.
The corporation is discussing with the GLC, the London borough of Tower Hamlets and the Tower Hamlets district health authority the provision of a "core and cluster" project for mentally handicapped residents in Tower Hamlets. It is also assisting with the provision of general practitioners' rooms in a new housing development in Wapping, in conjunction with the Tower Hamlets district health authority.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps have been taken by the London Docklands Development Corporation to prevent the closure, or movement out of the area, of firms who make use of the river or dock facilities in the London Docklands Development Corporation area since the corporation was established;
(2) how many companies that make use of the river Thames or dock facilities in the London Docklands Development Corporation area have ceased trading since the London Docklands Development Corporation was established;
(3) how many firms that make use of the river or dock facilities in the London Docklands Development 709W Corporation area have moved from the docklands area since the London Docklands Development Corporation was set up.
§ Sir George YoungThe LDDC has assisted four firms which make use of the river or dock facilities, under the Inner Urban Areas Act 1978, preserving 241 existing jobs and creating 53 new jobs at a total cost of £31,250. In addition, the corporation has invested in an improved river wall and lock facilities, and is discussing with new firms the use of the river and dock facilities. I understand that one firm—which began trading after the corporation was established—has since ceased trading, and that two firms have moved from the area—to Chatham and to Greenwich—since the corporation was established.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what sources of information are available to him in estimating the number of new jobs created in the London Docklands Development Corporation area since July 1981.
§ Sir George YoungThe estimates of numbers of new jobs created in the London Docklands Development Corporation area since July 1981 are derived by LDDC from regular telephone surveys of individual firms in the area undertaken by corporation staff.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action the London Docklands Development Corporation took to prevent or reduce the number of redundancies in the London Docklands Development Corporation area in 1982–83 and 1983–84.
§ Sir George YoungThe corporation has set up a comprehensive business and information service for local employers which includes the provision of free advisory services to the local business community and the formation of a business club with the aim of improving business opportunities in the docklands area. Between July 1981 and March 1984, the corporation has offered assistance to local firms under the Inner Urban Area Act 1978 which is expected to result in the preservation of at least 570 existing jobs.
The corporation has appointed three industrial liaison officers who are in daily contact with business communities throughout docklands.
The corporation was closely involved earlier this year, though unsuccessfully, in seeking to prevent the loss of some 500 jobs at Crosse and Blackwell in Newham.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether in London Docklands Development Corporation is monitoring closures and job loss in existing firms in docklands; and whether the London Docklands Development Corporation has any estimates of job losses in the area since July 1981.
§ Sir George YoungI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 June 1984, at column 316, for the years 1982–83 and 1983–84.
In 1981–82 the corresponding figures are:
Firm closures Number of firms 5 Jobs lost 327 Other redundancies 524 Seventy of these redundancies occurred in the period April to June 1981.
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§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the occupations of those made redundant within the London Docklands Development Corporation area in 1982–83 and 1983–84.
§ Sir George YoungThe information requested is not available.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans the London Docklands Development Corporation is making to safeguard land for the provision of health and related community facilities;
(2) what steps the London Docklands Development Corporation is taking to safeguard sites to meet the housing needs of the elderly, people with disabilities, the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped.
§ Sir George YoungThe London Docklands Development Corporation has allocated land for the community centres in Cyprus, Mid-Beckton and Surrey docks and schools in Wapping and Surrey docks in response to requests from the relevant authorities, and has allocated land for building by the Royal British Legion Housing Association in Rotherhithe, as well as the rehousing of a family with a disabled family member to new housing in Southwark.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the London Docklands Development Corporation has for implementing the report which it commissioned on the needs of the elderly in docklands.
§ Sir George YoungI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bow and Poplar (Mr. Mikardo) on 12 June 1.984 at column 427.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further reports the London Docklands Development Corporation is commissioning on health and welfare needs in docklands.
§ Sir George YoungIn September 1984, the LDDC commenced a joint survey of the Isle of Dogs communities with the assistance of local community groups. A similar survey is scheduled for the Southwark area this winter.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what trends the London Docklands Development Corporation has observed, from its monitoring of changes in land values in docklands.
§ Sir George YoungInformation supplied by the district valuer suggests that the average values of two samples of sites in the docklands boroughs—inside and outside the urban development area—in each case rose by about 5 per cent. between April 1983 and April 1984. It is likely that on certain sites, particularly in the enterprise zone, Land values will have risen more steeply although comparable figures are not available.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans the London Docklands Development Corporation has for the land covered by the proposed compulsory purchase order for the royal docks area in Newham;
(2) whether it is the intention of the London Docklands Development Corporation to move out the majority of existing firms from the land included in the compulsory purchase order for the royal docks area of Newham;
711W(3) how many existing firms and jobs are located on the land covered by the proposed compulsory purchase order for the royal docks area in Newham.
§ Sir George YoungI can add nothing to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) on 22 October at column 485.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many acres of land in London Docklands Development Corporation ownership development has been completed.
§ Sir George YoungAt the end of March 1984, 125 acres of land which had been in LDDC's ownership had been developed, as follows:
Acres Housing 59 Services, environmental and community use 56 Industrial/commercial 10
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of land owned by the London Docklands Development Corporation have been acquired from the Central Electricity Generating Board.
§ Sir George YoungNone.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the London Docklands Development Corporation will receive delegations at board meetings.
§ Sir George YoungThis is a matter for the LDDC.