Departmental Achievements (Hansard, 27 November 1991)

§ Mr. Heseltine

The Government introduced legislation to cut all headline community charges for 1991–92 by £140, and made various improvements in the community charge reduction scheme. It used its powers to protect community charge payers from excessive charges by capping 14 authorities and twice extended those powers through primary legislation. Legislation was also enacted to exempt caravan owners from payment of the standard community charge. In April the Government issued a consultation paper "A New Tax for Local Government", proposing the introduction of a council tax to replace the community charge. The Government introduced the Local Government Finance Bill which provides for the new tax to be introduced from 1 April 1993. It is working closely with the local authority associations and others to ensure that the arrangements for the new tax operate efficiently. Contracts for the allocation of all dwellings in England to bands of value are presently being let, and work will begin next month.

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The Government continue to promote the efficiency of local authorities through the encouragement of competition in the provision of local services. To this end I have, on a number of occasions, used my powers to restrict local authorities' ability to carry out certain services using their own work forces where it appears that the local authority concerned has acted anti-competitively, or has failed to meet the required financial objective. The Government have published a consultation document "Competing for Quality—Competition in the Provision of Local Services", which sets out proposals for developing compulsory competitive tendering for local authority services. It has introduced the Local Government Bill which contains enabling powers so that the outcome of that consultation can be reflected in secondary legislation.

The Bill also provides for the establishment of a new local government commission to review the structure of local government in England area by area. It will consider the case for moving to a new structure involving unitary authorities outside London and the metropolitan areas. It will be required to have regard to the need to reflect the identities and interest of local communities. It will make recommendations to the Secretary of State who may implement them by order, subject to parliamentary approval. The Government have issued a consultation paper on the internal management of local authorities.

Good progress is being made in regenerating inner city areas under the action for cities initiative. In partnership with the private sector, substantial investment is taking place in new factories, housing, shopping centres, roads and other infrastructure, all aimed at improving the quality of life, and creating new employment and training opportunities. Since October 1990, the Government have announced increased resources for inner city regeneration totalling over £180 million, for the period 1991–92 to 1993–94.

The city challenge competition was launched in May with the aim of targeting priority areas to improve opportunity and the quality of regeneration. It offers local authorities, in partnership with businesses and the voluntary sector, the opportunity to tackle some of their worst economic, social and environmental conditions. The 11 successful city challenge pacemakers, announced on 31 July, will each receive £7.5 million a year for up to five years, from urban and housing programmes, to take forward their winning plans. These resources, together with the contributions by the local authorities and their private, voluntary and community partners, will be directed at achieving the comprehensive and lasting regeneration of the key localities.

The Government are continuing with their housing reforms, including deregulation of new private lettings, new housing association financial arrangements, and tenants choice. A growing number of local authorities are transferring or considering the transfer of housing stock to housing associations, so opening up their management to the disciplines and opportunities which the private sector can provide. More local authority tenants are continuing to exercise their right to buy their own homes, while the Government's three year, £96 million initiative continues to provide accommodation for rough sleepers in central London.

The Government also announced two new initiatives in July—a new approach to local authority housing capital allocations through competitive bidding which should improve the quality of public housing for tenants; and an 495W enhanced estate action programme for which an extra £350 million is to be made available over the next three years. The estate action initiative, together with housing action trusts, will increasingly concentrate resources on the most run-down local authority estates.

Following the publication of the environment White Paper at the end of September 1990, the Government have carried forward its strategy for the environment at home and abroad. A full account of progress over the first year was published in "This Common Inheritance: The First Year Report" Cm 1655 on 25 September 1991. A major achievement has been the creation of new and unique mechanisms within government, including "green Ministers" in each Department; two standing committees of Ministers on the environment; guidance on policy appraisal and on green housekeeping; the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment—whose first report was published in November 1991; and joint fora with the voluntary sector and local government.

In environmental protection, public access to information has remained a priority. The drinking water inspectorate published its first annual report in July 1991 showing the high quality of much of Britain's water. In April 1991 my Department issued through major food retailers a free popular guide to action the individual can take to protect the environment, "Wake Up to What You can do for the Environment"; 3,500,000 copies have so far been distributed. Air quality information is now widely available on weather forecasts, teletext and helplines and the anniversary report on the White Paper contained proposals to strengthen the system of public registers of information on major industrial emissions by the creation of aggregate registers on types and sources of emission.

In the two public expenditure rounds since the White Paper's publication, the Government have demonstrated their commitment to provide the resources needed to tackle environmental problems. Specific borrowing approvals have been available to local authorities for investment in new recycling plant and to clean up old tips. Staffing levels in the pollution inspectorate have increased by over 25 per cent. to meet the demands of integrated pollution control and my Department is supporting 41 projects under the new fund for the voluntary sector, the environmental grant fund, set up to promote White Paper objectives.

International work continues to be a major Government priority. Following the commitments made in the White Paper, the Government reached EC agreement in March 1991 to earlier dates for the phasing out of ozone depleting substances, bringing forward the date for CFCs to July 1997. Britain is playing a leading part in work towards agreements on climate change and biodiversity and in preparations for the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development. In October 1991, on behalf of the Government, I signed the international protocol which provides for protection of Antarctica for the next half century.

The Government are setting new standards in pollution control at home. Europe's first full system of integrated pollution control came into effect from 1 April 1991 under powers provided in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Act has also provided for tougher standards for waste disposal, increased fines for all types of pollution offenses and the creation of new expert groups to advise on standards. In October 1991, the Government published 496W their consultation paper with proposals for a new single environment agency, controlling pollution to land, air and water.

The Rural Development Commission has continued its efforts to diversify the rural economy, concentrating on those rural development areas with the greatest needs and the rural coalfields of the east midlands. In October 1990 my Department announced agreement to the Countryside Commission's proposed initiative to create a new national Forest. A director has been appointed and a business plan is being prepared as the basis of considering how the proposal might best be carried forward. My Department also agreed in February this year to proposals by the Countryside Commission to prepare business plans for a further nine community forests near major towns and cities in England. A 39th area of outstanding natural beauty in England and Wales, the Blackdown hills, was established in June.

In June, the countryside stewardship scheme was launched. It seeks to encourage the improvement and extension of habitats which are of wildlife and landscape importance and which contribute to public enjoyment of the countryside. The scheme closed for applications on 31 October, by which time almost 1,200 valid applications had been received, well in excess of the target for the first year of between 600 and 900.

The Government have improved the delivery of nature conservation through the establishment of new country councils in place of the Nature Conservancy Council. English Nature, the successor body in England, will receive over £2 million of new money in the current year and a further increase of almost £4.2 million in 1992–93. In April, the protection given to wild birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 was enhanced by the introduction of amended regulations controlling the registration of captive birds of prey and the trade in dead birds. With the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, my Department launched a campaign to stamp out the illegal poisoning of birds of prey and other wildlife. In September an information package was introduced to deter the use of poison baits for predator control and to encourage the public to report instances of suspected abuse.

Following consultation, my Department announced in September additional safeguards for sites of special scientific interest—SSSIs—in England and Wales: they will no longer be able to be used for war games, motor sports and clay pigeon shooting unless the local authority has granted planning permission; local authorities will be required to consult English Nature or the Countryside Council for Wales about planning applications in areas adjacent to SSSIs; there will be a clearer policy on calling-in planning applications for determination by the Secretary of State; and additional advice has been given on when environmental assessment may be required in sites of national and international importance.

As a result of finalising the first quinquennial review of protected British wild animals and plants, three more species of animal have been given protection—the allis shad, the adder and the freshwater pearl mussel—bringing the total number of species of animal and plant given statutory protection to 207. My Department has given support to English Nature's "Recovery" programme which, in its first year, includes reintroduction, translocation, habitat management and research involving six endangered species. The Government took the lead in 497W preparing the text of an agreement to protect European bats under the Bonn convention on migratory species was finalised in Geneva in September 1991.

The Government have made an important contribution to the protection of internationally important habitats including the designation of five wetlands under the Ramsar convention and two special protection areas under the EC birds directive. They have also taken an active role in negotiations on the proposed EC habitats directive and the EC regulation on the importation of certain furs which was formally adopted earlier this month.

The Government have increased to £12 million a year the grant in aid to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, enabling it to build up investment funds in order to preserve historic properties, objects and collections for the nation. Within the past few weeks the fund has purchased Chastleton house in Oxfordshire and presented this 17th century mansion to the National Trust to preserve with its contents. The cathedral repair grant scheme, to be run by English Heritage, was launched in April, with funding of £11.5 million over three years.

The Planning and Compensation Act 1991 made important and widely welcomed reforms to planning law. It reforms the development plan system, requiring the extension of local plans to cover all areas, simplifying the procedures for the preparation and adoption of plans, and emphasising the importance of plans in development control. It makes planning procedures more efficient and effective, and in particular strengthens enforcement provisions. It provides more generous compensation, especially for home owners subject to compulsory purchase. Much of the Act has already been implemented; the rest will follow in the early part of next year.

The Government have continued to produce more accessible planning guidance to local authorities in the form of planning policy guidance notes and circulars on issues including planning and affordable housing, and sport and recreation. A conference on regional planning for the south-east was held in March.

My Department has completed a substantial revision of the building regulations, which includes improvements to the provisions on structural and fire safety, on protection from radon and methane gas and for disabled people; extends the requirements for sound insulation to flat conversions; and introduces a new requirement for safe glazing. I will be laying revised regulations before Parliament next month. The United Kingdom has become one of the first EC member states to implement the provisions of the construction products directive; the regulations come into force on 27 December this year. This will open the way for free trade in construction products throughout the European Community.