§ Mr. GapesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to provide financial support to English local authorities and to the Environment Agency to meet the capital costs of dealing with contaminated land. [86489]
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§ Mr. MealeMy right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment announced on 22 July 1998 that £15 million would be available for this financial year, and each of the next two financial years. The Contaminated Land Supplementary Credit Approval programme provides support for English local authorities for the capital costs they incur in dealing with contaminated land. The programme also supports, in the form of additional grant-in-aid, the Environment Agency where it is carrying out works to deal with water pollution caused by contaminated land. This funding is in addition to the £50 million over the next three years to help local authorities with their responsibilities under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (inserted by section 57 of the Environment Act 1995) and to separate funds made available through Single Regeneration Budget and the Regional Development Agencies for regeneration projects.
Authorities with on-going contractual commitments for projects funded in previous years have already received notification that support will continue to be available this year. I have agreed the programme for new projects to start this year and my Department has written today to the successful authorities and to the Environment Agency notifying them of the financial allocations which are being made.
The Department will discuss the other bids with the authorities concerned and expects to make some further allocations. It will also decide new bids when they are received.
The following table sets out the allocations which have been made so far this current financial year.
Local Authorities Number of sites Total allocation(£) Ashford BC 1 36,500 Bexley LB 1 50,000 Blackburn/Darwen BC 2 40,000 Bolton MBC 1 20,000 Bristol City 1 25,697 Bury MBC 1 5,500 Calderdale MBC 1 20,000 Chorley BC 1 196,000 Crawley BC 1 355,500 Croydon LB 5 79,000 Cumbria CC 1 786,215 Darlington BC 1 31,000 Devon CC 5 775,500 Dudley MBC 4 335,070 Durham CC 3 56,500 East Sussex CC 2 282,696 Essex CC 3 140,500 Gateshead MBC 2 1,205,000 Gedling BC 1 14,000 Gravesham BC 1 11,300 324W
£000 Approved allocation for 1998–99 Provisional outturn for 1998–99 Present approved allocation for 1999–2000 Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company and its subsidiaries 27.21 28.77 29.79 NI Roads Programme 145.30 147.7 155.6
Local Authorities Number of sites Total allocation(£) Guildford BC 4 35,500 Hackney LB 1 115,000 Hampshire CC 1 35,000 Herefordshire C 1 22,600 Isle of Wight C 1 10,000 Lancashire CC 1 25,000 Lancaster City 1 71,653 Leicester City 6 119,200 Leicestershire CC 2 16,250 Lewes DC 1 10,000 Merseyside WDA 2 320,000 Middlesbrough BC 1 301,000 Newcastle City 3 319,450 Northamptonshire CC 2 408,000 North East Lincs C 1 44,000 North Lincs C 1 1,187,200 North Somerset C 1 18,000 Northumberland CC 4 46,000 Norwich City 1 24,000 Nottingham City 1 304,000 Oldham MBC 2 96,000 Oxfordshire CC 2 392,000 Plymouth City 1 265,085 Portsmouth City 1 400,000 Preston BC 1 266,250 Rotherham MBC 3 219,407 St. Helens MBC 1 165,000 Sandwell MBC 17 73,660 Sheffield City 1 150,000 Shropshire CC 1 378,814 Solihull MBC 1 179,247 South Holland DC 1 2,500 Surrey CC 2 11,100 Tameside MBC 2 42,160 Teignbridge DC 2 70,000 Trafford MBC 3 150,000 Warrington BC 1 242,806 Wokingham DC 1 208,096 Worcestershire CC 2 58,831 Environment Agency 9 1,362,000