§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the 62W results of has Department in achieving the Government's policy programme since his reply to the hon. Member for Melton on 25 June 1981, Official Report, c. 181.
§ Mr. HeseltineGood progress has been made on many fronts.
Under the Housing Act 1980, tenants of local authorities, new towns, and many housing associations have the right to buy their homes. From April 1981 to March 1982, about 175,000 tenants in England and Wales applied to buy, bringing to nearly half a million the number of those who have applied to do so since the A ct came into force. The total number of "right to buy" sales completed is some 120,000, about 117,000 of which were completed in the year beginning April 1981. In addition, during the same 12 months, over 25,000 sales were completed in England and Wales under the increased powers we have given to local authorities to sell houses and flats at their own discretion.
There has also been an ecouraging response to other measures which help to extend home ownership, including the low-cost home ownership programme. The tenants exchange scheme, which will increase mobility by helping council tenants to exchange houses with tenants of other local authorities, began in April of this year. The booklet, "Priority Estates Project 1982", published in May, reported on the continuing success of this initiative which is aimed at improving problem council estates. This year the public expenditure provision for capital spending on housing in England totals over £3 billion representing a 3 per cent. increase in real terms over last year.
This includes a special additional allocation made available in the Budget for home improvement grants, as a result of which grant expenditure is expected to nearly double this year.
I have taken a wide range of measures to encourage and speed up development, including the streamlining of planning procedures which has resulted in some 70 per cent. of planning applications being decided in 8 weeks, as against 60 per cent. in early 1979. We are continuing to determine the majority of planning appeals in 17 weeks. I recently issued draft proposals for the complete recasting of the building regulations in a simpler form. I am also introducing more flexible arrangements for the approval of building plans.
In order to accelerate the sale of surplus public land, I have now extended the system of land registers to the rest of England. This year I have increased the total resources available to local authorities for derelict land reclamation from £40 million to £45 million and I have introduced a priority scheme for joint projects with the private sector designed to secure speedy development for profitable purposes.
The Government's policy of achieving greater private sector involvement in the inner city has been advanced by the financial institutions group, the Merseyside task force, and the continuing role of Business in the Community and local enterprise agencies. The new urban development grant is designed to attract private sector investment into inner city areas. The two urban development corporations on London docklands and Merseyside have made excellent progress, and eleven enterprise zones have been set up and are being developed. The British construction industry has been promoted abroad by means of an intensive programme of Ministerial visits to key markets over-seas.
63WI am maintaining pressure on local government to reduce the level of its current expenditure. The new Local Government Finance Act will further this aim and help ratepayers by banning supplementary rates and precepts and by enabling me to protect authorities from the effects of a general reduction in rate support grant. The Act also provides for an audit commission for local authorities which will be established shortly. Our objective is to strengthen local government audit, thereby helping local authorities to become more efficient and more accountable to their electors. I have announced a review of alternatives to domestic rates which is well advanced. Consultation on a Green Paper, issued in December 1981, is now complete and the Government are considering the options for reform in the light of the outcome.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act passed in October last year was the first major piece of legislation in this field for more than a decade. It strengthens measures for the protection of birds and other wild creature and plants; provides new powers for conservation of the countryside, including natural habitats and also deals with public access to the countryside. Many of these provisions have already been brought into effect, others will be implemented shortly.
In May 1981 the outcome of a review of policy on environmental lead was announced. My Department is now coordinating the implementation of a wide-ranging programme of action to reduce people's exposure to lead from all sources—in particular lead in drinking water and lead from petrol. Controls over environmental pollution are gradually being strengthened: for example, in relation to underground, inland, tidal and coastal waters, through the phased implementation of part II of the Control of Pollution Act.
I have continued to exert pressure for improved performance by water authorities, with encouraging results. Independent consultants appointed by the Government reviewed the 1981–2 and 1982–3 budget proposals of all authorities. Targets for reduction in real operating costs in 1983/4 are now under discussion. We have announced our intention to legislate for the streamlining of water authority membership and the abolition of the National Water Council.
I issued a consultation document in November 1981 about the possibility of establishing a new agency for certain ancient monument and historic building functions. There was a substantial response, as a result of which I announced in a document published on 16 June my intention to press ahead with planning for such an agency in England, by means of a Bill to be introduced when Parliamentary time is available.
I have sponsored six architectural competitions for PSA sites and more than 15 others have now been launched. They have done much to stimulate new design ideas for housing, leisure buildings, shops, factories, offices and other buildings. The result of the largest, at Vauxhall Cross, is now before Parliament as the subject of a special development order.
With the aid of the Department's management information system (MINIS) the staff in post have been reduced by 23 per cent. since May 1979 and by 10.3 per cent. since June 1981.