§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will define an inequitable shift of burden between London ratepayers and those in the rest of the United Kingdom as referred to in paragraph 5 of his consultation paper on support for the voluntary sector following abolition of the Greater London council.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerThere is no such reference in the consultation paper.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the basis of his calculation of a £10 million ceiling on grants to London-wide voluntary organisation, referred to in his consultation paper "Abolition of the Greater London Council and the Metropolitan County Councils: Support for the Voluntary Sector."
§ Sir George YoungThe figure of £10 million is a preliminary view and was based on an assessment of the amount of GLC grant giving in 1983–84 which went to voluntary bodies serving more than one borough.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he can now give any indication as to the appropriate grouping of neighbouring boroughs for planning purposes if the Greater London council is abolished.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerI refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 24 May, at column466, by my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave).
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now indicate the organisations and individuals he has consulted over the future of the Greater London council's seaside and country homes scheme and the Greater London mobility scheme since the Government's announcements that both would have a statutory basis upon the abolition of the Greater London council.
1041W
§ Sir George YoungI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 October, at column 698, on the GLC's seaside and country homes and to the reply I gave on 5 July, at column 261, on the Greater London mobility scheme.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that, in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council, Londoners will be able to use the most convenient adjacent refuse tip for amenity purposes, notwithstanding the fact that the site may be located in a neighbouring London borough of which the user is not a ratepayer.
§ Sir George YoungIt is the Government's intention that responsibility for all aspects of waste disposal and regulation, including the provision and operation of civic amenity sites, should be transferred to the London boroughs and City of London in the event of the abolition of the GLC.
We will expect effective voluntary co-operation to figure significantly in the proposals which we have sought from these authorities by February 1985, and the rational use of civic amenity facilities should be no exception.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment with reference to paragraph 2.17.1 of the Government publication "Abolition of the Greater London Council and the Metropolitan County Councils" if he has completed his consideration of the future arrangements for the library collection and data bases; and what information is available to him as to their content.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerNo. My right hon. Friend will gladly consider any information which the Greater London council is prepared to make available.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions his Department has sought information from the Greater London council regarding the abolition of the council; and how many times such requests for information have been met with refusal since Royal Assent of the Local Government (Interim Provisions) Act.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerMy officials wrote to the GLC on 1 October seeking information about GLC spending on services which, if Parliament agrees, will be transferred to the boroughs. A substantive reply is awaited.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what body will assume responsibility for the Greater London council research library in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council;
(2) what arrangements Her Majesty's Government intend to make for the financial support of the Greater London council research library in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council;
(3) to whom the assets of the Greater London council research library will be transferred in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerNo decision has been taken on future arrangements for the Greater London research library, but I hope that the GLC and its staff representatives will enter into discussions with possible successor authorities.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to consult individual mortgagors over his proposal to transfer the Greater 1042W London council's mortgage account to a successor body, in the event of the Greater London council being abolished.
§ Sir George Young[pursuant to his reply, 25 October 1984, c. 694–95]: As I said in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) on 25 October, at columns 700–701, we intend that the GLC's interest in mortgages on residential property should be transferred on abolition to the Greater London residuary body direct.
As part of its general duty to make arrangements to facilitate its own wind-up as soon as practible, the residuary body will seek to refinance the transferred mortgages with reputable financial institutions, but will have to obtain the consent of each individual mortgagor before refinancing his loan.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council, has specific resources (a) to provide a specific strategic archaeological service for London, (b) that it has a specific staff to identify projects and undertake access negotiations and (c) if he will extend the remit of the commission to permit it to cover the same ground as the present London archaeological service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GowI refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) on 30 October 1984.