§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the principal achievements of his Department since June 1987.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe Government have played a leading role in developing environmental protection measures both nationally and internationally. The privatisation of the water industry in 1989 strengthened pollution controls and resulted in increased investment: some £28 billion will be spent in the next decade. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 provided for a new system of integrated pollution control and waste disposal management. In September 1990 the White Paper "This Common Inheritance" set out the Government's environmental strategy for the next decade.
The Government have promoted several initiatives for the conservation of nature and the countryside. They have improved the efficiency of the land use planning system as an instrument for guiding development in ways that both facilitate economic growth and protect the environment. They have made good progress with the regeneration of our inner cities, including the creation of 10 new urban development corporations since 1987 and doubling the number of inner city task forces to 16.
The Government have continued to promote the growth of owner-occupation; have increased the choices available to tenants, in particular by deregulating rents of new private lettings: and have obtained better value for money from public expenditure by ensuring that investment and subsidies are increasingly focused where they are most needed.
In local government, the Government have reformed the system of local government finance and taxation. They have also promoted the efficiency of local authorities by requiring competition in the provision of certain services. A new review is now looking afresh at the structure and finances of local authorities.