HL Deb 20 April 1998 vol 588 cc184-6WA
Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the responsibilities of the Greater London Authority will differ between the City of London, Inner London and Outer London (A Mayor and Assembly for London (Cm 3897), footnote to paragraph 6.11). [HL1486]

Baroness Hayman

The GLA will be responsible for the police service in Inner and Outer London, but not in the City of London, where the City Corporation will be responsible.

Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

  1. (a) for which planning applications, to be defined in secondary legislation, will the Mayor of London be a statutory consultee (A Mayor and Assembly for London (Cm 3897), paragraph 5/67) with power to direct refusal;
  2. (b) how many such applications it is anticipated will be referred in each year to the Mayor; and
  3. (c) how many staff will be required to process these applications. [HL1487]

Baroness Hayman

The Mayor will be a statutory consultee for planning applications of strategic importance. These will be defined in secondary legislation and, as the White Paper indicates, there will be separate consultation on which categories of applications should properly fall within this definition. The White Paper envisages that the number of such cases would amount to between 100 and 300 per year at most.

The Mayor's role would be to advise the local planning authorities on the strategic implications of such applications. It is envisaged that he or she would need to use the proposed powers of direction only in exceptional cases. The Mayor would need to be supported by a small unit in performing this function. Setting the appropriate staffing levels for such a unit will be a matter for the Mayor.

Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the staff numbers and specific costs included in the figure of £20 million for annual running costs for the Mayor and Assembly as "Support Staff and Central Services" (A Mayor and Assembly for London (Cm 3897), paragraph 6.32). [HL1488]

Baroness Hayman

The £20 million will fund the Greater London Authority (GLA) itself—the Mayor and the Assembly—their support staff, and the GLA's common services. We estimate the core GLA will have about 250 support staff.

Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which activities will "pass from London boroughs to the Greater London Authority" (A Mayor and Assembly for London (Cm 3897), paragraph 6.38). [HL1489]

Baroness Hayman

The White Paper proposes that the GLA will take over from the boroughs responsibility for a limited number of functions—strategic roads and some bodies such as the London Planning Advisory Committee and the London Research Centre which serve the whole of London. The GLA's transport arm, Transportfor London, will take over the responsibilities of the Traffic Control Systems Unit, which looks after the co-ordinated operation of traffic lights across London and currently reports to the boroughs.

Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which functions of the Mayor and the Greater London Authority are to be financed from the estimated "3p per week at Band D" (A Mayor and Assembly for London (Cm 3897), paragraph 6.33). [HL1490]

Baroness Hayman

The contribution from London council tax payers, estimated at 3 pence per week on a band D council tax bill, will fund about 20 per cent. of the costs of new activities for which the Greater London Authority (GLA) will not inherit funding. These include the Mayor and his or her office, the Assembly and the Assembly Secretariat, and the GLA's common services. Further details are set out in paragraphs 3.38–3.44 ofA Mayor and Assembly for London.