§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Clwyd, South constituency, the effects on Clwyd, South of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150912]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI have been asked to reply because, prior to 1 July 1999, responsibility for most aspects of transport, environmental and local government policy in Wales fell to my Department. Since the impact of departmental policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency, it is not practicable, in most cases, to provide statistical information which is specific to Clwyd, South. However, I can say that, between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2000, central Government grants were278W paid under the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme towards the cost of domestic insulation measures for some 4,200 households in my hon. Friend's constituency.
A range of all-Wales policy initiatives and other action taken during this period will also have impacted on Clwyd, South and its residents. Some of the more significant ones are listed and fuller details are contained in the Welsh Office Departmental Reports for 1998 (Cm 3915) and 1999 (Cm 4216), copies of which are in the Library:
A Strategic Review of the Welsh Trunk Roads Programme"—setting Wales' highway needs in the context of a balanced integrated transport policy (July 1997);Wales for the 21" Century"—providing guidance to local authorities on the preparation of Agenda 21 plans (January 1998);Transporting Wales into the Future"—examining ways of developing integrated transport solutions which would meet the particular needs of Wales (July 1998): andDriving Wales Forward"—identifying a new core network of nationally important strategic roads and setting out key criteria to be used in assessing options for addressing problems on the road network (July 1998).In addition, two substantial pieces of primary legislation—the Local Government Acts 1999 and 2000—have implemented the Government's vision of revitalised local government in both Wales and England. The best value provisions in the 1999 Act, and the new political management structures, ethical framework and powers to promote the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of communities in the 2000 Act, have given local authorities the tools they need to be more efficient, transparent and accountable in serving their local communities.
Other developments since 1 July 1999 are matters for the National Assembly for Wales.