David Lepper: To support successful sixth-form colleges such as Varndean and Brighton, Hove and Sussex sixth-form colleges in the city of Brighton and Hove, will the Minister undertake to look again at the inequalities in funding between sixth-form colleges and school sixth forms? Will he also consider, in particular, liability for VAT on the part of sixth-form colleges and capital allowances for the...
David Lepper: When the actions that the Minister spoke about earlier are supplemented locally by a proactive local authority, we can see the results. In my local authority, Brighton and Hove city council, until the beginning of last week, 78 per cent. of the premises expected to apply for a new licence had done so and more did so at the beginning of the week—I declare a non-registerable interest, as I...
David Lepper: Notwithstanding the very real successes that the Minister mentioned, will he take note of the anxieties expressed by Dr. Blair, director of adult and community learning, City college, Brighton and Hove? The college has a success rate over the years of widening participation among adults, but it has had to raise its fees for adult and community learning courses from £2 an hour in 2003–04 to...
David Lepper: Will the Minister give way?
David Lepper: May I first put on the record a non-registrable interest, in that my wife chairs the licensing committee of Brighton and Hove city council?
David Lepper: I thank my hon. Friend. I welcome the proposals that the Home Secretary has put before us and has just outlined, although I suspect that the close working between the local authority, the police and the licensed trade in Brighton and Hove may mean that we will have no alcohol disorder zones. However, once these measures are on the statute book, will he liaise closely with the Lord Chancellor?...
David Lepper: I welcome the additional funding for further education that the Government have provided over the years, but on further education funding generally, an issue that remains of concern to staff, parents and students at Varndean sixth-form college in my constituency and at Brighton, Hove and Sussex sixth-form college, which serves the city of Brighton and Hove, is the continuing disparity in...
David Lepper: I present the petition of the Brighton Business Forum on the problems for city centre businesses, shoppers and residents associated with street charity collectors or "chuggers", as they are known. More than 200 signatures were collected, mainly in the North Laine area of Brighton. The petition is in the names of Anthony Mernagh, chief executive of the city centre business forum, Soozie...
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the budget was for the Brighton and Hove local education authority in each year since 1997–98.
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were in classes of 31 or more in infant schools and infant classes in primary schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996–97.
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many full-time equivalent teachers were working in maintained schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996–97.
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much capital funding was allocated to schools in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996–97.
David Lepper: The hon. Gentleman mentioned health concerns. Five years ago, the Stewart report dealt with health issues related to mobile phone masts generally. Given the advances in technology, does the hon. Gentleman agree with the sentiments expressed in an early-day motion that is on the Order Paper? Among other things, it suggests that it is perhaps time for the Government to commission a reconvened...
David Lepper: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
David Lepper: I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and for returning to Sussex. Will he comment on my proposal to the Highways Agency some years ago that it might wish to co-operate with mobile phone companies in considering locations within its remit away from built-up areas of the kind we are discussing? There might be a great deal of scope in such a proposal.
David Lepper: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
David Lepper: Has the hon. Gentleman's local authority taken the same view as mine, Brighton and Hove city council? If the local authority owns the premises on which the mast is to be erected, there are situations in which, rather than using the planning regime, landlord consent could be a useful tool in safeguarding the interests of local residents. Is his local authority pursuing that approach?
David Lepper: The Minister will have been told by our right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor, who visited the Brighton and Hove area a couple of weeks ago, of the desire of magistrates on the bench there to be able to retain some of the older magistrates who, despite having reached the upper age limit, still have valuable service to offer. Will he comment on that, and on what steps can be taken...
David Lepper: I also congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh (Dr. Strang) on securing this important debate, and at an important time: the board of the Global Fund is due to meet in a few days at Arusha in Tanzania. I do not want to repeat what has already been said about the development of the Global Fund and the possible threats that it now faces. I would like to...
David Lepper: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what monitoring takes place of the penalties imposed in respect of breaches of antisocial behaviour orders.
