HC Deb 28 January 1987 vol 109 cc285-7W
Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (a) if he will list for each meteorological station included in the severe weather payments scheme the number of weeks in the past seven winters when the average weekly mean temperature in a seven-day period from Monday to Sunday reached or was lower than (i) 0.0 deg C, (ii) minus 0.5 deg C, (iii) minus 1.0 deg C and (iv) minus 1.5 deg C and (b) if he will list for each meteorological station included in the severe weather payments scheme, the number of weeks in the past seven winters when the average weekly mean temperature in any seven-day period reached or was lower than (i) 0.0 deg C, (ii) minus 0.5 deg C, (iii) minus 1.0 deg C and (iv) minus 1.5 deg C.

Mr. Major

The information requested in the first part of the question appears in the following table. The Department does not hold the equivalent information for any seven day period.

Weather station 1979–80 abcd 1980–81 abcd 1981–82 abcd 1982–83 abcd 1983–84 abcd 1984–85 abcd 1985–86 abcd
Shawbury (Shrewsbury) 0000 0000 5554 2000 0000 3332 4431
Southampton Weather Centre 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 3220 2000
Stansted 0000 0000 4433 0000 0000 3333 4443
Tynemouth (Sunderland) 0000 0000 4321 0000 0000 0000 1000
Watnall (Derby) 0000 0000 5444 2000 1000 3222 4442
Wattisham (Ipswich) 0000 0000 3332 1100 0000 4333 4443
Whitby Coastguard 0000 0000 2222 0000 0000 1000 1
Wyton (Cambridge) 0000 0000 5444 1000 1000 3332 4443
Yeovilton (Yeovil) 0000 0000 1111 0000 0000 3333 3200
Wales
Aberporth (Aberystwyth) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 2221 3110
Brawdy (Pembroke) 0000 0000 1000 0000 0000 2222 4220
Cilfynydd (Merthyr Tydfil) 1 1 3221 2100 0000 3322 4431
Mumbles (Swansea) 0000 1 0000 0000 0000 2210 0000
Rhoose (Cardiff) 0000 0000 1110 0000 0000 3222 4210
Trawsfynydd (Dolgellau) 1000 0000 3110 1000 0000 1 4431
Valley (Caernarfon) 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 2210 0000
1 Data not available.
a Number of weeks less than or equal to 0.0 deg C.
b Number of weeks less than minus 0.5 deg C.
c Number of weeks less than minus 1.0 deg C.
d Number of weeks less than minus 1.5 deg C.

Mr. Lawler

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement as to why the trigger point for severe weather payments to people in Bradford will he determined by a reading taken in a low-lying city centre site in Leeds.

Mr. Major

Leeds weather station was chosen in consultation with the metrological office as being reasonably representative of the climatic conditions in the area.