Written Answers of 21 March 1990

EMPLOYMENT

  Accountants and Engineers
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the number of(a) qualified accountants and (b) qualified engineers in Britain.

  Mr. Nicholls
  It is estimated from the preliminary results of the 1989 labour force survey that in Spring 1989 there were 139,000 accountants with professional qualifications and 382,000 engineers who performed work normally requiring training of university degree standard in Great Britain, who were either in employment, or were not in employment but had been employed in these occupations in their last job, and had left that job less than three years prior to the survey.

  Disabled Workers
  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of employers with over 20 employees have fulfilled their 3 per cent. quota of disabled workers in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Eggar
  The percentage of employers with 20 or more employees employing their 3 per cent. quota of registered disabled workers in each of the last five years is as follows:

  Per cent.

  1985

  28·1

  1986

  26·8

  1987

  25·3

  1988

  23·9

  1989

  22·8

  Employment Training
  Mr. Ray Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many filled employment training places there are in the constituency of Ogmore; and what percentage this represents of the original departmental projections;

  (2) what was the total number of unemployed receiving enterprise training within employment training between September 1988 and December 1989 for the Ogmore constituency.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information requested is not available for the Ogmore constituency and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total expenditure on the £10 employment training trainee allowance in December 1989 for the Ogmore constituency.

  Mr. Nicholls
  The information is not available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  East European Countries
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any information regarding reform of the internal security forces in (i) Poland, (ii) Czechoslovakia, (iii) Hungary, (iv) Bulgaria, (v) the Soviet Union, (vi) Romania and (vii) the Baltic states.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The information will take a little time to assemble. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

  UNESCO
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the reasons the United Kingdom left UNESCO; and whether any of them have been resolved.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  When the United Kingdom left UNESCO we set out in detail the reasons for our withdrawal. Both at the time and since we have made clear that UNESCO should concentrate on the objectives set out in its constitution; it should cut back its proliferation of programmes, alter or abolish those which are inimical to democratic values (such as press freedom and individual human rights), make its delivery of technical assistance more efficient and overhaul its administration.

  We are curently conducting a review to consider to what extent these problems have been resolved.

  Lithuania
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on any proposals to privatise industry in Lithuania.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  We are not aware of specific proposals for the privatisation of industry in Lithuania. A law on property was adopted by the Lithuanian supreme soviet on 12 February 1990 which provides for private, collective and state property, but does not describe how state property may he transferred to private ownership.

  Colombia
  Mr. Harry Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any information as to whether British mercenaries are operating in Colombia.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  There have been unconfirmed reports that at least one British citizen has renewed an association with drug traffickers in Colombia. We have discussed the matter with the Colombian authorities and reaffirmed our willingness to co-operate with them in their investigations.

  Libya
  Mr. Janman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Soviet and German Democratic Republic Governments urging them to withdraw all technical support from the Libyan military immediately.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Our position on Libya is already abundantly clear to these and other Governments.

CIVIL SERVICE

  Agencies
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service whether any agency chief executives have been selected from the private sector.

  Mr. Luce
  Yes. Ten agency chief executives or chief executives-designate were appointed following open competitions and came from outside the Civil Service. This figure includes some who were already in post before the agency was established.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many next steps agency chief executives are women.

  Mr. Luce
  I have recently appointed the first woman chief executive, Miss Marianne Neville-Rolfe, who is principal and chief executive of the civil service college.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Valuation Offices
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost of running the Inland Revenue's valuation offices in England and Wales; and what is the expected reduction in(a) cost and (b) staff in the valuation offices as a result of introducing the community charge.

  Mr. Lilley
  The cost of running the valuation offices in England and Wales for the current financial year 1989–90 is £125 million.

  (a) When all outstanding domestic rating work has been cleared, the reduction in annual cost, in real terms, as a result of introducing the community charge is expected to be of the order of £17 million;

  (b) £17 million represents a saving of about 1,300 clerical staff.

  German Economy
  Sir Trevor Skeet
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the principal economic data of(a) the Federal Republic of Germany and (b) a merged Germany.

  Mr. Ryder
  A wide range of economic data for West Germany are published each month in the IMF's international financial statistics and the OECD's main economic indicators. Data for a merged Germany are not available.

  Sir Trevor Skeet
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the current expenditure of the Federal Republic of Germany on research and development with separate assessments for the public and private sectors.

  Mr. Ryder
  Data on research and development expenditure in West Germany are available biannually in the OECD's main science and technology indicators.

  European Monetary System
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received regarding the impact on the European monetary system of currency union between East and West Germany.
  610
  Mr. Ryder
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has received no representation on the impact on the European monetary system of the proposed monetary union between the two Germanies.

  European Community
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the level of United Kingdom net contributions to the European Economic Community in 1989, following the appraisal by the Community; and if he will express the sum in sterling per household in the United Kingdom per week;

  (2) what were the consequences for the United Kingdom of the appraisal by the European Economic Community of United Kingdom contributions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: The latest published estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the Community budget in 1989, which appeared in the "Statement on the 1989 Community Budget" (Cm. 680), is £1,966 million. This figure is the equivalent of £1·73 per household per week, on the basis of the estimate of 21·816 million private households in the United Kingdom in 1986 which is contained in "Eurostat: Basic Statistics of the Community" (26th edition). A revised estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution in 1989 will be published shortly in the "Statement on the 1990 Community Budget", and will be based on a full analysis of all items of revenue and expenditure including the European Commission's reappraisal of the United Kingdom's contributions to the Community budget.

  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the EEC in 1989; and what were the totals for each of the previous five years;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the nature of the deficit with EEC institutions of £2,301 millions on the balance of payments transfers sheet in the paper issued by the Central Statistical Office; and in what respect this figure differs from the previous figures published in the United Kingdom's net contribution for 1989.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answers 19 and 20 March 1990]: The latest published estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the Community budget in 1989 which appeared in the "Statement on the 1989 Community Budget" (Cm 680), is £1,966 million. The coverage of that figure differs from the coverage of the figure for the United Kingdom's net contribution to EC institutions published by the CSO. The two numbers are not therefore directly comparable.

  A revised estimate for 1989, comparable with the figure of £1,966 million and based on a full analysis of all items of revenue and expenditure will be published shortly in the statement on the 1990 Community budget.

  The net contribution to the Community budget for each of the previous five years were as follows:

  Net contribution to European Community budget

  (£ million)

  1984

  656

  1985

  1,808

  1986

  572

  1987

  1,721

  1988

  1,362

  Tax Debts
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many petitions have been presented by HM Customs and Excise in each of the last three years; and what percentage of these were to secure the repayment of value added tax debt.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: The total number of petitions presented by the Customs department, as Commissioners of Customs and Excise, in each of the years specified in the table is as follows:

  Number of petitions presented in the English and Northern Ireland jurisdiction

  Year ending 31 March

  Number

  1987

  3,616

  1988

  3,098

  1989

  3,862

  Number of petitions presented in the Scottish jurisdiction

  Calendar year

  Number

  1987

  120

  1988

  109

  1989

  153

  It is not possible to state precisely what percentage of these petitions relate to value added tax, because separate records are not maintained.

  Relocation
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each year since 1979 the number of civil service jobs which have been transferred from the south-east to areas of high unemployment, and the departments responsible for these transfers; and what plans the Government has over the next five years for a further transfer of work, and which Departments are concerned.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: The information requested is not held centrally in the form requested, but I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) on 17 January, 1990, Official Report, columns 289–90.

  Inland Revenue Staff
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is(a) the total cost of the administration and collection of income tax in 1989–90, (b) the number of people employed in the collection and administration of income tax and (c) the estimated receipts from income tax in 1989–90.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: The total cost of the administration and collection of income tax in 1989–90 is estimated at £1,070 million. The manyear usage of staff directly employed in the administration and collection of income tax in 1989–90 is about 48,000. For part (c) of the question I refer the hon. Member to table 1.2 of the 1990–91 Financial Statement and Budget Report published yesterday.

  Civil Servants, Northern Ireland
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show the number of United Kingdom civil servants employed at present and in 1985 in each council area in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ryder
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: At I April 1989 there were 5,185 civil servants in Northern Ireland. This compares with 5,168 at 1 April 1985. These numbers exclude staff in the Northern Ireland civil service. The table shows the distribution of non-industrial civil servants in the following areas. No information is available about the location of industrial civil servants.

  Non-industrial civil servants staff numbers1

  Council Area

  1985

  1989

  County Antrim

  703

  778

  County Armagh

  175

  182

  City of Belfast

  1,265

  1,216

  City of Londonderry

  66

  74

  County Down

  376

  386

  County Fermanagh

  122

  115

  County of Londonderry

  275

  294

  County Tyrone

  65

  78

  Total

  3,047

  3,123

  1 Full-time equivalents—part-timers working for more than 10 hours count as half units.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Namibia
  Mr. William Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to provide assistance to independent Namibia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Chalker
  I am delighted to inform the House that following successful implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 435, Namibia has today achieved independence, and has become the 50th member of the Commonwealth. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is representing Britain at the independence celebrations in Windhoek and will today announce a bilateral aid package of £10 million for commitment over three years.

  Our aid will focus on technical co-operation and rehabilitation. Precise details will be agreed with the new Government, but I expect the sectors in which we will provide assistance to include public service reform, education, police training and fisheries management. Following discussions with the Namibian authorities we have already financed initial advisory visits by British experts to see how we might best help, and our assistance with police training and with education is already underway. Namibia will be a high priority for projects jointly funded with British voluntary agencies and Voluntary Service Overseas will also be discussing priorities with the new Government. In addition to our bilateral aid we will be providing substantial assistance through multilateral channels including the European Community and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.

  I have authorised the Commonwealth Development Corporation to begin operations there, and it will send an exploratory mission in April.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Accounting and Auditing
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, since June 1979, any of his Department's Ministers or senior civil servants have had any business connections with accountancy firms or the accountancy bodies.

  Mr. Redwood
  One senior official in my Department is the chairman of the disciplinary committee of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants. The official holds this position in a private capacity and with the approval of the Department, as there is no conflict of interest. I am aware of no other business connections between the accountancy profession and Ministers and senior officials of my Department. I do not know the interests of all DTI Ministers prior to their appointments.

  Insider Dealing
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, further to the reply that he gave to the right hon. Member for Great Grimsby on 31 January,Official Report, column 225, he will give details of the number of convictions obtained by his Department where the defendants pleaded not guilty.

  Mr. Redwood
  Two convictions for insider dealing offences have been obtained by my Department after the defendants had pleaded not guilty. In one of those cases the defendant was subsequently acquitted on appeal.

  Advertising Expenditure
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure, including for privatisation, of his Department and public bodies for which his Department has responsibility in(a) 1979 and (b)

  Firework Injuries in Great Britain

  (4 week period in October-November)

  Year

  1989

  1988

  1987

  1986

  1985

  Total

  800

  877

  960

  846

  968

  Place of Accident

  1. Family or private party

  280

  300

  260

  286

  255

  2. Semi-public display (eg scouts, cricket club)

  71

  69

  88

  72

  76

  3. Large public display

  135

  123

  155

  119

  117

  4. Casual incident in street etc

  247

  298

  364

  299

  435

  5. Other place

  46

  65

  73

  52

  64

  6. Indoors

  21

  22

  20

  18

  21

  Type of Firework

  1. Banger

  136

  162

  163

  161

  241

  2. Rocket

  131

  164

  174

  159

  197

  3. Roman candle, coloured fire etc.

  89

  83

  96

  88

  90

  4. Home-made or extracted powder

  18

  17

  24

  14

  27

  5. Other proprietary fireworks

  125

  86

  109

  118

  73

  6. Sparklers

  83

  102

  95

  80

  67

  7. Unspecified type

  218

  263

  299

  226

  273

  Severity of Injury

  1. Fatal injury

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2. Detained more than one night

  46

  69

  60

  48

  53

  3. Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent

  142

  167

  158

  160

  231

  4. Minor injury

  551

  587

  661

  582

  632

  5. Unspecified injury

  61

  54

  81

  56

  52

  Eye Injuries (included in 2–5)

  275

  269

  312

  291

  341

  Age Group of Injured Persons

  1. Over 20

  251

  280

  252

  235

  214

  614
  Mr. Forth
  The Department does not maintain central records of expenditure of this kind by public bodies. The Department's expenditure on paid advertising and promotional materials in 1979–80 was given in an answer to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 13 March 1990,Official Report, columns 173–74. I expect expenditure under the Department's central publicity budget in 1989–90 to be of the order of £21 million. There was no significant expenditure on privatisation publicity by the Department in either year. Figures covering calendar years are not available.

  Firework Injuries
  Mr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the figures of injuries caused by fireworks in 1989.

  Mr. Forth
  According to reports from hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 800 people required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during the three weeks leading up to 5 November 1989 and the few days after. This represents a very welcome decrease of nearly 9 per cent. over 1988. Particularly encouraging were the sharp falls in serious injuries and casual incidents in the street, where our emphasis on rigorously enforcing the existing law on selling fireworks to the under-16s or misusing them in public seems to be bearing fruit. Also welcome is the fall in sparkler injuries as these tend to affect very young children and was an area where we put a lot of effort during last year's successful firework safety campaign. However, there is no room for complacency and we will be looking for a further reduction in injuries this year. The detailed breakdown for 1989 and the preceding four years is as follows:
  615

  Year

  1989

  1988

  1987

  1986

  1985

  Total

  800

  877

  960

  846

  968

  2. 16–20

  135

  151

  168

  145

  161

  3. 13–15

  152

  166

  220

  207

  271

  4. Under 13

  262

  280

  320

  259

  322

  Refrigerator Doors
  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to adopt international standards for fridge doors.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 16 March 1990]: I take the reference to international standards for fridge doors to mean those which define suitable door locking mechanisms to prevent the entrapment of people. I understand that these features have been included in British standards since the 1970s for this type of electrical and gas equipment and will shortly be incorporated in a new European harmonised standard. All United Kingdom manufactured goods are now fitted with the appropriate safeguards. I would encourage all other manufacturers to adopt these standards, in so far as they reflect these safety features, so as to reduce the likelihood of another tragic accident.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of British trade with Indonesia for each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 19 March 1990]: The value of United Kingdom trade with Indonesia during the last 10 years was as follows:

  Year

  £ million Exports

  £ million Imports

  £ million Balance

  1980

  112·2

  57·0

  +55·2

  1981

  139·2

  73·8

  +65·4

  1982

  212·1

  90·7

  +121·4

  1983

  193·6

  169·4

  +24·2

  1984

  186·7

  181·5

  +5·2

  1985

  175·3

  155·9

  +19·4

  1986

  196·5

  141·2

  +55·3

  1987

  236·0

  144·8

  +92·0

  1988

  203·3

  233·8

  -30·5

  1989

  184·0

  273·1

  -89·1

  Eastern Europe
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, during his recent visit to the Soviet Union, he raised the possibility of providing pollution abatement technology and technical advice on how to clean up polluted land and water.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: No. The subject was not raised specifically by either side. The supply of western technology in all spheres is hampered by the increasing scarcity of hard currency. During my right hon. Friend's visit he concentrated his discussions on the problems for the Soviet economy as a whole to which this contributes.

PRIME MINISTER

  Central Unit on Purchasing
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the purchasing progress report 1989 prepared by the central unit on purchasing.

  The Prime Minister
  The central unit on purchasing's 1989 progress report recorded value for money improvements in central Government Departments' purchasing of over £350 million in 1988–89, excluding the Ministry of Defence. This saving was equivalent to 5·3 per cent. of total reported purchasing expenditure.

  The purchasing initiative has now resulted in value for money improvements equivalent to some £850 million since 1985–86.

  Although this represents good progress, greater emphasis now needs to be given to increasing professionalism amongst staff engaged in purchasing and supply, and to supporting them with compatible purchasing information and control systems. The central unit on purchasing is actively working with departments on these issues.

  A copy of the progress report is in the Library of the House.

WALES

  Laura Ashley Company
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State Wales what amounts of Government cash and grants have been given to Laura Ashley Company in each year by his Department, the Welsh Development Agency and the Mid Wales Development Board.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  In addition to assistance offered by other departments, published details of Welsh Office aid to the Laura Ashley company is as follows:

  Year

  £

  Grant

  1976

  6,000

  Interest relief grant

  1977

  6,000

  Interest relief grant

  1979

  17,000

  Interest relief grant

  1980

  11,000

  Interest relief grant

  1983

  22,000

  Interest relief grant

  1986

  326,000

  Regional development grant

  1988

  40,000

  Regional development grant

  1989

  94,000

  Regional development grant

  The Laura Ashley company has also received rent concessions from the Welsh Development Agency in the years 1985 and 1986 and a grant from the Development Board for Rural Wales in 1989. It is not those institutions' policy to publish amounts involved in individual cases.

  Ysgol Belmont School
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit Ysgol Belmont special school.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have any plans to do so.

  Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on which services in each district, borough and city council were put under competitive tendering during 1989–90; how many were employed in supplying these services before the commencement of the

  Local Authority

  Phasing in of Competition by Date and Activity

  Group 1. Aberconwy: Alyn and Deeside: Montgomeryshire: Preseli Pembrokeshire: Llanelli: Ogwr: Cardiff: Blaenau Gwent: Rhondda

  Group 2. Clwyd: West Glamorgan: Colwyn: Arfon: Brecknock: South Pembrokeshire: Swansea: Taff Ely: Torfaen

  Group 3. Gwent: Gwynedd: Delyn: Dwyfor: Radnor: Carmarthen: Lliw Valley: Merthyr Tydfil: Monmouth

  Group 4. Mid Glamorgan: Powys: Glyndwr: Dinefwr: Port Talbot: Rhymney Valley: Vale of Glamorgan: Ynys Mon-Isle of Anglesey: Newport

  Group 5. South Glamorgan: Dyfed: Ceredigion: Cynon Valley: Islwyn: Meirionnydd: Neath: Rhuddlan: Wrexham Maelor

  Refuse Collection

  Building Cleaning

  School Welfare Catering

  Other Catering

  Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

  Other Cleaning

  1 August 1989

  1

  4

  1

  5

  3

  2

  1 January 1990

  2

  5

  2

  1

  4

  3

  Note: Numbers refer to qroups of authorities.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total amount of money which each district borough and city council is likely to get from the poll tax.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  District councils in Wales are in the process of submitting information to the Welsh Office relating to their community charges and budgets. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman with the information he requested when all the returns have been received and checked.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many community councils there are within each district borough and city council area in Wales; what will be the average poll tax charged for community council purposes for each community council; and how many community councils will be entitled to transitional support during the first year of the poll tax and up to what level in each instance.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The number of community councils within each district, borough or city council area is shown in the table:

  Districts

  Number of Community Councils

  Alyn and Deeside

  13

  Colwyn

  16

  Delyn

  21

  Glyndwr

  35

  Rhuddlan

  8

  Wrexham Maelor

  29

  Carmarthen

  41

  Ceredigion

  51

  Dinefwr

  23

  Llanelli

  9

  618
  competitive tendering process; and how many were employed in supplying these services following the completion of the competitive tendering exercise.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the following competition implementation timetable. In addition, local authorities, where relevant, were required to submit 20 per cent. of their ground maintenance service to competition by 1 January 1990. Competition-free allowances available to local authority direct labour organisations in respect of new construction and works of maintenance under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 were abolished from 1 October 1989. Information in respect of the numbers of employees in each service is not held centrally.

  Districts

  Number of Community Councils

  Preseli Pembrokeshire

  52

  South Pembrokeshire

  26

  Blaenau Gwent

  5

  Islwyn

  —

  Monmouth

  32

  Newport

  14

  Tofaen

  6

  Aberconwy

  18

  Arfon

  17

  Dwyfor

  17

  Meirionnydd

  29

  Ynys Mon

  40

  Cynon Valley

  3

  Merthyr Tydfil

  2

  Ogwr

  22

  Rhondda

  —

  Rhymney Valley

  14

  Taff-Ely

  10

  Brecknock

  36

  Montgomeryshire

  45

  Radnorshire

  27

  Cardiff

  5

  Vale of Glamorgan

  24

  Lliw Valley

  15

  Neath

  14

  Port Talbot

  1

  Swansea

  14

  TOTAL WALES

  735

  Information about community council precepts for 1990–91 is not yet available.

  Transitional relief is awarded in respect of community council areas, rather than community councils. A total of

  619
  324 such areas will receive relief in 1990–91, in amounts up to £93 per chargepayer per annum. The amounts for each community area are set out in the Personal Community Charge (Relief) (Wales) Regulations 1990, which were laid before Parliament on 19 February 1990.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many extra part-time and full-time members of staff have been employed by his Department to implement the poll tax in Wales.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  None.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by each district borough and city council in Wales to collect rates during 1989–90.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  Budgeted expenditure on rate collection by each district borough and city council in Wales during 1989–90, is shown in the table:

  Local authority:

  1989–90 Budget (At Outturn Prices) £000

  Alyn and Deeside

  123

  Colwyn

  169

  Delyn

  179

  Glyndwr

  173

  Rhuddlan

  186

  Wrexham Maelor

  395

  Carmarthen

  231

  Ceredigion

  228

  Dinefwr

  113

  Llanelli

  201

  Preseli Pembrokeshire

  174

  South Pembrokeshire

  136

  Blaenau Gwent

  219

  Islwyn

  175

  Monmouth

  193

  Newport

  413

  Torfaen

  245

  Aberconwy

  281

  Arfon

  247

  Dwyfor

  140

  Meirionnydd

  51

  Ynys Mon

  327

  Cynon Valley

  182

  Merthyr Tydfil

  319

  Ogwr

  196

  Rhondda

  320

  Rhymney Valley

  347

  Taff Ely

  671

  Brecknock

  144

  Montgomeryshire

  170

  Radnor

  92

  Cardiff

  1,384

  Vale of Glamorgan

  467

  Port Talbot

  196

  Lliw Valley

  173

  Neath

  237

  Swansea

  588

  Total Wales

  10,087

  Bosch Factory
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will institute a study into the effect of the new Bosch alternator factory development at Miskin, south Wales on the overall supply, demand and training facilities for skilled engineering labour in the industrial south Wales region.

  Mr. Peter Walker
  The employment service and the Training Agency continually gather and assess labour 620
  market information and take account of developments such as the new Bosch factory, in order to identify labour supply, demand and training needs.

  The prime responsibility for identifying and responding to the training needs of the local labour market will in the future pass to the private-sector-led training and enterprise councils.

HEALTH

  Cancer (Records)
  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce measures to improve the degree to which the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys keeps its records on cancer-related diseases up to date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  The OPCS publishes annual cancer statistics using data collected by 11 regional registries and the Wales cancer registry which are funded by the regional health authorities.

  The timing of publications is largely governed by when the slowest regional cancer registry provides OPCS with data. For 1985, data from the last registry was not received until September 1989. The volume giving 1985 registration data is expected to be published in April 1990, with that for 1986 following in July 1990.

  A recent review of the cancer registration system was undertaken, with timeliness of data presentation one of the considerations looked at by the working party. The report of the review is due in April 1990.

  Mr. O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require district health authorities to maintain records on the number of people in their areas who have been diagnosed or treated for cancer or cancer-related diseases, including leukaemia; and if' he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Health authorities already participate in a national scheme, which will continue, for recording the incidence of cancers, including leukaemia. Records on the in-patient and day-care treatment of cancers are held in the information systems of district health authorities.

  NHS Staff
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the current staff vacancy levels and staff turnover rates for the administrative and clerical grades within the National Health Service.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Information on staff vacancy levels is not available centrally. Information on staff turnover rates in the NHS for 1987–88 is published in "Health Service Indicators" which are held in the Library.

  In Vitro Fertilisation
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available for in vitro fertilisation under the National Health Service for residents in south-west England; and what plans he has to provide such a service.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I understand that in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services in the south-western region are available to residents of Southmead district health
  621
  authority, and exceptionally to residents of other districts. Decisions about the priority and resources to be given to infertility services as a whole, and the place of an IVF programme within them, are matters for district health authorities.

  Homelessness
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has of the number of parents who gratuitously eject their children in the 16 to 21 years age band from the family home; what powers there are to prosecute in such cases where homelessness results; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Information in the form requested is not available. Local authorities have a duty to receive into care children under 17 who are abandoned or deserted by their parents or who are lost. In the year ending 31 March 1987, 100 children aged 16 were received into care for these reasons. There are no specific powers to prosecute parents who eject children aged 16 to 21 from the family home where homelessness results.

  Hospitalisation Rates
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in the Official Report, for each English and Welsh district health authority, the 1988–89 hospitalisation rates based on the projections for 1991 resident populations, with results, omitting the specialties of maternity and psychiatry, but showing a rate (a) weighted by national expenditure rates, (b) rated by expenditure rates plus <75 SMR 1984–88, (c) weighted by expenditure rates plus <75 SMR (0·5 elasticity) and (d) weighted by expenditure rates plus <65 SMR.

  Mr. Freeman
  I regret the information requested is not readily available. Such information as could be provided would incur disproportionate costs to produce. Information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Medical Services
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculations he has made about the rate of inflation on provision of the medical services.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 19 March 1990]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 20 March at column 559.

  Asthma
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to extend to asthmatics the same arangements for free regular prescriptions that now apply to diabetics.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [pursuant to her reply, 24 November 1989 c. 40]: I am pleased to announce that we will shortly be making peak flow meters available on general practitioner prescription. These meters monitor the patient's airways and can prevent potentially serious attacks by giving advance warning so that medication can be adjusted. These will be available to patients as soon as suitable supply arrangements can be completed. The value
  622
  of peak flow monitoring has been underlined by recent asthma research and as a preventive measure it is seen as comparable to diabetics' use of blood glucose testing strips which were made prescribable some 18 months ago. The Government will also be providing to the National Asthma Campaign £15,000 a year for the next three years to help set up a telephone consulting service.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Fair Employment Commission
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have been appointed to the post of director in the Fair Employment Commission; and how many of these are perceived to be (1) Protestants, (2) Roman Catholics and (3) other.

  Mr. Needham
  Three persons have been appointed to director posts with the Fair Employment Commission. The commission is currently in the process of recruiting employees and will be submitting a monitoring return in accordance with section 27 of the Fair Employment (NI) Act 1989. Once the final staffing complement has been reached, the commission intends to publish detailed information on the religious composition of its staff and the progress of its affirmative action programme as a follow-up to the information published by the commission on 22 February 1989.

  Extradition
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East, of 27 February,Official Report, column 144, if he will publish a table to show from 1971 the number of persons extradited in each year from the Irish Republic to Northern Ireland for (I) terrorist offences and (2) non-terrorist offences.

  Mr. Cope
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 22 February 1990, Official Report, columns 767–68.

  Deaf-blind Children
  The Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support is provided to the families of pre-school deaf-blind children in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Needham
  The normal range of primary care and hospital services is available to deaf-blind children and their families. In addition, a child may be assessed for services locally or by a multi-disciplinary team at the Royal Belfast hospital for sick children. Low-vision aids and high-powered hearing aids are supplied as necessary.

  Following assessment, social workers arrange for support, counselling and the provision of a range of equipment to assist with daily living. Some parents and their children attend the SENSE centre in west London for specialist information and advice.

  Other support can take the form of assistance to parents at home by teachers from special schools or from education and library boards' peripatetic teaching service. Children are also welcome to visit toy and book libraries associated with special schools.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show by standard category the umemployment levels in Northern Ireland at the latest available date and at the same period five years ago.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 13 March 1990]: The number of unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland categorised by industrial sector for February 1985 and February 1990 is set out in the table.

  Industrial analysis of the unemployed in Northern Ireland

  Industrial classification

  Number of persons February 1985

  Number of persons February 1990

  Agriculture, forestry and fishing

  2,895

  2,247

  Energy and water supply

  445

  344

  Metal and chemical manufacture

  1,951

  959

  Engineering

  6,174

  3,661

  Food, drink and tobacco

  4,089

  3,419

  Textiles

  2,275

  1,422

  Clothing and footwear

  3,199

  1,844

  Other manufacturing

  2,805

  1,814

  Construction

  23,228

  18,047

  Distribution hotels and catering

  12,719

  8,638

  Transport and communication

  2,856

  2,325

  Finance and business services

  2,166

  1,627

  Education services

  2,697

  1,837

  Health services

  2,980

  1,995

  Other public administration

  5,276

  3,221

  Other services

  6,889

  12,676

  Not elsewhere specified

  40,313

  32,863

  Total

  122,957

  98,939

  GP Contracts
  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what base data indexes will be used in formulating practice budgets and indicative prescribing budgets for general medical practitioners in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 14 March 1990]: Indicative prescribing budgets and practice funds will be set at levels which reflect the needs of patients. The precise method of calculation has not yet been determined.

  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration has been given by the Northern Ireland DHSS to employing the eight Jarman factors to index social deprivation in relation to general medical practitioners' practice budgets and indicative prescribing budgets; what factors the Department would not deem to be appropriate for use in Northern Ireland giving the reasons for this; and what factors it deems to be suitable giving reasons.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 14 March 1990]: The factors to be taken into account in determining GP indicative budgets and practice funds have not yet been decided. No detailed consideration has yet been given to the use of factors relating to social deprivation.

  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what social factors will be taken into account in determining practice budgets and indicative prescribing budgets for general medical practitioners in Northern Ireland.
  624
  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 14 March 1990]: Indicative prescribing budgets and practice funds will be set at levels which reflect the needs of patients. The factors to be taken into account in determining the levels and whether social factors should he used have not yet been decided.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of his Department's management training courses include sessions on equal opportunities for women; and what proportion of managers at grade six level and above working outside headquarters has received training on equal opportunities for women.

  Mr. Cope
  [holding answer 5 March 1990]In the Northern Ireland Civil Service equal opportunities for women is specifically addressed in the following management training courses:Leadership Developments for Women and Men
  Women in Management—Excellence Network
  Women in Management

  Six staff at grade level 6 and above have attended the course on leadership developments for women and men. None of these staff work outside headquarters.

  In addition, equal opportunities aspects are embodied, where appropriate, in other management training courses including those on recruitment interviewing, promotion interviewing and staff appraisal.

  The small home civil service cadre of the Northern Ireland Office does not run its own management training courses. No staff at grade level 6 or above have attended specific courses of training on this subject. However, training needs are considered and all staff are encouraged to attend appropriate courses, some of which include sessions on equal opportunities for women, run mainly by the Northern Ireland civil service or the civil service college.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Trinity College of Music
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if a permanent home for the Trinity school of music has yet been decided upon.

  Mr. Jackson
  This is a matter for the governing body of Trinity college of music. I understand that the governing body will be meeting on 27 March to discuss the future location of the college.

  Higher Education
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the implementation of differentiated fees in higher education.

  Mr. Jackson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 23 January 1990, at column 600.

  Primary Schools
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response his Department intends to make to recent findings by Her Majesty's inspectors of schools relating to the standard of grammar, spelling and punctuation in primary schools.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  HMI's recent report on "The Teaching and Learning of Language and Literacy" concludes that most primary schools devote sufficient time to the teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling to enable the majority of their pupils to reach adequate standards in these aspects of language but that only a small proportion—under one fifth—perform really well. The Government have already set about raising standards in these aspects of English. The national curriculum attainment targets and programmes of study, which are being introduced progressively from September 1989, reinforce the practices of the most successful schools in teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling. In addition, substantial funding is being provided, through education support grants, for a three-year English language training programme for all primary teachers and other teachers of English.

  Circus Skills
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the availability of education for circus skills in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  My right hon. Friend has no such plans.

  Modern Languages
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what innovations he intends to introduce to increase the number of children receiving tuition in modern languages.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The national curriculum includes a modern foreign language as a foundation subject at secondary level. That means that a modern foreign language will be studied by all pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 in maintained schools in England and Wales.

  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received from the business community regarding the teaching of foreign languages in schools.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

  School Buildings (Modernisation)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of the number of children being educated in schools that are deemed by the local education authority concerned to be in urgent need of modernisation or major repair.

  University of Wales

  1979

  1984

  1988

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  Aberystwyth

  1,310

  40

  1,340

  34

  1,472

  31

  Bangor

  1,281

  26

  1,223

  26

  1,437

  26

  Cardiff (inc UWIST)

  3,531

  37

  3,656

  34

  3,797

  36

  St. David's Lampeter

  264

  23

  257

  20

  341

  18

  Swansea

  1,773

  37

  1,821

  34

  1,879

  34

  626
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

  Pilot Training
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to include professional airline and commercial pilot training in the curriculum of universities, polytechnics and colleges of further education.

  Mr. Jackson
  Decisions on which courses to include in an institution's portfolio of educational provision are for the academic authorities within the individual institution.

  Temporary Classrooms
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy on the funding of programmes to replace temporary buildings used for primary school classrooms by purpose-built structures.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  It is for each local education authority to decide whether to make provision in temporary or permanent buildings and to determine its policy on the funding of programmes to replace temporary buildings used for primary school classrooms.

  Student Loans
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the effect of the students' loan scheme on the likelihood of graduates entering mathematics, chemistry and physics teaching in schools.

  Mr. Jackson
  Top-up loans will offer eligible students additional resources on favourable terms, regardless of their course or their subsequent choice of career. Repayments will not be burdensome and may be deferred when income is less than 85 per cent. of national average earnings: equivalent to about £11,500 in today's circumstances.

  University of Wales
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students entered the university of Wales colleges in(a) 1979, (b) 1984 and (c) 1989; and what percentage of the intake hailed from Wales in each instance.

  Mr. Jackson
  The numbers of initial entrants to courses at the colleges of the University of Wales are given in the table. The data cover full-timers and part-timers, and postgraduates and undergraduates.
  627

  University of Wales

  1979

  1984

  1988

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  Total number

  Per cent, of Welsh domicile

  College of Medicine

  239

  48

  138

  67

  234

  47

  Total

  8,398

  36

  8,435

  33

  9,160

  33

  UFC (Scottish Committee)
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to meet the chairman of the Scottish committee of the Universities Funding Council to review its activities in its first year of operation.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. Friend has no such plans.

  Vice-Chancellors and Principles
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met representatives of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. Friend meets representatives of the committee from time to time in the course of normal business.

  Examination Results (Inner London)
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about trends in examination results in inner London since 1975.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The table gives the percentage of leavers from the Inner London education authority (ILEA) and for England, obtaining five or more grades at A-C in the GCSE (or its equivalent at O-level and CSE) and one or more A-level passes, since 1976. Although the figures show some improvement in the examination performance of ILEA pupils, the results remain below the national averages. I am sure that the new local education authorities will wish to give a high priority to improving them and will be assisted in this by the Government's education reforms.

  Examination attainments of leavers from maintained schools

  Percentage of leavers

  5 + graded results at GCSE, O-level and CSE (A-C)1

  /+ A-level passes2

  ILEA

  England

  ILEA

  England

  1987–88

  17·5

  26·6

  12·3

  15·2

  1986–87

  14·7

  23·2

  10·4

  13·9

  1985–86

  16·2

  23·6

  10·6

  13·6

  1984–85

  15·2

  23·7

  11·1

  13·9

  1983–84

  15·3

  23·8

  11·1

  14·3

  1982–83

  15·2

  23·3

  10·2

  14·4

  1981–82

  13·8

  23·0

  10·6

  14·1

  1980–81

  14·2

  21·8

  10·6

  13·5

  1979–80

  14·1

  20·9

  9·6

  12·6

  1978–79

  12·7

  20·6

  10·3

  12·6

  1977–78

  14·9

  22·1

  9·8

  14·0

  1976–77

  15·8

  22·0

  13·3

  14·1

  1975–76

  14·9

  21·3

  12·0

  14·3

  1 GCSE grades A-C; O-level grades A-C; CSE grade 1.

  2 Grades A-E.

  Notes:

  (i) The School Leavers Survey, from which the figures in the above table are derived, is based on a 10 per cent. sample
  628
  of pupils at each school. Sampling error may lead to distortion in the trends.

  (ii) The figures above do not provide the overall picture. There has been a growing tendency among 16 year olds in particular to leave school for GCSE/O-level/A-level study in full-time further education.

  UFC (Welsh Committee)
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the Welsh committee of the Universities Funding Council since its creation; and on what matters.

  Mr. Jackson
  My right hon. Friend has received no such representations.

  Education Reform, Northumberland
  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of the implementation of the Education Reform Act in Northumberland.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Amos) on 27 February 1990,Official Report, column 53.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Andrew. F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the number of 16-year-olds staying on in full-time education.

  Mr. Jackson
  In 1988–89, a total of 336,000 16-year-olds stayed on in full-time education in schools and further education colleges in England.

  Student Grants
  Dr. Hampson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what, at the latest available figures, is the cost of the older student additional allowance to students' mandatory grants; how many were awarded; and when the allowance was last uprated.

  Mr. Jackson
  In 1987–88, 12,218 assessments totalling £7,546,382 were made for the older students allowance for students receiving mandatory award. The allowance was last uprated with effect from September 1989.

  Mr. Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether students who are following a foundation course which is a prerequisite for entry to a non-science and technology degree course are eligible for mandatory maintenance awards.

  Mr. Jackson
  No.

  Drugs
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the cost in the latest year for which figures are available for education programmes designed to reduce the demand for drugs.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  In 1988–89, the latest year for which figures are available, local education authorities claimed grant on expenditure of £1·6 million under the LEA training grants scheme and £2·6 million under the relevant education support grant in relation to education about drug misuse.

  Building

  Average airborne activity levels (per cent. ALI)

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  B205

  3·0

  2·4

  3·2

  1·6

  3·0

  2·7

  3·4

  B268 TDN

  6·0

  5·5

  3·1

  6·0

  2·6

  3·6

  9·8

  B268 MA Evap

  —

  1·1

  1·0

  1·8

  1·1

  0·8

  0·6

  B30 Inlet

  1·4

  2·6

  1·8

  1·4

  2·4

  3·0

  2·9

  B30 Decanner

  9·0

  8·3

  5·7

  6·2

  4·8

  7·0

  12·4

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether readings as registered on personal air samplers worn by British Nuclear Fuels plc. employees working on B/205, B/268 and B/30 at Sellafield have ever failed to match readings as registered on non-battery electrically powered air sampling equipment fitted to the same buildings.

  Mr. Baldry
  Continuously operating air samplers at fixed locations give an average of the aerial radioactivity in the plant and would activate if the levels in the plant rise significantly. Personal air samplers worn by individual employees give a recording of the localised aerial contamination associated with different jobs. The annual exposure recorded by personal air samplers substantially exceeds that measured by installed samplers because individual working practices can generate localised airborne radioactivity which is not expected to be fully recorded by the air sampling equipment.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether, in every case that the alarm monitors in B/205, B/268 and B/30 at Sellafield have been triggered, all personnel have been ordered to leave the area concerned pending suitable clearance by British Nuclear Fuels plc's. health physics department in each year since 1986.

  Mr. Baldry
  Should an individual air sampler alarm, apparently due to radiation, then employees working nearby are expected to move to an adjacent monitored area whilst the reason for the alarm is investigated by a suitably protected person. Should a number of local air samplers alarm, employees are expected to move out of that part of the plant to a mustering point, whilst other employees, suitably protected, investigate the problem. One case of non-compliance occurred in 1986 when the employee sent to investigate an alarm carried, but did not wear, the respiratory protection provided, and received an exposure in excess of the annual limit of intake. Details of

ENERGY

  Sellafield
  Mr. Cambell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the level of suspended radio nuclides in air in B205, B268 and B30 at Sellafield for each year since 1983 as registered at each non-battery electrically powered air sampling point.

  Mr. Baldry
  The annual average airborne alpha activity levels in operating areas of B205, B268 and B30, measured by installed air samplers, are given in the table. Activity levels are presented in terms of the intake a worker would receive from the measured activity in the course of a year's work in the plant and are quoted as percentages of the most restrictive annual limit of intake for the particular radionuclide composition on each plant.

  this were reported in the Health and Safety Executive's quarterly statement on nuclear incidents dated 24 July 1987.

  Wind Energy
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what participation his Department will have in the 1990 European wind energy conference and exhibition.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  My Department in asociation with the energy technology support unit has submitted two papers describing recent developments under the Government-supported United Kingdom wind energy programme. My Department will be providing an exhibition stand in conjunction with the National Engineering Laboratory. Staff from the energy technology support unit are assisting with the selection of papers.

  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what part his Department will take in the British Wind Energy Association's annual conference.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  My Department is a sponsor of the conference. In association with the energy technology support unit it is collaborating with National Power and PowerGen in a joint exhibition stand. Staff of ETSU are co-authors of two papers. More than one third of the papers will be based on work funded by my Department.

  Regional Functions
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what functions his Department carries out at the regional level; where the regional offices are located in each of the regions; what staff are employed and at what grades; what proportion of his Department's budget is spent in each of the regions; and what geographical boundaries determine his Department's regions.
  631
  Mr. Wakeham
  The only regional service my Department provides is the promotion of energy efficiency. The staff concerned are located in the DTI's regional offices. The details are set out in the table:

  Region

  Location

  Staff

  North East

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  3

  North West

  Manchester

  3

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Leeds

  3

  East Midlands

  Nottingham

  3

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  3

  East

  London (moving to Cambridge)

  3

  Greater London

  London

  2

  South

  London

  3

  South West

  Bristol

  3

  The staff in each region are one grade 7, one higher executive officer (HEO) and an administrative officer except in Greater London where there is no HEO. The proportion of my Department's running costs accounted for by these staff is 1·75 per cent. which may be roughly equally divided between the regions.

  Contributions are also made to the Scottish and Welsh Offices for promoting energy efficiency, the amounts representing about 0·1 per cent. of my Department's running costs in each case.

  A breakdown of my Department's total expenditure spent in the regions is not readily available.

  Advertising Expenditure
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure, including for privatisation, of his Department and public bodies for which his Department has responsibility in(a) 1979 and (b)

  Mr. Wakeham
  Total expenditure by my Department on publicity and advertising in 1979–80 was £131,000. Final expenditure figures for 1989–90 are not yet available but the current forecast is £3,856,000. I am asking the chairmen of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Central Electricity Generating Board, Electricity Council and British Coal to provide their equivalent publicity and advertising figures direct to the hon. Member.

  Safety Directorate
  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many inspectors in his Department are required to go offshore in exercise of their responsibilities; how many hold offshore individual certificates; and, in each case, when the individual certificate was issued.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  All 44 inspectors currently in post may be required to go offshore in exercise of their responsibilities. Every inspector is issued with appropriate warrants by the Secretary of State for Energy immediately after being appointed.

  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what elements of his Department's safety directorate's tasks are being postponed as a result of staff shortages.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  The overall aims of the safety directorate, within the framework laid down b) Parliament, are to encourage and guide the efforts of the offshore industry to prevent accidents, to achieve higher 632
  standards of health and safety offshore and to seek to ensure that offshore installations, their equipment, wells and pipelines are structurally sound and fit for their intended purposes, and that they are managed and operated properly. In support of these aims a large number of tasks, of varying degrees of importance, are undertaken. As with any organisation, my safety directorate must prioritise these tasks while ensuring that their aims are met. High priority will continue to be given to offshore inspections and the investigation of accidents offshore; the recruitment campaign currently under way is aimed at ensuring the field inspectorate is brought fully up to strength.

  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the current number of posts for specialist staff within his Department's safety directorate; what is the current number of staff in place; and what plans he has to fill empty posts;

  (2) what is the current number of posts in his Department's safety directorate in Aberdeen and London; what are the current numbers of staff in those posts; and what plans he has to fill empty posts.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  There are 63 posts for specialist staff in the safety directorate. Five of which are newly created. Fifty specialist staff are in post.

  The total number of posts in the safety directorate 102, 17 of which are in Aberdeen, 84 in London and one in Great Yarmouth. There are 16 staff currently in Aberdeen, 72 in London and one in Great Yarmouth.

  Open and in-service competitions are in progress to fill the specialist vacancies.

  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of fatal accidents offshore have been investigated by his Department's safety directorate over the last five years; and how much has been allocated out of departmental resources for 1990–91.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  It is, and has always been, the policy of my Department to investigate all fatal accidents reported under the Offshore Installations (Inspectors and Casualties) Regulations 1973 and the Submarine Pipe-Lines (Inspectors etc) Regulations 1977. Sufficient resources are always made available for such investigations.

  Offshore Deaths
  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all offshore deaths and their employers in the last 10 years.

  Mr. Peter Morrison
  I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

  National Grid Company
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library the terms of any directions he has given to the National Grid Company under section 58 of the Electricity Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Secretary of State has not issued a direction under section 58 of the Electricity Act 1989.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Rugby League
  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given by his Department to the implications of the Taylor report for rugby league.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given by his Department to the implications of the Taylor report for rugby league.

  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to meet representatives of the rugby league to discuss the Taylor report.

  Mr. John Patten
  I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Stott) on 19 March at column 493.

  Police Housing Allowances
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the police force housing allowances.

  Mr. Waddington
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 15 March to my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) at columns 360–61.

  Diminished Responsibility
  Mr. Speller
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to increase the maximum sentences for those pleading guilty upon the grounds of diminished responsibility to the crimes of killing, raping, or wounding.

  Mr. Patten
  No. Diminished responsibility is a defence only to a charge of murder. The maximum penalty for manslaughter, raping or wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm is life imprisonment.

  Electronic Tagging
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the cost effectiveness of electronic tagging of offenders or persons on bail.

  Mr. John Patten
  The current trials of electronic monitoring as a condition of bail have already shown that the technology works and that operating procedures are effective. We are now considering the case for a larger-scale trial of electronic monitoring in an area where substantial numbers can be monitored as a condition of bail, with a view to providing improved measures of the cost effectiveness of electronic monitoring.

  Birmingham Six
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken in the light of recent representations submitted to him about the safety of the convictions of the Birmingham Six.

  Mr. Waddington
  I have asked the chief constable of the West Midlands police for a report on a number of specific 634
  points which have been put to me recently about the safety of the convictions of the Birmingham Six. I understand that the chief constable has decided to ask the Devon and Cornwall constabulary, which carried out investigations in 1987 into certain aspects of the case, to investigate the matters now under consideration. In the light of the outcome of those investigations, I will give further consideration to whether my intervention in the convictions of the six men would be justified.

  Magistrates Courts Service
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take on the recommendation in the report of the scrutiny of the magistrates' courts service that the service should become an executive agency.

  Mr. Waddington
  I am very grateful for the detailed consideration which has been given to the report by interested bodies and individuals, and for the comments which they have offered. In the light of the consultations which have taken place since the report was published we now wish to obtain more detailed and accurate estimates of the costs of different options for changing the management structure and organisation of the service. These will cover both the executive agency proposals made in the scrutiny report and, for comparison purposes, an alternative model based on a reduced number of separate management units funded 100 per cent. by central Government but independently managed by local boards. Consultants will be appointed for this purpose. I shall not reach firm decisions about the future organisation of the service until I have had an opportunity to consider the results of this costing assessment.

  British Citizenship
  Mrs. Maureen Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has completed consideration of applications for registration as British citizens made under the transitional provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The transitional provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 came to an end on 31 December 1987. The number of applications received in 1987–88 was some 210,000 registrations and 70,000 naturalisations, of which 116,000 were received in December 1987 alone. This was far more than expected and the Government responded to the additional demand by providing more resources, including the establishment of the Liverpool nationality office, tasked with processing the remaining transitional registration applications by March 1990.

  By 19 January 1990, decisions had been reached on all registration cases being processed at the Liverpool nationality office, except those where replies from applicants were awaited. These latter cases consist of those where we are waiting for the applicant to forward the fee, or to swear an oath of allegiance, or to send some other documentary evidence to establish an entitlement to registration. The time taken to complete these outstanding applications will depend upon how soon we receive the requisite information. So far, some 110,000 applications have been completed out of a total of 130,000.
  635
  Now that the Liverpool nationality office has largely completed the processing of registration applications, its staff have been retrained in order to process applications for naturalisation, which until now have been processed only in Croydon. This additional capacity to process naturalisations will improve the level of service given to applicants during 1990–91, and we aim to reduce the average waiting time for decisions on applications of all kinds to 11 months by April 1991.

  Breath Tests
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a decision has been reached on police powers to require roadside breath tests.

  Mr. Waddington
  Yes. The Government have concluded that the police have adequate powers to require roadside breath tests.

  The full circumstances in which a breath test can be required were set out by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General on 5 December 1989 at column 131 and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland at column 165. It is lawful for a police officer in uniform acting in the execution of his duty to require the driver of any vehicle on a road to stop. A police officer who stops a vehicle on a road with the purpose of investigating whether its driver has alcohol in his body is acting in the execution of his duty. It is accordingly lawful for a police officer in uniform to stop vehicles at random for that purpose, provided there is no malpractice such as oppression or capricious conduct on the part of the officer. It is lawful for a police officer in uniform to require a driver who has been stopped in such circumstances to provide a specimen of breath for a breath test, provided that the officer has reasonable cause to suspect that the driver has alcohol in his body.

  We have considered carefully the views expressed during our recent consultations that the police should be able to operate high profile enforcement as a deterrent against drink driving. Their present powers allow them to do so and statistics show that they are using their powers to good effect.

  The statistics of breath tests for England and Wales for the 12 months to September 1989, which were published on 7 February, show that overall levels of testing continue to rise, with a continued downward trend in the proportion of positive tests. The police reported 502,000 screening breath tests in this period, a rise of 16 per cent. over the previous year. The provisional figures for the Christmas period reported by the Association of Chief Police Officers show that the proportion of positive tests fell from 10 per cent. in 1988 to 9 per cent. in 1989.

  In all circumstances, we have concluded that the existing powers strike the right balance between the need for effective enforcement of the law and the freedom of the individual.

  Advertising Expenditure
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure of his Department and public bodies for which his Department has responsibility in(a) 1979 and (b)

  Mr. Waddington
  Expenditure on publicity and advertising was as follows:
  636

  1979–80

  1989–90 (estimate)

  £ million

  £ million

  3·0

  9·1

  Psychiatric Bail Hostels
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any proposals to institute a system of psychiatric bail hostels; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  We are examining the part bail hostels can play in a strategy for dealing with mentally disturbed defendants, but no decisions have yet been taken.

  Drugs
  Mr. McAvoy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost in the latest year for which figures are available of education programmes designed to reduce the demand for drugs.

  Mr. Mellor
  A major part of the overall cost of education aimed at preventing the misuse of drugs is that of the staff and other resources used to provide drugs education within schools. Information on such costs is not available centrally.

  However, the Department of Education and Science supported expenditure of £4·2 million in 1988–89 to allow for the continued employment of drugs education co-ordinators in each local education authority area in England and for in-service teacher training. In the same period, similar central expenditure to support drugs education in Scotland and Wales amounted to some £260,000 and £280,000 respectively.

  Regional Functions
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what functions his Department carries out at the regional level; where the regional offices are located in each of the regions; what staff are employed and at what grades; what proportion of his Department's budget is spent in each of the regions; and what geographical boundaries determined his Department's regions.

  Mr. Waddington
  The main functions organised regionally are in the prison service, passport department and the forensic science service. Others include police training, telecommunications, police and fire service inspection, inspections relating to the control of drugs, the United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation, and the inspection of laboratories engaged in scientific procedures on animals.

  There are no standard Departmental regions, and thus no Home Office regional offices. Each regional organisation is separately constructed according to the needs of the particular function concerned.

  Only in the prison service is there devolved budgetary responsibility on a regional basis. Details of its regional offices' location and approximate staff numbers and 1989–90 budgets are set out in the table below. Since regional offices in the prison service are responsible for staff and expenditure in all prison establishments in their regions, the figures similarly include all such staff and expenditure.
  637

  Region

  Staff-in-post

  Total budget £ million 1989–90

  South East (Woking)

  10,500

  220

  South West (Bristol)

  5,100

  105

  Midlands (Birmingham)

  5,900

  121

  North (Manchester)

  9,900

  201

  Neighbourhod Drugwatch
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to offer any assistance to neighbourhood drug watch schemes.

  Mr. Mellor
  We welcome local efforts to prevent and reduce the extent of drug misuse, especially where they have the support of the local community. In areas where drug prevention teams are set up under the initiative announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) last October, I would expect the team to establish close contact with any local neighbourhood drugwatch scheme.

DEFENCE

  Submarine-launched Cruise Missiles
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any studies by SACEUR are under way to examine the role of United States Navy submarine-launched cruise missiles as a part of the NATO theatre nuclear forces.

  Mr. Neubert
  As part of the post-INF restructuring of nuclear forces, SACEUR is looking at the availability of a whole spectrum of nuclear weapons, including submarine-launched cruise missiles.

  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any United States Navy Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles are assigned to the NATO command (i) in peacetime and (ii) in war.

  Mr. Neubert
  The assignment of United States forces is a matter for the United States Government.

  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning progress by the NATO military authorities in developing concepts of military operations for the employment of United States Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles.

  Mr. Neubert
  While it is not our practice to comment in detail on NATO's classified concepts of operations, I can confirm that the NATO military authorities are considering the availability of submarine-launched cruise missiles as part of NATO's post-INF restructuring process.

  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if United States submarine-launched cruise missiles are currently included in the NATO operational plan for the employment of nuclear weapons.

  Mr. Neubert
  It is not our practice to comment on classified NATO operational plans.

  United Kingdom-United States Agreements
  Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provisions currently exist in agreements between the British Government and United States authorities concerning the types of (i) naval and (ii) naval support vessels permitted to be based in United Kingdom ports and facilities.

  Mr. Neubert
  Details of agreements under which United States vessels may be based in the United Kingdom are confidential between the two Governments.

  Running Costs
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of an operational (i) Polaris class submarine, (ii) Trafalgar class submarine, (iii) Swiftsure class submarine and (iv) Valiant/Churchill class submarine; and what is the anticipated annual running cost of a Trident class submarine; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neubert
  The average annual operating costs at 1988–89 prices of Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarines are:

  £ million

  Polaris

  11·7

  Fleet

  4·4

  Figures for individual classes of fleet submarine could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

  These costs include personnel, petrol, oil and lubricants, spares and so on, as well as administrative support services, but exclude capital equipment and refit/repair costs.

  It is too early to say with any precision what the likely running costs of the Trident force will be. They are not, however, expected to be significantly different from those of Polaris.

  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at(a) Burghfield, (b) Aldermaston, (c) Foulness, (d) Winfrith, (e) Llanishen, (f) Harwell, (g) Springfields, (h) Capenhurst, (i) Calder Hall, (j) Sellafield and (k) Capelcross, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neubert
  It would not be in the national interest to disclose this information for the four sites of the atomic weapons establishment: Aldermaston, Burghfield, Cardiff (Llanishen), and Foulness. The other locations to which the hon. Member refers are not a matter for the Ministry of Defence.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of people employed both directly and indirectly in the nuclear weapons programme; how many are involved in research; how many are involved in manufacture; what are the running costs of employing these personnel, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neubert
  It would not be in the interests of national security to reveal the number or deployment of staff at the
  639
  atomic weapons establishment. However our very broad estimate of the number of people in the United Kingdom whose employment is directly or indirectly dependent on nuclear defence is some 40,000.

  Tornados (Collision)
  Mr. Jopling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in the light of the report of the collision between two Tornado aircraft over Cumbria on 9 August 1988, he will accelerate his plans to introduce a computerised system of track deconfliction to avoid a similar accident in future; and on which date he expects to implement it.

  Mr. Neubert
  Immediately following the accident concerned and in the light of the interim report of the investigation, a review of night low flying regulations was carried out which resulted in the introduction of a restructured night low flying system in October 1988 designed to provide improved deconfliction arrangements. The automated low flying inquiry and notification system (ALFENS), which is currently in its project definition phase, should improve the flexibility of the night low flying system on its introduction in 1992, but there are no plans to accelerate its development in the light of the final report of the accident investigation.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Housing Benefit Disregards
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans following the publication of the Children's Society report, "Too Much Pressure", to introduce the same disregards for housing benefit for trainees on YTS as currently enjoyed by young people in employment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Allowances paid to trainees on youth training schemes are provided from central funds. Like social security benefits, these allowances are taken fully into account in the calculation of housing benefit. To provide a disregard of these allowances would mean double provision from public funds and give preferential treatment to a small number of people who are not in the greatest need. However, in July 1989, we accepted that there were special considerations for young people aged 16 and 17 who were living independently and liable to make payments for their housing costs and increased the personal allowance which forms the basis of their housing benefit entitlement to the same level as that used for people aged 18 to 25—an increase of over 30 per cent.

  Attendance Allowance
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people claiming attendance allowance on grounds of terminal illness in each of the last three years for which records are available have died while waiting for the six-month qualifying period to expire.

  Table 3

  Numbers of staff, and grade in which currently employed in regional offices—1March 1990

  MIDS

  LN

  LS

  SCOT

  NW

  NE

  WSW

  Totals

  Executive director

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  1·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  1·0

  Assistant secretary

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  0·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  6·0

  Senior principal

  5·0

  5·0

  5·0

  4·0

  5·0

  5·0

  5·0

  34·0

  Principal

  6·0

  6·0

  8·0

  7·0

  8·0

  6·0

  6·0

  47·0

  640
  Mr. Scott
  I regret that this information is not available.

  Regional Functions
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what functions his Department carries out at the regional level; where the regional offices are located in each of the regions; what staff are employed and at what grades; what proportion of his Department's budget is spent in each of the regions; and what geographical boundaries determine his Department's regions.

  Mrs. Gillian Shepherd
  The Department's regional offices provide a support and advice service to the local office network, details of specific functions are shown in table 1. Information on location, staffing and boundaries are also detailed in tables 2, 3 and 5. Information on budgets in the format requested is not available. Table 4 gives details showing the expenditure for the regional and local offices in each region as a proportion of the Secretary of State's administration and miscellaneous services vote.

  Table 1

  Functions carried out at regional level

  1

  Regional support and advice on adjudication and policy matters relating to all national insurance and social security benefits.

  2

  Enforcement procedures in respect of non compliance with national insurance regulations.

  3

  Organised fraud, policy and advice on all fraud related matters.

  4

  Personnel matters, staff welfare and training.

  5

  Industrial relations, regional Whitley committee.

  6

  Implementation of Department's computerisation and new technology policies.

  7

  Regional estate management.

  8

  Freeline and regional information services.

  Table 2

  Location of regional offices

  1

  Scotland—Edinburgh.

  2

  Midlands—Birmingham.

  3

  London South—Sutton, Surrey.

  4

  London North—Wembley, Middlesex.

  5

  North East—Leeds.

  6

  North West—Bootle.

  7

  Wales and South West—Cardiff.

  641

  MIDS

  LN

  LS

  SCOT

  NW

  NE

  WSW

  Totals

  SEO

  25·5

  25·5

  26·0

  28·0

  30·0

  26·5

  23·0

  184·5

  HEO

  112·0

  90·0

  110·5

  102·0

  95·0

  106·5

  85·0

  701·0

  LOI

  116·0

  145·0

  139·5

  150·0

  105·0

  154·0

  74·0

  883·5

  EO

  136·5

  99·5

  146·5

  142·5

  156·5

  112·0

  131·0

  924·5

  LOII

  296·5

  188·5

  81·0

  294·0

  103·5

  184·0

  177·0

  1,324·5

  AO

  143·0

  75·5

  145·0

  91·5

  227·5

  154·5

  174·0

  1,011·0

  AA

  763·5

  172·0

  89·0

  521·5

  659·5

  513·5

  717·5

  3,436·5

  Typing manager

  2·0

  2·0

  3·0

  3·0

  3·0

  2·0

  2·0

  17·0

  Typist

  22·5

  21·5

  25·5

  23·5

  28·0

  25·0

  20·5

  166·5

  PES

  8·0

  4·0

  6·0

  7·0

  8·0

  10·0

  4·0

  47·0

  Handicap instructor

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  1·0

  7·0

  MED/board assistant

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  2·0

  0·0

  2·0

  4·0

  SM3

  0·0

  0·0

  1·0

  0·0

  1·0

  0·0

  0·0

  2·0

  Support grade 1

  5·0

  2·0

  2·0

  0·0

  3·0

  6·0

  5·0

  23·0

  Support grade 2

  19·0

  8·0

  13·0

  7·5

  19·0

  13·0

  15·0

  94·5

  Professionals

  2·0

  2·5

  2·5

  0·0

  2·0

  3·0

  3·0

  15·0

  Totals

  1,658·5

  843·0

  799·5

  1,378·5

  1,452·0

  1,317·0

  1,440·0

  8,888·5

  Table 4

  Proportion of the Department's administration budget spent in each region

  Per cent.

  1. Scotland

  4·75

  2. Midlands

  5·38

  3. London South

  6·37

  4. London North

  6·37

  5. North East

  5·63

  6. North West

  5·45

  7. Wales and South West

  4·79

  Table 5

  Geographical boundaries of each region

  Region

  Boundaries

  1. Scotland

  Scotland including the Islands.

  2. Midlands

  Derbyshire excluding High Peak District, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands.

  3. London South

  Hampshire, Berkshire, Watlington, Nettlebed and Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire, all areas south of Thames, Kensington, Bloomsbury, Chelsea, City and Westminster to north of Thames

  4. London North

  Essex, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire excluding small area covered by London South, Hertfordshire and the old GLC area north of Thames except Kensington, Bloomsbury, Chelsea, City and Westminster.

  5. North East

  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Yorkshire, Humberside and North Lincolnshire.

  6. NorthWest

  Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and High Peak District Derbyshire.

  7. Wales and South West

  Clwyd, Powys, Gwent Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset.

  Vaccine Damage
  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many vaccine damage payments were made in 1989; and if he will categorise these according to the age of the child when the vaccination took place, the year of the vaccination and the nature of the vaccination.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Three payments were awarded in 1989 under the provisions of the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979. The details are:

  Age at date of vaccination

  Year vaccination was given

  Type of vaccination cited on claim form

  4 years

  1986

  Measles

  12 to 15 months

  1986

  Measles

  15 to 18 months

  1972

  Measles

  Correspondence
  Mr. Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to be able to resolve the still outstanding claim for child benefit, from the Rev. John Macleod, of Ross-shire, on whose behalf the hon. Member for Ross, Cromarty and Skye wrote to him on 13 February and 13 March; why an interim payment has not been made; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  There is no outstanding claim for child benefit but I am aware of an outstanding claim for family credit from Mrs. Macleod. Claims for family credit are decided by the independent adjudicating authorities and we cannot interfere in their decisions. I understand that the adjudication officer dealing with Mrs. Macleod's claim is awaiting further information from her before being able to decide the claim. As my noble Friend, Lord Skelmersdale said in his letter to the hon. Member on 8 March 1989, the claim about which the hon. Member wrote on 23 January 1989 was decided on 1 March 1989 when an award of £41·60 a week was made. As a result of an appeal to the social security appeal tribunal, the decision was revised to £58·57 a week and arrears were paid on 1 December 1989.

  Rent Relief
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his estimate of the numbers qualifying for rent relief in each region and the amount and distribution of such relief in terms of the amount of relief;

  Region

  Number receiving assistance with rent

  (000s) Proportion of Great Britain total Per cent.

  Expenditure £ million

  Proportion of Great Britain total Per cent.

  Northern

  315

  8

  285

  7

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  413

  10

  357

  9

  East Midlands

  253

  6

  221

  5

  East Anglia

  117

  3

  105

  3

  Greater London

  572

  14

  765

  19

  South East

  522

  13

  509

  12

  South West

  249

  6

  245

  6

  West Midlands

  394

  9

  372

  9

  North West

  536

  13

  512

  13

  Wales

  211

  5

  215

  5

  Scotland

  573

  14

  508

  12

  Total

  4,155

  100

  4,094

  100

  Region

  Number receiving assistance with rates (000s)

  Proportion of England and Wales total Per cent.

  Expenditure £ million

  Proportion of England and Wales total Per cent.

  Northern

  359

  8

  95

  8

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  498

  11

  120

  10

  East Midlands

  317

  7

  86

  7

  East Anglia

  142

  3

  35

  3

  Greater London

  630

  14

  237

  19

  South East

  641

  15

  183

  14

  South West

  322

  7

  76

  6

  West Midlands

  506

  12

  154

  12

  North West

  695

  16

  229

  18

  Wales

  253

  6

  50

  4

  Total

  4,363

  100

  1,265

  100

  Retirement Pension
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list other European Economic Community countries that decide the date for the commencement of payment of the retirement pension along the same lines as Regulation 16(1) of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 27 February 1990]: In the United Kingdom, state retirement pensions are payable in advance from the day on which the person becomes entitled to a pension, if this is a Monday, or if not, from the following Monday.

  Arrangements in other European Community member states differ from each other, with pensions usually being paid monthly rather than weekly. In Denmark, Italy and Spain, the first pension payment is made at the beginning of the month following the qualifying day, but includes a payment backdated to the qualifying day. In the Netherlands, the pensioner is entitled to pension from the beginning of the month of his qualifying birthday.
  644
  (2) What is his estimate of the numbers qualifying for rate relief in each region and the amount and distribution of such relief in terms of the amount of relief.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 22 February 1990]: The information is in the table.

  In Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Germany, the first pension is payable at the start of the month following the qualifying day, without any payment for the intervening period.

  In Ireland, where pensions are paid weekly, the first payable date is decided as in the United Kingdom.

  I regret it has not proved possible to obtain comparable information about the position in Greece and Portugal.

  Travel-to-Work Costs
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the survey evidence suggesting that one in three employees may have no travel-to-work costs referred to in paragraph 37, chapter 14 of the public expenditure White Paper.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 5 March 1990]: This estimate is based on the findings of a study carried out by the university of Stirling for Her Majesty's Treasury in 1980.

  Pensions
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many rebates have still not been paid to the personal pension schemes of people who opted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  [holding answer 12 March 1990]: It is estimated that there are 15,500 individuals who are entitled to a rebate for their personal pension and where it has not yet been paid into their scheme. About 11,000 of these are expected to have a payment at the end of March. Investigations are continuing in the remaining cases to resolve discrepancies in the information provided by employers, and payment will then be made where appropriate.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) further to the written reply dated 14 February,Official Report, column 222, concerning the amount of poll tax payable in 1990–91 per adult for each region, etc., whether he will provide in each case an estimate of the numbers receiving housing benefit;

  (2) further to the written reply dated 14 February, Official Report, column 222, concerning the amount of poll tax payable in 1990–91 per adult for each region, etc., whether he will provide in each case an estimate of the numbers receiving rate relief.

  Mrs. Shephard
  The information requested has been placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

  Teucharhill
  Mr. Sillars
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he received an urban aid application for projects in the Teucharhill area of Govan constituency; and what decisions have been made.

  Mr. Lang
  Applications for the 1990–91 urban programme competition for projects in the Teucharhill

  Programme 15.2: Industry, Energy, Trade and Employment

  Programme 15.3: Tourism

  £ million

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  (a) Gross expenditure

  Regional and general industrial support:

  Regional selective assistance and related schemes

  26·1

  37·0

  52·7

  43·3

  45·5

  62·1

  64·3

  Regional development grants

  143·0

  109·0

  106·3

  168·5

  77·4

  60·3

  63·7

  Other support services (oil platform sites)

  0·9

  0·6

  0·1

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  Total

  170·0

  146·6

  159·1

  211·8

  122·9

  122·4

  128·0

  Support for nationalised industries (other than transport industries)

  5·7

  3·9

  2·0

  4·5

  6·8

  4·0

  4·1

  General labour market services (The Careers Service)

  8·4

  8·7

  9·4

  9·6

  11·0

  13·5

  14·0

  Other Central and miscellaneous services

  0·3

  0·4

  0·4

  0·7

  0·4

  0·6

  0·5

  Total

  184·4

  159·6

  170·9

  226·6

  141·1

  140·5

  146·6

  Public Corporations

  Other regional support—Highlands and Islands

  Development Board

  38·2

  42·1

  39·7

  35·5

  37·9

  42·1

  46·9

  Scottish Development Agency

  115·5

  118·0

  131·0

  130·5

  135·0

  145·9

  160·3

  Total

  153·7

  160·1

  170·7

  166·0

  172·9

  188·0

  207·2

  646
  area were received by the normal 30 November deadline. As in previous years I expect the bulk of final decisions to be announced around the end of March.

  Advertising Expenditure
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total publicity and advertising expenditure, including for privatisation, of his Department and public bodies for which his Department has responsibility in(a) 1979 and (b)

  Mr. Rifkind
  The latest estimate of expenditure by the Scottish Office in the current financial year on publicity and advertising is £3 million. The corresponding figure for the financial year 1979–80 was £263,000. Information on publicity and advertising expenditure by non-departmental public bodies is not held systematically in my Department.

  Highlands and Islands Development Board
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report tables, covering the years 1983–84 to 1991–92 and consistent with the table for programmes 2 and 15.3 on page 40 of "Public Expenditure to 1991–92: A Commentary on the Scotland Programme", showing (a) gross expenditure, parallel to the table appended to the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 6 December 1989, Official Report, columns 330–33 and (b) a table of receipts, following as closely as is practicable the receipts analysis for the Highlands and Islands Development Board on page 47 of the said commentary.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 17 January 1990]: Gross expenditure on programmes 15.2 and 15.3 for the period 1983–84 to 1989–90 is set out in the table. Details of expenditure plans for the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 will be set out in the Scottish commentary on public expenditure to 1992–93 which will be published in due course.

  An analysis of receipts for the Scottish Development Agency is not available in the form requested.
  647

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Total IETE

  338·1

  319·7

  341·6

  392·6

  314·0

  328·5

  353·8

  Tourism: Programme 15.3

  11·5

  13·4

  12·7

  13·7

  13·8

  15·8

  16·8

  Living Elsewhere Grants
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students at each university and higher education college in Scotland receive living elsewhere grants.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 22 January 1990]: The information requested is set out in the table. It relates to the academic session 1988–89 and is in respect of Scottish-domiciled students attending the Scottish universities and Scottish grant-aided colleges.

  Institution

  Number of Students

  Glasgow University

  3,295

  Edinburgh University

  2,977

  Strathclyde University

  1,843

  Aberdeen University

  2,221

  Heriot-Watt University

  1,072

  St. Andrews University

  804

  Dundee University

  1,153

  Stirling University

  1,123

  Jordanhill College of Education

  599

  Moray House College of Education

  746

  Northern College of Education

  499

  St. Andrews College of Education, Glasgow

  267

  Craigie College of Education

  135

  Robert Gordons Institute of Technology

  1,622

  Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art

  517

  Dundee Institute of Technology

  862

  Paisley College of Technology

  865

  Glasgow School of Art

  316

  The Queens College

  361

  Queen Margaret College

  690

  Edinburgh College of Art

  272

  Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

  119

  Scottish College of Textiles

  414

  West of Scotland Agricultural College

  67

  North of Scotland College of Agriculture

  39

  East of Scotland School of Agriculture

  27

  Napier Polytechnic of Edinburgh

  2,342

  Glasgow College of Technology

  980

  Fishing, Ullapool
  Mr. Charles Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to be able to reply to the specific questions raised with him by the Federation of Highlands and Islands fishermen in its original letter of 3 May 1989 with regard to the impact of klondyking activity upon the fishing activities of Ullapool fishermen and the question of possible compensation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 14 March 1990]: The question of compensation for loss of fishing opportunities has been raised by the federation, and by the hon. Member on its behalf, on previous occasions. My noble Friend the Minister of State told representatives of the federation at a meeting in Kinlochbervie in August 1989 that the Government do not intend to pay compensation.

  Nature Conservation
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Western Isles,Official Report, 1 March, column 292,
  648
  whether he will indicate the criteria adopted for the purposes of determining whether land which is subject to, or being considered for, a nature conservation order under section 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is of national importance.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 12 March 1990]: A nature conservation order is made on the recommendation of the Nature Conservancy Council only where it is satisfied that there is a serious threat to an SSSI. The Nature Conservancy Council would advise on the scientific interest and the importance of the specific area in a national and international context. Each case is then considered by my right hon. and learned Friend on its merits.

TRANSPORT

  Traffic
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the need for environmental measures to mitigate the effect of increased volume of traffic on roads in residential areas.

  Mr. Atkins
  Where there is sufficient capacity on main roads, traffic-calming measures such as road humps arid variable carriageway widths can play a useful part in enhancing the environmental quality of many residential streets. Their principal effects are to lower traffic speeds and to deter through traffic from using these streets. Improved landscaping and paved surfaces can offer further environmental benefits.

  East London Roads
  Ms. Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make it his policy to accede to any renewal of the request from the local authority to close the exits from the northern Blackwall tunnel approach road at Old Ford/Tredegar road to prevent westbound rat-running;

  (2) if he will visit Antill road and Tredegar road in Bow, London, E3 to meet residents to discuss the problems caused by through traffic leaving trunk roads.

  Mr. Atkins
  No. It is for the appropriate borough council as highway authority for the local roads concerned to make specific proposals which will be considered on the basis of circular 2/87 traffic management guidance in London.

  Cyclists
  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records he has of accidents involving cyclists in Kensington road, Knightsbridge, Park lane, Bayswater road, and Marylebone road over the last five years.

  Mr. Atkins
  I understand from the London accident analysis unit that for the five-year period 1984 to 1988, the latest year for which figures are available, the number of accidents involving cyclists was:
  649

  Road

  Number of accidents

  Kensington Road

  37

  Knightsbridge

  25

  Park Lane

  39

  Bayswater Road

  50

  Marylebone Road

  42

  Regional Functions
  Mr. Caborn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what functions his Department carries out at the regional level; where the regional offices are located in each of the regions; what staff are employed and at what grades; what proportion of his Department's budget is spent in each of the regions; and what geographical boundaries determine his Department's regions.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Department has a wide range of functions, most of which are undertaken outside London. Some 80 per cent. of its 16,500 staff are based outside London. It has nine regional offices which deal with local aspects of road traffic, road safety and public transport in Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bedford, London, Dorking and Bristol with a sub-office in Exeter. The new motorway widening unit will be in Coventry. We have recently announced our intention to relocate the highways computing division from London to Leeds.

  The Department's marine directorate and Her Majesty's Coastguard have their own regional organisations, as do the vehicle inspection agency and the driver and vehicle licensing directorate, the new driver standards agency and traffic areas which supervise driver testing, vehicle safety and operator licences. The transport and road research laboratory is at Crowthorne. The different boundaries of each organisation are set in order to ensure value for public money and to best deliver each organisation's objectives.

  Maps showing the nine regional offices and their schemes were published in February in "Trunk Roads, England, Into the 1990s". The roads vote of £1·3 billion is almost entirely spent by the regional organisation and the effort of the agencies and directorates listed above is deployed in the regions.

  Cars (Pollution)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take over calls for the inclusion of a pollution test in the MOT tests.

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mr. Taylor) on 6 March 1990(Official Report, column 547.)

  North Yorkshire County Council (Grants)
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the additional amounts in grants to the North Yorkshire county council which will be available in future years as a result of the increased spending announcement.

  Mr. Atkins
  In the 1990–91 transport supplementary grant (TSG) settlement, announced last December, we accepted for the first time expenditure on the Sherburn-inElmet and South Milford bypass for 50 per cent. Grant 650
  support. Subject to North Yorkshire county council making satisfactory progress, we expect to pay TSG of over £5·7 million towards the cost of this scheme between now and its completion in 1992–93. During this same period, support for the Harrogate Knaresborough southern bypass is expected to continue with TSG of some £5·2 million. The county council will also receive increases in revenue support grant over a longer period to cover the cost of funding the balance.

  Road Improvements
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he has made to inform the public about road repairs and improvements on trunk roads where restrictions are in force with consequent delays for traffic movement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Department issues fortnightly bulletins summarising planned major motorway lane closures likely to involve delays, and its regional offices issue more detailed information on individual schemes. This information is publicised by the media. For certain roadworks the Department provides telephone hot-lines from which information on likely delays is available directly to the public. The Department also publishes leaflets that give details of telephone numbers and other sources of information.

  Signs are being introduced at major roadworks to explain what the works are for and what is happening when work is suspended while cones are still in place.

  The broadcast media and motoring organisations play a major part in providing the public with reports on road conditions. The Department is having discussions with those involved in the provision of travel information about ways of improving its availability and reliability.

  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects plans to be completed for the improvements to the Al between Wetherby and Dishforth in North Yorkshire; and what is his estimate of the costs involved.

  Mr. Atkins
  Following a public inquiry in 1987, plans for this scheme are being revised to provide a higher standard of road. The fresh proposals will take into account the findings of the current review of the longer-term needs of the A1 between Hook Moor and Scotch Corner, which includes consideration of motorway status. I expect to make an announcement this summer.

  The scheme should be completed in the mid to late 1990s at an estimated cost of £100 million to £110 million depending on the final standard adopted.

  Road Programme
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 14 March, if he will list the length of each road project detailed therein.

  Mr. Atkins
  The information requested is given in the table.
  651

  Length of those county council TSG schemes listed in columns 228 to 234 of The House of Commons Official Report (Vol. 169 No. 73) of 16 March 1990

  Authority and Scheme

  Length(Km)

  Avon

  Newfoundland street Bristol

  0·8

  Avon ring road (1A): Hambrook-Badminton road

  2·3

  Avon ring road (IV): Marsham way—A4 Bath road

  2·8

  Avon R R (IB1): Badminton road—Westerleigh road

  1·0

  Avon R R 1B2: Westerleigh road—Shortwood road

  2·3

  Avon ring road (III): A420 Warmley—Marsham way

  1·9

  M5—Town centre link Weston Super Mare stage 1

  0·3

  Urban traffic control

  0·0

  Weston Super Mare PDR stages VA and VB

  1·4

  Bedfordshire

  Stagsden bypass

  3·0

  Shefford/Clifton/Henlow bypass

  7·0

  Berkshire

  Sandhurst Crowthorne bypass

  3·8

  Slough Bath road Montem lane—Wellington street

  0·6

  Buckinghamshire

  Wing-Milton Keynes Fenny Stratford bypass

  2·2

  Cambridgeshire

  Elton/Chesterton bypass

  5·9

  Cheshire

  Diversion (phase 2) Warrington

  1·2

  Station road bypass Winsford

  1·7

  Chester western bypass phase 1

  2·1

  Haslington bypass

  3·7

  Cleveland

  Durham road bypass

  1·5

  South bank link road

  2·4

  Thornaby bypass

  5·0

  Guisborough road improvement

  10

  Cornwall

  Penzance primary distributor

  4·6

  Truro-Devoran I (Carnon Downs bypass)

  1·4

  Newquay Gannel link road

  0·5

  Sticker bypass

  3·0

  Liskeard industrial distributor road

  1·5

  Cumbria

  Staveley bypass

  2·8

  Papcastle diversion

  2·0

  Romney road link

  0·3

  Derbyshire

  Ilkeston inner relief road

  1·3

  Tapton bypass Chesterfield (stages 1 and 2)

  2·5

  Devon

  Plymouth —St. Budeaux bypass

  1·7

  Milehouse junction improvement Plymouth

  0·4

  Torbay ring road stage 2

  2·7

  Thorns Cross—Eagle Farm stage 1 (Olchard Lane-Eagle Farm)

  1·8

  Thorns Cross to Eagle Farm stage 4

  2·8

  Western Approach/Union street junction improvement Plymouth

  0·8

  Kent

  Faversham western link road

  2·0

  Albion place/Mote road

  1·5

  Thanet way dualling

  28·0

  Ashford southern orbital

  3·6

  Beaver road diversion

  3·9

  Hamstreet bypass

  3·9

  Denton bypass

  7·5

  Whitfield bypass

  2·1

  Sturry road to Military road link Canterbury

  0·2

  652

  Authority and Scheme

  length(Km)

  Dartford northern bypass

  3·0

  Whitfield to Eastry

  7·5

  Lord of the Manor

  0·2

  Eastry bypass

  2·5

  Densole/Hawkinge bypass

  4·0

  South Ashford to Hamstreet

  6·2

  Stockbridge to Brenzett

  4·0

  Maidstone spine road

  2·7

  Somerhill park link Tonbridge

  2·3

  Thames-side industrial route (TIR) stage 1

  2·4

  Lancashire

  Shuttleworth Hall link road

  1·7

  Kirkham and Wesham bypass

  1·9

  Burnley inner relief road (Phase II)

  0·7

  Penwortham bypass extension to Preston

  1·2

  Nelson-Colne (main works)

  1·7

  Chorley town centre bypass (Phase I)

  0·8

  Blackburn inner relief road (Phase I)

  0·9

  North Valley link road Colne

  1·2

  Squires Gate lane Blackpool dualling

  1·4

  Accrington town centre relief road

  0·7

  Freckleton bypass

  3·3

  Park road/St. Helens road link Ormskirk

  0·4

  Lancaster/Morecambe bypass (Phase I)

  5·8

  Dorset

  Gillingham internal relief road

  1·6

  A37 Improvement—Section A

  2·8

  Durham

  Canney Hill bypass

  1·1

  Wheatley Hill bypass

  3·5

  Coundon bypass

  2·6

  Metal bridge to Bowburn

  1·8

  East Sussex

  Boarshead to Eridge

  3·9

  Maresfield bypass

  2·8

  Mayfield bypass

  1·8

  Essex

  Dovercourt bypass stage 2 phase 2

  2·5

  Canes Lane improvement (Final stage)

  1·7

  Maldon bypass

  2·4

  Braintree bypass stage 1

  9·0

  Gloucestershire

  Eastington to Stroud 3 Ebley bypass

  2·0

  Eastington-Stroud-Ebley bypass

  1·3

  Eastington-Slroud 3A-Ebley bypass-Dudbridge

  0·8

  Eastington-Stroud 3B-Ryeford-Dudbridge

  2·Jan

  Hampshire

  Blackwater Valley route

  6·5

  West Totton bypass (2)

  1·2

  Hook bypass underbridge

  0·0

  M3 link Minley

  1·0

  Hereford/ Worcestershire

  Roman road Hereford phase 4 stage 2

  1·5

  A44-A422 Link Worcester road-Whittington road Marl Bank

  1·0

  Hertfordshire

  Stanstead Abbotts bypass.

  4·0

  Waltham Cross relief road phase II

  0·8

  Tonwell bypass

  1·5

  Watford MI link and southern junction system

  3·4

  Stanstead Abbotts to Harlow

  3·8

  Humberside

  Hull north orbital road

  1·2

  Hull Drypool link

  0·6

  Hull Wilmington link

  1·1

  Long Riston bypass

  1·0

  Grimsby New Baxtergate

  0·8

  653

  Authority and Scheme

  Length

  (km)

  Castle Hill to Bentley

  4·6

  Hull Stoneferry bridge

  0·3

  Humber bridge northern approach road

  5·3

  Hedon bypass

  2·4

  Hull Ennerdale link

  3·3

  Leicestershire

  Asfordby bypass

  2·0

  Syston northern bypass

  2·3

  Ashby, Loughborough Coleorton improvement

  1·9

  Redland quarry to Quorn/Mountsorrel bypass link

  1·1

  Lincolnshire

  Wainfleet bypass

  2·0

  Donington bypass

  2·0

  Norfolk

  Dersingham/Snettisham bypass

  5·8

  Trowse bypass

  1·4

  Kirby Cane/Geldeston bypass

  3·2

  Outwell Bends

  2·1

  Watton inner relief road

  0·5

  Northamptonshire

  Oundle bypass

  4·8

  Brigstock bypass

  3·9

  Wollaston bypass

  1·6

  Yardley Gobion bypass

  2·5

  Raunds and Stanwick bypass

  5·0

  Ringstead and Denford bypass (including Ml/Al junction)

  5·2

  Thrapston eastern bypass

  1·6

  Bozeat bypass

  3·3

  Middleton Cheney bypass and Overthorpe hall

  3·2

  improvement

  Brixworth bypass

  2·7

  River Tove Bends

  1·1

  Staverton bypass

  1·2

  Nene valley way I Crawler lane

  1·2

  Northumberland

  Prudhoe northern bypass

  4·4

  Swinburne quarry to Fourlaws stage 1

  2·0

  North Yorkshire

  York outer ring road

  16·0

  A658/A59 Harrogate Knaresborough southern

  10·2

  bypass

  Green Hammerton bypass

  3·0

  Far Laithe to Pacegate

  1·2

  Sherburn-in-Elmet and south Milford bypass

  6·8

  Nottinghamshire

  Hucknall Bypass

  5·4

  Manvers Street Link Nottingham

  1·8

  Oxfordshire

  Banbury Inner Relief Road

  2·0

  Shropshire

  English Bridge Gyratory

  0·4

  Reabrook to Telford Way Link

  2·1

  Whitchurch Bypass

  2·1

  Ironbridge Bypass Extension

  2·8

  Somerset

  Ashill to Southfields Roundabout (A3O3)

  4·8

  Staffordshire

  Tutbury Bypass

  1·6

  Himley Bypass

  1·0

  Uttoxeter to Combridge

  3·4

  Burton Southern Primary Route

  2·8

  Keele Bypass

  1·8

  Cannock Eastern Primary Route

  2·0

  Hawkins Lane Link Burton-Upon-Trent

  0·5

  654

  Authority and Scheme

  Length

  (km)

  Suffolk

  Stowmarket Relief Road

  1·6

  Long Melford Bypass

  5·4

  Kessingland Bypass

  2·5

  Mutford Bridge

  0·5

  Surrey

  Ewell Bypass

  1·6

  Warwickshire

  Stratford Southern Relief Road

  1·4

  Bedworth Bypass Extension (Hen Lane-M6)

  1·3

  Wellesbourne Bypass

  2·1

  West Sussex

  Cuckfield Bypass

  1·8

  Bewbush

  1·1

  Rustington Bypass

  3·0

  Littlehampton Bypass (Main Scheme)

  1·8

  Crawley South Western Bypass

  2·3

  Wiltshire

  Chippenham Relief Road Stage 1

  1·3

  Burbage Bypass

  2·6

  Airport Noise
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions for each of the last 10 years his Department has utilised its powers to satisfy requirements for limiting the effects of noise at airports in Britain, other than Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Department's long-standing policy has been that owners and operators of airports should be responsible for taking noise abatement measures. The Department has designated 47 airports (including the three London ones) under section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, which requires consultation between the airport, its users and local interests on matters including noise abatement.

  In addition the Department has taken a leading role internationally in securing agreement to measures reducing noise at source made by aircraft. The resultant standards are given force by orders made under the 1982 Act.

  London Underground (Safety)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the near collision on the London Underground in a tunnel outside King's Cross in the week beginning 11 March.

  Mr. Portillo
  On 12 March, an Underground train travelling southwards on the Piccadilly line stopped at King's Cross station. The train could not continue southwards because the fire brigade had been called to an incident at Covent Garden station. It was necessary, therefore, for the passengers to disembark at King's Cross and for the train to be diverted northwards. To achieve this, the train should have gone south out of King's Cross until it had passed a crossover, and it should then have reversed. In the event, the train immediately reversed. The next southbound train was standing at signals outside King's Cross. The driver saw the headlights of the first train approaching him. In accordance with the procedure in which all drivers are trained, the driver of the stationary train switched off the traction current by shorting the
  655
  wires, mounted on the tunnel wall, which provide a safety measure for use in contingencies such as this one. The driver of the moving train applied his brakes and came to a halt about a train's length from the other train. London Underground has carried out an investigation of this incident and will be sending a full report to the railway inspectorate.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will institute a further inquiry into all aspects of safety on London Underground; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  A further survey of London Underground's safety management will be made by the railway inspectorate later this year, as announced by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Transport in his statement to the House on 24 May last (Official Report, Vol 153 columns 502–3).

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the claimed hazards in one-person operation of the older deep level tube railways in London(a) prior to and (b) since Monday 5 March; and on what date he expects to announce any action he intends to take consequent thereto.

  Mr. Portillo
  I am able to trace only representations from the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) about the one-person operation of older deep level tubes in the 12 months preceding 5 March 1990. Since then, I have received none specifically about this matter, though there has been an inquiry from the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock) about an incident which occurred on the Piccadilly Line at King's Cross on 12 March.

  As to the last part of the question, I have written to the hon. Member about the exercise arranged at the railway inspectorate's initiative and a copy of my letter is reproduced in the Official Report:

  21 March 1990

  Dear Nigel

  It is a coincidence that you put down your Question, about one-person-operation (OPO) of deep level tubes at a time when I was about to respond to your past correspondence on London Underground's emergency procedures in the event of an OPO train driver becoming and the train disabled.

  When I wrote to you in September, I mentioned that the Railway Inspectorate would be making further inquiries about certain aspects of these procedures. You were particularly concerned about the practice of "leapfrogging". The Inspectorate arranged for an exercise to be carried out in the early morning of Sunday 28th January on the Bakerloo Line between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. It involved four trains, none of which was in passenger service. The simulated emergency was deemed to have been caused by the incapacitation of the driver of the leading train. The simulation was done in such a way as to create the conditions likely to be met if the incident had occurred during the peak hour service.

  Since you are already familiar with the procedures involved, I need not go into detail about the particular actions which took place. It is sufficient to say that the Chief Inspecting Officer tells me that he regards the arrangements as acceptably safe and that they constitute a suitable method to deal with the unlikely event of a train stopping within a single-bore tunnel due to the sudden disablement of its driver.

  Yours sincerely,

  Michael Portillo

  Buses
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what controls exist over the(a) production and (b) use of open-platform public buses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: Open-platform buses may not be used on local services without a conductor. Apart from this, open-platform public service vehicles are subject to the regulations and certification procedures that apply to all large PSVs.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Sea Defences
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money Dorset, South has received from his Department in recent years for the purposes of sea defence; and whether that money will increase as a result of the recent damage caused by storms.

  Mr. Curry
  Over the past five years, the Department has made payments totalling £3,230,127 in respect of grant to the authorities in Dorset, South for coastal defences. We have not yet received any representations about storm damage in this area but requests for grant aid for reconstruction of coastal defences will be handled in the normal way.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where the carcases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy affected slaughtered cattle are disposed of in the Carmarthen area; and by what means.

  Mr. Maclean
  The carcases are incinerated on farm.

ENVIRONMENT

  Environmental Assessment
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the minimum area of land that he considers to be viable for environmental assessment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The size of a project and the site it occupies are only two of the factors to be taken into account in judging whether a project requires environmental assessment.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from pensioners regarding the community charge.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I continue to receive representations on many issues concerning the community charge.

  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the actual grant given by Government to each of the county councils for the year 1989–90 and the proposed grant available to them arising from the standard spending assessment for the year 1990–91.
  657
  Mr.David Hunt
  [holding answer 15 March 1990]: The information is as follows. Revenue support grant will not be paid to county councils in 1990–91.

  Revenue grants1 1989–90 £ million

  Avon

  135·1

  Bedfordshire

  51·0

  Berkshire

  45·6

  Buckinghamshire

  45·5

  Cambridgeshire

  85·2

  Cheshire

  129·8

  Cleveland

  145·2

  Cornwall

  117·1

  Cumbria

  117·0

  Derbyshire

  185·8

  Devon

  211·7

  Dorset

  85·8

  Durham

  163·1

  East Sussex

  75·8

  Essex

  130·4

  Gloucestershire

  90·5

  Hampshire

  202·0

  Hereford and Worcester

  113·5

  Hertfordshire

  40·9

  Humberside

  219·0

  Isle of Wight

  25·8

  Kent

  296·1

  Lancashire

  400·2

  Leicestershire

  180·0

  Lincolnshire

  135·9

  Norfolk

  129·6

  Northamptonshire

  103·1

  Northumberland

  57·6

  North Yorkshire

  142·1

  Nottinghamshire

  199·5

  Oxfordshire

  24·3

  Shropshire

  95·7

  Somerset

  93·5

  Staffordshire

  206·3

  Suffolk

  99·4

  Surrey

  42·2

  Warwickshire

  61·0

  West Sussex

  75·8

  Wiltshire

  103·3

  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the spending in 1989–90 and the budgeted spending for 1990–91 of each county council; and if he will list in arithmetical order the percentage increase of spending in 1990–91 over outturn spending figures for 1989–90 and indicating the political control of each council.

  Mr. David Hunt
  [holding answer 19 March 1990]: The available information is as follows. I intend to place a summary of the information on 1990–91 budgets in the Library of the House when information has been received from all authorities.

  Net current expenditure 1989–90 £ million

  Political control

  Avon

  485·5

  No overall control

  Bedfordshire

  271·5

  No overall control

  Berkshire

  339·3

  Conservative

  Buckinghamshire

  314·8

  Conservative

  Cambridgeshire

  310·7

  No overall control

  Cheshire

  489·0

  No overall control

  Cleveland

  344·1

  Labour

  Cornwall

  218·2

  No overall control

  658

  Net current expenditure 1989–90 £ million

  Political control

  Cumbria

  258·7

  No overall control

  Derbyshire

  503·3

  Labour

  Devon

  483·1

  No overall control

  Dorset

  280·2

  Conservative

  Durham

  313·5

  Labour

  East Sussex

  297·7

  Conservative

  Essex

  743·5

  No overall control

  Gloucestershire

  251·5

  No overall control

  Hampshire

  694·4

  No overall control

  Hereford & Worcester

  305·4

  Conservative

  Hertfordshire

  498·8

  No overall control

  Humberside

  478·6

  No overall control

  Isle of Wight

  57·4

  SDLP

  Kent

  689·0

  Conservative

  Lancashire

  738·8

  No overall control

  Leicestershire

  460·4

  No overall control

  Lincolnshire

  276·7

  Conservative

  Norfolk

  335·4

  Conservative

  Northamptonshire

  294·2

  Conservative

  Northumberland

  145·5

  No overall control

  North Yorkshire

  337·1

  Conservative

  Nottinghamshire

  540·3

  Labour

  Oxfordshire

  263·1

  No overall control

  Shropshire

  201·1

  No overall control

  Somerset

  232·3

  No overall control

  Staffordshire

  493·3

  Labour

  Suffolk

  280·0

  Conservative

  Surrey

  438·7

  Conservative

  Warwickshire

  241·8

  No overall control

  West Sussex

  292·9

  Conservative

  Wiltshire

  2720

  No overall control

  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures have been taken to provide for different levels of standard community charge to be applied according to the different circumstances of properties or individuals.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The standard community charge applies where domestic property is not used as a sole or main residence. Charging authorities may levy the standard charge by applying one of a choice of five multipliers (either 0, ½, 1, 1½ or 2) to their personal community charge. However, different multipliers may be applied for certain prescribed or specified classes of property.

  We have prescribed that no standard charge will be payable for the classes of property listed in table 1. We have also prescribed that for the classes of property listed in table two below the standard community charge multiplier may not exceed one. These provisions will ensure that in an important number of cases either total or partial relief is guaranteed. In particular, no charge is payable for up to three months on property which is unoccupied and unfurnished (for example because it is for sale): until three months after probate where a property is vacant because of the death of the owner; and for up to 12 months where a property is empty because the occupier has moved elsewhere either to care for another person or to be cared for by another person.

  Charging authorities may also set different standard community charge multipliers for classes of property specified by reference to one or more of the factors listed in table three below. This for instance allows authorities the discretion to extend the periods of total relief applying to any class of property prescribed by the Secretary of State, and the discretion to take account of special

  659
  circumstances, for example where properties give rise to the standard charge because the owner is required to live elsewhere in tied accommodation as a condition of his or her employment. My Department has given advice to local authorities on the scope and exercise of the discretion.

  I understand that many authorities have already made good use of these provisions. However, I am concerned that other authorities have not chosen to make reasonable use of the discretion available to them. We will be monitoring local authority practice closely in the first months of the next financial year and, if necessary, we will have to consider further prescription by the Secretary of State for 1991–92.

  Table 1: Types of property for which the Government have specified a maximum standard charge of 0
  Unoccupied and unfurnished property requiring structural repair work to render it habitable, including unoccupied property with respect to which less than 6 months have elapsed since the day on which the work was completed.
  Newly built unoccupied and unfurnished property or property which is being structurally altered, including property in respect of which less than 6 months have elapsed since the day on which the works were complete.
  Unoccupied and unfurnished property in respect of which less than 3 months have elapsed since the date it was last occupied.
  Property which has been empty for less than 12 months because the owner is living in a hospital or residential care home.
  Property which has become vacant on death and in respect of which either probate or letters of administration has been obtained or less than 3 months have elapsed since grant of probate or letters of administration.
  Property whose occupation is prohibited by law.
  Empty vicarages pending the arrival of the new incumbent.
  Properties which have been empty for less than 12 months because the owner has gone to be cared for in someone's home or the carer has left their own home empty to care for someone else.

  Table 2: Types of property for which the Government have prescribed a maximum multiplier of 1
  Caravans (that is, mobile homes on protected sites).
  Property which may not be occupied throughout the year because of local planning conditions imposed on it.

  Table 3: Factors which charging authorities may take into account in specifying standard community charge classes
  The use to which properties are put or intended to be put.
  Whether properties are occupied.
  The period for which properties have been unoccupied.
  The circumstances, other than financial circumstances, of persons subject to standard charges.
  The capacity in which persons are subject to standard charges.
  Whether properties fall within a class prescribed by the Secretary of State.
  The periods for which unoccupied properties have previously been occupied.
  The periods for which properties would have been unoccupied if all or some periods of occupation were treated as periods during which the properties were unoccupied.
  In the case of properties comprised in a deceased's estate, the period which has elapsed since a grant of probate or of letters of administration was made.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table listing councils in rank order on the basis of the difference between the standard spending assessments and actual planned expenditure, and giving the actual figures for both on a per capita basis and the percentage difference between the two.
  660
  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Hayward) on Monday 19 March at column 478.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the classification of offshore workers' liability for community charge; and whether he has any information about local authorities using his guidance notes for seafarers to determine offshore workers' liability.

  Mr. Chope
  It is initially the responsibility of the community charges registration officer to decide whether a person is solely or mainly resident in his area, and therefore subject to a community charge. In determining this, a registration officer will need to consider factors such as the length of time the person is away from home, where most of his belongings are and, if appropriate, where his spouse lives and where his children attend school. In this respect offshore workers are no different from any other potential chargepayer. My Department's guidelines on the treatment of seafarers were not framed with offshore workers in mind, but there is nothing to stop any authorities applying them to this group if they thought it appropriate.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his criteria for assessing the spending obligations by statute and regulation of Suffolk county council in 1990–91; and how he expects these to change in 1991–92.

  Mr. Chope
  The standard spending assessment for Suffolk county council for 1990–91 has been calculated using the methodology set out in the Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England). We have not yet reached any views on spending for 1991–92.

  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the amounts from the unified business rate which will accrue to(a) the Harrogate borough council, (b) York city council and(c) Scarborough borough council.

  Mr. Chope
  The amounts of redistributed business rates which will be paid to the three authorities are:

  £

  (a) Harrogate borough council

  31,309,939

  (b) York city council

  23,068,264

  (c) Scarborough borough council

  23,754,778

  This money is paid in support of parish, district and county council services in an area and is £293 per adult.

  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the amounts paid in the individual community charges to the North Yorkshire county council from:(a) Harrogate borough council, (b) York city council and (c) Scarborough borough council.

  Mr. Chope
  I intend to place a summary of the information returned from local authorities in the Library of the House after information has been received from all authorities.

  Mr. Mills
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to assess the workings of the community charge system.
  661
  Mr. Chope
  My Department has kept the development of the community charge system under close scrutiny through a series of monitoring exercises. These have kept us up to date on the progress made by charging authorities. We will continue to monitor the system as billing and collection of the community charge commences.

  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the percentage increase over 1989–90 in rates equivalent to the community charge in the London borough of Waltham Forest for the financial year 1990–91.

  Mr. Chope
  It is our intention when community charges are finally set to say what the increase would have been in domestic rates had that taken the place of the community charge.

  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will calculate what the equivalent rate poundage for the Bournemouth and Poole borough councils would be under their proposed community charge rates of £320 and £325, respectively, under the old rating system; what proportion of the new charge relates to(a) county and (b) borough expenditure; and, in each case, what proportion of the increase is attributable to (i) reduction in Government grant support and (ii) increased expenditure by the county of borough authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  It is our intention, when community charges are finally set, to say what the increase would have been in domestic rates had that taken the place of the community charge.

  The remainder of the information requested is not available, as the community charge is not split between counties and districts. Local authorities providing services in an area precept or make a demand on the collection fund, administered in non-metropolitan areas by the district council. These precepts and demands, which cover the whole of each authority's requirement for revenue, are met in full from the collection fund. Revenue support grant, business rate income and community charge income raised locally are paid into the fund in order to defray these precepts and demands. With these simple arrangements there is no need to allocate revenue support grant, business rates or community charges between tiers of local government.

  The comparison between the revenue which each authority is raising and the Government's assessment of the cost to it of providing a standard level of service will be clear from the community charge bill. Where there is higher spending than the standard, it will be clear to the chargepayer whether it is county or the district which is responsible for that extra spending.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to collect information on those local authorities which will have to issue two poll tax bills in order to take into account rebates given to those who have applied for rebates after 15 February.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I have been asked to reply.

  No. The information required about local authorities' administration of community charge benefit was agreed with the local authority associations well in advance so that authorities would have sufficient time to prepare.
  662
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the rebate of community charge applicable in the case of a wage earner receiving £60 per week with a community charge levied at £344.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I have been asked to reply.

  The community charge benefit payable on a charge of £344, for a single person earning £60 a week, with capital of less than £3,000, would be £2·53 per week.

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the method of setting revenue support grant available for local authorities in 1991–92.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the method of setting revenue support grant available for local authorities in 1991–92.

  Mr. Chope
  My officials have recently started discussions on the 1991–92 revenue support grant with officials of the local authority associations. The methodology for standard spending assessments will need to be adjusted to take account of local authority responsibilities for community care from April 1991. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment, has said that he will consider any fresh evidence on SSAs before coming to his decisions for 1991–92.

  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on rate-capping Basildon.

  Mr. Chope
  The Department has received a number of representations calling for Basildon to be charge capped. I am also aware of the petition presented to the House by my hon. Friend on 1 March.

  Mr. Loyden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities about the setting of a poll tax rate.

  Mr. Chope
  The Secretary of State has received a number of representations from local authorities about the setting of community charges.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on levels of revenue support grant to Oxfordshire.

  Mr. Chope
  The levels of revenue support grant before the safety net adjustment to be distributed to receiving authorities in Oxfordshire in 1990–91 are as follows:

  £ million

  Cherwell

  11·538

  Oxford

  15·231

  South Oxfordshire

  12·062

  Vale of White Horse

  9·854

  West Oxfordshire

  8·912

  These amounts of grant provide a reasonable level of support to local authorities in the Oxfordshire area.

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received about the rebate system for the community charge.

  Mr. Chope
  I have received a number of such representations. In general, community charge rebates are more generous than the rate rebates they replace.
  663
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people in England are eligible to pay the full community charge.

  Mr. Chope
  This information is not available.

  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the cost of collecting the community charge; and what would be the cost of collecting a tax on capital values adjusted according to income.

  Mr. Chope
  The estimate for the annual cost of collecting the community charge in England is approximately £400 million; it is estimated that collecting the local tax based on incomes might cost up to twice that amount.

  Mr. Tracey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of total external support from Government, in the form of revenue support grant, business rate income, special grants and safety net will be paid in 1990–91 to (i) Wandsworth, (ii) Lambeth and (iii) Tower Hamlets.

  Mr. Chope
  The amounts of external support, that is the sum of revenue support grant adjusted for the safety net, business rate income and special grant in 1990–91 are as follows.

  External support

  £ million

  £ per adult

  (i) Wandsworth

  213·5

  1,034

  (ii) Lambeth

  234·2

  1,358

  (iii) Tower Hamlets

  194·4

  1,723

  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his best estimates of the average poll tax level for England in 1990–91.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average community charge level so far declared in England.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his best estimates of the average poll tax level for England in 1990–91.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Members to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Clay) earlier today.

  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received against the introduction of the poll tax; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I continue to receive representations expressing a wide range of views on the community charge.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from war service pensioners regarding the community charge.

  Mr. Chope
  We continue to receive representations on all aspects of the community charge. I am not aware of any representations from this group in particular.

  Mr. Stott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to use different rules for different types of local authority for the purposes of poll tax capping.
  664
  Mr. Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the rules he intends to use for poll tax capping.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to use different rules for different types of local authority for the purposes of poll tax capping.

  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the rules he intends to use for poll tax capping.

  Mr. Chope
  I cannot speculate on the details of any charge-capping scheme we might operate for 1990–91.

  Mr. Gow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the way in which the community charge is being implemented in England.

  Mr. Chope
  The information available to the Department suggests that good progress has been made by local authorities in implementing the community charge. Initial registration was successfully completed in December and some authorities have already issued their first bills in advance of 1 April.

  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many recent representations he has received in favour of introducing a system of capital value rates in place of the community charge.

  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received to replace the community charge with a system of raising local government finance based on property values.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I am not aware of any representations in favour of capital value rates or roof tax, something which does not surprise me.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to levy a poll tax below the Government's estimate for their area.

  Mr. Bidwell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to levy a poll tax below the Government's estimate for their area.

  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to levy a poll tax below the Government's estimate for their area.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to set their spending at or below the Goverment's standard spending assesement for their area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to set their spending at or below the Government's standard spending assessment for their area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have been able to set their spending at or below the Government's standard spending assessment level for their area.
  665
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of councils which have levied a poll tax greater than the Government recommended level; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I intend to place a summary of the information returned in the Library of the House when information has been received from all authorities.

  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the proportion of local government spending in 1989–90 and 1990–91 which will be devoted to meeting statutory requirements.

  Mr. Chope
  All local authority spending has to be in pursuance of statutory powers. Some spending is a consequence of duties, while some reflects the exercise of discretionary powers. Even where an authority is discharging a duty, there is often a considerable discretion as to the standard of service provided and the efficiency with which it is carried out. It is, therefore, not possible to estimate what proportion of spending will be devoted to meeting statutory requirements.

  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would have been the increase in domestic rates in the city of Birmingham for 1990–91 for a single householder presently paying £500 in rates, based upon a 1990–91 community charge figure of £406 per adult.

  Mr. Chope
  It is our intention, when community charges are finally set, to say what the increase would have been in domestic rates had they taken the place of the community charge.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the safety net charge paid by the community charge payers in the borough of Macclesfield; and what is the safety net receipt received by the community charge payers in the London borough of Wandsworth.

  Mr. Chope
  Adjustments to revenue support grant to give effect to the safety net are set out in the Revenue Support Grant Transition Report (England), made on 21 December 1989 and approved by the House on 18 January. The borough of Macclesfield's charge payers collectively contribute £5,951,306 to the safety net. The London borough of Wandsworth's charge payers collectively receive £24,030,650 from the safety net.

  The safety net offsets changes in revenue from the domestic sector which are the result of changes in the system of local government finance from 1 April. The safety net limits increases to £25 an adult in real terms compared with 1989–90 rate bills per adult. This limit on increases for some areas is financed in 1990–91 only by other areas contributing about half of their gains. The contributions are for one year only as the safety net will be financed by extra grant from 1991–92.

  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received in favour of replacing the community charge with a tax on home improvement.

  Mr. Chope
  I have not yet received any representations in favour of the roof tax.
  666
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further consideration he has given to capping local authorities' community charges; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Maureen Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities he intends to community charge-cap.

  Mr. Chope
  I have nothing to add to what my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, South-West (Mr. Madel) earlier.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Lancashire county council regarding its standard spending assessment.

  Mr. Chope
  The chief executive of Lancashire county council has written to the Department with details of a number of resolutions passed by the county council's finance sub-committee, one of which requests an increase in Lancashire's standard spending assessment for 1990–91.

  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is(a) the revenue raised by all local authorities in England under the community charge in the year 1990–91 and (b) the revenue raised in rates in the year 1989–90.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I estimate that local authorities are planning to raise £12·5 billion next year from community charges, and £9·8 billion this year from domestic rates.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average overall difference between domestic rate bills for 1988–89 and the community charge so far declared for 1990–91 by English local authorities.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The average domestic rate bill for 1988–89 was £468. The average community charge for 1991 is estimated to be £363. These figures are not comparable.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to visit Nottingham to discuss local government finance.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I plan to visit Nottingham next Wednesday.

  Chlorofluorocarbons
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress Britain is making towards implementing the Montreal protocol on chlorofluorocarbon reductions.

  Mr. Trippier
  By the end of 1989 the United Kingdom had cut its production and consumption of CFCs by over 50 per cent.—10 years ahead of current protocol requirements and five years ahead of even the strengthened provisions now being negotiated.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the technical report he has commissioned concerning the problem of the existing stock of chlorofluorocarbons.

  Mr. Forth
  I have been asked to reply.
  667
  This report has been commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry. It seeks to establish the prospects for recovery for recycling or destruction of chlorofluorocarbons and halons, and was received this week.

  The study will include assessments of the current and future likely levels of stocks, use and emissions of those substances and of the prospects for alternative products and processes in the United Kingdom. I expect it to be published later this spring. The study complements a previous one for the Department on the impact of health and safety and environment regulatory controls on chlorinated solvents. This was published on 6 March and copies of it have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Acid Water
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met representatives from the acid waters review group; and what was discussed.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  My right hon. Friend has not met the acid waters review group personally, but officials of the Department are in frequent contact with its members.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding the Government's proposals to reorganise the Nature Conservancy Council.

  Mr. Trippier
  As I told the hon. Lady in my written answer of 24 January, my Department continues to receive representations from interested parties covering a range of views.

  Housing Policy
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding his housing policies.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  My right hon. Friend receives representations from time to time from hon. Members, interest groups and members of the public.

  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision is made in the Government's planning for new houses to ensure that established environment policies are maintained.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  A revised planning policy guidance note on housing was issued in draft last autumn: I will send the hon. Member a copy. This makes clear that while adequate provision must be made for new housing development, it should be done with full regard to the need to protect and improve the environment, in both town and country.

  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice is given to planning authorities through the planning for new housing policy to ensure that green field sites are not used first.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Existing guidance and draft guidance contained in the proposed revision of the planning policy guidance note on housing emphasise that development plans, in making provision for new housing, should ensure 668
  that full and effective use is made of land within existing urban areas. This should not however be at the expense of the character of established residential areas; policies in plans must also take account of the need for urban open space for recreation and amenity.

  Housing
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres currently designated as green field sites or for agricultural use are estimated as being needed for housing in the south and south-west of England over the next 10 years.

  Mr. Irvine
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres currently designated as green field sites or used for agriculture are estimated as needed for housing and industrial development in the south, south-east and south-west of England by the year 2000.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  We estimate that in the south-east of England, excluding London, the proportion of land in urban use will increase from approximately 12·6 per cent. in 1981 to 13·7 per cent. by 2001. Comparable estimates of the rates of urbanisation in other areas are not available though the absolute figures will be much lower.

  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions in the new city allocation scheme is made for low-cost houses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  Capital allocations to local authorities do not distinguish between low-cost housing and other housing capital expenditure: it is for individual local authorities to determine their priorities. The Housing Corporation's programme of investment in low-cost housing for rent and sale is set out in tables 8.4 and 8.5 or the public expenditure White Paper (Cm. 1008).

  Vacant Land
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much vacant land in public ownership is entered on the Land Register showing the acreage in each of the public sectors, statutory undertakings and nationalised industries.

  Mr. Michael Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much vacant and derelict land in public ownership is entered on the Land Register showing the acreage currently owned by central Government, local government, and nationalised industries.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The breakdown of unused and underused land on the register at 30 September 1989 is shown in the table:

  '000 acres (rounded to 100 acres)

  Acres

  Central Government

  7·2

  Local authorities

  49·4

  Nationalised industries

  9·4

  Statutory undertakers

  6·9

  Other

  9·4

  Total

  82·4

  669
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to increase the derelict land grant for the Yorkshire and Humberside region; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The national derelict land grant resources available for 1990–91 amount to £71·512 million. Of this sum, £13–450 million has been allocated to the Yorkshire and Humberside region. This represents an increase of 12 per cent. on the region's allocation for 1989–90.

  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much derelict land in public ownership is entered on the Land Register for each of the last five years for which records exist.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The acreage of unused and underused land on the register is shown in the following table:

  '000 acres

  1 January 1985

  106·3

  1 January 1986

  104·7

  1 January 1987

  98·9

  1 January 1988

  91·2

  1 January 1989

  84·7

  30 September 19891

  82·4

  1 Responsibility for maintaining full registers passed to individual owners at that date.

  Mr. Thorne
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has monitored the vacant, derelict and under-utilised land which was in public ownership and has now been transferred to the private sector as a result of his privatisation programme.

  Mr. David Hunt
  No. The efficient use of their assets is a matter for the companies concerned.

  Sir George Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of vacant, derelict and under-utilised land which was in public ownership has now been transferred to the private sector as a result of his privatisation programme; and how much of it is still vacant and derelict.

  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land in public ownership is currently on the Land Register; and how many acres have been removed in the last five years as a result of the privatisation of statutory undertakers.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Some 6,900 acres entered on the Department's register of unused and underused land have been transferred to the private sector. Information about its subsequent history is not kept, since the efficient use of their assets is a matter for the companies concerned.

  Education
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local government spending in 1989–90 will go towards education.

  Mr. Chope
  A total of 46 per cent. of local authority net current expenditure in England in 1989–90 is budgeted to be spent on education.

  Mr. Insley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the provisions of the Education Reform Act in reaching decisions on local government finance in 1990–91.
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  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the provisions of the Education Reform Act in drawing up his plans for local government finance for 1990–91.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the provisions of the Education Reform Act in drawing up his plans for local government finance for 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State took all the new burdens falling to local authorities into account when setting the level of total standard spending for 1990–91. I believe that the increase of 11 per cent. to £32·8 billion over the equivalent figure for 1989–90 is reasonable.

  North Sea
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will bring forward the dates by which he intends to end the dumping of sewage sludge, fly ash and industrial wastes in the North sea.

  Mr. Trippier
  No. We confirmed our intention to end the dumping of industrial waste by the end of 1992 and to end the dumping of sewage sludge by the end of 1998 at the third North sea conference in the Hague on 7 and 8 March. These wastes are not toxic and no harm has been proven in the marine environment. The setting of termination dates is in line with the precautionary approach adopted at the second North sea conference in 1987.

  Mr. Janman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the condition of the United Kingdom's rivers and their contribution to pollution of the North sea.

  Mr. David Trippier
  The United Kingdom's rivers are amongst the cleanest in Europe. Ninety five per cent. are classified as being of good or fair quality compared with 75 per cent. in the European Community as a whole.

  The combined effect of all United Kingdom rivers flowing into the North sea is to contribute about 20 per cent. of riverborne contaminants. The remaining 80 per cent. comes from continental rivers, with the Rhine and Meuse alone contributing some 40 to 50 per cent.

  The United Kingdom's north sea national action plan, published on 5 March, shows the progress that has already been made in further reducing the inputs of dangerous substances to rivers and coastal waters and hence the open sea. For instance, inputs of two of the most important contaminants, mercury and cadmium, have been reduced by 31 and 22 per cent. respectively since 1985.

  Mr. Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent North sea Environment Ministers' conference.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 March to my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) on the outcome of The Hague conference on 7 and 8 March.

  Mr. Waller
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response his proposals to protect North sea wildlife received at the recent conference of North sea Environment Ministers.
  671
  Mr. Trippier
  The United Kingdom's initiative in raising wildlife as a topic for consideration by North sea Ministers was well received at last week's conference in the Hague. In addition to the United Kingdom's proposals in the package of measures agreed on research, survey and protection of marine wildlife the final declaration also reflects proposals from the Governments of the Netherlands and Sweden. The agreement on protection of small cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) will be further developed by the Swedish Government in the context of the Bonn convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals.

  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent studies his Department has carried out regarding waste disposal in the North sea and its impact on marine life.

  Mr. Trippier
  Studies of effects of contaminants on marine species arising from any waste reaching the sea, via rivers, the atmosphere or dumping are a fundamental part of marine environment science programmes of the Department of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and other research agencies in the United Kingdom working on the North sea. An assessment of general effects on marine species, reflecting the results of research by the United Kingdom and other North sea states, is included in the quality status report prepared for the second North sea conference, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Recent or continuing work sponsored by the Department of the Environment has included studies of seals and benthic (sea bed) communities, and the development of internationally standardised techniques for assessing the biological impact of contaminants.

  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of pollution entering the North sea comes from rivers; and what proportion of that pollution comes from British rivers and those on the continent, respectively.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Pollution enters the North sea by way of rivers and direct discharges, atmospheric deposition, dumping at sea, and the operational discharges from ships and offshore platforms. Of these, reliable estimates can be made of all except atmospheric deposition, the effects of which are widely diffused over the entire sea area.

  Rivers bringing heavy contaminant loads to relatively small areas of the sea, are the most important source of North sea pollution and our best estimate is that they contribute roughly 40 per cent, of the North sea contaminant load. Of that, 20 per cent. comes from British rivers and 80 per cent. from continental rivers.

  Mr. Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to protect wildlife in the North sea.

  Mr. Trippier
  The third North sea conference last week in the Hague adopted an agreement to protect dolphins and porpoises and a package of other measures on wildlife, including securing better protection for the major North sea wildlife sites.

  Protection for marine wildlife was a United Kingdom proposal at the conference and we will build on these initiatives at future conferences.

  Tourism
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on adapting planning guidelines to assist farmers diversifying into the tourist trade in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Rural diversification is one of the subjects covered in the revised planning policy guidance note on "The Countryside and the Rural Economy", issued in draft on 13 December. Nearly 400 responses have so far been received, some of which make specific reference to tourism. All the comments will be carefully considered.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for homeless households(a) in bed-and-breakfast accommodation and (b) in other temporary accommodation in England and Wales.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Latest estimates of households temporarily resident in bed and breakfast and other forms of temporary accommodation in England appear in tables 4(a), (b) and (c) of "Local authorities' action under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act: England. Results for the fourth quarter 1989. Supplementary Tables", which is in the Library.

  For information about Wales I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further proposals he has to combat homelessness.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Miss Hoey).

  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the cost of bed-and-breakfast or other emergency accommodation as a result of mortgage repossession.

  Mr. Chope
  Information is not held centrally in the form requested. For the latest estimate of the total cost to local authorities of keeping homeless families in bed and breakfast accommodation I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning, on 21 February 1990 to the hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Stott) at column 746.

  Contractorisation
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet representatives of local authorities to discuss anti-competitive practices in the awarding of contracts for services.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have no present plans for a meeting with local authorities on this subject, but I shall shortly be issuing guidance by way of a circular.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received about anti-competitive behaviour by councils; and what action he is taking to eliminate such behaviour.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The Department has received just over 200 representations alleging anti-competitive practices by
  673
  local authorities in respect of services put out to tender under the Local Government Act 1988 and about 40 arising from the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.

  Each case is investigated and appraised on its merits. My right hon. Friend has considerable powers of sanction under the legislation and has already issued a direction under the 1980 Act, requiring Wirral borough council to obtain his consent before assigning work to its own DSO when it has not submitted the lowest tender, and on 13 March of this year under the 1988 Act to Hillingdon borough council, prohibiting it from carrying out vehicle maintenance work through its own staff after 1 September of this year.

  Home Improvement Grants
  Mr. Buckley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the amount of grants made by the Government for home improvements over the past 10 years.

  Mr. Chope
  During the financial years 1981–82 to 1988–89, the Government provided £2,898 million in Exchequer subsidy to local authorities in England towards their expenditure on home improvement grants. Information for years prior to 1981–82 is not available.

  Association of District Councils
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of District Councils; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Chope
  My hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the Association of District Councils on 26 February. The Association of County Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities were also present. They discussed environmental matters.

  Town Planning
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the principal elements being considered for his Department's draft legislation on planning and development controls in urban areas of relatively high density.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  In reply to a Question from my hon. Friend on 12 March,Official Report, column 104, I indicated the options that I proposed should be included in a forthcoming consultation paper about the possible extension of planning control to the demolition of dwellinghouses. Some of these options would need legislation. As we have indicated, the Government intend to introduce legislation at an early opportunity on a number of planning topics, which would apply in urban areas and elsewhere.

  Mr. Rees
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to ensure high quality design in new and refurbished buildings so that they improve the appearance of the town or city; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. French) on 6 March 1990,Official Report, columns 557–58.

  Planners
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planners are employed by his Department; and at what cost.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The Department currently employs 65 staff in professional town planner posts at a total cost of £2,609,000 a year.

  Sports Council
  Mr. John Carlisle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the chairman of the Sports Council; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet the chairman of the Sports Council; and what matters he intends to discuss.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I will be meeting the chairman of the Sports Council later today and we will be discussing a range of current issues relating to sport and recreation.

  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with the Sports Council and the Central Council for Physical Recreation about the new business rate and its impact upon sport.

  Mr. Chope
  My hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and officials of my Department have had a number of meetings with the Sports Council and the Central Council for Physical Recreation at which the impact of the business rate on non-profit-making sports clubs has been discussed.

  Urban Development
  Miss Emma Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average annual loss of agricultural land in the United Kingdom for urban development since 1979.

  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average loss of agricultural land in both private and public sectors to housing development and other uses since 1979.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  Information published by the Department shows that the average area of land in England recorded each year by the Ordance Survey as changing from agricultural to urban use in the period 1985 to 1988 was 5,760 hectares per annum. Further details are given in the Department's statistical bulletins, copies of which are in the Library.

  Figures for earlier years are given in planning policy guidance note 7 "Rural Enterprise and Development", but are not directly comparable with the figures for 1985–88.

  Environmental White Paper
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what issues he intends to cover in his forthcoming environmental White Paper.

  Mr. Trippier
  Our aim is to address a wide range of environmental issues, from global concerns about the atmosphere and climate change to topics that impinge on our local environment.

  Rural Development Areas
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many areas have now been designated rural development areas; and what is the size of the population covered by such areas.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The 27 designated rural development areas have a population of approximately 2·5 million.

  Rivers
  Mr. Alison
  To put the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of United Kingdom rivers are of good or fair quality; and what are the comparable proportions in the rest of Europe.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  A review of river classification schemes across the European Community published in 1988 by the water research centre showed that 95 per cent. of river length in the United Kingdom was of good or fair quality compared with 75 per cent. in the European Community as a whole. The review also indicated that no other member state had a higher proportion of good or fair quality rivers than the United Kindom, although our position was equalled by the Netherlands.

  Council Rents
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to allocate further subsidy to local authorities to prevent local authorities from increasing rents to meet their housing benefit responsibilities.

  Mr. Chope
  No. No local authority has to increase rents to meet housing benefit responsibilities.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has developed any proposals to bring local authority rent increases into line with his Department's latest rent guidelines.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  It is for local authorities to determine the rents they set for council housing. Rent increases can stay within the housing revenue account subsidy guidelines if authorities so wish.

  Private Sector Tenants
  Mr. John Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his intention to extend the principle of tenants' choice to tenants in the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  No. Many public sector landlords own a very high proportion of the total rented dwelling stock in their area. That is not true of private landlords.

  River Pollution
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made by the National Rivers Authority in controlling river pollution and taking action against polluters.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Since it fully assumed its responsibilities on 1 September 1989, the National Rivers Authority has been actively carrying out its functions in 676
  relation to pollution control, and has successfully prosecuted a number of offenders. The authority has also embarked on a number of reviews of policy areas, including the discharge consent system, and it will carry out a national survey of water quality in 1990.

  Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his future policy for the protection of areas of outstanding natural beauty.

  Mr. Trippier
  The draft policy planning guidance note on the countryside and the rural economy issued for public comment on 13 December 1989 is a clear and authoritive statement of the Government's planning policies for the continued protection of areas of outstanding natural beauty and the wider countryside.

  City Action Teams
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many city action teams and inner city task forces are now operating in the north-west of England.

  Mr. David Hunt
  City action teams have been set up in Liverpool, covering Liverpool and Birkenhead, and Manchester, covering the Manchester and Salford areas. Task forces are operating in Moss Side and Hulme, Manchester, and Granby and Toxteth, Liverpool. My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry announced on 28 February that a new task force will be established in Wirral and that the existing Rochdale task force will close later this year.

  South Downs National Park
  Mr. Rathbone
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what submissions he has received for or against the creation of a South Downs national park.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  So far this year, my right hon. Friend has received one letter from a member of the public for, and two letters from hon. Members covering correspondence against the creation of a South Downs national park.

  Councillors' Allowances
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be in a position to announce the introduction of a new system of councillors' allowances.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 23 February 1990 to the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien) at column 24. I expect to announce details of the new system soon.

  Integrated Pollution Control
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the introduction of integrated pollution control in Britain.

  Mr. Trippier
  The Government's proposals for integrated pollution control (IPC) are contained in part I
  677
  of the Environmental Protection Bill. IPC will provide an innovatory framework for controlling emissions to air water and land at one and the same time from the most potentially polluting processes. It marks a major breakthrough in the control of pollution and an environmental first in Europe.

  Depending on the enactment of the Bill, IPC will become operational by the end of the year. All new processes will thenceforth come under IPC. There will be a phased programme for bringing existing processes with the system. Our aim is for this programme to be completed within five years.

  Acid Deposition
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department is taking to reduce acid deposition by the year 2000.

  Mr. Trippier
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 February at column 481.

  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list current United Kingdom publicly funded research programmes into the impacts of acid rain deposition on sensitive British ecosystems, stating funding levels and research bodies;

  (2) If he will make a statement on progress on the current publicly funded research concerning the impact of acid deposition on sensitive British ecosystems and its findings;

  (3) what is the current United Kingdom publicly funded research programme on critical loads and acid rain; and what are the findings.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  In the current financial year, United Kingdom publicly funded research on acid deposition and critical loads can be summarised as follows:

  Funding body

  1989–90 £k

  Department of the Environment

  14,90·0

  Meteorological Office

  37·0

  Nature Conservancy Council

  94·0

  Natural Environment Research Council

  160·0

  Agriculture and Food Research Council

  48·0

  Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  186·0

  Total 1989–90

  20,50·0

  The United Kingdom plays a prominent international role in the development of the critical loads approach to pollution control. This very substantial programme of research informs that role, and is also part of our overall policy of basing action on the best scientific information that can be obtained.

  The Department has established several review groups of scientific experts to examine and assess research and to recommend priorities in the field of acid rain deposition and critical loads. The United Kindom terrestrial effects and acid waters review groups, and the review group on acid rain have all produced reports, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The critical loads advisory group and the terrestrial effects sub-group on trees are expected to report by the end of this year.

  Countryside Commission
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the increase in funding for the Countryside Commission since 1979.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Subject to the approval of Parliament, we propose to increase the Countryside Commission's grant-in-aid to £25·136 million in 1990–91. This represents an increase in real terms of 112 per cent. over the allocation in 1979–80.

  Council Properties, Kirklees
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses currently stand empty within Kirklees council's boundaries; and what is the current level of council house rent arrears.

  Mr. Chope
  The latest available information on empty council dwellings was provided by Kirklees metropolitan borough council in its April 1989 housing investment programme return (HIP1), a copy of which is in the Library.

  The arrears of rent reported by Kirklees on its housing subsidy claim form at the end of March 1989 were £1·7 million.

  Environmental Pricing
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made by his Department in examining the feasibility of implementing recommendations contained in the Pearce report on environmental pricing.

  Mr. Trippier
  The current review of environmental policy, which will lead to the publication of a White Paper later this year, is considering these among other proposals.

  Uniform Business Rate
  Mr. Geraint Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the uniform business rate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 1990 to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) at column 446.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the London borough of Wandsworth will gain from the uniform business rate in 1990–91 as against its current revenue from business and commercial rates.

  Mr. Chope
  Under the new system of local government finance, non-domestic rate receipts will be distributed as an equal amount per community charge payer and will go to reducing charges. Because of the associated change to the new revenue support grant system and because of major changes in local authority function in inner London, comparisons of levels of business rate income between 1989–90 and 1990–91, or of grant support, do not imply a corresponding effect on community charges. External financial support to authorities (before the safety net and special grants) is
  679
  distributed between authorities so as to enable a charge of broadly £278 to be set in each area if the authorities provide a standard level of service.

  St. Ives Bay
  Mr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications for South West water services proposed long sea outfall into St. Ives bay of his policy announcement accepting the case that sewage discharged into the sea should first be treated.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  As the applications by South West Water Services for discharge consents related to the Penzance-St. Ives sewerage scheme are currently before the Secretary of State for determination, I am unable to comment on the proposals.

  Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  Mr. Archer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for planning consents in request of sites of special scientific interest have been granted(a) by planning authorities and (b) on appeal by the Secretary of State in the last period of 12 months for which figures are available.

  Mr. Trippier
  Neither the NCC nor the Department keeps a central record of the information requested and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mortgage Repossessions
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for mortgage repossessions in England and Wales(a) by building societies and (b) by banks and other financial institutions.

  Mr. Michael Spicer
  The information available to the Department is for mortgage repossessions by United Kingdom building societies in 1989 (13,780) and by English local authorities in 1989–90 (170).

  Clay Pigeon Shoots
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the final draft of the code of practice on noise from clay pigeon shoots 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  My Department is in the process of considering responses from a wide range of interested bodies, to a consultation exercise on the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association's draft code of practice on noise from clay pigeon shooting held last year, with a view to meeting the association again in due course to discuss the comments received. No date for the publication of a code of practice has been finalised.

  Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what current proposals there are to achieve compliance with its European Community commitment to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 60 per cent. of their 1980 value by 1993.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside gave to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 February at column 481.
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  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the contribution to be made from(a) the import of low-sulphur coal, (b) the import of French-generated electricity and (c) an increase in domestic nuclear electricity generation towards achieving the target reduction in sulphur dioxide from 1980 levels by 1993.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  A formal plan for reducing SO2, and NOx emissions from existing large combustion plants will be issued later this year.

  Greenhouse Effect
  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out by the building research establishment into energy use in buildings and the greenhouse effect.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  The building research establishment will shortly be publishing a study, commissioned by my Department, entitled "Energy Use in Buildings and Carbon Dioxide Emissions".

  Climate Change
  Mr. Gould
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken so far to adhere to the Noordwijk conference declaration to stabilise United Kingdom carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  That declaration required the basis for stabilisation to be considered in the light of the IPCC report and the second world climate conference later this year. In the meantime, the Government has continued to finance the work of the scientific working group of the IPCC; offered to host an international technical workshop to explore the practical issues which would arise in making binding agreements on green house gas emissions; and is considering proposals for action both domestically and through the European Community, as appropriate.

  Waltham Forest (Debt)
  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the debt of the London borough of Waltham Forest has increased since 1986; what is the interest payable on this increase; and how much of the borough's community charge is represented by this interest.

  Mr. Chope
  Figures published by CIPFA show that outstanding debt increased from £200 million in March 1986 to £247 million in March 1989. The March 1989 figure includes debt inherited from the Greater London council.

  No information is available on the interest payable on the increase, or on the effect on the community charge.

  Cycling (Royal Parks)
  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cyclists have been arrested in London's royal parks over the last five years for cycling-related offences.

  Mr. Trippier
  There is no power of arrest for cycling offences under the royal parks regulations. During the
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  three years 1987–89, four cyclists were arrested for failing to give their name and address, one for being drunk in charge of a cycle and one for assault on the police. Figures for arrests in 1985 and 1986 are not available.

  Liverpool (Funding)
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much funding has been provided by the Government for derelict land reclamation in Liverpool in each of the last three years.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The information requested is as follows:

  Approvals

  Amount £

  1986–87

  26,015,011

  1987–88

  27,580,399

  1988–89

  25,203,412

  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much funding has been provided by the Government through the Housing Corporation and local authorities to housing associations in Liverpool in each of the last three years.

  Mr. Chope
  Over the three-year period 1986–87 to 1988–89 the value of new housing association schemes approved by the Housing Corporation in Liverpool was as follows:

  £ million

  Grant programme

  Actual

  Actual

  Forecast

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  Derelict land grant

  3·010

  1·061

  0·552

  Urban programme1

  n/a

  0·072

  n/a

  Merseyside Development Corporation1

  3·560

  1·650

  3·000

  Urban regeneration grant/city grant1 2

  nil

  0·960

  0·835

  1 Includes expenditure on unused or waste land as well as derelict land.

  2 Information does not relate solely to the costs of reclamation since grant is based on the total project costs including those of reclamation.

  Similar figures for 1989–90 are not yet available.

  Comparable figures for schemes supported by Liverpool city council are not available but during the same period the council reported the following gross capital lending to housing associations:

  Year

  Loans £

  1986–87

  2,461,000

  1987–88

  2,125,000

  1988–89

  811,000

  Tyre Disposals Ltd
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to request the health and safety executive to conduct a safety and environmental audit of the site operated by Tyre Disposals Ltd. on Humberside.
  682
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  No. I understand that the relevant waste disposal authority, Humberside county council, has considered the environmental aspects of this company's operations and is pursuing appropriate courses of action under the Control of Pollution Act. HMIP is aware of the situation and is in touch with the waste disposal authority. I also understand that the HSE has not been involved at this site. From the information available, it is unclear whether the HSE or the local district council will be the relevant enforcing authority for the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act.

  Motor Tyres
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to encourage the environmentally friendly recycling of redundant motor vehicle tyres.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs is expecting to receive very shortly a final report by KPMG Peat Marwick identifying ways of reducing the volume of scrapped vehicle tyres and increasing resource recovery. When he receives the report he will set up a working party, in conjunction with my Department, with industry, local authority and voluntary group representation, to draw up an action plan.

  Bathing Beaches (Yorkshire and Humberside)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the designated bathing beaches in Yorkshire and Humberside;

  (2) if he will list the designated bathing beaches in Yorkshire and Humberside that breached the European Community mandatory standards for sewage bacteria on at least one sample for the years (a) 1987, (b) 1988 and (c) 1989;

  (3) if he will' list the designated bathing beaches in Yorkshire and Humberside that have failed the European Community guidelines for sewage bacteria on at least one sample for the years (a) 1987, (b) 1988 and (c) 1989;

  (4) if he will list, by year since 1987. for the designated bathing beaches of Yorkshire and Humberside (a) the dates, (b) the locations and (c) the results of routine sampling carried out; and if he will show in his answer where the results obtained breached (i) European Community guidelines and (ii) European Community mandatory standards.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The information required for the identified bathing waters of Yorkshire and Humberside is to be found in the reports of the bathing waters surveys for the appropriate years which have been placed in the Library,Official Report, 5 May 1988, column 571; 21 February 1989, column 572; 25 January 1990, column 785.

  National Rivers Authority
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the effectiveness of the new National Rivers Authority; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  My right hon. Friend receives many letters raising matters, such as water pollution,
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  which are now within the responsibility of the National Rivers Authority. I am delighted that the National Rivers Authority has already been able to demonstrate clearly its commitment to effective regulation of water quality. A number of offenders have been successfully prosecuted, and many more have received formal warnings; the authority has embarked on a number of reviews of key policy areas, and is actively developing its priorities for future action.

  Palace of Westminster
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what investigations have been made into the location and potential dangers to hon. Members, staff and visitors of asbestos in the Palace of Westminster.

  Mr. Chope
  The parliamentary works office maintains a register of the locations of all known asbestos in the Palace of Westminster and outbuildings. These are inspected annually to check for signs of deterioration. The register has been built up through routine building maintenance inspections of the entire parliamentary estate and tests carried out when work is done which is likely to uncover previously hidden asbestos. All potentially dangerous asbestos is removed.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to undertake maintenance work to the great clock this year.

  Mr. Chope
  Following one of the regular inspections of the clock it has been decided to replace part of the mechanism which is showing signs of fatigue. This will necessitate stopping the hour strike for up to 12 weeks and all chiming and striking for two days whilst the mechanism is disconnected and when it is reconnected. The work will start on Monday 26 March.

  Dangerous Substances
  Mr. Day
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps the Government are taking to control the emissions of dangerous substances into rivers and the sea.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Discharges of dangerous substances to rivers and seas are already effectively controlled by the National Rivers Authority through discharge consents based on its duty to maintain statutory quality objectives and other published environmental quality standards.

  The Environmental Protection Bill extends the controls on discharges of dangerous substances from the most polluting industries. Under the new arrangements Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will authorise discharges to all environmental media, based on the use of best available technology not entailing excessive costs, providing that these also meet the requirements of the National Rivers Authority on environmental quality objectives.

  Crown Suppliers
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to ensure that no staff or former staff of companies bidding for the Crown Suppliers are engaged as consultants.
  684
  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 19 March 1990]: When employing consultants, care is always taken to avoid potential conflicts of interest. It would not be acceptable to use, as a consultant on a matter relating to the Crown Suppliers, either a company which was bidding for the Crown Suppliers or an individual who was known to have a continuing relationship with a bidder.

  Household Statistics
  Mr. Gregory
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households there were nationally, in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and in the county of North Yorkshire for 1979, 1983, 1987 and the most recent year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: The estimated numbers of households are as follows:

  Thousands

  1979

  1983

  1987

  1988

  England

  17,071

  17,579

  18,363

  18,536

  Yorkshire and Humberside region

  1,808

  1,849

  1,906

  1,924

  North Yorkshire

  249

  258

  273

  278

  Hazardous Waste
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the volume and sources of hazardous waste imported into the United Kingdom under the terms of the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988 during the last convenient 12-month period.

  Mr. Trippier
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: Imports of waste into England and Wales during 1989 under the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988 were as follows:

  tonnes

  Austria

  166

  Australia

  280

  Belgium

  9,225

  Brazil

  46

  Canada

  1,011

  Channel Islands

  30

  Denmark

  104

  Finland

  12

  West Germany

  611

  Greece

  5

  Ireland

  1,358

  Italy

  1,505

  Luxembourg

  17

  Netherlands

  14,799

  Norway

  533

  Philippines

  29

  Portugal

  73

  Singapore

  5

  Spain

  64

  Sweden

  1,541

  Switzerland

  5,086

  Uruguay

  3

  United States of America

  4,237

  TOTAL

  40,748

  Genetically Engineered Organisms
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the possible ethical implications of regulating genetically engineered organisms.
  686
  Mr. Trippier
  [holding answer 20 March 1990]: I am considering the ethical implications of such regulation with colleagues and will make a statement in due course.

  MR. GORDIEVSKI AND THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT
  MR. GORDIEVSKI AND THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT
  AIDS EDUCATION FOR THE YOUNG
  AIDS EDUCATION FOR THE YOUNG
  COMMUNITY CHARGE MULTIPLIERS
  COMMUNITY CHARGE MULTIPLIERS
  GREAT CLOCK: MAINTENANCE
  GREAT CLOCK: MAINTENANCE
  BRITISH "MERCENARIES" IN COLOMBIA— NEWSPAPER REPORT
  BRITISH "MERCENARIES" IN COLOMBIA— NEWSPAPER REPORT
  MERCENARIES: UN CONVENTION
  MERCENARIES: UN CONVENTION
  NAMIBIA: UK AID
  NAMIBIA: UK AID
  POLAND: KNOW-HOW PROJECTS
  POLAND: KNOW-HOW PROJECTS