§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales who in his Department has been appointed to oversee and develop green issues; how many civil servants have been allocated new or additional responsibilities to deal with the management and development of green issues; and what additional allocation of resources has been made to support programmes related to green issues in his Department.
§ Mr. David HuntI have taken personal charge on environmental issues and the follow up to the Environment White Paper published last September.
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Local Authority Persons registered for the community charge1 Persons in receipt of community charge benefit2 Persons in receipt of community charge benefit and receiving income support2 3 Alyn and Deeside 55,360 10,700 5,000 Colwyn 42,714 N/A N/A Delyn 50,852 N/A N/A Glyndwr 31,647 6,500 2,800 Rhuddlan 44,221 11,600 6,100 Wrexham Maelor 88,462 21,900 9,600 Carmarthen 42,537 7,100 4,000 Ceredigion 53,303 7,700 4,400 Dinefwr 29,590 6,200 2,700 Llanelli 57,913 16,300 8,000 Preseli Pembrokeshire 51,889 11,600 6,500 South Pembroke 31,135 6,300 3,800 Blaenau Gwent 58,152 17,500 8,500 Islwyn 50,567 9,400 5,600 Monmouth 58,658 7,600 3,900 Newport 101,455 29,800 14,500 Torfaen 68,288 17,200 9,000 Aberconwy 40,867 8,200 4,400 Arfon 43,134 11,900 6,500 Dwyfor 20,835 4,900 2,300 Meirionnydd 25,344 5,100 2,500 Ynys Mon 51,711 13,100 6,400 Cynon Valley 49,536 15,500 9,100 Merthyr Tydfil 44,832 13,500 7,600 Ogwr 102,021 28,000 11,400 Rhondda 59,902 19,000 9,900 Rhymney Valley 77,050 22,100 13,100 Taff Ely 73,449 16,100 8,200 Brecknock 31,262 N/A N/A Montgomeryshire 40,772 5,600 2,900 Radnorshire 18,036 2,700 1,500 Cardiff 218,353 50,900 31,300 Vale of Glamorgan 84,286 15,700 9,900 Lliw Valley 47,274 12,200 6,100 Neath 50,118 13,400 6,100 Environmental issues are an integral part of the work of civil servants in a range of Welsh Office divisions. Staff and financial resources are devoted as necessary to these responsibilities.
Work in progress includes, for example, the two major initiatives by the Welsh Development Agency which I announced last September—"Landscape Wales" and "Urban Development Wales"—on which the agency will spend about £34 million this year. Also the 1991–92 urban programme package which I announced in December, and which now stands at £6.6 million, will support many environmental improvements in the Principality. It is important too to promote knowledge and understanding amongst the young and that is why I was pleased to announce last September a competition for both primary and secondary schools in Wales on environmental issues.