| Home Page |
Column 237
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 8 December 1988
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Sea Defences
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the annual cost of sea defences in the United Kingdom from 1979 to the present year.
Mr. Ryder : Annual capital costs of sea defence works from 1979 to the present year in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which attracted Government funding are as follows :
£ million
|England (estimated)|Northern Ireland |Wales
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |18.3 |n/a |0.427
1980-81 |15.8 |n/a |0.274
1981-82 |16.7 |0.078 |0.225
1982-83 |18.4 |0.128 |0.289
1983-84 |23.0 |0.214 |0.757
1984-85 |20.0 |0.311 |0.798
1985-86 |17.9 |0.304 |0.121
1986-87 |23.6 |0.149 |0.175
1987-88 |27.6 |0.122 |0.058
Coastal works in Scotland are carried out primarily to prevent erosion rather than to defend land against flooding from the sea, and, hence, expenditure has not been included.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current level of expenditure required to bring United Kingdom sea defences up to present day satisfactory levels.
Mr. Ryder : As a result of a comprehensive review of flood defence requiremens in England which was carried out recently, the need for an increased long-term programme of work was identified. The Government recently agreed to increase provision for the programme and this will facilitate additional capital funding of about £50 million over the next three years for local and water authority schemes both inland and on the coast ; approximately half of this expenditure will be spent on sea defence works.
From 1989 to 1992 it is estimated that capital funding for sea defence works in Wales and Northern Ireland will be £335,000 and £331,000 respectively. In Scotland work is necessary primarily for inland fluvial and coastal erosion works ; no significant sea defence works are anticipated.
Greenhouse Effect
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to establish the long term effects of the greenhouse effect on British coastlines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : A rise in the mean sea level is the main possible consequence of the greenhouse effect on British
Column 238
coastlines. A national research programme, led by the Department of the Environment and co-ordinated with European Community and world-wide research, is investigating the implications for the United Kingdom of the greenhouse effect. The results will be monitored carefully, particularly with regard to predictions of changes in mean sea level and the implications for the design of sea defences. The existing tide gauge network already provides useful information on actual changes in sea level.Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the annual budget devoted by his Department to the investigation of the effects of the greenhouse effect and freak weather conditions on Britain's coastline.
Mr. Ryder : Responsibility for research into the greenhouse effect and its consequences rests primarily with the Department of the Environment, although my Department maintains close liaison on these matters. Some £2 million is spent annually by my Department on river and coastal research generally, of which about 60 per cent. is directed to research which will assist with the future planning and design of coastal defences.
Sea Level
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the projected sea level rises for the mid 21st century ; and what would be the corresponding effects to the British coastline.
Mr. Ryder : There is, at the moment, a wide range of predictions about the possible rise in sea levels. Because of the many uncertainties, however, it is not realistic to make firm assessments of the likely effects on the coastline.
Bristol Channel (Sludge Dumping)
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the dumping of sludge in the Bristol channel south of Pwlldu Head ; and if his Department will publish the studies that have been carried out in this area.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Scientists from my Department's directorate of fisheries research undertake a regular monitoring programme at the sewage sludge disposal ground in the Bristol channel. Results of this work have been published in Fisheries Research Technical Report number 59.
Further information on the quality of fish and shellfish in the Bristol channel have been published in Aquatic Environment Monitoring reports numbers 10 and 16. All these publications are available in the Library of the House.
Salmonella
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether funds will continue to be provided for Dr. Geoff Mead at the Institute of Food Research in Bristol and his work on the introduction of benign bacteria to chickens to kill salmonella organisms ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how much grant has been paid to Dr. Geoff Mead at the Institute of Food Research for research into the
Column 239
suppression of salmonella organisms ; what results have been obtained ; whether further grant aid has been requested ; and if he will make a statement.Mr Ryder : The research conducted by Dr. Geoff Mead and his team of scientists over more than 10 years into the manipulation of microbial flora of the gut of young chickens has been supported by my Department and the Agricultural and Food Research Council at a current cost of about £100,000 annually. As stated in my reply to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham), this work was reviewed as part of an extensive review of MAFF-commissioned research in microbiology and it was decided that funding should cease from April 1989. Since my reply to the hon. Member I understand that a commercial company has expressed interest in taking that work further. Funding is to be diverted to other important microbiological work.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the proportion of eggs produced in England which are infected with salmonella.
Mr. Key : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Fod what proportion of British egg production is now infected with salmonella.
Mr. Ryder : I regret that it is not possible to make a precise estimate, but I agree with what my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health told the House on 5 December at column 19--that the risk of infection to any individual is small and the risk to the healthy adult is small indeed. The industry and the Government are working together urgently to reduce that risk to a minimum.
Food Additives
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the safety, or otherwise, of the use of "E" numbered substances in processed foods ; if he will examine latest reports on such substances from other countries, including the United States of America ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : All available world-wide information on the safety of food additives is assessed by the committees of independent experts who advise me on these matters. Any information which might subsequently affect the approval of any food additive is carefully reviewed. The prefix "E" indicates those food additives whose use has been approved throughout the European Community.
Badgers
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will arrange for the area of some farms where a breakdown or breakdowns involving bovine tuberculosis has occurred to be exempt from badger control to enable an assessment of the control programme to be made.
Mr. Donald Thompson : An experimental area already exists where badgers are not removed when TB breakdowns in cattle occur. This area, which is in Gloucestershire, contains 18 farms which are not subject to badger control.
The creation of additional areas comparable with the
Gloucestershire study area was considered by Professor
Column 240
Dunnet in his review of the badger control strategy in 1986. He concluded that the cost of maintaining such areas made the proposal impractical.The current badger control strategy is that recommended by Professor Dunnet. It is kept under review, but in accordance with Professor Dunnet's recommendation it needs to operate for at least three years before a reliable review of its effects on the extent of herd breakdowns can be carried out.
Shellfish
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the results of the recent survey into shellfish stocks in the English channel ; and whether he intends to take any action to conserve stocks.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department is currently investigating the state of crab stocks in the English channel for which a major sampling programme has just been completed. The scallop fishery is also being investigated. Both investigations are due to be completed in 1990 and the results will be published.
Disabled Persons (Staff)
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of his Ministry's staff are classed as disabled.
Mr. Donald Thompson : 1.3 per cent. of the Ministry's permanent staff are registered disabled--as at 1 November 1988.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Minister of Agricuture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide details of expenditure in 1987-88 and 1988-89 by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce and the agricultural departments on market regulation under the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Ryder : Details are given of the outturn for 1987-88 and the latest forecast of outturn for 1988-89.
£ million
|1987-88(Actual outturn) |1988-89(Forecast outturn)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Expenditure by the intervention board for agricultural produce
Cereals |229.4 |163.8
Beef and Veal |201.4 |160.9
Pigmeat |-1.9 |0.6
Sugar |151.1 |135.2
Processed goods |47.6 |78.8
Milk products |251.1 |79.3
Oilseeds |208.3 |167.3
Sheepmeat |119.4 |104.2
Others |16.6 |33.8
|------- |-------
Total |1,222.9 |923.9
(ii) Expenditure by the agricultural departments
Payments to producers giving up
milk production |51.0 |74.1
Suckler cow premium scheme |36.7 |37.8
Annual premium on ewes |80.6 |202.0
Small cereals producers |1.7 |1.9
|------- |-------
Total |170.0 |315.8
|------- |-------
Grand total |1,392.9 |1,239.7
Column 241
Some of the expenditure shown benefits consumers and trade interests rather than United Kingdom producers.The figures for the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce are made up of several elements and include refunds on intra-Community trade, import and export refunds on third country trade, the beef and sheep variable premium schemes (net of clawback for sheepmeat and charges on beef exported and sold into intervention), aid for private storage and animal feed, certain other marketing and production subsidies and the cost of purchasing commodities into intervention less proceeds from sales. The figures are also net of other receipts treated as negative expenditure, namely monetary compensatory amounts levied on intra-Community trade (in the case of pigmeat these exceeded expenditure prior to 1988-89), the co-responsibility and supplementary levies on milk producers and the co-responsibility levy on cereals. Receipts from levies on the production and storage of sugar and isoglucose and on third country exports, which are regarded as Community own resources, are excluded. The figures include the United Kingdom share of the EC school milk subsidy scheme. For the annual premium on ewes from the 1985 marketing year, late publication of the final rate of payment has delayed the making of some payments into the following year. The forecast for 1988-89 provides for slippage from the 1987 marketing year and payment for the 1988 marketing year in full.
Of the estimated outturn for 1988-89 £1,507.4 million is expected to be financed from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund (EAGGF) ; in 1987-88 £1,086.7 million was thus financed. However, because the United Kingdom is a net contributor to the European Community budget, the whole of this expenditure is attributable to the Exchequer. Receipts from the European Community do not always relate to expenditure in the period. For market support there was prior to 1987 little delay in reimbursement of expenditure but in that year a delay of two months was introduced as an economy measure and this was lengthened to two and a half months from 1988. Receipts for 1988-89 reflect new arrangements for the depreciation of stocks agreed at the February 1988 European Council.
The individual totals may not add up due to rounding.
Mr. Moss : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give details of expenditure in 1987-88 and 1988-89 by the agricultural department on agricultural grants and subsidies excluding regulation under the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Ryder : Details are given of the outturn for 1987-88 and the latest forecast of outturn for 1988-90.
|1987-88 (Actual outturn)|1988-89 (Forecast
|outturn)
|£ million |£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price guarantees
Wool |0.7 |0.1
Potatoes |- |-
|------- |-------
|Total |0.7 |0.1
|------- |-------
Support for capital and other improvements
Environmentally sensitive areas |2.9 |9.1
Agriculture and horticulture
development scheme |32.3 |25.9
Guidance premiums |2.3 |0.8
Farm accounts |0.7 |0.5
Farm structures |0.4 |0.4
Northern Ireland agricultural
development programme |2.0 |1.6
Agriculture and horticulture grant
scheme |3.6 |1.8
Agriculture improvement scheme (EC) |18.9 |28.4
Agriculture improvement scheme
(National) |9.0 |9.0
Others |0.3 |0.3
|------- |-------
|Total |72.4 |77.8
|------- |-------
Support for agriculture in special areas
Hill livestock compensatory allowances |121.0 |116.7
Additional benefit under AHDS,
NIADP, AHGS, AIS (EC) and AIS
(National) |20.9 |25.9
Others |4.1 |8.4
|------- |-------
|Total |145.9 |151.0
|------- |-------
Other payments
Milk outgoers scheme |11.1 |11.6
Crofting building grants and loans/net |3.3 |4.1
Sheep compensation scheme 1986 |1.0 |1.1
Storm damage 1987 |- |1.7
Co-operation grants |1.7 |2.1
Farm diversification:-
Capital grants |- |2.0
Marketing feasibility grants |- |0.8
Others |1.0 |1.0
|------- |-------
|Total |18.1 |24.5
|------- |-------
|Grand Total |237.1 |253.4
Some of this expenditure attracts contributions from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund. These are mainly received in the following year. In 1988-89 £44.1 million is expected to be received from the fund compared with £41 million in 1987-88. The individual figures may not add up to the totals shown due to roundings.
TRANSPORT
Train Times
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to how many trains arrived at exactly the scheduled time in the last 12-month period for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. The punctuality objective for Network South East (NSE) is that 90 per cent. of trains should arrive on time or within five minutes ; for the provincial sector, that 85-97 per cent. of trains should arrive on time or within five minutes depending on the service ; and for InterCity that 90 per cent. of trains should arrive on time or within 10 minutes. In 1987-88, NSE exceeded the agreed punctuality objective with 92 per cent. of services arriving on time or within five minutes. 97 per
Column 243
cent. of provincial services achieved the objective, and InterCity performance fell some way short of its target at 87 per cent.VAT
Mr. Heddle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessments he has made as to the likely effect on (a) his Department's capital building programme and (b) the rent the Department will pay under occupational leases of implementation of the European Court of Justice's judgment on value added tax on non-domestic buildings.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Implementation of the European Court of Justice's judgment on VAT will have no effect on the Department's capital building programme since compensating adjustments have been made to the relevant expenditure provisions. At this stage, before landlords have decided whether to exercise their option to tax rents, it is not possible to offer estimates of the effects of the judgment on rental costs.
Road Renewal
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many miles of motorway it is intended to renew in 1988-89 ;
(2) how many miles of trunk road it is intended to renew in 1988-89 ;
(3) how many miles of motorway it is intended to renew in each of the three years 1989-90, 1990-91, and 1991-92 ;
(4) how many miles of trunk road it is intended to renew in each of the three years 1989-90, 1990-91, and 1991-92.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The mileages of motorways and trunk roads renewed this year are likely to be about 52 and 106, respectively. These are lower than planned as a result of the rescheduling of capital maintenance announced on 20 June at column 455.
I am looking to competition between contractors to contain future price increases, so far as possible.
Subject to that, we shall aim to increase the mileages to be renewed each year over the next three years to averages of 84 miles of motorway and 233 miles of trunk road. The maintenance programme for 1989-90 has not been finalised. It will be announced in March as usual.
London Assessment Study
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the options listed in the east London assessment study stage 2a report he has instructed Ove Arup and partners to develop during the east London assessment study stage 2b.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We have not yet taken any view on the preliminary options produced by the study consultants. This must await the submission of the consultant's report in the summer 1989.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many representations he has received opposing options presented in the stage 2a reports of the London assessment study ;
(2) how many representations he has received supporting the general principle of the London assessment study since the publication of the stage 2a reports in August ; and from what types of organisations these have been received.
Column 244
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We have received about 600 representations expressing concern about some of the study options. Organisations supported some options and opposed others.
M1 (Accidents)
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported accidents have occurred on the M1 between London and Derby, junction 25, for the last period of 12 months for which figures are available ; and what were the figures for (a) 12 months earlier, (b) five years earlier and (c) 10 years earlier.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The numbers of injury accidents on the M1 between London, junction 1, and Derby, junction 25, for the requested years are shown in the table.
Injury Accidents on M1: between Junctions 1 and 25: 1977, 1982, 1986, 1987 Year |Accidents ------------------------------ 1977 |590 1982 |616 1986 |685 1987 |721 Note: Personal injury accidents only
Channel Tunnel
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role he expects the Kent county council to play in specifying the physical and acoustic characteristics of the associated environmental works that would form part of the capital cost of British Rail's proposed high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel.
Mr. Portillo : I expect British Rail's proposals to be the subject of consultation with Kent county council.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, if British Rail's proposed high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel is financed in the public sector, the costs of all forms of compensation to the owner of properties affected, both that already paid or to be paid under British Rail's ex-gratia scheme and that to be paid statutorily, will form part of the capital cost of the project for the purpose of calculating the rate of return.
Mr. Portillo : It is normal practice for all the costs associated with British Rail investment proposals to be taken into account for the purposes of assessing the viability of those proposals. The same is true of road schemes.
Traffic Congestion
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the causes of the severe traffic congestion in the east end of London on Friday 2 December.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : A number of incidents contributed to the evening traffic congestion in east London on 2 December.
In particular an accident on the westbound carriageway of A13 Canning Town flyover meant that westbound traffic was restricted to one lane for one and three quarter hours from 3.34 pm.
Column 245
Manchester Airport
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made in the negotiations on the construction of a rail link to Manchester airport ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : I am awaiting a jointly agreed statement on the financing of this link from Greater Manchester PTE, British Rail, and Manchester international airport.
Atomic Weapons Establishment (Explosion)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what road closures followed the explosion at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield on Friday 2 December.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : There were no road closures.
Level Crossings
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the recommended period of time before the arrival of a train for the closing of fully manned level crossing gates.
Mr. Portillo : There is no standard recommended time for the closure of fully manned level crossing gates before the arrival of a train. The signalman should, however, close the gates in time to clear the railway signals interlocked with them so that the train approaching the crossing can do so without reducing its speed.
London Regional Transport
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, when he next meets the chairman of London Regional Transport, he will discuss the practice of making the cheap price capital visitors' card available exclusively to British Rail passengers.
Mr. Portillo : Ticketing is a commercial matter for London Regional Transport.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
School Places
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many appeals to local authorities have been lodged so far during 1988 against the allocation of school places ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Butcher : This information is not available. An informal survey of local education authorities carried out by the Department in the late autumn of 1987 indicated that there had been in that year 8,253 appeals against school admission decisions to committees set up by local education authorities under section 7 of the Education Act 1980. 3,177 of these appeals were in respect of primary schools and 5,076 for secondaries. In addition, a total of at least 2,245 appeals against admission decisions were made to committees set up by governors of voluntary-aided and special agreement schools during 1987, 469 in respect of primary schools and 1,776 for secondaries.
Assisted Places Scheme
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretry of State for Education and Science if he will list all the schools which
Column 246
receive pupils paid for in whole or part under the assisted places scheme and the number of assisted place pupils each school had in 1987-88.Mr. Butcher : The information requested is as follows :
|Number of Assisted Place
|Holders 1987-88
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbey School |69
Abingdon School |90
Aldenham School |24
Alice Ottley School |70
Alleyn's School |198
Arnold School |76
Ashford School |43
Bancroft's School |76
Bath High School |90
Batley Grammar School |249
Bedales School |9
Bedford High School |92
Bedford Modern School |136
Bedford School |76
Dame Alice Harpur
School |145
Belvedere School |163
Berkhamsted School |29
Berkhamsted School for
Girls |28
Birkenhead High school |258
Birkenhead School |245
Bishop's Stortford
College |30
Blackheath High School |101
Bolton School (Boys) |262
Bolton School (Girls) |251
Bradford College |0
Bradford Girls'
Grammar School |58
Bradford Grammar
School |201
Brentwood School |101
Brighton and Hove High School |152
Brighton College |99
Bristol Cathedral School |150
Bristol Grammar School |263
Bromley High School |120
Bruton School for Girls |127
Bury Grammar School (Boys) |198
Bury Grammar School (Girls) |229
Canford School |35
Carmel College |91
Casterton School |43
Caterham School |109
Central Newcastle High
School |112
Charterhouse |14
Cheadle Hulme School |129
Chigwell School |70
Churcher's College |112
City of London School |124
City of London School
for Girls |104
Clifton College |67
Clifton High School |52
Colfe's Shool |183
Colston's School |89
Colston's Girls' School |145
Coventry Schools |245
Cranleigh School |38
Croydon High School |119
Culford School |46
Dame Allan's Boys'
School |142
|Dame Allan's Girls'
School |127
Dauntsey's School |54
Denstone College |114
Dulwich College |273
Edgehill College |123
Eltham College |104
Emanuel School |289
Epsom College |30
Exeter School |164
Farnborough Hill School |181
Felsted School |47
Forest School |138
Friends' School |79
Godolphin and Latymer
School |182
Gresham's School |10
Haberdashers' Aske's
School,
Borehamwood |229
Haberdashers' Aske's
School for Girls
Elstree |137
Hampton School |197
Harrogate College |18
Hereford Cathedral
School |233
Highgate School |33
Hulme Grammar (Boys) |203
Hulme Grammar (Girls) |178
Hymers College |152
Ipswich High School |136
Ipswich School |79
James Allen's Girls
School |157
John Lyon School |94
Kent College |80
King Edward's School at
Bath |128
King Edward's School,
Birmingham |281
King Edward VI High
School, Birmingham |173
King Edward VII
School, Lytham |214
King Edward VI School,
Norwich |101
King Edward VI School,
Southampton |222
King Edward's School,
Witley |76
King's College School |93
King's High School for
Girls, Warwick |170
King's School, Chester |94
King's School,
Macclesfield |177
King's School, Rochester |57
King's School, Worcester |136
Kingston Grammar
School |129
Kingswood School |36
Kirkham Grammar
School |63
Lady Eleanor Holles
School |74
La Sagesse Convent
School |143
Latymer Upper School |291
Leeds Girls' High School |127
Leeds Grammar School |194
Leys School |29
Liverpool College |174
Lord Wandsworth
College |78
|Loreto Convent
Grammer School |71
Loughborough Grammar
School |120
Loughborough High
School |94
Magdalen College School |117
Malvern College |57
Manchester Grammar
School |271
Manchester High School |165
Maynard School |158
Merchant Taylors'
School, Liverpool |186
Merchant Taylors'
School for Girls,
Liverpool |171
Merchant Taylors'
School, Northwood |85
Mill Hill School |78
Monkton Coombe
School |38
Mount St. Mary's
College |59
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
School |459
Northampton High
School |178
North London Collegiate
School |73
Norwich High School |171
Nottingham Girls' High
School |188
Northampton High
School |89
Notting Hill and Ealing
High School |116
Old Palace School |195
Oxford High School |97
Perse School for Boys |57
Perse School for Girls |79
Plymouth College |182
Pocklington School |131
Portsmouth Grammar
School |188
Portsmouth High School |149
Putney High School |105
Queen Elizabeth
Grammar School,
Beckenham |246
Queen Elizabeth
Grammar School,
Wakefield |153
Queen Elizabeth's
Hospital School,
Bristol |168
Queen Mary School,
Lytham |237
Queen's College,
Taunton |63
Queens College, London |68
Queen's School, Chester |84
Ratcliffe College |52
Redland High School |79
Red Maid's School |157
Reigate Grammar School |109
Repton School |45
Rossall School |43
Royal Grammar School,
Guildford |116
Royal Grammar School,
Newcastle |308
Royal Grammar School,
Worcester |185
St. Albans School |124
|St. Albans High School
for Girls |59
St. Ambrose College |87
St. Anselm's College |175
St. Bede's College |213
St. Bees School |82
St. Benedict's School |71
St. Catherines's School |36
St. Dunstan's College |160
St. Edmund's College,
Ware |65
St. Edward's College,
Liverpool |385
St. George's College |28
St. Helen's School |28
St. John's College,
Southsea |181
St. John's School,
Leatherhead |15
St. Joseph's College,
Ipswich |76
St. Joseph's Convent,
Reading |121
St. Mary's College,
Crosby |246
St. Mary's Convent,
Cambridge |95
St. Mary's Hall,
Brighton |49
St. Maur's Convent,
Weybridge |62
St. Paul's School,
Barnes |72
St. Paul's Girls' School,
Hammersmith |63
St. Peter's School,
York |124
St. Swithin's School,
Winchester |3
Salesian College |86
School of St. Helen
and St. Katherine |103
Sedbergh School |27
Sheffield high School |99
Shrewsbury High School |85
Sir William Perkins'
School |87
South Hampstead High
School |64
Stamford School |71
Stamford High School |64
Stockport Grammar
School |269
Stonyhurst College |24
Stowe School |5
Streatham Hill and
Clapham High
School |154
Sutton High School |66
Sutton Valence School |50
Sydenham High School |109
Talbot Heath School |139
Taunton School |50
Tonbridge School |2
Trent College |116
Trinity School of John
Whitgift |136
Truro School |110
Truro High School |55
University College
School |69
Upton Hall Convent
School |153
Ursuline High School |133
Wakefield High School |143
Walthamstow Hall |77
Warwick School |137
|Wellingborough School
Wellington College |44
Wellington School |199
Wells Cathedral School |66
West Buckland School |52
Westminster School |26
Whitgift School |101
William Hulme
Grammar School |207
Wimbledon High School |63
Winchester College |25
Wisbech Grammar
School |236
Withington Girls' School |89
Wolverhampton
Grammar School |260
Woodbridge School |101
Woodhouse Grove
School |113
Wycliffe College |42
|------
Total |26,900
Independent Schools (Costs)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the local education authorities which pay for places for pupils residing in their areas to attend independent schools, excluding special schools ; and what are the numbers of pupils each supported in whole or in part during 1987-88.
Mr. Butcher : On the basis of returns made to the Department by local education authorities in January 1988 the numbers of pupils being funded by local education authorities to attend independent schools, excluding pupils either at special schools or receiving special educational treatment, were as follows :
Local education authorities
|Number of pupils
---------------------------------------------------------
Barking |0
Barnet |4
Bexley |0
Brent |0
Bromley |0
Croydon |8
Ealing |0
Enfield |9
Haringey |0
Harrow |0
Havering |7
Hillingdon |4
Hounslow |0
Kingston-upon-Thames |2
Merton |0
Newham |9
Redbridge |82
Richmond-upon-Thames |1
Sutton |0
Waltham Forest |0
ILEA |78
Birmingham |9
Coventry |0
Dudley |4
Sandwell |2
Solihull |0
Walsall |4
Wolverhampton |4
Knowsley |6
Liverpool |5
St. Helens |5
Sefton |0
Wirral |630
Bolton |5
Bury |1
Manchester |0
Oldham |9
Rochdale |3
Salford |4
Stockport |5
Tameside |1
Trafford |1,524
Wigan |9
Barnsley |0
Doncaster |0
Rotherham |0
Sheffield |0
Bradford |0
Calderdale |180
Kirklees |3
Leeds |0
Wakefield |0
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |4
North Tyneside |0
South Tyneside |0
Sunderland |0
Isles of Scilly |0
Avon |16
Bedfordshire |0
Berkshire |0
Buckinghamshire |7
Cambridgeshire |26
Cheshire |956
Cleveland |8
Cornwall |0
Cumbria |8
Derbyshire |2
Dorset |3
East Sussex |32
Essex |5
Gloucestershire |31
Hampshire |11
Hereford and Worcester |257
Hertfordshire |13
Humberside |3
Isle of Wight |3
Kent |11
Lancashire |56
Leicestershire |12
Lincolnshire |624
North Yorkshire |8
Northamptonshire |0
Northumberland |0
Nottinghamshire |20
Oxfordshire |0
Shropshire |8
Somerset |11
Staffordshire |0
Suffolk |0
Surrey |28
Warwickshire |25
West Sussex |26
Wiltshire |97
Clwyd |15
Dyfed |1
Gwent |1
Gwynedd |20
Mid Glamorgan |0
Powys |0
South Glamorgan |1
West Glamorgan |1
Schools (Status)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report, specifying in each case the local authorities concerned, the voluntary body concerned and the name, composition and status of the schools, those schools which from 1980 to the latest date for which information is available, have changed from (a) independent to voluntary status and (b) voluntary to independent.
Mr. Butcher : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Children (Special Needs)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to publish a consultative document on the educational needs of children with a dual sensory impairment.
Mr. Butcher : My right hon. Friend intends to publish a policy statement shortly.
DEFENCE
Expenditure
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total of United Kingdom defence spending since 1958 up to and including 1988-89 (a) in cash and (b) at today's prices.
Mr. Freeman : Total defence expenditure since 1958, including Supply Estimates provision for 1988-89, has been £219 billion in cash and £600 billion at 1988-89 prices, using defence-specific price deflators.
Plutonium
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans his Department has made for the production of military plutonium following the decommissioning of Chapelcross and Calder Hall nuclear power stations.
Mr. Sainsbury : The long-term future of these reactors and any defence requirement for their replacement will be kept under review as appropriate.
Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what caused the explosion at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield in Berkshire on Friday 2 December ; at what time the explosion occurred ; if there were any casualties ; and what damage was caused to property at Burghfield and in the surrounding area ; (2) if it is normal practice to burn surplus high explosives at Burghfield ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what information was given to the media following the explosion at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield on Friday 2 December.
Column 253
Mr. Sainsbury : A minor unplanned explosion occurred at AWE Burghfield at 0606 on the morning of 2 December. It took place during the routine burning of surplus conventional explosive waste on a special open site, within the main boundary fence, which is normally used for this purpose. There was no personal injury and no danger to the work force or public at any time. Such burning is controlled remotely and is carried out when the work force is not present as an additional safety precaution. The slight damage sustained on site was localised to a few broken windows and, to the best of our knowledge, no damage was caused outside the establishment. No radioactive material was involved or in any way at risk in this incident. The handling and disposal of the explosives are governed by strict controls laid down by the Defence Safety Services Organisation (DSSO). These regulations and checks cover such matters as safety distances, warnings, demarcation, access, emergency services, procedures and records. The DSSO had licensed AWE Burghfield to carry out explosive disposal in recognition of their compliance with these standards but such work has now been suspended while a detailed enquiry is conducted into the cause of the explosion. Security considerations preclude publication of the enquiry report though the local trades unions will be fully involved.
The site's own emergency services were on hand but were not required to take any immediate action as there was no fire and no continuing emergency. Likewise, the local fire brigade and police were alerted automatically but took no action on arrival. The essential facts were made available to the media promptly.
| Next Section
| Home Page |