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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 13 March 1991
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Holohoax
Mr. Janner : To ask the Attorney-General what consideration has been given by the Director of Public Prosecutions to initiating proceedings in respect of the publication entitled Holohoax distributed by the Gentile Awareness League.
The Attorney-General : The Director of Public Prosecutions has received two complaints concerning the publication entitled Holohoax. He has referred these complaints to the Metropolitan police, but at this stage the police are not in a position to submit a file to him for his consideration.
TRANSPORT
Road Building
262. Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will list major road building projects supported by his Department in the Northern region in each year since 1987, together with the cost of each.
Mr. Chope : The major trunk schemes completed or under construction for each year since 1987 are as follows :
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|Cost
£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987
A69 Eighton Lodge Improvement |5.90
A1 Clifton-Stannington Bridge |6.50
|---
|12.40
1988
A69 Horsley-Corbridge Improvement |3.90
A19 Peterlee Grade Separated Junction Stage I |0.56
|---
|4.46
1989
A19 Downhill Junction |1.30
A19 Tees Viaduct Refurbishment |11.00
|---
|12.30
1990
A1 Newcastle Western Bypass and Blaydon Bridge |88.00
A19 Peterlee Grade Separated Junction Stage II |3.90
A696 Woolsington Bypass |15.00
A66 Stockton Race Course Grade Separated Junction |7.40
|---
|114.30
1991
(Under Construction) |1.09
|(Current Spend)
|---
|1.09
Local authority projects supported by Department of Transport supplementary grant for each year from 1987 onwards are as follows :
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Accepted Expenditure Transport Supplementary Grant (50 per cent.)
£ million £ million
1987-88
A1068 Ellington Bypass 1.647 0.823
A690 Brancepeth to Scripton 0.998 0.499
A1058 Cradlewell Bypass 7.482 3.741
A695 Ryton Crawcook Bypass 8.192 4.096
A1231 Sunderland Inner Ring Road 7.251 3.625
A179 East of A19 0.576 0.288
A66 South Bank Link Road 4.765 2.383
Totals 30.911 15.455
1988-89
A692 Redheugh Bridge Southern Approach 2.982 1.491
A117 Durham Road Bypass 7.218 3.609
A688 Canney Hill Bypass 1.225 0.612
A689 Coundon Bypass 2.044 1.022
Totals 13.469 6.735
1989-90
A181 Wheatley Hill Bypass 3.056 1.528
A171 Guisborough Road Improvement 3.302 1.651
A194 Newcastle Road Improvement 3.580 1.790
A6082 West Central Route 18.939 9.469
Totals 28.877 14.439
1990-91
A1018 Sunderland Eastern Relief Road 3.750 1.875
A1026 Thornaby Bypass 25.430 12.715
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|Accepted |Transport
|Expenditure |Supplementary
|Grant(50 per
|cent.)
|£ million
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88
A1068 |Ellington Bypass |1.647 |0.823
A690 |Brancepath to Scripton |0.998 |0.499
A1058 |Cradlewell Bypass |7.482 |3.741
A695 |Ryton Crawcook Bypass |8.192 |4.096
A1231 |Sunderland Inner Ring Road |7.251 |3.625
A179 |East of A19 |0.576 |0.288
A66 |South Bank Link Road |4.765 |2.383
|------------- |-------------
| Totals |30.911 |15.455
1988-89
A692 |Redheugh Bridge Southern Approach |2.982 |1.491
A117 |Durham Road Bypass |7.218 |3.609
A688 |Canney Hill Bypass |1.225 |0.612
A689 |Coundon Bypass |2.044 |1.022
|------------- |-------------
| Totals |13.469 |6.735
1989-90
A181 |Wheatley Hill Bypass |3.056 |1.528
A171 |Guisborough Road Improvement |3.302 |1.651
A194 |Newcastle Road Improvement |3.580 |1.790
A6082 |West Central Route |18.939 |9.469
|------------- |-------------
| Totals |28.877 |14.439
1990-91
A1018 |Sunderland Eastern Relief Road |3.750 |1.875
A1026 |Thornaby Bypass |25.430 |12.715
|Metal Bridge to Bowburn |2.340 |1.170
A692 |Consett Bypass Stage 2 |4.243 |2.122
A695 |Prudhoe Bypass |9.015 |4.507
A68 |Swinburn Quarry to Fourlaws Stage I|1.571 |0.785
|------- |-------
| Totals |46.349 |23.174
1991-92
|Teesside Link and Airport Access |6.307 |3.153
A60 |Darlington Cross Town Route |5.735 |2.868
A1046 |Portrack Lane Dualling |5.904 |2.952
|------- |-------
| Totals |17.946 |8.973
Litter
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon Member for Rugby and Kenilworth of 7 March, if he will give details of the litter collection that has so far taken place on motorways and the number of miles of motorway that have been cleared.
Mr. Chope : Under present arrangements, litter is cleared from England's 1,600 miles of motorway at least once per year and more often on stretches which are particularly prone to littering. In difficult and dangerous locations such as the central reservation, litter clearance is carried out in association with other maintenance activities, where possible, in order to minimise traffic disruption and delays.
In 1989-90 the Department of Transport mounted a £1 million campaign to put an extra effort into clearing motoways and trunk roads to complement the work of the Tidy Britain Group. In the current financial year resources for litter clearing on motorways have been doubled to some £3 million.
Goods Vehicles
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many articulated vehicles plated at a train weight exceeding 31 tonnes and licensed as private light goods are specified as authorised vehicles in standard international licences issued to United Kingdom operators under the Goods Vehicles (Operators' Licences, Qualifications and Fees) Regulation 1984 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Licensing of a heavy goods vehicle at the light goods vehicle rate is permitted when the vehicle is not being used to carry goods for hire or reward or in connection with a trade or business. Operator licensing does not apply to such vehicles.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence he has of United Kingdom articulated vehicles registered as private/light goods operating for hire or reward at their plated weights in EC member states ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I am aware of the concerns of the Road Haulage Association in this respect.
The Department does not collect data on vehicle excise duty paid by United Kingdom vehicles used in other EC member states. Bilateral agreements with other EC states,
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and the treaty of Rome, provide for exemption from VED for temporarily imported vehicles registered in other EC states. It would be an offence for a vehicle registered in the United Kingdom to operate in this country for hire or reward while licensed at less than the appropriate rate of VED. Spot checks on vehicles returning from abroad are carried out periodically.Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, in enforcing EC controls on the operation of United Kingdom registered goods vehicles, he will (a) require certificates of private/light goods status for heavy goods vehicles from their operators, (b) make a false declaration of such status an offence and (c) require all articulated vehicles to be registered in accordance with their plated train weight ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Vehicles are licensed in the United Kingdom on the basis of a declaration by the applicant stating the use to which the vehicle will be put. It is an offence knowingly to make a false or materially misleading statement in an application for a vehicle licence. And it is the responsibility of the keeper to relicense the vehicle in the appropriate tax class should the use of the vehicle be changed during the period of a licence
When registering a goods vehicle the applicant must state the vehicle's gross weight. If, after registration, this changes the applicant is required to notify the licensing authority.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many articulated vehicles plated at a train weight exceeding 31 tonnes are registered in the United Kingdom under the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulation 1971 as private/light goods vehicles and thus pay vehicle excise duty at an annual rate of £100 only ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : DVLA records show 827 such vehicles licensed in the private and light goods tax class. Application for a vehicle licence is based on a declaration by the keeper as to the intended use of the vehicle. It is an offence knowingly to make a false or materially misleading declaration in an application for a vehicle licence.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will consult foreign Governments to arrange for information on illegal operations by United Kingdom based goods vehicles operating abroad to be passed on to the licensing authorities in the United Kingdom for any action by them ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) if he will seek the co-operation of other EC member states to inform him and where practicable to prosecute, under their national law, users of United Kingdom registered vehicles operating in contravention of EC rules ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Chope : EC regulations and the United Kingdom's bilateral agreements with other countries already provide for Governments to notify each other of infringements of laws by the other party's road hauliers.
This information is passed to the traffic commissioners, who are responsible for drivers' and operators' licences and who may consider taking disciplinary action in addition to any prosecutions or other action undertaken by the foreign authorities.
Anti-fouling Paint
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to include the details of the anti-fouling paint in use as part of the information which harbour masters are entitled to call for before permitting a ship to dock.
Mr. McLoughlin : The International Maritime Organisation has recommended that release rates of harmful compounds in anti-fouling paints should be controlled, that standard means of measuring this should be developed and, more generally, that the effectiveness of control measures should be monitored. However, there is no evidence that the anti-fouling paints on ocean-going vessels significantly affect aquatic life and, except in dry-docking operations, no controls are planned at present.
ENERGY
Power Stations
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what consideration he has given to the need to make available to new entrants to the industry, sites with an established use for electricity generation which are redundant or no longer in use and which are currently owned by electricity generating companies.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Schedule 3 to the Electricity Act 1989 provides for the compulsory acquisition of land by electricity licence holders for licence-related purposes.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will issue a direction to require generating companies holding land on which are redundant, closed or demolished power stations to release that land where requested to prospective new entrants to the generating industry at a price to be agreed by an independent agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have no such power. The disposal of land held by generating companies is a matter for their commercial judgment, subject to the compulsory purchase provisions in schedule 3 to the Electricity Act 1989.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what is the number and total area in hectares of sites in the ownership of (a) National Power and (b) PowerGen on which electricity generation activity has ceased and which are being retained by those companies ;
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(2) how much land which has at any time been used for electricity generation but which is not being used for power generation purposes is held by (a) National Power and (b) PowerGen in Warwickshire.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : These are commercial matters for each company.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many closed power station sites there are in Warwickshire ; and what is the present ownership and status of each of these sites.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : As far as my Department is aware, there is only one former power station site in Warwickshire. Details of the ownership and status of that site are commercial matters for the company concerned.
Nuclear Power
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what recent representations he has recieved from Nuclear Electric relating to the decommissioning of nuclear power stations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My officials have a regular dialogue with Nuclear Electric covering a wide range of matters relating to their operations. I understand that the company is reviewing its decommissioning strategy and is keeping my officials informed.
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many employees subscribed for shares in the privatisation of the electricity distribution companies.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : About 84,000 employees and 21,000 pensioners of the 12 regional electricity companies, the National Grid Company and the Electricity Association applied for and received shares. Between them they were allocated almost 160 million shares, representing about 7.4 per cent. of the total equity of the 12 regional electricity companies.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Sunbeam Nursery, Croydon
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the level of charges payable by part-time staff using the Sunbeam day nursery in Croydon ; and what is the level of subsidy provided by Government Departments for part-time employees.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Part-time staff using the Sunbeam nursery in Croydon pay £12.50 per day. The level of subsidy provided by Departments for part-time and full-time employees is £5.78 per day.
Child Care, Croydon
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will provide the latest estimates of the total number of employees who may be eligible to take up the child care services provided by the Sunbeam day nursery in Croydon broken down by (a) gender and (b) part-time or full-time employees.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Information is not available in the form requested. Every civil servant of either sex working
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full or part-time for one of the Government Departments which have established the Sunbeam nursery in Croydon is eligible to use the child care facilities the nursery provides.Home Office, Lord Chancellor's Department, Property Services Agency, Department of Social Security, Land Registry, Department of Employment and Customs and Excise.
Deportation
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make a decision regarding the deportation order against Mr. Hazem Ali Hassan, a constituent of the hon. Member for Sunderland, South.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend has decided not to proceed with deportation action against Mr. Hassan and he was released from detention on 8 March.
Racist Literature
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what international co-operation there is on the suppression of racist and anti-semitic literature.
Mrs. Rumbold : I am not aware of any specific consideration given in any international group to such literature.
Speeding Offences
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 March, Official Report, column 647, in what form information concerning prosecutions for speeding offences is kept.
Mr. John Patten : Statistics for offences relating to motor vehicles are published annually in a Home Office statistical bulletin, with more detailed figures given in the companion volume of supplementary tables. The most recent bulletin, issue number 34/90, includes statistics for 1989. A copy of these publications is in the Library.
The statistics are broken down into 25 offence groups ; speed limit offences are covered by offence group 16.
Fire Service
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out by rank the annual pay rates of all grades of fire officer and retained fire officer, and what are the arrangements for the payment of pensions.
Mr. John Patten : The Home Office has no formal involvement in fire service pay negotiations ; the following information has been obtained from the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades.
The annual pay rates of chief fire officers are determined at the discretion of the employing authority, but are normally determined in relation to the population within the brigade area. The following table gives details of population ranges and corresponding salary ranges :
Annual pay rates for Chief Fire Officers by population range.
Population range Salary range Higher
|maximum for
|metropolitan
|brigades <1>
|Minimum |Maximum
|£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to 240,000 |34,689 |46,854
240,001 to 360,000 |35,592 |48,741
360,001 to 460,000 |36,885 |50,631
460,001 to 600,000 |38,259 |51,909
600,001 to 760,000 |39,651 |53,754
760,001 to 940,000 |41,040 |56,067
940,001 to 1,200,000 |41,676 |57,570 |60,186
1,200,001 to 1,700,000 |43,713 |58,890 |61,566
1,700,001 to 2,300,000 |45,123 |60,654 |63,411
2,300,001 and over |46,668 |62,421 |65,259
London |53,670 |71,784 |75,048
<1> At the discretion of the employing authority.
The annual pay rates for assistant chief officers except those appointed as deputy chief fire officers, are determined in the same way as those for chief fire officers. The salary ranges are set at 75 per cent. of those for chief fire officers for the equivalent population ranges, subject to an underpinning minimum of £34,428. Salary ranges for those appointed as deputy chief fire officers are set at 80 per cent. of those for chief fire officers for the equivalent population ranges, subject to an underpinning minimum of £35,205.
The annual rates of whole-time ranks from firefighter up to senior divisional officer are set out in the following table :
Annual pay rates of wholetime ranks: Firefighter up to and
including
Senior Divisional Officer
Rank |Minimum |Maximum
|£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------
Senior Divisional Officer |26,085 |<1>28,143
Divisional Officer I |24,234 |<1>25,977
Divisional Officer II |21,942 |<1>24,321
Divisional Officer III |20,664 |<1>22,152
Assistant Divisional Officer |19,290 |<1>21,090
Station Officer |18,300 |<1>19,740
Sub-officer |15,777 |17,016
Leading firefighter |15,390 |16,020
Firefighter |11,313 |<2>15,009
Notes:
<1>Ranks at Station Officer and above may attract a
flexible duty supplement of 20 per cent.
<2>Subject to being fully qualified.
The annual retainers for retained firefighters are set out in the following table :
Annual retainers for retained firefighters
Rank |One to three |More than three
|years' service | years' service
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Station Officer and above |1,716 |1,944
Sub-officer |<1>1,413 |<1>1,521
Leading firefighter |1,371 |1,413
Firefighter |1,257 |1,371
<1>Enhanced payments are made to Sub-officers in charge of fire stations.
In addition, retained firefighters are paid fees for attendance at
incidents, attendance at drill nights and extra duties. Retained
firefighters are also eligible for payments under the long service bounty
scheme.
The arrangements for the payments of pensions are as follows. Whole-time firefighters are pensioned under an unfunded statutory scheme, the provisions of which are
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administered locally by fire authorities. Members contribute 10.75 per cent. of their basic pay towards the cost of their benefits. The balance is met by the employing authorities, supported through the revenue support grant system. Retained firefighters qualify for payments in respect of injury benefits in certain circumstances, but are otherwise not involved in the occupational scheme.Metropolitan Police
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time that an applicant to join the Metropolitan police special constabulary has to wait from the time of application to their acceptance.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : It takes on average three months to process such applications.
Iraqis
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqis and other nationals were taken into custody in Scotland in connection with events in the Gulf ; and for how long each was detained.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Nineteen Iraqis were served with notices of intention to deport and taken into custody on 17 January in Scotland following the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf. Three were released on 23 January when they made voluntary departure from the United Kingdom. One was released on 7 February, one on 13 February, two on 19 February and 12 on 8 March. No other nationals were detained in Scotland in connection with events in the Gulf.
Probation Service
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the future of the probation service in Wales ;
(2) what plans he has to put parts of the probation service out to tender in Wales.
Mr. John Patten : Decisions on the future organisation of the probation service in England and Wales are being considered in the light of responses to the Green Paper, "Supervision and Punishment in the Community" (Cm. 966) and an announcement will be made as soon as possible. We are consulting the probation service and the independent sector throughout England and Wales about how best they can work together in dealing with offenders in the community, and will make an announcement on these issues in due course.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) 28 February, Official Report, column 571, what is his estimate of the cost of poll tax proceedings in each clerkship in the period 1 April to 31 December 1990 ; if he will undertake to place such information for each quarter in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, since the cost of proceedings varies from court to court according to local circumstances. It is, however, estimated that
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community charge enforcement proceedings in the period to 31 December 1990 cost overall in the region of £7 million.Bomb Hoaxes
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now reviewed the maximum penalties for bomb hoaxes ; and if he will make a statement.
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