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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 27 June 1991
ENVIRONMENT
Performance Indicators
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what performance indicators are published for his Department ; and what steps his Department has taken to involve consumer views in the development of performance indicators.
Mr. Heseltine : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my Department's annual report 1991--Cm. 1508--which provides an explanation of my Department's expenditure plans, including measures of past and expected outputs and performance. Further details are also available from MINIS documents in the Library of the House ; the latest MINIS returns--MINIS 12--will be published shortly.
Last year 27,900 people and organisations were interviewed or consulted at a cost of £2.3 million in pursuit of the Department finding out more about the effects of its policies and programmes. Each year my Department publishes the results of its findings and distributes the reports widely. The Department also encourages its sponsored bodies and local authorities to take account of the views of consumers and other interested parties in developing performance indicators for the services which are delivered through them, rather than by the Department directly. For example, we have recently commissioned the development of a manual for local authorities and housing associations on conducting tenant surveys.
Chromium Compounds
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the dangers to public health of airborne emissions of chromium compounds ; and what measures are taken to monitor industrial sites which are known to emit such substances.
Mr. Trippier : Information on dangers to public health of airborne emissions of chromium compounds is a matter primarily for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
New processes for the production of chromium, its alloys and compounds require an authorisation from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, under part I of the Environmental Protection Act. The authorisation will include monitoring requirements of the operator to demonstrate compliance with the release limits commensurate with the use of the "best available techniques not entailing excessive cost". However, existing chromium works subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act are required to demonstrate the use of the "best practical means" and this may include the specific requirement to monitor emissions of chromium and its compounds. These works will come under the requirements of part I of the Environmental Protection Act from 1 May 1994.
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Clyde Submarine Base
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many supervising officers' instructions at the Trident construction project at the Clyde submarine base have been issued at nil value ; and what percentage of instructions on average come into this category ;
(2) what budgetary value is attributed to supervising officers' instructions to contractors and sub-contractors relating to work at the Clyde submarine base.
Mr. Yeo : Our contractual arrangements at the Clyde submarine base development are commercially confidenial.
Planning Appeals
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to the statement of 2 May, Official Report, columns 273-74 by the Minister for Housing and Planning, if he will give the success rate of planning appeals in England divided into small sites of two acres or less not involving conservation areas or listed buildings, larger sites of the same type, proposals in conservation areas, proposals involving listed buildings not in conservation areas and appeals against enforcement notices.
Sir George Young : The information relating to appeals against enforcement notices is as follows :
|Number |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------
Appeals decided |2,808 |-
Notice upheld |1,873 |67
Notice varied |81 |3
Notice quashed |854 |30
The other information requested is not available in the form required.
Concert Hall, Manchester
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what public funding has been put towards the financing of the proposed international concert hall, Manchester.
Mr. Portillo : The public funding put towards the financing of the proposed international concert hall, Manchester, has amounted to £311,500 to date for a number of feasibility studies.
Toxic Waste
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require all contracts which involve the importation of waste into the United Kingdom to include a clause which will require the waste to be returned to the exporter if it is found to be different in nature, content or toxicity from that described in the contract.
Mr. Trippier : One provision of the Basle convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste and their disposal is that, where the fault lies with him, the exporter or generator must take back his waste where it does not conform in a material way with the documents including the contract. The European
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Community has considerable competence in respect of transboundary movements of hazardous waste and the United Kingdom is pressing the EC to adopt a regulation to implement the convention. The regulation will necessarily include provision for the return of waste in the circumstances described.Local Government Finance
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of money saved in community charge reduction scheme payments due to the £140 reduction in headline bills ; what is the likely cost of the reduction scheme in 1991-92 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : The cost of the reduction scheme announced in January was £1.7 billion. Following the Budget changes, my best estimate of the cost of the reduction scheme is £1.25 billion.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to publish regulations relating to the Local Government Finance and Valuation Bill on either (a) capping or (b) valuation before the end of July ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : We intend to publish as soon as practicable regulations to enable us to make an early start on the exercise of allocating domestic properties into bands.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was paid in 1990-91 in poll tax transitional relief.
Mr. Portillo : Local authorities have not yet submitted final claims for grant in respect of transitional relief awarded, but to date they have claimed £260 million.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the administrative costs of administering (a) poll tax transitional relief in 1990-91 and (b) the community charge reduction scheme in 1991-92.
Mr. Portillo : A total of £19 million was paid to local authorities last year to reimburse them for the cost of operating the transitional relief scheme. This year local authorities will receive a further £15 million to cover the costs of preparing for and administering the reduction scheme.
Pollution Insurance
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's environment directorate on pollution insurance and compensation funds for accidental pollution in regard to its relevance for United Kingdom legislation.
Mr. Trippier : I have made no response to the publication of the report. It will of course be studied by officials and any material relevant to United Kingdom legislation will be noted.
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National Association for Environmental Education
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings he has had with representatives of the National Association for Environmental Education since 1987 ; and when he next expects to meet representatives of the association.
Mr. Trippier : There have been no recent meetings between Ministers and the National Association for Environmental Education although officials maintain regular contact. I am planning to attend the association's annual conference in April next year.
EC Construction Products Directive
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to implement the provisions of the EC construction products directive in the United Kingdom.
Sir George Young : My right hon. Friend intends to implement the EC construction products directive --89/106/EEC--by means of regulations made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972. These regulations are to be laid in Parliament around the middle of July and it is proposed that they come into force around the turn of the year.
Implementation of the directive in the United Kingdom will take place somewhat later than the target timetable set out in the directive--27 June 1991. However, our implementation timetable is entirely consistent with the European Commission's projected date for the publication of interpretative documents. These documents are essential to the commercial application of the directive and to effective enforcement action.
Montreal Protocol
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress was made by the parties to the Montreal protocol at their third meeting ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The third meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer took place in Nairobi from 19 to 21 June. Good progress was made in setting stronger mandates for the protocol's technological and economic assessment panels to consider the implications for a 1997 phase-out of substances that deplete the ozone layer, and to review the control measures agreed at the London meeting in 1990.
The United Kingdom will play a leading role in the work of the working groups set up under the Montreal protocol to examine and recommend further changes to the protocol when it is reviewed next year at the fourth meeting of the parties.
More than 70 countries are now parties to the protocol. The meeting welcomed the announcement from China that it would accede to the protocol. The parties also agreed to increase the size of the interim multilateral fund established one year ago at the London meeting to $200 million, and approved over $9 million of projects to be undertaken in 1991 by the World bank, United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme to support developing countries to phase out their use of ozone-depleting substances.
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TRANSPORT
Rail Privatisation
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will put into private ownership the Fenchurch Street to Southend line ; if he will allow competing operators to run trains for passengers on the line ; and if he will allow season ticket holders to buy shares in the lines ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to privatise designated British Rail lines on an experimental basis ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Our policy is to privatise British Rail. We are considering how that can best be done. We propose to provide for a right of access to British Rail's track for new operators, although this will require legislation.
Bus Drivers
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will institute an inquiry into the hours worked by drivers employed by private bus companies in the Greater London area.
Mr. Freeman : No. The hours worked by bus drivers in the Greater London area, as elsewhere, are governed by rules contained in part VI of the Transport Act 1968 and EC directive 3820/85.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Police Numbers
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will construct a table showing, for each police authority, what the total accumulated bid was for increases in establishment between 1979 and the latest available date ; what total increases in establishment have been awarded in each case ; and what percentage the total increases represent as a proportion of the total accumulated bids.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The table for police authorities in England and Wales shows what has been approved since 1979.
Accumulated IncreasPercentage bids increases ----------------------------------------------- Avon and Somerset |465 |231 |49.7 Bedfordshire |303 |169 |55.8 Cambridgeshire |232 |135 |58.2 Cheshire |235 |94 |40.0 Cleveland |89 |91 |102.2 Cumbria |654 |95 |14.5 Derbyshire |387 |111 |28.7 Devon and Cornwall |386 |205 |53.1 Dorset |299 |122 |40.8 Durham |54 |37 |68.5 Dyfed Powys |9 |9 |100.0 Essex |891 |365 |41.0 Gloucestershire |105 |67 |63.8 Greater Manchester |1,684 |306 |18.2 Gwent |115 |34 |29.6 Hampshire |441 |246 |55.8 Hertfordshire |296 |147 |49.7 Humberside |232 |86 |37.1 Kent |454 |226 |49.8 Lancashire |341 |105 |30.8 Leicestershire |327 |120 |36.7 Lincolnshire |43 |23 |53.5 Merseyside |464 |255 |55.0 Norfolk |300 |155 |51.7 Northamptonshire |315 |210 |66.7 Northumbria |835 |253 |30.3 North Wales |161 |72 |44.7 North Yorkshire |210 |86 |41.0 Nottinghamshire |401 |199 |49.6 South Wales |316 |99 |31.3 South Yorkshire |773 |264 |34.2 Staffordshire |389 |144 |37.0 Suffolk |171 |127 |74.3 Surrey |469 |71 |15.1 Sussex |361 |179 |49.6 Thames Valley |1,840 |728 |39.6 Warwickshire |421 |139 |33.0 West Mercia |382 |189 |49.5 West Midlands |1,452 |432 |29.8 West Yorkshire |969 |189 |19.5 Wiltshire |213 |91 |42.7 City of London<1> |12 |(-224)|- Metropolitan<2> |- |2,126 |- <1> The establishment of the City of London Police was reduced in 1983-84 and therefore a percentage of posts approved from posts applied for cannot be shown. <2> The Home Secretary is himself police authority for the Metropolitan Police. The table shows therefore only the extra posts awarded.
Chief Superintendent Colin McMurray
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the original terms of the disciplinary inquiry into the alleged activities of Chief Superintendent Colin McMurray.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Police (Accusations)
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what channels exist for senior police officers to vindicate themselves following false accusations being brought against them.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Where a senior officer has been the subject of a false allegation by a member of the public, it is open to him, as it is to anyone else, to bring a civil action against that person.
Braille Voting Cards
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to provide Braille voting cards at polling stations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : No. The Representation of the People Acts and subordinate legislation already allow the presiding officer or a companion to assist blind people to vote. Alternatively, they may choose to vote by post or by proxy.
Police Officers (Call-out)
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information is available to him on the numbers of police officers available for call-out for each police force ; what is the figure for each force during (a) daytime and (b) night time ; and what proportion of the total force strength this represents ;
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(2) what information is available to his Department on the call-out response times by individual police forces ; if he will give the average figure for (a) daytime and (b) night time, together with the 10 highest and 10 lowest figures ; and what are the comparable figures for call-out to business and retail premises (i) in the high street and (ii) in out-of-town shopping centres.Mr. Peter Lloyd : This information is not held centrally.
TV Licensing Enforcement
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sanctions are available to him to ensure that details of television purchases provided to the BBC for licensing enforcement are not used for commercial purposes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Under section 180 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, responsibility for the issue and renewal of television licences passed to the BBC on 1 April 1991. The right to use the records existing before 1 April for television licensing purposes was transferred to the corporation by deed of gift laid before the House on 8 March. Its use of those records for any other purposes would need my prior approval. However, subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984, it is for the BBC to decide what use to make of the records created since it became the statutory licensing authority.
Swear Belts
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to ban the sale of swear belts to minors.
Mr. John Patten : Legislation on the supply, display, importation or use of obscene or indecent material may apply to tape devices which replay foul language. The law should operate on the language used rather than the instruments for reproducing it. As well as the criminal law, we need the exercise of responsibility by parents and families in influencing minors.
Mr. Samuel Antonelli
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the activities of Samuel Thomas Antonelli, a United States citizen convicted on four counts of harassment at Warrington magistrates court on 5 March ; and what steps he intends to take in the matter.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 25 June 1991] : None, although I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has received a number of representations about Mr. Antonelli and his company. Mr. Antonelli has appealed to the Crown court against his conviction, and I can make no comment about those proceedings.
Mr. Mohinder Paul Singh Bedi
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about the current position concerning police inquiries into the affairs of Mr. Mohinder Paul Singh Bedi.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 25 June 1991] : I understand that the investigation by the Metropolitan
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police into the affairs of Mohinder Paul Singh Bedi is continuing. Charges of conspiracy to defraud have now been brought against Mr. Bedi.WALES
Right to Buy
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the source of the information he gave in his answer to the hon. Member for Ynys Mo n (Mr. Jones) of 7 June, Official Report, column 369, regarding outstanding right-to-buy applications.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information came from a Welsh Office statistical return (WHO7) which is completed by each local authority on a quarterly basis. The return asks, among other things, for the number of
"accepted Right-to-Buy applications being dealt with but not yet completed at end of quarter".
The data from this part of the return formed the basis of my recent answer.
The return, together with other housing statistical returns, was reviewed in consultation with local authority representatives last year.
Youth Training
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many youth training scheme places have been made available in Wales in the area of agricultural and rural skills training during each of the last 10 years.
Sir Wyn Roberts : There were 730 YT places in agricultural skills filled at 30 March 1991. Information relating to earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many youth opportunities programme, youth training scheme and youth training places were available in Wales in each year since 1978 ; and what is the estimate for 1991.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not available.
EC Funding
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are currently being made by his Department to ensure the maximum possible level of funding from the European Community structures directives to objective 5b status areas of Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The integrated development operations programme-- IDO--for Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys, under objective 5b of the EC's structural funds, was formally approved by the Commission on 14 May this year. The European regional development fund--ERDF--element of the IDO was already operating as a national programme of community interest, and some £67.4 million in ERDF grants has been allocated to projects in the three counties, out of a programme allocation of £79.3 million for 1987-91. Approval to the IDO means that European social fund projects can also be supported, and the allocation of £1.8 million for 1990 has already been committed to projects. A further IDO programme for
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1992-93, to take up funds already committed to Dyfed, Gwynedd and Powys, will shortly be submitted to the Commission.Planning Procedures
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the success rate of planning appeals in Wales, overall and divided into : small sites of two acres or less not involving conservation areas or listed buildings, larger sites of the same type, proposals in conservation areas, proposals involving listed buildings not in conservation areas and appeals against enforcement notices.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : In Wales 33.8 per cent. of planning appeals were allowed in the financial year 1990-91. In the same period 31 per cent. of appeals against enforcement notices were allowed. Information is not kept in such a way as to provide the other figures requested.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish the results of his review on planning guidance in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Assembly of Welsh Counties--AWC--has accepted my right hon. Friend's invitation to assess, in collaboration with other bodies, the existing strategic planning framework which provides the policy context for the preparation of structure plans and local plans in Wales. We expect to receive advice from the AWC early in 1992. We will then consider the need to revise or update the policy framework.
Sheep (Attacks by Dogs)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of attacks on sheep by dogs have been recorded in each police authority area in Wales in each of the last five years ; and how many sheep have been (i) killed or (ii) injured in each instance.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is not held centrally.
Agricultural Tenancies
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many agricultural tenancies have been granted to people under the age of 30 years in Wales in each year since 1978 ; and what has been the ratio of applications to available lettings in each instance.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not available.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effect of the uniform business rate on businesses in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Unified business rates remove uncertainty in financial planning for businesses by limiting year-on-year increases to no more than the retail prices index, equalise rates on similar properties in different locations, and avoid unreasonable levels of rates imposed by some local authorities under the old system.
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PRIME MINISTER
Cabinet Advisers
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Prime Minister how many members of the Cabinet have a special adviser.
The Prime Minister : Seventeen.
Medicinal Products
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements are made to provide the Department of Trade and Industry with briefing from the Department of Health on the issue of supplementary protection certificates for medicinal products.
The Prime Minister : There is close co-operation and regular contact between the two Departments, to ensure that health care, industrial and intellectual property issues are reflected in the Government's approach to the Commission's proposal.
Farmed Salmon
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Prime Minister which Ministry is responsible for negotiating with the European Commission concerning the dumping of farmed salmon.
The Prime Minister : The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department are together representing the current concerns of the United Kingdom's fish farming industry with Norwegian imports to the European Commission. In the event of a formal anti-dumping complaint being made by the industry, the Department of Trade and Industry working in close co-operation with other relevant Departments would represent the United Kingdom interest in Brussels in view of its overall responsibility for anti-dumping matters.
Strategic Arms Reduction
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy on the inclusion of the United Kingdom nuclear deterrent in strategic arms reduction talks with the Soviet Union.
The Prime Minister : The current strategic arms reduction talks are bilateral between the United States and the Soviet Union ; British nuclear forces will not therefore be included in the agreement. If United States and Soviet strategic arsenals were further reduced substantially, and if there had been no significant improvements in defensive capabilities, we would consider how best we might contribute to the arms control process in the light of the changed circumstances. But the introduction of Trident in the mid-1990s will provide the minimum capability necessary to maintain an effective independent deterrent into the next century and the reductions in prospect would not reduce our strategic needs.
Indonesian Research Minister
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting with the Indonesian Research Minister on 19 June.
The Prime Minister : I met Dr. Habibie, the Indonesian Minister for Research and Technology, on 19 June. We
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discussed a number of issues including commercial co-operation, particularly in the aerospace sector, and the arrangements for Indonesians to study in Britain.European Council
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he expects to put to the meeting of the European Council in Luxembourg.
The Prime Minister : I shall make clear the United Kingdom objective of creating an open, liberal and efficient Community. We want to improve foreign policy co-ordination, but the basis of our security in Europe must continue to be the Atlantic alliance. In order to allow European co- operation to prosper, we need a flexible treaty structure distinguishing between Community and
intergovernmental activity. We also want the European Council to give fresh impetus to the single market programme. We shall discuss a range of international issues, including the crisis in Yugoslavia.
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