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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The initiative to combat alcohol misuse in Wales is independent of other campaigns and there is therefore no Welsh share. As part of this initiative a recurring amount of £150, 000 was made available in 1990-91 and a further £150,000 was added in 1991-92, also recurring. Funds are not "earmarked" for each county ; bids are considered on their merits. In 1990-91, the individual projects funded were as follows :
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Title |Cost (£)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Drinkwise material |22,647.00
2. "Psst". Education video and supporting
teachers packs for secondary schools |13,974.00
3. Rhoserchan Project-Rehabilitation centre |6,790.00
4. West Glamorgan Council on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse |568.00
5. Youthlink Wales |1,358.00
6. South Glamorgan Council on Alcoholism |15,156.00
7. Clwyd and Gwynedd Council on Alcohol |19,965.00
8. Ty Palmyra Rehabilitaion Centre, Gwent |1,623.00
9. Dyfed Alcohol Advisory Service |3,480.00
10. Alcohol Concern Wales |2,379.00
11. Rhythm and Booze Radio 1 Campaign
Broadcast Support Service |3,500.00
|-------
Total cost |91,440.00
It is not possible to identify expenditure by county for 1991-92, as plans have yet to be finalised and grants claimed. In view of the delay, funds will be allocated to additional projects on a non-recurring basis. Forecast outturn is estimated to be around £230, 000.
Patients (Referrals)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he intends to take to fulfil ministerial assurances that contractual arrangements by health authorities in Wales will not interfere in the freedom of general practitioners and clinicians to refer patients to the most appropriate hospital and consultant.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : I shall be issuing consolidated guidance on the management and operation of extra-contractual referrals later this month, and this will again emphasise the principle that GP's and other clinicians should be free, when necessary, to refer in the best interests of their patients.
Health authorities when setting contracts and establishing mechanisms for managing extra-contractual referrals are required to have as their objective the pattern of referrals which local clinicians and GPs prefer.
From this year, the annual performance review with the Department will be held jointly with district health authorities and family health service authorities so as to further enhance the partnership between primary and secondary care in the setting of contracts.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received about difficulties and delays experienced when patients are referred by clinicians in Wales for treatment and its transpires that this must be done by means of extra-contractual referral.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Department has recorded only one representation about delays or difficulties arising from extra-contractual referrals. Upon investigation, I was satisfied that the problems raised by the correspondent were not related to the extra-contractual referral process.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that all patients in Wales waiting for treatment will be counted in the appropriate Welsh Office statistics ; and if he will instruct health authorities that any patients who are described as waiting to go on a waiting list or awaiting extra-contractual referral must be included in that authority's reports and any other published figures.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The monthly returns produced by district health authorities in respect of the treatments they secure for their residents, include statistics for all patients waiting for treatment, whether out-patient, in-patient or day case attendance, across all specialties. Health authorities are required to include extra- contractual referrals in the figures given. They do not operate a system involving people having to wait on one list before being eligible for entry on to another.Health Service Resources
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has now reached decisions about the allocation of resources for hospital and community health and related services in Wales for 1992-93 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I announced on 28 November at columns 1081-1082 my decision on the allocation of resources for health and personal social services in Wales for 1992-93. Within the £1,877 million resources available, I propose to allocate on a provisional basis £1, 420 million for the hospital and community health service and for the cash- limited element of the family health service in Wales. This sum, which is subject to parliamentary approval of the supply estimates, includes the full costs arising from the introduction of charging in respect of many of the services provided in England and Welsh patients. This represents a cash increase of £116.6 million, or 9 per cent. over 1991-92 estimated outturn provision. Of this sum, £54.5 million is to be made available for family health service authorities for their administration expenditure in 1992-93 and for the cash-limited element of the practice expenses of general medical practitioners and GP fundholders. The allocations to family health service authorities will be announced in the course of the next few weeks.
Excluding the cost of the artificial limb and appliance service, which is administered through a service level agreement between my Department and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, and other centrally financed services, £1,357.1 million will be provided for hospital and community health services--£1,228.7 million for current purposes and £128.4 million for capital spending.
For current spending, this represents a cash increase of £102.3 million or 9.1 per cent. over estimated outturn for the current year. This sum, together with the additional £13 million which it is anticipated authorities should, as a minimum, realise from further cash-releasing cost improvement savings and income generation schemes provide an effective increase in resources over 1991-92 of 10.2 per cent. £13.5 million of this sum will be allocated to fund the continuing and full-year cost of developments which are being funded centrally in 1991-92. £10.1 million will be allocated to other centrally funded developments which will be announced in due course. The £78.7 million balance of the provision available will be made available for the discretionary use of district health authorities. This provides for a 7.0 per cent. increase in DHA's discretionary revenue provision in cash terms or 2.5 per cent. in real terms, taking account of the latest forecast of general inflation in 1992- 93. In addition
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authorities will be expected to generate a further £13 million--that is, 1.1 per cent.--from new cash-releasing cost improvements and income generation schemes through their contracts with service providers.Thus, in total, DHAs should benefit from a 3.6 per cent. real terms improvement in their purchasing power, exclusive of any reductions in unit costs that arise from productivity gains as throughput increases. As a consequence, authorities should be able to make substantial improvements in the services offered to patients in accordance with the objectives of the patients charter.
This increase in DHA revenue provision in 1992-93 is considerably in excess of the 0.5 per cent. per annum growth assumption which was used to calculate the figures given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 21 March 1991 at columns 1081-82 regarding progress toward capitation shares. As a consequence, I am able to ensure that all DHAs in Wales will receive a minimum revenue cash increase of 6.5 per cent. in 1992-93, and that those which would otherwise be more than below their capitation formula targets will also receive the balance of growth funding in proportion to their respective distances from target.
The resulting discretionary revenue allocations for 1992-93 and the increases over their 1991-92 discretionary revenue provision in cash and percentage terms are shown in the table :
AllocationCash increase
|£ million|£ million|per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |160.4 |11.4 |7.9
East Dyfed |97.9 |6.9 |7.6
Gwent |170.1 |10.3 |6.5
Gwynedd |96.6 |7.2 |8.2
Mid Glamorgan |217.4 |13.1 |6.5
Pembrokeshire |43.4 |3.2 |8.0
Powys |55.5 |3.3 |6.5
South Glamorgan |191.6 |9.4 |6.5
West Glamorgan |142.5 |8.6 |6.5
When authorities' estimated shares of the proceeds of capital charges are added to these calculations, each DHA's percentage share of gross discretionary revenue provision in 1992-93 by comparison with its capitation formula target, updated for estimated population changes is as follows :
|Gross Discretionary|Capitation Formula
|Revenue Provision |Target Shares
|Percentage |Percentage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |13.8 |14.3
East Dyfed |8.5 |8.8
Gwent |15.7 |15.2
Gwynedd |8.3 |8.7
Mid Glamorgan |19.1 |19.2
Pembrokeshire |3.8 |3.9
Powys |4.7 |4.1
South Glamorgan |13.5 |13.0
West Glamorgan |12.6 |12.8
Accordingly, the revenue planning assumptions for individual authorities in subsequent years which I gave in my answer of 21 March 1991 have been revised as in table 3 :
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Percentage growth on previous year for 1992-93 to 2001-02 assuming 0.5 per
cent. growth
1993-91994-91995-91996-91997-91998-91999-2000 202001-02
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |1.27 |1.10 |1.10 |1.10 |1.09 |1.09 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
East Dyfed |1.10 |1.03 |1.02 |1.02 |1.02 |1.02 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
Gwent |0.00 |-0.10|-0.10|-0.10|-0.10|-0.10|0.45 |0.45 |0.45
Gwynedd |1.50 |1.20 |1.20 |1.19 |1.19 |1.18 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
Mid Glamorgan |0.00 |0.62 |0.62 |0.62 |0.62 |0.62 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
Pembroke |1.37 |1.15 |1.14 |1.14 |1.14 |1.13 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
Powys |0.00 |-2.15|-2.22|-2.29|-2.37|-2.45|0.45 |0.45 |0.45
South Glamorgan |0.00 |-0.27|-0.27|-0.28|-0.28|-0.29|0.45 |0.45 |0.45
West Glamorgan |0.00 |0.76 |0.76 |0.76 |0.76 |0.76 |0.45 |0.45 |0.45
These growth planning assumptions assume that capital charges remain the same over the planning period. Although growth of 0.5 per cent. has been assumed on the recurring revenue total, this is exclusive of capital charges, and this becomes 0.45 per cent. when expressed as a percentage of the recurring revenue and the recycled capital charges combined.
I must stress that the figures in table 3 are for planning purposes only. They will be revised and rolled forward each year to take account of actual allocations. The redistribution of resources indicated by these figures will affect the purchasing positions of health authorities, but the provision of services will depend on where purchasers choose to place their contracts. The future of individual hospitals will therefore not always depend on the relative funding position of authorities in which they are located. Under the new capital allocation arrangements which become effective on 1 April 1992, £97 million will be earmarked for the purposes of the all-Wales major capital programme. Further details of this programme will be announced in due course. £35 million will be made available for the discretionary capital requirements of DHAs and the new Pembrokeshire health trust, as well as the minor capital needs of various other service providers which are not managed by DHAs. This provision includes a sum of £3.4 million which is available as a result of authorities repaying brokerage loans from earlier years.
£1.7 million of this £35 million will be allocated in the form of additional revenue provision to the prospective pruchasers of the Pembrokeshire trust's services. It will thus form part of the trust's income for 1992-93 which can then be recapitalised to meet its capital requirements. The trust's capital expenditure will, however, also be subject to the external financing limit which I shall be issuing to the trust when its financial plan for next year has been updated to take account of the allocations to its prospective purchasers that are covered in this announcement.
A further £2 million will be held in reserve to meet the minor capital requirements of various other service providers such as the dental hospital, Breast Test Wales and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
The £31.3 million balance of capital provision will be allocated between the DHAs on behalf of their directly managed units ; and in order to ensure the fair distribution of this sum between service providers, it will be allocated between authorities pro rata to the anticipated revenue income which their units will attract next year. In this way, minor capital provision, like revenue will "follow the patient".
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The resulting capital allocations are set out in the following table. No allocation is shown for Pembrokeshire health authority because, when the Pembrokeshire trust comes into operation on 1 April, it will no longer be responsible for the capital needs of a directly managed unit. The trust's capital requirements will be met as previously noted.
|Capital allocation
|(£ million)
---------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |4.0
East Dyfed |3.3
Gwent |5.1
Gwynedd |2.1
Mid Glamorgan |5.9
Powys |1.1
South Glamorgan |5.5
West Glamorgan |4.3
In addition, property sales in 1992-93 are expected to generate a further £5.2 million and it is anticipated that authorities will benefit from £4.2 million of these receipts. In total, I expect authorities to achieve additional savings and to generate additional income amounting to at least 1.1 per cent. of their recurrent revenue allocations.
These allocations together represent another major increase in the provision for hospital, community and family health service. They once again underline the Government's commitment to the NHS and they underpin the assurances given about service availability and quality in the patients charter. They accord with the new resource allocation arrangements that flow from the NHS and Community Care Act and, in particular, make real progress toward weighted capitation funding. Indeed, they provide a secure basis on which to take forward the "Agenda for Action" which my Department recently published, and to which the NHS in Wales is fully committed. I am therefore sure they will be widely welcomed.
Council House Sales
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what capital receipts have accrued since 1980 to each local authority in Wales from the sale of council houses ; what proportion of these receipts in respect of Monmouth borough council have been invested in social housing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett [holding answer 29 January 1992] : In- year capital receipts are shown in the table. Information on the proportion of these used to fund specific housing programmes is not held centrally.
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In-year capital receipts from the sale of council houses<1>
£000
|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|Total
|1981-82
|to
|1990-91
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |691 |388 |446 |847 |1,155 |943 |1,150 |2,257 |3,724 |2,147 |13,748
Colwyn |754 |705 |532 |415 |544 |605 |758 |1,305 |1,407 |787 |7,812
Delyn |773 |651 |1,068 |3,889 |453 |681 |1,089 |1,070 |1,986 |1,471 |13,131
Glyndwr |791 |1,212 |627 |438 |1,498 |727 |709 |1,875 |2,017 |867 |10,761
Rhuddlan |412 |335 |373 |391 |627 |467 |844 |1,541 |1,457 |881 |7,328
Wrexham Maelor |2,009 |1,388 |719 |867 |1,320 |1,997 |3,095 |4,433 |10,329 |4,322 |30,479
Carmarthen |1,628 |1,348 |963 |944 |632 |741 |845 |1,549 |1,793 |1,697 |12,140
Ceredigion |1,628 |1,888 |1,193 |819 |580 |1,020 |869 |2,291 |3,133 |1,877 |15,298
Dinefwr |712 |596 |336 |329 |484 |768 |730 |1,198 |1,279 |1,260 |7,692
Llanelli |1,645 |1,874 |2,139 |1,352 |1,141 |1,695 |1,984 |3,258 |3,383 |2,236 |20,707
Preseli Pembroke |2,623 |1,539 |1,666 |1,108 |1,053 |1,123 |1,245 |3,137 |4,217 |2,367 |20,078
South Pembrokeshire |112 |1,121 |1,511 |1,009 |456 |446 |728 |1,745 |1,976 |1,151 |10,255
Blaenau Gwent |954 |1,586 |1,005 |723 |3,406 |1,386 |1,511 |2,932 |4,750 |2,162 |20,415
Islwyn |1,653 |8,274 |2,775 |1,767 |1,541 |2,193 |2,550 |4,118 |4,229 |1,531 |30,631
Monmouth |285 |260 |3,036 |2,563 |1,974 |2,088 |2,763 |4,097 |4,689 |2,144 |23,899
Newport |1,878 |2,623 |2,884 |3,135 |7,534 |3,486 |3,490 |6,972 |8,513 |2,745 |43,260
Torfaen |2,674 |3,722 |3,009 |2,552 |1,465 |4,811 |3,532 |7,170 |9,380 |4,875 |43,190
Aberconwy |1,095 |1,270 |804 |692 |734 |858 |1,071 |2,566 |3,201 |1,188 |13,479
Arfon |1,054 |2,200 |723 |851 |548 |777 |738 |2,085 |2,570 |1,242 |12,788
Dwyfor |1 |512 |244 |156 |220 |143 |129 |352 |521 |591 |2,869
Meirionnydd |0 |1,013 |664 |341 |394 |407 |590 |1,054 |1,296 |497 |6,256
Ynys Mon |1,085 |875 |486 |517 |1,144 |920 |739 |2,918 |3,868 |1,910 |14,462
Cynon Valley |0 |2,494 |1,120 |560 |526 |1,062 |1,015 |1,302 |557 |2,078 |10,714
Merthyr Tydfil |1,379 |1,784 |1,032 |849 |1,257 |1,627 |1,842 |2,663 |3,156 |1,213 |16,802
Ogwr |1,403 |3,816 |9,104 |3,204 |3,106 |3,674 |2,998 |5,144 |6,220 |3,466 |42,135
Rhondda |362 |191 |230 |202 |275 |398 |355 |557 |738 |628 |3,936
Rhymney Valley |1,880 |2,659 |2,073 |1,719 |1,615 |2,839 |3,175 |3,023 |4,407 |3,541 |26,931
Taff Ely |20 |992 |1,886 |1,724 |1,802 |2,910 |3,663 |4,707 |6,155 |3,539 |27,398
Brecknock |1,922 |328 |1,149 |1,015 |918 |1,159 |1,324 |1,977 |1,325 |1,086 |12,203
Montgomeryshire |10 |104 |946 |648 |782 |1,207 |1,065 |1,864 |2,230 |1,068 |9,924
Radnorshire |701 |670 |689 |281 |317 |296 |595 |774 |881 |500 |5,704
Cardiff |2,355 |1,515 |4,015 |5,039 |6,312 |11,529 |9,179 |14,349 |16,819 |8,319 |79,431
Vale of Glamorgan |1,449 |2,762 |2,766 |2,274 |2,084 |3,297 |2,947 |5,755 |5,079 |2,260 |30,673
Port Talbot |890 |435 |1,950 |1,850 |2,080 |2,517 |3,063 |4,211 |5,182 |2,624 |24,802
Lliw Valley |734 |1,266 |502 |623 |960 |1,372 |1,343 |1,731 |2,968 |2,475 |13,974
Neath |1,636 |1,140 |714 |947 |1,410 |1,539 |1,864 |2,482 |3,038 |1,951 |16,721
Swansea |0 |1,607 |1,831 |6,027 |1,580 |2,260 |3,588 |8,467 |9,624 |4,375 |39,359
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total Districts |39,198 |57,143 |57,210 |52,667 |53,927 |65,968 |69,175 |118,929|148,097|79,071 |741,385
<1> Includes the repayment of principal on local authority mortgages on council house sales.
Local Authority Capital Receipts
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table for each region and each class of local authority in Wales, for housing capital receipts and other capital receipts, showing (a) total cash-backed capital receipts available to local authorities at 31 March 1990 and the amount of those receipts that were set aside as provision for credit liabilities, (b) the total of capital receipts received by local authorities in 1990-91 and the amount of those receipts set aside as provision for credit liabilities, (c) total capital receipts spent by Welsh local authorities in 1990-91, (d) the estimated total of capital receipts local authorities received in 1991-92 and the amount of those receipts that are likely to be set aside as provision for credit liabilities and (e) the estimated total of capital receipts spent on capital projects in 1991-92.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett [holding answer 29 January 1992] : I have placed a copy of the information available in the Library of the House.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will require health authorities in Wales to include all patients awaiting treatment, including those awaiting
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extra-contractual arrangements, in their returns to the Welsh Office and ensure that such cases are included in the totals of figures published by his Department.Mr. Nicholas Bennett [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Welsh Office waiting list returns already require district health authorities in Wales to report information on all patients resident in their area, including those subject to extra-contractual referral.
ENVIRONMENT
MINIS
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the development of MINIS in his Department since its inception ; and what proposals he has for its further development.
Mr. Heseltine : My Department is currently engaged on the 13th round of MINIS returns and reviews. Since I introduced the system in 1980, there have been many detailed changes over the years in the way material is collected and presented. In the early rounds, the emphasis was on establishing the full range of functions being undertaken within the Department and the staff and other
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costs related to each. The next stage of development was to include better defined aims, objectives and targets in order to clarify what was being achieved and to ensure that these achievements fully supported Government policies and priorities. The most recent developments have concentrated on making MINIS more useful as a system for top management and Ministers, which has entailed the development of supporting line management systems at all levels through the Department ; and on considering the allocation of administrative resources alongside the setting of objectives and targets, to ensure that resources are in the right place to do the job.MINIS returns are published after each round and a copy is placed in the Library of the House. Copies of MINIS 13 returns will be made available in the same way in due course.
Radon
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in exploring possibilities of an accreditation scheme for builders engaged in remedial work on radon, pursuant to his Department's response to the sixth report from the Select Committee on the Environment, Session 1990-91, into indoor pollution.
Mr. Baldry : Discussions with the National Radiological Protection Board and representatives of the building industry in the south-west have established that training and experience are essential prerequisites for developing any accreditation scheme. The Building Research Establishment is now arranging a series of training courses for builders and building professionals on radon remedial measures.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities on the need for supplementary credit allocations to deal with the possible roll-out of previous swaps deals ; and what replies he has made.
Mr. Portillo : Two local authorities have asked my Department for supplementary credit approvals in respect of potential restitution payments on interest rate swaps. They have been told that it would be premature to consider such requests until the amounts involved can be estimated with reasonable certainty. They have also been told that, while requests for SCAs will be carefully considered, we do not have a reserve of resources for this purpose, so any additional allocations to one authority would be at the expense of others, or would require an increase in capital expenditure.
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the sum of the precepts of the spending authorities on the collecting authorities in England in 1992-93, on the assumption that local authorities spend at their standard spending assessment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : The sum of standard spending assessments for precepting authorities in England for 1992-93, on the basis of the reports laid before the House on 24 January, is £20,444.1 million.
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Planning Applications
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to revise the criteria used in determining whether to call in planning applications under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to reflect the new priority being attached to development plans by section 54a of the 1990 Act, as inserted by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.
Mr. Yeo : We have no plans to do so.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to require local planning authorities to determine whether planning applications are in accordance with the development plan before their determination.
Mr. Yeo : Authorities are already required by the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans) (England) Direction 1981 to take a view on whether planning applications depart from the development plan, to advertise any such application which they do not intend to refuse and to notify certain departures to the Secretary of State.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend the directions made under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to require the Secretary of State to be notified of planning applications which depart from the local plan as well as the structure plan and which the local planning authority do not intend to refuse.
Mr. Yeo : We are considering the need for a fresh direction. The basis for notifying applications which depart from development plans to the Secretary of State would be an important consideration in making such a direction.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer on 24 January, Official Report, columns 351-53, by what criteria he concluded that there is no case for statutory action in instances where there is evidence of a breach of statutory provisions.
Mr. Portillo : The Secretary of State's conclusion in relation to any case has regard to the circumstances of the case and to the balance of evidence.
Derelict Land
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 22 January, Official Report, column 309, what plans he has to continue the national register of vacant and public land ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : My Department's register is expected to remain in existence as long as my right hon. Friend's power to direct disposal is limited to sites entered on it. However, only sites for which the possibility of a direction is under consideration are being added to the register. For the longer term, as stated in our 1990 consultation paper "Encouraging The Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", it remains our intention to replace the national register with statutory owners' registers for all relevant public bodies.
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Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 22 January, Official Report, column 309, what other measures, in addition to the requirement for local authorities to maintain and publish registers of their derelict or disused land, are being considered by his Department to address the problem of derelict or disused land in public ownership.Mr. Yeo : We shall announce any further measures when we are ready.
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 22 January, Official Report, column 309, how many local registers for derelict or disused land in public ownership there will now be in England and Wales.
Mr. Yeo : A total of 430 local authorities in England will be required by the regulations to make available to the public at their principal offices registers of unused and underused land in their ownership. Under the 1989 code of practice, some 200 other local public bodies including health authorities and development corporations as well as Government Departments and other national public bodies are asked to provide similar registers. All bodies have been asked to deposit relevant extracts with district and London borough councils so that they can be made available locally. Responsibility for land registers in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 22 January, Official Report, column 309, if he will make it his policy to require a six monthly return from local authorities to his Department, based upon their registers, reporting on the amount of derelict and disused land in public ownership in each local authority area.
Mr. Yeo : Local authorities are required to make annual returns to my Department of aggregate information relating to their registers and other public sector owners have been requested to do so under the 1989 code of practice. I have no proposals for altering these arrangements.
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 22 January, Official Report, column 309, what is the likely cost to local authorities of the scheme of local registration for derelict or disused land in public ownership.
Mr. Yeo : The extra cost to local authorities of maintaining registers of unused and underused land in their ownership is expected to be minimal. They should be recording this information themselves anyway in accordance with the 1989 code of practice and in the ordinary course of efficient property management.
Planning Policy
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will revise planning policy guidance note 1 to withdraw the general presumption in favour of development as it relates to the preparation of development plans.
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Mr. Yeo : A draft revision of planning policy guidance note 1 was issued for consultation in October last year. The final version of this guidance will be published shortly in the light of the many responses we have received.
Lowland Peat Bogs
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future of the lowland peat bogs at (a) Thorne moors, Yorkshire, (b) Hatfield moors, Yorkshire, (c) Fenns and Whixall moors, Shropshire and (d) Wedholme flow, Cumbria.
Mr. Baldry : The Department gave consent for the then Nature Conservancy Council to purchase the freehold and leasehold interests of Fens Whixall and Bettisfield mosses site of special scientific interest in 1990. Thorne and Hatfield moors, and Wedholme Flow are sites included in the recent announcement by English Nature and Fisons. The sites are being handed over to English Nature at no cost. All the areas where vegetation exists will be managed immediately for nature conservation purposes, and the remainder will be returned to nature conservation over a phased programme agreed between Fisons and English Nature.
Falkland Islands
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if monitoring of ultraviolet radiation is carried out in the Falkland Islands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Monday 3 February 1992 at column 11.
National Parks
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of each of the national parks in England are designated as environmentally sensitive areas ; and what is the ESA acreage in each instance.
Mr. Baldry : Substantial parts of the existing Pennine dales, North Peak and the Broads ESAs fall within the Yorkshire Dales national park, the Peak District national park and the Broads Authority respectively. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's recent announcement of further ESA designations included areas in the Lake district, Peak district and Exmoor and Dartmoor national parks. Detailed work on the ESA boundaries to reflect the particular purposes of each new scheme is still underway. The precise proportion of new ESAs in national parks cannot be determined until their boundaries are set, and for existing areas the information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Revenue Support Grant (Bournemouth)
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the revenue support grant 1992-93 for Bournemouth in 1991-92 ; and what account he has taken of the tourism factor.
Mr. Portillo : Bournemouth's revenue support grant for 1992-93 is £34.766 million, an increase of 20 per cent. over
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the comparable figure for 1991-92. The allowance for overnight visitors in the authority's standard spending assessment is £1.088 million, also an increase of 20 per cent. on this year's figure.Local Government Commission (Guidance)
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when, and with whom, he proposes to consult on the draft procedural guidance for the Local Government Commission to be issued under clause 15 of the Local Government Bill.
Mr. Portillo : The draft procedural guidance will be published shortly. The main consultation will be with the local authority associations, but we intend also to publicise the availability of the draft, and we shall, of course, be happy to consider comments on it from any interested individual or organisation. The draft will be placed in the Library of the House.
Solent Wetlands
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made with English Nature on designating the Solent wetlands and saltmarshes under the Ramsar convention.
Mr. Baldry : English Nature has identified the Solent marshes, together with Southampton water, as a potential Ramsar site, but they have not formally recommended designation to Government.
Merseyside Fire and Civil Defence Authority
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of state for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority respecting the provisional standard spending assessment and capping criteria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : My right hon. Friend has had no discussions with the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority on his proposals for the 1992- 93 local government finance settlement, nor during the consultation period did he receive any representations from the authority on these matters. My right hon. and noble Friend, the Minister of State for the Home Office, met a delegation from the authority on 23 January 1992 to discuss their review of standards of fire cover.
My right hon. Friend laid the Revenue Support Grant Report (England) 1992- 93 and associated reports before the House on Friday 24 January. The SSA for Merseyside fire and civil defence authority for 1992-93 is £45.859 million, an increase of 7.4 per cent. on 1991-92, and, as a result of changes in underlying data, £12,000 greater than the provisional SSA proposed on 26 November. The authority's SSA per adult (£44) is the highest of the metropolitan fire and civil defence authorities.
My right hon. Friend reaffirmed on 23 January that he remained minded to adopt as capping criteria the provissional criteria announced on 26 November. On the basis of these criteria, the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority could set a budget 7.4 per cent. higher than for 1991-92 without falling to be designated for capping.
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Public Records
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals the Lord Chancellor has to maintain collections of public records currently held by county councils in the light of the proposed restructuring of local government ; and whether he has sought comments from the Advisory Council on Public Records about this matter.
Mr. Portillo : In recommending any unitary authorities, the proposed Local Government Commission would have to be satisfied about the delivery of archive services. There will be ample opportunities for bodies concerned with archives to offer advice and comment on the commission's recommendations.
Minerals
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Regulations 1991/2794 upon the ability of the mineral industry to supply the construction industry with the materials it needs.
Mr. Yeo : The statutory duty for all mineral planning authorities to prepare a minerals local plan will provide the mineral industry with an up- to-date planning framework which will assist with the continuing supply of minerals for the construction industry in an environmentally acceptable manner. The regulations set out the detailed requirements for the preparation of minerals and other development plans.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what restraints he has placed upon district authorities to prevent them either deferring or overriding county mineral and waste disposal plans ; and what mechanism he has provided for reconciling the conflict between county and district authorities on issues of importance to the mineral industry in discharging its role as supplier of aggregates.
Mr. Yeo : District local plans and minerals and waste local plans have to be in general conformity with the relevant structure plan. County planning authorities must be consulted on the preparation of district local plans and have the right to object to any policies or proposals of such plans. The Secretary of State has reserve powers to direct modification or to call in, all or part of a plan should that be necessary. The Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Regulations 1991 provide that in the event of conflict between the provisions of a minerals or waste local plan on the one hand and a district local plan on the other, the provisions of the more recently adopted or approved plan prevail.
UN Conference on Environment and Development
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the proposals by the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection Committee of the European Parliament on European Communities' participation in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil in June ; and what plans he has to work more closely with the European Parliament on environmental matters.
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Mr. Baldry : The European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection Committee last year presented an interesting report on the Community's participation in the UN Conference on Environment and Development. This report, sent to the Commission and member states, will be taken into account in the Community's preparations for UNCED. On future relations with the European Parliament, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 30 January at column 641.Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 642, if he will publishtables based on the same criteria for the 1992-93 standard spending assessments which were laid before the House on 24 January.
Mr. Portillo : A table containing the information requested has been placed in the Library.
Water Treatment
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement concerning his consultations with the chairman of the National Rivers Authority regarding the implementation within the United Kingdom of the 1985 European Community municipal waste water treatment directive.
Mr. Baldry : The European Community's proposed municipal waste water treatment directive was adopted in May 1991 as the urban waste water treatment directive. The department has set up an advisory group to assist in the task of implementing the directive in the United Kingdom. The National Rivers Authority is represented on this group.
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