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Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to issue guidance on the definition of sensitive waters for the purposes of the implementation in the United Kingdom of the 1985 European Community municipal waste water treatment directive.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 13 January 1992 at column 432 .
Fuel and Power Industry Processes
Mr. Couchman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the remainder of the process guidance notes for the fuel and power industry processes prescribed under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will be available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : I am pleased to report that we have issued the chief inspector's guidance to inspectors for 16 processes in the fuel and power industry. These notes have been drawn up following completion of research reviews ; and relevant industries and other bodies have been given the opportunity to put forward their comments. The notes will provide a sound framework within which inspectors can assess applications for the authorisation of new processes and existing processes. They represent a further stage in the introduction of integrated pollution control.
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A set of the notes has been placed in the Library of the House. The preparation of guidance notes for the remaining processes to come under control is well advanced. Further notes will be published in the next few months.Preston Farm, Stockton on Tees
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions his Department has had with the Teesside development corporation about Preston farm, Stockton on Tees.
Mr. Portillo : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement announced today that the defence quality assurance laboratories will not be relocating to Preston farm. This leaves the way open for a series of new developments on the site. The Teesside development corporation will be announcing the first of these today, a £7 million investment by Livera Foods plc. The new factory is expected to create up to 700 new jobs. In addition, it is expected that a further 100 jobs will be created by the company's suppliers, and the construction contracts for the new factory will employ about 80 people.
The development corporation has received a number of other inquiries about the possibility of development on the Preston farm site and hopes to be in the position to make further announcements shortly.
Renovation Grant
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for renovation grant were successful in each year since 1979 (a) in England, (b) in Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) in each local authority in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Information about grants paid to private owners and tenants by local authorities are shown in the publication "Local Housing Statistics : England and Wales". The relevant issue numbers are as follows :
Year |Issue number(s) ------------------------------------------------ 1979 |53-55, 57 1980 |57, 58, 61 1981 |65 1982 |69 1983 |73 1984 |77 1985 |81 1986 |85 1987 |89 1988 |93 1989 |97
Copies are in the Library.
Regional and national totals for 1979 and 1980 did not appear in this publication and for England are 65,359 grants paid in 1979 and 74,465 in 1980. The corresponding figures for Yorkshire and Humberside are 7,900 and 9,478 respectively.
The latest figures for 1990 and the first nine months of 1991 are as follows :
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Grants paid to private owners and tenants under
(a) Housing Act 1985 (b) Local Government and
Housing Act 1989
|1990 |first nine |1990 |first nine
|months 1991 |months 1991
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England |89,094 |22,703 |7,523 |43,244
Yorkshire and Humberside |13,901 |3,327 |583 |5,164
Barnsley |644 |19 |48 |364
Doncaster |245 |38 |1 |169
Rotherham |1,538 |177 |44 |645
Sheffield |1,232 |300 |33 |571
Bradford |(3)451 |85 |(3)- |155
Calderdale |1,042 |204 |15 |280
Kirklees |(3)699 |829 |(3)- |89
Leeds |(3)750 |209 |(3)25 |503
Wakefield |(2)367 |374 |(2)5 |200
Beverley |(3)35 |23 |(3)11 |82
Boothferry |92 |36 |53 |92
Cleethorpes |191 |50 |120 |188
East Yorkshire |<1>- |28 |<1>- |44
Glanford |157 |50 |23 |99
Great Grimsby |324 |58 |11 |234
Holderness |39 |9 |- |20
Kingston upon Hull |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>-
Scunthorpe |(1)48 |<1>- |(1)12 |<1>-
Craven |(1)15 |<1>- |(1)- |<1>-
Hambleton |42 |11 |- |7
Harrogate |100 |37 |21 |96
Richmondshire |103 |6 |5 |31
Ryedale |51 |(2)15 |8 |(2)30
Scarborough |128 |(2)41 |1 |(2)18
Selby |145 |36 |6 |66
York |165 |16 |19 |132
<1> No returns received.
Notes: Figures in brackets give number of quarters for which information has been
returned if not complete.
Management Agreements
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the number of management agreements under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which have been entered into in (a) national nature reserves and (b) sites of special scientific interest for each year since 1981 in England ; and whether the proposed damage in each case was due to (i) agriculture or (ii) forestry ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will list the number of management agreements that have been entered into in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 where payments have been given in the following ranges (a) up to £9,999, (b) £10,000 to £19,999, (c) £20,000 to £29,000, (d) £30,000 to £39,999, (e) £40,000 to £49,999, (f) £50,000 to £59, 999 and (g) over £60,000 ;
(3) if he will list (a) the ten sites of special scientific interest and (b) the ten national nature reserves in England which have the most expensive management agreements giving the name of the site, county in which it is located and the amount which has been or is due to be paid out ; if the landowners are required to positively enhance the site as part of the conditions of payments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Few management agreements under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 have been negotiated on national nature reserves, as these are mainly already under
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sympathetic management and the payments are negligible compared with payments on the agreements on sites of special scientific interest which follow.Management agreements entered into in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on sites of special scientific interest still active total 1,098.
Of these at least 61 arose from proposed damage arising from forestry. A further 1,037 arose from other proposed damage, mainly from agriculture.
The approximate number of agreements entered into or renewed each year and which are still active are as follows.
1,098 agreements
£'s
|Number of cases |Number of cases
|with capital costs|with annual
|payments
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 9,999 |139 |946
10,000-19,999 |18 |20
20,000-29,999 |3 |8
30,000-39,999 |5 |8
40,000-49,999 |3 |2
50,000-59,999 |0 |0
Greater than 60,000 |5 |3
|------- |-------
Total |173 |987
Agreements which have expired and those renewed at present are not included.
Payments have been made as follows under the 1,098 management agreements entered into England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This covers currently existing agreements but not those that have expired.
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1,098 agreements
£'s
|Number of cases |Number of cases
|with capital costs|with annual
|payments
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 9,999 |139 |946
10,000-19,999 |18 |20
20,000-29,999 |3 |8
30,000-39,999 |5 |8
40,000-49,999 |3 |2
50,000-59,999 |0 |0
Greater than 60,000 |5 |3
|------- |-------
Total |173 |987
A few have both capital payment (lump sum) and an annual payment. Details of management agreement payments are confidential between English Nature and the owner or occupier of land, and cannot therefore be provided.
Development Plans
Sir Neil Macfarlane : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the organisations and local authorities he has met to discuss the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans) Regulations 1991 ; what cost assessment has been made for local authorities and the industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir George Young [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Proposals for the regulations were issued for consultation, together with a draft of planning policy guidance on the new development plans system. About 1,000 copies were sent out, and some 170 responses were received. A list of responses has been placed in the Library. Ministers have not met any local authorities or other organisations to discuss the provisions of the regulations.
We do not expect the new regulations to have any significant extra cost implications for local authorities or other organisations, because they largely rationalise and standardise the arrangements for development plans contained in existing regulations on structure plans, local plans and unitary development plans.
Empty Council Homes
Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 20 local authorities which have the highest proportion of empty council homes.
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 20 local authorities which have the largest number of empty council homes.
Mr. Yeo : Local authorities reporting the highest percentage of their stock empty in their housing investment programme returns for April 1991 were : Liverpool, Manchester, Salford, Burnley, Brent, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Knowsley, Newcastle upon Tyne, Wolverhampton, Easington, Southwark, Newham, Carlisle, Oldham, Sheffield, North Tyneside, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees and Rother. Other authorities have higher numbers of empty houses and flats than some in this list but when account is taken of the size of stock their percentage vacancy rates are lower.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Wages Board
Mr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to (a) modify or (b) abolish the agricultural wages board.
Calves
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many calves have been exported from the United Kingdom in each year from 1987 until the present.
Mr. Maclean : The numbers of calves exported from the United Kingdom in each year from 1987 as shown by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise overseas trade statistics are :
|Numbers
------------------------
1987 |373,205
1988 |248,788
1989 |319,301
1990 |345,800
1991<1> |364,637
<1> To end of November.
Veal Crates
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has made to European Community institutions seeking the abolition of the veal crate.
Mr. Maclean : In negotiations leading to the recently adopted directive on the welfare of calves, the United Kingdom pressed most strongly for a European ban on veal crates. However, this was unacceptable to some member states and the directive, adopted by majority vote, does not impose a ban. The United Kingdom was the only member state to vote against the proposal.
Hydatidosis
Mr. Meale : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated annual financial loss to the farming and food industries attributable to hydatidosis.
Mr. Maclean : Returns received from a sample of slaughterhouses indicate that approximately 2 per cent. of cattle and 0.2 per cent. of sheep slaughtered in 1990-91 were affected with hydatidosis. However, this information is far from comprehensive and would not allow an estimate to be made of annual financial losses to the food and farming industries attributable to this condition.
ESAs
Mr. Jopling : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will give estimates of the numbers of farmers eligible for the environmentally sensitive area scheme in the Pennine dales, including those announced in his 15 January statement, giving the numbers for each of the 18 eligible dales ;
(2) if he will give estimates of the numbers of farmers eligible to benefit from the environmentally sensitive areas
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schemes already in existence as well as those eligible in his recent announcements, giving the numbers in each individual area.Mr. Curry : It is not possible to determine accurately the numbers of farmers eligible to enter the ESA schemes because the boundaries of the schemes do not coincide with parish boundaries in respect of which such data might be obtained from the agricultural census. There are currently 3,105 agreements in the 10 English ESAs, of which 303 are in the Pennine dales ESA. With the enlargement of some of the existing ESAs and the designation of 12 new ones, the number of agreements is expected to increase considerably but it is not possible to make an overall estimate until completion of the review of those environmentally sensitive areas designated in 1988 and determination of the boundaries for the 12 new areas to be introduced this year and in 1993.
Sea Trout
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantities of sea trout were imported in 1991 ; and what tariffs were applied to non-EC imports.
Mr. Curry : Information on sea trout cannot be distinguished from import figures for all trout. For 1991, figures for trout are available from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise up to the end of August, when 660 tonnes had been imported from EC partners and 108 tonnes from third countries. For the period September to December 1990, the comparable figures were 654 tonnes and 138 tonnes. The general import duty rate applicable is 12 per cent. except for smoked trout for which the figure is 14 per cent.
Column 144
Falkland Islands
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies his Department has made or plans to make regarding the possible effects of exposure to ultraviolet light on fisheries in the waters around the Falkland Islands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has responsibility for such matters in relation to the Falkland Islands.
HEALTH
Prescriptions
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is (a) the total value of prescriptions which have been dispensed in each family health services authority area, and in NHS regions in the last five years (b) the average cost of each prescription and (c) the cost of prescriptions dispensed per head of population for the same areas and periods.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Dentists
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists are registered and how many are practising in each health authority ; and how many new or returning entrants there have been in each of the last three years.
Mr. Dorrell : At the end of 1990 there were 26,320 dentists registered in the United Kingdom with the General Dental Council. The numbers of dentists practising in each regional health authority (RHA) in England at 30 September 1990 are shown in the table :
Column 143
Regional Health Authority |General Dental |Hospital Dental |Community
Services (GDS) |Service (HDS) |Dental Service
|(CDS)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |869 |149 |109
Yorkshire |1,094 |120 |111
Trent |1,218 |167 |115
East Anglia |605 |70 |61
North West Thames |1,512 |96 |144
North East Thames |1,226 |207 |111
South East Thames |1,341 |285 |118
South West Thames |1,240 |118 |107
Wessex |949 |113 |124
Oxford |826 |66 |80
South Western |1,209 |161 |92
West Midlands |1,395 |218 |182
Mersey |764 |100 |87
North Western |1,232 |160 |156
|------- |------- |-------
Total |15,480 |2,030 |1,597
Note: There may be some duplication in the numbers of dentists practising, as dentists can practise concurrently in the GDS, HDS
and CDS.
The numbers of new or returning entrants in each of the last three years are for 1988, 1,409 ; for 1989, 1,453 and for 1990, 1,581.
Growth Hormone Therapy
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure on general practitioner prescribed hormone therapy in each national health
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service region in 1990 ; and if he will express that sum as a figure of expenditure per head of children under 16 years of age in each national health service region.Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information relating to growth hormone therapy is set out in the table.
Column 145
Expenditure on Growth Hormone Therapy in 1990-England<1>
Regional Health Authority |Net ingredient |Cost per child
|cost (NIC)<2> |under 16
|(£000) |(pence)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |96.1 |15.6
Yorkshire |854.1 |114.3
Trent |432.2 |46.2
East Anglia |31.2 |7.5
North West Thames |1,837.7 |261.0
North East Thames |777.5 |101.5
South East Thames |520.0 |72.9
South West Thames |162.0 |28.7
Wessex |718.1 |125.9
Oxford |963.9 |177.8
South Western |944.9 |151.9
West Midlands |178.0 |16.6
Mersey |382.8 |77.3
North Western |1,238.8 |148.7
England |9,137.3 |95.2
<1> The data are estimates based on a sample of 1 in 200 prescriptions dispensed by chemists.
<2> The Net ingredient cost is the basic cost of drugs before discount and does not include the
dispensing costs or fees.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the total sums expended on general practitioners prescribed growth hormone therapy in each year since 1985.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested is set out in the table.
Total Net Ingredient
Cost<1> on Growth
Hormone Therapy-England
1986 to 1990<2>
Year |NIC
|(£000)
------------------------
1986 |1,190.2
1987 |2,229.0
1988 |4,622.8
1989 |8,875.0
1990 |9,137.3
<1>The Net Ingredient
Cost is the basic cost
of drugs before
discount and does not
include the dispensing
costs or fees.
<2>The data relate to
calendar years and are
estimates based on a
sample of 1 in 200
prescriptions dispensed
by chemists. No
prescriptions were
dispensed in 1985 for
growth hormone therapy.
Fresh Fruit (Cariogenicity)
Mr. Couchman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 December 1991, Official Report, column 54 , if he will give references to the epidemiological evidence that suggests that fresh fruit appears to be low in cariogenicity.
Mr. Dorrell : The Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) Report, "Dietary Sugars and Human Disease" (1989) shows reference to Rugg-Gunn A. J. "Starchy foods and fresh fruit : their relevant importance as a source of dental caries in Britain, London : Health Education Council, 1986 (occasional paper ; No. 3)" as included in its consideration of the cariogenicity of fresh fruit as eaten by humans.
Macfarlane Trust
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments have been made, and on what dates, to the Macfarlane Trust to help those infected with HIV ; and what proposals he has to keep this fund topped up to meet future needs.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A payment of £10 million was made to the Macfarlane Trust on 16 March 1988. Payments have been made to the trust annually in respect of its administrative costs. The Government have made it clear that the amounts available to the trust would be kept under review.
Employment (Learning Difficulties)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Welsh initiative for specialised employment on the effect of residential costs on the livelihood of people with learning difficulties ; and if he will make a statement.
District Nurses
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health authority the number of full-time equivalent district nursing posts and the number of potentially elderly domiciliary clients, as defined by the Department of the Environment under section 80 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, for 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available.
Transport Pollution
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide details of current Department sponsored research (a) as to the links between transport pollution and health and (b) the reported growth in incidents of asthma in children.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department is not currently supporting any such research.
Homeopathic Medicines
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of an item of homeopathic medicine on the national health service and the corresponding figure for its conventional counterpart.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information is not available in the form requested.
Acute Patients
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of days patients in acute wards spent in hospital in each year from 1987 to the present in (a) Yorkshire health authority and (b) Scunthorpe district health authority.
Mr. Dorrell : The information available centrally is given in the table.
Mean duration of stay in days of ordinary
admissions
to acute sector beds in NHS hospitals
Year |Yorkshire |Scunthorpe
|region |district
--------------------------------------------
1987-88 |6.3 |4.7
1988-89 |5.8 |4.4
1989-90 |5.0 |4.3
Mentally Disordered (Press Coverage)
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he received a copy of the Matthew trust report on the Press Complaints Commission and BBC regarding media coverage of the mentally disordered and distressed ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : We received a copy of the report on 15 January 1992. The specific issues which the report raises about the Press Complaints Commission's code of practice and the editorial policy of the BBC are primarily a matter for those bodies.
We have asked the chairman of the Special Hospitals Service Authority to investigate the complaints in the report alleging breach of confidentiality and to take any necessary action.
Southern Derbyshire Health Authority
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give figures for the real-terms change in spending by the Southern Derbyshire health authority since 1982.
Mr. Dorrell : The annual accounts of the Southern Derbyshire health authority record total revenue expenditure of £74.9 million (cash) for 1982-83 and £132.9 million (cash) for 1990-91. This represents an increase in real terms of some 14.1 per cent. measured at 1991-92 prices. Over this period in-patient and day cases activity on a comparable basis has increased by 31 per cent.
Fluoride
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures exist to ensure that water fluoridation is introduced only where there is clear public support for such a measure.
Mr. Dorrell : It is for district health authorities to make decisions to apply to water undertakers to increase the fluoride content in the drinking water supplied by them. Section 89 of the Water Industry Act 1991 lays down procedures to be followed by district health authorities. The procedures include wide publication of proposals and consulting each of the local authorities whose areas are involved.
SCOTLAND
Primary School Testing
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost of Scottish Education Department officials attending public meetings in Scotland in support of national testing.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : About £160.
Construction Projects
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those construction projects undertaken by the Scottish Office in conjunction with the private sector since 1979, and subject to a local planning inquiry, which involved the formal conclusion of a joint commercial contract in advance of the construction of the local planning inquiry ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 148
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 27 January 1992] : No joint commercial contracts for the execution of Scottish Office construction projects subject to public local inquiry have been entered into since 1979 except in the case of proposals for the Skye bridge. This is the first project to be advanced using procedures in the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (the relevant sections of which came into force on 21 October 1991) that envisage the signing of a contract in advance of any public local inquiry that may be held. However, execution is still conditional on the outcome of the inquiry.
School Crossing Patrols
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what criteria are recommended by his Department for use by regional and islands councils when deciding to establish school crossing patrols ;
(2) if he will publish the number of existing school crossing patrols per 1,000 head of school population for each relevant local authority in Scotland ;
(3) what guidance is given to local authorities about steps to be taken when school crossing patrols are withdrawn.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Section 26 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 enables regional and islands councils in Scotland to provide school crossing patrols. Guidance on the establishment of school crossing patrols is contained in technical memorandum SH7/87 issued to regional and islands councils by the Scottish Office in December 1987 after consultation with local authorities and the police. The guidance does not specifically deal with the withdrawal of particular crossing patrols.
Information about the number of school crossing patrols per head of school population is not held centrally.
Nursery Care
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide an estimate of the money spent by the education authorities in Scotland in 1990-91 and 1991-92 on providing education and nursery care for three and four-year-olds.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 3 February 1992] : The latest available figures for net revenue expenditure by local authorities in Scotland on nursery education and day nurseries are :
|1989-90|1990-91
------------------------------------------
Nursery Education |39.7 |45.2
Day Nurseries |11.8 |<1>13.5
<1> provisional
Expenditure on provision for three and four-year-olds specifically is not available.
Planning Inquiries
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the average length of time involved between the conclusion of a local public inquiry into a planning matter and (a) the submission to him of the reporter's recommendations and (b) his public response to the reporter's recommendations ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 3 February 1992] : The length of time varies, but it usually takes about three weeks of reporting time for each week of inquiry. If parties request the right to comment on part I of the report, that consultation process can add four weeks to the time taken to submit the completed report to my right hon. Friend.During the year to 31 March 1991, the average time which elapsed between submission of the report to my right hon. Friend and the issue of his decision was 14 weeks. In the current year the average time taken to decision is 10 weeks.
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