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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 20 February 1992
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Lenient Sentences
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Attorney-General how many referrals under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 have been made on the basis of alleged lenient sentences.
The Attorney-General : Since February 1989, when this part of the Criminal Justice Act came into force, I have sought the leave of the Court of Appeal to refer 69 cases, including five from Northern Ireland, in which the sentence passed appeared to me to be unduly lenient. Of these, in 36 cases the sentence was increased, seven cases were withdrawn by me, in a further 10 cases the sentence was not changed, in one case the sentence was lowered, and 15 cases remain outstanding.
Land Registry
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish the number of applications for registration of title for land currently being dealt with by the Swansea district land registry ; and if he will separately distinguish the number of those applications that have already been at the district registry in Swansea for (a) up to three months, (b) between three and six months, (c) between six and nine months, (d) between nine months and one year, (e) between one year and 15 months and (f) over 15 months.
The Attorney-General : The Swansea district land registry processes more than 58,600 applications a quarter for registration of title and currently it is holding 47,879 applications of which more than 15,000 are awaiting the results of surveys or replies to correspondence raised by the registry with applicants.
The numbers within the categories of the question are as follows : (
(a) Up to three months, 25,287.
(b) Between three and six months : 9,446
(c) Between six and nine months : 4,461.
(d) Between nine months and one year : 2,507.
(d) Between one year and 15 months : 1,638.
(f) Over 15 months : 4,540.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General if he wil abolish the facility to pay an extra charge for faster registration of title to land at district land registry offices.
The Attorney-General : No. The facility referred to is a very long-standing element of the Land Registry's service to applicants. In the great majority of cases application for the registration of dealings in land are completed under the normal arrangements well before the applicant resells or otherwise deals with the land again. However, the special expedition service is needed to allow applications to be expedited in a relatively small number of cases of urgency, where the normal registration process might otherwise give rise to unacceptable delays in the conveyancing process. The fee for the special expedition service, currently a
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minimum of £35, is described by the Land Registration Fees Order 1991 and is required to offset the additional cost to the Land Registry of providing the service.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Environment Treaties
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those treaties to which the United Kingdom is a signatory which are concerned with protection of the environment giving, where appropriate, dates of signature, ratification, accession and entry into force.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office treaty index contains details of 12, 000 treaties, agreements and protocols, many of which have environmental implications. The United Nations environment programme has 152 major treaties and other agreements recorded as being directly concerned with the environment.
Qaiser Khan
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 446, what further document was requested by the British high commission when Qaiser Khan was interviewed in Islamabad.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The further document requested by the British high commission at Islamabad when the family were interviewed on 22 February 1990 was the marriage certificate of the parents of Qaiser Khan. This is still awaited.
Mr. Salman Rushdie
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Iranian ambassador or a representative of the Iranian Government to discuss the case of Mr. Salman Rushdie.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have raised the plight of Mr. Rushdie with the Iranian Government on many occasions and will continue to do so. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the matter with the Iranian Foreign Minister when they met in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September 1991. More recently, my hon. and learned Friend, the Minister of State made clear our continued concern during a call made by the Iranian charge , at his own request.
India
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government has made to the Government of India following the publication of the report by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs supporting India's right to retain nuclear weapons capability.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are unaware of the publication of any such report by the Indian Ministry of External
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Affairs. However, the Indian Government are in no doubt about the importance we attach to nuclear non-proliferation. We take every opportunity to raise these issues with the Indians and encourage them to accede to the NPT, most recently when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited India in January.Yugoslavia
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 February, if he has raised the reports of breaches of the arms embargo in (a) Serbia and (b) Croatia with his European Community partners ; and what action he is taking to ensure such breaches do not take place.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Reports of violations of the arms embargo are discussed in the United Nations. When possible, we have also raised the most disquieting reports bilaterally with the authorities of the country in which they are alleged to have occurred.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, upon what principles he will base his policy towards Bosnia-Herzegovina after its proposed referendum on 28 February.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The policy will be based on the guidelines adopted by EC Ministers on 16 December 1991 and the circumstances prevailing after the referendum. The guidelines require that the state to be recognised should respect the United Nations charter ; guarantee the rights of minorities ; respect the inviolability of frontiers except by peaceful agreement ; accept commitments on disarmament, non-proliferation, security and regional stability ; and promise to settle by agreement questions of state succession and regional disputes.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European Community partners about the implications for peace in Yugoslavia and in Europe generally of the decision to hold a referendum on independence by Bosnia-Herzegovina and on how this might affect the deployment of British personnel within a United Nations peace-keeping force.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We and our European partners are in regular contact about all aspects of Yugoslavia. These issues including the question of the referendum in Bosnia-Herzegovina were discussed most recently at a meeting of European Community Foreign Ministers on 17 February.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 February, who is currently responsible for the protection of Slovenian and Croatian citizens visiting or residing in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In the absence of diplomatic or consular representation, neither the Slovenian nor the Croatian Government have appointed any third government to protect their interests in the United Kingdom.
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United Nations
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to publish in each week a record of decisions taken at the United Nations General Assembly and its constituent committees, together with an estimate of the cost to the United Kingdom of implementing such decisions that involve United Kingdom financial commitments.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and its constituent committees are published as United Nations documents. Copies are placed in the Library of the House as a matter of course. The budgetary implications of each UNGA resolution are also published in UN documents. We are arranging to have these too placed in the Library as a matter of course. The United Kingdom bears 5.02 per cent. of the costs of all activities financed from the regular UN budget.
TRANSPORT
Traffic Junctions (Pedestrians)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to make a statement on his Department's trials into new pedestrian facilties at traffic-signalled junctions including the use of infra-red devices to detect the presence and movement of pedestrians.
Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on Friday 14 February 1992, at column 672.
Severn Bridge
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he proposes to review the discount scheme for tolls on the Severn bridge.
Mr. Chope : Following the introduction of the tolling arrangements provided for in the Severn Bridges Act 1992, the discounts for advance payment of tolls will remain at the current rates of 20 per cent. for cars, motor caravans, light vans and minibuses, and 10 per cent. for buses and goods vehicles. The detailed administration of the discount scheme will be a matter for the concessionaire.
Road Planning
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those public local inquiries into trunk road schemes for which no ministerial decision has yet been announced, with the concluding date for each of those inquiries and, where appropriate, the date on which the inspector's report and recommendations were submitted to the Secretary of State.
Mr. Chope : The following schemes in the national roads programme for England are awaiting a decision following a public inquiry.
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Scheme |Public |Inspectors
|inquiry finished |report received
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A4/A46 Batheaston/Swainswick bypass and A36 link |6 December 1990 |28 June 1991
A6 Clapham bypass |4 October 1991 |13 December 1991
A10 Wadesmill, High Cross and Colliers End bypass |11 November 1991 |-
A11 Stump Cross to A505 junction improvement
|14 November 1991
|(joint public inquiry)|-
A11/A505 junction to Four Wentways improvement
A13 West of Heathway to Wennington and
Wennington to Mar Dyke improvement |8 February 1991 |13 September 1991
A17 Leadenham bypass |20 December 1991 |-
A19 Easingwold bypass |3 July 1991 |2 September 1991
A27 Patching junction improvement |7 February 1992 |-
A31 Ashley Heath grade separated junction |4 September 1991 |21 October 1991
A31 Stoney Cross junction improvement |1 December 1989 |23 March 1990
A43 Silverstone bypass |3 December 1991 |-
A47 Walpole Highway and Tilney High End bypass |21 June 1991 |23 July 1991
A52 Ashbourne relief road |27 January 1992 |-
A63 Selby bypass |27 March 1991 |1 October 1991
A65 Gargrave bypass |5 December 1991 |15 January 1992
A249/M2 bobbing improvement |12 July 1991 |30 October 1991
A435 Studley bypass |9 January 1992 |-
M5 junction 18 Avonmouth relief road |3 October 1991 |16 January 1992
M40 Waterstock-Wendlebury (Fencott bridge) |2 July 1991 |15 August 1991
M56 widening junction 4 and 6 |22 October 1991 |21 November 1991
M66 Denton-Middleton |5 February 1992 |-
M65 Blackburn southern bypass |27 November 1991 |-
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he proposes to take in order to counter the increased level of carbon dioxide emissions from catalyst equipped motor vehicles.
Mr. Chope : Catalyst equipped vehicles are unlikely to be able to achieve the same levels of fuel economy and, hence, carbon dioxide emissions as the same vehicles without catalysts. The fitment of catalysts does, however, provide a reduction of approximately 90 per cent. in emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen.
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions from road transport.
Mr. Chope : The Government are committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from road transport as part of the target of stabilising these emissions at 1990 levels by 2005. We have been considering, with the motor industry, the various ways in which fuel efficiency, and hence carbon dioxide emissions, might be improved by better vehicle design for all types of vehicle. The
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Government are considering how best to provide the necessary stimulus to improve fuel efficiency, whether through fiscal measures or regulation. At the European level, the Government are pressing the European Commission to propose a directive to control carbon dioxide emissions from the whole European car fleet using a system of tradeable credits as an alternative to direct regulation. This system is designed to improve fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide reduction, whilst allowing manufacturers the maximum flexibility to choose the technology that will best suit their individual commercial constraints.London Transport
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 508, if he will indicate the fees, benefits in kind and receipts other than salary paid to (a) the chairman and (b) board members of London Transport for (1) 1990-91 and (2) 1991-92.
Mr. Freeman : The total emoluments received in 1990-91 by the Chairman and Members of the Board, including salaries, fees, pensions and other benefits, are
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shown in London Transport's annual report for that year. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Library. The corresponding figures for 1991-92 will appear in that year's annual report which will be published later this year.Speed Limit Signs, Rutland
Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport upon what date it was reported to his regional office in Nottingham that official 50 mph signs had been erected in the village of South Luffenham, Rutland ; why they have since been removed ; what has been the cost to public funds ; and whether he will order a departmental inquiry into the procedures involved in erecting speed limits.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 18 February 1992] : My Department was not aware that 50 mph speed limit signs had been erected and subsequently removed ; nor is it aware of the costs incurred. The A6121, which runs through South Luffenham is a local road and, as such, is not the responsibility of my Department. The Secretary of State's involvement is confined to giving consent to any speed limit promoted by the local highway authority, Leicestershire county council. No consent has been granted in this case.
The system for implementing speed limits is clearly laid down and I do not consider that an inquiry into the procedures involved in erecting speed limit signs is necessary.
Ham Street Bypass
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the results of the public inquiry into the proposed Ham Street bypass in the county of Kent.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 13 February 1992] : The Secretary of State expects to publish the inspector's report of the public inquiries into the proposed Ham Street bypass by mid-March.
ENVIRONMENT
Standard Spending Assessments
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will revise the standard spending assessment formula in accordance with representations received from county councils ;
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(2) if he will re-examine his financial provision for Warwickshire in response to the county council's representations about its standard spending assessment.Mr. Portillo : In each of the last two years changes to the SSA formulae have been made in response to representations from the local authority associations, including the Association of County Councils.
The calculation of standard spending assessments for 1992-93, as set out in the Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) (No. 2) Report (England), was approved by the House on 4 February. All representations from individual local authorities including those made by Warwickshire were carefully considered prior to this.
Leigh Barton
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 226-27, about the historic monument Leigh Barton, near Kingsbridge in Devon ; how many days Leigh Barton has been open to the public since English Heritage took over its guardianship in 1984 ; what is the admission charged to the public ; how many members of the public have been admitted in each of the last three years ; and what is the estimated cost of maintenance and repair to complete the project.
Mr. Yeo : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 11 February, Official Report, column 429. Two supervised group visits, for which no charge was made, have taken place in the last three years ; no requests for such visits have been refused. The cost of completing repairs at the property is estimated at £250,000.
Housing Revenue Account
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table describing the apportionment of housing revenue account subsidy between (a) rent rebate subsidy and (b) general housing subsidy on an outturn and estimated outturn basis for financial years 1990- 91, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1994-95, stating the assumptions employed to produce such figures ; and if he will publish a table showing a similar apportionment, if the total cost of rent rebates was met by rent rebate subsidy.
Mr. Yeo : The information requested is shown in the table. The actual figures for 1993-94 and 1994-95 will depend on annual determinations of subsidy yet to be made. The table assumes that guideline rents and management and maintenance allowances for those years will be increased in line with inflation.
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Apportionment of HRA subsidy between housing and rent rebates
£ million
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
|estimated
|outturn |outturn |forecast |forecast |forecast
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing element
Positive entitlements |1,365 |1,155 |1,008 |970 |988
Negative entitlements |-915 |-328 |-530 |-582 |-620
Gross rebates |2,492 |2,920 |3,277 |3,307 |3,497
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total HRAS |3,662 |3,747 |3,755 |3,695 |3,865
Sum of positive housing element
and gross rebates |3,857 |4,075 |4,285 |4,277 |4,485
|per cent.|per cent.|per cent.
Rent increase |10.0 |8.0 |9.5
M and M increase |8.0 |6.0 |6.5
Water Capital Projects, Cleveland
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost of capital renewal to the water supply and sewage currently under way in Cleveland.
Mr. Baldry : This is a matter for Northumbrian Water, but I understand that in the year to 31 March 1992 capital investment in the Teesside area, which includes Cleveland, is expected to total £18.2 million. A further £1 million is being spent on other sewerage schemes by third parties--for example, Teesside development corporation--under Northumbrian Water supervision.
Bird Pests
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the introduction of a general licensing system to control the shooting of bird pest species will be delayed until the European Parliamentary Environmental Group and the European Commission have decided whether or how the European birds directive is to be changed.
Mr. Baldry : Should such a system be introduced, it would take full account of any changes that may be made to the EC birds directive, and the need to maintain arrangements for sensible and practicable control of pest bird species where necessary.
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what work his Department is carrying out on preparing for the introduction of a closed season for bird pest species ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : There are no proposals for introducing a closed season for pest bird species.
City Challenge
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the general rules that should be adhered to by the bidders for city challenge ; what is the procedure for awarding city challenge ; and how much Government money is available for bids for this year's city challenge.
Mr. Key : The general rules and procedure relating to city challenge bids and information about available resources are contained in the documents "City Challenge Bidding Guidance 1993-94" and "City Challenge Financial Guidance Note No. 1" revision No. 2, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mortgage Repossessions
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a further statement on his discussions with mortgage lenders and insurance companies on mortgage repossessions ; and when he intends to introduce a scheme.
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Mr. Yeo : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 19 December that agreement had been reached with mortgage lenders on a package of measures. The package included pledges by lenders of £750 million for rescue schemes to help borrowers in difficulty, with the expectation that up to £1 billion would be available if necessary.
Lenders are now coming forward with details of schemes. Six lenders have so far announced schemes--Halifax building society, Nationwide building society, Leeds Permanent building society, Bradford and Bingley building society, National Westminster Home Loans and the Mortgage Corporation. Others are expected to follow soon. Lenders are also introducing improved counselling arrangements for borrowers and have given a commitment that no action will be taken to repossess properties while borrowers are making significant regular payments. The Chancellor also announced that the Government would introduce legislation for the temporary suspension of stamp duty on transactions up to £250,000 and for the direct payment to lenders of sums allowed for mortgage interest in income support. Both these measures have now passed their Commons stages.
The combined effect of these measures is expected significantly to reduce the number of repossessions this year.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect Her Majesty's Government current policy on stabilising carbon dioxide emissions is forecast to have on the concentration levels of carbon dioxide in the atmoshere.
Mr. Baldry : The stabilisation of emissions of carbon dioxide, if applied globally, will slow the rate of increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The impact of the United Kingdom acting alone would be negligible. We therefore strongly support concerted international action to control carbon dioxide emissions.
Holcombe Moor
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the results of his Department's inquiry concerning Holcombe moor ; and if he will make a statement on the proposed future use of the land in question.
Sir George Young : The inspector's report of the inquiry was made available to interested parties on 16 July 1991, along with details of the new condition proposed by the Ministry of Defence for limiting its use of the land for training. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes shortly to be able to say how he proposes to take matters forward.
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Local Authority Debt
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the total level of local authority debt ; from which sources the greatest proportions are borrowed ; and what percentages mature in the short, medium and long term.
Mr. Key : Local authority loan debt, ie debt incurred for capital purposes, in England at 31 March 1990 is estimated at £49 billion. This figure includes both internal and external debt.
The chief sources of borrowing were the Public Works Loan Board--75 per cent.--and internal reserves and balances--20 per cent. Of the external debt, some 5 per cent was due to be repaid within one year, 20 per cent. in over one year but within five years, and 75 per cent. in over five years.
Building Maintenance, Camden
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he will take in response to the failure of the London borough of Camden to make the statutory rate of return on its building maintenance work in 1989-90.
Mr. Key : My right hon. Friend has given careful consideration to the response which the London borough of Camden has made to the notice served on the authority on 1 July 1991, and has today given a direction under section 19B of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 in respect of building maintenance work. The effect of this direction is to preclude the council from assigning housing repair and mintenance work in three of the five districts of the borough to its direct labour organisation without the express consent of the Secretary of State.
Royal Parks
Sir Philip Goodhart : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the review of the royal parks.
Sir George Young : I am pleased to welcome today the publication of the report of the royal parks review group.
The review group's report is a key part of our strategy aimed at fundamental changes and improvements in the
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royal parks and how we run them. We are aiming for excellence in the way the parks are kept, quality in what the parks offer and better management and value for money.We are grateful to Dame Jennifer Jenkins and her team for their efforts and their expertise. They have produced a stimulating report of interesting proposals.
The group's proposals will be discussed by local amenity groups, professionals and everyday park users at a conference on 5 March. We will produce a full response to the report once we have heard what they have to say.
Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Humming Birds
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the transportation of humming birds and other nectar- feeding birds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 12 November 1991] : The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has not made any representations about the transportation of these birds. It has, however, advised that some of these species are difficult to keep in captivity. The committee is consulted about all individual applications to import these birds and and their sensitivity is taken into account in determining the applications.
Bird Pests
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department will be considering the national shooting and farming organisations before introducing a licensing system to control the shooting of bird pest species.
Mr. Baldry : Should any such licensing system be introduced, my right hon. Friend would be required to make an order to amend schedule 2 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Before making such an order, he would be required by the Act to give any local authority, or any other person affected, an opportunity to submit objections or representations.
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EMPLOYMENT
Dignity at Work
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to accept the recommendation of the European Commission on the protection of the dignity of women and men at work of 27 November 1991.
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