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WALES
Education
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings he or his departmental officials had recently with representatives of county councils in Wales to discuss the current and projected levels of educational provision managed by councils in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance (WCCLGF) and its settlement working group (SWG) are the appropriate fora for discussions with local authorities on local government finance issues. I chaired meetings of WCCLGF on 26 November and 12 January. My officials met officers from local authorities at a meeting of SWG on 21 December.
Disability (Schools)
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of schools in each area in Wales have been adapted for the use of disabled pupils and teachers.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is not held centrally. Local education authorities are responsible for providing facilities for disabled pupils and teachers at their schools.
Homelessness
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on the number of people made homeless in Wales in each of 1990, 1991 and 1992 ; and what estimate has been made of the percentage in each case made homeless as a result of mortgage repossessions.
Mr. David Hunt : The information is available for those persons accepted as homeless by local authorities and is provided in the following table :
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Persons accepted
as homeless
|Total |From action by
|mortgagee
|Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |19,675 |16
1991 |24,025 |23
<1>1992 |18,021 |17
<1>January to September only
Source: Welsh Office local authority returns
Education Funding
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received from and what meetings he has held with the parent-teacher associations of Wales about the levels of financial provision for education in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : I have received one representation from a parent- teacher association about levels of financial provision for education in Wales. I have received no request for meetings.
Wind Farms
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish further planning guidelines to authorities on the subject of wind farms in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Following public consultation, the Welsh Office and the Department of the Environment issued a planning policy guidance note on renewable energy on 3 February 1993.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received on the level of the hill livestock compensatory allowances ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have received representations from Welsh Members of Parliament, the Welsh farming organisations and individual farmers in respect of hill livestock compensatory allowance payments in Wales. I have also recently met representatives from the Welsh farming unions to discuss the matter.
Housing
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what consultations he has had with the chairman of Tai Cymru regarding its decision on the designation of development status housing associations operating in (a) neighbourhood renewal areas and (b) the west of Cardiff ;
(2) what consultations he has had with the chairman of Tai Cymru regarding guidelines for the minimum size and number of housing associations with a development role operating in inner city neighbourhood renewal areas.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : These are matters for the board of Housing for Wales.
Dolgellau to Bala Road
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the improvements to the Drws-y-Nant section of the Dolgellau to Bala road are to be commenced ; and if he will make a statement.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : Design work on this scheme is progressing with the intention of commencing the work in 1994 subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures and the availability of finance.
Radiation Emergencies
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he has made in his Department to implement the Public Information for Radiation Emergencies Regulations 1992.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Within Wales, these regulations apply to the small number of employers whose business undertakings might conceivably come within their scope, and to the county councils as part of their emergency planning responsibilities. The Welsh Office has no direct responsibility for their implementation but the Department will be one of the organisations consulted by the county councils under section 4(3) of the regulations.
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Goosanders and Cormorants
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy not to issue any licences for the culling of goosanders and cormorants in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : No. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 licences may be granted by the Department to kill these birds in order to prevent serious damage to fisheries.
Further Education
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the colleges of further and higher education in Wales indicating the capacity limit figures for each college and actual numbers of (a) full-time and (b) part-time students during each of the last three academic years.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information is not held centrally on the student capacity of colleges. The number of students at colleges of further and higher education is shown in the table.
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(a) Full time<1>
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colleges of further education<2>
Aberdare college |312 |302 |487
Afan college |627 |719 |814
Barry college of further education |712 |850 |1,130
Bridgend college |807 |814 |1,120
Carmarthen college of technology |1,515 |1,510 |1,682
Ceredigion college of further education |508 |483 |576
Coleg Glan Hafren |1,138 |1,443 |1,790
Coleg Glynllifon |38 |48 |52
Coleg Meirionnydd |303 |326 |355
Coleg Pencraig |289 |384 |369
Coleg Powys |812 |897 |1,033
Crosskeys college |1,550 |1,712 |2,046
Ebbw Vale college of further education |304 |273 |307
Gorseinon college |885 |1,010 |1,169
Gwynedd technical college |1,016 |1,102 |1,199
Llandrillo technical college |1,487 |1,532 |1,783
Llysfasi college of agriculture |29 |88 |226
Merthyr Tydfil college |395 |370 |437
Neath college |1,323 |1,337 |1,451
Newport college of further education |827 |786 |1,098
Pembrokeshire college of further education 655 942 1,105
Pencoed college |31 |52 |129
Pontypool college |1,072 |1,130)
Usk agricultural college<3> |67 |52)
Pontypridd college |907 |1,027 |1,301
Rhondda college |213 |216 |339
Swansea college |1,486 |1,892 |2,056
Welsh college of horticulture |175 |154 |189
Ystrad Mynach college |754 |742 |880
Colleges of higher education<4>
Cardiff institute of higher education |3,246 |3,415 |3,887
Gwent college of higher education |1,601 |1,636 |1,925
Normal college Bangor of higher education 528 628 760
North East Wales institute |3,217 |3,580 |4,159
Swansea institute of higher education |1,879 |2,031 |2,428
Trinity college |691 |849 |1,071
University of Glamorgan |4,774 |5,031 |5,948
University of Wales
Aberystwyth |3,617 |3,712 |4,171
Bangor |3,328 |3,523 |4,002
Cardiff |8,279 |8,866 |9,887
St. David's Lampeter |854 |961 |1,057
Swansea |5,272 |5,639 |6,556
College of medicine |950 |1,001 |1,137
Welsh agriculture college |173 |207 |323
Welsh college of music and drama |293 |312 |369
<1>Includes sandwich students.
<2>Includes students following courses of higher education at colleges
of further education.
<3>Usk agricultural college merged with Pontypool college in 1991-92.
<4>Includes students following courses of further education at colleges
of higher education.
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(b) Part time<1>
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colleges of further education<2>
Aberdare college |1,209 |1,130 |1,098
Afan college |1,317 |1,402 |1,385
Barry college of further education |2,251 |2,016 |2,136
Bridgend college |3,383 |3,299 |3,148
Carmarthen college of technology |2,540 |2,509 |3,368
Ceredigion college of further education |1,204 |1,265 |1,268
Coleg Glan Hafren |3,470 |3,345 |3,270
Coleg Glynllifon |75 |61 |43
Coleg Meirionnydd |520 |719 |761
Coleg Pencraig |759 |654 |582
Coleg Powys |4,096 |3,313 |3,229
Crosskeys college |1,791 |2,052 |1,745
Ebbw Vale college of further education |2,172 |1,516 |1,589
Gorseinon college |1,047 |1,233 |1,097
Gwynedd technical college |2,378 |2,141 |1,963
Llandrillo technical college |3,927 |3,858 |4,033
Llysfasi college of agriculture |434 |340 |319
Merthyr Tydfil college |1,643 |1,845 |2,060
Neath college |2,839 |2,816 |3,104
Newport college of further education |3,812 |3,820 |4,383
Pembrokeshire college of further education 1,381,492 1,253
Pencoed college |569 |574 |523
Pontypool college |2,069 |2,071) |1,920
Usk agricultural college<3> |394 |345
Pontypridd college |2,880 |2,925 |2,721
Rhondda college |1,337 |1,425 |1,317
Swansea college |4,004 |3,926 |3,841
Welsh college of horticulture |153 |134 |150
Ystrad Mynach college |1,444 |1,718
Colleges of higher education<4>
Cardiff institute of higher education |2,877 |2,523 |2,391
Gwent college of higher education |2,788 |2,664 |2,834
Normal college Bangor of higher education 115 99 73
North East Wales institute |5,839 |5,362 |5,113
Swansea institute of higher education |2,060 |1,830 |1,736
Trinity college |- |- |-
University of Glamorgan |1,485 |1,760 |2,150
University of Wales
Aberystwyth |312 |301 |331
Bangor |278 |296 |289
Cardiff |1,021 |1,203 |1,178
St. David's Lampeter |43 |51 |93
Swansea |453 |417 |568
College of medicine |170 |200 |218
Welsh agriculture college |22 |- |-
Welsh college of music and drama |213 |218 |242
<1>Includes evening only, open/distance learning and linked students at
colleges of further and higher education but excludes students on
continuing education courses at the University of Wales.
<2>Includes students following courses of higher education at colleges
of further education.
<3>Usk agricultural college merged with Pontypool college in 1991-92.
<4>Includes students following courses of further education at colleges
of higher education.
Milk (Sulphur-35)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often his Department conducts sampling of the sulphur-35 radioactive content of bulk milk samples near the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear plants.
Mr. David Hunt : The food science division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food co-ordinates the monitoring for sulphur-35 activity in milk samples from around Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear power
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stations on behalf of my Department. Milk samples are collected weekly from certain local farms and are bulk tested every quarter. Monitoring results show that levels found as a result of discharges from Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear power stations are well within international and national guidelines.This particular monitoring forms part of a comprehensive programme for monitoring radioactivity levels in food and agricultural products in England and Wales. The results are published annually in the "Terrestrial Radioactivity Monitoring Programme" (TRAMP) reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
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One-stop Shops
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Reort, c. 99, if he will give the names of the members of the enterprise and business support working group ; when they started work ; and when he estimates they will produce an interim report on one-stop shops for business and technology information.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The names of the members are :
Mr. B. Adcock, Council of Welsh Districts
Mr. J. Driscoll, Coopers, Lybrand Deloitte
Mr. P. Fortune, Wales Enterprise
Mr. A. Fretter, Assembly of Welsh Counties
Mr. R. Geldard, Federation of Welsh Chambers of Commerce Mr. G. Jackson, Development Board for Rural Wales
Ms. B. Pold, Computer Advisory Services
Mr. E. Roberts, Assembly of Welsh Counties
Mr. M. Robinson, National Westminster Bank Plc
Mr. P. Sheldon, South Glamorgan TEC
Mr. M. Thomas, Welsh Development Agency
Mr. J. Troth, North East Wales TEC
Mr. A. Williams, Mid Glamorgan TEC
Mr. T. Withnall, Dependable Packs Ltd.
The Group is chaired by Mr. J. F. Craig, a deputy secretary at the Welsh Office. In addition the following officials of my Department attended the meetings : Mr. C. L. Jones, Mr. M. J. Clancy, Mr. D. T. Richards, Dr. R. J. Loveland.
The group has been asked to produce its report by May 1993.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Report, c. 99, when the Welsh Office received the request for financial assistance from the Welsh Economic Research Unit.
Sir Wyn Roberts : A request from the South East Wales Economic Forum was first received on 15 May 1992.
Business and Technology Information
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Report, c. 99, on business and technology information, if he will specify which are the five colleges for which technology audits are being carried out, and which are the three colleges being assisted via the EC STRIDE programme.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Technology audits are being carried out in the University of Wales colleges of Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Swansea and North Wales, and also in the University of Glamorgan.
The Carmarthenshire college of technology and art ; the North East Wales institute of higher education ; and the University of Glamorgan have been offered assistance via the EC STRIDE programme.
Health Line Wales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 2 February how many calls there have been since 30 November 1992 on Health Line Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Between 30 November 1992 and 29 January 1993 a total of 211 telephone calls were received by Health Line Wales.
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Wilprint Group
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of his departmental printing budget was awarded to the Wilprint Group in the years 1990 to 1992.
Mr. David Hunt : The proportion of the departmental printing budget awarded to the Wilprint Group was :
1. Central Printing Budget :
1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991 : All work placed via HMSO 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992 : 1.2 per cent. of work placed with Wilprint
2. Publicity Budgets (including design and delivery)
1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991 : 10.8 per cent. of work placed with Wilprint
1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992 : 2.3 per cent. of work placed with Wilprint
3. Programme Budgets
The information requested could not be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Press Releases
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to issue departmental press releases by electronic mail.
Mr. David Hunt : None, but the matter is kept under review.
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each local education authority for each of the last three years the number of appeals made against statements of special educational needs ; and what is the estimated cost of running the system in each local education authority.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information is not held centrally on the number of appeals against the provision in a statement of special educational needs which went before a local appeals committee nor of the costs of running the system in each local education authority. However, the number of appeals against statements to my right hon. Friend are shown as follows :
LEA Appeals made
|1990|1991|1992|1993
-----------------------------------------
Gwynedd |<1>2|1 |- |-
Clwyd |1 |- |2 |-
South Glamorgan |<2>4|- |- |-
Powys |<1>1|- |- |-
Dyfed |- |1 |- |-
Mid Glamorgan |- |- |1 |-
West Glamorgan |- |- |- |-
Gwent |- |- |- |-
<1>One withdrawn.
<2>Three withdrawn.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Armenia
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's response to the recent appeal by the President of Armenia for international emergency aid.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The United Kingdom gave £450,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees at the end of 1992 for their emergency relief work in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. We also contribute through the European Community ; Armenia's 38 mecu (£26.4 million) share of the EC's 1.25 becu loan to the FSU for humanitarian needs is currently being drawn down.
The major problem at the moment is getting supplies into Armenia, and we have been working with our partners to overcome these difficulties. Following the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 1 February, an urgent assessment is being undertaken and we have expressed the view that it should concentrate particularly on the political and logistical problems of delivering supplies. The Commission also confirmed its readiness to use part of its emergency humanitarian aid reserve (circa 10 mecu (£7 million) in 1993) for Armenia if needed. Officials of the EC's technical assistance programme, who are in Armenia, are assessing food needs.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the supply of food and medical aid from the European Community to Armenia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 4 February 1993] : Last winter Armenia received a share of the Community's 250 mecu (£175 million) humanitarian aid grant for the whole of the former Soviet Union. Additionally, an EC loan facility to the value of 38 mecu (£26.4 million) is available to Armenia as a whole, of which the Armenian Government have allocated 36 mecu (£25 million) for food
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stuffs and 2 mecu (£1.4 million) for medical supplies. The bulk of the supplies have not yet arrived owing to the problems of transportation through neighbouring states.We have been working with our partners to try to overcome these problems. Following the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 1 February, an urgent assessment is being carried out and we have expressed the view that it should concentrate particularly on the political and logistical problems of delivering supplies. The Commission also confirmed its readiness to use part of its emergency humanitarian aid reserve (circa 10 mecu (£7 million) in 1993) for Armenia if necessary.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the European Community is providing to the care and treatment of Armenian and Azeri refugees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 4 February 1993] : Last year the Community gave 2 mecu (£1.4 million) of emergency humanitarian aid specifically to refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. The EC has also made available a 38 mecu (£26.4 million) loan facility for humanitarian purposes to Armenia as a whole.
Sri Lanka
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the amount of financial aid given to Sri Lanka in each of the last five years ; what specific projects this aid was given for ; and where in Sri Lanka these projects were to be developed.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The amount of aid given to Sri Lanka in each of the last five years is as follows :
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Project aid £ thousand ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1987-88 |2,181 |6,139 |5,496 |- |137 |- |63 |14,017 1988-89 |4,848 |7,599 |7,230 |- |42 |- |- |19,719 1989-90 |5,289 |6,968 |1,248 |- |48 |- |78 |13,631 1990-91 |1,654 |9,681 |2,845 |- |34 |- |194 |14,409 1991-92 |1,658 |7,179 |591 |- |30 |- |70 |9,528 Source: British Aid Statistics.
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This aid was provided for a wide range of projects including :Column 363
Project |Location ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Agriculture and livestock Agricultural research scholarship scheme |Country-wide application Cambridge/Peradeniya veterinary link |Kandy Audio visual centre, Peradeniya |Kandy Reading-Ruhuna link |Ruhuna Peradeniya collaboration project |Kandy Coconut processing |Country-wide Grain storage |Country-wide Draught animal research Forestry Victoria land use mapping project |Central uplands of Sri Lanka Forestry and land use mapping; management and |Emphasis on forest conservation and planting in the plantation; forestry research and information | uplands; some aspects of wider application Sri Jayawardenepura university |Colombo Oxford Forestry Institute/Peradeniya |Kandy Fishing Sandskipper |South East coastal zone Ruhuna-Stirling link |Ruhuna Mahaweli hatchery |Central uplands Bay of Bengal project Land development and irrigation BGS radial wells project Energy Wood burning stoves |Country-wide Samanalawewa hydro project |Samanalawewa Power IX |Colombo Samanalawewa archaeological project |Samanalawewa Construction Victoria dam |Upper Mahaweli Roads Colombo roads |Colombo Monaragala roads feasibility study |Monaragala Roads development authority Air Transport Colombo airport security |Colombo Transport Tractor rehabilitation |Country-wide/Colombo Buses |Country-wide/Colombo Assistance to state transport board |Country-wide Public administration Sri Lanka institute for development administration |Colombo Bradford project planning |Colombo Water and sanitation Loughborough WEDC |Country-wide Hill country water supply |Central uplands Housing Galle housing project Education English teacher training college |Colombo Regional English support centres |Country-wide Department of English education |Colombo Staff college for education and rehabilitation |Country-wide Leeds-Moratuwa textile link |Moratuwa DPU workshop |Country-wide Loughborough-Moratuwa construction |Moratuwa Technical education project |Colombo Batticaloa Sussex link |Batticaloa Jaffna university equipment |Jaffna Cultural triangle project |North-central Sri Lanka Testing and evaluation project |Colombo Health and welfare Anti-malaria campaign |Country-wide/Colombo Cleft lip palate/project |Country-wide Matara health education |Matara Jaffna hospital equipment |Jaffna Primary health care |Country-wide Institutional and other Sarvodaya |Country-wide except north and east Save the Children Fund (reconstruction and |North and east rehabilitation) Oxfam (reconstruction and rehabilitation) |North and east Makandura village project |Makandura Colombo municipal council workshops |Colombo Colombo municipal council technical training |Colombo Colombo municipal institutional development |Colombo Note: The designation "country-wide" in the list above means that the project was with a national institution and not location-specific in character.
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Third World (Financial Reforms)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the International Monetary Fund and World bank to ensure that the poorest people in third world debtor countries are protected when internationally required financial reforms are implemented.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have supported the efforts the International Monetary Fund and the World bank are making to help their member Governments ensure that economic adjustment programmes take account of the needs of the poorest members of society, both through the overall pattern of public expenditure and through specific projects and programmes.
Third World (Military Expenditure)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to urge the multilateral, financial and aid institutions to require the reduction of military expenditure as a condition of third world countries receiving loans ; and to what extent this is a criterion when deciding on allocations of United Kingdom overseas aid.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : It is for each country to assess and provide for its own legitimate defence needs. However, the United Kingdom actively supports the increased emphasis placed by the International Monetary Fund and the World bank in recent years on the implications for economic and social development of the composition of public expenditure. In the recently completed negotiations on the 10th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), donors urged that in reviews of public expenditure, IDA management should address the question of whether adequate levels of development expenditures in the budgets of recipient countries are being crowded-out by the weight of large or rising non-development expenditures, including military expenditure, and to take up this question with the Government concerned wherever appropriate. We have made it clear that we consider the setting of an appropriate level of military expenditure to be an important part of good government. It is therefore one of the factors we take into account when deciding our allocations of bilateral aid.
United Nations (Disaster Assistance)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is taking to encourage the United Nations to co-ordinate international assistance to areas affected by famine and natural disasters more effectively.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We encourage greater co-ordination of international humanitarian assistance in all fora of the United Nations, including the governing bodies of the various agencies concerned. Specifically we initiated the proposal which led to General Assembly resolution 46/182 and the formation of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs in April 1992. We will continue to support the efforts of that Department to ensure good co-ordination, more effective responses to the victims' needs and better value for money.
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PRIME MINISTER
Appointments
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Prime Minister what public appointments he has made since 1 November 1992 ; and what information he has on the political affiliations of those appointed.
The Prime Minister : Appointments (including reappointments) made by me between 1 November 1992 and 31 January 1993 have been as follows :
|Number
------------------------------------------------
Trustees of museums and galleries |10
Civil service appointments |2
Members of pay review bodies |2
Other appointments |6
Any political affiliations those appointed may have are not relevant to their appointments.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish a table indicating the rate in pounds sterling of the uniform business rate in (a) Wales and (b) England in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The uniform rate was not in operation before 1 April 1990. The information for the last three years is given in the folowing table.
Year |Wales |England -------------------------------- 1990-91 |0.368 |0.348 1991-92 |0.408 |0.386 1992-93 |0.425 |0.402
The poundage for Wales and England were set in 1990 at a level which ensured that the overall yield from ratepayers remained at the 1989-90 level in real terms. Since 1990 poundages have been uprated in line with the annual increase in the retail prices index as at September in the preceding year.
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