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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 5 July 1995
TREASURY
Manchester Ship Canal
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from Manchester city council about protecting the Manchester ship canal from the possible impact of proposals related to a proposed landfill tax; what reply he is sending; and if he will make a statement. [30995]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The leader of Manchester city council, Councillor Graham Stringer, who is also director of the Manchester Ship Canal Co., wrote to my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor on 15 June about the effect of the landfill tax on dredging operations. I replied on 4 July. Copies of the correspondence have been placed in the Library.
Brent Spar
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Government tax subsidy was being allowed to the Shell UK company in respect of the sinking of the Brent Spar oil platform; whether it will still be eligible if the platform is broken up on land; whether this tax subsidy will be available to other oil companies when they wish to dispose of their offshore oil rig platforms; and if he will make a statement. [31500]
Sir George Young: As with all other taxpayers, the tax affairs of Shell UK Ltd. are confidential between it and the Inland Revenue. Companies operating in the North sea can claim relief against petroleum revenue tax and corporation tax on the cost of decommissioning their offshore oil installations. In the case of Brent Spar, Shell has already announced publicly that it will forgo the tax relief on any additional cost if onshore disposal were to proceed.
Information Technology Contracts
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 21 June, Official Report , column 263 , if he will place in the Library details of those specific provisions designed to guarantee continuity of service in information technology contracts in the event of a transfer to another supplier or divert to the Department. [31849]
Sir George Young: I am unable, on the grounds of commercial confidentiality, to place in the Library any details of specific provisions contained within the contract between Inland Revenue and EDS.
The negotiation of the contract between Inland Revenue and EDS took place in full recognition of the importance of the various constituent elements that ensure the
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continuity of service provided to the Inland Revenue and to taxpayers. Specific provisions have been made in the information technology service agreement to secure the computer equipment, software and expertise to ensure continuity of service throughout the contract period and beyond.Conditionally Exempt Works of Art
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time that items from the register of conditionally exempt works of art spend out on loan to public galleries, museums and other similar places to which the public have access. [31870]
Sir George Young: The information requested is not available as there is no statutory power to require owners to keep statistics of such of their conditionally exempt items as are on loan to public institutions to which the public has access.
Mr. Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many works of art which are conditionally exempted from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax are currently out on loan to public galleries and museums. [31872]
Sir George Young: The information requested is not available as there is no statutory power to require owners to keep statistics of such of their conditionally exempt works of art as are on loan to public galleries and museums.
Council Tax Appeals
Mr. Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals lodged by council tax payers are still waiting to be dealt with for each district value office in England and Wales. [32326]
Mr. Nelson: The number of council tax appeals still outstanding as at 31 May 1995 with each listing officer in England and Wales is shown in the tables:
Council tax valuation list
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: Wales and West
Local office |Outstanding
-----------------------------------------
Bangor |1,147
Barnstaple |951
Bath |1,372
Bristol |1,922
Cardiff |1,163
Carmarthen |2,186
Exeter |2,900
Gloucester |1,575
Merthyr Tydfil |547
Newport |331
Plymouth |2,131
St Austell |2,061
Swansea |700
Taunton |2,033
Wrexham |1,095
Regional total |22,114
Council tax valuation list
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31
May 1995
National summary
Region |Outstanding
---------------------------------------
Central |22,991
East |24,785
London |20,787
North |13,018
South |34,593
Wales and West |22,114
Total E and W |138,288
Council Tax valuation list
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: Central
Local office |Outstanding
-----------------------------------------
Birmingham |946
Bolton |845
Burnley |1,164
Chester |1,245
Coventry |835
Crewe |1,459
Kidderminster |856
Lancaster |981
Lichfield |912
Liverpool |1,364
Manchester |625
Preston |997
Rochdale |465
Salford |580
Sandwell |138
Shrewsbury |1,526
Stockport |862
Stoke |1,027
Warrington |1,442
Warwick |1,339
Wolverhampton |273
Worcester |3,110
Regional Total |22,991
Council Tax Valuation List
Valid Proposals Outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: East
Local Office |Outstanding
-----------------------------------------
Bedford |1,361
Cambridge |1,319
Chelmsford |1,751
Colchester |2,695
Derby |1,262
Grimsby |1,153
Ipswich |2,113
Leicester |1,003
Lincoln |1,172
Loughborough |1,132
Mansfield |761
Northampton |1,138
Norwich |2,404
Nottingham |956
Peterborough |1,608
St. Albans |1,523
Stevenage |1,434
Regional Total |24,785
Council tax valuation List
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: London
Local office |Outstanding
-----------------------------------------
Barking |809
Bromley |2,895
Camden |1,173
City |1
Ealing |1,441
Enfield |3,638
Greenwich |1,771
Harrow |1,391
Islington |1,270
Kensington |1,517
Lambeth |1,616
Redbridge |1,215
Tower Hamlets |476
Westminster |294
Wimbledon |1,280
Regional total |20,787
Council tax valuation list
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: North
Local office |Outstanding
-----------------------------------------
Alnwick |526
Bradford |1,382
Carlisle |734
Doncaster |577
Durham |560
Halifax |1,233
Harrogate |1,395
Hull |1,470
Leeds |868
Middlesbrough |483
Newcastle |317
Sheffield |454
Sunderland |352
Ulverston |1,030
York |1,637
Regional total |13,018
Council tax valuation list
Valid proposals outstanding as at 31 May
1995
Region: South
Local office |Outstanding
-------------------------------------------
Aylesbury |2,260
Basingstoke |2,135
Bournemouth |2,216
Brighton |1,206
Chatham |1,470
Dorchester |1,481
Eastbourne |2,000
Folkestone |1,546
Guildford |1,456
Oxford |1,891
Portsmouth |965
Portsmouth (IOW) |651
Reading |2,558
Reigate |3,028
Southampton |2,077
Swindon |2,414
Tunbridge Wells |2,663
Worthing |2,576
Regional total |34,593
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the reasons for the United Kingdom's opposition to EC draft 8205/94, calling for changes in excise duty on biodiesel. [32162]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: At the meeting of the Council of Economic Ministers--ECOFIN--in Luxembourg on 19 June, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor noted that the proposal has been considered by the Council from time to time without making any real progress, and he suggested that the Council should not expend further effort on it.
The Government continue to find the proposal set out in EC draft 8205/94 unattractive for several reasons. We are opposed in principle to granting long-term tax subsidies to products which would not be financially viable without them. We are not persuaded of the agricultural, environmental or energy policy benefits of subsidising biofuels, and we remain concerned about the effect of tax subsidies on the market for by-products.
World Bank and International Monetary Fund
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to progress the recommendations for reforms to the World bank and International Monetary Fund, as outlined in the background paper to the communique presented at the recent G7 meeting in Halifax, Canada. [32209]
Mr. Nelson: The proposals agreed at Halifax among the G7 for reform of the World bank and International Monetary Fund now need to be discussed by the entire membership of those institutions. The G7 recognises that changes will need broad support among the membership. The Canadian Finance Minister has written on behalf of the G7 to every governor of the two institutions, commending the proposals and seeking comments. The Government hope they will now be considered by the executive boards of the World bank and International Monetary Fund, and at the autumn ministerial meetings of the interim and development committees. The Government will also discuss the proposals in other forms, and bilaterally with other non-G7 countries. I hope, for example, that we will be able to have a useful exchange of views at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' conference in October.
Investors' Compensation Scheme
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the investors' compensation scheme. [33089]
Mr. Nelson: The Treasury has today laid a minute to inform the House that the Treasury has issued a guarantee to the investors compensation scheme, ICS, for up to £17 million.
This wholly exceptional course, which I very much regret the need to take, results from the current judicial review case brought by Sun Life. This challenges certain regulatory rules made by the Securities and Investments Board, SIB, and the Personal Investment Authority, PIA, which is one of the self-regulating organisations recognised by SIB under the Financial Services Act 1986. Mr. Justice Collins yesterday gave
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Sun Life leave to proceed with the case, which will be heard on 23 to 24 August.Because of the uncertainty created by this case, the PIA has decided, after taking legal advice, that it would not be prudent to levy its members to provide finance for the ICS as it would normally do. For similar reasons, the ICS board has also decided not to levy PIA members direct. Without the Treasury guarantee, the ICS would be unable to borrow commercially because of the same uncertainty about its ability to raise funds to service and repay loans.
The Treasury guarantee is for £17 million, slightly more than the £15.8 million ICS levy on the PIA, to cover interest which may be incurred and the legal costs associated with the court case. The Treasury will review the need for the guarantee when the judicial review case is resolved after the hearing in August. In the meantime, the ICS will continue to operate normally, making offers of compensation to investors who have lost as a result of defaults by investment firms, and declaring firms in default in order to trigger claims, as usual. Investors can be confident that this important safety net will continue to function properly, underpinning investor protection.
Extra-Statutory Payments
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 9 June, Official Report , column 339 , if he will list the agreed specific delegation level agreed with each Department for authorising extra statutory payments. [28663]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 15 June 1995]: The existing specific delegation levels agreed with the main Departments for authorising extra statutory and extra regulationary payments are set out. The limits reflect a number of considerations, including the nature of the payments that are likely to occur on a particular Department's programme and whether satisfactory ground rules can be agreed for dealing with them. The limits are kept under regular review.
Department |Delegation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ministry of Agriculture, |Full delegation
Fisheries and Food
Cabinet Office (including |£5,000
OPSS)
Crown Prosecution Service |Full delegation
Customs and Excise |Full delegation
Ministry of Defence |£250,000
Department for Education |<1>Full delegation
Department of Employment |£5,000
Department of Environment
-Local Government |£10,000
-Housing and other |£25,000
Environmental Services
Export Credit Guarantee |£250,000
Department
Foreign and Commonwealth |£5,000
Office
Home Office (including prisons) |£20,000
Department of Health (including |<2>Range from no delegation to
NHS Executive | full delegation depending on
| nature of expenditure item
| concerned
Inland Revenue |Full delegation
Intervention Board |£100,000
Lord Chancellor's Department |Full delegation
Department of National Heritage |£25,000
Northern Ireland Office |£50,000
Overseas Development |£5,000
Administration
Property Holdings |No delegation
Property Services Agency |No delegation
Services
Scottish Office |Range from £750 to full
| delegation depending on
| programme.
Department of Social Security |<3>£250,000
Department for Trade and |No delegation
Industry
Department of Transport
-National Roads |£300,000
-Other |£1,000
Treasury |£1,000
Welsh Office |Range from no delegation to
| full delegation depending on
| programme.
Notes
<1> Except on teachers' superannuation.
<2> Except payments made under Section 5(3) of the NHS Act 1977.
<3> Except the Child Support Agency.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Voluntary Organisations
Miss Hoey: To ask the Attorney-General how many voluntary sector organisations his Department has (a) paid grants to or (b) entered into contracts with in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95 and what was the total value of these grants and contracts. [31301]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service paid a grant of £20,000 to the Nuffield Foundation for its interpreter project in 1993 94 and a further grant of the same amount to the same organisation in 1994 95. The service entered into contracts with Shaw House and the Royal London Society for the Blind in 1993 94 under the sheltered placement scheme, the value to the organisations being the employment of disabled persons by the service.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Voluntary Organisations
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many voluntary sector organisations his Department has (a) paid grants to or (b) entered into contracts within (i) 1993 94; and (ii) 1994 95; and what was the total value of these grants and contracts. [31307]
Mr. Dorrell: In 1993 94, my Department paid grants to 32 voluntary sector organisations. The total value of
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these grants was £832.420. In 1994 95, the number of organisations was 31 and the total value of grants was £874,731. My Department has no contracts with voluntary organisations.Hotel Grading Schemes
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many hotels are included in the English tourist board's crown grading scheme; and how many are covered by the schemes operated by the Royal Automobile Club and the Automobile Association. [32031]
Mr. Dorrell: The English tourist board crown classification and grading scheme covers 11,500 serviced establishments. This includes 3,500 hotels. The Automobile Association scheme in England covers approximately 5,500 serviced establishments, of which 3,019 are hotels. The Royal Automobile Club scheme includes some 5,200 serviced establishments throughout Britain, 3,400 of which are hotels.
Travel Claims
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will detail the amount of travel claims at constant prices his Department in (a) 1993 94 and (b) 1994 95 broken down by (i) public transport, (ii) car mileage allowance and (iii) bicycle allowance. [32171]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 4 July 1995]: The information requested for the Department of National Heritage, including the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, Royal Parks Agency, Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts and Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England is:
|1993-94 £|1994-95 £
------------------------------------------------
Mileage allowance |30,734 |23,452
Bicycle allowance |0 |0
The amount of travel claims by public transport could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Justices of the Peace (Cumbria)
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number of justices of the peace on the bench in each of the divisions in the county of Cumbria by (a) political or non-political affiliation and (b) by gender. [32617]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The number of justices of the peace in each division of the county of Cumbria by (a) political or non-political affiliation and (b) by gender, on the latest information available, is:
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|Conservative |Labour |Liberal Democrat|Independent |Not known/other |Male |Female
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appleby |11 |1 |0 |0 |0 |6 |6
Carlisle |33 |19 |12 |3 |11 |44 |34
Furness and District |37 |8 |3 |3 |9 |34 |26
Kendal and Lonsdale |16 |6 |8 |2 |5 |22 |15
Keswick | 5 |1 |0 |0 |2 |4 |4
South Lakes |11 |2 |2 |0 |1 | 7 |9
Penrith and Alston | 8 |1 |5 |1 |3 |10 | 8
West Allerdale |22 |8 |2 |1 |5 |23 |15
Whitehaven |12 |5 |3 |4 |5 |16 |13
Wigton |7 |1 |1 |0 |1 |6 |4
Voluntary Organisations
Miss Hoey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many voluntary sector organisations his Department has (a) paid grants to or (b) entered into contracts with in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what was the total value of these grants and contracts. [31299]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor's Department paid grants to two voluntary sector organisations in 1993 94 and to two in 1994 95. The total value of the grants was £195,000 in 1993 94 and £188, 000 in 1994 95.
The Legal Aid Board, a non-departmental public body, paid grants to 10 voluntary sector organisations in 1993 94 and 60 in 1994 95. The total value of the grants was £942,000 in 1993 94 and £2,377,000 in 1994 95. In addition, one law centre and one advice agency with a solicitor received payments under franchise contracts on a case-by-case basis.
Repossessions
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) proceedings were commenced to repossess homes and (b) homes were repossessed in (i) York, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and Humberside and (iv) England in each year since 1979. [31597]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 5 July 1995:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to your Question about repossession proceedings. The following charts show the total number of possession actions commenced in York County Court; North Yorkshire; Yorkshire and Humberside and England since 1987 (the earliest year for which data is available). As not all actions result in the issue and execution of a warrant of possession, I am unable to tell you how many properties were repossessed in this period. I have therefore included in the tables the number of possession orders made. I should add that the figures for 1994 are provisional and are consequently liable to revision to take account of any late amendments.
York County Court
|Actions commenced|Orders made
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |335 |269
1988 |327 |238
1989 |368 |193
1990 |505 |314
1991 |577 |455
1992 |456 |405
1993 |346 |316
1994 |358 |274
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North Yorkshire
|Actions commenced|Orders made
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |637 |475
1988 |527 |393
1989 |661 |401
1990 |1,030 |622
1991 |1,430 |1,005
1992 |1,119 |1,032
1993 |845 |764
1994 |764 |564
Yorkshire and Humberside
|Actions commenced|Orders made
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |7,777 |5,684
1988 |7,304 |5,046
1989 |7,380 |4,053
1990 |10,434 |6,794
1991 |14,146 |10,844
1992 |10,280 |8,934
1993 |8,447 |7,432
1994 |7,619 |5,474
England
|Actions commenced|Orders made
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |74,048 |45,836
1988 |67,729 |44,711
1989 |86,246 |50,267
1990 |137,714 |98,546
1991 |176,414 |135,490
1992 |134,574 |119,805
1993 |109,734 |99,388
1994 |83,516 |73,943
Asylum
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases relating to political asylum in the United Kingdom were heard at the immigration appeals tribunal; and how many such appeals were successful in each of the last five years. [31316]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Figures on asylum appeals were not kept prior to the enactment of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993. A separate figure for appeals by the Home Office was not kept until January 1994. The table sets out the available information:
Immigration appeal tribunal: Political asylum appeals
Remitted for
hearing by a
different
Year Heard Allowed adjudicator
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993 (August-Decembe21 5 11
|Claimant |Home Office|Claimant |Home Office
1994 |285 |8 |3 |192 |13
1995 (January-May) |151 |11 |3 |90 |3
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of funding allocated by his Department to Highlands and Islands Enterprise excluding objective 1 figures for development initiatives in (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) Kintyre for the years 1993 94 and 1994 95. [30446]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The allocation of funds to specific local enterprise company areas for economic and social development purposes is the responsibility of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have asked the chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Temazepam
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what are the criteria which he applies to reschedule drug substances under the terms of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; how temazepam relates to these criteria; and if he will make a statement; [31395]
(2) what further plans he has to reschedule temazepam; and if he will make a statement. [31383]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: No rescheduling may occur under the 1971 Act except after consultation with, or on the recommendation of, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The council is required to have regard to misused drugs which are having, or appear to it to be capable of having, harmful effects sufficient to constitute a social problem. The council has recommended that temazepam should be controlled under schedule 3 of the relevant regulations rather than schedule 4. The Government's careful consideration of this recommendation is continuing.
As my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council announced on 10 May, we are taking steps to impose safe custody requirements on manufacturers and wholesalers, and are engaged in consultations with a view to banning the prescribing by general practitioners under the National Health Service of the soft gelatin gel-filled temazepam capsules.
Health Care International
Mr. Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he was informed that an employee of Scottish Enterprise had been given leave of absence to become international marketing director of Health Care International in Clydebank; what reports he received on the outcome of the appointment in terms of contracts for the hospital; and when he received these reports. [31347]
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Mr. Kynoch: The granting of leave of absence to an employee of Scottish Enterprise was an operational matter for that body, in respect of which there was no requirement for my right hon. Friend to be informed or to receive reports.
Mr. Stefan Kock
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland from whom Strathclyde police have received representations on the firearms incident involving Mr. Stefan Kock in Scotland in January 1990. [32197]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Strathclyde police have received no representations in relation to this incident.
A74
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will keep the name M74 when the A74 construction to motorway standard is completed; and if he will make a statement. [32613]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 4 July 1995]: My right hon. Friend announced in November 1991 that, on completion of the A74 upgrade, the new motorway will be designated as the M6. However, until the whole route is upgraded, the upgraded section of the route will retain the "74".
My right hon. Friend recently announced that we intend to seek tenders later this year for the last section in Scotland to be upgraded between Cleuchbrae and Paddy's Rickle on a design, build, finance and operate basis and this should see the completion of the upgrade by the end of the century.
Council Workers (Redundancy)
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for what maximum period of time compensation schemes for council workers made redundant by local government reorganisation operate. [32185]
Mr. Kynoch: The compensation scheme provided under the Local Government (Compensation for Redundancy or Premature Retirement on Reorganisation) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 for any local authority employee made redundant as a result of local government reorganisation will be available until 31 March 1997. The period will, however, be subject to review in December 1996.
Tongue School, Sutherland
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take in respect of the school board of Tongue school, Sutherland. [32657]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None.
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures apply when the parents of children attending a school indicate by a clear majority of all parents on successive occasions at a properly constituted meeting with the school board that they have no confidence in the board. [32677]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Under section 30 of the School Boards (Scotland) Act 1988, whenever the requisite number of parents so request in writing, the school board must hold a meeting to enable parents to make inquiries and to discuss matters relating to the activities of the board and to make resolutions relating to the activities of the board. The board is required to consider any resolution passed at such a meeting. The requisite number of parents for the purpose of requesting a meeting is 30, or a number of parents equal to at least one quarter of those who were entitled to vote at the most recently held elections of parent members, whichever is the less.
Water Supplies
Mr. Gallie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the report on the 10-year review of demands and resources for public water supplies in Scotland. [33091]
Mr. Kynoch: A report has been published today by the Scottish Office Environment Department describing the
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outcome of the Department's third long-term assessment of demands and resources for public water supplies in Scotland carried out during 1994, previous studies having been done in 1973 and 1984. I have arranged for copies of the report to be placed in the Library. The report shows that, at the national and regional levels, resources are more than sufficient to meet average demands for public water supplies beyond 2016, the period covered by the study.Strathclyde Passenger Transport Area
Mr. Gallie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what boundary he intends for the new Strathclyde passenger transport area following his recent consultation exercise. [33092]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Following careful consideration of the responses received to the consultation exercise, we have concluded that the Strathclyde passenger transport area should cover the existing Strathclyde zonecard travel area, and the whole of the present Strathclyde supported rail network. This will ensure that the Strathclyde passenger transport authority and executive can carry out effectively its local transport responsibilities in Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
I have placed maps illustrating the new area in the Library of the House. I am making arrangements to lay the necessary designation order before Parliament.
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ENVIRONMENT
Pollution
Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average proportion in poor quality air of pollution that comes from (a) car fumes and (b) industrial emissions. [31412]
Mr. Atkins: Each episode of poor air quality has its own individual characteristics, so it is not possible to directly attribute the relative contribution that road traffic or industrial emissions contribute to air pollution incidents across the UK. However, detailed emissions inventories of the overall pollutant contributions of the various sectors are available. The table shows the proportions for NOx, SO2, CO and black smoke for London in 1991.
Percentage air emissions by sector for London in
1991
Figures are all rounded to one decimal place.
Per cent.
Pollutant
|Black
|NOx |SO2 |CO |CO2 |smoke
----------------------------------------------------
Road transport |75.4 |24.5 |98.6 |32.5 |95.2
Domestic |6.5 |0.7 |0.2 |31.4 |0.1
Commercial and |11.8 |72.6 |0.2 |29.9 |2.4
industrial
Other transport |6.4 |2.1 |1.0 |6.3 |2.4
Home Improvement Grant
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has of the number of home owners wishing to take up a home improvement grant who are unable to do so because of inability to afford the temporary accommodation required while the work in question is carried out; what assistance is available to them; and if he will make a statement. [31906]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The legislation for house renovation grants makes no specific provision to cover the costs of temporary accommodation for applicants while works are in progress. Local authorities may rehouse applicants under their discretionary powers in the Housing Act 1985, but correspondence to my Department suggests that many grant applicants prefer to stay in their homes while the works are carried out.
Ponds
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures his Department takes to protect and clean ponds; and what is the budget for these projects. [32160]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Department supports a number of environmental grant schemes, such as countryside stewardship, which include provision for the creation or restoration of ponds. Under the Countryside Act 1968, local authorities can carry out pond restoration and creation, and under the rural action scheme, which is sponsored by the three countryside agencies, grants are available for environmental improvements, including the
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clearing of ponds. With regard to water quality, many ponds will be subject to the general pollution control functions of the National Rivers Authority.Ponds are protected through a number of schemes and mechanisms, including some via the site of special scientific interest system under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is not possible to identify within the overall budgets the amount spent on protecting and clearing ponds.
Landfill Waste Disposal
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the landfill waste disposal sites in Great Britain where environmental pollution problems have arisen in the last 10 years. [32439]
Mr. Atkins: Landfill waste disposal operations in Great Britain are regulated by the waste regulation authorities. Information about pollution incidents at individual landfill sites is held by the responsible authority. A sample study carried out in 1990 by the Association of County Councils identified 11 cases in the previous 15 years where remedial action to landfill sites was required by waste regulation authorities.
Asbestos
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the guidelines followed by Government Departments in the use of asbestos or asbestos products in any building work taking place within Government-owned properties; and if he will make a statement. [32671]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Department of the Environment, through the Property Holdings central advice unit, formerly property advisory services division, provides Government Departments with guidelines in the "Guide to Estate Management Responsibilities" and the "Housekeeping Guide for Accommodation Managers".
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the fifth annual report of the Drinking Water Inspectorate will be published. [32850]
Mr. Atkins: The Drinking Water Inspectorate published its fifth annual report today. Once again, it shows that drinking water in England and Wales is of a very high quality. In 1994, 99.3 per cent. of the 3.5 million tests carried out by water companies on drinking water met the relevant standard, compared with 98.9 per cent. in 1993.
The report provides a detailed picture of water quality in England and Wales which has been tested against the stringent criteria of the water quality regulations which incorporate the limits in the EC drinking water directive.
The inspectorate also published today two leaflets for consumers. "How Good is Your Drinking Water?", summarises the main points of the report. "About Your Water Company" gives brief details of the quality of drinking water supplied by individual water companies. Copies of the report and leaflets have been placed in the Library of the House.
Column 217
Manchester Ship Canal
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had from Manchester city council about protecting the Manchester ship canal from the possible impact of proposals related to a proposed landfill tax; what reply he is sending; and if he will make a statement. [30994]
Sir Paul Beresford: The leader of Manchester city council, Councillor Graham Stringer, who is also a director of the Manchester Ship Canal Co., wrote to my right hon. Friend about the potential impact of the proposed landfill tax on the company's dredging operations on 15 June. I replied on Tuesday 4 July. Copies of the correspondence have been placed in the Library.
Vanadium
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is estimated total annual United Kingdom emissions of airborne vanadium pentoxide: and what are the main sources. [32003]
Mr. Atkins: Emissions of heavy metals into the atmosphere are not speciated by individual chemical compound type. This is because of analytical difficulties in determining the composition of fly ash on other than an elemental basis. There is, therefore, no information available on emissions of V2O5. Emissions of vanadium are not yet included in the national atmospheric emissions inventory. However, the Department's research programme includes work on vanadium and the results will be reported later this year.
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