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Mr. Michael Forsyth : There are no plans to introduce a general close season for sand eel fishing in Scottish
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waters. If further management measures appear to be needed around Shetland, a close season is one of the options which will be considered.Knitwear and Textiles
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing for each year since 1979, in index form with 1979=100 the value in real terms of knitwear and textiles output in Scotland.
Mr. Ian Lang : The information requested is in the table. The hosiery and knitted goods industry is part of the wider textiles industry.
|Textiles |Hosiery and knitted
|goods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |100 |100
1980 |91 |103
1981 |86 |106
1982 |78 |97
1983 |78 |93
1984 |85 |108
1985 |93 |122
1986 |87 |116
1987 |90 |120
Source: Index of Industrial Production and Construction for Scotland.
Health Spending
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance his Department has issued to health boards on the need for increased spending on services for the elderly, mentally ill and mentally handicapped in line with the Scottish Office publication "Health Spending in Scotland", and the Sharpen report.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Government have endorsed the high priority accorded by the Sharpen report to the provision of community care services for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped. Decisions on spending on local services for particular groups are for individual health boards from the substantially increased resources made available to the National Health Service in Scotland.
Community Care
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines his Department has issued to health boards with regard to remedying the problems of community care, in cases where the transition from institutions to the community is costing more than anticipated.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : None. I do not accept that any deficiencies in the provision of community care arise from inadequate funding of the relevant authorities. Gross expenditure on the National Health Service in Scotland is expected to reach £2,754 million in 1989-90. After allowing for inflation, this amounts to an increase in real terms of 34 per cent. since 1979-80. The Government's planning figure for current expenditure on social work services in 1989-90 is £445.4 million, an increase of 38 per cent. in real terms since 1979-80. We have made it clear to the relevant authorities that within these substantially increased resources a high priority should be given to the provision of community care services for vulnerable groups.
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NHS Buildings (Sale)
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the methods of monitoring the use of the proceeds from the sales of National Health Service buildings used for the mentally handicapped and mentally ill, and how his Department ensures that these proceeds are put back into those services rather than the regional budget.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The proceeds of sales of surplus Health Service property are now used for further investment in the Health Service by the health board in whose area the property lies. The use which is to be made of the proceeds of sales of a particular category of property is not generally specified but health boards know that they should give a high priority to the care of mentally handicapped and mentally ill patients. Capital expenditure on these categories of patient has been almost £20 million per annum in recent years. That sum far exceeds the proceeds of sales of surplus mental hospitals and associated land.
Loch Sunart
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on pollution of Loch Sunart caused by the burial of diseased farmed fish close to the shore of the loch ; and if he intends to take any action against any person responsible for such pollution.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Highland river purification board, as the authority responsible for the control of water pollution, is investigating a pollution incident at Loch Sunart. I am advised that the board's initial findings are that no serious pollution of the waters has taken place. The river purification board will determine what further action to take in the light of its inquiries.
Agriculture Set-aside Scheme
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an estimate of the number of farmworkers whose employment will be affected by participation by their employers or others in the set-aside scheme ; and if he will take any action either to compensate those workers or to provide additional employment in the areas concerned.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The possible effect of set-aside on farm and rural employment is one of the aspects of the scheme we shall be evaluating in its first years. Initial indications, on the basis of the average area of land proposed for set-aside by those who have applied this year (36 hectares) in comparison with the average holding size involved (140 hectares), are that the number of workers affected should be very small. There is no provision for special compensation. The Government already provide substantial assistance, through various programmes and agencies, aimed at improving employment opportunities in rural areas.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Food Standards
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the work of the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards since its launch in July 1987.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend the Minister has recently received from the chairman of Food From Britain, Mr. Walter Goldsmith, the "Review of the Activities of the Board of United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards for the period October 1987 to October 1988", a copy of which I am placing in the Library of the House.
Agriculture Council
Mr. McLouglin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council in Brussels which commenced on 12 December ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : I attended the Agriculture Council which commenced on Monday, 12 December. Decisions were reached on a number of issues. The most important was a decision, subject to consulting the European Parliament, on the long running and difficult negotiations to define the production and minimum strength rules for spirit drinks. The outcome was particularly satisfactory for the United Kingdom, in that it fully safeguarded our major interest in Scotch whisky, gin and vodka.
Although the meeting continued late on Monday and Tuesday, and overnight on Wednesday, it was not possible to reach agreement on a large number of other issues on the agenda. The Council was consequently adjourned to Monday 19 December when a further attempt will be made to reach conclusions on all the outstanding issues.
Radioactivity
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representatives of the National Farmers' Union and the Farmers' Union of Wales attended the briefing meeting in London on Friday 9 December to discuss the continuing effects of Chernobyl.
Edenbridge House, Carlisle (Meeting)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers and landowners attended the meeting at Edenbridge house, Carlisle on 23 November to discuss the aerial survey of post- Chernobyl radioactivity ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place a transcript in the Library of the meeting between his officials and the National Farmers' Union held at Edenbridge house, Carlisle, on 23 November.
Mr. Ryder : No transcript of proceedings was made. However, a letter summarising the data discussed at the meeting was sent to all farmers in the Cumbrian restricted area on 12 December and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Animals (Tuberculosis)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if will give details of research projects he is undertaking or funding into the spread and control of tuberculosis in farmed and wild animals ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether he intends to increase research into the spread and control of tuberculosis in farmed and wild animals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department is presently funding at a cost of approximately £0.5 million per annum a programme of research and development at the central veterinary laboratory, Weybridge designed to improve the diagnosis and control of tuberculosis in cattle and wildlife including badgers and deer. Appropriate research work will continue to be funded by my Department in recognition of the statutory and public health importance of this disease.
Radioactivity
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the final report of the aerial survey of post-Chernobyl radioactivity in Cumbria will contain a contour map of radioactive c|sium deposition when published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : Yes, the report will contain such a map.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of the levels of radioactivity discovered in the post- Chernobyl aerial survey of Cumbria, he will extend the survey to cover all of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Ryder : At present there are no plans to extend the aerial survey outside the Chernobyl restricted areas.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to extend the terrestrial radioactive monitoring programme throughout England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The terrestrial radioactivity monitoring programme is a routine monitoring programme for food and environmental materials in the vicinity of each of the major nuclear sites. The feasibility of extending TRAMP beyond its present coverage is currently under consideration.
Deer (Tuberculosis)
Dr. David Clarke : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he will make tuberculosis in deer a notifiable disease ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether he intends to introduce tuberculosis testing and compulsory slaughter arrangements for farmed deer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : When I met the British Deer Farmers Association recently I discussed with it the current problems with TB in farmed deer. I explained that the Government will introduce legislation to make TB in deer a notifiable disease and to make the keeping of movement records and the permanent identification of farmed deer compulsory. My officials are preparing the
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necessary legislation and will shortly be consulting other interested organisations. Meanwhile, infected or suspected animals known to the Ministry, will continue to be subject to movement restrictions applied under article 15 of the tuberculosis (England and Wales) and (Scotland) Orders 1984.I have further agreed that my officials should explore with the industry the introduction of a voluntary tuberculosis attestation scheme for deer herds. Proposals for a scheme are at an advanced stage and letters have been sent to interested organisations inviting them to nominate representatives to form an advisory group to consider the proposals and their application.
I believe that, taken together, these are useful measures to combat the problem of tuberculosis in deer. In response to suggestions from the industry that compulsory slaughter might be appropriate I have suggested that they should consider the possibility of an industry funded programme. We are awaiting an industry response on all these matters.
Departmental Responsibilities
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the duties and responsibilites of the atomic energy (unit C) section of his Ministry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The atomic energy unit of the food science division of the Ministry is now known as the food safety (radiation) unit. Its duties and responsibilities broadly cover all aspects of radioactivity in the terrestrial foodchain. This includes a responsibility, held jointly with Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, for advising Ministers from nuclear sites, and inspection of those sites to ensure compliance. The unit is responsible for assessing, and advising on, the radiological consequences of all planned and accidental releases of radioactivity, in relation to agricultural and horticultural produce. It specifies the environmental surveillance programme to be carried out by nuclear operators and carries out its own programme of monitoring radioactivity in the terrestrial environment. The unit also provides technical advice on all aspects of food irradiation. It sponsors and directs scientific research programmes on relevant topics. Members of the unit represent the Ministry on many national and international advisory committees.
Farmworkers (Set-aside Scheme)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will given an estimate of the number of farmworkers whose employment will be affected by participation by their employers or others in the set-aside scheme ; and if he will take any action either to compensate those workers or to provide additional employment in the areas concerned.
Mr. Ryder : I am not yet in a position to estimate the employment effects of set-aside, which has only recently come into operation, but it offers a wide range of alternative land uses which should create new employment opportunities in the countryside, as will other recent Government initiatives such as the farm woodlands
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scheme and the farm diversification grant scheme. I do not therefore accept that there will be a net reduction in employment.Eggs
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many eggs which were infected by salmonella enteriditis have been found in the constituency of south Derbyshire during the last 12 months ;
(2) how many eggs have been found to be infected with salmonella enteriditis (a) in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and (b) nationally during the last 12 months ; and what is the estimated number of eggs produced in the region annually.
Mr. Ryder : I regret that it is not possible to make a precise estimate of the number of infected eggs in any region. But I would agree with what my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health told the House on 5 December at column 19 , that the risk to any individual is small and the risk to the healthy adult small indeed.
Forestry
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide details of any projections for the employment potential of forestry in rural areas in England.
Mr. Ryder : Employment provided by forestry and the wood-processing industries in the rural areas of England is likely to stabilise at about the present level.
Woodlands (Set-aside scheme)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether felling licences for woodlands planted under the set-aside scheme will be granted without a replanting condition ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The control of tree felling rests with the Forestry Commissioners under powers contained in the Forestry Act 1967. When clear felling is proposed, it is at present the commissioners' normal policy to require replanting of the felled area. As we have already announced, for woodlands planted under the farm woodland scheme there will, subject to whatever legislation may be current at the time, be a presumption in favour of granting licences without such a replanting condition provided that in each case this has the support of the relevant agriculture department and there are no overriding environmental objections. Similar arrangements will apply to any planting done under the set-aside scheme.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ministerial Visits
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary for State of Northern Ireland how many nights each of the Ministers at his Department stayed in Northern Ireland during the months of June, July, August, September and October.
Mr. Tom King : The information is as follows :
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|June 1988 |July 1988 |August 1988 |September 1988|October 1988
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secretary of State |9 |5 |6 |7 |7
Mr. Stanley |3 |5 |- |- |-
Mr. Stewart |- |- |1 |9 |11
Lord Lyell |9 |8 |9 |10 |11
Mr. Needham |11 |9 |17 |5 |9
Dr. Mawhinney |4 |8 |1 |8 |6
Mr. Viggers |5 |5 |3 |11 |7
Mr. Stanley left the Northern Ireland Office and Mr. Stewart joined in July 1988.
Plastic Bullets
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary for State of Northern Ireland what are the rules laid down for the use of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ian Stewart : It is not the Government's practice to disclose detailed operational instructions under which the security forces operate in Northern Ireland. However, the general rules governing the use of plastic baton rounds state that riot guns will be used only when judged to be the reasonable amount of force necessary in the protection of life and property, the preservation of the peace, and the prevention and detection of crime. The instructions are designed to minimise the possibility of injury to those at whom the baton rounds are aimed.
Weapons (Theft)
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary for State of Northern Ireland if he will list with dates any occasions when weapons have been stolen or have gone unaccounted for from police stations in Northern Ireland from 1970 to the present date.
Mr. Ian Stewart : Detailed information in the form requested is not readily available from existing central records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Milk Processing Plants
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary for State of Northern Ireland if the Industrial Development Board has concerned itself in the future development and ownership of Northern Ireland milk processing plants following the recent takeover bids by subsidiary firms of which the controlling interests are foreign based ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Viggers : The Industrial Development Board has been closely monitoring the progress of recent takeover bids in the milk processing sector in Northern Ireland but it is not part of its role to become involved in what are essentially commercial transactions.
ENERGY
Nuclear Power Plants
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has received from the United States of America about the reasons for the shutdown of the nuclear power plants (a) Hanford, Washington, (b) Rocky Flats, Colorado, (c) Savannah River, South Carolina and (d) Fernald, Ohio ; whether any pollution
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resulted from accidents or discharges at these plants ; whether any of this information is relevant to nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Michael Spicer : The plants to which the hon. Member refers are military plants and are of designs which have no close parallels in the United Kingdom.
Natural Gas
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the status of Council directive 13/2/1975404 EEC relating to the use of natural gas in power stations ; and whether he proposes to seek its modification.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Section 14 of the Energy Act 1976 gives effect to Council directive 75/404/EEC. I understand that, in part as the result of United Kingdom prompting, the European Commission is carrying out a review of the directive.
Atomic Energy Division
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if there are any restrictions on civil servants in his Department's atomic energy division travelling in COMECON countries for their holidays.
Mr. Michael Spicer : There are no specific restrictions against holiday travel in COMECON countries placed on members of this Department solely as a consequence of their being employed in our atomic energy division.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what restrictions exist on retired officials, who have worked in his atomic energy division, wishing to emigrate to the Soviet Union.
Mr. Michael Spicer : There are no specific restrictions on the choice of country of residence on retirement placed on members of this Department solely as a consequence of their having been employed in our atomic energy division.
Uranium
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he will take to ensure that weapons-grade uranium will not be sold into the wrong hands after privatisation of the electricity supply industry.
Mr. Michael Spicer : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 8 December 1988 at columns 328-29 .
Solar Housing Project
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many copies of the Linford/Pennylands solar housing
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project book have been published ; to whom copies have been distributed ; and what has been the total cost of this publication.Mr. Michael Spicer : The Linford/Pennylands housing project book has not yet been published and we are currently reviewing the most effective way to promote the results of this work and other studies. Total cost of the work on the book so far has been £9,336. The three technical reports on the Linford and Pennyland houses on which the contents of the book are drawn are available from the British Lending Library on request. These reports are :
Lindford low energy houses, report number S1025.
A review of design and performance of Calor Solar Houses at Milton Keynes (this report relates to three houses at Linford), report number S1138.
The Pennyland project, report number S1046.
Copies of reports S1025 and S1046 are available from the Open university, price £10 (or £3.50 for a summary). No information is available on the number of copies distributed of the technical reports.
Nuclear Reactors
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has received any indication from British Nuclear Fuels plc as to the likely cost and timetable for (a) the closure and decommissioning of the Calder Hall and Chapelcross nuclear production reactors, (b) the redundant reprocessing buildings at Sellafield and (c) the capping of trenches and repackaging of radioactive wastes at Drigg.
Mr. Michael Spicer : I understand that BNFL hope to operate the Calder Hall and Chapelcross reactors until 1998. During the first three years after closure the reactors would be defuelled ; subsequently the external plant items would be removed. The remainder of the reactor would be decommissioned within 100 years of closure. The discounted cost, excluding the cost of reprocessing any fuel remaining in the core but excluding a substantial contingency, is estimated at £224 million.
Decommissioning of redundant reprocessing facilities at Sellafield has already commenced where this is possible. Currently redundant facilities are expected to be decommissioned by 2000, except for three facilities due to be decommissioned by 2016. The estimated cost of £250 million will be incurred throughout the period.
The filled trenches at Drigg are being capped now. This work is expected to be completed in mid 1989. The remaining trench and future vaults will be capped as they become full. The estimated total cost is £5 million.
All wastes currently stored at Drigg are to be transported to Sellafield at a cost of around £5 million. Any necessary repackaging will be carried out as part of this exercise.
Electricity Generation
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what electricity generating capacity is likely to be commissioned before the year 2000 ; and if he will estimate when.
Mr. Michael Spicer : This will be a matter for the privatised electricity industry to decide. The Central Electricity Generating Board has said in evidence to the
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Hinkley Point public inquiry that it estimates there will be a shortfall in generating capacity of 15.5 GW by the year 2000.Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are his estimates of coal and nuclear generating costs at rates of return of 5, 8 and 10 per cent.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The Central Electricity Generating Board has, in evidence to the Hinkley Point public inquiry, estimated the generation costs from coal and nuclear power stations in their "base case" as follows :
p/KWh
|Per cent.|Per cent.|Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------
Discount Rate |5 |8 |10
PWR |2.24 |3.09 |3.80
Coal
Coastal station |2.50 |2.97 |3.35
Inland station |2.62 |3.03 |3.36
Heating Costs
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the annual cost of heating a small semi-detatched standardised house in England, Scotland, and Wales in 1979 by (a) gas, (b) electricity, (c) coal and (d) oil, expressed in cash.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Table 1 gives the costs of heating a standardised two bedroom house in five regions of Great Britain. The costs have been adjusted to 1979 money values using indices of current fuel prices as published in "Energy Trends". Costs vary between regions according to differences in temperature and fuel prices.
Table 1
Calculated costs of Heating a Standardised Two Bedroom House by
region and type of fuel in 1979 money values
|Gas |Electricity|Coal |Oil
|£ |£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Country |70-121 |68-124 |57-106 |42-73
|(118-169) |(106-163) |(126-175) |(70-101)
South East |73-127 |73-132 |64-118 |44-75
|(121-175) |(111-170) |(138-192) |(73-103)
North East |85-145 |83-153 |59-108 |51-86
|(157-193) |(122-192) |(118-168) |(79-114)
Scotland |85-148 |85-155 |67-123 |51-86
|(157-196) |(124-194) |(133-190) |(79-114)
Wales |70-121 |69-127 |61-113 |42-73
|(115-169) |(106-163) |(130-182) |(69-99)
Notes:
(1) Costs are calculated on the same basis as last published (Feb. 1986)
Monergy Guides with fuel prices adjusted to 1979 money values.
(2) Figures given first are for space heating only. The range represents
the well insulated and poorly insulated cases. Bracketed figures include
water heating.
(3) No standing charges or maintenance costs are included.
(4) The calculations are based on standard wet central heating system
for gas, coal and oil. For electric heating storage heaters run on off
peak heating are assumed.
Electricity Supplies
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on agreements made at the meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers in Brussels on 8 November ; and what are the implications for future construction of power plants in the United Kingdom
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following from the decision to begin to establish a free market in electricity imports and exports in the European Economic Community.Mr. Michael Spicer : I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement to the House of 14 November 1988 at column 426 on the outcome of the Energy Council of 8 November 1988.
Trade in electricity is subject to the Treaty of Rome and therefore to the provisions in it precluding barriers to imports and exports between member states. The organisation of the industry in many member states however in practice may inhibit trade and on 8 November the Council endorsed the Commission intention to prepare a report on these practical problems. Importers of electricity into the United Kingdom already have common carrier rights and the right to sell to the utilities at a fair price established by the Energy Act 1983.
Nuclear Power Stations
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give in a table the position of nuclear power stations in England and Scotland, the planned capacity for each, the percentage available and the date of retirement of the stations.
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