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Column 649
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 11 January 1989
ENVIRONMENT
River Pollution
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 20 per cent. of water authorities sewage treatment works in England and Wales where poor performance has given rise to recent deterioration in river quality.
Mr. Moynihan : Water authority returns detailing those sewage treatment works which in 1987 failed to comply with discharge consent conditions are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions there have been under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in respect of alleged river pollution since the implementation of the Act ; and if he will list such prosecutions in date order.
Mr. Moynihan : I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 8 December at col. 276.
Sewage
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the major programmes of investment applicable to sewage works in coastal towns to bring their works up to standard ; and in each case what provision there is for primary and secondary sewage treatment.
Mr. Moynihan : The detailed programmes of investment for upgrading all sewage treatment works are still being developed by individual authorities in discussion with my Department. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on December 7 to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) by my hon. Friend the Minister for Water and Planning at column 199.
Water Pollution
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the statutory standard for water in order to safeguard the public from the hazards of polluted rivers, lakes and reservoirs, in view of their increasing use for inland water sports and recreation.
Mr. Moynihan : I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to his questions on Tuesday 10 January at columns 504-505.
Water Companies (Asset Values)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact on the asset values of water companies of the failure of
Column 650
copper pipes due to water corrosion caused by the non-lime retaining waters supplied (a) in Nottingham and (b) in England.Mr. Moynihan : None. Water authority mains are unlikely to be affected.
Football
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made any estimates of those attending the following numbers of Football League matches in a season (a) one to 10, (b) 11 to 20, (c) 21 to 30, (d) 31 to 40 and (e) more than 40.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions there will be under the football membership scheme for football fans who support more than one team.
Mr. Moynihan : It will be for the body appointed to run the scheme to consider the way in which the scheme will work in detail and submit proposals to the Secretary of State for approval. The report of the working party I chaired recommended that members of the scheme should be able to attend any designated match.
Towpaths
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the use of canal towpaths for horse- riding ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : The management of towpaths is the responsibility of their owners. Most canal towpaths are owned by the British Waterways Board, whose byelaws require permission to be obtained for horse riding. The board's policy is to permit horse riding only where it would be compatible with other uses.
Water Authority Chairmen
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to change any of the water authority chairmen.
Housing Action Trust (Leeds)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish the report prepared for him by PIEDA consultants on the proposed housing action trust in Leeds, and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : We have not yet received the report from the consultants studying the area proposed for a housing action trust in Leeds.
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy in deciding whether to designate Halton Moor estate, Leeds, as part of a housing action trust, to take into account the report prepared by local tenants, a copy of which has been sent to him.
Mr. Trippier : We shall take account of all local views in deciding whether to establish individual HATs. In
Column 651
particular, the Secretary of State may not make an order designating a HAT area unless a majority of tenants approve the proposal in a ballot.Rate Support Grant
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 21 December, Official Report, column 268, if he will list for each local authority its share of the accumulated reduction in rate support grant since 1978-79 at 1988-89 prices.
Mr. Ridley : It is not possible to estimate what grant individual authorities would have received in each of the last 10 years had the total of rate support grant been higher without knowing what decisions would have been made by the Government about the factors which affect the distribution of grant and by authorities about their level of spending.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will show for each local authority the rate support grant paid in each year since 1978-79, expressed in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms at 1988-89 prices ; and what percentage of the council's total expenditure in each year this represented.
Mr. Ridley : The information will be placed in the House of Commons Library today.
Water
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations have been made by his Department to the European Commission regarding the incident at Lowermoor water treatment works on 6 July 1988 ;
(2) what representations have been made by his Department to the World Health Organisation regarding the incident at Lowermoor water treatment works on 6 July 1988.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken by his Department subsequent to his meeting with the chairman of the Lowermoor incident liaison group on 21 December.
Mr. Ridley : No action has been taken by my Department subsequent to the meeting of my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health with the chairman of the Lowermoor incident liaison group and the hon. Member for Cornwall, North (Mr. Neale) on 21 December. I am satisfied that the undertakings which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Health gave in relation to the local health concerns will meet the principal worries of people in the Camelford area.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what correspondence he has received from the European Commission in connection with European law and the provisions in the Water Bill ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ridley : A copy of the Water Bill has been sent to the European Commission. If the Commission raises any points we shall consider them.
Column 652
Grant-related Expenditure
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was (a) the total and (b) the percentage year-on-year change in the grant-related expenditure of (i) the Inner London Education Authority and (ii) the Metropolitan police, in each year from 1981-82.
Mr. Ridley : The information is as shown in the following table :
Total GRE (£ million) Change in GRE on
previous year (per
cent.)
|ILEA |Metropolitan police|ILEA |Metropolitan police
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |468.477 |273.605 |- |-
1982-83 |509.273 |327.191 |8.7 |19.6
1983-84 |513.327 |348.304 |0.8 |6.5
1984-85 |532.430 |366.679 |3.7 |5.3
1985-86 |520.770 |388.948 |-2.2 |6.1
1986-87 |548.153 |421.270 |5.3 |8.3
1987-88 |581.161 |459.871 |6.0 |9.2
1988-89 |630.134 |497.553 |8.4 |8.2
1988-89<1> |582.195 |497.553 |- |-
1989-90 |629.834 |545.443 |8.2 |9.6
<1> Adjustment.
Note: In the table above an adjusted 1988-89 GRE is shown for ILEA. The adjustment reflects the transfer of higher
education establishments to the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council from 1 April 1989.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the percentage change in grant-related expenditure for each local authority between 1987-88 and 1988-89, ranked from biggest increase to biggest decrease.
Mr. Ridley : The information is as shown in the following table :
Percentage changes in GRE between 1987-88 RSG second
supplementary report and 1988-89 RSG supplementary report
|Percentage change in GRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Lindsey |28.5
Northumbria Police Authority |14.4
Runnymede |14.1
South Yorkshire Police Authority |13.8
West Yorkshire Police Authority |13.0
Middlesbrough |12.4
West Midlands Police Authority |11.9
Merseyside Police Authority |11.9
Greater Manchester Police Authority |11.9
Isle of Wight |9.9
Berkshire |9.8
Glanford |9.6
Harrow |9.6
Kingston-upon-Thames |9.5
East Sussex |9.4
West Sussex |9.3
Buckinghamshire |9.3
Northamptonshire |9.3
Redbridge |9.2
Sutton |9.2
Milton Keynes |9.2
Barnet |9.0
Cambridgeshire |9.0
Hillingdon |8.9
Enfield |8.9
Suffolk |8.9
Bradford |8.9
Leicestershire |8.8
Newcastle upon Tyne |8.8
Rotherham |8.7
Cornwall |8.7
Wellingborough |8.6
Ealing |8.5
Hampshire |8.5
Bedfordshire |8.5
Surrey |8.4
Avon |8.4
ILEA |8.4
Lincolnshire |8.4
Knowsley |8.4
Dorset |8.4
City of London |8.4
Bexley |8.4
Somerset |8.3
North Yorkshire |8.3
Wiltshire |8.3
Gloucestershire |8.2
Merton |8.2
Metropolitan Police |8.2
Sunderland |8.2
Essex |8.2
Kirklees |8.1
Shropshire |8.1
Haringey |8.1
Oldham |8.1
Norfolk |8.1
Oxfordshire |8.0
Hastings |8.0
Bromley |8.0
Coventry |8.0
Calderdale |8.0
Cheshire |7.9
North Tyneside |7.9
Derbyshire |7.9
South Tyneside |7.9
Ellesmere Port and Neston |7.8
North Devon |7.8
Gateshead |7.8
Nottinghamshire |7.7
Burnley |7.7
Leeds |7.7
Hammersmith and Fulham |7.7
Birmingham |7.7
Lancashire |7.6
Sandwell |7.5
Kent |7.5
Solihull |7.5
Wirral |7.5
Devon |7.5
Thurrock |7.5
Sefton |7.5
Doncaster |7.4
Purbeck |7.3
Wakefield |7.3
Dudley |7.3
Durham |7.3
Cleveland |7.3
Wigan |7.2
Scarborough |7.2
Penwith |7.2
Waltham Forest |7.2
Hertfordshire |7.2
Teignbridge |7.2
Rochdale |7.2
Havant |7.1
Warwickshire |7.1
Hounslow |7.1
Bolton |7.1
Humberside |7.1
St. Helens |7.1
Bournemouth |7.1
Weymouth and Portland |7.1
Staffordshire |7.0
Wolverhampton |7.0
Walsall |7.0
Halton |7.0
Northumberland |6.9
New Forest |6.9
Cumbria |6.8
Poole |6.8
Trafford |6.8
South Hams |6.8
Lancaster |6.8
Croydon |6.8
Lambeth |6.8
Barking and Dagenham |6.8
Isles of Scilly |6.8
Bury |6.7
Plymouth |6.7
Hereford and Worcester |6.6
Bracknell |6.5
Nottingham |6.5
Blackpool |6.5
Kensington and Chelsea |6.5
Richmond-upon-Thames |6.4
Barnsley |6.4
Brent |6.4
Camden |6.3
Horsham |6.3
Peterborough |6.3
Suffolk Coastal |6.2
Torbay |6.2
Hartlepool |6.2
Woking |6.2
Sheffield |6.1
Southampton |6.1
Pendle |6.1
Stockton-on-Tees |6.0
Havering |6.0
Wokingham |6.0
Adur |6.0
West Dorset |6.0
Huntingdonshire |5.9
Waveney |5.9
Barrow in Furness |5.9
Preston |5.9
Worthing |5.9
Bristol |5.8
Kingston upon Hull |5.8
Woodspring |5.8
Tyne and Wear Fire and CD Authority |5.7
West Somerset |5.7
Slough |5.7
North Dorset |5.6
Restormel |5.6
Salford |5.5
Corby |5.5
Sedgemoor |5.5
Wyre |5.5
Thamesdown |5.5
Tameside |5.5
Hove |5.5
Redditich |5.4
Kerrier |5.4
North Norfolk |5.3
Newham |5.3
Scunthorpe |5.3
Oxford |5.3
Stoke-on-Trent |5.3
Test Valley |5.2
Tandridge |5.2
Chesterfield |5.2
Reigate and Banstead |5.2
Tamworth |5.1
Lewisham |5.1
Northavon |5.1
Southend-on-Sea |5.1
South Yorkshire Fire & CD Authority |5.1
Torridge |5.1
Mid Devon |5.1
London Fire & CD Authority |5.1
Stockport |5.1
Norwich |5.0
Gillingham |5.0
Rother |4.9
East Hertfordshire |4.9
Tendring |4.9
South Wight |4.8
Cheltenham |4.8
Liverpool |4.8
Shepway |4.8
Warrington |4.7
Southwark |4.7
Manchester |4.7
Brentwood |4.7
Dover |4.7
Wrekin |4.7
Sedgefield |4.7
Worcester |4.7
Portsmouth |4.7
North Bedfordshire |4.6
Copeland |4.6
Eastleigh |4.6
Carrick |4.6
Exeter |4.6
Rochester upon Medway |4.5
Carlisle |4.5
Basingstoke and Deane |4.5
Wandsworth |4.5
East Staffordshire |4.5
Malvern Hills |4.5
West Lancashire |4.5
South Bedfordshire |4.4
South Staffordshire |4.4
North Cornwall |4.4
Mid Bedfordshire |4.4
Elmbridge |4.4
Hereford |4.3
Wear Valley |4.3
Kettering |4.3
Colchester |4.3
Dartford |4.3
Crawley |4.3
Broxtowe |4.3
Guildford |4.3
Gloucester |4.3
Kingswood |4.2
Selby |4.2
Derwentside |4.2
Derby |4.2
Swale |4.2
South Yorkshire Transport Authority |4.2
Leicester |4.2
Canterbury |4.1
Durham |4.1
Fenland |4.1
South Kesteven |4.1
Fareham |4.1
Christchurch |4.0
East Hampshire |4.0
Winchester |4.0
Fylde |4.0
Eden |4.0
Cherwell |4.0
West Devon |4.0
Rushcliffe |4.0
Greater Manchester Transport Authority |3.9
Aylesbury Vale |3.9
York |3.9
Blyth Valley |3.9
West Oxfordshire |3.9
Stevenage |3.9
Chester |3.9
Eastbourne |3.8
West Midlands Fire and CD Authority |3.8
Wycombe |3.8
Caradon |3.8
Bath |3.8
Taunton Deane |3.8
Shrewsbury and Atcham |3.8
Richmondshire |3.8
Wansbeck |3.8
South Shropshire |3.7
Warwick |3.7
Erewash |3.7
South Herefordshire |3.7
Arun |3.7
East Northamptonshire |3.7
St. Edmundsbury |3.7
Chorley |3.7
Wealden |3.7
Medina |3.6
Stroud |3.6
West Lindsey |3.6
Nuneaton and Bedworth |3.6
Newbury |3.6
West Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority |3.6
Broxbourne |3.5
Broadland |3.5
Melton |3.5
Congleton |3.5
Thanet |3.4
Great Yarmouth |3.4
Mendip |3.4
Holderness |3.4
King's Lynn and West Norfolk |3.4
Forest of Dean |3.4
Cambridge |3.4
East Dorset |3.4
East Yorkshire |3.3
North Kesteven |3.3
Newcastle-under-Lyme |3.3
Ashfield |3.3
Harlow |3.3
Hart |3.2
East Devon |3.2
Gedling |3.2
Islington |3.2
Wychavon |3.2
Chichester |3.2
Mole Valley |3.2
Amber Valley |3.1
Newark and Sherwood |3.1
Epsom and Ewell |3.1
Mid Sussex |3.1
Daventry |3.1
West Midlands Transport Authority |3.1
Beverley |3.1
Ribble Valley |3.0
South Cambridgeshire |3.0
Vale Royal |3.0
Tonbridge and Malling |3.0
South Somerset |3.0
Cotswold |3.0
Greater Manchester Fire & CD Authority |3.0
Watford |3.0
Stratford on Avon |2.9
South Northamptonshire |2.9
Luton |2.9
Blackburn |2.9
Dacorum |2.8
Tewkesbury |2.8
Leominster |2.8
South Lakeland |2.8
Teesdale |2.8
Chelmsford |2.8
Bassetlaw |2.8
Harrogate |2.8
Wyre Forest |2.8
Craven |2.8
Ryedale |2.8
Ipswich |2.8
Blaby |2.7
Cannock Chase |2.7
East Cambridgeshire |2.7
Waverley |2.6
Sevenoaks |2.6
Crewe and Nantwich |2.6
Boston |2.6
Rochford |2.6
Rugby |2.6
Maldon |2.6
Stafford |2.6
High Peak |2.6
Maidstone |2.6
Hertsmere |2.5
Tower Hamlets |2.5
South Bucks |2.5
Rossendale |2.5
Breckland |2.5
Gosport |2.5
Epping Forest |2.5
Boothferry |2.4
Surrey Heath |2.4
Lichfield |2.4
Gravesham |2.3
Tunbridge Wells |2.3
Hyndburn |2.3
Vale of White Horse |2.2
Bromsgrove |2.2
Babergh |2.2
Merseyside Fire and CD Authority |2.2
Chiltern |2.1
St. Albans |2.1
West Wiltshire |2.1
Welwyn Hatfield |2.1
Bridgnorth |2.0
Allerdale |2.0
Spelthorne |2.0
Macclesfield |2.0
Oswestry |2.0
Lincoln |2.0
Rushmoor |1.9
South Ribble |1.9
Darlington |1.9
Castle Point |1.9
Charnwood |1.9
North Warwickshire |1.8
Windsor and Maidenhead |1.8
Kennet |1.8
Great Grimsby |1.7
Hinckley and Bosworth |1.6
South Derbyshire |1.6
Westminster |1.6
North Hertfordshire |1.6
North Wiltshire |1.5
Reading |1.5
Oadby and Wigston |1.4
Salisbury |1.4
Three Rivers |1.4
Cleethorpes |1.3
Berwick-upon-Tweed |1.3
South Oxfordshire |1.3
Forest Heath |1.2
Staffordshire Moorlands |1.1
Uttlesford |1.0
Braintree |1.0
South Holland |1.0
Hambledon |0.9
Alnwick |0.9
South Norfolk |0.8
North East Derbyshire |0.7
Mid Suffolk |0.6
North Shropshire |0.4
Harborough |0.4
North West Leicestershire |0.3
Bolsover |0.3
Rutland |0.2
Brighton |0.2
Tynedale |-0.1
Basildon |-0.1
Greenwich |-0.3
Lewes |-0.3
Hackney |-0.4
Tyne and Wear Transport Authority |-0.7
Castle Morpeth |-0.7
Derbyshire Dales |-0.9
Merseyside Transport Authority |-0.9
Ashford |-1.1
Mansfield |-1.7
West Yorkshire Transport Authority |-1.8
Wansdyke |-2.6
Chester-le-Street |-3.4
Northampton |-6.6
Langbaurgh-on-Tees |-6.7
Easington |-26.8
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in descending order using their 1988-89 budgets all English local authorities on the basis of the percentage above or below their grant -related expenditure assessments for 1988-89.
Mr. Ridley : The information based on the relevant amounts determined in accordance with the Rate Support Grants Act 1988 is as shown in the table :
1988-89 Rate Support Grant Supplementary Report
|Relevant amount above or
|below GRE (per cent.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brentwood |276.7
Harlow |175.0
Crawley |108.7
Thurrock |100.5
City of London |99.6
Guildford |98.0
North Warwickshire |97.7
Sedgefield |89.5
Wear Valley |83.8
Derwentside |76.3
South Yorkshire Transport Authority |74.2
Thamesdown |69.1
Bassetlaw |67.2
ILEA |63.1
Basildon |62.9
Rossendale |61.3
Welwyn Hatfield |60.6
Burnley |60.1
Wansbeck |60.0
Stevenage |59.3
Blyth Valley |58.9
Hart |57.9
North East Derbyshire |56.5
Darlington |55.9
Scunthorpe |55.6
Bolsover |53.7
Durham |51.6
Daventry |49.1
West Yorkshire Transport Authority |48.7
Harrogate |48.6
Adur |48.0
Milton Keynes |46.9
Langbaurgh-on-Tees |45.3
Nuneaton and Bedworth |44.0
Wokingham |43.9
Selby |40.0
Chester-le-Street |39.7
Greenwich |39.2
Pendle |39.0
West Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority |37.4
South Bedfordshire |37.4
Wyre Forest |37.4
Mansfield |36.4
Redditch |36.0
Hyndburn |35.3
Reigate and Banstead |35.1
Tynedale |34.6
East Yorkshire |34.3
Oxford |34.3
Easington |32.5
Ribble Valley |32.0
Camden |30.2
Lewisham |29.2
Crewe and Nantwich |27.9
Merseyside Transport Authority |27.7
Cleethorpes |27.4
Hartlepool |27.3
Three Rivers |26.8
Shepway |26.8
Ipswich |26.5
Norwich |26.4
Wrekin |26.1
High Peak |25.7
West Lindsey |25.6
Suffolk Coastal |25.5
St. Albans |25.5
North West Leicestershire |25.5
Blackburn |25.2
Epsom and Ewell |25.2
Carlisle |24.5
Bristol |23.4
South Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority |23.2
Preston |22.8
Boothferry |22.3
Greater Manchester Fire and CD Authority |22.1
Tyne and Wear Fire and CD Authority |21.9
North Wiltshire |21.7
Copeland |21.4
Chester |21.2
Peterborough |21.2
Tower Hamlets |20.9
East Dorset |20.0
Hackney |19.5
Hertsmere |18.9
Leicester |18.7
South Wight |18.5
Wychavon |17.4
Derbyshire Dales |17.3
Chesterfield |17.2
West Lancashire |16.4
Great Yarmouth |16.3
Castle Point |15.9
Dartford |15.7
Sevenoaks |15.5
Wealden |15.5
Mid Suffolk |15.3
Malvern Hills |15.1
East Hampshire |15.1
Ashford |14.7
Beverley |14.7
Castle Morpeth |14.6
New Forest |14.5
Warrington |14.5
Stockton-on-Tees |14.5
Congleton |14.4
South Ribble |14.3
Harborough |14.2
Vale Royal |14.1
Swale |13.8
Epping Forest |13.8
Scarborough |13.8
North Kesteven |13.7
South Hams |13.6
Chorley |13.5
Stratford on Avon |13.4
Teignbridge |13.4
Ashfield |13.3
Fareham |13.3
Craven |13.2
Staffordshire Moorlands |13.2
Tonbridge and Malling |13.2
Southwark |13.2
Spelthorne |13.0
Halton |13.0
North Hertfordshire |12.8
Newark and Sherwood |12.7
Newcastle-under-Lyme |12.6
Torridge |12.6
Melton |12.6
Winchester |12.5
Bath |12.5
Barrow in Furness |12.5
Sedgemoor |12.3
Tunbridge Wells |12.3
Blackpool |12.2
Middlesbrough |12.1
Thanet |11.8
Watford |11.7
London Fire & CD Authority |11.6
Brent |11.4
Oswestry |11.4
Gravesham |11.4
Rother |11.3
Great Grimsby |11.2
Stoke-on-Trent |11.2
Richmondshire |11.2
Cannock Chase |11.1
Arun |11.1
Calderdale |11.0
Alnwick |10.9
Canterbury |10.9
Windsor and Maidenhead |10.6
Kingston upon Hull |10.5
Carrick |10.4
South Lakeland |10.4
Northavon |10.3
Worcester |10.2
Lewes |10.2
East Lindsey |10.2
North Devon |10.1
Wigan |10.1
Tameside |10.0
Richmond-upon-Thames |10.0
Stroud |9.9
Northampton |9.9
Dover |9.9
North Tyneside |9.9
Rotherham |9.9
Doncaster |9.8
Brighton |9.8
Sheffield |9.8
Waverley |9.7
Barnsley |9.7
Oxfordshire |9.5
Cumbria |9.5
Derbyshire |9.5
Wakefield |9.4
Lambeth |9.4
Rochdale |9.4
Walsall |9.3
Kirklees |9.3
Haringey |9.1
Newcastle upon Tyne |9.1
Forest of Dean |9.1
Cleveland |9.0
West Midlands Fire and CD Authority |9.0
South Bucks |8.9
Lancaster |8.9
Torbay |8.8
Holderness |8.8
Woodspring |8.8
Salford |8.8
Manchester |8.7
Greater Manchester Transport Authority |8.7
Sunderland |8.7
Avon |8.6
Glanford |8.5
Gateshead |8.3
Liverpool |8.3
Chelmsford |8.3
Lincoln |8.3
South Tyneside |8.2
Reading |8.2
Humberside |8.2
St. Helens |8.1
Bedfordshire |8.0
Fylde |8.0
Waltham Forest |8.0
South Derbyshire |8.0
Merseyside Police Authority |7.8
West Yorkshire Police Authority |7.8
Knowsley |7.8
Wyre |7.8
Northumbria Police Authority |7.7
Sandwell |7.7
Allerdale |7.7
Hertfordshire |7.6
Hammersmith and Fulham |7.6
Islington |7.5
Rushmoor |7.5
Mid Devon |7.5
South Kesteven |7.5
Chiltern |7.5
Wirral |7.4
Merseyside Fire and CD Authority |7.4
Newham |7.3
North Bedfordshire |7.3
Mid Sussex |7.2
Northumberland |7.2
Enfield |7.2
Hove |7.1
Penwith |7.1
Caradon |6.9
Nottinghamshire |6.8
Bradford |6.7
Forest Heath |6.7
Portsmouth |6.6
Horsham |6.6
Warwick |6.6
Leominster |6.6
Tyne and Wear Transport Authority |6.4
Derby |6.4
Coventry |6.1
Babergh |6.0
Hillingdon |6.0
Bury |5.9
Nottingham |5.9
Shrewsbury and Atcham |5.5
West Wiltshire |5.5
North Cornwall |5.2
West Devon |5.1
Dudley |5.1
Hounslow |5.1
Hastings |5.0
Kerrier |5.0
Barking and Dagenham |4.9
Hambleton |4.8
Gedling |4.7
Buckinghamshire |4.6
Dacorum |4.6
Waveney |4.6
Wolverhampton |4.5
Sutton |4.4
Kettering |4.2
Barnet |4.2
West Midlands Police Authority |4.1
Erewash |4.1
Ealing |4.0
Isle of Wight |4.0
Essex |3.9
Broxtowe |3.9
East Hertfordshire |3.8
Stafford |3.8
Durham |3.7
Kingston-upon-Thames |3.6
Wiltshire |3.6
Oadby and Wigston |3.6
Rushcliffe |3.6
Warwickshire |3.5
Maidstone |3.5
Cheshire |3.4
Northamptonshire |3.3
Medina |3.3
Mid Bedfordshire |3.2
Eastbourne |3.1
Harrow |3.1
Southend-on-Sea |3.0
Amber Valley |3.0
Teesdale |2.9
Lancashire |2.8
Berwick-upon-Tweed |2.8
North Shropshire |2.7
Greater Manchester Police Authority |2.6
Bolton |2.4
Tendring |2.3
South Yorkshire Police Authority |2.3
Wycombe |2.3
Uttlesford |2.3
Southampton |2.2
Somerset |2.2
Cambridgeshire |2.2
Worthing |1.9
Oldham |1.9
Birmingham |1.8
Stockport |1.7
Sefton |1.6
Gloucestershire |1.6
Corby |1.5
Maldon |1.4
Leicestershire |1.0
Eastleigh |1.0
Rugby | .6
North Yorkshire | .6
Surrey | .5
Tandridge | .5
Staffordshire | .5
Gloucester | .3
Boston | .3
Leeds | .1
Macclesfield | .1
Bournemouth | .1
Rochford | .1
Gillingham | .1
Havering |-.0
Broxbourne |-.1
Metropolitan Police |-.1
Restormel |-.2
West Midlands Transport Authority |-.2
Ryedale |-.4
Broadland |-.6
South Holland |-0.8
Luton |-1.0
Eden |-1.1
Test Valley |-1.2
West Somerset |-1.2
Croydon |-1.2
East Staffordshire |-1.3
King's Lynn and West Norfolk |-1.5
Cambridge |-1.7
Devon |-1.7
Suffolk |-2.1
Shropshire |-2.1
Lincolnshire |-2.1
East Sussex |-2.2
Cornwall |-2.3
Christchurch |-2.4
Trafford |-2.4
Bexley |-2.5
Weymouth and Portland |-2.5
South Norfolk |-2.6
Berkshire |-2.6
Hampshire |-2.7
East Devon |-3.0
South Somerset |-3.1
Gosport |-4.0
Wellingborough |-4.0
Kennet |-4.1
Solihull |-4.1
Norfolk |-4.2
Chichester |-4.2
Braintree |-4.3
Bromley |-4.4
Hereford and Worcester |-5.0
West Sussex |-5.1
Havant |-5.1
South Shropshire |-5.2
Kent |-5.2
Wandsworth |-5.2
Lichfield |-5.6
Merton |-5.9
Cheltenham |-5.9
Plymouth |-6.0
Taunton Deane |-6.3
Dorset |-6.3
Isles of Scilly |-6.4
Tamworth |-6.4
North Norfolk |-6.5
Redbridge |-6.9
Westminster |-7.1
Cotswold |-7.2
Slough |-7.3
Poole |-8.1
Breckland |-10.1
Ellesmere Port and Neston |-10.3
Fenland |-10.3
Colchester |-10.4
Bromsgrove |-11.1
Exeter |-11.5
Mendip |-11.6
Kingswood |-12.1
South Staffordshire |-12.2
West Oxfordshire |-12.6
York |-13.1
West Dorset |-13.1
Salisbury |-13.6
Basingstoke and Deane |-13.6
Bridgnorth |-13.8
Blaby |-14.2
South Northamptonshire |-14.5
Hereford |-14.5
Charnwood |-14.8
Kensington and Chelsea |-15.2
North Dorset |-15.3
St. Edmundsbury |-15.6
Newbury |-16.8
Cherwell |-17.8
South Herefordshire |-18.0
Rochester upon Medway |-18.2
Bracknell |-19.3
South Oxfordshire |-19.8
Huntingdonshire |-20.4
Hinckley and Bosworth |-20.6
Rutland |-21.0
Purbeck |-21.7
Aylesbury Vale |-21.9
Tewkesbury |-24.0
Elmbridge |-25.9
Surrey Heath |-26.2
Wansdyke |-26.8
East Northamptonshire |-27.7
Vale of White Horse |-35.5
East Cambridgeshire |-36.6
Woking |45.0
Mole Valley |-58.7
South Cambridgeshire |-58.7
Runnymede |-66.4
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish for each authority selected for rate limitation in 1988- 89 the percentage increase or decrease in its 1988-89 budgeted total expenditure compared with its original 1987-88 budget.
Mr. Ridley : The information is as follows :
Total expenditure<1>
|Budget 1987-88 £ million|Budget 1988-89 £ million|Change percentage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manchester |316.526 |316.568 |0.0
Liverpool |306.116 |303.755 |-0.8
Newcastle upon Tyne |156.784 |161.505 |3.0
Camden |152.981 |139.463 |-8.8
Greenwich |96.331 |95.089 |-1.3
Hackney |145.859 |130.978 |-10.2
Lambeth |152.373 |152.486 |0.1
Lewisham |133.101 |122.045 |-8.3
Southwark |135.690 |132.723 |-2.2
Tower Hamlets |124.033 |126.033 |1.6
Ealing |175.762 |175.050 |-0.4
Haringey |154.455 |154.364 |-0.1
Waltham Forest |152.369 |142.031 |-6.8
Middlesbrough |17.569 |17.570 |0.0
Basildon |16.911 |12.968 |-23.3
Kingston upon Hull |31.759 |28.500 |-10.3
Thamesdown |14.199 |15.422 |8.6
<1> Latest available information on budget returns made by authorities.
Rates
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish the total rate rise in poundage and percentage terms, at ratepayer level, in every local authority in England between 1981 -82 and 1987-88, whole period, ranked from biggest increase to smallest increase, by class ;
(2) if he will publish the overall percentage change in the non-domestic rate poundage in each rating authority in England between 1981-82 and 1988- 89, showing the percentage increase which would have occurred in each if the non-domestic rate poundage had increased in line with the retail price index over this period, showing the difference between the two percentages for each authority ;
(3) if he will list in descending order all English local authorities on the basis of the percentage change in their
Column 665
local rate or precept from 1981-82 to 1988- 89, showing in each case the percentage change in current expenditure in the same period.Mr. Ridley : I have today placed the information in the Library.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the overall average unrebated domestic rate bill paid by householders in (a) England and (b) England and Wales in each year since 1966-67.
Mr. Ridley : The estimated figures are as follows :
Average (unrebated) domestic rate bills<1>
|England |England and Wales
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1966-67 |41 |40
1967-68 |41 |41
1968-69 |42 |42
1969-70 |44 |44
1970-71 |47 |46
1971-72 |54 |53
1972-73 |61 |60
1973-74 |66 |66
-------
1974-75<2> |77 |74
1975-76 |94 |92
1976-77 |103 |100
1977-78 |119 |116
1978-79 |131 |128
1979-80 |155 |152
1980-81 |199 |195
1981-82 |245 |239
1982-83 |282 |276
1983-84 |303 |296
1984-85 |323 |316
1985-86 |351 |344
1986-87 |401 |392
1987-88 |429 |420
1988-89<3> |468 |459
<1> Average unrebated rate bills are derived from average domestic
rateable values per hereditament and the average domestic rate
poundages levied by local authorities.
<2> Figures up to 1973-74 are not comparable with those for 1974-75 and
later years. This is due to the change of local authorities'
responsibilities in 1974, in particular the transfer of water and
sewerage services from local authorities to water authorities.
<3> The figures for 1988-89 are provisional.
Thoresby Hall
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken in respect of the proposed break-up and disposal of the contents of Thoresby hall, Nottinghamshire ; what discussions he has had with English Heritage and British Coal about the future of the hall ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ridley : Disposal of the contents of any listed building is a private matter for their owners. I have ensured that British Coal and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy are aware of the representations made by English Heritage and others about the future of the hall. Any applications for listed building consent for works to alter or demolish this grade 1 listed building would need to be referred to my Department.
Porter v. Honey
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement of the
Column 666
implications for policy on estate agents boards of the judgment delivered in the House of Lords on 1 December in the case of Porter v. Honey.Mr. Howard : Their Lordships were invited to answer the following certified question :
"If an estate agent, instructed to sell or let a residential property, displays a board outside the property no other being at that time displayed, does he commit an offence if another agent (to his knowledge or without it) thereafter displays a second?" Their answer was unanimously in the negative and the appeal by Mr. A. H. Porter, against judgment given in the Divisional Court on 30 March, was allowed.
I welcome this judgment and their Lordships' view, expressed by Lord Griffiths, that they were,
"unable to impute to the Secretary of State or Parliament the intention that an estate agent in the position of the appellant should be held guilty of a criminal offence".
I hope that all estate agents and vendors will observe the rule that only one advertising board is displayed on any premises for sale or letting, so that the question of prosecution for displaying a second or subsequent boards does not arise.
Housing
Mr. Charles Wardle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has had to the consultation paper, "A New Financial Regime for Local Authority Housing in England and Wales."
Mr. Trippier : The official consultation period on this paper ended on 7 October although we made clear from the outset that we would receive comments after that date. By Christmas, 325 responses had been received in my Department and the Welsh Office. Of these, 129 respondents indicated that they would like their views to be made publicly available. I have today place a list of those responses in the Libraries of both Houses, through which copies may be obtained.
Rats
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the effect on the asset value of Thames Water of the cost of the treatment of rats within sewers, or otherwise within its works and lands, including all direct treatment, treatment by agencies and private contractors, for the financial years 1981-82 to 1987-88 inclusive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 10 January 1989] : None. It is unlikely to have any effect. Furthermore, the Department does not hold information on the amount spent on pest control by Thames Water.
British Waterways Board
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the names of the members of the British Waterways Board ; if he will indicate which members of the board are living in Wales and which are appointed specifically to represent Welsh interests ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : [holding answer 22 December 1988] : The names of the British Waterways Board members are as follows :
Column 667
Mr. David Ingman (Chairman)Dr. Alan Robertson CBE (Vice Chairman)
Sir Peter Hutchison Bt
Dr. Brian Goodman
Mr. John Gordon
Mr. David Yorke.
None of the present members lives in Wales. Board members are not appointed to represent specific interests.
Rating Reform
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will construct a table in the same form as figure F4 of Cmnd. 9714, "Paying for Local Government", showing for the first year with safety net and fully in place the relationship between gross and net
Column 668
poll tax to net household income for (a) single pensioner households, (b) other single person households, (c) two adult and (d) three adult households.Mr. Gummer [holding answer 19 December 1988] : The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Reliable information cannot be provided at the level of detail requested, because of the small numbers of some household types in the sample survey on which such estimates are based. The tables below show the information requested for each household type in the format of figure F4 in the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government", Cmnd. 9714, but using the income ranges shown in figure F3. These estimates are based on data contained in the family expenditure survey and the illustrative community charge levels published on 23 June 1988.
Column 667
Table 2
Relationship of gross and net community charge with no safety nets (England) to net household income (
Pounds per week, 1988-89 prices)
Ranges of net
household income (£ per
week)
|Under 50|50-100 |100-200 |200-300 |300+ |All
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Single pensioner households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |4.59 |4.80 |4.64 |<1>- |<1>- |4.75
Net £ per week |1.03 |2.34 |4.63 |<1>- |<1>- |2.47
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |9.9 |7.1 |3.4 |1.9 |<1>- |6.1
Net |2.2 |3.5 |3.4 |1.9 |<1>- |3.2
(b) Other single adult households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |4.97 |5.06 |4.96 |5.13 |5.49 |5.03
Net £ per week |1.46 |2.54 |4.62 |5.12 |5.45 |3.67
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |11.8 |6.8 |3.5 |2.2 |1.4 |4.0
Net |3.5 |3.4 |3.3 |2.2 |1.3 |2.9
(c) Two adult households Community
charge
Gross £ per week |<1>- |9.52 |9.34 |9.15 |9.03 |9.26
Net £ per week |<1>- |3.43 |7.62 |9.00 |9.00 |7.71
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |<1>- |11.1 |6.2 |3.8 |2.2 |4.3
Net |<1>- |4.0 |5.1 |3.7 |2.2 |3.6
(d) Three or more adult households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |<1>- |<1>- |14.83 |14.99 |16.14 |15.54
Net £ per week |<1>- |<1>- |7.54 |12.21 |14.79 |12.64
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |<1>- |<1>- |9.2 |6.0 |3.8 |4.9
Net |<1>- |<1>- |4.7 |4.9 |3.5 |4.0
<1> No reliable figures available.
Table 2
Relationship of gross and net community charge with no safety nets (England) to net household income (
Pounds per week, 1988-89 prices)
Ranges of net
household income (£ per
week)
|Under 50|50-100 |100-200 |200-300 |300+ |All
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Single pensioner households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |4.59 |4.80 |4.64 |<1>- |<1>- |4.75
Net £ per week |1.03 |2.34 |4.63 |<1>- |<1>- |2.47
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |9.9 |7.1 |3.4 |1.9 |<1>- |6.1
Net |2.2 |3.5 |3.4 |1.9 |<1>- |3.2
(b) Other single adult households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |4.97 |5.06 |4.96 |5.13 |5.49 |5.03
Net £ per week |1.46 |2.54 |4.62 |5.12 |5.45 |3.67
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |11.8 |6.8 |3.5 |2.2 |1.4 |4.0
Net |3.5 |3.4 |3.3 |2.2 |1.3 |2.9
(c) Two adult households Community
charge
Gross £ per week |<1>- |9.52 |9.34 |9.15 |9.03 |9.26
Net £ per week |<1>- |3.43 |7.62 |9.00 |9.00 |7.71
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |<1>- |11.1 |6.2 |3.8 |2.2 |4.3
Net |<1>- |4.0 |5.1 |3.7 |2.2 |3.6
(d) Three or more adult households
Community charge
Gross £ per week |<1>- |<1>- |14.83 |14.99 |16.14 |15.54
Net £ per week |<1>- |<1>- |7.54 |12.21 |14.79 |12.64
As a per cent. of net income in each range
Gross |<1>- |<1>- |9.2 |6.0 |3.8 |4.9
Net |<1>- |<1>- |4.7 |4.9 |3.5 |4.0
<1> No reliable figures available.
TRANSPORT
Vehicle Excise Duty
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has reached a conclusion on the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee that a charge be considered for payments of vehicle excise duty refunds.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Government have carefully considered the implications of imposing an administrative charge for refunds of vehicle excise duty, in the light of the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee in its 50th report, 1985-86, "Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion and Enforcement". A number of factors have to be taken into account. The PAC rightly drew attention to the regular use of the refund facility by motor traders as part of their commercial activities. The facility is available for refunds in other circumstances and by private motorists. It could be argued that it would be unreasonable to demand payment for a refund of duty paid in advance for the use of a vehicle which is then not used for the full period of the licence. A study by the Department of the full financial implications of refunds has shown that the revenue gained by the Exchequer, because duty is not under present arrangements refunded for incomplete months, more than covers the costs of handling refund transactions. Separate handling charges are not at present made for the majority of vehicle licensing transactions, over and above the duty liable.
The Government's conclusion is that it is not necessary to introduce a charge in the context of the existing arrangements. The matter will be kept under review.
British Rail (Investment)
Mr. McLoughlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to authorise additional investment in British Rail's provincial sector to relieve overcrowding and to modernise the service.
Mr. Portillo : I have today authorised the purchase by British Rail of 138 Sprinter express vehicles at a cost of £54 million. The first of these vehicles should be entering service by early 1991. These vehicles will improve travelling conditions for passengers who travel on provincial express services and will allow more passengers to enjoy shorter journey times and in more comfort. They will be used to alleviate overcrowding on increasingly
Column 670
popular long distance services such as the north trans-Pennine and north-west to East Anglia. Passengers on other lines will also benefit. Extending the Sprinter express network will enable BR to re-deploy Sprinters to replace the 30-year-old vehicles still running on local Manchester and Birmingham services. As well as improving these services for passengers, they will run more cost-effectively, thereby also benefiting the ratepayer and taxpayer.I understand that BR will be placing the order with BREL and the work is expected to be carried out at BREL's engineering works at Derby.
Flying Displays
Mr. Critchley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he proposes for improving the safety of flying displays ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Channon : A new article, 52A, is being added to the air navigation order to provide the CAA with wider powers to control air displays likely to attract substantial numbers of spectators. The new article 52A requires the air display organiser to : (a) obtain the permission in writing of the CAA ;
(b) comply with any conditions attached to the permission ; and (c) permit participation by civil pilots only if they hold an appropriate CAA display authorisation.
The commander of a civil aircraft participating in a display under the provisions of article 52A must satisfy himself that :
(a) the organiser has CAA permission ;
(b) his intended flight can comply with any conditions of the permission (and in the event shall comply with those conditions) ; and
(c) he has an appropriate display authorisation.
The Civil Aviation Authority is required :
(a) to ensure, before granting a permission, that the organiser is a suitable person and has competent organisation and staffing ; and
(b) to satisfy itself that pilots granted a display authorisation, which will be valid for a period not exceeding two years, are fit persons by virtue of their knowledge, experience, competence, skill, physical and mental fitness to take part in displays.
These new provisions will not apply to Ministry of Defence establishments (including those used by the United States Air Force and other visiting forces). As in the past, the Ministry of Defence controls air displays on
Column 671
its own property (whether the organisers are civilian or military) and is also responsible for the control of its military personnel (and those of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces stationed in the United Kingdom) taking part in civilian air shows. The rules under which such displays are conducted are at least as stringent as those now introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority. The Civil Aviation Authority will only allow other foreign military aircraft to take part in air displays to which article 52A applies after seeking advice from the Ministry of Defence as to the acceptability of the proposed display.Column 672
Trunk Roads
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report all the schemes for road building or improvement in the area of Greater London that are included in the national trunk road programme and other assessment studies, respect-ively, providing for each scheme its estimated cost, brief description, approximate length and names of main consultants.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 10 January] : The information requested is as follows :
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