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Rent Arrears Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing levels of rent arrears for public sector housing in Scotland as a whole and in each district and islands area on 30 September 1988, expressed as an average figure for each house in each district.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information available is shown in the table.
Information on the rent arrears for 10 local authorities has yet to be received centrally. Information on the rent arrears for the Scottish Special Housing Association by district and islands area is not held centrally. The average rent arrears per dwelling has been calculated as the rent arrears divided by the total number of dwellings owned by the authority concerned.
Public sector rent arrears as at 30 September 1988
|Total arrears |Arrears per dwelling
|£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland<1> |20,018,624 |28.05
Local authority<1> |17,021,809 |28.65
Berwickshire |<2>54,638 |22.26
Ettrick and Lauderdale |40,664 |10.14
Roxburgh<1>
Tweeddale<1>
Clackmannan |800,903 |93.48
Falkirk |667,830 |22.71
Stirling |635,700 |53.76
Annandale and Eskdale |121,708 |25.25
Nithsdale |322,710 |43.85
Stewartry |31,137 |13.49
Wigtown<1>
Dunfermline |669,523 |34.98
Kirkcaldy<1>
North East Fife |117,675 |18.17
Aberdeen |1,144,379 |31.04
Banff and Buchan |277,064 |24.21
Gordon |76,225 |14.00
Kincardine and Deeside |48,878 |13.83
Moray |105,555 |10.52
Badenoch and Strathspey |17,900 |17.11
Caithness<1>
Inverness |<3> |-
Lochaber<1>
Nairn |<3> |-
Ross and Cromarty |268,364 |44.15
Skye and Lochalsh<1>
Sutherland |29,279 |17.20
East Lothian |416,583 |29.93
Edinburgh |1,709,041 |34.71
Midlothian |279,632 |25.73
West Lothian |239,049 |11.96
Argyll and Bute |167,810 |21.37
Bearsden and Milngavie |126,374 |73.69
Clydebank<1>
Clydesdale |191,031 |20.73
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |446,934 |110.76
Cumnock and Doon Valley |391,219 |41.42
Cunninghame |304,415 |14.27
Dumbarton |<2>445,232 |37.68
East Kilbride |40,059 |31.25
Eastwood |38,237 |22.09
Glasgow<1>
Hamilton |487,120 |22.59
Inverclyde |318,000 |17.72
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |214,026 |13.22
Kyle and Carrick |333,026 |20.80
Monklands |958,767 |35.18
Motherwell |1,063,807 |28.66
Renfrew |1,226,984 |33.78
Strathkelvin |459,718 |48.77
Angus |117,843 |9.32
Dundee |1,019,368 |26.94
Perth and Kinross |188,615 |13.14
Orkney Islands<1>
Shetland Islands |111,934 |43.42
Western Isles |296,853 |123.12
New Towns |1,202,975 |29.28
Cumbernauld |201,464 |27.45
East Kilbride |230,889 |17.49
Glenrothes |<2>422,405 |60.45
Irvine |115,910 |26.57
Livingston |232,307 |25.25
SSHA |1,793,840 |22.86
<1> Return outstanding.
<2> Includes rate arrears.
<3> Information not available.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing levels of rent arrears for public sector housing in Scotland as a whole and in each district and islands area on 30 September for each year since 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is shown in the table. Information on the rent arrears at 30 September 1988 for 10 local authorities has yet to be received centrally. Information on the rent arrears for the Scottish Special Housing Association by district and islands area is not held centrally. Because of changes in the way in which rent arrears are measured, the information for 1984 to the present is not strictly comparable with that for the years before 1984.
Column 723
Public sector rent arrears as at 30 September each year
|1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |4,943,914 |5,619,382 |8,488,067 |12,896,778|17,999,570|18,858,844|19,943,204|24,292,244|26,658,649|20,018,624
Local authority |4,375,020 |4,682,104 |7,017,812 |9,919,681 |15,971,913|16,686,283|17,698,066|21,966,354|24,441,926|17,021,809
Berwickshire |24,293 |22,961 |<2>34,247 |<2>55,879 |<2>44,605 |<2>45,155 |<2>43,397 |<2>43,122 |<2>40,908 |<2>54,638
Ettrick and Lauderdale |12,890 |10,906 |13,523 |14,014 |21,459 |19,995 |28,780 |29,262 |29,501 |40,664
Roxburgh |38,598 |49,821 |67,614 |174,046 |162,267 |173,475 |158,920 |<1>-
Tweeddale |2,717 |2,101 |3,248 |8,473 |12,110 |14,402 |19,568 |12,658 |9,950 |<1>-
Clackmannan |62,920 |60,264 |92,383 |157,867 |147,174 |173,128 |169,583 |368,792 |501,064 |800,903
Falkirk |281,022 |338,343 |421,078 |640,725 |421,024 |674,110 |604,830 |491,071 |477,299 |667,830
Stirling |89,824 |96,658 |153,093 |402,377 |443,475 |227,983 |362,592 |418,550 |466,600 |635,700
Annandale and Eskdale |17,103 |19,995 |69,716 |52,249 |61,142 |89,947 |101,650 |99,888 |121,708
Nithsdale |28,553 |33,280 |61,379 |89,040 |96,713 |152,370 |138,123 |129,156 |126,891 |322,710
Stewartry |5,818 |8,706 |18,809 |24,723 |16,567 |16,835 |16,908 |17,985 |27,523 |31,137
Wigtown |5,369 |7,279 |8,557 |15,511 |23,990 |34,417 |67,272 |65,421 |99,446 |<1>-
Dunfermline |106,133 |126,795 |281,336 |389,444 |433,504 |500,260 |466,974 |456,911 |460,340 |669,523
Kirkcaldy |70,689 |102,946 |192,646 |388,602 |444,831 |345,345 |381,896 |419,969 |462,442 |<1>-
North East Fife |13,243 |21,035 |36,143 |43,036 |41,662 |40,806 |63,600 |92,419 |67,633 |117,675
Aberdeen |174,718 |232,148 |329,117 |424,941 |402,889 |349,788 |568,992 |646,109 |802,565 |1,144,379
Banff and Buchan |52,340 |48,153 |81,875 |199,277 |184,417 |249,430 |194,557 |274,032 |253,788 |277,064
Gordon |20,789 |26,467 |36,242 |41,405 |39,293 |37,882 |38,498 |47,485 |64,638 |76,225
Kincardine and Deeside |13,136 |10,457 |18,671 |23,819 |18,934 |23,939 |25,599 |31,892 |38,669 |48,878
Moray |21,409 |34,408 |52,675 |54,649 |22,872 |66,867 |41,825 |49,232 |48,770 |105,555
Badenoch and Strathspey |5,107 |4,142 |9,343 |11,543 |6,726 |13,380 |11,981 |6,300 |12,838 |17,900
Caithness |4,497 |8,637 |24,352 |27,121 |23,402 |38,013 |26,307 |36,932 |37,836 |<1>-
Inverness |73,339 |105,008 |141,133 |122,953 |187,956 |118,166 |137,154 |115,401 |143,103 |<3>-
Lochaber |20,315 |22,133 |63,095 |61,733 |95,406 |80,679 |87,700 |63,778 |443,327 |<1>-
Nairn |704 |644 |988 |5,499 |6,873 |8,152 |5,170 |6,090 |7,385 |<3>-
Ross and Cromarty |43,818 |6,196 |43,618 |47,452 |160,649 |172,515 |214,453 |150,633 |170,923 |268,364
Skye and Lochalsh |4,600 |6,433 |13,613 |6,020 |9,764 |26,771 |24,687 |36,315 |38,418 |<1>-
Sutherland |11,157 |7,565 |15,055 |22,482 |16,173 |20,052 |14,254 |17,155 |17,429 |29,279
East Lothian |57,358 |62,040 |96,900 |141,596 |159,527 |222,861 |213,935 |206,100 |231,065 |416,583
Edinburgh |544,806 |591,718 |731,832 |1,003,598 |708,035 |870,160 |993,270 |1,039,067 |1,147,598 |1,709,041
Midlothian |85,050 |122,307 |166,607 |218,276 |159,700 |240,090 |244,054 |246,430 |247,049 |279,632
West Lothian |59,414 |79,167 |194,169 |182,969 |225,515 |142,937 |150,568 |158,751 |163,544 |239,049
Argyll and Bute |48,953 |50,983 |141,173 |140,237 |107,823 |67,632 |65,299 |109,379 |73,676 |167,810
Bearsden and Milngavie |13,300 |7,946 |14,295 |22,131 |25,830 |26,507 |30,484 |36,884 |42,126 |126,374
Clydebank |72,610 |112,739 |214,211 |296,105 |536,768 |493,906 |516,541 |482,332 |455,683 |<1>-
Clydesdale |30,000 |38,000 |60,000 |78,864 |81,720 |82,432 |73,984 |95,067 |117,243 |191,031
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |28,501 |39,778 |76,965 |126,902 |155,271 |184,060 |394,358 |468,279 |537,420 |446,934
Cumnock and Doon Valley |21,576 |34,000 |72,871 |182,418 |120,354 |179,872 |269,013 |256,228 |311,903 |391,219
Cunninghame |121,445 |150,000 |220,000 |300,000 |250,000 |240,000 |170,000 |190,000 |256,818 |304,415
Dumbarton |126,004 |135,056 |282,197 |441,016 |373,451 |274,636 |<2>486,617|<2>541,136|<2>421,723|<2>445,232
East Kilbride |15,540 |11,758 |19,605 |28,996 |35,152 |36,219 |35,536 |34,093 |32,312 |40,059
Eastwood |4,839 |11,850 |20,785 |22,580 |19,827 |12,269 |25,392 |29,737 |35,173 |38,237
Glasgow |<3>- |<3>- |<3>- |<3>- |5,676,000 |5,588,000 |5,814,000 |8,486,000 |9,550,000 |<1>-
Hamilton |96,155 |165,412 |129,112 |228,830 |263,416 |259,883 |537,661 |362,352 |428,508 |487,120
Inverclyde |127,265 |102,812 |194,371 |264,180 |220,455 |189,380 |254,159 |349,931 |264,764 |318,000
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |58,942 |64,971 |84,675 |115,900 |99,776 |89,120 |113,144 |270,924 |190,345 |214,026
Kyle and Carrick |62,170 |69,122 |101,086 |116,376 |157,530 |160,209 |189,839 |186,576 |220,143 |333,026
Monklands |514,410 |282,545 |350,990 |580,595 |483,120 |700,399 |594,509 |732,748 |671,501 |958,767
Motherwell |417,852 |325,683 |533,719 |600,000 |600,000 |958,178 |743,287 |589,200 |935,361 |1,063,807
Renfrew |199,671 |243,608 |422,132 |533,010 |403,755 |377,534 |463,214 |606,478 |766,543 |1,226,984
Strathkelvin |97,534 |187,293 |110,981 |317,678 |321,649 |306,909 |468,721 |369,178 |723,992 |459,718
Angus |30,964 |33,616 |65,569 |87,396 |78,758 |83,988 |94,055 |110,693 |99,175 |117,843
Dundee |299,663 |194,693 |254,179 |348,166 |673,877 |687,826 |488,398 |920,579 |1,113,017 |1,019,368
Perth and Kinross |<3>- |48,153 |99,542 |104,896 |160,431 |124,072 |132,890 |107,807 |111,454 |188,615
Orkney Islands |20,805 |18,742 |27,099 |36,269 |26,020 |26,859 |34,091 |39,833 |50,878 |<1>-
Shetland Islands |15,092 |19,250 |28,397 |53,396 |82,436 |89,496 |94,614 |121,296 |92,685 |111,934
Western Isles |<3>- |65,381 |90,517 |<3>- |391,000 |285,221 |<4>- |<5>517,000|441,133 |296,853
New Towns |287,599 |349,572 |558,046 |829,057 |789,014 |874,722 |874,153 |832,412 |922,372 |1,202,975
Cumbernauld |75,973 |78,611 |88,717 |108,535 |127,152 |138,861 |108,053 |131,246 |143,184 |201,464
East Kilbride |<4>114,157|<4>132,525|<4>240,835|<4>383,331|292,270 |316,631 |174,644 |161,093 |167,179 |230,889
Glenrothes |42,117 |51,777 |117,877 |175,822 |220,045 |260,786 |271,953 |266,367 |313,304 |<2>422,405
Irvine |20,944 |39,996 |22,555 |57,877 |55,293 |37,924 |56,595 |78,196 |101,116 |115,910
Livingston |34,408 |46,663 |88,044 |103,492 |94,254 |120,520 |262,908 |195,510 |197,589 |232,307
SSHA |281,295 |587,706 |912,209 |2,148,040 |1,238,643 |1,297,839 |1,370,985 |1,493,478 |1,294,351 |1,793,840
<1> Return outstanding.
<2> Includes Rate Arrears.
<3> Information not available.
<4> Figures for 1979-82 include Stonehouse New Town.
<5> Includes unprocessed housing benefit awards.
Enterprise Boards Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he intends to make any provision of the representation of rural interests in the proposed new local enterprise boards.
Mr. Lang : Our proposals for Scottish Enterprise, which are currently the subject of consultation, envisage that those bidding to form the board of management for the local agency in each area will decide on their own membership. One of the criteria for assessing the bids received will of course be the extent to which the fullest possible range of local interests are involved.
Cash Limits Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he proposes to make any further changes to the cash limits for 1988-89 within his responsibility.
Mr. Rifkind : Yes. I intend to make changes to seven of the cash limits within my responsibility.
As a result of expected savings on a number of services, the cash limit for Class XVI vote 2, has been decreased by £1,500,000 from £78,042,000 to £76,542,000. This reduction will partly offset an increase to Class XVI vote 7, local transport, water sewerage and environmental services, Scotland which is non-cash limited, and which will be used to meet the costs arising from the Lockerbie air disaster. In addition the cash limit for Class XVI vote 3, regional and general industrial support, Scotland will be decreased by £1 million from
Column 726
£134,954,000 to £133,954,000, also partly to offset the increase to Class XVI vote 7. The cash limit for Class XVI vote 10 will also be reduced by £1 million from £4 million to £3 million to offset the increase to Class XVI vote 7.The cash limit for Class XVI vote 11 will be reduced by £150,000 from £27,775,000 to £27,625,000. This is due to later than anticipated occupation of two courthouses following completion of new building and restoration work and will partially offset increased expenditure of £1,675,000 on Class XVI, vote 13 which is non-cash limited.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, there will be an increase of £90,000 in the cash limit for Class XVI Vote 14, prisons, hospitals and community health services etc, Scotland from £1,889,706,000 to £1,889,796,000 to fund the Scottish Health Education Group's winter warmth campaign. This increase will be offset by a reduction of £90,000 in the cash limit for Class XVI Vote 15, education, arts, libraries and social work, Scotland from £198,589,000 to £198,499,000.
The cash limit for the Scottish Office administration Vote, Class XVI Vote 21 is being reduced by £4,000 from £120,198,000 to £120,194, 000 as a result of a transfer of costs for recruitment under the direct entry grade 7 competition 1988 offset by a corresponding increase in the Office of the Minister of the Civil Service, Class XX Vote 1.
As a result of these changes there will be no addition to the planned total of public expenditure.
In addition, the running costs limits for the Scottish Office will be reduced by £96,000 from £195,044,000 to £194,948,000 and for the Scottish Courts Administration by £150,000 from £22,986,000 to £22, 836,000.
Column 727
Council House Sales
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table listing those local authorities who have failed to serve offers on tenants, to sell houses to tenants within two months of the application to purchase, the number of houses affected in each area, and the average time taken by each local authority to submit offers to sell to tenants.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 January 1989] : Such information as is kept centrally is set out for the latest available period in the table :
|Number of applications
|with formal offer
|overdue at 30 September
|1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |5,673
Berwickshire |6
Ettrick and Lauderdale |-
Roxburgh |4
Tweeddale |48
Clackmannan |166
Falkirk |-
Stirling |1
Annandale and Eskdale |99
Nithsdale |18
Stewartry |-
Wigtown |-
Dunfermline |223
Kirkcaldy |252
North East Fife<1> |18
Aberdeen |600
Banff and Buchan |154
Bordon |2
Kincardine and Deeside |1
Moray |10
Badenoch and Strathspey |-
Caithness<1> |18
Inverness |84
Lochaber |3
Nairn |-
Rossi and Cromarty |1
Skye and Lochalsh |-
Sutherland |-
East Lothian |-
Edinburgh |n.a.
Midlothian |239
West Lothian |298
Argyll and Bute |12
Bearsden and Milngavie |72
Clydebank |51
Clydesdale |-
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |52
Cumnock and Doon Valley<1> |2
Cunninghame |95
Dumbarton |367
East Kilbride |1
Eastwood |1
Glasgow |1,010
Hamilton |150
Inverclyde |152
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |108
Kyle and Carrick |894
Monklands<1> |4
Motherwell<1> |-
Renfrew |102
Strathkelvin |58
Angus |-
Dundee |108
Perth and Kinross |167
Orkney Islands<1> |2
Shetland Islands |15
Western Isles |5
<1> Returns outstanding. Most recent available information is shown.
Source: SDD return 85.
ENVIRONMENT
Water
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether all water supplied by water authorities and water companies complies with annex I of European Community Council directive 80/778/EEC ; what steps his Department has taken to ensure that it does so comply ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : Most water supplied by water authorities and water companies complies with the standards set in annex 1 of EC directive 80/778. The Department requires water undertakers to prepare action programmes for its approval where a supply does not comply and where a derogation under the terms of the directive is not available. Over the last few years a substantial number of supplies have been improved under these programmes and good progress continues to be made towards full compliance with the directive.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, when new valuation work of water authority land and buildings is undertaken in connection with the preparation of prospectuses, he will make it his policy to ensure that such valuation takes account of the possibility of planning permission for development being granted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The valuation work will be carried out against the background of guidance notes issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the valuation of assets, which provide that valuers should take account of the prospects for planning permission in relevant circumstances.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 626, he will make it his policy to publish for each water authority figures of net asset value based on the net current replacement costs figures shown in their published accounts ; whether the amounts of net current replacement cost for each water authority have been calculated on a consistent accounting basis with each other ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : I have no plans to publish additional information on the value of assets in the ownership of water authorities to that which is given in the published annual accounts. Water authorities' accounts are drawn up in accordance with standard guidelines for the industry which it is the responsibility of each authority to apply, subject to the scrutiny of its external auditors.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he plans to bring forward further proposals to guarantee effective competition within each water authority area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : The water merger proposals announced by my right hon. Friend on 11 January at column 841 are designed to ensure that the Director General of Water Services can make performance comparison between independently owned water and sewerage undertakers throughout England and Wales.
Column 729
PSA (Staff)
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of staff in the Property Services Agency, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region ; what are the different amounts paid to staff by grade ; whether this figure varies due to location ; what qualifying period of scale-related criteria is used ; and whether this varies by location.
Mr. Ridley : Seventeen, all of whom are administrative assistants in Cambridge with a local pay addition of £300. There is no qualifying period of scale-related criterion.
Departmental Staff (Pay)
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of staff in his Department, by grade, in receipt of local pay additions outside London and the south-east economic planning region ; what are the different amounts paid to staff by grade ; whether this figure varies due to location ; what qualifying period of scale- related criteria is used ; and whether this varies by location.
Mr. Ridley : Apart from the Property Services Agency, my Department is not at present paying local pay additions to any staff outside London and the south-east economic planning region.
Chelsea Football Ground
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his decision on the inspectors' report in the public inquiry on the proposed redevelopment of Chelsea football ground.
Mr. Chope : The inspector's report is being considered. The decision will be issued as soon as possible.
Fees Office (Floor Covering)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to provide carpet and decent floor covering in the Fees Office, Dean's yard ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : All the carpet and floor coverings in No. 3 Dean's yard will be replaced during the next summer recess.
London Docklands
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance the London docklands development corporation has given to the new training centre set up in the royal docks by Mowlems.
Mr. Trippier : The corporation was involved in the preparation of this scheme, and fully supports it. No financial assistance was required.
Ozone Layer (Conference)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which university research departments will be invited to the forthcoming United Kingdom sponsored conference in ozone layer depletion and CFC dangers.
Column 730
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Participation in the "Saving the Ozone Layer" London conference is for Governments only, and we have invited over 150 countries to send a Ministerial delegation. A small number of leading scientists and industrialists from all over the world will speak on specialist subjects. The scientists will also be involved in informal panel sessions and an exhibition, where they will be supported by the stratospheric ozone review group, including the chairman, Dr. Pyle, of Cambridge university.
Public Bodies (Funding)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those non-departmental public bodies responsible to his Department for which funding and staffing (a) have been reduced in 1988 and (b) are planned for reductions in 1989 ; and, for each case, if he will list the change in funding and staffing levels.
Mr. Ridley : Tables a to c give information on my Department's NDPBs which (a) received less funding by way of grants and/or net borrowing from the Department in 1988-89 compared with 1987-88 ; (b) are planned to receive less funding by way of grants and/or net borrowing from the Department in 1989-90 compared with 1988-89 ; and (c) reduced their staffing levels between the start of 1987-88 and the start of 1988-89 ;
The reduction in funding for the National Heritage Memorial Fund between 1987-88 and 1988-89 largely reflects the payment of a £20 million endowment to the fund in 1987-88. The reduction in grant in aid for the Countryside Commission is partly due to the separate provision of core- funding for the groundwork foundation and trusts from 1 April 1988. 1987-88 figures are also inflated by the emergency provision for tree replanting following the 1987 great storm. The higher level of funding for the London Docklands development corporation in 1988-89 compared with planned provision in 1989-90 reflects £38 million supplementary provision during 1988-89. Reductions in staffing levels of the new town development corporations, which are funded mainly from revenue and by receipts from the disposal of their property, reflect the rundown of their programmes and some privatisation of functions. Aycliffe and Peterlee development corporation and Washington development corporation were wound up at the end of the 1987-88 financial year. Peterborough development corporation was wound up in September 1988.
The residuary body staffing is reducing because they are limited life bodies which are being wound up as soon as practicable. Tyne and Wear residuary body was wound up in October 1988. The residuary bodies are not funded by the Department.
During 1988-89, which is subsequent to the period covered by table c, the staff complement of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission has been reduced from 1562.5 to 1560.5. Reductions in the staffing of the new town development corporations and the residuary bodies have continued during 1988-89 and further reductions are expected during 1989-90. These apart there are no specific proposals for reducing staff numbers in 1989-90 in the bodies sponsored by the Department although it remains my Department's policy that NDPBs should be staffed at the minimum necessary to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and effectively.
Column 731
Table C
|Staffing March-April 1987|Staffing March-April 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Countryside Commission |125 |115
Letchworth Garden City Corporation |108 |93
New Town Development Corporations
Aycliffe and Peterlee |29 |0
Milton Keynes |816 |540
Peterborough |339 |249
Telford |702 |469
Warrington and Runcorn |555 |380
Washington |126 |0
Commission for the New Towns |1,107 |1,085
Residuary Bodies:
Greater Manchester |267 |112
London |3,0984 |2,148
Merseyside |334 |213
South Yorkshire |109 |17
Tyne and Wear |46 |14
West Midlands |52 |21
West Yorkshire |116 |57
Table C
|Staffing March-April 1987|Staffing March-April 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Countryside Commission |125 |115
Letchworth Garden City Corporation |108 |93
New Town Development Corporations
Aycliffe and Peterlee |29 |0
Milton Keynes |816 |540
Peterborough |339 |249
Telford |702 |469
Warrington and Runcorn |555 |380
Washington |126 |0
Commission for the New Towns |1,107 |1,085
Residuary Bodies:
Greater Manchester |267 |112
London |3,0984 |2,148
Merseyside |334 |213
South Yorkshire |109 |17
Tyne and Wear |46 |14
West Midlands |52 |21
West Yorkshire |116 |57
Table C
|Staffing March-April 1987|Staffing March-April 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Countryside Commission |125 |115
Letchworth Garden City Corporation |108 |93
New Town Development Corporations
Aycliffe and Peterlee |29 |0
Milton Keynes |816 |540
Peterborough |339 |249
Telford |702 |469
Warrington and Runcorn |555 |380
Washington |126 |0
Commission for the New Towns |1,107 |1,085
Residuary Bodies:
Greater Manchester |267 |112
London |3,0984 |2,148
Merseyside |334 |213
South Yorkshire |109 |17
Tyne and Wear |46 |14
West Midlands |52 |21
West Yorkshire |116 |57
Fish
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if course fish, and eels in particular, are able to meet the quality standards set out in European Community directives 82/176 and 84/156.
Mr. Moynihan : These directives set out a range of quality objectives from which member states are required to select those most appropriate to the intended use of the waters. For the purposes of implementing these directives in inland waters, water authorities have elected to apply the quality standard for mercury concentrations in water, rather than that for fish flesh. They have not therefore monitored compliance with the latter standard, which in any case applies to a representative sample of fish flesh, and not to any individual species. Concentrations of substances in fish flesh generally are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Nuclear Waste
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive has for disposing of nuclear waste in Yorkshire ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to receive Nirex's proposals for
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a radioactive waste disposal facility shortly. Until these have been received and a decision is made, no part of the country can be ruled out.British Waterways Board
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will appoint a member from Wales to the British Waterways Board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : I have no plans at present to appoint a member for Wales. Future appointments will continue to be made in accordance with the statutory criteria in section 1(6) of the Transport Act 1962 and in the light of the board's particular needs at the time.
Football
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) of 19 December 1988, Official Report, columns 55-60, if he will break down the information for the number of matches played in the FA cup, the Littlewoods cup, the Simod cup, and the Sherpa Van trophy.
Mr. Moynihan : The information given in my answer to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) on 19 December 1988 relates only to matches played in the Football League. Information on arrests made at matches played in the FA cup, Littlewoods cup, Simod cup and Sherpa Van trophy competitions is not held centrally.
Environmental Protection
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent by his Department in each of the last five years on the development and encouragement of environmentally sensitive processes in industry both public and private.
Mr. Ridley : In general, it is for industry to develop new processes to meet environmental requirements imposed by Government. My Department has, however, recently launched the environmental protection technology scheme to assist development to proof of concept stage of new technologies which would enable standards to be improved. A number of promising applications are being considered, but no grants have yet been made. In addition in 1988-89 my Department is providing support of £25,000 for the better environment awards for industry.
Tree Preservation
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he proposes to carry out the review of tree preservation.
Mr. Ridley : I have appointed James Batho, formerly director of the eastern region of my Department and the Department of Transport, to carry out this review. He has been asked to review the present policy and legislation on tree preservation and consider whether they remain appropriate in present conditions in both urban and rural areas. I have agreed with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales that this review will also cover the position in Scotland and Wales.
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Unified Business Rate
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish (a) the estimated increase in the level of rates that businesses in each of the district council areas of Devon will face when unified business rate is introduced and how that increase will be phased in and (b) the results of the recent rates revaluation on businesses in Exeter and Devon.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 25 January 1989] : A business (national non-domestic) rate set at the 1988-89 average level would have been set at 239.5p in the pound. This compares with the present poundages in the district council areas of Devon as follows :
|Pence in the Pound |Percentage difference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Devon |228.7 |5
Exeter |225.7 |6
North Devon |236.7 |1
Plymouth |231.3 |4
South Hams |235.3 |2
Teignbridge |236.5 |1
Mid-Devon |234.8 |2
Torbay |244.3 |-2
Torridge |237.0 |1
West Devon |235.2 |2
The revaluation of non-domestic properties will be carried out by the valuation office of the Inland Revenue by the end of this year. I hope to be able to announce shortly the Government's proposals for phasing in rate changes, based on sample information about the likely effects of the revaluation.
Rates
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the average rates payable per household for each year since 1978-79 for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Great Britain, (c) Greater London and (d) the south-east excluding Greater London, showing in each case the annual and cumulative percentage increase.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 25 January 1989] : The unrebated figures are as follows :
Average domestic rate bill (£)
|(£) |Annual percentage |Cumulative percentage
|increase |increase
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greater London
1978-79 |169 |- |-
1979-80 |200 |18.7 |18.7
1980-81 |264 |32.0 |56.8
1981-82 |358 |35.3 |112.2
1982-83 |400 |11.9 |137.7
1983-84 |449 |12.2 |166.3
1984-85 |478 |6.5 |183.7
1985-86 |505 |5.6 |199.5
1986-87 |485 |-3.9 |188.0
1987-88 |517 |6.5 |206.9
1988-89 |530 |2.4 |214.2
South East excluding London
1978-79 |157 |- |-
1979-80 |186 |18.4 |18.4
1980-81 |230 |24.9 |46.8
1981-82 |259 |12.6 |65.3
1982-83 |298 |14.9 |90.0
1983-84 |315 |5.7 |100.0
1984-85 |334 |5.9 |112.6
1985-86 |361 |8.1 |129.8
1986-87 |426 |18.3 |171.8
1987-88 |465 |9.0 |196.2
1988-89 |526 |13.1 |234.9
Great Britain
1978-79 |127 |- |-
1979-80 |151 |18.3 |18.3
1980-81 |194 |28.7 |52.3
1981-82 |240 |24.0 |88.9
1982-83 |277 |15.2 |117.6
1983-84 |295 |6.5 |131.8
1984-85 |315 |6.8 |147.5
1985-86 |346 |9.8 |171.9
1986-87 |392 |13.2 |207.7
1987-88 |422 |7.9 |231.8
1988-89 |460 |8.8 |261.0
United Kingdom
1978-79 |126 |- |-
1979-80 |n/a |- |-
1980-81 |n/a |- |-
1981-82 |n/a |- |-
1982-83 |274 |- |116.9
1983-84 |290 |6.5 |131.1
1984-85 |312 |6.8 |146.9
1985-86 |342 |9.8 |171.1
1986-87 |387 |13.1 |206.7
1987-88 |418 |7.8 |230.7
1988-89 |454 |8.8 |259.8
Note: Figures for the United Kingdom between 1979-80 and 1981-82 are not available. However the cumulative
percentage increase runs from 1978-79.
TRANSPORT
Greater London (Traffic Flow)
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what improvements to traffic flow were achieved in Greater London during 1988 on (a) the A10, (b) the A11, (c) the A12 and (d) the A13 ;
(2) what improvements to traffic flow are expected to be achieved in the Greater London area on (a) the A10, (b) the A11, (c) the A12 and (d) the A13 during the current year.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : In 1988 three trunk road schemes were completed on A10 and A13 to improve traffic flow. These were : A10-- Bullsmoor lane junction improvement
A13--Roding bridge
A13--Becton flyover tidal flow scheme.
The tidal flow scheme was particularly successful in improving traffic flow.
The Department's national trunk road programme includes 12 major improvement schemes for the four routes. A further number of smaller improvement schemes are planned for 1989-90. These include : A12/A127-- Gallows corner roundabout : installation of traffic control signals ; and other small-scale junction improvements on A12.
A13--Tollgate road junction ; and eight other schemes to improve traffic flow on A13, some as interim measures in advance of major schemes.
Computerised control of traffic signals by the MOVA (Modernised optimised vehicle actuation) system will be introduced this year to aid traffic flow at four junctions :
A10--Great Cambridge road/Carterhatch lane.
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A12--Eastern avenue/Whalebone lane.A12--Colchester road/Goosehayes drive/Gubbins lane.
A14--junction with A117 under Becton flyover.
Railway Line Closures
Mr. Edward Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state which railway lines are proposed to be closed in the current year, giving the reasons for any such closures.
Mr. Portillo : British Rail's railway closure proposals currently outstanding are listed. In addition, British Rail has announced that it intends formally to propose the withdrawal of passenger services between Gainsborough and Barnetby. British Rail has taken the view that it can no longer justify maintaining these rail services. My right hon. Friend will decide each case on its merits.
Settle to Carlisle and Blackburn to Hellifield
Henley-in-Arden to Bearley junction
Ashburys West junction to Phillips Park No. 1 junction
Wortley curve (Leeds)
Melton Halt (Humberside)
Methley junction to Altofts junction
Vale of Rheidol railway
Mexborough East junction to Aldwarke junction
North Pole junction to Old Oak Common East junction
Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) list the railway lines closed in each year from 1984 to 1988 and (b) state the reasons for any such closures.
Mr. Portillo : The railway lines and stations closed during each year from 1984 to 1988 are listed. The particular reasons given by my right hon. Friend and his predecessors for consenting to these closures were set out in formal decision letters. But, generally speaking, consent is given where it is considered that hardship and other social and economic effects are not sufficient to outweigh the financial and operational advantages of closure.
1984 Upton by Chester Station
South Bank station
1985 Eltham Park station
New Hadley station
Tottenham Hale to Stratford (including Lea Bridge station) Birchenden junction to Grove (including Tunbridge Wells West and Groombridge stations)
Gogarth and Abertafol halts
Errol station
1986 Tiverton Junction station
Broad Street station to Dalston Junction station (inclusive) Cefn-Onn station
Balloch Central to Balloch Pier (including Balloch Pier station 1987 Royton station
Brindle Heath junction to Agecroft junction
Meadowbank station
Goose hill junction to Wath Road junction and Oakenshaw junction to Oakenshaw South junction Dryclough junction to Greetland junction ; Milner Royd junction to Health Lodge junction ; Bradley Wood junction to Bradley junction ; Horbury Station junction to Crigglestone junction and Wakefield Kirkgate West junction to Hare Park junction.
1988 Burton Lane junction to Rowntree Halt (including Rowntree Halt) Rotherham Masborough station.
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