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Column 597
Parts of South Derbyshire DCPart of Stourbridge, Dudley MBC (Coalbournbrook Source) Malvern Hills and Wyre Forest DC
Parts of Wrekin DC (Lillehall source)
Part of South Shropshire DC
Part of Wrekin DC (Puleston Bridge source)
Parts of Newark DC (Farnsfield source)
Parts of Nottingham CC area (primarily Hucknall)
South Staffs Waterworks Co.
Parts of Lichfield DC Sutton Coldfield Area
North Warwickshire CC and Walsale Met area
South West
St. Mary's Island
Thames
Lee Valley Water Co.
Part of Luton
In addition, a number of other supplies occasionally fail to meet one or more of the standards set in the directive. We have asked water authorities to identify these supplies and where we cannot grant derogations under article 9 of the EC directive, programmes of improvement are being prepared.
Water undertakers are preparing estimates of the cost of improving drinking water quality. It would be difficult to distinguish precisely that part required to meet the standards set in the directive from investment to meet other requirements of quality and reliability.
Waste Disposal
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the waste disposal authorities and sites for which copies of site licences under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 have been requested by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and not supplied.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has not asked waste disposal authorities to provide copies of all their waste disposal licences. The inspectorate has employed consultants to assemble basic information, from the registers of waste disposal licences maintained by the waste disposal authorities, and to form it into a computer data base. This is periodically up-dated.
Waste disposal authorities have occasionally been requested by HMIP to provide copies of specific licences or samples of licences. In general such requests have been met. There have been a few occasions when such a request has not been acted on. Without a search of all correspondence files it is not possible to give a list of such occasions.
Yorkshire Water Authority
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley and for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) on 12 December 1988, Official Report, columns 402-3, in which locations the 1987 sediment monitoring results by Yorkshire water authority show an increase of mercury concentration and the 1986 sediment monitoring results by Yorkshire water authority show an increase of cadmium over the previous year.
Mr. Moynihan : The two locations are the river Humber at Stone creek in respect of mercury, and the river Rother at Canklow in respect of cadmium.
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Water
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham), Official Report, 12 January, column 742, if he will make a statement on the performance targets set for the chairman of Yorkshire water authority in 1987-88, and if he will specify the annual bonus received by the chairman of the Yorkshire water authority in each of the last four years.
Mr. Moynihan : Information about Government controls on the Yorkshire water authority, including performance aims and achievement against them, is set out in the authority's annual report and accounts for 1987-88 on pages 59-62. A copy is available in the Library.
Water authority chairmen and executive board members were first eligible for performance bonuses in respect of 1986-87. The chairman of the Yorkshire water authority received a bonus of 11.5 per cent. of his annual salary for that year and 13 per cent. for 1987-88.
Rating Reform
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines he proposes to issue in respect of the poll tax to women who have no independent source of income ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Nor does it plan to issue guidelines to individuals on this aspect of the community charge. Anyone with no independent source of income may have a spouse or partner who is jointly liable for the community charge. Where this is not the case, and the person has no income or capital, he or she is likely to be eligible for both income support and community charge benefit.
Defective Houses
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authorities have Spooner style houses ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what representations his Department has received regarding Spooner houses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : Eighteen local authorities in England have reported ownership of Spooner houses built between 1945 and 1951 ; and six have reported ownership of the later, and different, Spooner-Caspon house. My Department has received some inquiries about both house types, and has explained that on the evidence available, designation under the housing defects legislation is unlikely to be appropriate.
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those types of properties covered by the Housing Defects Act.
Mr. Trippier : The following property types are designated nationally in England, under the housing defects legislation : Airey
Boot
Boswell
Cornish Unit
Dorran
Dyke
Gergory
Myton
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NewlandOrlit
Parkinson
Reema Hollow Panel
Schindler and Hawksley SGS
Smith
Stent
Stonecrete
Tarran
Underdown
Unity and Butterley
Waller
Wates
Wessex
Winget
Woolaway
Local designations are in force for Smith-type houses with additional foundation defects at Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell and Nuneaton and Bedworth ; and also for certain other properties in Dudley with a foundation defect.
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those types of properties for which proposals for designation under the Housing Defects Act have been submitted but which have not been so designated.
Mr. Trippier : My Department receives various inquiries concerning designation under the housing defects legislation. Since 1984, formal requests for designation in England have been considered, but not accepted, in respect of the following types :
National designation :
Duo-Slab
Truscon RD27
Certain properties in West Bletchley (with "Finlock Gutters" etc.)
Local designation :
Bison (Hounslow and Reading)
"Cornes" properties (Congleton)
"Czechoslovakian" Timber properties (South Derbyshire) Duo-Slab (Mark I and II) (Leeds)
Hawksley Aluminium Bungalows (Taunton)
Certain properties in Gillingham (plaster problems)
Certain properties in Wolverhampton (foundation problems)
Top Hill Low Reservoir, Yorkshire
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the facilities for studying wildlife which have been provided at Top Hill Low reservoir in north Yorkshire will be maintained should privatisation take place ; why a permit charge has recently been levied ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : I understand that Yorkshire water authority has no plans to reduce the facilities at Tophill reservoir now or after privatisation. Facilities at the reservoir are controlled by the Tophill wildlife group which, since 1 January 1988, has paid a nominal annual permit fee of £25 to the authority for the facilities. I understand that the group levies a charge on members to cover the permit fee and to give them a working income.
Warrington and Runcorn Development Corporation
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the membership and remuneration of the board of the Warrington and Runcorn new town development corporation.
Column 600
Mr. Trippier : The membership and remuneration of the board of Warrington and Runcorn development corporation is as follows :
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor A. Mercer (Chairman) MA PhD
Mr. A. Dean Smith (Deputy Chairman) FRICS JP
Members:
Councillor J. H. Collins OBE BSc JP DL}
Councillor S. H. Cussons FCA}
Mr. J. E. H. Davies}
Councillor J. S. Gartside BSc B.Phil JP}
Mrs. P. M. Gillet BA AIMSW} |3,355
Mrs. R. Gorton}
Mr. R. N. Hodge B.Eng}
Mr. M. Macaskill MA ACIS FCBS}
Mr. N. J. Macleod FCIB}
Councillor D. A. Nunn C.Eng MI Mech E}
Repossessions
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total number of repossessions by building societies in each year from 1979 to 1988.
Mr. Trippier : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 2 February at column 353.
Radioactive Waste
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what quantities of radioactive barium sulphate residues remain at Amersham International sites ; what is their total curie content ; and what present plans exist for the final disposal of these radioactive wastes.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A total of 1.5 gigabequerels (approximately 40 millicuries) of radioactive barium sulphate residues remain at the Amersham International site at Amersham. No such residues are stored on any other Amersham International site. The residues are sludges contaminated with radium-226 resulting from the treatment of radioactive effluent prior to discharge from the site. Residues are stored safely in the site effluent treatment plant. When the plant is de-commissioned, the waste sludges will be disposed of safely under the terms of an authorisation issued by HMIP.
Some radioactive barium sulphate residues arising from work on radium-226 in the 1940s and 1950s were at that time buried on the Amersham site. These burials were excavated in the late 1960s and the radioactive waste was disposed of by burial at the British Nuclear Fuels disposal site at Drigg in Cumbria.
Council Houses
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to offer council houses free to tenants who have lived in them for many years.
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Planning Appeals
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will publish tables showing (a) the planning applications for out of town retail developments which have been referred to him on appeal in each of the past five years, (b) their date of referral, (c) their size in square feet, (d) the outcome of each appeal, and (e) the local planning authority concerned ; (2) whether he will publish tables showing (a) the planning applications for city centre retail developments which have been referred to him on appeal in each of the past five years, (b) their date of referral, (c) their size in square feet, (d) the outcome of each appeal and (e) the local planning authority concerned.
Mr. Chope : Information on appeals involving retail development is not readily available in the form requested. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish tables showing (a) the planning applications for leisure development which have been referred to him on appeal in each of the last five years, (b) the date of referral, (c) the local planning authority concerned, (d) their size in square feet and (e) the outcome of each appeal.
Mr. Chope : Since 1985-86, 1,473 appeals of this type have been determined of which 742 were allowed. The size and nature of the proposals varies widely. I regret that the other details requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to ensure that as far as is reasonably possible the caterers chosen to supply food for the conference sponsored by Her Majesty's Government to be held in March on the depletion of the ozone layer and chlorofluorocarbons will be using (a) refrigerant units not needing chlorouorocarbons and (b) food packaging not including chlorofluorocarbons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 25 January at col 567-68 , Government Departments have been asked to review their policies, specifications and practices with a view to reducing the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons to the maximum possible extent. In addition, the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre and the Government hospitality fund, which will be catering for the conference, have been specifically asked to ensure that use of products and equipment containing CFCs is avoided as far as possible.
Industrial Estates
Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his policy on the sale of local authority freeholds to industrial leasehold tenants on local authority industrial estates.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for each local authority to adopt its own policy on this question. In general we consider that, where industrial estates are sold, the tenants should have a fair chance to purchase the freehold.
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Structure Plans
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he proposes to complete his review of the process by which the structure plans are prepared ;
(2) what role he is planning to give county councils in preparing future structure plans.
Mr. Chope : A White Paper on the future of development plans (CM 569) was published on Monday 30 January. The White Paper proposes the abolition of structure plans, but envisages that county councils should continue to have a key role in the planning process, both in relation to the preparation of regional planning guidance, and in the formulation of planning policies on issues which need to be considered on a county-wide basis. Each county will be required to prepare a statement of county planning policies on a defined range of subjects. They will also be required to prepare a separate minerals development plan. In England, development control responsibility for minerals and waste disposal will remain with the county councils.
Rubbish Tips
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to place a statutory ban on building closer than 250 m to dangerous tips in respect of the methane gas hazard associated with rubbish tips ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : No, but it is proposed to issue to local authorities shortly a circular about the use of their planning powers in relation to landfill sites which may generate methane gas, and this will refer to the circumstances of development near such sites. A draft of the circular was issued for comment on 12 December.
Dumps
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the financing of safety measures at former dumps ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Such measures are the responsibility of those, including local authorities, with relevant rights to the land.
Local authorities will assess the requirements in the light of surveys currently being conducted and will determine their priorities accordingly. Capital allocations for 1989-90 allow for such work, with a sum of £5 million held in reserve for urgent work on landfill gas remedial measures for which no other resources are available.
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