| Previous Section | Home Page |
Newly Qualified Drivers
Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will consider introducing a scheme requiring the display of probationer plates for newly qualified drivers.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : A number of schemes were introduced in other countries during the 1960s, so they have been in operation for some time. So far, none has been successfully evaluated. There is no evidence that they help to reduce casualty rates. In New Zealand, for instance they have been withdrawn upon introduction of enforcement systems more similar to our own.
A comparable P plate system is in use in Northern Ireland, where the legal system for enforcement of road traffic law is different. Using the only comparative data available, the relevant figures are :
Comparison of casualty rates for
Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
1961-1987
Casualty rate per
1,000 vehicles
Year |Great Britain |Northern Ireland
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1961 |35.0 |23.5
1966 |29.5 |21.3
1971 |22.7 |20.8
1976 |19.1 |18.9
1981 |16.7 |17.8
1983 |15.3 |16.0
1984 |15.7 |17.3
1985 |15.0 |18.4
1986 |14.8 |20.0
1987 |14.0 |20.5
British Rail (Rolling Stock)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will approve British Rail's proposal to order new rolling stock for the lines from Marylebone ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : My right hon. Friend today gave approval for the first of a new generation of inner suburban diesel vehicles for Network SouthEast services out of Marylebone. A total of 77 new class 165 Networker Turbo vehicles will be ordered at a cost of £39 million. Services on the lines currently employ late 1950's vintage stock, all of which will be replaced. Delivery of the first new stock is expected in October 1990.
These new vehicles will bring great benefits to the increasing number of passengers who travel into Marylebone. The new vehicles will be faster, more comfortable, and offer greater reliability than those that they replace.
Column 615
Dial-A-Ride
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a decision has been made on funding of dial-a-ride for next year.
Mr. Portillo : I am pleased to announce that the grant to London dial-a-ride services for 1989-90 will be £7.27 million. That is an increase of £1 million on 1988-89 and will facilitate a substantial expansion of the service. After four successive annual increases dial-a- ride funding in 1989-90 will be over 70 per cent. higher than it was when London Regional Transport took over responsibility for funding from the GLC.
EMPLOYMENT
Energy Grants
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many energy grants have been paid in each month since April.
Mr. Nicholls [pursuant to his reply 11 January 1989] : I regret that there was an error in the reply I gave on Wednesday 11 January at column 711 concerning the number of energy grants that had been paid in each month since April 1988.
The correct information is provided in the following table :
|Number
----------------------------
1988
April |16,828
May |16,463
June |7,049
July |9,389
August |9,475
September |24,562
October |17,202
November |8,867
|-------
Total |109,835
International Organisations
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those international organisations on which his Department is represented and the total cost of these commitments.
Mr. Nicholls : My Department participates, where appropriate, in the work of all the international organisations of which the United Kingdom is a member, when employment and related issues are under consideration. The cost of commitments to these organisations is not generally met by the Department of Employment except in the case of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The United Kingdom contribution to the ILO in 1987-88 was £3,813,000.
Product Clearance
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice the Health and Safety Executive is giving to new applicants for the clearance of products.
Mr. Nicholls : People who contact the Health and Safety Executive's pesticide registration section for information
Column 616
about obtaining approvals are sent an information package which includes application forms and an explanatory booklet. The section issues a regular newsletter which includes an up-to- date estimate of how long approvals are likely to take.HSE (Scientific Staff)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what instructions have been given to scientific staff at the Health and Safety Executive as to the times of day at which to answer telephone inquiries.
Mr. Nicholls : Telephone inquiries to the Health and Safety Executive can be made at any time of the day. To reduce delays in processing applications for approvals scientists in the pesticide registration section organise their work so that normally mornings are dedicated to dealing with applications and time is set aside in the afternoon to phone back those applicants who wish to have direct scientific advice. Pesticide approval holders and relevant trades associations have been told of these arrangements in the January issue of the section's newsletter.
Restart
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will examine the working of restart in connection with those who are on the redundant mineworkers pension scheme ; and if he will make a statement on the regulations as they are currently being applied by his Department.
Mr. Lee : People who receive payments under the redundant mineworkers payment scheme (RMPS) are required to sign on at unemployment benefit offices and to satisfy the conditions for receipt of benefit. This will bring them within the restart programme and they are offered interviews in the same way as every other member of the restart client group. The RMPS is the responsibility of the Department of Energy. Officials from my Department and the Department of Energy are examining the RMPS regulations and benefit procedures which bring those on the RMPS within the coverage of the restart programme.
Construction (Fatalities)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list (a) the total number of fatalities in the construction industry reported by the Health and Safety Executive for each year between 1960 and 1987 and (b) the total number of fatalities in the construction industry reported by the Health and Safety executive as a percentage of the combined employed and self-employed work force for each year between 1960 and 1987.
Mr. Nicholls : The table shows the available information. Fatalities to the self-employed and members of the public were not reportable until 1 January 1981. The few voluntary reports collected between 1978 and 1980 are included with employees. Fatal injuries to the self-employed working on their own have never been reportable. The relative incidence of injuries between employees and the self-employed will be affected by differences in the range of activities in which they are engaged and by differences in the propensity to report injuries.
Column 617
Reported<1> fatalities in the construction industry<2>
Employees Self-employed Employees and
self-employed
Year |Fatalities |Number<3> (thousands)|Incidence rate per |Fatalities |Number<3> (thousands)|Incidence rate per |Fatalities |Number<3> (thousands)|Incidence rate per
|100,000 |100,000 |100,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1960 |278 |1,393 |20.0 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1961 |272 |1,446 |18.8 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1962 |281 |1,480 |19.0 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1963 |247 |1,506 |16.4 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1964 |271 |1,543 |17.6 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1965 |230 |1,580 |14.6 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1966 |292 |1,604 |18.2 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1967 |204 |1,515 |13.5 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1968 |240 |1,476 |16.3 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1969 |268 |1,415 |18.9 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1970 |204 |1,294 |15.8 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1971 |201 |1,159 |17.3 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1972 |190 |1,193 |15.9 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1973 |231 |1,269 |18.2 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1974 |166 |1,223 |13.6 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1975 |182 |1,207 |15.1 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1976 |156 |1,203 |13.0 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1977 |130 |1,167 |11.1 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1978 |153 |1,161 |13.2 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1979 |149 |1,201 |12.4 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1980 |165 |1,206 |13.7 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1981 |105 |1,102 |9.5 |11 |388 |2.8 |116 |1,490 |7.8
1982 |100 |1,038 |9.6 |18 |398 |4.5 |118 |1,436 |8.2
1983 |118 |1,015 |11.6 |21 |409 |5.1 |139 |1,424 |9.8
1984 |100 |1,010 |9.9 |17 |464 |3.7 |117 |1,474 |7.9
1985 |104 |996 |10.4 |22 |470 |4.7 |126 |1,466 |8.6
1986 Q1<4> |24 |n.a. |n.a. |2 |n.a. |n.a. |26 |n.a. |n.a.
1986-87<5> |99 |967 |10.2 |26 |487 |5.3 |125 |1,454 |8.6
1987-88<5><6> |100 |984 |10.2 |41 |542 |7.6 |141 |1,526 |9.2
n.a. not available.
<1> Reported to Her Majesty's factory and agricultural inspectorate and all other relevant enforcing authorities under the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980 (NADOR) for 1981 to March 1986, and the Reporting
of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) for 1986-87 onwards. Fatalities between 1960 and 1980 are limited to those reported to Her Majesty's factory inspectorate.
<2> The construction industry is defined as in the standard industrial classification (SIC) 1968 (order XX) for employment data up to 1970 and injury data up to 1980. From 1971 for employment data and 1981 for injury data, it is as defined
in SIC 1980 (division 5).
<3> As at June each year.
<4> First quarter (January to March).
<5> Year commencing 1 April.
<6> Provisional.
Curriculum and TVEI
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are employed in the Training Commission dealing with the curriculum in schools and the extension of the technical and vocational education initiative.
Mr. Cope : At 1 February 1989, 163 permanent officials and 14 casual staff were employed to administer the technical and vocational education initiative, of whom five were part-time. In addition, 40 educational advisers were employed on short-term contracts.
Catrine Unemployment Office
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the figures for use of the Catrine unemployment office for (a) advice, (b) signing on and (c) other services for each month since June 1979.
Mr. Lee : Full information is not available. Details of the number of people using Catrine part-time unemployment benefit office to sign as unemployed since 1985 can be supplied and are given in the table.
Column 618
|1985|1986|1987|1988
-----------------------------------
January |481 |502 |503 |487
February |497 |503 |506 |449
March |480 |479 |493 |439
April |474 |468 |502 |426
May |454 |428 |483 |405
June |N/K |431 |477 |355
July |522 |431 |512 |430
August |509 |457 |502 |414
September |519 |451 |512 |N/K
October |498 |N/K |490 |362
November |501 |N/K |486 |363
December |474 |446 |464 |350
Genetic Engineering
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made on proposals for legislation to control the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment to replace the current system of voluntary guidelines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : There is already legislation which controls in various ways the planned release of genetically manipulated organisms into the environment. This includes the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and a number of other Acts, the administration of which falls to
Column 619
several Government Departments but prior notification is often voluntary. I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that further to publication of a consultative document in 1987, he expects to submit to my right hon. Friend legislative proposals to make it compulsory in all cases by the middle of this year.The United Kingdom is also participating in negotiations on a European Community directive on this subject.
Employment Training Scheme
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Derbyshire are currently participating in the Government's employment training scheme.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : At 27 January 1989 there were 2,044 trainees on employment training in Derbyshire.
Coalmining (Women)
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many representations he has received in respect of proposals to permit women to be employed underground in the coalmining industry ; how many were generally in favour and how many were unfavourable ; if he will publish his response to any such representations.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : Fourteen representations were received in respect of proposals to permit women to be employed underground in mines in response to the consultative document "Restrictions on Employment of Young People and the Removal of Sex Discrimination in Legislation". Of these 10 were generally in favour and four were against.
Economic League
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the implications for his employment policies of the activities of the Economic League.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : Over the last 12 months my Department has received 30 letters about the activities of the Economic League.
Industrial Death Grants
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he proposes to introduce to replace industrial death grants following their abolition on 11 April 1988 ; when the standard rate of £52 for single parent and £78 for two parents, as applied to YTS fatalities was first introduced ; how the level of those awards was varied throughout their lifetime ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 6 February 1989] : All payments made under the analogous industrial injuries scheme run by the Training Agency and its predecessors are exactly the same as those available to employed earners from the Department of Social Security's statutory industrial injuries' scheme. Under the statutory scheme industrial death grant payments were abolished on 11 April 1988. The rates of industrial death grant remained the same from the introduction of the statutory scheme in
Column 620
1948, until they were abolished. The question of any replacement of the death grant is for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Social Security.East Midlands Tourist Board
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the level of expenditure provided by his Department to the East Midlands tourist board in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Lee [holding answer 6 February 1989] : My Department provides general grant-in-aid funding towards the costs of all English tourist board (ETB) activities. The ETB has made the following total payments to the East Midlands tourist board :
Financial Year |Total Payments --------------------------------------------- 1984-85 |112,000 1985-86 |124,000 1986-87 |191,000 1987-88 |216,000 1988-89 |218,000
Training (East Anglia)
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the latest available figures for (a) the number of places and (b) the number of trainees in place in employment training for each training agency area in East Anglia.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : It is planned to have about 5,000 places available in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire by April 1989. At 27 January 1989, there were already over 2,900 trainees on the programme.
Coal Mines (Sanitation)
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to introduce specific statutory requirements for the provision of sanitation in deep coal mines.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 6 February 1989] : Specific statutory requirements for the provision of sanitation in all coal mines already exist. They are section 94 of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954 and the Coal and Other Mines (Sanitary Conveniences) Regulations 1956.
These provisions are being reviewed and will be updated as part of the Health and Safety Commission's programme for the renewal of mining safety legislation.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
EC Internal Market Council
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in the Official Report the nature and purpose of amendmens he proposes to make to Acts of Parliament so as to comply with the common position adopted by the Internal Market Council of the European Economic Communities at their meeting on 21 December 1988 in respect of draft directives and amendments relating to the harmonisation of national legislation concerning safety of machinery.
Column 621
Mr. Maude : The draft directive is still under negotiation. A common position was agreed at the internal market council on 21 December. Under the co-operation procedure, the European Parliament now has an opportunity to consider the common position, before the directive can be finally adopted by the council. It is therefore too soon to give a definitive assessment of the impact on United Kingdom legislation.
However, several United Kingdom laws may need to be amended. The most relevant are the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987. More specific requirements dealing with hazards arising out of the use of machinery in particular industries are contained in various other statutory provisions ; the most important of these are the Factories Act 1961 and numerous sets of regulations made under it.
Broadcasting and Film
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish the report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission into trade unionism within the broadcasting and film industries.
Mr. Maude : Questions as to possible restrictive labour practices in television broadcasting and film protection were jointly referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on 28 March 1988 by my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Employment, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The Commission has not yet submitted its report to Ministers. Once it has done so, it will be published as soon as is practicable.
1992 Hotline
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many calls have been received to date by his Department's 1992 hotline.
Mr. Maude : DTI's 1992 hotline has received over 113,000 calls since it opened on 18 March 1988.
Balance of Payments
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what is now his estimate for the deficit on the balance of payments for 1988.
Mr. Alan Clark : The deficit on the current account of the balance of payments for 1988 is provisionally estimated to be £14.3 billion.
Cars
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how much of the increase in 1988 in the demand for cars was met by production in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins : In 1988 of the 2,215,574 new cars registered in the United Kingdom, 965,883 were manufactured in the United Kingdom. The comparable figures for 1987 were 2,013,693 and 972,968.
Further Education
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list the separate schemes under the
Column 622
support for further education programme of his Department ; and what are the total sums expended on them since 1983.Mr. Forth : My Department has supported further education with a number of schemes at various times since 1983. £3.2 million has been expended on the further education scheme for IT skills updating, £5.1 million was expended on the CNC machine tools scheme and £2.5 million on the scheme for computer aided design.
The further education sector also benefited from a number of schemes which also applied to higher education, schools and management education. Separate figures for futher education are not available.
Capital Projects
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what information he has on the average rate of return currently being obtained by the private sector in the United Kingdom for new capital projects.
Mr. Atkins : No information is available on rates of return obtained on new capital projects. Real rates of return on capital employed for industrial and commercial companies are calculated from national accounts statistics and published in British Business, most recently on 30 September 1988. The net real rate of return on capital employed for industrial and commercial companies excluding North sea activities in 1987 was estimated at 10 per cent. the highest since 1969.
Balance of Payments Deficit
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his latest estimate for the balance of payments deficit for 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : The deficit on the current account of the balance of payments for 1988 is provisionally estimated to have been in deficit by £14.3 billion.
Manufactured Goods
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the latest statement of the balance of trade in manufactured goods.
Mr. Alan Clark : The balance of trade in manufactured goods in 1988 is provisionally estimated to have been in deficit by £14.3 billion.
Industrial Investment
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries have shown a greater increase in industrial investment since 1979 than the United Kingdom
Mr. Atkins : Comparable statistics for industrial investment are available only up to 1986 and do not cover all Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development countries. Of the countries for which comparisons are available, the following have shown a greater increase between 1979 and 1986 than the United Kingdom :
United States of America
Denmark
Column 623
FinlandIceland
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
However, United Kingdom industrial investment in 1986 may have been adversely affected by the phasing out of some capital allowances. Since 1986 industrial investment has increased substantially and the latest Department of Trade and Industry's investment intentions survey indicated that this strong growth will continue in 1989 and 1990.
Amateur Radio
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is to take any further powers to control interference to television and telephone com-munications arising from equipment used by amateur radio operators.
Mr. Atkins : Yes. The European Community directive on electro- magnetic compatibility will require all electrical apparatus, including radio transmitters placed on the market, not to cause interference to other apparatus, and for such apparatus, including television and telephones to be adequately immune from interference. I anticipate the directive entering into force on 1 January 1992. Irrespective of legal requirements, the responsible use of amateur radio apparatus depends upon licensees co- operating with their neighbours on interference problems : I am glad to say that the vast majority of radio amateurs exercise that responsibility.
Cinema Industry
Mr. Wray : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has for each year since 1975, on the annual contribution of public funds to the cinema industry in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 February 1989] : I have no annual information on the contribution of public funds to the cinema exhibition industries in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden for each year since 1975. In the United Kingdom there has been no public funding of the cinema exhibition industry over the same period.
Manchester (EC Aid)
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide details of grants made from the European Economic Community regional and social fund to (a) the city of Manchester and (b) the Trafford district of greater Manchester in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 February 1989] : Commitments made from the European regional development fund to (a) the City of Manchester and (b) the Trafford district of Greater Manchester were :
|(a) |(b)
|£ |£
----------------------------------------
Infrastructure projects
1984 |1,014,750|nil
1985 |49,500 |237,500
1986 |145,000 |nil
1987 |3,228,000|nil
1988 |470,000 |nil
Industry projects
1984 |nil |nil
1985 |nil |nil
1986 |445,000 |nil
1987 |112,000 |nil
1988 |237,000 |49,000
Toyota Motor Company
Mr. Madel : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, should the Toyota motor company decide to build an assembly plant in the United Kingdom, any possibility of Government financial aid towards start- up costs would be subject to EEC Commission restriction or rejection ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 February 1989] : If the Toyota motor corporation were to apply for financial assistance for establishment of a motor vehicle assembly plant in the United Kingdom, and if the Government were to decide to make an offer of aid, then the European Community procedures described in my other answer today to my hon. Friend would apply. The company is aware of the position.
Motor Industry (Aid)
Mr. Madel : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any proposal by the Government to give financial aid to the motor vehicle sector must be notified to the EEC Commission in advance of any actual financial aid given ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 6 February 1989] : Using its powers under the state aids provisions of the EEC Treaty, the Commission has recently introduced a Community framework for state aids to the vehicle sector. From 1 January 1989 any proposal by Governments or other public authorities to give financial assistance to a manufacturer of motor vehicles or motor vehicle engines must be prenotified for clearance by the Commission if the cost of the project exceeds 12 million ecu (about £8 million).
English Folk Dance and Song Society (Elections)
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether he has received the report of the Electoral Reform Society on the conduct of the recent elections to the national executive committee of the English Folk Dance and Song Society ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether he will set up an inquiry into allegations of malpractice in the recent elections to the national executive committee of the English Folk Dance and Song Society ;
(3) what representations he has received about allegations of irregularity in the recent elections to the national executive committee of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
Mr. Maude [holding answer 6 February 1989] : I have not received a report by the Electoral Reform Society into the conduct of the recent elections of the national executive committee of the English Folk Dance and Song
Column 625
Society, but my Department has considered a request from another quarter for an investigation into alleged malpractices in relation to those elections. Companies Act powers are not appropriate for the investigation of these matters.NORTHERN IRELAND
Water Standards
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all those water supplies in Northern Ireland which fail to meet the standards set out in the European Economic Community directives on the quality of drinking water and whether or not these are the subject of derogations ; how and when it is proposed for each of these water supplies to meet the standards laid down ; and what the latest estimated cost of complying with the standards is in each case.
Mr. Needham : There are 114 water supply areas in Northern Ireland of which 13 are subject to derogations made under the EC drinking water directive. Requests for seven delays under the directive were made in 1985 ; subsequent remedial works enabled three to be withdrawn. A programme of works to enable the remaining four delays to be also withdrawn should be completed by 1992.
Where derogations or delays apply, a small number of directive parameter values for non-toxic substances may be exceeded on a regular basis. In the supply areas for which there are no derogations or delays there are occasions when a value for a non-toxic substance is exceeded for a short time. The directive values for toxic substances are not exceeded. A programme of works over 10 to 12 years has been identified to ensure compliance with the directive. The estimated cost is £200 million.
Rate Demands
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will take steps to ensure that the notice of rate demands in Northern Ireland shows a more detailed breakdown of the application of expenditure on a similar basis as prevails in Great Britain.
| Next Section
| Home Page |