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Column 281
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 16 February 1989
TRANSPORT
Fishing Vessels
73. Mr. Buchan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his officials have held recently regarding the transitional period for the registration of fishing vessels under the terms of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : The transitional period is prescribed in the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Fishing Vessels) Regulations which came into force on 1 December 1988. To date, nearly half the 13,000 transfer applications sent out for the new register have been returned. Officials at the registry of shipping and seamen are dealing with queries as fast as they can. Remaining qualified owners who return their applications in good time should be able to transfer their vessels before the end of the transitional period on 31 March.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total amount of revenue accruing to his Department in the last financial year as a result of the levying of light dues on United Kingdom registered fishing vessels ; and what was the original estimate.
Mr. Portillo : Responsibility for collecting light dues is vested in the general lighthouse authorities. They have so far received about £120,000 in light dues paid for United Kingdom registered fishing vessels for the financial year 1987-88. Income for the year was originally estimated as about £1 million ; the authorities are considering what further action to take to recover the outstanding dues.
Highway Maintenance (Expenditure)
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the reasons for the underspend on local authority current expenditure on highway maintenance for 1987-88 being revised from £147 million to £91 million in the public expenditure White Paper 1988.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Prior to the 1989 public expenditure survey, expenditure by local authorities on professional and technical services for road maintenance has been included with similar expenditure on public transport under the separate head of professional and technical services. For the 1989 survey it was agreed with the local authority associations that this expenditure should be charged out to the services concerned. The change is referred to in paragraph 83 of Cm. 288. Because expenditure on professional and technical services for 1987-88 was above the planned figure, the effect was to reduce the underspend on the new definition of road maintenance expenditure. The figures in the 1989 survey (Cm. 608) are also based on revised estimates of expenditure which were not available when the 1988 White Paper (Cm. 288) was published.
Column 282
Public Inquiries
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average time from the date of the decision to hold a public inquiry to the date when he announces his verdict on the inspector's report.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The length of time between the announcement of a public inquiry and the issuing of the decision letter by the Secretaries of State for Environment and for Transport depends on a number of factors. The main ones are the length and complexity of the scheme, the duration of the inquiry, the length of the inspector's report and the time taken to deliver it, and the implications of the inspector's recommendations.
Twenty-nine inquiries into trunk road schemes were held in 1987 (the last year for which all inspectors' reports have been received). The Secretaries of State have yet to issue decisions on five major schemes : M3 Bar End- Compton, M40 Waterstock-Wendlebury, A1 Bramham-Wetherby and Wetherby- Dishforth (consecutive inquiries) and A6(M) Stockport North-South bypass. Of the remaining 24, the distribution of times taken between announcement of the inquiry and issuing of the decision letter was as follows :
|c|Announcement-Decision|c| Months |Number of Schemes ------------------------------------------------------ 1-3 |- 4-6 |4 7-9 |7 9-12 |8 13-18 |4 over 19 |1
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of public inquiries held during the last year into road proposals ; what was their average duration ; and what was the total cost.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Thirty-two inquiries into trunk road schemes were held in 1988. The following is a breakdown of lengths of inquiry :
Length |Number of Inquiries ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 day |6 2-5 days |8 1-2 weeks |5 2 weeks-1 month |5 1-3 months |6 3-6 months |1 6 months-1 year |1
The direct costs of the facilities necessary for these inquiries (accommodation, photocopying etc.) came to £700,000. The figures for individual inquiries range between £285 and £370,000. Including counsel's and inspector's fees, the costs to the Department vary between £1 million and £2 million annually. It is not possible to assess the indirect costs of departmental and consultants' staff.
Bus Companies (Sale)
Mr. Higgins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for a deadline by which municipal bus companies should be sold to the private sector.
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Mr. Portillo : The Government are encouraging local authorities to sell their bus companies and do not rule out the possiblity of seeking powers to require them to do so.
Viaducts
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is yet ready to publish a further report on the midland links viaducts.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : A 1988 report is published today. We welcome this report for the reassuring news that it brings and for the information that it conveys. It is important to keep the wider public informed about these vital elements in our motorway network. Copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The report confirms that the structures are sufficiently strong to carry the traffic which wants to use them.
The major problem is damage arising from chloride contamination. This is attributable to the original salt-laden water penetrating the structures during the de-icing of the motorways in winters before 1983. We are no longer adding to this problem, as we now use urea. Measures to tackle the consequences of this contamination will be a considerable part of the future programme.
The strategy for the future maintenance of the viaducts comes down to continuous monitoring, repair and maintenance. The accent will remain on value for money and will include further investigation into improving repair techniques.
Highway Authorities (Finance)
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report for each highway authority in England (a) its bid for capital allocations and transport supplementary grant for 1989-90, (b) the allocation announced in each case, (c) the allocation as a percentage of the bid in each case and (d) the percentage of each authority's transport supplementary grant allocation attributable to minor works.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The information requested is given in the following tables :
|c|Capital allocation for local roads 1989-90|c|
Highway Authority |Bid |Allocation |Allocation as percentage
|of bid
|£ million |£ million |Per cent
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|(A) |(B) |(C)
City of London |1.867 |0.630 |33.7
Barking and
Dagenham |6.318 |4.580 |72.5
Barnet |2.003 |0.790 |39.4
Bexley |3.566 |2.780 |78.0
Brent |3.200 |1.190 |37.2
Bromley |9.998 |8.580 |85.8
Camden |3.256 |0.260 |8.0
Croydon |6.357 |1.110 |17.5
Ealing |12.373 |7.450 |60.2
Enfield |24.817 |24.210 |97.6
Greenwich |4.698 |2.590 |55.1
Hackney |4.349 |1.550 |35.6
Hammersmith and
Fulham |6.794 |0.410 |6.0
Haringey |14.453 |11.880 |82.2
Harrow |9.120 |8.980 |98.5
Havering |1.063 |0.960 |90.3
Hillingdon |20.676 |10.340 |50.0
Hounslow |3.463 |1.630 |47.1
Islington |2.012 |0.530 |26.3
Kensington and
Chelsea |2.005 |1.570 |78.3
Kingston upon
Thames |4.980 |3.870 |77.7
Lambeth |0.957 |0.610 |63.7
Lewisham |12.492 |11.030 |88.3
Merton |13.713 |9.400 |68.5
Newham |6.979 |2.420 |34.7
Redbridge |3.243 |0.900 |27.8
Richmond upon
Thames |1.360 |0.610 |44.9
Southwark |7.490 |5.610 |74.9
Sutton |8.556 |2.330 |27.2
Tower Hamlets |0.873 |0.420 |48.1
Waltham Forest |2.421 |1.250 |51.6
Wandsworth |7.584 |2.690 |35.5
Westminster |18.785 |2.020 |10.8
Bolton |3.537 |1.770 |50.0
Bury |4.238 |3.620 |85.4
Manchester |13.078 |4.230 |32.3
Oldham |8.355 |2.700 |32.3
Rochdale |4.323 |1.160 |26.8
Salford |10.007 |5.600 |56.0
Stockport |2.536 |0.600 |23.7
Tameside |2.916 |1.500 |51.4
Trafford |14.706 |4.240 |28.8
Wigan |4.399 |3.210 |73.0
Knowsley |2.185 |0.750 |34.3
Liverpool |6.688 |4.420 |66.1
St. Helens |5.903 |4.850 |82.2
Sefton |1.425 |0.920 |64.6
Wirral |3.930 |2.610 |66.4
Barnsley |4.811 |1.730 |36.0
Doncaster |3.709 |1.900 |51.2
Rotherham |3.742 |2.020 |54.0
Sheffield |9.077 |2.330 |25.7
Gateshead |7.815 |4.760 |60.9
Newcastle upon
Tyne |9.297 |6.010 |64.6
North Tyneside |2.035 |0.830 |40.8
South Tyneside |3.004 |1.290 |42.9
Sunderland |5.932 |2.740 |46.2
Birmingham |19.980 |11.200 |56.1
Coventry |9.202 |6.500 |70.6
Dudley |7.848 |1.650 |21.0
Sandwell |5.074 |2.550 |50.3
Solihull |2.207 |1.270 |57.5
Walsall |4.562 |2.550 |55.9
Wolverhampton |7.586 |4.300 |56.7
Bradford |11.919 |6.240 |52.4
Calderdale |3.697 |1.670 |45.2
Kirklees |4.599 |1.840 |40.0
Leeds |6.568 |4.300 |65.5
Wakefield |6.759 |1.300 |19.2
Avon |13.910 |10.140 |72.9
Bedfordshire |10.701 |9.050 |84.6
Berkshire |12.743 |4.880 |38.3
Buckinghamshire |7.217 |2.730 |37.8
Cambridgeshire |15.309 |5.710 |37.3
Cheshire |12.340 |6.310 |51.1
Cleveland |13.520 |9.720 |71.9
Cornwall |9.210 |4.390 |47.7
Cumbria |4.270 |1.630 |38.2
Derbyshire |11.000 |4.130 |37.5
Devon |15.055 |4.900 |32.5
Dorset |14.978 |7.540 |50.3
Durham |9.144 |4.640 |50.7
East Sussex |16.065 |6.720 |41.8
Essex |28.190 |15.430 |54.7
Gloucestershire |8.122 |3.930 |48.4
Hampshire |19.726 |10.880 |55.2
Hereford and
Worcester |4.204 |2.300 |54.7
Hertfordshire |11.591 |7.950 |68.6
Humberside |14.346 |11.920 |83.1
Isle of Wight |4.385 |1.470 |33.5
Kent |43.654 |25.000 |57.3
Lancashire |26.369 |12.820 |48.6
Leicestershire |17.300 |8.940 |51.7
Lincolnshire |6.540 |3.030 |46.3
Norfolk |12.469 |4.160 |33.4
Northamptonshire |14.672 |9.340 |63.7
Northumberland |5.001 |2.380 |47.6
North Yorkshire |11.789 |7.330 |62.2
Nottinghamshire |15.981 |5.830 |36.5
Oxfordshire |11.139 |3.560 |32.0
Shropshire |6.729 |3.800 |56.5
Somerset |13.548 |8.680 |64.1
Staffordshire |13.000 |7.660 |58.9
Suffolk |11.798 |4.350 |36.9
Surrey |17.675 |11.400 |64.5
Warwickshire |11.375 |7.280 |64.0
West Sussex |7.662 |3.300 |43.1
Wiltshire |3.191 |1.430 |44.8
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|c|Transport Supplementary Grant 1989-90|c|
Highway authority |Bid for TSG |Gross accepted |Gross accepted |Accepted expenditure for
|expenditure |expenditure as |minor works as
|percentage of bid |percentage of column E
|£ million |£ million |per cent. |per cent.
|(D) |(E) |(F) |(G)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of London |1.368 |0.388 |28.4 |100.0
Barking and Dagenham |4.884 |4.590 |94.0 |9.6
Barnet |0.538 |0.582 |108.2 |100.0
Bexley |3.136 |2.536 |80.9 |12.8
Brent |1.500 |0.900 |60.0 |44.4
Bromley |9.033 |7.666 |84.9 |16.4
Camden |0.175 |0.172 |98.3 |100.0
Croydon |1.275 |0.588 |46.1 |100.0
Ealing |7.508 |6.440 |85.8 |16.2
Enfield |24.049 |23.916 |99.4 |1.7
Greenwich |4.626 |1.596 |34.5 |39.4
Hackney |2.515 |0.820 |32.6 |100.0
Hammersmith and Fulham |2.280 |0.284 |12.5 |100.0
Haringey |13.361 |11.824 |88.5 |1.9
Harrow |7.700 |7.750 |100.6 |8.4
Havering |0.353 |0.414 |117.3 |72.0
Hillingdon |17.755 |15.260 |85.9 |6.7
Hounslow |3.020 |1.578 |52.3 |42.5
Islington |0.806 |0.296 |36.7 |100.0
Kensington and Chelsea |1.802 |1.566 |86.9 |8.5
Kingston upon Thames |4.373 |4.022 |92.0 |11.5
Lambeth |0.347 |0.364 |104.9 |100.0
Lewisham |11.168 |10.628 |95.2 |5.2
Merton |12.963 |9.410 |72.6 |3.6
Newham |2.300 |2.044 |88.9 |16.8
Redbridge |1.851 |0.678 |36.6 |89.1
Richmond upon Thames |0.795 |0.326 |41.0 |100.0
Southwark |5.806 |5.354 |92.2 |9.0
Sutton |2.720 |1.914 |70.4 |23.4
Tower Hamlets |0.873 |0.140 |16.0 |100.0
Waltham Forest |1.571 |1.102 |70.1 |60.0
Wandsworth |4.183 |1.816 |43.4 |54.6
Westminster |13.799 |1.800 |13.1 |27.8
Bolton |2.227 |1.586 |71.2 |21.8
Bury |3.493 |3.396 |97.2 |12.8
Manchester |6.865 |3.006 |43.8 |37.8
Oldham |4.437 |2.394 |54.0 |26.9
Rochdale |1.316 |0.526 |40.0 |100.0
Salford |9.312 |5.582 |59.9 |5.1
Stockport |0.987 |0.186 |18.8 |100.0
Tameside |1.263 |1.182 |93.6 |29.7
Trafford |11.421 |3.530 |30.9 |14.9
Wigan |3.629 |3.296 |90.8 |16.9
Knowsley |1.340 |0.596 |44.5 |73.2
Liverpool |4.138 |3.574 |86.4 |19.6
St. Helens |5.538 |4.608 |83.2 |7.0
Sefton |0.944 |0.654 |69.3 |54.4
Wirral |3.310 |2.568 |77.6 |13.7
Barnsley |3.172 |1.490 |47.0 |30.4
Doncaster |2.075 |1.472 |70.9 |14.5
Rotherham |2.340 |1.426 |60.9 |29.9
Sheffield |6.693 |1.870 |27.9 |39.1
Gateshead |6.124 |4.900 |80.0 |7.1
Newcastle upon Tyne |7.680 |6.026 |78.5 |7.4
North Tyneside |1.805 |0.620 |34.3 |100.0
South Tyneside |1.985 |0.830 |41.8 |24.7
Sunderland |5.125 |2.380 |46.4 |24.4
Birmingham |17.663 |9.658 |84.7 |10.4
Coventry |7.817 |6.106 |78.1 |3.3
Dudley |6.648 |0.836 |12.6 |77.8
Sandwell |4.089 |2.386 |58.4 |16.4
Solihull |1.487 |1.052 |70.7 |11.4
Walsall |2.339 |2.144 |91.7 |10.8
Wolverhampton |4.969 |4.396 |88.5 |7.3
Bradford |7.300 |6.306 |86.4 |10.9
Calderdale |1.463 |0.168 |11.5 |100.0
Kirklees |2.110 |1.250 |59.2 |31.8
Leeds |3.816 |3.132 |82.1 |24.5
Wakefield |3.013 |0.616 |20.4 |100.0
Avon |12.274 |9.892 |80.6 |7.2
Bedfordshire |10.392 |8.206 |79.0 |5.4
Berkshire |10.749 |4.390 |40.8 |10.9
Buckinghamshire |2.994 |2.658 |88.8 |2.0
Cambridgeshire |6.770 |5.346 |79.0 |8.6
Cheshire |6.821 |5.552 |81.4 |5.1
Cleveland |10.622 |9.584 |90.2 |4.4
Cornwall |6.690 |3.486 |52.1 |8.8
Cumbria |2.346 |1.280 |54.6 |44.1
Derbyshire |3.781 |3.080 |81.5 |18.9
Devon |11.661 |3.486 |29.9 |17.3
Dorset |14.117 |6.204 |43.9 |10.3
Durham |8.447 |4.480 |53.0 |15.6
East Sussex |11.768 |5.064 |43.0 |10.1
Essex |21.850 |15.048 |68.9 |5.2
Gloucestershire |6.822 |3.126 |45.8 |8.6
Hampshire |11.295 |10.164 |90.0 |5.0
Hereford and Worcester |2.385 |1.942 |81.4 |36.0
Hertfordshire |8.201 |8.200 |100.0 |0.1
Humberside |13.130 |10.442 |79.5 |5.5
Isle of Wight |3.513 |1.050 |29.9 |100.0
Kent |34.779 |22.862 |65.7 |4.1
Lancashire |22.003 |12.370 |56.2 |6.8
Leicestershire |11.349 |8.742 |77.0 |7.7
Lincolnshire |3.752 |2.378 |63.4 |52.4
Norfolk |8.777 |3.682 |42.0 |25.4
Northamptonshire |12.792 |8.400 |65.7 |10.0
Northumberland |3.518 |1.026 |29.2 |37.3
North Yorkshire |8.049 |6.856 |85.2 |10.8
Nottinghamshire |6.793 |5.008 |73.7 |13.3
Oxfordshire |7.641 |0.896 |11.7 |55.7
Shropshire |4.674 |3.358 |71.8 |4.8
Somerset |9.919 |8.070 |81.4 |3.1
Staffordshire |9.279 |5.984 |64.5 |13.4
Suffolk |8.188 |3.920 |47.9 |8.8
Surrey |15.727 |11.268 |71.6 |5.6
Warwickshire |9.325 |7.418 |79.5 |10.3
West Sussex |5.513 |3.052 |55.4 |14.1
Wiltshire |1.978 |0.818 |41.4 |73.3
Notes:
<1> Column F does not take into account any adjustments arising from underspends on accepted expenditure in previous years.
<2> Transport supplementary grant will be paid at a flat rate of 50 per cent. of net accepted expenditure (ie after adjustment).
<3> For London, accepted expenditure for transport supplementary grant includes boroughs' shares of expenditure on urban traffic control managed by
the City of London on behalf of the Secretary of State which is excluded from boroughs' bid. Hence the gross accepted expenditure, before adjustments,
of some London authorities is greater than their TSG bid.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has now received the report of an efficiency scrutiny into his Department's activities in relation to local authorities' capital expenditure on roads ; when he intends to publish the scrutiny and his response to its recommendations ; and whether he intends to seek the views of the local authority associations before doing so.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : My right hon. Friend has received this report and will make a statement about its publication
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soon. The local authority associations have already been consulted on a number of the recommendations. Their views on some others which affect local authorities will be sought before final decisions on implementation are taken.London Area Computer Model
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will set out the results of the London
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area computer model's evaluation of four transport options for London as developed by the transport and road research laboratory ; (2) what is his Department's policy regarding the use of the London area computer model developed by the transport and road research laboratory and run by two transport consultancies ; and if he will make a statement ;(3) if he will make available the report by Martin Vorhees Associates and Colin Buchanan and Partners regarding the computer model used to evaluate transport options for London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : I refer the hon. Lady to my answer of 15 February to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) at column 214 .
Personal Injuries
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each police force area in England and Wales the total number of personal injury accidents during the Christmas period 1986 and 1987 and the percentage in each period which were caused as a result of alcohol.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The following table shows the total number of injury accidents between 20 and 31 December, 1986 and 1987, and the percentage of these accidents in which at least one driver or rider failed a subsequent breath test. Data are not collected on the causes of accidents, so the fact that a driver or rider failed the breath test does not mean that alcohol caused the accident. Some other accidents will have involved drivers or riders who, because of the severity of their injuries, could not be tested.
Some police forces breath test a large proportion of drivers or riders involved in accidents, while others test only those who are suspected of drink-driving. This can lead to variations between police force areas in the proportions of drivers or riders who were found to be over the limit.
Because of the small number of accidents involved in some police force areas, differences between two years are not necessarily significant.
|c|Accidents in England and Wales: percentage of accidents in which at|c|
|c|least one driver or rider failed a roadside breath test: between 20|c|
|c|and 31 December 1986 and 1987|c|
All accidents Percentage failed
Police force |1986 |1987 |1986 |1987
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metropolitan |1,097 |1,075 |3.6 |3.5
Cumbria |51 |41 |7.8 |2.4
Lancashire |139 |133 |10.1 |6.8
Merseyside |178 |154 |6.7 |7.8
Greater Manchester |310 |271 |8.1 |5.5
Cheshire |103 |98 |5.8 |8.2
Tyne and Wear |130 |106 |8.5 |6.6
Durham |51 |42 |3.9 |9.5
North Yorkshire |68 |65 |2.9 |9.2
West Yorkshire |222 |213 |3.6 |7.0
South Yorkshire |106 |117 |12.3 |8.5
Humberside |86 |104 |8.1 |4.8
Cleveland |63 |58 |7.9 |5.2
West Midlands |242 |162 |4.5 |9.3
Staffordshire |112 |117 |8.0 |6.8
West Mercia |89 |102 |5.6 |6.9
Warwickshire |54 |57 |3.7 |3.5
Derbyshire |87 |87 |9.2 |1.1
Nottinghamshire |95 |99 |7.4 |3.0
Lincolnshire |58 |70 |12.1 |2.9
Leicestershire |87 |84 |16.1 |7.1
Northamptonshire |60 |60 |13.3 |10.0
Cambridgeshire |82 |64 |7.3 |9.4
Norfolk |104 |92 |7.7 |1.1
Suffolk |72 |68 |4.2 |1.5
Bedfordshire |57 |65 |5.3 |3.1
Hertfordshire |96 |90 |10.4 |1.1
Essex |200 |176 |7.0 |6.3
Thames Valley |237 |183 |7.2 |6.0
Hampshire |190 |197 |4.2 |7.6
Surrey |104 |114 |8.7 |8.8
Kent |166 |147 |7.2 |6.8
Sussex |140 |139 |2.9 |4.3
City of London |7 |5 |0.0 |0.0
Devon and Cornwall |164 |165 |5.5 |6.1
Somerset and Avon |127 |127 |7.1 |8.7
Gloucestershire |62 |53 |8.1 |7.5
Wiltshire |66 |68 |9.1 |1.5
Dorset |83 |55 |8.4 |12.7
North Wales |58 |62 |5.2 |4.8
Gwent |37 |29 |0.0 |3.4
South Wales |121 |113 |10.7 |6.2
Dyfed Powys |44 |49 |9.1 |10.2
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |5,705 |5,376 |6.5 |5.7
Unleaded Petrol
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in making unleaded petrol available at motorway service areas.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We are pleased to report that unleaded petrol should be available at all motorway service areas in England and Wales by this spring.
A1
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report the number of (a) road accidents and (b) fatalities on the A1 between Dishforth and Scotch Corner annually from 1979 to the latest available date.
Mr. Peter Bottomley [holding answer 13 February 1989] : The details requested for the section of the A1 between Dishforth and Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire are :
Year |Number of Recorded |Number of these Accidents
|Personal Injury |which involve Fatality
|Accidents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |38 |1
1981 |34 |4
1982 |36 |3
1983 |34 |3
1984 |36 |3
1985 |51 |1
1986 |54 |4
1987 |48 |2
1988 |57 |0
Weighbridges
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the accuracy of all public weighbridges in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I have been asked to reply.
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Public weighbridges in Great Britain are verified and stamped by local authorities to establish their fitness for use. I am satisfied that these arrangements are adequate to ensure the accuracy of these installations.OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Bangladesh
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many scholarships have been offered in the United Kingdom to citizens of Bangladesh in each of the last 10 years out of United Kingdom public funds.
Mr. Eggar : The number of new scholarships and awards financed each year is as follows :
Year |Number --------------------- 1979 |214 1980 |222 1981 |263 1982 |283 1983 |325 1984 |302 1985 |265 1986 |265 1987 |340 1988 |n/a
Most of these awards (322 in 1987) have been provided through the Overseas Development Administration's technical co-operation training programme. Awards have also been provided through the Commonwealth scholarship and fellowship scheme, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarships and awards scheme, the Department of Education and Science overseas students research awards scheme and through the British Council. Many awards are for a period of more than one year, so the total number of supported students and trainees in the United Kingdom in any year is much larger (more than 620 in 1987) than the number of new awards.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what levels of aid from multilateral and bilateral sources have been made to Bangladesh in each year since 1979.
Mr. Eggar : The information requested in respect of British aid is as follows :
Year |British bilateral aid|British aid through |£ '000 Total
|multilateral channels
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |33,826 |n/a |n/a
1980 |66,190 |13,340 |79,530
1981 |33,383 |17,350 |50,733
1982 |23,537 |23,450 |46,987
1983 |24,728 |24,710 |49,438
1984 |35,656 |27,170 |62,826
1985 |41,173 |17,770 |58,943
1986 |38,321 |17,820 |56,141
1987 |34,842 |n/a |n/a
Gross multilateral aid for 1979 was not split by recipient. Figures for 1987 (multilateral aid only) and 1988
are not yet available.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid was offered to Bangladesh after the recent flooding.
Mr. Eggar : We have committed £25 million in emergency and rehabilitation aid in response to the recent
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floods in Bangladesh. This includes 50,000 tonnes of food aid, £5 million through British and local voluntary agencies and a commodity aid grant of £15 million to help meet rehabilitation requirements.Soil Erosion
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid is given to India, Bangladesh and Nepal in respect of environmental issues to prevent soil erosion and flooding.
Mr. Eggar : In India, our forestry projects in Karnataka state promote tree planting which helps to improve degraded land. We are providing technical co-operation to the national bureau of soil survey and land use planning, one of whose roles is to help prevent environmental degradation. In Bangladesh, we have provided immediate flood relief and supported rehabilitation activities ; and we are ready to play our part in any international or regional initiatives on flood alleviation which emerge from studies currently being undertaken by the United Nations and the World Bank. In Nepal, we are funding a study on the links between macroeconomic policies and environmental degradation and several projects to promote forest conservation and reafforestation. We have assisted in the production of a forestry master plan for the next 25 years.
We are keen to do more in these areas and are exploring the options with each Government.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
TUA (Entry Clearance)
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department received authorisation to issue entry clearance to TUA (reference IMM/90912) ; and if he will make a statement about steps taken by his Department to action this entry clearance.
Mr. Eggar : Her Majesty's embassy in Islamabad received authorisation for the entry clearance from the Home Office on 14 December 1988. On 19 December 1988 a letter was sent to the applicant inviting her to call at the embassy for entry clearance, which was issued on 5 January 1989.
Bangladesh
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support and aid have been given to the army and police forces in Bangladesh for each year since 1979.
Mr. Eggar : The United Kingdom military training assistance scheme funds three instructors at the Bangladesh defence services command and staff college and attendance at military training courses in Britain.
Assistance to the Bangladesh police has comprised technical, professional and command courses in Britain and basic drugs-related training, as well as provision of communications and drugs-related equipment.
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St. Helena
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the amount of the largest case of unpaid Customs duty that has come to his attention in the last six years on St. Helena.
Mr. Eggar : The largest case, amounting to £200.10, dated back to January 1983.
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on whether the senior customs officer and government secretary of St. Helena were at any time in default of paying Customs duties or wharfage charges.
Mr. Eggar : The senior customs officer was for a while in default in respect of customs duty and wharfage on a vehicle, confectionery, building materials, groceries and films. He paid in full by April 1987. The government secretary at the time was technically in default, but this apparently arose from incorrect advice given to him.
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was lost in uncollected Customs duties and wharfage fees in St. Helena in the last six years.
Mr. Eggar : Arrears of Customs duties totalling £124,671 were identified in January 1987. All arrears were collected by April 1987 with no losses.
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the Westerdam based at St. Helena and any financial support given in the last 10 years.
Mr. Eggar : The MV Westerdam was purchased in 1981 by the St. Helena Fisheries Corporation as an offshore fishing vessel. The original purchase did not involve British Government funds but development aid funds totalling £140,000 were spent in 1985 to repair and refit her in preparation for an offshore fisheries survey, also financed from development aid funds. The vessel was sold at the end of 1988 and it is expected that the proceeds will be used by St. Helena Government on other fisheries-related projects.
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of unpaid Customs duties on St. Helena have come to his attention in the last six years ; how many were eventually paid in full ; and what was the result of any prosecutions.
Mr. Eggar : Fourteen cases of unpaid Customs duties were identified. All have been paid in full. No prosecutions were made.
WALES
Child Care Workers
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of his Department's appropriate grant aid budget has been allocated to the training of child care workers over the last five years to date.
Mr. Grist : Support for social work training is provided as part of the overall support for social services spending through the rate support grant arrangements. Information
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on the proportion of rate support grant used for such purposes is not held centrally. However in 1988-89 a direct grant of £62,813 is being made available to assist in training professional and other staff who deal with cases of child abuse. As regards 1989-90 I would refer the hon. Lady to the announcement made by my hon. Friend on 23 November 1988, Official Report, columns 6-7 .Caravan Sites
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of caravan sites not licensed by local authorities operated under the auspices of voluntary organisations in Wales.
Mr. Grist : Approximately 850 sites in Wales have been approved by recreational organisations holding an appropriate certificate of exemption for use by no more than five caravans. In addition exempted organisations have established about 25 sites, on a permanent or seasonal basis, for varying numbers of touring caravans for which they have obtained the informal approval of the local authority. Further sites are used by exempted organisations for temporary holiday meetings and rallies of club members lasting no more than five days. Information on the number of temporary meetings is not hold centrally.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of caravan sites licensed under the Caravan Sites (Control of Development) Act 1960 by local authorities in Wales.
Mr. Grist : The information requested is not held centrally.
Health Visitors
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified health visitors there were in post in Wales at 31 December 1988, on the most recent date for which the information is available ; and, of those, how many were identified by the local health authority as being with a Welsh-speaking ability.
Mr. Grist : As at 31 December 1988, 659 (576 whole-time equivalent) health visitors were in post in the National Health Service in Wales. Information on the Welsh-speaking ability of these staff is not available centrally.
Children in Care
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children there were in local authority care for each year since 1979.
Mr. Grist : The numbers of children in care on 31 March in each year were as follows :
|Numbers
------------------------
1979 |4,882
1980 |4,861
1981 |4,628
1982 |4,575
1983 |4,387
1984 |4,044
1985 |3,752
1986 |3,593
1987 |3,481
1988<1> |3,438
<1> Provisional figure.
Trunk Roads (Mid-Wales)
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the state of trunk roads in mid-Wales.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : A considerable number of improvements have been undertaken in recent years. Our plans for further improvements will be set out in the Welsh commentary on the public expenditure White Paper, and in the forthcoming edition of "Roads in Wales".
Section 4 Grants
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many section 4 grants have been made for each of the past five years in Wales.
Mr. Peter Walker : The section 4 scheme is administered in the Principality by the Wales tourist board. The information is as follows :
|Assistance offered (£|Offers made
|million)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 outturn |2.2 |87
1985-86 outturn |3.5 |162
1986-87 outturn |3.5 |145
1987-88 outturn |2.5 |119
1988-89 forecast |3.4 |150
Air Pollution
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he will provide detailed information of the locations at which the lead content of air in Cardiff was measured during the past two years ; what levels were recorded ; and if he will give the dates on which measurements were made and the methods used ;
(2) what evidence he has available of levels of lead pollution in the air in Cardiff over the last 10 years ; what trends have been reflected in measurements taken during the period ; and what steps he is taking to reduce lead pollution in the atmosphere in Cardiff and elsewhere ;
(3) what information he has on the level of lead in the atmosphere which is considered acceptable in the urban environment and the level which is considered to be detrimental to the health of pedestrians and of the public at large.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him today by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, South-West (Mrs. Bottomley).
Caldy Island
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has as to the local government services provided by (a) South Pembrokeshire district council and (b) Dyfed county council to the residents of Caldy Island, Pembrokeshire ; and if he will indicate whether any specific payments are made by the residents for specific local government services.
Mr. Grist : This information is not held by the Department.
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Wrexham Maelor Hospital
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many operations were postponed at the hospital's request at the Wrexham Maelor hospital in January.
Mr. Grist : This information is not available centrally.
PRIME MINISTER
Piper Alpha
Q33. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received regarding the recovery of the bodies of men trapped in the wreckage of the Piper Alpha oil production platform.
The Prime Minister : Some hon. Members as well as two bereaved relatives have written to me recently urging that debris should be removed to search further for the missing victims. I well understand the particular distress of the relatives of the victims whose bodies have not been recovered.
In addition, my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Energy and the Minister of State, Department of Energy met representatives of the bereaved and survivors on 15 February to hear their concerns personally.
EC Expenditure
Q51. Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if she will invite the next meeting of the European Council to seek a report from the Court of Auditors about the budget and spending of the European Economic Community ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The Court of Auditors' annual report on the Community budget is formally considered by the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers. I welcome the declared intention of the Spanish Presidency to ensure that concrete decisions are taken on the court's latest report.
Newton
Q81. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit Newton, near Rugby.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
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