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PhysicsPortuguese
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Last examination after 1994
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Indicates subjects where no revised higher will be available. Withdrawal of traditional CSYS Last Examination 1990 English
French
Latin
Dates for other subjects have still to be set.
New Courses Developed, in Process of Development, or to be considered for development Standard Grade
Phase 1
Science
Social and Vocational Skills
Phase 2
Contemporary Social Studies
Phase 3
Office and Information Studies
Physical Education
Technological Studies
Later Phases
Accounting and Finance
Drama
Higher Grade
Accounting and Finance
Classical Studies
Computing Studies
Drama
Management and Information Studies
Science (consultation stage only)
Technological Studies
CSYS
Accounting and Finance
Computing Studies
Craft and Design (consultation stage only)
Management and Information Studies
Music (consultation stage only)
Religious Studies
Technological Studies
Public Expenditure
Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the Scottish commentary on public expenditure.
Mr. Rifkind : My Department is issuing today "Public Expenditure to 1991-92 : A Commentary on the Scotland Programme". I have, as in previous years, arranged for a copy to be sent to each Scottish Member. Copies are also being placed in the Library.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Information Technology
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement of progress on the introduction of information technologies to facilitate internal communications in his Department
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and the provision of information to the public concerning those areas for which he is responsible ; and if he has any further plans to apply the newest technologies in these fields.Mr. Butcher : Under the Department's office systems strategy, 600 staff in London--roughly half--are being provided with PCs, attached to a local area network. Most of these are now in place, and we are considering extending the provision. Consideration is also being given to making similar arrangements in the Department's other site, in Darlington, and to connecting the two networks.
The Department also has in place a communications strategy for Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools, under which all 450 inspectors in the field will be provided with the means of electronic communication with each other, and also with the centre.
The Department does not at present provide electronic information services to the public.
Student Loans
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide calculations on the cost and savings of the top- up loans scheme, as illustrated in annexe E, page 43 of the White Paper "Top-Up Loans for Students," on the basis of (a) 90 per cent. take-up, (b) 100 per cent. take-up, (c) 90 per cent. take-up with an expansion of student numbers similar to that in the 1980s and (d) 100 per cent. take-up with an expansion similar to that in the 1980s.
Mr. Jackson : The table shows how the net PSBR effect would vary with alternative take-up assumptions, for the student numbers assumed in the White Paper. It would not be realistic to project into the future the expansion of student numbers that occurred over the 1980s because the demographic outlook is quite different.
|c|£ million, 1990 prices|c|
Take-up
|80 per cent. |90 per cent. |100 per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |103 |123 |144
1991 |105 |129 |153
1992 |103 |128 |154
1993 |93 |120 |147
1994 |78 |106 |133
1999 |17 |50 |81
2004 |-31 |4 |40
2009 |-69 |-33 |3
2014 |-162 |-137 |-113
2019 |-205 |-186 |-167
2024 |-227 |-210 |-194
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide calculations on the cost and savings of the top- up loans scheme as illustrated in annex E, page 43, of the White Paper "Top -up Loans for Students" on the basis of the (a) four and (b) five year courses which medical and dental students in particular have to pursue.
Mr. Jackson : The calculation of the costs and savings of the Government's proposals for top-up loans for students, as set out in annex E of Cm. 520, already takes account of the longer courses pursued by students of medicine, dentistry, and some other subjects.
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Universities (Scotland)
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next intends to meet with representatives from Scottish universities concerning the future problem of university provision in Scotland.
Mr. Jackson : We have no plans for such a meeting. Although both my right hon. Friend and I regularly visit universities, including those in Scotland, the allocation of public funds towards general university provision is a matter for the University Grants Committee and, from 1 April, the Universities Funding Council established under the Education Reform Act 1988. The funding of the eight Scottish universities is done under standard criteria which allow for different course lengths and apply to all universities in Great Britain. Both bodies have a committee to advise on particular matters relating to Scotland.
Advanced Supplementary Level Courses
Mr. Ken Hargreaves : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students are taking advanced supplementary level courses in the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I have today announced the results of a survey carried out by my Department last autumn. This shows that over 30,000 students in England are now taking GCE advanced supplementary courses. About 27,200 of these students are in schools and provisional figures show a further 3,300 in further education colleges. About 13 per cent. of first year A-level students are now choosing to study one or more AS level courses.
The most popular AS level courses were general studies, with nearly 9,500 students, mathematics, with nearly 7,000 students, English with about 2,500 students, computing, with nearly 2,000 students, and French, with over 1,500 students.
About 1,200 schools and over 100 colleges have mounted AS level courses this year. This represents 44 per cent. of schools, and 38 per cent. of colleges, with A-level students.
The full results of the survey will be published in due course.
ENVIRONMENT
Litter
88. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to strengthen the law on litter.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We are monitoring current experiments and pilot projects set up by the Tidy Britain group and others. We shall develop our policies accordingly, including the introduction of further legislation if appropriate.
Inner-city Land (Clearance)
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of the £67 million which is to be made available for the clearance of derelict inner city land will go to the north-west ; and what are the proposed locations.
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Mr. Trippier : Derelict land grant is available for reclamation of derelict land nationally, not just in inner city areas. Nearly a third of the national resources has been made available to the north west, including Merseyside, in 1989-90. Of this, £10.7 million will be devoted to schemes in the eight rolling programme areas of Salford Quays, Wigan, north east Lancashire, Barrow, Leeds/Liverpool canal corridor, Liverpool, Wirral and Ellesmere Port. The remaining resurces have yet to be allocated to specific projects, but priority will continue to be given to schemes which will contribute to the regeneration of the inner city areas.
Aluminium
186. Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, columns 202-04, he will identify the medical advisers who agreed the aluminium standard in drinking water treatment plants ; and what was the limit they set.
Mr. Moynihan : The Department took advice from medical advisers on the staff of the chief medical officer. In formulating their advice they took note of the views of the committee on the medical aspects of the contamination of air, soil and water (CASW). Limits were set individually for each supply zone up to a highest three-monthly mean of 1,200 microgram per litre and an absolute maximum of 3,500 micrograms per litre.
Water Testing
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any additional precautions have been taken or any additional testing undertaken, by water authorities, in the light of the mild winter weather and low water levels in reservoirs.
Mr. Moynihan : It is for water authorities to decide whether to take any additional precautions or to carry out additional sampling in the light of local circumstances.
Enterprise Zones
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all enterprise zones and the dates tax exemptions or rates reliefs cease.
Mr. Trippier : The period for which each of the following areas is designated as an enterprise zone is ten years from the date when the designation took effect. The financial benefits of enterprise zone status end when the area concerned ceases to be an enterprise zone.
Name of enterprise zone |Date of designation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belfast |21 August 1981 Clydebank (City of Glasgow) |18 August 1981 (Clydebank District) |3 August 1981 Corby |22 June 1981 Dale Lane and Kinsley (Wakefield) |23 September 1983 Delyn |21 July 1983 Dudley |10 July 1981 Dudley (Round Oak) |3 October 1984 Glanford (Flixborough) |13 April 1984 Hartlepool |23 October 1981 Invergordon |7 October 1983 Isle of Dogs |26 April 1982 Langthwaite Grange (Wakefield) |31 July 1981 Londonderry |13 September 1983 Lower Swansea Valley |11 June 1981 Lower Swansea Valley Number 2 |6 March 1985 Middlesbrough (Britannia) |8 November 1983 Milford Haven |24 April 1984 North East Lancashire |7 December 1983 North West Kent (zones Numbers 1-5) |31 October 1983 North West Kent (zones Numbers 6 and 7) |10 October 1986 Rotherham |16 August 1983 Salford Docks/Trafford Park |12 August 1981 Scunthorpe |23 September 1983 Speke (Liverpool) |25 August 1981 Tayside |9 January 1984 Telford |13 January 1984 Tyneside |25 August 1981 Wellingborough |26 July 1983 Workington (Allerdale) |4 October 1983
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will itemise all the costs of enterprise zones since their inception.
Mr. Trippier : The costs of the British enterprise zones to 1985-86 are contained in "EZ Information 1985-86", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. I expect to publish the next in this series of annual reports in the very near future.
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost per job created in enterprise zones once all costs are taken into account.
Mr. Trippier : The consultants commissioned by my Department to evaluate the enterprise zone experiment about mid-way through its life estimated the public cost per additional job within the enterprise zones to be £8,500. ("An evaluation of the enterprise zone experiment" by PA Cambridge Economic Consultants, published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office December 1987.) This figure is liable to change over time as both the number of additional jobs and the public costs in the zones increase.
Sport and Leisure Facilities
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he will be making to section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, including education departments via the Education Act 1944 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is our intention to enable local authorities to delegate their discretionary charging powers under section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, if they so wish, to contractors who manage sports and leisure facilities set up under the same section. We are currently considering how to achieve this and what the wider implications of such an amendment would be.
Owner-occupied Property (Repairs)
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if Her Majesty's Government are making available extra funding to local authorities to cover amounts for repairs and maintenance on owner-occupied properties for those on low or reduced income.
Mr. Trippier : An additional £20 million of resources have been made available for 1989-90 to 29 local
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authorities (listed in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) on 3 February, Official Report, columns 429-30, to encourage the renewal of the private sector housing stock in selected areas. The authorities concerned are expected to steer a significant proportion of these additional resources towards owners on low incomes.Council House Sales
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial facilities are available to purchasers of system-built local authority housing.
Mr. Trippier : Tenants who want to buy system-built properties are entitled to the normal right-to-buy discount and, if necessary, for a mortgage from their council.
Sewage Works (Derbyshire)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sewage works in Derbyshire where effluent levels currently exceed the limits set by his Department ; and whether he has any plans to alter such limits.
Mr. Moynihan : I have yet to receive the annual non-compliance reports for 1988 from the Yorkshire, Severn Trent and North West water authorities, whose areas include Derbyshire. When returns for all 10 authorities have been received, they will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
My hon. Friend the Minister for Water announced on 7 December 1988 at column 199 that applications for temporary variations in discharge consent conditions will be considered for those sewage works where capital improvements are programmed for completion by March 1992. Subject to this condition, authorities may apply for temporary variations to the consent conditions for works which failed to comply in 1988.
Assessment Planning
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of the Environment Assessment Planning (Town and Country Planning Assessment of Environmental Effect) Regulations 1988, implementing EC directive 85/337.
Mr. Chope : The Department receives copies of environmental statements submitted under the regulations relating to development proposals in England. In addition it keeps records of decisions by the Secretary of State under the regulations as to the need for environmental assessment and has asked local planning authorities to inform it when they give opinions under the regulations that environmental assessment is required.
Landfill (Rixton)
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will request an explanation from Cheshire county council as to why his Department was not informed earlier than February that 2,500 drums of paint residues and pigments from the Chemstar plant had been landfilled at Rixton.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Cheshire county council, as the waste disposal authority, is the competent body with
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regard to the licensing of waste disposal facilities. It is the council's responsibility to ensure that all facilities that it licences pose no risk to public health, water resources or the environment generally. There is no requirement for the council to inform this Department of wastes that it permits on to a landfill.Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further tests have been carried out at the Rixton landfilled site following the recent discovery of dioxins in the ground at Chemstar.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I am informed that Cheshire county council, the waste disposal authority, has carried out no tests for dioxin at the Rixton landfill site. I understand that it is in close touch with Tameside borough council in whose area the Chemstar plant is located.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has of ash from the Luvella waste incinerator being dumped at Rixton ; what was the quantity of this ash : at which sites the ash was dumped ; and if his Department will take samples of this ash to test for the presence of dioxins.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : None. It is the responsibility of the waste disposal authority, Cheshire county council, to licence and monitor the Rixton landfill. If it perceives the need, it is the responsibility of the local waste disposal authority to arrange for any particular waste stream to be analysed.
Air Pollution
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what procedures exist to monitor air pollution in British cities.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley ;: The Department of the Environment monitors levels of air pollution in British cities through a number of research contracts, in some cases in conjunction with the appropriate local authorities. Further details are contained in the 11th edition of the "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Some local authorities also carry out their own additional monitoring of selected pollutants.
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