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Column 521
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 8 March 1989
ENVIRONMENT
PSA Office, Newmarket
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what study he has made of the feasibility of replacing the present accommodation at the Property Services Agency office at Falmouth avenue, Newmarket, with a two-storey extension ; how many civil servants could be accommodated in such an extension ; how many cars could be parked in the remaining space ; and how much more or less this option is estimated to cost than the cost of moving the Property Services Agency staff now working in Newmarket to Cambridge.
Mr. Chope : The possibility of redeveloping the site at Falmouth avenue in Newmarket to accommodate PSA's eastern region headquarters was considered at an early stage in reorganisation planning in 1986. A detailed study was not carried out because the site was too small.
Relocation
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet executives of Nottingham development enterprise to discuss the relocation of parts of his Department to Nottingham as part of the policy on relocation of such posts away from the south-east.
Mr. Ridley : My Department already has nearly 200 staff in Nottingham. Under the policy which my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General announced on 31 March 1988, my Department is now reviewing the location of parts of its work with a view to finding sites offering easier labour markets, value for money and increased operational efficiency. Where appropriate, areas which are the focus of the Government's regional and urban policies, such as Nottingham, will be considered.
Hedgerows
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of hedgerow have been destroyed in the last 20 years ; how surveys of landscape change are carried out ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Drake (Dame J. Fookes) on 24 January at column 500.
Drinking Water (Yorkshire)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number and location of breaches in the precautionary standard for pesticides in drinking water in 1988, in supplies provided by Yorkshire water authority ; and if he will also list by location how much these breaches exceeded the standard laid down.
Mr. Moynihan : During the period December 1987 to November 1988 there were breaches of the standard of 0.1
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microgramme per litre for pesticides, specified in the European Community drinking water directive, in water supplies leaving the following four treatment works of the Yorkshire water authority : Ripon CampBlackhouse Spring
Boltby
Tophill Low
Breaches of the standard at Blackhouse Spring, Boltby and Tophill Low were transient, and I am informed that recent samples from these works complied with the directive. The levels at which the standard was exceeded were below those which would be considered a risk to health.
Sewage Works (Yorkshire)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how long he intends to let Yorkshire water authority relax legal controls under the criteria spelled out by his Department in a letter to water authority chief executives last November at (a) the sewage works at Hickleton in Don Valley constituency, and (b) the other sewage works in Yorkshire under the control of Yorkshire water authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has not received any applications for temporary variations in consent conditions from the authority. Each application is considered on its merits. The duration of any temporary variation granted in individual cases will, within the constraints set out in the Minister for Water and Planning's announcement on 7 December 1988, reflect the expected time scale of the capital improvements to be carried out.
It is understood that the works at Hickleton will not be the subject of an application for a temporary variation as it is the authority's intention to close the works and pump all sewage to their works at Bolton on Dearne for treatment.
London Docklands
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what procedure there is to monitor the achievement of the objective of 25 per cent. of new jobs created in the royal docks going to Newham residents as set out in the memorandum of agreement between the London borough of Newham and the London Docklands development corporation.
Mr. Trippier : The London Docklands development corporation and the London borough of Newham plan an employment monitoring unit, staffed by the borough, in an LDDC building in the royal docks. This building, which will also accommodate employment and training counselling, is to be refurbished by LDDC, and should be completed by the end of the year.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the 1989-90 London Docklands development corporation corporate plan will be published.
Mr. Trippier : The LDDC aims to publish the 1989 corporate plan in September.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has taken any action with regard to the
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London Docklands development corporation following the National Audit Office report on urban development corporations ; whether he will be taking any action in the future ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Trippier : The effectiveness of the LDDC, and of the Department's controls, are kept under continuous review. The NAO's findings are influencing that process. The report of the Public Accounts Committee is awaited, and the Government will respond to that at the appropriate time.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest estimate of London Docklands development corporation spending on support of provision of education, training, community health care, and community and recreation facilities noted in the National Audit Office report on urban development corporations, paragraph 2.27 ; if he will give a breakdown by type of the proposed expenditure over the period 1988 to 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The corporation is currently preparing this information for its next corporate plan, which will then be submitted to the Department for consideration. Expenditure from 1 April 1987 to 31 January 1989 on these items was as follows :
|£ million
-------------------------------------------
Voluntary sector |1.375
Health |0.092
Education and training |2.840
Other social |6.421
|-------
Total |10.728
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding allocation for the construction of the Docklands light railway eastern extension to Beckton has been made to the London Docklands development corporation.
Mr. Trippier : No public expenditure has been allocated. The Beckton extension of the docklands light railway will be funded from land sales.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to approve a deferred purchase or payment scheme to fund the construction of the Docklands light railway eastern extension to Beckton ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The DLR Beckton extension will be financed from land sales. No decision has been reached on the precise funding mechanism.
Common Land
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement of his policy in relation to common land following the report of the Common Land Forum.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We intend to introduce legislation based broadly on the report of the Common Land Forum at a suitable opportunity when parliamentary time permits. We are having discussions with various bodies and will make a further statement as soon as possible.
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London Green Belt
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenanted properties there were in the London green belt estate of the former Greater London Council at the time of its dissolution ; if he will publish a list of such properties in the Official Report ; and what is his policy towards the future ownership of these properties.
Mr. Chope : The Department does not keep records relating to these properties, title to which passed to successors to the GLC. The future ownership of the properties is a matter for those who hold title.
Retail Developments
Mr. Heddle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, following his decisions on Cripps Causeway, Bristol, and Bricket Wood, St. Albans, he will make a statement about his policy on retail development in (a) out-of-town locations and (b) the green belt.
Mr. Howard : The Government's policy on major retail development remains as set out in "Planning Policy Guidance Note 6", a copy of which is in the Library. Ministers have repeatedly warned, and have demonstrated in the Bricket Wood case, that those who pursue to appeal proposals in flagrant breach of established green belt policy risk having costs awarded against them.
Park Side House, Enfield
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report of the public inquiry into an application to purchase under the Housing Act 1985 the tenancy of Park Side house, Hadley road, Enfield, Middlesex, being part of an estate acquired under the Green Belt (London and Home Counties) Act 1938.
Mr. Trippier : The inspector's report of the inquiry into an application by the London borough of Enfield under section 5 of the Green Belt (London and Home Counties) Act 1938 for consent to dispose of the property known as Park Side house, Hadley road, Enfield is being considered. The decision will be issued as quickly as possible.
Barium Sulphate Waste
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conway, Official Report, February, column 600, what is the weight and volume of residual radioactive barium sulphate waste at Amersham.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The weight of residual radioactive barium sulphate waste safely stored in the site effluent treatment plant at Amersham is estimated at about 400 kg, associated with about one cubic metre of slurry. These figures are approximate. More precise figures will not be available until the site effluent plant is decommissioned.
Dioxins
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he intends to publish his report on the investigations that he has carried out within his areas of responsibility into chlorine-bleached packaging, dioxins and food.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : As announced on 14 February at columns 189-90, the Department of the Environment in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is preparing a statement on dioxins in the environment. Publication is intended within two months.
Chimneys
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what current estimate he has of the approximate percentage of the housing stock which has chimneys.
Mr. Trippier : The 1986 English house condition survey showed that approximately 75 per cent. of the housing stock in England had chimneys.
Grant-related Expenditure
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes were made to the method of calculating grant-related expenditure in each rate support grant settlement from 1981-82 to 1989-90.
Mr. Ridley : The changes are set out in the rate support grant report (England) for each year. Further information is contained in the "Blue Book", "Grant Related Expenditure : How the expenditure needs of local authorities are assessed for block grant", and the "Green Book", "The technical handbook of grant related expenditure", published each year. Copies of these publications for years up to 1988-89 are in the Library. Blue and Green Books for 1989-90 will be published shortly.
Farms (Rate Rebates)
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many farms in England and Wales which border Ministry of Defence or visiting forces' airports receive rate rebates.
Mr. Gummer : Agricultural land and buildings are not rateable, though farmhouses are. Information on the number of occupants of farmhouses receiving rate rebates is not available. In any event the location of a hereditament has no effect on the ratepayer's eligibility for rate rebate.
Planning Control
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given to planning authorities in London on planning control of residential densities.
Mr. Chope : "Planning Policy Guidance Note 12" gives advice on the circumstances in which it may be appropriate to include policies on residential densities in development plans. As the PPG makes clear, that advice applies generally. More specific advice on densities in London is proposed in the draft strategic planning guidance for London which my right hon. Friend published for consultation on Monday. This indicates that each borough is responsible for setting its own general guidelines on densities and dwelling mix for their area as appropriate in the light of local circumstances, bearing in mind the requirement for additional housing in the
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borough. Provision for new housing should respect established conservation policies and the interests of existing communities ; but this has to be balanced by recognition of the important contribution that can be made to overall housing supply in London by conversion of existing houses into smaller units and redevelopment at higher densities.Tenants Choice (Leaflet)
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if pursuant to his statement of 2 March, Official Report, column 418, he has any further information on the originator of the leaflet referred to ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The leaflet was sent to me on 18 October by a correspondent who drew my attention to its availability in libraries under the control of Nottinghamshire county council. I apologise for having mistakenly told the House on 2 March at column 418 that the county council had itself produced this inaccurate and misleading document : I should have said only that I understood that the county council had made it publicly available through its libraries.
Compulsory Purchase (Compensation)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to introduce legislation to provide for reductions in the level of compensation payable on a claim relating to the compulsory acquisition of land in respect of the increase in the value of other land owned by a claimant, in line with the provisions applying in Northern Ireland by virtue of section 9 of the Land Acquisition and Compensation (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 (S.I., 1973, No. 1896) ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Section 7 of the Land Compensation Act 1961 has, in England and Wales, the same effect as the provision referred to by the hon. Member.
Havant Town Centre
Sir Ian Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it his policy to announce his decision on the planning inquiry into the future of Havant town centre development without further delay.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 3 March 1989] : My right hon. Friend is considering the Havant Town Centre (Shopping Development) Compulsory Purchase Order, submitted for confirmation by Havant borough council, and the report of the inspector who held a public inquiry into objections. He will issue his decision as soon as possible.
Sewage Disposal
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now publish details of the number of sewage works which breached their discharge consents in 1988.
Mr. Ridley [holding answer 6 March 1989] : The latest year for which detailed figures on non-compliance of sewage treatment works are available is 1987, in which 887
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works out of 4,238 tested (21 per cent.) were in breach of their consents. This compares with 23 per cent. failing their consent conditions in 1986.The figures for 1988 are not yet available, but indications are that they will show a further improvement.
Water authorities have drawn up capital programmes, at a total cost of between £900 million and £1 billion, with the aim of bringing sub -standard works into full compliance with discharge consents in 1992.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Rain Forests
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the measures adopted by Her Majesty's Government or by European Community countries for the protection of rain forests ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : Details of Her Majesty's Government's activities to protect rain forests are given in a supplement to the December 1988 issue of "British Overseas Development", a copy of which I have placed in the Library. We have no record of the action taken by other countries to protect the rain forests. We and other members of the European Community support the tropical forestry action plan, which promotes action to conserve the tropical forests. As signatories to the international tropical timber agreement the United Kingdom and 10 other Community countries are pledged to encourage the development of international policies aimed at the sustainable use and conservation of tropical forests. The European Community's aid programme finances several rain-forest-related projects.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Student Loans
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report his response to the submission made by the National Union of Students on top-up loans for students.
Mr. Jackson : The submission from the NUS has been acknowledged, and my right hon. Friend will consider it with the other responses to the White Paper (Cm. 520). The Government will comment on these responses in due course when they make a further statement on the implementation of their plans.
Select Committee Recommendations
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about, and how many accepted by, his Department since June 1987.
Mrs. Rumbold : In the one departmental Select Committee report completed since June 1987, to which the Government have responded, 21 recommendations were made, of which 17 have been accepted in whole or in part by the Government, or noted, where no further action by Government was sought.
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Education Reorganisation, Trafford
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on secondary schools and the opting-out provisions as they affect the reorganisation of education in the borough of Trafford.
Mr. Butcher : The consideration by my right hon. Friend of proposals by Trafford LEA to reorganise secondary schools in its area was suspended whilst the parents of pupils at Sale boys' grammar school voted on whether the school should apply for grant-maintained status. The parents voted against such an application in January 1989, and my right hon. Friend has, therefore, resumed his consideration of the LEA's reorganisation proposals, and will announce his decision in due course.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the implications of the recent judgment on sex discrimination in Birmingham selective schools as it affects the reorganisation of education in Trafford.
Mr. Butcher : The judgment by the House of Lords that the Birminghan LEA was in contravention of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 by providing fewer grammar school places for boys than for girls has no implications for the proposed reorganisation of county schools in Trafford as the current proposals in Trafford LEA will provide equal opportunities for selective places for boys and girls.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the reorganisation of Roman Catholic secondary education in the borough of Trafford.
Mr. Butcher : In March 1988 the Salford Roman Catholic Diocesan Schools Commission published statutory reorganisation proposals for three Roman Catholic secondary schools in Trafford. My right hon. Friend was not satisfied that the proposed arrangements offered improved educational prospects for pupils of all abilities, nor that the high capital cost was justified. He accordingly rejected the proposals on 16 February 1989.
Institute of Food Research
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the membership of the advisory board to the Institute of Food Research ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Members of the advisory board are :
Mr. S. G. Metcalfe (Chairman), Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, Rank Hovis McDougall plc.
Professor D. C. Burke, Vice Chancellor, University of East Anglia and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes.
Dr. J. Edelman, CBE, Chairman of Council, British Nutrition Foundation.
Mr. J. A. Lusher, Director, Food Division, Marks and Spencer plc. Professor J. R. Norris, Director of Group Research, Cadbury Schweppes plc.
Dr. E. S. Page, Vice Chancellor, University of Reading and Chairman
of the Food Advisory Committee.
Mr. G. T. Pryce, Chief Executive, Dalgety plc.
Mr. A. Sheppard, Chairman, Grand Metropolitan plc.
Mr. W. G. Walker, Chairman, Van den Berghs & Jurgens Ltd. Mrs. R. E. Waterhouse CBE, Chairman, Consumers' Association. The advisory board comprises a unique mix of senior
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executives reflecting the interests of industry, academia and consumers. It advises the director and management of the Institute of Food Research on strategic issues concerning the food industry nationally and internationally, on trends and developments on food supply and consumption patterns, marketing, manufacturing, and other aspects influencing the choice of the Institute's Research and Development programmes.Replan
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future of the replan programme for the adult unemployed.
Mr. Jackson : Replan has been successful in focusing the attention of the education service on the needs of the adult unemployed, and is having wider benefits in encouraging new approaches by providers. The programme will continue in its present form until October 1991. The Government will conduct a policy review of the programme and its objectives later this year, drawing on the available evaluations of replan initiatives and taking into account changes in the context of employment and training. Decisions about the future of the programme after 1991 will be announced in the autumn.
PRIVY COUNCIL
Consumers (Consultation)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Lord President of the Council what arrangements there are for consulting consumers in the work and decisions of his Department.
Mr. Wakeham : The Privy Council Office neither provides nor regulates services to the general public and consultation with consumer organisations would not be appropriate to its work or decisions.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Court of Protection
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Attorney-General what was the total number of patients whose affairs were administered by the Court of Protection in each of the last five years.
The Attorney-General : The total number of patients whose affairs were administered by the Court of Protection for the last five financial years are as follows :
|£
---------------------------------------------------------
(a) Commencement Fees
1984 |480,482.00
1985 |337,465.67
1986 |316,304.53
1987 |285,449.40
1988 |307,256.10
(b) Annual Administration Fees
1986 |2,992,743.20
1987 |3,148,927.00
1988 |3,858,094.60
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Attorney-General what was the total income received by the protection division in respect of (a) commencement fees and (b) annual administration fees for the Court of Protection in each of the last five years.
The Attorney-General : The total income received by the protection division for the last five calendar years was as follows :
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|£
---------------------------------------------------------
(a) Commencement Fees
1984 |480,482.00
1985 |337,465.67
1986 |316,304.53
1987 |285,449.40
1988 |307,256.10
(b) Annual Administration Fees
1986 |2,992,743.20
1987 |3,148,927.00
1988 |3,858,094.60
The figures for 1984 and 1985 calendar years are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Patients (Receiver)
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Attorney-General what was the total number of patients for whom a receiver was appointed where the annual income of the patient was insufficient for any fee to be payable in each of the last five years.
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