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The Prime Minister : The total annual reimbursement cost to public funds of special advisers on secondment is currently £147,333. The current annual cost to public funds of salary and employer's national insurance contributions for the most senior special advisers is £133, 500.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Prime Minister what restrictions there are on the activities of ministerial political and special advisers in relation to their giving directions to career civil servants.
The Prime Minister : Apart from secretarial assistance, permanent civil servants do not work directly for special advisers except with my express permission.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Prime Minister what restrictions on political activities apply to Ministerial political advisers previously employed as career civil servants.
The Prime Minister : There are two areas of political activity where special advisers may be allowed more freedom than other civil servants. With the approval of the Minister they may attend party functions and maintain contact with party members ; and they may take part in policy reviews organised by the party.
In addition, and subject to the approval of the Minister, special advisers are permitted to undertake all forms of local political activity provided they observe the rule of discretion applicable to civil servants. This does not include local activities in support of national politics.
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There are no additional restrictions on special advisers who may previously have been career civil servants.Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Prime Minister if she will establish an inquiry into co-ordination on immigration matters between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office, in the light of a letter from the hon. Member for Bradford, West, dated 1 March from the Secretary of State for the Home Department that the application by Mr. Bahad Singh for entry clearance to the United Kingdom, ref. S656383/4, was being considered after being passed to him by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a letter to the hon. Member for Bradford, West from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, dated 17 February, ref. GV100/5098, saying that the British deputy high commissioner in Bombay was unable to trace any such applications and if she will indicate when she expects that a decision will be reached on Mr. Singh's application.
The Prime Minister : Mr. Singh lodged his application with the British High Commission in New Delhi, not Bombay as the hon. Member believes. It was this initial error which contributed to the seemingly contradictory letters received from the two Departments. The letter sent to the hon. Member on 1 March, from the Home Office should have clarified the position and the Home Office will review its procedures, in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with a view to preventing such misunderstandings in the future.
Mr. Singh's application was refused in July 1988. He has appealed against the decision and his case will be heard by the appellate authorities in due course. The relevant Minister at the Home Office will shortly be writing to the hon. Member about this case.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Disability
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement about the surveys on disability being carried out by his Department ; what detailed arrangements are being made to make use of experience gained in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys survey in Great Britain ; and what consultations have taken place with organisations concerned with disability in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The study of disability, which the Government announced on 15 December 1988 would be carried out in Northern Ireland, will cover all types of disabilities, mental as well as physical, all age groups and include people living in various forms of communal establishments as well as in private households. The research in Northern Ireland will replicate and develop work conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in Great Britain and will be conducted by the policy planning and research unit of the Department of Finance and Personnel on behalf of a number of Northern Ireland Departments. Regular contact has been maintained with OPCS during the planning stages and continued use is being made of their experience. An initial meeting has been held with the director of the Northern Ireland Council on Disability to inform him of the study
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and further consultations will take place with various organisations concerned with disability in Northern Ireland.Public Expenditure Commentary
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to publish the Northern Ireland public expenditure commentary ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ian Stewart : The Northern Ireland commentary on public expenditure plans 1989-90 to 1991-92 was published today and copies are available in the Vote Office. This is the second Northern Ireland commentary and it aims to improve the information available to Parliament and the public by amplifying the material in the Northern Ireland chapter of the 1989 Public Expenditure White Paper.
Students
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement indicating the nature of the consultations which the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, will have regarding the White Paper "Top-Up Loans for Students" and listing the organisations from which the Department are seeking views.
Dr. Mawhinney : The White Paper made provision for all comments to be submitted to the Department of Education and Science to arrive by 1 February 1989.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to indicate the numbers of disabled students by sex in Northern Ireland in further education and in higher education.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information in the form requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to indicate how many students in Northern Ireland are studying four-year degree courses and three-year degree courses, respectively.
Dr. Mawhinney : Provisional information for the 1988-89 academic year is as follows :
|c|Full-time undergraduate students|c|
|Number
-------------------------------------------------
Enrolled on:
Three-year Degree Courses |7,948
Four-year Degree Courses |5,220
Degree Courses longer than 4 years |994
ENVIRONMENT
Globe Theatre Site
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the discovery of the site of the Rose theatre in Southwark, he will ask English Heritage to reconsider its decision not to recommend the Globe theatre site for scheduling.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The importance of the Globe theatre site is unquestioned. It has not been scheduled so far because there is no evidence to show exactly where the theatre stood. This means that an unjustifiably large area would have to be scheduled.
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English Heritage has, however, written to the London borough of Southwark suggesting that, before any application for the site's redevelopment is determined, an archaeological evaluation should be undertaken to determine the exact location of any remains. In the light of the results of such an evaluation English Heritage will reconsider where there is a case for scheduling the Globe theatre site. We shall, of course, consider any such recommendation very carefully.Sea Pollution
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by water authority area the number of sewage outfalls to the sea ; and, of those, how many include primary treatment works.
Mr. Ridley [holding answer 14 March 1989] : This information is not held centrally.
Applications for new or varied consent conditions for all sewage outfalls to sea are considered by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Quantitative conditions are set in all cases and these have regard to the impact of the discharge in the receiving waters. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution also requires all new outfalls to include provision for the removal and disposal of screenings and non-biodegradable materials such as plastics. My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning has placed copies of the inspectorate's guidelines for the construction of new sea outfalls in the Library.
We do not set specific treatment standards for discharges to the sea ; but authorities, in preparing proposals to improve sewage disposal arrangements in coastal areas will want to consider alternative options including inland treatment and sometimes disinfection. However, as the Royal Commission on environmental pollution made clear in its 10th report, the use of long sea outfalls, which rely upon the action of sea and sunlight to break down bacteria, is often the most environmentally satisfactory system of disposal.
Beaches
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the cost of bringing beaches in north-west England up to EEC standards ; and from what date he expects the standards to be met.
Mr. Moynihan : The Department has asked the North West water authority to draw up a capital expenditure programme with the aim of bringing those bathing waters identified under the EEC bathing water directive up to the directive's standards by 1995.
Yorkshire (Water Reserves)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the present levels of water reserves in the Yorkshire water authority area ; if the authority has applied for any drought orders ; what risks there are of drought conditions arising during the coming months of the current year ; if he will list by location the areas within the Yorkshire water authority area that are most susceptible to suffering from drought conditions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : Storage reservoirs in the Yorkshire water authority area are almost full and, although
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groundwater levels in the aquifer serving North Humberside are low, adequate supplies are being transferred from elsewhere. The authority has not applied for any drought orders and foresees no difficulty in meeting demand this year unless an exceptionally dry summer occurs.Vehicle Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact on the environment of those vehicle exhaust emissions which are capable of being reduced or eliminated by catalytic converters.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Assessing the contribution made by petrol driven vehicles to national levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, ozone and nitrogen oxides and their consequent environmental impact has been and continues to be a major part of the Department's air quality research programme.
Water Pollution
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the number and location of breaches in 1988 in the EEC guide and mandatory levels for (a) faecal coliforms, (b) total coliforms, (c) cadmium, (d) arsenic, (e) pesticides, (f) nitrogen and (g) ammonia in bathing waters which were the responsibility of the Anglian water authority.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning announced on 21 February at column 572, the results of the 1988 survey of bathing waters for England, Northern Ireland and Wales. A summary of the results has already been placed in the Library. The report contains detailed results for individual waters in each water authority area, including numbers of samples taken for particular parameters and the number of these which failed to meet the directive's mandatory standards.
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the number and location of breaches in 1988 in the EEC guide levels and maximum concentrations for (a) chlorides, (b) sulphates, (c) magnesium, (d) sodium, (e) potassium, (f) nitrates, (g) aluminium, (h) nitrates and (i) phenols in water intended for human consumption supplied by the Anglian water authority ;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report the number and location of breaches in 1988 in the EEC guide levels and maximum concentrations for (a) iron, (b) manganese, (c) copper, (d) zinc, (e) phosphorus, (f) barium, (g) cadmium, (h) chromium, (i) mercury, (j) nickel and (k) lead in water intended for human consumption supplied by the Anglian water authority ;
(3) if he will list in the Official Report the number and location of breaches in 1988 in the EEC guide levels and maximum concentrations for (a) herbicides, (b) fungicides, (c) PCBs, (d) insecticides, (e) total bacteria counts, (f) faecal coliforms and (g) faecal streptococci in water intended for human consumption supplied by the Anglian water authority.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : In view of the current widespread interest in drinking water
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quality, Anglian water authority will be publishing a report on the subject setting out the extent of compliance in 1988 with all the standards set in the EC drinking water directive. Work is in hand to prepare this report and I am asking the authority to send the hon. Member a copy when it is published.Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals exist to further relax effluent limits on the amount and type of effluent discharged by the plants of the North West water authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : My hon. and learned Friend, the Minister for Water and Planning 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 to be completed by March 1992.
Applications made by the North West water authority under the Control of Pollution Act 1974, including those for time-limited variations, will be considered on an individual basis by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. Details of all applications made are held on the register maintained by the water authority which may be inspected, free of charge, by anyone at all reasonable hours.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many beaches have now reached the higher EEC standards.
Mr. Moynihan : My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Water and Planning announced on 21 February at column 572, the results of the 1988 survey of bathing water quality. These showed that 254 out of the 380 bathing waters in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (67 per cent.) met the mandatory coliform standards in the 1988 bathing season, compared with only 51 per cent., measured on a comparable basis, in 1986.
Although since 1987 we have tightened the way we monitor and assess compliance with the directive, the EEC standards themselves remain unchanged.
Water Authority Chairmen
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what the chairmen of water authorities are currently paid.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 27 January 1989 at column 792-3.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what the chairmen of water authorities will be paid once the industry is privatised.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : Once the water authorities are in private ownership, the remuneration of chairmen will be a matter for the successor companies.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the limit on the number of shares a chairman of a privatised water company will be able to hold (a) in his own authority and (b) in other private water companies.
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Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : The same as for any other shareholders.
Football Membership Scheme
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the implications for the workability of the Football Spectators Bill [Lords] of the extent to which the case for its provision has been made in the absence of separate figures for the number of arrests made inside football grounds.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 16 March 1989] : Separate figures are not available distinguishing total arrests at football league matches in England and Wales made inside grounds and those directly connected with such matches made in the vicinity of and/en route to and from grounds. However, both are undoubtedly much reduced by the high level of police resources deployed at matches and by the strict segregation of supporters, the use of closed circuit television and video, and other measures. The Football Spectators Bill, in disqualifying troublemakers from attending designated matches, will be effective in reducing misbehaviour inside grounds and, since those disqualified will be deterred from travelling to matches, outside and on journeys to and from matches as well.
Renovation Grants
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make available figures comparable to those in respect of a married couple with two children contained in his Department's paper "Renovation Grants : Proposed Test of Resources", illustrating both the lower and upper thresholds for entitlement to grant towards eligible repairs in respect of (a) a single-parent family with one child under 11, (b) a single pensioner, (c) a pensioner couple, (d) a single person aged between 18 and 25 years, (e) a single person aged between 25 and 60 years and (f) a couple aged between 18 and 60 years on the assumption that all except the pensioner households are entitled to an earnings disregard.
Mr. Trippier : Comparative figures based on work costing £10,000 are :
|Lower Threshold|Upper Threshold
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Single parent family with
one child under 11 |4,883 |13,918
(b) Single pensioner
(under 80) |3,331 |12,366
(c) Pensioner couple
(under 80) |4,560 |13,595
(d) Single person aged
between 18 and 25 years |2,265 |11,690
(e) Single person aged
between 25 and 60 |3,037 |12,270
(f) Couple aged between 18
and 60 years |4,235 |13,270
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households living as owner occupiers in dwellings eligible for renovation grants on grounds of their condition with incomes (a) below £20,000 a year, (b) below £15,000 a year, (c) below £12,000 a year and (d) below £9,000 a year will not qualify for any grant aid towards improvement and repair costs on the basis of the proposals embodied in part VIII of the Local
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Government and Housing Bill and amplified in his Department's paper "Renovation Grants : Proposed Test of Resources".Mr. Trippier : On the basis of the assumptions contained in the consultation paper "Renovation Grants : Proposed Test of Resources" the estimated numbers of those with net incomes below the levels specified who do not qualify for grant are :
(a) 1.9 million
(b) 1.7 million
(c) 1.2 million
(d) 0.4 million
Chlorofluorocarbons
Mr. Allan Roberts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to ban chlorofluorocarbons in all but medically essential aerosols.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Members of the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association have already agreed to end all non-essential use of chlorofluorocarbons in their products by the end of this year. They are well on course to achieve this.
Mr. Allan Roberts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to how many countries Britain exports chlorofluorocarbons which are not signatories to the Montreal protocol.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Export data for past trade are not sufficiently detailed to provide this information. A recent revision of data headings means that such data should become available in due course for 1989 and subsequent years. The Montreal protocol does not prohibit the export of CFCs to countries outside the protocol as this might persuade them to start their own new production of CFCs. However, from 1 January 1993, any export of the controlled CFCs or halons to such countries must be compensated for by an equivalent additional reduction in domestic consumption.
Mr. Allan Roberts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects a ban on the use of
chlorofluorocarbons in refrigeration units to be implemented.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is hoped that new ozone-benign refrigerants will be available early in the 1990s, although their introduction will be subject to the satisfactory conclusion of toxicological testing. At present, the voluntary approach to reductions in chlorofluorocarbon use is working well. Should new rules become necessary to require the use of the more beneficial refrigerants as they become commercially available, then we would introduce them.
Ozone Layer Conference
Mr. Allan Roberts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the London saving the ozone layer conference.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The outcome of the highly successful saving the ozone layer London conference was summarised in the chairman's message prepared by my right hon. Friend. Copies of the message, together with a more detailed account by the conference rapporteur, have been placed in the Library.
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Local Government (Access to Information) Act
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend the provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act to cover urban development corporations and new town corporations.
Mr. Trippier : This Act is currently under review but there are no plans to extend its provisions to urban development corporations or new town corporations.
River Quality
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which are the specific objective criteria used when assessing the quality of rivers as (i) good and (ii) fair.
Mr. Howard : The national freshwater quality classification scheme ranks water in four main categories, the highest two being good (class 1) and fair (class 2) quality.
The specific criteria used in determining river quality class in England and Wales are given in appendix 1 to the report of the 1985 river quality survey of England and Wales.
In Scotland, slightly different criteria are used. Details are given in appendix A to the report of the 1985 water quality survey of Scotland.
Copies of both reports are available in the Library of the House.
Sewage Treatment Works
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those sewage treatment works in each English water authority which discharged effluent below the required standard during 1988.
Mr. Moynihan : Information for 1988 is not yet available but the indications are that water authority returns will show a further improvement in the number of sewage treatment works complying with discharge consents.
River Pollution
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of recorded incidents of river pollution, the number of related prosecutions and the number of convictions in England in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Moynihan : The number of reported water pollution incidents recorded by English water authorities in each year between 1980 and 1987, has been published in the Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics (No. 11, 1988), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
The number of prosecutions brought by the English water authorities under section 31 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, are as follows :
Year |Total prosecutions --------------------------------------------------------- 1980-81 |91 1981-82 |129 1982-83 |124 1983-84 |173 1984-85 |206 1985-86 |201 1986-87 |254
Figures for years prior to 1980-81 are not held by the Department and figures for 1987-88 are not yet available.
Information about convictions following prosecutions is collected by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, but it is not in a directly comparable form. I understand, however, that on average, around 90 per cent. of these cases result in convictions.
Enterprise Centre (Bradford)
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has approved any grants or other financial assistance towards capital or revenue costs of the enterprise centre in Bradford ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : A grant of £96,267, towards the capital works needed for the refurbishment of Britannia house, in which the enterprise centre is housed, was given under the urban programme for 1988-89.
Voluntary Organisations (Bradford)
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the financial assistance he announced on 15 March enabling five voluntary organisations in Bradford threatened with closure to continue has come from within existing allocations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The resources, which will enable eight voluntary organisations to continue, will come out of the £4.5 million urban programme allocation for 1989-90, also announced on 15 March.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make further financial assistance available to enable the 21 voluntary organisations in Bradford, which are faced with closure or severe cuts in their funding, to receive funding, in line with inflation for 1989-90.
Mr.Trippier : No. The urban programme is intended to provide initial finance for a project, which if continued can then be financed longer term from other sources such as the council's main programme, or the private sector. Against this background it is for Bradford to decide which projects it wishes to put forward for funding through the urban programme. The Government have already agreed, as an exceptional measure, to the continued funding next financial year of eight projects that have time expired. This utilises in full the resources available next year within the urban programme allocation for Bradford.
Rating Reform
Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what a ward sister would pay (a) in community charge and (b) in a system of capital value rates plus local income tax paid in the proportions of 80-20, respectively, if she lived in a typical one bedroom flat in Paddington.
Mr. Gummer : A ward sister earning £15,000 living in a flat in Paddington worth £70,000 would pay a community
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charge of £373 (disregarding the transitional safety net) and £1, 165 under a system of capital value rates plus local income tax.
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