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Insulation
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will include the inspection of loft roof, cavity wall and under floor insulation in the statutory requirements for which local authority buildings inspectors are responsible.
Mr. Trippier : The Building Regulations 1985 include requirements relating to the conservation of fuel and power which can be met in a variety of ways, including loft roof, cavity wall and under floor insulation. There are also specific requirements relating to the way in which cavity wall insulation is undertaken. Local authority building control officers are already responsible for ensuring that building work to which the regulations apply complies with these requirements.
Development Corporations
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether, following the National Audit Office's report, the Merseyside development corporation has introduced a greater price competition for any contracts going out to consultants ;
(2) whether the Merseyside development corporation has changed its marketing strategy following the National Audit Office report on urban development corporations ;
(3) if, following the National Audit Office's report, the Merseyside development corporation has changed its tendering policy for works contracts ;
(4) if any changes have taken place in the monitoring of the developer of the Albert dock following the report of the National Audit Office ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The work of all UDCs is continuously monitored and the NAO findings are taken into account in that process. The report of the Public Accounts Committee is awaited. In the meantime the Merseyside development corporation has :
(i) reviewed its procedures for the competitive selection of consultants to place greater emphasis on price competition in addition to the factors such as relevant experience and past performance. Commissions are
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awarded on the basis of best value for money and with rare exception firms submitting the lowest fees and expenses receive the commission ;(ii) strengthened its marketing team and activities, including the new appointment of a marketing manager. The MDC is taking a much more active role in promoting Merseyside, as part of Merseyside integrated development operations, the business opportunities on Merseyside initiative and north- west promotions such as INWARD and Fast Forward, as well as continuing its support for the Merseyside tourism board ; (iii) continued to place all of its work contracts by competitive tender to suitable firms with proven contract performance. Tender lists are now compiled to ensure that at least one firm is included which has not had a recent tendering opportunity ;
(iv) met regularly the Albert dock company at both chairman and director level to plan and to monitor the property management and service arrangements and to review charges and income.
Merseyside Development Corporation
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the current members of the Merseyside development corporation ; and if he intends to make any new appointments.
Mr. Trippier : The members of the Merseyside development corporation board are :
Mr. Philip Carter CBE--Chairman
Mr. John Smith CBE--Deputy Chairman
Professor Graham Ashworth CBE
Mr. Brian Thaxter
Professor Patrick Minford
Mr. Clive Lewis, FRICS, FSVA
Councillor Thomas Glover
Councillor John Hale
Dr. John Ritchie MBE
New appointments will be announced shortly.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since its establishment the amount of private investment attracted into the Merseyside development corporation area ; and if he will give the investment in (a) Liverpool and (b) the Wirral.
Mr. Trippier : Private investment in Merseyside development corporation's area is as follows :
|Liverpool (including|Wirral (£ million) |Total (£ million)
|Bootle) (£ million)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |- |- |-
1982-83 |- |- |-
1983-84 |2.535 |- |2.535
1984-85 |4.995 |- |4.995
1985-86 |4.138 |- |4.138
1986-87 |6.413 |- |6.413
1987-88 |7.600 |0.500 |8.100
1988-89 |10.200 |4.500 |14.700
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since its establishment the amount of commercial or industrial floor space owned by the Merseyside development corporation which was (a) let (b) under refurbishment (c) awaiting refurbishment, and (d) awaiting demolition.
Mr. Trippier : The information is as follows. Figures are not readily available for years prior to 1987.
|c|Industrial/Commercial Floorspace owned by Merseyside|c|
|c|Development Corporation|c|
|March 1987 (000s sq ft)|March 1988 (000s sq ft)|March 1989 (000s sq ft)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let |1,074 |1,193 |1,477
Awaiting/under
Refurbishment<1> |1327 |1,431 |805
Awaiting Demolition |791 |78 |610
|------- |------- |-------
Total |3,192 |2,702 |2,892
<1> These two categories cannot be disaggregated.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the projected number of new jobs which will be created in the next two years by the Merseyside development corporation ; and if he will divide this figure between (a) construction and (b) the longer term jobs.
Mr. Trippier : The Merseyside development corporation's programme is expected to provide an estimated 3,500 man years of construction work and 3,200 longer-term jobs over the next two years.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many construction jobs will be created by the work of the Merseyside development corporation ; and how many will go to local workers.
Mr. Trippier : Investment by the Merseyside development corporation has led to on-site construction jobs providing between 800-1000 man years' work annually since 1981. This is expected to grow to 1,400-1, 600 jobs a year during further phases of the redevelopment programme. Merseyside contractors win competitively over 90 per cent. of MDC contracts by value and the vast majority of employees are Merseyside residents.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sums of money spent in each year since its inception by the Merseyside development corporation ; and if he will give the sums for (a) Liverpool and (b) Wirral.
Mr. Trippier : The information is as follows :
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Expenditure (£ million)
|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liverpool (including Bootle) |2.875 |18.043 |28.309 |23.783 |24.115 |19.896 |20.710
Wirral |1.072 |0.118 |0.648 |1.105 |0.839 |0.854 |2.597
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total projects |3.947 |18.161 |28.952 |24.888 |24.954 |20.750 |23.307
Administration, estate management and
contributions to voluntary organisations |1.086 |2.597 |3.048 |4.353 |3.039 |4.147 |4.968
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total MDC expenditure |5.033 |20.758 |32.000 |29.241 |27.993 |24.897 |28.275
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the numbers of jobs created each year of its existence by the Merseyside development corporation ; and if he will give separate figures for (a) Liverpool and (b) Wirral.
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Mr. Trippier : The promotion and marketing budget for the Merseyside development corporation is shown below. The figures can be broken down only from 1984-84 onwards.
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Housing Statistics
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority houses were built in (a) Warrington, (b) Macclesfield, (c) Congleton, (d) Crewe and Nantwich, (e) Vale Royal and (f) Staffordshire Moorlands in (i) 1978 and (ii) 1988 ; and how many it is estimated will be built in these areas in 1989.
|Number of local authority
|housebuilding
|completions
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staffordshire Moorlands |15
Congleton |8
Crewe and Nantwich |8
Macclesfield |26
Vale Royal |57
Warrington |<1>64
<1> January to November only
The Department does not have estimates of 1989 housebuilding activity by local authorities.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) private sector houses and (b) public sector housing units there are currently on (i) Notting Hill housing trust-owned estates and (ii) other housing association estates ; how many such units are proposed by these bodies in the next year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier This information is not held by the Department, the Housing Corporation is responsible for monitoring, supervising and distributing funds to registered housing associations in England. I have, therefore, asked the Housing Corporation to supply to my hon. Friend direct information about existing and planned developments in his constituency involving the Notting Hill housing trust and other housing associations.
Council House Building
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities currently have a council house building programme.
Mr. Trippier A total of 355 local authorities indicated on their housing investment programme returns (HIP2),
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completed in April 1988, that they expected to incur expenditure on new housebuilding construction in 1988-89.Housing Shortages
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will assess the extent to which Waveney district council can benefit from recent Government initiatives of policy on the co-operation between local authorities and the private and housing association sectors to reduce housing shortages.
Mr. Trippier Waveney district council, along with all other housing authorities, will benefit from our policies designed to promote authorities' enabling role in ensuring an adequate supply of houses for sale and rent in urban and rural areas.
Lindane Container (Loss)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the policy implications of the loss of the lindane container in the Channel.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Lindane is a pesticide with wood preservative and agricultural uses. As such it is subject to control as a pesticide under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. It has been identified among the group of substances known as organochlorines which are considered most hazardous to the aquatic environment in view of their toxicity, persistence and capacity for bio-accumulation. Lindane is included in the provisional priority list of dangerous substances (the Red List) whose release to United Kingdom coastal and inland waters should be minimised and which will be the subject of new and tighter controls.
A major accidental discharge of the substance would be of serious environmental concern. There are national and international requirements for the loss or likely loss of this substance to be reported without delay by the fastest telecommunication channels available and with the highest possible priority to the nearest coastal state. If a marine accident occurs which threatens United Kingdom interests, the responsibility for combating a potential pollution hazard at sea rests with the marine pollution control unit of the Department of Transport, which takes account of advice from the fisheries Departments and others concerned with protection of the marine environment.
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Development (Islington)
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate, for all housing associations and co-operatives carrying out approved development work within the London borough of Islington, what block 2 tender approvals have been issued and for which schemes for financial year 1989-90, and for how many units of accommodation in each case ; and what criteria have been used in reaching decisions about which projects to select for such tender approval.
Mr. Trippier : This information is not held by the Department. The Housing Corporation is responsible for allocating its capital programme to individual housing associations and schemes within the broad framework agreed annually by my right hon. Friend. I have, therefore, asked the Housing Corporation to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Gloucester District Council
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what authority officials in his Department recently phoned Gloucester district council with consent for a proposed voluntary transfer ; and on what grounds the valuation of the sale was changed.
Mr. Trippier : Gloucester city council has not applied for consent to dispose of its housing nor could it do so before consulting tenants as required by schedule 3A to the Housing Act 1985. On the instructions of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, officials informed the council that he continued to take the view that sales of tenanted council housing should be at tenanted market value ; but that he would expect to be willing in this particular case to consider sympathetically any application from the city council for consent under section of the Local Government Act 1988 to assist a purchaser of its housing where the assistance was in respect of specified works on the property being transferred, firm arrangements were in place to ensure that it was used only in connection with those works and the amount of any assistance did not exceed £1,500 in respect of each dwelling.
London Docklands
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the numbers of jobs within the area of the London docklands development corporation from 1981 to the latest convenient date which (a) have ceased to exist within the area, (b) have been transferred into the area from elsewhere, (c) have been originated in the area as new employment and (d) now exist in the area, and the number in (c) above expressed as a percentage of (d) .
Mr. Trippier : The LDDC/RISU employment survey, conducted in 1987, showed that 36,385 jobs existed in the LDDC area in companies responding to the survey. Of this total, 15,724 jobs were in companies which had moved to London Docklands since 1981; 4,593 jobs were in companies originating in the area since 1981 ; and 16,068 were in companies present throughout the period. Jobs in companies originating in the area since 1981 therefore accounted for 12.6 per cent. of the total number of jobs at the time of the survey.
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The 1981 annual census of employment counted 27,123 jobs in London Docklands. There was therefore a net increase of 9,172 jobs in the area between 1981 and 1987. By 1987 companies which were not present in 1981 accounted for 20,318 jobs.The survey report deduces that 11,145 jobs were lost in companies present throughout the period and in companies which ceased trading in the area.
All figures from the 1987 survey relate to jobs recorded in "employment establishments" only. In addition, there were 5,668 people employed in "other employments". The estimated response rate to the survey was 93 per cent.
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to protect areas of outstanding natural beauty from untoward development (a) by strengthening controls or (b) by adding certain of them to national parks.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Controls over development in areas of outstanding natural beauty are already the same as those in national parks. Permitted development rights are restricted in those areas, and planning policy guidance note 7 (Rural Enterprise and Development), a copy of which is in the Library, recognises that the location, design and external appearance of development in these areas should be subject to special scrutiny, and that major industrial or commercial development would generally be inconsistent with their designation.
There are no plans to designate any AONB as a national park.
Norfolk Broads
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend the number of national parks by including the Norfolk Broads.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The new Broads Authority established under the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 exercises the same range of powers and functions as those conferred on national park authorities and will receive the same rate of Government grant.
Ivory
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he takes any measures to ensure that imported ivory products do not originate from illegally taken ivory.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The United Kingdom strictly implements controls on trade in ivory in accordance with the convention on international trade in endangered species which is applied in the European Community under EC Regulations 3626/82 and 3418/83.
Office of Water Supply and National Rivers Authority
Sir Neil Macfarlane : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost for the Office of Water Supply and the National Rivers Authority in 1990 ; how many staff will be required ; and how many offices will be required.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 23 March 1989] : The current estimated costs of the water services office and the
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customer services committees will be about £3.7 million in the year 1990-91 ; the staff will number about 80. The number of offices required is a matter for the Director General of Water Services to decide in due course.The estimated cost of the National Rivers Authority in 1990-91 is £290 million. It is expected to employ some 6,500 staff. The vast majority of the NRA's staff will be based in the regions, mainly in accommodation which will transfer to it from the water authorities but a central policy unit of about 60 will be located in London in the offices currently occupied by the National Rivers Authority advisory committee.
Archaeological Sites
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Evironment if he will take steps to ensure that unscheduled archaeological sites of importance discovered in the course of site clearance following the granting of planning permission for redevelopment can be excavated and recorded prior to redevelopment.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [pursuant to her answer 22 March 1989 c. 643] : The desirability of preserving an ancient monument and its setting is a material consideration for the determination of planning applications, whether or not that monument is scheduled. Local planning authorities may also wish to impose conditions requiring developers to allow access for archaeologists to observe work and record items of interest, when granting planning permission affecting unscheduled sites of archaeological interest.
It remains open to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, after consultation with English Heritage, to schedule monuments which he considers to be of national importance even after planning permission for redevelopment has been granted. In such cases scheduled monument consent would then be needed before either archaeological or development work could proceed. Where significant finds are made before or during the course of development, it is usually preferable to resolve the situation by non- statutory means. We commend the growing practice of voluntary agreements between developers and archaeologists to enable archaeological evaluations to be carried out before redevelopment.
Director General of Water Services
Mr. Bevan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the Office of the Director General of Water Services will be located.
Mr. Ridley [pursuant to the reply, 23 March 1989, c. 782] : I am pleased to announce that the first Director General of Water Services will be Ian Byatt, currently deputy chief economic adviser at the Treasury.
The establishment of a new independent regulator for the water industry is a key component of our plans for the industry. The new water plcs will be regional monopolies and the regulator's function will be to ensure that neither the newly privatised nor the existing water companies can unfairly exploit this. The Director General of Water Services will protect consumers of all the companies, compare the performance of the different companies and ensure that each company has clear incentives to improve its efficiency.
The director general will ensure that the companies carry out their functions effectively and that they can raise
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the finance they need to do so. He will be responsible for ensuring that companies comply with the conditions of their appointments. Consumer protection will be a central part of the new director general's functions. His responsibilities will include :--regulation of charges by setting a ceiling for price increases ; -- monitoring of service standards, and enforcement of higher standards where necessary ;
--establishment of customer service committees to investigate complaints and provide a forum for consumers to make known their views ; and
--encouraging greater efficiency by promoting competition within the industry so that all may aspire to the standards of service delivery and cost-effectiveness of the best.
The director general will take up these duties once companies have been appointed as water and sewerage undertakers in September, under the proposals in the Water Bill currently being considered by Parliament. In the meantime Ian Byatt will be preparing for his new responsibilities. We shall be liaising closely with him to ensure a smooth transition to the new regime, and he will be a source of advice to me in setting up the regulatory framework for the companies on their appointment in September.
SCOTLAND
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of hill livestock compensatory allowances paid in 1988 ; what was the total number of claimants ; and how many individuals claimed more than £6,750.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Hill livestock compensatory allowances amounting to just over £43.5 million were paid in 1988 to 18,365 applicants. Of these, 1,793 received payments of more than £6,750.
Farm Sizes
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of farming units in Scotland ; and how many are between (a) four and eight British size units, (b) eight and 12 British size units and (c) 12 and 16 British size units.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The number of farms included in the June 1988 agricultural census in Scotland was 26,239. Within this total the numbers of farms in the ranges for which information is sought are as follows :
British size units |Number of farms --------------------------------------------------------- 4 to 8 |3,170 8 to 12 |2,354 12 to 16 |1,967
Public Defender System
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in implementing a public defender in Scotland as recommended by the Hughes royal commission.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Provision has been made in the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 for the
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employment by the Scottish Legal Aid Board of solicitors to act for clients. My right hon. and learned Friend intends to undertake full consultations before bringing the provision into force.Operations (Private Hospitals)
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many operations were contracted out to private hospitals in Scotland, region by region ; and at what cost during 1988.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the health boards which are making use of private sector facilities with support from the funds allocated to reduce waiting lists in 1988-89, the number of patients to be treated and the costs, are as follows :
Health Board |Specialty |Patients |Cost (£)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greater Glasgow |Urology |30 |20,000
|Orthopaedics |113 |154,781
Highland |Orthopaedics |12 |45,324
Lanarkshire |Urology |10 |15,000
Lothian |Orthopaedics |14 |57,282
|Ophthalmology|8 |20,000
Dumfries and Galloway |Gynaecology |39 |17,300
Health boards which make use of private sector facilities do so if they are cost-effective or if there are constraints which prevent a board from increasing the number of patients they can treat in-house.
Prisoners
Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the breakdown of category A prisoners in Scotland under the groupings (a) convicted Irish Republican Army terrorists, (b) international terrorists, (c) murderers, (d) armed robbers, (e) rapists, (f) drug dealers, and (g) others (i) in total and (ii) listed by each prison.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information as at 30 March 1989 is as follows :
Establishment |Region |A |B |C |D |Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aberdeen |Grampian |2 |91 |57 |2 |152 Barlinnie |Strathclyde |840 |6 |846 Castle Huntly |Tayside |118 |118 Cornton Vale |Central |36 |102 |13 |151 Dumfries |Dumfries and Galloway |96 |16 |112 Dungavel |Strathclyde |28 |84 |112 Edinburgh |Lothians |1 |311 |265 |31 |608 Friarton |Tayside |68 |9 |77 Glenochil |Central |177 |126 |303 Glenochil YOI |Central |1 |97 |98 Greenock |Strathclyde |143 |15 |158 Inverness |Highland |67 |38 |105 Longriggend |Strathclyde |178 |24 |202 Low Moss |Strathclyde |394 |394 Noranside |Tayside |110 |110 Penninghame |Dumfries and Galloway |73 |73 Perth |Tayside |2 |313 |142 |6 |463 Peterhead |Grampian |20 |101 |121 Polmont |Central |259 |94 |26 |379 Shotts |Strathclyde |350 |150 |1 |501
There are no category A prisoners in Scotland in the groupings (a) , (b) or (e) . The figures exclude one untried category A prisoner.
Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the numbers of category A, B and other prisoners in each prison in Scotland, listed by prison and by county address.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The numbers of prisoners in Scottish prisons listed by category, prison and region as at 24 March 1989 are :
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Establishment |Region |A |B |C |D |Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aberdeen |Grampian |2 |91 |57 |2 |152 Barlinnie |Strathclyde |840 |6 |846 Castle Huntly |Tayside |118 |118 Cornton Vale |Central |36 |102 |13 |151 Dumfries |Dumfries and Galloway |96 |16 |112 Dungavel |Strathclyde |28 |84 |112 Edinburgh |Lothians |1 |311 |265 |31 |608 Friarton |Tayside |68 |9 |77 Glenochil |Central |177 |126 |303 Glenochil YOI |Central |1 |97 |98 Greenock |Strathclyde |143 |15 |158 Inverness |Highland |67 |38 |105 Longriggend |Strathclyde |178 |24 |202 Low Moss |Strathclyde |394 |394 Noranside |Tayside |110 |110 Penninghame |Dumfries and Galloway |73 |73 Perth |Tayside |2 |313 |142 |6 |463 Peterhead |Grampian |20 |101 |121 Polmont |Central |259 |94 |26 |379 Shotts |Strathclyde |350 |150 |1 |501
Highland Regional Council (Structure Plan)
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to reject policy No. 53 of the Highland regional council's structure plan.
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