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Mrs. Chalker : Complete withdrawal by Vietnam from its illegal occupation of Cambodia is a crucial prerequisite for considering these questions.
South-West Africa
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to make representations to the South African Government on their policy towards south-west Africa.
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Mrs. Chalker : The Prime Minister discussed Namibia when she met the South African Foreign Minister in Windhoek on 1 April. Namibia is regularly raised in our contacts with the South African Government including the meeting between my right hon. and learned Friend and the South African Foreign Minister on 15 March.
Hong Kong
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China regarding the future of Hong Kong.
Mr. Eggar : The implementation of the Sino-British joint declaration on the future of Hong Kong was one of the subjects covered in the discussion which my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State had with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs during his visit to Tokyo in February this year and in the discussion which my noble Friend the Minister of State had with the Chinese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs in London on 29 March. We also hold regular discussions with the Chinese authorities on implementation of the joint declaration in the Sino-British joint liaison group, which most recently met in Peking between 14 and 17 March this year.
Namibia
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution the United Kingdom will make to the United Nations transition assistance group in Namibia.
Mrs. Chalker : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) on 21 December 1988 at column 274. In addition, we have since then further agreed to contribute a seven- man reception assistance team to UNTAG.
Brazilian Debt
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the arrangements for repayment of the Brazilian debt to United Kingdom banks, at what rate of interest, and over what period of time.
Mrs. Chalker : I understand that the repayment of Brazil's debt to United Kingdom banks is largely determined by the financing agreement they signed in September 1988 ; under which the majority of Brazil's debt was rescheduled over 20 years with seven years' grace. The interest rate charged will be LIBOR 13/16 per cent.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total debt of the Brazilian economy to United Kingdom banks.
Mrs. Chalker : Consolidated claims of United Kingdom-registered monetary sector institutions on Brazil are shown in table 15 of the Bank of England quarterly bulletin. The exposure of individual banks is not a matter for the Government.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the Brazilian debt owed to each United Kingdom bank both actual and as a percentage of the total debt.
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Mrs. Chalker : Consolidated claims of United Kingdom-registered monetary sector institutions on Brazil are shown in table 15 of the Bank of England quarterly bulletin. The exposure of individual banks is not a matter for the Government.
Turkey
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Turkey in respect of human rights abuses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : As I told the House on 8 February, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and I discussed Turkey's human rights record with the Turkish ambassador on 1 and 2 February. We impressed upon him the need for his Government to abide by the terms and conditions of the human rights conventions to which Turkey is a party. He readily accepted this point and reaffirmed the determination of the Turkish Government to secure further human rights improvements in Turkey.
Ethiopia
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will obtain for his Department's library a copy of the State Department of the United States' report on Ethiopia as presented by Mr. Richard Schifter at a Congressional hearing in February.
Mrs. Chalker : A copy of the United States State Department's "Country Reports Human Rights Practices for 1988" has already been obtained by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Romania
Mr. Temple-Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the fate of six Romanian citizens who recently signed an open letter to President Ceausescu ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Romanian Government have reacted with characteristic severity to this latest open letter, which calls upon the Romanian President to renounce his "systematisation" programme ; to restore constitutional guarantees regarding the rights of citizens ; and to put an end to food exports.
These are legitimate requests which merit a proper response. At least three of the six co-signatories, all of whom have held prominent positions in Romanian Government and party circles, have been interrogated by the Romanian authorities. They remain under close surveillance.
We are profoundly disturbed by the Romanian authorities' ever-increasing use of intimidatory tactics to stifle freedom of expression, at a time when other Eastern European countries are moving in the opposite direction. We urge the Romanian authorities to fulfil their commitments under the Vienna CSCE agreement and to respect the human rights of the Romanian people.
Structural Adjustment Programmes
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the
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Malawian sectoral import programme for industrial product imports and the Sudanese sectoral import programme for the irrigated sub-sector were conditional on the acceptance of IBRD and IMF structural adjustment programmes.Mr. Chris Patten : Approval of the European Community's Malawian sectoral import programme for industrial products was subject to the conditions negotiated by the Malawi Government and the World Bank for the World Bank's industry and trade policy adjustment credit. Approval of the Community's Sudanese sectoral import programme for the irrigated sub-sector was not explicitly conditional on the IBRD-IMF-backed structural adjustment programme which the Sudanese Government were then pursuing.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the remarks, relating to IMF, IBRD and EEC policies towards structural adjustment, made by Lorenzo Natali, EEC Commissioner for Development, to the ACP-EEC joint assembly in Madrid on 15 September 1988.
Mr. Chris Patten : We welcomed a number of the comments made by Sen or Natali at the joint assembly, in particular his rejection of the view that the years of adjustment by ACP countries are wasted years for development. However, we continue to take the view that support for economic reform through the provision of programme aid and support for new investments are complementary and both indispensable. No useful purpose is served by establishing a rigid division between the two forms of aid.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sectoral import programmes have been agreed and with which countries and how many of these agreements and with which countries have been conditional of those countries' acceptance and implementation of IMF or IBRD structural adjustment programmes.
Mr. Chris Patten : Under the third Lome convention, the European Community has agreed 25 sectoral import programmes. The list of recipients is as follows : Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar (2), Malawi (2), Mali, Mozambique (2), Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Somalia,Sudan (2), Tanzania (2), Togo, Uganda (2) and Zambia. Seven of these programmes have been explicitly linked to the implementation of IMF-IBRD-backed structural adjustment programmes ; the countries in question are Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. Many of the other programmes have been in support of adjustment backed by the IMF and IBRD although there has been no explicit linkage.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's view as to what forms of structural adjustment should be included under the fourth ACP-EEC convention (Lome IV).
Mr. Chris Patten : In line with the development council resolution of 31 May 1988 we believe that under the fourth
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ACP-EEC convention fast disbursing aid should be provided to support programmes of both macro-economic and sectoral reform.Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's view as to how central the issue of structural adjustment should be under the terms of the fourth African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Economic Community convention, Lome IV.
Mr. Chris Patten : The extent and depth of the adjustment needed varies considerably among the ACP countries. It is accordingly important to ensure that the Community retains sufficient flexibility to enable it to provide the type of assistance best suited to each country's individual needs.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is the view of his Department that all European development fund aid subventions should be made conditional on the adoption of structural adjustment policies.
Mr. Chris Patten : No. However we believe that the economic policies being pursued by recipients should be taken fully into account in considering the form of assistance to be provided. In particular, we believe that programme aid should be made available in order to support sustainable economic policies.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the renegotiation of the fourth African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Economic Community convention, Lome IV, with specific reference to the European Council resolution on structural adjustment policies, adopted on 31 May 1988.
Mr. Chris Patten : The Community has agreed that in the current renegotiation of the Lome convention its approach towards support for structural adjustment measures will be on the basis of the principles set out in the development council resolution of 31 May 1988.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy in negotiations for the fourth African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Economic Community convention, Lome IV, to remain committed to a gradualist form of structural adjustment rather than a shock approach.
Mr. Chris Patten : Economic reform is a necessary pre-condition for the recovery of economic growth in many ACP countries. It is important that it should move ahead as quickly as possible. However we recognise the need to take account of the situation in individual countries.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement as to his Department's attitude to the atachment of structural adjustment conditionalities to fast disbursing facilities, such as sectoral import programmes and general import programmes proposed under the negotiations for the fourth African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Community convention, Lome IV.
Mr. Chris Patten : We believe that under the next Lome convention there should be scope for providing the forms
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of aid best suited to the needs of individual ACP countries, including various forms of relatively fast disbursing programme aid. If such aid is to be effective, it needs to be provided in support of sustainable economic policies and in close co- ordination with other major donors.Import Programmes
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's attitude to the creation of a new fund, under a renegotiated fourth African, Caribbean and Pacific- European Economic Community convention, to finance sectoral import programmes and general import programmes.
Mr. Chris Patten : The Community is still considering the mechanisms under which it will provide aid under the next convention. Our concern is that sufficient flexibility should be maintained to enable each ACP country to receive the type of aid most suited to its individual needs.
Rain Forests
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will call for the United Nations to hold an urgent debate to discuss how to put a stop to the destruction of the rain forests with a package of economic and technical help specifically designed to help all the inhabitants of the rain forests to protect their way of life and their environment.
Mr. Chris Patten : Her Majesty's Government are not planning to initiate a debate in the United Nations General Assembly on this important issue as it already forms part of the United Nations systemwide medium- term environment programme for 1990-95. This programme sets out a plan for the sustainable development of tropical forests and woodland ecosystems. It includes implementation of the tropical forestry action plan, involving close co-operation with the International Tropical Timber Organisation.
Central African Federation Pensioners
Mr. Stanbrook : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to help Central African Federation pensioners who elected to have their pensions paid in Zambian kwacha and who now suffer hardship as a result of the devaluation of that currency.
Mr. Chris Patten : At the recent intergovernmental meeting in Harare the four guarantor Governments agreed that all Central African Federation pensioners should be allowed to receive payment in Zimbabwe dollars with effect from 1 April 1989. At current exchange rates this will produce increases of about 500 per cent. for pensioners currently paid in Zambia kwacha, and also significant increases for those currently paid in Malawi kwacha and those paid in a basket of the three currencies. The British Government have agreed to finance this change in currency of payment at an estimated cost of £1.5 million.
Mozambique and Zimbabwe
Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what subjects were
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discussed at the recent meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of Mozambique and the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.Mrs. Chalker : The Prime Minister had a trilateral meeting with Presidents Mugabe and Chissano followed by a bilateral meeting with President Chissano at Nyanga in Zimbabwe on 29 March. They discussed the internal situation in Mozambique, and British aid and military assistance to the region.
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ENVIRONMENT
Urban Programme
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the value of urban programme moneys for each year since 1979 for each of the metropolitan districts in the north-west of England at constant prices.
Mr. Trippier : The urban programme resources for each district are noted in the table.
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|c|Urban programme resources in real terms (base year 1988-89)|c|
£ million
Outturn EstimateAllocatiAllocation
|1979-80|1980-81|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North west region
Bolton |3.1 |3.3 |3.7 |4.0 |5.7 |3.9 |4.6 |4.3 |4.5 |3.8 |3.4
Knowsley |- |0.2 |0.7 |0.5 |1.3 |3.9 |4.0 |4.1 |4.1 |4.0 |3.6
Liverpool<1> |23.7 |27.9 |25.1 |33.1 |32.2 |28.5 |24.8 |25.4 |17.5 |20.4 |18.4
Manchester/Salford<1> |24.4 |27.7 |24.2 |31.8 |30.3 |29.1 |27.0 |25.5 |25.9 |22.2 |20.7
Oldham |3.3 |3.9 |4.1 |5.9 |5.7 |3.8 |4.3 |4.1 |4.3 |3.7 |3.4
Rochdale |- |0.9 |1.3 |2.0 |2.7 |4.2 |4.0 |4.1 |3.9 |3.6 |3.4
St. Helens |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1.8 |1.7 |1.6
Sefton |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1.6 |1.5 |1.4
Wigan |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1.3 |2.2 |2.2
Wirral |3.9 |4.2 |4.0 |6.0 |4.5 |4.1 |4.5 |4.8 |3.9 |3.5 |3.1
<1> Are partnership authorities.
Quangos
Sir Neil Macfarlane : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environement if he will list the quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations abolished since 1979 within his department ; what is the cost of all these organisations for which he is currently responsible ; and how many personnel he appoints.
Mr. Ridley : The information requested is listed below : The quasi- autonomous non-governmental organisations for which my Department has been responsible and which have been abolished since 1979, are listed as follows :
Name of body |Date abolished
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Construction and Housing Research Advisory
Council |September 1979
Ordnance Survey Review Committee |September 1979
Planning and Transport Research Advisory
Council (PATRAC) |September 1979
Economic Planning Councils (England) (8) |1 September 1979
Ancient Monuments Board Committee for
Rescue Archaeology |17 September 1979
Area Archaeological Advisory Committees
(13) |17 September 1979
Advisory Committee on Trees in the Royal
Parks |17 September 1979
Committee on Bird Sanctuaries in the Royal
Parks |17 September 1979
Detergents and Allied Products-Voluntary
Notification Scheme, Scrutiny Group |17 September 1979
Environmental Board |17 September 1979
Hadrian's Wall Advisory Committee |17 September 1979
Housing Corporation Advisory Committee on
Co-operatives |17 September 1979
Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic
Detergents |17 September 1979
Advisory Committee on the Purchase of Works
of Art<1> |1 November 1979
Advisory Committee on Works of Art in the
House of Commons<1> (transferred to DES (OAL) |1 November 1979
Committee on Sculptures in the Royal Parks<1> |1 November 1979
National Consultative Council for the Building
and Civil Engineering Industries |2 April 1980
Location of Offices Bureau |1 May 1980
Committee to Examine Standards of Lawn
Tennis in Great Britain |10 June 1980
Corby Development Corporation |30 June 1980
Construction Industry Manpower Board |8 August 1980
Housing Association Registration Advisory
Committee |8 August 1980
Stevenage Development Corporation |30 September 1980
Clean Air Council |13 November 1980
Housing Services Advisory Group |27 November 1980
Advisory Panel on Institutional Finance in
New Towns |30 November 1980
Centre for Environmental Studies |30 November 1980
Harlow Development Corporation |28 December 1980
Waste Management Advisory Council |January 1981
Noise Advisory Council |12 February 1981
Scientific Authority for Animals |10 March 1981
Runcorn Development Corporation (merged
with Warrington) |1 April 1981
National Building Agency |19 February 1982
Advisory Committee on Local Government
Audit |31 March 1982
Hydraulics Research Station Advisory
Committee |1 April 1982
Bracknell Development Corporation |30 June 1982
Advisory Committee on the Protection of Birds
for England and Wales |28 September 1982
Advisory Committee on Rent Rebates and
Rent Allowances |31 March 1983
Committee on Recreation Management
Training |31 March 1983
Building Research Establishment Advisory
Committee |24 August 1983
Water Space Amenity Commission |1 December 1983
National Water Council |1 January 1984
Commission on Energy and the Environment
(appointments made jointly with the
Secretary of State for Energy) |13 December 1984
Ancient Monuments Board for England<2> }
Historic Buildings Council for England<2>} |31 March 1984
Committee on the Management of Privately
Owned Blocks of Flats |November 1985
Central Lancashire Development Corporation |31 March 1986
Basildon Development Corporation |30 June 1985
Northampton Development Corporation |30 June 1985
Redditch Development Corporation |30 June 1985
Skelmersdale Development Corporation |30 June 1985
PSA Advisory Board |6 February 1986
London Housing Staff Commission |30 June 1986
Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas
(CoSIRA)<3> |31 March 1988
Aycliffe and Peterlee Development Corporation |March 1988
Washington Development Corporation |March 1988
Peterborough Development Corporation |September 1988
Tyne and Wear Residuary Body |31 December 1988
<1> Not now classified as non-departmental public bodies.
<2> Wound up upon setting up the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for
England under the National Heritage Act 1983.
<3> Merged with Development Commission to form Rural Development Commission.
The costs of the non-departmental public bodies for which my Department was responsible as at 1 July 1988 are shown in the HMSO publication "Public Bodies 1988", which also gives the number of appointments to those bodies.
Since 1 July 1988, four new urban development corporations have been established by my Department. The costs of these bodies and the number of appointments as at 31 March 1989 to them are as follows :
|c|Grant-in-aid: 1988-89|c|
|£ million |Appointments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bristol Development Corporation |0.2 |10
Central Manchester Development
Corporation |2.5 |10
Leeds Development Corporation |2.7 |10
Sheffield Development Corporation |7.9 |10
American Box Turtles
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance his Department issues to importers and pet shop owners about the particular problems of keeping American box turtles in captivity.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : None. The Department's responsibilities lie principally with the conservation status of species and the extent to which commercial exploitation might harm the survival of a species in the wild.
Water Quality (Oxford)
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cryptosporidia there have been in an average pint of water supplied by the Thames water authority to the Oxford area in each week since the present water contamination was first detected.
Mr. Howard : Current analytical techniques for monitoring cryptosporidia in water are capable of indicating whether organisms are present in a sample but are not able to provide accurate quantitative results. Techniques for quantification and determination of viability are being developed.
The following results of monitoring have been provided by the Thames water authority. In the three weeks 19 February to 11 March 1989 cryptosporidia were identified in 11 of 38 samples taken at the outlet of treatment works supplying the Oxford area, and in 46 out of 139 samples taken from the distribution system. In the two weeks 12 to 25 March 1989 cryptosporidia were not detected in any of the 25 samples at the treatment works but were detected in six out of 90 samples taken from the distribution system.
Planning Control (Enforcement)
Mr. Heddle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report by Mr. Robert Carnwath, QC, on his examination of the scope and effectiveness of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, relating to the enforcement of the planning control.
Mr. Ridley Mr. Robert Carnwath QC has recently submitted his report on the review I announced last July of local authorities' planning enforcement powers. Mr. Carnwath's report is being published today and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I generally welcome the report's recommendations as a constructive contribution to strengthening the present provisions, in the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 for planning enforcement. Before deciding whether to implement the recommendations, I intend to consult widely amongst organisations with a responsibility for, or interest in, planning control. My Department is inviting comments on the report's recommendations by the end of May.
Council Tenant (Landlords)
Mr. Patnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will give council tenants the opportunity to choose a new landlord.
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Mr. Trippier : The provisions of part IV of the Housing Act 1988, and their associated secondary legislation, come into force today. They will broaden the choices open to secure tenants of local housing authorities and other public sector landlords by giving them an effective right to seek an alternative landlord of their choosing for their existing homes. They will offer tenants better services, whether through a change in landlord or through the effect of competition on existing public sector landlords. They will open up the stocks of rented housing held by local housing authorities and others to diversity, competition and the influence of the best housing management practices. In England, the Housing Corporation, through its network of regional offices, is available to provide advice, information and assistance to tenants wishing to know more about how they can exercise choice under the scheme. Any tenant (or potential landlord) wishing to know more about these opportunities should contact the Housing Corporation. They can do this either by returning one of the coupons currently appearing in the press, or by contacting the corporation direct by telephone at its headquarters or one of its regional offices.
World Heritage List
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any of the sites nominated in 1988 for inclusion in the World Heritage list have been accepted.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : At its meeting last December in Brasilia, the World Heritage committee agreed that the following three sites should be inscribed in the list :
Henderson Island, South Pacific ocean
The Tower of London
Canterbury cathedral, St. Augustine's abbey and St. Martin's church
For consideration by the committee in 1989, the sites we have nominated are :
Cambridge colleges and the Backs
Navan Fort, Northern Ireland
Maes Howe and Brogar, Orkney Islands
Electric and Magnetic Radiation
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of 14 March to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, in the light of the answer from the Secretary of State for Scotland of 15 March to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, on what date he expects to receive the report of the National Radiological Protection Board on the effects of very low frequency electric and magnetic radiation.
Mr. Freeman : I have been asked to reply.
I am advised that the board expects to publish its guidance on exposures to electromagnetic fields shortly. In addition, the board intends later this year to publish reviews of the existing biological and epidemiological evidence for the effects on health of electromagnetic radiation.
Parish Councils
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his estimates of parish council precepts in 1987-88.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 23 March 1989] : Parish community precepts in England amounted to £61.3 million in 1987-88.
Column 207
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the average level of community charge in 1990-91 in parish councils with (a) a population of more than 10,000 and (b) a population of less than 10,000.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 23 March 1989] : I have made no estimates of the average level of community charge in 1990-91 in parish councils.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the average level of precepts in 1988 -89 and 1989-90 for parish councils with (a) a population of more than 10,000 and (b) a population of less than 10,000.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 23 March 1989] : Estimates of the average level of parish/community precepts for 1988-89 are published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in "Finance and General Statistics". Information for 1989-90 is not yet
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available. I have made no estimates of the average level of precepts for parish councils broken down by size of population.Computer Consultants
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount spent by his Department in 1988 on management and computer consultancy contracts, excluding hardware and software purchases ; and if he will list each management or computer consultancy contract awarded by his Department in 1988, giving in each case the name of the consultancy firm and the subject of the assignment.
Mr. Ridley [holding answer 4 April 1989] : Central records are collated annually after the end of the financial year. The latest readily available information therefore covers 1987-88.
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|c|The total amount spent was £5.0 million and the contracts awarded to management or computing consultants by the Department|c|
|c|of the Environment (excluding PSA) in the financial year 1987-88 were as follows:|c|
Firm |Subject of Assignment
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Management Services Ltd |DOE's method of processing European Regional Development Fund
| Infrastructure Grants
Arthur Young |LGFP Office Automation Project quality assurance; OA guidelines.
B.I.S. Applied Systems |Strategic review of data communications and networking options
B.I.S. Applied Systems |Distributed processing
Civil Civil Service Catering Organisation |Monitoring of PPC Catering Outlets
Coley Porter Bell |Shop refit design
Coopers and Lybrand Associates Ltd |Local authorities' interests in companies
Coopers and Lybrand Associates Ltd |Planning Appeals Management Information System
Dames and Moore |Hazard Assessment of Ladfill Operations
Davis, Langdon and Everest Consultancy |Improving UK overseas trade data in building materials
D. E. Barnard Systems Ltd |BRE Fire Research Station Library Study
D. E. Barnard Systems Ltd |BESMIS staff management sub-system
Deloitte Haskins and Sells |Policy Review of Commission for New Towns
Ecotec Research and Consulting Ltd |Bristol/Manchester UDC Study
Ecotec Research and Consulting Ltd |Study of proposed extension of Black Country Development Corporation into
| Wolverhampton
Electrowatt Engineering (UK) Services Ltd |Evaluation and radiological assessment of Environmental Monitoring Data
Ernst and Whinney |Review of staffing and procedures of local valuation panel offices
Ernst and Whinney |Review of Housing Corporation monitoring procedures
EXTEL |Hinet Station, teleprinter, VDU's (hardware) maintenance for PSU, South Ruislip
The Grant Leisure Group |Tower of London retailing and visitor management
Healey and Baker |Advice on disposal of New Town assets
ICI plc (Billingham) |Monitoring of environmental radioactivity levels around nuclear installations
KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock |Policy review of the Royal commissions on Ancient and Historical Monuments in
| England, Scotland and Wales
KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock |Future development of London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo
Land Use Consultants |Brompton Cemetery
Lawrence Gould Consultants (and Clyde Surveys) |Land-use change: quality control of statistical system
Ludhouse Computing Ltd. |Sales order processing system, software maintenance; PSU South Ruislip
The Mindworks Partnership |ADP career development in BES
Ove Arup and Partners |Regents Park/Hanover Gate-pedestrian traffic survey
PA Computers and Telecommunications |BRE Publications Study
PA Consulting Group |Consultancy to develop a five-year marketing plan for BRE's private sector
| activities
PA Personnel Services |Search for UDC Chief Executives-Bristol, Central Manchester, Leeds and
| Sheffield
PE/Inbucon |Management Review of Council for Environmental Education
PE/Inbucon and Land Use Consultants |Kensington Gardens study
Peter Peregrinus Ltd |Processing research information for ENREP + ERIB databases
PIEDA Planning Economic Development Consultants |Leeds UDC Study
Price Waterhouse Ltd |Costs of Community Charge
Scicon |Corals maintenance and support
Scicon |Corals enhancement
Signal |Support for SOLIS 3
Spicer Consulting Group |Review of finance and accounts system
Roger Tym and Partners |DLG study
Russell Reynolds Associates |British Waterways Board-executive search for new chairman
Russell Reynolds Associates |Wessex Water Authority-executive search for new chairman
Schlackmans |Market research at the royal palaces
Shaftesbury Health and Safety Consultants Ltd |Hyde Park Workshops-health and safety inspection
Stoy Hayward Associates |Grant appraisal ad-hoc accountancy advice
Touche Ross and Co. |Efficiency review of Wessex and South West Water Authorities
Travers Morgan Planning |Woodland Maintenance Costs
Ventures Consultancy |Hampton Court Business Plan
Sir Owen Williams and Partners |Assistance with consideration of reclamation schemes submitted for derelict land
| grants.
United Nations Environment Programme
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who represented Her Majesty's Government at the latest United Nations environment programme conference in Basle on the international trade and regulation of hazardous and toxic wastes ; what proposals were made at the conference by Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will make a statement about the outcome of the conference.
Mr. Ridley [pursuant to his reply, 22 March 1989, c. 651] : I undertook to make a statement about the outcome of the diplomatic conference in Basle on 20 to 22 March to draw up a convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. Over 100 countries participated in the conference : 34 signed the convention at the conference but the majority (including
Column 210
the United Kingdom) did not. The Government welcome the thrust of the convention, but the final text did not emerge until the last day of the conference. The convention is still open for signature, and the Government are now studying the final text.Redbridge (Housing Stock)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of tenants under the London borough of Redbridge proposals for a transfer of housing stock to a housing association need to consent to the transfer for it to go ahead.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 March 1989] : In accordance with schedule 3A to the Housing Act 1985 the Secretary of State would be required to withhold his consent to the transfer if it appeared to him that the
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majority of the tenants affected did not wish the transfer to proceed. The Secretary of State may have regard to any information available to him, including any ballot arranged by the council. I understand that the transfer proposals, which the council approved on 23 March include the principle that a 50 per cent. turnout and a simple majority of those voting should be required.
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