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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 14 April 1989
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Tanzania
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other aid Ministers to seek to reschedule overseas debts in Tanzania.
Mr. Chris Patten : In 1979 Britain wrote off all aid debts owed by Tanzania, amounting to some £3.4 million. We have continued to urge others to follow this example for Tanzania and other low-income African countries undertaking programmes of structural adjustment. Tanzania has also benefited from concessional rescheduling of its official debt in the Paris Club, following the agreement reached last summer at the Toronto summit on the basis of the initiative launched by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Sri Lanka
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the present aid projects funded by his Department in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Chris Patten : Our grant aid is largely concentrated on transport, power, natural resources and education. In Colombo we are funding two major projects, to rebuild two main roads and to improve the power distribution network. We are preparing a forestry project. Under our training programme more than 200 Sri Lankans were in Britain last year. From our £20 million relief and reconstruction grant, which is mainly for the north and east, we are providing railway track, double-decker buses, lorries and trucks and finance for the rehabilitation programmes of the Save the Children Fund and Oxfam. Under the aid and trade provision, we are helping to finance the Samanalawewa hydro-electric project, the supply of potable water to three districts and the provision of 600 bus bodies.
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Privatisation
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) which officials of the Overseas Development Administration have met during the course of 1988 with researchers at the Adam Smith institute, to discuss the possibility of Britain supplying aid and assistance for the privatisation of industries in the developing world ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) from whom he has sought advice on matters relating to the possibility of offering British privatisation expertise to Third world nations.
Mr. Chris Patten : There was a range of contacts between officials and outside bodies, including the Adam Smith Institute, concerned with the development of the private sector overseas, including privatisation.
WALES
M4
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when work was last commenced on a new section of the M4 motorway ; what has been the increase in traffic on the Baglan-Lonlas area since that time ; and if he will reconsider his start dates for this new section of the M4, in particular the new bridge and the connecting road to Baglan.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : Work on the most recent section of the M4, the Bridgend northern bypass, started in 1978 and was completed in 1981. Traffic volumes on the A48 between Baglan and Lonlas have increased by some 50 per cent. since 1978 but are still within the design capacity of the road.
The programme set out in "Roads in Wales 1989" for completing the Baglan- Lonlas section by mid 1994 is the most practical one. The Earlswood to Lonlas scheme is planned to start in the current financial year.
Capital Expenditure
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total (a) central Government and (b) local government capital expenditures in each year from 1979-80 to 1987-88, expressed in cash and in real terms, taking 1979-80 as 100.
Mr. Grist : Gross central Government and local authority capital expenditure within my responsibility for the years 1979-80 to 1987-88, taking 1979-80 as 100, is estimated to have been as follows :
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z
|1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88
|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a)Central Government
(i)Cash terms |100 |150 |170 |187 |181 |161 |173 |177 |166
(ii)Real terms |100 |127 |131 |134 |124 |105 |107 |106 |95
(b)Local Government
(i)Cash terms |100 |107 |107 |132 |161 |145 |138 |173 |195
(ii)Real terms |100 |90 |82 |95 |110 |95 |85 |104 |111
The real terms figures have been derived by excluding the effect of general inflation as measured by the gross domestic product deflators at market prices.
For consistency with later years, the figures for central Government expenditure up to 1984-85 have been
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adjusted to include regional development grant expenditure in Wales. Prior to November 1984, this expenditure was the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry.Column 723
Council House Sales
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the average cost of council houses sold in Wales regardless of discount, for each year since 1979 to date, and the average monthly cost over each year of the same period of repayment per £1,000 borrowed of mortgages provided by local authorities.
Mr. Grist : The average market price of local authority dwellings sold is given in the following table :
|£
----------------------
<1>1980 |11,012
1981 |13,868
1982 |13,521
1983 |14,562
1984 |15,272
1985 |16,348
1986 |17,448
1987 |18,746
1988 |20,115
<1> Based on sales
from April to
December 1980.
The average monthly cost of repayment per £1,000 borrowed of mortgages provided by local authorities is not centrally available.
Roads in Wales 1989"
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to publish, "Roads in Wales 1989", by the end of April.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : "Roads in Wales 1989" was published on 10 April. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
River Dee Crossing
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the start of the new crossing of the river Dee north of Queensferry, as referred to in "Roads in Wales 1989", and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : This is a matter for Clwyd county council.
Council Housing Sales
Mr. Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, at the latest available date, what was the average selling price after discount of a local authority unit of accommodation ; and what is the average cost of building a new local authority unit of accommodation.
Mr. Grist : The average selling price after discount of local authority dwellings sold during 1988 was £9,883. The average cost of building a new local authority unit of accommodation during the same period is estimated to have been £35,450.
Planning Appeal (Clydach)
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Inspector has now decided the outcome of the appeal by I. G. Hale, application number 2/2/89/0082/03, relating to the forecourt walls adjoining Ramsay road, and Sunnybank, in the village of Clydach.
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Mr. Ian Grist : This application has not come before my right hon. Friend on appeal. I understand that it was approved by Lliw Valley borough council on 16 March 1989.
NFU-FUW (Merger)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a report on the progress he has achieved in his initiative to bring about the merger of the National Farmers Union and the Farmers Union of Wales.
Mr. Peter Walker : As I have previously observed to the hon. Gentleman, the future relationship of the FUW and the NFU in Wales is a matter for those unions and progress towards any merger can be measured only by them.
Farmers Union of Wales
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the dates during 1988 when he met representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales ; and what subjects were discussed.
Mr. Peter Walker : During 1988 I met representatives of the Farmers Union of Wales on four occasions. Dates and details of subjects discussed are as follows :
10 February 1988--To discuss a wide range of agricultural subjects including extensification, stabilisers and milk quotas.
10 May 1988--Speech to the FUW annual general meeting about sheepmeat regime and general matters of interest to the agriculture industry.
19 July 1988--At the Royal Welsh show to discuss general subjects of current interest to the agriculture sector.
20 October 1988--To discuss hill livestock compensatory review.
National Farmers Union
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the dates during 1988 when he met representatives of the National Farmers Union ; and what subjects were discussed.
Mr. Peter Walker : During 1988 I met representatives of the National Farmers Union (Wales) on five occasions. Dates and details of subjects discussed are as follows :
30 March 1988--To discuss a range of agricultural issues. 19 July 1988--At the Royal Welsh show to discuss general subjects of current interest to the agriculture sector.
27 October 1988--To discuss hill livestock compensatory allowances review with the NFU (Wales).
27 October 1988--To discuss the HLCA review.
8 December 1988--To discuss a range of agricultural issues.
School Meals
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for each education authority and for Wales as a whole the 1988 figures for the percentage of schoolchildren (a) taking purchased school meals, (b) taking free school meals and (c) taking school meals in total.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The information in respect of 1988 is in the following table :
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|c|Percentage of schoolchildren present: Taking school
meals|c|
|Purchased|Free |Total
--------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |35.6 |10.7 |46.3
Dyfed |51.3 |12.5 |63.8
Gwent |39.0 |16.3 |55.3
Gwynedd |43.0 |13.8 |58.8
Mid Glamorgan |34.4 |17.5 |51.9
Powys |50.8 |5.4 |56.2
South Glamorgan |25.6 |16.5 |42.1
West Glamorgan |33.6 |15.6 |49.2
Wales |37.4 |14.6 |52.0
Hospital Waiting Lists
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give for September 1988 for each health district and for Wales in total the waiting list figures for (a) urgent in-patients, (b) non-urgent in- patients, (c) urgent in-patients waiting a month or more, (d) non-urgent in -patients waiting a year of more, (e) out-patients and (f) out-patients waiting three months or more.
Mr. Grist : Comprehensive information about waiting lists at 30 September 1988 will be published in Welsh Hospital Waiting List Bulletin 1989, No. 1, during the week beginning 15 May 1989.
Local Development Projects
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what local development projects have been undertaken in Wales ; and what are their costs.
Mr. Peter Walker [holding answer 11 April 1989] : The following list gives details of local development projects since the initiative began in Wales in November 1986 :
Contractor Description Cost £ ( '000)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. |British Coal Enterprise, |Small Firms' Training |18
| Cardiff | Needs
2. |Cambrian Manpower |Environmental Training | 5
| Development Unit, |Needs in Industry in
| Aberystwyth |Wales
3. |Cardiff Bay Development |Training Study of South |18.775
| Corporation |Glamorgan Labour
| Market
4. |Cardiff Chamber of |Cardiff Training |25
| Commerce | Development Project
5. |Carmarthen College of |Organic Farming |46.7
| Technology and Art
6. |Nature Conservancy |Environmental |12
| Council | Manpower Project
7. |People and Work Unit, |Small Businesses |30
| Newport
8. |Swansea College of |Learning Skills for |20
| Further Education | Adults
9. |Swansea College of |Learning Skills for the |25.224
| Further Education | Unemployed
10. |Welsh Joint Education |Tourism |20
| Committee
11. |Gwent Local Employer |Consultancy Survey | 7.9
| Network
12. |Cardiff Chamber of |Dissemination of Good |13.9
| Commerce II | Practices from 1st LDP
13. |People and Work Unit |Training Needs of |28.2
| Newport | Business for
| Community Benefit
14. |Cardiff Media City |Identification of Training|10
| Needs in Media
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EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
School Meals
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give from the 1988 census the latest figures for uptake of school meals, giving for each education authority the percentage of children taking (a) purchased meals, (b) free meals and (c) meals in total.
Mr. Butcher : The figures are given in the table. They relate to maintained primary, secondary and special schools and are based on the numbers of pupils present in schools on the day in October 1988 on which the survey was carried out.
The full results of the survey are contained in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy publication "School Meals Statistics at October 1988" which will shortly be available in the Library.
|c|Number of pupils|c|
Percentage
Local education authority |Taking paid meals |Taking free meals |Taking meals in total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ILEA |39.3 |28.6 |68.0
Barking and Dagenham |28.9 |10.2 |39.1
Barnet |51.0 |8.0 |59.0
Bexley |25.6 |5.9 |31.5
Brent |n/a |n/a |n/a
Bromley |33.2 |5.7 |38.9
Croydon |36.9 |8.4 |45.3
Ealing |32.3 |12.7 |45.1
Enfield |32.0 |8.2 |40.2
Haringey |33.6 |19.5 |53.1
Harrow |44.9 |4.7 |49.5
Havering |29.7 |4.6 |34.3
Hillingdon |37.0 |6.4 |43.5
Hounslow |51.0 |10.3 |61.3
Kingston-upon-Thames |39.4 |4.9 |44.3
Merton |24.6 |6.7 |31.3
Newham |22.7 |17.1 |39.8
Redbridge |38.6 |5.9 |44.5
Richmond upon Thames |24.9 |5.8 |30.7
Sutton |46.8 |4.6 |51.3
Waltham Forest |33.4 |16.2 |49.7
Bolton |38.0 |15.3 |53.4
Bury |35.9 |11.3 |47.2
Manchester |n/a |n/a |n/a
Oldham |34.1 |19.1 |53.2
Rochdale |36.5 |18.7 |55.2
Salford |36.9 |24.1 |61.0
Stockport |33.1 |10.0 |43.1
Tameside |38.6 |15.1 |53.7
Trafford |37.6 |13.0 |50.6
Wigan |33.9 |13.4 |47.3
Knowsley |13.7 |38.8 |52.4
Liverpool |n/a |n/a |n/a
St. Helens |40.7 |16.6 |57.3
Sefton |29.0 |17.4 |46.4
Wirral |31.3 |21.4 |52.7
Barnsley |47.7 |16.2 |63.8
Doncaster |50.5 |18.2 |68.7
Rotherham |34.2 |16.8 |50.9
Sheffield |34.4 |19.4 |53.8
Gateshead |36.5 |20.4 |56.9
Newcastle upon Tyne |30.3 |30.4 |60.7
North Tyneside |44.9 |17.8 |62.7
South Tyneside |35.5 |21.6 |57.0
Sunderland |34.9 |22.6 |57.5
Birmingham |27.8 |26.3 |54.2
Coventry |23.3 |19.9 |43.2
Dudley |26.7 |12.6 |39.3
Sandwell |29.3 |19.1 |48.5
Solihull |34.4 |9.7 |44.0
Walsall |38.2 |18.3 |56.5
Wolverhampton |16.9 |18.1 |35.0
Bradford |34.7 |21.0 |55.7
Calderdale |40.9 |12.9 |53.9
Kirklees |n/a |n/a |n/a
Leeds |40.6 |14.7 |55.4
Wakefield |48.5 |13.8 |62.3
Avon |29.5 |10.6 |40.1
Bedfordshire |38.7 |9.4 |48.1
Berkshire |36.0 |4.9 |40.9
Buckinghamshire |n/a |n/a |n/a
Cambridgeshire |26.6 |6.4 |33.0
Cheshire |37.0 |11.1 |48.1
Cleveland |42.5 |24.9 |67.5
Cornwall |41.3 |9.2 |50.4
Cumbria |48.7 |9.4 |58.1
Derbyshire |62.5 |10.5 |73.0
Devon |40.8 |11.0 |51.8
Dorset |17.3 |4.4 |21.8
Durham |45.9 |16.2 |62.1
East Sussex |34.1 |8.0 |42.1
Essex |29.6 |6.5 |36.1
Gloucestershire |23.0 |6.9 |29.9
Hampshire |24.4 |6.6 |31.0
Hereford and Worcester |19.4 |6.6 |26.0
Hertfordshire |44.8 |5.1 |49.8
Humberside |35.9 |14.4 |50.3
Isle of Wight |35.0 |10.4 |45.5
Kent |35.1 |7.0 |42.1
Lancashire |36.7 |13.9 |50.6
Leicestershire |31.7 |8.9 |40.6
Lincolnshire |17.1 |6.0 |23.1
Norfolk |26.7 |9.4 |36.1
Northamptonshire |26.6 |7.2 |33.8
Northumberland |44.7 |9.7 |54.4
North Yorkshire |43.7 |6.3 |50.0
Nottinghamshire |34.0 |14.0 |48.0
Oxfordshire |37.7 |4.8 |42.6
Shropshire |41.3 |10.5 |51.8
Somerset |34.3 |5.7 |40.0
Staffordshire |30.9 |9.8 |40.6
Suffolk |39.9 |6.7 |46.7
Surrey |41.2 |3.7 |44.9
Warwickshire |28.5 |7.3 |35.8
West Sussex |40.6 |4.1 |44.8
Wiltshire |31.7 |5.5 |37.1
Isles of Scilly |5.5 |0.9 |6.4
n/a=Not available.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Employee Share Ownership
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have taken place as to the feasibility of introducing an employee share ownership scheme in any future privatisation that his Department may sponsor.
Mr. Viggers : On 22 March 1989, heads of agreement were approved for the sale of Harland and Wolff plc to a management-employee buy-out team backed by Mr. Olsen. Employees of Harland and Wolff plc will have an opportunity to acquire shares in the new company. The Government have to date had no discussions on the
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feasibility of introducing an employee share ownership scheme in the context of the privatisations of Short Brothers plc and Northern Ireland Electricity.Firearms
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show how many privately held (a) shotguns, (b) .22 rifles, (c) rifles of larger calibre, (d) hand-guns, (e) air and gas-operated weapons and (f) antique firearms, have been lost or stolen each year from 1976 to the latest available date ; how many of each such category were subsequently recovered ; and how many in each category are known to have been used in criminal, including terrorist, activity or as much of such information as is available to him.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1989] : Information is not readily available in the form requested. However, such information as is available is contained in the following tables.
|c|Table 1|c| |c|Firearms stolen from civilians|c| Year |Shotguns |Rifles<1> |Pistols/revolvers|Antiques |Air weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1976 |128 |23 |8 |1 |18 1977 |53 |8 |8 |- |7 1978 |35 |3 |3 |- |3 1979 |34 |3 |2 |- |7 1980 |38 |7 |- |2 |8 1981 |69 |7 |8 |2 |13 1982 |60 |9 |13 |2 |5 1983 |64 |4 |13 |4 |8 1984 |78 |4 |11 |1 |9 1985 |79 |11 |8 |- |9 1986 |96 |9 |4 |- |20 1987 |91 |17 |17 |- |13 1988 |59 |6 |10 |- |9 <2>1989 |7 |4 |2 |- |- <1>Including .22 calibre. <2>To 21 March.
|c|Table 2|c| |c|Firearms stolen from civilians and recovered|c| |c|between 1976 and 1989 (to 21 March)|c| Shotguns |Rifles |Pistols/revolvers|Antiques |Air weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 365 |30 |41 |- |31
Rating Reform
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have to introduce a poll tax in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 10 April 1989] : The Green Paper of January 1986 "Paying for Local Government", which formed the basis for the Great Britain reforms, made it clear that the proposals did not apply to Northern Ireland. This reflected the fact that local government arrangements in Northern Ireland are significantly different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom and we have no present plans to replace the existing system.
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PRIME MINISTER
Council of Europe (Delegation)
Mr. Page : To ask the Prime Minister if she will announce the composition of the United Kingdom delegation for the 41st session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The Prime Minister : The 41st Session Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be opened in Strasbourg on 8 May 1989. The delegation from the United Kingdom for the session will consist of 11 Members of the Conservative party, six Members of the Labour party and one Member of the Social and Liberal Democrats party. I have also appointed a number of substitute delegates.
The appointments of representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nominations by the leaders of those parties concerned.
The same delegation will be representing the United Kingdom Parliament at the assembly of the Western European Union, which next meets in Paris on 5 June.
Representatives from the Government Benches will be :
My hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Sir Geoffrey Finsberg --who will act as leader of both delegations
The hon. Members for :
Warwick and Leamington (Sir Dudley Smith)
Southampton, Test (Mr. Hill) (Government Whip)
Twickenham (Mr. Jessel)
Northampton, South (Mr. Morris)
Halesowen and Stourbridge (Sir John Stokes)
Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson)
Ashford (Mr. Speed)
Streatham (Sir William Shelton)
Medway (Dame Peggy Fenner)
and the Earl of Kinnoull
Representatives from the Labour party will be :
The hon. Members for :
Neath (Mr. Coleman)
Wallsend (Mr. Garrett)
Wentworth (Mr. Hardy)
Tooting (Mr. Cox)
Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry)
Falkirk, East (Mr. Ewing)
Representatives from the Social and Liberal Democrats party will be :
The hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (Sir Russell Johnston)
The following substitutes have been appointed to act as necessary on behalf of the delegates
From the Government Benches :
The hon. Members for :
Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson)
Eastwood (Mr. Stewart)
Norfolk North (Mr. Howell)
Thanet, North (Mr. Gale)
Lewes (Mr. Rathbone)
Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden)
Suffolk Central (Mr. Lord)
Ravensbourne (Mr. Hunt)
Lord Newall
and Lord Rodney
From the Labour party :
The hon. Members for :
Wansbeck (Mr. Thompson)
Manchester, Central (Mr. Litherland)
Don Valley (Mr. Redmond)
Warley, East (Mr. Faulds)
Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks)
Cunninghame, South (Mr. Lambie)
and Lord Kirkhill
From the Social and Liberal Democrats party :
The Lord Mackie of Benshie
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