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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 18 April 1989

ENVIRONMENT

River Conservation

Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken to ensure that the national freshwater quality classification scheme will consider the conservation status of rivers, in terms of their ability to support and maintain aquatic plant and animal communities.

Mr. Howard : The existing classification schemes for rivers and estuaries are currently under review and my right hon. Friend will be publishing a consultation paper on possible revisions later in the spring. The paper will address the ability of watercourses to support aquatic flora and fauna.

Pollution

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain a copy of "Pollution-Controlling the Problems" and "Nuclear Waste and Radiation Risks" recently published by the Association of District Councils for his departmental library ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Copies of these two reports are in the Department's library. We have taken note of their contents.

Pyrton Depot Site

Mr. Heseltine : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the residual land on the depot site in the parish of Pyrton in Oxfordshire is surplus to the Crown's requirements ; and what plans he has to return it to agricultural use.

Mr. Ridley : The depot site is surplus to the Crown's requirements. There are no plans to return it to agricultural use.

Mr. Heseltine : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Property Services Agency will relinquish rights assumed in wartime over the depot site in Pyrton, Oxfordshire.

Mr. Ridley : No. Rights were not assumed in wartime. Records show that rights were established before the war when the buildings were erected.

Mr. Heseltine : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of any documents held by (a) the Property Services Agency and (b) his Department, relating to the acquisition, planning status, construction, rating and occupancy of the depot site in the parish of Pyrton in the county of Oxfordshire which have not been released to the Public Record Office.


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Mr. Ridley : I have arranged for copies of such documents to be placed in the Library.

Departmental Circulars

Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many circulars from his Department since 1970 have dealt with land needs for (a) housing, (b) employment, (c) shopping and (d) outdoor recreation.

Mr. Ridley : I invite my hon. Friend to refer to my Department's "Planning Guidance : Index of Extant Circulars", a copy of which is in the Library. The index lists seven circulars, two development control policy notes and two planning policy guidance notes relating to housing development ; two circulars relating to employment ; three circulars and one planning policy guidance note relating to retail development ; and three circulars relating to sport and recreation.

Urban Development Corporations

Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which urban development corporations have signed agency agreements with local authorities for development control work, and which urban development corporations are using consultants for development control work.

Mr. Trippier : All urban development corporations, other than Bristol and London Docklands, have agency agreements with their local authorities for development control work. Bristol DC uses consultants for this work ; London Docklands DC uses in-house staff.

Housing

Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes were built by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in 1988.

Mr. Trippier : It is provisionally estimated that there were 15,300 local authority completions and 9,200 housing association completions in 1988.

Multiple Occupation

Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate any changes he proposes to make following his consultation exercise in 1988 on houses in multiple occupation.

Mr. Trippier : Possible changes are still under consideration.

Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to monitor problems arising from the new regulations on fixing of rent levels for houses in multiple occupation ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Trippier : We shall monitor the impact of the new private renting regime in relation to all types of dwelling, including houses in multiple occupation.

Housing Investment (Stockton)

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what housing investment programme allocation has been made to the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the current year.


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Mr. Trippier : Details of local authorities' housing investment programme allocations for 1989-90 were announced on 8 December 1988. Stockton-on-Tees borough council's allocation is £2,241,500 which includes £37,500 for the homes insulation scheme.

Capital Receipts (Stockton)

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what capital receipts were available to the borough of Stockton-on-Tees at the beginning of the current financial year.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not yet available.

Housing Projects (Stockton)

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estate action and other housing projects his Department is undertaking in Stockton-on-Tees.

Mr. Trippier : Two ongoing housing schemes, on the Clarences and Eastbourne estates, are being supported by estate action resources in 1989- 90.

Shopping Areas

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about neglect of shopping areas awaiting redevelopment ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : This issue is sometimes raised in the context of development plan policies, individual planning applications and proposals for inner-city regeneration. The most recent

representations are those raised by my hon. Friend in the Adjournment debate on 10 April, to which I replied.

Roman Remains

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding the significance of and need to safeguard the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, Cannon street.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : English Heritage has informally advised that the existing consent will enable satisfactory recording of the majority of the archaeological remains. It is in touch with the developers and the Museum of London. To date we have received no other representations.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take immediate action to safeguard the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, Cannon street.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Scheduling ensures that any works to the site require scheduled monument consent. Our information is that some of the remains will be destroyed but most of these areas were already partly damaged by the foundations of the previous building. The scheduled monument consent granted in December 1988 allowed for preservation by record of this part of the site. The majority of the remains, some 75 to 80 per cent. will be preserved beneath adjoining buildings.


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Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the historic significance of the Roman remains discovered on the Hammerson Group site, near Cannon street station ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The site was scheduled in June 1986, being one of the largest Roman baths found in Britain. Recent discoveries have confirmed the existence of extensive and high quality remains.

Amusement Arcades

Sir Charles Morrison : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations have been received seeking a tightening of the town and country planning law relating to amusement arcades ; and whether the Government have any plans for future amendments to the law.

Mr. Howard [holding answer 17 April 1989] : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about planning decisions affecting amusement centres. Although some people regard them as socially or morally undesirable, amusement centres are a lawful use of land, and any applications for planning permission to establish them must be judged on their merits in terms of their land use planning implications. I do not consider that any amendment of planning law would be appropriate. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department is responsible for the licensing arrangements under the Gaming Act 1968, and for byelaws under the Public Health Act 1961, which regulate the operation of amusement centres.

Teesside Development Corporation

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding has recently been awarded to the Teesside development corporation ; and for what projects it has been allocated.

Mr. Trippier : The external financing limit of the Teesside development corporation in 1989-90 has been agreed at £34 million. The corporation will continue to fund a number of major projects, including the redevelopment of the Teesdale area and the Tees offshore base.

Good progress has been made on the reclamation of the Teesdale site, the proposals for which include housing, offices and leisure facilities. The comprehensive redevelopment of this site will require the construction of a new bridge and barrage across the River Tees. These schemes are the subject of a Private Bill which was laid before Parliament in November last year.

The Tees offshore base is being developed as a joint venture between Teesside development corporation and the Tees and Hartlepool port authority. A number of major companies have already located at the base which is expected to provide 1,000 new jobs by the end of 1989.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Health and Safety

Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons


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Commission, what rights exist for safety representatives to inspect and take copies of accident reports and statistics in the House of Commons.

Mr. Beith : There is no restriction on safety representatives who are members of the House of Commons Safety Committee, inspecting and taking copies of accident reports and statistics in the House.

Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what health and safety training is being provided for young workers in the House of Commons.

Mr. Beith : The accepted definition of "young workers" is those between 16 and 18 years of age. The House does not employ staff in this category. Training in health and safety is available, however, to staff of the House as part of the general training programme organised on a departmental level.

Industrial Injuries

Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, how many industrial injuries were sustained by workers in the House by category in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr. Beith : Information on reported accidents which have been classified as industrial injuries is not readily available. The number of reported accidents from 1979 to date is as follows :


                         |House of Commons staff  |Property Services agency                         

                                                  |staff                                            

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1979                     |n/a                     |24                                               

1980                     |n/a                     |23                                               

1981                     |64                      |26                                               

1982                     |40                      |31                                               

1983                     |49                      |19                                               

1984                     |67                      |23                                               

1985                     |45                      |22                                               

1986                     |47                      |22                                               

1987                     |29                      |30                                               

1988                     |36                      |10                                               

n/a = not available                                                                                 

Fire Drills

Mr. Allen : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, when the House of Commons last held a fire drill.

Mr. Beith : Thursday 16 February 1989.

Members' Cloakroom (Losses)

Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Lord President of the Council what have been the reported losses of property from the House of Commons Members' cloakroom in 1988 and 1989 to date.

Mr. Wakeham : A coat, a cap and umbrella, and some champagne were reported lost from the House of Commons Members' Cloakroom in 1988. The coat was subsequently found. A blue holdall is the only reported loss, to date, this year.


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Organic Food

Dr. David Clark : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, answering on behalf of the House of Commons Commission, what is the policy of the House of Commons Commission on the purchase of organic food for sale in the restaurants of the House of Commons.

Mr. Beith : Direct responsibility for the purchase of foodstuffs for use in the House lies not with the Commission but with the General Manager of the Refreshment Department, whose policy is to purchase adequate and regular supplies of good quality food at reasonable prices. It is understood that the Refreshment Department will use organic foods whenever these criteria are satisfactorily met.

Visitors (Shelter)

Mr. Latham : To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he will list in specific terms the difficulties currently preventing more satisfactory arrangements for parties of visitors to the Palace of Westminster to shelter from inclement weather while queueing to join the Line of Route ; what steps are being taken to overcome these difficulties ; and when the issue will be finally resolved and new arrangements put in place.

Mr. Wakeham : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) on 17 April 1989. It would not be appropriate at this stage for me to identify the difficulties involved or the steps being taken to resolve them. However, it is hoped that mutually acceptable arrangements will be agreed shortly and that these new arrangements will be put in place as soon as possible thereafter.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Special Needs

Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average annual cost of (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special needs pupils in the United Kingdom for the year 1987-88 ; and what is the average cost per pupil in Durham for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special needs for the same year.

Mr. Butcher : The available information is given in the table.


|c|Net Institutional Expenditure<1> per pupil<2>-1987-88|c|                                         

                    |Nursery and primary|Secondary schools  |Special education                      

                    |schools                                                                        

                    |£                  |£                  |£                                      

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Durham              |1,050              |1,405              |4,620                                  

England             |1,010              |1,520              |4,925                                  

<1> Net institutional expenditure includes the cost of salaries and wages, premises and certain     

supplies and services. It does not include the cost of school meals central administration and      

inspection, debt charges or revenue contributions to capital outlay.                                

<2> The figures are based on LEA expenditure returns to DoE and pupil number returns to DES.        

Information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.


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Alcohol and Drugs

Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what programmes exist which teach children about (a) the dangers of alcohol, (b) the dangers of smoking and (c) the dangers of illegal drugs ; and if there is evidence of local education authorities encouraging their schools to run any such schemes.

Mr. Butcher : An increasing number of schools now provide pupils with education about the dangers associated with alcohol and drug misuse and cigarette smoking. Such education programmes have increased as a result of Government and LEA funding of drugs education co-ordinators and in- service training for teachers. The order recently laid for science in the national curriculum makes specific provision for the teaching of different aspects of health education, including education about alcohol, drugs and smoking.

Teacher Numbers

Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what per cent. of teachers trained in United Kingdom in the years 1970 to the latest date available remain in the profession for at least five years and 10 years.

Mrs. Rumbold : Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, on the basis of teacher entry, wastage and re-entry rates for the year ending March 1986 (the latest for which figures are available), it can be estimated that 61 per cent. of those completing initial teacher training in England and Wales are in full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England and Wales five years later. The proportion in service 10 years after qualification is 47 per cent. Thereafter, the numbers leaving and re-entering service are in balance, so that the proportion in service 20 years after qualification is still 47 per cent.

Broadcast Loan Scheme

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has considered making extra funds available to the Open university to allow for the reintroduction of the broadcast loan scheme.

Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend announced on 2 November last year an increase in the Open university's grant of £4.2 million in the financial year 1989-90 and similar additions for the next two years. The detailed allocation of these additional resources within the undergraduate programme is a matter for the university. It is receiving £68.4 million in recurrent grant in 1989.

School Building Replacement Scheme

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money he has allocated in each of the last five years to local education authorities in respect of the school building replacement programme ; and if he will make a statement on the criteria he applies in reaching decisions about the allocation of funds to the replacement programme.

Mr. Butcher : Local education authorities are responsible for the maintenance of school buildings. Under the


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Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, each year authorities receive block allocations of prescribed expenditure for the main service blocks, including education, but it is for them to decide how to spend their allocations. My right hon. Friend sets the local education authorities' allocations of prescribed expenditure for education. In formulating these capital allocations, priority is given to committed expenditure up to the levels previously indicated to authorities, new projects to meet population growth and new projects to remove surplus places in the schools sector. Any remaining funds are allocated for improvement and replacement projects. In accordance with the criteria the allocations for schools in the last five years are set out in the table.


£ million                                                                           

                     |County and voluntary|Voluntary aided and                      

                     |controlled schools  |special agreement                        

                                          |schools                                  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1985-86              |230.0               |35.3                                     

1986-87              |232.9               |27.8                                     

1987-88              |254.0               |39.1                                     

1988-89              |319.0               |47.1                                     

1989-90              |311.4               |56.1                                     

Notes:                                                                              

1. The table provides details of the notional schools capital allocation.           

2. The allocations shown are those announced before the start of the financial year 

in question and do not include subsequent revisions.                                

Rating Reform

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his best estimate of the numbers of young people in further or higher education or on Government training schemes under the age of 25 years who will be liable for at least 20 per cent. of the community in (a) Scotland and (b) England and Wales.

Mr. Jackson : All students (excluding school pupils) aged 18 to 24 will be liable for at least 20 per cent. of community charge. In 1987-88 there were some 110,000 full-time and part-time students aged 18 to 24, excluding those on training courses, studying in Scotland and 970,000 in England and Wales. The Training Agency estimates that in 1987-88 there were on average 6,000 people aged 18 or over on the youth training scheme in Scotland and 71,000 in England and Wales. In addition, 12,000 trainees aged 18 to 24 started on employment training in Scotland and 78,000 in England and Wales between 5 September 1988 and 31 March 1989.

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of (a) the number of educational establishments in the Greater London area which will require certification officers for the introduction of the community charge in April 1990 and (b) the number of students who will require certification in the Greater London area.

Mrs. Rumbold : It is estimated that, excluding private and independent establishments, there are 114 educational establishments within the area of the London boroughs which will require certification officers for the introduction of the community charge. There is no reliable estimate of the numbers of independent and private establishments requiring certification officers. It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the numbers of students requiring certification for community charge purposes within the


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area of the London boroughs because the criteria for registration as a student do not coincide with categories of students for whom figures are collected.

University Posts

Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to ensure that applicants for academic and non-academic university posts are interviewed by a selection committee whose chairman does not enjoy sole executive authority.

Mr. Jackson : That is a matter for the universities.

Pupil--Teacher Ratios

Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the current pupil--teacher ratios for both primary and secondary education in each local education authority.

Mr. Butcher : In January 1988 the pupil--teacher ratios in maintaned primary and secondary schools in each local education authority in England were as follows :


|c|Pupil teacher ratios by LEA January 1988|c|                                     

                       |Primary            |Secondary                              

                       |Pupil:teacher ratio|Pupil:teacher ratio                    

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barking                |20.9               |14.7                                   

Barnet                 |20.1               |14.2                                   

Bexley                 |22.4               |16.0                                   

Brent                  |18.5               |11.1                                   

Bromley                |23.0               |15.8                                   

Croydon                |21.8               |15.1                                   

Ealing                 |19.3               |13.9                                   

Enfield                |21.7               |15.1                                   

Haringey               |19.0               |11.9                                   

Harrow                 |21.8               |15.6                                   

Havering               |22.6               |15.1                                   

Hillingdon             |22.0               |15.6                                   

Hounslow               |20.1               |14.9                                   

Kingston upon Thames   |21.5               |14.2                                   

Merton                 |21.6               |15.9                                   

Newham                 |21.5               |14.1                                   

Redbridge              |24.0               |16.1                                   

Richmond upon Thames   |20.9               |15.5                                   

Sutton                 |22.7               |16.5                                   

Waltham Forest         |21.2               |11.8                                   

                                                                                   

Inner London           |17.6               |13.1                                   

                                                                                   

Birmingham             |23.2               |16.0                                   

Coventry               |22.5               |14.4                                   

Dudley                 |22.7               |14.0                                   

Sandwell               |22.4               |14.0                                   

Solihull               |23.1               |15.5                                   

Walsall                |20.8               |13.9                                   

Wolverhampton          |20.1               |13.8                                   

                                                                                   

Knowsley               |20.7               |13.4                                   

Liverpool              |21.0               |14.4                                   

St. Helens             |22.3               |14.0                                   

Sefton                 |23.2               |16.1                                   

Wirral                 |21.6               |15.7                                   

                                                                                   

Bolton                 |22.9               |15.1                                   

Bury                   |22.4               |15.0                                   

Manchester             |21.4               |12.9                                   

Oldham                 |22.4               |15.5                                   

Rochdale               |22.3               |14.1                                   

Salford                |21.7               |13.8                                   

Stockport              |23.3               |15.0                                   

Tameside               |23.4               |15.5                                   

Trafford               |21.9               |14.8                                   

Wigan                  |21.2               |13.6                                   

                                                                                   

Barnsley               |21.6               |15.2                                   

Doncaster              |21.4               |15.4                                   

Rotherham              |21.2               |15.3                                   

Sheffield              |19.9               |14.0                                   

                                                                                   

Bradford               |19.8               |15.2                                   

Calderdale             |22.8               |15.5                                   

Kirklees               |20.9               |15.0                                   

Leeds                  |20.0               |14.7                                   

Wakefield              |21.8               |15.2                                   

                                                                                   

Gateshead              |20.7               |14.6                                   

Newcastle-upon-Tyne    |19.7               |13.8                                   

North Tyneside         |18.6               |12.9                                   

South Tyneside         |20.6               |14.3                                   

Sunderland             |22.1               |15.1                                   

                                                                                   

Isles of Scilly        |13.1               |9.1                                    

                                                                                   

Avon                   |23.8               |16.4                                   

Bedfordshire           |22.0               |16.8                                   

Berkshire              |23.4               |16.0                                   

Buckinghamshire        |24.0               |16.2                                   

Cambridgeshire         |23.4               |16.2                                   

Cheshire               |23.6               |16.2                                   

Cleveland              |22.3               |15.1                                   

Cornwall               |23.4               |16.3                                   

Cumbria                |21.7               |14.9                                   

Derbyshire             |21.2               |14.4                                   

                                                                                   

Devon                  |23.3               |16.6                                   

Dorset                 |23.3               |16.3                                   

Durham                 |22.0               |16.0                                   

East Sussex            |22.7               |16.2                                   

Essex                  |22.7               |16.6                                   

Gloucestershire        |22.6               |16.0                                   

Hampshire              |22.5               |16.2                                   

Hereford and Worcester |23.7               |16.6                                   

Hertfordshire          |21.7               |15.4                                   

Humberside             |22.2               |15.0                                   

                                                                                   

Isle of Wight          |23.5               |16.4                                   

Kent                   |24.0               |16.4                                   

Lancashire             |23.3               |15.6                                   

Leicestershire         |22.9               |15.0                                   

Lincolnshire           |23.9               |16.6                                   

Norfolk                |22.6               |15.9                                   

North Yorkshire        |22.0               |15.9                                   

Northamptonshire       |22.9               |16.1                                   

Northumberland         |22.8               |16.1                                   

Nottinghamshire        |21.0               |14.8                                   

Oxfordshire            |23.0               |16.6                                   

Shropshire             |21.4               |15.3                                   

Somerset               |23.1               |16.3                                   

Staffordshire          |23.2               |16.3                                   

Suffolk                |22.4               |16.7                                   

Surrey                 |21.4               |15.4                                   

Warwickshire           |21.9               |16.0                                   

West Sussex            |22.9               |16.7                                   

Wiltshire              |22.6               |15.4                                   

                                                                                   

England                |22.0               |15.4                                   

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in tabular form (a) the number of teachers in each local education authority in England and Wales, (b) the number of pupils in each and (c) the pupil-teacher ratio of each.

Mr. Butcher [pursuant to his answer, 11 April 1989, c. 428.] : The figures for England are as follows. Corresponding figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon.. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.


|c|Pupils, Teachers and PTR's by LEA January 1988|c|                                                                              

Local Education Authority |Total FTE Pupils         |Total FTE Teachers       |Pupil/ Teacher ratios                              

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barking                   |22,615                   |1,388                    |16.3                                               

Barnet                    |39,078                   |2,545                    |15.4                                               

Bexley                    |31,480                   |1,783                    |17.7                                               

Brent                     |32,136                   |2,523                    |12.7                                               

Bromley                   |35,033                   |1,979                    |17.7                                               

Croydon                   |41,475                   |2,541                    |16.3                                               

Ealing                    |36,445                   |2,346                    |15.5                                               

Enfield                   |37,304                   |2,255                    |16.5                                               

Haringey                  |25,026                   |1,827                    |13.7                                               

Harrow                    |25,170                   |1,471                    |17.1                                               

Havering                  |35,533                   |2,157                    |16.5                                               

Hillingdon                |30,839                   |1,808                    |17.1                                               

Hounslow                  |29,681                   |1,863                    |15.9                                               

Kingston upon Thames      |16,621                   |1,063                    |15.6                                               

Merton                    |20,242                   |1,268                    |16.0                                               

Newham                    |33,862                   |2,281                    |14.8                                               

Redbridge                 |29,574                   |1,664                    |17.8                                               

Richmond upon Thames      |15,992                   |958                      |16.7                                               

Sutton                    |21,668                   |1,250                    |17.3                                               

Waltham Forest            |29,644                   |2,184                    |13.6                                               

Birmingham                |166,487                  |9,575                    |17.4                                               

Coventry                  |46,820                   |2,895                    |16.2                                               

Dudley                    |44,721                   |2,713                    |16.5                                               

Sandwell                  |47,655                   |2,842                    |16.8                                               

Solihull                  |32,633                   |1,859                    |17.6                                               

Walsall                   |45,199                   |2,831                    |16.0                                               

Wolverhampton             |39,795                   |2,598                    |15.3                                               

Knowsley                  |26,398                   |1,670                    |15.8                                               

Liverpool                 |75,461                   |4,701                    |16.1                                               

St. Helens                |30,051                   |1,819                    |16.5                                               

Sefton                    |44,397                   |2,419                    |18.4                                               

Wirral                    |50,463                   |2,950                    |17.1                                               

Bolton                    |43,365                   |2,567                    |16.9                                               

Bury                      |25,578                   |1,509                    |17.0                                               

Manchester                |67,376                   |4,445                    |15.2                                               

Oldham                    |37,224                   |2,218                    |16.8                                               

Rochdale                  |34,648                   |2,207                    |15.7                                               

Salford                   |36,042                   |2,108                    |17.1                                               

Stockport                 |42,922                   |2,529                    |17.0                                               

Tameside                  |34,839                   |1,878                    |18.6                                               

Trafford                  |28,088                   |1,706                    |16.5                                               

Wigan                     |50,753                   |3,284                    |15.5                                               

Barnsley                  |33,998                   |2,012                    |16.9                                               

Doncaster                 |47,000                   |2,799                    |16.8                                               

Rotherham                 |41,776                   |2,488                    |16.8                                               

Sheffield                 |70,448                   |4,524                    |15.6                                               

Bradford                  |79,596                   |4,946                    |16.1                                               

Calderdale                |31,271                   |1,837                    |17.0                                               

Kirklees                  |60,719                   |3,725                    |16.3                                               

Leeds                     |103,174                  |6,574                    |15.8                                               

Wakefield                 |47,421                   |2,865                    |16.6                                               

Gateshead                 |29,415                   |1,842                    |16.0                                               

Newcastle upon Tyne       |38,401                   |2,513                    |15.3                                               

North Tyneside            |29,625                   |2,082                    |14.2                                               

South Tyneside            |23,594                   |1,437                    |16.4                                               

Sunderland                |48,987                   |2,832                    |17.3                                               

Isles of Scilly           |279                      |27                       |10.3                                               

Inner London              |269,994                  |20,020                   |13.5                                               

Avon                      |130,030                  |7,121                    |18.3                                               

Bedfordshire              |81,988                   |4,772                    |17.2                                               

Berkshire                 |104,683                  |5,890                    |17.8                                               

Buckinghamshire           |92,589                   |4,949                    |18.7                                               

Cambridgeshire            |95,504                   |5,110                    |18.7                                               

Cheshire                  |150,143                  |8,362                    |18.0                                               

Cleveland                 |96,211                   |5,480                    |17.6                                               

Cornwall                  |66,779                   |3,744                    |17.8                                               

Cumbria                   |72,926                   |4,407                    |16.5                                               

Derbyshire                |137,654                  |8,353                    |16.5                                               

Devon                     |129,531                  |7,109                    |18.2                                               

Dorset                    |79,911                   |4,480                    |17.8                                               

Durham                    |91,765                   |5,019                    |18.3                                               

East Sussex               |79,267                   |4,445                    |17.8                                               

Essex                     |223,116                  |11,969                   |18.6                                               

Gloucestershire           |73,987                   |4,193                    |17.6                                               

Hampshire                 |208,983                  |11,674                   |17.9                                               

Hereford and Worcester    |94,764                   |5,273                    |18.0                                               

Hertfordshire             |146,085                  |8,828                    |16.5                                               

Humberside                |136,026                  |7,895                    |17.2                                               

Isle of Wight             |16,606                   |973                      |17.1                                               

Kent                      |216,556                  |11,784                   |18.4                                               

Lancashire                |208,597                  |11,828                   |17.6                                               

Leicestershire            |135,891                  |7,658                    |17.7                                               

Lincolnshire              |82,384                   |4,556                    |18.1                                               

Norfolk                   |101,307                  |5,527                    |18.3                                               

North Yorkshire           |97,533                   |5,548                    |17.6                                               

Northamptonshire          |92,508                   |5,236                    |17.7                                               

Northumberland            |47,362                   |2,684                    |17.6                                               

Nottinghamshire           |146,479                  |8,702                    |16.8                                               

Oxfordshire               |71,946                   |4,103                    |17.5                                               

Shropshire                |60,732                   |3,595                    |16.9                                               

Somerset                  |62,256                   |3,379                    |18.4                                               

Staffordshire             |157,255                  |8,746                    |18.0                                               

Suffolk                   |88,751                   |4,929                    |18.0                                               

Surrey                    |120,234                  |6,946                    |17.3                                               

Warwickshire              |70,929                   |4,085                    |17.4                                               

West Sussex               |89,580                   |4,817                    |18.6                                               

Wiltshire                 |77,496                   |4,371                    |17.7                                               

  England                 |6,832,378                |401,507                  |17.0                                               

CIVIL SERVICE

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Janner : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Office.

Mr. Luce : Senior grades in my Department are recruited by the Civil Service Commission. The commission has recently run publicity campaigns aimed at increasing awareness amongst ethnic minorities of career opportunities in the Civil Service. The commission monitors the ethnic origin of all applicants.

THE ARTS

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Janner : To ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.

Mr. Luce : Senior grades in my Department are recruited by the Civil Service Commission. The commission has recently run publicity campaigns aimed at increasing awareness amongst ethnic minorities of career opportunities in the Civil Service. The commission monitors the ethnic origin of all applicants.

NATIONAL FINANCE

Local Authority Income

Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent his Department has studied the possibility of replacing locally collected local authority income with a hypothecated amount within the income tax system ; and if he will list such research or studies which have taken place over the last 10 years.

Mr. Major : This approach of "assigned revenues" has been considered and rejected in successive studies of local


Column 87

government finance, most recently in the 1983 White Paper "Rates : Proposals for rate limitation and reform of the rating system" (Cmnd. 9008). It is not the practice of the Government to hypothecate revenues from a particular tax to particular areas of expenditure.

11 Downing Street (Works of Art)

Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish a table showing (a) the works of art, objects or artefacts currently on loan from national museums and galleries at 11 Downing street, (b) the museum or gallery from whose collections they are loaned and (c) the term of each loan.

Mr. Brooke [holding answer 17 April 1989] : The works of art on loan to No. 11 Downing street from galleries are as follows. Details of the terms of loan for each painting can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

National Portrait Gallery

Painting--Shackleton John--Pelham, Henry (C1695-1754) Prime Minister C1752

Painting--Long Edwin--Iddesleigh, Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st EARL (1818- 87)

Painting--Watts George Frederick--Sherbrooke, Robert Lowe, 1st Visc. (1811- 92) Chanc/Exch

Painting--Hall Sydney Prior--Gladstone, William Ewart (1809-98) Prime Minister

Painting--Childers Emily Maria--Childers, Hugh Culling Eardley (1827-96) Statesman

Painting--Sargent John Singer--Hill, Octavia (1838-1912), Social Reformer

Painting--Millais John Everett--Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl (1804 -81)

National Gallery

Painting--Zais Giuseppe--Landscape with a Ruined Tower

Painting--Corot J. B. C.--The Waggon-Souvenir of Saintry 1874 Painting-- Hobbema Meyndert--A Stream by a Wood

Painting--Bakhuisen Ludolf--A Beach Scene with Fishermen

Painting--Corot J. B. C.--Souvenir of a Journey to Coubron Painting--Corot J. B. C.--A Flood

Tate Gallery

Painting--Opie John--Reynolds, Mrs. S. W.

Painting--Anon 18C British School--Family Group in a Landscape Painting-- Orpen William--Orpen, Lady

Painting--Laszlo Philip A. De--Wantage, Lady

Painting--Orchardson William Q.--Her First Dance

Painting--Raeburn Henry--Fraser, Pringle

Painting--Raeburn Henry--Lauzun, Mrs. H. W.

Painting--Gainsborough Thomas--Blackstone, Sir William


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