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SeaInternational Maritime Organisation (IMO) International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) (Class 7)
Obtainable from International Maritime Organisation, Albert Embankment, London SE1
Air
International Civil Aviation Organisation's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Class 7) Obtainable from IAL Distribution Agent, Lambourne Woodlands, Newbury, Berks RG16 7TW
Motorway Repairs
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to undertake a review of departmental procedures relating to motorway repairs, in respect of (a) evaluating the costs of delays to road users, and (b) the potential for keeping at least two motorway lanes open during repairs ;
(2) what studies he has undertaken of the costs to road users of long delays caused by motorway repairs ; and what action he has taken and plans to take, following such studies ;
(3) if he will make it his policy always to keep open at least two motorway lanes during motorway repairs.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Department is continually looking at ways of improving its procedures, including the programming and timing of roadworks, traffic management at roadworks and the time taken to execute works. A number of improvements have been introduced in recent years, such as better layouts for contraflow systems, mobile lane closures and lane rental contracts.
The costs of traffic delays expected at major roadworks are assessed using the Department's computer model QUADRO (queuing and delays at roadworks). Bonus payments to contractors for early completion of lane rental contracts, or charges to contractors for late completion, are based on QUADRO assessments. Since lane rental contracts were introduced in 1984 we estimate that they have saved about 2,000 days of delay worth £35 million to road users. Current developments include improvements to QUADRO, a new computerised system for the co-ordination and scheduling of roadworks, and traffic management experiments designed to increase lane capacity through roadworks.
Our policy is not to reduce three-lane carriageways to one lane except where this is unavoidable, and then normally only in off-peak periods, often at night.
Deaf Drivers
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to resist European Commission proposals which would bar deaf people from driving minibuses and light goods vehicles.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : There is no justification on road safety grounds for tougher controls on the drivers of minibuses and light goods vehicles. We are pressing the European Commission at every level to avoid placing unnecessary restrictions on them. We can see no justification for preventing deaf people from driving such vehicles.
We want to maintain and enhance mobility for special needs groups and common interest groups. We do not want unnecessary additional driving and medical tests. We aim to protect our present arrangements in the
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negotiations in the Council of Ministers. I am sending a copy of this question and answer to the new Commissioner for Transport.Motorways (Lighting)
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's current standard for motorways of dual-four lane width stipulates that they should be continuously lit.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Department's current standard for motorways of dual-four lane width does not stipulate that they should be continuously lit. The provision of lighting on motorways has first to be justified by economic and environmental assessment. For new and improved motorways of more than dual-three lane width a special case can be made.
M25
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the noise bunds and barriers alongside the M25 are (a) earth bunds with planting and (b) walls or fences.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The information is as follows :
|Miles
----------------------------------
Noise bund |15.5
Noise barrier |13.5
Noise barrier on bund |3.0
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when, pursuant to his answer of 24 April, Official Report, column 447, he expects to be able to list the latest available traffic flows using the M25 entry and exit slip roads ; and whether he will at the same time list in the Official Report the matching main carriageway flows in each direction between interchanges.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : These traffic flows will be made available when the report of the M25 review is published.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state, for the M25 traffic flows listed in the Official Report on 24 April, columns 445-46, the factors his Department uses for correcting for seasonal effects ; from what source these are derived ; and how these factors differ from those used for other trunk roads and motorways.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The M25 traffic flows were adjusted for seasonal and other effects by scaling to automatic counts for the full year. Complete annual counts are not generally available for other roads. Annual average daily flows are usually estimated from 12-hour counts using a common set of adjustment factors for each road class. These factors are derived from analysis of regular monthly censuses at 170 core sites.
Manchester Airport (Rail Link)
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the rail link to Manchester airport.
Mr. Portillo : We expect to receive an investment submission from British Rail shortly.
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Advertising
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much advertising air time his Department purchased with each commercial television company in each of the last five years.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The information requested is commercially confidential.
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent by his Department on advertisements on commercial television in each of the last five years, listed by each television company.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The spending by the Department of Transport on television advertising in each of the last five years is as follows :
Financial year |Privatisation |Non-privatisation|Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1984-85 |Nil |1,552,810 |1,552,810 1985-86 |Nil |Nil |Nil 1986-87 |2,731,544 |Nil |2,731,544 1987-88 |3,701,725 |2,191,494 |5,893,219 1988-89 |Nil |1,725,128 |1,725,128
Information on expenditure with individual television companies is commercially confidential.
Accident Black Spots
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will estimate the cost of accidents at accident black spots each year ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will estimate the number of people (a) killed and (b) seriously injured at accident black spots each year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The information is not available. Definitions of casualty sites vary widely between local authorities. Many authorities bring new locations currently not considered as bad into their lists as higher priority sites are progressively treated. An attempt to compile a list would be misleading.
Accident investigation and prevention schemes remain one of the most cost- effective ways of reducing casualties. Existing advice to local authorities on AIP work is now being supplemented by new guidance being prepared jointly with the Institution of Highways and Transportation on an areawide safety engineering.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the average cost of small improvement schemes at accident black spots ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The average cost of small improvement schemes at casualty sites is difficult to determine because local highway authority definitions vary. The best indication can be found in the Department's transport and road research laboratory report "Accident reduction and prevention programmes in Highway Authorities--1987". From a sample of accident investigation and prevention schemes for which complete data were available, the authors found that the average cost per scheme is about £6,000 for non-trunk roads and £12, 000 for trunk roads.
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The distribution of scheme costs is wide and when all costed schemes are considered, almost 60 per cent. of urban and 75 per cent. of rural schemes cost less than £5,000.NATIONAL FINANCE
Football Pool Betting Duty
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Exchequer has raised from football pool betting duty in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Lilley : Following is the information :
|£ million
------------------------------
1979-80 |136.1
1980-81 |157.0
1981-82 |176.0
1982-83 |199.3
1983-84 |204.9
1984-85 |217.9
1985-86 |235.2
1986-87 |254.2
1987-88 |275.2
1988-89 |278.9
MIRAS
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to allow the interest on semi-commercial mortgages taken out on premises which contain a shop and living accommodation, to be set against income tax under the MIRAS system.
Student Grants
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Excheque whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Taunton on 20 April, Official Report, columns 232-33, he has any plans to enable parents affected by the abolition of tax relief on increases in parental contributions for students to cancel existing covenants sothat the students' application for grants might be assessed in accordance with the new scale instituted after the 1988 Budget.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I have no such plans.
Earnings
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update to April 1989 the information on net earnings provided in his reply of 10 February 1987 to the then hon. Member for Fulham, Official Report, columns 177-78.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Estimates of the levels of earnings at the top 5 per cent. point of the earnings distribution are not published. The information in the table is based on estimates of these levels derived from published figures in the relevant new earnings surveys. Results of the survey in April 1989 are not available yet so estimates for April 1988 are given in the table. Earnings levels are for men or women as appropriate paid at adult rates with pay unaffected by absence. Taxpayers are assumed to have no reliefs or allowances other than the appropriate personal allowances.
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Earnings after Tax, National Insurance Contributions<1> and Child
Benefit (£ per week)
|April 1979<4>|April 1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single man
At current prices |114.17 |333.26
At constant April 1988 prices<2> |222.45 |333.26
Married man<3>
At current prices |117.98 |344.72
At constant April 1988 prices<2> |229.88 |344.72
Married man<3> with two children under 11
At current prices |125.98 |359.22
At constant April 1988 prices<2> |245.46 |359.22
Single woman
At current prices |72.23 |209.20
At constant April 1988 prices |140.74 |209.20
<1>At the contracted in rate.
<2>By reference to the retail price index.
<3>Assuming no wife's earnings.
<4>Under the Finance Act 1979 tax regime.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update to 1989-90 the information on real net earnings provided in his reply of 10 April 1986 to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) Official Report, columns 193-94.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Information is given in the tables :
Multiples of average
earnings<1>
|2/3 |1 |2 |5 |10
-------------------------------------------------
Income tax and Income tax and NIC
as percentages of gross earnings
Single
1956-57
Tax |10.4 |16.6 |24.8 |40.5 |55.2
Tax + NIC |14.0 |18.9 |26.0 |41.0 |55.4
1978-79
Tax |21.0 |25.0 |29.5 |50.5 |66.6
Tax + NIC |27.5 |31.5 |33.7 |52.2 |67.5
1989-90<2>
Tax |17.6 |20.1 |25.1 |34.1 |37.0
Tax + NIC |25.0 |28.0 |29.9 |36.0 |38.0
Married
1956-57
Tax |5.1 |11.2 |22.0 |38.9 |54.2
Tax + NIC |8.6 |13.5 |23.1 |39.4 |54.4
1978-79
Tax |5.4 |21.3 |27.2 |48.8 |65.7
Tax + NIC |21.9 |27.8 |31.4 |50.5 |66.5
1989-90<2>
Tax |13.4 |17.3 |22.9 |33.2 |36.6
Tax + NIC |20.8 |25.2 |27.7 |35.1 |37.5
Changes in real net earnings after Income Tax and
(1956-57=100)
Single
1978-79 |124.9|125.3|132.8|120.1|108.3
1989-90<2> |168.9|172.0|183.4|210.1|269.6
Married
1978-79 |126.8|123.9|132.4|121.1|109.0
1989-90<2> |168.0|167.7|182.3|207.4|265.6
<1>Average earnings are those for full time
males working a full week at adult rates in all
occupations. They are £92.80 per week in 1978-79
and assumed to be £273.10 in 1989-90, an
increase of 83/4 per cent. on average earnings
in 1988-89 and an increase of 7" per cent. on
1988-89 (the increases used by the Government
Actuary in assessing the level of the National
Insurance Fund as described in paragraph 3.02 of
the Autumn Statement 1988).
<2>Income tax rates and allowances used for
1989-90 are those proposed in the 1989 Budget.
The calculations also assume post-October NIC
rates; before October people earning more than
£115 per week will pay an additional £3.01 per
week.
Income tax rates and allowances used for 1989-90 are those
VAT (Charities)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has had from Oxfam concerning the effect of value added tax regulation changes on its fund-raising capability ; and if he will state what steps he proposes to take which will help offset any losses which may reduce the capability of Oxfam, and other similar voluntary bodies, to undertake their work.
Mr. Lilley : I have received no representations from Oxfam about the new VAT exemption for charity fund-raising events which my right hon. Friend announced in his Budget speech on 14 March and which came into effect on 1 April. I have, however, received a number of representations from Oxfam supporters about the EC Commission's proposals for tax approximation by 1992, which would mean an end to the present VAT zero- rating for donated goods sold in charity shops. These proposals require the unanimous agreement of all member states and the Government will not accept proposals which remove our ability to retain zero rates.
Government Debt
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the 1988-89 budget surplus was used to pay off the national debt ; what are the details of the debts paid off ; how much is estimated to have gone into reinvestment, and what is the basis for that estimate ; how much is estimated to have gone into consumer expenditure ; and what is the basis for that estimate.
Mr. Lilley : The Budget surplus in 1988-89 was forecast in the Financial Statement and Budget Report to have reduced the outstanding stock of net public sector debt (a more meaningful measure in modern circumstances than
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the national debt, strictly defined) by some £14 billion from £171 billion at end March 1988 to £157 billion at end March 1989. Outturn figures for net public sector debt outstanding at the end of 1988-89 will not be available until later in the year. However, details of net transactions in debt are available in the May Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin (table 7). This shows that the majority of the reduction in debt outstanding was in the form of a net repayment of British Government securities (gilts).In 1988-89 the large PSDR meant that the Government made net purchases of gilts so as to ensure it had a broadly neutral impact on liquidity. It is unlikely that this policy will have had any significant effect on consumers' expenditure. Also, in these circumstances it is only possible for individuals to reinvest in gilts to the extent that they are purchased from existing holders. There is no information readily available on transactions of this sort.
Mortgages (Tax Relief)
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing (a) the total cost of mortgage interest tax relief in 1989- 90, (b) the average value of relief per mortgagor, and (c) the numbers receiving mortgage relief broken down in the following income ranges : under £4,000, £4,000 to £5,000, £5,000 to £6,000, £6,000 to £7,000, £7,000 to £8,000, £8,000 to £9,000, £9,000 to £10,000, £10,000 to £12,000, £12,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20, 000, £20,000 to £25,000, £25,000 to £30,000 and over £30,000.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 10 May 1989] : Latest estimates for 1989-90, based on the assumption that interest rates remain at current levels for the rest of 1989-90, are given in the table. These are based on projections to 1989-90 of information in the 1986-87 survey of personal incomes and the 1986 family expenditure survey and are provisional. The estimates include mortgages formerly under the option mortgage scheme which are now subsumed within MIRAS.
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Tax units<1>receiving mortgage interest relief by
range of total income 1989-90
---------------------------------------------------
Under £4,000 |480 |480 |230
£4,000 to £5,000 |160 |490 |80
£5,000 to £6,000 |170 |490 |90
£6,000 to £7,000 |270 |500 |130
£7,000 to £8,000 |410 |620 |250
£8,000 to £9,000 |430 |640 |280
£9,000 to £10,000 |420 |650 |270
£10,000 to £12,000 |860 |660 |570
£12,000 to £15,000 |1,400 |660 |910
£15,000 to £20,000 |1,880 |720 |1,350
£20,000 to £25,000 |1,200 |720 |870
£25,000 to £30,000 |610 |860 |520
Over £30,000 |1,010 |1,200 |1,200
|-------|-------|-------
Total |9,300 |730 |6,750
<1> Single persons and married couples.
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Tax Allowances
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the value of income tax personal allowances has increased in real terms since 1979 ; and how this amount has been distributed to each band of income taxpayers, both in total and in amount per taxpayer.
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Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 10 May 1989] : Since 1978- 79, the basic income tax personal allowances have increased in real terms by over 25 per cent. If, for 1989-90, personal allowances were to be reduced to their indexed 1978-79 levels total income tax liability would be increased by some £4.4 billion, distributed as follows :
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Single Person Married one-earner Married two-earner
couple couple
Income range |Total |Average per taxpayer<1>|Total |Average per taxpayer<1>|Total |Average per taxpayer<1>
£ per annum |£ million |£ per annum |£ million |£ per annum |£ million |£ per annum
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 5,000 |300 |110 |20 |120 |<2>- |-
5,000-10,000 |600 |130 |310 |190 |110 |210
10,000-15,000 |320 |140 |360 |220 |350 |290
15,000-20,000 |100 |130 |190 |210 |460 |290
20,000-25,000 |40 |130 |90 |210 |360 |310
25,000-30,000 |20 |180 |50 |270 |230 |340
30,000-50,000 |20 |210 |90 |330 |280 |370
Over 50,000 |10 |210 |40 |330 |70 |380
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |1,410 |140 |1,140 |220 |1,860 |320
<1> Taxpayers liable to tax when personal allowances are reduced to their indexed 1978-79 levels. Married couples are counted as one taxpayer.
<2> Less than £5 million.
Taxation
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update, to take account of the 1989 Budget, the information on tax changes contained in his reply of 21 October 1986 to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) Official Report, columns 807-8.
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the reductions in income tax liabilities, 1989-90 income levels, of the proposed 1989-90 allowances, thresholds and rates in relation to the 1978-79 regime indexed to 1989-90 showing (a) the number of tax units, (b) the total amount of reduction and (c) the average reduction per tax unit in each of the following income ranges : under £5,000, £5,000 to £10,000, £10,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £30,000, £30,000 to £50,000 and over £50,000.
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Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 10 May 1989] : I refer the hon. Members to my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 4 April 1989 at column 8.
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing (a) the tax threshold, (b) tax free income and (c) break- even points at current prices, at 1949-50 prices and constant prices, as a percentage of average manual earnings for a single person, married man without children, married man with two children and married man with four children in 1978-79 and 1989-90.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 10 May 1989] : The information is in the table.
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Income tax thresholds, tax free income and break-even points
Tax year |Threshold at current |Threshold at 1949-50 |Threshold as percentage|Tax free income<2> at |Tax free income at |Tax free income as |Break-even point<3> at |Break-even point<3> at |Break-even point<3> as
|prices |prices |of average manual |current prices |1949-50 prices |percentage of average |current prices |1949-50 prices |percentage of average
|earnings<1> |manual earnings<1> |manual earnings<1>
|£ |£ |per cent. |£ |£ |per cent. |£ |£ |per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single person
1978-79 |985 |171 |22.0 |985 |171 |22.0 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1989-90<4> |2,785 |214 |23.5 |2,785 |214 |23.5 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
Married man-no children
1978-79 |1,535 |266 |34.3 |1,535 |266 |34.3 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
1989-90<4> |4,375 |336 |36.9 |4,375 |336 |36.9 |n.a. |n.a. |n.a.
Married man-with two children<5>
1978-79 |1,735 |300 |38.8 |2,002 |346 |44.7 |2,727 |472 |61.0
1989-90<4> |4,375 |336 |36.9 |5,129 |394 |43.3 |7,391 |568 |62.4
Married man-with four children<6>
1978-79 |2,035 |352 |45.5 |2,570 |445 |57.5 |3,836 |664 |85.8
1989-90<4> |4,375 |336 |36.9 |5,883 |452 |49.6 |10,407 |800 |87.8
<1> Average manual earnings are for full-time males aged over 21 working a full week.
<2> Tax-free income is defined as the tax threshold plus child benefit.
<3> Break-even point is the level of income at which income tax liability is equal to the money received through child benefit. It therefore gives the level of income above which the family pays more income tax than it obtains in benefits for children. Break-even
points are not appropriate for families without children.
<4> On the basis of the 1989 Budget proposals. Estimates of thresholds and break-even points as a percentage of earnings are provisional.
<5> Both children aged under 11.
<6> Two children aged under 11, one aged between 11 and 15 and one aged 16 or over.
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the reductions in income tax liabilities, at 1989-90 income levels, of the proposed 1989-90 allowances, thresholds and rates in relation to the 1978-79 regime indexed to 1989-90 showing (a) the number of tax units, (b) the total amount of reduction and (c) the average reduction per tax unit for the top 1 per cent., 5 per cent., 10 per cent. and 20 per cent. of taxpayers and the bottom 1 per cent., 5 per cent., 10 per cent., 20 per cent. and 50 per cent. of taxpayers.
Column 20
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answer 10 May 1989] : The information is given in the table. I regret that estimates for the bottom 1 per cent. and the bottom 5 per cent. of taxpayers are not available. Child tax allowances, which were being phased out in 1978-79 have been excluded from the comparison. The estimates are based on the projection of the 1986- 87 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional.
Column 19
Reductions in income tax liabilities in 1989-90 compared with the 1978-79 indexed tax regime
Point of income |Number of units<2> paying|Total reduction in tax |Average<3> reduction in
distribution<1> in |tax in 1989-90 |compared with the |tax compared with the
1989-90 |1978-79 indexed regime |1978-79 indexed regime
|'000s |£ million |£ per year
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top 1 per cent. |210 |5,450 |25,340
Top 5 per cent. |1,070 |9,030 |8,400
Top 10 per cent. |2,130 |11,290 |5,250
Top 20 per cent. |4,260 |14,200 |3,320
Bottom 10 per cent. |2,130 |370 |120
Bottom 20 per cent. |4,260 |900 |170
Bottom 50 per cent. |10,650 |3,730 |320
All taxpayers |21,300 |23,260 |1,030
<1> Based on numbers of tax units expected to pay tax in 1989-90.
<2> Married couples count as one unit.
<3> Average reductions are calculated by reference to the estimated number of tax units who would be liable to pay tax under the
indexed 1978-79 regime, this number is some 1,200,000 greater than the numbers paying tax in 1989-90, some 900,000 in this income
range below £5,000 and 300,000 in the range £8,000-£10,000.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Legal Aid (South Yorkshire)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Attorney-General how much has been paid each year at current prices in the county of South Yorkshire during the last 10 years, from the legal aid fund ; how many Queen's counsel, junior counsel and solicitors have received such payments in each year ; and if he will show in his answer what percentage this is of the national expenditure in such payments.
The Attorney-General : This information is not available in the form requested. Regional data are available only by circuit or Crown court (in the case of criminal legal aid in the higher courts) and by legal aid area (in the case of all other forms of legal aid).
Mr. Colin Wallace
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Attorney-General if he plans to prosecute Mr. Paul Foot and Mr. Colin Wallace for offences under the Official Secrets Act in relation to the publication of the book "Who Framed Colin Wallace?" ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Consideration is being given to the contents of the book.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
South Africa
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the South African Government urging the ending of the state of emergency.
Mrs. Chalker : We have made many representations calling on the South African Government to lift the state of emergency. Similar representations have been made jointly with our European partners, most recently on 20 April this year.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and the lifting of the restrictions imposed on recently released detainees in South Africa.
Mrs. Chalker : We have made frequent representations to the South African Government, urging that all those detained without trial should be charged or released unconditionally.
Advertising
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much advertising air time his Department purchased with each commercial television company in each of the last five years.
Column 21
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Tropical Forests
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to veto EEC schemes which would aid the destruction of the tropical forests ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : We oppose schemes in developing countries where environmental concerns are likely to be dealt with inadequately or which have unacceptable environmental costs ; however, we do not have a veto on Community aid projects as they are decided by qualified majority. We favour the use of aid available under the Community's programmes for measures to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests.
Rain Forest Conservation
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list those projects for which development aid has been provided to assist in rain forest conservation by Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will list the amount of development aid provided by Her Majesty's Government to assist in rain forest conservation in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will list the amount of development aid per project, the nature of the project, and to whom aid has been provided by Her Majesty's Government to assist in rain forest conservation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : Details of the Overseas Development Administration's activities to protect rain forests are given in a supplement to the December 1988 issue of "British Overseas Development", copies of which are in the Library.
Identifiable expenditure on bilateral aid for all types of forestry for the calendar years 1983 to 1988 was :
Expenditure by £ thousands
|Overseas Development |Commonwealth Development|Total
|Administration |Corporation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |2,103 |2,502 |4,605
1984 |4,360 |1,968 |6,328
1985 |5,825 |1,217 |7,042
1986 |7,329 |7,973 |15,302
1987 |6,449 |3,490 |9,939
|(not yet
1988 |available) |3,391
Expenditure on training and some other technical co-operation in the forestry sector could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when assessments are made of the effects of providing aid for rain forest conservation programmes ; what is the latest assessment ; what consideration is being given to increasing the funding of such projects ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : The Overseas Development Administration's projects in the forestry sector are closely
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monitored by our project managers and specialist advisers. We have made no general evaluation of the impact of our rain forest conservation activities but we are nonetheless very much aware of the local and global importance of rain forests. As part of our forestry initiative we have identified more than 20 countries where there are good prospects for new British aid-funded activities to promote all types of forestry. We are increasing our funding for forestry research and are encouraging British charities to put forward more forestry projects for joint funding.Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cost benefit analysis has been undertaken of the most effective methods of assisting rain forest conservation by Her Majesty's Government ; what conclusions were drawn ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chris Patten : The Overseas Development Administration has not undertaken any general cost benefit analysis of methods of assisting rain forest conservation. We discuss with individual Governments their countries' needs and Britain's ability to help. Potential projects are subject to economic, social and environmental appraisal.
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