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Pollution Inspectorate
40. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the proposed re- organisation of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has received some representations mainly from or on behalf of local authorities. They have been concerned primarily with the need to maintain existing lines of communication with inspectorate staff following implementation of the reorganisation proposals.
One of the objectives of the proposed reorganisation is to produce a more effective deployment of resources. The importance of effective links with local authorities is recognised and maintaining communication with them will be an essential element in developing the reorganisation proposals.
Young Persons (Housing)
41. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he takes to ensure that advice is available to a young person without a parental home looking to be housed in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Trippier : I can answer only for England. In the current year my Department will provide grants totalling nearly £700,000 to over 20 voluntary housing advice agencies. Many of these provide assistance to young people without a parental home.
European Council of Environment Ministers
42. Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the business of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June. 69. Mr. James Lamond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the
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ss of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June. 84. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the business of the forthcoming meeting of the European Council of Environment Ministers, which is to be held on 8 June.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for the Spanish presidency to decide on the agenda for meetings of the European Council of Ministers. It has not yet confirmed an agenda for the European Council meeting of Environment Ministers on 8 June.
Local Authority Housing
43. Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses and how many flats are owned by local authorities ; and what new proposals he has to extend the opportunity for them to become owner- occupied.
Mr. Trippier : In April 1988 local authorities in England owned some 4.5 million dwellings, about a third of them flats or maisonettes. Following the new discount scale for flats introduced in January 1987 sales of flats increased from 9 per cent. to 17.6 per cent. as a proportion of all sales. Tenants of both houses and flats have recently been helped to buy their homes by an increase in the maximum discount to £50,000 and by a new power to have rent deducted from the purchase price if the landlord delays the sale.
Lambeth (Council Housing)
46. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses owned by Lambeth council are currently empty.
Mr. Trippier : At 1 April 1988, the latest date for which figures are currently available there were 1,156 empty properties owned by the London borough of Lambeth. There are no separate figures for houses alone.
50. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council tenants in Lambeth were waiting for their applications to buy their homes to be processed at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Trippier : On 30 April 1989, according to figures supplied by Lambeth, 2,086 applicants were waiting for the council to take the next step in processing the sale of their homes, either by confirming the tenant's right-to-buy or providing a valuation.
Water Bill
48. Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what aspects will be covered in further leaflets on the Water Bill.
Mr. Howard : Possible subjects for future leaflets on the Water Bill are land, access and recreation ; and bathing waters.
63. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will seek to amend the Water Bill so that privatisation of the industry is based on the statutory water companies model.
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Mr. Howard : No. The 1986 White Paper "Privatisation of Water Industry in England and Wales" explained that we had rejected the statutory company model because it was an outdated method of operating a business. The controls on dividend and reserves do not give any incentive to achieve greater efficiency. We firmly believe that the plc company model with controls on prices and standards of service will provide a better and more efficient service, and will enable the privatised companies to develop in ways that will benefit their customers and investors alike.
Control of Pollution Act 1974
49. Mr. Heddle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action was taken to implement part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 (a) between its enactment and May 1979 and (b) since May 1979.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The main provisions of part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 were implemented between July 1984 and October 1986. These provided for more effective protection of inland surface and underground waters, the extension of controls to cover all coastal and estuarial waters and public involvement, for the first time, in the water pollution control system.
These provisions are to be re-enacted, and where appropriate, strengthened, in the Water Bill.
Prior to May 1979, only five relatively minor sections of part II were brought into force.
Housing (Ballots)
51. Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce a timetable for ballots in proposed housing action trust areas.
Mr. Trippier : Ballots will not take place until we are satisfied that tenants have had time to consider fully the consultants' reports on the areas and to put forward their own ideas for improving their estates.
Sports Facilities (Urban Areas)
53. Mr. Heffer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department is monitoring the number of outdoor recreational sports facilities in the urban areas of England.
Mr. Moynihan : This information is not held centrally. However, the regional offices of the Sports Council maintain records on the major sports facilities within their regions and the Sports Council is in the process of building up a sports facilities database for England.
Rent Arrears (Lambeth)
54. Mrs. Gillian Shephard : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of council rent arrears in Lambeth at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Trippier : A table showing the rent arrears outstanding to all English local authorities as at 1 April 1988 is in the Library.
Home Ownership
55. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what percentage home ownership has increased since 1979.
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Mr. Trippier : Estimates of numbers and proportions of dwellings in owner occupation in England in December 1979 and December 1988 appear in Table 2.22 of "Housing and Construction Statistics, Part 2", volume 36, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Developments (Restrictive Covenants)
56. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on covenants to restrict development ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend receives three or four applications each year under schedule 24 to the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 to discharge or modify agreements made under section 34 of the Town and
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Country Planning Act 1932 which restrict the planning, development or use of land ; some of these applications are opposed.Sewage Treatment Works
57. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of sewage treatment works failed their discharge consents (a) in May 1979 and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Howard : Information on sewage treatment works failing their consents was not collected by the Government in May 1979. Numbers of sewage treatment works in each water authority area in England and Wales that have numerical discharge consent conditions, numbers tested and non-compliance in 1986 and 1987, together with the figures returned by authorities for 1988 are as follows.
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Works in breach of
consent
Water authority Number Number tested Number Percentage of works
tested
|1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1986 |1987 |1988
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anglian |782 |760 |775 |774 |754 |748 |309 |260 |208 |40 |34 |28
Northumbrian |196 |182 |178 |196 |182 |178 |37 |27 |26 |19 |15 |15
North West |458 |448 |441 |458 |448 |441 |62 |55 |43 |14 |12 |10
Severn-Trent |773 |753 |808 |762 |742 |751 |179 |160 |112 |23 |22 |15
Southern |282 |274 |273 |282 |274 |271 |54 |39 |41 |19 |14 |15
South West |226 |226 |232 |188 |219 |228 |55 |65 |68 |29 |30 |30
Thames |374 |382 |378 |374 |379 |378 |67 |70 |60 |18 |18 |16
Welsh |803 |764 |710 |668 |611 |650 |112 |108 |107 |17 |18 |17
Wessex |272 |272 |272 |272 |270 |272 |39 |39 |16 |14 |11 |6
Yorkshire |380 |360 |360 |380 |351 |354 |88 |74 |61 |23 |21 |17
England and Wales |4,546|4,421|4,427|4,354|4,230|4,271|1,002|887 |742 |23 |21 |17
Water Quality (Barnsley)
58. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has recently received regarding the quality of water supplies in the Barnsley area.
Structure Plans (White Paper)
60. Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Oxfordshire concerning the White Paper on structure plans.
Mr. Howard : Representations have been received from Oxfordshire county council and South Oxfordshire district council, suggesting some minor modifications to our proposals for the future development plans. These comments will be considered, along with those received from other organisations and authorities, as draft legislation is prepared to implement the White Paper proposals.
Rating Reform
61. Mr. Watts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has of the relative effect of (a) a system of capital value rates plus local income tax and (b) the community charge on an average ward sister.
Mr. Gummer : Last year ward sister's earning £13,000 and living in properties valued at £40,000 would have paid on average about £450 in a system of capital value rates plus local income tax compared to £246 with the community charge.
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78. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had any representations to introduce a local income tax instead of the rating system and the community charge ; and what would be the amount payable in local income tax by a man on average earnings.
Mr. Gummer : Not surprisingly I have received hardly any representations in favour of a local income tax. Based on 1988-89 figures for local authority spending, the average local income tax rate needed in England would have been 6.4p in the pound. If the tax were at that level in a particular local authority area, the payment for a person on male average earnings, with only the single person's tax allowance, would have been about £650.
Football Identity Card Scheme
62. Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had with Lord Justice Taylor regarding the introduction of his Bill on football club membership cards.
Atmospheric Lead
64. Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of lead in the atmosphere is caused by lead in petrol.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : On 1 January 1986 the permitted lead content of petrol was reduced from 0.4 g per litre to 0.15 g per litre. The Warren Spring laboratory has been monitoring the effects of the reduction on the concentration of lead in the atmosphere for the
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Department. Its estimate, based on this work, is that currently 75 per cent. of the lead in the air is derived from lead in petrol.Sewage Works Discharge Consents
65. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest figure for the number of applications by water authorities for the relaxation of sewage works discharge consents.
Mr. Howard : On 7 December at column 199, I announced a capital programme costing around £1 billion to bring sewage treatment works into compliance with their discharge consents by March 1992. Water authorities may apply for time-limited discharge consents for these works to regularise current performance while improvements take place. Some 785 such applications have been received from English water authorities. A list of those sewage works for which these applications have been made has been placed in the Library of the House.
Plastic Packaging
66. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to discourage the use of non-recyclable plastic packaging.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for industry to develop products that meeet the requirements of consumers, bearing in mind energy use, the need to protect goods and prevent wastage.
Housing Action Trust, Sunderland
67. Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his most recent proposals concerning the designation of a housing action trust in Sunderland.
Mr. Trippier : My right hon. Friend announced on 16 March that detailed consultation would be carried out with tenants on the proposal to designate a housing action trust in Sunderland. This consultation process is under way.
Sports Facilities (Privatisation)
68. Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the effect of the privatisation of the management of sports facilities upon the public use of swimming baths and playing fields.
Mr. Moynihan : A number of local authorities have put the management of their leisure facilities out to competition. My Department does not have complete information on the impact of those decisions. However, to take one example, after eight months of private sector management at three leisure centres owned by Westminster city council, public use has increased on average by over 60 per cent.
Local Authority Housing Programme
70. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received about the proposed new arrangements for capital receipts and the impact these will have on local authority housing programmes ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Trippier : Over 450 responses were received to my Department's consultation paper "Capital Expenditure and Finance" and a number of further representations have been received following the introduction of the Local Government and Housing Bill. More than half of these have commented on the proposed arrangements for capital receipts in the new capital finance system. Those arrangements will ensure prudential provision for debt redemption when local authority assets are disposed of. They will also allow the Government to target resources efficiently on need, including the need for local authority housing programmes.
Tin Cans (Recycling)
71. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of tin cans are currently recycled.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is estimated that about 8 per cent. of the United Kingdom's consumption of tinplated steel cans was recycled in 1988.
Air Pollution
72. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many visits and inspections were carried out by the air pollution inspectors during the year 1988-89.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : In the year 1988-89, the air pollution inspectors made 8,542 visits and inspections.
Airport, Tinsley Park
76. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will change his decision not to call in for his determination the proposal for a STOL airport at Tinsley park, Sheffield.
Mr. Chope : No. The matter was given full and careful consideration before the Secretary of State reached his decision.
Countryside (Access)
79. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with organisations concerned about rights of access to the countryside.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : On 10 January I met a delegation from the Ramblers Association at which a range of topics relating to access to the countryside were discussed. I also met representatives of the Country Landowners Association on 21 February. Officials are in regular contact with all the organisations concerned with countryside access.
Sports (Drugs)
80. Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage the eradication of drug taking by British sports competitors.
Mr. Moynihan : The Sports Council funds the drug control and testing centre and conducts doping controls on behalf of and in co-operation with the governing bodies. In April 1988, following a report by Sebastian Coe and
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myself, the council introduced more rigorous procedures for doping control requiring random testing of competitors. This includes testing out of competition and collection of samples by independent sampling officers. I have proposed a European convention on the use of drugs in sport based on these procedures. This will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of European Sports Ministers in Reykjavik on 31 May and 1 June.Sport (Private Investment)
82. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the Sports Council in seeking to attract private sector investment into sport.
Mr. Moynihan : Private sector investment in sport in 1988-89 was £180 million. The Sports Council has played an important role in promoting the development of sponsorship.
Environmental Research
83. Mr. Patnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what amount spending by his Department on environmental research has increased over the past five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Ridley : Spending by my Department on environmental research, covering research on environmental protection, water, planning and local government, has increased by £7.8 million from £21.8 million in 1984-85 to £29.6 million in 1988-89.
Recreational Land
85. Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the amount of recreational land currently available for general community use ; what was the comparable figure 10 years ago ; and what steps he is taking to monitor the situation and ensure that the local authorities are able to provide for increased public participation in sport and recreation.
Mr. Moynihan : This information is not held centrally. However, some local studies have been undertaken and these suggest that in a number of areas gains in provision outweigh losses. The regional councils for sport and recreation work with the local authorities to increase participation in sport and to monitor the provision of recreational land. The regional councils seek to ensure that well used recreational land is retained for that purpose.
Marine Nature Reserves
86. Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many areas have been identified by the Nature Conservancy Council as suitable for marine nature reserves ; and when these reserves will be established.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Nature Conservancy Council has identified seven sites that, in its opinion, have the potential to be designated as marine nature reserves. One of these sites, Lundy Island, was designated as a marine nature reserve in November 1986. In view of the further scientific work that will be required, and the extensive consultation procedures that form a necessary part of the designation process, it is not possible to forecast when the other reserves might be established.
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8. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many marine nature reserves have been established since the enactment of the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : One marine nature reserve at Lundy Island, has been designated under the 1981 Act so far. Proposals for a second MNR, at Skomer and the Marloes peninsula, are currently being considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Planning and Development Policies
87. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to review planning and development control policies for the conurbations of England and Wales with a view to possible legislative adjustments.
Mr. Chope : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey).
Denis Wild-type Houses
91. Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce progress in encouraging building societies to advance mortgage loans on Denis Wild-type houses.
Mr. Trippier : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 April at column 584.
Schools (Sports)
92. Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the changes in the numbers of schools participating in swimming and sports activities in recent years.
Mr. Moynihan : This information is not held centrally.
Allotments
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by year for the last 10 years, how many hectares of (a) statutory and (b) temporary allotment sites have been granted outline planning permission ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : This information is not available.
Archaeological Investigations
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of Government funding is set aside to fund archaeological investigations.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This is a matter for English Heritage to determine, within its overall resources of grant-in-aid from this Department and other sources of income. In its budget of £72,399 million for the current financial year it has allocated £7.2 million for archaeological investigations and recording.
Ancient Monuments
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those sites where ancient monuments have been covered by planning decisions.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has no comprehensive information about the details of planning decisions made by local planning authorities. Information about planning decisions made by the Secretary of State, or decisions on scheduled monument consent applications, which have led to archaeological sites being covered by development could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.
Housing Action Trust, Lambeth
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much open space is included in the proposed HAT area in Lambeth ; and how much public open space will remain if the consultants' proposals for the HAT in this area are implemented.
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