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PRIME MINISTER
Billericay
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Billericay.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Kurdish People
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings with Kurdish groups and visits to Kurdish-speaking areas have been undertaken by Her Majesty's embassy staff in Ankara ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : The staff of Her Majesty's embassy in Ankara undertake visits to all parts of Turkey, including Kurdish-speaking areas, during the course of their duties, and maintain contact with groups representing a wide range of opinion.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings with Kurdish organisations and visits to Kurdish-speaking areas of Iraq have been undertaken by staff of Her Majesty's embassy in Baghdad since January 1988.
Mr. Waldegrave : The British embassy maintains contact with a wide range of groups and individuals in Iraq including some of Kurdish origin.
Since January 1988, diplomatic staff from the embassy have travelled frequently to Kurdish-speaking areas of Iraq.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have
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been received for the Kurdish people to be given observer status at the United Nations ; and if he will make a statement.Embassy (Iraq)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the commercial staffing section of Her Majesty's embassy in Iraq for each year since 1979.
Mr. Waldegrave : Before the February 1987 inspection, the commercial section of the British embassy comprised four United Kingdom-based and six locally-engaged staff. In 1987 the number was reduced to three and five respectively.
Pelagic Drift Net Fishing
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if Her Majesty's Government will agree to a moratorium on all high seas drift net fishing by 30 June 1992 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on an immediate ban on the practice of drift net fishing in the South Pacific ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : We are concerned at the effects of large-scale pelagic drift net fishing and are playing a constructive role in discussions on this issue. The European Community has competence in high seas fisheries policy.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the governments of Japan and Taiwan in respect of drift net fishing.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have made clear to the Japanese Government our concern at the effects of large-scale pelagic drift net fishing in the South Pacific, on both fish stocks and marine mammals and sea birds. We have no dealings with the authorities in Taiwan.
COCOM
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the United Kingdom representatives who sit on the COCOM commission ; and when it last met.
Mr. Maude : The COCOM regular committee meets in continuous session. The head of the United Kingdom delegation is Mr. H. Freeman, counsellor at the British embassy in Paris. The United Kingdom permanent, deputy and assistant delegates are Mr. M. Hentley, Mr. S. Shelly and Mr. S. Morgan.
HEALTH
Rating Reform
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of the registrar general and at what grade are engaged in providing population estimates to the Department of the Environment in respect of standard spending assessments and the population report relating to the introduction of the poll tax.
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Mr. Freeman : The registrar general has no staff engaged primarily to provide a service to the Department of the Environment in respect of the community charge as such. However, the OPCS population estimates unit, which provides population estimates to all central Government Departments and to local and health authorities, has seven staff, with the following grade structure :1 Grade 7 statistician.
1 Senior executive officer.
1 Assistant statistician.
2 Excutive officers.
3 Administrative officers.
Abortion
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will seek to obtain from the United States Government the number of abortions per state performed on girls aged 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 years, according to gestation, in each year since 1985 ; (2) if he will seek to obtain from the United States Government the number of abortions per state performed on women aged 18 to 24 years, 25 to 30 years, 30 to 35 years and 35 years and over, according to each gestational week, in each year since 1985.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I understand that the most recent federal abortion statistics for the United States were published in September 1989 for the years 1984-85. The data are collected and published by the centres for disease control (CDC), United States Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333. Some more recent abortion statistics were published in the CDC's morbidity and mortality weekly report on 29 September 1989 but not in the form requested.
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance staff in each region outside London have been suspended during the period of the current dispute ; for what period ; and how many have been reinstated.
Mr. Freeman : These statistics are not collected centrally and the situation fluctuates on a day by day basis. I advise the hon. Member to make inquiries to the region direct.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of London ambulance service personnel who have been suspended from duty in the last month ; how many received written warnings ; and how many have been reinstated.
Mr. Freeman : The management of the London ambulance service is the responsibility of the South West Thames regional health authority, to which I refer the hon. Member.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has had with representatives of ambulance workers in the last month.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Health met representatives of the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel on 14 November. The chief executive of the NHS has met national officers of the trade unions represented on the staff side of the ambulance Whitley councils on three occasions in an attempt to find a basis upon which negotiations might be resumed in the Whitley councils.
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Asthma
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to extend to asthmatics the same arrangements for free regular prescriptions that now apply to diabetics.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No. The Government's policy is to direct help with prescription charges to those who are likely to have difficulty in paying charges on financial grounds. More than 75 per cent. of prescriptions are now dispensed free of charge. To extend the small list of medical conditions which confer exemption from charges to include asthma would benefit only those whose income is above the qualifying threshold for low income exemption. This would not be making the best use of NHS resources.
Elderly People
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that a sufficient amount of the health services' resources to meet the increasing need are directed to the health care of the elderly.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for each health authority to develop detailed plans for the services that it will provide, and to decide the division of its resources between those services. The Department regularly scrutinises each regional health authority's plans, which include details of resource allocation, to ensure that all services, including those for elderly people, are developed with the guidelines which the Government have given to health authorities.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Telecommunications
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received representations concerning the working relationship between British Telecom plc and Mercury plc ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I receive numerous representations on telecommunications. Some refer to the working relationship between British Telecom and Mercury Communications, but this is essentially a matter for the companies.
Design Initiative
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what allocation of funds there is in the design initiative for (a) administration, (b) projects and (c) marketing and advertising.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There is no specific budget provision for the design initiative ; which is one of six demand-led consultancy options within the enterprise initiative.
Grants
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the annual figures in cash and real terms nationally and per region from 1978 to date for grants under each of (a) AMT Project Planning and
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Implementation, (b) Aid and Trade Provision, (c) Alvey Research Programme, (d) BTAS : Productivity Element, (e) BTAS : Quality Element, (f) BTAS : Support for Design, (g) BTAS : Support for Marketing, (h) Better Business Services (Scotland : Strathclyde ; Tayside), (i) Better Technical Services (Scotland : Strathclyde ; Tayside), (j) Business Improvement Services (England), (k) Business Improvement Services (Wales), (l) Exchange Risk Guarantee Scheme, (m) Feasibility Studies : Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) (n) Feasibility Studies : Biotechnology Technical Advice (o) Feasibility Studies : Microelectronics and Integrated Circuits, (p) General Investment support for Major Projects (Industrial Development Act 1982 : section 8), (q) Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme, (r) Investment Support for Biotechnology, (s) Investment Support for Fibre Optics and Opto-Electronics, (t) Investment Support for Microelectronics, (u) Iron and Steel Employees Readaptation Benefits Scheme, (v) Joint Appraisal Scheme, (w) Joint Opto-Electronics Research Scheme, (x) Overseas Projects Fund, (y) Quality Assurance Support Scheme, (z) Regional Development Grant, (aa) Regional Selective Assistance (Industrial Development Act 1982 : section 7), (bb) Shipbuilding Intervention Fund, (cc) Support for Electronics Manufacture, (dd) Support for Innovation, (ee) Support for Microelectronices Distance Learning Video Courses, (ff) Support for Software Products, (gg) Support for Training in Microelectronics Applications, (hh) Teaching Company Scheme and (ii) Training in Support of RSA.Mr. Forth : The information can be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
Mergers
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he intends to give general consents for share dealings following a merger reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission by way of exception from the prohibition in section 75(4A) of the Fair Trading Act, inserted by the Companies Act 1989.
Mr. Ridley : Yes. I shall today be giving a general consent to cover intra-group transactions and a copy of the consent will be placed in the Library of each House.
Mergers
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the negotiations on European Community merger control regulation.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I attended the internal market Council on 23 November 1989. Major progress was made on a number of important issues. It appears that member states are now happy with the question of criteria for reference. There has been general agreement about the threshold levels of 5 billion ECU world-wide turnover, 250 million ECU and 66 per cent. Community-wide turnover. The UK also received assurance that there would be no Council statement concerning any downward presumption about the nature of the review of thresholds in four years' time. It is the United Kingdom Government's view that this review should be conducted in four years' time in the light of the experience of EC merger jurisdiction and in the light
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of evidence about whether there are a larger number of mergers below the current threshold for EC jurisdiction which entail a significant EC-wide merger problem.There was active discussion about when and if there should ever be parallel jurisdiction for both the EC and the member states. There was general agreement that there should be exits from EC jurisdiction to cover prudential controls in the financial sector, public security interests and media issues. In response to a request from Germany there was a long discussion about whether there should also be a parallel authority for a member state to pursue competition issues within its own territory at the same time that the EC was considering the merger for European competition questions.
The United Kingdom put forward a compromise proposal which may form the basis for a conclusion on the whole subject, but this awaits a considered response from Germany. If a satisfactory conclusion is reached on this vital question of the single-stop shop, the United Kingdom and the other countries are likely to remove all their remaining reserves on other items of the package and agreement should then follow swiftly.
The United Kingdom managed to persuade the Council that the reciprocity clause should include unanimous voting in the event of any action or measure being contemplated under it, as the United Kingdom was naturally worried about any signals that might point in the direction of a fortress Europe.
There will be a discussion at the internal market Council on 21 December 1989 which may produce a result following the long-running debate on this very important measure.
ENVIRONMENT
Water (Disconnections)
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of domestic disconnections in the North-West Water region in each of the last five years.
Mr. Howard : The information requested by the hon. Member is shown in the table.
Household disconnections for
non-payment
|North West
---------------------------------
1984-85 |110
1985-86 |238
1986-87 |457
1987-88 |448
1988-89 |457
Reservoirs
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to direct water companies to permit public inspection of reports concerning the safety of reservoirs, especially in those cases where water companies are required to submit such reports to local authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : No. Under the Reservoirs Act 1975 county and metropolitan district councils are required as part of their enforcement role to keep public registers containing prescribed information about large raised
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reservoirs in their areas. The information includes a summary of the contents of all reports made under the Act. The registers provide the means by which members of the public can satisfy themselves that the requirements of the Act are being met and any safety recommendations made by inspecting engineers implemented.Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when a civil engineer last inspected Horton Bank Top reservoir in Bradford ; when their draft report was passed to Yorkshire Water ; when Yorkshire Water expects the completed report to be passed to Bradford metropolitan district council ; whether the public will be entitled to inspect the report lodged with Bradford council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : These are matters for Yorkshire Water as the owner of Horton Bank Top reservoir and for Bradford metropolitan district council as enforcement authority under the Reservoirs Act 1975. The register which the council is required to maintain will show when the reservoir was last inspected and give a summary of the engineer's report.
Councils (Privatisation of Functions)
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what regulations exist to prevent local government officers having the opportunity to draw salaries from privatised companies established by the West Wiltshire district council in addition to their district council salaries.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Under section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972, local authority officers are to be appointed on such reasonable terms and conditions, including conditions as to remuneration, as their appointing authority thinks fit.
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what regulations exist which prevent a district council from privatising parts of its function and then allowing a former chief executive from procuring it ;
(2) what regulations prevent a district council from disposing of part of its assets to former officers and bypassing tendering procedures.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : All local authorities are subject to a general fiduciary duty to their ratepayers in managing, and disposing of, their assets. There are no special rules on sales to former officers.
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from residents of west Wiltshire on the conduct of the former chief executive of West Wiltshire district council.
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had discussions with West Wiltshire district council regarding the circumstances under which West Wiltshire Holdings has been wound up.
Mr. Randall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department has identified the legislative loopholes which were exploited by the West
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Wiltshire district council in order to set up private companies which are now being investigated by the district auditor.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Part V of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 makes new provision for the regulation of local authority interests in companies.
Water Privatisation
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what payment has been agreed to firms acting as underwriters for the privatisation of water.
Mr. Howard : The aggregate commission rate on shares underwritten in the United Kingdom is 0.1731 per cent. An additional 0.625 per cent. commission is paid on such shares under the sub-underwriting arrangements. The composite commission rate on the United Kingdom underwriting is thus 0.7981 per cent., which is the second lowest rate on any Government privatisation. The commission rate on shares underwritten for the overseas offers is 1.2356 per cent. Full details of the underwriting are set out in the "Prospectus for the Water Offers", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Air Pollution
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many days for the latest year for which figures are available, air at each site where air pollution levels are monitored failed to meet the World Health Organisation safety level for (a) carbon monoxide, (b) nitrogen oxides and (c) ozone.
Mr. Trippier : World Health Organisation air pollution guidelines are meant to provide background information and offer guidance, and are not intended to set limit values or standards.
Data are not available on daily exceedances of WHO guidelines for carbon monoxide and ozone since these guidelines are expressed in terms of exceedances of concentration levels averaged over shorter periods of time-- one hour and eight hours. Data for these pollutants is therefore presented under these criteria.
The following data were obtained from the pollution monitoring network operated on behalf of the Department by Warren Spring laboratory, and covers the period January to July 1989.
Carbon monoxide (CO)
CO is monitored at two central London sites. One of these sites recorded 25 exceedances of the one-hour limit (25ppm) and two exceedances of the eight- hour limit (10ppm).
Nitrogen dioxide (NO )
NO is monitored at six urban and rural sites. Four of these sites recorded a total of 17 exceedances of the 24-hour limit (80ppb). Ozone (O )
O is monitored at 11 urban and rural sites. Exceedances were recorded at all sites ; a total of 669 for the one-hour limit of 76-100ppb and 3092 for the eight-hour limit of 50-60 ppb.
WALES
Chromic Acid Leak
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the watercourses between the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment and the sea which are affected when there is any discharge from that
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establishment (a) similar to the one which took place on Friday 17 November or (b) in the event of a more serious incident ; (2) what action has been taken by the Welsh region of the NRA following the discharge of chromic acid from the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in Cardiff on Friday 17 November ; (3) what acutal contamination was identified in each of the watercourses between the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in Cardiff and the sea following the discharge of chromic acid on Friday 17 November ;(4) what information he has about the discharge of chromic acid to the interceptor which discharges into Llanishen brook from the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in Cardiff on Friday 17 November.
Mr. Grist : There is only one receiving water course system from Atomic Weapons Establishment, Cardiff. The immediate receiving water is the Llanishen brook which enters Roath Park lake. The outlet from the lake forms the Roath brook which discharges into the tidal reach of the River Rhymney.
Prompt action by the National Rivers Authority and AWE staff on Friday 17 November resulted in containment of the chromic acid spill in the on-site surface water oil interceptor. The interceptor's contents were tankered off site during the early hours of Saturday morning. Slight seepage from the interceptor into the adjacent watercourse occurred. Samples taken showed the maximum concentration in the immediate watercourse to be 2 milligrammes per litre (mgl). This was not regarded by the National Rivers Authority as significant and did not affect Roath Park lake. However, as a precaution, NRA staff also took samples of the inlet stream to Roath Park lake which contained the following levels of chromium.
0.1 mgl at 2015 hrs. on 17 November 1989.
0.04 mgl at 1900 hrs. on 18 November 1989.
These concentrations are not regarded as significant.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the health and safety implications of any discharge of chromic acid into a watercourse ; and what is his assessment of the maximum safe level for (a) humans and (b) fish.
Mr. Grist : Chromic acid is an industrial chemical used in metal finishing and is in no way unusual. When diluted in a watercourse, the acid's corrosive properties would be greatly reduced, but it is the chromium content of chromic acid that would normally be of concern. National environmental quality standards (reflecting EC directives) have been set for chromium and are shown in the following table :
Salt Water --------------------------------------------------------------- Protection of salt water life |15AD All values given as microgrammes per litre. A = Annual average. P = 95 per cent. of samples. M = Maximum Allowable Concentration. D = Dissolved. T = Total. In line with the EC directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, the new Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 (S.I.1989 No. 1147) set a maximum concentration of 50 microgrammes of chromium per litre in drinking water.
Salt Water --------------------------------------------------------------- Protection of salt water life |15AD All values given as microgrammes per litre. A = Annual average. P = 95 per cent. of samples. M = Maximum Allowable Concentration. D = Dissolved. T = Total. In line with the EC directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, the new Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 (S.I.1989 No. 1147) set a maximum concentration of 50 microgrammes of chromium per litre in drinking water.
Salt Water --------------------------------------------------------------- Protection of salt water life |15AD All values given as microgrammes per litre. A = Annual average. P = 95 per cent. of samples. M = Maximum Allowable Concentration. D = Dissolved. T = Total. In line with the EC directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, the new Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 (S.I.1989 No. 1147) set a maximum concentration of 50 microgrammes of chromium per litre in drinking water.
Water Pollution
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give (a) the number of people in Wales who receive water from supplies granted relaxations to the lead standard under the Water Act 1989, (b) the location of each supply, by county, and (c) the number of people served by each of those supplies.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 10 November.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give (a) the number of people in Wales who receive water from supplies granted relaxations to the nitrate standard under the Water Act 1989, (b) the location of each supply, by county, and (c) the number of people served by each of those supplies.
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