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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 28 November 1989
CIVIL SERVICE
Malawi
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what aid his Department has given to the Government of Malawi either directly or through any other agency since 1979.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 27 November 1989] : It is not within the ambit of my Department's vote to grant aid to foreign Governments and none has been made.
THE ARTS
Libraries (European Information)
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts (1) whether he will list the United Kingdom library authorities which (a) are European business co-operative network intermediaries, (b) have European business co- operative network contracts and (c) subscribe to tenders electronic daily service ;
(2) how many library authorities have European information centres.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 27 November 1989] : No record of this information is maintained centrally.
ENVIRONMENT
Unleaded Petrol
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many United Kingdom filling stations have offered unleaded petrol for sale for the first time over the last 12 months ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is the total number of filling stations currently selling unleaded petrol in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : About 17,000 of the 20,000 petrol stations in the United Kingdom now stock unleaded petrol. In the last 12 months around 14,000 of these started selling the fuel for the first time. The United Kingdom has fully complied with the European directive that required member states to ensure the availability and balanced distribution of unleaded petrol from 1 October 1989. The dramatic increase in outlets has greatly assisted the
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successful campaign efforts of the Government, the private sector and voluntary groups, which have encouraged many motorists to switch to unleaded petrol during the year.Nitrous Oxide
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of nitrous oxide emissions will be reduced when the programme to fit low nitrous oxide burners to main United Kingdom coal-fired stations has been completed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The United Kingdom is committed under the EC large combustion plants directive, agreed in 1988, to reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from existing large combustion plants by 15 per cent. by 1993 and 30 per cent. by 1998. The Central Electricity Generating Board's programme of retrofitting low-NOx burners to its 12 largest coal-fired power stations, representing 23,000 MW of generating capacity, will make a major contribution to meeting this commitment.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects Britain to meet the levels of chlorofluorocarbon emissions agreed under the terms of the Montreal protocol ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The Montreal protocol requires consumption of chlorofluorocarbons to be cut to 50 per cent. of 1986 levels by 1999. We expect this to be achieved in the United Kingdom by the end of this year-- 10 years ahead of the protocol timetable. The United Kingdom is pressing for a strengthening of the protocol to cut CFC consumption and production elsewhere by 50 per cent. in 1991-92, by 85 per cent. in 1995-96 with a phaseout in 2000.
English Heritage (Chairman)
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to reappoint Lord Montagu as chairman of English Heritage ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : Since Lord Montagu's current appointment as chairman has until 30 September 1991 to run, my right hon. Friend will naturally not be taking a decision on the future chairmanship until much nearer the time.
Local Government Borrowing
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report his estimates for the amount of income from borrowing obtained by local government and the proportion these figures represent of total local government spending in England for each year since 1982.
Mr. Chope : The available information is as follows :
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£ million
|1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Local authority borrowing |42 |1,018 |2,246 |2,042 |1,703 |2,152 |2,588
(2) Gross capital expenditure |4,875 |5,569 |5,852 |5,298 |5,205 |5,919 |n/a
(3) Total gross expenditure |33,835 |36,533 |38,488 |40,242 |41,998 |45,479 |n/a
(1) as a percentage of (2) |0.9 |18.3 |38.4 |38.5 |32.7 |36.4 |-
(1) as a percentage of (3) |0.1 |2.8 |5.8 |5.1 |4.1 |4.7 |-
Page Street (Development)
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what access to Westminster hospital will be affected by proposals by the Property Services Agency to carry out development at Page street, London SW1 ;
(2) what correspondence he has received from Lord St. John of Fawsley on behalf of the Royal Fine Art Commission in relation to the proposed Property Services Agency development at Page street, London SW1 ;
(3) what objections he received from English Heritage in the case of the Property Services Agency's proposals for development at Page street, London SW1 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) what recommendations he received from English Heritage in the case of Berkely House's proposals for development at Thames house, Page street, London SW1 ;
(5) what representations the Government have received as to its proposed development by the Property Services Agency at Page street, London SW1 ;
(6) whether he has received objections to the proposed development by the Property Services Agency at Page street, London SW1 from the Westminster Society ; and if he will make a statement ;
(7) whether the Property Services Agency intends to apply for planning permission for the proposed development at Thames house, Page street, London SW1 ;
(8) which Government Departments will occupy Thames house following upon the proposed works by the Property Services Agency ; (9) why he waived listed building requirements in the case of the proposed development by the Property Services Agency at Page street, SW1.
Mr. Moynihan : The proposals by the Property Services Agency to carry out works to refurbish Thames house were considered by Westminster city council under the procedure for development by the Crown set out in DOE circular 18/84--"Crown Land and Crown Development". Listed building requirements were not waived. The views of English Heritage were given to the local planning authority and to the Property Services Agency during consideration of the proposals. Local residents' associations were consulted by the local planning authority and any representations made by them were taken into account. The agency is discussing the proposals with the secretary of the Royal Fine Art Commission and will take account of any comments to be made by the commission. The development will not affect access to Westminster hospital. The local planning authority raised no objections to the proposals. Arrangements have not been finalised as to which Departments should be
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accommodated in the building. There were no recommendations from English Heritage in the case of Berkely House's proposals.Council Housing
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any representations requesting permission for an inner-city housing estate to opt out of local authority control.
Mr. Chope : The tenants' choice provisions of the Housing Act 1988 give public sector tenants the opportunity to choose a new landlord. The Housing Corporation has the responsibility under the Act to provide information, advice and assistance to such tenants and to consider applications for tenants' choice landlord approval. Applications are decided by a ballot of the tenants concerned. One tenants' choice application has been made so far. Many other tenant groups and potential new landlords are in discussion with the Housing Corporation.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has any operational schemes to promote home ownership in the inner cities.
Mr. Chope : Yes. Sales to sitting tenants under the right to buy remain buoyant ; the Housing Corporation has this year allocated 65 per cent. of its programme of new housing association low-cost home ownership projects to designated urban stress areas and local authorities have been given new powers to make grants to help tenants move out into homes of their own. A total of 39 authorities are now operating cash incentive schemes. Subject to proper safeguards, authorities in areas of particular housing pressure will be allowed to offer tenants more generous assistance than now. In 1990-91 the Housing Corporation will introduce a tenants' incentive scheme, enabling housing associations similarly to help their tenants buy homes of their own. Cash incentives are an important new tool by which local authorities and housing associations can secure vacancies for reletting to homeless people while helping existing tenants reach the goal of home ownership.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what initiatives his Department has taken since June 1987 to encourage tenants to buy their council homes.
Mr. Chope : The right to buy has been improved, with higher maximum discount, a modified cost floor rule, and a procedure under which tenants can be compensated if the landlord holds up the sale. Houses let by one right-to-buy landlord to another have been brought within
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the right to buy, and it has been extended to tenants of housing for disabled people outside sheltered schemes. New housing for elderly people, outside sheltered schemes, will shortly be brought within the right to buy. These changes help more tenants to buy their homes.Local Government Finance
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will calculate the financial effects on commercial and industrial concerns in (a) Colne Valley constituency, (b) Kirklees metropolitan district council and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside region resulting from the introduction of the unified business rate, and what is his estimate of the likely effect in employment in these areas resulting from the introduction of the unified business rate.
Mr. Chope : The Inland Revenue sample survey of the effects of the uniform business rate and of the non-domestic revaluation, the results of which were published in July, suggested that the aggregate of non-domestic rate bills in the Yorkshire and Humberside region would fall by £80 million (10 per cent.) in real terms in 1990-91 and by £210 million (25 per cent.) a year in real terms once the new system was fully in place. No information is yet available at sub-regional level. I have made no estimate on the likely effect of these changes on employment.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in order of administrative cost the various options available under current legislation for payment of the community charge.
Mr. Chope : Under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, chargepayers with a full-year liability must be offered the facility of paying their charge by 10 monthly instalments. Authorities will have a discretion to offer smaller, more frequent, instalments if they wish and to offer appropriate discounts to those who choose to pay in a single lump sum.
There are no statutory requirements on the method of payment chargepayers may offer. The Audit Commission's 1986 report "Improving Cash Flow Management in Local Government" listed the cost of different payment methods as follows :
|Pence per
|transaction
-------------------------------------------------
Direct Debit |12.9
Standing Order/Bank Giro |20.5
Postal remittance |28.5
Cash collection |50.5
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent pre-school nursery education provided by local education authorities is taken into account in his calculation of standard spending assessments in respect of the poll tax.
Mr. Chope : The standard spending assessment for education is a measure of the appropriate amount of revenue expenditure consistent with providing a standard level of service, taking account of each authority's social, demographic and geographical characteristics. It takes no account of the actual provision of services, such as pre-school nursery education, by each authority.
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Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why, in calculating the standard spending assessments for poll tax in respect of children at risk, he decided to take account only of children of lone parents and children of claimants of income support.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend did not. The children-at-risk indicator also takes account of the number of resident children aged under 18 years of age, and the proportion of children aged under 16 living in private households in rented accommodation. The selection of these indicators is based on recent research conducted by the personal social services research unit at Kent university and was the subject of consultation with the local authority associations.
Population Statistics
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the basis for each of his estimates of population in paragraph 4 of his population report laid under paragraph 2 of schedule 12A to the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
Mr. Chope : The estimates of population referred to in paragraph 4 of the draft population report would be used only in the calculation of the relevant population of a charging authority in certain limited circumstances.
The estimates in paragraph 4 are based on the best information available to the registrar general, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security as appropriate.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why he decided to use population figures at 30 June 1988 in respect of setting revenue support grant for April 1990 to March 1991 ; and what factors prevent a date nearer to the introduction of poll tax being used.
Mr. Chope : These figures are the latest annual estimates of the resident population compiled on a consistent basis for all local authorities by the registrar general. They are available for the age groups used to define the client groups for particular local authority services in the calculation of standard spending assessments.
Pollution Control
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to introduce marketable permits to increase pollution control effectiveness.
Mr. Trippier : There are no plans to introduce marketable permits for the purposes of pollution control, but their use and effectiveness in other countries, notably the United States of America, is under study.
Environmental Protection
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to incorporate the concept of inter-generational equity into decision-making within his Department in respect of policy towards environmental protection.
Mr. Trippier : The United Kingdom comments on the report of the world commission on environment and
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development (known as the Bruntland report), published in July 1988, accepted the report's definition of sustainable development as development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (para 2.1). The comments also indicated that, whilst there could be no quarrel with this as a general definition, the key issues were now how to translate the concept into practice, how to measure it, and how to assess progress towards its achievement. It was concern over this point that led the Department of the Environment to commission the Pearce report which was published under the title "Blueprint for a Green Economy" in September this year. I believe that the Pearce report makes an important contribution to our understanding of the requirements for sustainable development, including the need to safeguard the well-being of future generations.Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current complement of the environmental protection statistics and economics branch of his Department ; whether he has plans to increase the complement ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The environmental protection statistics and economics division was split on 1 November 1989. There are now two divisions known as the environmental protection statistics division (EPS) and the environmental protection economics division (EPE) respectively. The professional complements of the two divisions are as follows :
Environmental Protection Statistics division (EPS)
1 Chief statistician
3 Statisticians
1 Senior assistant statisticians.
Environmental Protection Economics division (EPE)
1 Senior economic adviser
3 Economic advisers.
The support staff consists of one higher executive officer, one executive officer, one administrative assistant and two personal secretaries.
The complement of the two divisions is under continual review in the light of new developments. However, the senior economic adviser's post was newly created with effect from 1 November and one of the economic adviser posts was transferred from another division on the same date.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last received representations advocating a free market solution to environmental problems.
Mr. Chris Patten : I receive a wide range of representations. Recent engagements have included my address to the CBI's national conference on 20 November in which I stressed that private enterprise was essential to meeting the challenges of environmental protection.
Pearce Report
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the statement in the Pearce report that unfettered free markets will not solve environmental problems.
Mr. Trippier : The Pearce report suggests that
"unfettered markets will tend to over-use the services of natural environments".
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The correction to this tendency is to be sought by proper and appropriate valuation and pricing of these services together with effective regulation and monitoring.Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be in a position to review his detailed response to the recommendations within the Pearce report.
Mr. Trippier : The detailed response to the Pearce report will be an integral part of the work leading up to the publication of the White Paper on the environment in the autumn of next year.
Benzene
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research is presently being undertaken on behalf of the Government to examine the possible health implications of benzene in the atmosphere.
Mr. Trippier : The toxic effects of exposure to high concentrations of benzene in the air are well understood, but possible consequences to health of exposure to low levels of benzene are less well understood. A monitoring study funded by the Department has recently been completed and has increased our understanding of the levels of benzene to which the public may be exposed. The Government's health advisers will be asked to consider the evidence on exposure to benzene in the atmosphere and advise on its implications for public health.
Defective Housing
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, following the recent decision by Liverpool city council to repurchase defective dwellings of the Boot and Boswell type, whether he will provide extra financial assistance to Liverpool to help resolve the problem.
Mr. Chope : Liverpool city council received an additional HIP allocation of £545,000 in 1989-90, specifically to help it meet its housing defects obligations. Housing investment programme allocations to individual local authorities for 1990-91 will be announced in early December. In taking decisions on the level of allocations to authorities, my right hon. Friend will have regard to the total needs of each authority for housing capital expenditure, including the need for expenditure on housing defects.
Environmental Groups
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he considers the political stance of the environmental groups with which he has discussions before meeting them.
Mr. Chris Patten : No ; nor do they seem to consider mine.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the environmental groups with which he has had discussions since taking office.
Mr. Chris Patten : I have met the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Countryside Commission, the European Environment Bureau, the Institute for European Environmental Policy, Friends of
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the Earth, the Nature Conservancy Council, the royal commission on environmental pollution and the National Trust.Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on meeting environmental groups whose philosophy is against the free market.
Mr. Chris Patten : The same as it would be with any other group which held such views : I argue with them.
Oxfordshire
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the community charge paying population of Oxfordshire has been calculated.
Mr. Chope : Details of the proposed method of calculation were set out in the consultation paper issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November.
In general, the relevant population of a charging authority for 1990-91 will be based on the numbers of people shown on the community charges register on 1 December 1989, as subject to a personal community charge or a collective community charge of that authority.
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out for each of the last five years that sum which his Department judged appropriate for Oxfordshire county council to spend to provide a reasonable level of service and the amount actually spent by Oxfordshire county council.
Mr. Chope : The amount my Department considered appropriate for Oxfordshire to spend and the actual total expenditure for Oxfordshire in the past five years are as follows.
|Grant related |Latest reported
|expenditure |total expenditure
|£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |180.220 |175.373
1986-87 |189.659 |192.623
1987-88 |200.008 |203.556
1988-89 |216.081 |227.906
1989-90 |226.794 |242.075
The total expenditure figures shown are outturn figures, with the exception of 1989-90 which is based on Oxfordshire's budget returns.
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gave to Oxfordshire county council last year concerning the use of its reserves.
Mr. Chope : I am not aware of any such advice having been given.
Public Sector Pay
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of any increase in teachers' pay for next year is included in the sums that he is making available to local authorities for next year.
Mr. Chope : In making proposals for the amount it would be appropriate for authorities to spend on education, my right hon. Friend made full allowance for an increase in teachers' pay in line with the remit given to the interim advisory committee by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science.
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Steel-framed Houses
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet a delegation of hon. Members and Peers in connection with steel- framed houses.
Mr. Chope : No, but I hope that the hon. Member will take up my suggestion that he should visit the building research establishment and meet the experts who have been responsible for the BRE steel-framed house research programme.
East Anglia
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now in a position to publish for consultation his draft regional guidance for the future strategic planning of East Anglia ; and if he will make a statement on the representations he has received from local authorities including the standing conference of East Anglian local authorities.
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