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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 1 December 1989
DEFENCE
Laser-guided Bombs
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any information regarding the storage of (i) Paveway II and (ii) Paveway III laser-guided bombs in the United Kingdom by the United States Air Force.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I understand that the 48th tactical fighter wing at RAF Lakenheath is currently the only United States formation in the United Kingdom whose aircraft are equipped with laser-guided bombs. It is not our practice to release information concerning the storage of weapons at particular locations.
Air-portable Reinforcement
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to discuss with the United States Secretary for Defence the future deployment into the United Kingdom of United States Air Force air- superiority fighters and long-range air-lifters capable of sustaining an air-portable reinforcement policy, instead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's current large-scale American ground forces.
AWE Aldermaston
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Army unit was used recently to test the security systems at AWE Aldermaston.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Finance
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the calculation of the additional refuse collection charge for mixed hereditaments following the introduction of the commu-nity charge.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The introduction of the community charge should have no effect on the calculation of the refuse collection charge for mixed hereditaments. Local authorities will continue to be able to recover a reasonable charge for dealing with such waste, making due allowance for its domestic content.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give estimates on the basis of assumptions on which his draft revenue support grant distribution report (England) is based of (a) the average long-run poll tax, (b) the average poll tax with safety nets
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and special grants and (c) the average rate bill per adult for 1989-90 plus 4 per cent. for each county and metropolitan area, and for each region, showing outer London, inner London and the rest of the south-east separately.Mr. David Hunt [holding answer 28 November 1989] : The information requested has been placed in the Library. The figures are consistent with the exemplifications in the consultation paper which my right hon. Friend issued on 6 November.
Bottle Banks
Mr. Crowther : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any guidelines have been issued to local authorities concerning the establishment of bottle banks.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 28 November 1989] : No formal guidelines have been issued to local authorities concerning the establishment of bottle banks. The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee has issued a guide to the provision of bottle banks, and the glass industry, through the main companies involved in glass recycling, and the British Glass Manufacturers' Association offers extensive advice to local authorities.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Student Loans
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated cost of the loans scheme in the years 2000, 2005 and 2010.
Mr. Jackson : On the assumptions made in the White Paper "Top-up Loans for Students" Cm. 520, the estimated net cost of the scheme is some £13 million in 2000 ; in 2005 there is estimated to be a net saving of some £37 million rising to some £49 million in 2010. For the estimated cost of the scheme on different assumptions I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 2 November 1989 at columns 53-74. .
Means-Tested Grants
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would be the estimated cost of abolishing means-tested grants and the paying of full grant to all students in full-time advanced education.
Mr. Jackson : The cost of abolishing means-testing under the existing mandatory awards system would be approximately £400 million in the current academic year. The cost of extending non-means tested maintenance grant to all full-time higher education students, other than postgraduates, would be of the order of a further £60 to 90 million per annum.
Southwark School, Nottingham
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what response he has made to the letter from the head teacher of Southwark junior school, Old Basford, Nottingham.
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Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend received a letter from Miss E. M. Howse, the head teacher of Southwark junior school, Old Basford on 16 November 1989. A reply will be sent shortly.Child Abuse
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what figures he has for how many cases of suspected child abuse were reported by teachers in the years 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Such figures are not centrally available.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prison Workshops
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prison workshops at each London prison that are working and the number of inmates employed in such workshops as at 20 November.
Mr. Mellor : A total of 413 inmates were employed on 20 November as follows :
Workshops |Inmates
|employed
------------------------------------------
Holloway
Textiles |12
Pentonville
Tailoring |43
Contract services |35
Wandsworth
Laundry |79
Heavy textiles |60
Brushmaking |30
Contract services |26
Tailoring |25
Textiles |22
Woodwork (joinery) |15
Wormwood Scrubs
Engineering (3 shops) |44
Tailoring |11
Central cutting unit |11
Prisoners (Security)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the governor of Wakefield prison as to why Mr. John Michael Dunn is being held in hospital in conditions of security less stringent than those applied to his imprisonment ;
(2) if the implementation of fresh start has resulted in changed procedures or practice relating to the security arrangements for prisoners serving life sentences who are temporarily admitted to hospital ;
(3) what guidance he issues to prison governors with regard to the security of prisoners serving life sentences who are temporarily admitted to hospital.
Mr. Waddington : In determining the precise arrangements to be made when a prisoner has to be taken out of prison in order to receive hospital treatment the governor acts within guidance which emphasises the need to have full regard to security requirements in the particular case. "Fresh Start" has not altered this requirement. I understand that in the case to which the hon. Member refers, the governor's decisions while the prisoner was in
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hospital were based entirely upon consideration of the needs of security and that he has explained the circumstances fully to the hon. Member.Local Government Act 1966
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the present position of the Government with regard to section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.
Mr. Waddington : I am presently considering the scrutiny report with a view to ensuring that section 11 grant meets more effectively the needs of the ethnic minorities. I hope to be in a position to announce the results of that consideration in the not too distant future.
TRANSPORT
Road Accidents
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents involving under-age drivers occurred in the Bolton area during each of the past three years ; and how many fatalities resulted from such accidents.
Mr. Atkins : The information requested is given in the table.
Accidents involving under-age drivers Bolton district council area 1986 to 1988 C -------------- 1986 |28|0 1987 |21|1 1988 |26|0
Ormskirk Bypass
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will appoint consultants to recommend a route for the proposed Ormskirk bypass on the A59 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I expect to invite competitive bids from consultants for this scheme early next year ; and to seek the public's views on possible routes within two years of appointing a consultant.
Hazardous Cargoes
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions since May 1979 legislative changes have been introduced in arrangements for the road and rail transport of toxic and inflammable chemicals arising from reviews of the rules in place.
Mr. Atkins : Six for road transport. British Rail produces its own conditions of acceptance which are broadly in line with existing international provisions.
Driving Tests and Licences
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to change regulations governing driving tests and licences ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Atkins : There are a number of issues currently under consideration which will require changes to driver testing and licensing regulations. These are : the first EC directive on driver licensing which was the first stage bringing driver licensing and testing into line and introduced a Community driving licence ; the second EC directive which will harmonise driver licensing and testing throughout the Community ; and the White Paper "The Road User and the Law" (Cm. 576) which proposed compulsory re-testing of offenders. Copies of these documents, and consultation papers issued about them, have been placed in the Library.We are about to consult on the detailed regulations needed to meet our obligations under the first directive, and to pave the way for the introduction of the more acceptable provisions in the second directive which is still to be negotiated.
We are also about to consult on the detailed proposals for the introduction of compulsory training for all new riders of motorcycles and mopeds under the Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Act 1989. This will replace part I of the current two-part motorcycle test.
Buses (Deregulation)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the deregulation has had on the levels of bus patronage.
Mr. Portillo : Between 1985-86 and 1988-89, there was a 10 per cent. fall in the number of passengers carried on local bus services outside London, in line with the long-term historic decline. However, real costs per vehicle mile fell by 30 per cent. over the same period, enabling operators to increase mileage by 18 per cent., reversing the long-term trend of declining service levels.
Road Freight
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to reduce the amount of freight carried by road.
Mr. Atkins : The volume of freight carried by road is a reflection of the lorry's flexibility in terms of goods carried, destinations reached and the timing and planning of journeys. It is for Government to ensure that fair conditions for competition exist between the different modes of transport ; but customers must then be free to choose for themselves. Where the transfer of goods from road to rail or inland waterway is shown to provide clear and worthwhile environmental benefits, grants may be paid.
Road Lighting
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many lives have been lost in accidents on unlit stretches of motorway in the last 10 years.
Mr. Atkins : During the last 10 years, a total of 634 people died as a result of road accidents on unlit sections of motorway during the hours of darkness.
In greater detail, the requested information is as follows :
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Number of fatalities on unlit sections of motorway
Unlit Lighting
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Year |Daytime |Darkness |present |All other|Total
|but unlit|condi-
|during |tions
|hours of
|darkness
1979 |71 |60 |0 |70 |201
1980 |83 |56 |1 |66 |206
1981 |100 |67 |1 |55 |223
1982 |61 |62 |0 |83 |206
1983 |81 |54 |0 |52 |187
1984 |72 |61 |0 |78 |211
1985 |90 |70 |0 |81 |241
1986 |86 |82 |1 |79 |248
1987 |122 |63 |1 |97 |283
1988 |97 |59 |1 |84 |241
M25 (Service Stations)
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorway service stations there are on the M25 (a) north of the Thames and (b) south of the Thames ; and when he expects more such service stations to be in operation.
Mr. Atkins : There is currently one motorway service area operational on the M25 ; this is north of the Thames at South Mimms. Three others are proposed. One is under construction at Thurrock just north of the Dartford crossing. It is hoped that it will begin operating next year. Our proposals for services at Clacket lane near Westerham, Kent are well advanced but await the outcome of legal proceedings by one of the landowners affected by the scheme. I recently announced a new search for a suitable site in the western quadrant of the M25 ; our original proposals for a service area at Iver have been dropped as they were not compatible with proposed widening of the motorway. I will make a further announcement about this in due course.
Learner Drivers
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many serious injuries or deaths are believed to have resulted in the last 10 years from accidents involving learner drivers under supervision of licence holders with less than 12 months' experience.
Mr. Atkins : The information is not available.
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the present regulations governing the supervision of learner drivers ; and what are the regulations operating in other member states of the European Community.
Mr. Atkins : The present regulations require supervision by a driver who holds a full licence. A number of member states of the European Community allow only professional instruction. In others, there are varying requirements as to the age and experience of the supervisor.
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the law governing the supervision of learner drivers.
Mr. Atkins : I am reviewing urgently whether there is a case for making changes in the law governing the supervision of learner drivers.
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Oil (Discharges from Ships)
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions his Department brought for illegal discharges of oil from ships in United Kingdom waters between 1978 and 1988.
Mr. McLoughlin : Figures prior to 1983 are not readily available. Since 1983 no prosecutions have been brought by the Department which until April 1988 had to rely soley on reports by passing ships and aircraft. Because these proved to be insufficient to link slicks positively to particular ships, limited regular air surveillance patrols of United Kingdom waters by a specialist oil detecting aircraft of the Department's marine pollution control unit were then instituted on a trial basis. The development of the conduct of these patrols continues but it is too early to say whether they will lead either to ships being detected in the act of illegal discharge at sea or to successful prosecutions. Evidence of alleged offences in United Kingdom waters by passing non-United Kingdom ships has to be passed to the flag state of the vessel concerned. They cannot be prosecuted by Her Majesty's Government.
Salvage
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many salvage agreements were entered into for the salvage of Government-owned wrecks and cargoes for the last 10 years for which information is available ; and what were the names of the wrecks and cargoes covered by these agreements ;
(2) how many successful salvage operations were carried out on Government- owned wrecks and cargoes in the last 10 years for which information is available ; what were the names of the wrecks and cargoes on which these operations were carried out ; and what were the sums accruing to the Government as a result.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 30 November 1989] : Information on the total numbers of salvage agreements entered into in the last 10 years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Those that resulted in successful operations are as follows. The total sum accruing to the Government from these wrecks is £5,884,880.
Vessels
HMS Edinburgh
SS Glenartney
SS Shirala
SS Camberwell
SS St. Cecilia
SS Ballarat
SS Emaeus
SS Fantee
SS Tarquah
SS Karina
SS Pegu
SS Oronsa
SS Manipur
SS Sheenandoah
SS Kyma
SS Somali
SS Aldershot
SS Colorado
SS Riverdale
SS Alice Marie
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PRIME MINISTER
Downing Street Offices
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Prime Minister what is her estimate of (a) total costs, and (b) numbers employed in (i) the Prime Minister's Department, (ii) the Prime Minister's press office, (iii) remainder of 10 Downing street establishments in the latest available year and the increase in each since 1979.
The Prime Minister : The total cost of maintaining and running my office in 1988-89 was £6,533,712. However, since 1979 there have been several developments which have affected the way in which the costs are assessed, including :
introduction of charging for aircraft by the Ministry of Defence in 1981-82 ;
abolition of the CPRS in 1983, and the absorption of some of its staff within the No. 10 policy unit ;
introduction of charging for buildings and services by the PSA in 1983-84 ;
introduction for charging of service personnel at Chequers by the MoD in 1984-85 ;
changes in the allocation of charges for the Government car service in 1984 -85 ;
inclusion of costs of office services from 1986-87 ;
inclusion of the cost of redecoration of certain State Rooms and of major and security works in 1988-89.
When the effects of these developments are excluded (as far as it is possible to do so) and the result expressed in constant price terms, the cost has decreased by some 4 per cent. between 1979-80 and 1988-89.
The costs of my press office were not recorded separately before 1987-88 ; in 1988-89 these amounted to £419,326, an increase in constant price terms of 3.4 per cent. over the previous year. The total number of staff in my office at present is 68, including eight in the press office, compared with 71 in 1979.
Rail Travel
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions she has travelled officially on a British Rail train within the past 12 months.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the Official Report, 27 November 1989, column 92.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Prime Minister what is the average cost of answering (a) a written and (b) an oral parliamentary question.
The Prime Minister [holding reply 30 November 1989] : As many questions have to be transferred, we do not calculate these items specifically here. As a guide, I refer the hon. Member to the Official Report, 14 November 1989, column 172, which sets out average figures for all Government Departments.
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