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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 17 January 1990
TRANSPORT
Merchant Shipping
146. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of British merchant shipping capacity.
Mr. McLoughlin : There are encouraging signs that the worst of the decline in world shipping in recent years is over. British operators are among the most entrepreneurial and cost-effective and should be well placed to take advantage of the improved opportunities.
Hydrography
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the cost of hydrographic work carried out on behalf of his Department by (a) the Royal Navy and (b) the private sector ;
(2) if he will list the number of marine surveys ordered by his Department for the last five years.
Mr. McLoughlin : In 1989-90 the civil hydrographic survey programme is expected to cost about £6.3 million, of which about £2.1 million represents contracts let to the private sector, £2.8 million surveys undertaken by the Royal Navy survey flotilla, and £1.4 million work undertaken by the Royal Navy personnel in commercially chartered ships. The numbers of surveys undertaken in the last five years are 1985-- 21 ; 1986--18 ; 1987--21 ; 1988--20 ; 1989--15.
NAVTEX
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those countries whose NAVTEX is fully operational and those which are not, together with the implementation dates.
Mr. McLoughlin : NAVTEX services are fully operational in the following countries : Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.
NAVTEX services are operational in parts of, or under trial in, the following countries : Bulgaria, Canada, China, Egypt, France, United States of America and USSR.
NAVTEX services are planned in the following countries, with an indication of the implementation date, where known : Bahrain, Bermuda, Cameroon, German Democratic Republic, India, Israel, Italy (1990-93), Korea (August 1993), Japan, Spain (1990), Thailand and Uruguay.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that EEC countries implement the NAVTEX broadcast requirements.
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Mr. McLoughlin : The United Kingdom, through its participation in the worldwide navigation warning system and membership of the International Maritime Organisation NAVTEX co-ordination panel, is actively encouraging the development of NAVTEX both within the EEC area of interest and on a worldwide basis.
Pilotage Commission
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Pilotage Commission to be wound up.
Mr. McLoughlin : For reasons beyond its control the Pilotage Commission is not yet able to complete the winding up of the former pilotage authorities' affairs. It is therefore not yet possible to say when the commission itself will be wound up. The Department and the commission are considering what can be done to expedite the process.
Horne Report
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has made of the effects of pot-holes and poor road standards upon cyclists ; if he will reconsider his decision not to implement the Horne report ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The Department has not undertaken specific studies of this sort. It did publish a local transport note last June entitled "Making Way for Cyclists", which gives detailed guidance to local authorities and others on a range of planning, design and legal aspects of providing for cyclists, and emphasises the importance of proper inspections and maintenance.
King's Cross Railways Bill
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail about how it proposes to justify to him, for investment authorisation, expenditure on the works covered by the King's Cross Railways Bill ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : British Rail's investment at King's Cross will need to be justified according to the normal criteria agreed between the Department and the board.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information British Rail has presented to him, for investment authorisation purposes, in relation to its anticipated revenues in connection with expenditure on the works contained in the King's Cross Railways Bill, in relation to (a) projected revenues from additional services on existing lines to King's Cross and (b) revenues from planned services on new lines for which parliamentary approval will be required and has yet to be sought ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : British Rail has not yet sought authorisation from the Secretary of State for its proposed investment at King's Cross.
Departmental Policies
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to assess the environmental friendliness of his Department's policies.
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Mr. Atkins : The Department pays close attention to the environmental implications of its policies and many have a directly beneficial effect. For example, we are taking steps to control vehicle emissions ; we build new roads to relieve congestion and bypass communities ; and we are supporting massive investment in public transport. We shall be making an important contribution to the White Paper on the environment to be published later this year.A5 Bypass
Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is now able to say when he expects to announce the preferred route for the north-south A5 Dunstable bypass ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : Comments made during public consultation and the new national road traffic forecasts have made it necessary to reconsider our original proposals. Further consultation may be necessary, but we hope to announce a preferred route for the bypass by the autumn.
Severn Estuary
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest timetable for the construction of a second highway crossing of the Severn estuary.
Mr. Atkins : We are currently considering tenders and remain on course to provide the second crossing by the mid-1990s.
THE ARTS
Arts Funding
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will estimate the contribution to arts in the metropolitan area of (a) the Arts Council and (b) the London local authorities ; upon what items this money is principally spent ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Luce : I am advised that in 1987-88, the last year for which complete records are available, the Arts Council's grants to arts bodies in the London area (excluding the national companies) was £26.7 million. This sum was spread across the entire spectrum of art forms : music, drama, dance, literature, and the visual arts. Figures for local authority spending on the arts are more difficult to isolate. The Policy Studies Institute, however, has estimated that spending by local authorities on the arts in London for 1988-89 totalled some £42 million, of which £28 million went to arts premises and promotions, and £14 million in grants to arts organisations.
Televised Performances
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Minister for the Arts what discussions he has held with national opera houses and theatres on increasing the number of televised performances.
Mr. Luce : It is for the companies themselves to decide on these matters. It is, however, the policy of the Arts Council to encourage the televising of performances in order to promote access to the arts. In addition, many new operatic productions are now broadcast on the radio. Between the two media, there were 15 broadcast productions in 1989 ; nine from the royal opera house, and six for English national opera.
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EDUCTION AND SCIENCE
National Curriculum
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science pursuant to his answer of 8 January, Official Report, col, 487, what guidance he has issued to the National Curriculum Council about how much of a school's curriculum it should prescribe in its circulars to schools.
Mrs. Angela Rumbold : None. The Education Reform Act requires all maintained schools to provide a basic curriculum consisting of the national curriculum for all pupils of compulsory school age and religious education for all registered pupils at the school. Neither my right hon. Friend nor the National Curriculum Council has the power to prescribe what else is taught in schools, nor how the timetable is arranged.
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on circular No. 6 of October 1989 from the National Curriculum Council on the subject of the whole curriculum.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has received one representation concerning the place of religious education and worship in the whole curriculum.
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to change the remit of the National Curriculum Council.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the remit of the National Curriculum Council which is set out in section 14 (3), (5) and (6) of the Education Reform Act 1988.
Teachers' Pay
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any long-term plans to improve teacher remuneration.
Mr. Rumbold : The Government's policy is that teachers' pay should be such as to enable the maintained school system to recruit, retain and motivate sufficient teachers of the required quality, within what can be afforded.
Teacher Shortages
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his Department's current figures for teacher shortages in England and Wales ; and if he will set out his answer in tabular form giving details for individual local education authorities.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 21 December 1989 to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) at columns 353-55. Data for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
WALES
Earnings
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his estimate is of the average earnings in the valley communities.
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Mr. Peter Walker : Information is not available below county level.Language Teachers
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified teachers there are in the high schools of the local education authorities in Wales of (a) Welsh, (b) German, (c) French, (d) Spanish, (e) Italian and (f) Latin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : Provisional estimates of the numbers of secondary school language teachers holding a post A-level main subject qualification are shown in the table :
Subject |Number of
| Teachers
----------------------------------------
Welsh |1,100
German |300
French |1,000
Spanish |100
Italian |100
Classical Languages |200
Teachers possessing a qualification in a particular subject will not necessarily be teaching that subject. The figures are obtained from the Welsh secondary staffing survey conducted in February and March of 1989.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will call a conference of local education authorities' parent-teacher associations and teacher unions to consider the need to increase the number of qualified foreign language teachers in Welsh high schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : No. The future pattern of demand for language teachers can be clearly determined in the light of the provisions of the national curriculum.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he has taken to increase the number of qualified secondary teachers of (a) Welsh, (b) German, (c) French, (d) Spanish, (e) Italian and (f) Latin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The future demand for language teachers is being taken fully into account when setting the intakes to initial teacher training, in the revision of the criteria for initial teacher training courses and in planning the LEA in-service training grant scheme and education support grants.
Business Rate
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the levying of the uniform business rate in Wales on properties open for only part of the year as a result of seasonal trade.
Mr. Peter Walker : Such property will be liable for non-domestic rating for the days on which it is used for non-domestic purposes and is entered on a local non-domestic rating list. Property used for non-domestic purposes can include property which is open all the year around, and also property where paying guests are not admitted out of season but where rooms are maintained in preparation for non-domestic use in the next holiday
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season. Where, however, the off-season use becomes domestic (for example, where the proprietor's family occupies the property for domestic purposes), the property is not rateable and should be deleted from the rating list for that period.Valuation of seasonally operated properties will take into account seasonal patterns of trade. The assessment of a hotel or guest house in an isolated tourist location can take into account the likelihood that winter trade may be minimal or non-existent. The pattern of trade is taken into account by the valuation officer in his valuation of a range of properties including hotels, guest houses, public houses and holiday cottages.
Occupiers of seasonally operated properties which are liable to rates for any period will have their rate liabilities calculated in accordance with the Welsh non-domestic rating multiplier for the year. For the financial year 1990-91 that multiplier has been set at 0.368, or 36.8p in the pound.
Mental Health Strategy
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements are under consideration for the all-Wales mental health strategy at the conclusion of the current 10-year programme.
Mr. Grist : We assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the all- Wales mental handicap strategy, as our all-Wales mental illness strategy was launched only last year and does not have a set 10-year programme. The Welsh chapter of the Government's White Paper "Caring for People" indicates that there will be a full review of service development and of the framework provided by the mental hanicap strategy in 1991-92. This review will help to inform consideration of future arrangements for mental handicap services.
A465
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the timetable for making the A465, the Heads of the Valleys road, a continuous dual carriage highway throughout its entire length.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : There are no plans for dualling the Heads of the Valleys section of the A465. The position is being reviewed as part of the south Wales traffic study, which will be completed towards the end of 1990.
A470
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the timetable for the completion of the Pentrebach bypass, and other bypass work, to take the A470 round Merthyr Tydfil.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The A470 Pentrebach-Cefn Coed improvement is programmed to start in the period April 1991 to March 1994. Construction is expected to take two years.
Agricultural Land
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average price paid for the following agricultural land in Wales during 1989 (a) lowland, (b) marginal and (c) hill land ; what were the corresponding figures for each of the last 10 years ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Peter Walker : Information is available only on the basis of land grade. The average price paid for agricultural land of five or more hectares in vacant possession is shown in the table :
Average land prices (£): Reported in 12
months ended September
|Grades |Grade 3|Grades
|1 and 2 |4 and 5
----------------------------------------
1979 |2,593 |2,368 |1,607
1980 |4,351 |3,240 |2,181
1981 |4,504 |3,117 |2,027
1982 |3,353 |3,119 |1,792
1983 |3,002 |3,443 |2,079
1984 |4,801 |3,816 |2,427
1985 |5,512 |3,705 |2,070
1986 |4,238 |3,642 |2,213
1987 |3,292 |3,171 |2,196
1988 |4,376 |2,906 |1,604
1989 |5,065 |3,680 |3,627
Note: Grades 1, 2 and 3 approximate to
the lowland areas, grades 4 and 5 to
the less-favoured areas of marginal and
hill land. There is a lag between
agreeing a sale and reporting it which
means that prices reported in the 12
months ended 30 September generally
related to sales agreed in the previous
calendar year.
ENVIRONMENT
Disabled People (Housing)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the need for purpose-built bungalows for disabled people.
Mr. Chope : No such estimates are made. Generally the Government favour the design of housing, of whatever kind, which is accessible to the disabled and convenient for them to use. We aim to enable people with disabilities to lead, as far as possible, an independent and active life without having to move to specialised accommodation or institutional care. New grant arrangements coming into effect in April will facilitate adaptation and improvement works to help those who become disabled to remain in their existing homes.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to prohibit the disposal of consumer durables containing chlorofluorocarbons to landfill.
Mr. Trippier : The Government have at present no plans to do so, although the Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned an intensive study of the problems associated with the use of CFCs which is being carried out by Coopers and Lybrand. Further action will be considered in the light of that report. In addition, various pilot schemes are being undertaken by individual local authorities, some in conjunction with industry.
EC Housing Ministers
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the meeting of EEC Housing Ministers held in Lille in December.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The meeting was arranged by the French Government with a view to establishing direct links between Housing Ministers from the EC member
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states. Almost all member states were represented, most at ministerial level, and discussions were cordial and productive. At the conclusion of the meeting it was unanimously agreed that similar meetings should be arranged annually, by the country holding the EC presidency for the second half-year, and that nationalAdministrations should make the necessary arrangements to prepare for them.
Pollution
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by (a) location and (b) water authority the sites that suffered from toxic pollution due to blue-green algae, caused by phosphates and nitrogen from sewage and farming entering public reservoirs ; and if any successful prosecutions have been made.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : There were 53 sites in England where blooms of toxic blue-green algae were identified in 1989. The causes of the blooms have not yet been determined, but the National Rivers Authority is investigating the issue.
Drought Orders
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by (a) water company and (b) location those areas where drought orders still remain in force in England and Wales.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The table lists, by water company area, the drought orders currently in force in England (and that part of Wales served by Severn Trent Water), the locality or water supply source affected by each order and its expiry date. Orders affecting the supply area of Welsh Water are a matter for the Secretary of State for Wales.
Water company area and locality or water |Date of expiry of
supply source affected | Order
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Water Service Companies
Anglian
Ely-Ouse River, Essex<1> |28 February 1990
North West
Ullswater |31 January 1990
Bottoms and Teggsnose |31 March 1990
Lamaload |31 March 1990
Tytherington Boreholes |31 March 1990
Severn Trent
Tittesworth |6 March 1990
Clywedog Reservoir<1> |18 March 1990
Buxton |21 March 1990
Derwent Valley Reservoirs, Ambergate |6 April 1990
Homesford, Little Eaton, Church Wilne
Derby, Notts, Leicester |26 April 1990
Southern
North and West Kent and West and East
Sussex |20 January 1990
River Medway |31 March 1990
Kent Groundwater (No. 2) |31 March 1990
West and East Sussex |21 May 1990
Hardham (West Sussex) |31 March 1990
River Rother, Robertsbridge |31 March 1990
Plucks Gutter |31 March 1990
South West
River Torridge |29 January 1990
Avon Reservoir |21 January 1990
River Tamar |4 February 1990
River Tavy |26 January 1990
Venford Reservoir |4 February 1990
Devon and Cornwall |2 February 1990
River Axe, Whitford Bridge |10 February 1990
River Yealm |28 February 1990
Fernworthy Reservoir |28 February 1990
Colaton Raleigh Stream |23 February 1990
Challacombe Reservoir |22 February 1990
River Dart at Littlehempstead |28 February 1990
Upper Tamar Lake and Lower Tamar Lake |6 March 1990
Bude-Stratton Canal |7 March 1990
Leswidden Pool |19 April 1990
Yorkshire
Harrogate area |6 April 1990
Hebden Valley and Withens Clough |18 April 1990
Pennine Reservoirs |13 April 1990
Bradford Reservoirs |12 April 1990
Underbank Reservoir |18 April 1990
River Wharfe |30 April 1990
River Hull |22 June 1990
Lindley Wood Reservoir |1 June 1990
Statutory Water Companies
Eastbourne
Eastbourne |22 February 1990
River Wallers, Haven |24 April 1990
Folkestone
Folkestone |14 March 1990
Mid Kent
Mid-Kent |25 January 1990
West Kent
River Medway, Hartlake |4 February 1990
War Memorials
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial assistance his Department has given to the joint project being carried out by the imperial war museum and the royal commission on the historical monuments of England towards the national inventory of war memorials.
Mr. Trippier : The proposed joint project by the imperial war museum and the royal commission on the historical monuments of England is being supported by grants from the Leverhulme Trust, the Western Front Association and the Imperial War Museum Trust. With this support, the museum and the royal commission expect to be able to meet the full cost without the need to seek any additional funding from the Department of the Environment or any other Government source. The royal commission's day-to- day operations are, of course, largely funded through the grant-in-aid from the Department, which in 1990-91 will be £6.07 million. The grant-in- aid in 1990-91 to the imperial war museum from the Office of Arts and Libraries will be £9.6 million.
Home Improvements
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in which 10 local authority areas in the United Kingdom the Government have provided the largest sums of money for home improvement since 1979.
Mr. Chope : The table shows those local authorities in England which, between the financial years 1981-82 and
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1988-89, received the largest total amount of Exchequer contribution towards the cost of loan charges incurred by them in giving home improvement grants. Information for years prior to 1981-82 is not readily available. I refer my hon. Friend to the Secretaries of State for Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland for information relating to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Local authority |Total payment
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------
Birmingham |69,640
Liverpool |61,475
Manchester |58,713
Bradford |39,970
Leicester |35,480
Wirral |35,229
Wandsworth |34,526
Nottingham |31,543
Hammersmith and Fulham |30,957
Sheffield |29,952
Public Footpaths and Bridleways
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make regulations under sections 150 and 151 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to provide for charges to be made for anything done by a local authority in connection with public footpaths and bridleways.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We are presently considering whether, and if so how, the enabling power in the Act might be used in respect of charging for public path orders. No regulations will be made without full consultation with interested parties.
Environmental Assessment Directive
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to whom his Department has let the contract for monitoring the implementation of the environmental assessment directive.
Mr. Moynihan : My Department is currently considering tenders which have been received from invited organisations.
Town and Country Planning
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he plans to introduce legislation to consolidate town and country planning legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : It is hoped to introduce consolidating legislation prepared by the Law Commission into Parliament shortly.
Bathing Water Survey
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the "Bathing Water Survey" (1989 results).
Mr. Trippier : The results are at present being collated. I expect to place a report in the Library shortly.
Drinking Water
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the use of ozone as a purifier of drinking water within the EEC.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I understand that ozone is used to some extent in most member states while it is used extensively in France.Houseboats
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the desirability of introducing legislation to afford protection to those who reside on houseboats on canals and rivers ; what recent representations he has received on this matter ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The Department occasionally receives letters from hon. Members and the public about security of moorings for houseboat residents. We have no plans to introduce legislation providing statutory security of tenure for them.
Migrant Households
Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which data source is used to determine the number of households headed by migrants from the new Commonwealth and Pakistan in determining levels of rate support grants for local authorities.
Mr. Chope : The data source for the number of households headed by migrants from the New Commonwealth and Pakistan is the 1981 Census.
Homelessness
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any proposals to deal with the causes of homelessness.
Mr. Chope : The review of the homelessness legislation, published in November 1989, sets out the Government's proposals for tackling homelessness. Copies are in the Library.
Competitive Tendering, Kirklees
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by Kirklees metropolitan council in implementing the provisions of the Local Government Act 1988 in relation to compulsory competitive tendering of (a) refuse collection, (b) cleaning of buildings, (c) other forms of cleaning, (d) catering in schools and welfare roles, other forms of catering, (f) grounds maintenance, and (g) repair and maintenance of vehicles ; what are the projected annual savings as a result of competitive tendering for each of the services ; and when the successful tenderers will commence operating each of the services.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The dates by which local authorities are required to expose their services to competition under the terms of part I of the Local Government Act 1988 are prescribed in the Local Government Act 1988 (Defined Activities) (Competition) (England) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988 No. 1371). The dates by which Kirklees metropolitan borough council is required to expose services to competition in this way, and the progress in implementing those requirements is as follows :
(a) refuse collection--the date prescribed was 1 January 1990. I understand that the contract was awarded to
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