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ENERGY
Wind Energy
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what studies his Department has commissioned to identify suitable sites within the United Kingdom for harnessing wind energy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : My Department has commissioned two studies to estimate the potential number of sites. One study covers the whole of the United Kingdom and the other is making a detailed examination of the north of Scotland where the wind conditions are particularly attractive.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when the next review of priorities renewable energy research and development will take place.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Energy Paper No. 55, "Renewable Energy in the UK : The Way Forward", published in June 1988, laid out proposals for the development of renewable energy technologies. These are reviewed annually.
Landfill Sites
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the contribution that may be made by electricity generated from methane from household refuse landfill sites to the non-fossil fuel obligation.
Mr. Baldry : How they meet their respective obligations under the non-fossil fuel obligation will be a matter for the public electricity suppliers, subject to their duty under the Electricity Act 1989 to satisfy the Secretary of State or the Director General of Electricity Supply that they have made appropriate arrangements.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he last reviewed the use of methane from household refuse tips as a source of energy.
Mr. Peter Morrison : My Department is supporting a wide range of R and D with a contract value of over £1 million for work on methane from landfill sites. This includes work to optimise the extraction of gas from landfill sites and increase our understanding of the processes that lead to methane generation. We last reviewed our estimates of the contribution that such methane could make to United Kingdom energy supplies in October 1989. The figures, which are necessarily subject to considerable uncertainty, are given in the United Kingdom study for the intergovernmental panel on
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climate change. This report, "An Evaluation of Energy Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Measures to Ameliorate Them", was lodged in the Library of the House last November and will be published shortly as an energy paper.Energy Conservation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, further to his answer of 19 December, Official Report, column 117, to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) if he will give the number of projects of the building research energy conservation unit which are (a) completed and (b) under way for the domestic sector alone.
Mr. Wakeham : The numbers of projects under the energy efficiency demonstration and R and D schemes in the domestic sector which were managed by the building research establishment unit since 1979 are as follows :
(a) Projects completed--37
(b) Projects under way--27
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, further to his answer of 20 December, Official Report , column 310 , if he will give details of the initiative taken with the building societies in pursuit of a voluntary approach to energy audits.
Mr. Wakeham : My right hon. Friend the Minister of State announced an initiative on 9 June 1988 between the Energy Efficiency Office (EEO) and the Building Societies Association to help building societies promote energy efficiency to their customers. A letter giving details was sent at that time to all hon. Members. The initiative involved the publication of a leaflet by the EEO and the Building Societies Association for building societies to make available to their borrowers. The leaflet gives basic information on energy efficiency measures and finance, and invites recipients to send for "Your Home Energy Survey", a detailed information pack from the EEO which includes a home energy checklist to assist householders in carrying out a simple audit of energy efficiency measures in their homes.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give for the nine month periods ended September 1987, September 1988 and September 1989, for each region, the numbers of (a) community insulation projects or schemes, (b) draught-proofing jobs completed under community insulation, (c) loft insulation jobs completed under community insulation and (d) trainees and participant workers.
Mr. Wakeham : The following table gives the information that is available in respect of community insulation projects for the periods requested :
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Number of projects at enNumber of draughtproofinNumber of loft insulatioNumber of participant
September each year jobs comcompleteworkers/trainees at end of
September period each yeSeptembeSeptember each year
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1987 |1988 |1989
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Midlands |35 |35 |28 |7,054 | <1>- |7,884 |351 | <1>- |50 |505 |520 |271
London |34 |33 |12 |5,562 | <1>- |941 |501 | <1>- |39 |617 |610 |31
North East |25 |26 |18 |11,365 | <1>- |7,789 |509 | <1>- |202 |493 |508 |253
North West |48 |55 |45 |12,082 | <1>- |16,770 |467 | <1>- |148 |1,051 |1,240 |672
Scotland |61 |73 |71 |22,125 | <1>- |26,785 |3,061 | <1>- |1,374 |978 |1,122 |755
South East |47 |48 |23 |4,934 | <1>- |3,910 |954 | <1>- |192 |566 |523 |121
South West |34 |29 |16 |7,640 | <1>- |3,303 |1,274 | <1>- |372 |534 |461 |190
Wales |47 |46 |35 |11,201 | <1>- |10,328 |675 | <1>- |139 |1,047 |1,001 |338
West Midlands |50 |56 |26 |8,822 | <1>- |8,723 |812 | <1>- |178 |775 |875 |314
Yorkshire and Humberside |34 |36 |24 |12,668 | <1>- |10,951 |1,216 | <1>- |585 |679 |724 |351
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |415 |437 |298 |103,453|127,428|97,384 |9,820 |11,429 |3,279 |7,245 |7,584 |3,296
<1> Data could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.
PowerGen
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current status of PowerGen.
Mr. Baldry : PowerGen is currently a division of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Child Pornography
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the production and distribution of child pornography ; what action is being taken to provide extra resources to police forces to deal with this problem ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : We have received a number of representations drawing attention to the abhorrent trade in child pornography. The deployment of police resources to particular tasks is an operational matter for chief officers. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has increased the obscene publications branch from 12 to 18 officers specifically to deal with child pornography. Other officers of the Metropolitan police and other forces also deal with it in the course of other duties.
The Protection of Children Act 1978 (as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1988) makes it an offence to produce, possess or show indecent photographs, films or video recordings of children under 16, or to advertise their distribution or showing. The police can obtain warrants to enter and search premises and remove any indecent material. Maximum penalties for child pornography range up to three years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
There are already strong measures against child pornography, but we are ready to consider proposals for making them more effective.
War Crimes
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce the Government's intentions in respect of legislation to enable the prosecution of alleged Nazi war criminals living in the United Kingdom.
Mr. John Patten : I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16 January to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) at column 171.
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Emergency Control Centres
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the names of local authorities that do not currently meet guidelines laid down in his Department's circulars for emergency control centres.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from him on 18 December 1989 at columns 18-19.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has a target date for all local authorities to comply with his Department's emergency plans, including the provision of emergency control centres.
Mr. John Patten : No. The requirements for local authorities to make plans and to establish emergency control centres for civil defence purposes are contained in the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations which came into force in 1983. Progress in meeting these statutory requirements is monitored through the Government's planned programme for implementation of the regulations. As part of this monitoring scheme, targets for related activities are agreed annually with individual local authorities, taking into account the state of their preparedness at the time ; priorities which are set on a national basis after consultation with the local authority associations ; and the financial provision made centrally for grant in support of the civil defence functions. A report on progress up to October 1988 was published in January 1989 and a copy is in the Library. Advances on the position shown in that report are now being considered in the light of more recent information provided by local authorities.
Blundeston Prison
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the disturbances which occurred inside Blundeston prison, Suffolk, on 11 and 12 January.
Mr. Mellor : During the evening of 11 January a demonstration by prisoners in one wing spread quickly to two other wings. Damage was caused to fittings, furniture and windows and prison officers had to withdraw from two wings and the upper part of the third wing for a time, for their own safety. Police were deployed outside the prison, the other emergency services attended and staff from other prisons were sent in support in accordance with contingency plans and were held in readiness but not deployed. No inmates escaped. Prison staff regained
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control of two wings in about two hours and complete control had been restored by midnight, without injury to staff or inmates or structural damage.The regional director for the south-east region of the prison service is examining the cause of this demonstration, which is not immediately evident. Meanwhile, although no accommodation was lost, 24 inmates have been transferred to other prisons in the region for control reasons and work is almost complete on repairing the damage. This was an unpleasant incident and I should like to pay tribute to the professional way in which it was handled by local management and staff and to the other services concerned for their full and ready assistance.
Risley
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the Dunbar report into the Risley incident ; if he will place a copy of the report or a summary of findings in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : A summary including the list of recommendations resulting from the inquiry has already been placed in the Library, and action taken as indicated in the reply of my right hon. Friend the Member for Whitney (Mr. Hurd) to a question from the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Mr. Hoyle) on 25 July 1989 at columns 607-08.
Ambulance Services
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his most up-to-date information on which police authorities are involved in providing ambulance services ; and what is the number of man hours provided by each police authority.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The readily available information is that up to 12 January police forces had provided approximately the number of man hours shown in the table in assisting the ambulance service in their areas. Derbyshire ceased providing assistance on 3 January.
Approximate number of man hours
|Man hours
------------------------------------
Bedfordshire |23,900
Cheshire |1,500
Derbyshire |7,000
Dorset |14,800
Essex |2,000
Hampshire |8,500
Hertfordshire |40,000
Lincolnshire |2,900
Northumbria |27,600
South Yorkshire |38,500
Staffordshire |9,800
Surrey |1,700
Thames Valley |1,000
Warwickshire |1,300
West Mercia |14,500
West Midlands |54,500
West Yorkshire |29,200
I understand that in the Metropolitan police district about 460 officers are usually employed in each 24-hour period assisting the ambulance service.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the acting chief
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constable of the West Midlands as to the cost per police man hour of deploying the police on ambulance duties within the West Midlands police district.Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand that in the West Midlands the basic cost per officer per hour is about £16.60. Additionally charges for vehicle running costs, accommodation and overheads will be made.
Street Lighting
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the recommended types of street lighting for use in areas of social stress in cities.
Mr. John Patten : No. It is for highway authorities to satisfy themselves as to the adequacy of street lighting in their areas. However, we are anxious to know more about the link between street lighting and crime, and with the fear of crime, which is why we have contracted Southampton university to conduct a major study into these links in Wandsworth. Interim results from this study are expected to be available during April.
Nottinghamshire Police
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will grant the latest request for Nottinghamshire county police authority for extra numbers of policemen.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 23 November 1989 at column 12 that he had approved 26 of the 63 police posts for which the Nottinghamshire police authority applied with effect from 1 April 1990.
Birmingham Pub Bombings
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last discussed the Birmingham pub bombings case with the Director of Public Prosecutions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend has not discussed this case with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Shops Act
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to issue new guidelines to local authorities on the Shops Act.
National Television Licence Record Office
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the work of the national television licence record office at Bristol ; and why a letter sent to the centre on 20 November by the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish was still not replied to by 11 January.
Mr. Mellor : I understand that NTVLRO dispatched a reply to the hon. Member on 9 January, and told him this when he telephoned on 10 January. The break for Christmas and the new year did cause some delay in
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responding, and NTVLRO regrets that the customary interim reply had not been sent in this instance. Its procedures are being reviewed to deal with this.Immigrants
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the payment made in each year since the Act was brought into effect to local authorities in Wales under sectoion 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 relating to expenditure for Commonwealth immigrants by local authorities.
Mr. John Patten : The amount of grant paid to local authorities in Wales from the financial year 1983-84 onwards (the first year in which grant was claimed) is given in the table. The figures represent 75 per cent. of total section 11 expenditure in each year, the remainder being paid by the local authorities.
Financial Year |Grant (£) --------------------------------------------- 1983-84 |63,551 1984-85 |118,702 1985-86 |156,583 1986-87 |210,200 1987-88 |227,039 1988-89 |252,802
Police Efficiency
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss improvements in police efficiency.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Improvements in police efficiency is a subject which underlies all my right hon. and learned Friend's discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers, but he has no plans for a meeting on that subject specifically.
Crime, London
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what factors he ascribes the fall in the overall London crime rate and the rise in the London borough of Newham crime rate.
Mr. John Patten : Comparing the 12 months ending September 1989--the latest period for which figures are available--with the 12 months ending September 1988, shows an 0.8 per cent. increase in all recorded crime for London and a 1.6 per cent. increase for Newham. Only in respect of household burglary do the figures for the London borough of Newham show a notable increase while those for the rest of London show a fall.
Car Phones
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have been prosecuted for using hand-held car phones while driving in each year since such phones have been available.
Mr. John Patten : The available information relates to proceedings at magistrates' courts for all offences of careless driving and so on and is published annually in table 5 of "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales Supplementary tables". Information is not collected centrally about the circumstances of these alleged offences.
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Police Authority Land, South Yorkshire
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the locations of the proposed deals with supermarket chains to build on sites owned by the South Yorkshire police authority, in return for providing a free police station.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand that no such schemes have been agreed. South Yorkshire police authority has, however, discussed informally with property developers in Sheffield and Doncaster the possibility of providing, at the developers' expense, a small amount of accommodation for police use.
Firearms
Mr. Wiggin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for the most convenient recent period for which figures are available, the source of firearms recovered after their use in criminal activities, showing those (a) stolen from legitimate United Kingdom licence holders, (b) obtained abroad and illegally imported, (c) stolen from the armed services, (d) unlicensed weapons kept as war souvenirs, and (e) firearms legitimately owned by the criminal who possessed a firearms certificate or shotgun certificate relating to the weapon.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not collected centrally.
PRIME MINISTER
Canada
Q.87. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to Canada.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to visit Canada.
AIDS
Q208. Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the contribution of the Department of Social Security to the Government's strategy against AIDS and HIV.
The Prime Minister : Ministers in the Department of Social Security have carefully considered the implications of AIDS and HIV for the relevant benefits in consultation with the Department of Health. AIDS sufferers will benefit from the large number of measures recently announced as part of a package of benefit changes intended to improve the help available to disabled people. In particular, many who are in the advanced stages of the illness will benefit from the removal of the six-month qualifying period for attendance allowance for people with terminal illness. This also means that the income support disability premium may be paid sooner. This premium provides extra help to long-term sick or disabled people, currently £13.70 and increasing above normal uprating to £15.40 in April.
In addition to these measures, AIDS sufferers benefit particularly from the special disregard of payments from the Macfarlane Trust.
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Whales
Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if she discussed the killing of whales in the Antarctic by the Japanese at her recent meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister : The Japanese Government are well aware of the feelings of the British people about Japan's whaling activities, as was evident from my talks with Prime Minister Kaifu on 12 January.
Japan
Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her recent meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister : On 12 January I had talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Kaifu, followed by a working lunch. We discussed bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Japan, which are excellent, and a range of international issues, including East-West affairs, western assistance to eastern Europe, and developments in China and elsewhere in Asia.
Noise
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received in relation to noise pollution.
The Prime Minister : During the last 12 months I have received a number of letters concerning noise. In the main these have been concerned with noisy neighbours, noisy parties, construction noise and the use of motorcycles off the public highway.
Welsh Language
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Prime Minister whether an ability to understand and speak the Welsh language is a factor taken into consideration before any recommendation is made for appointment of Lord Lieutenants for the Welsh-speaking counties of Wales.
The Prime Minister : Yes, among other factors.
Trinity college, Cambridge
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what considerations she will take into account before making recommendations for the post of Master of Trinity college, Cambridge ; what consultations she proposes to undertake ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : Recommendations made to the Crown for this appointment, as in other cases, will take account of a range of qualities including intellect, experience and personality, following widely based and confidential consultations.
Ministers (Commercial Interests)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if she will publish the advice given to Ministers of the Crown on their private commercial and business interests.
The Prime Minister : The general principle was set out by the then Secretary of the Cabinet in a memorandum to the royal commission on standards of conduct in public life in 1975, a copy of which is in the Library.
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EH101 Helicopter
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Prime Minister if the progress of the anti- submarine warfare version of the EH101 helicopter programme is under regular review by and reporting to the Cabinet Office efficiency unit.
The Prime Minister : No. The efficiency unit works with all Departments to help secure improvements in the management of the public service, but individual programmes and projects are the responsibility of departmental Ministers.
Engagements
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
Mr. French : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 18 January.
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