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Mr. Chope [holding answer 29 January 1990] : Assumed 1990-91 community charges to the nearest pound for every
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charging authority in England were placed in the Library on 11 January. The assumed charge for Northampton is about £294 after the safety net. County councils will not set community charges. The basis of calculation of the assumed charge is set out in the Revenue Support Grant Transition Report (England).I have today placed in the Library a table showing for each charging authority in England the increase in community charge, in pound per adult and percentage terms, for a one percentage point increase in spending from the 1989-90 figure, over and above the 4.64 per cent. increase allowed in calculating assumed charges. This shows separately the effect of increases by precepting authorities, including county councils, and by charging authorities.
Gipsies
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites for gipsies, and for what numbers, are currently provided in the London borough of Bromley.
Mr. Chope : I understand there is presently one authorised site, providing accommodation for 22 families.
Angell Town Estate
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will approve proposals for estate action housing expenditure for the Angell Town estate.
Mr. Chope : The Department wrote to Lambeth on 1 February 1990 inviting the council to develop further its proposals for a scheme on this estate to be supported by estate action expenditure in 1990-91.
Palace of Westminster
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the damage to the fabric of the Palace of Westminster as a result of the recent storm on 25 January and of its implications for the programme of cleaning and restoration.
Mr. Chope : An assessment of the damage to the fabric of the Palace of Westminster by the recent storm was started as soon as the winds abated. Initial investigations suggest that major damage has been limited to the loss of one pinnacle on the central tower. In falling it caused some damage to roof areas and a window. Work requiring immediate attention has been put in hand.
Until the full results of the investigations are received I am unable to say whether this will have any impact in the programme of cleaning and restoration, but all the indications are that the programme for the work to the Victoria Tower will be unaffected.
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has considered the effect on the eyesight of persons working in the Palace of Westminster resulting from diminished light availability because of dirty stonework on the inner courtyards.
Mr. Chope : The level of lighting, whether natural or artificial, provided for those working within the Palace of Westminster is considered sufficient to meet the required standards.
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Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has considered the effect on the health of persons working in the Palace of Westminster resulting from dirty stonework on the inner courtyards.Mr. Chope : The minimisation of health risks to persons working in the Palace of Westminster is always of paramount concern. I am not aware, however, of any evidence that there have been any health problems caused by the condition of the stonework in the inner courtyards.
Hertfordshire County Council
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out a table showing for each year since 1984-85 the expenditure of Hertfordshire county council in (a) cash terms and (b) constant price terms.
Mr. Chope : The information is as follows :
Table file CW900205.003 not available
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet received the manpower watch return for Hertfordshire county council for the third quarter of 1989.
Mr. Chope : These returns are collected by the Local Authorities Conditions of Service Advisory Board (LACSAB) on behalf of the joint staffing watch (previously the joint manpower watch). I understand that Hertfordshire county council has not yet provided a return for the third quarter of 1989.
Glis Glis
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 25 January, Official Report, column 781, if he will place in the Library details of the specific conditions applied to the licence for trapping glis glis and, when available, the written report on the licences required by him.
Mr. Trippier : I have placed in the Library a sample copy of one of the current licences to trap glis glis. I will write to the hon. Member with details of the returns from the local authorities when they are available.
Environmental Labelling
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. King) on 9 January, Official Report, column 589, (1) if he will estimate the cost of establishing and running the advisory group to study further an environmental labelling scheme and (2) (i)
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how many individuals will serve on the advisory body, (ii) how many civil servants will support the advisory body and (iii) will the members of the advisory body be (a) full or part-time and (b) salaried.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The answers are :
(1) no more than £10,000 in 1990-91 to cover travel and subsistence costs of the group's members ;
(2) (i) the composition of the group is not yet finalised, but is expected to include some 12 members ;
(2) (ii) support from officials is not expected to exceed the equivalent of half a full-time post ;
(2) (iii) (a) part time ; (b) unsalaried.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the cost to business of complying with the Government's product eco -labelling scheme.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : It is not possible to give any estimates of cost since we are still in the early stages of discussing an eco-labelling initiative at the EC level. We are clear, however, that companies' participation in an eco-labelling scheme should be on a voluntary basis, and any charges made will have to be commercially acceptable if their participation is to be secured.
Nirex (Waste Disposal Site)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on Nirex's plan to establish a new site for waste disposal in the north ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In March last year the Government accepted Nirex's report on the development of a deep disposal facility for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste. A copy of the report is in the Library of the House. Nirex is currently awaiting the result of a planning application for the drilling of test boreholes at Dounreay. At Sellafield, the local planning authority has recently approved an application to drill a second investigatory borehole. Only when these site investigations are complete will Nirex be able to submit proposals for a substantive development.
Waste Management Conference
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department will be represented at the Waste Management 90 conference to be held in Tucson, Arizona, between 25 February and 1 March.
Mr. Trippier : We are not aware of this conference, but would be interested to see the details if the hon. Member would care to provide them.
Mortgage Rates
Mr. Clive Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average gross mortgage rate of the building societies from March 1974 to May 1979 ; and what was the same rate from June 1979 to January 1990.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The estimated average gross mortgage interest rates of building societies for the periods March 1974 to May 1979 and June 1979 to October 1989 are 10.8 per cent. and 12.4 per cent., respectively.
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Water Act 1989
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total value of land and assets privatised under the Water Act 1989 ; and what were the net proceeds of the sale.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Information on the assets of all the water holding companies was set out in the water share offers prospectus in November 1989. I will report the proceeds of the water share offers and associated costs to Parliament shortly.
Public Footpaths
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward proposals to increase significantly the severity of sanctions against developers who proceed with works which render public footpaths unusable without securing the necessary legal authority to stop up or divert the path.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Any failure of developers to observe the proper procedures in respect of public rights of way is to be deplored, but powers are already available to enable authorities to take appropriate action in such cases and we are therefore not convinced that further legislation is necessary.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has as to the (a) quantities and (b) locations of low- level radioactive waste dumped in England outside of Nirex sites ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is his policy on allowing the dumping of radioactive wastes on sites overlying major aquifers ;
(3) what is his policy on permitting the dumping of radioactive waste in ordinary sites close to centres of population ;
(4) what mechanism of public consultation is available before dumping of radioactive wastes can proceed on sites which have been given planning permission for domestic landfill.
Mr. Trippier : Any waste disposal site licensed by a waste disposal authority under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 may receive low-level radioactive waste where such a disposal method is authorised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. Such authorisations impose strict conditions and activity limits and are issued only after careful assessment is made of the environmental impact of proposed disposals, including any possible impact on water supplies, to ensure that doses to the public are below the maximum permissible limits as recommended by the International Committee on Radiological Protection. Consultation with local and other public authorities is required by the Act before authorisations are issued to non- nuclear premises where the disposal requires special precautions to be taken by any local or public authority.
The Department does not maintain a central record of the quantities of low- level radioactive waste disposed of through local disposal routes nor of specific disposal locations. However, a condition of authorisation requires waste producers to keep proper and detailed records relating to their disposals. These records as well as the
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premises or sites concerned are subject to scrutiny by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution inspectors and in cases where a disposal requires special precautions to be taken, both Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and local waste disposal authorities are notified by the operator of the nature and destination of individual consignments of radioactive waste due for disposal.Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what notification he has received as to the quantities of radioactive waste to be dumped at Arpley Meadows, Warrington.
Mr. Trippier : The quantities of low-level solid radioactive wastes proposed to be disposed of at Walton Arpley landfill site are as follows :- -
i. less than 3.5 gigabecquerels per annum of radionuclides of a half-life not exceeding one year ; and
ii. less than 1.0 gigabequerels per annum of carbon 14 and tritium.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received over the disposal of low-level radioactive waste at Arpley Meadows, near Warrington.
Mr. Trippier : There have been four representations made to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution of my Department on the proposals to authorise the disposal of low-level solid radioactive waste at Walton Arpley landfill site. No technical objections have been raised and my Department is fully satisfied that the proposals are sound.
Sewage Treatment
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sewage treatment plants in England and Wales use the root-zone method to reduce river eutrophication.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The root-zone method of sewage treatment is claimed to be a cost-effective treatment of sewage for small communities. In the United Kingdom it is not primarly used to control the discharge of nutrients and is not noticeably better in this respect than conventional sewage treatment.
I understand that there are currently some 35 trial or test sites in England and Wales at which the process is being evaluated.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance is available for the National Rivers Authority and sewage undertakers on (a) controlling the level of phosphates entering rivers and lakes and (b) the maximum acceptable concentration of phosphates in rivers and lakes to prevent deleterious effects on waters of high wildlife interest.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The National Rivers Authority is responsible for the quality of rivers and lakes and for controlling discharges into these waters, and makes it own decisions on these matters. There are no national guidelines for rivers and lakes.
National Rivers Authority
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the proportion of the National Rivers Authority budget for 1990-91 which has been allocated for the purposes of promoting the conservation of flora and fauna which are dependent on the aquatic environment.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I am informed by the National Rivers Authority that its 1990-91 budget identifies activities estimated to cost £1.282 million which are aimed specifically at conservation of flora and fauna. Further costs incurred in the course of carrying out tasks whose primary aim is not conservation cannot at present be identified.English Heritage
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give figures to show section 3A grant payments by English Heritage for 1984-85 to 1990-91 in cash and real terms ; and if he will provide similar figures excluding payments to ex-Greater London council properties ;
(2) if he will give figures to show the expenditure by English Heritage on the maintenance and repair of historic buildings from 1984-85 to 1990-91 in real terms using 1984-85 as the base year ;
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(3) if he will give figures to show the expenditure by English Heritage on conservation area and town scheme grants, respectively, in real terms from 1984-85 to 1990-91 using 1984-85 as the base year.Mr. Trippier : Detailed expenditure figures for section 3A grants, historic building grants generally, and conservation area and town scheme grants are matters for English Heritage. I have asked the chairman, Lord Montagu, to write to the hon. Member.
National Heritage
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the annual grant to the national heritage memorial fund from his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available ; and what is the budget figure for 1989-90 and the estimates to 1992-93.
Mr. Trippier : Grant-in-aid to the National Heritage Memorial Fund from the Department is as follows :
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Table file CW900205.004 not available
The Office of Arts and Libraries provides an equal amount of annual grant- in-aid to the fund. The special allocation in 1984-85 was to enable the fund to assist in securing the future of three important heritage properties for the nation : Kedleston hall, Nostell priory and Weston park. The special allocations in 1985-86 and 1986-87 were to assist the fund in meeting increased demand on their resources in those years. The latest public expenditure White Paper provides for continuing annual grant-in-aid of £1.5 million in 1991-92 and 1992-93, with a matching provision from the Office of Arts and Libraries.
Uniform Business Rate
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on which of the developments being carried out under the Channel Tunnel Act 1987 the uniform business rate will be payable.
Mr. David Hunt : Once the works are completed, the occupiers of the Channel tunnel and the land, structures and buildings associated with it will become liable to non-domestic rating in the usual way under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on which of the developments proposed in the British Rail (No. 3) Bill, including the Borough Green loop, the uniform business rate will be payable.
Mr. David Hunt : All the works that British Rail proposes to occupy would form part of its rateable hereditament and contribute to the board's liability for rates.
Mr. Richard Shephard : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the net inflow or outflow of uniform business rate revenue for each local authority in England.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 30 January 1990] : I expect to receive shortly from local authorities their estimates of
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the likely amount of non-domestic rates which they will collect in 1990-91. Meanwhile I have placed in the Library the Government's own preliminary estimates of the amount which each charging authority in England will collect and the actual amount which each authority will receive from the national non-domestic rating pool. In addition, of course, authorities will receive revenue support grant so that (subject to the effect of the safety net) a standard level of service can broadly be provided everywhere in England for the same community charge. So authorities are compensated for any net outflow of business rate income to the extent necessary to enable them to provide this standard level of service.Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received concerning the uniform business rate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend has received a great many representations about the uniform business rate and the non-domestic revaluation. The Government believe that there is general acceptance that the new system will remove the distortions caused by widely varying local poundages and outdated rateable values and will, once the transition is complete, make rates a much more predictable and stable element of business costs than has been the case in the past.
Thomas Harrison Bust
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will call for a report from the director of the Merseyside task force on its handling of the Thomas Harrison bust following its possession of the Lyceum club, Liverpool ;
(2) on what basis his Department loaned the Thomas Harrison bust to the Post Office ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(3) when his Department took out an insurance policy on the Thomas Harrison bust, formerly of the Lyceum club, Liverpool.Mr. Trippier : I shall write to the hon. Member.
Government Buildings (Rates)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the total amount of non-domestic rate to be paid on Government buildings in (a) 1989-90 and (b) 1990-91.
Mr. David Hunt : The amount of the contribution in aid of non- domestic rating paid in respect of Crown property in England is estimated as £572.3 million in 1989-90 and £631 million in 1990-91.
Marine Nature Reserves
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list existing designated marine nature reserves and list the other areas under consideration for such designations.
Mr. Trippier : One statutory marine nature reserve at Lundy island has been designated so far. The Nature Conservancy Council has identified the following additional sites as being suitable for marine nature reserve status : Skomer Island and the Marloes Peninsula ; Menai Straits ; Loch Sween ; St. Abbs Head, Bardsey Island and the Lleyn Peninsula ; and the Isles of Scilly.
Archaeological Sites, London
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the activities of treasure hunters on archaeological sites in London.
Mr. Trippier : None. As elsewhere in the country, any person in London wishing to seek objects hidden beneath the surface of a scheduled archaeological site by means of a metal detector must first seek a licence for its use from English Heritage. The last such licence was issued in August 1988.
Environmental Protection (Training)
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has figures for the number of people employed in training schemes leading to qualifications in environmental protection or environmental improvement techniques for each of the past five years.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Department does not hold figures on the number of people employed in the United Kingdom by a wide range of bodies, both public and private, on environmental protection and improvement activities.
Housing Statistics
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many dwellings were let by local authorities between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (a) to new secure tenants and (b) to new secure tenants who were homeless households (1) in inner London, (2) in
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outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (4) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ;(2) how many households and how many homeless households, respectively, took up nominations by local authorities between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (1) in inner London, (2) in outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (4) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south- east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ;
(3) how many households local authorities accepted between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (a) as homeless and (b) as homeless and in priority need (1) in inner London, (2) in outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (4) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ;
(4) how many households were registered on local authority housing waiting lists on 1 April 1989 (a) in inner London, (b) in outer London, (c) in non- metropolitan areas of the south-east, (d) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (e) in metropolitan areas outside London and (f) in England as a whole ;
(5) how many local authority dwellings (a) were vacant and available for letting on 1 April 1988 and (b) became available for letting between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (i) through new build, (ii) through acquisition or conversion and (iii) through other means (1) in inner London, (2) in outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south- east, (4) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ;
(6) how many dwellings were let by local authorities between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (a) to new non-secure tenants and (b) to new non-secure tenants who were homeless households (1) in inner London, (2) in outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (4) in non- metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ; (7) how many dwellings were let between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 (a) in total and (b) to homeless households (i) through the national mobility scheme ; (ii) through the housing association liaison office and (iii) through other mobility schemes (1) in inner London, (2) in outer London, (3) in non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (4) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (5) in metropolitan areas outside London and (6) in England as a whole ; (8) how many dwellings were let by local authorities between 1 April 1988 and 31 March 1989 to homeless households referred by other local authorities under the Housing Act 1985 part III, section 68 (a) in inner London, (b) in outer London, (c) in
non-metropolitan areas of the south-east, (d) in non-metropolitan areas outside the south-east, (e) in metropolitan areas outside London and (f) in England as a whole.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 29 January 1990] : Following are estimates from local authorities' annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1) for April 1989 :
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Table file CW900205.005 not available
Local Government Finance (Eastbourne)
Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reply he has sent to the letter dated 14 December 1989 from the treasurer of Eastbourne borough council concerning the figure for the resident population of the borough for the purpose of calculating its standard spending assessment ; and if he will make an amending report.
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