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West Bank and Gaza
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Israel concerning the continued closure of six universities in the West Bank and Gaza strip ; and what response he has received.
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Mr. Waldegrave : We take every opportunity to urge the Israelis to allow all higher education institutions in the occupied territories to reopen. I reiterated our concern to the Israeli Minister without Portfolio, Mr. Olmert, on 5 March.Katyn Massacre
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on his Department's studies into the responsibility for the Katyn massacre.
Mr. Waldegrave : We are following developments closely. There is substantial circumstantial evidence pointing to Soviet responsibility for the Katyn massacre. We urge the Soviet authorities to help establish the facts quickly.
South Africa
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the British companies that have invested in South Africa for each of the past 10 years ; and how much investment in pounds sterling that has amounted to.
Mr Redwood : I have been asked to reply.
Under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947, the names of United Kingdom companies which furnish such information are confidential. The most recent estimate (end of 1987) of the book value of United Kingdom direct investment in South Africa is £1,821 million.
ENVIRONMENT
Uniform Business Rate
106. Mr. Turner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the impact of the unified business rate on small business growth in the midlands.
107. Mr. Cunliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the impact of the unified business rate on small business growth in the midlands.
Mr. Chope : The uniform business rate and the non-domestic revaluation do not come into effect until 1 April 1990, but when they do, average non-domestic rate bills will fall in real terms by 6 per cent. in the west midlands and 4 per cent. in the east midlands in 1990-91 and, once transition to the new system is complete, by 28 per cent. and 15 per cent. respectively. This will be a stimulus to business growth.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the new money recently announced for inner cities is to go to the London borough of Newham.
Mr. David Hunt : Spending on the programmes which come within the "Action for Cities" initiative is planned to increase by £500 million in 1990-91 to a total of around £4 billion. It is not possible to estimate the amount which will be spent in any individual local authority's area.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reform the community charge
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system in England to enable the amount of revenue support grant attributable to county and district councils respectively to be separately identified either on the basis that it is currently separately identified in Wales or on the basis that it is currently separately identified for regional and district councils in Scotland.Mr. David Hunt [holding answer 12 March 1990] : No.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reproduce in the Official Report the full calculation underlying his reply to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling on 12 February, Official Report , column 58 , that under the community charge system about 15 times as much will be contributed to the cost of local government by the top 10 per cent. of householders by income compared with the poorest 10 per cent.
Mr. David Hunt [holding answer 7 March 1990] : I will write to my right hon. Friend.
Council Rents
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the Government have to alleviate the effects of recent increases in council rents.
Mr. Chope : It is for local authorities to determine their own rent levels. The Government allocate sufficient HRA subsidy to enable council rents to be set at reasonable levels. Rent rebates give assistance to those who need it.
Electromagnetic Fields
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce controls relating to exposure levels within electromagnetic fields.
Mr. Trippier : I have no plans at present to introduce specific controls relating to the exposure to electromagnetic fields.
USSR (Exposure Levels)
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made an assessment of the permitted exposure levels to microwave and RF EM fields in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Mr. Trippier : I understand that the NRPB is currently assessing all the available biological and epidemiological evidence and will be publishing an assessment during the year.
Water Flotation (Cost)
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the full cost of the flotation of the water industry including (a) the total cost to public funds of advertising and (b) the total cost to public funds in fees to City advisers, will be available to Parliament.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Figures for overall costs to the Government are being compiled and will be reported shortly.
Acid Mist (Lincolnshire and Norfolk)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has investigated the causes of the acid mist that blighted acres of hawthorn trees in Lincolnshire and Norfolk on 9 September 1989.
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Mr. Trippier : My Department commissioned the scientists who were working on the Halvergate marshes at the time to collect all available information and to report on the acid mist incident. The report is expected soon and I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.Energy Conservation
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures are being taken to alert builders erecting or converting homes of the need to conserve energy ; and whether he intends to introduce any regulations to ensure that builders respond to such needs.
Mr. Chope : The Building Regulations 1985 already include requirements relating to energy conservation measures in new buildings and extensions. The Building Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1989, which are due to come into force on 1 April, will make the existing requirements more stringent, and the changes have been widely publicised.
Disabled People
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which voluntary organisations he consulted on "Local Government and Housing Act 1989 : Implementation of Part VIII, House Adaptations for Disabled People".
Mr. Chope : We made copies of a draft of a circular entitled "House Adaptations for Disabled People" generally available, and welcomed comments from any organisation or individual with an interest. We specifically sought the views of :
The British Council of Organisations of Disabled People The Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation
"Panel of Four" c/o Royal National Institute for the Deaf Royal National Institute for the Blind
Access Committee for England
The Centre on Environment for the Handicapped
MIND
MENCAP
The Disability Income Group
National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux
Shelter
Age Concern
Sewage Disposal
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to prohibit the use of long sea outfalls for sewage disposal in the Bristol channel and set a date for this prohibition.
Mr. Trippier : As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 5 March, the Government have decided that in general municipal sewage should receive secondary treatment, but that primary treatment would be more appropriate for discharges to coastal waters, where it can be shown that this does not adversely affect the environment, Official Report, volume 168, column 452. It will be for the National Rivers Authority to implement this policy by using its powers to consent discharges.
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Waste Recycling
Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to conduct a survey, similar to the one initiated by his Department called "Survey of Local Authority Domestic Waste Recycling Activity", directed at the recycling industry, to assess its view of waste recycling capability and potential.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 12 March 1990] : Yes.
Leeds Development Corporation
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his reply of 5 March, Official Report , column 448 , how many display signs were purchased by the Leeds development corporation for the £26,500 referred to in that reply ; and how many of those signs are still in place.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 12 March 1990] : Leeds development corporation's expenditure on display signs of £26,500 since designation in June 1988 covers design work, materials and erection costs. Some 40 signs have been purchased and erected during that period, including 10 replacements. Thirty are currently in place, of which two have recently been blown down and two affected by storm damage. Work is in hand by the corporation to reinstate these signs.
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the main items of expenditure by the Leeds development corporation under the budget heading of £320,000 in 1989-90 and £480,000 in 1990-91 for promotion and publicity.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 12 March 1990] : The key objective of Leeds development corporation's promotion and publicity budget is to promote the economic regeneration of the Leeds urban development area. The main items of expenditure are the promotion and marketing of the urban development area and of Leeds in general ; the promotion and marketing of specific sites ; exhibition material ; keeping the local community informed of the development corporation's activities, including a bi-annual newspaper ; community sponsorship ; and the production of an annual report.
London Residuary Body
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those properties currently vested in the London residuary body for which he has refused consent to its sale to the relevant London borough under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 ; and if he will state the date and the reasons for refusal in each case.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : An application by the London residuary body for consent to the sale of 67-69 Cowcross street, London EC1 to the London borough of Islington was refused on 26 February 1990 for the reasons given in my letter of the same date to the hon. Member. No other properties currently vested in the London residuary body have been refused for disposal under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972.
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Lakes
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what assessment has been made of the effects of agricultural uses of fertiliser on British lakes in increasing nitrogen and phosphate contents ;
(2) what assessment has been made of the effects of eutrophication on species diversity in British lakes ; and what steps are being taken to reduce eutrophication ;
(3) what studies his Department has made into the eutrophication of British lakes ; and what causes of eutrophication have been identified.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 13 March 1990] : A number of surveys have been carried out in recent years by the water authorities into the eutrophication of British waters. These have concluded that eutrophication is not increasing in the United Kingdom and is limited to a small number of areas, for example, the Norfolk Broads, Loch Leven and Lake Windermere. In nearly all cases it is phosphorus which is the cause of eutrophication. To reduce eutrophication action is best taken at local level because the sources contributing to excess nutrients vary from place to place. Phosphorus stripping at sewage works is nearly always an effective control option.
Coniferous Afforestation
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has about the acidification of upland soils and waterways by coniferous afforestation.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 13 March 1990] : A number of recent reviews and reports on the relationship between coniferous afforestation and possible acidification of upland soils and waterways have been placed in the Library of the House. They include ;
(i) The United Kingdom Acid Waters Review Group Second Report "Acidity In United Kingdom Freshwaters" December 1988.
(ii) "Lake Acidification in the United Kingdom" prepared for the Department of the Environment by the Paleoecology Research Unit, University College of London.
(iii) "Acidification in Scotland" Symposium Proceedings, 8th November 1988, published by the Scottish Development Department, December 1989.
(iv) "Acid Waters in Wales" by Edwards, Stoner and Gee, Welsh National Rivers Authority, March 1990.
(v) "Forests and Surface Water Acidification", Forestry Commission Bulletin No. 86, March 1990.
Additional information on this issue is also available from a number of research projects being funded by the NERC, DOE and CEGB.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Productivity
108. Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the trends of manufacturing industry productivity over the last 12 months.
Mr. Lamont : Indices of United Kingdom manufacturing productivity can be found on the CSO databank, which is accessible through the House of Commons Library.
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Interest Rates
109. Mr. Cox : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of interest rates on manufacturing industry.
110. Mr. Darling : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of interest rates on manufacturing industry.
111. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of interest rates on manufacturing industry.
114. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of interest rates on manufacturing industry.
116. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of interest rates on manufacturing industry.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Interest rates have been set at their current level to put downward pressure on inflation. Inflation is the greatest threat to the future prosperity of manufacturing industry.
113. Mr. Fearn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from small businesses on interest rates.
115. Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been made to him concerning the effect of the present level of interest rates on the costs of manufacturing industry.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend has received a number of such representations.
Exchange Rate
112. Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from small businesses on the exchange rate.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations.
Balance of Trade
117. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the trade deficit.
Mr. Norman Lamont : My right hon. Friend receives a few letters each month from members of the public concerning the trade deficit.
Imports
118. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest trends in imports.
Mr. Norman Lamont : In the three months to January, import volumes (less oil and erratics) were 1 per cent. lower than in the previous three months, and only 2 per cent. higher than in the same period a year earlier. This is clear evidence that imports are responding to the tightening of policy.
Mortgage Tax Relief
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby of 21 December 1989, Official Report,
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columns 368-69, on mortgage interest tax relief and investment income, whether he will provide for 1989-90 the numbers in each range of income with investment income of more than £200 and less than £500, and those with investment income of more than £500.Mr. Lilley : The information requested is in the table. These estimates are provisional and subject to revision.
Single People and Married Couples Receiving Mortgage Interest Relief:
(thousands)
(thousands)
0-4,999 |30 |20
5,000-9,999 |90 |260
10,000-14,999 |260 |290
15,000-19,999 |300 |350
20,000-29,999 |280 |450
30,000 + |140 |490
|--- |---
Total |1,100 |1,860
Estimates are based on the 1987 family expenditure survey and the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes projected to 1989-90.
Taxes and Benefits
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the table in the answer to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) on 10 January 1989, Official Report, columns 632-34, stating the effects at different income levels of alternative policies based on Exchequer expenditure equal to a 1p cut in income tax.
Mr. Lilley : The effects of the various changes to income tax and child benefit on a married man with two children are shown in the table. Each of the changes would cost £1.7 billion a year, that is the cost in a full year of a 1p cut in the basic rate of income tax. Estimates are based on projections of the 1987-88 survey of personal incomes in line with forecasts in the Autumm Statement.
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Increase in income after tax<1> (£ per week) compared with indexation<2> in 1990-91 for married man<3> with two children. <1>Disregarding any change to entitlement to social security income-related benefits except in item (iii) (b). <2>Calculations based on the standard assumption that 1989-90 allowances and the basis rate limit have been indexed by 7.7 per cent. for 1990-91. <3>Assumed to have no reliefs and allowances other than the personal allowance and the married couple's allowance. <4>Average earnings assumed to be £303.8 per week, an increase of 8.5 per cent. on 1989-90 in line with the assumptions used by the Government Actuary for reviewing national insurance contributions (paragraph 3.02 of the Autumn Statement 1989). <5>Assuming no change in income support and family credit children's rates. <6>Assuming corresponding changes in income support and family credit children's rates.
Manufacturing Investment
Mr. Battle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of manufacturing investment.
119. Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of manufacturing investment.
120. Mr. Barron : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of manufacturing investment.
121. Mr. Bell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of manufacturing investment.
Mr. Norman Lamont : Manufacturing investment reached a record level in 1989 after six years of growth averaging 8 per cent.
Foreign-owned Companies
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what profits and other capital payments have been remitted back to the host country from Britain from foreign-owned concerns for each of the last 10 years.
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Mr. Norman Lamont : The latest available information on profits and capital flows remitted back to the host country by foreign-owned concerns in the United Kingdom is given in table 2.1 of Business Monitor MA4 "Overseas Transactions 1987". The relevant items in net earnings and net direct investment are :
(i) interest paid to, net of interest received from, overseas parent companies ;
(ii) dividends paid to overseas parent companies ;
(iii) net profits from United Kingdom branches ;
(iv) disposals of United Kingdom companies' share and loan capital.
In addition, the categories "increase in amount due to overseas parent on inter-company account" and "increase in indebtedness to overseas parent companies on branch head office account" may include indistinguishably certain capital flows from United Kingdom subsidiaries, associates and branches to their overseas direct investors.
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