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London North Region |Per cent. ------------------------------------------------------------ Acton |5.63 Aylesbury |3.67 Banbury |5.69 Barking |4.43 Barnet |4.32 Basildon |5.97 Bedford |4.68 Braintree |3.88 Bury St. Edmunds |3.42 Cambridge |11.33 Canning Town |8.59 Chelmsford |7.14 Clacton |3.05 Colchester |5.78 Cricklewood |19.68 Diss |1.81 Dunstable |1.11 Ealing |3.18 Edgware |7.03 Edmonton |3.09 Euston |4.69 Finsbury Park |6.42 Grays |8.92 Great Yarmouth |6.72 Hackney |9.36 Harlesden |10.53 Harlow |3.03 Harrow |3.13 Hemel Hempstead |2.66 Hendon |6.53 Hertford |3.97 Highgate |6.43 High Wycombe |4.17 Hoxton |9.89 Ilford |4.22 Ipswich |5.05 Kings Lynn |4.47 Leytonstone |6.50 Lowestoft |6.85 Luton |8.36 Milton Keynes |7.86 Neasden |6.23 Norwich (C) |6.10 Norwich (M) |7.71 Notting Hill |8.79 Oxford |7.94 Paddington |3.32 Peterborough |10.17 Plaistow |6.82 Poplar |7.68 Romford |3.88 St. Albans |4.80 Shoreditch |8.73 Southall |8.97 Southend |4.94 Stepney |5.81 Stevenage |6.24 Thames North |3.21 Tottenham |10.40 Uxbridge |5.58 Walthamstow |6.68 Watford |5.38 Woodgrange Park |9.75 Wood Green |7.33
Housing Benefit (Students)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give calculations used to determine the student deduction as applied to student housing benefit claims ; whether the student deduction as applied to student housing benefit claims is related to any index of housing costs ; and what is the amount he intends to uprate the student deduction by for the 1990-91 academic year.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The amount of the rent deduction applied to student housing benefit claims is determined on the basis of figures provided by the Department of Education and Science. The level of the rent deduction for the 1990-91 academic year will be determined on the same basis and will be known shortly.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state his reasons (a) for removing student entitlement to housing benefit and (b) for removing student entitlement to income support during periods of unemployment.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Government believe that full-time students should be supported by the educational maintenance system and not by social security benefits. Access to benefits by students has been an unplanned product of social security changes over the last two decades, creating a disproportionate administrative burden on local offices and local authorities. The proposed new student loans and access funds will provide additional forms of support making it unnecessary for the majority of full-time students to have access to housing benefit and income support.
Additionally, we believe that it is inappropriate to treat students as unemployed when they are following a full-time course of study. Benefits for the unemployed are intended to provide financial support for people who are normally reliant on earnings when they face the unforeseen contingency of unemployment. Periods of study, and vacations between periods of study, cannot be classed as days of unemployment in the same way.
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Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is (a) the total value and average weekly payment of housing benefit currently being claimed by claimants aged 18 to 24 years, (b) the total value of housing benefit paid to students in the academic year 1988-89 in each region of the country and (c) the projected number of claims for housing benefits, their total value and the average size of weekly claim in 1990 in each region of the country.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Information is not available in the detail requested. The average weekly amount of housing benefit for claimants aged 18 to 24, who were not also in receipt of income support, was £11.70 in May 1988. Similar information for claimants receiving both income support and housing benefit is not held. Housing benefit spending on claimants who are aged 18 to 24 is not identifiable within total expenditure.
Information on housing benefit paid to students is not available in the form requested and I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 5 March at column 535.
Spending plans and caseload estimates are on a Great Britain basis and for 1990-91 it is estimated that £4.6 billion in housing benefit will go to 4.2 million households. Average weekly amounts are not projected and deriving such amounts from the expenditure and caseload estimates does not produce a representative result.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number who would benefit each year if people receiving invalid care allowance were eligible for unemployment benefit when those they care for die, go into residential care or to hospital ; and what would be the yearly cost.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Only those former carers who have received invalid care allowance for a period in excess of two and a half to three years would fail to qualify for unemployment benefit by virtue of a lack of recently paid national insurance contributions. As the average duration of invalid care allowance is approximately two years, most former carers who claim unemployment benefit qualify for it. Details of the numbers who fail to qualify for unemployment benefit are not available.
Disabled Students
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether all disabled students will retain entitlement to social security benefits following introduction of the loans scheme.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Disabled students will retain entitlement to most social security benefits on the same basis as now, including attendance allowance and mobility allowance. We propose that those students who meet the criteria for the disability premium will continue to be eligible for income support and housing benefit. Students who have received income support as a disabled student prior to the introduction of the new arrangements in the next academic year, will also retain eligibility to these benefits. We further propose that all full-time students will be excluded from unemployment benefit.
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Local Government Finance (Rebates)
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward proposals to backdate the increase in capital exemptions for poll tax rebates announced in the Budget to cover Scotland in 1989-90 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland, has announced a scheme of ex-gratia payments which will benefit an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 individual chargepayers. The scheme will be administered and paid for by my right hon. and learned Friend's Department.
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in Scotland had savings between £8,000 and £16,000 which had the effect of restricting their entitlement to income support and to poll tax rebate in 1989-90 ; and what the cost of such income support and rebates would be for those figures.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : It is estimated that some 15,000 to 20,000 individual chargepayers in Scotland in 1989-90, may have had, or shared, capital of between £8,000 and £16,000 which would have disentitled them from community charge rebates. The cost may have been up to £4 million. No estimates for income support are available.
Rates (Ex Gratia Payment)
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make ex gratia payments to pensioners with limited savings in Northampton who did not receive a rate rebate in 1989-90.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Rate rebates were available to pensioners and others with savings of up to £8,000 in 1989-90. This limit will be doubled to £16,000 for rent rebates and allowances, and for the new community charge benefit, from April 1990. The new limit will not be retrospective.
Nuclear Test Veterans
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements exist for compensating through the war pensions scheme ex -service men who took part in the British nuclear weapons test programme who subsequently developed cancerous diseases ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : It is open to any ex-service man who suffers disablement which he considers to be due to service to make a claim for war pension.
As regards the British nuclear test programme, the rigorous safety precautions adopted were such that only a small proportion of the participants could have been exposed specifically to ionising radiation and that those who were exposed received only small radiation doses. Consequently the Government are confident that no one should have suffered harm as a result of exposure to ionising radiation.
However, in view of the concern which some participants had expressed in this matter, the Government commissioned in 1983 the independent National Radiological Protection Board to undertake a study of the health of the participants, investigating whether it showed any correlation with radiation exposure. Its report, published in 1988, concluded :
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"small hazards of leukaemia and multiple myeloma may well have been associated with participation in the tests, but that such participation has not otherwise had a detectable effect on the participants' expectation of life or on their total risk of developing cancer."Although the report showed a slight increase in the rate of occurrences of multiple myeloma and leukaemia, other than chronic lymphatic leukaemia, it did not establish any firm evidence of a causal relationship between increased incidence of any cancers and participation in the test programme.
Proof, however, is not essential for a claim to succeed under the war pensions scheme. There only needs to be reliable evidence which raises a reasonable doubt whether a condition is caused or aggravated by service. The Department's doctors are satisfied that the report's evidence does raise sufficient doubt in the case of participants suffering from multiple myeloma or leukaemia (other than chronic lymphatic leukaemia). Any claim to a war pension by such service men or the widows of such service men is therefore likely to succeed, and seven awards have been made.
The Report by the NRPB included data up to 1 January 1984. The NRPB has advised that, in order to provide a reliable assessment of the further accumulated data for the period 1 January 1984 to 1 January 1989, it would be necessary to conduct a full-scale validation and analysis exercise. In the light of this advice, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has set in hand a further study by the NRPB. I understand that it hopes to be in a position to report its findings by the end of 1991.
We shall await the NRPB's further report with interest and we shall take full account of the findings to the extent that they provide any additional information which might affect participants' entitlement to war pensions.
ENERGY
Coal Imports
6. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what forecast he has made for the likely level of coal imports in the year 2000.
Mr. Baldry : We do not make such forecasts.
29. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the latest figures for imported coal into Britain (a) by countries of origin and (b) amounts in each case.
Mr. Baldry : The latest information is as follows :
Quantity<1> (thousand tonnes)
Country of origin |Calendar year 1989|January 1990
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States of America |4,874 |376
Australia |2,676 |324
Poland |1,055 |63
Colombia |874 |45
Canada |729 |184
China |450 |1
South Africa |346 |12
Federal Republic of Germany |259 |32
Netherlands |200 |112
USSR |181 |9
Panama |106 |-
Venezuela |86 |-
Belgium |78 |13
Norway |58 |3
France |50 |-
Other countries |116 |21
|------- |-------
Total |12,137 |1,194
of which:
coking coal |7,998 |825
steam coal |3,374 |291
anthracite |765 |78
<1>Figures are rounded independently and totals may therefore differ from the sum of
their constituent parts.
Source: Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
37. Mr. Buckley : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the level of imports of coal in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Mr. Baldry : We do not make such estimates.
Renewable Energy
16. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of power generation originates from renewable sources.
Mr. Peter Morrison : In 1989, about 2 per cent. of electricity was generated from renewable sources in Great Britain.
39. Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what specific measures Her Majesty's Government are carrying out to encourage research, and operation of, wind, solar and other alternative sources of energy.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The Government are supporting a major research and development programme aimed at developing commercially viable and environmentally acceptable renewable energy technologies to contribute to future energy supply.
49. Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest assessment of the potential of wind-generated electricity in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The most recent estimate of the potential of wind-generated electricity in the United Kingdom was published in energy paper No. 55, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House. The extent to which this renewable source of energy might be developed commercially within environmental constraints is not yet known, but energy paper No. 55 has estimated that by the year 2025 wind energy might provide up to 30 TWh per year of electricity which represents about 10 per cent. of current electricity requirements.
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what initiatives his Department is taking to develop commercially viable and environmentally acceptable forms of renewable technology.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The Government are supporting a major research and development programme aimed at developing commercially viable and environmentally acceptable renewable energy technologies to contribute to future energy supply.
Bankside Power Station
14. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the capital value of Bankside power station.
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Mr. Wakeham : The estimated value of this site is commercially confidential.34. Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received regarding the future use of Bankside power station.
Mr. Wakeham : My Department has received representations on behalf of one project.
35. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received regarding the ownership of Bankside power station and Sudbury house.
Mr. Wakeham : I am consulting the CEGB and those other parties which have a locus under the provisions of the Electricity Act 1989 about my proposed modifications to the board's transfer scheme, including the reallocation to Nuclear Electric of the Bankside power station site and Sudbury house.
Electricity Privatisation
15. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the gross Exchequer costs of electricity supply industry privatisation.
Mr. Wakeham : It is too early to make any estimate of the likely gross costs of privatising the electricity supply industry, but the costs will be small in comparison with the proceeds.
25. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he has had with the European Commissioner for competition in relation to the privatisation of the electricity supply industry.
Mr. Wakeham : I and my Department have had a number of discussions with the Commission on electricity privatisation.
58. Mr. Charles Wardle : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received from large consumers of electricity about his plans for privatisation of the electricity industry.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend continues to receive representations on electricity privatisation from a wide range of interested parties.
Low-sulphur Coal
17. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most-up-to-date estimate of the level of imports of low-sulphur coal in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Mr. Wakeham : We do not make such estimates.
Home Insulation
18. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has to review the amount of grant now paid towards home insulation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : My right hon. Friend is taking powers in the Social Security Bill which, if approved, will lead to the introduction of a new scheme of grants for energy efficiency measures in low-income households. The amount of grant payable to an individual applicant under the scheme will depend upon the work undertaken ; the allowable maximum still has to be settled.
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions
19. Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to reduce United Kingdom emissions of carbon dioxide from power stations.
Mr. Wakeham : My Department's programmes to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy and our support of nuclear power will all help to reduce future emissions of CO . The non-fossil fuel obligation on the privatised electricity supply industry will further promote the development of technologies which do not emit CO .
59. Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to (a) publish and (b) achieve CO emission reduction targets for the energy sector.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The United Kingdom, along with other industrialised nations, was a party to the Noordwijk declaration on atmospheric pollution and climatic change in November 1989, which stated that emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, should be stabilised at a level and on a time scale to be considered by the intergovernmental panel on climate change and by the second world climate conference in November 1990. That remains the position.
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the level of carbon dioxide emission reductions in the United Kingdom estimated to be possible by 2005 and 2020 due to energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, nuclear power, or the increased use of natural gas.
Mr. Peter Morrison : An indication of the extent to which some technical options in isolation can contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions together with their associated costs is provided in the study (chapter 5), "An Evaluation of Energy--related Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Measures to Ameliorate Them". Further consideration of the economic costs of the various options will need to be made in due course.
Lead-free Petrol
20. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proportion of petrol sold in Britain is lead-free ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Currently about 30 per cent. of petrol sold is unleaded. This is an increase from 4 per cent. in January 1989.
41. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the increase in the consumption of unleaded petrol in the east midlands in the last six months ; and how many petrol pumps have been converted for unleaded petrol.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Regional information on the consumption of unleaded petrol is not available centrally. However, United Kingdom deliveries of unleaded petrol increased by 23 per cent. between July 1989 and January 1990, from 23 per cent. of total petrol deliveries in July 1989 to 30 per cent. in January 1990.
No information is available on how many petrol pumps have been converted for unleaded petrol, but the Institute of Petroleum estimates that over 90 per cent. of retail petrol outlets now sell unleaded petrol.
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Nottinghamshire Coalfield
21. Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the rate of productivity growth in the Nottinghamshire coalfield.
Mr. Baldry : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart) earlier today.
Flue Gas Desulphurisation
22. Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received regarding the completion of the flue gas desulphurisation programme of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
Mr. Wakeham : I have received a number of representations on this, mainly as a result of misunderstandings about the requirements of the EC large combustion plants directive.
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the date by which flue gas desulphurisation will be in operation at each of the power stations in England and Wales which are of 1,500 MW capacity or more.
Mr. Baldry : The EC large combustion plants directive--to which the Government are fully committed--does not require every station to be so fitted. The FGD plant at Drax is expected to come fully on stream by the end of 1996.
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what reasons have been given to the member states of the Community with regard to the delay in the provision of desulphurisation equipment at the larger power stations.
Mr. Baldry : The Government are committed to achieving the reductions in emissions specified in the EC large combustion plants directive. There has been no delay in planning to meet this commitment. The fitting of flue gas desulphurisation equipment to power stations will play an important part in achieving the emissions reductions required by the directive. Contracts have already been placed for FGD at the 4GW Drax power station and further retrofits are in prospect. Other measures will also contribute.
Gas Transmission (North Sea)
24. Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has had any recent applications for delivery transmission systems, for gas, in the North sea ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : No formal applications of this kind have been received recently.
Energy Conservation
26. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what new measures are being put forward by the Government to encourage energy conservation in the home and place of work.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The Energy Efficiency Office is continuing to promote energy efficiency in the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors through a number of
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programmes aimed at energy consumers, professional advisers and decision makers. Recent initiatives include the best practice programme, which aims to provide authoritative and targeted information on a wide range of energy efficiency measures and applications, and the proposed new scheme of grants for insulation measures in the homes of those on low incomes.Nuclear Electric
27. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received regarding the allocation of Central Electricity Generating Board property to Nuclear Electric plc.
45. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received about the allocation of Central Electricity Generating Board land at Druridge bay and Pembroke to Nuclear Electric plc.
Mr. Baldry : I have received representations from interested parties, including hon. Members.
33. Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received regarding the assets and liabilities of Nuclear Electric.
Mr. Baldry : My hon. Friend laid a minute before the House on 6 March relating to Nuclear Electric's financial position. Some Members have signed an early-day motion objecting to the minute. I have received various representations on other matters.
51. Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date valuation of the assets and liabilities of proposed Nuclear Electric plc.
Mr. Baldry : Nuclear Electric will inherit assets and liabilities from the CEGB on vesting day. The latest valuation is reflected in the CEGB's report and accounts for 1988-89, a copy of which is in the Library. The company will review the valuations before the publication of its own accounts later in the year.
Energy Efficiency
28. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what energy savings targets have been set in connection with the various initiatives being undertaken by the Energy Efficiency Office.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Targets for the Energy Efficiency Office's programmes are set out in chapter 5, paragraphs 44 to 46 of the 1990 Public Expenditure White Paper (Cm. 1005).
40. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has made an assessment of the environmental implications resulting from the reduction in real terms of the budget of the Energy Efficiency Office.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The Energy Efficiency Office's activities have always been targeted to maximise their effectiveness in stimulating improvements in energy efficiency. Such improvements are not only economically attractive but environmentally beneficial.
56. Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to increase the budget of the Energy Efficiency Office.
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Mr. Peter Morrison : The budget of the Energy Efficiency Office is being substantially increased in 1990-91 to accommodate expenditure under the proposed home energy efficiency scheme. Powers for the new scheme, which will offer grants towards the cost of insulation measures in low income households, are included in the Social Security Bill currently before Parliament.Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will abolish the Energy Efficiency Office.
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