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Caravan Sites
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how long he intends to allow Kirklees and Calderdale local authorities to have to make suitable caravan site provision before he decides to issue directions to those authorities to make such provision ; what is his assessment of how many sites each local authority should provide ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : My Department is in discussion with both authorities. The statutory requirement on metropolitan districts is to provide for 15 caravans. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will give a direction to either or both authorities if he considers it necessary to do so.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to delay the granting of designation of caravan sites in Bradford until he is satisfied that adjacent authorities have made suitable site provision.
Mr. Chope : No. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already decided to designate Bradford on the grounds that it is not expedient for that authority to make adequate provision for the gipsies residing in or resorting to the area. We are continuing to monitor closely action being taken in respect of the provision of sites by neighbouring authorities.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he took account of in
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considering an application from Bradford council to designate caravan sites in Bradford about (a) the cost and location of existing and proposed private caravan sites and (b) improvements Bradford council intends to make to council-owned caravan sites in Bradford.Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State took account of all relevant factors before deciding to designate Bradford, including those relating both to private site provision, and to the improvements which the council proposes to local authority sites.
Housing Association Tenants
Mr. Malins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department's research report on new housing association tenants is to be published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I welcome the report's findings. These demonstrate that housing associations are targeting their lettings at lower-income groups in housing need. They vindicate our policy of making housing associations the main providers of new subsidised housing for rent. The research, published today, was carried out for the Department of the Environment by Research Surveys of Great Britain after a census of new lettings in 1988 by the National Federation of Housing Associations. Interviews were sought with all households in the census where there was someone in employment or receiving an occupational pension, in order to collect detailed information about household characteristics and incomes.
The findings confirm that the incomes of new housing association tenants, even those in work, are low. The average gross income of households with an income from employment was £153 per week and average net weekly household earnings were £115.
Occupational pensions averaged £29.10 per week with the state pension and other benefits bringing average total income for these households to £91.70 per week.
Nearly nine out of 10 of the households with someone in work had savings of less than £1,500. Households receiving an occupational pension had higher savings but only one third of these had savings of more than £3,000.
Among households with an earned income, over half were in manual jobs and a third were in unskilled manual work. About half the respondents in the survey had been on a council waiting list. Most people had applied direct to the housing association for accommodation, but about a fifth had been nominated by their local council.
Action for Cities
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he can now give (a) the final cost of the action for cities anniversary events on 28 February and (b) the costs of the publication "People in Cities".
Mr. David Hunt : (a) The final cost of the launch in Bradford and the television link-up on 28 February averaged under £15,000 for each of the seven centres involved, and locally incurred costs amounted in addition to an average of £5,000 for each centre.
(b) 50,000 "People in Cities" booklets and wallets--£74,542.
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Greenhouse Effect
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government expect to respond to the report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on the greenhouse effect.
Mr. Chris Patten : We have today laid before the House the Government's response to this report. The Committee produced a detailed and thorough report and we broadly welcome its conclusions. The report stressed the need for continued research into the science of climate change, we have already responded to this need by announcing significant increases in our funding for climate-related research in the coming year. The report also emphasised the importance of seeking a global solution to this global problem and we will continue to play an active and constructive role in the work of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change and in promoting an international framework convention on climate change.
Valuation Disputes
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has completed his consideration of the response to the consultation paper on valuation disputes under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967.
Mr. Chope : We and the Welsh Office have now completed a full analysis of the response to the consultation paper. The consultation was undertaken in the light of suggestions that the existing statutory procedure--under which valuation disputes can be referred to the local leasehold valuation tribunal with a subsequent right of appeal to the Lands Tribunal--was in practice working to the disadvantage of leaseholders, in that some freeholders were using the threat of an appeal, and the consequent risk of substantial costs, to deter leaseholders from having recourse to the procedure. Views were sought as to whether such allegations could be substantiated and, if so, whether there was a case for withdrawing or curtailing the right of appeal.
The consultation yielded no firm evidence that the alleged effect is occurring in practice. We have concluded, therefore, that there is at present no case for making changes to the statutory procedure. We will, however, keep matters under review and will not hesitate to take action if evidence comes to light that the procedure is failing to maintain an equitable balance between the interests of freeholders and leaseholders.
Homelessness
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the Housing Act 1985 as far as it affects homeless people, in view of the recent comments made by Lord Justice Watkins in the High Court about the lack of clarity in the Act.
Mr. Michael Spicer [holding answer 3 April 1990] : The Government completed a major review of the homelessness legislation only last November. It concluded that the Act provided an adequate safety net for those in genuine need, homeless through no fault of their own. It recognised, however, that there was a need for local authorities to adopt more consistent procedures and criteria. A revised code of guidance is being prepared to help them to achieve this and we will look carefully at Lord Justice Watkin's comments in preparing the revised code.
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Dangerous Substances
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implementation in the United Kingdom of European Commission directives 76/769/EEC, 79/663/EEC, 82/806/EEC, 82/828/EEC, 83/264/EEC, 83/478/EEC, 85/467/EEC and 85/610/EEC, on the marketing and use of dangerous substances.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 2 April 1990] : The Control of Pollution (Supply and Use of Injurious Substances) Regulations 1980 (SI 1980 No. 638) restricted the use of polychlorinated biphenyls and terphenyls in the manner specified in directive 76/769, as amended by directive 82/828.
The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Safety) Regulations 1980 (SI 1980 No. 136) implemented directive 76/769 as respects vinyl chloride monomer (chloroethylene) in aerosols, and also implemented directive 79/663 in respect of ornamental objects and Tris in certain textile products.
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The Benzene and Toys (Safety) (Regulations) 1987 (SI 1987 No. 2116) implemented directive 82/806.The Novelties (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1985 (SI 1985 No. 128) implemented directive 83/264.
The Asbestos Product (Safety) Regulations 1985 (SI 1985 No. 2042) and the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1985 (SI 1985 No. 910) implemented directive 83/478.
The Control of Pollution (Supply and Use of Injurious Substances) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986 No. 902) implemented directive 85/467. The Asbestos Products (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1987 (SI 1987 No. 1979) and the Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988 No. 711) implemented directive 85/610.
Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the authorities which he designated on 3 April for community charge limitation and the maximum amounts which he is proposing.
Mr Chris Patten : The list is as follows :
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----------------------------------------------------- Avon |533.7|507.1|26.6 |37 Barnsley |142.0|132.0|10.0 |59 Basildon |27.9 |23.7 |4.2 |35 Brent |249.3|241.7|7.6 |39 Bristol |64.2 |56.6 |7.6 |26 Calderdale |132.9|125.4|7.5 |52 Camden |181.4|177.0|4.4 |34 Derbyshire |560.6|520.6|40.0 |56 Doncaster |190.1|178.5|11.6 |53 Greenwich |213.0|203.0|10.0 |65 Hammersmith and Fulham |167.5|155.8|11.7 |99 Haringey |216.5|206.5|10.0 |71 Hillingdon |151.0|141.7|9.3 |53 Islington |189.5|185.8|3.7 |30 North Tyneside |129.7|122.9|6.8 |45 Rochdale |152.0|144.0|8.0 |51 Rotherham |165.4|157.5|7.9 |39 St Helens |126.7|122.8|3.9 |29 Southwark |241.0|226.9|14.1 |86 Wigan |200.6|190.6|10.0 |43 Note: Reductions shown as £ per head of relevant population.
DEFENCEEastern Europe
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the fall in defence expenditure in eastern Europe over the last year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr Allen) on 2 February, Official Report, column 406.
Armed Forces (Welsh Speakers)
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fluent Welsh speakers are currently serving in each of Her Majesty's armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Rescue Helicopters
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many land-based Royal Navy helicopters are available on a 24-hour, 365 day a year basis for rescue operations around the British coast.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Two Royal Navy air stations are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for search and rescue (SAR) duties. At each of these there are two helicopters available for SAR. More helicopters can be made available at longer notice.
Oil Tankers
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to add to the current number of Royal Fleet Auxiliary oil tankers serving the British Navy.
Mr. Neubert : There are currently two of the new class of auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels (AORs) on order for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Further orders are planned but no decisions have yet been made on their size or timing.
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Natural Disasters
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list of those activities in which Her Majesty's armed forces have assisted civilian populations during periods of natural disasters over the past 20 years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The armed forces have supported civilian authorities during periods of natural disaster both at home and overseas on numerous occasions over the past 20 years. An exhaustive list of those activities could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but the following list compiled from the readily available records, gives an indication of the frequency with which the services' help is provided.
Date |Country ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1970 |Bangladesh (East Pakistan)|Floods 1970 |Tunisia |Floods 1970 |Turkey |Earthquake 1972 |Hong Kong |Landslide 1972 |Fiji |Hurricane 1972 |Rodriguez |Cyclone 1972 |Philippines |Floods 1973 |Pakistan |Floods 1973 |West Africa |Famine 1973 |Nepal |Famine 1974 |Belize |Hurricane 1974 |United Kingdom |Floods 1974 |Ethiopia |Famine 1974 |Honduras |Hurricane 1974 |West Africa |Famine 1976 |United Kingdom |Drought/Fires 1978 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1979 |United Kingdom |Floods 1979 |Jamaica |Floods 1979-80 |West Indies |Hurricane 1980 |Nepal |Famine 1980 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1980-81 |Italy |Earthquake 1980-81 |West Indies |Hurricane 1981 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1981-82 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1984 |Mexico |Earthquake 1985 |Ethiopia |Famine 1986 |Jamaica |Bad Weather 1986 |Solomon Islands |Hurricane 1986 |West Indies |Floods 1986 |El Salvador |Earthquake 1986-87 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1987 |Cook Islands |Cyclone 1987 |Bermuda |Hurricane 1987 |Vanuatu |Cyclone 1987-88 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1988 |West Indies |Hurricane 1988 |Nepal |Earthquake 1989 |West Indies |Hurricane 1990 |United Kingdom |Bad Weather 1990 |Western Samoa |Cyclone
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish for each of the past 10 years the number of civilians rescued at sea by Royal Navy helicopters.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Information for the years before 1983 is not held in the form requested. Since 1983 Royal Navy helicopters have rescued the following number of civilians at sea :
Year |Number
|Rescued
------------------------
1983 |133
1984 |88
1985 |102
1986 |74
1987 |85
1988 |80
1989 |161
Complaints
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report for each of the last 10 years (a) the number of complaints made against his Department to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, (b) the number of complaints upheld and (c) the action he took on (b).
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The number of complaints (a) made and (b) upheld for the last 10 years is as follows :
|(a) com- |(b) com
|plaints made |plaints upheld
------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |<1>- |<1>-
1988-89 |22 |Nil
1987-88 |11 |Nil
1986-87 |16 |Nil
1985-86 |17 |1
1984-85 |21 |Nil
1983-84 |20 |Nil
1982-83 |23 |1
1981-82 |28 |1
1980-81 |27 |Nil
<1> Figures not yet available.
When the PCA upholds a complaint it is departmental practice to provide an appropriate remedy.
Trident
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the first submarine capable of carrying Trident missiles to commence her sea trials.
Mr. Neubert : Vanguard will undertake a series of sea trials, the precise dates of which are classified. However, I can say that the first of these will commence about two years before the UK Trident deterrent going into service in the mid-1990s.
Military Personnel
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the practice of his Department on releasing the names of military personnel who are witnesses to an event which is the subject of a criminal prosecution.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence seeks to be as helpful as possible in answering requests from the police, prosecuting authorities and legal representatives of defendants in criminal proceedings for the names of service personnel who would be in a position to give evidence as witnesses. The Department needs in each case to be satisfied as to the purpose and validity of the request before providing such information. Personal security considerations may also need to be taken into account.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the names of witnesses who are alleged to be service
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personnel have been witheld in the case of a criminal prosecution of three people for an incident which took place involving a convoy of military vehicles near the Clyde submarine base on 15 August 1989.Mr. Archie Hamilton : I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the recent request from one of those charged as a result of this incident to be given the name of the driver of one of the military vehicles involved. The Department declined to provide this information, as it is not the practice to release details of individual members of military convoy crews in response to requests of this sort.
Correspondence
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Easington dated 5 February concerning living conditions of service men's families in Germany.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The hon. Member should by now have received a reply from my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces.
RAF Brawdy
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the amounts of money spent on construction and equipment for joint United Kingdom-United States of America projects at Brawdy, Wales, in each of the past five years ; and which votes and sections of the defence accounts have borne these expenditures.
Mr. Alan Clarke : The United Kingdom has spent no money on construction and equipment for joint United Kingdom-United States projects at RAF Brawdy in the past five years.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the operating cost of the United Kingdom national joint ocean surveillance information centre in each of the last five years ; and what proportion of these costs is borne by the United States of America.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I assume the hon. Member is referring to the United States Navy's oceanographic research facility at RAF Brawdy. Running costs of the facility are borne by the United States, although United Kingdom provides five Royal Navy and three Royal Air Force personnel to assist in operating the facility.
Vacant Properties
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of vacant houses classified for the use of service personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : As at 30 November 1989, the latest date for which complete figures are available, the total number of vacant properties in the United Kingdom, both houses and flats, classified as service married quarters was 12,423. Many of these properties were either undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work or modernisation, some were already allotted to service families who were due to move in shortly and others were in the process of disposal.
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Royal Arsenal West
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department presented its proposals for the development of the Royal Arsenal West site to the London borough of Greenwich ; and what response it has received.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Our development proposals for the Royal Arsenal West site were presented to the London borough of Greenwich on 19 December 1989. The council is generally supportive of our ideas.
Correspondence (MEPs)
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many communications he has received from Members of the European Parliament since 18 June 1989 that concern local or United Kingdom matters ; and if he will make it his practice, where such matters are involved, to provide the honourable Member for the local constituency with a copy of the correspondence and the reply for information.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Some 15 letters covering a variety of topics have been received from members of the European Parliament in the period in question.
Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEPs had themselves copied their letter in this way.
Cambridge House, Woolwich
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the flats at Cambridge house, Artillery place, Woolwich, were first offered for sale ; and when he now expects the sale to be completed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The flats at Cambridge house, Artillery place, Woolwich were first offered for sale on 8 February 1990. The sale was completed on 30 March 1990.
Main Battle Tanks
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many United Kingdom main battle tanks are held in storage.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not our practice to disclose detailed information on equipment held in storage. For information on total holdings of main battle tanks I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) on 15 March, Official Report , column 328 .
Wales (Official Visits)
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the dates on which he has made an official visit to Wales since his appointment to his present post.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has made no official visits to Wales while Secretary of State for
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Defence. My right hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Mr. Younger) paid an official visit to several service establishments in Wales in July 1988. I visited RAF Brawdy on 17 July 1989.Eastern Europe (Soviet Troops)
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the effect on threat assessments of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The complete withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia and Hungary is currently due to be completed by mid-1991, and we shall monitor this process with interest. When completed, these withdrawals will obviously have a significant effect on Soviet military capability in the central region.
German Unification
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the implications of German unification for the strategy of forward defence.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We expect forward defence to remain a central feature of NATO's strategy for deterrence. However, German unification may have implications for how it is implemented, which will need to be considered in the light of the defence and security arrangements that emerge from the two plus four negotiations. We welcome the opportunity for a fresh look at this aspect of our defence posture, to ensure that it is well fitted for the new security setting.
Afghanistan
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the influence that the team of Royal Engineers currently teaching Afghan refugees in Pakistan will have on the conflict in Afghanistan.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Royal Engineer teams have been taking part in a UN programme designed to train Afghan refugees currently in Pakistan in techniques of mine clearance and mine awareness. This programme has been set up purely for the humanitarian purpose of reducing the danger to refugees when they return to their homes.
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Mr O'Neill : To ask the Secretay of State for Defence what assessment he has made of procedures for monitoring and verifying a complete nuclear test ban treaty.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor) on 27 June 1988, Official Report, Vol. 136, column 61, and to the working paper on seismic monitoring tabled in the conference on disarmament in 1985 (CD 610), a copy of which is held in the Library. Scientists at the MOD's research establishment at Blacknest near Aldermaston continue to undertake seismological research which might support a verification regime for further constraints on nuclear testing.
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Atomic Weapons Establishments
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what documents he has sent to the firms that have expressed an interest in bidding for the initial management contract at the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Neubert : Potential contractors have been sent copies of the statement made in the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on5 December, and of the consultative document to which that statement referred. They will shortly receive the invitation to tender.
Mr. Martin O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the shortfalls of staff were at each of the four atomic weapons establishments at the end of each year between 1980 and 1987.
Mr. Neubert : AWE shortfalls at the end of 1987 will equate to those given for 1 January 1988 in the answer which I provided to the hon. Member on 17 January 1990 at column 300. Details of staff shortfalls before the amalgamation of AWRE and the nuclear royal ordnance factories on 1 September 1987 are not readily available.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision about the detailed relationship between the existing safety division and the proposed compliance office at the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Neubert : The detailed relationship between the compliance office and the existing safety division at AWE will be finalised before the commencement of the initial management contract, planned for later this year.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will make a decision about what financial criteria will be used to monitor the performance of the management contractors to be appointed at the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Neubert : The criteria against which the management contractor's performance is to be assessed will be included in the invitation to tender, which is now being finalised for issue shortly.
Soviet Navy
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current assessment of levels of Soviet naval activity.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Levels of Soviet naval activity out of area have been falling since 1985. There has been an increase, however, in training activity close to all the main naval bases in the Soviet Union. It should be noted that although the number of Soviet units deployed out of area has reduced, a presence has been maintained in all traditional areas of Soviet interest.
Soviet Army
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current assessment of Soviet levels of production of military equipment for the Soviet army.
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