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Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 21 February to the hon. Member for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) at column 741.
57. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to make private housing properties which are unfit for human habitation or lacking basic amenities adequate for letting to help reduce waiting lists of local authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Spicer : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mrs. Golding).
Action for Cities
40. Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total sum being spent on the Government's action for cities programme.
Mr. Moynihan : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Surbiton (Mr. Tracey) on 7 March at columns 734-35.
Hazardous Waste
42. Mr. Watts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of hazardous waste disposed of in Britain is imported from abroad.
Mr. Trippier : The latest figures available for England and Wales indicate that imports are about 2 per cent. of total disposals.
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44. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made on implementing the agreement reached at the last North sea conference on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Ministers of North sea states meeting in March at the third North sea conference held in The Hague agreed to take measures to phase out and destroy all remaining identifiable uses of polychlorinated biphenyls by 1999 at the latest, making use of storage only as an interim option and with each country pledging to develop destruction facilities to allow each to deal with its own waste.
Provisional estimates indicate that the United Kingdom already possesses sufficient destruction capacity to deal with its PCB waste. This and other aspects of the North sea conference declaration will be the subject of a guidance note on implementation, which I propose to publish within the next two months.
56. Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the import of hazardous waste from abroad.
Mr. Trippier : The Government are not opposed to imports of hazardous waste to specialised facilities which are available here but not in the country of origin provided that the imports are properly notified and in accordance with all the relevant regulations. The Government are advocating, internationally, that developed countries should aim to be self -sufficient in waste disposal facilities so that transfrontier movements are reduced to a minimum.
104. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his action plan for implementing the agreements reached at the last North sea conference.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I hope to publish a full report, detailing how we intend to implement all of the measures agreed at the third North sea conference, within the next two months.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
47. Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action the Government are taking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Mr. Trippier : Within the Department of the Environment we have announced changes to the building regulations which will result in significant improvements in energy efficiency. The principal sources of emissions of carbon dioxide are from the energy and transport sectors, and measures to reduce these are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Energy and for Transport.
Recycling
53. Mrs. Roe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he is taking to increase the amount of waste that is recycled.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Environmental Protection Bill contains a range of measures which will help to bring recycling to the forefront of waste disposal strategies in the
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United Kingdom. These include stricter controls on waste disposal by landfill and other means which will increase their costs and make recycling more attractive, and a requirement for all waste regulation authorities to give priority to recycling in their waste disposal plans wherever it is practicable to do so. Authorities will be permitted to specify recycling as a disposal option when letting contracts for the disposal of their waste even if it may be more expensive than traditional disposal methods. All waste collection authorities will have to draw up recycling plans and they will be permitted to arrange for the recycling of all the waste that they collect unless the disposal authority has an existing recycling contract for it.A joint DTI and DOE recycling advisory group has been examining, in conjunction with the Government's Warren Spring laboratory, the market barriers that prevent recycling from accounting for a higher proportion of the domestic waste stream. The reports of this group will be used in drawing up proposals for the forthcoming White Paper on the environment.
Following Royal Assent to the Environmental Protection Bill, comprehensive guidance will be given to local authorities and others on the new obligations and powers.
Advice will also be given to the public to explain how they can fulfil the vital role that they will have in co-operation with local authorities to keep the recyclable part of their waste clean and fit for re-use.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will be continuing to hold discussions with manufacturing industry to encourage it to use more recycled waste in its processes and to develop the markets for the increasing quantity of recyclables that will be collected.
World Student Games
59. Mr. John Carlisle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has approved any funding towards the cost of the World Student Games in Sheffield.
Mr. Moynihan : The organisers of the World Student Games have made it clear from the outset that theirs was a private sector bid. The Government clearly stated that they would not be providing direct financial support to the games, since all central Government funding for sport is directed to the Sports Council. However, £9.45 million has been provided for games-related projects through urban programme funding, derelict land grant and city grant where normal programme criteria were fully met. In addition, the Sports Council has indicated that, subject to certain conditions, it would be prepared to earmark some £3 million in support of the games. Together these provide a substantial contribution to the games.
Environmental Labelling
63. Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to introduce a scheme of official labelling for environmentally friendly products.
Mr. Trippier : Yes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 9 January at columns 589-91 the basis on which the Government intend to establish a scheme of eco-labelling, and indicated that
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an advisory group would be set up to help develop a suitable scheme. We expect to announce the membership of the group very shortly.Conservation
68. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to discuss conservation measures.
Mr. Trippier : My right hon. Friend has not yet had the opportunity for a formal meeting with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There are, however, frequent contacts at official level between my Department and the voluntary conservation bodies, including the RSPB.
Water Pollution
77. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total number of water pollution incidents in 1988.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The total number of reported water pollution incidents in England and Wales in 1988 was 26,926. This information is published in the annual "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
80. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to minimise the input of dangerous substances into the North sea.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Important new agreements on the reduction of inputs of dangerous substances into the North sea were reached in early March at the third North sea conference held in The Hague. These include the reduction by 70 per cent., or more if possible, of inputs of several of the most hazardous substances (such as cadmium, mercury, dioxins and lead) by 1995 and the reduction by 50 per cent. or more of air inputs for 17 substances, as well as agreement on a new common list of 36 substances dangerous in the aquatic environment on which reductions are required for all inputs to rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
These new agreements build on existing reduction timetables set at the second conference hosted by the United Kingdom. Significant progress, as set out in the United Kingdom North sea action plan, has already been made towards reaching the 50 per cent. target for reduction in river inputs by 1995.
I intend to publish a guidance note on implementation of these and other aspects of the third conference declaration within the next two months.
Unleaded Petrol
85. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's campaign to increase the use of unleaded petrol.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The unleaded petrol campaign has been a great success. In the 12 months from January last year the market share of this fuel increased from 2 per cent. to 29 per cent. and is now over 30 per cent. We expect that the increased differential in duty between unleaded and leaded petrol, introduced in the recent Budget announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will increase the rate of take -up of unleaded petrol.
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Fly-tipping
88. Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking against fly-tipping.
Mr. Trippier : The new duty of care in the Environmental Protection Bill will place a legal duty on producers and other holders of waste to take measures to prevent illegal disposal and to secure the transfer of waste only to authorised persons. They will also be required to keep records of waste consignments. These measures, in combination with the compulsory register of waste carriers introduced by the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989, will greatly assist the deterrence, detection and prosecution of fly-tippers. In addition, local authorities will be empowered to impound vehicles suspected of fly-tipping until someone comes forward entitled to reclaim them, and the person in a position to control the use of a vehicle will become responsible for fly- tipping offences committed using that vehicle.
Chlorofluorocarbons
95. Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to reduce the use of chlorofluorocarbons.
Mr. Trippier : The Montreal protocol restricts the supply of chlorofluorocarbons. In the negotiations to revise the protocol the Government are pressing for much tighter restrictions on supply, leading to a phase-out within 10 years.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
99. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about damage done to sites of special scientific interest.
Mr. Trippier : I have received a number of representations from a wide range of individuals and interested bodies.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he gives on the criteria adopted by local authorities in determining whether or not to review planning permission given for operations on, or which would otherwise affect, a site of special scientific interest.
Mr. Moynihan : The Department's circular 27/87 gives general guidance about development control in relation to nature conservation. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 8 March 1990 by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning at column 802.
Right to Buy
101. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information he has available on the level of delays by local authorities processing right-to-buy applications.
Mr. Chope : Serious delays continue to cause concern in some London boroughs, although the position is generally improving. Tenants are making good use of the procedure introduced last year by which they can require the landlord either to take the next step in the sale or put the rent toward the purchase price. The necessary forms are available from the Department's regional offices.
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Common Land
102. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about proposals relating to access to common land.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 27 March at column 116.
European Community Environment Directives
105. Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is seeking any changes in the method adopted by the European Commission for investigating complaints about infractions of European Community environment directives.
Mr. Trippier : We have for some time been pressing the Commission to take a more focused and rigorous approach towards ensuring the effective implementation of Community environment legislation in all member states. I am pleased that the Commission is increasing its efforts in this area, and I welcome recent initiatives to improve public awareness of member states' performance in meeting their legal obligations.
Cetaceans
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new initiatives he is preparing to investigate the incidence of disease of cetaceans in British coastal waters.
Mr. Trippier : Relatively little is known about the epidemiology of diseases of wild animals. The experience of the 1988 seal virus has reinforced the need for greater study of this area. I am currently considering proposals for projects to study marine mammal strandings, including small cetacean species, in the coastal waters of England and Wales including tissue sampling, post mortem examinations, analysis of contaminants and other tests as required. I have also placed a contract with the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology of the Natural Environment Research Council to review existing knowledge and assess future needs on wildlife disease generally, including marine mammals.
Local Authority Borrowing
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money was borrowed by local authorities, which was (a) sanctioned by Government and (b) not sanctioned by Government (i) overall and (ii) from abroad, in each year since 1979.
Mr. Chope : Total net external borrowing, that is net of repayments, and total net direct borrowing from abroad by local authorities in England was as follows :
|Total net |of which
|borrowing |direct from
|(£ million)|abroad
|(£ million)
------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |2,228 |n/a
1980-81 |1,741 |6
1981-82 |-326 |7
1982-83 |42 |15
1983-84 |1,018 |32
1984-85 |2,246 |8
1985-86 |2,042 |71
1986-87 |1,703 |14
1987-88 |2,152 |45
1988-89 |2,588 |19
Local authorities may borrow without the approval of my right hon. Friend in anticipation of revenue and for the purpose of repaying existing loans. They may also borrow for any other purpose or class of purpose approved by my right hon. Friend. In practice, in the years mentioned in the question local authorities operated loans pools which were partly funded by external borrowing and partly from internal sources such as balances and unapplied capital receipts. Expenditure financed from loans pools under borrowing approvals given by my right hon. Friend was as follows :
|Expenditure
|financed from
|loans pools
|(£ million)
Private Rented Accommodation
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any evidence of a change in the level of private rented accommodation arising from the implementation of the Housing Act 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : It is too early to assess the overall impact of deregulation on the supply of rented accommodation, but there are clear signs of increased activity in the residential lettings market. In particular, we estimate that about £480 million has so far been invested in business expansion scheme companies letting on assured tenancies, which will provide some 8,000 additional homes for letting.
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to promote the provisions of the Housing Act 1988 to potential landlords to encourage private rented accommodation.
Mr. Chope : My Department has published 11 booklets for both landlords and tenants since part I of the Housing Act 1988 came into force on 15 January 1989. Nearly 2 million of these free booklets have been sent out. Our latest booklet, "Want to Rent a Room", was launched this week.
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EC Member States (Environment Offences)
Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of European Court of Justice cases taken against each member country for environment-related offences since 1984 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : The table below gives the number of court cases on environmental directives for each member state since 1985, based on the best information my Department
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has been able to collect. Figures for 1989 and 1990 are not complete as no annual report on Commission monitoring of the application of Community law has yet been published for these years. It can be seen from the table that the United Kingdom has an excellent record compared with other member states. Excluding Portugal, where most Community environmental legislation has been applicable only since 1989, only Denmark has been taken to the ECJ fewer times for breaches of environmental directives.Column 259
|c|Environmental ECJ cases by country: 1985-90|c|
|1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |Total
---------------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |7 |1 |0 |2 |3 |1 |14
Denmark |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
France |2 |0 |0 |4 |2 |2 |10
FRG |2 |0 |0 |4 |4 |1 |11
Greece |1 |0 |2 |0 |2 |0 |5
Ireland |1 |1 |0 |3 |0 |0 |5
Italy |3 |1 |1 |4 |7 |0 |16
Luxembourg |1 |1 |0 |2 |1 |0 |5
Netherlands |1 |0 |1 |1 |1 |0 |4
Portugal |- |- |- |- |- |0 |0
Spain |- |- |- |0 |2 |2
United Kingdom |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1 |2
Total |19 |4 |4 |20 |23 |5 |75
Child Care and Family Services
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what mechanisms his Department has to deal with services and policies on child care and family services.
Mr. Chris Patten : A ministerial group on women's issues was established in 1986 under Home Office chairmanship to co-ordinate policy issues of special concern to women. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State, the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope), is a member of the group. Issues on which the group has focused in the past 12 months include child care and domestic violence.
As an employer my Department operates a range of policies to support working parents. These include career breaks of up to five years, with an associated keeping in touch scheme and extensive opportunities for part- time working. Paternity leave arrangements will be introduced shortly. The Department has also supported play schemes in central London and the regions and further proposals are under consideration.
Planning Permission
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any power to provide financial assistance to local authorities for purposes connected with revocation or discontinuance of planning permissions.
Mr. Moynihan : My right hon. Friend has no statutory powers specifically to give such assistance.
Development Projects
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether district valuers have any function in evaluating the financial viability of development projects being considered by local planning authorities for planning permission ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Moynihan : District valuers are not formally required to evaluate the financial viability of development projects being considered by local planning authorities for planning permission. There is nothing, however, to prevent local authorities from seeking such advice from district valuers, but it is not a criterion for consideration for planning purposes.
Portable Discounts
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends the recently announced portable discount scheme for council tenants to apply to tenants seeking to move to (a) Ireland and (b) other countries.
Mr. Michael Spicer : It is for each local authority proposing a cash incentive scheme to consider what criteria it wishes to apply, and to put its proposals to the Secretary of State for approval. Scheme proposals are considered on their merits.
Marchon Chemical Plant (Fire)
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will set up an investigation by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution into the fire at the Marchon chemical plant in Whitehaven on Thursday 19 April and publish its findings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : This matter is primarily one for the Health and Safety Executive. I will not be asking Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to undertake an investigation.
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Car Exhaust Emissions
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what consultations he has undertaken on the impact on health of increased benzene emissions in car exhausts arising from the duty concessions on lead -free petrol ;
(2) whether he will commission a study into the safe concentrations of benzene in the atmosphere consequent upon the policy of increasing the tax advantages of lead-free petrol ;
(3) whether he has established what effects the increasing use of lead-free petrol will have on benzene concentrations in the atmosphere.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 24 April 1990] : The Department of the Environment is funding a substantial programme of research into emissions from vehicles using leaded and unleaded petrol, including emissions of benzene. The Government's health advisers will be asked to consider the evidence on exposure to benzene in the atmosphere resulting from this research and advise on its implications for public health. It is not expected that the increased use of lead-free petrol will result in a significant increase in benzene concentrations in the atmosphere.
Dumping at Sea
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action is being taken to assist coastal local authorities with the removal of debris on beaches dumped by ships at sea.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 24 April 1990] : Material dumped by ships at sea is one source of beach debris, and to prevent or minimise such pollution the United Kingdom Government have implemented all the relevant provisions of the international convention for the prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL). This includes strict controls on the discharge of oil and chemicals, garbage and the carriage of packaged dangerous goods. The provision and monitoring of port reception facilities for these wastes is an important requirement of the convention. With regard to garbage, the disposal of any plastic into the sea is prohibited and other forms of garbage may be dumped only under strict
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conditions. Regulations to this effect were made by the Secretary of State for Transport, which came into force on 31 December 1988. The responsibility for clean up of the coastline lies principally with local authorities, and while it is for authorities to determine their own priorities, their spending on environment protection generally is taken into account in the Government's support for local authority expenditure.Dereliction
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of his decisions on local authority expenditure on the speed with which the problem of dereliction faced by the Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster authorities will be resolved.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 24 April 1990] : My right hon. Friend is of the view that, on the basis of all the information available to him, the caps which he proposed for authorities are reasonable and appropriate in all the circumstances of the authorities concerned, and are achieveable without disruption to services.
Excess Nutrients
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to reduce the risk of excess nutrients building up round the coasts.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given earlier today to the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Smith).
Peat Alternatives
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice and assistance has been made available to local authorities for the purposes of encouraging the use of peat alternatives in horticulture.
Mr. Curry : I have been asked to reply to this question. My Ministry has undertaken a considerable amount of work on alternatives to the use of peat in horticulture. The Agricultural Development Advisory Service is currently advising a number of local authorities on the management of amenity plant production, including the development and use of peat substitutes.
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