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Year |Numbers ------------------------ 1979 |120,073 1980 |127,184 1981 |132,893 1982 |133,475 1983 |138,080 1984 |138,431 1985 |146,895 1986 |145,578 Source: Mental Health Inquiry. Note: These figures represent in-patients readmitted to a psychiatric hospital subsequent to a previous admission to that, or another, psychiatric hospital, although not necessarily in the same year. The number of readmissions reported each year do not correspond to individual patients since the same patient can be readmitted more than once during the year.
Bellwin Scheme
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the dates of, and the events which led to, the activation of the Bellwin scheme since 1 April 1989.
Mr. Portillo : The Bellwin scheme has been activated in England on the following occasions since 1 April 1989 :
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Activation |Scope |Event |Date ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 January 1990 |England |Storms |25 January 1990 26 January 1990 |England |Storms |16-17 December 1989 5 February 1990 |Severn Valley |Flooding |late January 1990 1 May 1990 |Maidenhead |Flooding |early February 1990 1 May 1990 |England |Storms |26-28 February 1990
Earth Tremors
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on trends in the incidence of earth tremors and earthquakes in the United Kingdom ; and whether any research has been done on a possible relationship with the abstraction of oil and gas in the North sea.
Mr. Moynihan : Earthquakes in the United Kingdom are monitored by the British geological survey (BGS) using a network of seismometers which is being upgraded at present under contracts placed by a number of organisations, including my Department. Historical events and recent monitoring records, which are published by the BGS, have not yet established any trends towards changes in patterns of seismic activity.
There is frequent seismic activity associated with natural geological structures beneath parts of the North sea. However, there is no evidence for any relationship between the abstraction of oil and gas in the North sea and earthquake activity although, for some small earthquakes, the possibility cannot be discounted.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the closing date for claims of entitlement to rebates and transitional relief as it relates to the community charge.
Mr. Leadbitter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward proposals on claims for rebates and relief in respect of the community charge to allow a longer time scale for claims to be lodged.
Mr. Chope : The Government have no plans to review the relevant provisions. For community charge benefit, claims may be backdated by up to 56 days after the issue of a community charge bill or longer where there is good cause for a delayed application. Rates-related transitional relief is calculated automatically by authorities and no application is required. The special form of transitional relief for certain pensioners and disabled people requires
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application which can be made at any time up to 1 October 1990 or such later date as a charging authority allows and all adjustments are made with effect from 1 April 1990.Mr. Leadbitter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider in his forthcoming review of proposals for modification of the community charge that element which has been added to the charge for local government services to meet the losses on non-payment of the charge to be returned to community charge payers taking into account the actual non-payment before the end of the financial year, and after all legal steps have been taken to obtain payment.
Mr. Chope : No. Local authorities have always had to make an allowance for losses on collection and in this respect the community charge is no different from the old domestic rating system. The single change introduced is the design of the community charge demand notice which identifies this element so that local charge payers can consider whether their authority is being efficient in collecting the community charge.
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the actual level of outstanding debt faced by Rotherham local authority ; and what was the level recognised by his Department for the purposes of the standard spending assessment for 1990-91.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 May 1990] : The actual level of outstanding debt, as at 31 March 1990, is not yet known. The assumed level of outstanding debt as defined for the standard spending assessment is £66,657,656 ; this figure relates to 31 March 1990 and includes a share of the assumed outstanding debt for the South Yorkshire passenger transport authority.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, where the cost of community charge collection exceeds the amount outstanding from an individual, and the local authority should write off the charge, the local authority will be deemed responsible to have collected this amount, and be charged for it by central Government, when assessing the community charge payable for the following financial year.
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Mr. Chope : The amount of grant payable to each charging authority is calculated on the basis of the number of people shown on the register as being liable to pay the charge. It does not vary according to the number of charges actually collected.Gipsies
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many appeals on applications on behalf of gipsies for residential development his Department's inspectors have reversed decisions taken by (a) Taunton Deane borough council and (b) the other four district councils in Somerset, since 1 January 1986.
Mr. Chope : The Department's records show that :
(a) two appeals have been allowed against decisions of the Taunton Deane borough council to refuse applications made by or on behalf of gipsies for planning permission for residential development ;
(b) one further similar appeal has been allowed in the area covered by the other four district councils in Somerset.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to announce his decision on the inquiry which ended in March 1989, into Somerset county council's proposal for a transit gipsy site ; and if he will make a statement on the provision and distribution of gipsy caravan sites in each of the five districts of Somerset.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to issue his decision in this case as soon as possible.
Gipsy site provision is the statutory responsibility of the county council, but authorised sites can also be provided privately by gipsies themselves. Somerset county council has six sites (all residential) as listed in the table :
A
|Pitches
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mendip DC-Berk ley, near Frome |8
Sedgemoor DC-Westonzoyland |8
South Somerset DC-Chubbards Cross, Ilton |15
South Somerset DC-Marsh Lane, Tintinhull |11
Taunton Deane BC-Otterford |12
West Somerset DC-Farringdon Hill Lane, Stogursey |10
|--
Total pitches |64
The Department does not collect information on private gipsy sites on the form requested but according to the latest available figures produced by the district councils there are 26 gipsy caravans accommodated on private authorised sites in Taunton and two in Mendip.
Crown Suppliers
Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the trading results of the Crown Suppliers.
Mr. Chope : The Comptroller and Auditor General has today laid before the House the annual accounts for the Crown Suppliers for 1989. TCS recorded a deficit on its ordinary activities of £2.5 million on a turnover of £165 million. I have placed in the Library a copy of the chief executive's report. He says that a surplus would have been made, as in previous years, but for the reduction in turnover of £57 million which resulted from the transfer to
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other Government Departments of activities which are not to be privatised, with insufficient time available in the period to make commensurate reductions in overheads. Sales for the first quarter of 1990 were above budget, and the business has been restructured to prepare it for privatisation.SOCIAL SECURITY
Family Credit
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families in Wales are in receipt of family credit.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : At the end of December 1989, the latest date for which comprehensive information is available, the number of families receiving family credit who at the time of their award were living in Wales was 20,500.
Industrial Injuries
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for any adjustments to the reduced earnings allowance consequential on industrial injury.
Mr. Scott : Our plans for reduced earnings allowance are set out in paragraphs 6.12 to 6.14 of Cm 917, "The Way Ahead", copies of which are available in the Library.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of allowing people who have been in receipt of invalid care allowance the option of satisfying the first contribution condition for unemployment benefit on the basis of paid contributions in either of the two years before first claiming invalid care allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : In relation to a claim for a short-term national insurance benefit, including unemployment benefit, the contribution conditions have to be satisfied during the last two complete tax years before the benefit year in which the relevant period of interruption of employment (PIE) starts. The estimated net benefit costs of treating the first day for which invalid care allowance was paid as the first day in the PIE for short-term benefit claims made immediately after payment of invalid care allowance ceases would be in the order of £1 million a year.
Social Fund
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, pursuant to the reply of 7 December 1989, Official Report, column 343, he will publish the proportion of social fund expenditure, on a month by month basis, which local offices are recommended to spend, for each month in the financial year 1990-91.
Mr. Scott : The national profile of anticipated expenditure for 1990 -91 is set out in the table. It was devised from an analysis of previous levels of national expenditure, as a guide to assist managers of local offices in planning expenditure of their annual budgets. It is not intended to represent a recommended pattern of monthly expenditure, and managers are free to produce their own profiles to take account of local factors in the area.
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|c|National social fund anticipated expenditure
profile 1990-91|c|
Month |Per cent. of
|annual gross
|budget profiled
------------------------------------------------
April |7.98
May |8.90
June |7.83
July |8.03
August |7.93
September |6.81
October |8.82
November |9.50
December |7.65
January |7.28
February |8.78
March |10.49
Housing Benefit
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table itemising expenditure savings in housing benefit and the numbers of losers between 1982-83 and 1990-91.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 3 May 1990] : The housing benefit scheme has been subject to a number of changes since it was introduced in 1982-83, including a fundamental reform in April 1988 and the replacement of rate rebates by a separate community charge benefit in April of this year. Because there are no standard rules for uprating the benefit, calculations of the financial effect of these changes are at best hypothetical ; with time, it also becomes increasingly unrealistic to try to separate the effect of changes themselves from those of other factors such as movements in housing costs, changes in unemployment, and movements in income levels.
PRIME MINISTER
South Africa
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Prime Minister what trade sanctions are currently operating between the United Kingdom and South Africa.
The Prime Minister : A list of internationally agreed trade measures which are currently operating between the United Kingdom and South Africa is as follows :
UN Measures
(i) The British Government comply fully with the mandatory UN arms embargo (United Kingdom Security Council resolution 418 of 1977) which forbids the provision to South Africa of arms, related material, equipment and technical knowledge needed for their manufacture. The United Kingdom also implements the voluntary United Kingdom Security Council resolution 519 of 1986 which clarifies, but does not extend, the embargo.
(ii) The United Kingdom also implements the voluntary United Kingdom Security Council resolution 558 of 1984 which covers the import from South Africa of arms, ammunition and military vehicles. EC Measures (September 1985)
(i) A rigorously controlled embargo on export of arms and paramilitary equipment to South Africa.
(ii) A rigorously controlled embargo of import of arms and paramilitary equipment from South Africa.
(iii) Cessation of oil exports to South Africa.
(iv) Cessation of exports of sensitive equipment destined for the police and armed forces of South Africa.
(v) Prohibition of all new collaboration in the nuclear sector. Commonwealth Measures (October 1985)
(i) Strict enforcement of the mandatory arms embargo against South Africa.
(ii) Agreed upon and commended to other Governments the adoption of the following economic measures against South Africa:
(A) A ban on all Government loans to the Government of South Africa and their agencies.
(B) A readiness to take unilaterally what action may be possible to preclude imports of krugerrands.
(C) No Government funding for trade missions to South Africa or for participation in exhibitions and trade fairs in South Africa. (
(D) A ban on the sale and export of computer equipment capable of use by South African military forces, police or security forces. (
(E) A ban on new contracts for the sale and export of nuclear goods, materials and technology to South Africa.
(F) A ban on the sale and export of oil to South Africa. (
(G) A strict and rigorously controlled embargo on imports of arms, ammunition, military vehicles and paramilitary equipment from South Africa.
Commonwealth Measures (August 1986)
Agreement to implement any EC decision to ban the import of coal, iron and steel and of gold coins from South Africa.
EC Measures (September 1986)
(i) A ban on imports of certain South African iron and steel. (
(ii) A ban on the import of certain South African gold coins. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make representations to President De Klerk calling for the reprieve of the Upington 14 and the abolition of the common purpose law : and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The verdict on the Upington 14 is subject to an appeal and there is, in any case, a moratorium on all executions in South Africa while the application of the death penalty is reviewed. The doctrine of common purpose in South Africa is a matter of common law, not statute legislation.
Local Authority Rent Arrears
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list (a) the 10 local authorities with the lowest rent arrears, (b) the 10 local authorities with the highest rent arrears and (c) the political party in control in the relevant authorities for the latest period for which she has figures.
The Prime Minister : The 10 local authorities with the lowest rent arrears as at the end of 1988-89, expressed as a percentage of the rent roll, and the then controlling political party were as follows :
|Per cent. |£ thousand |Political
|party
------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Hams |0.5 |21.0 |Conservative
Wansdyke |0.6 |26.0 |Conservative
West Oxfordshire |0.8 |36.0 |Conservative
Rochford |0.8 |<1>21.0 |Conservative
South
Northamptonshire |0.8 |26.0 |Conservative
East Cambridgeshire |0.8 |36.0 |<2>NOC
Rother |0.9 |29.0 |Conservative
Gedling |0.9 |42.0 |Conservative
Babergh |0.9 |40.0 |<2>NOC
Newbury |0.9 |70.0 |Conservative
<1> 1988-89 arrears not reported, 1987-88 figure shown.
<2> NOC=No overall control.
The 10 local authorities with the highest rent arrears, as at the end of 1988-89, expressed as a percentage of the rent roll and the then controlling political party were as follows :
|Per cent. |£ thousand |Political
|party
---------------------------------------------------------------
Brent |49.0 |<1>13,713.0|Labour
Lambeth |35.7 |17,492.0 |Labour
Southwark |35.5 |<1>26,820.0|Labour
Hackney |30.3 |12,357.0 |Labour
Islington |28.9 |13,081.0 |Labour
Ealing |26.2 |5,651.0 |Labour
Liverpool |26.2 |15,292.0 |Labour
Haringey |25.6 |7,200.0 |Labour
Waltham Forest |20.6 |4,365.0 |Labour
Newham |16.0 |5,373.0 |Labour
<1>DOE estimate of rent arrears.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Judges
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many formal complaints about the behaviour of judges have been received in each of the last 10 years ;
(2) how many complaints have been lodged against judges in the last five years ; and how many were upheld.
The Attorney-General : Communications about judicial decisions and behaviour take many different forms and it would not be possible to give a precise figure relating to complaints except at
disproportionate expense. The large majority of complaints concern decisions made by judges, or remarks made in the course of their official duties. In such cases, it is constitutionally improper for the Lord Chancellor to comment, or to seek to intervene. Of the remainder, which relate to the conduct of judges, two such complaints in the past five years have led to the Lord Chancellor publicly reprimanding the judge.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Attorney-General what plans his Department has to monitor sentences passed by judges.
The Attorney-General : Neither the Lord Chancellor nor I have any plans to monitor sentences passed by judges. Within the statutory limits laid down by Parliament, sentencing is a matter for judicial discretion. Guidance on sentencing in particular classes of case is given from time to time by the Court of Appeal, criminal division, and notably in cases brought before it in the exercise of my power under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Data on the sentences passed by the courts are maintained by the Home Office.
Race Awareness
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Attorney-General to what extent race awareness is a component of the education and training of (a) judges, (b) barristers and (c) solicitors.
The Attorney-General : The Judicial Studies Board is responsible for training judges, recorders, registrars and stipendiary magistrates and for supervising the training of the lay magistracy. Since racial awareness is considered to be an important element in ensuring that all members of the judiciary act impartially, the Judicial Studies Board has commissioned an information pack on ethnic
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minorities. The revised syllabus set out in "Handbook For the Training of Magistrates", published by the board earlier this year and approved by the Lord Chancellor, requires newly appointed magistrates to be given instruction in"awareness of the different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds of those with whom they may have to deal as defendants or witnesses".
Moreover, those who attend the board's courses are reminded to be alert for any example of racial discrimination in anyone who appears in court.
The education and training of barristers and solicitors is a matter for the professional bodies concerned. Race awareness is a component of the education and training of both barristers and solicitors. It is not covered as a separate topic but features in certain compulsory subject study areas.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Overseas Loans
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the loans made by Her Majesty's Government and British financial institutions to (a) Poland and (b) Hungary which still need to be repaid, the terms of each of those loans and the date at which they will be cleared.
Mr. Ryder : The Government contributed $35 million to a bridging loan for Poland at the end of 1989 as part of an operation organised by the Bank of International Settlements. This loan has now been repaid. The United Kingdom Government's aid to Poland and Hungary has primarily taken the form of grants. A list of loans to specific countries by British financial institutions is not kept by the Bank of England or the Government. United Kingdom banks' claims on Poland and Hungary at the end of 1989 were $1,180 million and $518 million respectively. Repayments of 67.3 per cent. of Poland's debt to United Kingdom banks is due in five years and over, and 18.5 per cent. within the next year. Repayments of 11.6 per cent. of Hungary's debt to United Kingdom banks is due in five years and over, and 42.7 per cent. within the next year.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what lending by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) British financial institutions to the Third world is taking place currently ; and what screening takes place to ensure that such lending is not used for questionable military purchase or white elephant public sector projects.
Mr. Ryder : In 1988--the latest date for which information is available--£134 million of United Kingdom bilateral aid was provided in the form of loans. No part of the official aid programme is used for military purposes. Detailed systems for project identification and appraisal ensure that all proposals for aid funding are very carefully scrutinised to ensure that they conform to the Government's objective of promoting sustainable economic and social progress and alleviating poverty. ECGD guaranteed loans of £1.4 billion in support of United Kingdom exports--both civil and military--in 1988. A list of loans to the Third world by British financial institutions is not kept by the Bank of England or the Government. United Kingdom banks' claims on
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developing countries at the end of 1989 were $53 billion. Lending by the British banks is for their own commercial judgment.East European Debt
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what debts are owed to the United Kingdom by each east European country ; and when each will be paid off.
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Mr. Ryder : Debts owed to the United Kingdom by the east European countries fall into two categories : debt owed to the Government and debt owed to banks registered in the United Kingdom. It has not been the past practice of the Government to reveal specific debt owed by individual countries. Eastern Europe as a whole owes £1.7 billion to the United Kingdom Government. Eastern Europe's debt to United Kingdom banks is as follows :
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$ million
By maturity
|Total contractual |Less than one year|One to five years |More than five
|debt |years
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |530 |300 |210 |20
Czechoslovakia |320 |200 |100 |10
German Democratic Republic |1,195 |795 |345 |55
Hungary |520 |220 |210 |60
Poland |1,180 |220 |170 |795
Romania |Not available
European Monetary System
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the rate of gross domestic product growth since 1983 in (a) European monetary system countries and (b) the United Kingdom.
Mr. Ryder : Since 1983 United Kingdom gross domestic product at constant prices has grown at an average annual rate of 3.4 per cent. compared with an average of 2.8 per cent. for present members of the exchange rate mechanism of the European monetary system.
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the percentage level of unemployment in France at the inception of the European monetary system ; and what is it now.
Mr. Ryder : On OECD standardised definitions French unemployment was 5.7 per cent. in March 1979 and 9.4 per cent. in March 1990.
Public Debt Interest
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the interest paid on public debt in each of the last 10 financial years.
Mr. Ryder : Figures for gross debt interest payments of the public sector are given in the table for each of the last 10 financial years (1989 -90 is an estimated outturn).
|c|Public sector gross debt interest
payments|c|
|Cash |Percentage
|£ billion |of money
|GDP
--------------------------------------------
1980-81 |12.0 |5.1
1981-82 |14.1 |5.4
1982.83 |14.7 |5.2
1983-84 |15.2 |4.9
1984-85 |16.8 |5.1
1985-86 |18.4 |5.1
1986-87 |18.2 |4.7
1987-88 |18.3 |4.3
1988-89 |18.6 |3.9
1989-90 |19.0 |3.75
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TESSAs
Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when savers will first be able to open TESSA accounts.
Mr. Lilley : The legislation will provide that a TESSA may be opened from 1 January 1991. The earliest practical date for most people will be 2 January in England and Wales and Northern Ireland or 3 January in Scotland.
Schedule D Tax
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has about how many schedule D Tax assessments are incorrect.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 17 May 1990] : The Inland Revenue conducts regular quality control checks. The most recent results show that 10 per cent. of schedule D assessments are incorrect when first issued.
DEFENCE
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total volume of aggregate radioactive waste produced by his Department or arising from activities conducted on behalf of his Department by British Nuclear Fuels and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority since the military nuclear programme began ; and what provisions have been made for the disposal of these wastes.
Mr. Neubert : It would not be in the national interest to disclose figures in the form in which the hon. Member seeks them. I can, however, assure the hon. Member that :
(a) wastes were disposed of in the past under conditions no less stringent than those then prevailing for civil wastes ;
(b) Ministry of Defence disposals to the Drigg site in Cumbria are now published by British Nuclear Fuels plc ;
(c) United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. has stated (in the United Kingdom radioactive waste inventory) that wastes arising from military operations will add no more the 20 per cent. to its published total of civil arising to the year 2030 ; and
(d) military wastes which cannot be sent for disposal under current regulation will, in common with civil wastes, be consigned to the national radioactive waste centre once it commences operation.
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