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EC Council of Ministers
Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community Council of Ministers.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Environment Council will meet on 7 and 8 June. The Presidency hopes for agreement on the amended waste framework proposal to amend directive 75/442 which establishes the basic structure for waste management in the Community ; on the proposal on the labelling, use, content and disposal of batteries and accumulators containing dangerous substances, and on a resolution to establish policy targets on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Council will also seek to conclude a Community negotiating position for the London ozone layer conference in June. There will be a discussion and possible agreement of the proposal to add four substances to annex II to the directive concerning the discharge of dangerous substances to water, and the Presidency hopes for agreement on the proposal to establish a committee to facilitate amendment of existing directives on drinking water, bathing water and surface water quality. There is likely to be detailed discussion about the protection of waters from pollution by nitrates, and about the proposal to consolidate Community anti-pollution standards for all sizes of motor car. The Presidency will report progress on the proposal concerning the protection of habitats and of wild fauna and flora and on the proposal to treat municipal waste water before discharge into the environment.
The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 11 June to discuss multilateral surveillance of member states' economies and the possible development of economic and monetary union beyond stage 1. On 8 May 1990 the Commission published its technical proposals for VAT, mutual assistance and intra-EC trade statistics, based on the agreements reached at ECOFIN at the end of 1989. Initial discussion of these proposals is expected. The Council is expected to discuss the investment services directive, and may also discuss the package of three tax measures to encourage cross-border co -operation between companies (mergers directive, parents/subsidiaries directive and arbitration procedure) and hear a statement by the Taxation Commissioner on the Commission's corporate taxation policy. The Consumer Council will meet on 13 June. After lengthy and inconclusive discussion on the directive on general product safety at official level, Ministers will be asked to give a clearer direction for future negotiations. They will be particularly concerned with the main areas of contention, notably the scope of the directive, its overlap with other directives and the procedure of handling emergencies at Community level. A draft directive on unfair contract terms is in preparation within the Commission and a progress report is expected. The French have requested a discussion and are expected to press the Commission to step up efforts in this area. The Commission has asked the Dutch Consumer Safety Institute to lead a working party to undertake a review of achievements of the European home and leisure accident surveillance system (EHLASS), and its report is to be tabled at the Council on 13 June. There is likely to be a presentation in the margins by the Commission on a three-year plan for future priorities in consumer policy, which has been agreed and is in the public domain. An
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item on the package travel directive has been included at the suggestion of the French. However, the Commission has recently accepted a number of substantive amendments proposed by the European Parliament. No revised text will be available from the Commission in time for the Council discussion, although the Council could still act by unanimity to adopt the common position text agreed at Internal Market Council in February 1990.At the Foreign Affairs Council on 18 and 19 June, Ministers will discuss preparations for the 25 and 26 June European Council (including political union ; economic and monetary union ; the free movement of people ; and co- operation against drugs and international organised crime). The Commission will present a draft mandate for approval by the Council on the opening of negotiations to create an enhanced free trade area with the EFTA countries, and will present a new strategy for strengthening economic relations with the Mediterranean countries in general. The Council will propose ways of enhancing the EC's co-operation agreement with Yugoslavia and the association agreement with Turkey. There will be an orientation debate on the Communities' relations with central and eastern Europe, and discussions of voting rights in local elections and of the situation in the occupied territories. Ministers will consider the current state of play in the GATT Uruguay round, and preparations for the Houston economic summit on 9 to 11 July. The food aid directive and Community policy on the generalised system of preferences 1991-2000 may also be discussed. Ministers will also discuss political co-operation subjects.
The Transport Council will meet on 18 and 19 June. Ministers will discuss aviation matters which cover the components of the second liberalisation package. It is expected that restrictions on market access and the approval of fares will be further relaxed. Air traffic control discussions should centre on increasing capacity in Europe by integrating air traffic control systems and optimising the traffic route network. On shipping cabotage Ministers hope to establish a basis for a balanced agreement on liberalisation acceptable to all member states. Regarding prevention of accidents causing pollution, we advocate strict compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972. The Council will support all appropriate measures to improve passenger safety which may be tabled. On road haulage, Ministers will discuss crisis measures to ensure corrective measures will be available to reduce the impact of any possible disruption resulting from increasing liberalisation. It is proposed to fix the Community quota for 1991 and 1992, hopefully increasing the proportion of operations under Community authorisations and ensuring smooth transition to a fully liberalised road haulage market. Discussion on vehicles hired without drivers should ratify abolishing restrictive clauses. The road safety resolution is likely to be discussed, and we strongly support it as drafted because it is in line with United Kingdom views in pressing for early EC agreement on improved construction standards as a means of significantly reducing road haulage casualties. The high-speed network may be discussed under any other business, and we will support the concept of co-ordinating plans, but consider that the case for additional links must be assessed on a commercial basis. Ministers are also likely to discuss fiscal harmonisation of road haulage and infrastructure cost coverage for goods vehicles.
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The Internal Market Council will meet on 20 June to discuss a number of measures relevant to the completion of the single market. The European Council will meet on 25 and 26 June in Dublin. Heads of Government are likely to discuss political union, economic and monetary union, the 1992 programme, the environment, drugs, German unification and the EC's external relations.The Agriculture Council will meet on 25 and 26 June and is likely to discuss poultry meat marketing standards, non-food uses of agricultural products, foot and mouth disease, the veterinary fund, animal health (horses), trade in live animals, Aujesky's disease, poultry hatching eggs, enzootic bovine leukosis, pesticide residues and pesticide approval. It may also discuss pathogens in feedingstuffs, welfare of calves and pigs, veterinary medicines and organic farming.
The Fisheries Council will meet on 27 June and is likely to discuss technical conservation measures, Mediterranean fisheries, negotiations with third-world countries, seasonal price adjustment for herring, allocation of additional quotas at Greenland, structural measures for small-scale fisheries, submission of data on landing of fishery products, and EC/USSR. It may also discuss revision of 1990 TACs and quotas for 1990.
At the Telecommunications Council on 28 June Ministers will discuss the open network provision (ONP) which sets out to define the terms and conditions under which telecommunications administrations will be required to give access to users in general and private service operators in particular to the telecommunications network infrastructure and certain specific services. The proposed directive on ONP does not itself specify any detailed ONP conditions but sets out a legal framework within which subsequent measures dealing with specific areas are to be drawn up. A common position on the proposal was reached as a result of a political agreement on two market measures to open up the Community telecommunications services markets to competition and the Council may be expected formally to adopt the directive. The Presidency may seek to obtain political agreement on aspects of the mutual recognition of type approval for
telecommunications terminal equipment proposal, which aimed at ensuring the mutual recognition of type approval procedures for telecommunications terminal equipment as between different member states and as a necessary step to the creation of a single market in those equipments. Ministers may discuss the integrated services digital network (ISDN), based on the 1989 progress report on the implementation of Council recommendation 86/659/EEC on the co-ordinated introduction of ISDN in the European Community. The progress report presents several proposals for discussion on further activity at the Community level in respect of ISDN. A proposal for a resolution has not yet been received from the Commission. The Council may hold orientation debates on co-operation with eastern European countries in the telecommunications field, and on proposals for a directive and a recommendation aimed at establishing the necessary conditions for the commercial exploitation of digital European cordless telecommunications (DECT) tech-nology throughout the EC. Ministers will also discuss the resolution on frequency management which lays down policy guidelines on management of the radio frequency spectrum aimed at strengthening European co-ordination
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of the allocations of radio frequencies, taking full account of the role of the conference of European post and telecommunications administrators in this field.The Research Council will meet on 29 June. It is expected that common positions will be agreed on the EURET (transport) and EUROTRA II (machine translation) research programmes. The human genome research programme may be adopted. The Research Council will have a preliminary discussion of the Commission's papers on scientific and technological collaboration with third-world countries and eastern Europe and will also discuss a draft Council resolution on the participation of central and eastern European countries in COST (European co-operation in the field of scientific and technical research). The Council may also discuss general issues arising from the proposals for specific programmes of the recently adopted framework programme for R and D, 1990-94.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits in Kind
Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much the yield of national insurance contributions would be increased if all taxable benefits in kind were treated as earnings.
56. Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by how much the yield of national insurance contributions would be increased if all taxable benefits in kind were treated as earnings.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Any increased yield of national insurance contributions would depend on the effects of the employees' upper earnings limit and the various earnings limits for employers' contributions. Because of these factors, the information available about the value of taxable benefits to individual employees compared with their levels of other earnings is insufficiently precise to enable an accurate estimate of additional contributions to be made. However, based on predictions about the total of taxable benefits in kind that are likely to be made available to employees during 1990-91 it is thought that the additional yield could amount to some 1 to 2 per cent. of national insurance contribution income.
Action Credit
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how participation in action credit affects eligibility for housing benefit (a) while a claimant is on a part-time placement and receiving the income support disregard and (b) when a claimant remains unemployed after the scheme and is receiving accrued wages and income support disregard.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : A person on income support is entitled to maximum housing benefit and maximum community charge benefit. This applies both during participation in action credit and if a person remains on income support after the end of such participation in the scheme.
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Benefit Payment
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make arrangements for it to be possible for payments made by his Department to be a cheque on the request of the claimant or his accredited representative.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Arrangements exist for benefit payments to be made by girocheque where an immediate payment is necessary or payment is for a short period only. Regular payments of benefit are normally made by order book encashable at a post office.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Adelaide Hospital, Dublin
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make representations at a meeting of the Anglo- Irish Ministerial Conference to have the present Protestant medical ethics at Adelaide hospital, Dublin, retained in the proposed new hospital to replace it.
Mr. Brooke : I have no present plans to do so, but the right hon. Gentleman knows that his actions will have ensured that the Irish Government will be aware of his concerns.
Running Cost Limits
Mr. Malins : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the 1990-91 running cost limit for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments.
Mr. Cope : The running cost limit for 1990-91 for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments is being set at £592.6 million. Further details of provision for individual Departments are set out in the appropriate estimates volumes.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Finance
57. Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average rates bill as a proportion of earnings for a one- earner family with two children on 75 per cent. average earnings in 1989-90 ; and what he estimates the proportion of income going on the poll tax will be for the same family in 1990-91.
58. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average rates bill as a proportion of earnings for a one-earner family with two children on 75 per cent. average earnings in 1989-90 ; and what he estimates the proportion of income going on the poll tax will be for the same family in 1990-91.
Mr. Chope : I shall write to the hon. Members.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much, in cash and as a percentage of local government income, was met by (a) revenue support grant, (b) uniform business rate and (c) community charge in England in 1990-91.
Mr. Chope : The figures are given in the table.
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|£ billion|Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------
1989-90
Rate support grant |9.6 |33
Non-domestic rate income<1> |9.5 |33
Domestic rate income<2> |9.7 |34
1990-91
Revenue support grant |9.5 |29
Non-domestic rate income |10.4 |32
Charge income<3> |12.7 |39
Notes:
Figures shown for 1989-90 and 1990-91 are not on a
comparable basis because of extensive changes to the
system of local government finance.
In 1990-91, local authorities also received special
transitional grants totalling £187 million.
<1> Net of disabled non-domestic rate relief grant and
enterprise zone grant.
<2> Net of domestic rate relief grant, but including
domestic rate rebates.
<3> Including community charge benefits and household
transitional relief grant.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions officials from his Department met officials of Westminster city council in December, January, February and March to discuss matters relating to the community charge.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance was given to local authorities and what allowance was made in standard spending assessments for provision for bad debts and non-payment of the poll tax ; and what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on what local authorities should allocate for this provision.
Mr. Chope : It is for each charging authority, in setting the community charge for its area, to make such reasonable provision for non- collection as may be necessary in the light of its individual circumstances. Since there are approximately twice as many charge payers as ratepayers, the absolute number of slow payers can be expected to be greater, but there is no reason why the cash volume of arrears should be greater than under the rating system. Losses through non-payment represent a reduction in revenue rather than an item of expenditure, and are therefore not reflected in standard spending assessments.
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the cost of extending to one year the period during which empty properties are not subject to the standard community charge.
Mr. Chope : The information is not available. But charging authorities already have the discretion to extend the prescribed three- month period for which no standard charge is payable. We are currently collecting information on the use which authorities have made of their discretion and, from the evidence so far, it is clear that a number have decided to extend this period to 12 months.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to withdraw the discretion given to local councils to fix the level of community charge on property which is not classed as the main or principal residence ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Chope : We have made it clear that if local authorities do not make sensitive use of the wide discretion available to them we shall introduce more prescription in time for 1991-92. My right hon. Friend will make a statement on this as soon as we have completed the review of local authority standard charge practices.
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the cost of granting an automatic 50 per cent. community charge rebate (a) to all retirement pensioners and (b) to pensioners over the age of 75 years.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Many pensioners are already entitled to reductions in their community charge through the transitional relief scheme or community charge benefit or both. Many of these already pay less than 50 per cent. of the full charge. The cost of allowing all pensioners who currently pay more than 50 per cent. a reduction to 50 per cent. in 1990-91 is estimated at about £600 million. Of this, about £200 million is for pensioners aged over 75.
Mr. Hawkins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the cost of basing transitional relief for the community charge, for a full financial year, on (a) £56 and (b) £106, in place of the limit of £156.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : It is estimated that the transitional relief scheme will provide £350 million of relief in 1990-91. This is based on a threshold of £156, equivalent to £3 per week. Reducing the threshold to £2 per week would increase the estimated cost to £570 million ; and reducing the threshold to £1 per week would cost £900 million.
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the cost of granting exemption from the community charge for mothers with a child (a) under the age of five years and (b) under the age of 10 years.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Assuming an average personal community charge of £363, it is estimated that exempting mothers with children under five from the community charge would mean a revenue loss of £0.8 billion and exempting mothers with children under 10 years of age would mean a revenue loss of £1.4 billion.
Peat
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the action his Department is taking to safeguard the peatlands from commercial devastation.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Government are committed to assessing the practical operation and implementations of the powers contained in the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 and to consider the available options to balance nature conservation against existing mineral extraction interests on key peatland areas. The Government are encouraging research into alternatives for peat and are working with commercial firms in the re- evaluation of alternatives currently available. Whenever appropriate, we are encouraging the use of alternatives.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will review all pre-1948 planning permissions for the extraction of peat which affect sites of special scientific interest ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Government are committed to assessing the practical operation and implementation of the power contained in the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 and are considering the available options to balance nature conservation against existing mineral extraction interests on key peatland sites.Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the peatland resource data inventory ; how many full- time and part-time staff are involved in carrying out the research at the Nature Conservancy Council ; what funds the Government have provided for the research ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 5 June, Official Report, column 480, concerning the peatland resource data inventory.
I am advised by the NCC that it is currently recruiting two full-time staff in addition to the three full-time officers currently employed on the survey. It is for the NCC to decide what portion of its grant in aid of £44.069 million should be devoted to this project.
Ryedale District Council
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will direct the Audit Commission to undertake an extraordinary audit of the accounts of Ryedale district council, north Yorkshire, under section 22(2) of the Local Government and Finance Act 1982 in respect of treatment of receipts from the rent revenue account ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : No. The Secretary of State may direct an extraordinary audit if it appears to him in the public interest to do so. No matters have been brought to his attention which would warrant his making such a direction.
Palace of Westminster (Cleaning)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the panelling and shelving adjacent to the Members' and Strangers' Dining Rooms were last cleaned ; who supervised such cleaning ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The cleaning contract requires panelling and shelving up to a height of 5.5 ft to be dusted daily. Direct responsibility for supervising the work rests with the contractor ; the Serjeant at Arms or the Refreshment Department are responsible for checking that the work has been done.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the interior of the Palace of Westminster was last thoroughly cleaned ; what inspection was made of that cleaning ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : My Department is responsible for cleaning only parts of the Palace--generally public areas and meeting rooms. The work is carried out at the frequency set out in the contract specification. Cleaning of floors and dusting for example is a daily task. Inspection of the work is the responsibility of the Serjeant at Arms, or Refreshment Department, who bring any shortcomings to the attention of the Parliamentary Works Office's office keeper.
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Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take to ensure a thorough cleaning programme is implemented and supervised in the Palace of Westminster ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Subject to agreement of the details with the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee, the Parliamentary Works Office will shortly commission a review of the cleaning arrangements. It will look at options for setting up a coherent management structure, to replace the existing fragmented arrangements, and at the means of ensuring a consistently high standard of cleaning throughout the Palace.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the arrangements which he has now made to ensure that the Members' Tea Room is properly cleaned.
Mr. Chope : The discussions that I mentioned in response to the hon. Member's earlier question on 10 May, Official Report, column 190, have :
(a) clarified the existing responsibilities of the Refreshment Department's and Parliamentary Works Officer's cleaning contractors, (
(b) confirmed that the arrangements cover all the cleaning requirements, and
(c) established new arrangements for reporting any shortcomings in the work.
These arrangements, particularly the use of the two contractors in one room, will be considered further in the proposed review of cleaning arrangements generally within the Palace of Westminster which I referred to in answer to another question by the hon. Member today.
Tyneside Enterprise Zone
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what payments he expects to make in 1990-91 to (a) Newcastle and (b) Gateshead metropolitan district in order to offset forgone uniform business rate in the Tyneside enterprise zone ; and what payments he made in 1989-90 in respect of business rate forgone.
Mr. Chope : In 1989-90 the payments to Newcastle upon Tyne city council and Gateshead metropolitan borough council in respect of business rates forgone on the Tyneside enterprise zone were £1,845, 007 and £12,921,234 respectively. Under the new local government finance system business properties in enterprise zones are exempt from rating. The amount which Newcastle and Gateshead contribute to the national pool reflects this exemption. A figure broadly equivalent to the amount of rates that would have been paid but for this exemption was added to the revenue support grant for England for 1990-91.
Contracts
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to place contracts for materials and services to his Department with companies and orgnisations that have conducted an environmental audit of their operations.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My Department is currently considering the scope for cost-effective measures to improve environmental performance in purchasing and
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building management. We are also looking at further ways of encouraging industry to adopt positive environmental policies.CITES Inspector
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if Her Majesty's Government are prepared to match the offer of £30,000 per annum made by the World Wide Fund for Nature towards the costs of the investigation and enforcement officer employed by the CITES secretariat ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if Her Majesty's Government intend to make a contribution towards the operating costs of the investigation and enforcement officer employed by the CITES secretariat ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Government are fully committed to CITES and are considering the World Wide Fund for Nature's request for a contribution towards the costs of the investigation and enforcement officer employed by the CITES secretariat.
London Residuary Body
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many properties have been transferred to London boroughs or sold to sitting tenants by the London residuary body at less than market value.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith), on 30 March, Official Report , column 564 .
Ivory
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 1 May, Official Report , column 504 , where information is held on tradeable ivory currently in the United Kingdom ; and what steps he is taking to monitor it.
Mr. Trippier : Details of ivory which may be allowed in trade under current CITES controls will be known only to traders and individuals who possess such ivory. Such information as the Department has is limited to individual records of import, export and sale applications. Records of imports and exports of ivory are maintained by the Department in accordance with article VIII.6 of CITES for the purpose of monitoring international trade.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply of 23 May, if he will give details of exemptions granted under article 6.1 of EC regulation 3626/82 since October 1988.
Mr. Trippier : I will write to the hon. Member.
Fenn's Moss
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give details of the proposals put to his Department regarding the preservation of Fenn's moss ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if his Department will provide funds for the Royal Society for Nature Conservation to purchase the Fenn's and Whitehall mosses as a national nature reserve ; what representations he has received on this matter ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : No proposals have yet been put to my Department. I am advised by the Nature Conservancy Council that it is considering a number of options to secure the future of the site, including a possible lease or purchase. Neither the Department nor the NCC has however been approached by the Royal Society for Nature Conservation for funds to enable it to purchase the site. Almost 200 representations have been received concerning this site.
Home Improvement Scheme
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what time scale the Government are working in introducing the new means- tested home improvement scheme.
Mr. Chope : The new house renovation grants system will be introduced, under part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, on 1 July 1990. A commencement order, bringing into force the relevant sections of part VIII, will be made shortly.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice is being issued to local authorities about the new means-tested home improvement grants.
Mr. Chope : Two departmental circulars will be issued to all local authorities in the next two weeks. These will contain detailed advice on all aspects of the new house renovation grants system, being introduced under part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations were received in response to the consultation process on the revised procedures for means-testing home improvement grants to people with disabilities ; and if he will list those for and those against.
Mr. Chope : Ten organisations responded to the consultation exercise on the proposed test of resources for the new disabled facilities grants, being introduced under part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Consultees were invited to submit comments on the content of the test of resources regulations and not the principle of resource-testing such grants which had already been approved by Parliament.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money his Department has awarded in housing renovation grants in each of the last 10 years at (i) current prices and (ii) historic prices.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The amounts of Exchequer contribution given by the Department to local authorities towards their expenditure on home improvement grants for the financial years 1981- 82 to 1988-89 are shown in the table. Information is not available for years prior to 1981-82.
|Current |Historic
|prices |prices
|(£000s) |(£000s)
------------------------------------
1981-82 |225,927 |137,522
1982-83 |284,345 |185,564
1983-84 |415,401 |283,760
1984-85 |517,255 |370,871
1985-86 |562,222 |424,702
1986-87 |588,585 |459,744
1987-88 |605,780 |498,557
1988-89 |609,533 |537,364
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money his Department awarded in grants for housing renovation purposes in 1989-90.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Figures for 1989-90 are not yet available, but the amount of Exchequer contribution given by the Department to local authorities towards their expenditure on home improvement grants for 1988-89 was £537.4 million.
Correspondence
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth will be sent a reply to his letter of 26 March concerning Mr. P. G. Tolan of Kenilworth.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have replied to my hon. Friend today.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will reply to the letter of 20 April from the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth concerning development in the A5 corridor.
Mr. Moynihan : I wrote to my hon. Friend today.
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