| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 293
"unreasonable" behaviour, as interpreted in DOE circular 2/87, caused the planning authority to incur costs unnecessarily. These awards were justified by the circumstances in each case ; and I regret that an analysis of cases in which the award was based solely on inconsistency with an up-to-date development plan could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Leaseholders
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce legislation for the enfranchisement of leaseholders of flats.
Mr. Michael Spicer : I have no immediate plans to do so. As the law stands, freehold tenure does not provide a sound basis for the ownership of flats. The concept of commonhold is being developed with a view to overcoming this problem, but a number of important issues remain to be resolved. I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor intends to make a statement on the subject in due course.
Climatic Change
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what support Her Majesty's Government are giving to proposals for a European Community centre of studies of climatic change ; and if he will make a statement on the results of discussions held in Madrid for this purpose.
Mr. Trippier : There is at present no European Community proposal for a centre for climate change studies. The directors of western European meteorological services have recently established an ad-hoc working group, which first met in Madrid on 5 and 6 June to consider possible initiatives for co-ordinating their activities on climate change issues. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister opened the new Hadley centre for climate prediction and research on 25 May. This will build on the leading work of the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, and international co-operation will be an important part of its remit.
Industrial Rates
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the cost to the Treasury of industrial derating for manufacturing industries.
Mr. Chope : The aggregate rate liability of factories, mills, works and workshops in England and Wales in 1990-91, subject to transition, is around £2.1 billion.
Enterprise Zones
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what limit he can impose on the amounts that firms situated in enterprise zones may offset against any taxable benefit tied to that location in respect of other enterprises outside such zones making losses.
Mr. Moynihan : None. The circumstances in which tax relief available in enterprise zones can be utilised is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Column 294
Ozone
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to ensure that information on low-level ozone build -up is released automatically to the press and public on a daily basis wherever it exceeds World Health Organisation air quality guidelines.
Mr. Trippier : Information on ozone levels is already automatically released through the Department's press office, as I said in the answer I gave on Tuesday 24 April 1990 to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey, (Mr. Hughes) at column 121. So far this year, 27 daily summaries have been released and many requests for information have been received.
Housing Associations (Low-cost Houses)
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in implementation of the provisions for repurchase by housing associations of low-cost houses.
Mr. Chope : The Department is anxious to ensure that shared ownership housing association schemes on scarce sites in rural communities continue to benefit local people with modest means. We are now considering proposals from the Housing Corporation for a housing association rural repurchase scheme, which it is hoped to introduce shortly.
Student Nurses
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what progress has been made in reclassifying psychiatric student nurses as students for the purposes of the community charge ; (2) if he will now reconsider the definition or classification of student nurses for the purpose of the community charge.
Mr. Chope : The eligibility criteria for the student relief are set out in the Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989--S.I. 1989/443. They already provide that students on undergraduate nursing courses and those undertaking Project 2000 training will be eligible for the student relief. Over the next few years the Project 2000 scheme will be extended to cover all pre-registration nursing trainees at schools of nursing, including those training for psychiatric nursing.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of percentage price increases in the cost of living each year for the next five years in Scotland, Wales, northern England, southern England and south-east England due to the uniform business rate.
Mr. Chope : In fixing the national non-domestic rate poundages for England and Wales for 1990-91 the Government have aimed to raise in real terms from private businesses and the nationalised industries broadly the same amount in rates as they paid in 1989-90. In future years, the poundage cannot, by law, rise by more than the level of inflation. The new system is therefore not
Column 295
inflationary. There is no uniform business rate in Scotland, though my right hon. and learned Friend has taken powers to harmonise the local poundages there with the non-domestic rate poundage in England over a period of years.Greenhouse Effect
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he proposes to make to the announcement by West Germany of a ban on the domestic use and production of chlorofluorocarbons by 1995, and the banning of the use of halogenated hydrocarbons in hand-held extinguishers and on the use of carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroforms as solvents by 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : Future international controls on ozone depleting substances will be decided at the meeting of the Montreal protocol parties in London at the end of this month. In the light of the results of that meeting, member states of the European Community will discuss what measures to impose within the Community, consistent with the operation of the single European market.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to introduce a Bill to implement the Montreal protocol proposals to cause a reduction in the use of chlorofluorocarbons and halons.
Mr. Trippier : The Montreal protocol is implemented on a Community wide basis by EC regulation 3322/88, which is directly applicable in United Kingdom law. The Commission has proposed a new regulation aimed at implementing the changes to the protocol which should be agreed at the end of this month. Member states will consider the draft regulation in the light of the changes which are actually agreed--we expect to complete the process by the end of 1990.
North Sea Conference
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the implementation, proposed to be drawn up within three months, of the North sea conference on 8 March.
Mr. Trippier : I hope to publish the Government's guidance note on implementation of the third North sea conference within the next month.
Disability Grants
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will delay implementation of the new scheme for means-tested grants for people with disabilities until local authorities have received full information on the scheme.
Mr. Chope : The new scheme will be introduced on 1 July by which time local authorities will have received full information by way of Departmental circulars.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Hands of Calderdale as part of the consultation process on proposed procedures for means-testing home improvement grants for people with disabilities ; and if he will be responding to their questions.
Column 296
Mr. Chope : The Department received a letter from Hands of Calderdale in response to the consultation exercise on the test of resources for the new disabled facilities grants being introduced under part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Their comments were considered along with those of other consultees in finalising the test of resources regulations.
Housing
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table which, allowing for recent adjustments to the Housing Corporation's capital programme, shows for 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93 (a) the number of housing association new approvals and (b) the number of housing association completions.
Mr. Michael Spicer [holding answer 12 June 1990] : The Housing Corporation is currently discussing with housing associations the implications of recent adjustments to the corporation's capital programme for the level of approvals and completions over the next three years. The Housing Corporation has already indicated that housing association completions in 1990-91 are expected to exceed earlier forecasts. Thereafter, massive expansion in the output of new homes is still expected.
Norman Shaw North (Water Supply)
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what pollutants have recently been found in the water supply to the Norman Shaw North parliamentary office building ; and what action has been taken to remove them.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 12 June 1990] : Following a complaint about the quality of drinking water in the building, samples were tested by the laboratory of the Government chemist. Those taken from the supply to the Embankment side of the building were found to contain coli- aerogenes. Remedial action was taken. Further tests samples taken on 5 June 1990 contained no coli-aerogenes and the supply has now been reinstated.
Tyne and Wear Development Corporation
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information he has as to how many new jobs in Sunderland have been created by the activities of the Tyne and Wear development corporation, from its inception.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 13 June 1990] : To date, 1,138 jobs have been created in Sunderland through the activities of the Tyne and Wear development corporation.
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to test the accuracy of job creation forecasts given to his Department by Tyne and Wear Development Corporation.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 13 June 1990] : The corporation is well aware of the advice issued by the Department about job-creation figures and I have every confidence that the appropriate techniques are being applied.
Column 297
Sunderland Enterprise Zone
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his current estimate of the cost to Her Majesty's Government of the Sunderland enterprise zone, broken down into (a) rate relief and (b) capital allowances.
Mr. Moynihan [holding answer 13 June 1990] : The initial estimate of the overall costs of the zone was given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 7 December 1988. The cost of rate relief and capital allowances in the zone will depend on the progress of reclamation and development and the decisions of individual firms.
Children (Sexual Abuse)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what facilities his Department offers to local government to spread the best practice in suspected cases of sexual abuse of children.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have been asked to reply.
The Department routinely issues guidance to local authorities, and has recently hosted a national conference for chairmen of area child protection committees, the proceedings of which will be disseminated. In addition, several projects in the Department's central training initiative are concerned with child sexual abuse and as part of the training support programme (child care) a special development group has produced guidelines for local authority training officers to assist them with planning their staff training in this area. The Department's social services inspectorate also produce reports which highlight good practice.
Aquaguard
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to renew the product licence for Aquaguard.
Mr. Maclean : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Minister is hoping to make a statement shortly.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Tuna
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Lord President of the Council what steps he has taken to assure himself that the tuna fish served in the House is caught in a manner harmless to dolphins.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The Refreshment Department purchases only canned tuna fish products which derive from skipjack tuna and, which it is understood, do not usually swim with dolphins. It is also keeping itself informed of developments in the marketing of "dolphin-safe" canned tuna fish. It is impracticable for the Department to purchase foodstuffs from other than a wholesaler.
Parliament (Organisation)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he will consider an approach from a management consultancy company to undertake a study on the organisation of the House.
Column 298
Sir Geoffrey Howe : I am always interested in suggestions which may lead to improvements in the organisation of the House and the services provided for hon. and right hon. Members. However, a separate study by management consultants would not seem appropriate at present in the light of the review of management, decision-taking and financial responsibilities which was announced by the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), on behalf of the House of Commons Commission, on 23 May, Official Report, column 179 .
Motions
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Lord President of the Council on how many days since 1 July 1987 the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) has tabled notices of motion relating to each of (a) a Select Committee on Legal Affairs, (b) the reform of the House of Commons procedure, (c) sittings of the House and (d) Members' facilities ; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds and the volume of newsprint that have been involved in the printing of these motions.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The total cost to public funds of printing and publishing notices of motions relating to (a) a Select Committee on Legal Affairs, (b) the reform of the House of Commons procedure, (c) sittings of the House and (d) Members facilities, tabled by the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) since Sessions 1987-88, 1988-89 with 1989-90 up to and including 7 June 1990, is estimated as £55,000. The volume of paper consumed was about 300,000 sheets of A4 paper.
The number of days on which the notices of motions were tabled in each Session are as follows :
L
Number of days
Motion |Session |Session |Session |Total
|1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90<1>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Select Committee
on Legal Affairs |- |71 |92 |163
(b) Procedure |69 |122 |92 |283
(c) Sittings |69 |123 |92 |284
(d) Facilities |- |115 |92 |207
<1> Up to and including 7 June 1990.
Secretarial Facilities
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Lord President of the Council what action he intends to take to improve the secretarial facilities for hon. Members.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : In the context of planning for the new parliamentary buildings several initiatives have been taken to improve conditions for Members' secretaries. Further accommodation has been provided in Canon row ; 100 new desk spaces are planned for phase 1 ; more will be included in phase 2 ; and, in the Services Committee's third report of this Session (HC 334) recommendations are made to establish basic minimum standards in respect of planning for future accommodation.
Any proposal to increase the secretarial allowance is a matter for the House to decide.
Pedestrian Access
Dr. Marek : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has any proposals to improve pedestrian access across the road directly outside St. Stephen's entrance and Chancellor's Gate.
Column 299
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee has accepted the advice of the traffic authorities that all pedestrians crossing St. Margaret's street should be encouraged to use the existing facility. It is understood that the installation of any additional crossing would run counter to plans to improve the management and safety of pedestrians and traffic in that area.Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will give for each year from 1978 the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by the Privy Council Office, expressing the figures in (a) cash terms, (b) 1978-79 money terms and (c) units of consumption for electricity in kilowatt hours, gas in therms, liquid fuel in litres and solid fuel in tonnes.
Sir Geoffrey Howe [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The Privy Council Office, as the joint occupier of a building complex, pays a negotiated proportion of composite charges for gas, and for electricity. The office does not incur any costs in repect of liquid or solid fuels. The total units of consumption for gas and electricity in the financial year 1989-90 were given in my answer on 10 May 1990, but comparable figures for the previous decade could not be accurately calculated except at disproportionate cost. The annual costs to the Department in cash, and 1978 -79 money, terms for gas and electricity for those years for which figures are available are as follows :
Cash terms 1978-79 money terms
|Gas |Electricity|Gas |Electricity
|£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |1,350 |6,150 |793 |3,611
1984-85 |1,854 |8,446 |1,037 |4,725
1985-86 |2,160 |9,840 |1,146 |5,224
1986-87 |2,511 |11,439 |1,289 |5,874
1987-88 |1,782 |8,118 |868 |3,956
1988-89 |1,675 |7,632 |762 |3,472
1989-90 |1,920 |10,923 |820 |4,666
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Departmental Advisers
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the advisers to his Department, and the area of work for which their advice was required, for the period since 1 January 1984.
Mr. Sainsbury : There are two special advisers at present, Mr. D. Lidington and Mr. M. Fraser. Their role is to consider the presentational and domestic political aspects of policy issues, including those for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have lead responsibility. Others who have held the post during the period since January 1984 are Mr. J. Houston, Mr. A. Teasdale and Mr. A. Fergusson.
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the courses of action available to Her Majesty's Government (a) in the prevention of the settlement of Russian emigrants in territories illegally occupied by Israel and (b) to persuade Israel to take part in a conference with a view to negotiating a settlement of the Arab-Israel dispute.
Column 300
Mr. Waldegrave : The Israelis are well aware of our view that the settlement of Soviet Jews in the occupied territories, including east Jerusalem, is both illegal and a serious obstacle to peace and should not be permitted. We are working closely with the United States and other interested parties to encourage Israel to open a dialogue with representative Palestinians as a first step towards a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israel dispute which will have to be negotiated at an international conference.
Mrs. Asmat Jan and Son
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on the applications made to the post in Islamabad by Mrs. Asmat Jan and her son Atlas Khan, Refs : IMM/92511 and K22704, to enter the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sainsbury : In accordance with the guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, issued to Members on 14 December 1988, I have referred the question to the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The hon. Member will receive a reply from the unit as soon as possible.
Defence Policy
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to the foreign policy implications of the options for change study.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has, of course, been consulting us and other colleagues on the work he has in hand. He will be reporting to the House on this in due course.
Naval Policy
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what international negotiations on (a) naval confidence-building measures and (b) naval disarmament the Government are currently involved.
Mr. Waldegrave : No negotiations are taking place on naval arms control involving the United Kingdom. The subject of naval disarmament does, however, feature on the agenda of the annual United Nations disarmament conference.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current assessment of the feasibility of opening negotiations on (a) naval
confidence-building measures and (b) naval disarmament.
Mr. Waldegrave : The alliance's priority for conventional arms control remains land and air forces, because of the potential threat they can pose to stability. Naval forces are explicitly excluded from conventional arms control negotiations taking place in Vienna by their terms of reference.
Mr. Choudhry Mohammad Waheed
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he issued instructions to the post in Islamabad to issue entry clearance to Mr.
Column 301
Choudhry Mohammad Waheed following his successful appeal against refusal to grant entry clearance, Ref. TH/7817, in August 1989 ; when they were received there ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Sainsbury : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
TRANSPORT
Rail Services
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider making grants to the British Rail Board towards the reopening of rail lines or the reinstatement of rail services where such services will relieve traffic congestion or enhance travel opportunities to the benefit of the community.
Mr. Freeman : Grants may be made under section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 towards the cost of investments which are not financially viable but which can be justified on wider social and economic grounds. The availability of such grants to British Rail was noted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his letter of 19 December 1989 to the chairman of the British Rail reported in the Official Report on 19 December, at columns 227-32.
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the extent to which bus substitution provides an acceptable alternative to existing rail services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : It is for British Rail to make any such assessment in the first instance in the light of the objectives set by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his letter of 19 December 1989 to the chairman of the British Railways Board.
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider increasing the public service obligation grant to British Rail in respect of the Provincial Services Network in line with inflation each year ; and what account he takes of the need to reduce overcrowding and congestion and increase reliability of services when considering increases to the public service obligation grant.
Mr. Freeman : The size of the grant needs to reflect progress made by British Rail in increasing revenue and reducing costs. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has set quality targets for reliability, punctuality and load factors, which were taken into account when the current financial targets were set in his letter of 19 December 1989 to the chairman of the board.
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish guidelines to Network SouthEast and the Provincial Services Network of British Rail concerning the level of services supported by public services obligation grant he expects them to provide.
Mr. Freeman : The British Railways Board was directed on 30 March 1988 to provide a public service generally comparable with that provided at the date the direction was made. The direction is published each year in the board's annual report and accounts. Quality of service standards were among the objectives set by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his letter of 19 December 1989 to the chairman of the board.
Column 302
Management Consultants
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the studies conducted inside his Department by management consultants over the last 10 years, naming the consultancy, the cost, the subject and the outcome in each instance.
Mr. Atkins : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have nothing to add to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Smith) on 30 March 1990 and to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 15 March 1990.
Smoking on Trains
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to seek to reintroduce section 20 of the Regulation of Railways Act 1868, repealed in 1959.
Mr. Freeman : The provision of smoking accommodation on trains is now a matter for the management of British Rail and other railway undertakings to decide.
Dangerous Substances
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give consideration to transferring to local authorities the enforcement of the Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1981.
Mr. Atkins : The regulations are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive. I have no plans to change this.
Aircraft Pollution
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies are being carried out into the influence of water vapour created by aircraft on the atmosphere, and on the stratosphere in particular, over and above naturally occuring water vapour levels ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : In the troposphere, water vapour is known to be an important natural contributor to the greenhouse effect, although the contribution made by aircraft is negligible. Whether the amounts emitted by aircraft directly into the lower reaches of the stratosphere are significant is a matter on which I am seeking advice from Professor Hoskins, the Department's scientific adviser on global environment.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals exist for scienific studies into the effect on stratospheric ozone in relation to proposals for a post-Concorde fleet of supersonic transport aircraft ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : In the United States of America the National Aeronautical and Space Administration is undertaking a major programme of research into this issue in view of the recent revival of interest in supersonic transport aircraft. In addition to determining the potential impact of an supersonic transport aircraft fleet on the protective ozone layer, NASA is also seeking to establish technologies and operational procedures that would
Column 303
ensure that future supersonic transport operations would not result in significant ozone depletion. At home, Warren Spring laboratory has been asked to consider what effect aircraft operations in the stratosphere might have on the ozone layer.Rail Safety
Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will call for a report from the railway inspectorate on the safety implications of allowing locomotive number 86238 to travel from Norwich Crown Point to Manningtree on 7 June without a qualified driver.
| Next Section
| Home Page |