| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent by his Department (a) on consultants' fees and expenses and (b) otherwise, on the proposed housing action trusts in (i) Tower Hamlets, (ii) Lambeth, (iii) Southwark, (iv) Sandwell, (v) Leeds and (vi) Sunderland.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Expenditure on those six housing action trust proposals is shown in the following table :
Column 418
|(a) expenditure |(b) expenditure
|related to consul-|related to the
|tancies |Department's in-
|formation material
|and to ballots
|£000 |£000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tower Hamlets |182 |3
Southwark |933 |12
Sandwell |191 |17
Leeds |161 |13
Sunderland |613 |23
Diesel Pollution, Firle
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations 1989 (No. 1159) following the recent diesel pollution incident in Firle.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Secretary of State may amend the regulations only on application from the Director General of Water Services. I understand that the director is considering whether to propose any amendments in the light of the circumstances of the Firle case.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the public inquiry resulting from the site investigations undertaken by Nirex include full consideration of national policy on radioactive waste management.
Mr. Trippier : Decisions have yet to be taken as to the matters to be considered at the public inquiry into Nirex's planned respository for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste. Before the inquiry begins, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will set out the matters which appear to him to be relevant to his consideration of the application based on the information available to him at the time. The inspector appointed to preside over the inquiry will also have discretion to consider any other factors which he feels to be relevant.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require Nirex to implement the recommendations made by the panel on the evaluation of the UK Nirex Ltd. programmes on deep repository post- closure safety research and development and site assessment that met in June 1989.
Mr. Trippier : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy gave the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) on 21 May 1990, Official Report , column 11 .
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to consider (a) alternative methods of radioactive waste management, and (b) alternative sites, as part of the environmental impact assessment of the proposed Nirex repository.
Mr. Trippier : This is a matter for UK Nirex Ltd. The requirements for an environmental assessment with which Nirex will need to comply are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988.
Column 419
Architects
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when proposals were adopted in the EEC to enable qualified architects to operate in professional practice in other member states, if he has any record of the number of Community nationals who have been accepted to practise in the United Kingdom under these arrangements ; and if he has figures on the numbers of United Kingdom architects who have been provided with the opportunity to practise in each of the other member states.
Mr. Tripier : The architects directive was adopted on 10 June 1985. Since that date 230 Community nationals have been registered by the Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom as qualified to practise under the title architect in the United Kingdom. No figure is currently available for the number of United Kingdom architects registered to practise elsewhere in the European Community.
Energy Use (Government Buildings)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if, pursuant to the answer of 6 June, Official Report, columns 648-49, he will list the information collected by the Property Services Agency for its own energy management purposes concerning the use of energy in Government buildings ;
(2) if he will list the information which was collected by the Property Services Agency about the use of energy in Government buildings in the period up to 30 March.
Mr. Chope : The information collected by the PSA for its own energy management is the monthly consumption and cost of all fuels and water used in buildings in the United Kingdom where PSA is the major occupier.
Similar information was maintained for the great majority of buildings on the Government civil estate, for which the PSA used to pay the bills. The MOD has always paid its own bills. With the untying of Departments from the PSA, Departments pay their own bills and the PSA no longer has access to this information.
Norman Shaw North (Heating)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Sir D. Smith) of 17 May, Official Report, column 513, if he will improve the sensitivity and responsiveness of the central heating system to external temperatures.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 6 June 1990] : Work to modernise the system in the Palace of Westminster will continue during the summer recess.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the ratio of payment from central funds to the personal community charge in each local authority in England.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 11 June 1990] : The available information for 1990-91 is given in the table. The ratio of central funds to community charge income has
Column 420
been calculated for individual local authority areas since some payments from central funds are made to charging authorities on behalf of both charging and precepting authorities in the area. Complete information for all authority areas will not be available until all authorities' budget returns for 1990-91 have been made to my Department.
|c|Ratio of Payments from central funds to community charge income|c|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Insulation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of loft insulation jobs completed so far this year and completed in the equivalent periods of 1987, 1988 and 1989 ; and what were the full-year figures for 1987, 1988 and 1989 for each region and England as a whole.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 12 June 1990] : The information is not available.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of loft insulation jobs completed so far in the current year and completed in the equivalent periods of 1987, 1988 and 1989 for (a) the London borough of Camden and (b) the London borough of Islington ; and what were the full-year figures for 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 12 June 1990] : The information is not available.
Homelessness
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an estimate of the current number of homeless in the United Kingdom, and of those how many suffer from (a) alcoholism or drug dependency, (b) AIDS and (c) mental illness.
Mr. Michael Spicer [holding answer 15 June 1990] : Latest estimates of households accepted as homeless in England appear in table 1(a) of "Local authorities' action under the homeless provisions of the 1985 Housing Act : England. Results for the fourth quarter 1989. Supplementary Tables", which is in the Library.
Column 421
My Department has no estimates of how many of those accepted were suffering from alcoholism, drug dependency or AIDS. Estimates, in percentage terms, of those who were accepted because of mental illness appear in table 3 of the same publication.For information about Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Northern Ireland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Housing Associations
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the total number of properties being renovated or built by housing associations in the last five financial years.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 15 June 1990] : The figures for housebuilding starts and completions and dwellings renovated by housing associations in England are as follows :
Thousands
New dwellings
|Completed
|Starts |Completions |renovations<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |10.3 |10.8 |11.5
1986-87 |10.4 |9.9 |13.6
1987-88 |9.6 |10.4 |11.7
1988-89 |10.7 |9.0 |10.9
1989-90<2> |10.9 |9.0 |10.8
<1> Work funded by grants under specific housing association legislation
and local authority loans. Includes improvement for sale but excludes
hostels.
<2> Provisional.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cattle Crushes
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have taken place about the introduction of financial assistance in respect of the provision of cattle crushes at each agricultural holding in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : While a number of suggestions have been made to the Department of Agriculture about the introduction of assistance for various items including cattle crushes, no formal discussions have taken place.
Column 422
Suction Dredgers
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about the fishing operation of suction dredgers in Strangford lough.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Representations have been received from the National Trust and Queen's university, marine biology station, Portaferry about the presence of a suction dredger in Strangford lough. The Department of Agriculture was approached informally by a number of individuals and organisations including representatives of the fishing industry about this vessel.
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action will be taken to prevent suction fishing dredgers from operating within inland waters.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : I was appalled by reports that a suction dredger may have entered Strangford lough.
I am determined that there will not be fishing in the lough that would be damaging to its ecology.
The people most at risk from fishing which damages the lough are those in the fishing industry. I am glad that the vast majority of trawlermen agree that damaging the lough is wrong.
The responsibilities of the Department of Environment and the Department of Agriculture will be carried out so that all the interests of the lough, both in the short term and in the long term, are protected.
Schools
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the intake enrolments for September, additional places requested and granted, if any, together with the number of pupils in each of grade one, two, three and four selected according to the respective admission criteria of (a) Laurel Hill school, (b) Lisnagarvey high school, (c) St. Patrick's high school, (d) Friends high school, (e) Wallace high school, (f) Forthill high school, (g) Rathmore grammar school, (h) Hunterhouse college and (i) Dunmurry high school.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is as follows :
Column 421
School AdmissiAdditioAdditioAdmissions
|number|places|places
requestgrantedGrade Other Total
|One |Two |Three |Four
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurel Hill high school |180 |3 |3 |- |17 |27 |77 |61 |182
Lisnagarvey high school |150 |- |- |- |8 |12 |29 |40 |89
St. Patrick's high school |100 |- |- |- |7 |17 |51 |11 |86
Friends' School |132 |1 |1 |117 |11 |3 |- |2 |133
Wallace high school |168 |- |- |139 |27 |1 |- |1 |168
Forthill high school |180 |- |- |- |6 |26 |64 |40 |136
Rathmore grammar |175 |64 |41 |186 |30 |- |- |- |216
Hunterhouse college |95 |2 |2 |29 |41 |20 |4 |1 |95
Dunmurry high school |150 |- |- |- |3 |14 |41 |16 |74
Column 423
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Company Directors
71. Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to seek to amend the law relating to company directors who open, close and reopen similar companies with great frequency.
Mr. Redwood : No. The Insolvency Act 1986 and the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 contain provisions concerning the conduct of directors.
Consumer Affairs Council
Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what items were discussed at the European Community Consumer Affairs Council on 13 June.
Mr. Forth : The following items were discussed : the package travel directive, the proposed general product safety directive, the system for the rapid exchange of information on consumer products, the European home and leisure accident surveillance system, and the Commission's three-year plan for consumer policy in the EC.
Research
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what procedures his Department uses for determining the priorities for investment in scientific and technological research in Europe ;
(2) if he will outline his Department's responsibilities, and the procedures used, for allocating funds from this country for national, European and international research projects in science and technology.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Department of Trade and Industry's responsibilities include support of firms through longer-term national collaborative research programmes and EUREKA--and for small firms, through the small firms' merit award for research and technology (SMART). The Department of Trade and Industry also plays a key role in the definition of European Community research and development framework programmes, and other international research programmes of interest to United Kingdom industry.
With regard to resource allocation for support of industrial innovation, the Department consults widely with industry, and with research councils and universities on areas of research and technologies which are likely to be most beneficial, both at the national and international level. Hence during the recent negotiations on the framework programme, careful attention was paid to advice from the Advisory Council on Science and Technology and the Confederation of British Industry, and from industry through our own advisory committees. In this way the Department plays an active role in defining the priorities and objectives of the framework programme and in identifying appropriate areas of national expenditure. However, with a maximum of 50 per cent. support from the Department or the European Community, the key decisions are those of the individual firms participating in the programmes.
The Department's policy is to ensure that expenditure is directed towards well-justified programmes of all types which represent good value for money. Framework
Column 424
programmes should have a clear European rationale and be complementary to national programmes and other international activities.Inward Investment
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the number of companies which have announced inward investment projects in the United Kingdom over the past 12 months ; and which regions have most benefited from the projects.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : According to the latest figures readily available to the Invest in Britain Bureau, in the 12 months ending March 1990, 304 inward investment decisions were made to locate in the United Kingdom. These included the establishment of a new business, expansion or acquisition of an existing business and involvement in joint venture. The figures are based on information provided by the companies themselves at the time of the investment and do not take into account subsequent developments. The table sets out the number of inward investment decisions broken down on a regional basis.
|c|Regional breakdown of inward investment
decisions in the 12 months|c|
|c|to March 1990|c|
|Number
--------------------------------------------------
Scotland |35
Wales |31
Northern Ireland |23
North East |36
North West |43
Yorkshire and Humberside |14
East Midlands |12
West Midlands |86
South East |16
South West |6
United Kingdom (undefined region) |2
|-------
Total |304
Bar Codes
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce regulations to require that shops using bar code equipment to register the price of goods also ensure that the price is printed on the products ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I expect to introduce an order later this year under the Prices Act 1974 as amended implementing an EC directive requiring prices to be shown for goods on sale to private consumers. Having considered views expressed during consultations on the proposed order, my present intention is to allow traders the freedom to indicate prices on the goods themselves, on the shelf edge, or on notices, as they choose, provided that the indication is clear and legible.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice his Department is giving retailers on the use of bar codes following the European Commission's directive.
Mr. Forth : I am not aware of any European Commission directive relating to bar coding.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has sought the views of the
Column 425
National Consumer Council and the Consumers Association about the European Commission's directive on bar codes.Mr. Forth : I am not aware of any such directive.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he proposes to take to ensure that bar code equipment manufactured or supplied in the United Kingdom is accurate in recording the price charged ;
(2) what regulations he proposes to introduce to ensure that bar code equipment used in shops is free from errors in recording the price of items purchased.
Mr. Forth : A trader who gives a misleading price indication commits an offence under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. That and competition between suppliers should be sufficient to ensure that suitable equipment is used.
Personal Computers
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many personal computers his Department estimates are sold annually.
Mr. Forth : There is no agreed definition of personal computers, and official statistics are not compiled on a basis which would enable any departmental estimate of the United Kingdom market to be given. The Department is, however, aware of market research estimates for United Kingdom personal computer sales in 1989, ranging from approximately 500,000 to 1,500,000.
Research and Development
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total of the reduction in his Department's expenditure on research and development achieved by taking advantage of the additionality principle when grants have been awarded to United Kingdom companies by the European Economic Community ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : It is not possible to identify the specific impact of European Community support of United Kingdom companies under the various Framework programmes, on the applications for support received by the DTI. However, we ensure as far as possible that European programmes reflect the views of United Kingdom industry, and that they are complementary to national programmes and other international activities and continue to provide good value for money. It is up to companies themselves to judge which activities suit their needs best. Manufacturing industry is now receiving support for collaborative research and development from the Community comparable to that from the DTI, and it is likely that this trend will become more pronounced in future.
Rainham Marshes
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requests he has received for financial assistance in respect of the development of Rainham marshes.
Column 426
Mr.Douglas Hogg : My Department has had discussions with the promoters of this major inward investment project, but I have not received any application for specific financial assistance.
Radio
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he intends to take in response to the recommendations of the review committee which examined civil use of the radio spectrum from 470 to 3,400 MHz.
Mr. Forth : The report of the stage 1 civil spectrum review committee, which was published in April last year, has been widely welcomed as making a major contribution towards our commitment to make more efficient use of the radio spectrum and to provide more information regarding current use.
Since receiving the report, I have had the opportunity to consider the findings in detail and assess the comments of industry and users. The report emphasises that frequency planning ought to maintain a long-term perspective and that in many areas, our freedom for action is limited by international treaty obligations. However, within these confines, the committee found that there remained considerable scope for improvements in the way in which the radio spectrum is managed in the frequency range concerned, and I am pleased to announce today that measures will be taken to follow up all the recommendations. A detailed schedule of the steps being taken to implement each of the recommendations has been published and is available from the DTI's radio communications agency.
I should like to take this opportunity to announce that, in consultation with my right hon. and right hon. and learned Friends the Secretaries of State for Defence, the Home Department and Scotland, I have accepted the Committee's recommendation that the next stage of the review process should be a combined assessment of defence and civil use of the radio spectrum from 3,400 MHz to 30 GHz. I am also delighted to announce that Sir Kenneth Corfield, who chaired the first stage review of defence spectrum usage, has accepted the invitation to become chairman of the combined stage 2 review committee.
The stage 1 civil spectrum and defence spectrum review reports have stimulated widespread discussion of the future requirements and options for the key frequency range of 1-3 GHz and I am confident that this new review will likewise reveal fresh challenges for the United Kingdom to ensure that we continue to lead the field in making effective and efficient use of this scarce natural resource at these higher frequencies.
Industrial Development
Mr. Crowther : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions since the Industrial Development Act 1982 came into force expenditure has been incurred under section 3(2)(a) of the Industry Act 1980 on projects which otherwise fully satisfied the criteria of either section 7 or section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 15 June 1990] : The sum of £547 million was paid to Rover Group plc on 12 August 1988 under section 3(2)(a) of the Industry Act 1980
Column 427
as the consideration for a special security ("The Instrument") which formed part of the agreement of 14 July 1988 between the Secretary of State, Rover Group plc and British Aerospace. The cash injection included £78 million in respect of projects in the assisted areas which met the standard conditions set out in section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982.HOME DEPARTMENT
Community Service
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his reply of 15 May, Official Report, column 375, to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook (Mr. Hattersley) (a) which officers from his Department are involved in the joint examination with the Department of Employment into training and enterprise provision for offenders in the community, (b) whether a report will be produced by his Department presenting the findings of the examination and (c) whether he intends to consult relevant outside bodies during the course of the examination.
Mr. John Patten : There is regular contact and discussion between the Home Office, the Training Agency, the employment service and relevant voluntary organisations, in particular the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders and the APEX Trust, about training and enterprise provision for offenders in the community.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of administering community service orders in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available ; how many orders were made per 100,000 of the population in that year ; and what was the average cost per order.
Mr. John Patten : Information on the expenditure of the probation service is published in "Probation Statistics England and Wales 1988" (table 12.3). In 1987-88, the probation service cost of administering community service orders was approximately £18 million and the average cost per completed order in that year was estimated at approximately £500. Using a mid-year population estimate of 40.3 million people aged 16 years and over, 87 orders were made per 100, 000 of the population in 1988.
Cyprus
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on contact between members of police forces in Great Britain and the police in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ; and if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on visits by police force in London to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the past four weeks.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Members of British police forces maintain operational contacts with the Turkish Cypriot police among many other forces. Officers from the City of London police visited northern Cyprus on 5 June in connection with the recent theft of securities worth £300 million in London.
Column 428
Probation Service
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation orders have been made by the courts in England and Wales in each of the last five years ; how many orders were made per 100,000 of the population in the latest available year ; and what was the cost of administering probation orders in that year.
Mr. John Patten : The number of persons given probation per 100,000 of the population aged 17 or over was 106 in 1988. Information on the expenditure of the probation service is published annually in chapter 12 of "Probation Statistics England and Wales". The probation service cost of administering probation orders in 1987-88 is estimated at approximately £50 million.
|c|Persons placed on probation orders by the Courts|c| 1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 ------------------------------------------ 40,900 |42,400|40,100|42,200|43,600 Source: Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1988.
Romanian Orphans
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford of 30 April, Official Report, column 409, what information he has of the average delay for British couples wishing to adopt an orphan from Romania, from first notifying his Department of their intention and obtaining his Department's approval ; what action his Department takes in respect of those couples and the child concerned if the procedure is not followed ; and if he plans to review the procedure.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Where a child adopted in Romania is to be brought to live in the United Kingdom an application for entry clearance must be made at the British embassy in Bucharest before the child leaves Romania. The entry clearance officer will first obtain information about the child's background and the circumstances of the adoption. The application is then referred to the immigration department of the Home Office which will normally seek advice from the Department of Health on the welfare aspects of the case and the likelihood of a United Kingdom court granting an adoption order before deciding whether to grant the application. The time taken to complete the necessary inquiries depends on the individual circumstances, but in the four recent cases where applications for Romanian children have been referred to the Home Office approval has been given in three weeks or less. Children adopted in Romania who are brought to the United Kingdom without entry clearance are liable to be refused admission and removed to Romania. The immigration officer, however, has discretion to admit them temporarily while further inquiries are made. We are reviewing the procedures for dealing with overseas adoptions to see whether they can be streamlined further while continuing to provide proper protection for the children involved.
Prison Conditions
Mr. Tony Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 5 June, Official Report, column 421, how many hours on average each week prisoners spend on regime activities.
Column 429
Mr. Mellor : In 1989-90 each prisoner spent on average 20.87 hours per week on structured regime activities such as work, education, training courses and physical education. The calculation excludes time spent on other out-of-cell activities, for example, exercise, visits and association, of an essentially personal or recreational kind.Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the voluntary organisations to which he has given headquarter grants in each of the last three years ; what percentage the grant is of each body's total expenditure ; and what percentage the Government grant is in relation to the funds received from private sources.
Mr. John Patten : This information is not immediately available centrally for the 400 or so voluntary organisations which the Home Office funds. I will, therefore, write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Mr. Kevin Taylor
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Greater Manchester about the action he intends to take subsequent to the Director of Public Prosecutions' letter to him of 19 January about the outcome of the trial of Mr. Kevin Taylor.
| Next Section
| Home Page |