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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 21 June 1990
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Haberdashers' Aske's CTC
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his Department's current estimate of the total capital costs of establishing a Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college ; and what part of these costs is represented by the value of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham schools premises or of the proposed lease under which those premises will be made available for the city technology college.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has agreed with the Haberdashers' Company to contribute at least £4 million to the initial capital costs of the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college. The Haberdashers' Company has agreed that its contribution will be the value of the sites of the two schools, and that it will also underwrite sponsorship of £1 million. A cash limit for the project will be decided following the completion of detailed building feasibility studies.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if grants will be paid by his Department toward the capital costs of establishing a Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college prior to the advertising of a new scheme for the Robert Aske's Charity and the Charity Commissioners' consideration of any public representations on proposals for such a scheme.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has not yet determined the phasing for his contribution to initial capital expenditure on the Haberdashers' Aske's city technology college. His decision will be made after the completion of current building feasibility studies, in the light of all the circumstances, including the Haberdashers' Company's progress in agreeing a new scheme for the Robert Aske's Charity with the Charity Commissioners.
Inner London (Education Spending)
Mrs. Rosie Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what the total expenditure on education by the Inner London education authority was in its final year before abolition.
Mrs. Rumbold : Figures for the outturn expenditure of the Inner London education authority in 1989-90 are not yet available.
Mrs. Rosie Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total projected expenditure on education by the 12 inner London boroughs and the City of London for the year 1990-91.
Mrs. Rumbold : According to figures supplied by the inner London boroughs and the City of London to the Department, the current expenditure budgets for education for these authorities in 1990-91 amount in total to £1,068 million.
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Private Bills
Sir Patrick McNair-Wilson : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has any plans to reform the private Bill procedure ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The Government have been examining this whole subject following the report of the Joint Committee on Private Bill procedure and the debates on that report held in the House, and in another place, last year. Subject to consultation, we propose to build on the thinking behind the report by establishing new procedures so that railway and light rapid transit works which at present have to be authorised by private Bill could in future be authorised by order. The legislation would also increase the use of orders for amending and extending harbour legislation so that in future very few harbour measures would be promoted by private Bills. These proposals would lead to a reduction of about 50 per cent. in the number of private Bills promoted each year. It is also proposed to legislate so that the order-making procedure could be extended at a later date to other works proposals which would otherwise require a private Bill.
The proposed procedures would involve a tiered approach so that minor matters might be dealt with locally ; the majority would come within a ministerial order-making procedure with provision for a public inquiry ; while for the most important projects after the inquiry and ministerial stages, the proposal would have to be approved by Parliament, but without further detailed examination. We would thus reduce the volume of private Bills significantly while ensuring that matters of genuinely national importance still came to Parliament for decision. No radical changes are planned for the separate and different system in Scotland--the private legislation procedure--which is generally satisfactory in the particular circumstances there.
Together with my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Transport and for the Environment, I have today published a consultation paper which sets out our proposals in greater detail and invites comments on them. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The changes would involve primary legislation and in the light of consultation the Government will look for an early opportunity to bring this forward.
The procedure for those matters which would remain to be dealt with by private Bills will be reformed along the lines suggested by the Joint Committee and as broadly accepted by the Government in the debates on the report.
The Government believe that these proposals, taken as a whole, will provide a more appropriate way to deal with infrastructure projects in the modern age while protecting the interests of all those involved.
TRANSPORT
Smoke Hoods
Mr. Bright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what progress has been made by the EUROCAE working group in developing a European standard for smoke hoods since the group was created in December 1989 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what progress has been made in discussions between the EUROCAE working group set up in December 1989
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and the federal aviation authority in the United States of America in developing an international standard for passenger smoke hoods.Mr. McLoughlin : The initial working draft of the EUROCAE specification is expected to be issued in July. The draft will be sent to the United States Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected to issue its draft specification shortly thereafter. It is not possible at this stage to say how closely the FAA specification will match the EUROCAE specification, but the Civil Aviation Authority does not expect any significant differences.
Ships (Registration)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those ports of registry in independent territories where he is proposing to reduce the ability to register ships or limit their tonnage ; and if he will tabulate the proposed regulations port by port.
Mr. McLoughlin : The territories which are to be required to restrict the type and size of ship which they will be allowed to register are the following dependent territories :
Anguilla
British Virgin Islands
Montserrat
Falkland Islands
St. Helena
Turks and Caicos Islands
There is only one port of registry in each territory. The registrations will be the same in each case and will ensure that no new restrictions will be allowed for ships subject to international convention safety standards. The territories concerned are preparing legislation to implement the relevant conventions--so that the Department of Transport's surveyors have a legal basis on which to inspect those few ships currently registered in the territories to which the international convention safety standards apply--and to restrict new registration to non-convention ships.
Driving Licences
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those independent territories whose driving licences (a) are and (b) are not recognised in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins : Under international agreements, the holder of any valid foreign driving licence is permitted to drive in this country for up to 12 months as a visitor or new resident. In addition, holders of valid licences issued by member states of the European Community and by Australia, Austria, Barbados, Finland, Japan, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Cyprus, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the territory of the British Virgin Islands, the territory of Hong Kong or Zimbabwe may exchange their licences for a United Kingdom licence within 12 months of becoming resident here. Valid Northern Ireland licences may be used indefinitely for driving in Great Britain. Holders of valid Channel Islands and Isle of Man licences may exchange them for United Kingdom licences within 10 years of their date of expiry.
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A696 (Improvements)
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects proposals to be finalised for improvements to the A696 south of Ravenscleugh farm, Northumberland.
Mr. Atkins : If there are no land entry problems, improvements could be implemented before next winter. More than one landowner is involved and CPO procedures will be required. Should there be objections to a draft CPO considerably more time may be required for implementation.
Railway Services
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial authority he has given British Rail to order rolling stock to carry passengers on cross-channel railway services to destinations beyond London ; when such authority was given ; and how many such vehicles have been ordered.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail published its plans for services beyond London on 14 December and I refer to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Lee) on that date, at column 767 . British Rail has not yet submitted its investment proposals.
London Underground (Police)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to increase uniformed police presence on London underground ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The complement of the division of the British Transport police responsible for the underground was increased in December 1988 to 400 officers. The division is now up to establishment. The increased number of officers will allow the home beat system to be extended throughout the network. This will result in a higher uniformed police presence on the underground. Police response times are being improved by opening new area police stations and by the installation of a new radio system to allow communication below ground. The Department of Transport is considering amendments to the force scheme governing the British Transport police which would allow the introduction of special constables.
Rail Routes (Subsidies)
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the current subsidies for rail routes ; what were the comparable figures for the previous three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Claims for 1990-91 have not yet been settled. Figures for central Government support paid to the British Railways Board are given in the table. They include both the public service obligation grant under EC regulation 1191/69 and section 3 of the Railways Act 1974, which compensates British Rail for maintaining loss-making passenger services on Network SouthEast and Provincial--InterCity services were removed from the obligation on 1 April 1988--and level crossings grant under EC regulation 1192/69. Final claims for 1988-89 have yet to be agreed ; no final claims have been received for 1989-90.
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£ million
|Cash |1990-91
|prices
--------------------------------
1986-87 |689 |882
1987-88 |783 |951
1988-89 |557 |632
1989-90 |511 |544
Blind Pedestrians
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what signals are available to assist blind pedestrians at pelican crossings on dual carriageway roads.
Mr. Atkins : A new type of audible signal--"bleep and sweep"--has been installed at 25 trunk road pelican crossings following successful trials over the past few years. This new signal has been developed to overcome the problem at dual carriageway crossings where the normal "bleeper" sound from one crossing could be mistaken by a blind person as the signal to cross at the adjacent crossing. The new sound units have been welcomed by organisations representing blind and partially sighted people.
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Marchioness (Report)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received the marine investigations branch final report into the sinking of the Marchioness ; and when he expects to be able to make the report publicly available.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend has received the report of the chief inspector of marine accidents into the sinking of the Marchioness. He is considering publication of the report in full, as soon as is practicable, in the light of the decision to prosecute the master of the Bowbelle.
ENVIRONMENT
National Parks
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of planning appeal decisions (a) allowed, (b) dismissed, (c) withdrawn and (d) undetermined in each of the English national parks in each of the last two years for which figures are available ; and if he will express the numbers allowed and dismissed as a percentage of those determined.
Mr. Moynihan : The information requested is as follows :
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|c|Section 36-37 Planning Appeals|c|
National Park/YeaDecided Allowed Dismissed Withdrawn In hand at
|Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |31 March 1990
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peak District
1988-89 |47 |4 |8.5 |43 |91.5 |4 |-
1989-90 |55 |19 |34.5 |36 |65.5 |5 |42
Lake District
1988-89 |68 |22 |32.4 |46 |67.6 |15 |-
1989-90 |104 |41 |39.4 |63 |60.6 |7 |63
Exmoor
1988-89 |10 |3 |30.0 |7 |70.0 |4 |-
1989-90 |17 |5 |29.4 |12 |70.6 |0 |2
Dartmoor
1988-89 |46 |10 |21.7 |36 |78.3 |5 |-
1989-90 |62 |19 |30.6 |43 |69.4 |10 |46
Yorkshire Dales
1988-89 |28 |12 |42.9 |16 |57.1 |1 |-
1989-90 |32 |12 |37.5 |20 |62.5 |0 |16
Yorkshire Moors
1988-89 |22 |5 |22.7 |17 |77.3 |0 |-
1989-90 |41 |8 |19.5 |33 |80.5 |1 |11
Northumberland
1988-89 |0 |0 |- |0 |- |0 |-
1989-90 |0 |0 |- |0 |- |0 |-
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning applications were submitted in each of the English national parks in the last
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two years for which figures are available ; how many were determined ; and how many of those determined, in numbers and as proportions, were successful.Mr. Moynihan : The readily available information is given in the table :
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|c|Planning Applications Decided and Numbers and Percentage Granted by English National Parks 1987-88 and 1988-89|c|
National Park<1> 1987-88 1988-89
|Total |Granted |Percentage<2>|Total |Granted |Percentage<2>
|Decisions |Decisions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lake District S.P.B.<3> |1,013 |798 |79 |702 |503 |73
Peak Park J.P.B. |901 |699 |79 |961 |707 |74
North Yorkshire Moors |627 |501 |82 |669 |525 |80
Yorkshire Dales |498 |365 |75 |585 |419 |73
Dartmoor |621 |490 |80 |917 |683 |76
Exmoor |360 |306 |85 |410 |348 |85
<1> Figures for the Northumberland National Park are unavailable.
<2> Based on total excluding other' decisions for which a granted or refused decision is not given.
<3> Figures for 1987-88 are for three quarters only and 1988-89 for two quarters.
Ozone-Destroying Chemicals
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to statutory restrictions of production of ozone -destroying chemicals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Thursday 14 June 1990 to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedfordshire, North (Sir T. Skeet), at column 295 .
Housing, Merseyside
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the future of the Housing Corporation office in Liverpool ;
(2) how much revenue deficit grant is paid by the Housing Corporation to Merseyside housing associations ;
(3) what capital allocations have been made to Co-operative Development Services (Liverpool) Ltd. and to Pierhead housing association, Liverpool, in 1990-91 ; and if he will make a statement about the implications of funding arrangements for Merseyside housing associations for their 1991-92 programmes ;
(4) when he expects a decision to be made on the funding of the Gable housing association's application to construct a scheme for disabled people in Liverpool ;
(5) if he will list the expenditure made by housing associations on Merseyside in 1989-90 and 1990-91 ; how much has been allocated for the following two years ; what are the average figures for regions of England ; and if he will make a statement ;
(6) what discussions his Department has had with the Housing Corporation about the suspension of the next phase of a Servite housing association project on Merseyside ; and if he will consider bringing forward cash from the 1991-92 allocation to enable the completion of the 1990-91 programme.
Mr. Chope : These are matters for the Housing Corporation rather than for this Department. I have therefore asked the Housing Corporation to respond to the hon. Member direct.
Council Tenants (Home Purchases)
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the reasons for subsidies for council tenants to buy homes on the private market.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Section 129 of the Housing Act 1988 gives local authorities power to pay grants, under approved schemes, to assist their tenants to obtain homes of their own. Cash incentive schemes provide an important and cost-effective means by which local authorities can help their tenants into home ownership while securing vacancies for reletting to homeless families.
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City Grants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on city grants made up to the most recent practicable date in the current year.
Mr. Moynihan : During the current financial year to date, 23 projects have received offers of city grant totalling £22 million. These projects are expected to lead to some £106 million of private sector investment in inner city areas.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the report prepared for the European Parliament's environment committee on the Commission's proposal for a directive on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and terphynyls, document A3--84/90 SYN161, dated 4 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : I have received a copy of the report mentioned by the hon. Member. The report has been adopted by the European Parliament and it is now for the Commission to decide whether, in the light of this, to make a revised proposal to the Council.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has reassessed the safety of incineration as a means to dispose of polychlorinated biphenyls ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what research his Department has commissioned into the effects of incineration of polychlorinated biphenyl chemicals in (a) residential areas and (b) non-residential areas ;
(3) which specific dangers there are during the process of incinerating polychlorinated biphenyls ; which dangerous chemicals can be produced during the incineration of polychlorinated biphenyls and at what level ; and what danger they pose to people and the environment.
Mr. Trippier : Uncontrolled burning of polychlorinated biphenyls-- PCBs--can produce traces of dioxins and furans. Properly designed and operated incinerators for disposing of PCBs, however, should not produce emissions harmful to the environment. The Department's pollution paper No. 27, "Dioxins in the Environment", published last year, found that in well- managed incinerators used for the combustion of waste, including PCBs, emissions of dioxins and furans were reduced to negligible levels. The paper assesses the health hazards from these compounds and sets out the steps and research undertaken by the Government to reduce human and environmental exposure. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is investigating the occurrence of PCBs, dioxins and furans
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in soil in urban and rural areas and issued a report in November last year. Copies of these documents are available in the Library.Sewage Disposal
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government fund any research toward clean technology and alternative sewage disposal methods ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Department's environmental protection technology--EPT--scheme offers shared funding for research in defined priority areas which could lead to improvements in environmental standards. Two of the current EPT scheme priority areas concern reduction of polluting substances in industrial waste water. Sewage disposal methods are not at present within the scope of the scheme. The Department has however recently funded research, jointly with the water industry, on sewage sludge treatment processes and the safe disposal of sewage sludge on agricultural land. It is also open to companies and research establishments to come forward with proposals for collaborative research and development in any field of clean technology under the Department of Trade and Industry's research and technology initiatives.
Drinking Water Inspectorate
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the drinking water inspectorate.
Mr. Trippier : The drinking water inspectorate was established on 2 January 1990 under section 60 of the Water Act 1989 which empowers my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Wales to appoint persons to act on their behalf as technical assessors in relation to their powers and duties concerning the quality and sufficiency of water supplied by water undertakers. Its principal task is to check the quality of water supplied by water undertakers in England and Wales for compliance with the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. If water undertakers are found not to be meeting their statutory requirements the inspectorate will advise my right hon. Friends, as appropriate, on enforcement action and if water is supplied which is unfit for human consumption will advise on possible prosecution. The inspectorate will also provide advice to my right hon. Friends on objections made to them against enforcement notices served by local authorities relating to private water supplies. It also provides technical and scientific advice to my right hon. Friends on drinking water quality standards and other issues including negotiations within the European Community.
The inspectorate will produce an annual report which will be published.
Threatened Species
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to seek an extension of EEC rules to cover the seizure of threatened species in transit.
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Mr. Trippier : Adequate provision exists for the seizure of unauthorised shipments of endangered species whilst in transit through the United Kingdom.
Water Metering
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the report of the water metering trials which have been carried out in various parts of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Trippier : Information on the national water metering trials has been collected by the water industry. I understand that the national water metering trials co-ordinating committee intends to publish a second interim report on the trials early in July. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library.
Toxic Waste
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent carriers of toxic waste or operators of plants or sites where such waste is disposed of are required to insure themselves against the costs of potential environmental damage ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : There are no specific requirements for either carriers of special waste or operators of facilities for the disposal of special waste to insure themselves against the costs of potential environmental damage. However, there are provisions in the Environmental Protection Bill which require the holder of a waste management licence to satisfy his waste regulation authority that he has sufficient resources to meet the obligations of his licence including the costs of remedying any pollution that might occur.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans there are for legislation to ban the trade in toxic waste to and from the United Kingdom following the agreement by EC Environment Ministers on 7 June for each member state to become self-sufficient in waste disposal.
Mr. Trippier : Clause 131 of the Environmental Protection Bill contains powers to prohibit or restrict import or export of waste of any description and the EC Commission is preparing proposals to amend the existing directive on transfrontier shipment of hazardous waste. The United Kingdom is already self-sufficient in waste disposal.
London Residuary Body
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what date he expects the London residuary body to have completed its work.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The bulk of the London residuary body's remaining GLC-related property, rights and liabilities were transferred by order to the London boroughs and other functional successors on 30 March. As a consequence of the abolition of the ILEA on 1 April, the residuary body inherited certain of that authority's ongoing responsibilities.
My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Education and Science expect the residuary body to have completed both its GLC and ILEA tasks by 31 March 1993.
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Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what fixtures and fittings have been removed from the principal floor of county hall by the London residuary body.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : None, apart from some fittings that the London residuary body has removed for safe keeping.
New Homes
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes were built in 1989 ; what were the comparable figures for the previous three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Figures for housebuilding starts and completions in England for 1986 to 1989 appear in table 2 of my Department's press release No. 352 issued on 7 June 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.
Water Treatment
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy in respect of the use of aluminium sulphate in water treatment works ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Aluminium sulphate is a very effective coagulant which has been used for many years in the treatment of drinking water. It is listed in the 15th statement of the committee on chemicals and materials of construction for use in public water supply and swimming pools and because of this is authorised for use by water undertakers by virtue of regulation 25(1)(d) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989. The policy of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is that levels of residual aluminium and sulphate in drinking water shall not exceed the standards set in these regulations.
Councils (Allocation of Seats)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has had any representations about the allocation of committee seats by councils as being contrary to section 15(5)(c) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take to ensure that councils fulfil their duty under section 15(5)(c)--allocation of seats--of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
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