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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The cost was some £33,000. The carpet was manufactured in the United Kingdom and those parts of the original carpet that have any value will be sold by auction.
Environmental Conferences
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he, or officials of his Department, have been invited to participate in the International Business Communications conference on environmental protection in practice organised by the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association at the London press centre on 10-11 December.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he, or officials from his Department, will attend the international science and technology forum on environmental policy and management, sponsored by the British Council, to be held in Alfriston on 7-14 November.
Mr. Trippier : No. This is a British Council seminar for overseas specialists, some of whom will be visiting my Department as part of the scheduled programme of visits.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he, or officials of his Department, have been invited to participate in the conference "Going Green--Benefits Versus Costs", organised by the Environment Council, to be held in London on 22-23 November.
Mr. Trippier : Officials have been invited to attend the conference, and will be doing so.
Environment White Paper
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to obtain for his departmental library a transcript of the Radio 4 phone-in programme on the financial implications of the White Paper on the environment, broadcast on 2 October.
Mr. Trippier : My Department is aware of this broadcast and its contents. I have no plans to obtain a transcript for my departmental library.
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Radioactive Waste
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek an early meeting with the chairman of the radioactive waste management advisory committee to discuss the proposals revealed by British Nuclear Fuels plc to the "European Nuclear Conference '90" in Lyons, on 25 September, to extend the capacity of the Drigg site in Cumbria to accommodate compacted radioactive waste presently earmarked for the repository being developed by UK Nirex Ltd.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implications for current Government policy on the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) arising from the plans by British Nuclear Fuels plc to introduce a compaction plant for low-level waste, to be operational from 1993.
Mr. Trippier : The Government remain committed to the safe and early disposal of low-level radioactive waste. The compaction plant introduced by British Nuclear Fuels plc will enable it to extend the lifetime of the disposal site at Drigg, but this does not obviate the need for a repository to accommodate both low and intermediate-level radioactive waste.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet the chairman or board of UK Nirex Ltd to discuss the future development of the programme to handle low-level radioactive waste.
Mr. Trippier : My right hon. Friend has no such plans.
Development Orders
Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) who is responsible for keeping copies of 1946 interim development orders ; and if they can be obtained by the public ;
(2) if he will establish a national register of interim development orders ;
(3) how many interim development orders issued in 1946 are still current ; and if he will list them.
Mr. Atkins : Interim development orders, first made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1932, continued to be issued until 1 July 1948, when the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 came into force. Interim development orders provided the earliest form of planning permission granted on application and aimed to establish a form of planning control until such time as the planning schemes, for which the local planning authorities were responsible, came into force. All permissions granted under interim development orders before 21 July 1943 have lapsed, but permissions applied for and granted on or after that date and before 1 July 1948 were preserved by section 77 of the 1947 Act and by subsequent legislation.
No records of applications made under interim development orders were required and no information about the total number of permissions granted is currently available. Such records as there are of such permissions will be held by the successor planning authorities and we are discussing the information currently available with the local authority associations.
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The Department is aware of the recent concern about interim development order permissions and is examining the issue in the review of the operation of the provisions of the Minerals Act 1981 announced in "This Common Inheritance".Local Government Finance
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the level of the uniform business rate for 1991-92.
Mr. Portillo : My right hon. Friend hopes to announce the proposed figure shortly.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the actual total yield from the national non-domestic rate for the current financial year.
Mr. Portillo : I estimate that the yield from non-domestic rates in England in 1990-91 will be of the order of £10.8 billion. There are, however, several factors, such as the level of buoyancy, losses and reliefs, whose effect on the outturn cannot be predicted accurately at this stage.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his best estimates of the additional costs faced by local authorities as a result of the decision to cut the rate of subsidy for housing and poll tax benefit from 97 to 95 per cent. ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : The proposal to change the proposed rate of subsidy from 97 to 95 per cent. will reduce the amount paid to local authorities in England by about £67.5 million in 1991-92. This was taken into account by my right hon. Friend in his proposals for aggregate external finance announced on 19 July. He proposed raising AEF by 12.8 per cent.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has undertaken with local authorities on (a) the impact of the cut in the rate of subsidy for housing and poll tax benefit and (b) the way in which this could be taken into account in setting the level of rate support grant for 1991-92.
Mr. Portillo : We shall be consulting the local authority assocations formally about the proposals for revenue support grant for 1991 -92 next month. The proposed level of aggregate external finance announced on 19 July took account of the proposed change in the rate of housing and community charge benefit subsidy.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what account is to be taken of the likely surplus in national non-domestic rate income in 1990-91 and 1991-92 in setting the totals for NNDR and RSG for 1991-92 ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) what consultations he has undertaken on the use of income from the national non-domestic rate which exceeds the planned distributable amount for 1990-91 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : As required by schedule 8 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988, in setting his forecast of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for
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1991-92 my right hon. Friend will take account of the amount of rates likely to be collected for 1991-92 and any anticipated surplus in 1990-91 in the amount actually collected over the amount distributed. The level of revenue support grant will be the amount necessary to be added to the distributable amount and the specific and special grants to bring the total of aggregate external finance to £26.05 billion. In announcing that level of AEF, which my right hon. Friend proposed on 19 July, he took account of the likely surplus in 1990- 91.Housing Revenue Account
Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will consult representatives of local government and relevant professional bodies on his determination under part VI of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 of housing revenue account subsidy for 1991-92 ; and what proposals he will be making.
Mr. Michael Spicer : My Department is today consulting local authorities, the local authority associations and other interested bodies on proposals for determining each authority's entitlement to housing revenue account subsidy for 1991-92. The proposals include tighter rules on empty properties and give details of guideline rents, management and maintenance allowances, and some important technical changes to the rules for calculating subsidy entitlement. Comments are invited within six weeks. I am placing a copy of the consultation papers in the Library together with a list of the guidelines and allowances for each authority.
I propose to tighten the subsidy rules where councils leave houses and flats unoccupied. At present the subsidy makes some allowance for the rent income that is lost on empty properties, but this allowance takes the form of a sliding scale which also gives some extra help to authorities with higher percentages of empty property. I want to stop this. I am therefore proposing to restrict the allowance to a flat 2 per cent. of dwellings. An authority would receive the same allowance whether its empty properties are more or less than 2 per cent, so that there would be a direct financial incentive not to keep dwellings empty.
For rent guidelines I propose an average rent increase of just 2 per cent. above the allowance for inflation. This means an average increase per week of £1.84 ranging from £1.38 to £2.50 over the guideline rents which applied this year. The increases would continue the process introduced last year of encouraging authorities towards charging sensible levels of rents which better reflect the value of property in different parts of the country, while ensuring that rents remain within the reach of tenants.
For management and maintenance allowances, I propose introducing a system of targeted allowances which better reflects the nature of each authority's stock. This would help a group of about 20 authorities with the worst problems by means of a small re-distribution of allowances from all other authorities. Overall the level of allowances would be increased in order to maintain them at this year's level in real terms.
The rent guidelines and management and maintenance allowances are no more than the assumptions the Government will make in calculating each authority's subsidy entitlement. It is for each council to determine its own rent and how much to spend on management and maintenance of its stock.
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Also included are two proposals affecting local authorities' subsidy entitlement in respect of properties held on leasehold terms. First, for leases acquired after midnight tonight, I propose that the present arrangements for subsidy towards the rents payable by authorities should be replaced from 1 April 1991 by arrangements under which subsidy is payable on discounted capital costs. The effect of the change would be to bring subsidy entitlement on new leases within the aggregate limit on subsidy for new capital expenditure. This is a sensible proposal which will replace the existing, inadequate controls on the subsidy of leases with one that would allow authorities flexibility to decide between new investment and new leases within a common control total.Secondly, also from 1 April 1991, for all leases with a term of less than three years, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security is proposing that any rent rebate payable will be subsidised only to the extent that the claimant's eligible rent does not exceed one and a half times the authority's average rent. This would counter an anomaly in the current arrangements under which authorities may benefit from subsidy in respect of such leases in excess of their actual costs.
Asbestos Dust (Palace of Westminster)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the measures being taken to eliminate asbestos dust from (a) the Press Gallery and (b) elsewhere in the Palace of Westminster ; and what assessment he has made of the potential health hazards to Members and employees of the House of Commons as a result of exposure to asbestos dust.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 19 October 1990] : During the summer recess the Parliamentary Works Office removed asbestos from the Press Gallery staircase and other areas of the Palace of Westminster. This was done either to facilitate other jobs or as part of the asbestos removal programme, not because the asbestos was in a dangerous condition. The work was carried out in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive's asbestos regulations. The results of mandatory air tests carried out afterwards showed readings well below the minimum statutory safety levels.
Soil Acidification
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take in response to the results of research undertaken by the critical loads advisory group into the acidification of soil ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 19 October 1990] : The results of research undertaken by the critical loads advisory group into the acidification of soil will form an important part of the United Kingdom input to the development of the critical loads approach in Europe. This will help lay the basis for cost-effective and closely targeted future pollution abatement measures.
Sewage Contamination
144. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he takes to ensure contaminated agents washed off in slaughterhouses are not present in sewage effluents reaching rivers and beaches ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Trippier [holding answer 19 October 1990] : The levels of contaminants in trade effluents entering sewers in England and Wales are subject to strict control by the relevant sewerage undertakers. Statutory powers are available to the undertakers which enable them to set such quality standards as are necessary to ensure that their treated sewage can meet the terms of the discharge consents granted by the National Rivers Authority. The quality conditions set by the undertakers for trade effluents also ensure the structural safety of their sewers and the protection of the health of those who work in them.
Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in 1989-90.
Mr. Chris Patten [holding answer 19 October 1990] : Expenditure on hospitality in my Department, including the Property Services Agency, in 1989-90 was £83,500.
Open University
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of his discussions on 2 October at the Open university--in Milton Keynes--on the development of environmental education programmes in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 18 October 1990] : Following an interesting discussion about the Government's White Paper "This Common Inheritance" with the pro-vice-chancellor and other members of the faculty of the Open university on 2 October, my officials will be meeting staff of the Open university to take matters forward.
Construction Industry
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he or officials of his Department have been invited to participate in the conference on environmental implications for the construction industry organised by ECCE and Construction News, to be held in London on 15 November.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 18 October 1990] : My Department cannot trace any invitations. I understand that the conference has now been postponed.
Homelessness
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to include Leeds in additional measures to tackle homelessness.
Mr. Michael Spicer [holding answer 18 October 1990] : The allocation of £250 million for the present financial year and next, for schemes to house homeless families, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in November last year was targeted on London and the south-east, where homelessness pressures, particularly the numbers in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, were greatest. Those pressures continue to be most severe in those regions.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Dunsdale Securities
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he intends to set up an official inquiry into the future of Dunsdale Securities.
Mr. Redwood : The Secretary of State does not plan an inquiry into Dunsdale Securities. This case is being handled by the regulatory authorities and the receiver in the normal way. They will take whatever action is necessary.
Departmental Brochures
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many copies were initially printed of the brochures (a) "Design for the Environment" and (b) "Cutting your Losses--A Business Guide to Waste Minimalisation" ; what has been the cost to date of publishing each brochure ; to which organisations the brochures were sent ; what steps have been taken to publicise the brochures ; what proportion of recycled paper fibre has been used in the initial print run ; and whether there are any plans to organise further print runs.
Mr. Redwood : The initial print run of "Cutting Your Losses" was 12,000 copies ; 36,000 copies have been printed to date at a total cost of £51,448. Recycled paper was used throughout. The booklet was launched at a joint CBI/DTI conference on waste minimisation in November 1989. It was advertised in selected trade magazines and has been made available on demand and at relevant seminars and exhibitions including a series of regional seminars on waste legislation and waste minimisation organised jointly by the DTI and the CBI. More than 30,000 copies of "Cutting Your Losses" have been taken up, mainly by business organisations and higher education establishments. There is a continuing demand and it is likely that a further print run will be necessary.
"Design for the Environment" was published for a conference of the same name, sponsored by the Design Council, the Environment Council, the DTI and the Institute of Metals, and held in March 1990. There has been one print run, of 4,000 copies, at a total cost of £8, 376.50. Recycled paper has been used throughout. The booklet has been made available on demand and almost all 4,000 copies have been taken up. No decision has yet been taken on the possibility of a further print run.
Iraq
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in the most recent meeting of the Ministerial European Trade Council, the activities of the companies Water Engineering Trading (WET) of Hamburg, Preussag of Hanover in Germany, Technology Development Group Limited (TDG) of London and Schmiedemeccanica SA of Lugano, Switzerland, in regard to trade arrangements with Iraq, were discussed.
Mr. Sainsbury : The matters referred to by the hon. Member have not been discussed at any recent meetings between European Trade Ministers.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department was invited to
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participate in the Panorama programme, "Saddam's Secret Arms Ring", broadcast on 3 September ; and if he will obtain a copy of the transcript and videocassette for his departmental library.Mr. Sainsbury : My Department was invited to participate in the "Panorama" programme broadcast on3 September and supplied written answers to written questions. I do not propose to obtain a copy of the transcript and videocassette for the departmental library.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to raise at the next Council meeting of European Community Trade Ministers the export activities of the German companies H and H Metalform Gmbh and Export Union Gmbh in regard to sales of sensitive equipment and militarily useful material to Iraq since 1988.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list all restrictions introduced since2 August on trade with Iraq agreed at international forums of which the United Kingdom is a party ; and if he will set out the measures adopted to enforce the restrictions.
Mr. Sainsbury : The restrictions introduced since 2 August on trade with Iraq agreed at international forums are as follows : 6 August
United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 661 was adopted imposing sanctions against Iraq and Kuwait.
8 August
Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2340/90 was made preventing trade by the Community as regards Iraq and Kuwait. Equivalent provision was made as regards products covered by the ECSC Treaty.
25 August
UNSCR 665 was adopted authorising the multinational forces navies to halt shippping in order to inspect and verify cargoes. 25 September
UNSCR 670 was adopted introducing measures to tighten the air embargo, and detain or deny entry to Iraqi registered ships breaching sanctions.
The measures adopted by the United Kingdom are as follows : 2 August
The Control of Gold, Securities, Payments and Credits (Kuwait) Directions 1990 were made
4 August
The Control of Gold, Securities, Payments and Credits (Republic of Iraq) Directions 1990 were made.
The United Kingdom amended the Open General Import Licence to impose restrictions on the import of crude oil and petroleum products originating in Iraq or Kuwait.
8 August
The Iraq Kuwait (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1990 was made. It prohibits activities in connection with the exportation of goods from Iraq or Kuwait and the supply of goods to Iraq or Kuwait or Iraqi or Kuwaiti controlled companies except under the authority of a licence.
The Export of Goods (Control) (Iraq and Kuwait Sanctions) Order 1990 was made. It prohibits exportation from the United Kingdom of all goods to Iraq or Kuwait or to any other destination for the
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purposes of any business carried on in Iraq or Kuwait, except under the authority of a licence.An amendment was made to the open general import licence of 4 December 1987 prohibiting the importation into the United Kingdom of goods originating in Iraq or Kuwait.
29 August
The Iraq and Kuwait (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 1990 was made. It made minor amendments to the Iraq and Kuwait (United Nations Sanctions) Order and prohibits, except under a licence, payments under bonds in respect of a contract the performance of which is unlawful as a result of the sanctions. 5 October
The Iraq and Kuwait (United Nations Sanctions) (No. 2) Order 1990 was made. It imposes restrictions on aircraft overflying the United Kingdom where their destination is Iraq or Kuwait. The Order also imposes restrictions on ships registered in Iraq entering ports in the United Kingdom.
Similar provision has been made in respect of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the dependent territories.
Within my Department's export control organisation a new licensing and enforcement unit was created at the time of the imposition of the embargo against Iraq and Kuwait. This unit has specific responsibility for the co- ordination of all export licensing matters arising from the embargo and of any information that is received about possible embargo-related events.
Astra Holdings Limited
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when, and for what purpose, he set up the inquiry to investigate the affairs of Astra Holdings Ltd.
Mr. Redwood : Following an application by the company, inspectors were appointed on 16 August 1990 under section 431(2)(c) of the Companies Act 1985 to investigate and report on the affairs of the company. My right hon. Friend has asked them to look in particular at the events surrounding the rights issue by the company in July 1989.
UN Conference, Geneva
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of the governing trade and development board of the United Nations conference on trade and development held in Geneva in early October, in so far as it affects United Kingdom trade policy.
Mr. Sainsbury : The first part of the 37th UNCTAD trade and development board took place from 1 to 12 October 1990. Agreement was reached on the agenda for the eighth United Nations conference on trade and development to be held in 1991, where discussion will cover international trade, commodities, technology and services, and resources for development, taking into account the need to promote economic growth and adopt good management and structural reform.
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Chemical Industry
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he or officials of his Department have been invited to participate in the conference on the human factor in safety in the chemical and process industries to be held in Manchester on 20-21 November.
Mr. Redwood : No. The safety of people at work is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.
Single European Market
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he or officials of his Department have been invited to participate in the seminar on the environmental implications of a single European market to be held at the London Press Centre on 5 December.
Mr. Redwood : A director of the Department's environment unit has accepted an invitation to speak at this seminar.
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