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Housing, Congleton
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people have been on the homelessness register in the borough of Congleton in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Local authorities report the number of households accepted and found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985.
The available figures for Congleton borough council are as follows :
|Households
---------------------------------
1980 |43
1981 |45
1982 |32
1983 |42
1984 |57
1985 |57
1986 |<1>54
1987 |49
1988 |61
1989 |64
<1> Estimated from HIP1 return.
The information is published quarterly (half-yearly before 1985) in "Local Housing Statistics : England and Wales", which is in the Library.
London Boroughs (Capital Allocation)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the estimated levels of capitalallocation to London boroughs in 1990-91 by the London residuary body.
Mr. Key : The London residuary body has recently indicated that it does not expect to make a general distribution of capital receipts to London boroughs in 1990-91. The total sum previously distributed is £486 million. There will, however, be a special distribution to inner London boroughs in 1990-91 to reimburse them for certain items of educational expenditure inherited from the abolished ILEA.
London Residuary Body
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will accept a nomination from the Association of London Authorities for membership of the London residuary body ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : My right hon. Friend is always prepared to consider suggestions for appointment but he sees no need at present to make further new appointments to the London residuary body.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the expected publication date of the 1989-90 annual report of the London residuary body.
Mr. Key : The London residuary body expects to publish its annual report and accounts for 1989-90 shortly.
Historic Houses
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money was given in grants by local authorities to historic houses in each of the last five years : and how many houses were involved.
Mr. Trippier : I regret that this information is not available.
Cornish Coast (Wildlife Losses)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the loss of wildlife earlier this year on beaches between Portreath and Newquay ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 17 October 1990] : I have no information of unusual losses of wildlife in the area this year. We know of 28 strandings over the past 12 months ; three of which are broadly in the Portreath/Newquay area.
The one individual found in that area that has had a post mortem was obviously young, but suffering from severe parasitic infestation and wasting of the muscles, although (as is often the case) no obvious cause of death had been established. Samples suitable for contaminant analysis have been taken from this individual.
Printing (Toxicity)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what weight of hydrocarbons is released to the atmosphere during a typical hour's operation of platemaking and photographical processes in printworks ; and what regulations exist to control such atmospheric discharges.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 October 1990] : Total annual emissions of hydrocarbons--measured as volatile organis compounds (VOCs)-- from the printing and ink manufacturing industry are estimated at 41,000 tonnes per year. Disaggregated hourly data for the processes specified are not available.
Should such processes cause statutory nuisance, they are controlled by local authorities under part III of the Public Health Act 1936. In future, subject to the approval
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of the Environmental Protection Bill, we intend to schedule those printing works with the greatest pollution potential for control under the new air pollution control regime proposed in part I of the Bill.The United Kingdom is taking a leading part within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which is preparing a protocol on VOCs. This will lead to cuts in emissions from all sources.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what volumes of toxic effluent are discharged each hour from a typical printworks ; and what regulations exist to control such discharges.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 October 1990] : Information on discharges from printworks is not held centrally. The registers held by the National Rivers Authority contain discharge consent conditions for individual works and these will include those for volume. Consents for discharges to sewer are granted by sewerage undertakers under the Public Health (Drainage of Trade Premises) Act 1937, and for discharges to controlled waters by the National Rivers Authority under the Water Act 1989. An application to discharge a prescribed substance into a sewer must be referred by the sewerage undertaker to the Secretary of State under the Trade Effluents (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1989, as amended. If an EC list I dangerous substance is discharged into controlled waters, the National Rivers Authority must set a consent consistent with its obligations under the Surface Waters (Dangerous Substances) (Classification) Regulations 1989.
European Council
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what matters in regard to the mitigation of global warming were discussed at the European Environment Council in Luxembourg on 4 October.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 October 1990] : No such meeting took place--the next meeting of the Environment Council is on 29 October.
London Docklands (Toxic Pollution)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any reports from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution on the levels of toxic pollution measurable in London docklands since January 1985.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 October 1990] : I have received no reports from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) on toxic pollution in London docklands. HMIP has no statutory role in regulating toxic waste on land.
Halon 1301
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the environmental and human consequences of fighting a fire with the chemical Halon 1301.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 23 October 1990] : Halon 1301 is a powerful ozone-depleting chemical and an effective fire-fighting agent of low toxicity. Under the Montreal protocol halon production and consumption
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will be cut by 50 per cent. by 1995 and phased out by 2000 except for a limited number of essential uses, to be decided internationally by 1993 and kept under review thereafter.Drinking Water (Northern Region)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the drinking water inspectorate officer responsible for the Northern region is based.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 24 October 1990] : Responsibility within the drinking water inspectorate for the English regions has not been assigned to individual inspectors. All inspectors are based in London.
SCOTLAND
Road Accidents
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many road accidents there were, both fatal and non-fatal, in each of the years 1984 to 1989 inclusive ; and how many involved drivers aged under 24 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
Reported personal inReported personal injury
accidents accidents involving at
least one driver aged
under 24
|Fatal |Non-fatal|Fatal |Non-fatal
------------------------------------------------------------
1984 |537 |19,437 |197 |8,884
1985 |550 |20,094 |223 |8,797
1986 |537 |19,281 |218 |8,082
1987 |517 |18,140 |183 |7,540
1988 |499 |18,596 |211 |7,667
1989 |496 |20,112 |180 |8,442
Sea Trout Stocks
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research his Department has commissioned into the decline of sea trout stocks in Scottish waters.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Studies of sea trout by scientists from the DAFS freshwater fisheries laboratory at Pitlochry have concentrated on areas in the north-west of Scotland where catches of sea trout appear to have fallen sharply in 1989. Work so far has included detailed sampling of sea trout fisheries in Loch Hope, Loch Maree, Achiltibuie, Loch Shiel, Loch Morar, Loch Eilt and a group of lochs in Skye with analysis of the size, age, sex composition of the catches and, where possible, of mature fish in the spawning burns. Surveys of juvenile distribution and abundance, including the physical and chemical evaluation of habitats, have also been undertaken in burns flowing into Lochs Hope, Maree and Eilt. The preliminary results of this work suggest that, as in the west of Ireland, growth and survival rates in fresh water are within the normal range. This points to lower survival rates at sea as the primary reason for the lower number of returning adult sea trout. The reasons for apparently poorer marine survival are not yet clear. Sea trout at sea, or returning to estuaries, are now being sampled to evaluate their overall condition, diet and status in terms of disease and parasites. It is too early yet to draw any conclusions from this work or the other continuing studies in north- west Scotland.
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DAFS scientists are also undertaking long- term studies of the dynamics of migratory trout populations in eastern Scotland and analysis of the sea trout catch statistics collected for Scotland as a whole.Dental Services
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dentists operating national health service schemes for their patients have now changed to private practice only ; and how many people who cannot afford private dental services have been affected by this change (a) in Greater Glasgow, (b) in Strathclyde and (c) in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is not available centrally.
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the Dental Association of Scotland ; and if he discussed the increasing numbers of dentists refusing to operate National Health Service schemes.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Officials of the Scottish Home and Health Department met the Scottish General Dental Services Committee of the British Dental Association on 13 June 1990, to discuss the new contract for general dental practitioners. On 12 July 1990 the British Dental Association agreed that the new contract would be introduced on 1 October 1990, and that the proposals were in the best interests of patients, dentists and dentistry.
Junior Doctors
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of junior doctors in the Scottish national health service were working, on average, more than 70 hours weekly, for each year since 1980.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information on the hours worked by junior doctors is not collected centrally, but just over 82 per cent. of junior doctors were contracted to work more than 70 hours weekly at 30 September 1989--1989 is the first year for which such information is available centrally.
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan, Official Report, 16 October, column 805, if he will list all steps taken to improve the working arrangements for junior doctors in Scotland and especially their working hours arrangements.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : In 1983 regular rotas more onerous than one night and one weekend on duty in two were banned. In 1985 guidance was issued to health boards on arrangements designed to minimise the occasions when doctors in hard-pressed specialties were required to work rotas more onerous than one in two when covering for absent colleagues. In 1989 we introduced measures aimed at eliminating rotas more onerous than one night and one weekend in three.
A working party, set up by my hon. Friend the Minister for Health, is currently considering at national level how further improvements in junior doctors' working arrangements may be achieved. We are represented on that working party. Meantime we have asked boards to keep all onerous rotas under continuous review and to eliminate them as soon as circumstances permit.
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While still continuing to work towards eliminating onerous rotas, in 1988 and again in 1989 the Government accepted the recommendation of the doctors' and dentists' review body to pay enhanced rates to junior doctors working long hours.Heart Disease
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's new initiatives to prevent further increases in the number of people suffering from heart disease in Scotland.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The consultation document "Health Education in Scotland : A National Policy Statement", which I launched on 9 October, identified coronary heart disease as a national priority for health education and set out our target of reducing mortality from heart disease for people under age 65 by 25 per cent. by the year 2000.
A twin strategy involving both an individual and a population approach is proposed. The individual strategy envisages family doctors identifying people who are at risk, thus enabling appropriate counselling or necessary treatment to be provided. The population strategy consists of promoting, at national and local levels, the positive life style approach and in particular the aspects of healthy eating, non-smoking and exercise. National campaigns will be undertaken by the Health Education Board, which will replace the Scottish Health Education Group on 1 April 1991, and will be complemented by action at local level by health boards and voluntary organisations.
Premature deaths from coronary heart disease in Scotland declined by 17 per cent. between 1980 and 1988 and the enhanced health education effort now proposed will facilitate further progress towards the target I have set.
Greater Glasgow Health Board
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times the Greater Glasgow health board has moved its head office during the last three years ; what has been the total cost involved in these moves ; what was the cost of obtaining, fitting out, equipping and stone cleaning 112 Ingram street ; and what was the cost of transferring the accounts, finance and wages departments from Ingram street to other premises.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 23 October 1990] : Greater Glasgow health board has made only one major relocation of its head office in the past three years.
The total cost was £1.25 million ; this includes a cost to the board of £0.62 million for work at Ingram street and of £0.46 million for transferring certain departments. The changes will release savings of £2.9 million on revenue expenditure from January 1989 to June 1992. These savings will be used to improve patient care for the population of Greater Glasgow.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Audit Policy
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether he will launch an independent investigation into the influence of major firms on audit policy making ;
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(2) whether he will investigate the influence of major accountancy firms on the major policy-making committees of the accountancy profession.Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question on 5 April at column 804.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list all statutory provisions relating to the making of audit policy by the Auditing Practices Committee.
Mr. Redwood : The Auditing Practices Committee is established by CCAB Ltd., a company registered under the Companies Act, whose shareholders are the chartered bodies of accountants. The committee's activities are therefore not founded on statutory provisions.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to introduce legislation to require auditors to actively satisfy themselves that a company is a going concern.
Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to his questions on 5 March at column 413, 27 March at column 125 and 2 April at column 399.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish a table showing how many of Britain's top 100 companies are audited by firms criticised by his Department's inspectors.
Mr. Redwood : The hon. Member is already aware of the auditing firms criticised in inspectors' reports published since June 1979 ( Official Report, 19 December 1989, column 139 and 21 February 1990, column 789 ). In addition two reports were published on 29 August 1990 :
Name of Company |Name of Accountants
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minet Holdings plc |Black, Geoghegan and Till.
WMD Underwriting Agencies |Josolyne Layton-Bennett and
Limited |Co.
|Arthur Young McClelland
|Moores and Co.
Alexander Howden Holdings |Josolyne Layton-Bennett and
plc. |Co.
|de Paula Turner Lake and Co.
|Peat Marwick Mitchell and
| Co., Bermuda.
|Arthur Young McClelland
| Moores and Co.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether she will provide a list showing the number of accountancy firm partners which have been barred from practising as a result of criticisms in the Department of Trade and Industry inspectors' reports.
Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question on 26 March at column 25 .
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to introduce legislation to enable individual shareholders to sue company auditors for negligence.
Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question on 26 February at column 15 .
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Industrial Development Policy
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he proposes any changes in industrial development policy following the United Kingdom's entry into the exchange rate mechanism.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have no plans to make changes in our policies towards industry because of ERM entry.
Company Legislation
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, arising from the Caparo case, he intends to propose any amendments to company law.
Mr. Redwood : We have no plans to do so.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will seek to introduce legislation to require all public companies to publish profit forecasts.
Mr. Redwood : The Companies Act 1985 requires that the directors' report shall contain an indication of the likely future developments in the business of the company and of its subsidiary undertakings. While it is open to directors to include profit forecasts in their report, I have no plans to extend the existing statutory requirement.
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next expects to meet the president of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss manufacturing industry.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Ministers and officials of my Department keep in touch with the CBI on a wide range of business matters.
Post Office
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the head of the Post Office ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the chairman of the Post Office, Sir Bryan Nicholson, on 26 September. They discussed various matters of mutual interest and concern.
Royal Mail
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met the head of the Royal Mail ; what matters were discussed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the managing director of the Royal Mail, Mr. Bill Cockburn, on 2 October. They discussed various matters of mutual interest and concern.
Israel
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to oppose the Arab trade boycott of Israel ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Sainsbury : Yes. As I made clear in my recent speech to the CBI conference on Israel, Her Majesty's Government are opposed to and deplore all trade boycotts that lack international support and authority.
Home Accidents
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the 1988 figures on the causes and consequences of accidents in the home were due to be published ; when he now intends to publish them ; and if he will give the reasons for the delay.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 23 October 1990] : The 12th report of the home accident surveillance system (HASS) covering 1988 data is expected to be published in November 1990, which is later than projected. A number of factors have contributed to delay, principally the extension of the system to cover leisure accidents in order to collect data that can be supplied to the European Commission for the EHLASS (European home and leisure accident surveillance system) demonstration project. The introduction of leisure accident surveillance into HASS has required extensive and complex changes to the computer system handling HASS data. Work is well advanced to replace the current HASS computer system to ensure these problems do not recur in the future.
Retail Sector
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the factors underlying the performance of major high street retailing companies since 1987, and on their prospects in the next 12 months.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 22 October 1990] : The performance of the retail sector as a whole is clearly influenced by developments in the economy generally. But the performance of individual retailers depends on the extent to which they meet the needs of their customers. This will no doubt continue to be the case in the next 12 months.
Overseas Boards
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the members, and their affiliations, of the British Overseas Trade Board and of the Overseas Projects Board.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 24 October 1990] : The information sought is as follows :
British Overseas Trade Board
Membership as at October 1990.
The Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley, MP (President) Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Sir James Cleminson, KBE, MC, DL (Chairman) Chairman, Riggs A. P. Bank and Deputy Chairman, Norwich Union.
HRH The Duke of Kent, KG (Vice Chairman)
Non-executive Director of BICC plc and Vickers plc.
Mr. D., M. Dell, CB (Chief Executive)
Deputy Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry. Mr. D. Saunders (Secretary)
Department of Trade and Industry
Mr. J. M. M. Banham
Director General, Confederation of British Industry.
Mr. N. P. Bayne, CMG
Deputy Under Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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