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Hammersmith Hospital (Fire)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has on the cause of the fire in the research laboratories of Hammersmith hospital on 21 October ; and whether it involved (a) the release of any toxic materials to the environment injurious of human or animal health or (b) damage to any medical machinery containing radioactive isotopes.
Mr. Dorrell : Officials have received a full report about the fire, which occurred in a building owned by the Royal Postgraduate Medical school. Although the police have not completed their investigation, there is forensic evidence to suggest that the fire may have been started deliberately. There was no release of toxic materials, and no damage to equipment containing radioactive isotopes.
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The Gulf
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations are being made within the national health service for dealing with the wounded in the event of the outbreak of hostilities in the Gulf.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Health authority contingency plans already provide for NHS treatment of military casualties in the event of war. Regional general managers in England have been asked to consider what preparatory measures might be needed under their plans.
Royal Liverpool Hospital
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names of the proposed trustees for the opting out of the Royal Liverpool hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State will announce the names of the chairmen and non- executive directors of NHS trusts after a decision has been made which trusts are to be established.
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ENVIRONMENT
Sunday Markets
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth dated 15 October referring to Sunday markets, Official Report, column 621, if he will set out the variety of statutory powers that local authorities have to control Sunday markets ; and what assessment he has made as to how effective these powers have so far proved to be ;
(2) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth dated 15 October referring to Sunday markets, Official Report, column 621, if he will give the geographical location of each Sunday market ;
(3) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth dated 15 October referring to Sunday markets, Official Report, column 621, how many representations his Department has received for each of the last three years.
Mr. Atkins : My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning set out local authorities' statutory powers to control markets in his reply on 22 October, Official Report, column 39 to an earlier question from my hon. Friend. We are not aware of any widespread local authority concern about these powers. The Department has no information about the geographical location of each Sunday market. Information about the number of representations the Department has received about Sunday markets in the last three years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
London Docklands Development Corporation
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will intemise the contracts the Lilley Group plc has undertaken for the London Docklands development corporation ; whether Mr. Robert Rankin, board member of the London Docklands development corporation, declared an interest when these matters came before the London Docklands development corporation board ; and whether he was present during discussions of these contracts ;
(2) if he will list the contracts that Mr. David Davies, board member of the London Docklands development corporation has been involved with (a) within the London Docklands development corporation area through the subsidiary companies of D. Y. Davies plc and (b) with the London Docklands development corporation ; and whether Mr. David Davies declared an interest in these contracts when they were before the London Docklands development corporation board ;
(3) if he will list the projects and schemes envisaged under the agreement with Newham, the Tower Hamlets accord, and the Southwark tunnel estates housing programme that are not now going ahead as planned ; and if he will itemise each scheme and its costs ; (4) if he will itemise the involvement of Sheraton Securities with the development of Harbour Exchange ; and if he will list other projects in the London docklands development corporation area or London docklands development corporation contracts in which Mr. Richard Cox-Johnson's companies have been involved.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I will write to the hon. Member.
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Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount has been budgeted by the London docklands development corporation for meeting the terms of the Tower Hamlets accord for 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The LDDC has currently budgeted the following amounts for projects meeting the terms of the Tower Hamlets accord :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |33.8
1991-92 |13.4
1992-93 |8.5
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current cost estimate for the Limehouse link road in London's docklands ; and what the estimate was in 1988.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The cost of the Limehouse link road construction contract was estimated at £142 million in 1988 by the London docklands development corporation. The corporation's current cost estimate for the scheme is commercially confidential.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the projected London Docklands development corporation capital expenditure on housing projects in 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The London Docklands development corporation has currently budgeted the following amounts for social housing projects :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |8.0
1991-92 |8.9
1992-93 |4.9
These provisional figures exclude the extensive social housing expenditure associated with the London Docklands development corporation's transport programme.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what review of costs of the London Docklands development corporation transport programme is taking place ; who is undertaking that review ; what are its terms of reference ; how much it is costing ; and if it will be published.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The London Docklands development corporation continually monitors and reviews its programmes and budgets. Internal management documents are confidential to the corporation.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the London Docklands development corporation received in land sales receipts in 1988-89 and in 1989-90 ; and what are the estimates for 1991- 92.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The London Docklands development corporation received £133 million in 1988-89 and £32 million in 1989-90 from land sales. It expects to receive about £28 million land sales receipts in 1991-92.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amounts the London Docklands
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development corporation has budgeted for meeting the costs of refurbishment of the Tunnel estates in Southwark for 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The LDDC's budget currently includes no provision for this scheme in the years in question.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the costs of the Limehouse link road are within budget projections.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total cost of London Docklands development corporation contractual commitments for 1990-91.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The London Docklands development corporation is contractually committed to approximately £350 million expenditure in 1990-91.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the London Docklands development corporation community services division budget for 1990-91 ; and what is the projected budget for 1991-92 and for 1992-93.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The LDDC's community services division budget for 1990-91 and projected budgets for 1991-92 and 1992-93 are currently as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |27.6
1991-92 |24.5
1992-93 |19.0
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the total number of permanent staff and staff on fixed-term contracts that have left the employment of the London Docklands development corporation in 1989-90 and in 1990-91 so far.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Staffing matters are for the LDDC board.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost estimate for the London Docklands development corporation roads programme for each year from 1989-90 to 1993-94.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : This information is given in the table.
Estimated cost of LDDC's
roads programme
|£ million
------------------------------
1989-90 |113
1990-91 |189
1991-92 |149
1992-93 |75
1993-94 |66
The provisional amounts include the costs of rehousing associated with the corporation's road schemes, environmental works and project management.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what items budgeted by the London Docklands development corporation for 1990-91 are now being cut from actual expenditure in 1990-91.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The LDDC's budget includes a wide range of programmes. The precise mix of projects is constantly under review and revision, in the light of changing circumstances and priorities.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimate for grant in aid for the London Docklands development corporation in 1990-91 and in 1991-92.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The provision in the 1990-91 supply estimate for grant in aid for the London Docklands development corporation is £332,975,000 for 1991-92, the corporation has been asked to plan on a basis of £225 million grant in aid.
Opencast Mines
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list by year for the last 10 years to date for England and Wales, the number of opencast coal site applications that have been refused by his Department ;
(2) if he will list by year for the last 10 years to date in England and Wales the number of opencast coal sites that received his Department's approval.
Mr. Atkins : The information requested is available only from 1 April 1987, in respect of England :
Year |Decided |Dismissed|Allowed --------------------------------------------------- 1987-88 |15 |8 |7 1988-89 |16 |8 |8 1989-90 |9 |2 |7 <1>1990-91 |10 |4 |6 <1> (to 30 September 1990).
River Pollution
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of pollution incidents on United Kingdom rivers caused by industrial processes in 1990 and the number of prosecutions that were made as a result of these incidents.
Mr. Trippier : This information is not available in the form requested. However, details of pollution incidents and prosecutions during 1989-90 are contained in the annual report of the National Rivers Authority for that period, a copy of which is in the Library. Water pollution control in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what organisations and sections within his Department presently being housed in London are being considered for dispersal to provincial areas.
Mr. Chris Patten : Some 40 per cent. of the Department's staff already work outside London and around 25 per cent. outside the south-east.
Decisions have been taken to relocate from London 94osts in the Department's information systems division, rentcharges unit and housing data and statistics division, as well as in Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
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Additionally, a preliminary study has recently been undertaken of the possibility of relocating the 550 posts in the building research establishment from their present site at Garston in Watford. The results of the study are currently being considered.Climate Change
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what (a) preparations he is making for and (b) representations he will be making at the next world conference on climate change.
Mr. Trippier : We have been playing an active role in the preparations for the second world climate conference, which takes place in Geneva 29 October--7 November 1990. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be speaking at the opening of the ministerial part of the conference, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a national statement.
Urban Development Corporations
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) why the event planned for June 1989 similar to the event organised by urban development corporations to be held at Lancaster house on 30 October was shelved ;
(2) which urban development corporations expressed reservations at board level to him about participating in, and making a financial contribution to, the event organised by urban development corporations to be held at Lancaster house on 30 October ; (3) whether the platform at the event organised by urban development corporations to be held at Lancaster house on 30 October will represent a cross-section of viewpoints on urban development corporations including those critical of their record ;
(4) what are the aims and objectives of the event organised by urban development corporations to be held at Lancaster house on 30 October ; what is the estimated total cost of the event ; and what contribution is being made towards the total cost (a) by his Department and (b) by each individual urban development corporation ;
(5) whether local authorities and local authority associations will be invited to the event organised by urban development corporations to be held at Lancaster house on 30 October ; and whether they will be represented on the platform.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The presentation at Lancaster house on 30 October was organised by the 11 urban development corporations of England and Wales. A number of dates had previously been considered. The guest list was set by the corporations to include leading members of the business and financial institutions in the United Kingdom and abroad and representatives of several foreign governments. This reflected the objective which was to promote further investment opportunities in the UDC areas. All 11 UDCs gave their full support. The estimated total cost is around £270,000. This will be met from the promotion and publicity budgets of the UDCs. My Department has directly contributed £4,150 for the hire of Lancaster house.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list those urban development
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corporations currently preparing or revising a code of practice required under section 140 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 ;(2) if he will list all the relevant local authorities, as defined in section 140(2) of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, that have formally agreed and support a code of practice prepared by an urban development corporation as required under section 140(1) of that Act ;
(3) if he will list those urban development corporations that have prepared a code of practice as required under section 140 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 ;
(4) if he will list those urban development corporations that have prepared a code of practice within a period of 12 months after establishment as required under section 140(3) of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : All UDCs prepared a code of practice within 12 months of designation, in consultation with local authorities. There is no statutory requirement for formal agreement to be reached with local authorities once the code has been prepared. Black Country UDC is currently reviewing its code and London Docklands is revising its code on development control, having recently issued a separate code covering non-planning consultations. No other UDCs are currently preparing or revising codes.
Poplar Construction Training Centre
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many people who have received training at the Poplar construction training centre have obtained jobs in the Canary Wharf development ; (2) how many people have successfully completed a training scheme at the Poplar construction training centre since it opened.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I understand that 103 trainees have successfully completed courses, of whom 54 went into employment on the Canary Wharf site. Others went on to employment with Canary Wharf constructors on other sites or on other local developments and construction projects.
Housing Corporation
Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the criteria used by the Housing Corporation in deciding its allocations for 1990-91.
Mr. Key : The allocation of resources for the support of individual housing association schemes in any year is a matter for the Housing Corporation, within a framework of broad principles which has been agreed with my right hon. Friend.
Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will publish the allocations for each of the last five years by the Housing Corporation for projects in Suffolk, listing the totals for each district and borough council ;
(2) if he will publish the bids submitted by each district and borough council in Suffolk for allocations in each of the last five years by the Housing Corporation.
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Mr. Key : These are a matter for the Housing Corporation. I have, therefore, asked the corporation to respond to my hon. Friend direct.Property Services Agency
Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future of the Property Services Agency.
Mr. Portillo : In May, Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte were commissioned to advise on the privatisation of PSA Services. In the light of their analysis of the markets in which PSA Services operates and the implications of this for the sale I have decided that PSA Services will be restructured into two main businesses, one dealing with project management and design, and the other with maintenance. The security group will transfer to DOE (Property Holdings). The restructuring will make it possible for PSA Services to be offered for sale in more than one part, not necessarily at the same time, but I do not rule out purchase by a single buyer.
Bird Protection
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or other interested parties responding to his consultation paper on the killing of opportunist bird species, that the protection of specified song birds should be an additional reason for authorising the control of magpies, jays and crows.
Mr. Trippier : A number of respondents to the consultation paper have suggested that the proposed general licences should authorise the control of magpies and crows to protect song birds. We have asked the Nature Conservancy Council for advice on this.
House Repairs
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the number of tenants who have (a) applied for and (b) received payment for repairs carried out under the right to repairs scheme introduced under the Housing and Building Control Act 1984 in (i) 1986-87, (ii) 1987-88, (iii) 1988-89 and (iv) 1989-90 ; what is the total cost of payments made under this scheme in each of these years ; and what has been the cost to the Government and local authorities in introducing and administering this scheme.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The number of claims received and agreed in each of the years 1986-87 to 1988-89 is shown in the table, together with the total value agreed each year. The collection of data on the scheme has now been discontinued in view of the low level of activity. To date, the Department has incurred total costs of some £40,000 in informing tenants of the scheme and on training them ; administrative costs of the scheme are not identified separately. The Department does not collect information on local authorities' costs other than in meeting claims.
England |Total number |Total number |Total amount
|of claims |of claims |agreed<1>
|received for |agreed<1> for |£
|payment |for payment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986<2> |6 |5 |500
1986-87 |48 |44 |4,500
1987-88 |18 |17 |1,700
1988-89 |9 |9 |600
|- |- |---
Total |81 |75 |7,300
Water Meters
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the probable cost of installing water meters in all households in England and Wales.
Mr. Trippier : It would not be meaningful to make such an estimate, because within the framework of the Water Act 1989 decisions on methods of charging are a matter for individual water companies. The cost of installing a meter in a house depends on a variety of factors. Information on the costs of different methods of installing meters in selected areas is contained in the second interim report on the national metering trials which the water industry published earlier this year. A copy of the report is in the Library.
Water Supply
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what increase in water consumption there has been in each of the regions of England and Wales during the past 10 years.
Mr. Trippier : Figures for consumption are not collected for England and Wales, but estimates of the amounts of water abstracted from surface water and ground water in each of the water authority areas are shown for 1980 and 1988. Figures for 1989 will not be available until early in 1991. Data are given for each water authority area.
Estimated total abstractions from surface and ground
water sources
in each of the water authority areas in 1980 and 1988 and
percentage change ('000 megalitres per annum)
|1980 |1988 |Per cent.
|Change
----------------------------------------------------------
Anglian |700 |768 |9.7
Thames |1,599 |1,618 |1.2
Southern |498 |594 |19.3
Wessex |355 |381 |7.3
South West |<1>828 |851 |2.8
Welsh<2> |2,750 |3,786 |37.7
Severn Trent |3,205 |2,530 |-21.1
North West |1,854 |1,173 |-36.7
Yorkshire |1,549 |1,148 |-25.8
Northumbrian |415 |354 |-14.7
England and Wales |13,753 |13,203 |-4.0
Source: Department of the Environment.
<1> 1985.
<2> The very large increase in abstractions in the Welsh
Water area is attributable to increases in demand for
water by the CEGB for hydro-electric power generation.
Note: Statistics on water supply are also published in
the Digest of Environmental Protection and Water
Statistics, published by HMSO.
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the current level of water extraction from bore holes in each of the regions of England and Wales for public water supply purposes.
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Mr. Trippier : Figures for abstractions from surface water and groundwater boreholes by purpose and for all regions of England and Wales, are published on an annual basis in the "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics", which is available in the Library.Planning Orders
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate those occasions in the last five years on which he has used his powers in section 276 (part XV) (applying to section 45(1) part III or section 51) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 ; if he will specify on each occasion whether he directed the local planning authority to submit an order for his confirmation, or whether he made the order himself ; and where compensation was payable, and where relevant, the amount of compensation and the proportion borne by the Department.
Mr. Michael Spicer : These powers have not been used in the last five years.
Bradford West End
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the total value of the scheme currently being discussed between his officials and 3Ds Ltd., for the west end of Bradford ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what information has been supplied to officials of Bradford local authority regarding the negotiations between his Department and 3Ds Ltd. concerning the west end development ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : It is not our practice, for reasons of commercial confidentiality, to reveal details of developers' proposals.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many in and out schemes have been approved for Bradford metropolitan district council ; what is the value of each scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Under the in and out scheme which ran from March 1988 to March 1990 the Department approved one application from Bradford metropolitan district council. The approval given on 28 September 1988 for Greengates house involved an additional capital allocation of £10,000.
On 1 April this year, Capital Finance Regulations introduced new in and out arrangements whereby authorities are no longer required to seek the Secretary of State's consent. It is now a matter for them to determine, with the assistance of their legal advisers and their auditor, whether or not particular transactions come within the terms of the regulations. Authorities are not required to inform the Department of the transactions which do so.
Historic Parks and Gardens
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he received from the inspector of historic parks and gardens when he declined to call in Devon county council application No. 90.0539.R4D.
Mr. Key : I will write to the hon. Member.
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Planning Applications
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used to determine that a planning application referred to his Department is of no more than local concern.
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