| Home Page |
Column 113
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 5 December 1990
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Judges
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Attorney-General (1) what target he maintains for the number and percentage of female judges there will be in the year 2000 ;
(2) what target he maintains for the number and percentage of black judges there will be in the year 2000 ;
(3) what steps he is taking to increase the number of female judges ;
(4) what steps he is taking to increase the number of black judges.
The Attorney-General : Candidates for judicial appointment are considered on their merits, regardless of sex or ethnic origin. The Lord Chancellor has, however, repeatedly made clear his wish to appoint more women and members of ethnic minorities to judicial office. Steps have been taken to make this widely known, and thus to encourage more suitably qualified women and members of ethnic minorities to put themselves forward for consideration. The composition of the bench at any one time is, however, dependent on the composition of the legal profession in the age groups with the necessary experience to be suitable. At the moment, there are relatively few women and ethnic minority candidates in the legal profession in the appropriate age groups with the right experience. It is expected that the number will increase significantly over the next 10 years, and that this will result in more women judges, and judges from ethnic minorities. It is, however, impossible to predict the composition of the pool of suitably qualified candidates for judicial office, or the number of appointments needed, 10 years ahead, and it would therefore be inappropriate to set targets.
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Attorney-General what percentage and number of (a) county court judges, (b) judges who sit full time in the Crown courts, (c) judges who sit in the divisional court, (d) recorders, (e) Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, (f) judges who sit in the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal and (g) judges who sit in the High Court, are female.
The Attorney-General : The following figures are correct as at 1 December 1990. There are 10 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, of whom none is female. There are 27 Lords Justices of Appeal, of whom one is female (3.7 per cent.). There are 83 High Court judges, of whom two are female (2.4 per cent.). There are 424 circuit judges, of whom 19 are female (4.5 per cent.). There are 762 recorders, of whom 43 are female (5.6 per cent.). In addition, the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls, president of the family division and Vice-Chancellor are all male.
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Attorney-General what percentage and number of (a) county court judges, (b)
Column 114
judges who sit full time in the Crown courts, (c) judges who sit in the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal, (d) judges who sit in the divisional court, (e) judges who sit in the High Court, (f) Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and (g) recorders, are black.The Attorney-General : Records are not kept on the ethnic origin of members of the judiciary or of candidates for judicial appointments, but our understanding of the position is as follows.
There are no Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, heads of division, Lords Justices of Appeal, or High Court judges from the ethnic minorities. There are 424 circuit judges, of whom one is from an ethnic minority (0.2 per cent.). There are 762 recorders, of whom five are from ethnic minorities (0.65 per cent.).
ENVIRONMENT
Housing Associations
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to make any orders under section 48(2) of the Housing Act 1988 to amend the permissible objects of housing associations.
Mr. Yeo : My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.
North Sea
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he plans to implement the declarations made following conferences on the protection of the North sea in Bremen 1984, London 1987 and the Hague 1990.
Mr. Baldry : Progress on implementation of measures agreed at Bremen was reported to the second North sea conference held in London in 1987 and detailed national progress reports on the implementation of second North sea conference measures were prepared by all North sea states for the Hague conference in March 1990. Copies of these reports are held in the Library.
In July this year the United Kingdom published a "Guidance Note on the Ministerial Declaration of the Third International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea" which details action planned to implement the new measures agreed at the Hague. Copies are available in the Library.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table in the Official Report based upon the information contained in annex VIII of his local government finance statement of 31 October, showing for each local authority area listed on pages 2 to 13 (a) income from the community charge for standard spending, (b) business rate income and (c) revenue support grant, in each case as a percentage of their standard spending assessment, with each local authority being listed in ascending order according to the percentage size of their revenue support grant.
Mr. Key : Revenue support grant (RSG) and business rate income are distributed to charging authorities so that if each notifiable authority spent at the level appropriate to provide a standard level of service, all charging authorities could set a charge at the community charge for standard
Column 115
spending of £380.41. As the cost of providing a standard level of service, measured by the standard spending assessment (SSA) varies with the demographic, social and physical characteristics of an area--the proportions of SSA met from RSG and business rates also varies. Uniquely the SSA for the City of London does not reflect the cost of providing a standard level of service.Full details of the distribution of RSG and business rates for 1991-92 are set out in the Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England) approved on 18 January and the draft Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) Report (England) published on 31 October. I have today placed in the Library a table showing for each receiving authority area in England the information requested, together with an additional column containing the percentage of standard spending assessment (SSA) met by total external support, that is, the sum of business rate income, revenue support grant, area protection grant and the inner London education grant. The SSA for a receiving authority area is calculated by summing the SSAs per adult of the receiving authority and of all notifiable authorities precepting on that receiving authority and multiplying by its relevant population.
Roofing Slates
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for the level of production of roofing slates within the United Kingdom ; what was the level five years ago ; and what were the corresponding figures for the importing of roofing slates into the United Kingdom in each of those two periods.
Mr. Key : The information requested on the production and imports of roofing slates for the United Kingdom is given in the table. Exports have been added for completeness.
Tonnes
|Production|Imports |Exports
-------------------------------------------------------
1984 |22,000 |14,000 |2,000
1989 |46,500 |49,000 | 5,500
Leaseholders
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many leaseholders live in flats, including old houses converted to flats, in England and Wales excluding right-to-buy purchases from local authorities.
Sir George Young : The information is not available in the form requested. In 1981 the total number of leasehold households in England and Wales was 1,506,434. It is likely that the majority of these households occupied flats.
Single People (Accommodation)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many single persons, over the age of 16 years, are currently living within family units ; how these persons are considered in producing projections for future housing needs ; and what assessment he has made of the future requirement for single persons' accommodation.
Sir George Young [holding answer 22 November 1990] : The estimated number of single persons aged 16 or over
Column 116
living within family units in England in 1988 is 4.9 million, of which 1.3 million were aged 16 or 17. These figures are derived from the 1988 labour force survey housing trailer.In estimating the future number of households my Department makes projections of the proportions of persons who will be household heads, separately by age, sex and marital status (including single). The method is described in the Department's publication "1985 based estimate of numbers of households", a copy of which is in the Library.
The Government do not make estimates of housing requirements for particular types of household.
Business in the Community
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many schemes in cities and towns have been set up or commenced under the Government's business in the community programme ; if he will list the schemes giving locations and the amount of grant allocated for each scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key [holding answer 29 November 1990] : Business in the Community (BITC) is not a Government initiative. It is a charity funded by over 400 of the country's major businesses and grants from the Departments of the Environment (DOE), Employment (DE) and Trade and Industry (DTI). BITC encourages business men to play a part in encouraging economic regeneration aims across the country. I will write to the hon. Member with details of my Department's grants.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Private Firms (Uniforms)
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations he proposes to introduce to limit private firms' use of uniforms in the style of police officers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : We have no plans, at present, to introduce such regulations. I am pleased to note that the British Standards Institution has recently issued, for public comment, a draft British standard code of practice for manned security services, which makes recommendations on the provision of uniforms by security companies.
Hazardous Chemicals (Transportation)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met local authority representatives to discuss the role of local authorities in the energency response to an accident involving the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals ; if he will detail that role ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. Friend has not had the opportunity to meet with local authority representatives to discuss this specific matter. However, Mr. Brook, the Home Office civil emergencies adviser, has had, and will continue to have, discussions with the local authorities about their response to a whole range of civil emergencies.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements exist to protect the general public from possible off- site consequences of an accident involving the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals.
Column 117
Mr. John Patten : The off-site consequences arising from such an accident are dealt with by the emergency services in consultation with the local authority and sources of specialist advice on chemical toxicity.Alcohol Misuse
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives he has taken in respect of research into alcohol misuse and the social effects of alcohol misuse in England ; and how much money he has made available for this purpose in the current financial year.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : During the past three years the Home Office has commissioned a survey of drinking in England and Wales, carried out research into drinking and disorder in non-metropolitan areas, evaluated the effects of experimental byelaws to control public drinking in the central parts of various towns and cities and commissioned a preliminary study of the role economic models may play in understanding the links between alcohol and crime. The cost of work falling in this financial year was about £15,000.
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c) the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The information requested is not available centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non-governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Details of remuneration at 1989 rates for appointees to Home Office public bodies are contained in the publication "Public Bodies", a copy of which is in the Library.
Police Inspectorate
Mr. Forman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish reports by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary on its inspections of police forces.
Mr. Kenneth Baker [pursuant to my noble Friend's reply, 23 March 1990, c. 794] : All reports of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary inspections are now published ; the Derbyshire report will be published tomorrow and copies will then be placed in the Library.
The report conveys the professional policing judgment of the inspectorate ; it offers a worrying catalogue of Derbyshire county council's policies and procedures which, in the view of the inspectorate, hinder the commendable efforts of the police force to provide the best standards of policing.
Column 118
No bids for extra police manpower were made for 1988 and 1989 : my predecessor approved an additional 19 posts for 1990 --on which 51 per cent. police grant would have been paid--but the council was unwilling to meet its share of the funding and the posts were not taken up ; civilian posts are left vacant or take six months to fill ; buildings are in a poor state and the police committee did not respond to a 1988 Home Office invitation to submit proposals for a building plan ; budgetary processes are exceptionally cumbersome, and little control is devolved to the chief constable.Resources for policing are allocated on the same basis throughout England and Wales. But no other police authority has merited such informed professional criticism. The issues identified in the report are the consequences of the policies of the Derbyshire authorities ; I shall be watching very closely to see what action they take to make substantial improvements in their performance.
TRANSPORT
Train Passengers (Falls)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider establishing an independent inquiry to look into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of passengers falling from trains.
Mr. McLoughlin : Accidents involving deaths are fully investigated by railway operators and the appropriate coroner. The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate would investigate as a matter of course if there were any evidence that accepted standards of safety had not been maintained.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of passengers falling from moving trains there were in each of the last five years ; how many died from the fall ; and how many were seriously injured.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information is as follows :
Year |Fatal |Major |Minor |Total
|Injury|Injury
------------------------------------------
1985 |16 |8 |42 |66
1986 |12 |15 |34 |61
1987 |26 |16 |28 |70
1988 |19 |13 |32 |64
1989 |19 |16 |12 |47
Empty Houses
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many houses his Department owns ; how many are empty ; and how many are along routes of proposed road building schemes.
Mr. Chope : On 1 October 1990, the total number of dwellings owned by the Department of Transport was 2,370. Of these 2,339 have been acquired in connection with road schemes and 31 are used by the coastguard services. A total of 498 are empty.
Aviation Fuel (Transport)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of (a) the amount, (b) the type and (c) the frequency of the transportation of loads of aviation fuel from the Isle of Grain through London to Stansted airport.
Column 119
Mr. McLoughlin : This is a commercial and operational matter for British Rail.Administrative Costs
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the administrative costs of his Department rose by more or less than the retail prices index in the last financial year.
Mr. McLoughlin : Gross running costs expenditure on Department of Transport administration was 9.3 per cent. higher in 1989-90 than in 1988- 89. During the same period the retail prices index rose by 7.8 per cent.
Hazardous Chemicals (Transportation)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements have been agreed concerning rail transportation of hazardous chemicals through the channel tunnel ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : No arrangements have yet been agreed. It is for Eurotunnel to put forward proposals for the movement of dangerous goods. The proposals will be considered by the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission which is advised on safety matters by the independent binational safety authority.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will set out the regulatory framework that exists to cover the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals ;
(2) what regulatory framework exists to cover the possible health and safety implications of the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will review the regulations and their enforcement controlling the containment of chemicals in transit in the light of the Isle of Grain derailment on 28 November ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Dangerous substances are carried by rail in accordance with the British Railways Board's "List of Dangerous Goods and Conditions of Acceptance by Rail on Freight Services and Parcels Service" (BR 22426). These are based on the United Nations' "Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods".
Responsibility for the safety of staff and the public rests primarily with the railway operator. Her Majesty's railway inspectorate is responsible for enforcement of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 on the railways. The inspectorate transferred to the Health and Safety Executive on 1 December.
I am considering what further action is needed to ensure that dangerous substances safety rules on our railways and those applying internationally are regularly updated and appropriately aligned.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken concerning (a) the derailment of a train carrying chemicals at Stratford, east London, on 21 November, identifying the chemicals being transported and (b) the derailment of a train near the Isle of Grain refinery on 28 November ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : An inspecting officer of the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate (RI) visited the scene of the accident on the Isle of Grain on the morning
Column 120
of 28 November. British Rail will be conducting its own inquiries into both the Stratford and Isle of Grain accidents and will send a copy of its findings in due course to RI, which will then decide whether any further action is necessary. I understand from BR that the train at Stratford included wagons carrying sodium hydroxide solids and diphenyl methane--4, 4--diifocyanate, but that these particular wagons were not derailed.Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the inventory his Department maintains on those chemicals currently transported by rail in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The Department does not have such an inventory, but I understand that British Rail has a list of dangerous substances which can be transported by rail.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the number of railway accidents involving chemicals being transported in each of the years 1980 to 1990 and for each of the categories (a) corrosive, (b) poisonous, (c) volatile and (d) explosive.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that the railway inspectorate does not have information in the form requested.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role his Department takes in planning for, and responding to, possible accidents involving the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : This is a matter for British Rail, the emergency services and local authorities.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what hazard assessment and emergency planning arrangements exist for accidents involving the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals ; what body is responsible for this work ; and if possible off-site consequences of an accident are taken into account in the assessment and planning arrangements.
Mr. Freeman : British Rail, the emergency services and local authorities, which are responsible for the off-site consequences of an accident, liaise closely in assessing hazards and developing arrangements to deal with major railway accidents, including those involving hazardous chemicals. As part of these arrangements, joint exercises are held frequently.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedure exists to provide emergency services attending an accident involving the rail transportation of chemicals with information concerning the identity and possible hazard of these substances ; and how early during an emergency response such information is available to the emergency services.
Mr. Freeman : Every railway wagon carrying a dangerous substance should be identified by a HAZCHEM label, and there are also arrangements for British Rail regional control offices to provide the emergency services with lists of wagons and contents. Further advice is available from the consignor or the Chemical Industries Association's CHEMSAFE arrangements. I understand that response times are usually very quick.
Column 121
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c) the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. McLoughlin : I shall write to the hon. Member.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non-governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
Mr. McLoughlin : Fees and salaries for the majority of appointments made by my right hon. and Friend are contained in the annual publication "Public Bodies" published by HMSO, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The appointments which are not listed in this document are :
Acting conservator of the River Mersey (£7,667 per annum), Delegate to the Central Rhine Commission (unpaid),
Chairman and members of the honorary medical advisory panel on driving and diabetes (unpaid),
Chairman and members of the honorary medical advisory panel for driving and disorders of the nervous system (unpaid),
Chairman and members of the honorary medical advisory panel on driving and cardiovascular disorders (unpaid).
My right hon. and learned Friend also appoints some part-time members to ports authorities, but their remuneration is a matter for the individual authority concerned.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects the passenger trains for services through the channel tunnel from destinations from north of London to be delivered ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Rifkind : British Rail last December announced plans to operate daytime international rail services connecting stations on the east and west coast main lines directly with Paris and Brussels. These plans remain unchanged. However the high-speed trains are even more complex than those which will operate between London, Paris and Brussels and will require a substantial period of safety and operational testing. The manufacturers have not yet been able to quote a firm price and delivery date. As a result, through passenger services are unlikely to be available until 1994. In the light of this I have indicated to British Rail the importance I attach to improving the journeys of passengers from north of London in the period immediately after the tunnel opens. I understand it is now planning to operate some inter-city services from the north into Waterloo, so avoiding the need for passengers to cross London. Tenders for rolling stock for night trains through the tunnel are likely to be invited shortly.
Column 122
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ministerial Responsibilities
Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about ministerial responsibilities in his Department.
Mr. Brooke : I announced yesterday the following ministerial responsibilities.
The right hon. the Lord Belstead, Her Majesty's Paymaster General and deputy to the Secretary of State, is responsible for law and order and the Department of Education. He is spokesman on all Northern Ireland matters in the House of Lords.
Dr. Brian Mawhinney MP, Minister of State, is responsible for the Department of Finance and Personnel, the central community relations unit, political affairs division and the information services. He is also the spokesman in the House of Commons on law and order and education matters.
Mr. Richard Needham MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, is responsible for the Department of Economic Development, the Industrial Development Board, and the Department of the Environment. Mr. Jeremy Hanley MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, is responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Agriculture. As one of the four United Kingdom Ministers responsible for agriculture I will maintain my interest in that area.
I will continue to have overall responsibility for the work of the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Soviet Union
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is currently being provided to the Soviet Union ; what form it takes ; and if there are any plans for it to be stepped up.
| Next Section
| Home Page |