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|£
------------------------------
1979-80 |600,000
1980-81 |600,000
1981-82 |600,000
1982-83 |600,000
1983-84 |750,000
1984-85 |750,000
1985-86 |750,000
1986-87 |1,000,000
1987-88 |1,000,000
1988-89 |1,250,000
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken to encourage the expansion of the United Nations Environment Programme's role in co-ordinating international environmental action.
Mr. Baldry : The United Kingdom is pressing for UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation to be charged with overseeing negotiations of a framework convention on climate change. We are also playing an active role in UNEP's preparations for a global convention on biological diversity. It is the aim for both conventions to be ready for the 1992 UN conference on environment and development at which we hope that decisions on strengthening UNEP will be taken. As evidence of our support for UNEP we intend to increase our 1991 contribution to its voluntary environment fund by one third to £4 million.
Inland Waterways
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what level of grant and or subsidy was provided to inland waterway freight for each year between 1978 and 1989.
Mr. Baldry : The British Waterways Board (BWB) receives annual grant in aid from the Exchequer towards the cost of operating and maintaining all its waterways. The table shows the board's external financing limit (EFL), which covers grant and borrowing, for the years 1978-79 to 1989-90.
BWB finance 1978-79 to 1989-90
£ million
|(outturn) |(outturn)
|(cash) |(1990-91
|prices)
------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |26.0 |65.5
1979-80 |25.7 |55.5
1980-81 |30.0 |54.8
1981-82 |31.6 |52.5
1982-83 |39.3 |60.9
1983-84 |40.8 |60.4
1984-85 |42.8 |60.4
1985-86 |44.1 |59.1
1986-87 |44.8 |58.2
1987-88 |45.0 |55.4
1988-89 |44.8 |51.4
1989-90 |46.9 |50.6
Waterways are nowadays used mainly for recreation and amenity ; excluding maritime traffic, they carry only 1.5 per cent. of total inland freight. BWB's share of total inland freight (all modes) is 0.1 per cent. All freight traffic on the board's network is now carried by private sector operators. The Government wish to see maximum use of rivers and canals for freight transport where commercially sensible. But customers should be free to choose the mode of transport best suited to their needs. The Government's role is to ensure that conditions of competition are fair, and subject to proper safety and environmental standards.
However, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport can give grants under section 36 of the Transport Act 1981 towards inland waterway freight facilities which bring significant environmental benefits by keeping lorries off unsuitable roads and where, in the absence of grant, the commercial decision would be to use road transport. Five grants, with a total value of £1.4 million, have been awarded up to 1989.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ; and if he will specify the non- governmental agencies which are based in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Baldry : The latest figures published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources show that it has 663 members and that 119 countries are represented in this membership. I am arranging for a copy of the membership lists to be placed in the Library of the House.
Vacant Public Land
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the relationship between the terms vacant public sector land used in the title of the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land" and the terms underused or unused land used in the body of the paper.
Mr. Yeo : Existing and proposed arrangements for entry on registers and for the power to direct disposal relate to unused and underused land. The term "vacant land" is employed in the paper as a general term covering both.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the Government are considering any proposals requiring the purchasers of the unused or underused land to bring the land forward for development within a fixed timetable or else to return the land to the local authority ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(2) if the windfall profits arising from the sale by developers of land currently owned by local authorities will be shared with those authorities if the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", becomes Government policy ;(3) for what reasons he has limited the grounds of appeal referred to in the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", so as not to include an appeal on the basis that the land referred to is not unused or underused, or that the method and timing of disposal is imprudent.
Mr. Yeo : In the consultation paper we proposed that tenderers for a franchise would be required to state their plans for the development and use of the sites included in the package (paragraph 3.18(b)) ; that arrangements for clawback would be triggered by certain events listed (annex C paragraph 11) ; and that the grounds of appeal to which owners making representations would be limited would include certain grounds listed (paragraph 3.16). Responses to the consultation paper have included the points raised by the hon. Member and will be taken into account in our further consideration of these issues.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his reasons for proposing in the consultation paper, "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Sector Land", a requirement for local authorities to pay for the discounts which will be given to developers to purchase local authority land assets.
Mr. Yeo : The discounts were proposed as an incentive to bring as many as possible of the sites contained in each franchise package into use. Public sector owners dissatisfied with the arrangements could bring into use or dispose of their sites before directions establishing a franchise were issued. All the responses to the consultation paper are currently being analysed and will be taken into account in our further consideration of measures to encourage the use of vacant public land.
Boundary Commission
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guideliness and regulations exist about conflicts of interest in respect of local authority boundary commissioners' connections with authorities whose boundaries are being considered.
Mr. Key : Paragraph 6 of schedule 7 to the Local Government Act 1972 provides that the commission's procedure at, and in connection with, its meetings shall be such as it may from time to time determine.
My right hon. Friend is confident that the commission ensures that no such conflicts arise.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in how many instances the interim decisions of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England have been substantially different from its draft proposals ; and what percentage of total references this constitutes.
Mr. Key : Since decisions on the conduct of reviews are by statute for the commission, the Department does not monitor changes in the views expressed by the commission in its work leading up to a final report. It is implicit, however, in the statutory provisions which ensure that the
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public has an opportunity to comment on draft proposals, that the commission will take note of these comments, and from time to time change its views.Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals have been made to the West Yorkshire valuation and community charge tribunal on the question of (a) rating valuation assessments, (b) community charge registrations and (c) level of payment of community charge.
Mr. Key : The information requested is as follows :
|Number
----------------------------------------------------------
(a) Non-domestic rating appeals |3,053
(b) Community charge appeals |122
(c) None. This is not one of the prescribed
grounds for making an appeal.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many amendments have been made to the practice notes used by the valuation and community charge tribunals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The Department has issued three letters updating the following community charge practice notes :
Letter |Practice note
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 September 1989 |No. 18-Foreign Diplomats and Visiting
|Forces
|No. 21-Community Charge Benefit (2)
26 October 1989 |No. 9-Sole or Main Residence
|No. 18-Foreign Diplomats and Visiting
|Forces
29 December 1989 |No. 17-United Kingdom Service Personnel
|No. 18-Foreign Diplomats and Visiting
|Forces
In addition to these letters three practice notes have been updated and reissued. These are :
Practice Note No. 10 : Data Protection and the Community Charge (2)-- (updates Practice Note No. 4)
Practice Note No. 19 : Exemptions from the Personal Community Charge (2)-- (updates Practice Note No. 2)
Practice Note No. 21 : Community Charge Benefit (2)--(updates Practice Note No. 5)
The Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation is currently revising and updating the practice notes with a view to reflecting changes and modifications brought about by practice and decisions made by the valuation and community charge tribunals.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received over the variations in the decisions taken by valuation and community charge tribunals on the appeals concerning the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : I am not aware that any such representations have been received. The 56 tribunals in England are independent. They must decide each case on its merits and are responsible for their own decisions.
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Basildon District Council
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Basildon district council on his proposed financial settlement for 1991-92 ; if he will publish those representations and any reply sent by his Department ; and if he intends to meet representatives of the council in the near future.
Mr. Portillo : I have received representations from Basildon district council on the proposed 1991-92 settlement. It is for the authority to make public its representations if it so chooses. I have no plans at present to meet a delegation from the council.
Ordnance Survey
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the Ordnance Survey corporate plan for 1991 to 1994.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today approved the Ordnance Survey corporate plan for 1991-94 and I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.
Dogs
Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications for local authorities of the provisions on dog control in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 ; and when he proposes to bring the new measures into effect.
Mr. Baldry : The measures proposed in the "Action on Dogs" consultation paper published by my Department last year were widely welcomed by local authorities. They have now been incorporated in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Act places duties on district councils and London boroughs to collect and detain stray dogs, to return them to their owners or find them a suitable home or have them humanely destroyed if necessary and to enforce the existing requirement to wear a collar and tag in a public place. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has also announced more flexible powers to make byelaws to prevent dog fouling and to control dogs in certain public areas.
In view of the widespread public concern about straying and fouling we want to encourage local authorities to act on these provisions as soon as possible. Many authorities already employ dog wardens and I would encourage others to follow their example and make greater use of their existing powers. We will be holding discussions with the local authority associations and other interested parties about the timing and additional resource implications of implementing the new duties and powers.
Waste
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply to the report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities on "Paying for Pollution--Civil Liability for Damage Caused by Waste" (HL paper 84-1).
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 December 1990] : The report is to advise the House of Lords on questions of
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policy or principle and the advisability of debate and the Committee Chairman, Lord Nathan, has now tabled a motion for such a debate. We have already told him that we shall be looking at the report in relation to the draft directive and our further development of policies in this field. We would, of course, contribute to any debate.Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the EC proposal for a Council regulation on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community [Com(90)415 Final-SYN 305] published on 10 October.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 December 1990] : The Department will submit an explanatory memorandum to Parliament on this proposal in the near future.
Cost Recovery Charges
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent meetings have been held between Ministers or officials of his Department and representatives of the Engineering Employers Federation concerning cost recovery charges being introduced under the Environmental Protection Act.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 December 1990] : Representatives of the Engineering Employers Federation have recently had meetings with both the Minister of State and with officials of the Department to discuss implementation of integrated pollution control under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, including cost recovery charges.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the oversight that will be conducted by his Department over income earned by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and local authorities from granting of industrial operating licences for cost recovery under the Environmental Protection Act.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 December 1990] : The cost recovery charges to be made under the Environmental Protection Act by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP) and by local authorities for air pollution control are set by the Secretary of State for the Environment with the approval of the Treasury. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's finances are scrutinised through the annual MINIS review of the Department's operation ; and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will publish a report on income from charges at the end of each financial year. Local authorities will be required to make annual returns on income from pollution control charges, and the Department will publish a digest of this information.
Business in the Environment
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he (a) last met and (b) next expects to meet the chairman of the Business in the Environment group ; and what matters were or are expected to be discussed.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 December 1990] : My right hon. Friend, then Secretary of State, last met the chairman of Business in the Environment on 8 November 1990 during the launch of the publication, "Your Business
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and the Environment : An Executive Guide". My hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside has agreed that a further meeting should take place in the new year, at which various business and environment issues will be discussed.Fire and Civil Defence (Yorkshire)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the South Yorkshire fire and civil defence authority on his proposed financial settlement for 1991-92 ; what consideration he has given to those representations ; if he will publish details of those representations ; and if he will make a statement on the implications of his proposals for the fire service in South Yorkshire.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 7 December 1990] : We have received a number of representations from the South Yorkshire fire and civil defence authority on our proposals for the revenue support grant settlement for 1991-92, including those put to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, when he met a delegation from the authority on 27 November. It is for the authority to make public its representations if it so chooses.
We are proposing to increase the authority's standard spending assessment by £3.2 million to £25.7 million, which we believe to be an appropriate assessment of the costs of providing the fire service in South Yorkshire. We shall carefully consider all the representations received before taking our decisions on the settlement.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will propose legislation under which accountancy firms would be prevented from writing up board minutes and then auditing the same.
Mr. Redwood : I see no reason to do so. Under existing legislation, a person who is an officer of a company--or a partner or employee of an officer--is prohibited from being appointed an auditor of the company. Moreover, under the Companies Act 1989 the Secretary of State will be able to recognise a supervisory body for auditors only if the body appears to him to have adequate rules and practices designed to ensure that company audit work is conducted properly and with integrity, and that persons are not appointed as company auditors in circumstances in which they have any interest likely to conflict with the proper conduct of the audit.
Water Pollution
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to propose legislation under which all shareholders would be made aware of the amount of waste discharged by companies into the rivers and sea.
Mr. Redwood : No. It would be unreasonably burdensome to require companies to provide such information. Companies are best placed to decide, in the light of their individual circumstances, whether this information is likely to be of interest to their shareholders and other users of their reports and accounts.
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Public Accountability
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has taken any steps to increase public accountability of the bodies listed in section 389 of the Companies Act 1985.
Mr. Redwood : Part II of the Companies Act 1989, which establishes a new supervisory system for the control and regulation of auditors, sets out clearly the standards which the bodies, seeking recognition as supervisory bodies, must meet.
Good Will
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department will issue guidance on the accounting treatment for good will.
Mr. Redwood : No. The Accounting Standards Board is currently considering the responses to the exposure draft proposing a revised standard on accounting for good will.
Consumer Credit Act
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has for revising the Consumer Credit Act to ensure that (a) advance payments are held in trust and not treated as company assets and (b) contracts end automatically with liquidation.
Mr. Leigh : My right hon. Friend has no proposals for such legislation.
Price Level Accounting
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will recommend a system of price level accounting to major public limited companies.
Mr. Redwood : No. The role of current values in financial reporting is one of the subjects that the Accounting Standards Board will address in the course of its consideration of responses to the exposure draft on accounting for fixed assets and revaluations.
Innovation and Technology Transfer
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department is planning to hold any events in the northern region of England to publicise the EC's SPRINT programme.
Mr. Leigh : National publicity material available from DTI regional offices contains SPRINT information and local awareness events are often organised by them. EC and departmental initiatives are publicised at such events ; however, no specific SPRINT event has been planned in the north- east.
A national "SPRINT roadshow" was widely publicised and run at venues reflecting the degree of interest shown ; the north of England show took place in Manchester on 5 December 1990.
I was pleased to note the new SPRINT award concerning RTC--North in Sunderland.
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EC Financial Directives
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in negotiations on the terms of the investment services directive ; and what issues remain to be determined.
Mr. Redwood : There have been many meetings of officials under the Italian presidency on this important market-opening measure. Ministers have considered it twice at ECOFIN.
The main area of political controversy centres on the proposal, originally put forward by France, that certain transactions be confined to "regulated" markets. This was discussed at the meetings of the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers which I attended on 19 November and 3 December. It will be discussed further at ECOFIN on 17 December. The United Kingdom Government are opposed to the principle of such a restriction. Whatever is proposed must not compromise the ability of investors anywhere in the Community to choose how to invest their money.
Other matters subject to negotiation include :
whether members of the professions, appointed representatives and sole traders (natural persons) should be included in the scope of the directive ;
the inclusion of conduct of business principles ;
whether banks should have direct access to membership of stock exchanges ; and
whether certain rules governing the conduct of business should be disapplied to inter-professional dealing.
The Government will continue to press hard in the negotiations to achieve the best possible outcome on the directive as a whole for United Kingdom investment firms, United Kingdom investors and financial markets.
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 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. Leigh [holding answer 5 December 1990] : The Department periodically gives up buildings and takes on others in response to lease conditions and operational needs. Some buildings are new and some are taken over from previous tenants. The number of new buildings taken on to the estate is not readily available. Information is also not readily available to distinguish major project expenditure in new buildings from that on renovation of existing buildings. However, since 1 April 1988 total expenditure by the Department on major projects for both purposes has been :
|£'000s
-------------------------
1988-89 |17,784
1989-90 |29,858
<1>1990-91 |39,800
<1>Estimate.
Before 1 April 1988 the Department of the Environment Property Services Agency was responsible for major project expenditure in buildings occupied by the Department of the Trade and Industry. There has been a progressive transfer of responsibility for repair and maintenance expenditure from the
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Department of the Environment Property Services Agency/Property Holdings to the Department of Trade and Industry with a particularly large transfer occurring in 1990-91 related to the division of the civil estate. The coverage of departmental expenditure is not therefore on a consistent basis over the period. However, expenditure on repairs and maintenance delegated to the Department over the last five years has been as follows :
|£000s
------------------------------
1986-87 |2,477
1987-88 |2,857
1988-89 |4,771
1989-90 |4,710
1990-91 |<1>10,713
<1> Estimate.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 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. Leigh [holding answer 5 December 1990] : Information about the number and levels of remuneration of people appointed to non- departmental public bodies is contained in the annual publication "Public Bodies". A copy of the current issue is held by the House of Commons Library, and "Public Bodies 1990" is expected to be published later this month.
The other information requested is not kept centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
USSR (Food)
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what food aid has been sent to the Soviet Union by the United Kingdom in the past month ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to distribute the EEC food surpluses as urgent aid to the Soviet Union ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will meet the Soviet Union Foreign Minister to discuss what assistance he can give to solve Russia's food shortages ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) if he will make it his policy to launch a food aid package to the Soviet Union ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are concerned about the shortage of many foodstuffs in Soviet shops, and have discussed the problem with the Soviet authorities and with our European partners. There will be further discussion of Soviet economic problems at the European Council in Rome on 13 and 14 December. Where a real need exists and distribution can be assured, the European Community may be able to help with food aid from intervention stocks. Following a good harvest in 1990, the shortages in certain Soviet cities are chiefly the result of distribution difficulties. We would like to help to tackle the underlying problems through technical assistance. Food distribution is a top priority for our know-how fund. A consortium of British
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companies is already conducting a survey of the food distribution system around Kiev which may have implications for other parts of the Soviet Union.Antarctica
Mr. Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conclusions between the treaty parties that met in Santiago de Chile to discuss exploitation of minerals and environmental protection for Antarctica ; and what conclusion was made on a percentage of the land mass to be used as a wildlife park.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The meeting, which was called by the United Kingdom and Chile, ended on 7 December. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss comprehensive measures for the protection of the Antarctic environment.
A communique will be issued by the conference secretariat in due course, a copy of which I will place in the Library of the House.
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the countries represented at the conference on Antarctica which support a ban of future mineral mining and those which do not do so.
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