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|£ million
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Press advertising |1.196
TV and radio advertising |1.867
Other advertising |0.661
Other material (including approximately £250,000 for videos and sound cassettes) |7.075
Expenditure for 1989-90 is as follows:
Press advertising |2.739
TV and radio advertising |3.676
Other advertising |0.865
Other material (including approximately £200,000 for videos and sound cassettes) |9.964
Goods and Services
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Dorrell : Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between costs of acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on total departmental expenditure on goods and services from 1986-87 onwards is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library. For years prior to 1989-90 it was not possible to differentiate Department of Health expenditure within the overall Department of Health and Social Security total.
North Derbyshire Health Authority
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what honorarium is paid to each member of North Derbyshire health authority ; and how many meetings it is due to hold each year.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Non-executive members of district health authorities receive an honorarium of £5,000 per annum. It is for individual health authorities to determine how often they should meet. The hon. Member may therefore wish to contact Mr. R. B. Robinson, chairman of North Derbyshire health authority, for this information.
Health Research
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Spending on health and personal social services research in England and Wales for 1989-90, the latest for which outturn figures are available, was £15.4 million.
Information for earlier years has been published in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development, copies of which are available in the Library.
HIV
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from organisations and individuals in respect of an out-of-court settlement for people who have contracted HIV through national health service infected blood or blood products.
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Mr. Waldegrave [pursuant to the reply, 16 November 1990, c. 248] : The steering committee of solicitors representing the HIV haemophiliac plaintiffs and their counsel have put forward to the Department of Health proposals for the settlement of this litigation which they regard as a fair and reasonable resolution of the plaintiffs' claims.The Government have carefully considered these proposals and agree that they will provide a fair and proper way of ending this litigation and of making financial provision for all affected haemophiliacs and their dependants, whether or not they have joined in the litigation. We believe that our case is legally strong and that the plaintiffs would not succeed in proving negligence on the part of the Department of Health. None the less the Government have always recognised the very special and tragic circumstances of the haemophiliacs infected by HIV and of their families. We recognise too the harrowing effect legal action would have on them.
The Government have therefore agreed in principle to meet the steering committee's proposals.
In outline the compromise would result in the Government providing to the Macfarlane Trust, in addition to the £34 million already paid, a further sum of about £42 million for distribution to all HIV haemophiliacs and their families according to their respective circumstances. Furthermore, the Government have agreed that payments from the Macfarlane Trust will not affect entitlement to social security and other statutory benefits. The plaintiffs' reasonable legal costs would also be paid by the Government.
Because the proposed settlement will require the formal approval of all individual plaintiffs, and in the case of minors, of the court, it would be inappropriate at this time to publish further details until all plaintiffs and the court have had an opportunity to consider the full terms of the settlement and to approve them. The Government would apply the outcome of any settlement to all parts of the United Kingdom.
The Government welcome these developments, which offer a speedy way of ending the lengthy period of uncertainty for haemophiliacs and their families and of giving them additional financial security.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Official IRA
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information his Department has on whether the Official IRA continues to exist in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : I believe that the Official IRA still exists.
Health Research
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list (a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.
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Mr. Hanley : Spending by the Department of Health and Social Services on health and personal social services research in Northern Ireland for 1989-90, the latest year for which an outturn figure is available, was £0.83 million.
Information for earlier years has been published in the appropriation accounts for Northern Ireland Departments.
Home Help
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive (a) less than one hour per day, (b) less than two hours but more than one hour per day, (c) less than three hours but more than two hours per day and (d) more than three hours per day ; (2) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive a daily allocation of home help time Monday to Saturday but no service on Sunday ;
(3) how many individuals currently in receipt of home help service receive a daily allocation of home help time Monday to Friday but no service on Saturday and Sunday ;
(4) what was the average amount of home help time received, per day, by each individual in receipt of home help service in each year since 1986, in each health board area in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley [holding answers 4 December 1990] : The information requested could be made available only at disproportionate cost to the health and social services boards which are responsible for the management and delivery of the home help service.
ENVIRONMENT
Private Rented Housing
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the private rented housing market since the Housing Act 1988.
Mr. Yeo : It is too early to assess the overall impact of the Act on private renting. Research now in progress will provide information in the course of 1991. There are, however, clear signs of increased activity in the residential lettings market. In particular, business expansion scheme companies have so far raised £550 million, which will provide about 10,000 new homes to rent.
Bathing Beaches
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the National Rivers Authority reports covering all of England and Wales which provide information on the bathing beaches monitoring programme for the 1990 bathing season.
Mr. Baldry : The Secretary of State announced on 14 November that a detailed summary of these National Rivers Authority monitoring results will be placed in the Library.
Hazardous Waste
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in view of the decision by South Yorkshire waste disposal joint committee to close its
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hazardous waste unit, he proposes to exercise his powers under section 31 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.Mr. Baldry : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution expects to submit a report to the Secretary of State shortly on the arrangements for waste regulation in South Yorkshire. My right hon. Friend will wish to consider this carefully before deciding whether it would be appropriate to use his powers under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1985 to set up a metropolitan waste authority for the area. He has no intention at this stage of using his powers under section 31 of the Environmental Protection Act to set up a regional waste authority.
Home Prices
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the real rate of increase in house prices in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) Italy since 1985.
Mr. Yeo : House prices in the United Kingdom increased by 101 per cent. between 1985 and the third quarter of 1990, as measured by the Department of the Environment's index. Information about house prices in the other three counties is not regularly received in the Department.
Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to review his proposed standard spending assessments for 1991-92 for (a) the London borough of Westminster and (b) the London borough of Wandsworth ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : All authorities are treated on the same basis for the purposes of calculating standard spending assessments. We are at present considering all representations received in respect of the proposals for revenue support grant in 1991-92 set out in the statement of 31 October. We will announce final decisions shortly.
Benzene
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the total amount of benzene emitted to the atmosphere by combustion engines in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Baldry : Benzene emissions into the atmosphere have been estimated by the Harwell laboratory in a report : "Hydrocarbon involvement in Photochemical Ozone in Europe, AERE-R 13736". Copies of the report have been deposited in the Library of the House. In 1987 total benzene emissions for the United Kingdom amounted to about 36,000 tonnes, of which 61 per cent. has been attributed to petrol vehicle exhaust, 21 per cent. from the evaporation of motor spirit and 10 per cent. from diesel vehicle exhaust.
Vacant Land
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement, further to the consultation paper "Encouraging the Use of Vacant Public Land", as to the particular functions and the timescale which would be accepted by him as constituting sufficient grounds on which to regard development plans as being firm.
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Mr. Yeo : Deciding whether an owner's plans are sufficiently firm to make the issue of a direction undesirable is essentially a matter of judgment, taking all relevant factors, including the owner's purpose and the timescale of the proposed development, into account. My right hon. Friend will consider each case on its merits.
Red-eared Terrapins
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to discourage the importation for sale of red-eared terrapins as domestic pets.
Mr. Baldry : At present, there are no conservation reasons for restricting the importation of red-eared terrapins, because there is no evidence that they are endangered, or are becoming endangered in the wild. We are, however, currently discussing with our European partners a new EC regulation to replace regulation 3626/82, which implements the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) within the European Community ; and we shall ensure that the question whether red-eared terrapins should be brought within the control of this regulation is given careful consideration.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has received regarding ecological damage caused by red- eared terrapins, formerly domestic pets, which have been released into the wild.
Mr. Baldry : I am not aware of any evidence of ecological damage caused by red-eared terrapins being released into the wild in Britain.
Planning Legislation
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions he has made on the proposals in his Department's April 1990 consultation paper, "Miscellaneous Amendments to Subordinate Planning Legislation".
Mr. Yeo : After careful consideration of all the responses to the consultation paper, "Miscellaneous Amendments to Subordinate Planning Legislation", the Government have decided to proceed with the following proposals :
(a) to include a statement of owners' property rights on the form which applicants for planning permission are required to serve on the owners and others with an interest in the land ;
(b) to grant permitted development rights to licensed operators of driver information systems to install the requisite equipment, subject to limitations governing size and height ;
(c) to amend the restriction on the use of factory and warehouse extensions built under the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988 to allow their use for social, welfare and recreational uses ancillary to the main function of the site ; (d) to include dry cleaning establishments in the Shops class (A1) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. The Government have decided not to proceed with the following proposals :
(i) to grant permitted development rights for postal pouch boxes ;
(ii) to grant permitted development rights for the installation of liquefied gas tanks in the curtilage of dwellinghouses ;
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(iii) to include launderettes in the Shops class (A1) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987.Amending orders reflecting these decisions will be laid before Parliament shortly.
Running Costs
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Maidstone (Miss Widdecombe) on 8 November, Official Report, columns 15-16, if he will make a further statement on his Department's running costs limit for 1990-91.
Mr. Heseltine : I regret that the calculation of the cumulative changes in my Department's running costs limit across the votes concerned contained an error. The running costs limit has, in fact, been increased by £4,296,000 from £153,458,000 to £157,754,000.
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposed to take in regard to Doncaster metropolitan borough council under part I of the Local Government Act 1988.
Mr. Key : My right hon. Friend has today issued a direction under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988 requiring Doncaster metropolitan borough council to expose certain building cleaning work to competitive tendering again by 1 November 1991. He has taken this action because he was not satisfied with the response which Doncaster metropolitan borough council made to the notice served on 21 September 1990 under section 13 of the Act.
That notice set out the Secretary of State's view that Doncaster metropolitan borough council had acted contrary to the requirement of section 7(7) of the act (which is that, in awarding a contract, an authority must not act in a manner having the effect or intended or likely to have the effect of restricting, distorting or preventing competition) in that, in putting building cleaning work out to tender with a start date for contracts of 1 September 1990, they packaged the work and adopted a timetable for the tendering in an anti-competitive manner. The Secretary of State has decided to take no further action in the case of the so-called north, east and west area contracts. His direction relates to building cleaning work comprised in the so-called south area contract, which is the largest of the four area contracts put out to tender.
Protected Species
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of licences issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to destroy protected species in 1989 and 1990, the different species they were issued for and the number for each species.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 27 November 1990] : I will write to the hon. Member.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each local authority (i) the amount of capital receipts generated
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in 1988-89 and 1989-90 and (ii) the amount available from these receipts for capital projects with totals for each class of authority and England as a whole.Mr. Portillo [holding answer 10 December 1990] : I have today arranged for the available information to be placed in the Library.
SCOTLAND
Students
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students in receipt of grant withdrew from their course in institutions on higher education in the past full academic year ; what was the total grant involved ; and if he will express that figure as a percentage of all grant awards made.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : A total of 1,634 students in receipt of a maintenance grant under the students' allowances scheme withdrew from their courses during academic session 1989-90. The maintenance grant payments made to them amounted to £1,778,885, which represents 2.03 per cent. of all maintenance payments made in respect of that academic session.
Health and Social Services Research
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) in cash terms and (b) deflated according to an appropriate index of higher education pay and prices, the spending on health and personal social services research in each year from 1979 to the most recent year which his Department has funded in universities, polytechnics and other related institutions.
Mr. Lang : Spending on health and personal social services research in Scotland for 1989-90, the latest for which outturn figures are available, was £5.7 million.
Information for earlier years has been published in the Cabinet Office annual review of Government-funded research and development.
AIDS
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total sum spent by his Department on research into human AIDS.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : A total of £1.1 million.
Road Works
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to increase the amount of local authority general road works that is subject to competitive tender.
Mr. Allan Stewart : My right hon. Friend and I consider that additional competition for roads work will be beneficial in securing better value for money. We have therefore decided to increase from 30 per cent. to 60 per cent. the minimum proportion of the aggregate value of road jobs costing £25,000 or less which must be put out to competitive tender by local authorities in Scotland under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. Our decision will bring arrangements in Scotland in line with
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those which have been in force in England and Wales since 1 April 1988. I shall be laying the necessary regulations to give effect to this change which is to come into operation from 1 April 1991.Local Government Finance
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information the Scottish Office is gathering on the impact of Scottish students of the poll tax in order to evaluate the policy and to prepare new legislation.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 7 December 1990] : For the purposes of the recently announced review of the community charge, my right hon. Friend will be considering to what extent he needs to supplement the information already available to him about the position of students, as about other relevant aspects.
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report by region the actual average non-domestic rate valuation increases resulting from the 1990 revaluation.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 7 December 1990] The percentage change in the aggregate rateable value in each regional and islands area between 1 April 1989 and 1 April 1990 is shown in the table. Although the major cause of the increases will have been the revaluation of non-domestic property which took effect on 1 April 1990, other factors such as additions to and deletions from the valuation roll will also be reflected in the figures.
|Per cent.
------------------------------------------
Borders |46.8
Central |29.2
Dumfries and Galloway |36.4
Fife |25.7
Grampian |21.4
Highland |46.8
Lothian |46.4
Strathclyde |41.1
Tayside |49.5
Orkney |8.3
Shetland |12.4
Western Isles |41.0
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by region the average increases in non-domestic rate valuations on which he calculated the Scottish average valuation increase for adjusting the non-domestic rate poundages in the current year.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 7 December 1990] : The non- domestic rates prescribed for 1990-91 were not determined using regional average increases in rateable values but by applying the average increase in rateable values for Scotland as a whole. The factor used was based on estimates provided by regional assessors, the Treasury valuer and the assessor of public undertakings (Scotland), supplemented with a sample survey undertaken by regional assessors at the request of the Scottish Office. An adjustment was made to reflect the change in the level of industrial derating. Disaggregation of the estimates by regions gives the values shown in the table. The figure for Fife is lower than it should be because of an error in the apportionment of the rateable value of the electricity companies among regions which was corrected before the new valuation roll came into effect. This had no effect on the factor used to determine non-domestic rates for 1990-91.
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|Per cent.
------------------------------------------
Borders |39.1
Central |21.5
Dumfries and Galloway |35.0
Fife |12.6
Grampian |22.9
Highland |30.4
Lothian |44.6
Strathclyde |40.9
Tayside |41.6
Orkney |18.5
Shetland |11.8
Western Isles |23.0
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many persons who have been found eligible for relief under the Personal Community Charge (Relief) (No. 2) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 were dead prior to the coming into force of the said regulations ;
(2) how many persons, to date, have been eligible to have their liability to pay the personal community charge reduced for the financial year 1989- 90, by virtue of the Personal Community Charge (Relief) (No. 2) (Scotland) Regulations 1990, in each local authority area in Scotland.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Details of the numbers of persons eligible for relief under these regulations are still awaited from local authorities. Where a person died prior to the coming into force of the regulations, payment of relief may be made to the executor of the deceased's estate, where the other criteria for entitlement to relief have been met. Returns from authorities to the Department are not required to identify such cases separately.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in reviewing the poll tax, he will bring forward proposals to end the joint and several liability for spouses' poll tax debts.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 10 December 1990] : My right hon. Friend has made it clear that the forthcoming review will consider all aspects of the community charge arrangements.
Football Spectators
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of criminal proceedings currently in progress in Scotland involving alleged offences by persons from England or Wales which correspond to offences contained in schedule 1 of the Football Spectators Act 1989 ; when is the likely date of completion of each of these proceedings ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 7 December 1990] : There is one such case currently in progress in Scotland. No date has yet been fixed for it to call in court.
Lothian Health Board
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has anything to add to the reply of 21 November, Official Report, column 285, in the light of representations from the British Medical Association and the area medical committee concerning their reactions to Lothian health board's proposals.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 7 December 1990] : In response to Lothian health board's consultation
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document, the Lothian area medical committee in its letter of 16 July gave a clear statement of support for the concentration of paediatric medical and surgical services, of neurosurgery, of urological services and of accident and emergency services, and the movement as proposed of respiratory medicine, rheumatology and lithotripsy. This represents a substantial proportion of the board's proposals.The committee also expressed concern that the proposals would result in a reduction in the quality and quantity of clinical care. Both I and my right hon. Friend have acknowledged that some specialties will be temporarily inconvenienced during the implementation of the changes. In the longer term a new pattern of acute hospital services will be created to allow the more efficient use of medical and nursing staff, as well as of buildings and facilities.
Alcohol Misuse
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the projects and centres to which his Department has contributed financially in respect of research into alcohol misuse, with the figure for each such project or centre in the present financial year.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 December 1990] : The information is as follows :
Project Title |Project |Grant in
|co-ordinators|1990-91
|£
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evaluation of a home |. |Forth Valley
detoxification service |Health Board
Antibody Against |Aberdeen |10,000
Acetaldehyde-Protein |University
adducts as possible
aversion treatments for
modifying alcohol
consumatory behaviour
and as new tools for
identifying chronic alcohol
consumption.
Literature review on alcohol |Law School, |4,000
and young people |University of
|Strathclyde.
In addition, the Scottish Home and Health Department has provided funding of £95,000 in 1990-91 towards the cost of the research unit in health and behavioural change at Edinburgh university. Alcohol misuse is one of a range of factors studied by the unit which directly or indirectly cause ill -health.
Afforestation
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that afforestation projects involve the planting of indigenous, ecologically important species of trees.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 December 1990] : The Forestry Commission normally requires a proportion of the trees in any afforestation project under the woodland grant scheme to be broadleaved, and these are often indigenous species. Higher rates of planting grant are available for broadleaved trees and last year over 75 per cent. of the trees planted under the farm woodland scheme and nearly 25 per cent. of all the trees planted
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under the woodland grant scheme were broadleaved. In Scotland, the Forestry Commission has special grants to encourage the establishment of new native pinewoods.Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will encourage the development of natural woodland by a process of long- term set-aside of land for colonisation by indigenous trees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 December 1990] : Through the woodland grant scheme, the Forestry Commission encourages the owners of suitable land to set aside areas for the natural regeneration of indigenous trees. Grants are available for this purpose under the scheme.
RECHAR Programme
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the EC RECHAR programme to support areas in Scotland affected by the closure of coal mines ; and what funds are being made available by his Department in addition to previous spending plans to ensure that full advantage is taken of that programme in Scotland.
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