| Previous Section | Home Page |
Programme for the valleys: Expenditure June 1988 to March 1993 (£ million)
|1988-89 outturn |1989-90 outturn |1990-91 |1991-92/
|estimated |1992-93
|outturn |provision
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urban programme |11.95 |16 |18.5 |41.5
Urban development/urban investment grants<1> |2.6 | (5.2) |7.2 | (7.2) |6.48 |10
Regional industrial grants<1> |28.875 |(39.8) |16.1 |(38.0) |26.9 |42.5
Welsh Development Agency
Factories |20.73 |22.5 |28.5 |50
Land reclamation |11.9 |15.5 |18.5 |40
Environmental |0.78 |0.6 |1.5 |3
Urban Renewal Unit |0.7 |1.57 |3.278 |5.25
Investment |2.236 |2.41 |2.6 |-
Business development |0.72 |1 |1.2 |3.1
Corporate planning/research |0.1 |0.1 |0.05 |-
Roads |11.1 |11.73 |16.5 |42
Training agency |48.6 |49.67 |45.68 |90
|---- |---- |---- |----
Total |140.291 |144.38 |169.688 |327.35
|----
Overall total |£781.709
<1> These programmes are demand led. Funds available for 1988-89 and 1989-90 are shown in brackets.
Small Firms Counselling Service
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the future of the small firms counselling service in (a) the county of Clwyd and (b) Wales ; and how many small firms counsellors there are in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Responsibility for the small firms service will transfer to the Training and Enterprise councils in Wales on 1 April. The service in Clwyd will be the responsibility of the North East Wales and North West Wales TECs. There are currently 40 small firms counsellors in Wales.
ENVIRONMENT
Council House Sales
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money local authorities have used from the proceeds of council housing sales to repay Government debt.
Mr. Yeo : The information requested is not available centrally.
Homelessness
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government propose any further assistance to Ealing in respect of short-term leases relating to homeless people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The Department's decisions on housing revenue account subsidy in 1991-92 were announced on19 December. We propose to make available additional subsidy of up to £25 million in 1991-92 towards the costs of renewal and replacement of existing short term leases. £2,082,375 of this would be for Ealing.
Housing Associations
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions he has reached about future grant arrangements for special needs provision by housing associations.
Sir Charles Irving : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect on the provision of move-on housing in rented buildings of the recently announced revenue support from new special needs schemes in other than housing action group- funded buildings ; what particular consideration he has given to the implications for people with special needs requiring accommodation to live independently in the community ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 442
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he intends to make a statement on the future funding of hostels providing special needs accommodation ;
(2) if he will review his decision to exclude health authority, Department of Social Security, Home Office and other externally funded projects from entitlement to hostel deficit grant and special needs management allowance.
Sir George Young : New capital and revenue grant arrangements are to be introduced from April 1991 on the basis of proposals prepared by a joint working party comprising representatives of the Department, the Housing Corporation and the National Federation of Housing Associations. The effect will be to establish a clearer and more cost-effective framework for the future funding of special needs provision by housing associations. The arrangements will, however, need to be kept under review in the light of developments on community care.
A new flat-rate special needs management allowance (SNMA) will replace the present hostel deficit grant (HDG) for new schemes from April 1991. Schemes already in receipt of HDG and eligible for SNMA will be transferred to SNMA by steps over a period of five years starting from April 1992.
The SNMA rate for 1991-92 will be £2,000 per bedspace (1989-90 prices, to be revalued to 1991-92 prices). The allowance will be available for special needs provision in self-contained as well as shared accommodation.
On the capital side, special needs schemes will from April 1991 be brought within the fixed housing association grant (HAG) arrangements which already apply to general needs schemes but will be eligible for grant at 100 per cent. of approved cost.
The Housing Corporation will be carrying out formal consultations on a new determination under the Housing Act 1988 to bring SNMA into effect from this April. It will at the same time prepare and consult on detailed guidance for associations both on SNMA and on the changes in the capital grant arrangements.
I have also considered whether SNMA should be subject to the same restrictions on eligibility as were announced for HDG by my hon. Friend, the Member for Worcestershire, South (Mr. Spicer) when he was Minister for Housing and Planning on 8 November at columns 14-15. I have concluded that these restrictions, in particular to schemes capital funded through the corporation, must in the main continue but that, subject to the availability of resources, the corporation should be able to consider for SNMA certain categories of schemes which do not require HAG. These are schemes capital funded by a charitable organisation, leased schemes and
Column 443
schemes using existing housing association accommodation no longer required for general needs. In supporting such schemes the corporation will need to ensure that its SNMA commitments are contained within provision for current and future years. It will also wish to satisfy itself that the scheme meets the priorities established for its approved development programme and is not tied to meeting the requirements of another organisation through, for example, exclusive nomination rights.Associations which had applications for HDG budget approval awaiting decision by the corporation at the time of the 8 November announcement will be able to re-submit under the new SNMA arrangements any of those schemes which they consider meet the SNMA eligibility criteria.
London Docklands Development Corporation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the arrangements for notice and the actual notice given by the last chairman of the London Docklands development corporation prior to his resignation ; and how much severance pay and pension entitlement he received.
Mr. Key : Chairmen and members of public bodies are public appointees and are not normally required to give notice if they resign.
The previous chairman of the LDDC, Sir Christopher Benson, did not resign but completed his appointment in the normal way.
It is not Government policy to disclose the individual pension arrangements for members of public bodies.
Severe Weather Payments
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance the Government are giving Nottinghamshire county council to meet additional expenditure incurred following the bad weather ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : We currently have no information to suggest that Nottinghamshire county council incurred costs greater than those which it could be expected to meet as part of its normal responsibilities for coping with winter weather. But we will consider any request for assistance made by Nottinghamshire or any other local authority.
Rates Defaulters
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has as to the level of summonses issued for defaulters on (a) domestic and (b) industrial and commercial rates at the latest convenient date to December 1989.
Mr. Key : From information collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy we estimate that 1.4 million summonses were issued by rating authorities in England in 1989-90. No information is available on the split between domestic and non-domestic ratepayers.
Homelessness
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of people living in bed and breakfast accommodation who were the responsibility of the London borough of Wandsworth on 14 December.
Column 444
Mr. Yeo : Local authorities have a statutory duty to secure accommodation for households who have been found to be homeless, or threatened with homelessness, under part III of the Housing Act 1985. Information is reported quarterly to the Department. The latest available figures for the number of homeless households in bed and breakfast accommodation are for the end of September 1990. The reported figures, including those for the London borough of Wandsworth, appear in table 7 of "Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act : England. Results for the third quarter 1990. Supplementary Tables". A copy is in the Library.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will issue advice to local housing authorities on the way in which the provisions of part XII of the Housing Act 1985 should be exercised having regard to homelessness outside London ;
(2) if he will make it his policy not to exercise his powers under sections 322 to 326, inclusive, of the Public Health Act 1936 to enforce the provisions of part XII of the Housing Act 1985 where a local authority, in response to applications for short-term night shelter by charities and churches, was choosing not to exercise these powers ;
(3) if he will make it his policy not to exercise his powers under sections 322 to 326, inclusive, of the Public Health Act 1936 to enforce the provisions of part XII of the Housing Act 1985 where a local authority, in response to applications for short-term night shelters by charities and churches, is sensitively choosing not to exercise these powers.
Mr. Yeo : The Department's advice to local authorities on the use of their powers under part XII of the Housing Act 1985 is contained in DOE circular 12/86. My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to revise that advice or to exercise his powers under sections 322 to 326 of the Public Health Act 1936.
Humber Estuary
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to designate the Humber estuary a Ramsar site and a special protection site under the European Community directive.
Mr. Baldry : I cannot forecast when the Humber estuary will be designated. As is the case with a number of sites currently being considered by Government, officials are seeking to identify apparent problems or conflicts of interest that need to be examined, in the light of the scientific evidence put forward by the Nature Conservancy Council.
Community Charge (Wandsworth)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what future financial help for the year 1991-92 will be given to the London borough of Wandsworth in assisting the authority towards its community charge.
Mr. Key : Under our proposed settlement for 1991-92 Wandsworth will receive revenue support grant, payments from the national non-domestic rate pool, inner London education grant and area protection grant totalling nearly £1,200 per adult compared with an inner London average for 1991 -92 of £1,392.
Column 445
Housing Investment Figures
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he issued the latest housing investment programme figures ; and if he will place a copy in the Library.
Sir George Young : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 December 1990 to the hon. Member for Stockport (Mr. Favell) at col. 463- 64.
Housing (Wandsworth)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present number of either flats or houses belonging to the London Borough of Wandsworth which were empty on the 14 December.
Mr. Yeo : The latest available information on empty council dwellings relates to 1 April 1990 and was provided by the London borough of Wandsworth in their April 1990 housing investment programme return (HIP1), a copy of which is in the Library.
Rental Accommodation
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the Government's policy towards the building by local authorities of rental accommodation.
Sir George Young : It is for local authorities to determine their own priorities for housing capital expenditure within the resources available. However, we have encouraged them to concentrate on the improvement of their own stock and on assistance to private owners with grants. The Government's policy is that housing associations should be the main providers of new subsidised homes for rent, with local authorities fulfilling a mainly enabling role.
Privatisations
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the privatisations with which his Department has been involved since 1979, indicating in each case the date of the sale, the proceeds of the sale and the estimated current value of the company.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 14 December 1990] : My Department was involved with the privatisation of the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. The sale took place in 1989. The estimated net proceeds will be £3,454 million. The estimated current value of the partly paid shares in the companies is £5.7 billion.
Refuse-derived Fuel
Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the Government intend to encourage the development and use of refuse- derived fuel.
Mr. Moynihan : I have been asked to reply.
Municipal and industrial refuse are major potential sources of energy and my Department's policy is to encourage the use of waste as a fuel wherever it is economically viable and environmentally acceptable. My Department is undertaking a substantial programme of research and development aimed at overcoming the difficulties associated with the handling, storing and
Column 446
burning of refuse-derived fuel (RDF). At present there are 12 current RDF R and D projects with a total contract value of £1.3 million. In addition the non-fossil fuel obligation will help the RDF industry to enter the market for electricity generation ; there were two such projects included in the initial tranche of the NFFO. Arrangements for the second tranche were announced on 19 December. It will be brought forward in 1991 and it is the Government's intention to include in that tranche a separate band reserved for municipal and general industrial waste incineration projects, which will include refuse-derived fuel.Gipsy Site
Mr. Wiggin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what undertakings he gave to the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare about informing him of the date and place of the local inquiry into the application by Avon county council for a gipsy caravan site at Box Bush lane, Hewish, Weston-super-Mare ; when he notified objectors and others of these facts ; when he expects to inform the hon. Member for Weston-super- Mare of these facts ; and what steps he will take to ensure that ministerial undertakings are adhered to in the future.
Sir George Young : On 4 December 1989 my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, undertook to inform the hon. Member of the date of the inquiry. Objectors and others who made representations were notified on 30 November 1990. It is regretted that my hon. Friend was not notified at the same time. He was notified on 20 December 1990 when details of the inquiry were included in a letter responding to points he raised on 13 November 1990 about the need for an inquiry into the proposals.
Landfill Sites
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what recent assessment he has made of the extent of pesticide and other chemical contamination of groundwater sources as a result of the operation of dilute and disperse landfill sites ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what plans he has to conduct a survey of all dilute and disperse waste sites ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : My Department is currently conducting a survey of the effect of landfill sites on groundwater quality in England and Wales. The survey will include the type of site to which the hon. Member refers.
Sulphur Dioxide
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the Iiasa data on sulphur dioxide emissions provided to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Mr. Baldry : The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) recently published projections of future sulphur dioxide emissions through to the year 2000 as part of their acid rain project. Projections of energy demand and fuel use need to take into account a range of factors which are subject to constant change and are difficult to predict. The IIASA projections have not
Column 447
taken into account for example the recent changes of policy in some eastern European countries and the European Community's large combustion plants directive.Water Companies
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer on 18 December, Official Report, column 116, what notice water companies will be required to take of any guidelines produced by the Director of Water Services following the current consultative process and what sanctions are available (a) to him, (b) to the Director of Water Services and (c) to consumers if the guidelines and criteria are disregarded.
Mr. Baldry : Water companies have powers to fix charges and make charges schemes under sections 75 and 76 of the Water Act 1989. Although each company has discretion about how it structures its charges, it is required by condition E of its instrument of appointment (licence)
"to ensure that no undue preference is shown to, and that there is no undue discrimination against, any class of customers or potential customers".
It is the responsibility of the Director General of Water Services to ensure that each company complies with the conditions of its licence.
The Secretaries of State for the Environment and Wales and the director general have duties under section 7(3) to ensure that the interests of all customers are protected. It is the duty of the director general to keep under review matters relating to the carrying out of their functions by water companies. However, the Secretaries of State may give general directions indicating the considerations to which the director general should have regard in determining the order of priority in which matters are to be brought under review.
Following the consultation, the director general will draw up general guidelines for companies to consider in drawing up their charges and charging schemes. These guidelines are likely to cover both issues on which the director general has legal powers and other, broader issues on which the consultation paper has given customers an opportunity to contribute to a public debate about future policy. Should a company fix charges or make charges schemes which appear to the director general to contravene its licence conditions, he can take enforcement action under section 20 of the Act. If he considers that any actions of the company operate against the public interest, he may refer the matter to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, so that it can consider modifications to the conditions of the company's licence.
Enforcement of licence conditions is a matter for the director general. However, an individual customer may seek judicial review if he thinks that the director general has failed to take appropriate action. Finally a customer may challenge a company in the courts if he considers a charge levied by the company has not been properly determined by reference to a charges scheme.
Column 448
DEFENCE
Nuclear Radiation (Compensation)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 November, Official Report, column 194, if he will make a statement on his conclusions about a no-fault compensation scheme for service-related personnel who have been exposed to nuclear radiation.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Officials have now largely concluded their studies into this matter. I hope to make a statement in the near future.
The Gulf
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessments and simulations there have been of the effect upon the environment of Saddam Hussein's threat to blow up Kuwaiti oil installations in the event of war ; and if he will put the results in the Library.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has commissioned any research on the ecological effects of a war in the Gulf ; and which sources of information already available he has used on this issue.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I will write to the hon. Member.
Decommissioning
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to announce decommissioning of HMS Valiant, HMS Courageous, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Sovereign.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend announced on 25 July at column 471 that we intend to maintain a submarine fleet of about 16 boats in the future, of which around three-quarters would be nuclear powered. Following the decisions to decommission Warspite, Churchill and Conqueror, we are considering the further steps needed to achieve the revised force level. Decisions will be announced as they are taken.
Glen Garry Transmitter
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the full cost of development of the experimental extremely low frequency transmitter to be built at Glen Garry, to date.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is not our policy to release details of expenditure on specific research programmes.
HMS Resolution
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if HMS Resolution is to undergo a fourth refit.
Electoral Registration
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the electoral registration percentage for service men in each of the last three years in the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force ; and what is the cost of running the three district electoral register offices for each of the services.
Column 449
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The electoral registration percentage for service men in each of the last three years is as follows :
|1988 |1989 |1990
|per cent.|per cent.|per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------
Royal Navy<1> |- |- |75
Army |63.5 |64 |65
Royal Air Force |42.0 |48 |53
<1> It is not possible to give an accurate figure for
1988 and 1989, though it is believed that for both
years it was around 75 per cent.
The estimated running costs of the electoral registration offices in 1990- 91 are as follows :
|£
------------------------------
Royal Navy |15,350
Army |29,700
Royal Air Force |26,000
Loch Lochy Listening Post
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has reconsidered his intention to establish an extremely low frequency listening post on Sron A'Choire Ghairbh beside Loch Lochy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes) on 19 February 1990 at column 573.
Iraq (Weapons)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the defence implications for United Kingdom service men of (1) the involvement of scientists and engineers employed by Man Technologie of West Germany in assisting Iraq in developing centrifuges for enriching uranium to military grade ; (2) the sale by the French-based company Gachot to Iraq of militarily sensitive valves and vacuum pumps ;
(3) uranium sales by Portugal to Iraq ;
Column 450
(4) the sale to Iraq by Leybold-Meraus of Cologne of valves which can be used in the manufacture of a uranium enrichment centrifuge capable of making weapons grade highly enriched uranium ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Archie Hamilton : We continue to assess that Iraq is not currently capable of constructing a nuclear explosive device, notwithstanding recent allegations regarding imports of various materials and items of equipment.
NATO Operations and Plans
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all NATO operations and plans designed for internal security purposes in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other NATO countries.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on operational matters of this nature. NATO does not, however, have a role in internal security matters.
HMS Dreadnought
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to take a final decision in respect of the disposal of HMS Dreadnought.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing to add to my answer to the hon. Member of 13 December 1990, Official Report, column 505.
Northern Ireland
Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider providing financial compensation for Ministry of Defence employees working in Northern Ireland similar to that provided for civilians working in a temporary capacity at Ministry of Defence locations in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Ministry of Defence civilian staff based temporarily in Northern Ireland receive allowances designed to reimburse the additional costs incurred as a result of living away from their normal place of residence. It would not be appropriate to make similar payments to staff permanently resident in Northern Ireland who do not have similar financial commitments.
|
| Home Page |