| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 104
Number of defendants prosecuted and convicted under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981<1><2> Year |Prosecutions|Convictions ---------------------------------------------------- 1981 |262 |245 1982 |2,429 |2,424 1983 |2,791 |2,864 1984 |3,482 |3,252 1985 |3,943 |3,817 1986 |3,254 |3,095 1987 |3,109 |2,907 1988 |3,039 |2,660 1989 |2,730 |2,428 <1> Data also include prosecutions under the Mental Health Act 1983 s126 (1) and (2), and Post Office ( Protection) Act 1984 s11 (in part). <2> The Act came into force on 28 October 1981.
Prison Costs
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average weekly cost to public funds of keeping someone in prison ; whether there are major divergences for particular types of prisons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : The average weekly operating cost per inmate during 1989-90 was £321. The average cost varied from £218--adult open prisons--to £554--dispersal prisons. Full details of these costs are contained in the 1989-90 report on the work of the prison service, a copy of which is in the Library.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 251, if he will list the courts comprising the 89 per cent. of justices' clerks from whom responses have been received relating to the number of poll tax liability orders ; if he will list the number of orders granted, by the end of September at each of those courts ; when the returns are expected from the other 11 per cent. of clerks ; and if he will provide a similar overall analysis of liability orders monthly or quarterly, and place such returns in the Library.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is set out in the table, which reflects information provided by justices' clerks since the reply given on 10 December. Returns for the period up to 30 September are expected to be complete by the end of December. Further information is being requested on a quarterly basis and I shall arrange for a copy of complete returns to be placed in the Library as soon as they become available.
Community Charge Enforcement:
Number of people against whom liability orders made
as at 30
September 1990<1>
-----------------------------------------------------
1012 Bath |0
1013 Bristol |0
1019 Weston-Super-Mare |0
1020 Avon North |0
1051 North Bedfordshire |182
1055 Luton |1,621
1066 Forest |75
1072 Slough |0
1075 West Berkshire |4,895
1076 Reading and Sonning |2,006
1114 Burnham |177
1124 Milton Keynes |0
1125 Aylesbury |2,966
1127 Wycombe |872
1162 Peterborough |7,800
1165 Cambridge |6,102
1173 Chester |749
1178 Macclesfield |5,384
1180 Warrington |6,911
1247 Hartlepool |0
1248 Blangbaurgh East |0
1249 Teesside |85
1272 Penwith |0
1279 Bodmin |55
1280 South East Cornwall |18
1282 Truro and South Powd |51
1364 Carlisle |6,125
1375 Whitehaven |4,075
1380 Barrow with Bootle |544
1382 Kendal and Londsdale |719
1385 Norwich |0
1391 Great Yarmouth |1,855
1392 Kings Lynn |656
1396 Thetford |0
1418 Chesterfield |0
1422 High Peak |0
1423 Ilkeston |0
1427 Derby and South Derbyshire |0
1476 Barnstable |0
1479 Exeter |0
1484 Plymouth |236
1487 Tavistock |0
1490 Torbay |54
1501 Bournemouth |7,105
1505 Poole |4,519
1510 Weymouth and Portland |500
1577 Darlington |0
1578 Derwentside |0
1579 Durham |0
1580 Easington |22
1581 Sedgefield |0
1582 Teesdale and Wear Valley |0
1597 Brighton |0
1599 Eastbourne |756
1601 Hastings |3,065
1602 Hove |1,974
1603 Lewes |0
1610 Billericay |0
1612 Chelmsford |867
1613 Colchester |2,926
1619 Harlow |0
1623 Saffron Walden |0
1624 Southend-on-sea |6
1672 Cheltenham |849
1689 Cirencester, Fairfield, Tetby |0
1692 Gloucester |0
1693 South Gloucestershire |0
1731 Bolton |1,737
1732 Bury |1,714
1733 Manchester |0
1734 Oldham |89
1735 Middleton and Heywood |0
1736 Rochdale |0
1737 Eccles |298
1738 Salford |322
1739 Stockport |0
1740 Ashton-under-Lyne |98
1742 Trafford |609
1743 Leigh |0
1745 Wigan |0
1762 Basingstoke |5,564
1765 Fareham |3,786
1769 Lymington |5,596
1770 Odiham |4,310
1772 Portsmouth |0
1775 Southampton |76
1837 Havering PSA |10
1851 City of Hereford |315
1860 Redditch |3,114
1874 City of Worcester |958
1878 Dacorum |2,754
1883 St. Albans |2,115
1885 Stevenage |2,643
1886 Watford |1,225
1888 Hertford and Ware |4,619
1923 Bainton Beacon |263
1933 Kingston upon Hull |119
1936 Scunthorpe |0
1938 South Hunsley Beacon |0
1940 Grimsby and Cleethorpes |500
1945 Isle of Wight |1,646
1952 Ashford and Tenterden |76
1953 Canterbury and St. Augustin |0
1957 Folkestone and Hythe |125
1959 Maidstone |7
1961 Medway |2,017
1962 Ramsgate |0
1966 Tunbridge Wells and Cranbrook |2,583
1995 Blackburn |0
1996 Blackpool |9,952
1997 Burnley |274
1998 Chorley |262
2002 Lancaster |9,015
2003 Ormskirk |0
2004 Pendle |137
2005 Preston |210
2006 Rossendale |1,126
2009 Wyre |8,457
2039 Leicester (City) |2,712
2040 Leicester (County) |0
2041 Loughborough |0
2043 Market Bosworth |522
2059 Grantham |4,055
2061 Lincoln (City) |3,151
2065 Market Rasen |0
2071 Spilsby and Skegness |1,672
2266 Knowsley |6,240
2267 Liverpool |0
2268 St. Helens |0
2269 North Sefton |2,511
2270 South Sefton |1,816
2271 Wirral |0
2325 Northampton |9,837
2338 Blyth Valley |3,390
2346 Tynedale |1,772
2348 Berwick-upon-Tweed |859
2522 Allertonshire |0
2525 Bulmer East |6,902
2527 Claro |0
2536 Scarborough |5,338
2538 Staincliffe |0
2554 York |0
2566 Mansfield |0
2568 Nottingham |6,952
2631 Guildhall Justice room |0
2641 Bow street |0
2642 Clerkenwell |0
2643 Greenwich |0
2644 Marlborough street |0
2646 Marylebone |0
2648 Old street |0
2649 South Western |1,129
2650 Thames |3,070
2651 Tower Bridge |0
2652 West London (Southcombe street) |0
2653 Woolwich |0
2655 Wells street |0
2656 Camberwell Green |0
2657 West London (Walton street) |0
2660 Horseferry road |0
2663 Highbury Corner |0
2678 Oxford |0
2681 Abingdon |303
2702 North Oxfordshire etc. |0
2706 Sedgemoor |0
2709 Taunton Deane |211
2713 Yeovil |116
2717 East Oxfordshire |235
2721 Stratford |11
2725 Barnet |83
2727 Bromley PSA |4,890
2728 Bexley |0
2732 Croydon |12,660
2733 Sutton PSA |6,584
2734 Ealing |0
2740 Hampstead |1,022
2742 Haringey PSA |0
2757 Enfield PSA |3,764
2760 Harrow Gore PSA |0
2762 Brent PSA |0
2763 Merton PSA |247
2766 Hillingdon PSA |0
2768 Richmond upon Thames PSA |0
2769 Feltham |25
2770 Barnsley |0
2771 Doncaster |0
2772 Rotherham |0
2773 Sheffield |3,965
2781 Cannock |0
2785 Lichfield |470
2786 Newcastle-under-Lyme |2,133
2790 Stafford |0
2791 Stoke-on-Trent |0
2812 Kingston-upon-Thames |6,261
2813 Waltham Forest PSA |0
2814 Barking |0
2815 Redbridge PSA |477
2822 Lowestoft |897
2830 Ipswich |887
2832 St. Edmundsbury |4,037
2836 Dorking |1,011
2839 Farnham |2,806
2841 Guildford |0
2842 Reigate |389
2843 Staines and Sunbury |6,262
2844 Woking |0
2850 Gateshead |15,738
2851 Newcastle upon Tyne |0
2852 North Tyneside |0
2853 South Tyneside |5,229
2854 Houghton-le-Spring |0
2855 Sunderland |5,991
2896 Nuneaton |246
2903 Mid-Warwickshire |0
2908 Birmingham |204
2909 Sutton Coldfield |2,024
2910 Coventry |13,675
2911 Dudley |2,620
2913 Stourbridge |1,353
2914 Warley |587
2915 West Bromwich |488
2916 Solihull |6,098
2918 Walsall |3,630
2919 Wolverhampton |0
2932 Mid-Sussex |11
2935 Worthing |0
2936 Chichester and District |0
2978 Bradford M.D. |0
2979 Keighley |0
2984 Calder |0
2987 Huddersfield |3,633
2988 Leeds |0
2991 Skyrack and Wetherby |0
2995 Wakefield |194
2996 Batley and Dewsbury |0
3007 Chippenham |3,009
3014 Salisbury |1,563
3015 Swindon |0
3017 Trowbridge |180
3055 Hawarden |0
3057 Rhuddlan |0
3058 Wrexham Maelor |0
3122 Llanelli |159
3135 Gogledd Ceredigion |1,089
3138 Carmarthen South |1,296
3139 Cleddau |0
3201 Bedwellty |0
3202 Cwmbran |504
3205 Newport |337
3220 Ardudwy-Is-Artro |0
3224 Conwy and Llandudno |224
3229 North Anglesey |0
3230 Penllyn |0
3234 Caernarfon and Gwyrfai |0
3263 Lower Rhymney Valley |131
3264 Merthyr Tydfil |0
3265 Miskin |4,061
3266 Newcastle and Ogmore |0
3275 Drayton |55
3279 Shrewsbury |39
3282 Telford |0
3342 Brecon |0
3347 Newtown |0
3348 Cardiff |978
3349 Vale of Glamorgan |2,825
3357 Port Talbot |198
3358 Lliw Valley |1,309
3359 Neath |242
3360 Swansea City |2,107
6635 ILOC (Tower Hamlets etc.) |0
|-------
Total |359,224
<1> Courts listed in alphabetical order within
commission areas listed in alphabetical order.
Overseas Domestic Workers
Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas domestic workers have been deported from the United Kingdom each year since 1980 as a result of leaving the employ of visitors with whom they were originally admitted.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not separately identified and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long a domestic worker must have been in the employ of overseas visitors to the United Kingdom to be admitted as a visitor together with their employer ; and what checks are carried out in the employer's country of origin.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Under current arrangements there is no minimum qualifying period. Under the new arrangements announced by my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Ferrers in another place on 24 July at columns 1449- 50, which are to take effect shortly, a domestic worker must have been in continuous paid employment with the employer abroad for at least 12 months before accompanying or joining a visitor here. Entry clearance will be required in all cases so that the bona fides of the arrangement can be checked before the domestic worker sets out for the United Kingdom.
Channel 3
Mr. Buchanan-Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for the balance between the number of large and the number of small independent Channel 3 television companies ; what proposals he has regarding the ownership of contiguous franchises ; what consultations have taken place recently with the interests involved ; when such consultations were initiated ; and when they are expected to be concluded.
Column 109
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced proposals for the content of the supplementary ownership rules to be made under powers in the Broadcasting Act 1990 in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett) on 4 December at columns 85-87. The draft order, which is subject to affirmative resolution by both Houses of Parliament, will be laid as soon as possible.Mr. Buchanan-Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy he announced during the 1989-90 Session of Parliament during proceedings on the Broadcasting Bill in respect of the ownership of contiguous Channel 3 franchises ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Ministers indicated during the passage of the Broadcasting Bill that they envisaged that no one person should be allowed to own two large Channel 3 franchises, or two franchises for contiguous areas, except in circumstances where one area had become non-viable and only the adjacent licensee was prepared to take over the area in question. But this was in the context of the underlying policy objectives that the separate regional identities of individual Channel 3 licence areas should be preserved, and that regional programming obligations should be fully discharged. In the light of the strengthening of the regional requirements in the Bill, and of our decision to designate nine of the 15 licence areas as "large" for these purposes, we concluded that it was no longer necessary to provide for an additional restriction on ownership to contiguous licences.
Smoke Alarms
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been spent by his Department on public safety campaigns encouraging the use of domestic smoke alarms in each of the last five years ; how much money is budgeted for the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The Home Office first carried out publicity specifically related to smoke alarms in the financial year 1987-88. A breakdown of expenditure for that year and all subsequent years is given in the table.
Z
£ million
Year |Advertising |Other |Total
|publicity
|(including print)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |0.50 |0.041 |0.541
1988-89 |0.55 |0.115 |0.665
1989-90 |1.00 |0.091 |1.091
<1>1990-91 |1.05 |0.109 |1.159
<1> Estimated.
In 1987, before the Home Office carried out any publicity, research indicated that ownership of domestic smoke alarms in England and Wales was at 6 per cent. Following the national advertising carried out in January 1990, research indicated that ownership had increased to 35 per cent. The Home Office has a target of increasing ownership to 70 per cent. by 1994.
Column 110
Prison Places
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are currently provided in Her Majesty's prisons ; and what is the total prison population at the latest convenient date.
Mrs. Rumbold : The uncrowded capacity of the prison estate in England and Wales on Friday 14 December 1990 was 44,346, but this figure includes accommodation temporarily taken out of use for refurbishment. The prison population on the same date was 44,911, including 674 prisoners held in police cells.
Trevi Group
Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of the meetings of Trevi and European Community Immigration Ministers in Rome on 6 and 7 December.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The meeting of Trevi Ministers endorsed the good progress made under the Italian presidency in developing further measures to strengthen practical police co-operation, in particular as regards work towards the creation of a European drugs intelligence unit, work on the establishment of a European police information system to help combat the most serious forms of crime, and an initiative to provide joint training to police officers from drug producer and transit countries which has already resulted in a three-week pilot course. We also agreed in principle to the establishment of a permanent secretariat for Trevi, and asked for detailed work on this to be carried out during the Luxembourg presidency.
The meeting of Ministers concerned with immigration was the ninth in the series of meetings held towards the end of each presidency since 1986 and the first which I have myself attended. Ministers had before them a report from senior officials which set out the work undertaken during the Italian presidency.
In particular, we welcomed the progress that had been made on the draft convention on the crossing of the external borders of the member states of the Community and invited the ad hoc group on immigration to complete consideration of the remaining issues. We also invited the ad hoc group to consider what measures are necessary to implement article 8A of the treaty of Rome as regards frontiers. Both my predecessor and I have continued to make clear during the Italian presidency the United Kingdom's profound reservation as to the complete abolition of immigration controls at internal Community borders. We shall, however, participate actively in the study of measures for the implementation of article 8A.
Ministers also discussed the question of migration from central and eastern Europe in readiness for the Council of Europe ministerial conference to be held in Vienna in January 1991.
Prisoners (Underpants)
Mr. Dickens : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many changes of underpants male prisoners are given each week ; and whether there are any plans to increase this.
Mrs. Rumbold : Current issue scales allow for a minimum of two changes of underpants each week.
Column 111
Following a review of the range and style of prison clothing, this is being increased to a minimum of four changes a week through a phased programme between January and the end of 1991. The first inmates to benefit will be those in establishments in Kent and the north-east.Human Rights (European Bodies)
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Her Majesty's Government intend to renew their acceptance of the right of individual petition to the European Commission of Human Rights and of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have decided to renew for a period of five years from 14 January 1991 our acceptance of the right of individual petition to the European Commission of Human Rights and of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.
Suicide Prevention
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has given consideration to the development programmes involving voluntary organisations such as the Samaritans in suicide prevention schemes.
Mr. Dorrell : I have been asked to reply.
The Department has grant-aided the Samaritans for several years. The grant in the current year is £155,000 ; we therefore know and support their valuable work in assisting those considering suicide.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Value Added Tax
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received urging him to exempt from value added tax the provision of home care goods and services.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Government have received a number of representations on this matter, but, owing to the constraints of EC VAT law, are unable to exempt domiciliary care unless it is provided by a charity or public body.
Income Tax
Mr. Beith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will seek to make special arrangements for those returning United Kingdom hostages and refugees from Kuwait and Iraq whose expected entitlement to income tax exemptions has been lost because they have been obliged to return to the United Kingdom early.
Mr. Maude : I am considering this matter carefully in the light of information about the particular circumstances of those affected by the Gulf crisis.
Oral Questions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings his Department would make were no notice given of oral questions to Ministers and they were answered without civil service time being used on briefings.
Column 112
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : No savings would be made and costs would almost certainly increase significantly. If the oral question is known in advance briefing can be tightly focused, thus avoiding the cost of producing a detailed brief, covering all subjects that could possibly arise.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time taken and the average cost involved of officials' time in his Department preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The time taken in preparing ministerial briefs for oral parliamentary questions is not routinely recorded in Her Majesty's Treasury. Estimates are, however, made where there is a likelihood of exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold (currently £250). However, following an interdepartmental exercise in 1972 in which the Treasury participated an assessment was made of the average cost throughout all Departments of answering an oral question. This assessment was based on staff time, using average rates of pay and associated costs for the grades concerned, together with a share of the cost of parliamentary sections and any substantial non-staff costs such as computer usage. This assessed figure is regularly updated and currently stands at £99.
London Weighting
Mr. Soley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) for what reasons London weighting for civil servants has not been altered for the last two years ;
(2) whether he intends to increase London weighting for civil servants ;
(3) whether the civil servants' claim for additional London weighting will be submitted for independent arbitration ; (4) whether it is his intention to end London weighting payments to civil servants.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The Government's general policy is that pay should be based on what is required to recruit, retain and motivate within what is affordable. Over the past two years, over £87 million has been spent enhancing London pay, in addition to national pay increases. This represents an increase of over 50 per cent. in the London element of the pay bill. The money has been spent on special London pay points for most civil servants in the capital and on local pay additions which focus on particular locations experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties. Unlike London weighting, both are targeted to ensure that public money is used most
cost-effectively. Over the past two years, recruitment and retention rates in London have improved very significantly.
Against this background, there was no justification for an additional across-the-board increase in London weighting in either 1989 or 1990. The Government's intention is to continue the policy of setting London pay in accordance with what is required to recruit, retain and motivate and, where appropriate, to target increases in the London element of pay to ensure that they produce the best value for money for the taxpayer. There are no plans to end London weighting.
I have agreed to meet the Council of Civil Service Unions in the new year to discuss its request for arbitration on its 1990 London weighting claim.
Column 113
House Owners (Relief)
Mr. Battle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will show (a) the quantities of relief during 1989-90 that was accounted for by house owners who in that year did not either move or enter the tenure and (b) the quantum of relief provided to 1989-90 first-time purchasers during that year.
Mr. Maude : This information is not available.
National Savings
Mr. Hind : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any proposals to make about the method of calculating repayments of National Savings products.
Mr. Maples : National Savings practice is to date repayments at the expected date of receipt by customers. This has also been the date used for valuing the amounts to be repaid or for other rights, such as participation in premium bond prize draws. In this way customers benefit from their savings until the date they are expected to receive their money.
National Savings has now received new legal advice on the regulations governing savings certificates, premium bonds and the National Savings bank ordinary account. This is that repayments should be determined at the date of posting, not the date of receipt.
For premium bonds, National Savings has therefore changed its administrative practice to fit with the regulations without any disadvantage to customers.
For savings certificates and ordinary account, if National Savings had valued the repayment warrants at the date they were posted rather than the expected date of receipt, many customers would have been deprived of their final increments, bonuses and other benefits. These additional payments for savings certificates are estimated at £300 million--this is not a precise figure as over 70 years of transactions are involved. National Savings will not be seeking to recover any of the payments made to customers as the amounts paid to them were in accordance with long-standing practice and customers' expectations. The Government intend to seek parliamentary authority in the next Finance Bill to validate the payments that have been made out of the national loans fund, the Consolidated Fund and the National Savings bank ordinary deposits. Meanwhile payments in accordance with current practice--which is to the benefit of savers--will continue to be made pending the necessary provisions in the Finance Bill.
For the future, National Savings intends to continue the practice which has meant that customers receive payment as near as possible to the date they expect it. National Savings is considering with its legal advisers what consequential changes should be made to the relevant regulations. Amending regulations will be laid as soon as practicable.
A small number of past customers have legal entitlements to additional payments. First, some customers who had their index-linked certificates repaid at a time that was affected by a fall in the RPI would have received a larger payment, averaging £1.50, if the certificates had been valued at the date of posting. National Savings is sending the extra payments with interest to compensate for delay to all the holders concerned.
Column 114
Secondly, some premium bond holders become entitled to an increased prize, or a new prize. This is because under the new legal interpretation of the regulations, some winning bonds were ineligible for inclusion in the relevant prize draws as they should have been treated as having been repaid earlier. National Savings is writing to all new premium bond prize winners. They will be paid their prizes plus compensation for the delay.The additional amount now to be paid out in premium bond prizes and to holders of index-linked certificates, together with compensation for these late payments, is estimated at £300,000. This will not add to planned public expenditure. National Savings is issuing a press release today giving further details of its current practice and of the consequences of the new legal advice. I have placed copies in the Library.
Third-world Countries
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in pursuing, with other members of the Paris Club, the proposals made by the previous Chancellor of the Exchequer on 19 September to improve concessions made to third-world countries and the Toronto terms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maples [holding answer 17 December 1990] : The United Kingdom's Trinidad proposals are currently being discussed by the members of the Paris Club as part of a general review of the treatment of the poorest, highly indebted countries. Naturally, other creditors have ideas of their own, many of which would be complementary to the United Kingdom proposals. It is too early to say what the result of the review will be. However, we remain confident that a new package incorporating many of the important features of the Trinidad terms will be agreed during 1991.
Poland
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current economic balance between the United Kingdom and Poland ; and if he has any proposals to alleviate the burden of debt upon Poland.
Mr. Maples [holding answer 17 December 1990] : United Kingdom exports to Poland in 1990 H1 were $142 million. United Kingdom imports from Poland during 1990 H1 were $310 million. The Paris Club of official bilateral creditors is currently working with the Polish authorities in order to find a long-term solution to the Polish debt problem. United Kingdom officials are taking an active and constructive role in these discussions.
ENVIRONMENT
Homelessness
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for discontinuation of the leasing by borough or district councils of private houses for temporary accommodation for homeless persons ; what consultation he has had with boroughs principally affected ; and what study he has made concerning the effects of implementing his proposal.
Mr. Yeo : On 22 October 1990, the Department consulted all local housing authorities about proposals for
Column 115
housing revenue account subsidy in 1991-92. There was no proposal to discontinue leasing. We are now considering the responses received as a result of our consultations and final decisions will be made shortly.Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for action in relation to homeless single people in London, additional to that announced in his reply of 22 June, Official Report, column 752 .
Sir George Young [pursuant to the reply, 26 November 1990, c. 256- 57] : I am announcing today that I have given the go-ahead for 000 new bedspaces in hostel and long-term accommodation under the single homelessness initiative to tackle rough sleeping in central London. The new hostel spaces will be run by front-line voluntary groups.
We are working on this high priority task in close co-operation with voluntary organisations. I am delighted that Nick Hardwick, director of Centrepoint, Soho, is to be working closely on this project with me. Together we will be developing strategies to ensure particularly that people sleeping in concentrations such as those in London's Bullring and Victoria will make use of the hostels that are available to them.
Bed-and-Breakfast Accommodation
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department had, before announcing proposals to reduce the 100 per cent. subsidy for leasing housing from private landlords, on the likely increase in the number of families in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in (a) London and (b) elsewhere.
Mr. Yeo : It is for local authorities to decide what type of temporary accommodation to use to meet their homelessness duties. Local authorities report to my Department on a quarterly basis the number of homeless households they have placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation. As there is considerable variation between areas in the use made of such accommodation, my Department does not make forecasts of likely future usage.
National Parks (Fencing)
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any intention to amend planning regulations to restrict high fencing in national park areas.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the restrictions on the natural movements of deer in the area of Bury hill, near Dulverton, caused by the erection of a high deer-proof fence ; and what action he proposes to take.
Mr. Baldry : I understand that the fence in question has been erected on one boundary of Barlynch wood under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988. I understand that it does not prevent access by other routes. I do not propose to intervene.
Column 116
Office of Water Services
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff employed by the Office of Water Services ; what are their terms of reference ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : The Water Act 1989 established the Office of Water Services as an independent Government Department under the Director General of Water Services, who was appointed by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Wales. Its main tasks are to enforce the new system of economic regulation of the industry and to protect the interests of customers. Its organisation and staffing are matters for the director general. An account of its initial period of operation was given in the director general's annual report which was laid before the House on 19 June and a copy of which is in the Library.
Derelict Land Grant
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to approve derelict land grant for the purposes of desilting Lymm dam in Cheshire.
Mr. Yeo : No. The dam in its present state is attractive, open to public access and provides a natural habitat. Desilting it cannot be regarded as high in regional priorities.
Water Companies (Charging)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 12 December, if he will set out the statutory requirements there are on water companies to take cognisance of the outcome of the consultation currently being undertaken by the Director General of Water Services on methods of charging.
Mr. Baldry : The Water Act 1989 contains a prohibition on charging by rateable values which will not take effect until the year 2000. Otherwise it is for each company to decide what method to adopt, subject to the obligations placed on it in its instrument of appointment, in particular the avoidance of undue discrimination against and undue preference for any class of customers or potential customers. I understand that the Director General of Water Services hopes to produce from the consultation process which he has initiated some guidelines and criteria which will help the water companies to formulate their future charging policies.
Integrated Pollution Control
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he is making to ensure proper liaison between the various regulatory bodies involved in the control of those processes covered by integrated pollution control.
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the division of responsibility between Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the National Rivers Authority for the sampling of industrial discharges has been settled without diminution of the National Rivers Authority's legislative rights ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 117
Mr. Trippier : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has recently signed two memoranda of understanding, one with the Health and Safety Executive and the other with the National Rivers Authority.These memoranda are designed to ensure effective co-ordination of the regulation of plant subject to control under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The memorandum with the Health and Safety Executive is concerned with the interface between the two organisations in respect of discharges, primarily those to air, and issues arising from the protection of persons at work and the public under the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The memorandum with the National Rivers Authority deals with issues relating to discharges to water.
Copies of both memoranda have been placed in the Library of the House.
River Severn (Sewage Treatment)
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, by water authority, the sewage treatment works which are allowed by derogation, to discharge raw sewage or partly treated sewage in the River Severn and its tributaries.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 17 December 1990] : Effluent discharges from sewage treatment works operated by the water service companies are subject to control by the National Rivers Authority under the provisions of the Water Act 1989. There are no derogations from these controls. Particulars of consents granted for discharges into the River Severn, its tributaries and the Severn estuary are entered on the public registers which are available for inspection at the relevant regional offices of the National Rivers Authority.
Caravan Sites
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what grant he has approved in connection with the improvement of permanent traveller caravan sites in Bradford ; and how many additional pitches are to be provided under the improvement plans ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 17 December 1990] : Phase I improvements for the Mary street site in Bradford were given approval in February 1988 in the sum of £183,449. The works were to improve the existing site and to provide eight new pitches. They have now been completed. Phase II and III improvements to the same site were approved in October 1990 in the sum of £643,506. These works will produce further site improvements and an additional four new pitches, bringing the total pitches on this site to 28.
I understand that Bradford city council will also shortly be submitting an application for improvements to the Esholt lane site at Baildon.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances he can withdraw designation agreed under the caravans Act ; in what circumstances a local authority granted designation can request him to withdraw or rescind designation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 17 December 1990] : The Secretary of State may designate a local authority under
Column 118
the Caravan Sites Act 1968 when he considers that adequate sites for gipsies are provided in its area, or that it is not necessary or expedient to make such provision. He may revoke the designation order, by further order, either on the formal application of the authority which made the original application, or without such an application. It is open to anybody to seek to persuade the Secretary of State that the circumstances in which the designation order was made are no longer applicable, and that the order should thus be revoked.Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information has been supplied to his Department about the extent of permanent caravan site provision for travellers established or planned by each local authority in Yorkshire and Humberside ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 17 December 1990] : From the information supplied annually to my Department by local authorities, the extent of permanent caravan site provision for travellers by local authorities in Yorkshire and Humberside is as follows :
Authority and site |Number
|of pitches
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humberside
Beverley (Harland Way, Cottingham) |26
Kingston-upon-Hull (Bedford Street, Wilmington) |24
North Yorkshire
Richmondshire (Limekiln Wood, Catterick) |14
Ryedale (Clifton) |20
Ryedale (Malton) |14
Ryedale (Osbaldwick) |12
Selby (Burn) |12
Selby (Carlton) |12
Hambleton (Seamer) |16
Former County of South Yorkshire
Barnsley (Smithies Lane) |20
Doncaster (Armthorpe) |20
Doncaster (Black Bank, Doncaster Carr) |<1><2>46
Doncaster (Nursery Lane, Sprotbrough) |<1>14
Rotherham (North Anston) |16
Sheffield (Broad Oaks) |<1>12
Sheffield (Holbrook Industrial Estate) |<1>15
Sheffield (Redmires) |16
Sheffield (Tinsley Park Road) |<1>10
Former County of West Yorkshire
Bradford (Birkshall Lane/Bowling Back Lane) |24
Bradford (Esholt Lane, Baildon) |16
Leeds (Cottingley Springs A') |20
Leeds (Cottingley Springs B') |36
Wakefield (Heath Caravan Park, Doncaster Road) |<3>29
<1>Indicates temporary site.
<2>6 transit.
<3>22 transit.
The following authorities also have schemes for refurbishment of existing sites or the development of new sites at some stage of the grant application process :
City of Bradford Metropolitan Council
Humberside County Council
North Yorkshire County Council
City of Sheffield Metropolitan District Council
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
In addition, officers of the Department have had discussions with the following authorities where further gipsy site proposals are at an early stage :
Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Kirklees Metropolitan Council
| Next Section
| Home Page |