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Scottish Rail Links (Electrification)
25. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals his Department has received from ScotRail for the electrification of rail links within Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : My Department has received no such proposals from the British Railways Board. I understand that ScotRail is considering a number of possibilities.
M66
26. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with North West Water about the cost of the M66 motorway over Audenshaw reservoir No. 3 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : A number of discussions have been held with North West Water, because construction of the M66 motorway will reduce the storage capacity of Audenshaw reservoir No. 3. A new pipeline from the Goyt valley is to be provided as a replacement facility. The reasonable costs of providing the pipeline will be met by the Department.
Roadworks (Compensation)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to bring forward proposals to compensate small businesses affected by roadworks.
Mr. Chope : No. The legislation governing compulsory purchase and compensation is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. Compensation is already payable at full market value of property acquired. In addition, there are payments for disturbance, and for depreciation when premises are harmed by the effects of a road scheme.
School Buses (Seat Belts)
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to introduce legislation for the compulsory use of seat belts in school buses.
Mr. Chope : We shall consider the question of mandatory wearing seat belts in school buses once there is a requirement for seat belts to be fitted. We are not free to introduce such a requirement nationally, but are pressing the EC to bring forward proposals to enable us to do so.
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Motor Cyclists (Training Certificates)
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether certificates for motor cyclists who have completed basic training are currently available for issue at the approved Berwick, Belford and Alnwick centres ; whether he has any plans to discontinue training at Alnwick ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I will write to the hon. Member.
Civil Aviation Authority
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. and learned Friend meets the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority from time to time to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Historic Counties
Mr. Jopling : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost to his Department of erecting boundary signs on main roads designating the boundaries of historic counties which are no longer effective.
Mr. Chope : I regret that information on the numbers of main roads crossing the borders of historic counties and on the size and design of possible boundary signs could be assembled only at
disproportionate cost.
Railway Safety
Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received British Rail's safety plan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Rifkind : The British Railways Board has submitted its safety plan to me today. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.
I welcome the board's plan, which sets out the board's safety policy and objectives and the wide range of initiatives that are already under way. These include new safety management systems, improved training, investment in new equipment and changes in working methods. The plan is a comprehensive and forward-looking document. It demonstrates the high level of commitment and of resources being devoted, throughout British Rail, to running a safe railway. I hope that the plan will increase public awareness of this enormous effort, and reassure rail users.
Railway accidents are rare and rail remains one of the safest modes of transport. Building on this, the board is committed to maintaining and improving this enviable safety record.
The initiatives in the plan will be taken into account in BR's estimates of future safety expenditure. We have endorsed in full both BR's expenditure of £70 million on additional safety measures in 1990-91, and its planned expenditure of some £330 million over the next three years. BR knows that there is no financial constraint on necessary and cost-effective safety expenditure.
I have written to Dr. Cullen, the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, seeking the commission's view on the safety plan.
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A2 Roadworks
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report the cost of all roadworks undertaken on that stretch of the A2 roadway between Falconwood cemetery, Eltham and Pepper Hill, Swanscombe, from November 1984 to date ; if he will adjust costs to reflect current prices ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The cost of major roadworks undertaken since the beginning of November 1984 on the A2 between Falconwood cemetery, Eltham and Pepper Hill, Swanscombe, adjusted to reflect current prices and including the accepted tender prices for works at present in hand in the London borough of Bexley and Kent, is £16.1 million approximately. This figure comprises £10.9 million for major maintenance and, in Kent, £5.2 million for hard shoulder provision forming part of the A2 London boundary-M2 improvement scheme.
Ports
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) give full details of Government grants to ports and (b) name the ports which received them in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. McLoughlin : Port modernisaton grants under section 12 of the Harbours Act 1964 were discontinued in 1971, and this provision was repealed by the Transport Act 1981. The Port of London (Financial Assistance) Act 1980 provided for grants to enable the Port of London Authority to reduce its labour force and restore the profitability of its undertaking. That Act was replaced by the Ports (Financial Assistance) Act 1981 which applied also to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company. From 3 July 1989, these grants have been superseded by Government contributions under the dock work compensation payment scheme. Amounts granted over the 10-year period were as follows :
£ million |PLA |MDHC -----------------------1980-81 |23.5|- 1981-82 |21.8|25.8 1982-83 |31.8|56.3 1983-84 |35.4|40.5 1984-85 |24.4|9.4 1985-86 |55.7|9.5 1986-87 |20.7|4.5 1987-88 |6.8 |8.6 1988-89 |1.5 |2.9 1989-90 |- |-
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will (a) name those ports which have received loans under the Harbour Loans Act 1972 or subsequent legislation, (b) give full details of those loans and (c) list which of those loans (i) have been repaid in full (ii) have been written off and (iii) are outstanding.
Mr. McLoughlin : Information is not readily available on loans that were paid off several years ago. The three last outstanding loans under the 1972 Act, made to the Clyde port authority in 1984 and 1985 and totalling £3.293 million, were paid off in 1989. Loans were also made under the Ports (Financial Assistance) Act 1981 as follows :
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|Year |£ million ---------------------------------------------------------------------Port of London Authority |1982 |<1>3.0 |1983 |<1>1.9 Mersey Docks and Harbour Company |1982 |<2>4.13 <1>Balance outstanding. <2>£ 1.5 million written off May 1989; balance paid off.
A69
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the road junctions on the A69 between Newcastle and Carlisle which are being considered for safety improvement measures.
Mr. Chope : Two schemes are included in the 1991-92 regional programme. They are the Bush Bends to Haydon Bridge improvement, Northumberland and Corby cross-roads improvement, Cumbria.
Fishing Vessels
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any proposals to amend the rules and regulations governing the occupational safety of the crews of United Kingdom-registered fishing vessels.
Mr. McLoughlin : Consultation recently began with the industry on ways of extending United Kingdom occupational safety provisions for fishermen in line with those for people in other occupations and with forthcoming European Community requirements.
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to carry out the recommendations of the Civil Aviation Authority regarding greater access to Heathrow airport.
Mr. Rifkind : I am considering the authority's advice and hope to announce a decision before long.
M40
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the recent opening of the M40 motorway extension has had on traffic flow on the M1 motorway.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 7 February 1991] : So far the available figures show that traffic flows on the M1 have been reduced by between 4,000 and 11,000 vehicles per week day. But these are initial counts only.
WALES
Thyroid Cancer
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of thyroid cancer have been recorded in Wales in each of the last five years ; and how many deaths.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The latest available information for usual residents of Wales--all ages, male and female--is as follows :
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Number of deaths from thyroid cancer<1><2> Year |Number 1982 |18 1983 |31 1984 |15 1985 |20 1986 |13 1987 |31 1988 |20 1989 |14 <1> Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland: ICD9 Code 193. <2> Source: Office of Population Census and Survey.
Number of deaths from thyroid cancer
Year Number
1982 18
1983 31
1984 15
1985 20
1986 13
1987 31
1988 20
1989 14
Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland : ICD9 Code 193.
Source : Office of Population Census and Survey.
Health Promotion Authority
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the budget of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Subject to parliamentary approval, in 1991-92 a total of £2.472 million will be made available for the authority's core allocation and a further £340,000 will be allocated for new projects. An additional £28,000 will be available as a further earmarked reserve to meet the cost of the authority's contribution to the family planning information service. The allocation will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of annual performance review. It represents a further and substantial commitment of resources to the authority. Allocations for 1992-93 and 1993-94 have not yet been decided.
Housing
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the speech made on 1 February by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales on the subject of housing.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : I made no speech about housing on 1 February.
Secure Accommodation (Juveniles)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money has been spent by local authorities in Wales on (a) secure accommodation within Wales and (b) secure accommodation outside Wales for alleged juvenile offenders on remand in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much he estimates local authorities in Wales will need to spend (a) in terms of capital and (b) in terms of annual revenue expenditure to meet the requirements for secure accommodation for the remand of alleged juvenile offenders as a result of the Government's proposals of 4 February.
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Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The general implications of the proposals for Welsh authorities are being taken into account in our review of secure care and we shall be consulting local authorities on this matter.
Stolen Equipment
Mr. Menzies Campbell To ask the Secretary of State or Wales if he will publish a list of the equipment stolen from his Department in the last three years for which information is available ; and what was the approximate value of each item.
Mr. David Hunt : Details of equipment stolen from the Department during the last three financial years are set out in the tables.
|£ -----------------------------------------------Financial year 1987-88 Twelve plastic name settings |94.50 Tape dispenser |5.11 Twenty-one telephones |508.62 Departmental car |1,700.00 |------- |2,308.23 Financial year 1988-89 Three flags |225.00 Tools |119.22 Union Jack Flag |41.40 Four telephones |112.00 |------- |497.62 Financial year 1989-90 Ladder |169.05 Roadwork signs |4,834.68 |------- |5,003.73
Health Service
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what moneys have been allocated to district health authorities in Wales under the waiting times initiative to tackle problematic waiting lists referred to in objective 45 of the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action ; and what is the estimated cost of implementing the proposals for service improvement, in objectives 45 to 54 ; (2) what action he has taken to ensure a greater concern and sensitivity to consumers' needs referred to in objectives 46, 53, 54, in the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action ; and what is the budgeted cost for 1991 and 1992 of objectives 32 to 35, outlining the need for a more integrated information system within each district ;
(3) if he will give details of the outcome of his Office's objective of developing a pricing policy for Welsh health common services authorities to cover overheads and allow for development of consultancy expertise as cited in objective 38 of the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action ; and what is the budgeted cost for 1991 and 1992 ;
(4) which devised business action plans for each of the Welsh health common services authorities referred to in objective 37, page 52, of the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action have been identified to make best use of staff and technical resources ; and what are the annual budgets in 1991 and 1992 for each of the Welsh health common services authorities referred to ;
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(5) if he will give the estimated cost, in 1990-91 and 1991-92, of implementing the proposals for rationalising the supplies and stores objectives listed in the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action ; and what are the estimated costs, by area health authority in Wales in 1991 and 1992, of objectives 41, 42, 43 and 44, on schemes for health promotion ;(6) what will be the cost of (a) the establishment of an all-Wales telecommunications network referred to in objective 34 and (b) implementing objectives 36 to 40, listed in pages 52 and 53 of the Welsh Office NHS directorate agenda for action, outlining various schemes for general management modifications.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what budget has been allocated in 1991-92 to those agencies in Wales charged with developing an appropriate and consistent approach to health promotion and health promotion targets, referred to in objectives 41, 43 and 44 of the Welsh Office national health service directorate agenda for action.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : In respect of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him earlier today. In respect of district health authorities I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 30 January 1991, at columns 515-17 .
The 1991-92 administration revenue allocations for family health services authorities will be announced as soon as possible.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the budgeted cost of the establishment of goal setting machinery for promotion and prevention, referred to in objective 42 of the Welsh Office national health service directorate agenda for action in 1990-91.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is not available centrally.
Homelessness
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average length of stay for families with dependent children, who were accepted as homeless by their local authority and placed in bed and breakfast accommodation, in 1990 or at the nearest available date ; and if he will express the answer in terms of the average length of stay for Wales and for each local authority.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information is not centrally available.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many families with dependent children were accepted as homeless in 1990 or at the nearest available date.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : A total of 4,850 households with dependent children were accepted as homeless during the financial year 1989-90.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many families with dependent children, accepted as
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homeless by their local authorities, were placed in bed and breakfast accommodation in 1990 or at the nearest available date ; and if he will expand the answer in terms of the total number for Wales and the number for each local authority.Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is given for the financial year 1989-90 in the table :
Households with dependent children accepted as homeless and placed in bed and breakfast accommodation 1989-90 |Number ------------------------------------Aberconwy |20 Alyn and Deeside |5 Brecknock |1 Cardiff |404 Carmarthen |1 Ceredigion |8 Colwyn |1 Delyn |18 Dinefwr |16 Islwyn |9 Llanelli |39 Meirionnydd |3 Monmouth |2 Neath |6 Newport |31 Ogwr |5 Port Talbot |3 Preseli Pembrokeshire |30 Radnorshire |2 Rhondda |2 Rhuddlan |2 Rhymney Valley |20 South Pembrokeshire |2 Swansea |2 Taff-Ely |3 Torfaen |10 Vale of Glamorgan |7 Wrexham Maelor |15 Ynys Mon |1 |-- Wales |688
NHS Land and Property
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest estimated revenues, by district health authority, for sale of NHS land and property in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett [holding answer 7 February 1991) : Taking into account historical performance and delivering receipts within forecast, the latest estimate of receipts from the sale of surplus NHS land and property in Wales for 1990-91 and 1991-92 is £5 million and £7 million respectively. A reliable estimate by individual DHA is not possible given the unertainties associated with the disposal of property.
Higher Education
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy to provide transitional funding before 1 April 1992 to higher education courses at five Welsh higher education colleges so as to provide for direct funding for those courses threatened with closure in the academic year 1991-92.
Sir Wyn Roberts [holding answer 8 February 1991] : The local authority higher education institutions will receive their funding from within local authority provision for 1991-92--in the main through the higher education
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quantum. We have accepted the advice received from the Wales Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education on the programmes to be funded from the HE quantum in 1991-92.EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Books and Equipment
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the 10 local education authorities with the lowest expenditure per pupil on books and equipment ; and what is the average local authority expenditure on books and equipment.
Mr. Fallon : The table lists the 10 local education authorities with the lowest expenditure per pupil on books and equipment in 1988-89, the latest year for which information is available. Average local authority expenditure on books and equipment in 1988-89 was £54 per pupil.
Expenditure per pupil on books and equipment-1988-89 LEA |£ ---------------------Tameside |35 Birmingham |34 Merton |34 Barnsley |32 Avon |31 Leeds |22 Lincolnshire |22 St. Helens |22 Cleveland |21 Sheffield |17 Notes: 1. The figures are based on LEA returns to DOE and pupil number returns to DES. 2. The figures cover spending on books and equipment in nursery, primary and secondary schools.
Kent Education Department
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total revenue budget for Kent county council education department for 1990-91.
Mr. Fallon : The 1990-91 education budget for Kent local education authority is estimated at £432.3 million. This estimate is based on Kent county council's 1990-91 budget return to the Department of the Environment submitted in May 1990 and is on a similar basis to the education component of its 1990-91 standard spending assessment.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was (a) the bid and (b) the capital allocation to Kent county council education department for 1989-90.
Mr. Fallon : For 1989-90, Kent county council submitted a bid for an education capital allocation of £24.492 million and was given an allocation of £8.610 million.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the standard spending assessment for Kent county council education department for 1990-91.
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Mr. Fallon : The education component of Kent county council's 1990- 91 standard spending assessment is £456.6 million.
Education Statistics, Leeds
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money was spent on primary and secondary schools in Leeds in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Fallon : The available data are as follows :
(£ 000's) Leeds |1979-80|1988-89 --------------------------------------------Nursery and primary |27,835 |56,652 Secondary |35,929 |83,135 Notes to table: 1. The figures are taken from Leeds' expenditure returns to DOE and cover net institutional expenditure. They include the costs of salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and services. They do not include the cost of school meals, central administration, debt charges or revenue contributions to capital outlay. 2. All figures quoted are in cash terms.
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the secondary school population in Leeds in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Fallon : The information requested for Leeds local education authority is as follows :
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