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De Paul TrustVauxhall Action for the Homeless in the Community
The Passage Day Centre
St. Vincent Centre
The Cardinal Hume Centre
Streetwise Youth
The Basement Project
The Joint Homelessness Team
--Westminster Social Services
Arlington House
Hornsey YMCA
Threshold Housing Advice Centre
St. Martin's Social Care Unit
The London Connection
Piccadilly Advice Centre
Centrepoint Soho
Bondway Housing Association
Homeless Network
Community Forests
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to establish further community forests ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : As part of their joint initiative to develop a programme of community forests near major conurbations, the Countryside Commission and Forestry Commission have announced nine new candidate sites. The locations are Bedford, Bristol, Cleveland, Manchester, Merseyside, Nottingham, south Hertfordshire, South Yorkshire and Swindon. As the next step, the Government have authoritised the commissions to propose to their local authority partners the appointment of project teams for each area. These teams, consulting closely with interested parties, will draw up detailed plans as the basis for deciding future action. Such plans are already in preparation for three other sites : the Forest of Mercia--south Staffordshire ; the Great North Forest--south Tyneside and north-east Durham ; and Thames Chase--to the east of London. The further areas bring the total programme proposed to 12 forests, spread throughout England.
US Service Men
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will pay the grant to parishes in respect of resident United States service men, announced on 3 May 1990.
Mr. Portillo : Claims by parishes for a one-off grant, payable exceptionally for 1990-91, in respect of resident US service men who are exempt from the community charge have now been assessed. A list showing determinations of grant for each eligible parish has been placed in the Library.
Homelessness
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will make a statement on the recent initiatives taken by his Department to help relieve the plight of the homeless.
Mr. Yeo [pursuant to the reply, 30 January 1991, c. 535.] : I am today placing in the Library a list of 78 voluntary organisations to which we are offering grants for 1991-92. In all, over £4.5 million will be available for specific projects providing practical help for homeless people and for the second phase of the national
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homelessness advice service coordinated through citizens' advice bureaux with support from Shelter and the London Housing Aid Centre. This represents an increase of over 100 per cent. of the £2 million available in 1990-91. The extra money has made it possible for us to help a much larger number of voluntary organisations, most of them outside London. The grants are a recognition of the vital role which these organisations play in relieving the problems experienced by the homeless and in encouraging them towards independent living.Column 548
London Docklands Development Corporation
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the total amount of public money allocated to the London Docklands development corporation for each year since 1981, at current prices, indicating for each year what proportion the figure is in relation to total allocation for urban development corporations, and the proportion in relation to the urban block.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 11 February 1991] : Information on public expenditure totals is as follows :
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Urban block public expenditure
£ million-outturn prices
|LDDC |All UDCs |LDDC as |<1>Urban block
|external |external |percentage of |total |percentage of
|financing limits|financing limits|all UDCs |block
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |31 |38 |82 |162 |19
1982-83 |41 |62 |66 |283 |14
1983-84 |62 |94 |66 |325 |19
1984-85 |58 |88 |66 |450 |13
1985-86 |57 |86 |66 |436 |13
1986-87 |65 |<2>89 |73 |429 |15
1987-88 |83 |134 |62 |483 |17
1988-89 |116 |<2>234 |50 |559 |25
1989-90 |256 |436 |59 |<3>760 |34
1990-91<4> |333 |550 |61 |905 |37
<1> Includes for 1984-85 onwards other Government Departments' contributions to the Urban Programme.
<2> LDDC and Merseyside were the only UDCs until February 1987. Four second generation UDCs were set up in 1987 in
England and the four third generation UDCs in 1988-89.
<3> Includes City Action teams, transferred from DTI during 1989-90.
<4> Current provision.
Industrial Relocation
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans for environmental grants for new buildings to encourage industrial relocation out of residential urban areas.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 11 February 1991] : I have no such plans, but urban development corporations have powers to offer a range of grants to businesses relocating in their areas. Environmental improvement is a key element of such redevelopment.
Refuse-derived Fuel
Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Thurrock, Official Report, 29 January, columns 472-73, if he will make it his policy to (a) consult the private sector on the best use of the powers of derogation and (b) ensure that all legislation and regulations ultimately controlled by his Department encourage both the development and use of refuse-derived fuels as an economically viable commodity and do not add to its cost in the medium term.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 12 February 1991] : As regards consultation, I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 21 January, Official Report, column 87 . The Government's policy is to encourage the recycling and productive use of waste, where possible, but I am not in a position to give general assurances of the kind sought about the effect of legislation for which my Department is responsible.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Parole
Mr. Malins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to announce his decision in relation to the parole board's recommendation in the case of Dennis Stafford.
Mrs. Rumbold : Mr. Stafford has already been notified of this decision.
Animal Experiments
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many scientific procedures were carried out on animals in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in 1989 ; (2) what response he has made to the criticisms contained within the RSPCA/FRAME report on the use of non-human primates as laboratory animals in Britain ; and whether he has any plans to implement its main recommendations ;
(3) how the likely benefits of a procedure are assessed when considering a project licence application under section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 ; whether any assessment is made concerning how useful the product to be tested will be once marketed ; and how project licences issued for the testing of cosmetics have been justified under this section.
Mrs. Rumbold : I have nothing to add to the replies which I gave to similar questions from the hon. Member on 11 December, at columns 348-49.
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Refugees
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take to ensure that asylum-seekers are granted comprehensive advice on asylum procedures and information on agencies and refugee community organisations upon their arrival in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government provide 25 per cent. of the funding of the refugee unit of the United Kingdom immigration advisory service for the purpose of advising asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. I am satisfied that the present arrangements for informing asylum seekers of the advice available from the United Kingdom immigration advisory service are adequate.
Public Order Act
Mr. Nicholls : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has completed his evaluation of section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Hicks) on 6 February 1991, at column 141.
Bail Hostels
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations were undertaken by the probation service with the residents of Elworth prior to the recent submission of an application to open a bail hostel within the village.
Mr. John Patten : I understand that Cheshire probation service began consultation with local residents after the planning application was submitted to Congleton borough council but before the formal planning committee meeting on 4 December 1990 when planning permission was refused.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by individuals resident in bail hostels at the time of the offence in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. John Patten : The information is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria upon which potential sites for bail hostels are assessed by the probation service.
Mr. John Patten : Local probation services assess potential sites for bail hostels on the basis of a range of factors such as the level of unmet demand for bail places in the surrounding area ; the availability of suitable properties in terms of size, price and ease of management ; the proximity of amenities and public transport links ; the general character of the area and the likelihood of planning consent being granted.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will visit the village of Elworth to meet local residents to discuss the proposal to site a bail hostel in the village.
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Mr. John Patten : The role of the Home Office in these matters is confined to approval of proposals that new hostels should be set up and their funding. It falls to local probation committees to choose the particular sites, negotiate purchases, consult the neighbours and apply for the relevant planning consents. I understand that Cheshire probation service is already discussing its proposal to site a bail hostel in Elworth with local residents and representatives. I hope that discussions can continue on this basis.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is given by the probation service to the proximity of primary schools when assessing potential sites for use as bail hostels.
Mr. John Patten : The proximity of a primary school or schools may be one of many factors which local probation services need to consider when assessing a potential site for use as a bail hostel.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is given by the probation service to the proximity of clubs and societies for senior citizens when assessing potential sites for use as bail hostels.
Mr. John Patten : The proximity of such clubs or societies may be one of many factors which local probation services may need to consider when assessing a site for use as a bail hostel.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is given by the probation service to local employment opportunities for inmates when assessing potential sites for use as bail hostels.
Mr. John Patten : Unemployed bailees can experience difficulty in finding local jobs because the average period of residence on bail is only a few weeks. In general terms, the local probation service would, therefore, look first of all for good public transport links so that hostel residents already in work could, wherever possible, retain their existing employment.
Prisons (Farm Land)
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing, in respect of each prison establishment listed in appendix 3 to the report of the work of the prison service April 1989 to March 1990, the acreage of farm land attached to it.
Mrs. Rumbold : The information is as follows :
Establishment |Acres ------------------------------------------------- Blantyre House |2 Blundeston |15 Buckley Hall |76 Bullwood Hall |14 Camp Hill |198 Channings Wood |14 Dartmoor |1,368 East Sutton Park |51 Erlestoke House |12 Everthorpe |274 Featherstone |393 Gartree |86 Guys Marsh |30 Hatfield |606 Hewell Grange |105 Hindley |38 Hollesley Bay Colony |1,200 Kirkham |400 Leyhill |24 Lindholme |357 Littlehey |69 Lowdham Grange |357 New Hall |129 Northallerton |4 North Sea Camp |868 Onley |280 Portland |165 Rudgate |19 Spring Hill |10 Standford Hill |196 Stocken Hall |412 Swinfen Hall |81 Usk |237 The Verne |168 Werrington |32 Whatton |17 Wymott |69
Establishments not listed have no farmland attached.
Annual Report Costs
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Home Office annual report 1991 cost to produce and distribute.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The costs of printing, publishing and distribution were borne by Her Majesty's Stationery Office which aims to recover its costs from sales revenue.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Higher Education
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many educational institutions had (a) not set criteria for payment of access funds and (b) not paid out access funds by 31 December 1990.
Mr. Alan Howarth : These are matters for the institutions concerned. The information is not held centrally.
Nursery Education
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice his Department gives to those local education authorities who are considering charging for nursery education.
Mr. Eggar : Under Section 106 of the Education Reform Act 1988, charges cannot be made for admission to maintained schools or for education provided for registered pupils at maintained schools during school hours.
Inner-city Sport
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the reasons for the delay in publishing a clear and comprehensive statement of the Government's overall objectives for sport and recreation in inner-city areas ; and when such a statement will be published.
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Mr. Atkins : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 5 February 1991, Official Report, column 131.
Students
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which colleges of higher education have expressed opposition to the implementation of top-up fees for students in their institutions.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The setting of fees is properly for individual higher education institutions. Information is not collected about their views on appropriate fee levels.
Child Abuse
Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon), first met Ms. Esther Rantzen to discuss child abuse ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, when he first met Ms. Esther Rantzen to discuss child abuse ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : My officials and I met Ms. Rantzen on 26 November, not in October, as alleged in an article in The People, dated 10 February. She told us of some material which she thought might warrant investigation. It was not until 20 December we had sufficient material from her office to investigate. Any allegation of this kind relating to teachers' misconduct is investigated urgently and thoroughly.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Beer
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of beer will apply to Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : In its report on the supply of beer in the United Kingdom published on 21 March 1989 the Monopolies and Mergers Commission looked at the market in Northern Ireland. The commission noted that the markets in Scotland and Northern Ireland differed in some respects from those in England and Wales, but that in others were similar. The commission concluded that the characteristics of those markets were not so different as to warrant separate regulation. The Supply of Beer Orders made following the report therefore apply equally to Northern Ireland and Scotland as to other parts of the United Kingdom.
Rugby
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the question of interference by the English Rugby Football Union with the commercial activities of individual English international players.
Mr. Redwood : I have no plans to do so. It does not seem to me that these matters are capable of being dealt with under the competition legislation for which the Director General of Fair Trading is responsible.
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Film Industry
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the basis used to calculate the current funding for British film screen finance.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 11 February 1991] : The current Government grant for British Screen Finance Limited--BSF--was set after discussions with the company about the level of funding required to administer its support schemes for feature film production, short films and script development. The £2 million annual grant announced in July 1989 by the then Secretary of State for three years from 1991 also took account for the loans received from BSF's private sector shareholders.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the name and date of appointment of each Minister within his Department who has had responsibility for the British film industry since 1979.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 February 1991] : The names of the Ministers who have had responsibility for film policy since 1979 and the dates on which they were first appointed to the Department are as follows :
Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes (4 May 1979), right hon. Norman Tebbit (7 May 1979), right hon. Kenneth Baker (5 January 1981), Lord Trefgarne (5 August 1981), Iain Sproat (30 September 1981), right hon. Norman Lamont (30 September 1981), John Butcher (6 April 1982), right hon. Sir Geoffrey Pattie (10 September 1984), Robert Atkins (15 August 1987), Eric Forth (25 July 1988) and Lord Hesketh (23 July 1990). Responsibility for film policy does not necessarily coincide with the date of appointment to the Department.
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy that advice and counselling for civil servants employed by ECGD on their future career options should be provided from sources outside that department.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 12 February 1991] : ECGD staff are able to seek advice and counselling on career matters within the Department in the usual way. They are also free to seek advice from other sources if they wish.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he has made to provide advice and counselling for civil servants employed within the ECGD, and in particular those in the insurance services group, on their future career options in the light of Government's policy to privatise the ECGD.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 12 February 1991] : The ECGD has provided all its staff with a summary of their existing terms and conditions of employment, including pensions, to help them compare the terms and conditions which will be offered by the prospective owners of the privatised company. The ECGD has also arranged a series of career decision workshops to help staff in their approach to the issues involved in decisions about their future careers. When the private sector terms and conditions on offer are known, the Government Actuary's department will express a view about their compliance with the requirements of the Transfer of Undertakings
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(Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and this will be transmitted to staff. All ECGD staff are, of course, able to take advantage of the Department's normal facilities for career guidance and counselling.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
NATO Science Programme
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money the Foreign Office has contributed towards the NATO science programme in each of the last 10 years ; and if he has any plans to stop this contribution.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The NATO science programme is a co-operative international programme for advancing the frontiers of civil science through high-level basic research. It benefits all members of the alliance. It has recently increased its links with scientists in central and eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Figures for the overall programme and the United Kingdom contribution in the last 10 years are as follows :
Total NATO |United Kingdom |United Kingdom science programme |share in per cent.|share in Belgian budget in Belgian |(paid by FCO) |francs francs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980 |423,500,000 |19.50 |82,582,500 1981 |507,000,000 |19.50 |98,865,000 1982 |575,000,000 |19.50 |112,125,000 1983 |712,000,000 |19.50 |138,840,000 1984 |778,000,000 |18.82 |146,419,000 1985 |818,000,000 |18.82 |153,947,600 1986 |854,000,000 |18.82 |160,722,800 1987 |871,000,000 |18.82 |163,922,200 1988 |905,000,000 |18.82 |170,321,000 1989 |932,500,000 |18.82 |175,496,500 1990 |970,000,000 |18.82 |182,554,000
We have no plans to stop the United Kingdom contribution to the NATO science programme.
HEALTH
Embryology Authority
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the embryology authority to assume its full powers and commence its work.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority started work when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act received Royal Assent in November last year. The authority is currently planning the arrangements which need to be in place by the time it assumes its full powers and commences licensing.
I announced today in my speech to the Interim Licensing Authority's annual meeting for infertility treatment centres and ethics committees, that an order will be laid shortly which will enable the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to assume its full powers on 1 August this year.
Cancelled Operations
Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled in national health service hospitals during the current financial year.
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Mr. Dorrell : In the year ending 31 March 1990 provisional figures show that an estimated 315,000 operations did not take place at the originally appointed time. During that year the national health service completed 8.6 million in-patient and day-patient treatments- -an increase of 3 per cent. over the previous year and 30 per cent. over 1979.Blood Products
Mr. Bellotti : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information the Medicines Control Agency has on the import of unlicensed high purity factor VIII products for the treatment of haemophilia A patients.
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