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Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the proportion of local government income, and the amount, which comes from charges or fees payable by users of local authority services ; what are the average figures for local authorities ; and what is the range of such figures.
Mr. Key : The latest year for which information is available on the levels of fees and charges is 1988-89. The total amount of income met from fees and charges, excluding rents, over all accounts in 1988-89 for the English local authorities was £3,584 million. This represented 8 per cent. of total revenue income for that year. The average income from fees and charges for all the English local authorities, including the passenger transport authorities, waste regulation and disposal authorities etc., was £7,239,000. The range spanned a minimum of less than £1,000 to a maximum of £90,211,000 for ILEA.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authority income was provided or will be provided for each year from 1979-80 to 1991-92 by (a) rate or revenue support grant, (b) domestic rates or poll tax, and (c) non-domestic rates or receipts from the non-domestic rate pool, for (i) the York city council area and (ii) England as a whole.
Mr. Key [holding answer 19 February 1991] : Under the old system of local government finance rate support grant was not paid in respect of local authority areas. It is not possible to estimate the proportion of rate support grant paid to North Yorkshire county council which relates to the area of York city council. The estimated amounts of rate income for the area are shown in the table :
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York City Council ----------------------- 1983-84 |6.6 |9.4 1984-85 |7.2 |10.2 1985-86 |7.9 |10.9 1986-87 |9.3 |12.7 1987-88 |10.7|14.4 1988-89 |12.1|16.5 1989-90 |13.6|18.3 No figures are available for rate income for York city council before 1983-84.
Street Naming
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to transfer responsibilities for street naming to town, community, and parish councils ; and what representations he has received on the subject.
Mr. Key : No, and none ; but the topic could be relevant to the current review of local government.
Action for Cities
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the results to date of the campaign Action for Cities, launched in March 1988.
Mr. Key : Good progress has been made in regenerating our inner cities under the Action for Cities initiative, with Government expenditure input of over £10 billion since 1988. In partnership with the private sector, substantial investment has taken place in new factories, shopping centres, roads and other infrastructure and in treating derelict land, thus improving the quality of life for people in our inner cities and creating important new employment and training opportunities. Long-term unemployment in the inner cities has nearly halved since March 1988.
The Government, through the city action teams and inner city task forces, are continuing to work with local government, the private and voluntary sectors and with local people to build on that success.
Land Reclamation
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans his Department has to promote the use of sewage sludge in land reclamation schemes.
Mr. Baldry : Full-scale experimental reclamation proposals have been carried out in recent years by several water companies in England and Wales. In addition the water research centre, in consultation with the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has in hand the preparation of an advisory code of practice on the use of sewage sludge in land restoration.
Air Pollution
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans regularly to publish figures of the costs and benefits of measures to reduce air pollution.
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Mr. Baldry : My Department has a substantial research programme on the effects of air pollution and the costs and benefits of possible approaches to the abatement of these. Results of research projects are published whenever appropriate.British Waterways Board
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the reasons for the British Waterways Board's decision no longer to set targets for revenue from leisure, freight and estates for years after 1990-91 in his Department's annual report.
Mr. Baldry : Ministers set annual targets for a range of performance indicators agreed with the British Waterways Board (BWB). The previous set of performance indicators are being reviewed in the light of the board's move to regional management and the Government's endorsement of the integrated business strategy in February 1990. Income from leisure, freight and estates is incorporated in the figures for internally generated income in the table at figure 16 in the Department's 1991 annual report.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has received of income to British Waterways from the disposal of estates for the next four years.
Mr. Baldry : Estimates of income from all sources for the next four financial years will be provided in the British Waterways Board's (BWB) 1991 corporate plan. The plan is not published, but the Government's decisions about the Exchequer grant and borrowing limits for BWB in 1992-93 onwards, which will be announced in the autumn, will be based on its assessment of the board's projected income and expenditure. Income from disposal of assets is shown in the board's annual report and accounts.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent he took the state of the property market into account when determining revenue grant to British Waterways.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 1 March 1991] : British Waterways Board grant settlements take account of all relevant factors.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all sites of special scientific interest associated with waterways administered by British Waterways.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 28 February 1991] : This information is not available centrally, but the Nature Conservancy Council's memorandum to the Environment Select Committee in February 1989 gave details of some 110 km of 19 British Waterways Board waterways notified as sites of special scientific interest (the Fifth Report from the Environment Committee--Session 1988-89, Appendix 16 (HC 237)).
Sewage
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the locations of sea sewage outfalls in Cornwall ; what are the quantities of treated and untreated sewage discharged at each location ; and at what distance from the high water mark.
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Mr. Baldry : Details of these discharges are available from the south-west regional office of the National Rivers Authority.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a list of those viruses which are not destroyed by primary treatment at a sewage treatment works ; and the proportion of total viruses which are not destroyed by primary treatment.
Mr. Baldry : The report by Consultants in Environmental Sciences Ltd. into coastal sewage discharges indicates that primary treatment removes up to 50 per cent. of viruses. The report, which was commissioned by my Department, has been placed in the Library. Further discussion on this subject is contained in the Environment Select Committee's fourth report on pollution of beaches.
Property Services Agency
Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used by the Property Services Agency in selecting new office accommodation ; and what factors influenced their decision to select accommodation in Newton Abbot rather than Torquay.
Mr. Yeo : The Property Services Agency now acts only as the agent of the Department which commission new office accommodation. In the case of a jointly occupied building, this will normally be the Department of the Environment, through its property holdings directorate.
The location of new office accommodation depends on the requirements of the occupying Departments. The proposed new building in Newton Abbott is intended to house three Departments, which each have a specific requirment to serve the Newton Abbott area.
Boat Owners
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement of the level of protection for residential boat owners.
Mr. Yeo : Residential boat owners are protected by the terms of their contracts, if any, with the owner of the mooring at which their boat is kept. Their protection may also be subject to local Acts and byelaws.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many residential boat owners, both licensed and unlicensed, moor their craft on waterways administered by the British Waterways Board.
Mr. Baldry : The British Waterways Board licensed 173 houseboats in 1989-90. No figures are available for unlicensed houseboats.
British Waterways Bill
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on the British Waterways Bill.
Mr. Baldry : Since this Private Bill was deposited on27 November last year, 56 letters have been received, most of which are of a circular nature. The representations largely concern the proposals for dealing with the control
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of moorings and craft construction standards. Since the Bill's provisions are matters for the British Waterways Board, correspondents have been advised to pursue their concerns directly with them or through the appropriate Private Bill Office.Benzene
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has on the levels of airborne benzene at various locations within the United Kingdom ;
(2) what information he has on airborne benzene levels in countries other than the United Kingdom.
Mr. Baldry : The averages of hourly concentrations of benzene in air, measured in the Department's air quality research programme in 1982-83 were : 1.6 parts per billion (ppb) at a rural site, 2.7 ppb at a site by a busy motorway and 9.3 ppb by a major road in a city centre. The maximum hourly means measured at the three sites were 6 ppb, 12.7 ppb and 26.4 ppb respectively.
The levels found in the United Kingdom are consistent with measurements reported elsewhere. The United States Environmental Protection Agency report mean concentrations of 2.8 ppb in urban areas, 1.8 ppb in suburban areas and 0.16 ppb in remote rural areas. A mean concentration of 2.6 ppb has been reported for Sydney, Australia.
Petrol Pumps
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation to make vapour recovery petrol pumps mandatory at filling stations.
Mr. Baldry : Pollution from petrol vapour will be much reduced by the proposed EC car standards directive to come into force in 1992. The Government's White Paper on the Environment "This Common Inheritance" commits the Government to working with the vehicle and fuel industries to achieve further improvements. The European Commission is expected soon to bring forward proposals for reducing petrol vapour emissions along the marketing chain and we propose to review what further action is necessary in the United Kingdom in the light of these proposals.
Planning Appeals
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning appeals there have been in each of the last five years ; and what has been the cost of their administration.
Mr. Yeo : The information requested is set out in the table. The administrative costs column relates only to costs incurred in the planning inspectorate. Other costs are incurred elsewhere in the Department and planning authorities. Information on these is not readily available.
Year |Appeals |Appeals |Appeals |Administrative
|received |withdrawn |decided |costs
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |17,839 |2,143 |14,130 |5.405
1986-87 |19,856 |2,533 |15,613 |6.109
1987-88 |22,482 |3,173 |18,474 |6.981
1988-89 |28,659 |4,257 |21,061 |10.274
1989-90 |32,281 |4,627 |26,481 |11.414
Vacant Land
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses he has had to the consultation paper "Encouraging The Use of Vacant Public Sector Land" ; and what steps have been taken to analyse the information received.
Mr. Yeo : We have received 111 responses and are being analysed in the context of our current consideration of policy options. I am arranging for a list of respondents to be placed in the Library shortly.
Planning Controls
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider strengthening planning controls and regulations on developers to include environmental concerns.
Mr. Yeo : Environmental concerns must already be taken into account by local planning authorities when determining any planning application in so far as they are material to that application. The Government's planning policy guidance emphasises the importance of such concerns, and identifies some of the matters which must, where relevant, be taken into account. The Government will continue to review that guidance, as promised in the Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1200).
The Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 require environmental assessment as part of the planning process for many development proposals which are likely to have significant environmental effects. These regulations implement directive 85/337/EEC for this purpose.
Environmental Impact Assessments
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to put environmental impact assessment on a statutory basis.
Mr. Yeo : The Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 (SI No. 1199) require environmental assessment for a wide range of projects where they are likely to have significant environmental effects. These regulations, and other statutory instruments made under the European Communities Act 1972, implement directive 85/337/EEC.
My noble Friend Lady Blatch has undertaken to consider the principle of an amendment to the Planning and Compensation Bill which would enable the Secretary of State to add to the categories of project which are subject to planning control and which require environmental assessment.
Land Register
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the number of additional acres which would be added to the register if all public and private land had to be shown on the register.
Mr. Yeo : I assume that my hon. Friend is referring only to unused and underused land.
A total of 82,400 acres of unused and underused land owned by the public sector in England was recorded as
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being on the register at 30 September 1989. Since that date the register has been maintained only selectively, for the purpose of considering directions to dispose of such land.No figure is available for the total amount of public and private unused and underused land. It is estimated at present that there are approximately 150,000 acres of vacant land in urban areas, but there is no basis for estimating the amount of such land outside urban areas or the amount of underused land in England as a whole which is not included in this figure.
Wild Birds
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act, in order to prohibit the all-year killing of wild birds in Britain.
Mr. Baldry : The Act permits the killing at any time only of those species listed in part 2 of schedule 2. These species can cause widespread agricultural damage or threaten public health or air safety. The Act implements the objectives of the European Community directive on wild birds to which the Government are fully committed. We have urged the European Commission to propose an amendment to the directive which will establish that member states may operate sensible pest control practices where this would not endanger the conservation of the species.
Magpies
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has received concerning the impact of magpies on song bird populations ;
(2) what assessment he has made of which particular song birds are most at risk from magpie predation.
Mr. Baldry : Population levels of magpies have been monitored by the British Trust for Ornithology under contract to the Nature Conservancy Council. The trust found a substantial increase in magpie numbers between 1966 and 1986 and no evidence that magpie numbers had any deleterious effect overall on song bird populations and breeding success in the areas studied.
Land Disposal
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consult the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and other voluntary organisations concerning the drafting of amendments to the general authorisation issued under section 152 of the Water Act 1989 concerning the disposal of land in a national park, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, an area of outstanding natural beauty or a site of special scientific interest.
Mr. Baldry : Consultation is taking place with the Countryside Commission and the Nature Conservancy Council and they in turn will take full account of the views expressed to them by voluntary conservation bodies about the operation of the existing general authorisation.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will state the conservation, access and recreation criteria which are applied when entering into a covenant with a company holding an appointment
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under chapter 1 part II of the Water Act 1989 for the purposes set out in section 152(7) of that Act or directing the disposal to a specified person under section 152(5)(a) of that Act where the land has not been acquired compulsorily.Mr. Baldry : In exercising his powers under section 152 the Secretary of State must fulfil the duties in relation to the environment and recreation placed on him by section 8 of the Act.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what minor transactions he intends to exclude from the conditions applied in the general authorisation issued under section 152 of the Water Act 1989 concerning the disposal of land, or interests or rights in or over that land, which is situated in a national park, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, an area of outstanding natural beauty or a site of special scientific interest.
Mr. Baldry : The review of the general authorisation is still in progress, and conclusions have not yet been reached.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to seek Parliament's approval for the text of any revision or alteration to the general authorisation issued under section 152 of the Water Act 1989 concerning the disposal of land in a national park, the Norfolk and Suffolk broads, an area of outstanding natural beauty or a site of special scientific interest.
Mr. Baldry : No. The Act does not require that.
Canal Towpaths
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to secure continued access to the towpaths of canals owned by the British Waterways Board for cyclists and pedestrians.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 1 March 1991] : The Government's objectives for BWB require the board to promote the fullest practicable use of the waterways for leisure, recreation and amenity. The aim of the board's integrated business strategy, endorsed by Government, is to enhance the value of the network for the benefits of all users.
Water Contact Sports
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the National Rivers Authority regarding the introduction of appropriate water quality objectives for water contact sports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 1 March 1991] : We have asked the National Rivers Authority to advise the Department about the establishment of the new system of statutory water quality objectives provided for under the Water Act 1989 and discussions on this are continuing. As part of the preparatory work for the new system, consideration is being given to the setting of appropriate standards for the range of uses for which waters are expected to be suitable. The needs of water contact sports will be taken into account in this process.
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Jobs, Leeds
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment further to his answer of 22 February, Official Report, column 284, if he will break down by sector (a) the 5,241 permanent jobs created in the Leeds development corporation area between June 1988 and March 1990 and (b) the expected 885 jobs in the year to 31 March.
Mr. Key [holding answer 1 March 1991] : A breakdown, by sector, of the permanent jobs created in the Leeds development corporation's area between designation in June 1988 and the end of March 1990 and in 1990-91 is not available. The Department does not require UDCs to collect information in this detail.
Single Homeless Initiative
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on (a) the number of properties on which short-term leases had been entered into, (b) the number of empty housing association properties that had been repaired and (c) the number of properties that had been purchased as at 31 December 1990 under the single homeless initiative announced by the Minister for Housing in June 1990 ; and how many single homeless people have been assisted as a result.
Sir George Young [holding answer 27 February 1991] : No transactions had been completed by December 31 1990, but for rough sleepers or those who would otherwise be sleeping rough, 70 private sector leasing places are now available, with a total of 500 expected by the end of March. The Housing Corporation has approved expenditure of £3.3 million to provide 220 places in repaired housing association properties ; £7 million has been allocated to provide 200 places in purchased properties. These figures exclude the 586 extra places in direct access hostels approved for funding under the initiative.
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Bathing Waters
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the report on research conducted by Lancaster university's environmental epidemiology department at Blackpool ; and whether he intends to consult with the North West Water Company, on action to be taken in respect of the sea off Blackpool.
Mr. Trippier : I have recently received a copy of the report on Lancaster university's research which complements similar studies by the Department over the past two years. The Department will continue to take a close interest in progress on North West Water's comprehensive improvements to bathing waters on the Fylde coast which should be completed as quickly as possible.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Regional Incentive Expenditure
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to restore the level of regional incentive expenditure to that of 1979.
Mr. Leigh : We have no plans to make changes to regional industrial policy. The Government remain committed to an effective regional industrial policy and will continue to make the necessary resources available.
Engineering Trade Balance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the annual trade balance of the engineering sector in each year from 1979 to 1990 ; and what are the comparable figures for West Germany over the same years.
Mr. Leigh : The information is in the table. Figures for Germany for 1990 are not available.
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£ billion
United Kingdom crude trade balance<1> in Federal Republic of Germany's crude trade
engineering<2> balance in engineering
|Exports to |Imports from |Trade balance|Exports to |Imports from |Trade balance
|the world |the world |the world |the world
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |9.8 |7.4 |+2.4 |23.3 |9.2 |+14.1
1980 |11.5 |7.7 |+3.7 |22.8 |9.9 |+12.9
1981 |11.9 |8.9 |+3.0 |23.1 |9.9 |+13.2
1982 |13.0 |10.9 |+2.1 |26.7 |11.1 |+15.7
1983 |12.9 |13.3 |-0.4 |29.3 |13.4 |+15.9
1984 |15.5 |16.4 |-0.9 |33.4 |16.1 |+17.4
1985 |18.0 |18.4 |-0.4 |38.7 |18.6 |+20.1
1986 |18.3 |19.4 |-1.1 |48.1 |22.8 |+25.3
1987 |20.2 |22.3 |-2.1 |51.7 |25.4 |+26.3
1988 |22.9 |26.2 |-3.3 |52.1 |26.8 |+25.3
1989 |26.7 |30.4 |-3.7 |59.5 |33.2 |+26.3
1990 |29.6 |30.5 |-0.9 |<3>- |<3>- |<3>-
<1> The crude trade balance is exports (FOB) less imports (CIF).
<2> SITC divisions 71 to 77.
<3> Not available.
Source: United Kingdom data from OTS.
Federal Republic of Germany data from OECD series C.
Property Identification
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is the policy of his Department to mark property with an indelible mark or similar means of identification.
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Mr. Leigh : An exercise was undertaken in 1987 when some 3,000 items of equipment, ranging from computers, typewriters, video recorders and facsimile machines, had identification markings applied to them.
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Since then, smaller, easily removable items of IT office equipment, such as telephones, portable PCs, and so on, have a marking applied to them.In the context of IT and office equipment the issue of potential theft is under continuing review as part of our security policy.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of officers in each grade (1-7) and overall in the Department are (a) women and (b) from ethnic minorities, respectively.
Mr. Leigh : The figures as at 28 February 1991 are :
Grade |Number |Percentage
--------------------------------------------
(a) Women
G1 |Nil |-
G2 |Nil |-
G3 |4 |7.5
G4 |2 |25.0
G5 |29 |14.0
G6 |19 |10.4
G7 |116 |12.9
All staff |5,795 |44.6
(b) Ethnic minorities (from 87 per cent. res
survey)
G1-4 |Nil |-
G5 |2 |1.0
G6 |5 |2.7
G7 |17 |1.9
All staff |1,180 |9.1
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to recruit members of ethnic minorities in top grades of employment at his Department.
Mr. Leigh : On those few occasions when the DTI recruits senior grades directly, the Department makes clear in its advertisements that it is an equal opportunity employer. Normally, however, the Civil Service Commission conducts recruitment to senior grades on the Department's behalf. The commission has taken a number of measures to aid recruitment of members of the ethnic minorities. It has, for example, increased representation of ethnic minorities in liaison and selection panels, and appointed an Asian woman as a part-time commissioner.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department last conducted a survey of the ethnic origins of its employees ; when it next plans to do so ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : A voluntary ethnic survey of DTI staff was completed in April 1988, and the resulting database is continuously updated. There is a current positive response rate of 87 per cent. As part of this Department's programme of action on race we intend, in 1991-92, to examine again the ethnic origin database to establish whether an improvement in the response rate is possible.
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