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Recycling Credits
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report on recycling credits produced for his Department by Touche Ross management consultants ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridgeshire, South-East (Mr. Paice).
EC Environment Council
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the outcome of the European Community Environment Council on 18 March ; and what progress was made towards green labelling.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher (Mr. Taylor) on 20 March, Official Report, column 129. The discussion on eco-labelling revealed widespread general support for the Commission's proposal, but reservations from a number of member states, including the United Kingdom, about the structures and procedures for administering the scheme. We made clear our concern that the proposal should be agreed as soon as possible and look forward to significant progress at the next meeting of the Council.
Radioactive Substances
Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on cost recovery charges for regulation of radioactive substances.
Mr. Trippier : The Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides for the introduction of charges to cover the costs incurred by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution--HMIP--and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food--MAFF--in regulating the holding of radioactive material, and the accumulation and disposal of radioactive waste, under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. With the agreement of the Treasury and the consent of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Wales have now made a scheme of fees and charges, to take effect from 1 April 1991. I have placed a copy of the scheme in the Library.
Last July, the Government published a consultation document inviting comments on proposed charging arrangements, with fees and charges based on a division of premises into four "bands" designed to relate the level of charges to the amount of regulatory effort involved. The Department received 17 responses on the proposals, a list of which has been placed in the Library. Copies of individual responses may be obtained through the Library.
Respondents generally endorsed the banded structure, and the scheme now made operates on this basis. Band 1
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and 2 premises--BNFL Sellafield and the 30 or so nuclear power stations and other premises subject to licensing under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965--will be charged individually on the basis of the actual regulatory time and costs incurred. Charges for band 3 and 4 operators will be on the basis of a series of flat-rate fees, for consideration of applications for authorisation or registration, for the subsequent variation of an authorisation or registration, and annual subsistence charges for holding each authorisation or registration to cover the on-going costs of inspection, monitoring and oversight.For band 3 operators--for example, major laborator-ies, major industrial users--the application and variation fees will be £800, and the annual subsistence charge £400. For band 4 operators--for example, smaller industrial users--the application and variation fees will be £300. The annual subsistence charge will be £75, but this will apply only to those holding larger closed sources. The majority of band 4 operators, holding smaller, closed sources, will not pay any annual charge, since these sources do not require routine inspection. HMIP and MAFF will closely monitor their regulatory expenditure, and at the end of the financial year accounts and information on charge income and regulatory costs will be published.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the latest appropriate figures for (a) rate support grant per head, (b ) business rate income per head, (c) total aggregate extended finance per head, (d) spending per head, (e) total aggregate spending and (f) population for each local authority in England.
Mr. Key [holding answer 20 March 1991] : I am arranging for the available information for 1991-92 to be placed in the Library of the House. Information on total aggregate finance and spending, which include specific grants, will not be available until authorities send in their detailed budget returns to the Department.
Mr. Lawson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the proportion of total local government spending accounted for by (a) education, (b) the police, (c) other services at present provided by county councils and (d) services provided by district councils.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 22 March 1991] : The information requested is as follows :
Total Local Authority Net Current Expenditure
|Budget Estimates 1990-91
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Percentage
Education (all authorities) |46.3
Police (all authorities) |11.9
Other services (county councils) |13.4
All services (non-metropolitan district councils) |8.1
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what central grants were paid in 1990-91 and will be paid in 1991-92 (a) in total to each of the councils of Wandsworth, Westminster and Coventry and (b) per capita to Coventry.
Mr. Key [holding answer 22 March 1991] : Amounts of revenue support grant, adjusted for safety net, special grants and the community charge grant are as follows :
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|1990-91 |1991-92
|£ Million|£ Million
------------------------------------------------------------
Wandsworth |153.1 |192.8
Westminster |114.0 |162.8
Coventry |84.0 |111.8
£/Head of relevant population
Coventry |385 |503
In addition authorities receive transitional relief grant, community charge benefit grant and other specific grants. Information on the amounts payable for 1990-91 are as follows ; information for 1991-92 will not be available until authorities send in their detailed budget returns to the Department.
|1990-91
|£ Million
--------------------------------------------------
Wandsworth |11.1
Westminster |7.3
Coventry |32.4
£/Head of relevant population
Coventry |148
Service Personnel
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will exclude service men and women from any new charges in relation to local government finance.
Mr. Key [holding answer 25 March 1991]: It is our intention that the proposed new local tax will take account of the number of adults in a household and the value of the property. We will be consulting on the various options, including the coverage of the new tax.
United Nations Conference
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in the Official Report the key points of his speech on environment and development given to the conference, "What On Earth Is To Be Done", on 19 March.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 25 March 1991] : Copies of my right hon. Friend's speech on this occasion have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he met the Secretary General of the 1992 United Nations special conference on environment and development during his visit to London on 19 March.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 25 March 1991] : No, but my right hon. Friend has arranged to see Mr. Strong in London next month.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, during his visit to the conference, "What On Earth Is To Be Done", he discussed with the youth representative speakers the matters they raised in regard to the responsibilities of the developed nations to assist in environmental protection of the poorer nations.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 25 March 1991] : My right hon. Friend listened with interest to a number of speakers on such subjects.
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Charles Stewart Parnell (Statue)
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will discuss with the appropriate authorities arrangements to move the statue of Charles Stewart Parnell to a more prominent location on the Committee Floor.
Mr. MacGregor : I have arranged for the hon. Member's proposal to be brought to the attention of the Advisory Committee on Works of Art in the House of Commons chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, South (Mr. Cormack).
NATIONAL FINANCE
Pools Scheme
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the pools scheme to benefit the arts and sports will operate on a national or a regional basis.
Mr. Mellor : It will be for the trustees to determine the detailed method of operation of the foundation for sport and the arts once it has been established. However, I understand from the proposers that it is the intention that the foundation will operate throughout the United Kingdom.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who will determine, and distribute to the arts, the sums raised by the pools scheme announced in his Budget statement.
Mr. Mellor : It will be for the trustees to determine in detail how funds will be distributed once the foundation is established.
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Interest (Taxation)
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements the Inland Revenue is making to handle the increase in repayment claims which will result from changes in the taxation of bank and building society interest.
Mr. Maude : The Inland Revenue has undertaken an extensive publicity campaign to encourage all those who are eligible to register for payment of bank and building society interest without deduction of tax and so avoid the need to claim a repayment. Nevertheless, in the year 1992-93, the Inland Revenue needs to plan for a substantial increase in claims to repayment of tax deducted at source from interest and other investment income. The numbers are inevitably very uncertain, but could be well over 10 times the present annual total of around 800,000 claims.
It is likely that a high proportion of the claims will be made in the period from April to July each year. The Inland Revenue has had to look for a balance between the standards of service it can offer and the need to spread the work to some extent over the year, in order to keep costs down to a reasonable level. I have decided that the Inland Revenue should base its planning on the principle that the time taken to deal with any claim should not exceed three months. The Inland Revenue is setting up 24 new offices around the country to deal with the work. They will, of course, try to keep the time taken to process a claim to the minimum. But there may be occasions, especially in the period from April to July, when the volume of claims received makes it impossible to process them without delay.
Fixed-profit Car Scheme
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the tax-free mileage rates which will be used under the fixed- profit car scheme by the Inland Revenue for 1991-92.
Mr. Maude : The rates which will apply for 1991-92 are as follows : --
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|Cars up to 1000cc|Cars 1001-1500cc |Cars 1501-2000cc |Cars over 2000cc
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to 4,000 business miles |24.5p |30p |34p |45.0p
Over 4,000 business miles |11.0p |13p |16p |20.5p
An Inland Revenue press release is being issued today giving further details of the fixed-profit car scheme.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Climate Research
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the level of funding allocated in real terms over the next five years by the Natural Environment Research Council for climate research ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The science budget has been announced for the period up to 1993-94. Within its allocations, the Natural Environment Research Council is currently planning to spend the following on climate research in real terms :
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£ million at 1991-92 prices 1991-92 |1992-93|1993-94 -------------------------------- 31.0 |29.8 |27.5
Playing Fields
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of secondary schools in England and Wales ; how many of them intend to sell off playing fields over the next 18 months ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : The latest available figures show that there were 4, 208 maintained secondary schools in England and Wales in January 1990. Information on any plans to dispose of playing fields, either in part or whole, at these schools is not available to the Department. Minimum standards for playing fields at maintained schools are set
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out in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981. The disposal of surplus playing fields is a matter for the local education authorities concerned. We expect authorities to review the long-term need for such facilities before taking decisions on disposals.Football Grounds
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about admission prices to football grounds for youngsters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I have received two representations about admission prices to football grounds for youngsters attending away matches. The prices charged for admission to football matches are a matter for the football authorities and the individual clubs.
In-service Training
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what increase or decrease there has been or is proposed in in- service training by local education authorities in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; and what assessment he has made of the amount of in-service training (a) necessary and (b) being delivered relating to the national history curriculum.
Mr. Fallon : No figures are collected for the total volume of in- service training undertaken by local education authorities. It is for schools and local education authorities to decide how much training is required by their teachers in respect of any particular subject.
Single-sex Schools
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on single-sex educational provision in boroughs with multi-ethnic populations.
Mr. Fallon : There is no statutory duty on local education authorities to provide single-sex schools, and it is for them to decide how to respond to parental preferences for such schools. When considering new proposals from authorities either to establish or to close single-sex schools, my right hon. and learned Friend will consider each case on its merits, taking into account the extent of parental demand for this type of provision.
National Curriculum (History)
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what account he took in setting out the standards to be achieved in the national history curriculum, of the difficulty of working-class children in getting access to museums ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The requirements of the national curriculum--including those of the order for history which my right hon. and learned Friend published yesterday--apply to all registered pupils of compulsory school age at maintained schools. It is for local education authorities, governing bodies and head teachers to exercise their functions under the Education Reform Act 1988 to make sure that those requirements are met, and they should ensure that all pupils are provided with all necessary learning opportunities. It is up to schools to decide how
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best to introduce their pupils to artefacts and historical sources. They may use their budgets to cover the cost of museum visits.Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to assure himself that primary school teachers have sufficient expertise and training in history to teach the national history curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : It is for schools and local education authorities to assure themselves that their teachers are equipped to deliver the national curriculum. The Government are providing support through their programme of specific grants and the National Curriculum Council and School Examinations and Assessment Council are also producing and disseminating curriculum guidance and in-service training materials.
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps have been taken to include the study of racial and sexual diversity in local, national and world links in the national history curriculum ; and what specific steps have been taken to enable local education authorities and local museums to train teachers in this aspect of the curriculum.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the order for national curriculum history published yesterday. This should enable pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of British, European and world history. Local education authorities are encouraged to have due regard to multicultural and equal opportunities aspects in drawing up their training programmes in relation to national curriculum foundation subjects.
Further Education Colleges
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those further education colleges which he has visited between his appointment as Secretary of State and Thursday 21 March.
Mr. Eggar : As Minister responsible for further education, I have visited the following colleges :
Enfield college
South Tyneside college
Manchester college of arts and technology
Hammersmith and West London college
Thomas Danby college
Capel Manor college
Bournville college
Wirral metropolitan college
North Tyneside college
Milton Keynes college
Tower Hamlets college
Keighley college
Solihull college of technology
Suffolk college of higher and further education
Tresham college
Supply Teachers
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the effectiveness for the administrative and resource arrangements allowing for the appointment of supply teachers to cover for teachers undertaking in-service training in connection with the national curriculum.
Mr. Fallon : It is for schools and local education authorities to manage and assess their arrangements for
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in-service training. The senior chief inspector's report for 1989-90 notes the problems they are facing and the ways in which they are tackling them. The Department has commissioned studies by the National Foundation for Educational Research and Sussex university on best practice in this area, which have been made available to local education authorities and will be placed in the Library.Polytechnics and Colleges (Land Disposal)
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what conditions are attached to the disposal of Exchequer-funded land and buildings by polytechnics and colleges.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The conditions are the same as those which have applied to universities since 1985, and allow the retention of the proceeds of the sale of Exchequer-funded land and buildings, within specified limits, without reference to the annual appropriation procedures. These conditions are among those set out in financial memoranda between the Department and the Universities Funding Council and Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, copies of which I am placing in the Library. PRIME MINISTER
Human Rights Abuse
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those occasions over the past year when Her Majesty's Government have made representations to Governments involved in the allied military coalition in the Gulf war concerning human rights abuses in their respective countries ; and if he will indicate the criteria adopted by the Government in deciding why and when such representations are made.
The Prime Minister : No. Where allegations of abuse are well founded the Governments concerned are in no doubt of our concerns. Our criteria for representations are set out in the foreign policy document "Human Rights in Foreign Policy", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Gulf War
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish an inquiry into the economic effects of the Gulf war upon the countries of sub -Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa and Bangladesh, the Republic of the Philippines and the Indian sub-continent.
The Prime Minister : The Government have studied the analysis produced by the International Monetary Fund, World bank and others on the economic effects of the Gulf war. We have supported the rapid steps taken by the international institutions to adapt their facilities to assist affected countries. Fortunately, the fall in oil prices at the outbreak of war, and the rapid conclusion of hostilities mean that the adverse effects will not be as severe as initially feared.
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Prime Minister what representations were received by Her Majesty's Government (a) from 2 August 1990 to 16 January 1991
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and (b) from 17 January to 8 February concerning the negative ecological consequences of military action in the Gulf ; from which organisations and individuals he received the representations ; and what response he made to each.The Prime Minister : Several thousand letters have been received on the subject of the illegal occupation of Kuwait by Iraq and its aftermath, including the ecological damage caused by deliberate release of oil into the Gulf and firing of the Kuwait oil fields.
Oil
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Prime Minister if he will propose an international scheme to make available oil at a substantially reduced price to the least developed states to assist them to restore the damage to their economies resulting from the Gulf war.
The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom has provided through the European Community some £60 million to Jordan, Turkey and Egypt, the states whose economies were most directly affected by the Gulf conflict. Given the size of our military role in the Gulf conflict we consider that the United Kingdom should not make a further financial contribution ; the burden should be shared by others. We have however encouraged the IMF and the World bank to make additional resources available on concessional terms to the poorest countries most affected. The IMF has made specific arrangements to compensate countries affected by higher oil prices. Where the international community is providing such assistance, it will enable those countries to maintain imports of oil at market prices. We believe that providing oil at reduced prices would lead to economic distortions and a wasteful use of energy.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Chicago Expo
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what fiscal incentives or grants are available to support British manufacturers wishing to exhibit at the Expo to be held on 8 April in Chicago.
Mr. Sainsbury : Normal terms of support provided for groups of British firms in overseas trade fairs were made available for the environmental technology Expo and the design engineering and plant engineering exhibitions which are part of the "national manufacturing week" in Chicago from 8 April 1991. The support takes the form of a subsidy of 50 per cent. of space and stand costs, together with assistance towards travel costs, for eligible companies.
A DTI-supported group will exhibit at the design engineering and plant engineering exhibitions, but there was insufficient demand from industry to justify support of a group at the environmental technology Expo.
Namibia
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the value of trade between Namibia and the United Kingdom in 1990-91, broken down by sector ;
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(2) what has been the total value of exports from the United Kingdom to Namibia since that country won its independence ; (3) what has been the total value of imports to the United Kingdom from Namibia since that country won its independence.Mr. Sainsbury : Information on trade with Namibia is published monthly in "Business Monitor MM20, Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is in the Library of the House. Tables ii--imports--and v-- exports--contain data for Namibia.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Ridley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total expenditure of the Department of Industry in 1979-80, and the total expenditure on the same votes in 1989-90, in real terms ; and what was the one expressed as a percentage of the other.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 25 March 1991] : The information requested is shown in the following table, taking equivalent Department of Trade and Industry programmes in 1989-90. Running costs have been excluded because, owing to changes in departmental organisation, these cannot be presented on a comparable basis.
£ million
|1979-80 |1989-90 |1989-90
|current |constant
|prices |prices
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Industry expenditure
(excluding running costs,
nationalised industries and public
corporations) |942 |830 |409
Nationalised industries |1,108 |-13 |-6
Public corporations |70 |0 |0
|--- |--- |---
Total |2,120 |817 |403
The sum of £409 million is 43 per cent. of £942 million and £403 million is 19 per cent. of £2,120 million.
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