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Column 539
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 23 May 1991
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Howbury Grange School
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received on the future of Howbury Grange school.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend has received two letters, both objecting to the proposed closure of Howbury Grange school.
School Premises Regulations
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in the review of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981 ; and when he expects to publish the results of the review.
Mr. Fallon : Work is currently in progress on a range of topics as part of the review, the results of which are likely to be available towards the end of next year.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what upper limit he will place on the proportion of schools eligible to achieve grant-maintained status, provided each school complies with his current criteria.
Mr. Eggar : None. All maintained primary and secondary schools are eligible to apply for grant-maintained status. We will judge each application which comes before us on its individual merits.
Edinburgh University
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a direct grant to the university of Edinburgh on condition that the Audobon bird manuscripts and editions are retained in perpetuity.
Mr. Alan Howarth : No. Universities are responsible for managing their own financial affairs, including the acquisition and disposal of assets.
Sport
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to publish the results of his review of Government policy on sport.
Mr. Atkins : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 30 November 1990 at columns 501-2, when I said that we aim to publish a statement of the Government's policies and priorities for sport in the summer.
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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Aid Budget
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table showing for each of the past 25 years, the proportion of gross national product which the United Kingdom has given by way of overseas aid.
Mrs. Chalker : Net official development assistance as a percentage of gross national product was as follows :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1965 |0.46
1966 |0.45
1967 |0.43
1968 |0.39
1969 |0.38
1970 |0.36
1971 |0.40
1972 |0.37
1973 |0.33
1974 |0.36
1975 |0.38
1976 |0.39
1977 |0.44
1978 |0.45
1979 |0.51
1980 |0.34
1981 |0.42
1982 |0.37
1983 |0.35
1984 |0.33
1985 |0.33
1986 |0.31
1987 |0.28
1988 |0.32
1989 |0.31
The figure for 1990 will be available in June.
Kurds
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will state what is the total value of the aid given by Her Majesty's Government to help the Kurds since the ending of the Gulf war ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : Since 4 April, British humanitarian assistance for Iraqi refugees, including our share of the EC emergency programme, totals £61.5 million.
Forests
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent the principles governing the management of Britain's own forests are applied to the management of forests overseas as criteria for determining eligibility of aid for specific projects.
Mrs. Chalker : The technical, environmental, social and economic issues involved in the management of tropical forests often differ from those involved in the management of British forests. In financing projects and programmes in developing countries in the forest sector, the ODA uses appraisal, design and management principles which it considers appropriate to issues involved. In doing so, the ODA draws on the expertise of its forestry advisers and, as appropriate, other expertise both in the United Kingdom and overseas.
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ENVIRONMENT
London Docklands
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the residential units completed in the London Docklands UDA since 1981 have been (a) built for sale, (b) built for rent by local authorities, (c) built for rent by housing associations and (d) built for other types of tenure ; if he will specify them ; and if he will provide similar figures for those residential units that have been built on London Docklands development corporation-owned land since 1981.
Mr. Key : Nearly a fifth of all new housing in the UDA is social housing of one sort or another, as shown in the table below.
F
|Total in UDA|On LDDC
|land
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) For sale |12,247 |6,498
(b) Local authority rented |804 |209
(c) Housing association rented |1,471 |985
(d) Other-shared ownership |560 |538
-self build |138 |137
|------- |-------
Total |15,220 |8,367
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide for each year since 1981, the total expenditure by the London Docklands development corporation on (a) the provision of the new units of social housing and (b) housing improvements or refurbishment.
Mr. Key [pursuant to his answer, 8 May 1991, Official Report, c. 519] : The information is provided in the tables
(a) New social housing units
|£ million
------------------------------------
1981-82 |0.0
1982-83 |0.0
1983-84 |3.3
1984-85 |0.0
1985-86 |0.0
1986-87 |0.0
1987-88 |0.0
1988-89 |50.5
1989-90 |43.7
1990-91 |27.0
|----
Total |<1>124.5
(b) Housing improvement or
refurbishment
|£ million
------------------------------------
1981-82 |0.0
1982-83 |0.4
1983-84 |0.4
1984-85 |0.0
1985-86 |0.2
1986-87 |1.7
1987-88 |2.3
1988-89 |6.8
1989-90 |1.4
1990-91 |8.5
|----
Total |21.7
<1>Not including contributions made
in form of land sold at social
housing use values.
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Housing (Government Subsidies)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for Great Grimsby, Barrow in Furness, Wandsworth, Westminster and Elmbridge his estimate of (i) the average Government subsidy per council dwelling and (ii) the average amount of mortgage interest tax relief for other dwellings.
Mr. Yeo : The information is as follows :
Average amount of housing
revenue account subsidy
claimed per
dwelling for 1991-92
|£
------------------------------
Great Grimsby |897
Barrow in Furness |870
Wandsworth |1,518
Westminster |2,124
Elmbridge |769
The estimated average cost of mortgage interest tax relief in 1990-91 for each owner occupier claiming mortgage tax relief in the United Kingdom was £830, equivalent to £531 for all owner occupiers. Information on the average amount mortgage tax relief claimed broken down by local authority area is not available.
The capital cost of constructing council dwellings in 1990-91 was approximately £44,000 per dwelling in the north and £55,000 in the south-east and eastern regions, excluding the land cost element.
Council Tax
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the value of the housing stock in England ; and what effect a reduction in that figure to £1,200 billion would have on the council tax revenue yield overall and from households in each band.
Mr. Key : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 10 May at column 622.
The illustrative council tax bills published on 23 April were based on a yield of £6.8 billion. This would not have been different if the assumed value of the housing stock had been lower.
Population Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a table showing nationally, regionally and for each district, the population, total number of households, the total number of pensioners and children.
Mr. Key : Estimates of the population by broad age ranges for each local authority district are given in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publication, "Key population and vital statistics, local and health authority areas". A copy of the latest edition giving 1989 estimates can be found in the House of Commons Library and further assistance may be obtained from the Library's statistical staff.
Regarding information on households I refer the hon. Member to the answers that I gave him on 21 May 1991 at column 402, and on 20 May at columns 327- 28.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a table showing nationally, regionally and for each district, the number of two-adult households with three or more children.
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Mr. Key : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 21 May 1991 at column 402.Air Pollution Monitoring
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the air pollution monitoring sites based in south Yorkshire for (a) ozone, (b) carbon monoxide, (c) nitrogen oxides, (d) acid deposition, (e) atmospheric chemistry, (f) atmospheric hydrocarbon, (g) trace germs, (h) smoke and sulphur dioxide directive, (i) other sulphur dioxide sites, (j) lead sites and (k) multi-element sites including lead.
Mr. Baldry : My Department is currently operating the following air pollution monitoring sites in south Yorkshire :
(a) ozone, none
(b) carbon monoxide, none
(c) nitrogen oxides, none
(d) acid deposition, none
(e) atmospheric chemistry, none
(f) atmospheric hydrocarbons, none
(g) trace gases, none
(h) smoke and sulphur dioxide directive,
Askern 6
Barnsley 8, 9, 12
Brampton 1
Cudworth 1
Dinnington 4
Doncaster 29, 33
Goldthorpe 1
Grimethorpe 2, 3
Hoyland Nether, 6
Lundwood 1
Maltby 2
Mexborough 19
Moorends 1
Rossington 1
Sheffield 40, 82
Stainforth 1
Swinton 7
Thorne 2
Wath-upon-Dearne 6
Wombwell 2
Worsbrough Bridge 2
(i) other sulphur dioxide sites, Barnsley
(j) lead sites, Sandbeck Hall
(k) multi-element sites including lead, Sandbeck Hall
Local Government Review
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what use he plans to make of the university of Aston business school's report on the national survey of parish and town councils in his current review of local government.
Mr. Key : We shall take into account the results of the national survey of parish and town councils by the university of Aston business school in our local government review.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is yet able to give a definite date for when he expects to receive the university of Aston business school's report on the national survey of parish and town councils ; what monetary assistance was given to the clerks to the councils for compiling this information ; and what action he will be carrying out after studying the report.
Mr. Key : We expect to receive the first results of this survey shortly. The clerks to the councils completed the survey without financial assistance from the Department,
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in accordance with the usual research practice. The results will be taken into account in our local government review and will inform the Department's work in relation to parishes.Thamesmead
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the Boundary Commission to report to him on Thamesmead ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The Local Government Boundary Commission's programme of work is for the commission to determine with the resources at its disposal. I understand that the commission is currently considering the responses it has received to its draft proposals for the boundary between the London boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich, affecting Thamesmead, and it is likely to be some time before this review is completed. I regret that I cannot give a firmer forecast.
Yorkshire Water
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what target has been set for Yorkshire Water plc to achieve in terms of reducing water loss between reservoir and consumer as part of the efficiency component in price setting.
Mr. Baldry : The K factors set for Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. to run for 10 years from 1990 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State assumed that there would be continuing efficiency gains across the full operations of the company. No specific target was set within price setting for reducing water loss. Questions on the continuing performance of Yorkshire Water should be addressed to the Director General of Water Services.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports have been made by Yorkshire Water plc on progress made in reducing the proportion of water lost between reservoir and consumer since privatisation.
Mr. Baldry : I am informed that Yorkshire Water plc has not published any reports on this topic. However, Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. (YWS) has a continuing programme to reduce leakage, which is monitored by the Director General of Water Services. YWS outlined its programme to the Yorkshire Customer Service Committee in July 1990.
Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the first meeting of the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment will take place ; and what will be on the agenda.
Mr. Baldry : The Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment held its first meeting on 21 May. The committee discussed a wide range of current and longer-term environmental issues.
Benzene
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the levels of airborne benzene in south Yorkshire.
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Mr. Baldry : My Department has no information on the levels of airborne benzene specifically in south Yorkshire.Chelmsford Borough Council
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement listing the amount of public money his Department has passed to Chelmsford borough council for all services since April 1979 ; and what are his forward plans for the next three years.
Mr. Key : The amounts paid in support of Chelmsford borough council's general services for these years--excluding figures for main housing subsidy for 1979-80 and 1980-81 which could be provided only at disproportionate cost--were :
|Rate support|Main housing
|grant |subsidy
(£ 000) |(£ 000)
----------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |6,147 |-
1980-81 |7,034 |-
1981-82 |3,044 |590
1982-83 |4,302 |0
1983-84 |4,367 |0
1984-85 |4,207 |0
1985-86 |3,771 |0
1986-87 |6,005 |0
1987-88 |4,064 |0
1988-89 |3,310 |0
1989-90 |3,219 |0
The amounts paid to Chelmsford borough council in respect of 1990-91 were :
|1990-91
|(£ thousands)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue support grant |11,894
Non-domestic rates |23,966
Housing revenue account subsidy |3,934
The amounts which the Government propose to pay to the borough council in respect of 1991-92 are :
|£ thousands
------------------------------------------------------------
Community charge grant |<1>15,925
Revenue support grant |16,629
National non-domestic rates |39,795
Housing revenue account subsidy |2,930
<1> Estimated.
These figures exclude information on minor specific grants paid in respect of particular functions or services.
It is not possible to give details of the amounts of external finance to be paid to the district council in 1992-93 and 1993-94 since this will depend on decisions which have yet to be taken on the amount and distribution of public expenditure in those years.
Waste Storage
Mr. David Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now issue new guidance to county councils in relation to the tipping and storage of waste into exhausted gravel pits and quarries.
Mr. Trippier : There is already extensive guidance. Guidance on using controlled wastes as landfill materials
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in the reclamation of surface mineral workings in general is contained in Minerals Planning Guidance Note 7, "The Reclamation of Mineral Workings" published in September 1989. Detailed advice on aspects of waste disposal is also given in my Department's series of waste management papers. No. 26 in this series, "Landfilling Wastes--a Technical Memorandum" was published in 1986 ; No. 4, "The Licensing of Waste Disposal Sites", which offers advice to local authorities responsible for waste disposal licensing, was revised in 1988. My Department will continue to update guidance to take account of technical developments, the results of research and legislative changes. Work has begun on the revision of waste management paper No. 4 to reflect the changes to be introduced under part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Under the Act, authorities will be obliged to have regard to guidance from the Secretary of State in exercising their licensing functions.Aggregates
Mr. David Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now issue new guidance to county councils governing gravel extraction.
Sir George Young : The Government have recently announced their intention to prepare new guidance on the provision for aggregates in England and Wales to replace the current advice in MPG6. The publication of the new long-term forecasts of demand for aggregates on 7 May was the first step in this exercise. The Government will be considering any views which may be expressed about these forecasts, and have also asked the regional aggregates working parties for their views on how medium and long-term demand might be met. Draft guidance will be prepared in the light of these views and will be issued for public consultation in the usual way. It would be premature to issue any revised guidance until there has been a full and open debate about the guidance.
Mr. David Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the Government's current initiatives and projects in response to the concern about the environmental consequences of meeting the national demand for aggregates.
Sir George Young : My Department has a comprehensive programme of research which is examining a variety of matters associated with the environmental consequences of the national demand for aggregates. The main initiatives and projects are as follows :
A. Current Studies
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