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(i) study into the use of secondary and waste materials--including recycling--report due July 1991 ;
(ii) study into potential supplies of aggregates from coastal superquarries to supply the South-East--final report due August 1992 ;
(iii) study into potential supplies from marine sand and gravel off the Humber coast--interim report due September 1991 ;
(iv) study into the specifications of aggregates used in the construction industry--final report due July 1991 ;
(v) study into the overall environmental effects of surface mineral workings--report due July 1991 ;
(vi) study into the effectiveness of restoration conditions for minerals workings and the need for bonds--final report due ; (
(vii) study into amenity reclamation of mineral workings--final report due July 1991 ;
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(viii) study into agricultural reclamation of mineral workings--report due July 1991 ;(ix) study into limestone landform replication--final report due March 1993.
B. Work about to begin includes :
(i) a pilot study to begin in July to put into effect the recommendations made in the Groundwork report published in April on the environmental performance of the minerals industry ;
(ii) a study on the environmental effects and control of dust from surface mineral workings ;
(iii) a study on the environmental effects of traffic associated with surface mineral workings ;
(iv) a study to identify the extent and quality of sand and gravel resources in England and Wales.
In addition to this, my Department will shortly be issuing draft guidance for public consultation on the control of noise at minerals sites which follows on from research completed in 1990.
Dog Registration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in support of the establishment of a national dog registration scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Out of 462 local authorities and those organisations known to represent them, 238 responded to our consultation paper, "Action on Dogs", which was issued in 1989. Two hundred and seven of those who responded supported a dog registration scheme. By last June, when the "Control of Dogs" consultation document was issued, of the 244 local authorities and their representative organisations who responded to part II of the paper for which we are responsible, only 135 supported registration.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Local Government Act 1988 to introduce a national dog registration scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : No. The Government intend to implement, from April 1992, the package of dog control measures contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. They include a duty on local authorities to enforce the requirement that dogs wear a collar and identification tag when in a public place and to ensure that stray dogs are collected up. We remain of the view that the package provides a practical and effective solution to the problems caused by irresponsible owners and that registration would be bureaucratic, expensive to operate and difficult to enforce. With regard to dogs which are bred especially for fighting, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has announced his intention to bring before the House as soon as possible this Session, legislation which will ban the breeding and ownership of such dogs.
Barratt Houses, Illingworth
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Halifax concerning the sale of Barratt houses at Abbey Park, Illingworth.
Mr. Key : I have written today to the hon. Lady about this matter.
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Landfills
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to require compulsory insurance against pollution leaks and contamination from landfills.
Mr. Baldry : Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, when it comes into force, will include a number of measures to ensure that pollution from landfills is prevented, or, if it occurs, that remedial action is taken. Under the Act, local authorities will impose pollution control conditions on licensees, who will be obliged to remedy any pollution from the site at their own expense. These conditions will remain binding even after closure for as long as the authority is not satisfied that the site is safe, and the licensee will not be permitted to surrender or transfer the licence without the consent of the authority.
As part of their vetting of licence applicants, authorities will be able to refuse an applicant who has not made or is in no position to make adequate financial provision to discharge the provisions of the licence. The form this financial provision should take will be the subject of guidance from the Secretary of State. A working group including representatives of industry and local authorities is examining the subject of long-term financial provision, including insurance, for waste sites and is expected to report this summer.
Integrated Pollution Control
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on companies' responses to the requirements of integrated pollution control under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Mr. Baldry : Integrated pollution control, introduced by part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, requires operators of prescribed processes to obtain an authorisation from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. To date, 125 applications for authorisations have been received and are being considered.
Environment Shows
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department will be making any contribution towards or have any presence at (a) the environmental business show at Alexandra Palace, London on 4 to 6 June or (b) the green show, at the national exhibition centre, Birmingham on 21 to 27 May.
Mr. Trippier : I have accepted an invitation to visit the green show on 23 May. The Department does not plan to participate in the show at Alexandra Palace.
Ministerial Cars
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any ministerial car on official duty since 1979 has (a) been stopped by the police for breaking the speed limit and (b) been parked illegally resulting in the driver being issued with a parking ticket.
Mr. Yeo : Yes, to both parts of the question.
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Sewerage
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require the water and sewerage companies of England and Wales to adopt sewerage systems irrespective of their condition.
Community Charge
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the arrangements for reimbursing local authorities for costs incurred in connection with the community charge reduction scheme.
Mr. Key [pursuant to his answer, 18 March 1991, Official Report, c. 37] : The improvements to the community charge reduction scheme which we were able to make following the Budget will clearly impact on local authorities' preparation and administration costs. We are therefore proposing to make more grant available to ensure that authorities are reimbursed in full for all reasonable costs associated with operating the scheme. We also propose to simplify the arrangements for distributing the grant in order to ensure that local authorities receive payment as quickly as possible.
Local authorities will no longer be required to submit initial claims in respect of preparation costs or administration costs. Instead authorities will receive an initial payment of their preparation costs based on last year's claims. Any adjustments necessary at the end of the financial year will be made on receipt of audited claims. In addition, general administration costs for the life of the scheme will be wrapped up in a one -off payment of a flat rate per charge-payer. The amounts which previously had to be claimed for applications for extra relief or revised bills will be reflected in a higher rate.
On the basis of these proposals the cost of the community charge reduction scheme preparation and administration costs grant is expected to rise from £10 million to about £15 million.
Urban Programme
Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources will be available for local authorities under the urban programme in 1991-92 and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Heseltine [pursuant to his answer, 29 January 1991, Official Report c. 474] : The urban programme is one of many Government programmes which encourage local initiative in urban regeneration. Others include estate action and city grant in my Department, Task Forces in the Department of Trade and Industry and employment and training services supported by the Employment Department. We now intend to enhance the effectiveness of our expenditure in urban areas in England. We will be bringing together programmes in selected neighbourhoods so as to tackle problems comprehensively and on a significant scale. A new initiative, "city challenge", will achieve this and improve the quality of our cities. Local authorities will be invited to enter into partnerships with their local businesses and their community to draw together imaginative programmes for the regeneration of their areas. I will support
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those authorities that create the most effective partnerships and prepare the best plans for the neighbourhoods that are critical to the health of their cities.Under city challenge, I will invite authorities to draw up programmes of action to tackle their key neighbourhoods. I will expect the authorities, in the preparation of these programmes, to draw upon the wealth of talent and expertise which exists in their cities ; local people and the voluntary sector, the business and academic communities, the training and enterprise councils, and Government and other statutory agencies. I will expect them to attract private finance and involve the private sector thoroughly in managing the programme. The programmes should each be for a fixed period, normally not more than five years, and must include key targets and deadlines.
I will be making available, from within my existing resources, £75 million in 1992-93 in order to pilot the approach in selected pacemaker authorities. The pacemakers will be chosen through competition. I am writing to the leaders of 15 authorities, listed below, asking them to come forward by 5 July with a bid to become a pacemaker. These authorities have been selected to include a variety of urban problems and opportunities. I then intend, in July, to make a selection of the 10 best proposals to be worked up into detailed action plans for final approval by the end of the year. I have asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key), to oversee the bidding stage. He, the Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities or I will be meeting the authorities to discuss their proposals over the next six weeks.
Once the 10 authorities are chosen, the city action team Ministers will oversee the development of each action plan on behalf of the Government. Day-to-day liaison with the authorities will be the responsibility of the city action teams (CATs) ; they will provide the point of contact for Government and draw in and co-ordinate the programmes of other Departments. Where there is no CAT, I will ask a Minister to oversee the scheme and will consider whether new interdepartmental machinery is needed.
Initial work on pacemakers will be monitored closely and provided the initiative shows signs of success, I intend the first full competition to take place in 1992, for spending to start in 1993-94. My objective is to see existing programmes pulled together in the most effective way in areas critical to the health of the city. I want to encourage those authorities which have the qualities of leadership and imagination necessary to rejuvenate their priority areas.
Local authorities invited to submit proposals for pilot city challenge programmes
Barnsley
Birmingham
Bradford
Bristol
Lewisham
Liverpool
Manchester
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
Nottingham
Salford
Sheffield
Tower Hamlets
Wirral
Wolverhampton
Invited to work together with Doncaster and Rotherham on a programme for the Dearne Valley, which straddles the areas of the three authorities.
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Ordnance Survey
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Ordnance Survey is being examined as a candidate for privatisation.
Mr. Baldry [pursuant to his answer, Tuesday 14 May 1991, Official Report, c. 65] : The feasibility of immediate privatisation for Ordnance Survey was considered and rejected immediately prior to the department becoming an executive agency on 1 May 1990. It cannot be ruled out, however, that after a period of years agencies, like other Government activities, may be suitable for privatisation. I shall continue to keep the status of Ordnance Survey under review.
London Population
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (a) what is the current level of population density per acre in London boroughs for planning purposes and (b) when it was last reviewed.
Sir George Young [pursuant to his answer, 2 May 1991, c. 269] : The most recent estimates of population for each London borough are those prepared by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) for mid-1989. The population densities for each borough on that basis are given in column (A) of the table. The mid-year population estimates are revised annually by OPCS.
The calculation of population densities for the urban areas of each London borough, excluding the main areas of open land and green belt, are available from the 1981 census. Figures on that basis are given in column (B).
Borough |Population |Persons/acre
|density
|(A) |(B)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Barking and Dagenham |17 |19
Barnet |14 |17
Bexley |15 |18
Brent |23 |23
Bromley |8 |14
Camden |34 |30
Croydon |15 |17
Ealing |21 |20
Enfield |13 |19
Greenwich |18 |20
Hackney |40 |37
Hammersmith and Fulham |37 |36
Haringey |26 |27
Harrow |15 |19
Havering |8 |18
Hillingdon |9 |11
Hounslow |13 |14
Islington |46 |43
Kensington and Chelsea |44 |43
Kingston |15 |16
Lambeth |35 |36
Lewisham |26 |27
Merton |17 |17
Newham |23 |24
Redbridge |17 |20
Richmond |12 |11
Southwark |31 |30
Sutton |16 |17
Tower Hamlets |34 |29
Waltham Forest |21 |24
Wandsworth |30 |29
Westminster |32 |31
City of London |6 |7
Source:
(A) is 1989 mid-year estimate of borough population by OPCS
divided by the total area of the borough.
(B) is the 1981 population density of the urban area, ie the
"usually
resident population" in 1981 divided by the area defined as
urban by OPCS in the 1981 census.
Cleaner Production Information Clearing house
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what involvement Her Majesty's Government have with the international cleaner production information clearing house based at the industry and environment office of the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 22 May 1991] : Her Majesty's Government are closely involved with the development of the international cleaner production information clearing house. The ICPIC system has been available to users since 1990 and provides a wide range of information services promoting cleaner production. My Department provided substantial support towards the UNEP cleaner production seminar in Canterbury in September 1990 when the ICPIC system was demonstrated to a wide audience of seminar delegates. The Government are wholly supportive of the UNEP cleaner production programme, and will continue to contribute towards the development of the ICPIC database through the clean technology coordinator at Warren Spring laboratory.
Assured Tenancies
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) from where tenants can obtain the correct form required to contest rises in the rent of assured tenancies, and at what cost ; how many such outlets there are in the country ; if he plans to make the form more freely available ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) from where tenants can obtain the explanatory booklet to assist in contesting a rise in the rent of their assured tenancy ; how many such outlets there are ; if he plans to increase them ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what requirements govern the practice of landlords in informing people in assured tenancies of the four weeks' grace they have between the announcement of a new rent and the date it becomes operative in which to challenge the rise ; what requirement there is on landlords to inform such tenants of where to obtain the correct form and the explanatory booklet to facilitate contesting the change ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 22 May 1991] : Copies of the prescribed form which tenants may use in certain circumstances to refer a proposed new rent to a rent assessment committee are available free of charge from local rent assessment panel offices. There are 13 such offices in England and their addresses are listed in local telephone directories. Firms of legal stationers also produce their own versions of the prescribed forms which are widely available for sale.
Explanatory booklet No. 19, "Assured Tenancies", is available through many outlets including local authorities, housing advice centres and citizens advice bureaux.
The duties on landlords in respect of increasing rent in assured tenancies are set out in section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. Landlord and tenant have the right to agree a new rent between themselves without reference to a third party.
If the contract does not contain a provision for rent changes, and the landlord wishes to increase the rent, he
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must serve a notice in the prescribed form on the tenant proposing a new rent. The notice must specifiy the minimum period after the date of service of the notice before the new rent can take effect. In no circumstances can this be less than one month. Rent cannot be increased by this means more frequently than once a year. The prescribed form, "Landlord's Notice proposing a new rent under an assured periodic tenancy or agricultural occupancy" states that the tenant may refer the notice to a rent assessment committee before the beginning of the new period of the tenancy. It also advises tenants to seek advice from a citizens advice bureau, housing aid centre, law centre or a solicitor.AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Simazine
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of the herbicide Simazine.
Mr. Maclean : Simazine is a pre-emergence triazine herbicide with selective and non-selective uses. It is the active ingredient of some 111 formulated products approved under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 for professional or amateur use on crops such as beans, apples, pears, currants, sweetcorn and maize, gooseberries, cane fruit, strawberries, hops, asparagus and grapevines. Some products are also approved for use in forestry and non-crop situations.
Organic Farms
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many organic farms are registered in the United Kingdom currently and in each of the last five years ; and if any farms have surrendered their organic status.
Mr. Maclean : There is currently no statutory requirement for organic farms to be registered in the United Kingdom. However, under a voluntary scheme administered by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards 135 farms are registered and 554 are in the process of registering.
Further information on the structure of organic farming may be found on pages 73 to 76 of the 1991 edition of "Farm Incomes in the UK"--available in the Library.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many organic farms are currently registered in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) each of the other European Community nations.
Mr. Maclean : There is currently no statutory requirement for organic farms to be registered in the United Kingdom. However under a voluntary scheme administered by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards 135 farms are registered and 554 are in the process of registering.
Further information on the structure of organic farming in Great Britain may be found on pages 73 to 76 of the 1991 edition of "Farm Incomes in the UK"--available in the Library.
The information requested for other European Community nations is not available.
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Mr. Soames : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to encourage organic farming.
Mr. Maclean : The organic sector is eligible for the support given to all farmers under a number of general schemes. These include the farm and conservation grant scheme, the nitrate sensitive areas scheme, the set- aside scheme and the pilot extensification schemes for beef and sheep. Advice from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service is also available. The processing and marketing of organic produce is being given priority for discretionary European Community grants under our national plans for implementing Community regulation 866/90. We are in addition making a very significant commitment to organic farming research and development. In 1991-92 we are spending over £500,000 on specific organic farming projects and over the next three years this is set to rise to £1 million. We have also commissioned an economic study of organic farming in Great Britain and the full report will be published later this year. We also provide grant aid to the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards that is responsible for establishing standards and for their enforcement. Further support in the form of a specific organic conversion scheme is under consideration.
Potato Crisps
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a list of additives presently used in the flavouring of British manufactured potato crisps which his Department considers a possible threat to the health of consumers.
Mr. Maclean : I have no reason to believe any other flavours used in potato crisps pose any hazard to health. If they did, we would ban them.
Sheep (Radiation Checks)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sheep there are in the United Kingdom at the latest date that have to have a radiation check before they can be moved ; and how many farms this covers.
Mr. Maclean : The estimated number of animals--immediately post- lambing--is 583,000 on 738 holdings.
EC Expenditure
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) overall European Commission expenditure as a percentage of overall European Community gross domestic product, (b) net European Commission expenditure on agriculture as a percentage of overall European Community gross domestic product and (c) the net United Kingdom expenditure on agriculture, including net receipts from the European Commission, as a proportion of United Kingdom gross domestic product, for each year since 1973.
Mr. Maclean : The information is as follows :
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(a) Total expenditure from the
European Community budget
as a percentage of European
Community gross domestic product
(by calendar year)
|Percentage
---------------------------------
1973 |0.45
1974 |0.45
1975 |0.54
1976 |0.56
1977 |0.62
1978 |0.74
1979 |0.79
1980 |0.80
1981 |0.78
1982 |0.82
1983 |0.91
1984 |0.95
1985 |0.91
1986 |0.97
1987 |0.95
1988 |1.02
1989 |0.94
<1>1990 |0.99
<1> Budget.
(b) Expenditure from the European Community budget on agriculture as a percentage of European Community gross domestic product (by calendar year) Year |Percentage --------------------------------- 1973 |0.43 1974 |0.32 1975 |0.41 1976 |0.45 1977 |0.49 1978 |0.56 1979 |0.60 1980 |0.58 1981 |0.51 1982 |0.52 1983 |0.62 1984 |0.66 1985 |0.66 1986 |0.65 1987 |0.64 1988 |0.72 1989 |0.62 <1>1990 |0.65 <1> Budget.
(c) United Kingdom expenditure on agriculture, including expenditure funded by the European Community as a percentage of United Kingdom gross domestic product (by United Kingdom financial year) Year |Percentage --------------------------------- 1973-74 |0.52 1974-75 |0.55 1975-76 |0.46 1976-77 |0.29 1977-78 |0.30 1978-79 |0.31 1979-80 |0.32 1980-81 |0.43 1981-82 |0.37 1982-83 |0.50 1983-84 |0.56 1984-85 |0.52 1985-86 |0.60 1986-87 |0.37 1987-88 |0.38 1988-89 |0.29 1989-90 |0.24 <1>1990-91 |0.36 <1> Forecast.
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Sources :(a) and (b) EC expenditure : 1973-79--Annual Reports of the European Court of Auditors.
1990--EC Budget.
EC gdp--European Economy No. 46.
(c) United Kingdom expenditure : 1973-74--1985-86--Annual Review White Papers.
1986-87--1990-91--Agriculture in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom gdp : 1973-74--1989-90--CSO Economic Trends 1989-90. 1990-91 --Financial Statement and Budget Report 1991-92.
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