| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 372
parrots were imported into the United Kingdom in 1988 ; and what proportion died either in transit or while in quarantine ; (2) how many crimson seed-cracker species of wild bird were imported into the United Kingdom in 1988 ; and what proportion suffered mortality either in transit or while in quarantine.Mr. Maclean : Information on mortality in birds imported into Great Britain is given in the Ministry's publications "Importation of Birds-- Mortality Statistics from Quarantine Returns", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
In 1988, 489 white-fronted Amazons (Amazona albifrons) were imported, of which 376 were dead on arrival or died in quarantine. The figures for crimson seedcracker (Pyrenestes sanquineus) were 20 and 19 respectively.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from the veterinary investigations service concerning the importation and quarantine of wild-caught birds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The veterinary investigations service is not directly involved in advising on the health conditions under which captive birds are imported and quarantined. Its role in this respect is to report to the state veterinary service the outcome of tests on the carcases of birds submitted for post-mortem examination as required by the terms of import licences.
Column 373
Scotch Whisky
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total volume and value of exports of Scotch whisky to (a) Europe, (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan at the most recent available date.
Mr. Curry : In 1990, exports of whisky to the destinations specified were as follows :
|£ million |Million litres of
|pure alcohol
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
European Community |631 |89
United States of America |276 |47
Japan |178 |21
Note: Includes small quantities of Northern Irish whiskey, Bourbon and
immature plain cereal spirits.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total volume and value of exports of Scotch whisky in each of the past five years.
Mr. Curry : In the past five years, exports of Scotch whisky were as follows :
|£ million |Million litres
|of pure
|alcohol
------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |1,070 |236
1987 |1,136 |240
1988 |1,289 |246
1989 |1,470 |242
1990 |1,712 |238
Note: The figures include small quantities of Northern
Irish whiskey.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of total agricultural land in environmentally sensitive areas is subject to ESA agreements ; and what percentage of ESA target areas is covered by such agreements.
Mr. Curry : In the 10 ESAs in England there are 115,960 hectares covered by agreements. This represents 45 per cent. of the potentially eligible agricultural land. The schemes do not target particular areas of eligible land, but as an indicator of the success of uptake, targets were set of 75 per cent. of eligible grassland and 10 per cent. of eligible arable land. The area covered by agreements represents 92 per cent. of these targets.
Publicity Campaigns
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 1 July, Official Report, column 75, if he will list the commencement date and duration of each publicity campaign.
Mr. Curry : MAFF's touring exhibition, currently taking consumer information to major shopping centres and agricultural shows, commenced its programme on 20 May 1991 and is scheduled to finish on 5 October 1991. The revision of the Department's range of publications on food is still in hand.
Column 374
SCOTLAND
NHS Staff
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the percentage change in the number of administrative and clerical staff in the national health service in Scotland between September 1979 and the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The percentage of all personnel in the national health service in Scotland who were classified as administrative and clerical for statistical purposes was 10.9 per cent. in September 1979 and 12.9 per cent. in September 1990 : the corresponding percentages for medical and nursing personnel were 53.8 per cent. and 59.6 per cent. respectively. The figures for administrative and clerical staff include staff engaged in clinically related work and the 1990 figures also include general and senior management grades which contain a number of professional and technical staff.
Careers Service
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent through the careers service strengthening scheme in Scotland in each year since 1979, expressed both in current prices and in actual sums spent.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is as follows :
£000
Year |Actual |Expenditure
|expenditure |at 1990 prices
------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |544 |1,176
1980-81 |723 |1,321
1981-82 |937 |1,561
1982-83 |1,329 |2,067
1983-84 |1,645 |2,446
1984-85 |1,664 |2,355
1985-86 |1,697 |2,278
1986-87 |1,791 |2,323
1987-88 |1,887 |2,324
1988-89 |2,034 |2,331
1989-90 |2,205 |2,376
1990-91 |2,247 |2,247
Hospital Waste
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 713, what studies have been undertaken into the possibility that waste from NHS hospitals in Scotland could enter into water supplies.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I am not aware of any specific studies into this subject area. However, all public water supplies are monitored by the water authorities and no reports have been received of any problems of this sort.
Fisheries (Restrictions)
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will introduce changes in the administration of the eight-day tie-up regulations to prevent discrimination against smaller ports with limited repair facilities ;
(2) what changes he has considered in the implementation of the eight-day tie-up regulations ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 375
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This Government must administer the eight-day tie-up scheme in line with the terms of EC regulation No. 3926/90. However, we are always prepared to consider specific administrative changes in the application of the eight-day scheme provided that they do not conflict with that responsibility. Each case brought to our attention is considered individually and arrangements are made where possible.Local Authority Usable Receipts
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate for local authority usable receipts in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 1 July 1991] : In Scotland, all local authority receipts are usable in the year in which they are generated. My right hon. Friend's estimate of local authority housing receipts in 1991-92 is £248 million. He has, as yet, made no estimate of housing receipts for 1992-93. He has made no estimate of non-housing receipts for either year.
British Steel
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what information he received on 4 June concerning the plate mill review in British Steel ; what subsequent representations were made by the Scottish Office ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will detail the meetings he, his junior Ministers or his officials have had with the chairman or officials of British Steel from the beginning of June 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 5 July 1991] : My right hon. Friend and I last met the chairman of British Steel on 4 June, when we were told in strict confidence of the company's decision to invest in new plate facilities at Teesside.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what statements he has made to the British Steel chairman about his policy on the plate mill closure ;
(2) what public statements he has made on the future of plate-making facilities at Dalzell ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 5 July 1991] : It would not be appropriate to disclose details of my right hon. Friend's discussions with the chairman of British Steel which are bound by commercial confidentiality. But we have consistently pressed British Steel over a long period, publicly and in private, to give full consideration to the case for investment at Dalzell.
NORTHERN IRELAND
International Investments Ltd.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what representations have been made to the Government of the Irish Republic and the United States Government regarding the collapse of International Investments Ltd., Gibraltar, (in liquidation) ; (2) what action has been taken to date by the Royal Ulster Constabulary regarding the collapse of International Investments Ltd., Gibraltar, (in liquidation) ;
Column 376
(3) whether he will seek assurance from the Government of the Irish Republic that the persons responsible for misappropriation of moneys invested by United Kingdom citizens in International Investments Ltd. will be made amenable to prosecution.Dr. Mawhinney : International Investments Ltd. was a company registered in Gibraltar and not in the United Kingdom. The liquidation is therefore a matter for the authorities in Gibraltar and the responsibility for making representations to other Governments regarding International Investments Ltd. does not lie with Her Majesty's Government.
Further to the RUC investigation into allegations of fraud by the principals of International Investments Ltd., the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland has directed that one person be charged with conspiracy to fraud. The investigations are still continuing.
Stormont Talks (Expenditure)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the remuneration and expenses agreed for the chairman of the second strand of the talks at Stormont, Sir Ninian Stephen ; and what proportion will be contributed by (a) the Government of the Republic of Ireland and (b) Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Brooke : I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement that I made in the House on 3 July 1991 at columns 319-20.
As the talks which were held on the basis of my statement of 26 March 1991 have now concluded without the second strand having commenced, these questions do not arise.
Hospital Closures
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hospitals have been closed in each year since 1974.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 5 July 1991] : The information is :
Year |Number --------------------- 1974 |- 1975 |- 1976 |1 1977 |1 1978 |- 1979 |- 1980 |- 1981 |2 1982 |2 1983 |1 1984 |- 1985 |1 1986 |9 1987 |1 1988 |8 1989 |2 1990 |2 1991 |1
Column 377
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Finance
18. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to publish any regulations on local government finance prior to the summer adjournment.
Mr. Key : Subject to final decisions, my Department expects to lay three statutory instruments covering amendments to the non-domestic rating transitional arrangements and the payment of interest to ratepayers, and minor amendments and consequential repeals under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
35. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the outline financial settlement for local authorities for 1992-93.
Mr. Key : When he is ready to do so.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which areas of central Government support to local authorities are calculated on the basis of (a) the electoral roll and (b) OPCS calculations.
Column 378
Mr. Key : The electoral roll is not used directly in the provision of central Government support to local authorities. However, the annual mid -year estimates of the resident population produced by OPCS are based partly on changes in the electoral roll from year to year. These estimates, along with census data and other indicators, are used to calculate the standard spending assessments and hence the level of revenue support grant appropriate to each local authority.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish population figures for each standard region in England for the years 1981-82 to 1991-92, on the same basis as was used to calculate per capita standard spending assessments in his written answer of 29 April, Official Report , column 10 .
Mr. Portillo : The information requested is shown in the table. There is a lag of nearly two years before the mid-year population estimate is available for inclusion in standard spending assessments. The year shown at the head of the columns refers to the year of the calculated standard spending assessment.
Column 377
A table showing population figures on the same basis as those used to calculate per capita standard spending assessments
OPCS mid-year estimates
Local authority |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91
|resident population|resident population|resident population|resident population|resident population
|1 |2 |3 |4 |5
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total England |47,111,701 |47,254,459 |47,406,652 |47,536,278 |47,689,395
Regional summary
Northern Region |3,085,700 |3,080,242 |3,076,779 |3,071,318 |3,073,112
North West |6,386,300 |6,734,334 |6,370,079 |6,364,162 |6,379,723
Yorkshire and Humberside |4,902,600 |4,899,285 |4,900,232 |4,913,298 |4,940,355
East Midlands |3,896,900 |3,919,918 |3,942,254 |3,970,599 |3,999,063
West Midlands |5,183,000 |5,181,243 |5,197,687 |5,207,000 |5,215,960
East Anglia |1,964,700 |1,991,600 |2,013,680 |2,034,639 |2,044,577
South West |4,500,780 |4,543,254 |4,588,374 |4,634,235 |4,652,426
South East |10,424,300 |10,489,393 |10,547,132 |10,605,020 |10,627,779
Greater London |6,767,421 |6,775,190 |6,770,435 |6,736,007 |6,756,400
Community Charge
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he plans any measures to improve the ability of local councils to collect the outstanding community charge sums.
Mr. Portillo : We believe the enforcement powers now available to local authorities should enable them to collect the charge effectively. We are proposing some minor changes to the attachment of earnings process.
31 Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to take measures to ensure that armed forces personnel within the United Kingdom pay their community charge, and that those serving overseas may be exempted.
Mr. Key : Members of the armed forces are subject to the community charge and its enforcement procedures in the same way as everyone else. Although we do not intend specifically to exempt armed forces who serve overseas, those who do so and move their sole or main residence from this country will not be liable to pay the community charge.
Column 378
Rents to Mortgages Scheme
20. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend the areas where council tenants may turn their council rents into mortgages ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir George Young : This is a possibility that we shall want to keep under review as the pilot schemes progress.
National Rivers Authority
21. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the work and funding of the National Rivers Authority.
Mr. Trippier : The NRA is continuing to develop its role as a powerful and independent regulator and guardian of the water environment. It has been very substantially helped to do so by our making available a 28 per cent. increase in grant-in-aid in the current year compared with previous provision. It will also have available an estimated £25 million from the scheme of charges in respect of discharge consents which is now being implemented and extra income from abstraction licence holders.
Column 379
Public Sector House Building
22. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for public sector house building ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The latest estimates of public sector house building in England, mainly by local authorities, show 12,000 completions in the year to May 1991, of which 2,400 were in the latest three months. Housing associations are becoming the major providers of new subsidised rented housing and their output is forecast to rise significantly over the next three years.
Full details of house building by sector are published monthly by the Department in an information bulletin.
Humberside
23. Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has regarding the publication of the final report from the Local Government Boundary Commission on the future of the county of Humberside.
Mr. Key : The report was published on Wednesday 3 July.
Council House Sales
24. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold to sitting tenants in England since May 1979.
Mr. Heseltine : Between April 1979 and March 1991, about one and a quarter million tenants bought their homes from English local authorities and new towns.
Standard Spending Assessments
25. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to make changes to the system for setting the levels of standard spending assessments for local authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : We have no proposals for any major changes to the SSA methodology, although information from the 1991 census will be incorporated into SSAs as soon as it is available for all authorities.
Water Companies
26. Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet the water company chairmen to discuss the quality of their services.
Mr. Trippier : I met the chairmen of the water companies only last week. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside will meet the chairmen of the water and sewerage companies later in the year. The topics for discussion naturally include the unprecedented investment programme the industry is carrying out to improve the quality of its services.
Greenhouse Gases
27. Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about further progress on tackling the problem of greenhouse gases.
Mr. Baldry : The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the negotiation of an effective framework
Column 380
convention on climate change in time for it to be opened for signature at the June 1992 UN conference on environment and development. Reasonable progress towards this objective was made at the second meeting of the intergovernmental negotiating committee which took place in Geneva last month.Local Authority Publications
28. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the powers of the district audit regarding the political content of local authority publications.
Mr. Key : The powers of the auditor in respect of illegal expenditure on political publications are the same as those which apply to any item of illegal expenditure. We believe that the auditor's powers in this area are sufficient and have no plans to review them at present.
Local Government (Employment)
29. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on employment in local government.
Mr. Key : The total number employed in local government in England has fallen by 4 per cent. since 1979.
That there has been an overall reduction is in large part due to Government action in abolishing the metropolitan counties and GLC, removing bus and airport companies from local authority control, and later removing polytechnics from local government.
The Government's policies both in encouraging councils to make use of the private sector through competitive tendering and in encouraging greater efficiency in the delivery of services should exert a strong downward pressure on staff numbers.
Dog Wardens
30. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local authorities employ dog wardens ; and how many prosecutions they have instituted.
Mr. Baldry : I am advised by the National Dog Warden Association that some 200 dog wardens are employed by local authorities, but some authorities employ more than one warden and others share a warden. Local authority dog wardens are responsible for enforcing a variety of dog control measures, including "poop scoop", dog ban and dogs on leads byelaws. There are no central records of the number of prosecutions.
Beach Pollution
32. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet the chairman of Anglian Water plc to discuss beach pollution.
Mr. Trippier : My right hon. Friend and I maintain regular contacts with the Anglian Water Company about progress on the bathing water improvement programme.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
33. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the extension of compulsory competitive tendering.
Column 381
Mr. Portillo : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key), earlier today to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Cryer).Council Housing
34. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the quality of the management of council housing ; and what information he has on the latest position with regard to (a) rent arrears, (b) empty properties and (c) council house sales.
Mr. Yeo : In 1989 the Department published a report by the centre for housing research, Glasgow university, entitled "The Nature and Effectiveness of Housing Management in England", which evaluated the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of local authorities and housing associations as landlords.
A follow-up study on the effectiveness of housing management under the new financial regimes for local authorities and housing associations is currently being carried out by the centre for housing studies, York university, and is due to report in 1992.
The latest available information on council tenants' arrears relates to the position at the end of March 1990. Estimated total rent arrears for all English local authorities at that date were £360 million.
The latest available information on empty council dwellings in England relates to 1 April 1990. At that date some 99,400 were vacant.
Some 1.3 million English local authority or new town properties have been sold into owner-occupation between April 1979 and March 1991. In addition 16 local authorities have transferred their remaining stock to housing associations or to private companies.
Short-term Leasing
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the value for money of short-term leasing of properties by housing authorities to accommodate the homeless as against bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
Sir George Young : My assessment is that leasing is usually preferable both on social and cost grounds to the use of bed-and-breakfast hotels in accommodating homeless families.
Water Quality
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the changes in the level of quality of Britain's highest grade rivers since 1989.
Mr. Trippier : The National Rivers Authority intends to publish later this year the results of its 1990 river quality survey.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what progress has been made in setting water quality objectives under section 105 of the Water Act 1989 ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to include in future water quality objectives for inland waters provision for
| Next Section
| Home Page |