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Sewage Treatment
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will estimate what volume of sewage currently receives (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) tertiary treatment before being discharged at coastal outfalls ;
(2) if he will estimate how many sea outfalls less than 500 m long discharge sewage with only primary treatment ;
(3) if he will list the sea outfalls for sewage in England and Wales which are less than 500 m long.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the United Kingdom sites authorised to discharge liquid radioactive waste into drainage systems which may include public sewers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for The Environment how much is being spent in the current financial year on research into the safe disposal of nuclear waste by (a) Nirex and (b) each of the other member nations of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr. Baldry : I am informed that UK Nirex Ltd plan to spend about £40 million in the 1991-92 financial year on geological investigations and other safety related research. The separate information requested for each member nation of the International Atomic Energy Agency is not readily available.
Aluminium Pollution
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the supply zones in which he has consented to relax the standard for aluminium set in water regulations.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
Water Pollution
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, for the latest available 12-month period, incidents in which either the maximum admissible concentration or minimum required concentration were breached for each substance covered by EC directive 80/778 identifying the source of the water in each case.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
Planning Inspectorate
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of the proposed restructuring of the planning inspectorate.
Mr. Yeo : The framework document for the planning inspectorate agency will, as usual, be published. I shall ensure that a copy is placed in the Library.
Right to Buy
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether service for right-to-buy properties should be apportioned to the housing revenue account or the general fund.
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Mr. Yeo : It is for local authorities to determine the precise apportionment of costs between the housing revenue account and other accounts in the light of the requirements of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, and proper accounting practices. Section 3 of part III of schedule 4 to the Act recognises that, in certain circumstances, facilities provided by local housing authorities should be met by a contribution from other accounts.Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what consultations will take place with Kent and Essex interests to facilitate the route for the channel tunnel rail link announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 14 October ;
(2) if he will specify the time scale for the granting of planning permission for the construction of the approved channel tunnel rail link announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 14 October.
Mr. Yeo : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Toxic Waste Imports
Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those ports in the United Kingdom which receive imports of toxic waste.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
Housing Action Trusts
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he considers an estate of 1,200 units large enough for a viable housing action trust.
Mr. Yeo : I will write to the hon. Member.
Environment in Trust"
Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the next edition of the "Environment in Trust" leaflets will be available.
Mr. Trippier : I launched the second edition of these leaflets today. Copies will be placed in the Library and further copies will be available from my Department.
Hedgerows
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement about the protection of hedgerows.
Mr. Baldry : The Government's commitment to protecting key hedgerows was demonstrated in our White Paper--"This Common Inheritance". In December we issued a consultation paper and in July I announced revised proposals for helping to conserve and enhance this important feature of the countryside. In parallel we have also been seeking to update and improve our information. I am now able to announce the results of new studies showing the current stock of hedgerows in Great Britain.
These derive from the "Countryside Survey 1990", a survey of land cover in Great Britain, funded jointly by the Department of the Environment and the Natural Environment Research Council. The survey was conducted to rigorous scientific and statistical standards and a
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report--prepared by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology--detailing the main findings on hedgerows has been lodged in the Library of the House.In 1984 there was a total length of 410,000 km of hedgerows in England. By 1990 some 39,000 km--10 per cent.--of hedgerows had been removed, excluding losses from built development.
However, a key finding from the report is the dramatic increase in new planting : almost 20,000 km in England during that period. This trend has been encouraged by grants to farmers from MAFF--first introduced in 1973. In the period 1978-84, the rate of planting in England averaged 530 km per annum, but the new survey shows that in the last six years the rate increased sixfold--to 3,300 km per annum. This is a positive development, and means that farmers and landowners are now replacing a substantial part of the total of hedgerows removed annually.
Corresponding figures for Wales show a broadly similar pattern. From a total hedgerow stock of 71,000 km a total of 6,800 km of hedgerows were removed in 1984-90 ; but during the same period 3,400 km were created.
But there is no room for complacency. Despite the Government's success in stimulating an increased rate of planting, there has been a nett removal of hedgerows--3,300 km per annum in England between 1984-90 ; in Wales 600 km per annum.
The survey also shows a decline in the quality of some hedgerows. For the first time, figures are available on losses caused by lack of long-term management, which confirm that this process--rather than deliberate removal --is the main factor putting hedgerows at risk. In England, in the six years to 1990, 78,000 km of hedgerows declined in quality to the extent that they could no longer be classed as true hedgerows. This was to some extent offset by some 18, 000 km of formerly derelict hedgerows brought back into active management. In Wales the equivalent figures are 17,000 km and 3,000 km respectively. This suggests that lack of management has produced a countryside in which derelict hedgerows composed of trees or isolated shrubs have become increasingly common. Though there can be some environmental benefits from leaving hedgerows uncut for a certain period of time, the eventual result of protracted management neglect is hedgerow loss. In addition, within the remaining stock there are also signs of deterioration.
Taking these losses from poor management into account, the nett loss of hedgerows in England from all causes during the period 1984-90 totalled 85,000 km--Wales 18,000 km--or 21 per cent. of the total hedgerow stock-- Wales 25 per cent.
These findings emphasise the vital importance of taking urgent steps to promote improved management. In my recent statement I therefore announced that I would be introducing a new incentives scheme to this end. These payments will be in addition to those already offered by MAFF and the other Agriculture Departments. The aim will be to encourage the rejuvenation of hedgerows--bringing them back into positive management by making payments to assist with coppicing, laying and other environmentally beneficial works. We are already in discussion with the Countryside Commission and others on ways in which such a scheme could be implemented and I hope to make a further statement as soon as possible.
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In Wales the Welsh Office will be considering proposals from the Countryside Council for Wales on introducing their own scheme to provide incentives for hedgerow management, as part of their plans for promoting countryside stewardship.Policy Appraisal and the Environment"
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how long it took his Department to prepare the advice manual for Government Departments, "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" ; how many civil servants were involved in its preparation ; and whether any consultants were used in the research and preparation of the manual.
Mr. Heseltine : The commitment to prepare the guide "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" was contained in "This Common Inheritance" (Cmnd 1200), published in September 1990, and the guide appeared on 23 September 1991. Consultants carried out preliminary research into existing practices and helped shape the guidance. Three civil servants wrote the guide, although others, in a number of departments, were consulted during its preparation.
Urban Development Corporation
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 661 , with regard to the number of jobs created in each urban development corporation area, if he will update the table to include information to March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo [pursuant to his reply, 21 May 1991, c. 405] : The Department has recently carried out an exercise to ensure that these figures are calculated on a consistent basis in all UDCs. The revised figures for the total of permanent jobs created in or attracted to urban development corporation areas, net of losses, are given in the table.
UDC |Net gain in
|jobs to
|March 1991
|number
-------------------------------------------
Black Country |2,600
Bristol |4,000
Central Manchester |950
Leeds |5,862
London Docklands |26,000
Merseyside |4,626
Sheffield |7,580
Teesside |4,650
Trafford Park |2,557
Tyne and Wear |3,169
|-------
Total |61,994
Student Accommodation
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what meetings he has held with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics, the Standing Conference of Principals, and the National Union of Students to discuss the levying of council tax on student accommodation ; and when he next plans to meet these bodies to discuss the council tax.
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Mr. Key [holding answer 21 October 1991] : None. Officials will shortly be responding to a request from the Committee of Vice- Chancellors and Principals to meet officers of the CVCP, the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics, the Standing Conference of Principals and the Conference of Scottish Centrally Funded Colleges.
World Summit for Children
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has completed the review of its policies for inclusion in the progress report on action in the areas targeted by the World Summit for Children's declaration and plan of action ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 21 October 1991] : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is co-ordinating an exercise among all interested Whitehall Departments in order to prepare the United Kingdom's progress report on action in the areas targeted by the World Summit for Children's declaration and plan of action. The aim is to submit this to the UNICEF secretariat by the end of this year.
Environment Council
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Community Environment Council meeting on 1 October in Luxembourg.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 21 October 1991] : I will write to the hon. Member.
Standard Spending Assessment
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, when reviewing his formula for determining the standard spending assessment, he will ensure that that element which takes account of the cost of providing for visitors is based on up-to-date data ; and if he will further review that data to take account of the number of overseas visitors and day trips.
Mr. Key [holding answer 18 October 1991] : I will write to the hon. Member.
Water Quality
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress made to date by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) in its programme to harmonise water quality standards.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 18 October 1991] : I will write to the hon. Member.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Sex Education
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what training exists for (a) teachers, (b) parents and (c) governors in designing and evaluating appropriate sex education programmes in their schools.
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Mr. Atkins : This is a matter for determination at local level in the light of local needs and circumstances. Training provided to teachers and governors, including parent governors, in relation to sex education is eligible for specific grant support under the Government's grants for education support and training programme.Local History
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what initiatives he intends to take to encourage the teaching of local history in primary and secondary schools in England ;
(2) what initiatives he intends to take to encourage primary and secondary schools in England to create awareness in the cultural heritage which is relevant to the localities in which schools are located.
Mr. Eggar : Within the provisions of national curriculum history, opportunities exist at each key stage for pupils to study local history from a variety of perspectives, including the cultural heritage of their localities.
Postgraduate Courses (France)
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether any financial assistance is available from public funds, including EC sources, to provide grants to United Kingdom nationals taking postgraduate courses at universities in France.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The provision of awards from public funds for United Kingdom nationals undertaking postgraduate courses at universities in France is at the discretion of the award-making bodies. Information is not held centrally on the number of postgraduate award-holders undertaking complete courses in France or whose courses at United Kingdom institutions involve a period of study in France. EC funding for United Kingdom postgraduate students studying in France is available in certain circumstances under the Erasmus programme and other schemes listed in the publication "Finance for Europe : A Guide to Grants and Loans from the European Community", copies of which are available in the Library.
Local Management of Schools
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the local management of schools arrangements in Catholic primary schools in Liverpool which have separate infant and junior departments, but one governing body.
Mr. Fallon : It is for the LEA to decide whether a primary school with two departments should be regarded as one school or two. If a voluntary school which is so organised disputes the authority's view that it is a single school, it is open to the governors to apply to the Secretary of State for Education and Science for a division order under section 2 of the Education Act 1946.
In its LMS scheme, Liverpool local education authority lists most of its primary schools, including all but two of its Catholic primary schools, as single schools. This means that such schools are allocated one school budget which is based primarily on the total number of pupils in both departments.
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Foundation for Sport and the Arts
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will make a statement on the establishment and operation of the Foundation for Sport and the Arts.
Mr. Atkins : The Foundation for Sport and the Arts is an independent discretionary trust. The cut of 2 per cent. in pool betting duty included in this year's Finance Act will channel about £20 million a year into the foundation and a further £40 million or so will be contributed each year from funds collected by the pools promoters from their customers. Some two-thirds will be used for athletic sports or athletic games and the remainder for the benefit of the arts. The foundation was launched officially on 18 September.
Science Policy
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many ministerial speeches he has made on science policy outside Parliament since he was appointed Secretary of State ; and if he will list the details of each such speech.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I specifically addressed the Government's policy for science in my speech to the Association of Science Education on 7 January and have dealt with particular aspects of science policy on many other occasions : for example, in my speech to the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics on 17 September, in which I covered policy on the funding of academic research.
I have also made a number of visits to scientific establishments since my appointment, most recently the British Geological Survey, and the MRC Institute of Hearing on 20 September.
I keep in regular touch with the chairmen of the research councils and attended a meeting of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on 18 September. Today I have meetings with representatives of the Royal Society and with the Astronomer Royal to discuss science policy.
Private Security Firms
Mr. George : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the number of private security firms currently employed by his Department, the number of employees for each firm on the contract, the total value of each contract and the total value of all contracts for each financial year since 1984-85.
Mr. Atkins : The Department currently employs two private security firms. The firm guarding our London premises employs a total of seven staff on our sites. The firm protecting our Darlington offices employs one guard.
Based on 1990-91 financial year figures, the London contract is worth £120,061 per year, and the Darlington contract £32,600 per year.
Security guards were first employed in Darlington on 1 November 1984, and in London on 1 December 1987. The value of all contracts for each financial year since 1984-85 are as follows :
7
|Darlington|London |Total
|£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |7,416 |- |7,416
1985-86 |22,987 |- |22,987
1986-87 |23,663 |- |23,663
1987-88 |24,792 |4,265 |29,057
1988-89 |28,273 |88,655 |116,928
1989-90 |30,802 |109,974 |140,776
1990-91 |32,640 |120,018 |152,658
School Meals
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out, at 1978-79 prices, for each year since 1978-79, expenditure by each local education authority on the school meal service.
Mr. Fallon : The readily available information is shown in the table. The latest year for which information on actual expenditure is available is 1989-90. Information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Net recurrent expenditure<1> on school meals and milk<2>,
1989-90
|Net recurrent
|expenditure
LEA |£000
-------------------------------------------------------------
Barking |1,036
Barnet |1,511
Bexley |1,269
Brent |2,581
Bromley |1,472
Croydon |1,615
Ealing |4,695
Enfield |1,983
Haringey |n/a
Harrow |815
Havering |1,602
Hillingdon |2,105
Hounslow |n/a
Kingston-upon-Thames |1,211
Merton |543
Newham |2,927
Redbridge |1,448
Richmond upon Thames |939
Sutton |1,283
Waltham Forest |2,137
ILEA |39,400
Birmingham |11,276
Coventry |2,971
Dudley |3,174
Sandwell |3,511
Solihull |1,274
Walsall |4,966
Wolverhampton |2,598
Knowsley |4,307
Liverpool |7,354
St. Helens |1,824
Sefton |3,135
Wirral |3,419
Bolton |3,445
Bury |1,265
Manchester |n/a
Oldham |215
Rochdale |2,567
Salford |2,967
Stockport |2,020
Tameside |1,941
Trafford |1,539
Wigan |2,596
Barnsley |2,873
Doncaster |3,717
Rotherham |1,549
Sheffield |4,054
Bradford |6,221
Calderdale |1,690
Kirklees |4,159
Leeds |6,381
Wakefield |n/a
Gateshead |1,902
Newcastle Upon Tyne |4,663
North Tyneside |n/a
South Tyneside |1,864
Sunderland |2,690
Avon |8,516
Bedfordshire |4,370
Berkshire |2,010
Buckinghamshire |2,186
Cambridgeshire |2,679
Cheshire |6,172
Cleveland |9,051
Cornwall |2,423
Cumbria |3,148
Derbyshire |14,912
Devon |7,785
Dorset |1,642
Durham |7,503
East Sussex |4,464
Essex |6,579
Gloucestershire |2,844
Hampshire |6,779
Herefordshire and Worcestershire |1,393
Hertfordshire |4,950
Humberside |9,884
Isle of Wight |749
Isles of Scilly |22
Kent |6,327
Lancashire |12,795
Leicestershire |5,977
Lincolnshire |1,978
Norfolk |4,031
North Yorkshire |4,538
Northamptonshire |3,903
Northumberland |3,552
Nottinghamshire |10,312
Oxfordshire |2,445
Shropshire |3,331
Somerset |3,115
Staffordshire |4,887
Suffolk |1,402
Surrey |2,689
Warwickshire |3,284
West Sussex |2,589
Wiltshire |3,625
Notes:
<1> Recurrent expenditure, less income from paid meals and
from EC grants, at 1989-90 prices.
<2> Figures for expenditure on school meals and school milk
are not collected separately.
<3> n/a indicates that a spending return was not received
from the authority.
Open University
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria he employed in deciding (a) to publish the departmental review of the Open university and (b) not to publish the departmental review of the long-term residential colleges ; and if he will now publish the latter.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The review of the Open university was conducted jointly by the Department and the university. The university wished to publish the report of the review and my right hon. and learned Friend agreed. The report of the review of the long-term residential colleges took the form of advice from officials to Ministers : by convention such advice is not made public.
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Administration Expenditure
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide a breakdown of the increase in his Department's expenditure on administration from £68 million in the year 1988-89 to a planned £98 million in the year 1991-92, as stated in table 11.1 of the Department of Education and Science's departmental report, "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1991-92 to 1993-94".
Mr. Atkins : The plans as shown provide for a real-term increase of some 18 per cent. in administration costs between 1988-89 and 1991-92. Of that, more than one third is taken up by increased accommodation costs, principally in relation to our new London headquarters. Over the same period, the Department's staff numbers have increased by some 5 per cent. in response to implementation of the Education Reform Act 1988 and other new Government policies : in addition the Department has taken on responsibility for sport and recreation, which transferred from the Department of Environment with effect from December 1990.
HMI Reports
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list those Her Majesty's inspectorate reports which are finished, but not yet published.
Mr. Eggar : A list of HMI reports awaiting publication has been placed in the Library.
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average length of time he takes to consider Her Majesty's inspectorate reports before publication.
Mr. Eggar : This information is not available.
Language in the National Curriculum
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) when he received the inspection report from Her Majesty's inspectorate on the language in the national curriculum project ; (2) when he proposes to publish the inspection report from Her Majesty's inspectorate on the language in the national curriculum project.
Mr. Eggar : The HMI report referred to is an interim document intended for internal use. It has not yet been seen by my right hon. and learned Friend and will not be published.
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when Her Majesty's inspectorate inspected the language in the national curriculum project ; how many of her Majesty's inspectorate were involved ; and how many days the inspection took.
Mr. Eggar : The inspection was carried out over the autumn term 1990 and the spring term 1991. Five HMIs were involved for a total of 65 days.
County Hall
Miss Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what meetings or discussions his officials have had with any officials of the London School of Economics to discuss their interest in the use of county hall.
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Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend and I meet heads of the schools and colleges of London university, including the director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, from time to time. The Department's officials have had no recent meetings or discussions with the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Schools (Expenditure)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set out the methods used for auditing and monitoring expenditure in opt-out and grant-maintained schools.
Mr. Eggar : Monitoring of grant-maintained schools is carried out continuously by the Department, with emphasis on particular returns each school must submit monthly, quarterly and annually. Schools must appoint external auditors under arrangements laid down by the Department. The auditors, who may be drawn from the district arm of the Audit Commission, or from private sector accountants, are required annually to certify that, inter alia, grants paid to a school have been properly applied for the purposes intended. The National Audit Office also has right of access to grant-maintained schools.
National Curriculum
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he intends to publish for consultation the draft orders with revised attainment targets and programmes of study for mathematics and science in the national curriculum.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I shall on Thursday 24 October publish for consultation draft orders with associated documents setting out revised attainment targets and programmes of study for mathematics and science in the national curriculum for pupils aged five to 16, as I am required to do by section 20(5) of the Education Reform Act 1988. Copies will be placed in the Library.
The draft orders have been prepared following advice to me from the National Curriculum Council, in the light of its consultations on the proposals made by me and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. I am most grateful to the council for its advice. As the basis for the next stage of statutory consultation, I have accepted the council's recommendations for revised attainment targets for both subjects. In mathematics, those recommendations are an endorsement of my proposals, with some improvements in detail. In the case of science, the National Curriculum Council has recommended a further step in the direction of simplifying the order : that the number of attainment targets should be further reduced from five to four. I accept this advice : it does not alter the science curriculum, which will remain in all essentials the same as the content of the programmes of study in the present science order.
I also accept the council's recommended statements of attainment and programmes of study for mathematics and science, subject to some detailed changes and to the restoration of some material relating to Earth science, which formed part of our proposals.
The period for consultation on the draft orders will end on 28 November 1991. I intend to make the final order in December 1991 in good time for schools to prepare for the introduction of the new attainment targets and programmes of study in the autumn of 1992.
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