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Mr. Yeo : On local authority estates, 30 tenant management co- operatives and estate management boards have been established since last April, compared with 15 in the previous year, while a further 100 groups are exploring or developing a management option. There are 265 ownership co -operatives registered with the Housing Corporation compared with 255 three years ago. In addition, there are now 60 tenant management co-operatives in the housing association stock.
Bedfordshire County Council (Sales)
Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of money that Bedfordshire county council has raised since 1979 by way of (a) land sales and (b) sale of buildings ; of that amount what is the county council allowed to spend ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The capital receipts raised by Bedfordshire from the sale of fixed assets in each year since 1984-85 are as follows. Information is not available for years prior to 1984-85. It is not possible to identify land sales separately from sale of buildings.
Column 202
At 31 March 1990 Bedfordshire held £3,000 of capital receipts--not only from the sale of fixed assets--of which £1,000 were usable, the remainder being set aside for debt redemption. Of the £5.704 million estimated to have been received since then from the sale of fixed assets, £2.662 million is usable.
Year |Receipts from
|the sale of
|Fixed Assets
|£'000
------------------------------------------
1984-85 |2,862
1985-86 |6,630
1986-87 |5,337
1987-88 |4,024
1988-89 |4,467
1989-90 |12,316
1990-91 |1,666
<1>1991-92 |4,038
<1> estimate
Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of money that the four district councils within the county of Bedfordshire have raised since 1979 by (a) sale of council houses and (b) land sales ; of that amount how much each authority is currently allowed to spend ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The reported total discounted sale values of dwellings, and the value of land sold between April 1979 and September 1991 is as follows. Actual cash receipts from sales of dwellings in any year will depend on the extent to which sales were financed by loans from these authorities. The table also shows the reported amounts of unspent housing capital receipts at 1 April 1991 which were available to spend after making the required provision for debt repayment. In addition authorities can spend 25 per cent. of most housing capital receipts received in 1991-92.
Column 203
£ million
Total value of sales Remaining
|(after discounts) April 1979 to|usable housing
|September 1991 |receipts
|April 1991
|council houses/ |of which: land
|and land
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luton |<1>90 |10 |11
Mid Bedfordshire |<1>50 |5
North Bedfordshire |<1>105 |5 |10
South Bedfordshire |<1>70 |15 |3
Less than £5 million.
<1> Information missing for certain years or quarters.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to arrange that interest is paid when repaying sums which have been taken which are in excess of the final agreed figures for the uniform business rate.
Mr. Key : Regulations providing for the payment of interest where an overpayment of non-domestic rates has occurred due to an alteration of a rating list came into force in October 1990. Interest is paid for each financial year at a rate one per cent. below bank base rate as at 15 March prior to the start of that year.
Subsidiarity
Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he will take to ensure that the reform of local government structure embodies the principle of subsidiarity.
Mr. Key : The proposed local government commission will be required to recommend the structural changes it thinks desirable having regard to the need to reflect the identities and interests of local communities and to secure effective and convenient local government.
Estate Action (Wolverhampton)
Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent Wolverhampton has benefited from Estate Action.
Mr. Yeo : Up to this year the Council has received £11.695 million of estate action support for 10 schemes. I look forward to continuing this support in future years and a further £6.729 million has already been earmarked for the next three years.
Planning Policy Guidance
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the revision of planning policy guidance note 7 will be published ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir George Young : My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for Wales have today published a revised planning policy guidance note 7, entitled "The Countryside and the Rural Economy". This replaces the first edition of PPG 7, published in 1988.
We are grateful to the many bodies and individuals who responded to the consultation draft of the new PPG. Lists of their submissions are being placed in the Library of the House, where copies will be available on request.
Column 204
The new PPG emphasises the importance the Government attach to the countryside and the health of the rural economy. It reminds planning authorities of the need for a balanced approach to rural development and conservation. The advice takes forward the environmental strategy in our White Paper "This Common Inheritance" and sets out policies for planning in the countryside in the 1990s.Development is necessary to sustain the rural economy. It needs to be integrated with protection of the countryside for the sake of its beauty, the diversity of its landscape, the wealth of its natural resources and its ecological, agricultural and recreational value. Planning authorities need to weigh these considerations, paying particular regard to special designations such as national parks. The PPG gives greater protection to national parks, implementing the new policy on major developments there which we announced yesterday in response to the national parks review. Such developments should only take place in exceptional circumstances, after being shown to be in the public interest.
Among other things, the new PPG also emphasises new directions and opportunities in the rural economy, as employment in traditional industries shrinks ; points out that the re-use of rural buildings can reduce pressure for new building in the open countryside ; advises on stricter planning controls over the siting and appearance of agricultural buildings, which came into effect this month ; strengthens guidance on new dwellings in the countryside for agricultural workers, to counter abuse.
Combustion Plants
Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that a programme for reducing total annual emissions from large combustion plants is being implemented in all EC countries.
Mr. Trippier [holding answer 21 January 1992] : Enforcement of the large combustion plants directive in other member states is a matter for the European Commission, but the Government take every opportunity to stress the importance of other member states' matching the United Kingdom's performance in implementing this and other environmental directives. Our proposal for a Community "audit-type" inspectorate to ensure effective compliance with European environmental legislation would help to achieve improved and consistent standards throughout the Community.
Column 205
WALES
Council House Sales
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the capital receipts held on deposit from the sale of council housing to those whose homes they are for each council in Wales, for each year since 1979 ; for what reason it has not been decided to make provision for these moneys to be returned to the ratepayers/chargepayers ; and what interest has accrued in each year to each of those councils.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Under the arrangements brought into effect on 1 April 1990 by part IV of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, local authorities are required to set aside a proportion of their capital receipts--the "reserved part"--as prudent financial provision for credit liabilities. The balance--the "usable part"--is available for any capital purpose. Authorities must also repay at least a prescribed minimum amount of debt from revenue each year. Authorities are not, however, required to redeem debt from the reserved part immediately. The timing of debt redemption from capital receipts is left to each authority to decide in its own circumstances.
Column 206
In Wales, to encourage the provision of low- cost home ownership, certain capital receipts have a nil reserved part allowing full recycling of the receipt. These include sales of undeveloped housing land, sales of housing on shared equity terms and sales of housing where the purchaser is required to make significant repairs or improvements as a condition of sale. Details are given in schedule 1, part II of the Local Authorities (Capital Finance) Regulations 1990. Set out in the table, for each authority, are the figures for the total outstanding housing revenue account debt at 31 March 1991, the unredeemed, reserved part of capital receipts at 31 March 1990 and 31 March 1991 and the total of HRA 1990-91 in-year receipts applied to debt redemption in that year.Under the capital control system in force before 1 April 1990, authorities could use a proportion of their in-year and accumulated cash capital receipts for new capital expenditure each year for certain "prescribed" expenditure and could spend without such restriction on "non prescribed" items. There was no reserved part. The information requested on interest accrued is not held centrally.
Column 205
(£ thousands)
|Outstanding HRA |Unredeemed HRA |Unredeemed HRA |1990-91 in-year
|loan debt at |reserved part at |reserved part at |HRA receipts
|31 March 1991 |31 March 1990<1><2> |31 March 1991<1> |redeemed in
|1990-91
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |22,266 |1,600 |3,260 |0
Colwyn |14,533 |1,624 |2,151 |0
Delyn |18,987 |0 |0 |999
Glyndwr |8,804 |2,021 |0 |654
Rhuddlan |10,707 |2,046 |2,672 |0
Wrexham Maelor |43,200 |6,576 |0 |3,246
Carmarthen |26,214 |2,667 |3,150 |0
Ceredigion |17,453 |3,561 |0 |1,382
Dinefwr |14,108 |183 |1,733 |0
Llanelli |21,378 |56 |0 |1,752
Preseli Pembrokeshire |16,576 |3,416 |5,831 |0
South Pembrokeshire |7,254 |3,458 |0 |843
Blaenau Gwent |76,671 |4,060 |1,939 |0
Islwyn |35,395 |5,569 |6,458 |0
Monmouth |30,424 |2,110 |3,812 |0
Newport |74,408 |7,709 |0 |2,058
Torfaen |57,112 |2,342 |5,538 |0
Aberconwy |8,006 |4,253 |5,008 |0
Arfon |14,279 |3,932 |4,285 |0
Dwyfor |4,466 |243 |33 |410
Meirionnydd |4,906 |1,100 |1,616 |0
Ynys Mon |30,678 |3,095 |4,499 |0
Cynon Valley |26,259 |1,671 |2,801 |0
Merthyr Tydfil |33,316 |1,812 |0 |1,042
Ogwr |43,586 |3,224 |5,524 |0
Rhondda |48,336 |0 |490 |0
Rhymney Valley |54,120 |3,616 |4,859 |1,210
Taff-Ely |29,211 |4,720 |9,516 |0
Brecknock |15,181 |5,234 |6,096 |0
Montgomeryshire |14,816 |6,791 |7,576 |0
Radnorshire |9,666 |2,585 |3,094 |0
Cardiff |100,758 |0 |5,286 |0
Vale of Glamorgan |35,826 |16,669 |19,728 |0
Port Talbot |19,949 |1,739 |1,744 |464
Lliw Valley |27,692 |2,718 |4,549 |0
Neath |25,212 |1,125 |2,561 |0
Swansea |64,274 |689 |3,839 |0
|----- |---- |---- |---
Total Wales |1,106,027 |114,214 |129,648 |14,060
<1> Unredeemed reserved part of capital receipts relating to Housing Revenue Account services, at 31 March, as reported by
local authorities.
<2> At midnight i.e. at the introduction of the new capital control system.
Column 207
Works of Art
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of publicly owned works of art is available for viewing by the public ; what steps have been taken to maximise income for the arts by renting out works of art when that would not impair public viewing ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Secretary of State has direct responsibility only for works of art in the ownership of Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, of which 97 per cent. are available for public view. Information on items owned by non-departmental public bodies in Wales is not held centrally.
There are no plans for a scheme of the kind suggested.
Pregnancy (Health Care)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will implement a campaign to educate pregnant women and their health carers in Wales about toxoplasmosis and its prevention ;
(2) which health authorities in Wales provide information on infectious disease during pregnancy to pregnant women ; which health authorities provide specific information about the prevention of toxoplasmosis to pregnant women ; which health authorities in Wales routinely test pregnant women for toxoplasmosis ; and which test pregnant women on demand for toxoplasmosis.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Department issued in October 1991 the leaflet "While you are Pregnant : Safe eating and how to avoid infection from food and animals".
Column 208
This leaflet includes information on toxoplasmosis, and directors of midwifery and family health services authorities have been asked to distribute the leaflet, which is free of charge, to pregnant women in Wales. In addition, the Health Education Authority's pregnancy book is provided to women on their first visit to an ante-natal clinic. The Health Promotion Authority for Wales has circulated this widely in Wales and all health authority health promotion units have copies as well as GPs. The booklet warns women of the possible dangers of infectious diseases including toxoplasmosis and advises on how they can be avoided.Information on which health authorities routinely test pregnant women for toxoplasmosis and which test pregnant women on demand for toxoplasmosis is not held centrally.
Council Housing
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average amount allocated per household for maintenance work on council houses in each district council in Wales for each year since 1988 ; and what are the estimated allocations per council household for 1992-93.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is set out in the table.
These are the allowances set for subsidy purposes only. It is for authorities to set their own spending levels in their particular circumstances. The basis for calculating the allowances was changed in 1990 -91 and further refined for 1991-92 and 1992-93. The figures for years before 1990-91 are not comparable with the later years.
Column 207
Estimates of management and maintenance allowances for dwellings in
the Housing Revenue Account<1> (£)
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |n.a. |346 |416 |544 |634
Colwyn |396 |436 |582 |622 |682
Delyn |461 |507 |723 |723 |755
Glyndwr |n.a. |357 |574 |642 |709
Rhuddlan |338 |363 |578 |611 |666
Wrexham Maelor |309 |335 |415 |603 |717
Carmarthen |486 |537 |682 |682 |714
Ceredigion |483 |522 |636 |636 |668
Dinefwr |n.a. |304 |440 |560 |646
Llanelli |424 |469 |725 |818 |909
Preseli Pembrokeshire |461 |506 |676 |681 |730
South Pembrokeshire |386 |421 |649 |674 |724
Blaenau Gwent |474 |520 |678 |702 |751
Islwyn |450 |498 |729 |729 |761
Monmouth |611 |679 |946 |946 |978
Newport |409 |447 |506 |540 |591
Torfaen |466 |513 |664 |664 |698
Aberconwy |348 |381 |787 |787 |819
Arfon |n.a. |542 |699 |744 |807
Dwyfor |299 |342 |608 |761 |862
Meirionnydd |435 |521 |781 |781 |813
Ynys Mon |448 |498 |577 |607 |657
Cynon Valley |400 |436 |689 |723 |778
Merthyr Tydfil |377 |440 |663 |663 |708
Ogwr |527 |381 |694 |694 |729
Rhondda |445 |491 |851 |851 |883
Rhymney Valley |460 |520 |643 |705 |772
Taff Ely |441 |514 |761 |761 |793
Brecknock |432 |458 |562 |625 |696
Montgomeryshire |391 |398 |576 |651 |719
Radnorshire |368 |405 |619 |606 |644
Cardiff |428 |460 |885 |885 |917
Vale of Glamorgan |447 |467 |913 |913 |945
Lliw Valley |374 |410 |639 |718 |791
Neath |381 |419 |586 |655 |726
Port Talbot |450 |357 |931 |931 |988
Swansea |n.a. |467 |651 |699 |763
<1> The estimates are derived from information supplied by the local
authorities and, for the last three years, are provisional.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the average council house rent charges per household in each district council area in Wales for each year from 1988 onwards ; and what are the estimated levels for 1992.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested is set out in the table for 1988-89 to 1991-92. Authorities are in the process of setting their rents for 1992-93.
Local authority dwellings: average weekly actual rents<1>
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
|£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |15.15 |16.11 |19.27 |20.72
Colwyn |19.74 |21.69 |23.19 |24.94
Delyn |20.25 |22.24 |23.41 |25.08
Glyndwr |18.42 |19.38 |21.89 |23.40
Rhuddlan |16.27 |18.32 |18.73 |20.76
Wrexham Maelor |13.56 |15.29 |18.44 |20.10
Carmarthen |20.61 |22.06 |22.96 |25.24
Ceredigion |21.05 |21.60 |24.17 |26.39
Dinefwr |18.59 |18.30 |19.73 |21.71
Llanelli |19.62 |21.00 |24.40 |27.66
Preseli Pembrokeshire 17.48 18.40 20.97 23.72
South Pembrokeshire |20.66 |20.73 |23.08 |25.51
Blaenau Gwent |25.84 |25.24 |26.65 |29.20
Islwyn |19.40 |21.35 |24.82 |27.77
Monmouth |22.96 |23.94 |26.83 |27.99
Newport |21.67 |22.86 |25.82 |28.94
Torfaen |20.96 |23.16 |26.62 |31.48
Aberconwy |20.13 |21.47 |23.80 |26.08
Arfon |16.75 |19.35 |22.15 |23.15
Dwyfor |16.09 |18.09 |21.05 |23.12
Meirionnydd |20.20 |22.75 |23.39 |25.89
Ynys Mon |18.10 |22.96 |24.16 |26.42
Cynon Valley |21.56 |22.49 |24.48 |26.48
Merthyr Tydfil |20.30 |21.78 |22.44 |23.92
Ogwr |24.12 |26.07 |24.80 |26.04
Rhondda |23.94 |26.94 |27.57 |28.95
Rhymney Valley |22.62 |24.94 |28.38 |30.23
Taff Ely |21.07 |21.34 |25.36 |27.31
Brecknock |20.70 |23.95 |22.58 |24.43
Montgomeryshire |19.10 |20.69 |23.15 |26.16
Radnorshire |20.10 |20.97 |24.68 |27.74
Cardiff |23.77 |26.43 |26.63 |28.57
Vale of Glamorgan |18.86 |20.44 |23.61 |25.09
Lliw Valley |21.57 |23.52 |24.30 |26.36
Neath |18.87 |21.65 |24.12 |27.22
Port Talbot |20.98 |21.35 |26.06 |29.36
Swansea |18.61 |18.33 |24.62 |28.30
<1>The estimates of rent are taken from local authority
returns and are based on a 52 week payment year.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been paid by each district council to his Department in uniform business rate ; how much was redistributed to each district council in the last financial year ; and if he will publish estimated figures for 1992-93.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The contributions of district councils in Wales to the non-domestic rate pool in 1990-91 and 1991-92, together with the entitlement of each district and county authority from the pool for those years are set out in the table. Details for 1992-93 are not yet available. Contributions by district authorities in respect of 1990-91 will be adjusted shortly to take account of certified outturn figures.
Column 209
1990-91 1991-92
|Contribution|Share of |Contribution|Share of
|to NDR pool |NDR pool |to NDR pool |NDR pool
|(£) |(£) |(£) |(£)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |12,365,370 |1,799,111 |14,209,271 |2,243,128
Colwyn |4,408,730 |1,434,175 |5,415,994 |1,730,305
Delyn |5,902,584 |1,646,106 |7,194,099 |2,038,015
Glyndwr |3,560,390 |1,066,995 |4,336,068 |1,316,435
Rhuddlan |7,052,103 |1,427,350 |8,121,768 |1,781,702
Wrexham Maelor |17,119,685 |2,892,510 |17,840,200 |3,535,643
Clwyd CC |- |54,631,926 |- |63,411,355
Carmarthen |4,761,327 |1,399,793 |6,255,179 |1,700,422
Ceredigion |4,470,789 |1,578,656 |5,369,351 |2,043,882
Dinefwr |2,378,428 |961,446 |2,824,987 |1,182,767
Lanelli |7,741,743 |1,868,612 |9,688,419 |2,358,999
Preseli Pembs |8,201,944 |1,718,363 |9,409,643 |2,137,568
South Pembrokeshire |7,852,064 |1,048,827 |8,277,573 |1,306,511
Dyfed CC |- |45,653,651 |- |53,807,913
Blaenau Gwent |7,052,756 |1,899,886 |7,683,509 |2,352,456
Islwyn |4,658,334 |1,615,281 |5,114,882 |2,030,590
Monmouth |8,206,221 |1,921,419 |10,609,761 |2,366,561
Newport |27,283,928 |3,242,065 |31,898,599 |4,059,624
Torfaen |12,450,141 |2,210,093 |12,598,816 |2,746,707
Gwent CC |- |57,944,549 |- |67,978,245
Aberconwy |6,268,406 |1,352,626 |7,572,061 |1,680,351
Arfon |5,569,756 |1,347,210 |7,129,976 |1,677,457
Dwyfor |3,228,889 |773,098 |3,517,601 |935,326
Meirionnydd |2,933,595 |937,318 |3,233,177 |1,131,262
Yns Mon |6,051,627 |1,653,957 |6,453,772 |2,121,945
Gwynedd CC |- |32,270,744 |- |37,842,234
Cynon Valley |5,261,349 |1,608,007 |6,104,420 |2,001,294
Merthyr Tydfil |6,369,338 |1,414,212 |7,393,028 |1,802,069
Ogwr |14,736,142 |3,343,193 |16,089,657 |4,129,582
Rhondda |4,606,327 |1,932,890 |4,895,082 |2,412,902
Rhymney Valley |9,385,546 |2,472,460 |10,653,628 |3,093,501
Taff Ely |15,036,264 |2,273,538 |16,305,221 |2,864,436
Mid Glamorgan CC |- |69,415,359 |- |81,757,722
Brecknock |2,782,861 |1,047,353 |3,518,461 |1,286,264
Montgomery |4,930,857 |1,332,599 |5,661,107 |1,664,720
Radnor |1,733,759 |588,659 |2,256,968 |742,559
Powys CC |- |15,797,494 |- |18,521,814
Cardiff |47,351,346 |6,806,033 |59,846,263 |8,428,518
Vale of Glamorgan |10,498,606 |2,691,441 |13,181,039 |3,382,507
South Glamorgan CC |- |50,540,896 |- |59,228,125
Port Talbot |17,433,676 |1,281,426 |16,565,738 |1,569,739
Lliw Valley |5,632,942 |1,521,748 |6,137,454 |1,903,168
Neath |8,441,107 |1,620,888 |9,394,194 |2,014,473
Swansea |25,123,939 |4,348,858 |31,780,676 |5,513,528
West Glamorgan CC |- |46,685,179 |- |55,165,676
Local Government Finance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated for each district council in Wales in other services capital receipts budgets in each year from 1988 ; and what are the estimated allocations for 1991-92.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Prior to 1990-91 the capital receipts of individual local authorities were not taken into account in the distribution of capital resources. For each district council, the non- housing services capital receipts taken into account in setting its basic credit approvals are given as follows for 1990-91 and 1991-92. These figures reflect only a portion of the resources which authorities have at their disposal for financing capital expenditure.
Non-housing receipts taken into account
(£ thousands)
|1990-91|1991-92
----------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |23 |11
Colwyn |6 |34
Delyn |10 |315
Glyndwr |31 |10
Rhuddlan |4 |0
Wrexham Maelor |14 |209
Carmarthen |276 |75
Ceredigion |293 |30
Dinefwr |79 |19
Llanelli |214 |59
Preseli Pembrokeshire |257 |86
South Pembrokeshire |62 |28
Blaenau Gwent |75 |53
Islwyn |128 |81
Monmouth |14 |41
Newport |1,057 |19
Torfaen |456 |153
Aberconwy |208 |30
Arfon |223 |0
Dwyfor |9 |3
Meirionnydd |114 |0
Ynys Mon |254 |12
Cynon Valley |0 |11
Merthyr Tydfil |1 |155
Ogwr |202 |95
Rhondda |0 |31
Rhymney Valley |26 |43
Taff-Ely |51 |13
Brecknock |7 |45
Montgomeryshire |31 |1
Radnorshire |16 |0
Cardiff |861 |423
Vale of Glamorgan |277 |61
Port Talbot |16 |3
Lliw Valley |153 |25
Neath |26 |289
Swansea |1,824 |756
|-------|-------
Total districts |7,293 |3,218
Second Homes
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has as to how many second homes there are in (a) each parliamentary constituency in Wales and (b) each district authority area ; and what proportion of the housing stock is represented by second homes in each instance.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Estimates of the number of second homes alone are not available. However estimates of the number of second/holiday homes are available for each parliamentary constituency and each district in Wales
Column 213
from the 1981 census of population and the Welsh inter-censal survey, 1986 respectively. These figures are given in the tables :
a. Second/holiday homes 1981, by Parliamentary Constituency
Constituency<1> |Household spaces: |Percentage of total
|second residence and|household spaces
|holiday accommoda-
|tion (unoccupied at
|Census)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberavon |17 |0.1
Alyn and Deeside |67 |0.2
Blaenau Gwent |24 |0.1
Brecon and Radnor |892 |3.5
Bridgend |141 |0.5
Caernarfon |3,299 |12.5
Caerphilly |23 |0.1
Carmarthen |805 |2.4
Cardiff Central |26 |0.1
Cardiff North |6 |0.0
Cardiff South and Penarth |5 |0.0
Cardiff West |15 |0.1
Ceredigion and Pembroke North |2,692 |8.1
Clwyd North West |1,157 |3.4
Clwyd South West |962 |3.2
Conwy |1,717 |6.0
Cynon Valley |36 |0.1
Delyn |541 |1.7
Gower |566 |2.0
Islwyn |18 |0.1
Llanelli |81 |0.2
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy |3,492 |17.5
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney |26 |0.1
Monmouth |231 |0.8
Montgomery |907 |4.5
Neath |53 |0.2
Newport East |19 |0.1
Newport West |20 |0.1
Ogmore |15 |0.1
Pembroke |2,521 |6.7
Pontypridd |17 |0.1
Rhondda |16 |0.1
Swansea East |13 |0.1
Swansea West |47 |0.2
Torfaen |33 |0.1
Vale of Glamorgan |46 |0.1
Wrexham |72 |0.2
Ynys Mon |1,997 |7.0
<1> Boundaries as at March 1983.
Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.
b. Second and holiday homes 1986, by district
|Number of second |Second and
|and holiday homes|holiday homes as
|a percentage of
|district stock<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberconwy |2,040 |9
Alyn and Deeside |50 |-
Arfon |1,380 |6
Blaenau Gwent |50 |-
Brecknock |650 |4
Cardiff |50 |-
Carmarthen |490 |2
Ceredigion |1,570 |6
Colwyn |960 |4
Cynon Valley |70 |-
Delyn |280 |1
Dinefwr |290 |2
Dwyfor |2,860 |21
Glyndwr |690 |4
Islwyn |20 |-
Llanelli |120 |-
Lliw Valley |70 |-
Meirionnydd |3,200 |20
Merthyr Tydfil |0 |-
Monmouth |130 |-
Montgomeryshire |1,040 |5
Neath |0 |-
Newport |100 |-
Ogwr |50 |-
Port Talbot (Afan) |40 |-
Preseli |1,950 |7
Radnor |410 |4
Rhondda |20 |-
Rhuddlan |480 |2
Rhymney Valley |20 |-
South Pembrokeshire |1,510 |9
Swansea |460 |1
Taff-Ely |100 |-
Torfaen |80 |-
Vale of Glamorgan |260 |1
Wrexham Maelor |100 |-
Ynys Mon |1,760 |6
|--- |--
Wales |23,340 |2
<1> Indicates 0.5 per cent. or less.
Source: Welsh Inter Censal Survey, 1986.
Energy Production
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what evaluation has been undertaken by his Department on the potential impact of the European Community large combustion plant directive on energy production in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : None. The United Kingdom's national plan, which incorporates the programme for achieving the stepped reductions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions as required by the EC large combustion plant directive from existing plant, allocates reduction targets to England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland on sectoral and, for electricity, company bases. Figures for Wales are not listed separately.
Welsh Language
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department has undertaken any study as to the effect of holiday housing developments on the Welsh language in the surrounding localities ; and what evidence he has indicating the causes of any decline in Welsh language speakers.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The results of the 1991 census will provide information on the effects of migration on the rural population of Wales and on the number of Welsh speakers.
Point of Ayr Colliery
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the progress of the research work into coal liquefaction at the Point of Ayr colliery.
Mr. David Hunt : Commissioning of the coal liquefaction plant has been successfully accomplished and an 18-month operating project has begun. It is too soon to assess results, but I understand that encouraging technical progress is being made.
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Immigration
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to publish data showing (a) the volume of in-migration into Welsh counties and districts and (b) the age structure of the inward- migrating population ; and if he has any plans to conduct a survey to ascertain the reasons for
inward-migration into Wales and its effect on the indigenous population.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Data on in and out migration, based on the re -registration of NHS general practitioners' patients and by broad age groups, are published at a county level by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in table 5.1 of "Key Population and Vital Statistics" annual series VS/PP1. The OPCS also produces estimates of net migration for counties and county districts and publish these in table 4 of the OPCS monitor series PP1. Both are available in the Library of the House.
Information on the scale, origin, destination and characteristics of migration flows for the year prior to the 1991 census will become available over the next year when the full processing of the census returns has been completed.
Waste Disposal Sites
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of derelict land in Wales is accounted for by (a) abandoned mines and quarries, (b) mineral waste tips and (c) old waste disposal sites.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : A total of 55 to 60 per cent. of derelict land in Wales is accounted for by abandoned mines and quarries and about 15 per cent. by mineral waste tips. Details of old waste disposal sites are not maintained centrally.
Joint Replacement Surgery
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the period 1 January to 31 March the number of patients who will have major joint replacement surgery carried out at the Prince of Wales Orthopaedic hospital, Rhydlafar, Cardiff, on a contractual basis with his Department in its role as a treatment centre.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Department contracts with the treatment centres on a financial year basis. In the current year the orthopaedic treatment centre at the Prince of Wales hospital, Rhydlafar is contracted to perform 250 major joint replacement operations and 40 other minor procedures. The centre is on course to meet this target.
Cataract Operations
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the period 1 January to 31 March the number of cataract operations his Department has contracted with Ysbyty Gwynedd and the Bridgend general hospital treatment centres to be carried out.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Department contracts with the treatment centres on a financial year basis. In the current financial year the ophthalmic treatment centre at Bridgend general hospital is contracted to perform 275 cataract and 25 other operations and the treatment centre at Ysbyty Gwynedd is contracted for 450 cataract and 50 other operations. Both centres are on course to meet their targets.
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Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients from each Welsh health authority have been treated for cataract removal at the new Bridgend treatment centre since its opening ; and how many have been referred to the centre by each authority.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The number of patients treated in the three months to December 1991 was as follows :
|Number
------------------------------
Mid Glamorgan |34
West Glamorgan |39
South Glamorgan |31
East Dyfed |17
Gwent |4
Powys |2
On 17 January the number of patients scheduled for admission before the end of the financial year was as follows :
|Number
------------------------------
Mid Glamorgan |34
West Glamorgan |39
South Glamorgan |31
East Dyfed |17
Gwent |4
Powys |2
Limestone Pavement
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many areas of limestone pavement have been notified for protection in Wales ; how many have had orders made ; and when limestone pavement protection will be complete in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : There are 10 known sites of limestone pavement in Wales. They are all protected as parts of sites of special scientific interest. As the sites are relatively small and not under threat, the Secretary of State does not propose to make any limestone pavement orders at present.
TRANSPORT
Coastguard
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of surveys undertaken during the review of the coastguard service before drawing up the proposals contained in the current consultation paper.
Mr. McLoughlin : All levels of staff within the six regions of HM coastguard from auxiliary coastguards to district management teams were consulted over the recommendations made by the sector review, and were asked for comment. The views and opinions received were duly considered before the final regional implementation plans were submitted to coastguard headquarters. The views and opinions of a large number of other organisations, local authorities and members of the public were also received and considered.
The sector review document has been available in the library of the House of Commons since March 1991. Various representations have been made by hon. Members, although none, until now, by the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond).
Column 217
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that coastguard auxiliaries are not penalised in any way for speaking against the proposals contained in the coastguard review consultation document.Mr. McLoughlin : Auxiliary coastguards are volunteers, not employees of the Department. When engaged on coastguard business they are afforded the same treatment as regular coastguard officers. While they are not under obligation to do so, they would be expected to communicate matters of concern through their immediate line management in the normal way. Auxiliary coastguards are, of course, free to make representations to their Members of Parliament in the usual way.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will specify the consultations, including dates of any meetings and correspondence, which took place on the north coast of Scotland on the review of Her Majesty's coastguard sector organisation, with (a) local authorities, (b) coastguard staff and (c) the public.
Mr. McLoughlin : All coastguard district management teams and sector officers within Aberdeen region, including the north coast of Scotland, were consulted personally by regional management over the sector review during the consultative period lasting from February to June 1991. Consultations were numerous, and all views of the coastguard staff so aired were considered.
Since this was an internal review local authorities and the public were not directly approached until the review recommendations were announced in the House.
Hon. Members representing constituencies on the north coast of Scotland have had access to the sector review document, which was placed in the House of Commons Library in March 1991.
Oxleas Wood
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last visited Oxleas wood, south-east London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I have not visited the site, although my right hon. and learned Friend has. I accept that many people are very concerned about the effect of the east London river crossing on Oxleas wood, but no new evidence has come forward to cause the decision that was taken in 1988 to be changed.
Red Route Network
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish details of the proposed red route network in London.
Mr. Rifkind : I have issued today a consultation document setting out the Government's proposals for the composition of the red route network in London. Copies are available in the Library. The period of consultation runs until 31 March.
Column 218
A38
Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he hopes to announce the alternative routes for the proposed improvement of the A38 trunk road between Saltash and Trerulefoot ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 20 January 1992] : I am planning to consult the public on proposals for the Saltash to Trerulefoot section of the A38 later this year and to announce a preferred route for the scheme once public views have been considered.
THE ARTS
Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he has any plans to visit the Slaithwaite philharmonic orchestra in recognition of the orchestra's celebration of its centenary.
Mr. Renton : I am sorry not to be able to attend the concerts on 25 January and 28 March, but I have sent a greetings message to the orchestra and am delighted that it has been included in their excellent centenary publication alongside messages from others, including my hon. Friend.
The orchestra is to be congratulated in securing the services of distinguished soloists, like the Tchaikovsky competition winner, Peter Donohoe, for its centenary concerts.
I wish it as much success in its next hundred years as it has achieved in its first.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Stamp Duty
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to arrange for the Inland Revenue not to charge stamp duty on assumed value added tax on rent on leases.
Mr. Maude : No ; the stamp duty charge on prospective VAT on rent, under a lease of non-domestic property, reflects legal advice given to the Inland Revenue. Where a landlord agrees in advance not to exercise his option to levy VAT, this stamp duty charge does not arise.
Exchange Rate Mechanism
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the changes in exchange rate relative to (a) the deutschmark and (b) the ecu allowed to each member of the exchange rate mechanism subsequent to entry giving the date and in each case the relative appreciation or depreciation.
Mr. Maples : The table gives the central rates of currencies on joining the ERM, against the deutschmark and the ECU. For each realignment it gives the date of realignment, the currencies involved, the percentage changes in the central rates of those currencies relative to other currencies, and the new central rates against the deutschmark and the ECU.
Column 219
ERM Realignments to the present date
Date and currencies |Central rate |ECU parity
|against DM |(1 ECU =)
|(1 DM =)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 March 1979 (starting date)
Belgian Franc (BFC) |15.716400 |39.456200
French Franc (FFC) |2.309500 |5.798310
Italian Lire (LIT) |457.314000 |1148.150000
Dutch Guilder (DFL) |1.083700 |2.720770
Deutschmark (DM) |- |2.510640
Danish Kroner (DKR) |2.822370 |7.085920
Irish Punt (IPT) |0.263932 |0.662638
24 September 1979: DM +2 per cent.;DKR
-2.9 per cent.
DM |- |2.485570
DKR |2.963480 |7.365930
3 December1979: DKR -4.76 per cent.
DKR |3.111650 |7.723360
23 March 1981: LIT -6 per cent.
LIT |469.232000 |1262.920000
5 October 1981: DM, DFL +5.5 per cent.;
FFC, LIT -3 per cent.
DM |- |2.049890
DFL |1.105370 |2.663820
FFC |2.562120 |6.174430
LIT |539.722000 |1300.670000
22 February 1982: BFC -8.5 per cent.; DKR
-3 per cent.
BFC |18.48370 |44.696300
DKR |3.384330 |8.183820
14 June 1982: DM, DFL +4.25 per cent.;
LIT, FFC -2.75 per cent.
DM |- |2.333790
DFL |1.105370 |2.579710
LIT |578.57400 |1350.270000
FFC |2.833960 |6.613870
22 March 1983: DM +5.5 per cent.; DFL
+3.5 per cent.; DKR +2.5 per cent.; BFC
+1.5 per cent.; FFC, LIT -2.5 per cent.;
IPT -3.5 per cent.
DM |- |2.215150
DFL |1.126730 |2.495870
DKR |3.631410 |8.044120
BFC |20.028500 |44.366200
FFC |3.066480 |6.792710
LIT |626.043000 |1386.780000
IPT |0.323703 |0.717050
22 July 1985: DM, DFL, DKR, BFC, IPT,
FFC +2 per cent.; LIT -6 per cent.
BFC |20.0285 |44.832000
DKR |3.631410 |8.128570
|DM |-
FFC |3.066480 |6.864020
IPT |0.323703 |0.724578
DFL |1.126730 |2.522080
LIT |679.325000 |1520.600000
7 April 1986: DM, DFL +3 per cent.; BFC,
DKR +1 per cent.; FFC -3 per cent.
DM |- |2.138340
DFL |1.126730 |2.409350
BFC |20.425200 |43.676100
DKR |3.703320 |7.918900
FFC |3.256170 |6.962800
4 August 1986: IPT -8 per cent.
IPT |0.362405 |0.764976
12 January 1987: DM, DFL +3 per cent.;
BFC +2 per cent.
DM |- |2.058530
DFL |1.126730 |2.319430
BFC |20.625500 |42.458200
10 June 1989: Entry of Spanish Peseta
PTA |65.000000 |133.804000
8 January 1990: LIT adoption of narrow band
and -3.7 per cent.
LIT |748.217000 |1529.700000
8 October 1990: Entry of pound sterling
GBP |0.338984 |0.696904
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the valuation in real terms of each currency in the exchange rate mechanism against the deutschmark at the present date compared to the last quarter of 1986.
Mr. Maples : The table gives the estimated real exchange rate at the close of trading on 14 January 1992, for each currency in the ERM, expressed as a percentage of the rate for the last quarter of 1986. The rates have been calculated by comparing movements in the GDP deflator for Germany with those for other ERM members over the period specified in the question, and the movement in exchange rates between the deutschmark and the other currencies.
It should be noted that the results produced by comparisons of this kind depend crucially on the choice of base period, in this case the last quarter of 1986 at which time the sterling exchange rate index was at its lowest since 1975.
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