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Column 297
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 7 February 1992
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Staffordshire Education
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what was the pupil-teacher ratio in Staffordshire (a) in all schools and (b) in secondary schools in each year since 1979 ; (2) what was the pupil-teacher ratio in each shire county in England in the most recent year for which figures are available (a) in primary schools and (b) in secondary schools.
Mr. Eggar : The pupil-teacher ratios for the categories requested are shown in the following tables.
Pupil-teacher ratios in Staffordshire local
education authority
1979 to 1991<1>
|Maintained |All
|secondary |maintained
|schools<1> |nursery,
|primary and
|secondary
|schools<1>
------------------------------------------------
1991 |15.8 |17.7
1990 |15.7 |18.0
1989 |15.9 |18.0
1988 |16.3 |18.0
1987 |16.4 |18.0
1986 |16.5 |18.3
1985 |16.1 |17.9
1984 |16.3 |17.8
1983 |16.4 |18.0
1982 |16.5 |18.7
1981 |16.4 |17.7
1980 |16.5 |18.5
1979 |16.7 |19.2
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Pupil-teacher ratios in non-metropolitan counties, in
England,
as at January 1991
|Maintained|Maintained
|primary |primary
|schools<1>|schools<1>
--------------------------------------------------------
Isles of Scilly |15.1 |8.0
Avon |22.4 |16.0
Bedfordshire |21.6 |16.8
Berkshire |23.4 |15.6
Buckinghamshire |22.9 |16.0
Cambridgeshire |23.0 |16.1
Cheshire |24.2 |16.4
Cleveland |23.4 |14.9
Cornwall |23.3 |16.3
Cumbria |22.2 |15.0
Derbyshire |21.7 |14.1
Devon |22.7 |16.1
Dorset |22.9 |16.4
Durham |22.3 |16.1
East Sussex |22.2 |15.8
Essex |23.1 |16.6
Gloucestershire |21.3 |15.7
Hampshire |22.8 |15.8
Hereford and Worcester |22.4 |16.5
Hertfordshire |22.0 |15.4
Humberside |22.6 |15.7
Isle of Wight |22.8 |16.9
Kent |24.3 |16.6
Lancashire |23.1 |15.7
Leicestershire |22.9 |15.0
Lincolnshire |23.5 |16.2
Norfolk |22.1 |15.3
North Yorkshire |22.4 |15.3
Northamptonshire |22.6 |16.3
Northumberland |23.5 |16.7
Nottinghamshire |22.0 |14.9
Oxfordshire |22.6 |16.6
Shropshire |21.4 |15.0
Somerset |22.1 |15.7
Staffordshire |23.1 |15.8
Suffolk |21.6 |16.4
Surrey |21.3 |15.1
Warwickshire |21.7 |15.5
West Sussex |22.1 |16.2
Wiltshire |21.9 |15.5
<1> The pupil-teacher ratios presented for individual
types of school take account only of qualified teachers
within schools, whereas the calculation of the overall
PTRs take account of all teachers employed by LEAs and
grant-maintained schools.
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent per pupil in Staffordshire in each year since 1979 (a) in primary schools and (b) in secondary schools at 1992 prices.
Mr. Eggar : Spending per pupil in primary schools and in secondary schools in Staffordshire is shown in the table. The table shows actual spending from 1979-80 to 1989-90, the latest year for which the information is available, at 1991-92 prices.
Net institutional expenditure<1> per
pupil at 1991-92 prices<2>
Year |Primary |Secondary
|(£) |(£)
-----------------------------------------
1979-80 |1,000 |1,400
1980-81 |1,085 |1,470
1981-82 |1,145 |1,510
1982-83 |1,170 |1,505
1983-84 |1,215 |1,565
1984-85 |1,175 |1,555
1985-86 |1,175 |1,625
1986-87 |1,230 |1,755
1987-88 |<3>1,310 |1,895
1988-89 |<3>1,300 |1,990
<4>1989-90 |<3>1,340 |2,080
<1> Net institutional expenditure covers
the direct costs in schools of salaries
and wages, premises and certain supplies
and services. It does not include the
costs of school meals, home to school
transport, LEA central administration,
and financing costs of capital
expenditure.
<2> Figures for earlier years have been
repriced to 1991-92 prices using the GDP
(market prices) deflator index.
<3> Spending on nursery and primary
schools was not collected separately for
years after 1986-87, so per pupil
figures for these years cover both
nursery and primary schools.
<4> The figures in the tables are
derived from local education
authorities' returns of their spending
to the Department of the Environment and
of their pupil numbers to the Department
of Education and Science.
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils attended schools in Staffordshire in each year since 1979 ; and how many of these attended secondary schools and how many attended primary schools.
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Mr. Eggar : Information on the number of full-time equivalent pupils, who attended maintained schools in Staffordshire local education authority, for each year since 1979 is given, by type of school, in the following table.
Full-time equivalent of pupils in maintained schools in Staffordshire
local education authority
1979 to 1991
|Nursery |Primary |Secondary|Special |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |1,500 |88,400 |67,200 |2,100 |159,200
1990 |1,400 |87,000 |67,400 |2,000 |157,800
1989 |1,500 |84,300 |69,400 |2,000 |157,200
1988 |1,400 |80,800 |75,000 |2,100 |159,300
1987 |1,400 |79,200 |79,800 |2,200 |162,600
1986 |1,400 |79,100 |83,800 |2,200 |166,500
1985 |1,400 |78,200 |88,600 |2,300 |170,500
1984 |1,400 |80,300 |91,600 |2,400 |175,700
1983 |1,400 |84,600 |89,900 |2,400 |178,300
1982 |1,400 |89,300 |90,500 |2,400 |183,600
1981 |1,400 |94,700 |90,800 |2,500 |189,400
1980 |1,400 |100,100 |88,600 |2,500 |192,600
1979 |1,400 |104,800 |86,700 |2,500 |195,400
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent on school education in Staffordshire in each year since 1979 at constant prices.
Mr. Eggar : Net recurrent spending on nursery, primary and secondary school education in Staffordshire is shown in the table. The figures are shown at 1989-90 prices, the latest year for which actual spending information is available.
Year |Net recurrent
|expenditure
|(£ million)
------------------------------------------
1979-80 |201.3
1980-81 |211.1
1981-82 |216.8
1982-83 |212.8
1983-84 |215.5
1984-85 |209.5
1985-86 |206.6
1986-87 |214.0
1987-88 |221.3
1988-89 |221.2
1989-90 |229.6
Notes:
1. Net recurrent expenditure on education
includes total expenditure other than
costs of financing capital expenditure,
less income other than from specific
grants.
2. Figures for earlier years have been
repriced to 1989-90 prices using the GDP (
market prices) deflator index.
3. The figures in the tables are derived
from local education authorities' returns
of their spending to the Department of
the Environment.
Education Expenditure
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much was spent per pupil in each shire county in England in the most recent year for which figures are available (a) in primary schools and (b) in secondary schools.
Mr. Eggar : In 1989-90, the latest year for which figures on actual spending are available, spending per pupil in nursery and primary schools and in secondary schools for each shire county in England was as follows :
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Net institutional expenditure<1> per pupil
County |Nursery and |Secondary
|primary schools|schools
|(£) |(£)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |1,195 |1,800
Bedfordshire |1,240 |1,815
Berkshire |1,105 |1,735
Buckinghamshire |1,170 |1,850
Cambridgeshire |1,115 |1,640
Cheshire |1,050 |1,715
Cleveland |1,150 |1,915
Cornwall |1,095 |1,690
Cumbria |1,265 |1,845
Derbyshire |1,230 |1,975
Devon |1,095 |1,705
Dorset |1,120 |1,635
Durham |1,225 |1,735
East Sussex |1,125 |1,765
Essex |1,150 |1,800
Gloucestershire |1,140 |1,735
Hampshire |1,125 |1,790
Hereford and Worcester |1,145 |1,635
Hertfordshire |1,245 |1,900
Humberside |1,265 |1,760
Isle of Wight |1,125 |1,575
Kent |1,030 |1,565
Lancashire |1,090 |1,810
Leicestershire |1,180 |1,900
Lincolnshire |1,110 |1,630
Norfolk |1,160 |1,810
North Yorkshire |1,095 |1,760
Northamptonshire |1,095 |1,685
Northumberland |1,175 |1,645
Nottinghamshire |1,255 |1,955
Oxfordshire |1,205 |1,810
Shropshire |1,160 |1,855
Somerset |1,145 |1,745
Staffordshire |1,155 |1,790
Suffolk |1,120 |1,820
Surrey |1,140 |1,675
Warwickshire |1,140 |1,770
West Sussex |1,145 |1,745
Wiltshire |1,125 |1,700
Notes:
1. Net institutional expenditure covers the direct costs in schools of
salaries and wages, premises and certain supplies and services. It
does not include the costs of school meals, home to school transport,
LEA central administration, and financing costs of capital
expenditure.
2. The figures in the tables are derived from local education
authorities' returns of their spending to the Department of the
Environment and of their pupil numbers to the Department of Education
and Science.
3. Spending on Nursery and primary schools is not collected
separately.
Ko Hsuan School, Chawleigh
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last received a report on the standards of education at the Ko Hsuan school in Chawleigh, North Devon.
Mr. Eggar : Her Majesty's inspectors last visited the school in March 1990 in order to inspect, in particular, the boarding accommodation and the occupation and supervision of pupils after normal school hours. Before that, the school was visited in September 1988 when all aspects of its provision, including education, were inspected in order to advise the Department about final registration, which followed in April 1989.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
EC (Surplus Produce)
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the current levels of surplus produce in store within the EC in connection with the operational activities of the common agricultural policy ; and if he will provide separate figures for each commodity and separate figures for each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Tables showing current levels of surplus produce in store within the EC have been deposited in the Library of the House at monthly intervals throughout the period in question.
Meat (Drug Residues)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions during 1990 and 1991 illegal drug residues were identified in meat or animals destined for human consumption at (a) slaughterhouses, (b) retail outlets, (c) farms and (d) other locations ; and what number of such incidents resulted in successful prosecutions.
Mr. Maclean : The number of cases of illegal drug residues detected in Great Britain by the Ministry was as follows :
|1990|1991
----------------------------------
On farm |1 |4
At slaughterhouses |22 |-
At retail outlets |n/a |n/a
Other locations |- |-
n/a=Not available.
In all positive cases identified at Great Britain slaughterhouses, follow up visits to the farms of origin are made by members of the state veterinary service. Whenever firm evidence is obtained, action is then pursued through the courts. One successful prosecution was taken in 1991 which resulted in a fine of £2,400 plus £5,234 costs.
Foodstuffs (Destruction)
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has about the amount of each foodstuff and fruits which were destroyed in the United Kingdom and the EC respectively in connection with the operational activities of the common agricultural policy in the most recent annual period for which figures are available.
Mr. Curry : The relevant information in respect of the EC relates to the 1988-89 season and is as follows :
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Product |Quantity (tonnes) ------------------------------------------------------ Clementines |2,376 Satsumas |- Nectarines |8,671 Oranges |988 Mandarins |- Apples |183,183 Table grapes |- Pears |2,022 Lemons |- Apricots |305 Peaches |32,663 Aubergines |123 Tomatoes |8,130 Cauliflowers |38,831
The most recent figures for the United Kingdom relate to the calendar year 1991 and are as follows :
Product |Quantity
|(tonnes)
-------------------------------
Apples |2,725
Pears |73
Cauliflowers |4,699
Hong Kong (Ministerial Visit)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he took part in party-political activities in addition to official duties on his visit to Hong Kong in October 1991.
Mr. Curry : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend does from time to time meet fellow Conservatives in the margins of public duties. He also often meets opposition leaders of all political persuasions both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
ENVIRONMENT
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of radioactive discharge from Glaxochem of Ulverston, British Nuclear Fuels Drigg site, Albright and Wilson and British Nuclear Fuels Sellafield to the sea along the coast of Cumbria, separately, in each year since 1980.
Mr. Baldry : The information requested is as listed :
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Drigg<3> Sellafield<4>
Year |Albright and|Glaxochem<2>|Total Alpha |Total Beta |Total Alpha |Total Beta
|Wilson<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |22 |17.9 |2.3 |27 |39.00 |4,306.0
1981 |14 |127.0 |2.2 |38 |30.00 |3,800.0
1982 |22 |118.0 |3.1 |44 |28.00 |3,528.0
1983 |40 |31.9 |3.2 |46 |14.00 |2,489.0
1984 |43 |37.0 |3.1 |56 |14.00 |1,190.0
1985 |44 |109.0 |2.8 |58 |6.00 |587.0
1986 |38 |256.0 |4.3 |73 |4.40 |118.0
1987 |44 |160.0 |<3.0 |82 |2.20 |89.2
1988 |64 |151.0 |<2.0 |92 |2.10 |81.3
1989 |52 |214.0 |<1.0 |58 |2.70 |101.0
1990 |49 |76.0 |4.0 |34 |2.16 |70.9
<1>Uranium in tonnes.
<2>Magabecquerels.
<3>Mean activity, Becquerels per litre.
<4>Terabecquerels.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to hold a Planning Inquiry Commission to consider any proposals from UK Nirex for a deep repository for intermediate and low level radioactive waste.
Sir George Young : No. I am satisfied that a normal planning inquiry could deal satisfactorily with any planning application that Nirex may make.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the current proposals by UK Nirex for the development of an underground repository for intermediate and low level radioactive waste ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : None. UK Nirex Ltd. is currently consulting widely on its extensive revision of the design for a deep disposal facility for low and intermediate level radioactive waste.
Landfill Sites (Durham)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of landfill sites in County Durham at present used for dumping colliery waste ; and when the dumping of colliery waste into the sea will cease.
Mr. Baldry : Information concerning the number of landfill sites used for dumping colliery waste is not held centrally.
Disposal on the beaches and at sea is licensed by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. On 14 June 1990, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced that the dumping of colliery waste on to beaches in the north-east of England should stop as soon as practicable. No application would be approved to permit the dumping of minestone on to beaches beyond December 1995, or offshore into the sea beyond December 1997, unless use of the planning system has shown that no practical land- based methods of disposal were available. This timetable allows for alternatives to be identified, necessary planning permissions to be sought and a chosen method to be identified.
The pipeline discharge of liquid tailings is carried out under consents given by the National Rivers Authority (NRA) under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. The NRA has also told British Coal that it expects early progress to be made on the identification of alternative disposal methods.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if people exempt from paying the community charge in the category "severely mentally impaired" will have to reapply for this status under the council tax.
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Mr. Key : People who are severely mentally impaired will be eligible for discounts under the council tax. Local authorities will be required to take reasonable steps to ascertain whether discounts apply. Where such a person has been exempt from the personal community charge, a local authority should not need any further evidence that he is severely mentally impaired.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to bring forward regulations defining the conditions necessary to qualify as severely mentally impaired under the Local Government Finance Bill.
Mr. Key : The local authority associations are currently being consulted about draft regulations. Copies of the draft were placed in the Library pursuant to a question on 31 January (column 642). Regulations will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible after the Bill receives Royal Assent.
Traveller's Sites
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the provisions of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 so far as they apply to the obligation placed on local authorities to provide sites for gipsies and other travellers.
Sir George Young : I know that the operation of the provisions for gipsies in the Caravan Sites Act 1968 gives rise to some difficulties, and the Government have the matter under review.
Gipsies
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information is available to his Department about the composition and numbers of gipsy communities in England and Wales.
Sir George Young : The Department asks local authorities to carry out a twice yearly count of gipsy caravans in their area on two specific days, in January and July each year. The statistics provided to the Department by local authorities in July 1991 showed a total of 12,316 caravans in England. The Welsh Office has responsibility for gipsies in Wales.
I am arranging for a copy of the July 1991 count to be placed in the Library of the House.
Housing Associations (Empty Properties)
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many housing association properties were empty on the last date for which figures are available ; and for how long.
Column 305
Mr. Yeo : Information collected by the Housing Corporation shows that in March 1991, 16,400 housing association properties in England were empty (2.7 per cent. of the total stock).The breakdown by duration of vacancy is as follows :
thousands
|Vacant and |Vacant and |All vacant
|available for |not available
|letting |for letting<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than six months |6.7 |3.5 |10.2
Six months-one year |0.4 |1.8 |2.2
Over one year |0.2 |3.8 |4.0
|-- |-- |--
Total |7.3 |9.1 |16.4
<1> Many of these are dwellings which have been purchased and require
rehabilitation before they are suitable for occupation.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will establish an inquiry into the alleged breaches of competition rules by private contractors with regard to compulsory competitive tendering in local authority sports and leisure management ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : If the hon. Member wishes to provide details of the allegations to which he refers, then my right hon. Friend will consider whether action is appropriate.
Local Government Legislation
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a list of all legislation introduced since October 1988 relating directly to local government.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 20 January 1992] : I attach a list of Public General Acts which have received Royal Assent since October 1988, and which relate directly to local government. Part I lists those Acts for which my Department has been responsible ; part II lists those Acts for which other Departments have been responsible ; and part III lists consolidation legislation (both DOE and other Government Departments).
Public General Acts which have received Royal Assent since October 1988 and which relate directly to local government
Part I : DOE Acts
Caravans (Standard Community Charge and Rating) Act 1991 Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991
Community Charges (Substitute Setting) Act 1991
Environmental Protection Act 1990
Housing Act 1988
Local Government Finance and Valuation Act 1991
Local Government and Housing Act 1989
Planning and Compensation Act 1991
Rate Support Grants Act 1988
Water Act 1989
Part II : Other Government Departments' Acts
Dangerous Dogs Act 1989
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Food Safety Act 1990
National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990
New Roads and Street Works Act 1991
Road Traffic Act 1988
Road Traffic Act 1991
Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988
School Teachers Pay and Conditions No. 2 Act
Column 306
Part III F: Consolidation ActsChildren Act 1989
Deer Act 1991
Land Drainage Act 1991
Planning (Consequential Provisions) Act 1990
Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 Town and Country Planning Act 1990
Water Consolidation (Consequential Provisions) Act 1991
Competing for Quality"
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses he has received to his consultation paper "Competing for Quality" ; what proportion of responses were broadly against the proposals contained in the consultation document ; if he will place those responses in the Library ; and when the Government will publish their final proposals.
Mr. Portillo [holding answer 6 February 1992] : To date my Department has received some 470 responses to the consultation paper "Competing for Quality--Competition in the Provision of Local Services". We have started to analyse those responses. We have indicated that we may wish to place in the Libraries of Parliament copies of all responses whose authors have not asked that they be treated as confidential. We shall publish our final proposals in due course.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Company Annual Reports
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has plans to extend the requirement to report on employee involvement in company annual reports so as to include a report on employee involvement in any merger decisions.
Mr. Redwood : No. The existing provisions in schedule 7 of the Companies Act 1985 that companies with more than 250 employees should include a statement in their directors' report on their arrangements for informing and consulting employees on matters of concern to them in effect already cover this point.
Cigarette Advertising (Toys)
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what controls the Government have over the sale of children's toys which carry cigarette brand logos.
Mr. Leigh : My Department has no controls over the sale of toys carrying cigarette brand logos. The use of cigarette brand logos on toys is a moral issue rather than a safety one and is not covered by the Toys (Safety) Regulations.
However, I understand that tobacco companies have not given permission for the use of their logos on toys.
Consumers can make it clear to suppliers of toys that they will not buy toys which bear cigarette brand logos.
Briefings
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the date of each briefing his Department has afforded to hon. Members prior to visits to the former Soviet Union since 1979.
Column 307
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 6 February 1992] : Detailed records for the whole period since 1979 are not available.Package Travel
Sir Anthony Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to consult interested parties on the draft regulations to implement the European Community package travel directive.
Mr. Leigh : Following the consultation period we initiated in July 1991, my Department has today issued for consultation draft regulations covering articles 1 to 6 of the directive. These lay down minimum standards for the way that consumers of packages are to be treated by the travel organiser and travel agent. In particular, the legislation :
sets out the information to be included in brochures, and other information which must be supplied to the consumer before the start of the holiday ;
defines the circumstances in which changes may or may not be made to the particulars in the brochure ;
lays down the matters which must be included in the contract ; regulates the circumstances in which surcharges can be made and provides that no price increases may be made within 30 days before departure ;
places the liability for the package on the other party to the contract with the consumer (usually the organiser).
These requirements will be backed up by a combination of new criminal offences and civil liabilities.
The circumstances under which surcharges are allowed have been brought into line with the voluntary code of practice operated by members of the Association of British Travel Agents. This has been done under the provision in the directive which allows us to adopt more stringent provisions to protect the consumer.
I expect to consult shortly on our proposals for implementing article 7 of the directive which requires organisers and/or retailers to show evidence of security for the refund of money paid over and for the repatriation of the consumer in the event of insolvency.
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