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Column 543
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 27 February 1992
NATIONAL FINANCE
Non-taxpayers
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single people and married couples do not pay tax in 1991-92.
Mr. Maude : There are about 6.6 million single people not liable to income tax and about 4.1 million married couples where neither spouse is liable to tax.
Car Tax
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the revenue in (a) 1991-92 and (b) 1992-93, giving in each case the first and full year costs, of a one per cent. cut in car tax, in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The requested estimates are as shown. They use the autumn statement forecast and are consistent with the methodology used in table 4.8 in chapter 4 of the 1991 autumn statement.
Revenue effect of 1 per cent. cut
in car tax (£ million)
|1991-92|1992-93
-----------------------------------
First year |-125 |-130
Full year |-140 |-150
Child Care Tax Allowances
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on Treasury revenues in 1992-93 and in a full year of extending the exemption of workplace nurseries from income tax as a benefit in kind to all forms of employer-provided or subsidised child care.
Mr. Maude : The annual cost would be approximately £5 million at current levels of provision and subsidies for child care. This estimate takes no account of behavioural effects, which could be substantial.
Value Added Tax
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the revenue yield of putting the standard rate of VAT on funeral payments.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Standard rating those elements of funeral expenses which are presently exempt from value added tax would raise an estimated £40 million in 1991-92.
Income Tax and NI Liability
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest estimates of how many people with gross incomes of over £100,000 pay (a) a
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national insurance contributions bill and (b) a total income tax and national insurance contributions bill, of less than (i) 35 per cent., (ii) 30 per cent., (iii) 25 per cent., (iv) 20 per cent., (v) 15 per cent., (vi) 10 per cent. and (vii) 5 per cent. of their gross incomes, in the United Kingdom.Mr. Maude : Available figures relate to the estimated 150,000 taxpayers in 1991-92 with gross incomes of £80,000 and above. Nearly all of these taxpayers pay less than 5 per cent. of their gross income in national insurance contributions. Estimates of combined income tax and national insurance contribution liabilities are that 60,000 have an effective rate above 35 per cent., 80,000 have an effective rate between 30 and 35 per cent. and the remaining 10,000 have an effective rate between 25 and 30 per cent.
Data Information Systems
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, columns 521-22, whether there is any proposal to undertake manual data exchange between tax authorities in other European countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : In accordance with the Council directive of 19 December 1977 (77/799/EEC), competent authorities of the member states may exchange certain information to enable them to assess taxpayers correctly. These exchanges are subject to certain safeguards to preserve the confidentiality of the information and were given legislative effect in section 77 of the Finance Act 1978. The directive was extended to VAT on 6 December 1979 (79/1070/EEC) and all exchanges are subject to the confidentiality safeguards of directive 77/799/EEC. Directive 79/1070/EEC was implemented by section 17(2) of the Finance Act 1980. There is currently a proposal to extend directive 77/799/EEC to include excise duties on manufactured tobacco, alcohol and alcoholic beverages and mineral oils.
Taxation
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give figures for each standard region of England, and for Scotland and Wales, for a one-earner family with two children on (a) average male earnings for that region, stating what this is and (b) median male earnings for that region, stating what this is in both April 1979 and April 1990 and counting child benefit as negative taxation, for (i) the amount paid in income tax per week, (ii) the amount paid in national insurance contributions, (iii) the amount paid in VAT, (iv) the amount paid in indirect taxation, excise duties and so on (v) the amount paid in domestic rates or in community charge as appropriate and (vi) the total amount paid out in the listed categories above, giving in each case the figures in current prices, constant prices and as a percentage of gross earnings.
Mr. Maude [holding answer 11 February 1992] : Figures for average male earnings in April 1979 and April 1990 and for median male earnings in April 1990 are shown in the table, along with the income tax and employee national insurance contributions payable on them under the 1979-80 and 1990-91 tax and NIC regimes respectively. Figures for regional median male earnings for 1979 are
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unavailable and could be derived only at disproportionate cost. Reliable estimates of the amounts payable in VAT, other indirect taxes, domestic rates and the community charge which reflect regional variations in spending patterns and local tax rates cannot be made as the sample size of the family expenditure survey, on which such estimates would be based, is too small.Column 545
At regional mean male earnings
England Wales Scotland
|Greater |Remainder |East |South |West |East |Yorkshire and|North |North
|London |of South |Anglia |West |Midlands |Midlands |Humberside |West
East
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
£ per week at April 1979 prices
April 1979
Mean male earnings |113.40 |99.90 |93.80 |90.90 |96.80 |95.70 |97.70 |97.80 |98.30 |96.50 |99.30
Income tax |14.83 |10.78 |8.95 |8.08 |9.85 |9.52 |10.12 |10.15 |10.30 |9.76 |10.60
NICs |7.37 |6.49 |6.10 |5.91 |6.29 |6.22 |6.35 |6.36 |6.39 |6.27 |6.45
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |22.20 |17.27 |15.04 |13.99 |16.14 |15.74 |16.47 |16.50 |16.69 |16.03 |17.05
£ per week at April 1990 prices
April 1979
Mean male earnings |261.33 |230.22 |216.16 |209.48 |223.07 |220.54 |225.15 |225.38 |226.53 |222.38 |228.83
Income tax |34.17 |24.84 |20.62 |18.62 |22.69 |21.93 |23.32 |23.39 |23.73 |22.49 |24.42
NICs |16.99 |14.96 |14.05 |13.62 |14.50 |14.33 |14.63 |14.65 |14.72 |14.45 |14.87
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |51.16 |39.80 |34.67 |32.23 |37.19 |36.27 |37.95 |38.04 |38.46 |36.94 |39.30
April 1990
Mean male earnings |383.10 |310.60 |281.10 |277.30 |269.30 |269.70 |266.90 |274.70 |265.20 |258.60 |276.40
Income tax |58.56 |40.43 |33.06 |32.11 |30.11 |30.21 |29.51 |31.46 |29.08 |27.43 |31.88
NICs |28.28 |24.73 |22.08 |21.74 |21.02 |21.05 |20.80 |21.50 |20.65 |20.05 |21.66
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |86.84 |65.17 |55.14 |53.84 |51.12 |51.26 |50.31 |52.96 |49.73 |47.49 |53.54
Percentages of gross earnings
April 1979
Income tax (per cent.) 13.1 10.8 9.5 8.9 10.2 9.9 10.4 10.4 10.5 10.1 10.7
NICs (per cent.) |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total (per cent.) |19.6 |17.3 |16.0 |15.4 |16.7 |16.4 |16.9 |16.9 |17.0 |16.6 |17.2
April 1990
Income tax (per cent.) 15.3 13.0 11.8 11.6 11.2 11.2 11.1 11.5 11.0 10.6 11.5
NICs (per cent.) |7.4 |8.0 |7.9 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8 |7.8
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total (per cent.) |22.7 |21.0 |19.6 |19.4 |19.0 |19.0 |18.8 |19.3 |18.8 |18.4 |19.4
April 1990
£ per week at April 1990 prices
Median male earnings 320.00 275.70 247.80 249.50 242.30 242.40 241.80 246.50 241.80 237.70 243.30
Income tax |42.78 |31.71 |24.73 |25.16 |23.36 |23.38 |23.23 |24.41 |23.23 |22.21 |23.61
NICs |25.58 |21.59 |19.08 |19.24 |18.59 |18.60 |18.54 |18.97 |18.54 |18.17 |18.68
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |68.36 |53.30 |43.81 |44.39 |41.94 |41.98 |41.77 |43.37 |41.77 |40.38 |42.28
Percentages of gross earnings
Income tax (per cent.) 13.4 11.5 10.0 10.1 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.9 9.6 9.3 9.7
NICs (per cent.) |8.0 |7.8 |7.7 |7.7 |7.7 |7.7 |7.7 |7.7 |7.7 |7.6 |7.7
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total (per cent.) |21.4 |19.3 |17.7 |17.8 |17.3 |17.3 |17.3 |17.6 |17.3 |17.0 |17.4
Notes to table:
(1) Income tax payments are calculated on the assumption that the households receive no tax reliefs other than the standard allowances and
only have income from employment. All earners are assumed to pay Class 1 NI contributions at the contracted-in rate.
(2) Child benefit is treated as a negative income tax.
(3) Average and median earnings estimates are derived from the New Earnings Survey. To provide consistent estimates for the two years,
average earnings figures for April 1979 have been multiplied by a splicing factor, taking account of a classification change in the 1983 New
Earnings Survey, from males aged over 21 years' to all males on adult rates'. The regional average earnings shown for 1979 therefore differ
from those in the published New Earnings Survey.
Student Taxpayers
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what, in the latest year for which information is available, is the number of students who pay income tax ; and what is the total number of students who pay VAT.
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Mr. Maude [holding answer 24 February 1992] : Information on the number of students who pay income tax is not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
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VAT is chargeable on a wide range of consumer expenditure and it is likely that everybody has to pay some in the course of a year.Tobacco Taxation
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the amount of tax paid on the 10 most popular brands of cigarettes in each EC member state and the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in each country.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 26 February 1992] : Information is available relating only to 1991 and for the most popular cigarette brand in each EC member states as follows :
Pence per 20
|Retail |Excise duty
|selling price|and VAT
---------------------------------------------------------
Spain |32 |18
Greece |42 |30
Portugal |60 |45
Luxembourg |81 |58
Italy |87 |63
France |105 |71
Netherlands |105 |74
Belgium |113 |82
Germany |146 |107
Ireland |184 |138
United Kingdom |208 |155
Denmark |233 |200
Taxes and Duties
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what amounts to taxes and duty were raised in each of the last five years (a) at 1991 prices and (b) as a percentage of total revenues on tobacco and tobacco products ;
(2) what amounts of taxes and duties were raised in each of the last five years (a) at 1991 prices and (b) as a percentage of total revenues on alcohol and alcohol products.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 26 February 1992] : The following is the information in respect of excise duty and VAT on alcoholic drink and tobacco at 1991 prices and as a percentage of total Customs and Excise receipts.
Excise Duty and Percentage of Customs &
million 1991 priExcise receipts
|Alcohol|Tobacco|Alcohol|Tobacco
------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |8,550 |7,750 |15.4 |13.9
1987-88 |8,600 |7,500 |14.8 |12.9
1988-89 |8,550 |7,400 |14.0 |12.1
1989-90 |8,000 |6,950 |13.5 |11.7
1990-91 |8,000 |7,050 |13.9 |12.2
TRANSPORT
Redmire to Redcar Rail Link
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to intervene in the possible closure of the Redmire to Redcar rail link following the withdrawal of the British Steel limestone traffic ; and what assessment
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he has made of the extent to which such a closure would be in accordance with his policy of transferring freight from road to rail.Mr. Freeman : Following discussions with my Department, British Rail and my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) British Steel has agreed to continue transporting limestone on the Redmire line until the end of September, rather than the end of March as they had previously proposed. British Rail, for its part, has agreed to defer its proposed increase in rail charges for the same period. My officials are to host further discussions with my hon. Friend together with representatives of British Steel, British Rail and North Yorkshire county council, to explore the scope for keeping the limestone traffic on the line in the longer term. We have indicated our willingness to consider assistance through the freight facilities grants scheme, if appropriate.
Railway Clearing House
Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has any plans to lease the former railway clearing house building at Eversholt street, London NW1, following the privatisation of railway services.
Mr. McLoughlin : No. I understand from the British Rail property board that the former railway clearing house was vested in the assets of Sealink, which was sold by the British Railways Board in 1984.
Ports Act 1991
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to review the operations of part III of the Ports Act 1991 in so far as its effects upon lighthouse dues and the smaller ports are concerned ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am currently considering proposals made by Trinity House and the Northern Lighthouse board under part III of the Ports Act 1991. In reaching a decision I shall take account of the representations made by the various interested parties.
Motorcycle Leg Protection
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will withdraw his proposals for the use of motorcycle leg protection.
Mr. Chope : It is the Government's desire to encourage the development of safe motorcycle secondary protection devices so that they can be available on an optional basis to those motorcyclists who wish to make use of them.
There remains considerable scepticism among manu-facturers as to whether it is possible to design and produce motorcycle leg protectors which enhance total safety and do not increase the risk of head injuries. Research is therefore continuing with a view to allaying such concerns.
Roads and Traffic, Shropshire
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what were the capital and revenue contributions from central Government to road and traffic schemes in Shropshire for 1978-79, 1982-83, 1986-87 and 1991-92.
Mr. Chope : The capital allocations were as follows :
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|1978-79|1982-83|1986-87|1991-92
£ million
---------------------------------------------------------
Borrowing/credit
approvals or
equivalent |N/A |2,927 |2,434 |5,621
Transport
supplementary
grant |N/A |<1> |1,456 |4,355
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |- |- |3,890 |9,976
<1>Before 1985-86 transport supplementary grant was paid
on both
capital and revenue expenditure but was not
differentiated between
the two elements.
Grants to local authorities for revenue expenditure have since 1982 been unhypothecated--that is, not split into allocations for separate services. Only the ceiling for expenditure by central Government is controlled. Shropshire county council is free to make as much or as little revenue expenditure as it considers appropriate on road and traffic schemes.
Euro-routes
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the designation of Euro-routes between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Mr. Chope : Euro-routes are designated in annex I of the European agreement on main international traffic arteries (AGR). This is a free- standing agreement managed by the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations in Geneva.
The E routes designated between Ireland and Britain are : the E16 which runs Londonderry-Belfast-Glasgow-Edinburgh ; the E18 which runs
Craigavon-Belfast-Larne-Stranraer-Gretna-Carlisle-Newcastle and then through Norway, Sweden and Finland to St. Petersburg ;
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the E20 which runsShannon-Dublin-Liverpool-Manchester-Bradford-Leeds-Hull and then through Denmark, Sweden and Estonia to St. Petersburg ;
the E30 which runs
Cork-Rosslare-Fishguard-Cardiff-London-Felixstowe and then through the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Byelorussia to Moscow.
Road Schemes
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce the detailed guidelines for the use of discretionary powers to acquire property affected by his Department's road schemes which were referred to in his answer to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir J. Stanley) of 21 November, 1991 Official Report, column 237.
Mr. Chope : I announced the detailed guidelines for the use of the new discretionary powers of section 62 of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 on 17 January, pursuant to my answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir J. Stanley).
Sir Peter Blaker : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list in the Official Report for each highway authority (a) the value of the first year return, (b) the total net present value and (c) the length of each road project which qualified for transport supplementary grant in each year from 1989-90 to 1991-92 ; and if he will give the same information for each road project which has been accepted for transport supplementary grant in 1992-93 and for the proposed Squires Gate link road, phase 2, in Lancashire.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 24 February 1992] : Listed are the details requested for major schemes newly accepted for transport supplementary grant in the years 1989-90 to 1992-93. The tables also include similar information on the Squires Gate link road phase II.
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Schemes newly accepted for Transport Supplementary Grant in 1989-90
n/s: Data not supplied by local highway authority
Authority |Scheme |First year |Total net |Length of |Duration of
|rate of return |present value |scheme |scheme
|(per cent.) |(£ million) |(kilometres) |(months)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bexley |Bexleyheath Southern Relief Road |21 | n/s |0.4 |9
Enfield |Nags Head Road/High Street, Ponders End, |9 | n/s | n/s |21
| Junction Improvement
Waltham Forest |Bakers Arms Junction Improvement |10 | n/s |0.2 |31
Bolton |Market Street Diversion Westhoughton |9 |0.6 |1.0 |12
Manchester |Manchester/Salford IRR (A6/Mancunian |14 |3.7 |0.7 |24
| Way)
Salford |Crescent Bridge Reconstruction |99 |5.3 |0.3 |12
Salford |Irlam/Cadishead Bypass (Boysnope Wharf- |12 |4.6 |4.0 |18
| Brinell Drive)
Trafford |City Link | n/s | n/s |1.4 |18
Liverpool |Park Road Relief Road Phase 2 | n/s | n/s | n/s |18
St. Helens |St. Helens Town Centre to M62 Link Road |9 |4.2 |7.6 |30
| [C] (Exc. Con.)
Barnsley |East of Hoyland Swaine |10 |0.3 |1.8 |12
Rotherham |A630/A631 Rotherham to M1 Link |32 |8.5 |2.6 |38
Sheffield |(pt. 4350) Sheffield-M1 via Mosborough | n/s |1.9 |5.6 |42
| Stage II and III
Newcastle upon Tyne |(3435, 4486 and 4488) West Central Route | n/s | n/s |1.4 |36
South Tyneside |Newcastle Road, South Shields |15 |1.5 |1.0 |15
Birmingham |City UTC |88 | n/s | n/s |24
Birmingham |Middle Ring Road (Key Hill Link) |20 | n/s |0.7 |18
Birmingham |Middle Ring Road (New John Street West) |20 | n/s |1.3 |18
Birmingham |Washwood Heath Road/High Street |99 | n/s |0.4 |9
| Junction
Wolverhampton |Willenhall Road Improvement (Deans Road- | n/s | n/s |0.5 |54
| Neachells Lane)
Avon |(pt. 4096) Avon R.R. IB2: Westerleigh |14 |26.1 |2.3 |18
| Road-Shortwood Road
Avon |Urban Traffic Control |80 |3.5 | n/s |30
Berkshire |Reading Urban Traffic Control | n/s | n/s | n/s |14
Buckinghamshire |Wing-Milton Keynes Fenny Stratford BP | n/s |3.7 |2.2 |18
| (MKDC Con.)[C]
Cambridgeshire |Elton/Chesterton BP (Excl. PDC | n/s |5.0 |5.9 |18
| Contribution) [C]
Cheshire |Diversion (Phase 2) Warrington |8 |0.5 |1.2 |24
Cleveland |(pt. 1024) Guisborough Road Improvement |6 |0.4 |1.0 |12
Cornwall |(1368) Sticker Bypass |8 |0.4 |3.0 |18
Cumbria |Papcastle Diversion |21 |3.3 |2.0 |24
Cumbria |Romney Road Link [C] (Excl. Developer's |61 |3.3 |0.3 |18
| Contribution)
Devon |UTC/Scoot Phase 3 | n/s | n/s | n/s |60
Durham |Wheatley Hill Bypass |13 |2.0 |3.5 |30
East Sussex |Brighton Bypass-Hangleton Link [C] (Excl. | n/s | n/s |1.7 |24
| DTP Contribution)
Essex |Little Waltham to Great Leighs Stages 1 and 2| n/s | n/s |1.6 |13
Hampshire |West Totton Bypass (2) |15 |10.5 |1.2 |24
Humberside |Hull Ennerdale Link |53 |18.1 |3.3 |39
Humberside |Humber Bridge Northern Approach Road |12 |3.3 |5.3 |21
Kent |Eastry Bypass |14 |0.6 |2.5 |20
Kent |Maidstone Spine Road |46 |30.4 |2.7 |42
Kent |Somerhill Park Link Tonbridge |17 |1.9 |2.3 |26
Kent |South Ashford to Hamstreet |7 |-0.1 |6.2 |27
Kent |Stockbridge to Brenzett |7 |0.1 |4.0 |18
Kent |Sturry Road to Military Road Link |32 |1.1 |0.2 |12
| Canterbury
Kent |Whitfield Bypass |11 |0.4 |2.1 |17
Kent |Whitfield to Eastry |8 |0.3 |7.5 |24
Lancashire |(RN) Penwortham Bypass Extension to |14 |9.8 |1.2 |19
| Preston
Lancashire |Accrington Town Centre Relief Road |45 |3.4 |0.7 |12
Lancashire |Freckleton Bypass |21 |5.7 |3.3 |15
Lancashire |Kirkham and Wesham Bypass |16 |2.7 |1.9 |18
Lancashire |Lancaster/Morecambe Bypass (Phase I) |81 |8.3 |5.8 |24
Leicestershire |Syston Northern Bypass |6 |0.5 |2.3 |16
Lincolnshire |Wainfleet bypass |20 |1.4 |3.8 |20
Norfolk |Dersingham/Snettisham Bypass | n/s |7.7 |5.8 |18
Northamptonshire |Staverton Bypass | n/s |0.1 |1.2 |5
Nottinghamshire |Hucknall Bypass | n/s |4.5 |5.4 |55
Nottinghamshire |Portland Street to Inner Ring Road |99 | n/s |0.5 |10
| Mansfield
Shropshire |Whitchurch Bypass | n/s |0.2 |2.1 |24
Staffordshire |Hawkins Lane Link Burton-upon-Trent |22 |1.0 |0.5 |15
Suffolk |Long Melford Bypass |9 |1.5 |5.4 |18
Surrey |Ewell Bypass |26 |3.9 |1.6 |18
West Sussex |Rustington Bypass |9 |2.1 |3.0 |24
Schemes newly accepted for Transport Supplementary Grant in 1990-91
n/s: Data not supplied by local highway authority
Authority |Scheme |First year |Total net |Length of |Duration of
|rate of return |present value |scheme |scheme
|(per cent.) |(£ million) |(kilometres) |(months)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Croydon |Mitcham Road/Sumner Road Junction |19 |1.0 | n/s |17
| Improvement
Ealing |South Road Pedestrianisation (Southall TN | n/s |1.6 |0.1 |21
| Centre)
Merton |(RN) Beddington/Mitcham Relief Road |61 |59.8 |3.3 |32
Wandsworth |Battersea Park Road (Alexandra Avenue- |16 | n/s |0.6 |21
| Queenstown Road)
Bolton |Outer Ring Road Improvements |176 |20.5 |10.6 |60
Manchester |Airport Access Roads Stage 2 (M56 Spur/ |66 |1.8 |0.6 |14
| Airport)
Manchester |Intermediate Ring Road Stage 2 (Pottery |17 |6.8 |3.1 |36
| Lane-Oldham Road)
Manchester |Intermediate Ring Road Stage 1 |51 |11.6 |1.4 |20
| (Kirkmanshulme Lane-Pottery Lane)
Stockport |(5283) Brinksway Improvement Phase 2 |12 |4.2 |0.6 |19
Wigan |Lowton St. Mary's Bypass |14 |2.6 |1.4 |18
Knowsley |(RN) M57-A562 Link Road |8 |20.6 |4.5 |30
Liverpool |Great Howard Street Improvement Phase 1 | n/s | n/s |0.8 |18
Sheffield |(0353) Outer Ring Road Darnall Stage II, |5 |0.2 |2.6 |51
| III and IV
Sheffield |(5475 and 5476) Penistone Road Stages II |28 |4.8 |2.5 |36
| and III
Sunderland |Eastern Relief Road | n/s |7.6 |0.8 |30
Birmingham |(5691) UDA Spine Road (Heartlands) | n/s | n/s |4.1 |43
Birmingham |Lichfield Road Improvement Phase 1 (UDA |52 |66.2 |1.2 |42
| Scheme)
Birmingham |Middle Ring Road (Lawley Street Viaduct |53 |4.4 |0.5 |18
| Section)
Coventry |North-South Road Phase 1 |37 |28.4 |2.4 |18
Dudley |Dudley Southern Bypass |15 |59.3 |3.1 |66
Solihull |(5404) Shirley Junction Improvements Phase|24 |3.2 |0.8 |14
| I
Bradford |(5031) Bradford City Ring Road Stage II |23 |71.9 |1.2 |24
Bradford |Killinghall Triangle |182 |30.5 |0.4 |8
Leeds |Leeds Inner Ring Road Stages 6 and 7 | n/s | n/s |2.2 |24
Avon |(5657) Western Super Mare PDR Stages VA |11 |3.9 |1.4 |24
| and VB
Avon |Avon Ring Road (IV): Marsham Way-A4 |19 |6.4 |2.8 |30
| Bath Road
Bedfordshire |Stagsden Bypass | n/s |1.2 |3.0 |12
Berkshire |Sandhurst Crowthorne Bypass | n/s |27.9 |3.8 |18
Berkshire |Slough Bath Road Montem Lane-Wellington | n/s |11.1 |0.6 |18
| Street
Cambridgeshire |A14/A603/B1042 Junction Improvement |13 | n/s |1.0 |6
| Arrington
Cheshire |Wilmslow Local Bypass | n/s | n/s |3.0 |30
Cleveland |(1026) Thornaby Bypass |22 |18.8 |5.0 |87
Cornwall |Liskeard Industrial Distributor Road |2 |5.6 |1.5 |13
Devon |Milehouse Junction Improvement Plymouth |79 |28.6 |0.4 |12
Devon |Thorns Cross to Eagle Farm Stage 4 |15 |6.8 |2.8 |12
Devon |Torbay Ring Road Stage 2 |62 |34.8 |2.7 |12
Devon |Western Approach/Union Street Junction |91 |34.2 |0.8 |9
| Improvement Plymouth
Dorset |(pt5740) Primary Network/A37 |7 |0.1 |2.8 |8
| Improvement-Section A AIP
Durham |Consett Bypass Stage II | n/s | n/s |1.8 |18
Durham |Metal Bridge to Bowburn |9 |3.5 |1.8 |12
East Sussex |Boarshead to Eridge |14 |10.0 |3.9 |24
Essex |Canes Lane Improvement (Final Stage) | n/s |1.8 |1.7 |18
Essex |Dovercourt Bypass Stage 2 Phase 2 | n/s |2.9 |2.5 |24
Hampshire |M3 Link Minley |49 |45.7 |1.0 |20
Hereford and Worcester |A44-A422 Link Worcester Road-Whittington |27 |71.3 |1.0 |12
| Road Marl Bank
Hereford and Worcester |Roman Road Hereford Phase 4 Stage 2 |4 |-0.3 |1.5 |6
Kent |Dartford Northern Bypass |43 |68.3 |3.0 |24
Kent |Thames-Side Industrial Route (TIR) Stage 1|56 |21.3 |2.4 |24
Lancashire |Blackburn Inner Relief Road (Phase 1) |30 |13.9 |0.9 |16
Lancashire |Park Road/St. Helens Road Link Ormskirk |17 |7.6 |0.4 |9
Lancashire |Squires Gate Lane Blackpool Dualling |19 |6.4 |1.4 |12
Leicestershire |Ashby-Loughborough Coleorton |12 |0.2 |1.9 |10
| Improvement
Leicestershire |Redland Quarry to Quorn/Mountsorrel | n/s |0.3 |1.1 | n/s
| Bypass Link
Norfolk |Watton Inner Relief Road | n/s |5.9 |0.5 |9
Northamptonshire |Middleton Cheney BP and Overthorpe Hall | n/s |13.8 |3.2 |17
| Improvement
Northamptonshire |Nene Valley Way I Crawler Lane | n/s |1.4 |1.2 |6
Northamptonshire |River Tove Bends | n/s |2.7 |1.1 |14
Northumberland |Prudhoe Northern Bypass | n/s |23.2 |4.4 |30
Northumberland |Swinburne Quarry to Fourlaws Stage 1 | n/s |1.3 |2.0 |18
North Yorkshire |Sherburn-in-Elmet and South Milford | n/s |7.4 |6.8 |24
| Bypass
Nottinghamshire |Manvers Street Link Nottingham | n/s |3.8 |1.8 |57
Oxfordshire |(RN) Banbury Inner Relief Road |23 |37.4 |2.0 |24
Shropshire |Ironbridge Bypass Extension |24 |3.7 |2.8 |12
Somerset |Lysander Road to Hendford Yeovil | n/s | n/s |0.7 |9
Staffordshire |Burslem Town Centre Bypass |2 |0.5 |0.5 |15
Suffolk |Mutford Bridge |12 |0.5 |0.5 |18
Suffolk |Stowmarket Relief Road |10 |10.1 |1.6 |18
West Sussex |Crawley South Western Bypass | n/s |15.1 |2.3 | n/s
West Sussex |Littlehampton Bypass (Main Scheme) | n/s |24.7 |1.8 | n/s
Wiltshire |Burbage Bypass |13 |2.6 |2.6 |24
Wiltshire |Swindon Cricklade Road Relief Road-Stage | n/s | n/s |1.2 |14
| 2
Column 555
Schemes newly accepted for Transport Supplementary Grant in 1991-92
n/s: Data not supplied by local highway authority
Authority |Scheme |First year |Total net |Length of |Duration of
|rate of return |present value |scheme |scheme
|(per cent.) |(£ million) |(kilometres) |(months)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barking and Dagenham |Beacontree Heath Road Improvements | n/s | n/s |0.3 |24
Bromley |Elmers End Road Railway Bridge |25 |2.8 |0.2 |16
Ealing |Iron Bridge Highway Improvement |92 |21.2 |0.3 |15
Hillingdon |Uxbridge Town Centre Improvement Scheme |44 |34.6 |1.0 |29
Stockport |A34 Bypass (Etchells Road to Schools Hill)| n/s |1.1 |1.1 |30
Newcastle upon Tyne |Scotswood Road Phase 1 | n/s | n/s | n/s |11
Berkshire |Phase 2 A33 Relief Road Rose Kiln Lane to | n/s | n/s |1.2 |24
| I.D.R.
Buckinghamshire |A509/A422 Newport Pagnall BP Dualling | n/s |8.6 |4.2 |12
| (MKDC Con.)
Cheshire |Handforth BP and MAELR (Stockport/ |31 |93.1 |11.2 |24
| Developer Funded)
Cheshire |Urban Traffic Control System (Chester | n/s | n/s | n/s |48
| Warrington)
Cleveland |Portrack Lane Dualling |38 |19.6 |0.9 |45
Cornwall |Penryn and Falmouth Distributor Road |13 |9.5 |3.8 |25
Cumbria |Rothay Link |10 |1.3 |0.7 |20
Devon |A380 Relief Road (Kerswell to Hele Road) |70 |15.9 |1.6 |24
Devon |Halcyon Road Newton Abbot Town Centre |103 |34.5 |0.4 |12
Dorset |West Stafford Bypass |9 |0.9 |3.0 |15
Durham |Darlington Cross Town Route Stage I | n/s | n/s |1.9 |24
Durham |Teesside Link and Airport Access |14 |10.0 |5.4 |24
East Sussex |East Hoathly Bypass |38 |11.5 |1.8 |12
Essex |Stanford-le-Hope to Five Bells Stage 2 | n/s |110.5 |3.5 |24
Gloucestershire |Eastington-Stroud Stage 2 (Stonehouse | n/s | n/s |1.1 |45
| Court-Horsetrough Junction)
Hampshire |Totton Western Bypass (Stage 3) |22 |43.6 |2.6 | n/s
Hereford and Worcester |Alvechurch Bypass |45 |17.1 |3.0 |19
Humberside |Leven Bypass |16 |5.2 |4.3 |24
Kent |Roydon Hall Bends to A26 |22 |3.5 |1.5 |12
Leicestershire |Hinckley Northern Perimeter Completion |40 |7.9 |3.1 |25
Lincolnshire |Grantham Inner Relief Road | n/s |1.7 |0.7 |11
Norfolk |King's Lynn Traffic Management Scheme | n/s | n/s | n/s |22
Norfolk |Stratton Strawless-Hevingham Improvement | n/s |1.6 |4.2 |4
Northamptonshire |Brackley Southern Bypass |28 |10.9 | n/s |12
North Yorkshire |Ripon BP/Distributor Roads and Works in |16 |17.7 |3.5 |24
| City Centre
Shropshire |Newport Bypass |13 |5.4 |3.0 |16
Somerset |Shepton Mallet to East of Dean |6 |1.6 |7.6 |36
Staffordshire |Keele Bypass |14 |2.1 |1.8 |11
West Sussex |Hooklands Improvement | n/s |9.4 |2.0 |24
Wiltshire |Trowbridge Relief Road Stage 2 | n/s | n/s |0.6 |12
Schemes newly accepted for Transport Supplementary Grant in 1992-93
n/s: Data not supplied by local highway authority
Authority |Scheme |First year |Total net |Length of |Duration of
|rate of return |present value |scheme |scheme
|(per cent.) |(£ million) |(kilometres) |(months)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hackney |Lea Bridge Road E5-Renewal of Bridge | n/s | n/s |0.5 |42
| Deck
Waltham Forest |Lea Bridge Reconstruction-Cont. to Hackney| n/s | n/s |0.1 |30
Wirral |New Chester Road Improvement (MDC |11 |2.8 |1.0 |12
| Cont.)
Barnsley |Dearne Towns Link Road |12 |31.6 |12.4 |57
Sheffield |A61 Sheffield Parkway/Park Square Junction|198 |10.7 |0.3 |10
| Improvement
Gateshead |Western Riverside Route ST1 PH2 and ST2 | n/s | n/s |0.9 |18
Newcastle upon Tyne |Scotswood Road Impt.-West of Paradise | n/s |8.9 |0.9 |9
Sunderland |Doxford Park Access Road Stage 2 (Bypass) | n/s |4.4 |0.5 |7
Birmingham |Thimble Mill Lane (UDA Scheme) Phase 2 |79 |11.1 |0.8 |8
Dudley |High Street Amblecote |104 |31.5 |0.7 |13
Solihull |West Midlands Renaissance Area |6 |16.8 |4.8 |72
Kirklees |Huddersfield Ring Road IMP PH 2 | n/s |20.3 |11.9 |6
Avon |Avonmouth Link | n/s | n/s |0.5 |24
Buckinghamshire |Bletchley Road Diversion Buckingham |17 |2.6 |1.8 |12
| (MKDC Con.)
Cambridgeshire |Spittals Link Huntingdon |61 |15.9 |0.8 |14
Cheshire |Upton (Chester) Park and Ride | n/s | n/s |0.4 |12
Cleveland |Guisborough Bypass |28 |24.5 |1.9 |23
Cornwall |Egloshayle Bypass | n/s | n/s |1.5 |9
Devon |Tavistock Road Dualling Stage 1 Plymouth |32 |7.9 |0.9 |12
Dorset |A37 IMP SEC B&C A356-Somerset | n/s | n/s |12.4 |48
| Boundary
Durham |Newton Cap Diversion |17 |10.5 |1.8 |24
East Sussex |A26 Malling Hill (Local Traffic) Rel. Road|13 |1.8 |0.4 |30
| Lewes
Essex |Aukingford Gardens-Talbot Roundabout ST |8 |2.7 |4.5 |24
| 1 & 2
Gloucestershire |Lydney Highway Strategy-Part 1 (Bypass) |9 |4.2 |4.8 |48
Hampshire |Bentley Bypass |11 |18.2 |2.3 |18
Humberside |Beverley North East Bypass | n/s | n/s |2.5 |12
Kent |Ash Bypass |12 |4.5 |5.5 |16
Kent |Medway Tunnel |38 |172.1 |15.0 |38
Lancashire |Chorley Town Centre Bypass Phase III |34 |13.4 |0.7 |20
Leicestershire |Leicester Motorways Employment Area |41 |17.4 |1.7 |12
| STIV Soar Valley Way
Lincolnshire |Swallow Bypass and Route Improvement |19 |5.2 |3.6 |12
Norfolk |Kirstead Bypass | n/s |0.1 |1.8 |9
Northamptonshire |Deanshanger Bypass |15 |3.1 |1.5 |10
North Yorkshire |A59 Bolton Bridge Bypass |8 |0.9 |2.1 |12
Oxfordshire |Wallingford Bypass |8 |4.6 |4.4 |24
Somerset |Glastonbury Western Relief Road |17 |11.0 |3.7 |25
West Sussex |Chichester and Bognor Regis Improvement | n/s |6.0 |1.7 |15
| (Phase 1)
Wiltshire |The Meads Roundabout Swindon Grade |9 | n/s |0.8 |19
| Separation
For comparison the following information was provided for 1992-93:
Lancashire |Squires Gate Link Road Phase II |29 |24.0 |2.1 |18
Helicopters, Central London
Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the terms of reference of the study he has initiated on helicopter provision for central London ; and if he will include in them an assessment of the need and of the demand for helicopter provision in central London.
Mr. McLoughlin : The group undertaking the study will make a comparative evaluation of possible sites for a heliport to serve central London, and submit a report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The study will include an assessment of the need and the demand for helicopter services in central London. It will also consider safety and other operational factors, air traffic control constraints, noise and other environmental issues, and surface access. My right hon. Friend intends to publish the group's report, which he hopes to receive within 12 months.
ENVIRONMENT
Buildings in Scotland
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds his Department has spent on buildings in Scotland in each of the past five years ; and if he will list the amount spent on each project.
Mr. Yeo : The figures are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1986-87 |133.501
1987-88 |115.389
1988-89 |110.701
1989-90 |130.856
1990-91 |12.323
The figures for the years 1986-87 to 1989-90 represent expenditure by PSA Scotland. Since 1 April 1988 clients
Column 558
have progressively untied from PSA services and become responsible for reporting expenditure against their own votes. Therefore : (1) expenditure from 1 April 1988 excludes major schemes for Civil clients.(2) expenditure in 1990-91 represents that by the Property Holdings directorate of DoE on civil accommodation in Scotland, but excludes expenditure by other civil departments and MOD.
Major construction schemes controlled by PSA headquarters are excluded as expenditure records are not maintained on a location basis. The figures also exclude rental costs.
It is not possible to provide details of the amounts spent on each project.
Departmental Staff
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the number of (a) men and (b) women in his Department in each of grades (i) 1, (ii) 2, (iii) 3, (iv) 4, (v) 5, (vi) 6, (vii) 7, (viii) SEO, (ix) HEO, (x) administrative trainee, (xi) EO, (xii) CO and (xiii) CA.
Mr. Heseltine : The numbers of women and men at each grade level (including equivalent grades) in the Department of the Environment on 1 January 1992 were :
|Female|Male
----------------------------------------
Grade 1 |0 |1
Grade 2 |2 |6
Grade 3 |5 |31
Grade 4 |0 |9
Grade 5 |21 |126
Grade 6 |20 |259
Grade 7 |118 |658
SEO and equivalent |119 |560
HEO and equivalent |298 |641
EO and equivalent |544 |697
AT |6 |4
AO and equivalent |946 |668
AA and equivalent |627 |363
|---- |----
Total (6,729) |2,704 |4,025
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of employees in his Department ; and how many are (a) black and (b) disabled.
Mr. Heseltine : The Department of the Environment had 6,729 non- industrial employees on 1 January 1992 ; 5,066 are white, 456 are of ethnic minority origin, and 1,207 have not yet revealed their ethnic origin.
The Department employs 73 staff who are registered disabled and a further 58 who are known to have a disability but are not registered.
RECHAR
Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the granting of RECHAR to local authorities will carry with it supplementary credit approval.
Mr. Yeo : I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Column 560
Trade and Industry on 17 February 1992, Official Report, column 22, in respect of the ERDF-aided RECHAR programme.Energy Saver Scheme
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider introducing grants for local authorities as part of an energy saver scheme.
Mr. Baldry : The Government are promoting energy efficiency-related schemes in local authority housing through the green house demonstration programme, the home energy efficiency scheme and through estate action schemes which can include improvements to the heating and insulation of local authority housing.
Housing, London
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the numbers of households in (i) owner occupation, (ii) private renting, (iii) local authority renting, (iv) housing association renting and (v) other for (a) each London borough, (b) Greater London, (c) outer London, (d) inner London and (e) England as a whole for each year from 1980-81 to 1991-92.
Mr. Yeo : Available estimates from household surveys are as follows :
Column 559
Thousands of households
-------------------------------------------------
England
1981 |9,600 |5,500 |300 |2,000 |17,300
1982 |10,000|5,100 |300 |2,000 |17,400
1983 |10,500|5,100 |400 |1,700 |17,600
1984 |10,800|4,700 |400 |1,800 |17,800
1985 |11,300|4,600 |400 |1,700 |18,000
1986 |11,700|4,400 |400 |1,700 |18,100
1987 |12,000|4,200 |500 |1,600 |18,300
1988 |12,000|4,400 |500 |1,600 |18,500
1989 |12,500|4,200 |500 |1,500 |18,700
1990 |12,600|4,100 |500 |1,600 |18,800
Greater London
1981 |1,250 |790 |110 |440 |2,600
1984 |1,390 |790 |120 |400 |2,700
1988 |1,520 |730 |150 |350 |2,750
Outer London
1981 |980 |350 |40 |200 |1,580
1984 |1,100 |330 |40 |180 |1,660
1988 |1,150 |320 |50 |180 |1,690
Inner London
1981 |270 |440 |70 |240 |1,020
1984 |300 |460 |70 |220 |1,050
1988 |380 |420 |100 |170 |1,060
Notes
Estimates are derived from sample surveys and
therefore subject to the usual sampling errors.
England-proportions from the general household
survey applied to the Department of the
Environment's household estimates.
London-regional and sub-regional estimates
require a larger sample which is only available
for the years shown-from the labour force survey
housing trailers. Figures for inner and outer
London may not sum to the totals for Greater
London because of rounding.
Information on the number of households by tenure for individual local authorities is available only from the census of population. Until 1991 census results are available, in early summer 1992, the most recent information is from the 1981 census. Copies of 1981 census reports are in the Library.
Column 560
Air Pollution
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations have been received by his Department to date concerning the report,
Column 561
"Air Pollution and Tree Health in the UK ;" and if he will make a statement on the progress made in the light of its recommendations.Mr. Baldry : None. The report is due for publication in the spring.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to review the targets for his Department's plan for reducing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from existing large combustion plants.
Mr. Baldry : I have no immediate plans to review the emission limits set out in the national plan.
New Homes
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated average first year cost of constructing a new home (a) nationally and (b) in each standard economic region ; and if he will provide this information according to the available data on different sites of home.
Sir George Young : The majority of new housebuilding is undertaken by private builders and consequently the information requested is not available to the Department.
Bed-and-breakfast Accommodation
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average annual cost of keeping a family in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
Sir George Young : Annual costs can be derived from the information published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in "Homelessness Statistics : 1989-90 Actuals", a copy of which is in the Library.
Government Contributions, Shropshire
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the capital and revenue contributions from central Government to Shropshire county council and Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council for 1978-79, 1982-83, 1986-87 and 1991-92.
Mr. Key : The following is the information :
Central Government contributions
|Shropshire |Shrewsbury
|county |and Atcham
|council |borough council
|£ million |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 Revenue:
Rate support grant<1> |27.550 |4.108
Relevant specific grants to
revenue |n.a. |n.a.
Rate rebate grant |0.0 |0.190
Transport supplementary
grant to revenue |0.490 |0.0
|---- |----
Total Revenue |n.a. |n.a.
Capital |n.a. |n.a.
1982-83 Revenue:
Rate support grant<2> |64.734 |2.518
Relevant specific grants to
revenue |8.554 |0.358
Rate rebate grant |0.0 |0.731
Transport supplementary
grant to revenue |0.913 |0.0
|---- |----
Total Revenue |74.201 |3.607
Capital |n.a. |n.a.
1986-87 Revenue:
Rate support grant<2> |74.597 |2.761
Relevant specific grants to
revenue |12.859 |0.884
Rate rebate grant |0.0 |1.826
Transport supplementary
grant to revenue |0.037 |0.0
|---- |----
Total Revenue |88.393 |5.471
Capital |0.868 |0.051
1991-92<3> Revenue grants:
To Collection fund
Revenue support grant |0.0 |11.074
Special grants |0.0 |0.0
Community charge grant |0.0 |9.550
To General fund
Specific grants inside AEF |20.202 |0.151
Other revenue support:
NNDR entitlement (to
Collection fund) |0.0 |24.467
|---- |----
Total Revenue support inside
AEF |20.202 |47.579
Capital |7.751 |0.750
<1> In 1978-79, rate support grant was made up of needs, resources
and domestic elements. The needs element was paid to county
councils and resources and domestic elements were paid to district
councils.
<2> In 1981-82, following the introduction of a different rate support
grant system, needs and resources elements were replaced by block
grant payable to both upper and lower tier authorities.
<3> In 1990-91 the community charge system was introduced. The
figures include all grants into the collection fund administered by
Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council, which supports the
chargepayer in respect of spending by all tiers of authorities. The
Government also pay specific grants into the general funds
administered by both the named authorities. The figures given are
estimates of those inside aggregate Exchequer finance (AEF). As the
two authorities do not cover the same functions, the specific grants
are quite different both in size and consumption.
Leeds Development Council
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, if he will set out, for each year since the establishment of the Leeds development corporation, the figures provided by the economic consultants ; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each report prepared by the economic consultants.
Mr. Key : The net gain in employment figures provided by the economic consultants for each year since the establishment of Leeds development corporation is as follows :
|Number
----------------------
1988-89 |2,007
1989-90 |3,234
1990-91 |621
The reports prepared by the consultants contain information which is commercial-in-confidence. If the hon. Member wishes to discuss the details further he should contact the chairman of the development corporation direct.
Thorn and Hatfield Moors
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received concerning the future of Thorne and Hatfield moors ; and how many of these were in favour of the agreement between English Nature and Fisons plc.
Mr. Heseltine : Since the details of the agreement between English Nature and Fisons were made public I have received only a few letters which express some reservations or seek further clarification of its contents. As knowledge of the agreement becomes more general I am sure that the public will recognise that the agreement is a significant step forward in the safeguarding of peatlands.
Peat
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will place in the Library copies of the research commissioned by English Nature from the Institute of Hydrology and Dundee university into the hydrology of peat bogs ;
(2) if he will publish any assessment made by English Nature of the effects of continual commercial peat cutting on Thorne and Hatfield moors adjacent to those areas now identified for conservation purposes and any hydrological or other research on which such assessment has been based.
Mr. Heseltine : The research commissioned by English Nature from the Institute of Hydrology and the University of Dundee concerning the hydrology of part of Thorne moors has just been published. A copy will be placed in the Library.
In addition a study carried out by the University of Sheffield identified a need to retain water on the national nature reserve on Thorne moors and to block the drains running from the surrounding land. This will be done under the terms of the agreement reached between English Nature and Fisons.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if English Nature intends to remove site of special scientific interest status from any area of peat bog from which peat is commercially extracted.
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