House of Commons Hansard Debates for 8 Jun 1992

Mr. Howard : The 2,000 posts in my Department which are to move to docklands, subject to securing accommodation on suitable terms, need to remain within London because they need to have regular contacts with Ministers. The question of the comparative costs of dispersal to other parts of the United Kingdom does not therefore arise. I shall, however, continue to look for further opportunities to relocate posts to other parts of the country, bearing in mind the point which the right hon. Member makes.

Single Homeless

Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance his Department will make available over the next two years to agencies which provide shelter to single homeless people in (a) the north-west of England and (b) St. Helens.

Mr. Baldry : For 1992-93 the Department has offered financial assistance under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 to 17 voluntary organisations in north-west England, all of which provide direct practical help to homeless people in finding and keeping suitable accommodation. One organisation, Merseyside accommodation project, is receiving support for its work in St. Helens. Funding for future years is subject to negotiation.

Column 25

Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans his Department has for national assessment of direct access accommodation available to single homeless people.

Mr. Baldry : None.

Toxic Waste Plant (Teesside)

Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be in a position to announce his decision on the planning application to construct a toxic waste plant at Howdon on Tyneside ; and what account he will take of the strength of public opposition to the proposal in reaching his decision.

Mr. Baldry : My right hon. and learned Friend will issue his decision on the Howdon and linked incinerator inquiries on Teesside as soon as it is practicable to do so.

In reaching his decision, my right hon. Friend will take into account all the representations made about the proposal.

Surrey

Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it remains his policy that the part of Surrey between the M25 and the old Greater London boundary should remain part of Surrey not London.

Mr. Robin Squire : The Local Government Boundary Commission has been looking at the local government boundary in this area. Its final proposals for changing the boundaries between Bromley/Tandridge, Croydon/Tandridge, Croydon/Reigate and Banstead and

Richmond/Elmbridge/Spelthorne are presently being considered by the Secretary of State. The commission is still examining the remainder of the Surrey/London boundary and will report in due course.

Planning Appeal, Southport

Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to determine planning appeal number T/APP/M4320/A/91/189223/P8, relating to 93/93A High Park road, Southport ; when the appeal was first submitted ; and when the appeal was submitted for re-determination ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Baldry : This is a matter for the Planning Inspectorate Agency and I have asked the chief executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Local Government Finance

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to review the system of standard spending assessments for the financing of local government in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Redwood : Discussions with the local authority associations about a few possible methodological changes to SSAs for 1993-94 have been under way since February.

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the operation of section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

Mr. Redwood : Councillors who are two or more months in arrears with payment of their community

Column 26

charge or council tax are required by section 106 to declare the fact and to abstain from voting on matters concerning charge or tax. Compliance with the law is the responsibility of individual councillors.

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total level of revenue expenditure by local authorities in 1991-92.

Mr. Redwood: Total net revenue expenditure by English local authorities in 1991-92 is estimated to have been £36.4 billion.

Buying Agency

Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that the Buying Agency does not discriminate against British suppliers or operate restrictive practices in its trading activities.

Mr. Baldry : The Buying Agency--TBA--is a public procurement organisation which is bound by the EC supplies directive and the GATT agreement on Government procurement. The Buying Agency has no policies which could be interpreted as restrictive practices.

Relocation

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy that central London weighting will continue to apply in full to staff relocated in docklands and whether allowances will be made for longer travelling time.

Mr. Howard : I have assured staff in my Department that I am committed to securing the best terms available on transfer to docklands, but details have yet to be settled. Two of the properties under consideration--Harbour Exchange and Canary Wharf--are in any case within the inner-London weighting area.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has made of employment opportunities for local people in the east end arising from relocation of his staff to docklands.

Mr. Howard : Through the normal process of staff turnover, substantial opportunities will in due course arise for employment in my department in docklands, for which local people will be encouraged to apply. There will also be an indirect benefit to the economy of the area from the needs of 2,000 extra workers.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response the trade unions have made to him arising from his propoals to relocate staff in docklands.

Mr. Howard : I have received no response from the trades unions to my announcement in the House on 2 June. The First Division Association had already written to me reporting a conference resolution on the matter. In addition, my officials have had a number of discussions with union representatives.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants have been taken on visits to docklands in connection with possible relocation to that area ; and what hospitality was received.

Column 27

Mr. Howard [holding answer 4 June 1992] : Staff responsible for accommodation have made a number of visits to docklands in connection with possible relocation to the area. In addition, there has been one organised visit for a small number of senior staff. Hospitality received has been in accordance with the normal rules.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants in his Department he is considering for relocation from headquarter buildings ; and if he will list the areas currently under consideration for relocation.

Mr. Howard [holding answer 4 June 1992] : As I said in reply to a private notice question from the hon. Member for Dagenham (Mr. Gould) on 2 June, I have decided that some 2,000 civil servants from my Department will move to docklands, provided that we can secure fully commercial terms giving value for money to the taxpayer. The areas under consideration for relocation are Harbour Exchange, Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, and East India dock, Leamouth.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions have taken place with the trades unions in respect of relocation of civil servants from his Department's headquarters buildings.

Mr. Howard [holding answer 4 June 1992] : Early discussions with the departmental trade union side--DTUS--were offered immediately following the announcement by my predecessor on 6 February that the Department's headquarters building at 2 Marsham street was to be demolished, and that options for relocating staff elsewhere in London-- particularly docklands--were to be examined. Following a full discussion with the DTUS on 25 March, a sub-committee of the departmental Whitley council was established to deal exclusively with relocation matters. To date, three meetings of the sub-committee have been held. The staff of the Department are also being kept informed of developments on relocation matters through a series of relocation bulletins and other briefing material.

Tenants Incentive Scheme

Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give (a) the total number of completed transfers under the tenants incentive scheme completed to date and (b) the total amount of money paid out to date under the scheme.

Mr. Baldry : Since its introduction in July 1990, the Housing Corporation's tenants incentive scheme has helped more than 4,800 housing association tenants move out into homes of their own with grants totalling more than £60 million.

Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the total amount of money allocated to the Housing Corporation for the tenants incentive scheme since its inception.

Mr. Baldry : A total of £110 million, including £44 million for the current financial year, has been allocated to the tenants incentive scheme in the Housing Corporation's approved development programme in the three years since its inception.

Column 28

Competitive Tendering

Mr. Pickles : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the consultation paper on compulsory competitive tendering for housing management and the research on that subject carried out by consultants ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir George Young : As part of the citizens charter initiative, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have today arranged for the following documents to be placed in the Library of the House : "Competing for Quality in Housing", a consultation paper on compulsory competitive tendering for Housing Management ; and "The Scope for Competitive Tendering of Housing Management", a study carried out by consultants for our Departments and for the Scottish Office. Copies of these documents have been sent to all district housing authorities in England and Wales, and to a variety of housing organisations and other interested parties. The paper provides for a consultation period of over three months.

Mundic Concrete

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 19 May, to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith), Official Report, column 70, if he will make a further statement on decisions taken on mundic concrete following the 6 April meeting.

Mr. Baldry [holding answer 5 June 1992] : Following the 6 April meeting, technical experts met in Cornwall on 28 April and reached agreement on screening tests for distinguishing mundic material. Work continues on finalising the sampling procedures for identifying harmful aggregates. It is expected that guidance notes covering these matters will be published later this year. It is hoped that the information and guidance in these notes will assist in reducing the number of blighted properties.

London Docklands

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been expended by his Department in the London Docklands development corporation area from the date of its inception until the end of the last financial year.

Mr. Redwood [holding answer 4 June 1992] : To the end of 1991 -92, the total grant in aid paid to the London Docklands development corporation was £1,349 million. Further resources of £11 million have been made available through the Department's estate action programme to support local authority housing schemes in docklands.

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now publish the terms of the master building agreement between the London Docklands development corporation and Olympia and York.

Mr. Redwood [holding answer 4 June 1992] : No. The document contains information which is a matter of commercial confidence between the signatories.

Column 29

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current status of negotiations on the International Fund for Agricultural Development ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Discussions on the fourth replenishment of IFAD's resources began in Qatar in April and will continue in Rome in July. The United Kingdom will work with others for a successful outcome to these negotiations.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Ministerial Engagements

Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list his public engagements for Monday 11 May.

Mr. Heseltine : I had no public engagements on that day. This enabled me to pay a private visit to the garden festival at Ebbw Vale which I much enjoyed.

RECHAR

Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales have been given funds from the RECHAR programme ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 22 May, 1992 Official Report, column 333.

Maxwell Assets

Mr. David Shaw : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will use his powers under the Financial Services Act 1986 to trace and recover Maxwell pension fund moneys and Maxwell family assets which have been removed from United Kingdom control to Liechtenstein control.

Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Financial Services Act 1986 does not provide powers to trace or enforce the recovery of assets outside the United Kingdom.

Oil Exploration

Mr. Barry Field : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many licences have been issued for oil exploration off the Isle of Wight that have not found commercial oil deposits.

Mr. Eggar : Six licences have been issued giving rights to explore for oil and gas in the area off the Isle of Wight. Significant discoveries, which may prove to be commercial, have been made under two of these licences. No discoveries have yet been made on the four other licences : exploration is at a very early stage in two of these.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

Mr. Barry Field : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out the policy for issuing licences in an environmentally sensitive area where no deposits have been previously discovered.

Column 30

Mr. Eggar : Before offering any area for licence, my Department consults a range of Government Departments and other interested parties, including fishery associations and the Joint Nature Conservancy Council. As a result of these consultations, some areas may not be released for licensing. Where licences are offered, conditions may be attached to protect environmental or other interests ; these may restrict the timing and location of exploration activities. Licensees may also be required to consult local authorities and other relevant bodies before undertaking operations under their licence. Applicants for licences must also satisfy my Department that they are capable of carrying out their planned exploration programme with due regard to environmental concerns.

Concessionary Coal Allowance

Mr. Steinberg : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the future of retired miners' concessionary coal allowances following privatisation of the mining industry and on the arrangements that are available to retired miners who wish to convert to other forms of heating.

Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the Member for Warwickshire, North (Mr. O'Brien) on 2 June, Official Report, column 493 .

Data Protection

Mr. Cohen : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will describe the work that he has undertaken following the publication of the report by the interdepartmental party into the reduction of the bureaucratic burden of registration under the Data Protection Act 1984 ; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Neil Hamilton : The interdepartmental group which reviewed the operation of the Data Protection Act 1984 disbanded when it had presented its report. Further action must necessarily await the outcome of negotiations on the draft EC directive on data protection, which appeared almost coincidentally with the group's report. However, the report has been a valuable aid in the first round of negotiations. A second draft of the directive is expected to be published in July.

Generating Plants

Mr. Evennett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any plans to introduce legislation to amend the generating plant licensing provisions of the Electricity Act 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : The Government have no such plans.

Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to issue a statement on his licensing policy on gas-fired generating stations.

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1992] : The Government have made it clear that, in considering an application to construct and operate a generating station, as a general rule, matters such as the need for a generating station, its capacity, choice of fuel to be used and type of plant should be treated as commercial matters for the applicant concerned.

Column 31

In a news release of 9 March 1992, the Government announced that they may also need to consider whether they should review the use of their powers under the Electricity Act to issue consent to power stations.

That remains the position.

A copy of the news release of 9 March 1992 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Evennett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his Department's policy concerning the approval of new non-fossil fuel generating plants.

Mr. Eggar : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan).

Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with the Director General of Electricity Supply concerning the maximum number, location and total generating capacity from combined cycle gas-fired power stations capable of connection to the national grid without any adverse effect on the stability of the electricity supply system.

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1992] : I meet the Director General of Electricity Supply from time to time and discuss issues of mutual interest.

Questions relating to grid code obligations are matters for the National Grid Company and the director general.

Dr. Twinn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those applications lodged with his Department for combined cycle gas turbine power station consents, the date of lodgement and the timetable for processing these applications ; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the role of gas in the United Kingdom energy market.

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1992] : The applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 are as follows : !Site!Applicant!Application made!

!Plymouth!PowerGen plc!5 October 1990!

!Staythorpe "C"!National Power plc!16 October 1990!

!Didcot "B"!National Power plc!14 November 1990!

!Ardleigh!Eastern Generation Ltd.!17 May 1991!

!Connah's Quay!PowerGen plc!1 July 1991!

!Stalling-borough!Humber Power Ltd.!18 July 1991!

!Shoreham!South Coast Power Ltd.!27 September 1991!

!Seabank!Seabank Power Ltd.!18 October 1991!

!Greenwich!MetroPower Ltd.!31 October 1991!

!Trafford!Electricity System Industry Ltd.!31 December 1991! !King's Lynn!Eastern Generation Ltd.!15 January 1992!

!Deeside!Deeside Power Development Co. Ltd.!17 January 1992! !Kingsnorth!Kingsnorth Developments!13 March 1992!

On timing, each application has to be dealt with on its merits. With respect to the role of gas, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan).

Plutonium

Mr. Flynn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what permission has been sought recently by the Atomic Energy Authority research establishment at Harwell to import plutonium 237 from Russia.

Column 32

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1992] : Imports of plutonium by the AEA are covered by an existing import licence.

Electricity Companies

Mr. Dobson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what discussions he has had with the privatised electricity companies and OFFER about the form and presentation of the companies' accounts ; (2) what advice has been given to the privatised electricity companies by him or OFFER about the valuation of assets for presentation in their accounts.

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1992] : The successor companies' reports and accounts will have to be prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985 and any additional requirements imposed by the stock exchange.

The enforcement of licence conditions relating to the successor companies' regulatory accounts is a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Land

32. Mr. Flynn : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what is his most recent estimate of the total of land in the possession of the Church Commissioners.

Mr. Michael Alison : At 31 December 1991 the commissioners' agricultural portfolio consisted of about 154,000 acres of mostly let farmland.

Church Maintenance

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what is their policy towards the maintenance of redundant and historic churches.

Next Section

Home Page