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Mr. Robin Squire : The cost in 1991-92 to Easington district council of collecting the community charge was £696,000. No estimate is available of the cost of collecting the council tax.
Water Extraction
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the National Rivers Authority in respect of limiting new, and renewing, licences for water extraction by non-domestic users ; and what was the result of those discussions.
Mr. Maclean : It is for the NRA to consider applications on their merits in the light of the authority's general duty to take steps to conserve, redistribute or otherwise augment water resources in England and Wales, and to secure their proper use.
City Challenge
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to make announcements on the second wave of city challenge bids.
Mr. Robin Squire : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 20 May, Official Report, column 148.
Council Tax (Valulation List)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce regulations that would prevent a person from making copies of the council tax valuation list for a purpose not associated with an appeal with respect to a valuation.
Mr. Robin Squire : We have made it quite clear that valuation lists will not be made available to commercial organisations. Valuation lists are, however, public documents and it would be wrong to restrict interested parties' rights to obtain information from them.
Radiation Monitoring
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans there are for local authorities to have access to the Government radiation incident monitoring network.
Mr. Maclean : Under current arrangements lead local authorities have electronic mail access to RIMNET information bulletins and data summaries. Under the next phase of the RIMNET project, due for completion later
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this year, it will be possible for more local authorities, with the necessary expertise, to enter radiological measurements and receive information and data summaries over public data network and electronic mail links.Local Authority Land Sales
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the total assets by local authority which local authorities have raised from the sale of open land and playing fields in the last two years.
Mr. Robin Squire : The information requested is not available. However, returns to the Department from local authorities give information on sales of fixed assets in the service categories "parks and open spaces" and "other outside sports and playing fields". I have arranged for the data for the latest available years to be placed in the Library of the House.
Council House Sales
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has available to him concerning the current level of service charges payable to local authorities in respect of flats purchased by sitting tenants under the right-to-buy legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : The Department does not collect this information from local authorities. The protections against unreasonable service charges in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 apply to all leaseholders, including those who bought under the right to buy. In addition, purchasers of flats under the right to buy are given pre-sale estimates of service charges covering the first five years of the lease, and cannot be charged more than the amounts estimated for repairs and improvements.
Water Charges
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the Office of Water Supply in affecting water companies' charges.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Devon, North (Mr. Harvey) on 19 May 1992, Official Report, column 73.
Orimulsion
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects Her Majesty' inspectorate of pollution to make a decision with regard to the burning of orimulsion at Padiham power station.
Mr. Maclean : National Power has agreed to a request from HMIP for an extension of the determination period for this application to 30 September. Unless further extensions are required, the authorisation will be issued by this date.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secetary of State for the Environment if he will list the companies who have applied to use orimulsion fuel on a commercial basis ; and if he will show in his answer those which have been (a) granted and (b) refused permission.
Mr. Maclean : National Power has applied under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to HMIP to burn
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orimulsion in its power stations at Pembroke in Wales and Padiham in Lancashire. Both applications are currently being considered. PowerGen has permission under previous legislation to burn limited amounts of orimulsion in its power stations at Ince in Cheshire and at Richborough in Kent. The company has applied to burn orimulsion in these stations under the 1990 Act. These applications are the subject of an appeal to my right hon. and learned Friend about commercial confidentiality. They cannot be determined until after the appeal decision, which will be made as soon as possible.Maiden Down Common
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in respect of the mass protest walk held on Maiden Down common, east Cornwall in April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : We have not received any representations in respect of a mass protest walk on Maiden Down common, east Devon, in April.
Homelessness
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homeless people in the Easington district council area are aged (a) 17 and 18 years, (b) 18 and 19 years, (c) 19 years, (d) 20 years and (e) 20 and 21 years ; and what extra resources are being made available to Easington district council to tackle the problem.
Mr. Baldry : Local authorities report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 in their quarterly P1(E) return. The quarterly P1(E) returns identify such households by the category of need but not by age. The total number of all households accepted by Easington under these provisions in the fourth quarter of 1991 was 27.
In the second quarter of this year the return was revised to identify for the first time :
(i) households in priority need who were accepted as homeless because the household contained vulnerable young person(s) (aged 16 and over) and,
(b) young single homeless people who were not in priority need for whom the authority nevertheless agreed to secure permanent accommodation.
Since then, Easington has reported accepting only one such household, in the first of these two categories during the second quarter of 1991.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the number of families accepted as homeless for each housing authority area in England in (a) 1978-79 and (b) 1991-92.
Mr. Baldry : Information on homeless households for whom local authorities have accepted responsibility to secure accommodation under the provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and part III of the Housing act 1985 is reported quarterly to the Department--half-yearly before 1984.
The available information can be found in the following publications :
"Local Housing Statistics : England and Wales", Edition No. 52 (Table 12), acceptance figures for both halves of 1978.
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"Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act : England. Results for the first quarter 1991. Supplementary Tables" (Table 7), number of acceptances in the first quarter 1991."Local authorities' action under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act. Supplementary Table", acceptances in the second, third and fourth quarters of 1991.
From the second quarter of 1991 the definition of acceptances was altered to exclude intentionally homeless and the guidance to local authorities on completion of their returns was expanded. The acceptance figures for quarters 2, 3 and 4 of 1991 are not therefore strictly comparable with those for quarter 1, 1991 and earlier years.
Copies are in the Library.
Hedgerows
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many miles of hedgerow have been planted in the northern region for the years 1989-90 and 1990-91 ; and at what cost in grants.
Mr. Maclean : Information is not available in this form. however, grants for the planting of hedgerows are available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Countryside Commission as part of their wider grant schemes.
Environmental Impact Assessments
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to ensure that environmental impact assessments take social and economic costs and benefits of projects into account.
Mr. Maclean : Where a project which is the subject of a planning application requires environmental assessment, the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 provide that the environmental statement submitted by the applicant shall include a description of the likely significant effects on the environment. These include the impact on human beings as well as on flora, fauna, water, air and the landscape, and beneficial effects as well as adverse effects.
In deciding whether to grant consent the decision-taking authority must have regard to the environmental information--that is, the applicant's environmental statement and any comments on it from the statutory consultees and the general public--and also to any other material considerations.
Similar provisions apply where environmental assessment is required for projects which are subject to other approval procedures, for example, under the Highways and Electricity Acts.
United Nations
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to support the production of an annual statement on the environment by the United Nations.
Mr. Maclean : The United Nations Environment Programme already issues an annual report on the state of the world environment. The Government fully support the production of this informative document.
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International Meetings
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to encourage the full participation of non- governmental organisations in international environmental meetings.
Mr. Maclean : It is already our policy to encourage participation of non-governmental organisations in international environmental meetings. For instance the United Kingdom's delegation to the Earth summit includes representatives of environment and development groups, industry, youth, trades unions, local government and scientists.
Global Environment Facility
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of financial contribution granted by his Department to the global environment facility.
Earth Summit
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the specific roles of each Minister in his Department in the preparatory meetings leading up to the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Environment and Development conference.
Mr. Maclean : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and previous Secretaries of State as well as other Ministers in this Department have been involved in the negotiations made at each stage of the process leading up to the UN Conference on Environment and Development. My right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for the Environment, attended a preparatory meeting in New York in March. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I attended UNCED in Rio.
Sheep Dip
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out into the entry of organophosphates into the water table, as a result of their use in sheep dips.
Mr. Maclean : The National Rivers Authority, in conjunction with regulatory bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, has recently completed a research programme on the extent of pollution caused by disposal of spent sheep dip to soakaway. A report is expected shortly which will outline the findings and recommend appropriate disposal practices.
Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Mrs. Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the increase in nitrous dioxide emissions in the past five years in London ; and whether there will be official Government warnings issued or advice proffered to Londoners to minimise health risks.
Mr. Maclean : Total United Kingdom emissions of oxides of nitrogen from motor vehicles--the principal
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source--are estimated to have risen by 38 per cent. between 1986 and 1991. The increase is likely to have been similar in the London area. Advice on the health implications of episodes of high nitrogen dioxide concentrations is available on a free telephone line--0800 556677--and from general practitioners. Daily air quality bulletins and forecasts are available on the same telephone line, on Ceefax and in some newspapers.Mineral Planning Guidance
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet decided whether there is a need to revise mineral planning guidance 3 following the recent consultation.
Mr Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 June, Official Report, column 377.
Mortgages
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about his meeting with representatives of mortgage lenders on 2 June and the information they provided him with about the underlying position with respect to arrears and possessions.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 4 June, at column 611.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department has issued to owners of domestic appliances which contain chlorofluorocarbons who wish to ensure that chlorofluorocarbons are not released into the atmosphere ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : On 21 May, I launched a leaflet on CFCs, entitled "You and the Ozone Layer", which advises consumers about products which may contain CFCs or other ozone-depleting substances. The leaflet also gives information about the safe disposal of domestic appliances, such as fridges and freezers, urges owners to ensure that the CFC coolant will be safely removed for recycling and advises owners who are having their fridges or freezers serviced to check that the service engineer is trained to handle the coolant, and is prepared to send any coolant that is removed for recycling.
Halons
Mr. Hawksley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the use of halons 1211 and 1301 in fire-fighting equipment will be banned ; and if he will make a statement on their use.
Mr. Maclean : The UK's policy is to control the production and supply of halons rather than their use. We are pressing for a phase-out of halons by the end of 1995 internationally, and the end of 1994 in the EC. Users who will still need halons after the phase-out of production and supply should consider now how they will meet these needs. The Government are working closely with users and the fire industry to see what might be done to facilitate halon recycling and banking.
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Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further information he has made available to local authorities about standard spending assessments.
Mr. Robin Squire : A publication "Standard Spending Assessment Handbook 1992/93" has been produced to provide details of the standard spending assessment of each local authority. Copies of the publication have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Copies are also being sent to every local authority in England and to the local authority associations.
Uniform Business Rate
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average length of time for appeals to be heard against uniform business rates in (a) south Cumbria and (b) the rest of England and Wales.
Mr. Robin Squire : Information is not available centrally on the time taken to deal with non-domestic rating appeals.
Following revaluation on 1 April 1990, tribunals in England initially received some 600,000 appeals, including transitional cases. Most of these were received by tribunals towards the end of that financial year. By the end of March 1992 about 220,000 appeals had been resolved.
Cumbria valuation tribunal initially received about 7,800 appeals and by the end of March 1992 some 4,200 had been resolved.
Pollution and Waste Management"
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the planning policy guidance, "Pollution and Waste Management".
Sir George Young : On Tuesday this week, my right hon. and learned Friend published for public consultation a new draft planning policy guidance note on planning and pollution control, which fulfils a commitment in the environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance". We also published the results of a research study, commissioned to inform in the preparation of the draft PPG. My right hon. and learned Friend expects to issue the final version of the PPG, in the light of responses to the consultation draft, later this year.
Ozone Layer
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what efforts have been made by his Department to encourage other countries to implement the revised Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer since June 1990.
Mr. Maclean : The Government took a leading role in the negotiations to revise the Montreal protocol in 1990, including the provisions for funding and technology transfer for developing countries which are designed to encourage maximum participation. We are fully committed to providing our contribution to the funding mechanism, and have also made considerable diplomatic efforts to encourage other countries to ratify the protocol. We also played an active role in negotiating the EC regulation which ensures the implementation of the revised protocol throughout the Community.
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Renewable Energy Systems
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action will be taken by his Department to accelerate the development and adoption of solar and other low-impact renewable energy systems and more efficient energy storage devices.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
My Department has a wide-ranging programme to support the development, promotion and commercialisation of renewable energy in the United Kingdom, including solar energy. This includes a technical programme covering R and D, demonstration and technology transfer (costing £24.3 million in 1992-93) and action, under the Electricity Act 1989, setting non-fossil fuel obligation orders to provide a premium market for electricity- generating renewables in England and Wales.
There is a continuing dialogue with industry on the development of advanced battery technology. A project on superconducting magnetic energy storage, with an estimated total cost of around £1 million, is currently being considered for support by the Department.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Footpaths
Ms. Walley : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what account he intends his Department to take of the needs of disabled people who are currently denied access to footpaths on account of their construction.
Mr. Maclean : I have been asked to reply.
Access to public footpaths is primarily the responsibility of local highway authorities. However, as part of its "Enjoying the Countryside : Policies for People" initiative, the Countryside Commission is commissioning an advisory service for its own regional office staff on how to open up the countryside to the disabled ; it is also revising its advisory booklet "Informal Countryside Recreation for Disabled People".
SOCIAL SECURITY
Resettlement
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what criteria his Department uses to approve closure of resettlement units ; and which of the remaining 15 are currently being considered for replacement.
Miss Widdecombe : The management of the Resettlement Agency, and the development of replacement proposals for resettlement units is a matter for Mr. Tony Ward, the chief executive, although no unit is closed unless Ministers are satisfied with replacement proposals. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Mr. Tony Graham
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will set out for the case of Mr. Tony Graham, Christopher court, Hemel Hampstead, reference BS/M2/39342, the date on which his war pension increase was awarded by the tribunal and the date on which payment of the arrears and continuing increase were made.
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Miss Widdecombe : The payment of war pensions is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.Disability Benefits
Mr. Heppell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which benefits for people with disabilities are denied to anyone over 65 years of age.
Mr. Scott : Disability living allowance (DLA) may be claimed up to a person's 66th birthday, providing that the disability occurred before his or her 65th birthday. There is no upper age limit for receipt : once awarded, the benefit may remain payable indefinitely. Attendance allowance is available to people becoming disabled after age 65, or claiming after age 66.
The provisions of the following benefits change at ages 60 or 65 for women and ages 65 or 70 for men, to take account of the ending of an individual's liability to pay national insurance contributions and the availability of retirement pension.
On sickness and invalidity benefits, from age 60 for women and age 65 for men the standard rates of benefit are replaced by the rate at which retirement pension would be payable--abated by 5 per cent. in the case of sickness benefit. The upper age limit for receipt of benefit is 64 for women and 69 for men.
On severe disablement allowance, the upper age limit for claims is 59 for women and 64 for men, although currently women aged 60-64 are also able to claim as a result of a decision by the Court of Appeal. Once awarded, benefit is payable for life if the qualifying conditions continue to be satisfied up to age 65 for women or age 70 for men.
On industrial injuries benefits, from age 60 for women and age 65 for men, people who are receiving reduced earnings allowance and who give up regular employment are paid retirement allowance. Retirement allowance is payable for life.
On war pensions, the upper age limit for qualifying for unemployability supplement and allowance for lowered standard of occupation is 59 for women and 64 for men. Once entitlement has been established, however, both can continue for life.
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) community charge benefit, were in receipt of severe disability premium as of 31 March.
Mr. Burt : The information requested is not avaiable.
Distribution of Wealth
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of Government policies on the economic well-being of the poorest decile of the income distribution.
Mr. Burt : We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the social security system, as we have done since introducing the major reforms of 1988.
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