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Solvent Abuse
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans her Department has to monitor the incidence of solvent and volatile substance misuse ;
(2) what are the Government's targets for the reductions of mortalities and incidence of solvent and volatile substance misuse ; and how her Department intends to achieve them.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently looking at the whole area of solvent and volatile substance misuse. We will consider in the light of its recommendations, what further steps need to be taken with the aim of reducing the incidence of and mortalities from solvent misuse. We hope that increased parental awareness of the problem following the Government's recent publicity campaign will help to play a part in reducing incidence.
Green Minister
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in her Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if she will make a statement.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Over the coming year, I shall continue to follow-up the commitments expressed in the White Paper Cm 1200 ( This Common Inheritance') and its successor Cm 1655 ( The First Year Report') ; a second anniversary White Paper will be published in the autumn. My Department is developing an environmental housekeeping strategy for the management of its accommodation and purchasing and this will be in place by the end of the year. I shall continue to ensure that the policy and work of my Department reflect environmental concerns and their potential impact on the public health.Census
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when all the population information of the 1991 census in Wales will be published.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 18 June at column 672. County monitors for Powys, West Glamorgan and Gwent have been published. The timetable for publication for the remaining Welsh counties will be included in the next "Census Newsletter", issue 22, a copy of which will be placed in the Library.
Asthma
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the mortality rates for asthma for each of the last 20 years (a) among the whole population and (b) among under 16-year-olds ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The information requested is shown in the table.
Asthma Deaths, England and Wales, 1972-1991
ICD 493
Persons |0-14 |All ages
---------------------------------------------
1972 |Rate |4.4 |25.3
|SMR |100.0
1973 |Rate |4.7 |24.5
|SMR |94.1
1974 |Rate |3.7 |22.0
|SMR |84.1
1975 |Rate |3.3 |24.0
|SMR |91.2
1976 |Rate |3.5 |21.2
|SMR |80.3
1977 |Rate |4.8 |22.1
|SMR |83.1
1978 |Rate |4.0 |23.3
|SMR |87.5
1979 |Rate |3.5 |30.0
|SMR |112.4
1980 |Rate |3.9 |30.0
|SMR |111.9
1981 |Rate |4.8 |32.3
|SMR |119.1
1982 |Rate |4.4 |31.8
|SMR |121.8
1983 |Rate |4.3 |31.8
|SMR |117.2
1984 |Rate |4.1 |35.4
|SMR |130.0
1985 |Rate |3.4 |39.5
|SMR |144.7
1986 |Rate |2.8 |39.7
|SMR |145.6
1987 |Rate |4.2 |37.8
|SMR |138.6
1988 |Rate |4.0 |39.8
|SMR |145.9
1989 |Rate |2.6 |38.7
|SMR |142.0
1990 |Rate |3.9 |36.7
|SMR |134.5
1991 |Rate |3.3 |37.1
|SMR |136.0
Note. Population figures for 1991 not yet
available, therefore rates for 1991 have
been calculated using 1990 population.
Deaths for 1986 onwards exclude neonatal
deaths, (aged under 28 days). Populations
are in thousands. Death rates are per
million populations.
The standard mortality rate shows the number
of deaths registered each year as a
percentage of those which would have
occurred had the age/sex mortality conformed
to the year (1972) being taken as the
standard. Expected deaths are calculated by
sex/age mortality rates for the standard to
the sex/age population for the year for
which the SMR is being worked.
SMRs have only been calculated for all ages
as SMRs require calculations based on the
summation of age specific data. Please note
that figures are not readily available for
under 16 year olds.
In 1979 there was a change in the rules of
assignment and therefore data before and
after this date are not necessarily
comparable.
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$ N
Table 1
Current wages council minimum hourly rates
Wages councils |Basic hourly
|rate
|£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated Waters |2.9400
Clothing Manufacturing |2.6375
Boot and Shoe Repairing |2.9100
Button Manufacturing |2.5850
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making |3.0500
Cotton Waste Reclamation |2.6800
Flax and Hemp |<1>-
Fur |2.7200
General Waste Materials Reclamation |2.5000
Hairdressing Undertaking |2.7800
Hat, Cap and Millinery |2.6667
Lace Finishing |<1>-
Laundry |2.9100
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household
Goods and Linen Piece Goods |2.6000
Made-up Textiles |2.5700
Ostrich and Fancy Feather and Artificial Flower |2.6600
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage |3.0400
Retail Bespoke Tailoring |3.1000
Rope Twine and Net |2.6700
Sack and Bag |2.6550
Toy Manufacturing |2.5200
Retail Trades (Non-Food) |3.0650
Retail Food and Allied Trades |3.0800
Licensed Non-Residential Establishment |2.9100
Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed
Restaurant |2.8000
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment |2.9200
<1> Council adjourned indefinitely-the two sides negotiate voluntary
agreements.
#TCW92070843B
! N
Table 2
Number of workers covered by wages councils
Wages councils |Workers
|covered
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated Waters |5,500
Clothing Manufacturing |14,700
Boot and Shoe Repairing |5,000
Button Manufacturing |1,000
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making |200
Cotton Waste Reclamation |300
Flax and Hemp |500
Fur |1,500
General Waste Materials Reclamation |13,000
Hairdressing Undertaking |64,000
Hat, Cap and Millinery |4,000
Lace Finishing |900
Laundry |26,000
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household
Goods and Linen Piece Goods |2,500
Made-up Textiles |3,000
Ostrich and Fancy Feather and Artificial Flower
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage |2,000
Retail Bespoke Tailoring |4,000
Rope Twine and Net |2,500
Sack and Bag |1,000
Toy Manufacturing |11,000
Retail Trades (Non-Food) |745,000
Retail Food and Allied Trades |465,000
Licensed Non-Residential Establishment |492,000
Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed
Restaurant |379,000
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment |96,000
#TCW92070843C
! N
Table 3
Number of establishments covered by wages councils
Wages councils |Establish-
|ments covered
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated Waters |262
Clothing Manufacturing |6,399
Boot and Shoe Repairing |2,993
Button Manufacturing |47
Coffin Furniture and Cerement Making |21
Cotton Waste Reclamation |23
Flax and Hemp |10
Fur |187
General Waste Materials Reclamation |1,419
Hairdressing Undertaking |33,772
Hat, Cap and Millinery |124
Lace Finishing |62
Laundry |1,195
Linen and Cotton Handkerchief and Household
Goods and Linen Piece Goods |133
Made-up Textiles |281
Ostrich and Fancy Feather and Artificial Flower |36
Perambulator and Invalid Carriage |30
Retail Bespoke Tailoring |479
Rope Twine and Net |91
Sack and Bag |63
Toy Manufacturing |216
Retail Trades (Non-Food) |116,498
Retail Food and Allied Trades |112,079
Licensed Non-Residential Establishment |68,223
Licensed Residential Establishment and Licensed
Restaurant |34,589
Unlicensed Place of Refreshment |18,884
#TCW92070843D
$ ~
Table 4
Number of inspections 1987 to 1991
Wages councils |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated waters |26 |31 |22 |14 |7
Clothing manufacturing |967 |603 |486 |390 |402
Boot and shoe repairing |224 |245 |216 |59 |335
Button manufacturing |3 |7 |5 |3 |2
Coffin furniture and
cerement making |2 |3 |3 |4 |1
Cotton waste reclamation |5 |4 |3 |0 |3
Flax and hemp |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Fur |21 |18 |12 |4 |6
General waste materials reclamation |116 |150 |100 |87 |70
Hairdressing |2,200 |2,392 |2,633 |2,281 |2,730
Hat, cap and millinery |8 |26 |11 |6 |3
Lace finishing |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Laundry |107 |125 |95 |45 |74
Linen and cotton handkerchief and
household goods and linen
piece goods |17 |12 |14 |7 |10
Made-up textiles |27 |32 |27 |28 |8
Ostrich and fancy feather and
artificial flower |3 |3 |6 |3 |3
Perambulator and invalid carriage |3 |2 |3 |0 |3
Retail bespoke tailoring |37 |43 |40 |21 |14
Rope, twine and net |7 |8 |11 |12 |4
Sack and bag |7 |12 |6 |4 |2
Toy manufacturing |20 |24 |18 |16 |15
Retail trades (non-food) |8,354 |9,649 |9,551 |8,081 |9,542
Retail food and allied trades |7,171 |9,860 |10,111 |9,331 |8,278
Licensed non-residential
establishments |6,475 |5,063 |5,310 |5,005 |5,819
Licensed residential establishments
and licensed restaurants |3,213 |2,613 |2,781 |2,910 |3,084
Unlicensed place of refreshment |1,509 |1,530 |2,164 |2,369 |2,171
#TCW92070843E
% ~
Table 5
Establishments checkd other than by visit 1987 to 1991
Wages councils |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated waters |2 |10 |5 |4 |1
Clothing manufacturing |84 |44 |50 |31 |35
Boot and shoe repairing |121 |79 |125 |12 |270
Button manufacturing |0 |1 |0 |0 |0
Coffin furniture and
cerement making |0 |1 |0 |1 |0
Cotton waste reclamation |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Flax and hemp |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Fur |2 |0 |1 |0 |0
General waste materials
reclamation |20 |39 |41 |33 |29
Hairdressing |1,068 |738 |1,116 |928 |841
Hat, cap and millinery |0 |3 |5 |1 |0
Lace finishing |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Laundry |23 |28 |29 |2 |8
Linen and cotton handkerchief and
household goods and linen
piece goods |2 |1 |0 |0 |3
Made-up textiles |4 |7 |3 |4 |0
Ostrich and fancy feather and
artificial flower |0 |1 |2 |0 |0
Perambulator and invalid carriage |0 |2 |0 |0 |0
Retail bespoke tailoring |4 |6 |7 |4 |3
Rope, twine and net |0 |2 |1 |2 |0
Sack and bag |0 |1 |1 |0 |0
Toy manufacturing |3 |1 |2 |7 |0
Retail trades (non-food) |4,650 |5,430 |5,558 |4,116 |5,413
Retail food and allied trades |3,651 |4,147 |3,883 |3,953 |2,746
Licensed non-residential
establishments |2,198 |1,560 |3,347 |2,230 |2,705
Licensed residential establishments
and licensed restaurants |593 |488 |899 |1,087 |1,039
Unlicensed place of refreshment |163 |312 |1,114 |1,290 |1,067
#TCW92070843F
% ~
Table 6
Number of establishments found to be paying less than the minimum 1987 to 1991
Wages councils |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerated waters |2 |2 |1 |0 |0
Clothing manufacturing |191 |128 |111 |90 |97
Boot and shoe repairing |7 |18 |11 |12 |9
Button manufacturing |0 |0 |1 |1 |1
Coffin furniture and cerement
making |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Cotton waste reclamation |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Flax and hemp |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Fur |0 |2 |3 |0 |1
General waste materials
reclamation |5 |11 |2 |3 |3
Hairdressing |290 |330 |319 |307 |368
Hat, cap and millinery |3 |0 |0 |1 |1
Lace finishing |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Laundry |10 |20 |16 |12 |19
Linen and cotton handkerchief and
household goods and linen
piece goods |2 |4 |3 |2 |2
Made-up textiles |1 |2 |5 |6 |1
Ostrich and fancy feather and
artificial flower |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Perambulator and invalid carriage |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Retail bespoke tailoring |3 |6 |3 |3 |0
Rope, twine and net |0 |0 |0 |0 |1
Sack and bag |1 |0 |0 |1 |0
Toy manufacturing |1 |2 |3 |2 |6
Retail trades (non-food) |854 |1,130 |1,108 |1,101 |1,336
Retail food and allied trades |1,399 |2,143 |2,289 |2,078 |2,240
Licensed non-residential
establishments |843 |1,016 |847 |723 |916
Licensed residential establishments
and licensed restaurants |516 |405 |475 |458 |578
Unlicensed place of refreshment |313 |378 |331 |404 |390
Prescription Charges
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the criteria by which a medical condition carries exemption from prescription charges for all sufferers, regardless of age.
Dr. Mawhinney : Exemption from prescription charges on medical grounds alone is granted for specified readily identifiable chronic illnesses calling for lifelong medication.
Abortion
Mr. Michael Allison : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total number of abortions performed in the Yorkshire regional health authority under the Abortion Act 1967 since its implementation ; and how many and what proportion of these abortions were performed in an emergency to save the mother's life.
Mr. Sackville : Yorkshire regional health authority (RHA) was constituted on 1 April 1974 and data on this basis are calculated from 1 January 1975 to 30 September 1991 (the latest date for which figures are available). During this period a total of 139,602 abortions have been performed under the Abortion Act 1967 in the Yorkshire RHA. Of these, two (0.001 per cent.) were performed in an emergency "to save the life of the pregnant woman" (ground 5).
NHS Trusts
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent on producing and printing trust application forms in each health authority region.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Column 231
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Child Care
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Lord President of the Council what information he holds on the provision of day nurseries and other child care facilities and assistance in the legislative assemblies of European Community member states ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Newton : This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
CATERING COMMITTEE
Animal Welfare
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee, if the Committee will make it its policy to recommend that the Refreshment Department take animal welfare into account in its food purchasing policy.
Mr. Richard Shepherd : It is understood that the Director of Catering Services, who has formal responsibility for these matters, already takes account of animal welfare in respect of their rearing, capture and slaughter when putting into practice the Department's food-purchasing policy. I shall, nevertheless, arrange for this issue to be considered by the Catering Committee in order that it may be discussed and, if necessary, further guidance given.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Dietary Supplements
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) of 2 June, Official Report, column 430, what position the Government have adopted on the Commission's consultation paper on dietary supplement as in respect of the suggestion that vitamin supplements should only be available on prescription ; and when he expects the European Community scientific committee on food to complete its consideration.
Mr. Soames : The Commission consultation paper on dietary supplements contains no suggestion that vitamin supplements should be available only on prescription. The Government's general position is that consumers should be able to choose for themselves whether to buy dietary supplements that are safe. The Commission expects the EC scientific committee for food to reach conclusions about acceptable upper levels for vitamins and minerals in the autumn.
Intervention Stores
Mr. Michael : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the commodities held by the European Commission in intervention, the quantity of each in store on the latest date for which information is available, and the percentage of each that is committed to use for emergency food aid.
Mr. Curry : Tables listing the commodities held by the European Community in intervention, and the most recent levels of each such commodity held in store, are deposited in the Library of the House each month.
Column 232
Information on the percentage of each that is committed to use for emergency food aid cannot be provided within the time available, but I shall write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the information requested is available from the European Commission.Agricultural Development Advisory Service
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library the written statement of the health and safety at work of those employed by Agricultural Development Advisory Service, as required by the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974.
Mr. Gummer : The written statement of the health and safety at work of those employed by MAFF, including ADAS, as required by the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974, is contained in section F8 of the MAFF staff manual handbook. I am arranging for copies of the relevant sections to be placed in the Library of the House.
Vitamins
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what figure he has for the value of (a) multi-vitamin preparations and (b) single vitamins sold over the counter in Britain each year.
Mr. Soames : The value of multi-vitamins and single vitamins sold in 1991, estimated, at retail selling price, was £60 million and £25 million respectively, according to the market research magazine, "Market Intelligence", June 1991.
Long Mynd
Mr. Gill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publicise the results of his Department's study into moorland grazing pressure on the Long Mynd, Shropshire, "An Assessment of Heather Utilisation by Sheep on the Long Mynd, 1990"; and if he will make a statement on its findings.
Mr. Curry : This report was produced to aid discussions between the Department, English Nature and the National Trust--as landlords--on the measures to be taken for the conservation of the Long Mynd. All three parties have now received copies of the report which will be of particular value in formulating the proposals for the Shropshire hills environmentally sensitive area on which I shall be seeking views in 1993.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Agency
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list for the last 12 months, the fact-finding visits the chief executive of the Employment Agency has made ; what were his findings ; if she will place a copy of his findings in the Library ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what criteria will be used to establish which agencies can provide rehabilitation of a suitable quality for people with disabilities after April 1993 ; and if she will make a statement ;
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(2) how funding will be allocated to placing, assessment and counselling teams to enable them to purchase such assessment and rehabilitation services as are needed by people with severe disabilities requiring specialist provision ;(3) what steps she is taking to establish quality standards for providers of rehabilitation training to people with severe visual impairments ; and what consultation she is having for this purpose ; (4) what was the average total cost per week for each client attending an employment rehabilitation course at a Government-run employment rehabilitation centre in (a) 1990-91 and (b) 1991-92.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred these questions for reply.
Green Minister
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in her Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Over the next 12 months we shall continue to follow up commitments in the White Paper Cm 12000 "This Common Inheritance" and its successor Cm 1655 "The First Year Report". We shall also be contributing to a second anniversary White Paper in the autumn.
The Health and Safety Executive has already developed an environmental housekeeping strategy for the management of its accommodation and purchasing. The Employment Department and the Employment Service will have their strategies in place by the end of 1992.
Over the next year and beyond, we shall continue to monitor the impact of the Department's policies and activities on the environment ; and to ensure that environmental concerns shape our policies and work wherever possible.
Rehabilitation
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will publish the list of external organisations providing counselling and rehabilitation services under contract to her Department with an indication of the amount of work carried out by each organisation.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
Training
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will publish details, for the nine standard economic regions, of the total numbers of entrants, excluding community programme transfers, to employment training by sex, ethnic origin and disability, for each year since the start of the scheme ; (2) if she will publish the 100 per cent. youth training scheme leavers survey for each training and enterprise
Column 234
council in the north-west, showing the destinations of trainees by ethnic origin, sex and disability and by scheme type, for each year since the start of the scheme ;(3) if she will publish details for each training and enterprise council in the north-west region of the destinations of employment training trainees, by ethnic origin, sex and disability, for each year since the start of the scheme ;
(4) if she will publish details of the numbers and percentages of youth training trainees in the north-west who have employed or trainee status, and the breakdown by sex, ethnic origin and disability, for each year in the period 1990-92 inclusive.
Mr. McLoughlin : As the information requested is contained within a number of tables I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice is given to young people for whom suitable youth training places are not available.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Careers Service gives vocational advice and guidance to young people. In addition to the training route, the service encourages young people to explore all the other options and their suitability for them ; for example, further education and employment, to enable them to make informed careers decisions. For those young people they identify as having potential eligibility for benefits or allowances, general advice is given such as how and where to make a claim.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment she has made of whether there are enough suitable youth training places available in all parts of the United Kingdom.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department's contracts with TECs call for regular monitoring and review at local level of the numbers of young people covered by the YT guarantee who are seeking a place. This local monitoring is carried out by our officials, training and enterprise councils and other interested parties such as the Careers Service. Following discussion with representatives of TECs and the Careers Service we are putting into place new measures to establish a national system of monitoring in England. We believe that these arrangements safeguard the interests of young people seeking training.
Matters in the rest of the United Kingdom are for my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list those areas in which the youth training guarantee is being delivered in full.
Mr. McLoughlin : Information on the extent of demand for YT from young people covered by the YT guarantee is available only in the form of estimates which are not sufficiently reliable for publication. The Government remain fully committed to ensuring that the YT guarantee will be met everywhere.
Wages Councils
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will estimate the number of workers covered by the wages councils in (a) Wales, (b) south
Column 235
Wales and the south-west and (c) north Wales and the north-west ; and if she will sub-divide the figures for full-time, part-time and male and female workers.Mr. McLoughlin : The information as requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Wages Councils
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each existing wages council (a) what is the current minimum rate of pay, (b) how many employees are covered, (c) what is the administrative cost, (d) how many establishments are covered, (e) how many inspectors are employed, (f) how many inspections have taken place and in each of the last five years, (g) how many establishments have been contacted other than by visit, (h) how many establishments have been found to be paying less than the minimum and (i) how many prosecutions have taken place.
Mr. McLoughlin : There is no record kept of the administrative cost for each individual wages council and wages inspectors are not employed for individual wages councils. Other information requested is set out in the following tables :
#TCW92070843A
#TCW92070843B
#TCW92070843C
#TCW92070843D
#TCW92070843E
#TCW92070843F
#TCW92070843G
#TCW92070843H
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 29 June, Official Report, columns 418-26, when she expects to be in a position to give the corresponding information for 1992-93.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 3 July 1992] : For the present, the 1992-93 information remains subject to commercial
confidentiality. The information will be made available in due course.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 29 June, Official Report, columns 418-26, if she will indicate for which training and enterprise councils in England the 1992-93 information is available ; and if she will now publish it for each of the relevant training and enterprise councils.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 6 July 1992] : For the present, the 1992-93 information remains subject to commercial
confidentiality. The information will be made available in due course.
ENVIRONMENT
Toxic Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 9 June, Official Report, column 146, he will set out the procedures by which the Government will judge whether developing countries are unable to deal safely with toxic wastes prior to giving permission for their import into the United Kingdom.
Mr. Maclean : Under the current draft of the waste shipments regulation, developing countries would have to present a duly motivated request on the basis that they did not have and could not acquire the technical capacity and the necessary facilities in order to dispose of the waste in an environmentally sound manner.
Column 242
Countryside Employment Practice
Mr. Ancram : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in which areas the pilot scheme for the countryside employment programme will take place.
Mr. Maclean : The countryside employment programme is being piloted in three areas. These are : Lincolnshire (east and west Lindsey districts), the Marches (south Herefordshire, Leominster and south Shropshire districts) and the Cotswold (Cotswold and west Oxfordshire districts).
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of money paid out in management agreements relating to sites of special scientific interest in 1991 ; how many individual agreements are currently in force in England, Scotland and Wales ; what is the average payment per agreement, and what are the top 10 highest individual payments.
Mr. Maclean : Management agreements within Wales and Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland.
I am advised by English Nature that the amount they paid for management agreements under section 15 of the Countryside Act 1968 relating SSSIs in 1991-92 was £5,735,359 ; those still active at 31 March 1992 total 1,584 (including some awaiting renewal). The average payment is £875 lump sum plus an ongoing annual payment of £2,176. Details of management agreement payments are confidential to the parties concerned. The 10 highest individual payments are as follows :
£322,983
£109,600
£108,000
£ 79,000
£ 69,134
£ 49,500
£ 48,194
£ 42,004
Column 243
£ 36,091£ 36,000
Nature Reserves
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department has paid in grants in total to United Kingdom conservation bodies to assist them to buy land for nature reserves in each year between 1989 and the present time ; how many applications for grant aid were (a) received in 1991 and (b) accepted ; and if he will give details of each grant over £10,000.
Mr. Maclean : The following is the information :
Column 244
Land purchase grants
|£
--------------------------------------
1989-90 |504,269
1990-91 |502,958
1991-92<1> |238,632.50
1992-to date<2> |6,420
<1>England only.
English Nature received 42 land purchase grant applications in 1991-92, of these 19 were given grants towards the purchase of land.
Column 243
Land purchase grants over £10,000 given by English nature in 1991-92
Site |Applicant |SSSI land |Grant given
|purchased |£
|(hectares)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hazelwood Marshes Suffolk |Suffolk Wildlife Trust |3.29 |21,000
Hoe Hill and Clayford Pits South Humberside |Lincolnshire and South Humberside |24.5 |10,000
| Trusts for Nature Conservation
West Sedgemoor Somerset |RSPB |26 |32,000
Irlams Beach Saltings (Hamford Water) |Little Oakley and District |50 |10,000
| Wildflowers Assocation
Bowling Green Marsh Exe Estuary Devon |RSPB |8.1 |10,000
Roydon Common Norfolk |Norfolk Naturalists' Trust |81.28 |10,000
Fortescue Estate Somerset |Exmoor National Park (Somerset |485.22 |20,000
| CC)
Ham Brook Marshes Kent |Kent Trust for Nature Conservation |29.2 |19,000
Lower Raypitts Farm Essex |Essex Wildlife Trust |69.29 |20,000
Decon Hill Bedfordshire |The Wildlife Trusts of Bedfordshire|25.1 |19,000
| and Cambridgeshire
Lower Wood, Ashwellthorpe Norfolk |Norfolk Naturalists Trust |36 |23,750
Ouse Washes Cambridgeshire |RSPB |5.47 |10,132.50p
Ouse Washes Cambridgeshire |RSPB |13.11 |20,250
Nuclear Contamination
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent decisions have been taken by the European Commission to support research into nuclear contamination in Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine.
Mr. Maclean : I am informed that the Commission of the European Communities entered on 23 June 1992 into an agreement at non-governmental level with institutions in the three republics of the Commonwealth of independent States most closely concerned with the accident six years ago at the Chernobyl nuclear plant : Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine. The agreement is for collaboration in studying the nature of the radioactive contamination arising from the Chernobyl accident, to broaden the technical skills needed to control such accidents, and to improve emergency management procedures. The collaboration will be between institutes in European Community member states and in Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine.
Desalination
Ms. Eagle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to investigate desalination in the United Kingdom on (a) a large scale or (b) a small scale.
Mr. Maclean : None. The recent discussion paper by the National Rivers Authority, which has a statutory responsibility for water resources, suggests that desalination is unlikely to offer a cost-effective general means of increasing United Kingdom water supplies. In specific
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