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Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses in the network installer area which contains the constituency of Banff and Buchan have been improved under the home energy efficiency scheme since the scheme's inception.
Mr. Maclean : Within the network installer area which contains the hon. Member's constituency, 2,950 homes have benefited from HEES grant since 1 January 1991.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by local authority area the proportions of local authority finance derived from revenue support grant, specific grant, non-domestic rate income and poll tax for 1992-93.
Mr. Redwood : I am arranging for the available information to be placed in the Library of the House, together with the amount of revenue support grant, special grants, and redistributed non-domestic rate income paid per adult to each authority. (
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Share Lending
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he has received any advice from the Bank of England on the practice of share lending by local authority superannuation funds ; (2) if he will amend the superannuation regulations relating to the pension funds of local authorities in order to clarify the vires of share lending.
Mr. Robin Squire : Share lending is among the issues relating to investments under the local government superannuation scheme which are the subject of regular discussions between my Department, the local authority associations and other interested parties, including the Bank of England.
Public Analyst Laboratories
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make available additional resources to public analyst laboratories to support their accreditation under the national measurement accreditation service--NAMAS--quality control scheme and to assist in the implementation of the in-service training required under NAMAS.
Mr. Maclean : All analytical laboratories should have systems for ensuring the quality of their results. The Government have recognised this by encouraging the setting up of NAMAS. It is not for the Government to subside any additional costs to laboratories of NAMAS accreditation. Such costs should be recovered in charges to their customers who benefit in terms of the quality and the reliability of the analyses carried out for them.
Aggregates
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to revise the structure of the regional aggregates working parties to include representation by elected members of mineral planning authorities and third-party interests.
Mr. Baldry : I will consider membership of the regional aggregates working parties when the present review of mineral planning guidance note 6 is complete.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a summary of the views expressed to his Department on the national aggregates demand forecasts by the regional aggregates working parties in the regional commentaries.
Mr. Baldry : A summary of the views expressed by the regional aggregates working parties will be made available when the revised draft guidelines are published for public consultation.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new national forecasts of aggregates demand have been prepared for his Department since the publication of the document "Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales Review of MPG6" ; whether they will be circulated to the regional aggregates working parties for comment ; whether they will be published for public comment ; and whether they will be used in the preparation of a revised mineral planning guidance note 6.
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Mr. Baldry : New forecasts of aggregates demand have not yet been finalised by the independent consultants. I shall consider whether they should be circulated when they are available.Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations were made to him by the regional aggregates working parties on the environmental implications of the national aggregates demand forecast published by his Department.
Mr. Baldry : The views of the regional aggregates working parties on the environmental implications of the demand forecast were published earlier this year in their regional commentaries. These views will be taken into account by the Department in the preparation of the revised draft guidelines.
Mineral Planning Guidance
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects drafts of mineral planning guidance note 1 and mineral planning guidance note 6 to be published for public comment.
Mr. Baldry : It is hoped that drafts of the revised mineral planning guidance notes 1 and 6 will be published for public consultation by the end of this year.
Council Housing Investment
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has reached conclusions following his recent consultation exercise on the development of the local authority housing investment programme process.
Mr. Howard : On 21 May, my Department launched a major consultation exercise on the further development of the local authority housing investment programme--HIP--process. The proposals which we have put forward build on the measures begun last year by seeking to achieve better value for the money spent through housing capital programmes. The consultation paper made proposals in four broad areas : on the preparation of housing strategies by local authorities, and the co-ordination at area level of decisions on the initial allocation of Housing Corporation funding with local authorities' housing strategies ; on the further development of recent trends in our approach to the allocation of all-purpose housing annual capital guideline--ACG--resources within the HIP process ; on the development of the system of forward indications of housing ACGs ; and on the further development of recent trends in the approach we have taken to the advance allocation of specified capital grant--SCG--resources for private sector renewal.
During the consultation period, we agreed to a request from the local authority associations that discussions should continue after the formal close of the consultation exercise on the longer-term proposals. We have therefore taken decisions at this stage only on matters relevant to the arrangements for the 1993-94 HIP round. We have received a total of 211 responses, including material from the four relevant local authority associations, the Institute of Housing, the National Federation of Housing Associations, 161 local authorities and 29 housing associations. Discussions have also taken place with the Housing Corporation.
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After considering and taking in to account the representations which have been made, I have decided to invite authorities to prepare comprehensive housing strategies for the 1993-94 HIP round as described in the consultation paper. This will involve authorities in preparing strategies which cover the housing needs and resources of their areas over a three-year period, set in the context of a realistic assessment of priorities and proposals. My Department will issue guidelines to authorities very shortly which will provide further details.We will carry forward the new arrangements made last year to place emphasis on the efficiency and effectiveness of authorities in our decisions on the allocation of HIP resources. This will help ensure that best value for money is obtained from capital resources for social housing and that there are incentives for authorities to improve their performance as landlords and enablers.
I have also decided to proceed with our proposals to draw together, on to the same timetable for decision making, both the HIP process, which applies to local authorities, and the approved development programme--ADP--process which is used for the allocation of funds through the Housing Corporation to housing associations. The principle of co-ordinating these two funding streams, in the context of a single housing strategy, met with almost universal support ; discussions will continue with interested parties on the practical details of implementation.
Last year, Housing Ministers attended a number of successful presentations from local authorities, based on their housing strategies and HIP proposals. These occasions heightened the awareness and involvement of tenants and other local people in the HIP round, and pointed to the scope for partnership between local authorities, the private sector, and the Housing Corporation and housing associations in the provision of social housing. I have decided to continue this initiative during the coming year, and the Minister for Housing and Planning has written today to the leaders of 33 authorities inviting their authorities to give presentations to Housing Ministers during the autumn. A list of the authorities concerned has been placed in the Library and letters have been sent to local Members.
A copy of a commentary paper on the responses to the consultation exercise has been placed in the Libraries of the House. I intend to report back to the House once the remaining decisions have been taken later this year.
Livestock
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to support (a) a world watch system on indigenous livestock breeds, (b) the strengthening of the animal genetic resources data bank and (c) the completion of the system of regional animal gene banks.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I have been asked to reply.
As members of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation and contributors to its regular programme budget, the United Kingdom already supports these three initiatives. Under the budget for 1992-93 which was agreed at the last meeting of the FAO conference in 1991, over $1 million was allocated to the sub-programme on animal genetic resources from which these programmes are funded.
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Urban Development Areas
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will listt for each local authority which contains an urban development area the level of (a) urban programmes, (b) housing investment programmes and (c) derelict land grant for each year from 1987-88 at current prices and at 1987-88 prices.
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Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 6 July 1992] : Details of expenditure at outturn prices by local authority and financial year from 1987-88 onwards are listed in the table. To convert into 1987-88 constant prices, the 1988-89 figures should be multiplied by 0.93261, the 1989-90 ones by 0.87501, 1990-91 by 0.80877 and 1991-92 by 0.75586.
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Stray Dogs
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the measures taken by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Leeds to control stray dogs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 30 June 1992] : None.
Housing
Sir Paul Beresford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he proposes to determine the provision for new housing to be made in the new regional planning guidance for London and the south east.
Mr. Howard : I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of a letter which I have sent to the chairman of SERPLAN, the London and South East regional planning conference. SERPLAN is invited to put forward proposals for the allocation of future provision for new housing between London and the counties of the south east. These proposals should be based on a regional total rate of 57,000 additional dwellings per year, over the period 1991 to 2011. I will take account of SERPLAN's proposals, together with any other views on these matters which are put to my Department, in deciding the regional
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housing provision to be included in the draft new regional planning guidance for the south east. The draft will then be published for consultation in due course.Botanical Gardens
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state in (a) cash terms and (b) at 1991 prices the funding provided from Her Majesty's Government to (i) Kew and (ii) Edinburgh botanic gardens ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I have been asked to reply.
The planned grant in aid provision for The Royal Botanic gardens, Kew for 1992-93 is £14.3 million. At 1991-92 prices this is equivalent to £13.6 million.
Responsibility for the Royal Botanic gardens at Edinburgh rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland but I am advised that the planned 1992-93 grant in aid provision for the Edinburgh Garden is £5.4 million. At 1991-92 prices this is equivalent to£5.1 million.
Lead Water Pipes
Mrs. Roe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for assisting households on low incomes with the costs of replacing lead water supply pipes.
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Sir George Young : Further to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo) to my then hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Mr. Hargreaves) on 19 February 1992, Official Report, column 201, following consultation with interested bodies, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and I have today announced the extension of minor works assistance, under the provisions of part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Local housing authorities are to be given wider scope in providing discretionary assistance to meet the cost of replacing lead pipes used to supply drinking or cooking water to all resident owner-occupiers or tenants on income- related benefits. The new measures which come into force on 1 September 1992 will enable authorities to respond speedily and effectively with discretionary help while targeting resources on those least able to meet the cost of replacement.SCOTLAND
Fisheries Protection
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what resources in terms of (a) personnel, (b) expenditure and (c) numbers of vessels, have been deployed in the fisheries protection service of Scottish waters for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 8 July 1992] : The information requested for those fisheries protection vessels directly operated by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency for the years 1985-86 to 1991-92 is set out in the table. Information for previous years is not readily available in this form.
|Expenditure<1>|Personnel<2> |Number
|£ million |of vessels
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |7.2 |117 |7
1986-87 |6.9 |117 |7
1987-88 |6.9 |117 |7
1988-89 |7.4 |92 |6
1989-90 |7.4 |92 |6
1990-91 |7.6 |92 |6
1991-92 |8.0 |92 |6
<1>Full costs including capital utilisation charge and superannuation.
<2>Total crewing complement.
In addition, the Scottish Office makes a payment to the Ministry of Defence for fisheries protection services from the Royal Navy. These payments are related to the estimated costs of purchasing the service from the private sector. Payments by the Scottish Office since 1985-86 have been :
|Ministry
|of Defence
|£ million
---------------------------------
1985-86 |2.1
1986-87 |1.0
1987-88 |1.0
1988-89 |1.0
1989-90 |1.1
1990-91 |1.2
1991-92 |1.2
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) Spanish, (b) Portuguese, (c) French and (d) Danish skippers have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences relating to illegal fishing in Scottish waters in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 8 July 1992] : the information requested is as follows :
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EDUCATION
London School of Economics
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost of tuition per year for a student from outside the European Community to attend the London School of Economics ; what is the number of such students who attended the LSE last year ; and what are the comparable figures for the previous two years.
Mr. Forman : Information about the average cost of tuition fees for overseas students from outside the European Community is not held centrally. The numbers of overseas students from outside the EC who attended the LSE in the last three available years, are as follows :
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Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement concerning the possible relocation of the London School of Economics to the county hall building.Mr. Forman : The disposal of county hall is primarily a matter for the London Residuary Body and for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. I have nothing to add to what my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment said on the matter during the Adjournment debate on 26 June, Official Report, columns 555-62.
Full-time Education
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children are in full-time education in the United Kingdom and each of the other EC states.
Mr. Forth : The available data are shown in tables AA and BB of the Department's publication "Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1991 edition", copies of which are in the Library.
Green Minister
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : I have this responsibility in the Department : we will continue to pursue a number of initiatives relevant to environmental matters both during this year and for the rest of the parliamentary Session.
These will include the development of environmental education as a cross- curricular theme in schools, which will be reflected in in-service training.
Professor Toyne's expert committee on environmental education within further and higher education will report in the autumn, and we shall be considering how best its recommendations might be followed up. We shall also foster the development of energy efficiency initiatives in schools and colleges.
The Department's own accommodation and purchasing policies reflect its concern for green issues. A strategy is being prepared and will be in place at the end of the year. The Department continues to monitor the scope for recycling glass, paper and plastics and the reuse of cartridges for machinery replenishment.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Foxes
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has carried out on the impact of predation of farm stock by foxes.
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Bananas
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to give effect to the Lome convention provisions requiring bananas from the African, Caribbean and Pacific states to gain access to United Kingdom and EC markets without being severely disadvantaged by banana imports from Latin American producers.
Mr. Curry : The United Kingdom's current banana market arrangements are designed to ensure preferential access for our traditional suppliers in African, Caribbean and Pacific states. Formal Commission proposals are expected shortly for harmonised EC arrangements to complete the single market, to replace these and other national schemes. The Government are determined to ensure that these new arrangements will fully meet our Lome convention obligations, while being compatible with a successful conclusion to the GATT Uruguay round negotiations.
Seafish Industry
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the total number of fishermen involved in the United Kingdom seafish industry.
Mr. Curry : In 1990 there were some 17,000 fishermen regularly employed and some 5,000 partially employed.
Fish Licences
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many British fish licences are issued directly to owners in Spain and Holland by his Department.
Green Minister
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : As the Department's green Minister, I will ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account in all its policies and spending programmes and that the relevant commitments in the Government's White Paper "This Common Inheritance" and subsequent anniversary report are followed up.
Slaughterers
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of licensed slaughterers' or knackers' yards in each year since 1987.
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Mr. Soames : All abattoirs and knackers' yards currently operate under licences granted by local authorities. With the exception of abattoirs approved for intra-Community trade, records are not maintained centrally on the status of individual premises. However, annual statistics derived from state veterinary service visits produce the following approximate figures for abattoirs in England and Wales :
Year |Number
---------------------
1988 |855
1989 |780
1990 |700
1991 |640
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E
Payments in respect of set-aside year
Made in financial year
|1 October |1 October
|1989 to |1990 to
|30 September|30 September
1990 |1991
made in financial year)
|(1990-91) |(1991-92)
|£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total payments |15,301,906 |20,357,861
Average payment per agreement |6,596 |6,677
Largest payment per agreement |112,723 |114,151
In the case of knackers' yards, it is estimated that in 1990 there were approximately 120 operating in England and Wales, and that currently there are 107.
Plant Health and Pesticides HQ
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to announce a decision on the choice of site in York for the plant health and pesticides headquarters before 16 July ; and what is the scheduled operational date of the new headquarters.
Mr. Gummer : I have nothing to add to the reply given on this matter on 8 June 1992, Official Report, column 13.
Banned Farm Produce
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list by location, the number of farms that have been banned by his Department from supplying farm produce from their premises to the public because of the possibility of toxic chemicals entering the food chain ; what review he is currently carrying out to safeguard the farmers' livelihood ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : One farm, near Bolsover in Derbyshire, is subject to an order, under part I of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 because it is contaminated with dioxins to an unacceptable degree. Following the placing of restrictions the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service has given free advice to the farmer on his future farming options. The Government policy with regard to compensation which applies in cases of this nature is that it is the polluter who must pay.
Cockles
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his letter to the hon. Member for Gower on 24 June, Ref. 55919, regarding the treatment processes for cockles, if he will publish the date when he submitted for approval the Torry process to the EC's standing veterinary committee.
Mr. Curry : We have not at present submitted an application to the Standing Veterinary Committee for the approval of any specific heat treatment. We are formulating for early submission an application covering the use of processes which embody the principle of a minimum temperature of 90 deg C maintained for at least 90 seconds, the essential feature of the Torry process.
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Mink
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he intends to allow the Mink Keeping Order 1987 to lapse ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : The Mink (Keeping) Order 1987 expires on 31 December 1992. A consultation exercise will take place this summer to seek the views of interested organisations on future arrangements for the secure keeping of mink. Following this, the Government will decide whether to make a new order.
Set-aside
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money was paid in set-aside payments in 1991 and 1992 ; how many individual payments were made ; what was the average size of the payment and the largest payment made ; and what were the numbers of payments in each British county.
Mr. Curry : The set-aside scheme year runs from 1 October to 30 September. Payments are normally made in arrears in the last quarter of the calendar year, although for various reasons a small number of payments cannot be made until early in the following year. Total set-aside payments in respect of England in the set-aside scheme years 1989-90 and 1990-91 are set out in the tables.
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Sensitive Area Payments
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money in total was paid in environmentally sensitive area payments in 1991 and 1992 ; what was the average payment to recipients ; how many recipients there were ; and what was the largest payment to a recipient.
Mr. Curry : The total cost of payments under the ESA scheme in England for the financial years 1990-91 and 1991-92 was £7,459,000 and £8,005,000 respectively. There were 2,926 agreements in 1990-91 and 3,105 agreements in 1991-92 giving an average payment of £2,549 and £2,578 in each year. The largest single payment was £185,139.82.
EMPLOYMENT
Disabled Workers
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what plans there are for improving the training of non-specialist staff in her Department, with particular reference to training involving the disability organisations ;
(2) what quality standards have been developed for monitoring the use of outside agencies for the assessment, counselling and rehabilitation of disabled workers ; which interested organisations have been consulted on this matter ; and will such standards be made available to the House.
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.
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