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Baltic States
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when visa-issuing facilities will be available at the British posts in Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A final decision has not yet been taken on establishing entry clearance sections at these posts. We are currently reviewing the situation in the light of the availability of suitable accommodation.
The hon. Member will recall from the answer I gave to his question of 19 June that nationals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania travelling on national passports do not require visas for visits to the United Kingdom.
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South Africa (Companies)
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for reassessment of the EC's code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa during the British presidency of the EC.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 9 July 1992] : Her Majesty's Government continue to believe that the code of conduct fulfills an important function and to encourage companies to comply with its terms. In political co-operation, under the previous presidency, officials began discussion of possible changes to the code's reporting procedures.
ENVIRONMENT
Peat Bogs and Heathlands
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to improve the protection of lowland peat bogs and heathlands.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to my right hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 7 July, Official Report, column 158.
Both habitat types are covered by annex I of the EC habitats directive. The means of implementing the directive and the scientific criteria for selecting sites are under consideration.
Waste Recycling
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of household waste is currently recycled by each district council in England.
Mr. Maclean : Information on the recycling activities of individual local authorities is not held centrally at present. Work is in hand to establish better data, including a national review of waste statistics on which we are working with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and the recycling plans which are now being prepared by every waste collection authority in the country as a result of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Local Government Ombudsman
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the councils which have refused to implement the recommendations of the local government ombudsman from 1991 to date ; and what action he intends to take to ensure the recommendations are carried out.
Mr. Robin Squire : This information for the year ending 31 March 1992 will be published in the 1991-92 annual report of the Commission for Local Administration. The citizens charter makes clear the Government's intention to consider making the ombudsman's recommendations legally enforceable if such a step should become necessary.
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Sewerage
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make connection to adopted sewers compulsory for households in areas with (a) sensitive aquifiers and (b) pollution of streams and waterways.
Mr. Maclean : None. Septic tanks or cesspits can provide satisfactory drainage if they are properly designed and operated. For isolated properties, the provision of a public sewer might be prohibitively expensive. The National Rivers Authority has powers which it can use to control and prevent pollution from domestic drainage.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies he has made of the refusal of households to connect to first- time sewage schemes.
Mr. Maclean : A local authority would normally not requisition a first-time sewerage scheme unless the majority of householders in the relevant area had indicated that they wished to connect to public sewers. The Department's experience of grant-aiding schemes in rural areas shows that very small schemes usually have a 100 per cent. connection rate. Larger schemes serving whole villages have a lower connection rate because some of the properties will have an adequate septic tank or cesspit which the household can continue to use without problems. Some householders who do not connect when a mains system is first installed may do so later.
Housing Defects
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) of 13 May, Official Report, column 128, who undertook the efficiency scrutiny report into the housing defects scheme of assistance ; and if he will place a copy in the Library.
Mr. Baldry : The efficiency scrutiny report of the housing defects scheme of assistance was undertaken by Mrs. Susan Deville, an official in the Department. A copy will be placed in the Library.
Tillingdown Farm, Caterham
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent planning inquiry appeal, under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, in regard to land use at Tillingdown farm, Caterham.
Mr. Baldry : In a decision issued on 22 June, on an appeal under section 174(2)(b) and (c) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a planning inspector corrected and upheld Surrey county council's enforcement notice requiring the use of land at Tillingdown farm, Caterham, for the deposit of waste materials to cease. It is open to the appellant to seek the leave of the High court, in accordance with the amended provisions of section 289 of the 1990 Act, to appeal to the court, on a point of law, against the inspector's decision.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent applications have been received from Amersham International to dispose of low-activity
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radioactive waste under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, at sites near Amersham other than those currently covered by licences under the Act.Mr. Maclean : No such applications have been received.
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the current number of staff employed by, or seconded to, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee ; and whether any posts have yet to be filled.
Mr. Maclean : There are currently 53.5 permanent staff on secondment to the committee from the country councils. A further 1.5 permanent posts are filled by fixed-term appointments and four permanent posts vacant. In addition, there are 37 fixed term appointments to undertake work on projects with a limited timetable. The formal staff complement for the JNCC is currently under review.
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what role the Joint Nature Conservation Committee will play in advising the Government on the legislation and procedural changes which will be required in order that the United Kingdom can meet its obligations under the new EC directive on the conservation of wildlife and habitats.
Mr. Maclean : The Government are involving the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the country councils closely in the consideration of the measures necessary to implement the habitats directive. The JNCC's particular responsibility will be to ensure that the scientific response to the directive's requirements is consistent across the United Kingdom.
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the functions and responsibilities of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Mr. Maclean : The Joint Nature Conservation Committee was established under section 128(4) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to discharge the functions set out in section 133 of the Act. These include the provision of advice on nature conservation for great Britain as a whole or outside Great Britain, the establishment of standards for common monitoring and research and the commissioning of research.
Hostel Deficit Grant
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain from the Housing Corporation a report of its assessment as to whether the use of hostel deficit grant by the Ling Trust in Essex to purchase district health authority staff time in respect of the care of former residents of Turner Village mental handicap hospital is in accordance with the regulations governing the provision of such grants.
Mr. Baldry : The Housing Corporation has received a claim for hostel deficit grant in respect of nine schemes managed by the Ling Trust, including accommodation for former residents of Turner Village hospital. The claim is being considered and no grant has been paid. Hostel deficit grant is payable in respect of deficits incurred by registered housing associations in the housing
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management of hostels. Welfare costs, such as the cost of care staff, are not eligible for grant and associations need to look to other agencies, such as local health or social services authorities or charities, to support such expenditure.Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses in the network installer area including Glasgow, Central constituency have been improved under the home energy efficiency scheme.
Mr. Maclean : Within the network installer area which contains the hon. Member's constituency, 1,018 homes have benefited from HEES grant since 1 January 1991.
Local Government Commission
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on which counties the Local Government Commission will consider ; in what order and on what time scale.
Mr. Robin Squire : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Robinson) on 3 June, Official Report, columns 545-46 .
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the terms of reference of the Local Government Commission ; and what guidance he has given as to the optimum size of a new unitary authority.
Mr. Robin Squire : The terms of reference of the Local Government Commission are set out in section 13(5) of the Local Government Act 1992.
The size of authorities is covered in paragraph 10 of our revised policy guidance which was placed in the Library on 3 June. My right hon. and learned Friend intends to direct the commission to have regard to this guidance shortly.
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Local Government Commission was established ; and if he will list the names, qualifications and previous experience of its members.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Local Government Commission was formally established on 1 July. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities, announced the names of the members we have appointed to the commission on 15 June, Official Report , column 397 , and 3 July, Official Report , column 719 . Further details about these members are available from my Department's press notice, a copy of which I have placed in the Library.
Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to appoint an equal number of women and men members to the Local Government Commission.
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Mr. Robin Squire : I refer the hon. Member to the answers my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities gave to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike), on 15 June, Official Report , column 397 , and to my hon. Friend the Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Field), on 3 July, Official Report , column 719 .
Enterprise Zones
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of capital allowances claimed for investment in enterprise zones.
Mr. Redwood : The total cost of capital allowances for all enterprise zones in Britain, estimated from eligible private sector investment in construction in the zones as at 31 March 1990, was £600 million in 1989-90 prices.
Unitary Authorities
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his intention that any local authority whose boundary is coterminous with that of a shire county will be able to apply for unitary authority status when the position of that shire county is considered by the boundary commission.
Mr. Robin Squire The Local Government Commission's priority is to examine the structure of local government in the shire counties, as directed by the Secretary of State. Where the commission judges it necessary to make recommendations concerning localities bordering on an area under review, it should ask the Secretary of State to vary his direction requiring the review to be conducted.
Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department ; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office ; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others ; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded ; and for what duration.
Mr. Howard : The Comptroller and Auditor General, who is head of the National Audit Office, has statutory responsibility for auditing the accounts of the Audit Commission, the Countryside Commission, the Nature Conservancy Council for England--English Nature--and the Rural Development Commission. The external auditors of the other executive NDPBs sponsored by the Department are :
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Executive NDPB |External Auditor --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- British Board of Agrement |BDO Binder Hamlyn Commission for the New Towns |Ernst and Young Housing action trusts: North Hull |Kidsons Impey Waltham Forest |Pannell, Kerr Forster Housing Corporation |Coopers and Lybrand Letchworth Garden City Corporation |Ernst and Young Local Government Commission |not yet appointed London Pensions Fund Authority |District Audit Service of the Audit Commission London residuary body |District Audit Service of the Audit Commission National Rivers Authority |Coopers and Lybrand Urban development corporations: Black Country |Touche Ross and Co. Bristol |Touche Ross and Co. Central Manchester |Touche Ross and Co. Leeds |Kidsons Impey London Docklands |Ernst and Young Merseyside |Price Waterhouse Sheffield |Price Waterhouse Teesside |Price Waterhouse Trafford Park |Price Waterhouse Tyne and Wear |Coopers and Lybrand
These appointments are made annually and are renewed subject to satisfactory performance. Formal reviews, involving competitive tendering, are held at least every six years.
Maintenance Work, Calderdale
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has decided to take against Calderdale metropolitan borough council following the issue of notices under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988 in relation to its decision to assign vehicle maintenance and ground maintenance work to its direct service organisation.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. and learned Friend has given careful consideration to the response which Calderdale metropolitan borough council has made to the notices served on 19 May 1992, and has today given a direction under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988 in respect of vehicle maintenance work. The direction requires the council to re-tender the contract and to seek the Secretary of State's consent before awarding the work to its direct service organisation.
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The Secretary of State has decided not to give a direction in respect of the ground maintenance work.Urban Development Corporations
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the number of jobs created in each urban development corporation area, including information to March 1992 ; and if he will include a column of figures indicating the net and percentage increase or decrease of jobs relative for March 1991.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 20 May 1992] : Estimates of employment in urban development areas are derived from surveys commissioned periodically by urban development corporations. Seven UDCs have undertaken such surveys recently and, in a number of UDCs, the estimate of the number of net permanent jobs created to March 1991 has been revised in consequence.
The information requested is as follows :
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to provide a substantive reply to the question of 20 May from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside regarding the number of jobs created in each urban development corporation to March.
Mr. Redwood : I have answered this question today.
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SCOTLAND
Drug Surveillance
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the number of police working on drug surveillance in each police force.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 July 1992] : The number of officers dedicated to drugs duties is as follows :
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|Number
------------------------------------
Central Scotland |4
Dumfries and Galloway |2
Fife |4
Grampian |11
Lothian and Borders |24
Northern |5
Strathclyde |34
Tayside |12
Total |96
In addition, there are 40 officers in the drugs wings of the Scottish crime squad engaged in drugs inquiries.
Police
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet police authorities to discuss manning levels in Scottish police forces.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 July 1992] : My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so. Manpower in each force is primarily the responsibility of the police authority concerned. If an authority decides to change the establishment level it has authorised, it requires my right hon. Friend's consent to the proposed change.
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Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to give the police extra resources to deal with increasing drug problems in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 July 1992] : Police authorities determine the resources allocated to their forces and it is for chief constables to decide how the resources available to them should be deployed. The authorities receive police grant at 51 per cent. of their net expenditure. In addition, in the financial years 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93, three extra officers have been added each year to the strength of the Scottish crime squad for drugs-related inquiries.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Strathclyde on the number of police involved in the recent drug operation in Linwood, Renfrewshire, where seven people were charged with drug-related offences.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 July 1992] : No. This is an operational matter which is entirely the responsibility of the chief constable.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) armed robberies and (b) crimes involving weapons have taken place during the last five years in K division and X division of Strathclyde police.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 July 1992] : The available information is given in the table.
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Number of robberies and crimes and offences involving the alleged use of firearms recorded in
divisions K and X of Strathclyde police
1987 to 1991
|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
K division, Strathclyde police
(a)Robberies involving the alleged use of a firearm |11 |1 |12 |23 |57
(b)Crimes and offences involving the alleged use of a firearm |76 |43 |54 |123 |159
X division, Strathclyde police
(a)Robberies involving the alleged use of a firearm |0 |0 |3 |4 |7
(b)Crimes and offences involving the alleged use of a firearm |20 |12 |20 |22 |34
<1> These figures include robberies involving the alleged use of a firearm shown separately
in (a) above.
Drug-related Crimes
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many drug-related crimes have been committed in Scotland in the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 3 July 1992] : Information collected centrally on crimes recorded by the police is not held in a form which shows whether or not the crime was drug related. Information on the number of drugs offences, which includes importation, production, supply and possession of drugs, recorded by the police in the last five years is contained in the statistical bulletin "Recorded crime in Scotland 1991" which was published on 22 May 1992 and a copy of which is in the Library.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Departmental Select Committees
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he expects to provide a substantive reply to the question from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 22 May concerning reports from departmental Select Committees.
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Mr. Newton : I replied to the hon. Member on Thursday 9 July.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Beef Premium
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will press for the introduction of a higher rate of premium for cattle stocked at 0.5 or 1.0 livestock units per hectare within the less favoured areas as a complementary measure to the £29 per cow which will be paid to all beef cows stocked 1.5 livestock units per hectare as agreed in the recent common agricultural policy reforms.
Mr. Curry : The Council has now reached agreement on the CAP reform package. For beef, the requirements on stocking densities make a valuable contribution to our environmental objectives. It would not be possible or desirable to reopen the CAP reform package to amend these stocking rate provisions.
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Set-aside
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to use the United Kingdom Presidency to widen the choice available to farmers required to join rotational set-aside in order to receive compensation aids for cereals so that farmers who have already set aside land under the farm woodland premium scheme or countryside stewardship are also eligible.
Mr. Curry : We have already successfully negotiated arrangements under which we will be able to have non-rotational as well as rotational set-aside. This will increase the range of management options open to farmers under the new arable regime. Under the set-aside, land must normally be taken out of agricultural production in contrast to countryside stewardship which encouraged continued agricultural production in a way that enhances the environment. Very few farmers have yet planted land with trees under the farm woodland premium scheme. We are exploring with the EC Commission the scope for set-aside land that has been planted with trees under the old farm woodland scheme or land that will be entered into the farm woodland premium scheme to count towards a farmers set-aside obligation under the new arable scheme. However, it would not be right to allow any element of double payment on that land.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a copy of his study of the evaluation of set-aside conducted by the university of Reading.
Mr. Gummer : In accordance with my usual policy, I gave an undertaking to publish this report. This will be fulfilled once the final report is ready, and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Badgers
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if field tests monitoring further destruction of badgers are currently being carried out by or on behalf of his Department.
Mr. Soames : The greatest cause of destruction of live badgers, apart from disease, is road accidents, which some estimates indicate are responsible for as many as 47,500 badger deaths per year. The field tests undertaken by Ministry staff are concerned with the development of better methods of dealing with the problem of tuberculosis.
Fishing, Tendring
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to resolve the dispute brought to his attention by the chairman of the Tendring district sports council concerning anglers and inshore fishermen within the Tendring district ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : A meeting was held on 25 June involving all those concerned, and I understand that a satisfactory solution was found. I welcome this as constructive discussions are the best route to resolve such problems.
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Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which non-departmental public bodies are sponsored by his Department ; which of these are audited by the National Audit Office ; which firms of private accountants audits each of the others ; by what method of tendering contracts to such firms are awarded ; and for what duration.
Mr. Curry : The non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Department are listed in the table. The National Audit Office audits the royal botanic gardens, Kew, in accordance with paragraph 39(6) of schedule 1 to the National Heritage Act 1983. The firms of private accountants who audit the other non-departmental public bodies which are subject to audit are shown next to them.
Non-departmental public body |Audited by ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agricultural Training Board |Touche Ross Apple and Pear Research Council |Day, Smith & Hunter Food from Britain |Touche Ross Home Grown Cereals Authority |KPMG Peat Marwick Horticultural Development Council |Barter & Durgan Horticultural Research International |Robson Rhodes Meat and Livestock Commission |Coopers & Lybrand Sea Fish Industry Authority |Coopers & Lybrand Wine Standards Board of the Vinters |Coulthards Mackenzie Company
I understand that the auditors were appointed after competitive tendering. The duration of the contract is not normally stated in the contract, but performance is monitored annually and a formal review is undertaken within six years.
Food Surplus Scheme
Mr. Whittingdale : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the invitation to organisations to participate in the 1992 surplus food scheme in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I announced to the House on 26 February that the surplus food scheme would be continued and invited applications from eligible organisations interested in taking part in the distribution.
A very large number of applications was received by the closing date of 10 April and of these I, together with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland, have been able to designate 1,367 organisations. There are approximately 3,700 tonnes of butter and 3,000 tonnes of beef available to be distributed to the most needy citizens.
Once again, we have designated more organisations than in the previous years in order to ensure that the food is distributed to as many needy people at possible. But, as the quantities are limited, it will be necessary to place restrictions on the amount of produce available to organisations to ensure a wide coverage of distribution. We have therefore restricted the maximum amount of produce to be allocated to organisations to some 1 kg of packaged butter or tinned beef per individual recipient.
Priority in allocating this food is being given to organisations providing prepared meals to the homeless and destitute, who will be allocated twice that amount.
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