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Coalite Plant, Derbyshire
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether HM inspectorate of pollution will publish the results of air sampling in and around the Coalite plant in Derbyshire.
Mr. Maclean : Yes. The results of the air sampling being commissioned by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will be published.
Ozone Depletion
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will acquire for his Departmental library a copy of the articles on ozone depletion and ultra-violet radiation, details of which had been sent to him.
Mr. Maclean : The Department of the Environment Library already acquired a copy of the article when it was first published.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the level of essential use attributed to CFCs and HCFCs.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) and to the answer I gave on 16 June to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Sumberg), Official Report column 443, in which I explained that the Department has commissioned a study on CFC use within the United Kingdom refrigeration and air conditioning industry. The study will identify areas of CFC use which need to continue and for which alternative technologies are not yet available. The Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned a similar study into the use of CFCs as solvents.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to quantify the use of CFCs in the United Kingdom and the extent to which current demand can be met by recycling rather than from existing production.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Sumberg), Official Report column 442. In that answer I announced that the Department has commissioned a study of the use of CFCs by the United Kingdom refrigeration and air conditioning industry. This will seek to quantify the level of CFCs that the industry will need until the year 2000 and the extent to which this can be met from recycled material. The Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned a similar study into the use of CFCs as solvents.
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Homelessness
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to extend the rough sleepers initiative beyond 1992-93.
Mr. Baldry : We are currently considering the future of the initiative. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing has had a number of useful meetings with voluntary organisations and others.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total level of poll tax arrears outstanding at the end of 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Robin Squire : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities on 7 July to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), Official Report column 163.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how council tax arrears will be treated within local authority financial arrangements ; and whether he has any plans to treat such arrears or interest incurred on them as expenditure for the purpose of calculating capping levels.
Mr. Robin Squire : It will be the responsibility of each billing authority to collect its arrears of council tax ; we intend that any costs of collection and associated interest charges incurred in a year by the authority should fall to be met from its budget for the year, which under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 will be subject to any capping regime.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all measures which a local authority may take to collect poll tax and arrears of poll tax.
Mr. Robin Squire : Once it has obtained a liability order from a court an authority may collect unpaid community charges by any of the following methods : an attachment of earnings order ; distress ; deductions from income support ; charging orders (for collective community charges only) ; bankruptcy and winding up. An authority may not pursue more than one of these remedies at the same time. If, having attempted to levy distress, an authority is unable to find any or sufficient goods to distrain, it may seek to have the chargepayer committed to prison.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the measures which a local authority may take to collect council tax and any arreas of council tax.
Mr. Robin Squire : Once it has obtained a liability order from a court an authority may collect unpaid council taxes by any of the following methods : an attachment of earnings order ; distress ; deductions from income support ; charging orders ; attachment of councillors' allowances ; and bankruptcy and winding up. An authority may not pursue more than one of these remedies at the same time. If, having attempted to levy distress, an authority is unable to find any or sufficient goods to distrain, it may seek to have the chargepayer committed to prison.
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Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of poll tax arrears which will exist at the end of 1992-93.Mr. Robin Squire : My Department has not made any estimate of the level of community charge arrears at the end of 1992-93.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how poll tax arrears, outstanding at the end of 1992-93 and interest incurred on them, will be treated in future financial years ; and whether he has any plans to treat outstanding arrears or interest incurred on them as expenditure for the purposes of calculating capping levels.
Mr. Robin Squire : It is the responsibility of each billing authority to collect its arrears of community charges outstanding at the end of 1992-93 ; we intend that any costs of collection and associated interest charges incurred by the authority in 1993-94 and subsequent years should fall to be met from its budget for the year, which under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 will be subject to any capping regime.
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Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria his Department uses to determine a council's standard spending assessment.
Mr. Robin Squire : The method by which standard spending assessments are calculated for all authorities is set out in the "Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England)" as amended by subsequent amendment reports. These are debated and approved by the House annually and copies are available in the Library.
Housing
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for private rented properties by type of housing for the last 10 years (a) the average rent levels, (b) the level of housing benefit paid, (c) the average benefit paid per property and (d) the number of properties at the year end.
Mr. Baldry : The information available is as follows :
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Year Average weekly rent Private and Housing Association
|Unfurnished |Furnished |Housing Benefit |Average weekly |Number of properties
|Housing Benefit |at 31 December
|per property | (private rented only)
|Great Britain |England
|£ |£ |£m |£ |thousands
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |483 |4.10 |1,849
1984-85 |12.30 |21.00 |614 |5.30 |1,778
1985-86 |13.80 |24.80 |784 |6.90 |1,709
1986-87 |19.80 |30.40 |875 |7.90 |1,641
1987-88 |18.80 |35.20 |891 |8.20 |1,580
1988-89 |22.50 |36.90 |915 |8.60 |1,532
1989-90 |21.90 |40.80 |1,159 |10.90 |1,507
1990-91 |30.50 |53.30 |1,360 |12.50 |1,507
1991-92 |1,886 |17.10 |<1>1,506
<1>Provisional.
The source of the rent information is the "Family Expenditure Survey" (FES). The rents relate to the nearest calender year to each financial year --1983 rents are shown for 1983-84, etc. As the FES is a sample survey the estimates of rent are subject to sampling error. Information on housing benefit is available for tenants of private landlords and housing associations together but not separately.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to seek to amend legislation or regulations relating to the transfer of homes from local authority to other forms of ownership and the terms and conditions under which such transfers took place.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 21 May 1992 to my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr. Willets), Official Report, column 198. The consultation paper will be published shortly.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for housing association properties for each of the last 10 years (a) the average rent levels, (b) the total housing benefit paid, (c) the average benefit paid per property and (d) the number of properties at the year end.
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Mr. Baldry : The information available covering rent levels and stock is set out in the table. Housing benefit statistics do not identify payments to housing association tenants separately.
Year Average housing association rents Housing association
|including service charges (£/week)|stock at
|Registered rents<2> |Assured tenancies<3> |31st December
|(thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |14 |420
1982 |16 |428
1983 |17 |441
1984 |19 |455
1985 |20 |472
1986 |21 |482
1987 |23 |496
1988 |25 |515
1989 |27 |544
1990 |30 |34 |589
1991 |33 |39 |<1>619
<1> Provisional.
<2> Fair rents registered or re-registered by Rent Officers in the period.
<3> Assured tenancy rents for lettings in the period.
Source: National Federation of Housing Associations.
BNFL, Sellafield
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent information he has received from the Health and Safety Executive following its
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completion of its report on the Health and Safety Executive investigation into the safety and status of radioactive waste management at British Nuclear Fuels' Sellafield plant.Mr. Maclean : No further information has been received from the Health and Safety Executive following the publication of its report and its receipt by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Council Tenants
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of council tenants have transferred their tenancy away from local authority control since July 1991.
Mr. Baldry : Approximately 7,700 local authority dwellings in England are known to have been transferred from local authority control to housing associations and other bodies between July 1991 and March 1992, the latest date for which detailed information is available. This represents about one fifth of one per cent. of local authority housing stock in England. In addition a further 14,800 dwellings were transferred in two block transfers in April 1992.
Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list for council housing for each of the last 10 years (a) the average rent levels, (b) the total housing benefit paid, (c) the average benefit paid per property and (d) the number of properties at the year end ;
(2) if he will list for properties transferred by agreement with the tenant to other forms of ownership for all years since transfers began (a) the average rent levels, (b) the total housing benefit paid, (c) the average benefit paid per property and (d) the total number of payments at the year end.
Mr. Baldry : The available information is as follows :
(a) |(b) |(c) |(d) |(e)
Year |Average |Total |Average |Number of
|weekly |housing |weekly |properties
|unrebated |benefit paid|benefit per |at 31
|rent |property |December
|£ |£ million |£ |000s
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |14.03 |1,659 |6.66 |4,788
1984-85 |14.79 |1,789 |7.31 |4,705
1985-86 |15.63 |1,902 |7.91 |4,627
1986-87 |16.48 |1,980 |8.36 |4,556
1987-88 |17.40 |2,029 |8.74 |4,465
1988-89 |19.01 |2,172 |9.66 |4,325
1989-90 |20.86 |2,351 |10.87 |4,161
1990-91 |23.94 |2,586 |12.33 |4,034
1991-92 |27.41 |2,687 |<1>12.91 |<1>4,004
<1> Provisional.
Corresponding information on properties transferred by agreement to other forms of ownership is not available.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new rights have been introduced for council tenants since July 1991 to simplify and strengthen their ability to get minor repairs affecting health, safety or crime prevention carried out by their landlord.
Mr. Baldry : Subject to enactment of the necessary legislation, we propose to introduce a new right to repair scheme. Details will be published later this year. The new scheme will enable council tenants to get small urgent repairs, affecting health, safety and security, done quickly.
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Departmental Properties
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many residential properties in the London borough of Lewisham are owned by his Department ; and if he will publish a list of such residential properties which are currently empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant, and the intended future use.
Mr. Baldry : No residential properties in the London borough of Lewisham are managed by the Department of the Environment. Information in respect of any of residential properties in the borough held and managed by other Departments as part of their departmental estate is for Departments themselves to list.
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households in the network installer area containing the Bridgend constituency have benefited from home energy efficiency scheme grants since 1991.
Mr. Maclean : Within the network installer area which contains the hon. Member's constituency, 2,341 homes have benefited from home energy efficiency scheme grant since 1 January 1991.
City Challenge
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement regarding the decisions on city challenge applications before 16 July.
Leeds Task Force
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Dr. Hampson), 6 July, Official Report, column 79, if he will list the businesses assisted by the task force and show whether the assistance was (a) financial aid, (b) advice, (c) provision of information of (d) other.
Mr. Robin Squire : A list of the individual businesses assisted by the Government's former Leeds task force is maintained by the bodies providing the assistance and no central record is kept. Businesses in the task force area were assisted on over 417 occasions. Assistance took the form of advice (350 occasions), financial help (241 occasions), use of premises either purchased or refurbished by the task force (172 occasions) and help to attend or exhibit at events such as trade fairs (71 occasions). The figures total more than 417 because, in some instances, the assistance given covered more than one of the categories.
International Bible Students Association
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received expressing opposition to the proposal by the International Bible Students Association to make further developments to the site on which the Watchtower House, Mill Hill, is located ; whether these proposals infringe the Government's green belt policy ; and if he will order a
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public inquiry for the purpose of collecting local objections before making any decision on matters relating to any International Bible Students Association appeal.Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend has received four representations and one petition.
The applicants have appealed to my right hon. Friend who will appoint an inspector to examine the merits of the case.
The principle parties to an appeal are normally consulted about whether to hold a public inquiry or to proceed on the basis of written representations. In this case they have opted for written representations but the local residents will have an opportunity to make their views known in writing to the inspector.
London Forum
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the London Forum.
Mr. Howard : In the Conservative Manifesto for the general election the Government undertook to convene a private sector forum to promote London internationally. I can now announce the Government's proposals in more detail.
The members of the forum will be drawn from the private sector. We intend to convene a first-class chairman and members, totalling about 12 in all, who can bring their entrepreneurial and presentational expertise to the business of promoting London.
The key functions of the forum will be to promote London internationally with a view to maximising business investment and growth in the capital, and to expanding London's role as a centre for tourism and culture. The forum will also wish to become involved in significant developments to maintain its position as one of the world's leading capital cities.
To drive this work forward, the forum will need to be supported by a strong chief executive backed by a small but high calibre team of staff. Private enterprise in London will benefit from the activities of the forum, and it will be appropriate for the forum to look to the private sector for its funding.
The forum will need to establish strong working relationships with business organisations in London, with training and enterprise councils and with existing bodies charged with arts and tourism responsibilities, particularly the London tourist board and the British Tourist Authority. It will also need to co-operate closely with local authorities and other public sector bodies in London. As well as informal links with all these bodies, it will need to establish a formal mechanism for consulting key organisations on a regular basis. A consultative group comprising all the key bodies will be set up for this purpose.
I will be taking forward these proposals for the forum over the summer, in consultation with key organisations with an interest in promoting London. A further announcement will be made in the autumn.
Pollution Information
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those categories of information in regard to pollution that his Department or predecessor
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Departments have asked to be withheld from public disclosure under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1967.Mr. Maclean [holding answer 30 June 1992] : None.
Second Hand Cars
Mr. Andrew Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to prohibit the use by organisations of the highway outside residential properties for displaying second hand cars for sale.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 8 July 1992] : I have been asked to reply.
Part III of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 already enables district councils to take powers to control the selling, exposing or offering for sale, of any article on any road or footway.
Where the display of cars for sale on the highway takes place in association with off-highway land which is being used for the sale of second-hand cars in breach of planning control, local planning authorities have adequate powers to take enforcement action under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The parking of such vehicles on the highway may also constitute an offence if waiting restrictions apply or if the vehicles are parked dangerously or obstructively ; in such circumstances, action would be a matter for the police or traffic wardens, as appropriate.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 9 June, Official Report, columns 146-47, if he will set out the methods by which the Government intend to carry out the option to return radioactive waste from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.'s reprocessing activities for overseas customers ; and whether reprocessing contracts signed by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority with overseas customers contain parallel return-to-sender options for nuclear waste arising from reprocessing.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
Since 1976, all contracts signed by British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for reprocessing overseas spent fuel have contained options for the return of wastes. As envisaged in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) on 2 May 1986 at columns 500-01, the option of substituting for less radioactive wastes an equivalent quantity, in radiological terms, of higher level wastes is being considered. BNFL has put forward proposals on these lines and the Radioactive Waste Management advisory committee has been asked for its views on the likely radiological and environmental impact for the United Kingdom.
TRANSPORT
Shipping
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the main financial and other advantages to the owners of beneficially (a) British owned and (b) non-British owned vessels of registering in the United Kingdom register, as opposed to the registers of the Crown
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dependencies, of registering in Crown dependencies as opposed to the United Kingdom register, of the Crown dependencies registers as opposed to the British dependent territories registers, of the British dependent territories registers as opposed to the Crown dependencies registers, of the United Kingdom register as opposed to British dependent territories registers, and of the British dependent territories register as opposed to the United Kingdom register.Mr. Norris : The advantages which shipowners receive from any particular register will depend to a great extent upon the individual circumstances under which each shipowner is operating.
The United Kingdom aims to ensure that all British shipping registers are operated under similar rules and conditions and, in particular, that all comply with proper safety standards. The advantage of high-quality operation, plus access to British consular services and protection form the Royal Navy, apply to vessels registered on any British register.
Within this framework, the dependent territories and Crown dependencies are largely free to make such fiscal arrangements as they consider appropriate in relation either to companies generally or specifically to companies operating vessels on their registers.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what comparative examination he has made of the British tax regime as it affects (a) the Merchant Navy and (b) seafarers relative to the tax regimes of (i) France, (ii) Germany, (iii) Greece, (iv) Norway and (v) Denmark ; if he will list the main differences ; and what conclusion he has reached as to, respectively, the advantages and disadvantages to the British Merchant Navy of each difference ; (2) what latest comparative examination he has made of the requirements and the consequences of merchant ships registered in the (a) French, (b) German, (c) Greek, (d) Norwegian and (e) Danish registers as opposed to the United Kingdom register ; if he will list the main economic and other differences for merchant ships in both requirements and consequences ; and if he will list the main economic and other advantages and disadvantages in each case.
Mr. Norris : We monitor the different forms of direct and indirect subsidies granted by other countries and it is our policy in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and EC to press for the removal of any forms of subsidy which have the effect of distorting competition.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the continuing reduction in the number of vessels on the British register ; and what further action he has in mind to increase the size of the British Merchant Navy.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 13 July 1992] : My Department is constantly monitoring the state of the British shipping industry and, in close liaison with the industry itself, is prepared to consider any measure to encourage and facilitate registration in the United Kingdom which falls within its remit.
The Merchant Shipping (Registrations etc.) Bill which is to come before this House early in 1993 offers opportunities to simplify ship registration law and make provision for the registration of vessels on bareboat
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charter. Subject to the precise provisions of this private Member's Bill, the Government will wholeheartedly support this important measure. My Department is also participating with the industry in a thorough review of the structure of United Kingdom maritime examinations and certificates of competency. In international fora, we continue to press strongly for the removal of subsidies, restrictions on trade, and poorly enforced safety standards, in order that British shipping is given greater opportunity to compete on a fair and equal basis.Fishing Vessels
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many fishing vessels have been registered in, respectively, England, Wales and Harwich for each of the last 20 years ;
(2) how many vessels from Northern Ireland have been registered in the United Kingdom fishing vessel register each year for the last 20 years.
Mr. Norris : The Department maintains records of the registration of United Kingdom fishing vessels only since 1989 and not in the form that can readily provide the information requested. I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the information has been extracted.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the number and the percentage of fishing vessels on the United Kingdom register of fishing vessels which are beneficially non-British owned ; and if he will list such vessels by the country of beneficial ownership.
Mr. Norris : The information requested is as follows :
|Number
----------------------
Spain |56
Holland |18
Denmark |2
Belgium |1
Total |<1>77
<1> Less than 1 per
cent. of the total
registered fleet.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on how many persons have been employed as (a) skippers, (b) second hands and (c) engineers on registered United Kingdom fishing vessels in (i) England and (ii) Harwich, for each year since 1972.
Mr. Norris : The Department does not maintain such statistics.
Orange Badges
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the regulations which apply to the issuing of orange badges with a view to enabling hospital consultants to issue a dated, temporary sticker to patients who in their medical opinion require such a facility.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Under the existing legislation, only local authorities are empowered to issue badges. The possibility of issuing temporary badges was considered during the recent review of the scheme. It was rejected in the light of representations received and difficulties that would have arisen in the successful operation of the scheme.
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M25
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Transort, pursuant to his answer of 2 July, Official Report, column 664, (1) if he will list the addresses of the 2,300 properties which received brochures about his plans to enlarge the M25 between junctions 12 and 15 ;
(2) if he will list the addresses of the 24 residential and eight commercial properties that would need to be demolished if his plans to enlarge the M25 between junctions 12 and 15 go ahead.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Sir Michael Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state what is the maximum volume of traffic he expects the M25 and the new proposed feeder roads together to take.
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