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Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the meetings in September and October between his Department and (a) representatives of the Colombian Government and (b) Carbocol, the Colombian state coal company ; and if he will make a statement ;
Mr. Madden : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) on what dates he, his ministerial colleagues, or his officials, met Ministers or officials, representing the Government of Colombia, to discuss the sale and supply of Colombian coal to the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) when the intergovernmental committee between Her Majesty's Government and Colombia was established ; how many meetings, to date, of the committee have taken place ; when the next meeting is scheduled ; and what matters are due to be discussed.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 29 October 1992] : I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Monday 2 November, Official Report, column 32. The next meeting of the trade facilitation group is expected to be in Colombia in February. There have been no intergovernmental meetings to discuss the sale and supply of Colombian coal to the United Kingdom. The Minister for Trade met the Colombian Foreign Trade Minister on 30 September to discuss bilateral trade issues. No meetings took place with Carbocol.
Mr. Tipping : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out his current timetable for the privatisation of British Coal.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 2 November 1992] : Decisions have yet to be taken on the timing of privatisation. Decisions on the timetable will need to take account of the coal review which my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has announced.
Dr. Hampson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many civil servants are involved in conducting his review into the coal industry ; and if he will list for each of them their grade and previous responsibility within his Department or other Government Departments.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 9 November 1992] : The Department's coal review team is headed by Peter Loughead, a grade 3 civil servant, who previously worked on financial services in the DTI and then in Her Majesty's Treasury. It comprises in addition one grade 5, three grade 7s, one higher executive officer (Development), two higher executive officers and two executive officers. They have had a range of previous responsibilities within the Department of Trade and Industry. There are, in addition, seven clerical and secretarial staff. It is likely that further people will join the review team in due course.
Plutonium and Uranium
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current cost for the storage of separated plutonium at (a) Sellafield and (b) Dounreay ; and what is the expected future cost for storage of plutonium separated from irradiated nuclear fuel already contracted to each respective reprocessing plant.
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Mr. Eggar : This is a commercial matter for the owners of the sites in question and their customers as owners of the separated plutonium.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost to date incurred by the requirement to store depleted uranium at (a) Sellafield and (b) Chapelcross nuclear facilities, arising from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Mr. Eggar : Uranium recovered from reprocessing by British Nuclear Fuels plc is stored on behalf of its customers as owners of the material until they decide to recycle it as new reactor fuel. The cost of storage is a commercial matter for the parties involved. I understand that to date some 15,000 tonnes of uranium arising from reprocessing have been recycled in the United Kingdom as reactor fuel to generate electricity.
EC Energy Programmes
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the budgetary allocations for 1993 to the European Community energy programmes (a) Save, (b) Altener, (c) Thermie and (d) Euratom.
Mr. Eggar : Details of the Commission's spending proposals for 1993 are given in its preliminary draft budget--COM(92)140-EN--published on 15 June 1992. Copies of this document have been deposited in the Library of the House. It should be noted that Euratom is a treaty and not a single programme, as the other three are. The Government's contribution to these programmes is not separately identifiable as it forms part of the United Kingdom's general contribution to the European Community budget.
Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if he will list their titles ; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. Eggar : Government Departments have a statutory right under the Public Records Acts to retrieve records temporarily from the Public Record Office for their own administrative use. The Department of Trade and Industry currently has 55 records out on loan and these are listed. Records are returned as soon as departmental action has been completed.
Class No. |Piece No. |Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BT11 |38 |International Order Commission: jurisdiction
BT11 |38 |Imperial preference: East African coffee
| shipped on optional bills of lading
BT11 |38 |International convention for abolition of
| import and export prohibitions:
| Ratification
BT11 |38 |Anglo-Turkish agreement: travellers samples
| 1912-1929
BT11 |190 |Convention on the abolition of export and
| import prohibitions. Question of
| withdrawal by the United Kingdom and
| other states
BT11 |41 B |Anglo-Soviet commercial treaty
BT11 |41 B |Merchandise Marks Act: Nicaraguan
| registration of initiation of British trade
| mark
BT11 |41 B |Germany-Haiti commercial treaty and
| Anglo-Haitian treaty
BT11 |41 B |Oil concessions in British Empire-
| Government control of companies
BT11 |41 B |Ceylon income tax effect on life assurance
| companies
BT11 |41 B |Merchandise Marks Act-hall marks-
| registration of in USA
BT11 |41 B |Portugal: Colonial Act draft-articles
| detrimental to British interests
BT11 |41 B |Convention for abolition of import and
| export restriction Government attitude
BT11 |41 B |Roumania-trade difficulties under new tariff
BT11 |41 B |USA-entry of British colonials into
BT11 |685 |Convention for the abolition of import and
| export prohibition
DSIR 26 |3 |Functions of local government board and
| government laboratory
DSIR 26 |4 |Stationery Office: inquiry into work carried out
| by department
DSIR 26 |25 |Committee on Scientific Staffs in
| Government Department: minutes
DSIR 26 |26 |Committee on Scientific Staffs in
| Government Department: miscellaneous
| papers
DSIR 26 |27 |Committee on Scientific Staffs in
| Government Department: report papers 1-23, 27-28 and 30-32
DSIR 26 |76 |Power alcohol denaturants
DSIR 26 |83 |Nose-opening rays-effect of infra-red
| radiation on breathing-report by DSIR
| and Medical Research Council
DSIR 26 |113 |Collection of papers including Adam Hilgar
| photogravure of spectrogram
DSIR 26 |114 |Procedures and methods: notes on
| preparation and correspondence,
| including Adam Hilgar ultra-violet
| spectroscope
DSIR 26 |120 |Food and Drugs Act 1876-reference court
| cases
DSIR 26 |121 |Food and Drugs Act 1876-reference court
| cases
DSIR 26 |122 |Food and Drugs Act 1876-reference court
| cases
DSIR 26 |189 |Analyses-general
DSIR 26 |199 | -Index of analysis methods
|Workbooks as below:
DSIR 26 |202 |H. J. Helm
DSIR 26 |203 |H. J. Helm
DSIR 26 |204 |H. J. Helm: Index to analytical work giving
| file reference
DSIR 26 |210 |J. H. Holmes
DSIR 26 |212 |C. H. Burge and E. Young
DSIR 26 |213 |C. H. Burge
DSIR 26 |215 |C. H. Burge subject index
DSIR 26 |216 |R. Bannister
DSIR 26 |219 |G. N. Stoker
DSIR 26 |236 |W. G. Scott
DSIR 26 |237 |W. G. Scott
DSIR 26 |238 |W. G. Scott
DSIR 26 |240 |W. G. Scott
DSIR 26 |241 |W. G. Scott
DSIR 26 |252 |Press cuttings-customer general order
| books
DSIR 26 |256 |Book of Signatures
DSIR 26 |338 |Registered Laboratory Files-
| Miscellaneous analyses and investigations
BT 31 |1 |National Savings Bank Association Ltd
BT 31 |682 |Consolidated Assurance Company
BT 31 |1161 |Industrial Newspaper Company Ltd
BT 58 |419 |Companies Department: correspondence and
| Papers COS 6585
BT 58 |423 |Ditto 256/1
BT 58 |425 |Ditto 623/4
BT 226 |4978 |A. E. Francis
POWE 33 |1746 |Petroleum: Libya development
Plutonium Shipments
Mr. Dafis : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate in tonnes the amount of plutonium to be shipped annually between Japan and the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield between 1992 and the year 2000.
Mr. Eggar : This is a commercial matter between British Nuclear Fuels plc and its customers.
Auditing
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many auditing firms are registered with each of the recognised supervisory bodies.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The number of auditing firms--including sole practitioners--registered as eligible for appointment as company auditor under the rules of each of the recognised supervisory bodies on 27 October is shown in the table.
Supervisory body |Number of registered
|firms
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England
and Wales |9,225
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland |730
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland |344
Chartered Association of Certified Accountants |5,859
Association of Authorised Public Accountants |505
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the instances of audit failures which he has referred to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : My Department routinely refers to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales complaints received, and reports from statutory investigations, on accounts that have been audited by auditors registered eligible for appointment as company auditors under the rules of the institute. Since the inception of the new regulatory regime for auditors under part II of the Companies Act 1989 on 1 October 1991, some 60 such cases have been referred. The most comon type of referral involved infringements of the accounting requirements of the Companies Act 1985 by small private companies. Most other complaints involved auditors' non-compliance with the auditing standard "The Audit Report" and auditors' provision of a special report that a company is entitled to the reporting exemptions available to small or medium-sized companies when the company was not in fact so entitled.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will establish a body similar to the Dearing committee to investigate the setting of auditing standards in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of auditing firms who have been criticised in his Department's reports relating to banks and insurance companies published since 1979.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : Since 1979 there have been four published reports of investigations under the Companies
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Act into the affairs of companies connected with banking and insurance which have included criticism of auditors as follows :
Company |Auditor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashbourne Investments Ltd. |Wright Stevens and Lloyd
Ramor Investments Ltd. |Price Waterhouse
Minet Holdings plc ) |Black Geoghegan and Till
WMD Underwriting Agencies ) |Josolyne Layton-Bennett
Ltd. ) | and Co.
|Arthur Young McClelland
|Moores and Co.
Alexander Howden Holdings |de Paula Turner Laker and Co.
plc |Peat Marwick Mitchell and
|Josolyne Layton-Bennett
|and Co.
|Arthur Young McClelland
|Moores and Co.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce proposals to prevent auditors of insurance companies from recruiting company directors.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I see no reason to do so. Ethical guidance issued by the professional accountancy bodies states that no one should take part in the audit of a company if he has, during the period on which the report is to be made or at any time in the two years prior to the first day of that period, been an officer--other than an auditor--or employee of that company. Under part II of the Companies Act 1989, recognised supervisory bodies are required to have adequate rules and practices as to professional integrity and independence.
Directors' Reports
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will bring forward proposals under which the directors of a public limited company would be required to state in the directors' report the number of shares bought and sold by them during a year.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : No. The Companies Act requires disclosure in either the directors' report of the notes to the accounts of directors' interests in shares at the beginning and end of the financial year. It also requires the company to keep a register of directors' interests in the company's shares which is open for inspection to shareholders and--for a fee--the public ; copies may be obtained for a fee.
Astra plc
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade on which date inspectors were appointed to inquire into the affairs of Astra plc ; which matters were referred for the examination of the inspectors at the outset ; which matters were subsequently referred to them ; and when he expects to receive their report.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I refer to the answer which my predecessor gave to the hon. Member on 19 November 1991, Official Report, column 118. The inspectors are now in the final stages of their investigation, but I cannot say when it will be completed.
Column 730
Environmental Technology Innovation Scheme
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many projects and total sums have been committed in the current year so far under his Department's environmental technology innovation scheme nationally and in each region ; and if he will provide information on a similar basis for the Euroenviron programme of the EC.
Mr. Eggar : The following commitments have been made under the schemes during 1992 :
Environmental technology innovation scheme-jointly managed by
DTI and DOE.
Region |Number |Sums Committed
|£
--------------------------------------------------------------
(a) DTI Approved
Projects
West midlands |4 |818,875
South-east |2 |388,450
|---- |----
|6 |1,207,325
(b) DOE Approved
Projects
North-west |5 |469,270
Yorkshire and Humberside 1 202,789
East midlands |1 |80,000
South-east |3 |553,374
East |2 |303,450
|---- |----
|12 |1,608,883
Euroenviron
Scotland |2 |511,400
South-east |2 |149,812
South-west |1 |19,878
|---- |----
|5 |681,090
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Clelland : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total revenue expenditure in each of the English regions by his Department in the years 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Sainsbury : Revenue expenditure by region on the enterprise initiative : consultancy assistance is given in the table.
|c|Enterprise initiative: consultancy assistance|c|
Region |Expenditure 1990-91|Expenditure 1991-92
|£'000s |£'000s
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |3,440 |5,070
Wales |2,644 |3,591
North East |2,505 |3,536
Yorkshire and Humberside |5,150 |6,888
East Midlands |2,940 |4,246
East |2,750 |3,639
South East |9,102 |13,441
South West |3,420 |4,476
West Midlands |5,500 |7,886
North West |7,524 |8,247
Regional enterprise grants
Information on regional enterprise grants-innovation grants-by region is regularly
published in the Industrial Development Act (1982) annual report, copies of which
are available in the House of Commons Library.
The figures for other revenue expenditure are either not broken down regionally, or
could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Orimulsion
Mr. Oakes : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many tonnes of orimulsion have been imported into the United Kingdom in 1990, 1991 and to date in 1992.
Mr. Eggar : Imports of orimulsion in 1990, 1991 and 1992 to date were :
|Thousand tonnes
------------------------------------------------
1990 |156
1991 |465
<1>1992 |1,039
<1>January to October.
Column 732
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
Mr. Vaz : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will meet a delegation of creditors, depositors and ex-employees of BCCI.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I have no plans to do so. Creditors and ex- employees met the previous Secretary of State and have since had several meetings with officials in my Department.
Liquidators
Mr. Vaz : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidelines he proposes to introduce as a result of representations he has received concerning the costs of liquidators.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : There are no such proposals. The remuneration of liquidators is a matter for the creditors whose money is at stake. Where there is a dispute as to the sums claimed recourse may be had to the courts.
Gas-fired Power Stations
Mr. Hardy : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the licences which have been granted for the establishment of gas- fired power stations since 1987 and the number of applications for such licences which have not yet been determined.
Mr. Eggar : The following is the information requested.
Column 731
Gas-fired generating stations granted permission prior to section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 coming into effect
Station |Location |Proposer |Capacity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commissioned
Killingholme (1st unit) |South Humberside |PowerGen plc |450MW
Roosecote |Cumbria |Lakeland Power Ltd. |230 MW
Under construction
Brigg |South Humberside |Regional Power |240 MW
|Generators
Calder Hall |Cumbria |British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.|160 MW
Corby |Northants |Corby Power Ltd. |350 MW
Killingholme (2nd unit) |South Humberside |PowerGen plc |450 MW
Peterborough |Cambridgeshire |Peterborough Power |355 MW
Permission given but construction not yet started
Shotton |Clwyd |Shotton Paper Co. |200 MW
Column 731
Gas-fired generating stations granted consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989
Station |Location |Proposer |Capacity
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under construction
Barking |London |Barking Power Ltd. |1,000 MW
Keadby 1 |Near Scunthorpe |Keady Power Ltd. |680 MW
Killingholme "A" (phase 1) |South Humberside |National Power plc |650 MW
Rye House |Hertfordshire |PowerGen plc |680 MW
Wilton |Teesside |Teesside Power Ltd. |1,750 MW
Consent granted but construction not yet started
Angle Bay |Dyfed |Texaco Ltd. |1,280 MW
Charterhouse Street |City of London |Citigen Ltd. |90 MW
Coryton |Essex |Coryton Cogeneration Ltd.|460 MW
Deeside |Clwyd |Deeside Power |450 MW
|Development Co. Ltd.
Killingholme "A" (phase 2) |South Humberside |National Power plc |370 MW
King's Lynn |Lincolnshire |Energy Supply Co. |110 MW
Little Barford |Bedfordshire |National Power plc |680 MW
Medway |Kent |Medway Power Ltd. |660 MW
Shoreham |West Sussex |South Coast Power Ltd. |500 MW
Spondon |Near Derby |Derwent Cogeneration |318 MW
Stallingborough |South Humberside |Humber Power Ltd. |1,100 MW
Sutton Bridge |Lincolnshire |Independent Power |700 MW
|Generators Ltd.
There are 12 applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for gas-fired generating stations with a capacity greater than 50 MW which have not yet been determined.
Power stations with a capacity of 50 MW or less are dealt with under the Town and Country Planning Acts and my Department does not have information on such stations.
Energy Costs
Mr. Salmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what account is taken of the offset against oil taxation of the cost to the consortium of offshore transportation of gas from off Aberdeen, through the central area transmission system, in Government comparisons of the relative costs of gas and coal-fired electricity ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : As I announced on 26 October, my Department's review of the prospects for the 21 pits proposed for closure by British Coal, but not subject to the current statutory consultation, will consider the consequences of the switch to gas in power generation and the relative costs of gas and coal-fired generation. All relevant elements contributing to these costs will be taken into account.
Atomic Energy Authority
Mr. Milligan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has responded to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the service provided by the AEA ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I have today placed in the Library of the House the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's initial response to the report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) which was published in May 1992.
I am grateful to the commission for the comprehensive review they carried out. The commission recognised that the AEA is an organisation undergoing fundamental change, that it could continue to make efficiency and quality improvements and could generate higher net revenue. The Commission made 58 recommendations for improving the AEA's performance. It was none the less impressed by the expertise, enthusiasm and dedication of the AEA's staff and recognised the substantial progress they have already made with a radical change in culture. I endorse the commission's recognition of the progress made so far.
I also welcome the AEA's positive response to the commission's report. The AEA has accepted all but one of the commission's recommendations. It has accepted much of the spirit of the remaining recommendation (51) on inter- business charging, and will review the position after a year. The AEA's response clearly demonstrates its determination to achieve further improvements in its
Column 734
management practices and I am pleased that many of the commission's recommendations have already been implemented.The commission made a number of recommendations to the Government. In response to recommendation 2, we will consider with the AEA the setting of efficiency and quality of service performance targets for the AEA. We will take recommendations 3, board bonus scheme, 9, return on capital employed target, and 33, restructuring, into account at the appropriate time.
We will continue to monitor the AEA's progress in implementing the recommendations and I will report progress to the House in due course.
EC Partnerships Directive
Mr. Butler : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in implementing the EC partnerships directive, 90/605/EEC.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I have today published a consultative document and draft regulations on the implementation of this EC directive requiring the preparation and publication of accounts for some partnerships between limited companies.
The directive will not affect the majority of partnerships in the United Kingdom which are formed between people rather than companies. It applies only where all the partners--or general partners for limited partnerships-- are limited companies.
The consultative document explains that the majority of companies that form partnerships will already cover them in their own annual accounts. Where this is not done, the companies concerned must publish the partnership accounts with their own. If all the partner companies are abroad then, in certain circumstances, the partnership must make its accounts available on demand at its main office. The draft regulations also provide that companies which are members of partnerships and unlimited companies covered by this directive must disclose information about them and that such unlimited companies must publish their accounts.
A copy of the consultative document and the draft regulations has been placed in the Library of the House. Comments should be made to my Department by22 January 1993.
Pit Closures
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had about pit closures from the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress ; what reply he is sending ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 29 October 1992] : My right hon. Friend has received and replied to two letters from the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress on this matter. It is not his usual practice to make public the content of such replies.
Column 735
EC Funding
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of the United Kingdom's working population live in areas which currently qualify for (a) assisted areas funding and (b) EC regional development funding.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 2 November 1992] : The assisted areas currently cover approximately 32.6 per cent. of the United Kingdom's working population.
Working population figures eligible for EC regional development funding are not available. This is because reliable working population figures are only available at travel-to-work area (TTWA) level and many eligible areas are not complete TTWAs. The total population covered, however, is some 40 per cent. of the United Kingdom population.
EC Structural Fund
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the European Commission's proposals for the review of Community structural fund regulations.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 2 November 1992] : The Commission is expected to table its proposals after the Edinburgh European Council which is due to decide on the future size of the funds.
Fact-finding Visits
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for the last 12 months, the fact-finding visits made by (a) the chief executive of the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (b) the head of division of the business task force 1, (c) the Inspector of Companies, (d) the head of the competition policy division, (g) the head of the manufacturing technology division and (h) the head of the telecommunications and posts division ; what were the findings in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Senior officials in my Department, including those listed, undertake a wide range of visits and other meetings in the United Kingdom and overseas in the course of their work. It would be inappropriate to provide details of all such visits, some of which are commercially confidential.
Following the reorganisation of my Department, the business task force 1 has been disbanded and its work reallocated and responsibility for the financial services division has been transferred to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
ENVIRONMENT
Rents
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he received from the Housing Corporation a report entitled "Rents and Affordability" ; and if he will make a copy available in the Library.
Mr. Baldry : We received a paper on this topic from the Housing Corporation in early October. It proposes to publish its work shortly. I will then arrange for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Column 736
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies he has made of the difference between rents charged by local authorities and housing associations.
Mr. Baldry : A table comparing local authority rents with private sector rents, including those of housing associations, can be found in the Department's annual report 1992, page 93.
The Department collects information on local authority rents and housing association rents regularly.
Information on assured housing association rents is contained in the National Federation of Housing Association's continuous recording (core) quarterly bulletins. Information on registered housing association rents is collected by rent officers and published by the Department of the Environment on a quarterly basis in a series of statistical bulletins.
Data on local authority rents are collected annually. Average weekly local authority rents at April each year appear in table 11.1 of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1981-1991".
Copies of all these publications are available in the House of Commons Library.
Buildings (Fuel Efficiency)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to issue a consultation paper on part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) ; and what percentage improvement in the fuel efficiency of buildings, especially of dwellings, will be sought thereby.
Mr. Baldry : I hope that it will be possible to issue a consultation paper on part L of the Building Regulations 1991 by the end of next month. The aim with our proposals will be to achieve a 20 per cent. improvement in the energy efficiency of the space and water heating systems in dwellings compared with the current requirements of the regulations.
Rentals
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes for renting have been made available by housing associations in Greater London during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Mr. Baldry : The Housing Corporation has funded 3,755 new units for rent by housing associations in Greater London, during the period 1 September 1991 to 31 August 1992.
Sellafield
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 27 October, Official Report, column 537, how many representations on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant his Department has received ; and how many came from abroad.
Mr. Maclean : My Department has received about 30,000 representations about THORP from members of the public some of which contain petitions ; 98 per cent. have come from abroad.
Column 737
Acid Rain
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information he has about the extent of acid rain damage to Britain's trees.
Mr. Maclean : Recent studies suggest that tree health can be affected by a variety of stresses such as drought, frost, high winds and pest infection and that exposure to air pollution, including acid rain, can increase the sensitivity of trees to these, as well as exercising a probably modest direct effect. It is not yet possible to quantify the contribution of these various factors, individually or in combination, though the hot dry summers and autumn gales of some recent years will certainly have placed exceptional stresses on British trees.
EC Environment Programmes
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions on the allocation of the 1993 budget for environment programmes have been taken at the Environment Council during his presidency of the Ministerial Environment Council.
Mr. Maclean : None. Environmental allocations are considered at the Budget Council as part of the general budget setting process.
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Trend : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the financial implications faced by local authorities being called upon to produce environmental impact assessments in connection with the proposed fifth terminal at Heathrow airport ; and what financial compensation he proposes to pay to local authorities for this.
Mr. Robin Squire : Under the procedures set out in the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988, it is for an applicant for planning permission to prepare and submit an environmental statement for any project that requires environmental assessment under the regulations. The local planning authority must then send the statement as well as the planning application to the statutory consultees and publicise it, and take the information provided in the statement and in comments made on it into account when determining the planning application. The functions of the authority in relation to planning applications which are accompanied by environmental statements are thus not essentially different from those which they discharge in determining all other planning applications. The expenditure likely to be incurred by authorities in determining planning applications is taken into account in the annual settlement along with other burdens, the potential for savings and, more generally, what the country can afford.
Local Authority Employees
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were employed by local authorities in each year since 1974.
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