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Column 655
Radon
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research Her Majesty's Government have carried our or commissioned into the risk of high radon levels in areas of Derbyshire where the geological profile includes carboniferous age shales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Following a survey of Derbyshire commissioned by my Department, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) has designated parts of Derbyshire as radon-affected areas. The areas most affected are associated with carboniferous lime-stones. A copy of the relevant NRPB publication, "Documents of the NRPB", vol. 3, No. 4, was placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate, by regional health authority area, the total number of houses which may exceed (a) a radon level of 200 bq/sq m and (b) 20 bq/sqm ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The survey of radon in homes in England does not provide data in the form requested. A summary of the survey results by county, district and postcode sector is given in the NRPB report "Radon in Dwellings in England", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The NRPB estimates that there are about 100,000 homes in England above 200 bq/sq m and about 5.5 million above the average level of 20 bq/sq m.
Urban Programme
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environnment how many representations he has had concerning his decision to reduce future funding for the urban programme.
Mr. Robin Squire : Up to and including 4 January 1993, my Department received 97 letters about the new arrangements for the urban programme (UP). In 1993-94 there will be a substantial UP amounting to £176 million to enable us to honour existing commitments on approved UP projects and to provide £20 million for the urban partnership fund which will work alongside local authorities' newly released capital receipts to promote urban regeneration.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the table published in his answer of 11 February, Official Report, columns 434-35.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 17 December 1992] : The table incorporates the new urban programme plan figures following the autumn statement :
Year |Urban programme |Urban programme as
|provision-outturn £|percentage of urban
|million |block
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1995-96 |plan 80 |10
1994-95 |plan 91 |11
1993-94 |plan 176 |18
1992-93 |plan 245 |24
1991-92 |outturn 237 |24
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The provision for 1992-93 includes £11 million for the urban crime fund.My Department's urban group of programmes are continuing to evolve to reflect current priorities.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much funding each urban programme authority received at 1992 prices for each of the last three years; how many projects have been supported ; and how many people have been employed by them in jobs and in training schemes.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 17 December 1992] : The funding figures are as follows :
Urban programme (UP) Funding
------------------------------------------------------
Newcastle/Gateshead |18.4 |16.9 |15.6
Hartlepool |2.0 |2.0 |1.9
Langbaurgh |2.2 |2.0 |1.9
Middlesbrough |5.8 |5.4 |5.0
North Tyneside |4.0 |3.5 |3.3
South Tyneside |5.6 |5.0 |4.8
Stockton-on-Tees |1.7 |1.7 |1.6
Sunderland |5.9 |5.5 |4.9
Manchester/Salford |21.9 |19.5 |19.7
Blackburn |4.5 |4.2 |3.8
Bolton |4.6 |4.2 |3.8
Burnley |2.2 |2.2 |2.0
Oldham |4.2 |4.0 |3.7
Preston |2.8 |2.6 |2.3
Rochdale |4.3 |3.6 |3.7
Wigan |2.9 |2.8 |2.5
Liverpool |19.2 |18.7 |17.1
Halton |1.8 |1.6 |1.5
Knowsley |4.5 |4.4 |3.9
St. Helens |2.2 |2.0 |1.8
Sefton |1.9 |1.5 |1.6
Wirral |4.0 |3.7 |3.4
Merseyside Special Allocation |1.3 |2.0 |1.0
Birmingham |24.2 |22.3 |20.4
Coventry |5.2 |4.8 |4.6
Dudley |1.9 |1.7 |1.6
Sandwell |5.2 |4.9 |4.4
Walsall |2.1 |1.9 |1.6
Wolverhampton |6.3 |5.8 |4.9
The Wrekin |1.1 |1.0 |1.0
Derby |4.2 |1.3 |1.3
Leicester |5.4 |5.3 |4.7
Nottingham |5.8 |5.0 |4.7
Barnsley |2.1 |2.2 |2.1
Bradford |4.5 |5.0 |4.5
Doncaster |2.2 |2.4 |2.2
Hull |5.4 |5.1 |4.8
Kirklees |1.2 |1.2 |1.1
Leeds |5.9 |5.7 |5.1
Rotherham |2.2 |2.3 |2.2
Sheffield |7.4 |11.4 |5.9
Hackney |4.2 |4.8 |4.6
Islington |8.8 |9.2 |8.1
Lambeth |8.1 |7.8 |7.9
Brent |2.6 |2.7 |2.5
Greenwich |1.4 |1.3 |1.4
Hammersmith and Fulham |2.7 |2.5 |2.3
Haringey |3.2 |3.4 |2.9
Kensington and Chelsea |1.8 |1.8 |1.6
Lewisham |2.2 |2.1 |2.4
Newham |3.2 |3.1 |3.0
Southwark |2.3 |2.9 |2.6
Tower Hamlets |5.0 |3.3 |4.1
Wandsworth |2.3 |3.7 |2.9
Bristol |1.6 |1.7 |1.6
Plymouth |1.4 |1.4 |1.3
|---- |---- |----
Total |271.0|260.0|237.1
Notes:
1. Up funding figures for 1990-91 and 1991-92 are
actuals, adjusted by GDP deflator indices. UP funding
figures for 1992-93 are initial allocations,
excluding District Health Authority projects.
2. The totals for these years have altered slightly
from the figures given in the answer of 30 November
1992, Official Report,column 14, due to a recent
revision of the GDP deflator indices.
The total number of projects supported in 1990-91 was 9,855. The local authorities' forecasts for 1991-92 and 1992-93 are 6,911 and 8, 782 respectively.
We do not have information on the numbers employed by urban programme authorities themselves on managing the urban programme or running training schemes. A total of 29,660 jobs were created or preserved through the urban programme in 1990-91, and 86,528 training places were supported. Local authorities forecast the following outputs in 1991-92 and 1992-93 :
|1991-92|1992-93
------------------------------------------------------------
Number of jobs created/preserved |34,242 |33,973
Number of training places supported |68,551 |74,097
Note: Figures for 1990-91 are obtained from UP annual
reports from local authorities; those for 1991-92 and
1992-93 are derived from annual UP submissions from local
authorities.
Councils (Capital Receipts)
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines have been given to local authorities as to how expenditure on capital receipts should be distributed as between debt reduction and housing investment.
Mr. Baldry : Local authorities are normally allowed to spend 25 per cent. of their receipts from council house sales and 50 per cent. of most other receipts, the balance being set aside as provision for credit liabilities, including debt redemption. Under a temporary relaxation in these rules, announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement, local authorities may spend virtually all of the capital receipts they receive between 13 November 1992 and 31 December 1993. Local authorities are free to spend such receipts on any kind of capital project, or to use them to make provision for credit liabilities.
Sewage (Phosphates)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what quantity of phosphate was recovered annually from United Kingdom sewage, each year since 1982 ; and what action he will take to encourage the recovery of phosphate from United Kingdom sewage.
Mr. Maclean : Information about the amount of phosphate recovered annually from United Kingdom sewage is not held centrally. Implementation of the recently adopted EC Directive concerning Urban Waste Water Treatment will require, in certain circumstances, the reduction of phosphorus in sewage discharges.
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Local Government Pensions
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will delay implementation of the Local Government Superannuation (Membership) Regulations 1992 until the results of the Goode report on pension security are made known.
Mr. Robin Squire : If changes to the local government superannuation scheme are required following the publication of the pension law review committee report, statutory consultations will take place with the interested parties. Meanwhile, necessary amendments to the scheme will proceed.
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in deciding when to commence implementation of the Local Government Superannuation (Membership) Regulations 1992, he will assess (a) the time required to set up mirror image funds, (b) the loss of rights experienced by employees resulting from any changeover, (c) the extent to which preserved benefits have been adequately indexed to reflect increases in earnings and (d) the extent to which transfer values represent the total worth of members' investments.
Mr. Robin Squire : These matters, together with the other representations received following the recent statutory consultation exercise, will be given careful consideration before decisions are taken on the final form and content of our amending regulations.
Newland System Homes
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of investment made by each local authority in repairs to Newland system homes since 1979.
Mr. Baldry : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of Newland system properties currently owned by local authorities.
Mr. Baldry : From local authority returns it is estimated that as at April 1992 there were 1,200 Newland properties in the ownership of local authorities in England.
Caravan Sites Act
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce legislation to reform the Caravan Sites Act 1968.
Mr. Baldry : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave on 9 December to my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton-Brown), Official Report, column 833.
Poll Tax Registers
Ms. Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many adults appear on the poll tax register in each of the London boroughs.
Mr. Robin Squire : The latest information available to the Department on the number of adults, including students, shown on community charges registers is given in the table.
Column 659
London borough |Number of adults
|subject to a
|personal community
|charge on 1 June
|1991
-------------------------------------------------------------
Barking and Dagenham |109,220
Barnet |213,447
Bexley |165,383
Brent |184,478
Bromley |225,220
Camden |139,904
City of London |3,474
Croydon |238,094
Ealing |210,382
Enfield |197,341
Greenwich |157,987
Hackney |128,784
Hammersmith and Fulham |121,182
Haringey |163,062
Harrow |149,521
Havering |174,137
Hillingdon |178,527
Hounslow |151,694
Islington |127,379
Kensington and Chelsea |105,926
Kingston-upon-Thames |103,036
Lambeth |191,707
Lewisham |172,212
Merton |130,898
Newham |156,645
Redbridge |172,561
Richmond-upon-Thames |123,850
Southwark |172,538
Sutton |127,798
Tower Hamlets |118,765
Waltham Forest |161,679
Wandsworth |192,574
Westminster |140,013
Planning Inquiries
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the implications for the disclosure of public information at public planning inquiries of section 4(5) of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.
Mr. Baldry : The procedure rules for planning inquiries are already designed to ensure maximum disclosure of information. The Environmental Information Regulations 1992 do not change these arrangements.
Waste Disposal
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the impact of the operation of the NFFO--non- fossil fuel obligation--on the privatisation of local authority waste disposal functions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Tenders for the provision of privatised waste disposal contracts under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are a matter for the tenderers and the waste disposal authority concerned. I refer my hon. Friend to the detailed advice given in my Department's circular 8/91 "Competition for Local Authority Waste Disposal Contracts and New Arrangements for Disposal Operations". Renewable energy policy and the future of the non-fossil fuel obligation are matters for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.
Column 660
Urban Development Corporations
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions on which each urban development corporation in England has used its planning designation powers, giving details of the dates on which such powers were used and the nature of the development to which they were applied in each case.
Mr. Robin Squire : Urban development corporations are each planning authorities and consider all planning applications in their designated areas.
CITES
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions between officials of EC Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Indonesian Government relating to the CITES appendix II ban affecting Indonesia.
Mr. Maclean : The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is still discussing with the Indonesian authorities the management and sustainable use of the country's wildlife. The European Commission has not yet received sufficient information to enable an assessment to be made of the conservation status of the species covered by the current import ban.
Local Government Commission
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what budget has been allocated to the Local Government Commission ; how much has been spent ; and how many officers are in post.
Mr. Robin Squire : For 1992-93, some £2.63 million is available for payment of grant-in-aid to the Local Government Commission. Of this amount some £724,600 has been paid to the commission to date. The commission currently has 28 staff in post.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names, remuneration, political affiliation and former or current occupation of each of the members of the Local Government Commission.
Mr. Robin Squire : The names of the members of the Local Government Commission and their annual rates of remuneration are as follows :
|£
-------------------------------------
Chairman
Sir John Banham |32,240
Members
David Ansbro |4,510
Michael Chisholm |19,550
Ken Ennals CB |19,550
Malcolm Grant |4,510
Howell Harris Hughes |4,510
Brian Hill CBE DL |19,550
Mary Leigh |19,550
Ann Levick |19,550
Robert Scruton |4,510
David Thomas |19,550
Clive Wilkinson |19,550
Lady Wilcox |4,510
Details of the occupational background and political affiliation (where known) of the commission's members are available from my Department's press notice of 3 July 1992, a copy of which I have placed in the Library.
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the cost of establishing and running the Local Government Commission to date, the cost of consultations undertaken by the commission, the total budget for the commission in the current year and the expected cost of the commission for the review as a whole.
Mr. Robin Squire : Some £2.63 million is available for payment of grant-in-aid to the commission in 1992-93, of which some £724,600 has been paid to date. We have announced provision of £3.259 million, £3.300 million and £3.439 million for the years 1993-94 to 1995- 96. The cost of consultations undertaken by the commission is a matter for the commission itself.
Cooking Facilities
Ms. Estelle Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the numbers of units with self-contained cooking facilities in (a) local authority hostels, (b) private sector leasing accommodation, (c) temporary accommodation and (d) local authority short-life housing.
Mr. Baldry : The Department does not collect this information.
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate how many units in bed-and-breakfast accommodation used for accommodating homeless families have self-contained cooking facilities.
Mr. Baldry : The information is not held centrally and my Department does not make estimates.
City Challenge
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the ministerial visits made to each city challenge winner.
Mr. Robin Squire : City challenge partnerships receive regular visits from their sponsor Minister--the Minister of State for Inner Cities- -and me.
Revenue Support
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 15 December, Official Report, column 99, what assessment he has made of the revenue forgone by each local authority as a result of council tax exemption for student-only dwellings ; how the revenue support grant system provides specific compensation for revenue forgone by local authorities as a result of student-only dwellings from the council tax ; and what amounts have been provided from the revenue support grant for 1993-94 in this respect for each county, district and metropolitan borough council.
Mr. Robin Squire : The revenue foregone by each local authority as a result of council tax exemption for student-only dwellings cannot be calculated until authorities have set their council taxes.
Column 662
The revenue support grant system does not provide specific compensation for loss of revenue resulting from the exemption of student-only dwellings. The calculation of revenue support grant for individual authorities involves an assessment of the amount that each authority can raise through council taxes, based upon its local taxbase. The taxbase, and the local government finance settlement generally, takes into account, among other things, exemptions of student- only dwellings. There is no merit in speculating about the amounts of revenue support grant that would have been provided if a different system, without exemption of student-only dwellings, had applied.Local Government Review
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out his estimates of costs or savings arising from the present review of local government in England ; and how far these savings differ from estimates previously made by his Department.
Mr. Robin Squire : It will be for the Local Government Commission to assess area by area the costs and benefits of possible changes to the structure of local government in England. It is not possible at this stage to give precise estimates, but the Government's guidance to the commission makes it clear that any changes to the structure of local government should be worthwhile and cost-effective over time.
Rate Relief
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total rateable value of non-domestic properties given rate relief for unoccupation in each year for which figures are available.
Mr. Robin Squire : The information requested is not available.
Sellafield
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total current Curie content of long-lived radioactive waste stored in high-activity storage tanks at Sellafield ; and what notification of the status of the radioactive waste storage facilities Her Majesty's Government are required to give Euratom on a routine basis.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
The long-lived radioactive waste stored in high activity storage tanks at Sellafield contains 920 million Curies of radioactivity. Highly active waste contains small quantities of uranium and plutonium. In line with the requirements of the Euratom safeguards authorities, such arisings from reprocessing are reported by British Nuclear Fuels plc in its inventory change reports to Euratom which are made via my Department's safeguards office.
Private Finance
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what areas of his Department's responsibilities he has introduced, or may introduce, private finance ; and if he will describe in each case the procedures by which private finance is sought.
Column 663
Mr. Howard [holding answer 17 December 1992] : I welcome any suggestions for private finance that the private sector puts forward, provided they are consistent with the Treasury guidance published on 9 December.
Much inner cities spending is targeted on levering in private finance through grant applications and competition between developers. The Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities expects to issue shortly a list of further opportunities. The Rural Development Commission and other countryside bodies draw in private finance in their areas through both loan and grant applications. All these applications both have to meet testing criteria, and to compete for limited available public funds. In Property Holdings civil estate business, private finance is used through property leasing. In social housing, the housing association movement uses leading city firms to draw in loan finance from financial institutions.
Birds
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many bird species currently subject to United Kingdom conservation licensing controls under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 will not be subject to import licensing under current European Community/Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulations after 1 January 1993 ; if he will list them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 17 December 1992] : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Dr. Twinn) on 1 December 1992, Official Report, cols 153-54. About 8,000 species of bird will no longer be subject to import licensing after 1 January 1993. A list of these could only be produced at disproportionate cost. To ensure their continued protection, 83 of these species will be made subject to sales licensing. Only a minority of the remaining species are traded, and licensing of imports of them has been primarily for monitoring. We are pressing for more extensive monitoring to be introduced throughout the European Community in future.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the cash and real terms increases for total standard spending in England in 1993-94, after adjusting for changes in local authority functions, compared with (a) total standard spending for 1992-93 and (b) local authorities' budgets for 1992-93.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 27 November 1992] : I wrote to the hon. Member on 22 December 1992.
Further Education
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the representations he has received from local education authorities about the amount of finance allocated and methodology used to calculate each authority's national spending on further education and sixth form colleges for 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : Up to 8 January, my right hon. and learned Friend had received 40 written representations from local education authorities on the finance allocated
Column 664
to further education and the methodology employed in his provisional calculations. The issue has also been raised by a further four authorities in meetings with Ministers in this Department. Many such representations have been on the calculation of relevant notional amounts reflecting that from 1993-94 local education authorities have no responsibility for sixth form colleges and their responsibi-lity for post- 16 education is limited to schools with sixth form intakes and to some adult education. My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to announce to this House his decisions on the revenue support grant settlement in the light of consultation before the end of the month.Council Tax
Mr. Archy Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to set a target time in which valuation tribunals will complete a council tax appeal.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 16 December 1992] : I have been asked to reply.
Council tax appeals in Scotland will be heard by valuation appeal committees. How many appeals will arise is obviously unknown at this stage. It would not be practicable at present to set a time within which committees will aim to complete their consideration of such appeals. The Government will, however, keep under review the progress of committees in disposing of appeals.
WALES
Heritage Coastline
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which areas in Wales have been designated heritage coasts ; how many kilometres have been so designated ; and what proportion this represents of the total Welsh coastline.
Mr. David Hunt : The areas listed have been defined as heritage coasts in Wales.
|kilometres
--------------------------------------------------
North Anglesey |28.66
Holyhead Mountain |12.88
Aberffraw Bay |7.73
Great Orme |7.08
Lleyn |88.39
Ceredigion |33.80
St. Dogmaels and Moylegrove |22.54
Dinas Head |17.71
St. David's Peninsula |82.11
St. Brides Bay |8.05
Marloes and Dale |43.47
South Pembrokeshire |66.01
Gower |55.06
Glamorgan |21.74
|-------
|495.23
|-------
495.23 kilometres represents 42 per cent. of
Welsh coastline.
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the closure of the Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni lower school.
Mr. David Hunt : This is a matter for Mid Glamorgan county council.
Column 665
Parent-Governor Meetings
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many schools in Wales hold annual parent-governor meetings which are attended by fewer than 10 per cent. of the parents entitled to attend.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not available centrally.
Column 666
Urban Programme
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will show expenditure on the urban programme since 1988-89 in the valleys programme area as (a) budgeted and (b) actual outturn expressed in (i) cash terms for 1988-89 and (ii) cash terms for 1993-94.
Mr. David Hunt : Urban programme expenditure in the valleys programme area since 1988-89 in cash terms is :
Column 665
£ million
|Allocation<1> |Allocation/expenditure|Actual outturn
|excluding national |national garden
|garden festival |festival
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |14.442 |0.458 |11.9
1989-90 |15.200 |2.600 |16.0
1990-91 |15.657 |5.043 |19.4
1991-92 |15.985 |9.915 |23.6
1992-93 |19.646 |1.354 |-
<1> Includes supplementary allocations approved during the year.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will show expenditure on the urban programme since 1985 to 1989 in Wales as (a) budgeted and (b) actual outturn, expressed in (i) cash terms for 1988-89 and (ii) cash terms for 1993-94.
Mr. David Hunt : Expenditure on urban programme between 1985-86 and 1989-90 in cash terms is :
£ million
|Allocation |Actual outturn
------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |19.2 |18.0
1986-87 |23.7 |21.6
1987-88 |23.1 |20.4
1988-89 |24.6 |20.5
1989-90 |27.6 |25.0
Smokers
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the total number of habitual smokers in Wales by health authority area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The latest information on the percentage of the population in Wales in the age group 18 to 65 who reported that they smoked to any extent is given in the following table :
|Percentage of
|Population who were
|smokers
------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |33.8
East Dyfed |28.8
Pembrokeshire |29.1
Gwent |31.3
Gwynedd |32.8
Mid Glamorgan |35.4
Powys |27.4
South Glamorgan |30.2
West Glamorgan |29.2
Source: Heartbeat Wales Technical Report No. 25 published
in 1992 by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales.
Special Needs Housing
Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the implications of the Tai Cymru's consultation paper for special needs housing in Wales ; how he intends to respond to the needs of women and children escaping domestic violence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The board of housing for Wales are giving careful consideration to all the responses received following the issue of its consultation paper entitled "Improving the Effectiveness of Housing Association Development and Management". Decisions will be made known shortly.
TECs
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to review the (a) membership and (b) membership qualifications of the boards of Welsh training and enterprise councils ; if he will set minimum criteria for the representation of manufacturing industry on each of these TECs ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The appointment of directors to training and enterprise council boards is a matter for individual TECs in accordance with the broad criteria set out in the TEC operating agreement. We expect the private sector directors of individual TEC boards to reflect broadly the pattern of employment in their area. We have no plans to alter this arrangement.
The manufacturing sector is represented on all TEC boards in Wales ; five of the seven Welsh chairmen of TEC boards are from manufacturing industry.
Right-to-buy Schemes
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Tai Cymru concerning the issuing of new right-to-buy guidelines for the tenants of housing association schemes.
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