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products receiving an ecolabel ; if the board intends to issue an ecolabel to at least one brand of each product ; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that an adequate objective standard is met in all cases where an ecolabel is issued.Mr. Maclean : The United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board has been established to administer and promote the European Community ecolabelling scheme nationally and has responsibility for dealing with the operational aspects of the scheme. I have therefore asked the board to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has had from Body Shop in relation to the standards of assessment established by the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board ; what response has been made ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : My Department has received no representations from the Body Shop on this matter. I understand, however, that the Body Shop has raised the matter with the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board and I have asked the board to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board to be financially self-sufficient ; and what impact on the timetable for self-sufficiency he expects the rate of awarding labels will have.
Mr. Maclean : One of the aims of the UK Ecolabelling Board is that it should ultimately become self-financing. My Department has asked the board to prepare a plan for covering its costs in the sixth year of operation. This target will be reviewed annually following discussions of the board's corporate plan and in the light of the success of the scheme.
Urban and Inner City Policies
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give a breakdown of the £10billion referred to in the oral statement by the Home Secretary of 9 June 1992, Official Report, column 167, as having being spent by the Government on urban and inner city policies since 1985-86 ;
(2) if he will give a breakdown of the £4 billion a year referred to in the oral statement by the Home Secretary of 9 June 1992, Official Report, column 167, as being spent by the Government on projects in the inner cities.
Mr. Robin Squire : Government support for urban regeneration of £10 billion is based on the total of expenditure for 1988-89 (£3 billion), 1989-90 (over £3 billion) and 1990-91 (£4 billion).
The £4 billion a year total divides broadly into support of £1 billion under each of the following heads :
Targeted urban group of programmes
Housing programmes
Employment, Trade and Industry programmes
Other Action for Cities programmes, and Scotland and Wales
Refrigerators (Disposal)
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the provision for safe disposal of refrigerators in each local authority.
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Mr. Maclean : Local waste regulation authorities are required to produce plans detailing the arrangements needed to treat, recycle or dispose of controlled waste likely to arise or be situated in their areas. Waste disposal and treatment facilities may be provided by waste disposal authorities or by the private sector ; regulation of such facilities is the responsibility of waste regulation authorities.
Where refrigerators are controlled waste, compliance with the duty of care requires the waste producer to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the waste goes only to legally authorised destinations. These would be sites that are licensed to treat or dispose of this type of waste, or specially exempt from the requirement to be licensed, or operated by a local authority under a resolution under section 11 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
Local authorities may bid for supplementary credit approvals for the provision of facilities for recycling chlorofluorocarbons. £15 million is available for recycling facilities in 1993-94.
Waste Management
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to issue an updated version of waste management paper No. 25.
Mr. Maclean : A revised version of waste management paper No. 25 is in preparation and it is hoped a public consultation draft will be issued shortly for comment.
Owner Occupiers
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to assist overcrowded owner-occupiers trapped by (a) negative equity and (b) low income.
Mr. Baldry : Reductions in average mortgage rates mean that they are now lower than at any time since March 1969, and mortgage repayments as a proportion of earnings are at their lowest since 1978. Mobility is also made easier by the raising of the ceiling on unsecured loans by building societies, and by measures in hand to allow the security of the new property to be substituted for that of the old without the loss of mortgage interest tax relief.
Boundary Commission
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he received prior to his decision to overrule the Boundary Commission recommendation in relation to Leyton and Redbridge ; from whom they were received ; which favoured an overruling of the Boundary Commission ; and on what dates they were received.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Secretary of State has accepted all the proposals of the Local Government Boundary Commission for the boundary between Leyton and Redbridge, with one minor modification to the proposal for Hollybush hill, thereby moving the boundary from the centre to the western edge of the road to ease highway maintenance. This modification was made in the light of a letter of 17 June 1992 from the chief executive of the London borough of Waltham Forest.
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Plutonium
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy as President of the European Environment Council to place the issue of the environmental risk of transporting plutonium from Europe to Japan on the agenda for the European Community-Japan bilateral meeting on environmental co-operation to be held on 3 and 4 December in Brussels.
Mr. Maclean : [holding answer 24 November 1992] : No. The meeting on 3 and 4 December is one between officials of the Commission of the European Communities and Japan. Shipments of plutonium take place only in compliance with stringent internationally agreed standards.
Area Cost Adjustment
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now list by how much each local authority benefits from the area cost adjustment in 1993-94.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 2 February 1993] : I have placed in the Library a table showing all those authorities which benefit from the area cost adjustment, and by how much, within standard spending assessments for 1993-94. All other authorities receive an area cost adjustment of zero.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the outcome of the consultation on the local government finance settlement for 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood [pursuant to his reply, 28 January, column 854] : I am today placing in the Library and the Vote Office a further table showing the standard spending assessment and grant entitlement of each local authority. These reflect small revisions to the tax base of some authorities as a result of the treatment of boundary changes.
TRANSPORT
Birmingham Northern Relief Road
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost to the Exchequer of the decision not to proceed with the construction of the Birmingham northern relief road as a publicly funded road ; and if he will break down the cost into its component parts.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Following the decision to seek private finance for the Birmingham northern relief road, the Department reimbursed some £38,000 to individuals and organisations who had incurred costs in objecting to proposals for a publicly-funded road. In addition about £1,000 was paid to engineering consultants who arranged storage of data on the public scheme. The total cost of the public scheme taken to the inquiry was estimated at about £310 million at 1990 prices. The decision not to proceed with a publicly-funded BNRR has therefore produced a substantial saving to the Exchequer.
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate at current prices the total identifiable
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expenditure incurred by Her Majesty's Government in relation to the proposed Birmingham northern relief road (a) as a public road and (b) as a toll road.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : About £11.4 million was spent by my Department in working up proposals for a publicly-financed Birmingham northern relief road, mainly on consultants' fees, purchase of land and objectors' costs. The subsequent costs to date of selecting a private sector promoter, negotiating a concession agreement, purchasing land and contributing to the preparation of draft orders are currently estimated at about £6.3 million. Both figures are at outturn prices : figures at current prices could be produced only at disproportionate cost. Some costs of land purchase are recoverable.
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the public inquiry into the Birmingham northern relief road will start ; what is the name of the inspector appointed to carry out that report ; what is the length of time allocated to carry out the inquiry ; and what is the venue involved.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I cannot answer any of these questions because the draft orders for the Birmingham northern relief road are yet to be published. Upon publication my Department will take the necessary steps, along with the planning inspectorate, to make arrangements for the public inquiry.
ATOLs
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the steps taken by the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that all passengers whose travel is arranged through package operators are adequately protected through the holding of air transport organiser's licences.
Mr. Norris : The Civil Aviation Authority examines each ATOL licence holder annually to ensure that it is managed by persons who are fit to hold a licence and have a financial bond as a guarantee of security against financial failure. Should the bond prove inadequate in the event of failure, the Air Travel Trust, which is managed by Civil Aviation Authority officials, is designed to meet claims which would properly have been payable from the bond.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will specify the types of bookings on scheduled air services which require the organiser to hold an air transport organiser's licence.
Mr. Norris : Under The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL)) Regulations 1972, as amended, an ATOL licence is required where a person selling air seats on scheduled flights is acting as a principal in the sale to the public rather than acting as the agent of the airline. An airline does not need an ATOL in order to advertise or sell tickets for carriage on its own aircraft.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what protection exists for clients of packaged air travel operators who do not hold an air transport operator's licence and do not satisfy EC regulations.
Mr. Norris : Most air tour operators are required by The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing)
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Regulations to hold an ATOL. ATOL holders are required to show their ATOL number in all their brochures, leaflets andadvertisements.
There are some air tour operators without an ATOL who may currently have alternative bonding arrangements with the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), pending the completion of requirements for an ATOL.
Hereford Bypass
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a detailed break-down of the Q2/1992 prices for construction of the A49-465 Hereford bypass using the (a) published route and (b) western alternative route 1C ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, a public inquiry into the proposals for the Hereford bypass was held between March and September 1991 and in May 1992. The inspector heard evidence on the relative merits of the Department's published route and objectors' alternative route 1C and much of what the hon. Gentleman now asks, with many other issues, was discussed, in principle, at that time.
The inspector has submitted his report to the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport. They are presently considering his recommendations and will announce their decision soon. It would not be right for me to comment further on the merits of the eastern and western routes.
Shipping
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all British ships registered by his Department on 23 January, 1 April 1992, 1 April 1991 and 1 April 1990 ; and if he will, in each case, indicate whether the vessel is (a) an oil tanker, (b) a passenger/freight ferry and (c) carrying out North sea offshore operations.
Mr. Norris : I have placed in the Library lists of vessels on the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man registers on the nearest available dates.
Road Safety
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of the President of the Board of Trade of 17 December 1992, Official Report, column 472, what assessment has been made of the effect on road safety of requiring motor advertisers to include within advertisements a safety warning that speed kills.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No such assessment has been made and I am not convinced that there would be any substantial safety benefit in imposing this requirement on motor advertisers.
All vehicle advertisements are assessed by the Advertising Standards Authority against its code of practice and those which are regarded as placing an undue emphasis on speed are already banned. I am encouraged to see that there is an increasing compliance with the code and that numerous manufacturers are now choosing to advertise their vehicles on safety grounds. This indicates a welcome increase in market demand for safer vehicles.
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Merchant Shipping
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many representations he has had since 1 January 1992 about (a) the change in the size in the British merchant fleet, (b) the change in the number and quality of vessels flying flags of convenience sailing in United Kingdom waters, (c) the change in the level of the United Kingdom's invisible earnings from shipping and (d) the ability of the merchant fleet to support the armed forces ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : We have received a number of representations from interested parties covering these and other shipping issues. A detailed breakdown of meetings, discussions and correspondence on these issues cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.
Cash Limits
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he proposes to make to the cash limits and running costs limit for his Department for 1992-93.
Mr. MacGregor : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limits in class VII will be changed as follows :
Class and vote |Current cash limit|Changes |Revised cash limit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII, 1 |2,124,259,000 |<1>-6,314,000 |2,117,945,000
2 |215,205,000 |<1><2>-2,300,000 |212,905,000
4 |171,769,000 |<2><3>-785,000 |170,984,000
5 |439,851,000 |<4>900,000 |440,751,000
<1> Transfers of £3,000,000 to the Department of Environment, Class VIII, Vote 3 for the
Bristol Spine Road and of £4,814,000 to Class VII, Vote 3 to cover payments to British Rail
pension funds in respect of pre-1975 obligations. These are offset by a transfer from Class
VII, Vote 2 of £1,500,000 for certain running costs.
<2> A transfer of £800,000 to Class VII, Vote 4 in respect of certain running costs.
<3> A reduction of £1,585,000 in respect of demand financing.
<4> An increase of £900,000 in grant to the Humber Bridge Board.
My Department's gross running costs limit has been decreased by £1, 585,000 from £393,458,000 to £391,873,000 as a consequence of (c) above.
Where increases are involved these will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Westminster Pier
Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is part of his transport strategy for London that commuters on the River Thames should have access to Westminster pier ; and how many people he estimates would benefit from this.
Mr. Norris : I understand from the Port of London Authority, which owns Westminster pier, that the pier is used to capacity in the summer months by existing contractual licence holders, who are primarily geared to meeting the needs of tourists, and that in its present form the pier could not safely accommodate extra commuter services of the type, for instance, operated by Riverbus. The River Thames working group, which I established recently, will be studying the general issue of commuter access to the river, including the potential benefits which improved access could bring.
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Air Navigation Licences
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licences under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airports Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences already issued but not yet operated upon, in circumstances where no public announcement of the issue of the licence was made ;
(2) if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licences under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airport Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences already issued but not yet operated upon, in circustances where the operation of the licence could affect the operations of an airport within a 30-mile radius ;
(3) if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licences under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airports Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences alrady issued but not yet operated upon, in circumstances where the putative licence operator has previously given assurances that no such operation would be commenced and the operations under the order will cause financial damage to private citizens ;
(4) if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licenses under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airports Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences already issued but not yet operated upon, in circumstances where no planned permission has been obtained ;
(5) if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licences under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airports Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences already issued but not yet operated upon, in circumstances where the operation of the licence would affect the value of an airport within a 30-mile radius.
Mr. Norris : Licensing of airfields under the Air Navigation Order, and the grant of applications under section 38 of the Airports Act are matters for the Civil Aviation Authority. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has no powers to direct the Civil Aviation Authority in these circumstances.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct the Civil Aviation Authority not to issue any further licences under the Air Navigation Order 1989, or under section 38 of the Airports Act 1986, and to withdraw any licences already issued but not yet operated upon, in circumstances where there would be potential environmental damage, and a full environmental impact assessment has not been carried out and publicly discussed.
Mr. Norris : No. The circumstances under which a full environmental impact assessment would be required for an airport/aerodrome development, are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Israel
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the appropriate
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steps that will be taken to ensure that Israel complies with United Nations Security Council resolution 799 on the Palestinian deportees.Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have repeatedly urged the Israeli Government to comply with Security Council resolution 799. Their decision to allow 100 of the deportees to return is a useful step in the right direction. We hope they will build on this. We are stressing to all concerned that the top priority is to resume the peace process.
Muslims, India
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence has been gathered from the Foreign Office posts in India about violence towards Muslims on account of their religion ; and what discussions have taken place with the Government of India about this problem.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received regular reports from our posts in India about the recent communal violence there. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the situation with the Indian Prime Minister during his visit to India in January. We have condemned the violence and support the principles of Indian secular democracy and protection for religious minorities.
Cyprus
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government about progress made by the United Nations on Cyprus ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary discussed Cyprus with their Turkish counterparts in London on 23 November. The Secretary of State has since kept in close touch via our ambassador in Ankara. He has made clear to the Turks that we expect them to encourage the Turkish Cypriots to work actively towards a settlement.
Birmingham Summit
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 563, how the costs of the Birmingham summit were met.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The costs of the Birmingham summit were met from public funds.
UN Charter
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on adapting article 2(7) of the United Nations charter to take into account humanitarian aspects.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : None. Article 2(7) prohibits the United Nations from intervening in matters which are "essentially" within domestic jurisdiction. Article 55 requires the United Nations to promote human rights, which are now a matter of international concern. The prohibition in article 2(7) does not apply to enforcement measures under chapter VII.
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Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken by officials at the post in Islamabad concerning applications by Shenaz Begum (DOB : 5 : 7 : 1979) ; Afsar Khan (DOB : 31 : 10 : 1980) and Shaira Begum (DOB :5 : 7 : 1989) to join their father in the United Kingdom ; when their applications were submitted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The British High Commission at Islamabad is not satisfied that Shenaz Begum, Afsar Khan and Shaira Begum are British citizens by descent from Mr.Mohammed Gham Ghani as claimed on their passport applications made in October 1991. This is because, according to Mr. Ghani's certificate of registration as a citizen of the United Kingdom and colonies, his wife's name is Zaitoon Jan. The children's mother Zartaj Bibi, claims that she is his first and only wife. The decision to withhold passport facilities from the children was communicated to Zartaj Bibi on 17 January 1993.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application to the post in Islamabad by Mrs. Janat Begum (Ref : B6038) to join her husband in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The High Commission in Islamabad agreed on 3 February to issue entry clearance to Mrs.Janat Begum to join her husband in the United Kingdom. The entry clearance officer will write to Mrs.Begum, inviting her to call in to collect her visa.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application made at the post in Islamabad by Mr. Raja Ibrar Hussain, who was born on 8 November 1962, to join his wife in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A decision was taken by the British High Commission in Islamabad on 15 November 1992 to refuse entry clearance to Mr. Raja Ibrar Hussain as the entry clearance officer was not satisfied, as he is required to be under the immigration rules, that Mr. Hussain was related to his wife as claimed ; that the primary purpose of the marriage was not to gain entry to the United Kingdom ; and that there was adequate support and accommodation available for Mr. Hussain in this country without recourse to public funds.
Iran
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have recently been made in international bodies over the continued human rights abuses in Iran.
Mr. Douglas-Hogg : The UN Secretary-General's special representative on human rights in Iran presented his latest report to the UN General Assembly in November. We and our EC partners co-sponsored the critical resolution reflecting his concerns, which was adopted on 18 December. The Edinburgh Council's conclusions on Iran at the EC summit in December made
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it clear that improvement in Iran's human rights record, among other factors, will be important in determining the extent to which relations with and confidence in Iran can be developed.South Korea
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of British personnel from South Korea.
Mr. Archie Hamilton I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) on 18 January at column 50.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Chemical Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 18 January, Official Report, column 38, when he expects to introduce primary legislation on the chemical weapons convention ; and which interested bodies he will consult on the implementation in the United Kingdom of the chemical weapons convention.
Mr. Sainsbury : Legislation to implement the United Kingdom's obligations under the chemical weapons convention will be introduced when the parliamentary timetable permits.
Consultation arrangements have not yet been finalised, but those to be consulted will include the Chemical Industries Association, the British Chemical Distributors and Traders Association, and the Confederation of British Industry.
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