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Mr. Maclean : The United Kingdom, with all other member states, will be bound by all environmental measures which are adopted by the Environment Council during the Danish Presidency and will need to ensure that they are properly implemented in the United Kingdom in the timescale specified in each measure.
Housing Resources
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are considered by the Housing Corporation in making decisions regarding the allocation
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of resources, other than the housing needs indicator ; and what consideration is given to a housing authority's performance.Mr. Baldry : Each year, the corporation discusses with individual local authorities their needs for housing association development and sets out the results in a series of regional policy statements which it publishes in July. These describe the types of development which the corporation is prepared to fund in each local authority area and the resources which it anticipates will be available in the following year. The policy statements form the background to the competitive bids which the corporation then invites from housing associations. Following further consultations with local authorities, the corporation allocates funds to those bids which meet the locally identified needs at the lowest cost in terms of corporation subsidy, subject only to the association concerned achieving the corporation's regulatory standards. A summary of the framework and criteria for bids for the 1993-94 programme was published in November last year and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.
Other than the HNI, the factor which most influences distribution between local authority areas is the availability of good-value bids, which in turn is influenced by the extent of the contributions made by the local authorities concerned either in terms of discounted land or cash contributions, including those made under the capital partnership arrangements announced last November.
As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 10 February, allocations are made to housing associations and take no account of the performance of local authorities themselves, other than the way in which they work with housing associations in their capacity as housing "enablers".
Local Government Planning
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has concluded his consideration of the response from the London borough of Waltham Forest to the notice served on the authority on 29 July 1991 under section 19A of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : My right hon. and learned Friend has now completed his careful consideration of the response which the London borough of Waltham Forest made to the notice served on the authority on 29 July 1991, as well as the authority's direct service organisation annual accounts for the financial years 1990-91 and 1991-92 which showed a continuing failure to achieve the required rate of return, and has today given a direction under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. The effect of the direction is that authority is required to seek the Secretary of State's consent when it wishes to undertake certain maintenance work in circumstances where it has not submitted the lowest tender.
Business and Environment Working Group
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he received the report of the financial sector working group of his advisory committee on business and the environment ; and when he expects to respond.
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Mr. Maclean : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment received the report of the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment's financial sector working group on 6 January. He and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade have welcomed the report and circulated it widely. They will respond to this report and other recommendations from the advisory committee in response to the committee's final report, which is expected in May.
CBI (Waste Minimisation)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent communications he has had from the Confederation of British Industry on its programme of waste minimisation.
Direct Labour Organisations
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take against those local authorities whose direct labour organisations made significant financial losses in 1990-91.
Mr. Robin Squire : Statutory notices under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988 were served on 36 local authorities between July and September last year in respect of financial failure in 1990-91. My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 2 December 1992, Official Report, column 209, his decision in respect of 10 authorities. He has now considered the responses of a further 16 authorities on which notices were served on 11 August 1992 and 2 September 1992. He has today given a direction under section 14 of the 1988 Act to Gloucestershire county council in respect of ground maintenance work.
My right hon. and learned Friend has decided to take no further action in respect of financial failure in 1990-91 by the London borough of Barnet-- building cleaning ; Blyth Valley borough council--new construction in excess of £50,000 ; Brighton borough council--highways and sewerage ; Buckinghamshire county council--other cleaning ; Castle Morpeth borough council--building maintenance ; Dartford borough council--ground maintenance ; Fareham borough council--ground maintenance ; Harrogate borough council--ground maintenance ; Holderness borough council--ground maintenance ; North Norfolk district council--building maintenance ; Reigate and Banstead borough council--building maintenance ; Rotherham metropolitan borough council--ground maintenance ; Surrey Heath borough council--highways and sewerage ; West Lancashire district council--building maintenance ; and Wycombe district council--highways and sewerage.
In all these cases the authority :--
(a) appears to have successfully responded to the financial losses incurred in 1990-91, and has either achieved a surplus in 1991-92, or expects to achieve the appropriate financial objective in 1992-93, or,
(b) has re-tendered or intends to re-tender very shortly the works in question, or,
(c) has disposed, or intends to dispose, of its direct labour organisation, or,
(d) is now operating below the "de minimis" level and, as such, is outside the scope of CCT legislation.
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My right hon. and learned Friend is still considering responses from the remaining authorities on which notices were served in September 1992.Council Tax
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has, from reports so far monitored by his Department, of the regional average council taxes in band C for 1993-94.
Mr. Robin Squire : The regional average council taxes in band C reported to my Department so far are as follows :
|Band C |Average |Community charge
|average
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |590 |460 |527
North West |570 |470 |548
Yorkshire/Humberside |530 |430 |474
East Midlands |500 |420 |499
West Midlands |520 |440 |528
East Anglia |450 |395 |456
South East |470 |480 |464
London |500 |495
South West |490 |460 |493
England |505 |460 |486
The average council tax bill is likely to be more than £25 less for two people than under the Community charge.
City Challenge Scheme
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to issue formal guidance in the form of a planning policy guidance note or a circular to local authorities in respect of the city challenge scheme.
Mr. Robin Squire : We have no plans at present to issue formal guidance or a circular on planning policy for city challenge schemes.
Energy Efficiency
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money was invested in energy efficiency in the United Kingdom in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : A large part of the investment in the United Kingdom economy will have some effect on improving energy efficiency, although it is not possible to separate out an aggregate total of investment specifically directed at this purpose. However, in 1991 the amount of energy required per unit of GDP was some 18 per cent. lower than 1979.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensioners, Cambridgeshire
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners and people aged 85 years or over were resident in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1984.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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National Insurance
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances national insurance credits can be stopped for an unemployed person.
Mr. Burt : Generally, the same conditions for benefit apply to credits and are set out in regulations, copies of which are in the Library.
Circumstances in which the conditions are not satisfied include the following :
The unemployed person--
ceases to register ;
is no longer available for work ;
is not considered to be actively seeking work ;
is engaged in employment (not the usual main occupation) for more than 8 hours in that week or
is engaged in employed earner's employment (usual main occupation) on more than one day in the week or earnings exceed the lower earnings limit (currently £54 per week) ;
fails to comply with a written notice to attend an interview in connection with his employment prospects ;
fails to comply with a written notice to an officer of the Department of Employment in order to make a written declaration in connection with his satisfaction of the conditions for unemployment benefit ;
becomes a student.
Mortgage Interest Payments
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants in the London borough of Lewisham received mortgage interest payments on homes where mortgages exceeded £100,000 or £200, 000 in each year since 1987 ; and for how long the payments were received.
Mr. Burt : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Housing Benefit
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants of housing benefit within the London borough of Lewisham have lived in (a) council housing, (b) other public sector housing and (c) private rented accommodation in each year since 1987.
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Mr. Burt : Such information as is available is in the table. Information on tenants in other public sector housing is not available.
Quarter |Local authority|Private tenants
|tenants
----------------------------------------------------------------
1989
May |20,164 |8,666
August |20,469 |8,895
November |* |*
1990
February |20,092 |10,385
May |20,040 |10,468
August |20,071 |11,109
November |20,055 |11,345
1991
February |20,568 |11,906
May |20,241 |12,738
August |20,453 |15,837
November |* |*
1992
February |20,099 |9,009
May |20,543 |11,976
August |20,326 |11,979
Source: Housing Benefit Management Information System.
Notes:
Figures are only available for the new Housing Benefit scheme
which was introduced in April 1988. Lewisham did not start
submitting figures to the Department until May 1989 and have
also failed to submit returns for quarters marked with an
asterisk.
Although authorities have been asked to identify Housing
Association tenants separately since May 1992, returns from
Lewisham do not show this information.
Pensioners (Income)
Mr. Heald : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest information held about pensioners' income.
Miss Widdecombe : The presentation and calculation of pensioners' income data has been changed to harmonise with the households below average income series. The latest details, based on the 1989 family expenditure survey, are in the tables.
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Investment income and occupational pensions for pensioners
1979 and 1989
Source of income
Investment income Occupational
pension income
Percentage of Average amount Percentage of Average amount
units with for those in units with for those in
investment income receipt (£ per occupational receipt (£ per
week, 1989 prices) pension income week, 1989 prices)
|Per cent. growth |Per cent. growth
|1979 |1989 |1979 |1989 |1979-89 |19791989 |1979 |19891979-89
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All ages
Pensioner couples |71 |87 |20.30 |38.80 |91 |65 |73 |43.80 |62.70 |43
Single pensioners |57 |69 |13.60 |24.90 |83 |32 |47 |29.00 |41.60 |44
All pensioner units 62 75 16.30 30.70 89 43 56 36.80 52.10
Recently retired pensioner units
Pensioner couples |73 |87 |21.60 |41.50 |92 |68 |75 |51.50 |65.60 |27
Single pensioners |60 |64 |12.60 |31.50 |150 |37 |55 |31.20 |41.40 |33
All pensioner units 68 78 18.20 38.10 109 55 67 45.90 58.00 27
Notes:
1. Estimates of the percentage of pensioner units in receipt of occupational pension income are based upon data from the Family Expenditure Survey (1979 and 1989) and the GAD Survey of occupational
pension schemes (1979 and 1987). They assume that the number of individual pensioners in receipt has remained at its 1987 level.
2. Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those calculated from the
rounded amounts shown in the table.
3. All average amounts are means.
4. All figures are before housing costs.
5. Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age and couples in which the husband is over state pension age.
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The Average Incomes of Pensioners-1979 to 1989
Pensioner Couples Single pensioners All pensioner
units
Income Source Average Income (PercentaAverage Income (PercentaAverage Income (Percentage grow
per week, 1989 per week, 1989 per week, 1989
prices) prices) prices)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings |21.60 |18.80 |-13 |4.90 |[4.10] |[-17] |10.70 |9.40 |-12
Benefit Income |72.60 |80.70 |11 |48.00 |55.00 |15 |56.50 |64.30 |14
Investment Income |14.50 |33.70 |133 |7.70 |17.00 |121 |10.00 |23.10 |130
Occupational Pension |27.00 |45.70 |69 |8.40 |17.40 |107 |14.80 |27.60 |86
Other Income |[0.70] |[0.50] |[-34] |0.50 |[0.40] |[-17] |0.60 |0.40 |-24
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total gross income |136.50 |179.40 |31 |69.50 |93.90 |35 |92.70 |124.90 |35
Deductions |19.70 |29.30 |49 |8.50 |15.10 |77 |12.40 |20.20 |63
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total net income Before housing costs |116.80 |150.10 |29 |61.00 |78.80 |29 |80.30 |104.70 |30
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total net income After housing costs |101.50 |138.50 |36 |50.40 |67.10 |33 |68.10 |93.00 |37
Source: Family Expenditure Survey.
Notes:
<1> Components may not sum to totals owing to rounding.
<2> All average amounts are means.
<3> All figures are before housing costs unless otherwise stated.
<4> Pensioner units are defined as single people over state pension age and couples in which the husband is over
state pension age.
<5> Square brackets [] denote figures that are particularly sensitive to sampling error (less than 100 cases).
<6> Estimates of percentage growth are based on unrounded income figures and may not therefore be the same as those
calculated from the rounded amounts shown in the table.
Youth Unemployment
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of persons aged 16 to 18 years living in the city of Edinbrugh who are not in employment or in full-time education.
Mr. Burt : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Deregulation Unit
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those areas of legislation for which he is responsible which are subject to investigation by the deregulation unit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : No areas of legislation for which MAFF is responsible are subject to investigation by the DTI deregulation unit. MAFF's deregulation unit is co-ordinating a major deregulation programme within the department. All areas of legislation which impose burdens on industry will be subject to review with formal deregulation plans prepared for the main policy areas. One of the seven task forces to be set up following the Prime Minister's seminar on deregulation on 2 February will cover the food, drink and agriculture sector. It will be up to the task force chairman to decide what particular areas of MAFF legislation to investigate.
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Animal Welfare
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to give a Minister in his Department responsibility for animal welfare ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : Farm animals welfare is already included among the specific responsibilities of the Parliamentary Secretary, House of Commons, in the Department.
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to other EC Agriculture Ministers on the transport of live animals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : The Agriculture Council is currently awaiting proposals from the Commission for further measures to safeguard the welfare of animals in transport. The United Kingdom has made clear in the Council that it attaches high importance to the development of further Community rules on this subject.
EMPLOYMENT
Wages Councils
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) of 18 February, Official Report, columns 345-46, which research study estimated that a 10 per cent. change in wages council rates would lead to a change in employment of 0.6 per cent.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : An estimate of this order of magnitude was made by Kaufman in 1989. That is one of several United Kingdom studies which show that statutory minima reduce job opportunities, although different estimates have been made about the size of the effects.
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Trade Unions (Subscription Check-offs)
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, further to her answer of 9 February, Official Report, column 590, what representations she received, and on what dates, that employers should be required to seek renewed consent to check-off deductions from their employees each year.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Representations to Government are automatically treated as confidential. The Institute of Directors publicly supported annual renewal of consent to check-off deductions in its response of 23 October 1991 to the Green Paper "Industrial Relations in the 1990s". As a result of that consultation exercise, our proposal was modified and the period of reaffirmation was increased to three years.
Unemployment, Southampton
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many travel-to-work areas in each standard English economic region have (a) higher levels and (b) lower levels of unemployment than those areas including Southampton, Itchen on the latest available figures.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
Skill Centres
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 19 November 1992, Official Report, columns 337-38, on disposal of skills training agency or skill centre properties, if he will make a statement on the position of the remaining 10 properties.
Mr. McLoughlin : The ex-skill centre properties which remain unsold following the privatisation of the skills training agency are being actively marketed, on the open market, by the Department's agent surveyors, King Sturge and Co.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 19 November 1992, Official Report, columns 337-38, on closure of skill centres, if she will list (a) the original 60 skill centres and (b) the eight sold with the skills training agency which she understands no longer to be functioning.
Mr. McLoughlin : (a) the original 60 skill centres were : Barking
Basildon
Bellshill
Billingham
Birmingham
Bradford
Bristol
Cardiff
Chelmsford
Cheshire
Chesterfield
Cumbria
Deptford
Dundee
Durham
East Lancashire
Edinburgh
Edinburgh RO
Enfield
Enfield (Annex)
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GloucesterGwent
Hillington
Hull
Ipswich
Irvine
Lambeth
Leeds
Leicester
Letchworth
Liverpool
Manchester
Manchester RO
Medway
Milton Keynes
North Staffordshire
Northampton
Norwich
Perivale
Peterborough
Plymouth
Portsmouth
Preston
Reading
Redruth
Rochdale
St. Helens
Sheffield
Skyline House
Slough
Southampton
Southampton (Annex)
Swindon
Twickenham
Tyneside
Wakefield
West Glamorgan
West Sussex
Wigan
Wrexham
(b) The training businesses at the following properties, sold with the skills training agency, are understood to be no longer functioning :
Barking
Coventry
Peterborough
West Sussex
Wrexham
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