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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is for local highway authorities to determine which of their local roads would benefit from traffic calming, and the rate at which measures can be introduced.
Hereford Bypass
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of promoting and developing plans for the A49-A465 Hereford bypass.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Department has to date charged about £3.6 million to the Roads Vote in the course of promoting and developing plans for this bypass. This sum has mainly been spent on consultant's fees and the purchase of land. Departmental staff costs could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Selby Bypass
Mr. Alison : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what stage has been reached in his Departmental key event programme for the construction of the Selby bypass as published in September 1987 ; and what slippage has occurred.
Mr. Keneth Carlisle [pursuant to his reply of Tuesday 16 March 1993 Vol. 221 c. 148] .
The publication of a draft compulsory purchase order is expected to occur in the summer of 1994.
EMPLOYMENT
European Social Fund
Ms Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average length of time taken within the United Kingdom for processing European social fund applications.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Applications for assistance from the European social fund (ESF) are now generally processed by the Department's ESF unit within six weeks of receipt. We have put a good deal of effort into improving performance in this area over the past few years.
PRIME MINISTER
General van der Westhuizen
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Prime Minister which Government officials have meetings with or conducted business with General van der Westhuizen in South Africa or Chile in each year since 1980.
The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom military attache s in Pretoria were in contact with Lieutenant-General Pieter van der Westhuizen, as chief of staff
Column 401
intelligence (South African military intelligence service), in the normal course of their duties, until their withdrawal in 1985. Our ambasador in South Africa also had occasional contacts during General van der Westhuizen's period as secretary to the State Security Council between 1985 and 1987.During the period of Lieutenant-General van der Westhuizen's appointment as South African ambassador to Chile from 1987-91, our ambassador in Santiago had occasional contacts with him as a colleague on the diplomatic circuit.
DTI (Security Services)
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Prime Minister what is the policy of the Government in relation to the transfer of secret intelligence service or security service personnel to the Department of Trade and Industry ; and if he will make a statement on the range of functions those personnel carry out in the Department of Trade and Industry.
The Prime Minister : It is not the Government's policy to comment on staffing arrangements with respect to the security and intelligence services. Members of these services would, however, be regarded no differently from other Crown servants for the purposes of transfer to employment elsewhere in the public service.
Citizens Charter
Ms Hoey : To ask the Prime Minister which Cabinet Committees deal with the citizens charter programme.
The Prime Minister : Citizens charter issues requiring collective discussion would normally fall within the remit of the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs. In addition, I chair six-monthly ministerial meetings to monitor progress and agree future priorities for the charter programme.
EDUCATION
Education Authorities
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish a list of education authorities in England with the total number of pupils for which each education authority is responsible.
Mr. Forth : The latest figures available are for January 1992, when the number of special and mainstream school pupils of compulsory school age for which each local education authority in England was responsible, excluding sixth form college students, was :
|Number
---------------------------------------
City |59
Camden |15,831
Greenwich |29,769
Hackney |24,007
Hammersmith |12,413
Islington |18,694
Kensington |7,297
Lambeth |27,750
Lewisham |27,953
Southwark |25,096
Tower Hamlets |27,446
Wandsworth |22,087
Westminster |11,545
Barking |20,343
Barnet |33,387
Bexley |29,896
Brent |32,839
Bromley |33,003
Croydon |36,537
Ealing |34,593
Enfield |34,889
Haringey |24,676
Harrow |24,017
Havering |31,149
Hillingdon |29,974
Hounslow |26,923
Kingston |14,954
Merton |17,525
Newham |33,481
Redbridge |29,888
Richmond |12,977
Sutton |21,044
Waltham Forest |27,480
Birmingham |151,406
Coventry |42,076
Dudley |40,054
Sandwell |41,083
Solihull |25,920
Walsall |39,051
Wolverhampton |35,489
Knowsley |25,026
Liverpool |67,766
St. Helens |25,830
Sefton |38,938
Wirral |46,605
Bolton |37,362
Bury |23,301
Manchester |59,384
Oldham |32,754
Rochdale |30,869
Salford |28,558
Stockport |36,693
Tameside |29,988
Trafford |28,301
Wigan |42,712
Barnsley |29,236
Doncaster |43,423
Rotherham |36,582
Sheffield |61,454
Bradford |76,342
Calderdale |27,735
Kirklees |53,603
Leeds |93,088
Wakefield |42,232
Gateshead |26,095
Newcastle |33,883
North Tyne |25,977
South Tyne |21,046
Sunderland |42,554
Isles of Scilly |286
Avon |117,767
Bedfordshire |76,781
Berkshire |99,307
Buckinghamshire |92,950
Cambridgeshire |88,574
Cheshire |133,931
Cleveland |83,735
Cornwall |61,413
Cumbria |64,584
Derbyshire |124,532
Devon |125,726
Dorset |75,509
Durham |82,143
East Sussex |74,678
Essex |205,308
Gloucestershire |68,455
Hampshire |191,786
Hereford and Worcester |89,557
Hertfordshire |130,359
Humberside |121,047
Isle of Wight |15,995
Kent |206,183
Lancashire |190,638
Leicestershire |124,479
Lincolnshire |78,793
Norfolk |93,740
North Yorkshire |88,103
Northamptonshire |83,857
Northumberland |43,711
Nottinghamshire |134,147
Oxfordshire |67,838
Shropshire |54,624
Somerset |57,556
Staffordshire |142,989
Suffolk |82,049
Surrey |107,032
Warwickshire |63,011
West Sussex |83,741
Wiltshire |74,344
Engineering and Science
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of British students in higher education establishments in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales are currently pursuing courses of study in (a) engineering and (b) a pure science.
Mr. Boswell : The proportion of United Kingdom domiciled undergraduates in each country studying engineering and science in the academic year 1991-92 were :
8
|Engineering|Percentages
|science<1>
--------------------------------------------------------
England |13 |25
Wales |11 |25
Scotland |14 |26
Northern Ireland<2> |9 |31
<1> Defined as all science subjects excluding
engineering and technology, and medicine and dentistry.
<2> Universities only.
Secondary Schools, London
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) for each of the London boroughs, how many children failed to get into any secondary school in the borough in which they live for the 1992-93 academic year ; and what percentage of the total number of schoolchildren in London who started at secondary school in the 1992-93 academic year have had to go to school in neighbouring boroughs ;
(2) how many children in each of the London boroughs failed to get into their first choice of secondary school for the academic year 1992-93.
Mr. Forth : This information is not collected centrally.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 6 November, Official Report, column 478, what is the latest information he has on how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local education authority in England are eligible to apply for grant-maintained status ; how many in each case have held ballots under section 61 of the Education Reform Act 1988 ; and how many ballots in each case resulted in votes to seek grant-maintained status.
Mr. Forth : All maintained primary, secondary and middle schools are eligible to apply for self-governing (grant-maintained) status. The table gives estimated numbers of eligible schools by LEA, and for each LEA the number of schools which have balloted and the number of yes votes. Middle schools are divided into primary and secondary schools as deemed.
Column 403
Ballots held Yes votes
Authority |Primary |Secondary|Primary |Secondary|Primary |Secondary
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rochdale |75 |14 |3 |3 |3 |1
Salford |89 |21 |0 |3 |0 |1
Stockport |110 |18 |0 |2 |0 |0
Tameside |82 |19 |0 |5 |0 |3
Trafford |78 |16 |0 |5 |0 |4
Wigan |125 |23 |0 |1 |0 |1
Barnsley |96 |15 |1 |2 |1 |0
Doncaster |127 |34 |2 |1 |2 |0
Rotherham |115 |19 |0 |0 |0 |0
Sheffield |161 |32 |8 |6 |6 |4
Bradford |167 |86 |0 |7 |0 |5
Calderdale |90 |14 |1 |4 |1 |4
Kirklees |160 |36 |2 |5 |0 |3
Leeds |247 |27 |0 |0 |0 |0
Wakefield |130 |39 |1 |0 |1 |0
Gateshead |82 |13 |0 |1 |0 |0
Newcastle upon Tyne |82 |22 |0 |1 |0 |0
North Tyneside |61 |27 |0 |2 |0 |1
South Tyneside |59 |11 |0 |0 |0 |0
Sunderland |106 |18 |0 |0 |0 |0
Isles of Scilly |4 |1 |0 |0 |0 |0
Avon |368 |59 |2 |3 |0 |2
Bedfordshire |217 |69 |3 |16 |3 |10
Berkshire |272 |50 |5 |10 |5 |10
Buckinghamshire |287 |41 |8 |9 |6 |8
Cambridgeshire |262 |40 |9 |22 |7 |16
Cheshire |455 |71 |6 |10 |4 |4
Cleveland |201 |53 |0 |2 |0 |0
Cornwall |245 |32 |1 |0 |1 |0
Cumbria |308 |39 |6 |12 |6 |12
Derbyshire |449 |57 |11 |20 |6 |13
Devon |441 |63 |3 |8 |1 |5
Dorset |201 |47 |2 |14 |1 |13
Durham |298 |44 |0 |1 |0 |0
East Sussex |221 |38 |0 |1 |0 |0
Essex |572 |82 |33 |63 |31 |60
Gloucestershire |262 |27 |6 |28 |5 |22
Hampshire |576 |97 |16 |18 |14 |16
Hereford and Worcester |288 |78 |1 |6 |0 |4
Hertfordshire |424 |82 |8 |23 |5 |19
Humberside |353 |64 |1 |2 |1 |0
Isle of Wight |46 |21 |0 |0 |0 |0
Kent |570 |108 |15 |65 |14 |61
Lancashire |603 |105 |1 |14 |1 |8
Leicestershire |332 |82 |0 |8 |0 |5
Lincolnshire |288 |43 |19 |24 |16 |24
Norfolk |388 |47 |14 |16 |11 |12
North Yorkshire |396 |61 |2 |1 |0 |0
Northamptonshire |268 |54 |10 |20 |9 |14
City |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Camden |41 |11 |0 |1 |0 |1
Greenwich |79 |15 |0 |0 |0 |0
Hackney |70 |10 |1 |1 |1 |0
Hammersmith |39 |9 |1 |1 |1 |1
Islington |57 |9 |0 |0 |0 |0
Kensington and Chelsea |27 |4 |0 |1 |0 |1
Lambeth |78 |9 |1 |4 |1 |4
Lewisham |71 |14 |1 |1 |1 |0
Southwark |76 |13 |1 |5 |1 |5
Tower Hamlets |73 |13 |0 |2 |0 |1
Wandsworth |71 |7 |5 |8 |3 |7
Westminster |41 |8 |0 |0 |0 |0
Barking |55 |8 |0 |0 |0 |0
Barnet |89 |19 |4 |5 |2 |5
Bexley |62 |16 |2 |5 |2 |4
Brent |64 |12 |2 |11 |2 |9
Bromley |76 |6 |2 |13 |2 |12
Croydon |99 |20 |0 |6 |0 |4
Ealing |90 |8 |2 |8 |2 |6
Enfield |70 |17 |0 |4 |0 |4
Haringey |77 |9 |0 |0 |0 |0
Harrow |54 |11 |0 |2 |0 |1
Havering |74 |19 |0 |5 |0 |4
Hillingdon |70 |8 |7 |13 |7 |13
Hounslow |63 |14 |0 |2 |0 |2
Kingston upon Thames |36 |9 |0 |4 |0 |4
Merton |49 |12 |1 |1 |0 |0
Newham |67 |14 |0 |1 |0 |1
Redbridge |56 |14 |0 |2 |0 |1
Richmond upon Thames |39 |8 |0 |0 |0 |0
Sutton |43 |9 |1 |8 |1 |8
Waltham Forest |60 |17 |0 |2 |0 |2
Birmingham |336 |79 |3 |18 |2 |13
Coventry |110 |19 |0 |0 |0 |0
Dudley |83 |22 |1 |7 |1 |5
Sandwell |112 |19 |0 |3 |0 |1
Solihull |69 |14 |1 |2 |1 |1
Walsall |106 |19 |1 |10 |0 |6
Wolverhampton |103 |18 |1 |4 |0 |4
Knowsley |68 |11 |0 |3 |0 |1
Liverpool |197 |36 |0 |3 |0 |2
St. Helens |73 |13 |0 |1 |0 |0
Sefton |94 |23 |0 |1 |0 |0
Wirral |106 |23 |0 |2 |0 |2
Bolton |104 |17 |1 |3 |1 |3
Bury |72 |15 |2 |0 |1 |0
Manchester |175 |31 |0 |1 |0 |0
Oldham |99 |16 |0 |1 |0 |0
Northumberland |143 |61 |0 |0 |0 |0
Nottinghamshire |425 |84 |1 |6 |0 |3
Oxfordshire |240 |44 |1 |2 |1 |0
Shropshire |213 |38 |3 |6 |3 |6
Somerset |228 |39 |2 |1 |1 |1
Staffordshire |416 |85 |2 |10 |2 |5
Suffolk |255 |77 |0 |1 |0 |0
Surrey |369 |47 |15 |12 |13 |12
Warwickshire |244 |33 |0 |10 |0 |9
West Sussex |245 |44 |0 |3 |0 |0
Wiltshire |291 |41 |6 |9 |4 |5
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many ballots in England on grant-maintained status have resulted in participation rates (a) above 79 per cent., (b) between 70 and 79 per cent., (c) between 60 and 69 per cent., (d) between 50 and 59 per cent. and (e) below 50 per cent.
Mr. Forth : Participation rates for ballots on grant-maintained status in England are given in the table. Where a second ballot has been held following a first ballot with a turnout of under 50 per cent, only the participation rate of the deciding ballot is included.
|Number
---------------------------------
over 79 per cent. |113
70-79 per cent. |232
60-69 per cent. |350
50-59 per cent. |246
under 50 per cent. |29
Teacher Training
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools have offered to take over teacher training ; and on what basis.
Mr. Boswell : A number of primary and secondary schools have expressed an interest in bidding for funds to provide school-based training for teachers under the arrangements outlined in my right hon. Friend's announcement of 4 March. The text of that announcement was placed in the Library.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what basis the City Technology College Trust will be given responsibility for school-based training of technology teachers ; what financial arrangements he has made with the Smallpeice Trust and the City Technology College Trust for their participation in such training ; and what is the proposed relationship between institutions of higher education and the trusts in respect of the training carried out.
Mr. Boswell : My right hon. Friend announced on 4 March that he has agreed to provide funds for the City Technology College Trust to organise and finance postgraduate school-based training for technology teachers in secondary schools. These funds will supplement those made available by the Smallpeice Trust. The courses will provide training in accordance with my right hon. Friend's requirements for the accreditation of initial teacher training.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education of he will publish all the advice received by him to date from the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education in respect of the discussion paper, "Curriculum Organisation and Classroom Practice in Primary Schools."
Mr. Boswell : The Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CATE) submits its advice to my right hon. Friend in confidence and it is not normally published. CATE's advice will contribute to proposals for the initial training of primary teachers which will be issued for consultation in April.
Column 408
Value Added Tax
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the impact of the imposition of value-added tax on capital expenditure by colleges of higher and further education after 1 April.
Mr. Boswell : The allocation of capital grant to the Further Education Funding Council for 1993-94 includes provision for the cost of value-added tax. Colleges of higher education, which are funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, are already liable for value- added tax on capital expenditure.
School Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what considerations led him to alter the proposed terms of service of the chairman of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
Mr. Forth : In a reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury (Mr. Brazier) my right hon. Friend informed the House on 4 December 1992, Official Report columns 397-98 , that management consultants had been appointed to help draw up a list of appropriate candidates with the qualities and skills necessary to a successful chairman for the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The terms and conditions of service for the post were determined in the light of the results of that search and of the functions proposed for the authority.
Reading Ages
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the full data upon which he based his evidence to the Education Select Committee on 11 March concerning the reading ages of secondary school children.
Mr. Forth : The data were drawn from an internal evaluation, commissioned by SEAC, of the 1992 pilot English tests for 14-year-olds. Some 12,000 pupils from 102 schools took part in the pilot. Complete information is available for some 9,300 pupils. The sample as a whole was deliberately constructed to have a disproportionately high number of pupils (over 1,000) with special educational needs, with 3 per cent. of the total sample having statements of special needs. Excluding these pupils from the calculations, for a sample of 8,100 pupils, achievements in reading were as follows :
approximately 9 per cent. achieved level 7 and above--above average achievement for 14-year-olds ;
58 per cent. achieved levels 5 and 6--about the average for 14-year-olds ;
29 per cent. achieved levels 3 and 4--which are the levels expected for typical pupils aged 9 to 11 ;
4 per cent. achieved levels 1 and 2--which are the levels expected for pupils aged 5 to 7.
WALES
Education Colleges (Capital Expenditure)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effect of the imposition of value added tax on all capital expenditure projects initiated by colleges of higher and further education after 1 April ; what consultations he has had with the appropriate funding councils on this ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 409
Sir Wyn Roberts : Institutions of higher education are already liable for value added tax on expenditure in connection with capital projects. Further education institutions will become liable for value added tax when they leave the local authority sector on 1 April. This new liability for value added tax was taken into account in setting the provision for the further education sector in the 1992 public expenditure survey.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Somme Heritage Centre
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if planning permission has been given for the Somme heritage centre at Whitespots, Bangor road, Newtownnards ; and if work has commenced on site.
Mr. Atkins : Outline planning permission was granted on 10 August 1992. An application for full planning permission is currently with the Department of the Environment for determination. I understand that site preparation has commenced.
Road Schemes
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the major capital road schemes programmed in 1991 for each year from 1991-92 to 1994-95; and what was the estimated cost of each scheme.
Mr. Atkins : The information is as follows :
Financial year and |Total estimated cost
proposed schemes |<1>
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92
Killead by-pass |0.9
M2 Crosskennan slip roads |0.5
Ballymaconaghy road, Belfast: Stage 2 |0.4
Forster Green, Belfast |1.6
Purdysburn road, Belfast: Stage 1 |0.8
Queen's Quay, Londonderry (repairs) |0.2
Queen's Quay, Londonderry |3.1
T4 Mullan's Corner, dualling |1.2
High street-Hamilton road, Bangor |1.7
Strabane by-pass: Stage 1-roadworks |1.9
A5 Ballygawley-Londonderry improvement
schemes |0.3
M1-M12 link road, Craigavon
1992-93
Balmoral avenue-Malone road, Belfast |0.6
Great Victoria street-Sandy row, Belfast |1.4
Greenmount link, Coleraine: Stages 3 and 4 |0.4
Newry by-pass: Stage 2 |3.6
Newry by-pass: Stage 3-bridge |1.9
Church street-Scotch street, Downpatrick |1.4
Balloo road, Bangor: Stage 3 |0.4
Comber by-pass: Stage 2 |2.5
Omagh through-pass: Stage 2 |2.6
A5 Ballygawley-Londonderry improvement
schemes |0.3
1993-94
A26 Antrim-Ballymena dualling: Stage 2 |2.7
A2 Silverstream-Ravenhill, Carrickfergus |2.8
Cromac street, Belfast |0.9
Purdysburn road, Belfast: Stage 2 |0.6
A2 Shore road, Belfast: Stage 4 |0.8
Strand road, Londonderry: Stage 2 |0.9
Newry by-pass: Stage 3 roadworks |4.2
A29 Carland bridge, Dungannon |1.5
A5 Ballygawley-Londonderry improvement
schemes |0.3
1994-95
Northern distributor, Ballymena: Stage 1 |2.2
Purdysburn road, Belfast: Stage 3 |0.7
Bankmore street, Belfast |1.2
Westlink-Sandy row, Belfast |3.2
Knock road, Belfast: Stage 1 |4.9
Glendermott road, Londonderry |0.6
T4 Fourmile and Buskhill (dualling) |3.0
Market street, Downpatrick |0.5
North Lisburn feeder, Lisburn |2.3
A5 Ballygawley-Londonderry improvement
schemes |0.3
Anne street-Thomas Street, Dungannon |0.3
<1>At 1991 prices.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the major capital road schemes programmed in 1933 for each year from 1993-94 to 1996-97 ; and what is the estimated cost of each scheme.
Mr. Atkins : The information is as follows :
Financial year and |Total estimated cost
proposed schemes
|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94
Killead By-Pass |0.9
Newry By-Pass: Stage 2 |4.1
A5 Burndennett |0.3
Newry By-Pass: Stage 3 (Bridge) |2.1
1994-95
Greenmount Link, Coleraine: Stages 3 and 4 |0.3
Anne St./Thomas St., Dungannon |0.7
A5 Magheramason |0.7
Newry By-Pass: Stage 3 (Roadworks) |5.5
1995-96
Purdysburn Road, Belfast: Stage 1 |0.8
Omagh Through-Pass: Stage 2 |2.9
1996-97
A5 Leckpatrick |0.4
Forster Green Junction, Belfast |1.6
Balmoral Avenue/Malone Road Junction, Belfast |0.3
Northern Distributor, Ballymena |2.2
Balloo Road, Bangor: Stage 3 |0.5
Ballymaconaghy Road, Belfast: Stage 2 |0.5
A29 Carland Bridge, Dungannon |1.7
A26 Antrim-Ballymena: Stage 2 |2.7
The precise timing of these schemes will depend on the completion of the statutory processes and the availability of finance at the time.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the major capital road schemes programmed in 1990 for each year from 1990-91 to 1993-94 ; and what was the estimated cost of each scheme.
Mr. Atkins : The information is as follows :
Column 411
Financial year and |Total estimated cost
proposed schemes |£ million (at 1990
|prices)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91
T8 Castledawson By-pass |3.0
Ballymaconaghy Road, Belfast: Stage 1 |0.1
Purdysburn Road, Belfast: Stage 1 |0.8
Ballymaconaghy Road, Belfast: Stage 2 |0.6
Castlereagh Roundabout, Belfast |0.6
Jordanstown Road, Belfast |0.2
Greenmount Link, Coleraine: Stage 5 |0.6
Bushmills Road, Coleraine |0.7
Queen's Quay, Londonderry (Repairs) |0.2
A48 Donaghadee Road, Newtownards |1.0
Dunmurry By-pass: Stage 2D |2.8
Strabane By-pass: Stage 1 |1.0
A5 Ballygawley/Londonderry Improvement Schemes 0.3
1991-92
Killead By-pass |1.5
M2 Crosskennan Slip Roads |0.6
Great Victoria Street/Sandy Row, Belfast |1.5
Forster Green Junction, Belfast |0.9
Queen's Quay, Londonderry |2.0
T4 Mullan's Corner dualling |1.8
Church Street/Scotch Street, Downpatrick |1.0
High Street/Hamilton Road, Bangor |1.3
Balloo Road, Bangor, Stage 3 |0.4
Strabane By-pass Stage 1-Road works |2.1
A5 Ballygawley/Londonderry Improvement Schemes 0.3
1992-93
Cromac Street, Belfast |1.0
Balmoral Avenue/Malone Road, Belfast |1.0
Greenmount Link, Coleraine: Stages 3 and 4 |0.5
Newry By-pass: Stage 2 |3.4
Newry By-pass: Stage 3, Bridge |1.8
Comber By-pass: Stage 2 |2.6
Omagh Through-pass: Stage 2 |2.7
A5 Ballygawley/Londonderry Improvement
Schemes |0.3
1993-94
A26 Antrim/Ballymena Dualling: Stage 2 |3.1
A2 Silverstream/Ravenhill, Carrickfergus |3.2
Shore Road, Belfast: Stage 4 |0.9
Purdysburn Road, Belfast: Stage 2 |0.8
Knock Road, Belfast: Stage 1 |5.6
Strand Road, Londonderry: Stage 2 |0.9
Newry By-pass: Stage 3-Roadworks |3.9
A29 Carland Bridge Dungannon |1.5
A5 Ballygawley/Londonderry Improvement
Schemes |0.3
Housing
Mr. A. Cecil Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many habitable vacant dwellings administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive exist in each of the district council areas.
Mr. Atkins : I am advised by the Chief Ececutive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive that at 26 February 1993 the number of habitable vacant dwellings, in each district council area was as follows :
District |Habitable vacant
|dwellings
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Antrim borough council |4
Ards borough council |8
Armagh district council |6
Ballymena borough council |14
Ballymoney borough council |4
Banbridge district council |4
Belfast city council |58
Carrickfergus borough council |9
Castlereagh borough council |29
Coleraine borough council |2
Cookstown district council |4
Craigavon borough council |-
Derry city council |3
Down district council |3
Dungannon district council |9
Fermanagh district council |5
Larne borough council |11
Limavady borough council |1
Lisburn borough council |4
Magherafelt district council |-
Moyle district council |-
Newry and Mourne district council |5
Newtownabbey borough council |10
North Down borough council |3
Omagh district council |1
Strabane district council |-
These figures do not include vacant properties which require repairs, improvements or rehabilitation, those which are being used to house tenants temporarily displaced while their existing dwellings are being repaired/improved or those awaiting demolition.
Parliamentary Constituencies
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland will begin the next general review of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : The commission has given notice of its intention to begin a general review directly. The Boundary Commissions Act 1992 provides that the commission's report shall be submitted not later than 31 December 1994. Under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, the commission must also submit a supplementary report recommending the number of members to be returned by each of the proposed parliamentary constituencies in any elections which may be held to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Departmental Functions
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland) since 1979.
Mr. Atkins [holding reply sent on 18 March] : Since 1979, the Department of the Environment has made very significant progress in conserving and improving the quality of the built and natural environment in Northern Ireland.
1. Housing
Housing condition surveys shows that the level of unfitness declined from 14.1 per cent. in 1979 to 8.4 per cent. in 1987 and that the proportion of dwellings lacking at least one basic amenity declined from 17.9 per cent. to 5.5 per cent. The level of home ownership, which was 52 per cent. in 1979 is now 66 per cent. Over 53,000 Housing Executive dwellings have been sold to sitting tenants and
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nearly 12,000 households, of whom around 6,000 have graduated to full ownership, have been helped into owner- occupation through the co-ownership scheme. The output of the private house -building industry is currently running around 5,750 starts per year compared to 4,127 in 1979 after peaking at 7,418 in 1987. The housing situation of people unable to purchase their own dwellings has also improved with a fall in the Housing Executive's urgent waiting list from nearly 19,000 in 1981 to under 10,000 at present. Funding by the Department has enabled housing associations to make a significant contribution to the housing effort particularly in the provision of suitable housing for the elderly and people with special needs. 2. Roads and transport£379 million has been invested in the further development of the road system including, for example, construction of the Foyle Bridge, the Westlink in Belfast, the dualling of large stretches of the Antrim- Ballymena and Hillsborough-Newry roads, bypasses at Strabana, Newry, Castledawson and work recently commenced on the cross-harbour rail and road links in Belfast. A new urban traffic control system has been installed to help control traffic in Belfast. This period has also seen considerable upgrading and expansion of the facilities at Aldergrove airport and extensive improvements at Belfast, Londonderry, Larne and Warrenpoint ports.
In 1989 the Department gained approval from the European Commission for a comprehensive programme for new transport infrastructure in Northern Ireland, involving total expenditure of over £189 million which includes £128 million of assistance from the European regional development fund. This will also facilitate major improvements to the region's strategic access routes to outside markets, and major improvements to the rail network and to the region's overall transport infrastructure.
3. Urban regeneration
There have also been very considerable improvements as a result of a range of urban programmes throughout Northern Ireland. Belfast city centre has been rejuvenated, with a huge expansion of retail opportunities, including major shopping complexes such as Ross's Court and the Spires, extensive new office blocks, large numbers of new restaurants, places of entertainment and city centre pedestrianisation and conservation projects. Areas of inner -city deprivation have been helped through the work of nine action teams. The Laganside Corporation has been established to regenerate vacant and under-used riverside land, and a new weir on the River Lagan is nearing completion. Belfast and Londonderry have both had successful enterprise zones. Londonderry has also seen significant economic improvement, with public and private investment in the last two years whether spent or planned totalling over £230 million for new retail outlets, offices, restaurants and multi-storey car parking, creating 2,500 full and part-time jobs. A special Londonderry regeneration initiative aimed at targeting the needs of people in the most disadvantaged areas of the city, was announced in 1989 and continues in operation.
An extensive programme of economic and environmental improvement schemes is also being carried out in Londonderry, Belfast and the provincial towns.
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4. WaterDuring this period the Department has maintained a high level of community service in the supply of drinking water and in the treatment of sewage. A substantial programme of works, costing over £430 million has enabled the Department to cope with a continuous rise in demand for water and to effect improvement of water quality in Northern Ireland's lakes and waterways particularly Loughs Neagh and Erne and the River Lagan. Progress during the period has left the Department well placed to effect the further programme of works to ensure compliance with the EC directives on drinking water, sewage treatment and the quality of bathing water.
5. Local government
New legislation during the period has helped improve the efficiency effectiveness and accountability of District Councils by introducing compulsory competitive tendering for a range of services, by vesting new powers in the Local Government Auditor, including a power to carry out the value for money studies (8 such studies have been carried out), and introducing new measures designed to improve the conduct of council business.
6. Efficiency improvements
As part of the next steps agency policy, a Rate Collection Agency was established in 1991, and an Ordnance Survey Agency and Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency were set up on 1 April 1992. Within Ordnance Survey, a major achievement since 1979 has been the development of the Northern Ireland geographical information system, a computer system through which all public utility and Government Department services will be linked. as a result of an efficiency scrutiny in 1989, the Land Registry has reduced its stock by 56 per cent. in the last four years, and has also secured significant improvements in completion terms for case work.
7. Environmental protection
Considerable progress has been made in protecting and enhancing the environment in Northern Ireland during this period, and this work has been accelerated following the setting up of the new, comprehensive Environment Service in November 1990. Since 1979, 215 river water quality stations have been installed to monitor and control water pollution. Three major pieces of legislation have been introduced to protect and keep open rights of way ; to designate areas of outstanding natural beauty (with four having been designated, covering 147,000 hectares and two more soon to be designated covering a further 70,000 hectares) ; to designate areas of special scientific interest (where 38 areas already designated cover 47,330 hectares) ; and to protect certain plants and animal species.
During the same period, 4,550 buildings of architectural or historical importance have been listed, many of which were facing demolition and have now been restored again ; 725 monuments have been scheduled as being of archaeological or historical importance ; a further 32 monuments have been taken into state care and their public representation improved, and 160 rescue and evaluation archaeological digs have been completed. The Department, in its work since 1979, has been placing greater emphasis on public awareness of the archaeological and built heritage and the need to protect the environment, including the opening of a Monuments and Buildings Record for Northern Ireland in 1992.
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These are very considerable achievements to improve the quality of life for the people of Northern Ireland, to protect its unique physical attributes and to ensure that further physical developments take place in a way which enhances the environment.To maintain and improve upon the high quality of Northern Ireland's river and estuarine waters, water quality management plans for the River Erne and River Foyle catchments are being prepared in line with White Paper commitments. These plans will enable the Department to set comprehensive standards of water quality, against which existing and proposed uses can be judged.
Discharges from the Department's sewage treatment works to waterways are also being regularly and systematically sampled, in order to determine appropriate standards for the required consents for such discharges.
To safeguard the high quality of Northern Ireland's bathing waters, systematic water quality sampling is being extended to a further nine bathing waters, in addition to the 16 identified under the EC Bathing Waters Directive.
Since 1979, grants of £4.9 million to district councils have enabled 43,000 houses to convert to burn smokeless fuel. The Government is engaged in a study of sulphur dioxide and smoke levels to ensure compliance with Directive 80/779/EEC. The results of this research will form the basis of future strategies to combat these pollutants.
Proposals for a new system of air pollution control have been published for consultation and a consultation paper on a future strategy for waste management will also be published. A new Litter Order will be put in operation by the end of 1993.
Greater freedom of access to environmental information is a right enshrined in the citizens charter. Public registers of premises authorised or registered to keep, use or dispose of radioactive material under the Radioactive Substances Act of 1960, are now held by the Environment Service and all district councils in Northern Ireland.
8. Planning
A new Belfast urban area plan has been through public inquiry and has now been adopted for the period up to 2001. A review of housing land in the plan area has been announced. Sixteen other area plans were adopted covering all of Northern Ireland except Craigavon and two rural area around Belfast. Thirty conservation areas have been designated since 1979 bringing the total number to 39. Also the planning service has been reviewing its rural planning policy in conjunction with interested parties. The results of the review bill will be announced soon.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Milk and Potato Industries
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people were employed at the latest available date in (a) the potato industry and (b) the milk industry in England and Wales.
Mr. Gummer : With regard to the milk industry, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr. Ross) on 2 March 1993 at column 77.
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Comparable information is not readily available for potatoes.Fisheries Council
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Fisheries Council in Brussels on 18 March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I attended the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Brussels on 18 March 1993 together with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Sir Hector Monro).
The main issue at this meeting was consideration of the state of the market. I emphasised that the situation is serious, and that there are a variety of causes. For the United Kingdom, the problem is clearly being made worse by the violent action of French fishermen. I obtained an assurance from the French Minister that France will take more vigorous action to restore trading activity to normal and to protect consignments exported from Britain to France.
Problems are also being caused by imports from outside the Community. The Council noted that the minimum import prices, recently introduced, are not working effectively. All Ministers agreed to ensure rigorous enforcement of these and the Community's hygiene rules. The Council asked the Commission to make proposals for better control of direct landings by third country vessels, to consider the case for extension of the minimum import prices to further species of fish, and to open talks with the exporting countries most involved about co-operation to stabilise the market. Responsibility for market management lies with the Commission, who will with member States collect fuller data on the state of the market and who will consider whether further initiatives are needed.
The Council provided directions for further work on the proposed new control regulation, with a view to final decisions being taken in the summer. I made clear to the Council the importance we attach to achieving improved enforcement throughout the Community.
There was a preliminary discussion about the Commission's report, required by treaty, on the operation of the accession arrangements for Spain and Portugal.
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