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Column 147
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 April 1993
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Khmer Rouge
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the number of (a) civilian and (b) UN personnel killed by the Khmer Rouge in March.
Mr. Goodlad : One member of the United Nations transition authority in Cambodia's--UNTAC--military component was killed by the Khmer Rouge in March. UNTAC has no figures for civilian casualties throughout Cambodia. In view of the difficulties involved in identifying the culprits, it is not possible to specify which murders were perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge, although there is a strong likelihood that they were involved in the recent attacks on ethnic Vietnamese.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reconsideration the Government have undertaken of their views on the inclusion of the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodia peace process.
Mr. Goodlad : Our views on the inclusion of the Khmer Rouge in the peace process remain unchanged. The civil war in Cambodia could not have been brought to an end if the comprehensive political settlement had excluded any of the main parties to the dispute. To have done so would only have prolonged the conflict and condemned the Cambodian people to indefinite misery. We deplore the failure of the Khmer Rouge to live up to its commitments under the Paris agreements.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the percentage of Cambodian territory controlled by the Khmer Rouge (a) at the commencement of the UN mandate and (b) at present.
Mr. Goodlad : Because of the dispositions of the factions in Cambodia, it is difficult to determine precisely how much territory is held by each. We do not believe, however, that the Khmer Rouge since October 1991 has been able to extend to any marked degree the villages and territory under its control.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what current estimate he has made of the military threat posed by the Khmer Rouge to the peace process in Cambodia ; and what will be the British contribution to resisting it.
Mr. Goodlad : UNTAC estimates that the current strength of the Khmer Rouge armed forces is somewhere in the region of 12,000 front-line troops. They have shown their ability to carry out guerrilla operations, but their strength lies in the western and north western provinces.
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The United Kingdom has contributed 122 personnel to UNTAC's military component to enable it to implement its mandate under the terms of the Paris agreements.Whaling
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to making further discussions with Norway on EC membership conditional on that country reversing its decision to resume the killing of great whales.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Norway would be expected to respect the terms and conditions of existing Community legislation on whales should she accede to the Community. This policy has been made clear to the Norwegians.
Cambodia
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EC, Japan and the United States of America regarding international help to Cambodia after the proposed elections in May.
Mr. Goodlad : The main forum for international assistance to Cambodia will be the International Conference on the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Cambodia--ICORC. The framework for ICORC was agreed at the ministerial conference in Tokyo in June 1992 at which member states of the European Community, Japan and the United States of America were present. A follow-up meeting was held at official level in Phnom Penh on 25 February 1993. The Japanese Government will be arranging further meetings after the May elections.
Many United Nations agencies and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme, will retain personnel in Cambodia after the end of the UNTAC mandate in August.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the number of mine- clearing units operating under the UN mandate in Cambodia ; and how many mines have been lifted as a result of those operations.
Mr. Goodlad : On the basis of the most recent UNTAC figures, 12 mine clearance training teams and 16 supervisory teams were operating in Cambodia. UNTAC's mandate does not include the actual lifting of mines. This is to be done by Cambodians trained by UNTAC. The clearing of mines is being co-ordinated by the Cambodian mine action centre which is, in part, funded by UNTAC.
ENVIRONMENT
Radioactive Substances
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has made this year under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 ; and if he will give details of the outcome of each prosecution.
Mr. Maclean : Information on prosecutions taken by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 from 1 April 1992 to 16 April 1993 is set out in the table.
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Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution
RSA 1960 prosecutions
1 April 1992 to date
Division |Name |Act |Offence |Date of hearing |Verdict |Fine |Cost
|£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East |Esselte Letraset |RSA 1960 |Failure to comply with |29 June 1992 |G |100 |1,000
|condition of registration to
|prevent unauthorised access
|to a radioactive source
West |Xidex (UK) Ltd. |RSA 1960 |Breach of conditions relating | 7 September 1992 |G |6,000 |5,000
|to storage of radioactive
|material
West |British Coal |RSA 1960 |Breach of conditions relating |12 October 1992 |G |20,000 |6,410
|to storage of radioactive
|material
West |West Midlands Regional |RSA 1960 |Breaching 17 offences under |18 December 1992 |G |51,000 |8,000
| Health Authority | Section 13(1)(c) of the RSA
Anglian |Nichols Institute |RSA 1960 |Breach of conditions relating to|6 April 1993 |G |10,000 |2,726
| Diagnostics |accumulation of radioactive
|waste without authorisation
Southern and |United Kingdom Atomic |RSA 1960 |Failure to use BPM to limit the |16 April 1993 |G |5,000 |N/a
HMNII |Energy Authority |activity of radioactive waste
|released and to make a record
|of the means employed
Cotgrave Colliery
Mr. Simpson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what planning applications he has received in respect of the future use of Cotgrave colliery and the use of the pit shafts themselves ; and if he will make a statement on the environmental considerations which will be made about future site use.
Mr. Baldry : Planning applications are made to the relevant local planning authorities in the first instance, not to the Secretary of State. However, I understand that neither of the local planning authorities has received any planning applications in respect of this site. If any applications are received the local planning authorities will be expected to take into account all material environmental considerations.
Housing Statistics
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of homes owned by each local authority in Northamptonshire on 31 March for each year since 1978.
Mr. Baldry : Local authorities report the numbers of dwellings they own in their annual housing investment programme returns--HIP1. The figures for 1 April 1978 and 1979 are listed in column B11 of the "HIP1 All Items Print" for those years. For 1 April 1980 and all subsequent years up to 1 April 1992, the latest available, the information is shown in column A11 of each year's "HIP1 All Items Print". Copies of the "HIP1 All Items Print" for each year are in the Library.
Squirrel Monkeys
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what laws govern the use by zoo operators engaging in street photography using squirrel monkeys as props.
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Mr. Maclean : Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, zoo operators must have a valid zoo licence and any animal removed from zoo must be in their personal possession or that of competent persons acting on their behalf. All zoo licences require the operator to notify the local licensing authority before removing a squirrel monkey, or any other animal listed in the schedule to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. The operator must provide details of the destination and method of transportation of the animal and the arrangements for its well-being and public safety.
A zoo keeper would also be bound by the provisions of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 which makes it an offence to cause or, in the case of an owner, permit any unnecessary suffering to a captive animal.
Orimulsion
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce the measures Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will take to ensure the control of emissions from power stations burning orimulsion.
Mr. Maclean : The burning of orimulsion or any other fuel in power stations is subject to control by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under integrated pollution control--IPC--legislation. All IPC authorisations require the operator to use the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost--BATNEEC--to prevent or minimise and render harmless the release of prescribed substances to any environmental medium.
The chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is currently considering two applications from PowerGen to burn orimulsion at Ince power station in Cheshire and Richborough power station in Kent. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has agreed with PowerGen an extension to the determination period for
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both applications until the end of July allowing further time for consideration of the economic and environmental impact of this new fuel.Council House Sales
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each district authority in Northamptonshire the total discounted value of houses and flats sold in each year since 1988 -89.
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Mr. Baldry : The total discounted values of dwellings sold by local authorities in Northamptonshire in the years 1988-89 to 1991-92 are given in the table. Actual cash receipts in any year will depend on the extent to which sales were financed by loans from the authorities. Figures for 1992- 93 are not yet available.
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?
£ thousand
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
---------------------------------------------------------------
Corby |9,036 |6,764 |2,508 |2,421
Daventry |4,651 |3,437 |1,425 |1,242
East Northamptonshire |4,160 |1,404 |979 |1,042
Kettering |5,300 |1,869 |923 |1,020
Northampton |16,530 |11,595 |3,521 |4,197
South Northamptonshire |5,471 |2,467 |767 |1,109
Wellingborough |6,311 |2,937 |2,232 |1,480
Business Rates
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the estimated increase in business rates for firms in the west midlands as a result of the 1995 rating revaluation.
Mr. Robin Squire : It is too early to speculate about the outcome of the 1995 revaluation, the results of which will not be available until next year.
Mineral Workings
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue the updated version of the minerals planning guidance note on the reclamation of mineral workings.
Mr. Baldry : Revision of the minerals planning guidance note on the reclamation of mineral workings is in hand. A consultation draft will be available at the end of this year, with publication of a revised version in 1994.
Opencast Coal Mining
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce changes in planning guidance relating to opencast coal mining in the light of the recent White Paper on coal.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Mrs. Knight) on 25 March, Official Report, columns 714-15.
Rent Reviews
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received regarding upward-only rent reviews ; and what action his Department is proposing to take.
Mr. Baldry : Representations have been received from a number of individuals and interested bodies. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning announced on 31 March, in answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr. Thomason)-- Official
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Report columns 293-94 --that the Government will consult widely on this aspect of commercial leasing and carefully consider the outcome in relation to new leases.Standard Spending Assessments
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many hours officials at his Department are expected to spend in reviewing the method of calculation of standard spending assessments ; and what staff levels will be involved.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Department is at present planning to devote about 10 man years to work on the SSA review in this financial year. Officials in other Government Departments will also be involved. The amount of work will depend, in part, on the representations made to us by local authorities and others.
Green Belt
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what time limits exist for local authorities to take enforcement action against non-conforming uses within the green belt, from the time that the alleged non-conforming use commenced.
Mr. Baldry : Section 171B of the Town and Country Planning Act-- inserted by section 4(1) of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991-- effectively provides that, where a breach of planning control involves a "material" change of use of land, no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the 10-year period from the date of the breach. Where the breach of control involves the change of use of any building to use as a single dwellinghouse, section 171B(2) of the 1990 Act provides that no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the four-year period from the date of the breach. These provisions apply regardless of whether the land is in a green belt.
House Building
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the number of houses built for (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) private enterprise in the west midlands in each of the last three years.
Mr. Baldry : Permanent dwellings completed in the last three years are :
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|1990 |1991 |<1>1992
----------------------------------------------------------------
Private enterprise |13,123 |13,383 |12,418
Housing associations |2,118 |1,517 |2,324
Local authorities and new towns |1,133 |979 |377
|---- |---- |----
All |16.374 |15,879 |15,119
<1> Provisional.
No breakdown between local authorities and new towns is held for individual regions.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table showing by region (a) the number of house building starts and completions and (b) the number per head of population for each year since 1980.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 9 March 1993] : Estimates of housebuilding starts and completions by region and by number per head of population are shown in the publication "Housing and Construction Statistics". Figures for 1980 for starts and completions by region are in table 6.4, and figures per thousand population are in table 6.6 of the 1980 to 1990 edition and revised figures for 1981 to 1991 are in the same tables in the 1981 to 1991 edition. Copies of these publications are in the Library.
Hadrian's Wall
Ms Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is to meet ramblers or their representatives to discuss the proposed footpath along the length of Hadrian's wall ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : No. The Countryside Commission submitted the report which details the results of its consultation, on 31 March, and I shall be considering this as soon as possible.
Open Spaces Society
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much notice the Open Spaces Society received of the reduction in its grant for 1993-94 ; what were the reasons for the reduction ; and which of its activities will be reduced or abandoned.
Mr. Maclean : The Open Spaces Society was advised in January 1992 that future funding for its urban project should be found from outside Government sources and that 1992-93 was the last year of agreed funding for their rural work.
Given the large number of worthy voluntary groups eligible for support from the fund, it would not be right for any one group to expect full support for an unlimited period. However, the society's work in protecting common land and town and village greens is highly regarded by the Department and I have therefore decided that the society should receive some further support for another three years towards its work in this area. This will amount to £15,000 in 1993-94 reducing to around £10,000 in 1995-96, giving time for the society to seek alternative sources of funding after that.
The society received formal notice of this on 19 March.
Empty Properties
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken by the task force on vacant Government-owned dwellings.
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Mr. Howard : The task force on Government Departments' empty houses has held two meetings, and is due to meet again on 28 April. It has commissioned detailed information from Departments on actual numbers of surplus and empty residential property. It is currently negotiating with Departments firm targets for disposal or occupation, to deliver its remit of helping to bring this property back into housing use.
Waste Water Treatment
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to issue for public consultation a draft of the implementing regulations for the EC urban waste water treatment directive.
Mr. Maclean : We have today issued for consultation a draft of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales consider that it will be useful, particularly for the National Rivers Authority and for the water service companies and other dischargers, to have available to them some guidance on the implementation and interpretation of these regulations. A draft of a proposed guidance note to accompany them has therefore also been published for consultation today.
EDUCATION
College Fees
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role his Department exercises in the setting of college fees in respect of undergraduates at collegiate universities ; and if he will set out the total payments for college fees made by his Department to each college in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Boswell : The level of fees set for the constituent colleges of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge is determined through discussions between the Department and representatives of the colleges. The negotiations take account of the change in the unit of public funding of student places in higher education. The Department does not currently exercise any role in the setting of college fees for other collegiate universities.
The total payment of college fees was £38 million in 1990-91 in respect of Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and £8 million in respect of colleges in other collegiate universities. Information on the total payment of fees in respect of each college is not available centrally.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, column 154, if he will publish the current level of college fees agreed with his Department in respect of undergraduates in each college at the universities listed in his answer.
Mr. Boswell : The current level of fees set for each college is as follows :
College |£
--------------------------------------
Cambridge
Christ's |2,553
Churchill |2,529
Clare |2,556
Clare Hall |2,484
Corpus Christi |2,637
Darwin |2,616
Downing |2,727
Emmanuel |2,586
Fitzwilliam |2,733
Girton |2,634
Gonville and Caius |2,589
Hughes Hall |2,448
Jesus |2,616
King's |2,553
Lucy Cavendish |2,631
Magdalene |2,730
New Hall |2,727
Newnham |2,724
Pembroke |2,709
Peterhouse |2,547
Queens' |2,667
Robinson |2,682
St. Catharine's |2,622
St. Edmund's |2,445
St. John's |2,502
Selwyn |2,721
Sidney Sussex |2,724
Trinity |2,487
Trinity Hall |2,658
Wesley House |2,652
Wolfson |2,508
Durham
University |177
Hatfield |177
Grey |177
Van Mildert |177
Collingwood |177
St. Hild and St. Bede |177
St. Cuthbert's |177
St. Mary's |177
St. Aidan's |177
Trevelyan |177
St. Chad's |936
St. John's |936
Ushaw |936
Kent
Darwen |153
Eliot |153
Rutherford |153
Keynes |153
Lancaster
Bowland |134
Cartmel |134
The County |134
Furness |134
Fylde |134
Grizedale |134
Londsdale |134
Pendle |134
Oxford
Balliol |2,966
Blackfriars |2,848
Brasenose |2,985
Campion Hall |3,161
Christ Church |2,983
Corpus Christi |2,976
Exeter |3,017
Greyfriars |3,038
Hertford |3,147
Jesus |2,989
Keble |3,216
Lady Margaret Hall |3,140
Lincoln |2,933
Magdalen |3,016
Manchester |3,042
Mansfield |3,330
Merton |2,900
New College |3,008
Oriel |3,140
Pembroke |2,993
Queen's |2,951
Regent's Park |3,147
Ripon College |3,803
St. Anne's |3,126
St. Benet's Hall |3,107
St. Catherine's |3,041
St. Edmund Hall |3,101
St. Hilda's |3,094
St. Hugh's |3,128
St. John's |2,948
St. Peter's |3,195
St. Stephen's House |3,041
Somerville |3,099
Trinity |2,969
University |3,003
Wadham |3,061
Worcester |3,052
Wycliffe Hall |3,041
York
Alcuin |151
Derwent |151
Goodricke |151
Langwith |151
Vanburgh |151
Wentworth |151
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy towards institutions of higher education wishing to reorganise on a collegiate basis in respect of payment of college fees from public funds.
Mr. Boswell : The internal organisation of universities and colleges is a matter for the institutions alone to decide. My right hon. Friend does not intend to extend the list of institutions in the mandatory awards regulations for which local education authorities are obliged to meet college fees.
Contracted-out Services
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if it is his Department's policy not to allow in-house bids when a service which has already been contracted out is retendered.
Mr. Boswell : It is the Department's general policy not to allow in- house bids when contracted out services are retendered. The Department would consider such a bid only when it could be made as part of a larger in -house bid, in a market test also covering services currently done in- house.
Education, Greater Manchester
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on participation rates in further and higher education in the Greater Manchester area.
Mr. Boswell : Data on participation in higher education by those domiciled in Greater Manchester are not readily available. A statistical bulletin will be published in May, covering participation in education at ages 16 and 17.
For Greater Manchester the figures are as follows :
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Percentage of Age-group in Education: 1991-92
|Number
----------------------------------------------
Age 16<1>
School |34
Full-time further education |25
Part-time further education |11
|--
Total |70
Age 17<1>
School |26
Full-time further education |19
Part-time further education |15
|--
Total |60
<1> Age as at 31 May 1991
Sex Education
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to update the guidance on sex education in schools contained in circular 11/87.
Mr. Patten : I am today issuing for consultation a draft revised circular on sex education and have placed copies in the Library of the House.
We are clear that all sex education should take place within a framework which encourages pupils to consider the moral dimension of their actions. They should recognise the value of family life and understand the importance of loving relationships and mutual respect.
This draft advice seeks to guide and support headteachers and other classroom teachers in a sensitive, but important, aspect of children's education. It rightly recognises that parents are the key figures in helping their children to cope with the physical and emotional aspects of growing up and in preparing them for the challenges and responsibilities which sexual maturity brings. The teaching offered by schools should be complementary and supportive to the role of parents.
The circular also explains how the provisions for sex education in the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 work together with those in the Education Reform Act 1988. This requires all pupils to study aspects of sex education within national curriculum science.
Our new draft guidance will offer appropriate advice to teachers, governors and others who are responsible for providing such education.
Universities (Child Care)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of state for Education what statutory provisions govern the use of public funds by universities to support child care facilities for university students and staff.
Mr. Boswell : Public funds for universities in England are administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Section 65(2) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 defines the activities eligible for funding. This definition does not exclude the funding of child care facilities.
Universities are autonomous bodies and it is for them to decide their own priorities, including any provision or support of child care facilities for staff and students, from within the resources available to them.
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WALES
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake a survey of all local education authorities in Wales to determine which of them, on being responded to provide an assessment under section 5 of the Education Act 1981, responded by providing an informal assessment, rather than a statutory assessment for those children who hitherto have not been statemented.
eeds, where the child does not already have a statement, does not differentiate between a formal or an informal assessment. The Education Bill makes it clear that parents may ask a local education authority to arrange a statutory assessment.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure that local education authorities do not refuse a statement for a child of statutory secondary school age, whose statutory assessment has indicated special educational needs, on the grounds that the funding of such statementing is the responsibility of individual schools under the system of local management of schools.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Local education authorities have a statutory duty to prepare a statement, if following a formal assessment of needs, they conclude that they should determine the special educational provision that should be made for a child. LEAs have a further duty to maintain a statement and to ensure that the provision it specifies is delivered. Local management of schools' arrangements do not affect LEAs' statutory duty in that respect.
Parents have a right of appeal to my right hon. Friend if, following a formal assessment, LEAs decide not to issue a statement. They may also make a complaint to him if they consider that an LEA is defaulting on a statutory duty.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many out- county places are provided by each local education authority in Wales for (a) children with special educational needs, and (b) for children suffering from dyslexia.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information is available only in respect of children with statements of special educational needs. Information on statemented pupils by the authority where they are registered and place of education at January 1992 is given in table 12.01 of the Welsh Office publication "Statistics of Education and Training in Wales : Schools, No. 1 1993".
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what review he has undertaken of the additional educational facilities in each local education authority in Wales required to meet the special educational needs of children who are being educated bilingually ; (2) if he will carry out a survey of the number of children in all local education authority in Wales who have been identified by the local education authority as having a specific learning difficulty in numeracy ; and if he will arrange for these figures to be published.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend has not undertaken a review and does not propose any survey. It
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is the responsibility of the local education authority to identify children with special educational needs, including those with specific learning difficulties, and to make appropriate provision for them.Tourism
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the tourism-related (a) reclamation and (b) environmental schemes (i) completed and (ii) in programme but not completed by the Welsh Development Agency in each year since 1987 indicating the cost of each project.
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