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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 6 May 1993

TRANSPORT

Road Schemes

Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the report into speeding up

pre-construction procedures for road schemes ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : My right hon. Friend is concerned to speed up the delivery of schemes in the national road programme. He will make a statement about his plans as soon as possible.

Road Salt

Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ban the use of sodium hexacyanoferrate in road salt.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The rock salt used on the Department's motorways and trunk roads complies with British standard 3247, which stipulates the use of an anti-caking agent. The anti-caking agent currently in use is sodium hexacyanoferrate and I have no plans to discontinue its use.

Seacroft-Crossgates Bypass

Mr. Mudie : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that any decision on the Leeds A6120 Seacroft/Crossgates bypass should be postponed until a decision has been taken on the transpennine strategy study.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The transpennine study addresses wide strategic problems on the road network across the Pennines, whereas any proposals to improve the A6120 running through the communities of Seacroft and Crossgates would be designed to overcome existing traffic congestion and the bad accident record on the present road. It would be wrong therefore to tie the urgently needed improvements on the A6120 to the different and longer-term prospects for the transpennine routes.

Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant

Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what licences have been granted or issued for the transportation of radioactive materials to the THORP site since 1 January ; and what applications are now under consideration by his Department.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : One package design approval has been issued : four others are under consideration.

Nuclear Weapons (Transport)

Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make public his secret emergency plans dealing with nuclear weapon transport accidents.


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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I have no such plans. This is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

Traffic Review, Meriden

Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a review of traffic through Meriden village since the closure of the Oak Lane junction with the A45 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We are undertaking a review of all the options for permanent improvement of the Oak Lane junction with the A45. This will take account of the present interim scheme and of local views. I will write to my hon. Friend when the review is complete.

Seat Belts (Buses)

Mr. Roger Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce compulsory seat belts for school buses and minibuses ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : There is presently no requirement to fit seat belts in the rear seats of minibuses and coaches except in the exposed forward facing seats in coaches first used after 1 October 1988. We are pressing the European Commission to put forward amendments to the relevant directives to require seat belts to be fitted to all seats in these vehicles. The present law on compulsory wearing of seat belts requires them to be used in rear, as well as front, seats of smaller minibuses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2540kg, where they are fitted voluntarily.

The Loading Gauge Issue"

Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he received the Eurotunnel-sponsored report entitled "The Loading Gauge Issue" published in January ; what reply he has made ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman : I received Eurotunnel's report directly it was published. Eurotunnel is involved in continuing discussions being held between my Department, Her Majesty's railways inspectorate, independent consultants and British Rail on the feasibility and costs of upgrading some of BR's existing lines to a gauge suitable for piggyback transport.

Plutonium Nitrate

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will request the safety and reliability directorate of AEA Technology to update the 1984 report SRD-R-244, on the radiological consequences of the release into the sea of the contents of a plutonium nitrate package.

Mr. Norris : I understand that the Atomic Energy Authority is reviewing the report.

MOD Vehicles (Licensing)

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle types have been licensed by his Department under the International Atomic Energy Agency safety series No. 6 regulations 1985, as amended in 1990, for use by the Ministry of Defence for each of the last 10 years.


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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No such licences are required.

Night Flights

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish a list of those airlines, airport owner/operators, local authorities, pressure groups and other similar organisations and bodies that have submitted observations on his proposals for new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports ; (2) how many representations he has received from members of the public on his proposals for new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

Mr. Norris : The numbers of responses received in the relevant division to date is as follows :--

17Members of Parliament and MEPs (other than letters covering constituents' views) ; 3Airport consultative committees66Local authorities, Parish and Town councils, and local authority organisations ;41Environmental and other local groups ; 2Aviation and acoustical consultants61Airlines ; 5Airport and aviation bodies ;17Airline and airport users ;1,823 Responses from people living around Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted ;83Responses from people living elsewhere ;2,762*Petitions and signatures lodged in bulk. Relates to number of letters, not number of signatures.

* Numbers subject to verification.

Figures exclude correspondence related to proposed aircraft noise classifications. A list of the main respondents will be made available in due course.

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish a list of those Governments with whom discussions have been held on the new aircraft type classification proposed in his consultation paper on new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports ; and how many of such Governments have indicated their support ;

(2) if he will make a statement on the outcome of the discussions with the United States Federal Aviation Authority on their willingness to accept the new aircraft type classification system proposed in his consultation paper on new night flight controls at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

Mr. Norris : The classification system is based on the noise certification data which all modern aircraft are required to possess to operate between states that are signatories of the Chicago convention. As stated in the consultation paper, the use of such data is being discussed with several European countries with the hope of evolving a common approach. These discussions are being conducted through regular contacts at normal aviation fora. The outcome of our present consultation in relation to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is not dependent on the outcome of these discussions.

Safe Seas

Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response he has made to the European Commission on its proposal for setting up a committee on safe seas contained in the communication from Commissioners on "A Common Policy on Safe Seas"; and if he will make a statement.


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Mr. Norris : The United Kingdom has warmly welcomed the Commission's communication "A Common Policy for Safe Seas", which closely mirrors the Government's views on the need for action to improve the level of maritime safety in Community waters. Along with other member states, we approve in principle the Commission's proposal for a committee on safe seas, and are currently considering what its terms of reference should be.

ENVIRONMENT

Revocation Orders

Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total number of revocation orders issued by his Department following inappropriate planning decisions by local authorities in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Baldry : This power has been used only once in the last 10 years. The last occasion was in 1991.

Integrated Administration and Control Scheme

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for the Director General of Ordnance Survey to ensure (a) that all areas of United Kingdom farmland are mapped and (b) the establishment of an emergency Ordnance Survey telephone helpline to assist farmers experiencing mapping difficulties in completing their IACS forms.

Mr. Baldry : Ordnance Survey has surveyed and mapped all mountain and moorland areas of Great Britain at a scale of 1 : 10,000 and all other rural areas at a scale of 1 : 2,500. This mapping, which is based on the national grid and is available in a variety of forms, is maintained by Ordnance Survey, but is not commercially viable to revive the map of rural and remote areas as intensively as those of urban areas.

Some 400 outlets have been set up by Ordnance Survey to help farmers obtain the necessary maps and information to complete their IACS forms ; these include Ordnance Surveys superplan agents, land agents who have been granted extended copyright licences for the purpose, Ordnance Survey's own field offices, the Welsh Office and ADAS in Wales and the Scottish agricultural college in Scotland. In addition, staff at Ordnance Survey headquarters in Southampton are answering over 200 telephone inquiries from farmers each day using sophisticated helpline facilities.

Timeshare

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how United Kingdom timeshare dwellings are to be treated for the purposes of council tax and business rates regulations ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Robin Squire : Timeshare accommodation is liable for non- domestic rates.

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to amend the status of timeshare dwellings to make them eligible for council tax and to remove them from business rates.

Mr. Robin Squire : None.


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Departmental Buildings

Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Faversham (Sir R. Moate) of 28 April, Official Report, column 947, whether he will consider moving his Department to the Ark in Hammersmith.

Mr. Howard : I have asked Property Holdings, who are property managers for the Government estate, for advice on suitable accommodation. They are already fully aware of the availability of the Ark development and will take it into account.

Tyne and Wear Urban Development Corporation

Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26 April, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown), Official Report, column 319, how many of the jobs created by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation were relocations from other sites ; how many of the jobs are being carried out by people living (a) within the urban development corporation area and (b) within two miles of the urban development corporation area ; and what has been the total amount spent by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation since its inception.

Mr. Robin Squire : Information as requested relating to jobs created by the Tyne and Wear urban development corporation is not available. The corporation does, however, in conjunction with the local training and enterprise councils, encourage employers to recruit people from the local community.

The total amount spent by the corporation to 31 March 1993, including receipts, was £212.17 million.

Chemical Industry

Dr. Liam Fox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the process definitions set out in the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 as they apply to the chemical industry.

Mr. Maclean : I met representatives of the Chemical Industries Association on 24 February to discuss the industry's concern that the process definitions set out in the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 do not adequately reflect the complexity of the chemical industry. The industry believes that problems of process definition will result in unreasonable uncertainty and excessive cost for the industry in applying for authorisations under integrated pollution control and will delay the authorisation process.

At the meeting, I promised the industry that we would consider sympathetically the details of their concerns and take measures to overcome them. Since then, a small working party comprising representatives of the industry and of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has been looking into this problem.

Companies within this sector are due to be brought within integrated pollution control this year ; the window for applications for authorisation of such process runs from 1 May to 31 July. In order to avoid the need for applications to be submitted before the detailed outcome of these considerations is known, I propose to extend the application window until 31 October. Amending regulations to that effect will be laid in the very near future.


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I am satisfied that extending the application window in this way will not lead to any weakening in environmental protection, and believe that the operation of integrated pollution control can be improved by making limited changes to the definition of processes in the manufacture and use of organic chemicals falling under section 4.2 of chapter 4 of the regulations. These changes are not expected to affect other industrial sectors or processes subject to local authority air pollution control or to cut across possible changes that may arise from the wider consultation we are currently undertaking in relation to the 1991 regulations.

Estate Action

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the percentage of the total housing investment programme and resources allocated to estate action in each year since 1986-87.

Mr. Baldry [holding answer 5 May 1993] : Under the local authority capital finance system established in 1990-91, housing investment programme allocations represent an assessment of the relative need for housing capital expenditure, rather than a direct borrowing approval. Borrowing approval is conveyed by the single, all-service basic credit approval, augmented by allocations of supplementary credit approvals, where appropriate. In turn, local authorities finance their housing investment programmes from credit approvals and grant, from usable capital receipts, and from contributions from revenue budgets.

The table shows the resources allocated to the estate action programme each year since 1986-87, in total and as a percentage of total local authority housing capital allocations.


                    |Estate action      |Estate action                          

                    |resources          |resources as a                         

                                        |percentage of local                    

                                        |authority housing                      

                                        |capital allocations                    

                    |(£ million)                                                

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1986-87             |45                 |3                                      

1987-88             |75                 |5                                      

1988-89             |140                |9                                      

1989-90             |190                |13                                     

1990-91             |190                |10                                     

1991-92             |268                |13                                     

1992-93             |347                |<1>18                                  

1993-94             |356                |<2>20                                  

<1> estimated outturn                                                           

<2> plans                                                                       

Homelessness

Ms Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the choice provided by local authorities to homeless families when they are moved on from one unit of temporary accommodation to another type of temporary accommodation.

Mr. Baldry : This information is not held centrally.

Seveso Directive

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 26, April to the hon. and Learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile),


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Official Report, column 322, if he will list the bodies and people who will receive copies of the consultation document on extending the scope of the Seveso directive.

Mr. McLoughlin : I have been asked to reply.

The proposed amending regulations to extend the scope of the Seveso directive will apply to only approximately 10 waste disposal installations in the United Kingdom. Consultation with the National Association of Waste Disposal Contractors has already begun. Further consultation will take place through the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances, which includes representatives from the CBI, TUC and local authority associations such as the Association of District Councils and Association of County Councils. Other interested bodies will be alerted through a press release which will advise how copies of the consultation document can be obtained.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Overseas Domestic Workers

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to make provisions for overseas domestic workers to be granted leave to remain while they pursue legal action, civil or criminal, against former employers ;

(2) what plans he has of giving overseas domestic workers an immigration status (a) independent of the household they work for and (b) as workers ;

(3) what plans he has to establish a review of the present laws regulating the admission of overseas domestic workers ; and if he will make a statement ;

(4) what plans there are to allow overseas domestic workers to change employers within the same category of employment.

Mr. Charles Wardle : We introduced in May 1991 tighter criteria for the exceptional arrangements outside the immigration rules under which a domestic servant who has worked abroad for an employer who comes to the United Kingdom may be admitted to continue working for that employer. Although domestic workers are admitted to keep their jobs as part of the household of their employer, they have their own immigration status as employees and may apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom after four years in approved employment under the exceptional arrangements. There are no provisions under those arrangements for domestic workers to change employers outside the immigration rules before being granted indefinite leave to remain. Nor is there provision for any non-EC national to remain in the United Kingdom after his or her leave has expired in order to pursue legal action. However, each case involving a domestic worker who wishes to remain in the United Kingdom after having left the employer for whom he or she was admitted to work is carefully considered before any enforcement action is taken, and account is taken of any compassionate circumstances. We have no plans to carry out a further review of the arrangements for domestic workers.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on how many overseas domestic workers have initiated legal challenges against their former employers since 24 July 1990 on


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grounds of (a) sexual offences, (b) offences of violence, (c) false imprisonment, (d) assault and battery, (e) intimidation, (f) breach of contract and (g) slavery ; and how many such employers were found guilty.

Mr. Jack : The information requested is not recorded centrally.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received with regard to reforming the immigration status of overseas domestic workers in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Since the beginning of this year, my right hon. and learned Friend and I have received four lettters from right hon. and hon. Members and noble Lords about the exceptional arrangements outside the immigration rules for domestic workers from overseas. My right hon. and learned Friend and I have also received a number of letters from members of the public and organisations.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic workers have entered the United Kingdom since 1977 ; and if he will specify those entering under (a) code 4, (b) code 5N and (c) code 3 of the immigration regulations.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The information is not available in the form requested. However, in the period January to August 1992, some 8,600 entry clearances were issued to domestic workers by the main posts which issue entry clearances to such workers.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will detail the number of domestic workers deported since 1980 ; and how many were (a) overstayers or (b) unauthorised workers.

Mr. Charles Wardle : This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Life Sentences

Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the reconviction rate for people released from prison on licence who were serving life sentences.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : Two per cent. of life licensees released between 1972 and 1988 were convicted of a "grave" offence--violent crime--within two years of discharge and 4 per cent. of those persons released between 1972 and 1985 were reconvicted within five years. The figures for a "standard list" offence--indictable plus certain summary offences--were 10 and 21 per cent respectively. This information was published in statistical bulletin 3/93, a copy of which is in the Library.

Crime Prevention

Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the Government's policy for financing and supporting crime prevention.

Mr. Jack : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Hendry) on 4 March, at columns 274-75, which


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details Home Office support for crime prevention. In addition, other Departments' programmes, such as the Department of the Environment's city challenge and estates action, and the Department for Education's grants for education support and training scheme, include strong crime prevention elements. Overall Government spending on crime prevention was an estimated £167 million in 1991-92.

Dangerous Dogs

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the working so far of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Mr. Charles Wardle : We remain committed to the Act's objective of improving public protection against attacks from fighting and other dogs. We continue to keep the Act's operation under review, and to consider suggestions for further improvement to its practical operations.

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to ensure that the distinction between pit bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers is clear.

Mr. Jack : We have no plans to amend the Act. Periodic advice has been issued to the enforcement authorities and the courts on the identification of dogs, and we are considering suggestions for providing further help on this point.

Identity Cards

Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about a national identity card scheme ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : Some 27 individual letters have been received from Members of Parliament and others so far this year. None has persuaded me that the advantages of such a scheme outweigh the disadvantages.

Neighbourhood Watch

Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department gives to assist neighbourhood watch schemes.

Mr. Jack : The Government are committed to encouraging the development of neighbourhood watch schemes. The number of schemes has grown rapidly in recent years and there are now nearly 115,000 schemes in operation in England and Wales covering more than 5 million households.

We set up Crime Concern in 1988 to stimulate growth of schemes and develop a national structure for the neighbourhood watch movement. We have provided considerable financial backing to enable Crime Concern to carry forward this work.

We have recently given funding towards the cost of producing a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator's handbook which is shortly to be published. A number of national conferences for scheme co-ordinators have been arranged by Crime Concern. Last year's conference took place at the national exhibition centre in Birmingham and was addressed by the Home Secretary.

With financial support from the Home Office, Crime Concern is also undertaking a two year pilot project, the


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"neighbourhood safety project", to introduce a neighbourhood watch-type scheme into two high crime residential areas in West Yorkshire.

We are including a special neighbourhood watch insert in the Home Office magazine "Crime Prevention News" which is sent to all police crime prevention officers for distribution to neighbourhood watch co-ordinators.

We encourage the police to support neighbourhood watch schemes, although it is ultimately a matter for each chief constable to decide how much of his resources he can allocate to these activities. I addressed the Derby neighbourhood watch co-ordinators' conference on 30 April and I was delighted to learn about the considerable support which Derbyshire police are providing to schemes throughout the force area.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cambodia

Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 148, and his pursuant answer of 29 April column 506, what information he has on the number of mines lifted by the Cambodians trained or operating under UNTAC in Cambodia.

Mr. Goodlad : According to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia--UNTAC--figures at mid-April, Cambodians trained by UNTAC have destroyed or recovered 14,343 mines and munitions in Cambodia--9,474 anti- personnel mines, 20 anti-tank mines and 4,869 pieces of unexploded ordinance. By comparison, non-governmental organisations have cleared 2,171 mines and munitions.

World Conflict

Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretry of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current armed conflicts in the world, the estimated number of deaths in each and the actions taken by the United Kingdom Government to encourage peace in each conflict.


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