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Disruptive Pupils
Mr. Butcher : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will undertake a study of the particular staffing and building requirements of schools designed to contain and educate disruptive pupils.
Mr. Forth : We have no plans to undertake such a study.
Mr. Butcher : To ask the Secretary of Sate for Education what consideration he has given to the setting up of schools where disruptive pupils can be temporarily or permanently otherwise than at school where they consider it necessary to meet a pupil's needs. The Education Bill now before Parliament contains provision to convert that power into a duty but it will remain for LEAs to determine the precise nature of the provision made for individual pupils in the light of the particular circumstances of each case.
Disturbed Children
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice has been issued through the Department for Education, the National Curriculum Council, School Examinations and Assessment Council or OFSTED about the teaching or modifying of the national curriculum for emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children.
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Mr. Forth : The DFE, OFSTED and NCC publications listed include advice on the teaching and disapplication of the national curriculum for children with special educational needs. DFE circular 23/89 deals specifically with emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children. The statutory orders containing attainment targets and programmes of study for the national curriculum also contain advice on children with special educational needs.
SEAC's school assessment folders regularly include guidance on the assessment of children with special educational needs, and have made specific mention of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Department for Education
National Curriculum--from Policy to Practice
Circular 5/89 : The Education Reform Act 1988 : the School Curriculum and Assessment
Circular 15/89 : Education Reform Act 1988 : Temporary Exceptions from the National Curriculum
Circular 22/89 : Assessments and Statements of Special Educational Needs : Procedures within the Education, Health and Social Services Circular 23/89 : Special Schools for Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
OFSTED/Her Majesty's Inspectorate
Special Needs and the National Curriculum (an annual series of reports)
The Implementations of National Curriculum Science at Key Stage 3 in Some Special Schools
National Curriculum Council
Implementing the National Curriculum--Participation by Pupils with Special Educational Needs
A Curriculum for All : Special Educational Needs in the National Curriculum
Teaching Science to Pupils with Special Educational Needs Science and Pupils with Special Educational Needs (Key Stages 1 and 2)
Oracy and Special Educational Needs--case studies across Key Stages 1-4
Modern Foreign Languages and Special Needs
SEN Newsletter
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools and units for emotionally and behaviourally disturbed children he has visited since assuming office.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friends and I have visited a large number of schools. As regards schools and units specifically providing for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, my right hon. Friend has visited one school for such pupils and four for pupils with other special educational needs. I have visited one school for emotionally and behaviourally disturbed pupils and two schools for pupils with other disabilities.
ENVIRONMENT
Council House Sales
14. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold to sitting tenants in England since May 1979.
Mr. Howard : More than 1.1 million council properties in England have been sold to sitting tenants since May 1979, under the right to buy. In Great Britain as a whole, our policy has enabled more than 1.4 million former public sector tenants to become owner occupiers.
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Market Testing
15. Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for extending market testing to white-collar local authority services.
Mr. Robin Squire : Last November my right hon. and learned Friend announced the Government's decision to extend compulsory competitive tendering to a wide range of local authority professional and corporate services. On 19 April this year I announced the timetable for implementation. Tendering will start from summer 1994. Detailed arrangements are now being discussed with the local authority associations and others.
Council Tax
16. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what figures he has comparing council tax levels according to political control of the local authority.
Mr. Redwood : The average band C council tax in areas under Conservative control in February 1993 is £456. This is £107 lower than the corresponding figure for Labour areas and £19 lower than the corresponding figure for Liberal Democrat areas.
Housing
17. Mr. Booth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about unused public and private sector housing.
Sir George Young : The Government's aim is to bring a decent home within the reach of every family. To do this, it is important that we make full use of the existing housing stock and help homeless families by bringing empty property back into use.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his autumn statement last November the provision of £627 million additional resources in England in 1992-93 to boost the housing market. £577 million of this, provided through the Housing Corporation, enabled housing associations to buy some 18,000 new, empty or repossessed properties.
In addition, local authorities have been allowed to spend virtually all the capital receipts they accrue between 13 November 1992 and the end of December 1993. This represents a substantial increase in local authorities' spending power and I hope that they will make effective use of the extra receipts, particularly in the areas of renovation and maintenance which would contribute to bringing back into productive use some of the 74,000 empty local authority flats and houses.
Resources for the estate action and housing action trusts programmes-- £356 million and £87 million respectively in 1993-94--will assist in reducing the number of empty units in the larger and more difficult local authority estates.
The Government are keen to stimulate growth in the private rented sector. Deregulation of rents and the availability of shorthold tenancies for new private tenancies has removed one of the constraints which previously inhibited potential landlords. We offer a number of incentives to private individuals and institutions to make underused property available for rent : we are making £25 million available over three years to encourage retailers to let flats over their shops ; tax
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incentives have been introduced to encourage house-holders to take in lodgers--from April 1992 gross rental income of up to £3,250 per annum has been exempt from income tax ; following the success of pilot schemes last year we have expanded the housing associations as managing agents nationwide ; and the business expansion scheme has realised about £1.25 billion in new investment, some of which has gone to purchasing empty or repossessed properties for renting. Finally, a task force on Government Departments' empty houses has been set up to agree a programme of disposals of the 26,000 empty homes identified which are not needed immediately for operational purposes and to help bring them back into housing use.Air Quality (London)
18. Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the level of monitoring of air quality in London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard : My Department will be issuing a consultataion document in the summer on the extension of national air quality monitoring by the further integration of local authority and central Government funded monitoring.
Meanwhile the hon. Member will be pleased to know that I am able to announce today that our enhanced urban network will be extended by the incorporation of a site in Bexley, close to his own constituency.
Black Businesses
19. Ms Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what his Department is doing to help small black businesses in the inner city.
Mr. Robin Squire : In 1993-94 the Department is providing £408 million under urban expenditure programmes, which have among their objectives to stimulate the creation of small businesses and to help existing ones thrive and grow. A proportion of those funds go to small black businesses. City challenge partnerships and inner city task forces particularly identify ethnic minorities as a target group.
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Unit
21. Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when an anouncement will be made on the future of THORP.
Mr. Maclean : My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and my right hon. and learned Friend received the regulators' report on their public consultation on their proposed draft authorisations for the Sellafield site earlier this week. We are now giving it our urgent consideration.
Revenue Support Grant
22. Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from Cumbria county council on the level of the most recent revenue support grant settlements.
Mr. Redwood : My Department has received a number of
representations from Cumbria county council about the
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level of revenue support grant in recent years. Each was given careful consideration before the Secretary of State announced his proposals for the year ahead. My Department has also received a representation from Cumbria in relation to the current review of SSAs which will be carefully considered.Environment (County Councils)
23. Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be meeting the Association of County Councils to discuss environmental issues ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : I regularly discuss issues of common concern with the chairman of the ACC, together with the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of District Councils, in the central and local government environment forum. The next meeting of the forum is being planned for July.
Standard Spending Assessments
24. Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider changing the calculation method for standard spending assessments in respect of education for under five-year- olds.
Mr. Redwood : The method of calculation for standard spending assessments is currently under review in the light of new information from the 1991 census. This review includes an examination of the education elements.
31. Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about his Department's review of the standard spending assessments system.
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about his Department's review of the standard spending assessments system.
Mr. Robin Squire : Work on our review of standard spending assessments for 1994-95 is proceeding in consultation with local authority representatives.
We have invited local authorities to send us their views on SSAs and many have already taken the opportunity so to do. We shall consider all representations carefully, including those made to us during consultation on the revenue support grant settlement for 1993-94.
Local Government Finance
25. Mr. Bryan Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to meet representatives of the Association of County Councils to discuss local authority finance.
32. Mr. Hoon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to meet representatives of the Association of County Councils to discuss local authority finance.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. and learned Friend will be meeting representatives of the Association of County Councils at the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance in July and again in October. My officials and those of the assocation meet regularly to discuss a wide range of topics related to the financing of local authorities.
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Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the latest estimate of the extra capital spending by local authorities, generated by the relaxation of the rules relating to the use of capital receipts, over the three and a half years from the Chancellor's autumn statement on 12 November : (2) what is the total sum of local authority capital receipts since the Chancellor's autumn statement to date ; what proportion has been reinvested in building and construction work ; and what his latest estimate of the total capital receipts due to be raised by the end of December.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 25 May 1993] : No outturn information is yet available for the period since the autumn statement. I shall be monitoring the extent to which authorities are raising and spending receipts during the period of the relaxation of the capital receipts rules. No new estimate of extra receipts or spending has been made since that published in the autumn statement.
73. Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his Department's best estimates of housing capital and other receipts likely to be received in 1993-94 and the amount of those receipts estimated to be set aside as provision for credit liabilities in each region and each class of local authority in England.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Department is currently receiving and processing budget returns for 1993-94 from local authorities. I will arrange for the estimates to be placed in the Library of the House when this process has been completed.
75. Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were (a) the total housing capital and other receipts received by local authorities, (b) the amount of those receipts set aside as provision for credit liabilities and (c) the total capital receipts spent by local authorities on capital projects, in each region and each class of local authority in England for 1991-92 and estimated for 1992-93.
Mr. Robin Squire : The information is given in the table :
Local authority capital receipts (£ million)
|Received |Set aside|<1>Spent
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92
Class
Shire Counties |169 |70 |137
Metropolitan Districts |479 |292 |192
London Boroughs |504 |320 |272
Shire Districts |1,043 |646 |669
Other Authorities |68 |27 |36
|------- |------- |-------
Total England |2,263 |1,355 |1,306
Region
South East |1,057 |626 |672
South West |159 |91 |136
East Anglia |109 |72 |49
West Midlands |224 |138 |82
East Midlands |149 |84 |115
North West |242 |144 |113
Yorkshire and Humberside |168 |105 |73
Northern |155 |95 |66
-----
Source:
Capital Outturn Returns (provisional)
1992-93
Class
Shire Counties |158 |41 |138
Metropolitan Districts |364 |133 |221
London Boroughs |583 |275 |264
Shire Districts |924 |427 |597
Other Authorities |31 |15 |18
|------- |------- |-------
Total England |2,060 |891 |1,238
Region
South East |1,050 |471 |591
South West |132 |53 |109
East Anglia |146 |88 |47
West Midlands |162 |62 |105
East Midlands |131 |48 |109
North West |184 |75 |114
Yorkshire and Humberside 130 46
Northern |125 |48 |63
Source:
Capital Payment Returns
<1> Use of usable capital receipts to finance capital expenditure, including
use of usable receipts received in previous years.
69. Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of set aside capital receipts was used to redeem credit liabilities in each region and each class of local authority in England in 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Robin Squire : Local authorities are not required separately to identify the reserved part of capital receipts from other amounts set aside as provision for credit liabilities.
The following table shows the amount of external debt repaid using PCL moneys in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Information for 1992-93 is not yet available.
PCL money used by local authorities in England
to repay debt
£ million
|1990-91|1991-92
-------------------------------------------------
Class
Shire counties |189 |193
Metropolitan districts |333 |322
London boroughs |406 |533
Shire districts |771 |577
Other authorities |23 |20
Total England |1,722 |1,645
Region
South East |852 |817
South West |137 |91
East Anglia |43 |61
West Midlands |241 |163
East Midlands |130 |93
North West |140 |182
Yorkshire and Humberside |89 |143
Northern |90 |95
Source: Capital Outturn Returns (provisional).
34. Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further representations he has received regarding Gloucestershire county council's budget 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : Gloucestershire county council has challenged the cap proposed by my right hon. and learned Friend and suggested an alternative in support of which it has made oral and written representations. We have also received written representations from a number of school governors and Gloucestershire residents. My right hon.
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and learned Friend will consider all these representations very carefully before taking his decisions on the authority's final cap.Merseyside Development Corporation
26. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the level of funding to the Merseyside development corporation in the present financial year and in the past three years.
Mr. Robin Squire : The financial allocations to the Merseyside Development Corporation for these years are shown in the table.
|£ million
------------------------------
1992-93 |37.50
1991-92 |30.05
1990-91 |24.00
1989-90 |23.00
Plymouth Development Corporation
27. Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the current position of the Plymouth development corporation.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Plymouth development corporation came into existence on 1 April 1993. A chairman, deputy chairman and seven other board members have now been appointed. There is one remaining vacancy on the board which will be filled in due course. The chief executive's post has been advertised and an appointment is expected shortly. The proposed budget for the regeneration of the Plymouth urban development area is £45 million over an indicative lifetime of five years, of which £7 million will be available to spend in 1993-94.
The corporation recently moved into its permanent accommodation in the Royal William Yard and it held its first board meeting on 11 May.
Sewage Treatment Works
29. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in upgrading sewage treatment works which were in breach of their discharge consents at the time of privatisation of the water industry.
Mr. Maclean : The water industry's investment programme is making good progress. The latest figures available demonstrate a continuing improvement in the operational performance of sewage treatment works. In 1991 the proportion of works complying with its consent standards was 94 per cent. compared with 83 per cent. in 1988.
Homelessness
30. Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new initiatives he plans to take to tackle the problem of homelessness.
Sir George Young : The number of households accepted as homeless by local authorities during the last quarter of 1992 was the lowest for two years. We have launched a number of initiatives designed to reduce homelessness and
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our spending plans will enable housing associations to provide 170, 000 new social homes over the three years from 1992-93.TUPE Regulations
33. Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with local authorities on the implications for local government of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive.
Mr. Redwood : No specific discussions have been held on this subject, but it is occasionally raised with Ministers by local authorities and their representatives.
Redbridge (Employees)
35. Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were directly employed by the London borough of Redbridge in 1981 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Redwood : The London borough of Redbridge employed 8,446 people in December 1981 and 8,883 people in December 1992.
Local Government Reform
36. Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held since 6 May with representatives of the Association of County Councils about the reform of local government.
Victoria Street Premises
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January, Official Report, column 121, when he expects the building contract in respect of works at No. 1 Victoria street to commence ; and what is the total cost incurred to date by his Department in respect of these premises since September 1991.
Mr. Baldry : Negotiations with the landlord of this building are expected to be concluded shortly, which should enable the building contract to commence in autumn 1993. Costs incurred to date are approximately £3.4 million.
Local Authority House Building
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest figures for local authority house building.
Mr. Baldry : It is provisionally estimated that local authorities in England completed 300 new dwellings during the three months January to March 1993 and completed 3,000 dwellings during 1992. Housing associations are now the main providers of new social housing. As I said in my answer of 19 May to the hon. Member for Dorset, West (Sir J. Spicer), Official Report, column 183, the Housing Corporation now estimates that public funds have enabled housing associations to make an extra 66,000 extra homes available to new tenants last year.
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Travellers
Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish for consultation his new draft guidance to local planning authorities on sites for gipsies and those of a nomadic way of life.
Mr. Baldry : My Department and the Welsh Office have today issued for consultation a draft circular containing proposed guidance to local planning authorities on the planning aspects of gipsy sites. This forms part of a range of measures designed to reduce illegal camping, including our recently announced proposals to reform the Caravan Sites Act 1968.
The purpose of the revised guidance is to ensure that gipsies are put on the same footing as other developers under the planning system and that the system recognises gipsies' particular accommodation needs.
Our objective is that gipsies should be given every encouragement to find, develop and run sites for themselves, as I know so many of them are anxious to do.
Local Authority Expenditure
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authority expenditure was funded by central government in each year since 1974.
Mr. Robin Squire : The available information is as follows :
Proportion of LA revenue expenditure met by government grants,
non-domestic rates, domestic rates, community charges and council taxes
|Government grants<1>|Non-domestic |Domestic
|as percentage of |rates<2> as |rates/community
|local authority |percentage of local |charges<3> as
|expenditure |authority |percentage of local
|expenditure |authority
|expenditure
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |56 |25 |20
1982-83 |53 |26 |21
1983-84 |54 |26 |19
1984-85 |54 |26 |20
1985-86 |54 |28 |21
1986-87 |50 |28 |22
1987-88 |49 |28 |23
1988-89 |46 |28 |25
1989-90 |44 |29 |26
1990-91 |42 |29 |28
1991-92 |52 |31 |16
1992-93 |54 |29 |17
1993-94 |56 |27 |16
<1> For the years 1981-82 to 1989-90 Government Grants comprise Aggregate Exchequer Grant and Rate
Rebate Grants. For 1990-91 to 1992-93 Government Grants are made up of Revenue Support Grant, Special
Grants, Specific Grants in Aggregate External Finance, Community Charge Grant (1991-92), Teachers Pay
Grant (1992-93), Community Charge Benefits and Transitional Relief/Community Charge Reduction Scheme
Grants. For 1993-94 Government Grants are made up of Revenue Support Grant, Specific and Special Grants
in Aggregate External Finance, Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax Transitional Reduction Scheme Grant.
<2> For the years 1981-82 to 1989-90, this represents non-domestic rate yields net of rate relief. For
the years 1990-91 to 1993-94, this represents the distributable amount from the non-domestic rates pool.
<3> Net of rate rebates for the years 1981-82 to 1989-90. Net of Community Charge Benefits and
Transitional Relief/Community Charge Reduction Scheme in 1990-91 to 1992-93. Net of Council Tax
Benefit and Council Tax Transitional Relief Scheme in 1993-94.
<4> The percentages do not add to 100 per cent. The difference is funding from balances and other
adjustments.
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