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Energy Management Assistance Scheme
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the anticipated gross financial savings which would accrue via his energy management assistance scheme as a consequence of achieving the scheme's target saving for carbon by the year 2000.
Mr. Maclean : If energy management assistance scheme spend carries on to the the year 2000 as presently planned, the total gross financial savings in energy costs covering that period would amount to approximately £250 million.
Geographical Information Systems
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to make environmental data stored on geographical information systems in his Department compatible with (a) geographical information systems data stored by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, (b) GIS data stored by the United Nations environment programme and (c) geographical information systems data stored by the National Rivers Authority.
Mr. Howard : The Department is currently developing a geographical information strategy. This will cover the standards required for exchanging data with its associated agencies and other bodies, and will take into account the standards required for exchanging data with UNEP and other international organisations. HMIP does not yet have a corporate GIS and will be involved in the development of the Department's strategy. The National Rivers Authority has recently completed a feasibility study into geographical information systems and are now developing a more detailed specification including the necessary standards to facilitate data interchange.
Shared Ownership Programme
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to extend the Housing Corporation do-it-yourself shared ownership programme to first time buyers and to exchange buyers suffering from negative equity.
Mr. Baldry : The Housing Corporation's do-it-yourself shared ownership programme is already available to first-time buyers. Sixty per cent. of the programme is reserved for tenants of housing associations or local authorities, which will release rented homes for those in housing need.
vernment have no plans to extend the scheme to existing owner-occupiers. To help people with negative equity who wish to mov the limit on building society's unsecured loans has been raised fro£10,000 to £25,000 per person, and the security of one property can now be exchanged for security of another against the original loan without losing mortgage Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of Statfor the Environment when he expects to announce enterprise zone status in Easington ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Squire : The statutory procedures leading to the designation of an enterprise zone normally take at least six months. I expect to designate an enterprise zone in the vicinity of Easington at the earliest opportunity. I shall make a statement at that time.
Audit Commission
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the financial management review of the Audit Commission to be published.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 25 May 1993] : I am considering the arrangements for publishing the report of this review.
Inner City Wards, Manchester
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those wards of the city of Manchester which are categorised as inner city wards.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 25 May 1993] : Manchester's inner city wards, for urban programme purposes, are as follows : Ardwick
Beswick and Clayton
Bradford
Central
Cheetham
Gorton North
Gorton South
Harpurhey
Hulme
Levenshulme
Lightbourne
Longsight
Moss Side
Newton Heath
Busholme
Housing Refurbishment
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to provide new moneys for the refurbishment of old decaying houses in the public and private sectors.
Mr. Baldry : Bringing empty properties back into use is one of the Government's key objectives, and my Department has established a number of initiatives to tackle problems of disrepair and underuse : 14 per cent. of new allocations this year from the Housing Corporation's rented programme were for rehabilitation and a further 5 per cent. for short-life housing ( mini-HAT"). The Department is currently undertaking research into the role played by housing association rehabilitation.
£346 million has been allocated in 1993-94 to support local authority expenditure on private house renewal, including house renovation grants. Taken together with local authorities'own contribution of 40 per cent. this provision will finance a higher total expenditure on grants (£575 million) than in 1992-93. In addition to other local authority capital expenditure on housing, the Government make considerable resources available through the estate action programme for the refurbishment of decaying houses in the public sector through regeneration schemes on run- down local authority estates. Since the programme was launched in 1985, over £1 billion has been allocated or earmarked for over 1,000 schemes. The programe's budget has increased from £268 million in 1991 -92 to £347 million in 1992-93 and £356 million this year.
Since its establishment in 1991 the Housing Action Trust at North Hull has already spent some £25 million towards renovating houses in its designated area. Much remains to be
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done and a similar amount will be spent in Hull in this year alone. Two other HATs have been established at Waltham Forest and Liverpool, and tenants at Castle Vale and Tower Hamlets have recently voted for the establishment of HATs for their estates. Apart from North Hull, HATs are concerned mainly with the redevelopment or refurbishment of decaying high and low rise blocks of flats. The planned expenditure for HATs in this year is £86.8 million.Under the Department's flats over shops initiative £25 million in grants towards renovation and conversion costs is being made available through local authorities between 1992-93 and 1994-95 to bring empty space above commercial properties back into residential use. The scheme is designed to be a three-way partnership between local authorities, housing associations, and private property owners.
The Government have set up a task force to oversee an agreed programme of disposals of empty homes owned by Government Departments which are no longer needed for operational use, and help bring these properties back into use for people in housing need.
The Department has launched a scheme to allow housing associations to act as intermediaries between private landlords and tenants, and is funding its administration costs. This scheme, Housing Associations as Managing Agents (HAMA), is designed to encourage people to let out property which would otherwise be empty by removing the stresses usually attached to being a landlord. Following the success of five pilot schemes during 1992-93, the Government have decided to expand the scheme throughout England.
The Government will continue to support and encourage the refurbishment of empty and decaying houses in the public and private sectors, and to welcome constructive suggestions on the balance of its expenditure programmes.
Deregulation
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to make available in the Library the list of powers and organisations relating to environmental protection which will be candidates for deregulation.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the anwer my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities gave to the hon. Member for Harwich (Mr. Sproat) on 20 April, Official Report, column 131.
Environmental Protection
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in environmental protection over the last year.
Mr. Maclean : In the past year we have taken action on the environment at all levels : local, national and international. The United Kingdom played a leading role in the Earth summit, and we are taking an active part in the international discussions to follow up the agreements reached there. The EC Environment Council made significant progress under our presidency on environmental issues, in particular in integrating environmental concerns into the development of the different sectoral policies. We set out our achievements and targets in domestic policies in the second year anniversary report on the Environment White Paper, published in October 1992.
Ventilation and Insulation
Mr. Robathan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to amend part F of the Building Regulations in respect of the ventilation and insulation of buildings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I am today issuing a consultation paper setting out our proposals for improving the requirements
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of part F of the Building Regulations 1991 (Means of Ventilation). Copies have been placed in the Library. The proposals have been introduced to improve and simplify the current provisions in dwellings ; and to provide builders with a wider range of options on how these can be achieved. Requirements for non-domestic buildings are proposed which generally reflect the relevant requirements of the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 so that new building work should not require subsequent adaptation.EC Funding, Merseyside
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the date of the last meeting of the Merseyside support and framework committee for European Community funding ; on what dates the committee met during 1992 ; and if he will make a statement ;
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 27 April 1993] : During 1992, the directing committee for the Merseyside integrated development operation programme met on 7 July and 1 October. There were no meetings of the committee in 1993.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the names of the members of the Merseyside support and framework committee for European Community funding ; and what are the names of the organisations represented on that committee by each member.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 27 April 1993] : The directing committee for the Merseyside integrated development operation programme is composed of representatives from local authorities, Government Departments, statutory agencies and other organisations which benefit from European Community funding. Arrangements for future years are currently under review.
ReChem Incineration Plant
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations Her Majesty's Government have received regarding complaints made to the European Commission on the prospective breach of EC directive 85/337/EEC by plans by ReChem to extend its toxic waste incineration plant at Pontypool.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have been asked to reply.
I have received one representation from the hon. Gentleman.
EMPLOYMENT
Manpower Services Commission
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to amend the 1984 Manpower Services Commission code of practice ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the employment service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange a reply to be given.
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Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 26 May 1993 :As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about what plans she has to amend the 1984 Manpower Services Commission Code of Good Practice. This is something which falls within the responsibilities she has delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
The Code of Good Practice has been well received by employers since it was first introduced, and is still requested in large numbers. At this stage there are no plans to develop a new Code, but my Agency would, of course, consult widely should we decide to do so. You may wish to know that we have recently reprinted the Code as part of a wider exercise to update Employment Service disability service literature. There have been no changes of substance to the advice and recommendations made in the Code but we have taken the opportunity to introduce descriptions of the new restructured services provided by the Employment Service to disabled people and employers. We have also included the new disability symbol which has the words "Positive about Disabled People". Some addresses have been corrected and some slight adjustments made to the text used where it had become outdated.
I enclose a copy of the reprinted Code which I hope you will find useful.
As decided by the Administrative Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
Health and Safety
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her answer of 17 May, Official Report, column 41, how the review of health and safety at work regulations will be conducted ; which organisations will be invited to take part ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have asked the Health and Safety Commission to report, by the end of April 1994, on the impact on business of the existing health and safety regulatory arrangements and especially on the scope for further repeals or simplification of legislation which would not endanger acceptable standards of protection.
I am informed that the Commission is establishing seven business-led advisory groups to help it in this task, which groups will include members representing employer and worker interests and specific representation from the small firms sector. Through these groups and by other means such as case studies, and written consultation exercises, the review will draw on a wide range of experience and expertise from industry and elsewhere.
I understand that the Commission plans shortly to issue an open invitation for interested organisations and individuals to submit evidence to the review.
Unemployed Disabled People
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what level of unemployment among disabled workers was recorded in the most recently available quarter by the labour force survey ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : The labour force survey asks people of working age if they currently have any health problems or disability which limits the kind of paid work they can do. Estimates based on answers to this question will
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include people with short-term health problems and disabilities as well as those registered as disabled. LFS estimates for autumn 1992 show that in Great Britain the unemployment rate, based on the ILO definition of unemployment for people with all such health problems or disabilities was 21 per cent.--not seasonally adjusted.Labour Statistics
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women aged (i) 40 to 44 years, (ii) aged 45 to 49 years, (iii) aged 50 to 54 years, (iv) aged 55 to 59 years and (v) aged 60 to 64 years who found employment within the last year for which figures are available had been unemployed for (1) under six months, (2) between six and 12 months, (3) between 12 and 24 months and (4) over 24 months.
Mr. McLoughlin : Quarterly analyses of claimant unemployed men and women by pre-specified age and duration of unemployment bands are available from the NOMIS database in the Library. The information relates to those whose spell of unemployment is ongoing. For computerised claims NOMIS also gives age and duration information on those leaving the claimant count each month. Information is not held on the labour market status of those who leave claimant unemployment. However, sample surveys suggest that the majority go into employment.
Social Fund Training Courses
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men and (b) women were on an European social fund training course in the Greater London area at the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Comprehensive details of the breakdown of European social fund participants are not available for the Greater London area and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Offshore Health and Safety
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) improvement notices, (b) prohibition notices and (c) prosecutions have been issued or commenced by the Health and Safety Executive's offshore division (i) from 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992 and (ii) since 1 April 1992 ; and what were the results and penalties in each case of a completed prosecution.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [pursuant to his reply, 12 February 1993, c. 818] : I regret that the statistics provided were incomplete. This was due to information from only one of the two Aberdeen operations units being included. The correct answer should read as follows.
|1 April 1991 to 31|Since 1 April 1992
|March 1992
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of improvement notices served |Nil |17
Number of prohibition notices served |2 |5
Information on completed prosecutions is as follows :
(i) between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1992, a total of 3 companies were convicted and fines of £850, £20,000 and £5,000 respectively were imposed.
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(ii) Since 1 April 1992, a total of 6 companies have been convicted and fines of £100,000, £1,000, £30,000, £1,000, £1,000 and £5,000 respectively were imposed. Charges brought against two companies were not proved.DEFENCE
Hydrographic Office
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for 1993-94 for the Hydrographic Office defence support agency.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Chief of Fleet Support, acting as the owner of the agency on behalf of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence under the terms of the agency's framework document, has set the following key targets for this financial year.
On quality of service, the chief executive is required to continue to ensure that all urgent dangers to navigation are promulgated by radio navigational warnings within 20 hours of receipt of the information. He is also required to improve the state of revision of Admiralty navigational charts and publications in waters of United Kingdom national responsibility so that at 1 April 1994, 80 per cent. will have been revised or reviewed and found to need no revision, within the previous 10 years. The chief executive is also required to achieve his endorsed and funded programme of work as set by the Ministry of Defence Hydrographic Board.
In respect of financial targets, the chief executive is to seek to minimise the level of Exchequer support by achieving 72 per cent. cost recovery.
Defence Postal and Courier Service
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Defence Postal and Courier Service defence support agency for 1993-94.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The chief executive of the Defence Postal and Courier Service defence support agency has been set the following targets for 1993-94 :
1. Improve the percentage of air mail and Ministry of Defence van service items that meet quality of service standards by 0.5 per cent. and 2 per cent. respectively.
2. Introduce an automated financial management and information system by 31 March 1994 to produce all necessary information to support measures of output and unit costs and to meet the accounting requirements of Defence Agencies.
3. Increase the Agency's efficiency by making a 1 per cent. saving against 1992-93 outturn net operating costs (either by imput or output means).
4. Implement phase 1 of the Agency's market testing plan and examine the potential for areas for further study.
Minesweepers
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many minesweepers are in service with the Royal Navy ; how many other vessels can be called on for minesweeping duties in the event of an emergency ; and from what sources.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are currently 30 mine countermeasure vessels in service with the Royal Navy, including nine minesweepers. We do not envisage circumstances in which the Royal Navy could not meet the United Kingdom's requirements for minesweeping from within its own resources.
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Yugoslavia
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost to the United Kingdom of monitoring the no-fly zone over Bosnia- Herzegovina.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 23 April 1993, Official Report, column 242 .
Low Flying
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was (a) the required operational sortie height and (b) the actual recorded height of the military jet aircraft that overflew the village of Clayton with Frickley, South Yorkshire at approximately 15 :12 hrs on 19 May ;
(2) what was the required operational sortie height and the actual recorded height of the military jet aircraft that overflew the village of Clayton with Frickley, South Yorkshire, at approximately 11 :04 hrs on 19 May.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A number of aircraft were authorised to fly in the low flying area at about the times stated on 19 May, but we have no reason to believe any of those flew below 1,000 ft around the village of Clayton with Frickley.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the boundaries of the military low-flying transit area that covers the towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield were last changed ; and on what date a radar surveillance was last carried out to ensure that no military jet aircraft infringed the operational low-flying height requirements in that area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No changes have been made to the boundaries of the military low flying transit area that covers the towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield since the United Kingdom low-flying system was introduced in 1979. There has been no radar surveillance of low flying in the transit area.
Lance Corporal Gary Fryer
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 May, Official Report, column 264, if he will provide a copy of the police report and inquest reports on the death of Lance Corporal Gary Fryer No. 24792566 to his parents once they become available.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Yes, if Lance Corporal Fryer's parents make such a request.
British Army of the Rhine
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British soldiers are part of the British Army of the Rhine ; and what was the total cost in the last financial year.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The military strength of the British Army of the Rhine is currently about 39,000 and the total operating cost of BAOR in financial year 1992-93 was approximately £1,440 million.
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Service Families
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now publish the Gaffney report on service families.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have no plans to publish the Gaffney report which was an internal Army document prepared in 1986-87 ; much of the data it contained will in any case now be out of date.
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