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Diabetics
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to introduce prescription charges for insulin-dependent diabetics.
Prostate Cancer
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 11 June, Official Report, column 373, if she will list the research projects currently being undertaken into the risks from prostate cancer.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not routinely collected, but we are aware of several projects including studies in Newport and Bristol.
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Christchurch
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the latest available figures for (a) registered disabled, (b) registered blind people and (c) people in residential nursing homes in the parliamentary constituency of Christchurch.
Mr. Bowis : Information is not available in the form requested. The latest available figures for registered disabled and registered blind people are published by local authority in "Register of Physically Disabled Persons (General Classes) at 31 March 1990, England" and "Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People at 31 March 1991, England". The centrally available information on nursing homes is the number of available beds and is published in "Private Hospitals, Homes and Clinics registered under section 23 of the Registered Homes Act 1984, at 31 March 1991, England". Copies of the publications are available in the Library.
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest estimate by the Registrar General of Populations of those aged 17 years and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16 years, for the district council area that includes the parliamentary constituency of Christchurch, together with the equivalent year's electoral registration figures, expressed as a percentage of these population estimates.
Mr. Sackville : There are 72,211 parliamentary electors on the 1993 register for the Christchurch constituency. Population estimates are not available for parliamentary constituencies. The Christchurch parliamentary constituency comprises almost all--99.5 per cent.--of the parliamentary electors of Christchurch district part--56.7 per cent.--of the electors of West Dorset district and a very small part of--0.02 per cent.--of the electors of New
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Forest district. The latest population estimates available relate to mid-1991. The estimates for residents aged 17 and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16, at that date are 35,000 in the whole of Christchurch district, 70,800 in the whole of West Dorset district and 130,900 in the whole of New Forest district.Pharmaceutical Retail Outlets
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will name the studies on which she has based her predictions as to the future patterns of pharmaceutical retail outlets subsequent to implementation of her proposals for a new pattern of payment to their proprietors.
Dr. Mawhinney : Community pharmacists are independent commercial businesses : it is for them to determine their development strategies. Through our proposals, the Government will ensure that patients continue to enjoy reasonable access to a local pharmacy.
NHS Employees
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average annual cost of employing (a) a senior manager, (b) a consultant, (c) a senior house officer, (d) a qualified nurse, (e) an ambulance driver, (f) a porter, (g) a medical laboratory, scientific officer and (h) a cleaner in the NHS in each year since 1986-87 at (i) cash prices and (ii) 1986-87 prices.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is not readily available. The figures shown in the tables are estimated by combining information from national health service annual accounts and from medical and non-medical censuses.
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£ thousands
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 1: Average annual cost per whole time equivalent at current prices
Senior/General manager<1> |26.0 |28.8
Consultant |38.8 |43.5 |46.9 |48.7 |53.3 |57.7
Senior house officer |20.1 |22.0 |23.8 |24.5 |27.1 |29.8
Qualified nurse |12.2 |14.7 |17.6 |18.5 |20.0 |22.2
Ambulance staff<2> |10.5 |11.3 |11.8 |<3>10.9|13.1 |15.0
Ancillary staff<4> |6.9 |7.2 |7.8 |8.3 |9.0 |10.5
Medical laboratory scientific
officer |10.9 |10.7 |12.8 |16.2 |16.4 |17.2
Table 2: Average annual cost per whole time equivalent at 1986-87 prices
Senior/General manager<1> |18.7 |18.9
Consultant |38.8 |40.1 |39.1 |38.1 |38.5 |37.8
Senior house officer |20.1 |20.3 |19.8 |19.2 |19.5 |19.5
Qualified nurse |12.2 |13.6 |14.7 |14.5 |14.4 |14.6
Ambulance staff<2> |10.5 |10.4 |9.8 |<3>8.5 |9.4 |9.8
Ancillary staff<4> |6.9 |6.7 |6.5 |6.5 |6.5 |6.9
Medical laboratory scientific
officer |10.9 |10.7 |10.7 |12.7 |11.9 |11.3
<1> No comparable figures are available for the period 1986-87 to 1989-90.
<2> Includes expenditure for all ambulance staff as cost for an ambulance driver not
available separately.
<3> Fall in ambulance staff figure probably due to ambulancemen strike.
<4> Includes expenditure for all ancillary staff as cost for a porter and a cleaner
not available separately.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish details of the numbers of health service directly employed staff by main staff group each year from 1987 to 1992 ; and if she will give the changes between each year and over the whole period in numbers and percentages.
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Dr. Mawhinney : The information available is shown in the table. More comprehensive information about national health service manpower is published in the "Statistical Bulletin on NHS hospital and community health services non-medical staff in England : 1981-1991" and associated press release--H93/626 NHS Non-Medical Workforce Statistics--dated 12 March 1993, copies of which are available in the Library.
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National health service workforce by staff group
Whole-time equivalents
1988 compared 1989 compared 1990 compared 1991 compared 1991 compared
with 1987 with 1988 with 1989 with 1990 with 1987
Main staff groups |1987 |1988 |Number |Per cent. |1989 |Number |Per cent. |1990 |Number |Per cent. |1991 |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nursing and midwifery staff |397,910 |397,650 |-260 |-0.1 |398,050 |400 |0.1 |395,360 |-2,690 |-0.7 |392,200 |-3,160 |-0.8 |-5,710 |-1.4
Professions allied to medicine |34,940 |35,640 |700 |2.0 |36,710 |1,070 |3.0 |37,300 |590 |1.6 |37,960 |660 |1.8 |3,020 |8.6
Scientific and professional |10,860 |11,600 |740 |6.8 |12,080 |480 |4.1 |12,690 |610 |5.0 |13,530 |840 |6.6 |2,670 |24.6
Other professional and technical |33,170 |32,530 |-640 |-1.9 |32,370 |-160 |-0.5 |33,990 |1,620 |5.0 |35,390 |1,400 |4.1 |2,220 |6.7
Medical and dental |41,570 |42,840 |1,270 |3.1 |44,090 |1,250 |2.9 |45,390 |1,300 |2.9 |46,530 |1,140 |2.5 |4,960 |11.9
Ancillary |115,060 |107,620 |-7,440 |-6.5 |102,360 |-5,260 |-4.9 |95,690 |-6,670 |-6.5 |85,890 |-9,800 |-10.2 |-29,170 |-25.4
Administrative and clerical |113,900 |114,720 |820 |0.7 |116,840 |2,120 |1.8 |120,040 |3,200 |2.7 |127,370 |7,330 |6.1 |13,470 |11.8
General and senior managers |700 |1,240 |540 |77.1 |4,610 |3,370 |271.8 |9,680 |5,070 |110.0 |13,340 |3,660 |37.6 |12,640 |1,805.7
Maintenance |18,470 |17,330 |-1,140 |-6.2 |16,540 |-790 |-4.6 |16,020 |-520 |-3.1 |15,120 |-900 |-5.6 |-3,350 |-18.1
Works |5,710 |5,320 |-390 |-6.8 |4,640 |-680 |-12.8 |3,900 |-740 |-15.9 |3,230 |-670 |-17.2 |-2,480 |-43.4
Ambulance (including officers) |19,010 |18,760 |-250 |-1.3 |18,860 |100 |0.5 |18,130 |-730 |-3.9 |18,190 |60 |0.3 |-820 |-4.3
Source: NHS Workforce in England/KM49 Census.
Notes:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Information for 30 September 1992 is not yet available.
The table reflects some redesignation between staff groups.
Project 2000 trainees are not included in the above nursing and midwifery figures.
Medical and dental staff figures exclude locums.
Nursing and midwifery figures exclude agency staff.
The increase in managers can largely be explained by a phased introduction of a general and senior manager class which includes many people previously classed under clinical, professional and administrative headings. For example, many senior nurses are now counted as senior managers. Management in the NHS still only represents 1.7 per cent. of the total NHS work force and 3 per cent. of all pay expenditure.
Project 2000 nurse training was introduced in 1989 and will eventually become the only form of general qualified nurse training. At September 1990 there were about 3,000 Project 2000 students ; at September 1991 there were 10,500. There were corresponding falls in the number of traditional student nurses. Project 2000 students are considered to be supernumerary and are not included in work force statistics.
The general and senior managers category was introduced in phases from 1984 following the Griffiths report of 1983, which identified a severe shortage of managers in the NHS. The first phase was the appointment of a general manager in each health authority and hospital and community health service- -HCHS--unit. In 1987, the first senior managers were appointed--up to seven posts at board level in each health authority. In 1989, the senior manager class was extended to staff below board level, and to those in family health services authorities and HCHS units. Virtually all general and senior management posts created up to 1989 replaced posts formerly counted within the administrative and clerical and other staff groups. In 1990 and 1991, transfers of staff into the senior manager category from other staff groups continued. New funds were provided as a planned strengthening of the personnel, information and finance functions in preparation for the NHS reforms.
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Schizophrenia
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all Government-funded research into the causes of schizophrenia, giving the amount of funding in each case ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis : In 1993-94, the Department is committed to fund projects on schizophrenia costing around £290,000. These projects concern detecting early signs of relapse, the long-term outcome of psychosis in Afro-Caribbean patients and a prospective study of psychoses in British Afro-Caribbean people.
The Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has funded research directly related to schizophrenia to a value of £1.6 million in 1991-92, the latest figures available, and an additional £678,000 was for general mental illness research relevant to schizophrenia.
Nurses and Midwives
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish details of the whole-time equivalent numbers of (a) agency and (b) bank nursing and midwifery staff employed in the NHS for each year from 1987 to 1992.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in the table.
|Bank |Agency
----------------------------
1987 |4,920 |6,130
1988 |5,830 |6,240
1989 |5,910 |7,230
1990 |6,230 |6,710
1991 |8,540 |3,930
Note: Figures are rounded
to the nearest 10
whole-time equivalent.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish details of the numbers of qualified NHS nurses and midwives, unqualified NHS nursing staff and nursing learners representing these as a percentage of the total
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NHS nursing and midwifery staff, including Project 2000 students for the years (a) 1989, (b) 1990, (c) 1991 and (d) 1992.Mr. Sackville : Figures for 1992 are not yet available. The latest available figures are shown in the table.
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National Health Service Nursing and Midwifery Staff (excluding agency) at 30 September, England (whole-time equivalents)
1989 1990 1991
|Whole time |Percentage of total|Whole time |Percentage of total|Whole time |Percentage of total
|equivalent |equivalent |equivalent
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Nursing and |398,050 |100.0 |398,360 |100.0 |402,700 |100.0
Midwifery
Qualified |242,190 |60.8 |242,340 |60.8 |243,250 |60.4
Unqualified |90,880 |22.8 |90,450 |22.7 |90,550 |22.5
Traditional Learners |63,310 |15.9 |58,840 |14.8 |47,340 |11.8
Project 2000 |- |0.0 |3,000 |0.8 |10,500 |2.6
Unknown |1,680 |0.4 |3,730 |0.9 |11,050 |2.7
Note:
Figures are independently rounded to the nearest 10 whole-time equivalent.
Occupational Therapists
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many occupational therapists were employed within each district health authority in each of the last 10 years.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 10 June 1993] : This information will be placed in the Library. The figures show a steady increase over the 10-year period, and in some regions the number has more than doubled.
PM
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 7 June, Official Report, columns 43-44, whether levels of PM particulate found in the United Kingdom are within the range of those found in United States studies demonstrating an association between PM levels and mortality ; and what assessment she has made of whether the speciation of PM is comparable between the two countries.
Mr. Yeo : I have been asked to reply.
Of the studies referred to in the reply to the answer of 7 June, the study in the Utah valley was the only one concerned with PM particulate pollution. The concentrations of PM measured in that study were, overall, higher than those measured to date in the United Kingdom. The mean PM value in the Utah valley study was 47 g/m while the means in the six United Kingdom cities in 1992 for which data are available ranged from 22-31 g/m . The highest daily value measured in the Utah valley study was 355 g/m , while the corresponding United Kingdom values ranged from 72-228 g/m .
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Environmental Health Inspections
Ms Walley : To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee on what dates environmental health officers inspected food preparation and eating areas relating to (a) Westminster Hall Cafeteria, (b) the Strangers' Cafeteria, (c) the Members' Cafeteria, (d) the Members' Tea Room, (e) the Strangers' Dining Room, (f) the Members' Dining Room and (g) the Pugin Room in each of the last four
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years ; what recommendations were made ; what action was taken ; and what is his estimate of the risk to health from mice.Mr. Colin Shepherd : The health, safety and hygiene needs of the Refreshment Department's kitchens and catering outlets are major elements in the Catering Committee's current inquiry into refreshment services for the House of Commons. I shall ask the Director of Catering Services to write to the hon. Member in reply to the points of administrative detail raised in her question.
No. 1 Parliament Street
Mr. Cox : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee (1) what contracts are still outstanding for ongoing maintenance at No. 1 Parliament street with building contractors who were involved in the modernisation of this building ; and to what extent they are still liable for the responsibility of repairing defects which now exist within this building ;
(2) if he will list the defects which have been reported and repaired at No. 1 Parliament street since January ;
(3) if he will make a statement on the reasons for the defects in the cooling and ventilation systems at No. 1 Parliament street ; when this system will be working correctly ; what action is being taken to disperse cooking smells in the building ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ray Powell : The main contractor's liability period for engineering defects expired in March 1992, but the company is still carrying out residual work on the circle lock doors and the cooling system which have failed to meet the required standards. No other major defects have been reported or identified although, of course, day-to-day maintenance is undertaken within the building to cover minor items which naturally arise.
There have been few complaints about cooking smells in the building. The capacity and performance of the cooling system will be improved following work to balance the distribution of the output and improve water filters and valves. This work is expected to be completed in July. In addition, the Director of Works is investigating whether the ventilation system is working to full efficiency.
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Parliamentary Estate
Ms Abbott : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what is the size of the parliamentary estate ; and how many (a) rooms and (b) bars and restaurants there are in that part for which this House is responsible.
Mr. Ray Powell : The Parliamentary Estate of both Houses comprises some 116,000 m of which 87,000 m is occupied by this House. Within that part of the Palace and its precincts under the control of the House, there are 1,206 offices and 36 Committee or meeting rooms. It is not possible to provide any meaningful estimate of the total number of rooms ; they do, however, contain 14 restaurants or cafeteria and nine bars.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Somalia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to the numbers and locations of Somalis in refugee camps ; and what progress has been made in assisting them to return to their homes.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Kenya has hosted some 330,000 Somali refugees, mainly in the east of the country. There are 90,000 including some Ethiopians in Djibouti, with a further 62,000 Somalis in Yemen and 150,000 in Saudi Arabia.
Latest information suggests that up to 150,000 out of a total of 430,000 refugees have now spontaneously returned from Ethiopia to northern Somalia. Some 30,000 Somalis have also been voluntarily repatriated from Kenya, and another 90,000 from Kenya have so far registered with UNHCR for voluntary repatriation as soon as possible.
UNHCR is preparing a regional repatriation plan for several hundred thousand Somali refugees to return from Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure that the report by the Audit Committee of the European bank for reconstruction and development on financial management is published.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The audit committee of directors of the European bank for reconstruction and development plans to report to the board of directors on July 15. We expect the committee's findings to be made public but this will be a decision for the board as a whole.
ENVIRONMENT
Criminal Offences
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criminal offences have been created by his Department by way of delegated legislation in the last five years.
Mr. Gummer : This information can be given only at disproportionate cost.
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MINIS 14 Documents
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) of 11 June, Official Report, column 358, how many copies of his Department's MINIS 14 documents have been printed ; at what cost ; and to whom he is circulating them.
Mr. Gummer : MINIS 14 is printed in eight parts. The number of copies printed for each part is :
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1: Local Government Group |90
Part 2: Housing and Urban Group |90
Part 3: Planning, Rural Affairs and Water Group |90
Part 4: Environmental Protection Group |90
Part 5: Principal Establishments and Finance
Officer's Command |90
Part 6: Construction Directorate |85
Part 7: Regional Offices |85
Part 8: Legal Command; Information Directorate
and Private Secretaries' Office |90
The cost of printing MINIS 14 was £4,496 ; full sets of MINIS 14 were circulated to the House of Commons Library, the House of Lords Library, the Annex Library, the Environment Select Committee, the National Audit Office, HM Treasury, the DOE trade union side, the Treasury and Civil Service Committee, the DOE libraries, DOE Ministers, the DOE permanent secretary and DOE deputy secretaries. DOE directors are given copies of their own return. Copies of MINIS 14 are available for sale.
Waste Recycling
Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the Government have to increase the waste recycling target to above 25 per cent. by the year 2000.
Mr. Yeo : We have no such plans at present.
Mr. Thomason : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will include energy recovered from waste incineration in his Department's waste recycling targets.
Mr. Yeo : The Government consider that recovering energy from waste is a legitimate means of recycling. Our current target, to recycle half of all household waste which can be recycled, relates to materials recycling and composting. However, we have said that we will re-examine the idea of setting targets for energy recovery from waste among other ways of encouraging the greater use of this option. I am currently exploring this issue with colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent assessment he has made as to the feasibility of achieving the target of recycling 25 per cent. of all domestic waste by the year 2000 ; what steps his Department is making to encourage the reaching of this target ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The Government have funded research on a number of the factors which affect the feasibility of recycling 25 per cent. of household waste by the year 2000, including : the costs and benefits of different collection methods ; technical and market barriers ; and the economic framework for recycling.
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Having considered those research results which are already available, we remain committed to our target. The main measures which we are taking to encourage recycling are set out in "This Common Inheritance, The Second Year Report" (Cm 2068). In particular : --we have allocated £15 million in supplementary credit approvals to local authorities to encourage provision of facilitie--we are holding discussions with a range of industries, with a view to establishing how they might contribute to the achievement of the 25 per cent. target.
Municipal Waste Disposal
Mr. Thomason : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what encouragement he is giving to alternative methods of municipal waste disposal, other than landfill.
Mr. Yeo : The Government's policy is to set in place the necessary regulatory and economic framework to ensure that waste disposal operations do not lead to pollution of the environment or harm to human health. Within this framework, the Government believe that the market should generally decide the disposal option for particular waste types.
The Royal Commission on environmental pollution recently recommended the introduction of a levy on waste going to landfill to reflect the full environmental cost of this form of waste disposal. We are currently considering this recommendation, along with other proposals for changing the economic framework for waste disposal. The Government are keen to promote the development of schemes which derive energy from waste. The non- fossil fuel obligation provides the initial stimulus for such schemes. We also have programmes of work under way to improve composting techniques and to investigate markets for composts.
Toxic Wastes
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in recent months concerning the import and incineration of toxic wastes.
Mr. Yeo : I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Secretary of State for the Environment gave on 28 April, Official Report, columns 949 -50, to the hon. Member for Newport, East (Mr. Hughes).
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will launch a comprehensive assessment on the state of toxic tips in the United Kingdom and their effect on groundwater supplies.
Mr. Yeo : A research study has been initiated to review the extent and type of groundwater contamination associated with the landfilling of controlled wastes. The work aims to provide information about the significance of any identified groundwater contamination, when compared with background levels and with other sources of contamination, and in relation to drinking water standards. The project is expected to be completed in 1995-96.
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Redundant Farm Buildings
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for the environment what grant aid is available for the purpose of restoring redundant farm houses and associated buildings in order that they may again form the basis of an active farming unit.
Sir George Young : There are no grants specifically for this purpose. However, under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, renovation grants may be available in appropriate cases for repairs and improvements to farm houses and other buildings that have planning consent for conversion to residential use.
Unleaded Petrol
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress his Department has made in meeting its target to provide a monthly analysis of uptake of unleaded petrol.
Mr. Yeo : A monthly analysis of the uptake of unleaded petrol is published by the Department of Trade and Industry in its "Advance Energy Statistics" press notice, issued on the first Wednesday of each month.
United Nations Environment Programme
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in Her Majesty's Government's policy to work to improve the financial, managerial and administrative activities of the United Nations Environment Programme.
Mr. Yeo : Our policy remains unchanged. We are major contributors to the United Nations Environment Programme, and we support the efforts the new executive director is making to improve the programme's efficiency and effectiveness.
Water Services
Mr. Booth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the report of the Director General of Water Services for 1992.
Mr. Yeo : I am pleased to announce that the director general has prepared his report of 1992 and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Condensation
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environmment what work the Building Research Establishment has carried out on the effect on people's health of condensation in the home.
Sir George Young [holding answer 10 June 1993] : It is not normally suggested that condensation has a direct effect on physical health. The potential health consequences of condensation relate to its role in permitting the growth of fungi and mites. Airborne fragments of fungi and mites can give rise to respiratory or skin reactions, particularly in sensitive individuals.
The Building Research Establishment executive agency (BRE) is and has long been involved in a range of research which will elucidate the prevalence of condensation, fungi and mites in the home, and the likely health effects of these
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levels. A list of the major publications resulting from the work attached. BRE publications are available from the BRE bookshop (Tel. 0923 664444).Severn Estuary Special Protection Area
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to designate the middle Severn estuary proposed special protection area for nature conservation and register it with the European Commission.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 22 June 1993] : The Severn estuary is one of a programme of sites on which the Department is currently working to complete the network of special protection areas (SPAs) in the United Kingdom. SPA designation has significant long-term implications for both nature conservation and land use planning. Detailed consultations are essential to ensure that any conflicts of interest are closely examined, together with the scientific evidence, before a site is designated. I am unable to say when a decision about the Severn will be taken. The Government have designated 72 special protection areas, 23 in the past 12 months.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of EC grants available to those required to replace CFC-dependent machinery ; if the Government will facilitate the release of EC grants by matching them with United Kingdom funds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : I have been asked to reply.
There are no EC grants available for those required to replace CFC- dependent machinery. Under the current EC framework governing state aid, member states are, however, permitted to provide grants, within specified limits, to support investments designed to protect the environment.
Over the past three years, the United Kingdom has committed some £12 million of investment support to the development and demonstration of innovative environmental technologies through two schemes, the joint DTI/DOE environmental technology innovation scheme and the DTI's environmental management options scheme. International environmental research and development is also supported through the EUREKA Euroenviron programme.
The Government are now considering how best to take forward then support for environmental technologies, but grants solely to subsidise compliance with minimum legal environmental standards would be contrary to the polluter-pays principle.
DEFENCE
Z-berths, Swansea
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the nuclear safety scheme drawn up in association with the designation of Swansea as a Z-berth for nuclear submarines.
Mr. Hanley : The document has not yet been completed as work is continuing on the development of a suitable public safety scheme for the Swansea Z-berth.
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Iraq
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer on 10 June, Official Report , column 340 , if he will make it his policy to seek further information from the United States Administration about the CIA report on Iraq's military capabilities.
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