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Column 409
Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 29 June 1993
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Solicitors to the Police
Ms Walley : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to require the Law Society immediately to report known cases of dishonest practice by solictors to the police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Law Society is an independent body, regulated by statute. Section 32(4) of the Solicitors Act 1974 gives the Law Society the power to report dishonest practice, where there is prima facie evidence of it, to the Director of Public Prosecutions and it is a matter for it to decide when it should do so.
Debtors' Addresses
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to give powers to county courts to obtain debtors' current addresses when the courts have made an order in favour of a creditor, and to pass that information on to creditors or their representatives.
Mr. John M. Taylor : There are currently no plans to give county courts powers to obtain debtors' current addresses when the courts have made an order in favour of a creditor.
Market Testing
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much his Department spent on legal advice regarding the implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 for the market-testing programme.
Mr. John M. Taylor : From April 1992 to May 1993 inclusive, the Lord Chancellor's Department has spent £1,850 on legal advice regarding the implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 for the market-testing programme. All advice was provided in-house.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Sexual Abuse Cases
Mr. Kevin Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General how many sexual abuse cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in 1992-93 ; how many were not proceeded with (a) due to staleness and (b) in total ; and how many cases where the Crown Prosecution Service was satisfied as to the sufficiency of the evidence were not proceeded with.
The Attorney-General : The information sought by the hon. Member is not centrally recorded, and could be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Market Testing
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much her Department spent on legal advice regarding the implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 for the market-testing programme.
Mr. Jack : Since November 1991 the Department has spent no money on the provision of external legal advice regarding the implications of the TUPE Regulations 1981.
Over the period November 1991 to June 1993 the matter has been looked at by the Department's own legal staff as part of their continuing duties.
Cattle Disease
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received regarding imported disease in live cattle ; how many incidents of diseased live imported cattle have been found by her inspectors since 1 January ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : The Department has received a number of
representations seeking reassurance that the single market will not increase the risk of disease entering the country through imported livestock. Since 1 January warble fly has been found in animals imported from Poland, Belgium and France, some of which were imported before that date. A case of enzootic bovine leucosis in an animal that may have been imported is also under investigation.
Forests (Sales)
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list, by county, those forest areas in England currently available for sale to the private sector.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 22 June 1993] : The areas of forest land in England currently being offered for sale by the Forestry Commission on the open market are as follows :
County and Name |Area (hectares)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Avon
Abbotts Wood (East) |1
East Tanpit |6
Fifty Acre Wood |21
Old Park Wood |10
Round Hill Clump |2
Scutches |5
Three Corner Wood |3
Warren House |3
West Tanpit/Ox House |16
Wraxall |13
Yewtree/Snakes Well/Fishpond |11
Cornwall
Hay Wood |54
Pathada Perdredda |69
Penance and Derry's |7
Port Eliot (small wood) |39
Treworgey |17
Cumbria
Walton Wood |89
Derbyshire
Birch Wood |24
Britton Wood |6
Noton Street Wood |4
Devon
Bedpark |8
Brownsham Woods |70
Deershill Wood |11
Hawkmoor |22
Lotherton |13
New Moor |12
New Part Coppice |15
Durham
Stanley Woods |64
Hampshire
Ashe Park Wood |37
Peaky Close |23
Roke Mead Copse |9
Woodhay House Copse |5
Humberside
Seaton Ross |43
Sutton |34
Kent
Great and Little Twyvers |12
Lincolnshire
Wraby Wood |70
Norfolk
Blackwater Plantation |4
Northumberland
Colley Law |8
Corbies Crags Woods |54
Haydon Fell |20
North Yorkshire
Averhams Wood |52
Gateforth East |29
Hayton |51
Hazelwood |56
Moreby |33
Overton |48
Raisdale |180
Sawley |323
Seaton Old Wood |5
Turf Graft Wood |3
West Gateforth |47
Shropshire
Coed Detton |14
Preston Springs |38
Somerset
Chantry |6
East Wood |12
Ellicombe Common |2
Fry's Wood |24
Higher Bitcombe |30
Oaktrow Wood |17
Penny Wood |2
Pightley Coppice |1
The Thickets |4
West Wood |9
South Yorkshire
Green Springs |12
The Old Park |41
Walker Wood |6
Suffolk
Langley High Wood |49
West Sussex
Sparwood and Swear Hanger |12
Wephurst Wood |38
Wiltshire
Roundway Hill Covert |27
ENVIRONMENT
Homelessness
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new proposals he has to combat homelessness.
Sir George Young : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to his question of 25 June 1993 at column 330.
In addition, we have made available a further £86 million over the next three years--1993-94 to 1995-96, to continue our rough sleepers initiative in central London. A strategy document, inviting bids for funding, was issued on 16 June. Emphasis will continue to be on funding permanent accommodation in houses and flats. Resources will be targeted more tightly, to make the initiative more effective, and some of the resources will be focused on "zones", starting with the Strand. Copies of the strategy document are in the Library. The latest quarterly homelessness statistics show an encouraging downward trend in the number of households accepted by local authorities as homeless : the number of acceptances during the first quarter of 1993 was 5 per cent. lower than in the same quarter last year. The number of households in bed-and-breakfast accommodation fell by 37 per cent.
Green Belt
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of green belt have been used for urban development in the last five years ; and if he will make a statement on Government policy.
Mr. Curry : Information is not available centrally in the form requested, but individual local authorities may be able to provide information about green belt decisions in their areas. Government policy is set out in "Planning Policy Guidance note 2" published by HMSO in January 1988.
Property Services Agency
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the asset value of the Property Services Agency.
Mr. Curry : The value at 31 March 1993 of PSA Services fixed assets, excluding land and buildings, is estimated as £8 million.
EC Correspondence
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made in achieving the target of responding to all correspondence from the European Commission within agreed time limits.
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Mr. Baldry : Since the beginning of the year, we have received nine formal letters from the Commission on environmental issues, requiring a reply within two months. So far we have had to send interim replies in only two cases, but we were able to follow both of them up with full responses shortly afterwards.
Statistics User Group
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by his Department in establishing a statistics user group.
Mr. Baldry : There are well-established liaison groups covering local authority statistics. In addition, a consultative committee on construction industry statistics was set up last year. We are also considering how best to take user interests into account for statistics in other areas.
Gas Suppliers
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will conduct a survey of the savings which have been achieved by those local authorities which have switched to independent suppliers of gas.
Mr. Baldry : I have no plans to conduct such a survey. Local authorities have a duty to their taxpayers to secure value for money in their finanical affairs, including in the procurement of goods and services. It is for each local authority to decide whether value for money could be achieved by switching to an independent gas supplier.
Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will use the 1991 census data in compiling SSAs for 1994 ; and what safeguards there will be for those local education authorities whose grant is thereby reduced.
Mr. Baldry : It is our policy to use the most up-to-date information available within SSAs. For 1993-94 SSAs, population estimates based on the 1991 census were incorporated and it is intended to make use of the remaining information now available from the 1991 census for 1994-95 SSAs. We will need to consider the effect of this and the outcome of the wider review of SSAs now in progress, before finally deciding whether it will be necessary to mitigate these effects, and if so what means and to what extent.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to compensate those local education authorities which have lost revenue as a result of the use of the 1981 census data and not the 1991 census data in compiling the education SSAs for 1993-94.
Mr. Baldry : None. The SSAs for 1993-94 were compiled using the best posible information available at the time. For 1994-95 it is the intention that the information now available from the 1991 census will be incorporated.
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities on the adequacy of standard spending assessments mechanisms for the tasks now being demanded of them ; what account he has taken of the
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specific criticisms levelled by the recent Audit Commission review ; and what action he proposes to take to restore confidence in the revenue support methodology.Mr. Curry [holding answer 28 June 1993] : As part of the current review of standard spending assessments--SSAs--we have received representations from more than 140 local authorities on all aspects of the SSA system.
We welcome what the Audit Commission report "Passing the Bucks" has to say about SSAs and will consider the commission's conclusions carefully as part of our current review. The commission's finding that the system of SSAs is a more sophisticated mechanism for equalising needs than any overseas system examined in their study and that it is an improvement on its predecessor in many respects, is particularly welcome.
The current review of SSAs which is being carried out in consultation with local authority representatives shows our continuing commitment to improve the system of SSAs used to distribute revenue support grant wherever possible.
Council Tax
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements have been made for dealing with proposals to alter council tax valuations.
Mr. Curry : The Valuation Office agency (VOA) had received some 525,000 proposals to alter valuation lists in England by 25 June, the great majority in the first month of the initial appeal period. The rate at which new proposals have been received, however, has subsequently fallen significantly. While the initial appeal period does not end until 30 November 1993, the final number is likely to be substantially below earlier estimates. The overwhelming majority of appeals should therefore be settled by the end of 1994, and a high proportion well before then.
We expect the agency and valuation tribunals to have settled some 560,000 council tax banding appeals in England by 31 December 1994, just 13 months after the initial appeal period ends on 30 November 1993. Any remaining appeals will be decided as rapidly as possible in 1995.
In keeping with citizens charter principles, the agency has set standards for service for handling appeals. On receipt of a proposal the Valuation Office agency's objective will be :
to acknowledge receipt of proposals within 14 days (against a statutory deadline of 28 days) ;
to make the taxpayer an offer, within 60 days, to reband the property if the initial banding is clearly wrong ;
to let taxpayers know within 90 days if the agency believes the original banding is correct and that they intend to defend that decision ; and
in any other case, to make contact with taxpayers within 120 days and give them a named contact within the VOA for further discussion. Council taxpayers should have their appeals settled as quickly and efficiently as possible, giving appropriate priority to identified cases of hardship. We shall monitor progress to ensure that this is so and keep our plans under review in light of developments.
Additional Educational Needs
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local education authorities on the range of support
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funding now generated by the additional educational needs factor in the standard spending assessments methodology ; and if he will make it his policy to look afresh at the validity of the small number of proxy indicators employed and the very heavy weighting then given to this AEN factor in determining overall assessments.Mr. Curry [holding answer 28 June 1993] : As part of the current review of standard spending assessments--SSAs--we have received representations from more than 140 local authorities, including 57 local education authorities, on all aspects of the SSA system. We made clear at the start of the review that we would take this opportunity to consider the range of social factors used within SSAs including the additional educational needs index and the weight placed upon them.
Building and Construction (Finance)
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what survey his Department has carried out of banks' lending policies towards building and construction companies ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the building and constuction industry is given sufficient financial support to enable it to expand ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will meet representatives of the Chartered Institute of Building to discuss the institute's Bank Watch Campaign.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 28 June 1993] : Banks' lending policies are a commercial matter for the banks themselves to determine ; however, I am aware of the construction industry's concern, and of the Chartered Institute of Building's Bank Watch Campaign. I regularly meet representatives of the construction industry and would expect to discuss this and other issues with them at such meetings.
HEALTH
Environmental Policy
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy on the purchase and use of (a) recycled paper, (b) low-energy light bulbs, (c) tropical hardwoods, (d) peat and (e) cars with catalytic converters.
Mr. Sackville : The Department's aim in purchasing goods and services is to obtain the best possible value for money for the taxpayer. Where environmentally friendly products are available which fully meet our specifications and provide value for money then these are preferred. In respect of the specific products our policy is as follows :
recycled paper--we are exploring with potential suppliers as part of a competitive tendering process, the feasibility of substantially increasing the use of environmentally friendly stationery supplies. low-energy light bulbs--a programme for changing all lighting on our departmental estate to low-energy tubes is well advanced ; this also offers demonstrable long-term savings and an improved working environment.
tropical hardwoods--are not purchased.
peat--is not purchased.
cars with catalytic converters--since January 1991 we have acquired only diesel vehicles or cars propelled by petrol and fitted with catalytic converters.
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Handicapped Children
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were born either mentally or physically handicapped in each year since 1990.
Mr. Sackville : The exact information requested is not available centrally. Such information as is available centrally for 1990 is given in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publication "Congenital malformation statistics" series MB3 no. 6 ; copies of which are available in the Library. Information for 1991 and 1992 is not yet available.
Hepatitis and Dysentery
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) viral hepatitis and (b) dysentery have been reported in each district health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : Notifications of viral hepatitis and dysentery are not collected for district health authorities. Notifications are available for county districts and are published in the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publication "Communicable disease statistics" series MB2 ; and are available in the Library. Information for 1992 has not yet been published.
Emergency Admissions
Mr. Kevin Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of emergency admissions to (a) the Doncaster Royal and Montagu trust, (b) the Tickhill Road hospital in Doncaster and (c) to hospitals in the Trent regional health authority in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Mr. Sackville : The number of non-elective admissions in the general and acute specialties provided by national health service hospitals in Trent region and by Doncaster Royal infirmary and Montagu NHS trust and Doncaster Healthcare NHS trust--of which Tickhill Road hospital is a part-- for 1991-92 and 1992-93 are shown in the table.
Year |£'000s --------------------------- 1991-92 |1,005 1992-93 |2,680 1993-94 |<1>1,710 <1> budget estimate
Acute Beds
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds would be closed or created on current trends by the year 2001 based on (a) growth in patient activity of 1 per cent. per annum, (b) decline in length of hospital stay of 4 per cent. per annum and (c) an increase in day care surgery of 25 per cent.
Mr. Sackville : All the information required to make the proposed calculation is set out in the "Statisical Bulletin" for 1991-92, a copy of which is available in the Library.
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Market Testing
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on legal advice regarding the implications of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 for the market- testing programme.
Mr. Sackville : All legal advice on these regulations has been provided by the Department's in-house solicitors office. It is not possible to identify separately the costs.
Wessex Regional Health Authorities
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of each letter sent to the chairman of the Wessex regional health authority by the Secretary of State following each annual review meeting in the years from 1986 to 1989.
Dr. Mawhinney : Copies of the letters will be placed in the Library. From 1989 annual reviews have been conducted by the chief executive of the national health service management executive with the regional general managers.
Research
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 25 May, Official Report, columns 507-8, if the funding which her Department will provide for the multidisciplinary research centre will come wholly from her existing research and development budget.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list each research project her Department currently funds in the field of primary health care, with (a) the institution in which it is based, (b) the funds provided by her Department, (c) the numbers of staff involved and (d) the start and end date.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department's research and development division currently funds and manages the following primary health care related research projects :
Project : Child Health Surveillance, including general practitioners' involvement
Institution : University of Kent
Total estimated cost : £330,815
Number of staff involved : 3
Start date : 1 October 1990
End date : 30 September 1994
Project : Ambulatory Care Research Programme
Institution : University of Newcastle
Total estimated cost : £728,938
Number of staff involved : 10
Start date : 1 January 1991
End date : 31 March 1994
Project : Randomised Controlled Trial of Coronary Risk Factor Intervention
Institution : Royal South Hampshire Hospital
Total estimated cost : £232,559
Number of staff involved : 6
Start date : 1 July 1992
End date : 30 June 1993
Project : The Health Benefits of Routine Histological Examination of GP Excision Specimens
Institution : University of Leicester
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