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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Burma
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the involvement of United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, the UNDCP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Burma.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The United Nations Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs is involved in talks with the Burmese authorities about the return of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. The involvement of UN agencies in Burma is as follows. UNDP : Since the 1992 Governing Council, all UNDP assistance in Burma has been targeted specifically at grassroots level. Projects are approved on a case-by-case basis by the UNDP Administrator, and funding is only being released on a strictly limited basis. UNICEF : The programme in Burma concentrates on mother and child health care, basic education and access to safe drinking water.
Column 220
WHO : The programme has been reduced since July 1992 in response to UNDP's directive to limit activities. It now concentrates on nursing training and AIDS.UNDCP : A number of projects both in Burma and in the border areas of neighbouring states are funded to encourage the reduction of drug trafficking, and of demand, supply and abuse of drugs. Specific activities include the replacement of opium based economic activity by income substitution programmes, and demand reduction through community based education and training.
FAO : Activities in Burma are largely rural based agricultural projects, including research and training. Many are UNDP funded and fall within the restrictions placed on the UNDP programme.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what accountability there is for United Nations activity and that of related organisations for their work in Burma ; and if he will place reports on this subject by such organisations in the Library.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The United Nations and related organisations operating in Burma are accountable, through their headquarters management, to their governing bodies. Members of these bodies, including the United Kingdom, monitor closely the activities of these organisations.
There are no relevant reports which could be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what checks there have been to ensure that international aid to Burma has not been used for military purposes.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have no evidence that international aid is being diverted for military purposes. The mandates of the United Nations, its funds and programmes and the specialised agencies in the economic and social fields preclude any assistance for military purposes. In the case of Burma, the work of the United Nations system is being scrutinised with special care to ensure that none of its assistance is diverted to military uses. The international financial institutions do not grant loans for military purposes, and carry out the normal financial and audit checks on the use of their funds.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Taxation
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amounts remitted as a result of (a) hardship, (b) equity and (c) miscellaneous and the amounts written off as a result of (d) insolvency, (e) composition settlements and (f) taxpayer gone abroad or untraceable, for each of capital gains tax, schedule D tax, corporation tax, pay-as-you-earn and national insurance for each year since 1979 as cash figures and as a percentage of each tax collected.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested is shown in the tables. The amounts of corporation tax remitted or written off as irrecoverable for the reasons outlined are as follows :
Column 221
Amounts £ thousands
Year |Hardship remitted |Percentage of total|Equity remitted |Percentage of total|Miscellaneous |Percentage of total|Insolvency remitted|Percentage of total|Composition |Percentage of total|Taxpayer gone |Percentage of total
|CT paid |CT paid |remitted |CT paid |CT paid |settlements |CT paid |abroad/away |CT paid
|remitted |remitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981 |0 |0.00 |435 |0.01 |237 |0.01 |19,781 |0.68 |0 |0.00 |235 |0.01
1982 |0 |0.00 |249 |0.01 |200 |0.01 |33,061 |0.86 |7 |0.00 |879 |0.02
1983 |0 |0.00 |274 |0.01 |268 |0.01 |39,395 |0.97 |30 |0.00 |945 |0.02
1984 |0 |0.00 |145 |0.00 |352 |0.01 |57,553 |1.22 |1 |0.00 |0 |0.00
1985 |0 |0.00 |225 |0.00 |236 |0.00 |74,802 |1.26 |6 |0.00 |73 |0.00
1986 |0 |0.00 |374 |0.00 |995 |0.01 |88.962 |1.09 |71 |0.00 |963 |0.01
1987 |5 |0.00 |498 |0.01 |817 |0.01 |91,441 |0.91 |15 |0.00 |54 |0.00
1988 |0 |0.00 |349 |0.00 |2,360 |0.02 |222,725 |1.90 |2 |0.00 |161 |0.00
1989 |0 |0.00 |478 |0.00 |1,011 |0.01 |149,791 |1.04 |6 |0.00 |82 |0.00
1990 |0 |0.00 |389 |0.00 |1,981 |0.01 |182,249 |1.15 |35 |0.00 |71 |0.00
1991 |0 |0.00 |455 |0.00 |2,065 |0.01 |317,864 |2.07 |529 |0.00 |16 |0.00
1992 |0 |0.00 |307 |0.00 |2,450 |0.02 |539,126 |4.61 |300 |0.00 |50 |0.00
Column 222
The amounts of capital gains tax remitted or written off as irrecoverable for the reasons outlined are as follows :Column 221
Amounts £ thousands
Year |Hardship remitted |Percentage of total|Equity remitted |Percentage of total|Miscellaneous |Percentage of total|Insolvency remitted|Percentage of total|Composition |Percentage of total|Taxpayer gone |Percentage of total
|CGT paid |CGT paid |remitted |CGT paid |CGT paid |settlements |CGT paid |abroad/away |CGT paid
|remitted |remitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981 |20 |0.00 |83 |0.02 |337 |0.07 |950 |0.21 |97 |0.02 |1,247 |0.27
1982 |61 |0.01 |69 |0.01 |346 |0.06 |2,160 |0.35 |414 |0.07 |1,818 |0.29
1983 |39 |0.01 |74 |0.01 |494 |0.08 |2,459 |0.39 |8 |0.00 |3,422 |0.54
1984 |34 |0.00 |34 |0.00 |519 |0.07 |2,075 |0.29 |9 |0.00 |3,327 |0.47
1985 |8 |0.00 |181 |0.02 |822 |0.10 |1,702 |0.21 |18 |0.00 |4,831 |0.60
1986 |19 |0.00 |68 |0.01 |722 |0.07 |1,869 |0.19 |21 |0.00 |7,365 |0.73
1987 |38 |0.00 |169 |0.02 |1,386 |0.12 |2,714 |0.24 |16 |0.00 |4,497 |0.40
1988 |30 |0.00 |58 |0.00 |1,778 |0.11 |5,510 |0.35 |61 |0.00 |5,244 |0.33
1989 |32 |0.00 |114 |0.00 |1,698 |0.07 |3,948 |0.17 |166 |0.01 |4,898 |0.21
1990 |5 |0.00 |70 |0.00 |2,308 |0.12 |3,821 |0.21 |132 |0.01 |5,740 |0.31
1991 |34 |0.00 |149 |0.01 |3,980 |0.21 |13,929 |0.75 |116 |0.01 |11,513 |0.62
1992 |36 |0.00 |119 |0.01 |7,322 |0.62 |37,195 |3.16 |84 |0.01 |13,080 |1.10
Column 222
The amounts of Schedule D tax remitted or written off as irrecoverable for the reasons outlined are as follows :Column 221
Amounts £ thousands
Year |Hardship remitted |Percentage of total|Equity remitted |Percentage of total|Miscellaneous |Percentage of total|Insolvency remitted|Percentage of total|Composition |Percentage of total|Taxpayer |Percentage of total
|Schedule D paid |Schedule D paid |remitted |Schedule D paid |Schedule D paid |settlements |Schedule D paid |goneabroad/away |Schedule D paid
|remitted |remitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981 |1,575 |0.03 |1,804 |0.03 |6,447 |0.12 |10,618 |0.19 |211 |0.00 |22,924 |0.42
1982 |1,868 |0.03 |2,008 |0.03 |8,052 |0.13 |16,029 |0.26 |110 |0.00 |26,791 |0.43
1983 |2,331 |0.04 |1,827 |0.03 |10,146 |0.16 |18,676 |0.29 |30 |0.00 |38,083 |0.59
1984 |1,943 |0.03 |1,960 |0.03 |13,418 |0.20 |30,010 |0.44 |87 |0.00 |46,160 |0.67
1985 |1,374 |0.02 |2,375 |0.03 |11,454 |0.15 |35,567 |0.47 |26 |0.00 |40,974 |0.54
1986 |1,681 |0.02 |2,853 |0.03 |16,589 |0.18 |51,325 |0.54 |36 |0.00 |53,686 |0.57
1987 |1,851 |0.03 |3,183 |0.05 |21,253 |0.30 |55,260 |0.79 |79 |0.00 |54,028 |0.77
1988 |1,933 |0.02 |4,370 |0.05 |58,292 |0.73 |109,841 |1.37 |142 |0.00 |79,753 |1.00
1989 |1,468 |0.02 |4,560 |0.05 |60,755 |0.65 |101,482 |1.09 |212 |0.00 |75,160 |0.80
1990 |1,606 |0.02 |5,302 |0.05 |52,834 |0.50 |98,746 |0.93 |474 |0.00 |98,740 |0.93
1991 |2,896 |0.02 |6,294 |0.05 |94,986 |0.81 |166,935 |1.42 |423 |0.00 |117,025 |1.00
1992 |4,605 |0.04 |6,395 |0.05 |179,892 |1.39 |361,372 |2.80 |303 |0.00 |156,484 |1.21
Column 222
The amounts of PAYE remitted or written off as irrecoverable for the reasons outlined are as follows :Column 221
Amounts £ thousands
Year |Hardship remitted |Percentage of total|Equity remitted |Percentage of total|Miscellaneous |Percentage of total|Insolvency remitted|Percentage of total|Composition |Percentage of total|Taxpayer |Percentage of total
|PAYE paid |PAYE paid |remitted |PAYE paid |PAYE paid |settlements |PAYE paid |goneabroad/away |PAYE paid
|remitted |remitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981 |5 |0.00 |0 |0.00 |343 |0.00 |10,885 |0.05 |0 |0.00 |208 |0.00
1982 |3 |0.00 |2 |0.00 |487 |0.00 |14,495 |0.06 |53 |0.00 |245 |0.00
1983 |1 |0.00 |5 |0.00 |508 |0.00 |21,637 |0.08 |20 |0.00 |457 |0.00
1984 |3 |0.00 |4 |0.00 |652 |0.00 |32,180 |0.11 |0 |0.00 |487 |0.00
1985 |0 |0.00 |50 |0.00 |907 |0.00 |45,222 |0.14 |9 |0.00 |511 |0.00
1986 |1 |0.00 |13 |0.00 |1,124 |0.00 |59,164 |0.17 |21 |0.00 |594 |0.00
1987 |1 |0.00 |7 |0.00 |1,367 |0.00 |90,439 |0.24 |13 |0.00 |739 |0.00
1988 |0 |0.00 |24 |0.00 |2,979 |0.01 |126,434 |0.32 |56 |0.00 |1,201 |0.00
1989 |0 |0.00 |69 |0.00 |2,715 |0.01 |118,962 |0.28 |77 |0.00 |1,083 |0.00
1990 |11 |0.00 |64 |0.00 |2,955 |0.01 |102,775 |0.21 |52 |0.00 |1,302 |0.00
1991 |0 |0.00 |95 |0.00 |4,973 |0.01 |128,570 |0.25 |109 |0.00 |1,511 |0.00
1992 |2 |0.00 |49 |0.00 |10,167 |0.02 |368,325 |0.69 |67 |0.00 |2,566 |0.00
Column 224
The amounts of NIC classes 1-1A remitted or written off as irrecoverable for the reasons outlined are as follows :Column 223
Amounts £ thousands
Year |Hardship remitted |Percentage of total|Equity remitted |Percentage of total|Miscellaneous |Percentage of total|Insolvency remitted|Percentage of total|Composition |Percentage of total|Taxpayer gone |Percentage of total
|NIC paid |NIC paid |remitted |NIC paid |NIC paid |settlements |NIC paid |abroad/away |NIC paid
|remitted |remitted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1980 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
1981 |3 |0.00 |1 |0.00 |227 |0.00 |752 |0.00 |0 |0.00 |175 |0.00
1982 |3 |0.00 |2 |0.00 |410 |0.00 |623 |0.00 |6 |0.00 |217 |0.00
1983 |1 |0.00 |2 |0.00 |441 |0.00 |668 |0.00 |18 |0.00 |425 |0.00
1984 |4 |0.00 |5 |0.00 |599 |0.00 |892 |0.00 |0 |0.00 |472 |0.00
1985 |1 |0.00 |27 |0.00 |781 |0.00 |864 |0.00 |6 |0.00 |534 |0.00
1986 |1 |0.00 |11 |0.00 |1,033 |0.00 |2,623 |0.01 |28 |0.00 |681 |0.00
1987 |1 |0.00 |6 |0.00 |1,662 |0.01 |6,114 |0.03 |11 |0.00 |720 |0.00
1988 |0 |0.00 |15 |0.00 |2,942 |0.01 |11,914 |0.04 |55 |0.00 |968 |0.00
1989 |0 |0.00 |58 |0.00 |2,829 |0.01 |11,048 |0.04 |109 |0.00 |1,083 |0.00
1990 |0 |0.00 |30 |0.00 |2,971 |0.01 |13,284 |0.04 |54 |0.00 |971 |0.00
1991 |0 |0.00 |348 |0.00 |4,258 |0.01 |15,847 |0.05 |184 |0.00 |1,007 |0.00
1992 |0 |0.00 |40 |0.00 |7,205 |0.02 |23,821 |0.07 |59 |0.00 |1,445 |0.00
Life Insurance Companies
Mr. French : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about expenses disclosure as it applies to direct sales forces and tied agents of life insurance companies.
Mr. Nelson : My right hon. Friend has received a number of such representations in the context of the consultation exercise on the Office of Fair Trading report on the marketing and sale of investment-linked insurance products.
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish an advisory group of British manufacturers to make recommendations as to how best to modify the taxation system so as to encourage British manufacturing industry.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Treasury Ministers meet regularly with key individuals and representative bodies in manufacturing industry, and will continue to do so in the period leading up to the Budget in November. Ministers also consider each year a large number of detailed written representations for changes to the tax system as it affects industry. I am not convinced that a further advisory group is needed to supplement these existing channels of communication.
Column 224
Uncollected Tax
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount currently owed in uncollected tax by individuals against whom the Inland Revenue is taking legal proceedings or has proceedings outstanding ; and if he will disaggregate that estimate into the amount owed by (a) those currently residing in the United Kingdom and (b) those currently residing abroad in (i) other EC countries, (ii) OECD countries other than the EC and (iii) all other countries.
Mr. Dorrell : The information required is not available in the form requested.
Taxes Act 1988
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield to the Exchequer for 1993-94, if subsections (4) to (9) of section 65 of the Taxes Act 1988 were repealed.
Mr. Dorrell : I regret that the information to answer this question is not available.
Tax Residents
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional revenue to the Exchequer for 1993-94, if, in determining whether an individual is tax resident in the United Kingdom, a day spent in the United Kingdom is deemed to include any day in which the person spends more than three hours of that day in the United Kingdom.
Column 225
Mr. Dorrell : I regret that the information to answer this question is not available.
Available Accommodation Rule
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of taxpayers who will cease to be liable for United Kingdom tax in 1994-95 following the abolition of the available accommodation rule.
Mr. Dorrell : Several hundred.
Tax Returns
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances he requires (a) non-domiciled and (b) non-resident people working in the United Kingdom to complete tax returns.
Mr. Dorrell : An individual would be required to complete a tax return in circumstances where there is a liability to United Kingdom tax.
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from how many people who are non-domiciled and resident or ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom the Inland Revenue collected tax returns for the latest year available.
Mr. Dorrell : I regret that the information to answer this question is not available.
Chargeable Gains
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield to the Exchequer for 1993-94 if section 62(1) of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 did not apply to assets which qualified either for business property relief within section 104 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 or for agricultural property relief within section 116 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 at the time of the person's death.
Mr. Dorrell : Assuming that the normal business reliefs against capital gains tax such as holdover relief and retirement relief would be made available on death, the estimated yield from introducing a capital gains charge on death in respect of assets which qualify for business property or agricultural property relief under the inheritance tax provisions in 1993-94 is negligible.
Worldwide Income
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the yield in 1992-93 or the latest year available of taxing non- domiciled resident of ordinarily resident people on worldwide income and capital gains.
Mr. Dorrell : I regret that the information to answer this question is not available.
Securities and Investments Board
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy on the number of public interest members of the Securities and Investments Board ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 226
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 7 July 1993] : The Chairman of SIB mentioned in his review that he wished to rebalance the composition of the SIB board. My right hon. and learned Friend has accepted these proposals.
ENVIRONMENT
Home Improvements
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what details he has as to the number of each type of grant given for home improvement in each of the last 10 years ; and if he will give the cash total of each grant, in each case on a constant value cash basis.
Sir George Young : The values of payments and the numbers of dwellings involved for each type of grant for home improvement over the period 1982 to 1992 are shown in the tables.
Tables 1 and 2 cover, respectively, numbers of dwellings on which grants were paid to private owners and tenants under the Housing Act 1985 for the whole period, and numbers of grants paid under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 for 1990 onwards.
Tables 3 and 4 give the respective total values of grants paid, and tables 5 and 6 show them expressed on a constant value basis at 1982 prices.
Table 1
Grants paid to private owners and tenants under
Housing Act 1985<1><2>
England
Number of dwellings
|Conversion and |Intermediate and|Repairs |All
|improvement |special
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |54,732 |20,600 |28,696 |104,028
1983 |79,529 |27,236 |113,061 |219,826
1984 |83,958 |29,003 |116,146 |229,107
1985 |52,989 |29,012 |54,411 |136,412
1986 |46,994 |24,629 |41,705 |113,328
1987 |49,383 |19,661 |39,864 |108,908
1988 |48,213 |17,107 |39,983 |105,303
1989 |48,711 |14,027 |35,479 |98,217
1990 |51,031 |12,688 |25,361 |89,080
1991 |15,477 |4,233 |6,510 |26,220
1992 |2,460 |646 |745 |3,851
<1> The system of grants to private owners and tenants under the Housing Act 1985 ended at the end of
June 1990. Although no more grants were approved after that date, payments will continue for grants
approved earlier.
<2> Includes grants paid to housing associations under private owner legislation and grants to
tenants in both private and public sectors.
Table 2
Grants paid to private owners and tenants
under the Local
Government and Housing Act 1989<1>
England Number of Grants
|1990 |1991 |1992
----------------------------------------------
Renovation Grants
Mandatory |259 |14,986|29,588
Discretionary |255 |3,206 |5,157
Disabled Facilities Grants
Mandatory |360 |10,790|16,261
Discretionary |13 |180 |287
HMO<2> Grants
Mandatory |5 |361 |757
Discretionary |- |22 |58
Common Parts Grants
Mandatory |4 |51 |122
Discretionary |- |17 |27
Minor Works Assistance<3>
Mandatory |6,667 |29,042|28,969
All
Mandatory |628 |26,188|46,728
Discretionary |6,935 |32,467|34,498
<1> The new system of grants under the Local
Government and Housing Act 1989 came into
operation from July 1990 in England and Wales,
apart from Minor Works Assistance (April
1990).
<2> HMO stands for Houses in Multiple
Occupation.
<3> Grants for Minor Works Assistance are
discretionary.
Table 3
Grants paid to private owners and tenants under
Housing Act 1985<1><2>
England
£ thousands
|Conversion and |Intermediate and|Repairs |All
|improvement |special
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |185,867 |42,108 |54,184 |282,159
1983 |318,712 |65,453 |271,325 |655,490
1984 |413,840 |83,619 |341,924 |839,383
1985 |271,996 |86,751 |166,352 |525,099
1986 |208,771 |72,368 |113,783 |394,921
1987 |199,977 |54,482 |107,554 |362,013
1988 |190,908 |46,658 |109,508 |347,074
1989 |188,092 |39,683 |100,881 |328,656
1990 |202,655 |34,628 |74,545 |311,828
1991 |91,083 |14,701 |21,004 |126,788
1992 |15,700 |2,529 |2,473 |20,702
<1> The system of grants to private owners and tenants under the Housing Act 1985 ended at the end of
June 1990. Although no more grants were approved after that date, payments will continue for grants
approved earlier.
<2> Includes grants paid to housing associations under private owner legislation and grants to
tenants in both private and public sectors.
Table 4
Grants paid to private owners and tenants under the Local
Government and Housing Act 1989<1>
England £ thousands
|1990 |1991 |1992
----------------------------------------------------------
Renovation Grants
Mandatory |1,144 |124,766|289,562
Discretionary |309 |12,536 |20,829
Disabled Facilities Grants
Mandatory |656 |31,911 |58,342
Discretionary |37 |624 |1,182
HMO<2> Grants
Mandatory |29 |2,093 |5,805
Discretionary |- |123 |598
Common Parts Grants
Mandatory |16 |390 |694
Discretionary |- |121 |151
Minor Works Assistance<3>
Discretionary |3,541 |17,115 |18,422
All
Mandatory |1,845 |159,160|354,403
Discretionary |3,887 |30,519 |41,182
<1>The new systen of grants under the Local Government
and Housing Act 1989 came into operation from July 1990
in England
and Wales, apart from Minor Works Assistance (April
1990).
<2>HMO stands for Houses in Multiple Occupation.
<3>Grants for Minor Works Assistance are discretionary.
Table 5
Value of grants paid under Housing Act 1985, at constant 1982
prices <1>, <2>, <3>
England £ thousands
|Conversion and |Intermediate and|Repairs |All
|improvement |special
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |185,867 |42,108 |54,184 |282,159
1983 |304,870 |62,610 |259,541 |627,022
1984 |376,976 |76,170 |311,466 |764,613
1985 |233,645 |74,519 |142,896 |451,060
1986 |173,437 |60,120 |94,526 |328,082
1987 |159,499 |43,454 |85,784 |288,736
1988 |145,124 |35,468 |83,245 |263,838
1989 |132,653 |27,987 |71,147 |231,786
1990 |130,593 |22,315 |48,038 |200,945
1991 |55,450 |8,950 |12,787 |77,187
1992 |9,212 |1,484 |1,451 |12,147
<1> The system of grants to private owners and tenants under the Housing Act 1985 ended at the end of
June 1990. Although no more grants were approved after that date, payments will continue for grants
approved earlier.
<2> Includes grants paid to housing associations under private owner legislation and grants to
tenants in both private and public sectors.
<3> Value of grants paid converted to constant prices using the Retail Prices Index.
Table 6
Value of grants paid under the Local Government
and Housing Act
1989, at constant 1982 prices<1><2>
England £ thousands
|1990 |1991 |1992
--------------------------------------------------
Renovation Grants
Mandatory |737 |75,956 |169,900
Discretionary |199 |7,632 |12,221
Disabled Facilities Grants
Mandatory |423 |19,427 |34,232
Discretionary |24 |380 |694
HMO<3> Grants
Mandatory |19 |1,274 |3,406
Discretionary |- |75 |351
Common Parts Grants
Mandatory |10 |237 |407
Discretionary |- |74 |89
Minor Works Assistance<4>
Discretionary |2,282 |10,419 |10,809
All
Mandatory |1,189 |96,895 |207,945
Discretionary |2,505 |18,580 |24,163
<1> The new system of grants under the Local
Government and Housing Act 1989 came into
operation from July 1990 in England and Wales,
apart from Minor Works Assistance (April 1990).
<2> Value of grants paid converted to constant
prices using the Retail Prices Index.
<3> HMO stands for Houses in Multiple Occupation.
<4> Grants for Minor Works Assistance are
discretionary.
Urban Policy
Mr. Booth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to recognise the requirement for long-term planning of urban regeneration.
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Mr. Baldry : The Government will continue to encourage and sustain long-term investment to improve the quality of life in our city areas, both through existing programmes and new initiatives. Urban development corporations will continue to attract private investment, which has so far totalled £12 billion. City challenge will continue to promote lasting regeneration and encourage partnership between central and local government, the private sector and local people. The Urban Regeneration Agency will draw together the present programmes of city grant, derelict land grant and English Estates to create a new unified approach to the regeneration of land in and around urban areas. All urban areas will benefit from substantial main programme spending.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when the index of urban deprivation will now be published ;
(2) if he will list each of his orginal and revised estimates of the date of the publication of the index of urban deprivation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : We have made no formal estimates of the date of publication of the results of our analysis of 1991 census data. The precise timing will depend on the outcome of continuing consultation with the local authority associations and other bodies, and on the finalisation of indicators.
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Quangos
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the former Members of this House who have been appointed since 1988 by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations ; and if he will list in each case the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment and the party which the former hon. Member represented.
Mr. Gummer : Such information is not available centrally.
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names of individuals who (a) are spouses of hon. Members, (b) are members of the House of Lords, (c) are spouses of members of the House of Lords and (d) have been party candidates for Parliament, indicating for which party, who have been appointed by his Department since 1988 to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations giving, in each case, the title of the post, any salary payable, and the duration of the appointment.
Mr. Gummer : The following members of the House of Lords are currently serving on the boards of executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department. The other information requested is not available.
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Name of body Postholder Position Annual salary (£) First appointed toPresent
board appointment FromTo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commission for the New Towns |Lord Finsberg |Deputy Chairman |9,790 |1 September 1992 |1 September 1992 |31 August 1996
|Lord Bellwin |Member |6,310 |1 April 1985 |1 April 1993 |31 March 1995
Countryside Commission |Earl of Swinton |Member |5,050 |1 July 1987 |1 July 1990 |30 June 1993
English Nature |Earl of Cranbrook|Chairman |35,150 |5 November 1990 |5 November 1990 |31 March 1994
|Earl Peel |Member |6,310 |5 November 1990 |1 April 1993 |31 March 1996
Joint Nature Conservation |Lord Selborne |Chairman |23,435 |4 September 1991 |4 September 1991 |31 March 1994
Committee
National Rivers Authority |Lord Crickhowell |Chairman |52,945 |10 July 1989 |10 July 1989 |30 June 1994
|Lord Gregson |Member |8,090 |1 July 1991 |1 November 1992 |31 October 1995
Rural Development Commission |Lord Shuttleworth|Chairman |31,360 |1 May 1990 |1 May 1990 |30 April 1994
Urban Development Corporation |Baroness |Member |5,030 |30 June 1988 |30 June 1991 |29 June 1994
Leeds |Lockwood
Urban Development Corporation |Lord Cocks |Deputy Chairman |23,175 |1 November 1988 |2 March 1992 |1 March 1995
London Docklands
Urban Development Corporation |Lord Dormand |Deputy Chairman |8,590 |22 June 1987 |22 June 1991 |21 June 1993
Teesside |Baroness Eccles |Member |5,030 |22 June 1987 |22 June 1991 |21 June 1993
Sellafield (Radioactive Discharges)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the views of the Government of the Republic of Ireland on the pollution inspectorate's recommendations on the new authorisations for radioactive discharges from the Sellafield site in Cumbria.
Mr. Yeo : The views expressed by all respondents, including the Irish Government, were taken into account by the chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the radiological inspectorates of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in their report on the public consultation on their proposed draft
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authorisations for British Nuclear Fuels' Sellafield site. The inspectorates' report has been carefully considered by my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. They intend to carry out a further round of public consultation which will include the Irish Government.Property Services Agency
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the value of the land and buildings in the ownership of the Property Services Agency.
Mr. Curry : The value of freehold land and buildings on the PSA Services' departmental estate is estimated as £4 million.
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Radioactive Waste
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the relative effectiveness of (a) dry storage of spent AGR fuel as waste in a store such as that proposed for Torness by Scottish Nuclear or (b) reprocessing of the spent fuel as low as reasonably advisable in implementing the principle on minimising exposure to radiation.
Mr. Yeo : Dry storage of spent nuclear fuel is not to be regarded as an alternative to reprocessing but rather as a measure which enables the owners of the spent fuel to defer any decision on whether to reprocess the fuel or to dispose of it directly. Unless a decision has been taken to dispose of it directly, the spent fuel in store is not to be regarded as a waste but as a resource from which uranium and plutonium can be extracted by reprocessing. It is for the owners of the spent fuel to determine whether they wish to implement dry storage and, if so, to satisfy the planning and regulatory authorities that their proposals are acceptable.
Environment Council
Mr. Congdon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Environment Council on 28 and 29 June.
Mr. Gummer : I and my hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside represented the United Kingdom at the Environment Council in Luxembourg on 28 and 29 June. The Council discussed a lengthy agenda and achieved positive results.
The Council adopted a common position, by qualified majority--QMV--on a directive on the control of volatile organic compound--VOC--emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations--the so-called "stage I" directive. This will control VOC emissions which contribute to the formation of ozone at ground level. Ozone is the main constituent of photochemical smog and a damaging pollutant. The directive will introduce a closed system of petrol distribution under which petrol vapours are recovered and regenerated into a petroleum product instead of being vented into the air as at present. The agreed text meets the Government's concerns, including the need to protect small service stations in rural areas ; to allow the continued use of existing vapour recovery units ; and to allow the continued use of measuring dipsticks for existing road tankers.
The Council agreed unanimously a directive on hazardous waste incineration which sets combusion conditions and emission limits for incineration plant and other plants using hazardous waste as a fuel. The directive is an important contribution to securing incineration as an environmentally acceptable waste disposal route. The Government secured a number of important changes to the text which are intended to achieve a proper balance of costs and benefits. These relate in particular to the scope of the directive, emissions limits and the discharge of waste water. The directive will come into force for new plant two years after its publication in the Official Journal of the Communities and for existing plant three and a half years thereafter.
The Council discussed two measures on vehicle emissions. Ministers agreed by QMV the text of a
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directive, amending directive 70/220/EEC, which will set new exhaust emission standards for light commercial vehicles below 3.5 tonnes maximum weight. The new directive will require the same catalyst technology introduced for cars in 1992 to be applied to light duty vans and trucks, and will result in a significant reduction in traffic pollution from these vehicles. The standards will come into effect in October for the approval of new types and will apply to all models sold from 1 October 1994. In the text, the Council also agreed that additional provisions should be applied in a further stage for introduction in 1996- 97. Ministers also made substantial progress towards agreement on a further directive on standards for passenger car emissions. This would introduce new limits for implementation in 1996-97, and provide for further measures to be considered for the year 2000.The Council agreed unanimously that the Community and its member states intend to ratify the biodiversity convention by the end of the year. The decision to do so is dependent on achieving essential safeguards concerning the financial provisions of the convention and will be kept under review
The Council discussed proposed minor revisions to the annexes to the wild birds directive, but was unable to reach agreement. The issue has been referred back to the Committee of Permanent Representatives--COREPER--for further discussion, with a view to early adoption in the future.
The Commission presented to the Council new proposals for the implementation in the Community of the Montreal protocol on ozone depleting substances with references to HCFCs and methyl bromide, and for Community ratification of the relevant amendments to the Montreal protocol. The Government welcomed the Commission's presentation, but will wish to consider the proposals in detail, especially as regards methyl bromide. In discussion, however, we were able to support the proposed cap on HCFC supply at 2.5 per cent. and a phase-out by 2015.
The Council held a full discussion of the problems caused by the German packaging ordinance for the paper and plastics recycling industries in other member states, based on an oral report by the Commission. The majority of member states agreed that early action was necessary on a Community-wide basis. They welcomed the intention of the incoming Belgian presidency to give high priority to the proposed packaging and packaging waste directive. The Commission will be bringing forward a revised draft to take account of amendments proposed by the European Parliament.
Among other matters, the Council formally adopted the regulation establishing a voluntary Community scheme on eco-management and audit ; noted the good progress which had been made on the Commission's proposal for a revision of controls on the wildlife trade--the CITES regulation--and invited COREPER to take the discussion forward ; adopted conclusions on follow-up to UNCED and to the conference of European Ministers for the Environment held in Lucerne in April ; heard a report from the presidency on progress over the last six months on a number of proposals relating to climate change ; adopted conclusions welcoming follow-up action in accordance with the Commission's communication on a "Common Policy on Safe Seas"; heard a report from the Commission on its preparations for a possible Community strategy on coastal zones ; and welcomed a presentation by
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the Commission of new internal measures that it has introduced to improve the integration of environmental concerns into other Community policies.The Commissioner announced that the Commission had adopted criteria for the award of Community eco-labels for the first two product groups under the Community scheme--washing machines and
dishwashers--and that the scheme was now in operation.
Church Urban Fund
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Church Commissioners and the Church of England about the use of urban deprivation index to assess the appropriate level of grants from the church urban fund.
Mr. Baldry : Officials from the Department of the Environment met Church of England officials on 6 May and there have been subsequent contacts and correspondence. The Church of England has made helpful comments on our contractors' proposals for assessing urban conditions.
THORP
Dr. John Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list his statutory responsibilities and functions under the Radioactive Substances Acts in respect of considering justification for operating a thermal oxide reprocessing plant ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Under section 12A of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has power to direct the chief inspector to refuse an application for an authorisation to dispose of radioactive waste, or to direct him to grant such an authorisation subject to limitations or conditions, if any, as my right hon. Friend may specify in the direction. Under section 12B my right hon. Friend has power to require the chief inspector to refer an application to him so that he may determine it.
The Act does not refer to the matters which my right hon. Friend is to take into account in considering whether, and if so how, to exercise these powers.
Dr. John Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the period of consultation over the justification for operating THORP will formally begin ; when it will end ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will go out to consultation when they have the further information and material referred to in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson) on 28 June, Official Report, column 392. The consultation period is expected to last two months.
Water Disconnections
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many domestic water disconnections took place in Severn-Trent during the last 12 months and in each of the previous five years.
Mr. Yeo : The information requested is given in the table, and relates to Severn Trent Water's supply area, and
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that of the former Severn Trent water authority. Information on disconnections prior to privatisation includes total disconnections, domestic and non-domestic.
|Number
---------------------------
1987-88 |<1>932
1988-89 |<1>1,101
1989-90 |985
1990-91 |286
1991-92 |1,284
1992-93 |1,215
<1> Domestic and
non-domestic.
Sellafield (Radioactive Discharges)
nvolved the discharge of elevated levels of radioactivity from Sellafield on 12 February.
Mr. Yeo : The report is published today by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. I have placed a copy of the report in the Library of the House.
The report concludes, in particular, that the discharge occurred because a ventilation system from a cell area was unfiltered. Steps have been taken to guard against a recurrence. The radiation dose to the most exposed member of the public from the incident would not have exceeded one thousandth of the average radiation dose to such a person from natural radiation in a year in the United Kingdom. There was no contravention of the Sellafield nuclear site licence conditions or of the current authorised discharge limits for aerial discharges in connection with the incident.
The regulating authorities are to audit Sellafield's facilities on the site to ensure that the possibility of a recurrence of similar incidents is minimised.
EDUCATION
Grant-maintained Schools
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 6 November, Official Report, column 513, how many grant-maintained schools folders have now been produced for the distribution of booklets ; and what was the cost of (a) the production and (b) the distribution.
Mr. Robin Squire : A total of 210,000 folders have been produced to date, at a cost of £51,181, excluding the cost of the booklets they normally contain. The cost of distributing these folders forms part of a general charge to the Department and cannot be disaggregated.
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