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Agriculture (Self-sufficiency)
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current level of self-sufficiency in Wales in the production of (a) butter, (b) milk, (c) beef and (d) sheepmeat.
Mr. Redwood : The latest available estimates, for 1990, of self- sufficiency--production in Wales as a percentage of consumption in Wales-- are as follows.
Column 53
1990
|Consumption |Production |Production as a
|percentage of
|consumption per
|cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Butter |<2>7,901 |- |-
|<13>163.8 |- |-
Milk and Butter |<3>491.5 |<3>1,530 |311.30
Beef |<2>18,011 |<2>66,000 |366.46
Sheepmeat |<2>15,674 |<2>74,000 |472.12
<1> Figures are not available for the volume of butter produced from Welsh
milk. Butter consumption estimates have therefore been converted into raw milk
equivalent and included with liquid milk consumption.
<2> Tonnes.
<3> Million litres.
Truancy (Clwyd)
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken in Clwyd to reduce the number of children playing truant from school ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Parents, schools and local education authorities share legal responsibilities in respect of school attendance. Local authorities must ensure that parents are fulfilling their statutory obligations as to their children's education including, where necessary, by action through the courts. Details of the measures by which local authorities achieve this are not, however, held centrally.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken in Wales to divert traffic away from environmentally sensitive areas ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Full account is taken of environmentally sensitive areas when planning and designing trunk road schemes.
Hospital Stays
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average length of a hospital stay in Wales in 1979 and in 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Advances in medical technology have made it possible that while the average length of stay of patients for all specialties in hospitals in Wales was 19.1 days in 1979 it was 10.4 days in 1991-92. The average length of stay for acute specialties, excluding geriatric, maternity and psychiatric specialties, was 9.5 days and 6.2 days respectively. Consequently, more patients than ever before are now receiving better care under the national health service in Wales.
Hospital Waste
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to ensure the safe disposal of hospital waste ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : All health authorities in Wales were issued with the Secretary of State's guidance "Clinical Waste Incineration Processes under 1 Tonne an Hour" in March 1991.
Column 54
Guidance and a code of practice were issued in March 1992 detailing responsibilities under the "duty of care" requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which places stringent requirements on all who create, transport and dispose of "controlled waste".It is for the local authority environmental health officers, as the statutory enforcers, to control and monitor the activities of health authorities and NHS trusts.
Rural Post Offices
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received on the subject of rural post offices since 1 May ; and if if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Seventeen such representations have been received, including a petition with 1,098 signatures.
Special Needs Education
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for January for each year from 1988 to the latest year for which figures are available, the number of pupils aged five to 15 years with statements of special educational needs (a) in maintained special schools, (b) in non-maintained special schools and independent schools under arrangements made by the authority and (c) in maintained primary, middle and secondary schools.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is given in the table.
Pupils with statements of special educational needs
Year |Maintained special |Non-maintained |Maintained primary
|schools<1> |special and |and secondary
|independent schools|schools<2>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<3>1988 |3,953 |134 |7,462
<3>1989 |3,737 |149 |7,454
<3>1990 |3,668 |150 |7,147
<3>1991 |3,620 |169 |8,858
<4>1992 |2,628 |143 |9,916
<1>Data for 1988-1991 include pupils in special units (other than those attached to schools).
<2>Data for 1992 include pupils in grant-maintained schools.
<3>Data are pupils of all ages.
<4>Data are pupils aged 5-16 with ages at 31 August the preceding year.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for January for each year from 1988 to the latest year for which figures are available (a) the number of full-time pupils aged five to 15 years in (i) maintained primary, middle and secondary schools and (ii) special schools maintained by the LEA and (b) the number of pupils aged five to 15 years belonging to (i) other LEAs but attending special schools maintained by the LEA, (ii) the LEA but attending special schools maintained by other LEAs and (iii) the LEA attending non-maintained special schools and independent schools for the purposes of special educational treatment.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is given in the tables.
Column 55
(a) the number of full-time pupils aged 5 to 15 years<1>
Maintained LEA maintained
primary and special schools
secondary
schools<2>
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
] |Clwyd |54,407 |53,737 |52,992 |52,993 |53,043 |661 |634 |629 |630
Dyfed |45,254 |45,727 |45,597 |45,652 |45,754 |258 |254 |232 |199 |210
Gwent |59,960 |59,142 |59,008 |59,438 |60,149 |351 |336 |316 |320 |307
Gwynedd |31,663 |31,047 |30,496 |29,956 |29,782 |263 |255 |215 |211 |234
Mid Glamorgan |76,143 |75,244 |75,054 |75,214 |75,615 |646 |587 |589 |565 |597
Powys |15,574 |15,498 |15,467 |15,331 |15,335 |110 |109 |122 |122 |125
South Glamorgan |52,131 |52,128 |52,038 |52,730 |53,703 |655 |624 |588 |575 |537
West Glamorgan |48,584 |48,505 |48,350 |48,769 |49,002 |218 |194 |181 |177 |175
|---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Wales |383,715|381,028|379,002|380,083|382,383|3,162 |2,993 |2,872 |2,799 |2,827
<1> At January each year, with ages at 31 August the preceding year.
<2> Includes grant-maintained schools.
Column 55
(b) The number of children aged 5 to 15 belonging to:
(i) other LEAs (ii) the LEA but (iii) The LEA but
but attending attending special attending
special schools schools maintained non-maintained
maintained by the by other LEAs special and
LEA independent
schools<1>
|1988|1989|1990|1991|1992|1988|1989|1990|1991|1992|1988|1989|1990|1991|1992
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |30 |25 |38 |37 |42 |33 |29 |25 |24 |24 |3 |2 |4 |2 |8
Dyfed |11 |12 |13 |2 |3 |15 |15 |17 |16 |13 |10 |16 |8 |12 |21
Gwent |14 |16 |11 |6 |4 |48 |45 |38 |24 |26 |36 |45 |56 |69 |32
Gwynedd |15 |18 |15 |11 |8 |15 |8 |10 |8 |7 |8 |8 |7 |8 |6
Mid Glamorgan |32 |29 |23 |16 |19 |48 |42 |37 |31 |19 |52 |53 |58 |61 |51
Powys |4 |7 |5 |4 |3 |7 |7 |2 |3 |3 |14 |22 |18 |20 |18
South Glamorgan |81 |73 |58 |48 |36 |17 |17 |13 |5 |3 |6 |9 |7 |9 |5
West Glamorgan |5 |7 |11 |12 |11 |12 |16 |8 |11 |12 |17 |15 |9 |12 |2
<1> Data for 1988-91 include children of all ages. Data for 1992 include children aged 5 to 16
years with statements for special educational needs only. Data include children being educated
outside of the authority in which they are registered.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollution, Helpston
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken to prevent further pollution of groundwater at Helpston, Cambridgeshire, following the identification of the cause and source in August 1992.
Mr. Yeo : The National Rivers Authority took immediate action in 1992 to ask the waste regulatory authority to vary the waste disposal licences for the landfill sites from which the pollution came. Subsequently, in October 1992, the NRA commissioned studies to identify the options available to contain and remedy the pollution. The final report on this is expected shortly, and will help the NRA to decide what further action is necessary and feasible.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what grounds the National Rivers Authority has decided not to publish the three existing reports identifying the cause and source of groundwater pollution at Helpston, Cambridgeshire.
Mr. Yeo : Investigations into the groundwater pollution at Helpston are not yet complete. The reports received so far have been judged, by the NRA, to be subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992. Apart from any legal restrictions, the NRA plans to release as much factual information as possible, when it is appropriate.
Column 56
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which authority will be responsible for funding the clean-up of pesticide pollution at Helpston, Cambridgeshire.
Mr. Yeo : It is for the National Rivers Authority and the courts to consider whether there may be any criminal liability in respect of the contamination. The NRA also has power to take remedial action should that be appropriate, and can seek to recover its costs. It is for anyone adversely affected to consider any claims for civil damages.
Special Waste
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list by year, for the last five years, and by county, the number of tonnes of special waste arisings and deposits ; (2) if he will list, by year for the last five years, and by county, the number of tonnes of special waste arising (a) within the county and deposited within the county, (b) within the county and exported out of the county and (c) outside the county and deposited within the county.
Mr. Yeo : The tables below show the amounts of special waste arising within the English counties, the amounts imported to and exported from each county, and the amount deposited in each county since 1987-88. Special wastes may be imported and re-exported as part of the treatment and disposal process. The information available on exports and deposits does not identify the sources of the waste. Figures relate to financial years ending 31 March, and are in tonnes. In 1987-88 and 1988-89 not all counties provided returns. We have revised the figures for those
Column 57
years that were published in the "Digest of Environmental Protection Water Statistics No. 15 (1992)" following further validation exercises.Column 57
Special waste statistics: England by county 1987-88
County |Arisings |Exports |Imports |Deposited
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |17,787 |17,991 |842 |638
Bedfordshire |4,337 |1,585 |57,643 |60,396
Berkshire |4,873 |4,231 |758 |1,400
Buckinghamshire |4,362 |2,962 |4,492 |5,893
Cambridgeshire |15,417 |9,954 |2,508 |7,970
Cheshire |207,179 |128,857 |132,973 |211,295
Cleveland |363,432 |57,759 |12,540 |318,213
Cornwall |567 |413 |0 |155
Cumbria |9,366 |1,718 |462 |8,110
Derbyshire |73,856 |33,576 |23,982 |64,263
Devon |4,180 |1,954 |3,250 |5,476
Dorset |4,376 |3,269 |319 |1,107
Durham |31,600 |7,940 |58,330 |81,990
East Sussex |2,443 |2,440 |2,230 |2,233
Essex |35,284 |15,284 |118,204 |138,204
Gloucestershire |14,062 |9,716 |385 |4,731
GMWDA |78,803 |47,968 |127,933 |158,768
Hampshire |13,687 |29,387 |10,281 |5,419
Hereford and Worcester |12,429 |538 |0 |11,891
Hertfordshire |128,859 |106,898 |2,840 |24,801
Humberside |- |- |- |-
Isle of Wight |67 |50 |0 |18
Kent |- |- |- |-
Lancashire |146,594 |57,224 |5,043 |94,413
Leicestershire |13,146 |6,110 |3,654 |10,690
Lincolnshire |2,065 |1,867 |111 |309
LWRA |60,629 |57,249 |368 |3,748
Merseyside |17,625 |27,128 |20,176 |10,672
Norfolk |12,193 |11,024 |63 |1,232
North Yorkshire |4,461 |4,074 |260 |647
Northamptonshire |4,132 |3,376 |14,771 |15,528
Northumberland |16,411 |2,620 |5,625 |19,416
Nottinghamshire |16,099 |13,625 |2,125 |4,598
Oxfordshire |3,941 |2,999 |2,813 |3,755
Shropshire |6,850 |5,658 |2,820 |4,012
Somerset |7,927 |5,610 |0 |2,317
South Yorkshire |- |- |- |-
Staffordshire |- |- |- |-
Suffolk |25,009 |23,153 |6,402 |8,258
Surrey |2,356 |1,743 |225 |838
Tyne and Wear |80,732 |72,469 |12,741 |21,004
Warwickshire |14,045 |7,287 |29,205 |35,962
West Midlands |244,893 |59,498 |188,213 |373,608
West Sussex |4,953 |4,220 |335 |1,069
West Yorkshire |212,147 |43,052 |19,691 |188,786
Wiltshire |4,553 |4,243 |621 |931
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |<1>1,927,725|898,717 |875,233 |1,914,761
-=no return made.
GMWDA=Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
LWRA =London Waste Regulation Authority.
<1>Totals relate to reporting districts only.
Column 57
Special waste statistics: England by county 1988-89
County |Arisings |Exports |Imports |Deposited
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |18,049 |16,237 |5,613 |7,425
Bedfordshire |4,164 |1,586 |30,588 |33,166
Berkshire |16,143 |5,031 |1,399 |12,511
Buckinghamshire |4,869 |3,955 |1,884 |2,798
Cambridgeshire |17,668 |12,838 |5,996 |10,827
Cheshire |62,678 |27,146 |204,163 |239,695
Cleveland |245,500 |58,800 |800 |187,500
Cornwall |619 |378 |0 |240
Cumbria |6,088 |3,588 |319 |2,819
Derbyshire |65,390 |24,011 |25,873 |67,252
Devon |5,755 |2,847 |3,825 |6,733
Dorset |7,267 |6,774 |458 |951
Durham |49,680 |27,944 |92,574 |114,310
East Sussex |939 |930 |7,298 |7,307
Essex |23,756 |3,698 |103,631 |123,689
Gloucestershire |16,920 |11,640 |924 |6,204
GMWDA |- |- |- |-
Hampshire |21,339 |14,767 |14,190 |20,762
Hereford and Worcester |12,572 |12,541 |0 |30
Hertfordshire |27,165 |19,672 |2,818 |10,311
Humberside |15,675 |10,115 |273 |5,833
Isle of Wight |75 |64 |0 |11
Kent |202,678 |19,261 |1,557 |184,914
Lancashire |33,179 |24,071 |7,711 |16,818
Leicestershire |12,281 |6,092 |3,961 |10,150
Lincolnshire |2,321 |2,216 |83 |189
LWRA |51,636 |44,529 |440 |7,547
Merseyside |26,518 |26,519 |18,121 |18,119
Norfolk |15,528 |11,856 |53 |3,725
North Yorkshire |6,131 |5,737 |719 |1,113
Northamptonshire |3,828 |2,451 |18,310 |19,688
Northumberland |19,485 |4,147 |5,380 |20,718
Nottinghamshire |18,389 |17,479 |460 |1,370
Oxfordshire |4,274 |2,368 |2,701 |4,607
Shropshire |7,150 |6,018 |2,443 |3,575
Somerset |9,979 |8,341 |0 |1,638
South Yorkshire |67,327 |43,159 |17,579 |41,747
Staffordshire |36,647 |29,234 |61,459 |68,872
Suffolk |31,989 |30,646 |4,807 |6,150
Surrey |9,340 |8,740 |1,461 |2,061
Tyne and Wear |62,959 |48,095 |4,905 |19,769
Warwickshire |8,601 |7,840 |9,947 |10,708
West Midlands |246,991 |82,858 |212,050 |376,183
West Sussex |3,819 |3,301 |90 |608
West Yorkshire |158,819 |56,105 |5,434 |108,148
Wiltshire |1,732 |1,266 |673 |1,139
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |<1>1,663,911|756,891 |882,969 |1,789,928
-=no return made.
GMWDA=Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
LWRA =London Waste Regulation Authority.
<1>Totals relate to reporting districts only.
Column 59
Special waste statistics: England by county 1989-90
County |Arisings |Exports |Imports |Deposited
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |17,102 |15,264 |2,607 |4,445
Bedfordshire |3,485 |1,448 |78,904 |80,941
Berkshire |7,545 |6,383 |1,636 |2,798
Buckinghamshire |7,035 |5,964 |714 |1,785
Cambridgeshire |17,668 |12,838 |1,496 |6,327
Cheshire |92,780 |34,888 |121,869 |179,761
Cleveland |510,781 |49,698 |8,602 |469,685
Cornwall |656 |558 |0 |98
Cumbria |7,277 |4,163 |200 |3,314
Derbyshire |68,996 |33,551 |16,058 |51,503
Devon |3,565 |2,040 |4,000 |5,525
Dorset |3,131 |2,694 |354 |791
Durham |30,676 |21,557 |35,004 |44,123
East Sussex |3,238 |3,218 |21,363 |21,383
Essex |88,277 |60,101 |127,040 |155,216
Gloucestershire |18,498 |12,834 |992 |6,656
GMWDA |138,168 |54,876 |135,040 |218,332
Hampshire |37,583 |29,017 |27,889 |36,455
Hereford and Worcester |17,230 |17,229 |0 |0
Hertfordshire |22,495 |12,302 |5,660 |15,852
Humberside |21,077 |11,677 |444 |9,845
Isle of Wight |1,954 |1,946 |0 |8
Kent |67,866 |63,954 |22,597 |26,508
Lancashire |68,058 |34,939 |26,564 |59,682
Leicestershire |12,273 |6,034 |4,154 |6,238
Lincolnshire |2,973 |2,873 |80 |180
LWRA |107,112 |98,846 |1,242 |9,508
Merseyside |34,046 |28,857 |29,022 |30,310
Norfolk |9,296 |8,115 |232 |1,413
North Yorkshire |7,692 |7,058 |4,057 |4,691
Northamptonshire |4,387 |2,998 |17,122 |18,511
Northumberland |20,312 |6,102 |9,807 |24,017
Nottinghamshire |5,279 |4,407 |712 |1,583
Oxfordshire |4,274 |2,368 |2,701 |4,607
Shropshire |7,676 |6,687 |2,346 |3,335
Somerset |6,621 |5,331 |0 |1,290
South Yorkshire |90,954 |55,750 |17,736 |52,941
Staffordshire |29,800 |26,400 |25,500 |28,900
Suffolk |29,088 |27,819 |5,009 |6,278
Surrey |12,427 |11,191 |3,882 |5,119
Tyne and Wear |22,460 |14,757 |21,373 |29,076
Warwickshire |11,676 |5,717 |15,799 |21,758
West Midlands |226,763 |82,642 |174,203 |318,324
West Sussex |5,180 |4,137 |58 |1,102
West Yorkshire |235,749 |54,144 |11,357 |192,962
Wiltshire |5,144 |3,580 |2,590 |4,154
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |2,146,323|958,952 |988,015 |2,167,330
GMWDA=Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
LWRA =London Waste Regulation Authority.
Column 61
Special waste statistics: England by county 1990-91
County |Arisings |Exports |Imports |Deposits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |12,828 |11,497 |2,702 |4,033
Bedfordshire |4,745 |3,554 |103,602 |104,794
Berkshire |6,905 |6,279 |4,260 |4,886
Buckinghamshire |6,917 |6,441 |431 |906
Cambridgeshire |13,493 |16,290 |11,108 |8,311
Cheshire |147,664 |61,061 |172,769 |259,372
Cleveland |417,539 |72,910 |30,949 |375,578
Cornwall |311 |272 |0 |39
Cumbria |7,944 |4,343 |463 |4,064
Derbyshire |75,675 |39,178 |36,082 |752,579
Devon |4,145 |1,970 |3,470 |5,645
Dorset |2,881 |2,564 |307 |624
Durham |35,420 |26,230 |21,570 |30,760
East Sussex |12,532 |12,508 |8,258 |8,282
Essex |26,168 |6,815 |118,296 |137,649
Gloucestershire |15,457 |10,728 |1,874 |6,603
GMWDA |136,464 |61,932 |136,232 |210,764
Hampshire |25,780 |18,274 |17,553 |25,059
Hereford and Worcester |12,655 |12,568 |0 |87
Hertfordshire |35,179 |28,840 |6,573 |12,912
Humberside |21,831 |12,995 |10,369 |19,205
Isle of Wight |267 |256 |0 |11
Kent |698,543 |696,059 |13,387 |15,870
Lancashire |146,361 |19,640 |29,592 |156,312
Leicestershire |13,165 |9,150 |1,935 |4,015
Lincolnshire |2,083 |1,915 |73 |240
LWRA |160,211 |143,077 |1,248 |18,382
Merseyside |36,619 |35,451 |14,974 |16,142
Norfolk |10,154 |8,897 |259 |1,516
North Yorkshire |7,008 |6,585 |7,939 |8,363
Northamptonshire |5,189 |4,823 |15,844 |16,210
Northumberland |28,619 |11,769 |3,488 |20,338
Nottinghamshire |15,863 |13,513 |2,420 |4,780
Oxfordshire |4,691 |2,742 |4,086 |6,035
Shropshire |9,286 |9,184 |2,611 |2,714
Somerset |12,557 |11,218 |0 |1,340
South Yorkshire |36,565 |26,193 |23,034 |33,406
Staffordshire |39,667 |39,427 |11,630 |11,870
Suffolk |21,590 |21,079 |423 |933
Surrey |13,098 |12,115 |4,894 |5,877
Tyne and Wear |30,812 |14,401 |16,171 |32,582
Warwickshire |9,957 |9,688 |30,275 |30,544
West Midlands |215,959 |75,028 |164,188 |305,119
West Sussex |8,256 |6,505 |42 |1,792
West Yorkshire |180,495 |89,654 |14,772 |105,613
Wiltshire |3,137 |2,284 |4,154 |5,008
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Totals |2,732,683|1,687,900|1,054,305|2,777,164
GMWDA=Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
LWRA =London Waste Regulation Authority.
Column 63
Special waste statistics: England by county 1991-92 Tonnes
County |Arisings |Exports |Imports |Deposits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |9,865 |7,973 |10,314 |12,206
Bedfordshire |5,319 |3,288 |896,554 |898,585
Berkshire |5,214 |4,877 |2,109 |2,446
Buckinghamshire |6,525 |6,250 |203 |477
Cambridgeshire |16,830 |17,088 |4,956 |4,698
Cheshire |121,387 |60,285 |149,491 |210,593
Cleveland |357,852 |45,278 |14 |312,588
Cornwall |1,216 |1,053 |12 |162
Cumbria |6,167 |5,993 |62 |237
Derbyshire |68,138 |33,390 |42,129 |76,877
Devon |5,525 |2,230 |3,315 |6,610
Dorset |3,951 |3,653 |247 |545
Durham |17,766 |10,109 |12,308 |19,965
East Sussex |1,608 |1,559 |11,272 |11,321
Essex |23,703 |5,086 |102,374 |120,997
Gloucestershire |8,903 |5,825 |12,155 |15,233
GMWDA |61,365 |36,904 |144,716 |206,081
Hampshire |26,787 |21,608 |28,989 |39,603
Hereford and Worcester |13,680 |13,126 |0 |554
Hertfordshire |150,856 |142,827 |6,155 |14,185
Humberside |22,846 |14,981 |6,948 |14,813
Isle of Wight |105 |103 |0 |3
Kent |759,769 |757,948 |14,129 |15,954
Lancashire |136,121 |24,468 |29,280 |140,933
Leicestershire |29,753 |23,842 |1,717 |7,629
Lincolnshire |2,185 |1,983 |181 |383
LWRA |133,807 |113,383 |2,416 |22,840
Merseyside |33,743 |30,184 |25,292 |28,851
Norfolk |7,847 |7,038 |1,927 |2,736
North Yorkshire |7,518 |7,079 |1,996 |2,435
Northamptonshire |6,116 |4,844 |25,442 |26,713
Northumberland |29,568 |13,842 |1,000 |15,725
Nottinghamshire |39,082 |39,809 |4,177 |3,450
Oxfordshire |5,575 |3,401 |3,398 |5,571
Shropshire |12,171 |12,171 |1,668 |1,669
Somerset |6,767 |5,480 |100 |1,287
South Yorkshire |37,432 |15,009 |27,915 |50,338
Staffordshire |40,470 |40,040 |10,000 |10,430
Suffolk |18,116 |17,964 |422 |556
Surrey |20,199 |18,987 |1,819 |3,031
Tyne and Wear |30,299 |14,416 |11,782 |27,654
Warwickshire |8,273 |8,088 |38,305 |38,490
West Midlands |198,601 |83,267 |155,764 |271,098
West Sussex |6,167 |5,993 |62 |178
West Yorkshire |180,000 |89,000 |17,000 |108,000
Wiltshire |6,118 |5,267 |16,325 |17,176
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |2,691,306|1,786,988|1,826,438|2,771,905
GMWDA=Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
LWRA =London Waste Regulation Authority.
Depleted Uranium Shells
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effects of the test firing of depleted uranium shells.
Mr. Yeo : Ministry of Defence premises are exempt from the requirements of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960, but controls equally stringent to those exercised over other users of radioactive materials are applied on an administrative basis by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. This includes a programme of inspection by HMIP inspectors. As part of this regulatory function, HMIP has received regular reports containing results of the environmental monitoring programme carried out by the MOD. HMIP is currently in the process of assessing the effects of test firing this ammunition on the environment.
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Water (Prosecutions)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has recently received from the chairman of the National Rivers Authority in regard to the effectiveness of prosecutions under the Water Resources Act 1991.
Mr. Yeo : I regularly discuss a variety of topics, including pollution control, with the chairman. Details of the NRA's achievements in its enforcement activity are set out in its annual water pollution incidents report. The most recent information, relating to 1991, was published by the NRA last September.
London (Policy Developments)
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the policy developments relating to London since August 1992.
Mr. Gummer : We have carried through the policy initiatives set out in our general election manifesto. The
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Cabinet sub-committee on London--EDL(1)-- continues to co-ordinate Government policy on London and to take a strategic view of the impact of all our policies on the capital. We have convened the London Forum to promote London internationally as a centre for business, tourism and culture. This private sector body was launched formally on 29 March and is now developing its promotional plans. The transport working group chaired by the Minister for Transport in London has met on three occasions since August 1992 to discuss the co-ordination of public transport in London.Together, these initiatives will help to maintain and enhance London's position as a thriving national capital and leading world city. I am currently taking this forward by seeking the views of Londoners and their representative groups on the capital so that we can build on our successes and enhance our reputation.
Housing Association Grant
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the proposed reduction of housing association grant to 55 per cent. by 1995.
Sir George Young : My Department has received more than 300 letters from Members of Parliament, individuals and organisations about our objectives to reduce grant rates to 60 per cent. in 1994-95 and 55 per cent. in 1995-96.
Green Belts
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will outline the procedure adopted by his Department in consideration of applications for land to be granted green belt status.
Mr. Curry : Green belts are designated through the development plan process. In drawing up their plans, local planning authorities must have regard to our guidance on the designation of green belts, set out in paragraphs 6 to 11 of planning policy guidance note 2.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the clarity of the language used in his departmental publications.
Mr. Gummer : Clarity of language and accuracy have the highest priority in the production of publications intended for wide use. From time to time, market research is used to test drafts of publications and also to test the effectiveness of the final product.
In 1992, the Department was awarded the Plain English Campaign's crystal mark. This was for the council tenants charter.
Urban Environment Initiative
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to meet the Association of Municipal Engineers to discuss developing an urban environment initiative.
Mr. Yeo : We have set up the Central and Local Environment Forum to enable us to maintain regular contact with local authorities on environmental matters, including the development of their "Local Agenda 21
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Initiative", which I welcome. I have no plans to open separate discussions with the Association of Municipal Engineers.Climate Change
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment at what level his Department was represented at the Institute of Energy conference on how climate change will affect business held in London on 7 July.
Mr. Yeo : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment gave the key note address to the conference. The director general of the Energy Efficiency Office attended the conference for most of the day and participated in the open forum discussion session at the end of the morning.
Noreast Building Management
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out (a) the proceeds of the sale of Noreast Building Management to John Mowlem and (b) the amount of money set aside to cover possible redundanort, column 232.
Area Cost Adjustments
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Association of County Councils about the fairer calculation of area cost adjustment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : We have received a number of representations from the Association of County Councils about the area cost adjustment. Its evidence will be considered carefully as part of our review of standard spending assessments.
Local Government Commission
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the future of the Local Government Commission.
Mr. Baldry : The Local Government Commission will continue to operate under the provisions of section 13 of the Local Government Act 1992. We are keeping its programme under review.
Sparks Bakery Site, Stockton
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conditions were attached to the grant made to Stockton borough council in 1988 to purchase the Sparks Bakery site ; and whether any prohibition was placed on the division of the Sparks bakery site in Stockton-on-Tees by his Department when the grant was made to Stockton borough council to purchase it.
Mr. Baldry : Approval for Stockton borough council to use urban programme resources to acquire Sparks bakery site to create a business centre was granted subject to one
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condition : that the urban programme grant will be clawed back if the land and/or buildings are eventually used for some other purpose or if a scheme accepted by the Department for urban programme funding has not been started by 3 March 1990.No restrictions were placed on the division of the site when the grant was made.
PSA Property Management (Scotland)
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the price difference between the SERCO bid for PSA Property Management (Scotland) and the next nearest offer ; and what undertakings have been sought to ensure the retention of headquarters management and staff in Scotland.
Mr. Curry : Details of bids from unsuccessful bidders are commercially confidential. Serco's objective in acquiring BM Scotland is to expand its business based in Scotland as a separate Scottish company.
Environment Council
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Croydon, North-East (Mr. Congdon) of 8 July, Official Report columns 233-35, what was the position of each member state on the votes on (a) volatile organic compound emissions and (b) the text of a directive on new exhaust emission standards for light commercial vehicles below 3.5 tonnes maximum weight ; and what was the Government's position in the discussions on (i) the wild birds directive and (ii) the packaging and waste directive taken at the European Community's Environment Council held on 8 July ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : No formal votes were taken at the Environment Council held on 28 and 29 June. On wild birds, the Government supported a compromise acceptable to 10 other member states. On packaging, the Council held a policy debate rather than a discussion of detail, during which I emphasised the need for early agreement on the directive on the basis of realistic targets, particularly in the light of the unintended effects measures in one country might have on other member states.
Churchyards
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for which closed churchyards the liability of maintenance has been taken over by a local authority under section 215 of the Local Government Act 1972.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer Friday 16 July] : This information is not held centrally.
Scientists' Training
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the safety executive initiative in respect of the training of scientists to assess environmental risks.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have been asked to reply.
The Health and Safety Executive is developing an MSc in environmental toxicology with the university of Central Lancashire. The course will utilise the university's expertise in toxicology and allied environmental sciences
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and HSE's regulatory experience. At present there are 12 students ; 10 are HSE staff and the other two are graduates from the Merseyside area.Defence Research Agency
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what responsibilities the Defence Research Agency has to respond to requests for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.
Mr. Aitken : I have been asked to reply.
This is a matter delegated to the Defence Research Agency under its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Letter from J. A. R. Chisholm to Mr. Llew Smith, dated 19 July 1993.
In today's written answer the Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying directly to your question regarding the Defence Research Agency's responsibilities under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.
The DRA is wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Defence and must conform to the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 in just the same way as any other public body. What this means in practice is that we would endeavour to respond positively to all requests for environmental information.
EMPLOYMENT
Apprenticeships
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to stimulate growth in the availability of apprenticeships to school leavers in (a) the steel industry, (b) the aerospace industry and (c) the construction industry.
Miss Widdecombe : The Government are keen to promote and encourage the growth of apprenticeships in these industries and others. The Government already support some apprenticeships and similar training arrangements through youth credits and youth training, and keep their policies under regular review.
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans his Department has to assist in retraining and job creation in west Cumbria in the event of THORP being further delayed or cancelled.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Employment Department, through the employment service (ES) and Cumbria training and enterprise council (TEC) are offering a wide range of employment, enterprise and training programmes to assist unemployed people in West Cumbria including those previously employed at THORP. The TEC is starting redundancy counselling sessions at THORP soon which will include job search counselling, financial advice and general redundancy counselling, ES and TEC programmes are designed to be flexible in order to take account of special local circumstances such as this to help people find the best and quickest route back to employment. Both the employment service and Cumbria TEC are monitoring the situation at THORP closely and are
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working in partnership with BNFL plc and the West Cumbria development agency to address the particular training and job search needs of THORP employees as they arise and to encourage new enterprise activity in the area.Youth Training
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has received in the past 12 months on the supply of and demand for youth training places in each TEC area ; and what has been made public.
Miss Widdecombe : Information on the availability of youth training (YT) places is not collected nationally. Information on the total demand for YT places is also not collected, but the number of young people who are registered with Careers Services in England and who are covered by the YT guarantee, has been collected since August last year. Information on the number of these young people who have been waiting for a YT place for eight or more weeks in March and April has been released in response to previous questions in the House. Updated information is provided in the following table :
Young people waiting for 8 or more weeks for a place on YT: 1993 TEC |March<1>|April<2>|May<3> |June<4> ---------------------------------------------------------------- Avon |88 |117 |9 |6 AZTEC |156 |95 |65 |41 Barnsley and Doncaster |36 |35 |69 |91 Bedfordshire |115 |164 |71 |48 Birmingham |110 |131 |21 |38 Bolton and Bury |41 |19 |0 |0 Bradford |15 |18 |8 |9 Calderdale and Kirklees |18 |15 |28 |30 CAMBSTEC |69 |54 |55 |21 Central England |14 |19 |15 |23 Central London |136 |153 |71 |42 CEWTEC |18 |12 |9 |13 CILNTEC |143 |109 |108 |73 County Durham |62 |71 |61 |70 Coventry and Warwicks |79 |86 |88 |87 Cumbria |33 |6 |12 |33 Devon and Cornwall |66 |71 |56 |27 Dorset |23 |15 |12 |12 Dudley |2 |1 |2 |1 ELTEC |19 |29 |25 |14 Essex |373 |329 |195 |199 Gloucester |28 |11 |5 |1 Greater Nottingham |32 |35 |18 |9 Greater Peterborough |23 |17 |22 |21 Hampshire |207 |304 |251 |63 HAWTEC |19 |30 |9 |7 Heart of England |15 |24 |20 |19 Hertfordshire |107 |164 |108 |107 Humberside |47 |36 |25 |30 Isle of Wight |37 |28 |37 |29 Kent |338 |183 |134 |103 LAWTEC |40 |28 |23 |17 Leeds |37 |26 |32 |32 Leicestershire |27 |31 |22 |19 LETEC |439 |380 |310 |233 Lincolnshire |19 |39 |19 |19 Manchester |106 |93 |58 |61 Merseyside |42 |47 |55 |25 METROTEC |21 |6 |12 |0 Milton Keynes and North Bucks |32 |42 |35 |43 Norfolk/Waveney |4 |31 |27 |49 NORMIDTEC |13 |9 |14 |8 North Derbyshire |42 |39 |19 |9 North London |66 |79 |59 |74 North Nottinghamshire |91 |55 |37 |22 North West London |111 |107 |82 |99 North Yorkshire |79 |59 |49 |42 Northamptonshire |62 |39 |5 |27 Northumberland |47 |58 |62 |66 Oldham |36 |48 |28 |6 QUALITEC |20 |16 |25 |17 Rochdale |18 |15 |6 |8 Rotherham |4 |9 |3 |2 Sandwell |10 |20 |28 |28 South and East Cheshire |0 |0 |1 |0 Sheffield |156 |147 |277 |46 Shropshire |19 |24 |13 |16 SOLOTEC |206 |194 |76 |37 Somerset |97 |114 |103 |125 South Derbyshire |25 |29 |28 |8 South Thames |476 |451 |339 |67 Staffordshire |4 |6 |7 |6 Stockport and High Peak |16 |19 |12 |9 Suffolk |13 |13 |14 |10 Surrey |94 |99 |28 |13 Sussex |66 |86 |60 |59 Teesside |45 |56 |65 |100 Thames Valley Enterprise |185 |198 |205 |228 Tyneside |60 |59 |56 |54 Wakefield |18 |18 |16 |13 Walsall |3 |12 |6 |5 Wearside |0 |0 |0 |0 West London |36 |48 |29 |19 Wiltshire |68 |68 |47 |41 Wolverhampton |2 |6 |3 |5 Sources: <1> Information from Careers Service Management return ( Supplement) 11 March 1993. <2> Information from Careers Service Management return ( Supplement) 8 April 1993. <3> Information from Careers Service Management return ( Supplement) 13 May 1993. <4> Information from Careers Service Management return ( Supplement) 10 June 1993.
Full Employment
Mr. Don Foster : To ask the Secetary of State for Employment what part he plans to play in the proposed European Commission into Full Employment.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Commission's communication, "Community-wide Framework for Employment". The Social Affairs Council which I attended on 1 June 1993 welcomed the communication as a valuable contribution to the process of seeking solutions to unemployment, whilst recognising that the primary responsibility for employment policies lies with the member states. The United Kingdom awaits specific proposals from the European Commission.
Asbestos
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many deaths occurred as a result of asbestos-related illness in each year since 1990.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The latest figures for deaths due to asbestosis and mesothelioma published in "Health and Safety Statistics 1990 -91", are in the following table :
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|Asbestosis |Mesothelioma
----------------------------------------------------
1990 |163 |862
1991 |<1>163 |<1>1,017
<1>Provisional.
The figures are taken from death certificates. Mesothelioma is thought to have a natural background incidence of about 100 cases per year ; the rest are presumed to be asbestos-related.
Since April 1985, under cetain conditions, lung cancer in asbestos workers has been a prescribed disease under the industrial injury scheme. The number of cases diagnosed under this scheme since 1990 for which figures are available are as follows :
|Asbestos-related
|lung cancer
---------------------------------------------------
1990 |58
1991 |55
1992 |<1>54
<1>Provisional.
Lung cancer deaths attributable to asbestos are known to be considerably understated, mainly because many cases may not be recognised as asbestos related by the sufferers or their doctors. Studies suggest that the actual number of lung cancers attributable to asbestos exposure is likely to be more than 1,000 per year.
Ministerial Engagements
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table setting out for each Minister in his Department a full list of all meetings and official engagements to be undertaken by each Minister during the week beginning 19 July, broken down by hourly segments of each day.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disability
Ms. Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide statistics on the basis of the latest analysis of households below average income, for the long-term sick and those on disability benefit to correspond with statistical data for pensioners, recipients of income support and unemployed given in tables A4 and A5 in the latest households below average income report.
Mr. Burt : Estimates are in the tables. The households below average income--HBAI--dataset, the family expenditure survey--FES--does not identify all long-term sick or disabled people, and its identification of receipt of disability benefits is imperfect. The estimates are susceptible to these imperfections as well as sampling errors. The results reported in the tables may, therefore, reflect changes in the categories of long-term sick or disabled people identified in the FES, as well as changes in the incomes of such people.
Where figures are particularly uncertain due to sampling error and where the confidence intervals exceed pre-determined limits, the estimates are bracketed or
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