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Mr. Yeo : The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), on behalf of the Department of Health, has operated since 1988 three monitoring sites for surface ultra-violet radiation at Chilton, Oxfordshire, Leeds, and Glasgow. The board plans to add three further sites by the end of the year at Camborne, Cornwall, Kinloss, and Lerwick. My Department supports research at Reading university which is playing a leading role in international programmes for determining standards for improved UV-B monitoring networks. I have asked the Department's stratospheric ozone review group (SORG) to assess possibilities for an improved network in its next report this autumn.
Air pollution, including low-level ozone, will have some influence on UV-B radiation reaching the ground, although much less than natural conditions such as cloudiness. The exisiting NRPB sites cover a range of situations from rural to outer urban and are believed to give a good indication of the maximum UV-B levels experienced throughout the United Kingdom. The additional sites planned for the end of this year will provide a further check on this.
Results from the NRPB network are published annually. I understand a scheme to release weekly bulletins is imminent. The Department's stratospheric ozone review group will review ground level UV-B irradiation in its report this autumn. So far, no increase in UV-B has been detected in the United Kingdom against the background of natural variability. The frequency of reporting will be reviewed should this position change.
Monitoring UV-B cannot of itself establish the link between ozone layer depletion and UV-B at ground level, but is essential to validating mathematical models. Current models agree well with monitoring data under the "worst-case" clear sky conditions. They are limited by the
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availability of precise data on pollution levels, aerosols and clouds, which act to further reduce ground level UV-B.Homelessness
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement of policy on the homeless outside London, including the young homeless and the discharged mentally ill.
Sir George Young : The aim of reducing homelessness underlies all the Government's housing policies. We have taken steps to increase the supply of low cost housing where it is needed. The public resources available to housing associations, the main providers of new social housing, increased from £935 million in 1989-90 to £1.8 billion in 1993-94, making some 54,500 new homes available this year. The housing market package announced in the autumn statement last year has been a considerable success, providing an extra 18,000 housing association homes in 1992-93, as well as releasing local authority and housing association houses for reletting by enabling their present tenants to become home owners. In addition, the temporary relaxation of the rules governing local authority receipts, for the period November 1992 to December 1993, gives local authorities greatly increased spending power.
Under section 8 of the Housing Act 1985, local authorities have a duty to assess the housing needs of their area and, in their role as enablers, can use their housing and planning powers to stimulate activity by housing associations and the private sector to meet those needs. In the latest guidance to local authorities on the housing investment programme (HIP) round, greater emphasis is also being placedthe needs of their area and, in the light of their resources and commitments, the priority to attach to such schemes.
My Department also gives grants under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 to voluntary sector organisations which help single homeless people. This financial year we have made available £6.45 million to 170 projects-- 130 outside London--that provide direct, practical help to single homeless people. Seventy nine of these projects help young people secure accommodation, and provide advice, training and continuing support.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State of Health is, through the single homeless young people initiative, funding 14 projects specifically designed to help young people outside London who are homeless, or in danger of becoming so.
Health authorities have an obligation to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for any necessary continuing care, including drawing up an individual care programme, before mentally ill people are discharged. The evidence we have is that homeless mentally ill people sleeping rough are not those who have been recently discharged from long-stay psychiatric hospitals.
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Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to ensure that the area grant adjustment methodology within standard spending assessments reflects accurately the actual level of wage costs to all local authorities.
Mr. Baldry : The general aim of SSAs is not to reflect actual expenditure but to measure each authority's relative need to spend in order to provide a standard level of service. As far as the area cost adjustment is concerned, we are examining the methodology as part of our review of SSAs for 1994-95. We will be announcing our proposals later in the year.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the outcome of his review of standard spending assessments will be published ; in what form ; and how long a period there will be for consultation before final decisions by Ministers are made.
Mr. Gummer : I shall discuss the report on the review of standard spending assessments, to be prepared by the SSA sub-group to the settlement working group, with representatives of the local authority associations at the October meeting of the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance.
We shall announce our proposals for the revenue support grant settlement for 1994-95, including SSAs, in the late autumn, and then consult in the usual way.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the representations which he has received in respect of his review of standard spending assessments.
Mr. Gummer : I shall arrange for copies of the representations received so far from local authorities on the review of standard spending assessments to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the annual change in the total standard spending assessments for all English local authorities from 1990-91 to 1993-94 ; and what were the annual increases in the element for the area cost adjustment over the same period.
Mr. Baldry : The total of standard spending assessments for all local authorities in England for 1993-94 was £36,622 million, of which £1,332 million--3.6 per cent. of the total--was allocated on the basis of the area cost adjustment. The annual percentage changes since 1990-91 have been as follows :
Percentage
changes
Year |Total SSA |Amount allocated on
|area cost
|adjustment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 to 1991-92 |19.4 |37.7
1991-92 to 1992-93 |6.8 |14.1
1992-93 to 1993-94 |2.9 |7.4
Note: For the purposes of comparison with 1993-94, the 1992-93 figures have
been adjusted to allow for the transfer of certain local authority
responsibilities, most notably for further education.
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Opencast Mining
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the opencast mining applications in the north-west since January 1990 indicating where approval (a) has been given to original or revised application without appeal and (b) has been given following appeal and those applications rejected indicating where such rejection has been determined following an appeal.
Mr. Baldry : This information is not held centrally.
Ozone Depletion
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide details from the maintenance and servicing record of the quantity and type of ozone-destroying chemicals used annually in his Department's refrigeration and air conditioning equipment for servicing and in leakages; and what proportion is removed for recycling.
Mr. Yeo : Tollgate house, Bristol is the only building occupied by my Department where refrigeration plant within the air conditioning system contains ozone depleting substances. It is estimated that consumption of R22 per annum is :
150 kg utilised
15 kg reclaimed
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many refrigeration and air conditioning systems in the Department are equipped with automatic leak detection systems.
Mr. Yeo : Tollgate house, Bristol is the only building occupied by my Department where refrigeration plant within the air conditioning system contains ozone-depleting substances. There are no automatic leak detection facilities but an exercise is under way to consider the removal of these substances. The installation of automatic leak detectors will be considered in the light of the consultants' report.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how his departmental green Minister has promoted protection of the ozone layer with specific policy measures; which possible measures have been considered and rejected; and on what grounds.
Mr. Yeo : My Department's green housekeeping policy statement states the measures we are taking to protect the ozone layer. These are : (1) to continue to eliminate products containing halons, chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1--trichloroethan and other ozone-depleting substances well in advance of the Government's responses to international agreements and EC regulations; (2) to extend the leakage prevention programme through regular servicing of all refrigeration and air conditioning equipment containing ozone-depleting substances in compliance with professional codes of practice. No measures for promoting protection of the ozone layer have been considered but rejected.
Public Appointments
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of public appointments for which he is responsible.
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Mr. Gummer : I am responsible for 528 appointments to 43 public bodies. In addition, I appoint the rent assessment panel.
Blind and Partially Sighted People
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's policy on which information produced by his Department is published in alternative media to standard print such as Braille, tape or large print.
Mr. Gummer : The decision to provide a publication in media suitable for blind and partially sighted people is taken in the light of the available publicity budgets and the likely number of such people among the target audience.
Recent examples of publications which have been produced in such media include leaflets on the community charge and the council tax.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements his Department makes to ensure that blind and partially sighted people have access to information produced by his Department where it has not been published in alternative media such as Braille, large print or tape.
Mr. Gummer : All the publicity material published by my Department is distributed to a very wide range of media outlets, including broadcasters, for them to report on. Information is also made available to the general public through the offices of such organisations as voluntary groups, citizens advice bureaux and local authorities.
Planning Applications
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average waiting time for the approval of planning applications by (a) Harrogate borough council and (b) all other authorities.
Mr. Baldry : On Tuesday 20 July 1993, my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Planning launched the planning performance checklists, copies of which have been placed in the House Library. The checklists show the relative performance of local planning authorities against the Government's target that 80 per cent. of applications for planning permission should be decided within eight weeks. In the year to 31 March 1993, Harrogate district council decided 51.3 per cent. of applications within eight weeks. Nationally, during the same period, local planning authorities decided 63 per cent. of applications within eight weeks.
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received all the evidence he requires to make a judgment in relation to the THORP review.
Mr. Yeo : A final decision will be taken after the further consultation announced by my right hon. Friend in his answer on 28 June, to the hon. Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson) Official Report, column 392.
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Housing (Disabled People)
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the report which his Department has prepared on housing services for disabled people.
Sir George Young : The report will be published in August.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the management and disposal arising from the United Kingdom nuclear power programme of (a) the stockpile of plutonium, (b) vitrified high-level waste from spent fuel reprocessing, (c) intermediate- level waste from reprocessing and (d) spent fuel that is not reprocessed but placed in temporary storage.
Mr. Yeo : The policy for vitrified high-level waste from spent fuel reprocessing is to store it for at least 50 years before disposal. The arrangements for disposal have not yet been determined. UK Nirex Ltd. is the nuclear industry body charged with the responsibility of developing new disposal facilities for low and intermediate-level wastes, including reprocessing waste. The work of Nirex to develop such facilities continues, and it will have to satisfy the planning and regulatory authorities that its proposals are acceptable. The relevant wastes will be stored until the facilities become available.
Plutonium and irradiated nuclear fuel are of potential value. It is for the owners to consider what they wish to do with such material and to satisfy the relevant authorities that their proposals are acceptable.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies have been carried out into the environmental and health implications of storing intermediate-level wastes arising from the reprocessing of foreign spent nuclear fuel in the thermal oxide reprocessing plant ; and if he will give an estimate of the plutonium content of this waste per tonne of spent fuel reprocessed.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 14 July 1993] : I have been asked to reply.
Responsibility for the storage of intermediate-level wastes arising from reprocessing rests with British Nuclear Fuels plc as operators of the Sellafield site, subject to meeting the statutory requirements of the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate. The precise plutonium content of the waste will depend upon the operational performance of the thermal oxide reprocessing plant.
Local Authority Management
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to meet representatives of the local authority associations to discuss the report on the internal management of local authorities.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend has regular two-monthly informal meetings with the chairmen of the three local authority associations at which a wide range of issues are discussed. The next meeting is planned to take place in September.
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Council Rent Arrears
Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by local authority the rent arrears owed by local authority tenants for the last year for which figures are available and the total rent owing.
Sir George Young : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, North (Mr. Heald) on 20 July 1993, Official Report, columns 104-105.
Regulated Tenancies (Rents)
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the figures for the increase in rent for regulated tenancies over each of the last five years ; what percentage of tenants of regulated tenancies qualify for housing benefit ; and what have been the comparable figures over each of the last five years.
Sir George Young : Regulated tenancies may or may not have a fair rent registered by the rent officer. The mean percentage increase on re- registration of fair rents in England for each of the last five years is as follows :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1988 |18
1989 |19
1990 |22
1991 |25
1992 |25
Rents may be re-registered every second year : these increases therefore cover a period of at least two years. Comparable figures on rent increases for regulated tenancies without a registered rent are not available.
We do not have statistics showing the proportion of regulated tenants who qualified for housing benefit over each of the last five years. The private renters survey 1990, however, estimated that 52 per cent. of regulated tenants with a registered rent and 35 per cent. of those without a registered rent were eligible for housing benefit. In comparison, the 1988 private renters survey found that 56 per cent. and 39 per cent. respectively would qualify.
Fire Regulations
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish England and Wales Approved Document B (Building Regulations, Fire) ; and if he will make a statement on the operation and effectiveness of the regulations in England and Wales since they came into force on 1 June 1992. Mr. Baldry : The current edition of Approved Document B was published in December 1991, replacing an earlier version of 1985. The new approved document has been well received and appears to be operating effectively.
Oil Spills
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many oil spills of over 100 gallons from offshore installations there were in United Kingdom waters in (a) 1980 and (b) 1990.
Column 704
European Coastal Strategy
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he supports the principle of a European coastal strategy ; and what action he will take to urge other member state Governments to support the European Commission's attempt to establish one.
Mr. Yeo : At present, the Commission has not published a proposed directive on a European coastal strategy.
Drinking Water
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures his Department is taking to ensure that the incremental benefits of constantly increasing drinking water standards justify the cost to consumers of their implementation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Changes to domestic requirements on drinking water are subject to consideration of cost and benefits as a matter of course.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further proposals he expects to bring forward within the EC and by the Government directly to improve further drinking water quality ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : We are considering the implications of the revised guidelines which are shortly to be published by the World Health Organisation, and will be playing our part in any negotiations initiated by the European Commission on the drinking water directive.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the measures introduced by the Government (a) directly and (b) because of EC directives, to improve drinking water standards since 1979.
Mr. Yeo : The legislative and administrative measures introduced by the Government to improve drinking water standards in England and Wales since 1979 result largely from the implementation of EC directive 80/778/EEC--the drinking water directive. They are as follows :
Department of the Environment circular 20/82, dated 19 August 1982 ;
The Water Act 1989 as consolidated by the Water Industry Act 1991 ;
The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 [SI No. 1147], as amended by the Water Supply (Water Quality) (Amendment) Regulations 1989 and 1991 [SI Nos. 1384 and 1837 respectively] ; and, The Private Supplies Regulations 1991 [SI No. 2790].
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used to determine the time scales set for implementation of new drinking water quality standards ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The time scales for implementation of any new drinking water quality standards proposed by the European Commission would be negotiated by member states in the Environment Council. Any changes to domestic standards, including dates of implementation, would take into account all relevant factors including the implications for water consumers.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the cost to
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each water company of the implementation of each of the EC and United Kingdom measures for improving drinking water standards since 1979.Mr. Yeo : The total capital cost of improving drinking water quality in England and Wales in the period 1989-90 is estimated to be £2 billion, excluding the cost of improvements resulting from renovation of the distribution system. Comparable estimates for the period before 1989 are not available.
Housing (Tower Hamlets)
Mr. Peter Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the allocation to the London borough of Tower Hamlets under the housing investment programme in 1992 ; what is the estimate for 1993 ; and what have been the allocations in every year since 1979, in current and constant prices.
Sir George Young : The information requested is given in the table. The figures for 1990-91 and subsequent years are not directly comparable with those for earlier years because of the revisions to the capital finance system introduced in April 1990.
Housing Investment Programme (HIP) allocations by
Tower Hamlets Borough Council and capital expenditure,
1979-80 to 1993-94
£ thousand
HIP Housing capital
allocations<1> expenditure
|Cash |1993-94 prices<2>|Cash |1993-94 prices<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |13,635 |33,516 |n/a |n/a
1980-81 |12,584 |26,140 |n/a |n/a
1981-82 |5,318 |10,074 |n/a |n/a
1982-83 |10,542 |18,642 |6,684 |11,820
1983-84 |12,000 |20,282 |9,856 |16,658
1984-85 |12,311 |19,803 |11,321 |18,210
1985-86 |11,644 |17,760 |12,011 |18,320
1986-87 |17,397 |25,708 |27,618 |40,812
1987-88 |19,587 |27,437 |29,150 |40,832
1988-89 |22,985 |30,011 |34,353 |44,854
1989-90 |20,448 |25,052 |121,378 |148,707
New capital finance system<3>
1990-91 |25,244 |28,635 |42,808 |48,558
1991-92 |21,439 |22,800 |<4>35,505 |<4>37,758
1992-93 |23,046 |23,680 |<5>53,133 |<5>54,594
1993-94 |23,982 |23,982 |n/a |n/a
<1>Allocations for the years up to and including 1989-90 are final allocations, i.e. the initial allocation
plus any increases to the initial allocation made in-year. The allocations figures for 1990-91 and
subsequent years are the HIP allocations-housing annual capital guidelines plus specified capital
grants-issued prior to the start of the financial year. These figures do not include any supplementary
credit approvals issued during the year.
<2>Cash figures have been converted to 1993-94 price levels by excluding the effect of general inflation as
measured by the GDP market prices deflator.
<3>From 1990-91, under the new capital finance system, the HIP allocation is an assessment of relative need
for housing capital expenditure rather than a direct borrowing approval. Borrowing approval is now conveyed
by the single, all service, basic credit approval.
<4>Provisional.
<5>Estimated.
Mr. Peter Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many families were accepted as
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homeless in the London borough of Tower Hamlets in 1992 or the latest available date ; and how many were similarly accepted as homeless in each year since 1979.Sir George Young : Local authorities report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the housing acts in their quarterly P1(E) returns.
The figures for acceptances reported by Tower Hamlets in the years 1979 to 1992 were as follows :
Year |Reported acceptances --------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |687 1980 |334 1981 |332 1982 |808 1983 |189(1) 1984 |985 1985 |<1>- 1986 |<1>- 1987 |654(2) 1988 |1,069 1989 |884 1990 |1,142 1991 |542(2) 1992 |851 <1> Not available.
The figures exclude households found to be intenationally homeless from the second quarter of 1991. The figures for 1983, 1987 and 1991 are partial ; the figures in brackets indicate the number of quarters for which information was reported.
City Grant (Bradford)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present position of the application for city grant by 3Ds Ltd. for the west end scheme in Bradford ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : My Department has made a formal offer of a city grant of £3.4 million to 3D Bradford Ltd. to aid the construction of a £11.7 million office development on a derelict site in the west end of Bradford and we are waiting to hear whether the company is prepared to go ahead.
Habitats Directive
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will issue the consultation document on the implementation of the EC directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The Government are considering the best means of implementing the requirements of the EC habitats directive. Our proposals will be published shortly.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for the environment when his Department expects to publish its consultation document on implementation of the habitats directive.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 22 July 1993] : The Government are considering the best means of implementing the requirements of the EC habitats directive. Our proposals will be published shortly.
Column 707
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether measures will be included in the consultation document on the implementation of the EC directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora in the United Kingdom to address the incidental capture and killing of small cetaceans in fishing nets as required under article 12(4) ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The Government's proposals for implementation of the EC habitats directive paper will address the United Kingdom's obligations. Action is already being taken to deal with the conservation of small cetaceans and I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 11 June 1993 to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) Official Report , column 358 .
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures will be included in the biodiversity action plan to improve the conservation status of small cetaceans in United Kingdom waters and, in particular, to address the incidental capture and killing of marine mammals in fishing nets.
Mr Yeo : The biodiversity action plan will address the United Kingdom's obligations at a strategic level. Action is already being taken to deal with the conservation of small cetaceans and I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 11 June 1993 to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger), Official Report, column 358 .
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