| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Ancram : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Chief Electoral Officer
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the report of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland for 1992-93.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : The Chief Electoral Officer's report has been laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Action Funronmental action fund announced on 16 August.
Mr. Yeo : Since the launch of the environmental action fund for 1994, applications have now been received and are
Column 531
being assessed. I have asked the Civic Trust, which manages the local projects fund on behalf of the Department, to extend its remit to include the management of all new projects commissioned in 1994. The Department will continue to manage existing projects and strategic funding.Warehouse Racking Systems
Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government will take steps to implement the Wood committee's recommendation that warehouse racking systems in England be removed from the list of rateable appliances in the Plant and Machinery Order.
Mr. Curry : We are currently considering all the Wood committee's recommendations as part of the preparation for the 1995 rating revaluation.
Special Waste
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 15 July, Official Report, columns 587-88 in respect of special waste, when he will have the information available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Waste regulation authorities hold some of the information asked for, but we do not at present collect it centrally. We are, however, looking at ways of improving the coverage of our special waste statistics and are aiming to complete our studies and our consultations in the first half of 1994.
Drinking Water Provision
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions exist for the provision of drinking water in public places ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Under section 14 of the Public Health Act 1925, local authorities may provide drinking fountains for public use in any convenient public place. With the consent of the local authority, any person may make similar provision. It is for each local authority to decide whether to provide such facilities, having regard to their own priorities and the availability of resources.
Water Disconnections
Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps the Government are taking to ensure compliance with section 63(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991 ; and if he will list the number of disconnections notified to local authorities under this section, broken down by local authority district.
Mr. Yeo : Breaches of compliance should come to the attention of the local authority on which the water company has failed to serve, within the required period, notice of its failure to reconnect, in the time specified, the service pipe to a house which it has earlier disconnected. Numbers of disconnections notified to local authorities under section 63(1) of the Act, broken down by local authority district, are not available centrally.
The latest figures for domestic disconnections in the financial year 1992- 93 in the area of each OFWAT
Column 532
customer service committee region is set out in the following table. Each entry covers one of the privatised water and sewerage undertakers, together with figures for the water supply companies operating within that area.Region |Number -------------------------- Central |3,100 Eastern |926 North West |495 Northumbria |754 South West |300 Southern |4,800 Thames |3,665 Wales |2,448 Wessex |315 Yorkshire |1,833
EC Funds
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the London Boroughs Association on the campaign to win European Community structure funds for London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I have had no discussions with the London Boroughs Association on this matter.
Lead Pollution
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to prescribe pollution control standards for lead.
Mr. Yeo : The Government's long-standing policy is to reduce exposure to lead wherever it is practical to do so. This policy is currently implemented in a number of ways, including setting pollution control standards for lead in air, water, food and drinking water.
Minerals
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to present safeguards for the environment through the revision of Mineral Planning Guidance 3 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) when he intends to publish the results of the consultation on the revision of MPG3 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will publish the names of organisations and individuals who have made representations regarding changes to MPG3.
Mr. Baldry : A list of those organisations that responded to my Department's initial consultation exercise on the effectiveness of MPG3 was placed in the Library of the House in June 1992. My right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State announced on 25 March that we intended to proceed to consultation on revised planning guidelines which would reflect the Government's commitment to the protection of the environment. We will do this as soon as possible. The results of this consultation exercise will be published in due course.
Column 533
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his answer of 20 July, Official Report, column 99, on the countryside stewardship scheme, what is the cost of the additional payments for open access.
Mr. Yeo : For agreements entered into in 1991 and 1992, expenditure in respect of open access sites under the countryside stewardship scheme is expected to be £565,700 in 1993-94.
Local Government
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost, to date, of the Local Government Commission's review of local government in England and the expected full cost of the completed review.
Mr. Baldry : The Local Government Commission incurred expenditure of £2.056 million in 1992-93. We are making available some £3.259 million to fund the Commission's activities in 1993-94 and have made provision of £3.300 million and £3.439 million for the two following years. These figures are being reviewed in the usual way as part of the public expenditure round.
Disabled Facilities Grant
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will exclude works pensions from income calculations for disabled facilities grant ;
(2) if he will revise disabled facilities grant regulations to take account of average mortgage payments ;
(3) if he will encourage the use of disabled facilities grant in cases where rehousing effectively and economically meets the needs of disabled people ;
(4) what plans he has to amend disabled facilities grant regulations.
Sir George Young : The Department is currently reviewing options for change to the house renovation grant system in the light of responses to the consultation paper issued on 21 June. This review covers disabled facilities grants and will include the points raised by the hon. Member.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applications for disabled facilities grant have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful, in each year since 1990.
Sir George Young : The number of successful applications for disabled facilities grants for England and for Wales is shown in table 2.19 of the publication "Housing and Construction Statistics--Part 2". Figures for the number of disabled facilities grants paid out for individual local authorities is shown in the publication "Local Housing Statistics". Copies of these publications are available in the Library.
The Department does not have any information about unsuccessful applications for the disabled facilities grant.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies have been undertaken to identify the number of disabled facilities grant claimants who have received financial assistance from local authority social services departments ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 534
Sir George Young : The Department is not aware of any such studies undertaken or of any planned for the future.
Private Tenants (Home Purchase)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce measures to enable private sector tenants to buy their homes ; and if he will make a statement.
Extending the right to buy to the private rented sector would discourage landlords from letting their property. The sale of privately owned property to sitting tenants is a matter for negotiation between landlord and tenant.
Council House Sales
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total value of receipts from council house sales, to date, resulting from tenants exercising their right to buy.
Sir George Young : Figures for receipts resulting from council tenants exercising their right to buy from local authorities are not separately collected by the Department. However, between the introduction of right to buy in 1980 and the end of June 1993, the total value of council dwelling sales to sitting tenants, net of discounts, is estimated to be £17.7 billion.
The number of sales to sitting tenants during this period was almost 1,240,000, and 92 per cent. of such sales resulted from tenants exercising their right to buy.
Water Meters
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many and which water companies have installed pre-payment meters in the last six months.
Mr. Yeo : I understand that four water companies have installed pre- payment meters in the last six months. The companies are as follows :
Bristol Water plc
Mid-Kent plc
North West water Ltd.
Severn Trent Water Ltd.
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many reported instances of self-disconnections there have been in the pre-payment metering trial being undertaken by Severn Trent water authority.
Mr. Yeo : I understand that to date there have been 113 instances of self-disconnection in the pre-payment metering trial undertaken by Severn Trent Water Ltd. The majority were reconnected within 48 hours.
Lappel Bank
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has received from English Nature on whether the intertidal mud flats of Lappel bank on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, qualify on scientific grounds for inclusion within the proposed Medway Estuary and Marshes special protection area and Ramsar site.
Mr. Yeo : English Nature has advised that Lappel bank is a good quality productive feeding and sheltering ground
Column 535
for a range of bird species and is an integral part of the Medway estuary and marshes potential special protection area. I understand that the area of Lappel bank is less than 1 per cent. of the proposed Medway SPA.Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider his provisional intention to exclude Lappel bank from the Medway estuary and marshes special protection area following the judgment of the European Court of Justice in case C-355/90 relating to the Santona marshes in Spain.
Mr. Yeo : The Secretary of State is currently considering whether the Medway estuary and marshes should be designated as an SPA and whether Lappel bank should be included. The Santona marshes judgment is one of many factors which he will take into account before reaching his decision.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account he has taken of the research into the hydrodynamic effects of port expansion in the rest of the estuary, carried out by the university of Hull and commissioned by English Nature ; and if he will now consider the revocation of the extant planning permission on Lappel bank.
Mr. Yeo : The Secretary of State is currently considering whether the extant planning permission for the reclamation of 22 ha at Lappel bank should be revoked. The report on the "Medway Estuary Coastal Process and Conservation", produced by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies, is one of many factors which he will take into account before reaching his decision.
EC Habitats Directive
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date the EC habitats directive will come into force.
Mr. Yeo : Member states are required by 5 June to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the EC habitats directive.
Lower Severn Estuary
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the completion of his consultations with English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales and private landowners and others on the preparation of the lower Severn estuary proposed special protection area under the wild birds directive, 1979.
Mr. Yeo : The Government consider that co-operation with owners and occupiers is vital if wildlife habitats are to
Column 536
be protected. Detailed consultations are therefore conducted to ensure that any conflicts of interest are closely examined, together with the scientific evidence. The Severn estuary is included in the accelerated designation programme on which the Government are currently working. I am unable to say when consultations on this particular site will be completed.Integrated Pollution Control
Sir Rhodes Boyson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes are to be made to the scheme of fees and charges for integrated pollution control operated by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Mr. Yeo : Minor technical changes to the HMIP integrated pollution control fees and charges scheme 1993-94 take effect on 26 October 1993. They are necessary to ensure that the scheme fully reflects changes in the governing legislation made by the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1993, SI 1993/2405, which come into operation on that date. Copies of the amendment to the scheme are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Heald : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to abolish the client contribution payable under the Government's home energy efficiency scheme.
Mr. Yeo : I have received many representations on the client contribution payable under the home energy efficiency scheme. To meet concerns that this contribution may deter some people from applying for a grant to have their homes insulated, I will shortly be laying before Parliament proposals to amend the regulations governing HEES which would remove the requirement for a client contribution.
Housing, Lancashire
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the housing investment programme bids his Department has authorised in respect of each local authority in Lancashire over the last three years in relation to their bid ; and what is the cash figure.
Sir George Young [holding answer 22 October 1993] : The information requested is given in the table.
The levels of local authorities' bids for housing investment programme resources reflect, in part, the competition for these resources and therefore often exceed the amount of resources likely to be available.
Column 535
Housing Investment Programme (HIP) bids, allocations and gross housing capital expenditure in Lancashire
£ thousand/percentage
|HIP bids |HIP allocations<1>|Allocation as |Housing capital
|percentage of bid |expenditure
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn
1991-92 |23,193 |7,558 |32.6 |11,937
1992-93 |25,174 |6,684 |26.6 |<2>11,467
1993-94 |30,589 |8,093 |26.5 |<3>14,915
Blackpool
1991-92 |4,326 |2,832 |65.5 |3,727
1992-93 |6,127 |3,550 |57.9 |<2>4,036
1993-94 |4,915 |3,301 |67.2 |<3>2,660
Burnley
1991-92 |11,701 |4,508 |38.5 |6,337
1992-93 |12,915 |4,922 |38.1 |<2>7,692
1993-94 |12,213 |4,725 |38.7 |<3>6,765
Chorley
1991-92 |4,055 |1,509 |37.2 |1,755
1992-93 |4,233 |2,244 |53.0 |<2>2,465
1993-94 |4,762 |2,068 |43.4 |<3>2,407
Fylde
1991-92 |2,282 |979 |42.9 |1,894
1992-93 |2,341 |1,115 |47.6 |<2>1,945
1993-94 |2,225 |1,144 |51.4 |<3>2,009
Hyndburn
1991-92 |9,717 |3,525 |36.3 |4,717
1992-93 |13,572 |4,156 |30.6 |<2>6,195
1993-94 |12,528 |4,176 |33.3 |<3>5,998
Lancaster
1991-92 |8,289 |2,853 |34.4 |4,152
1992-93 |5,895 |3,673 |62.3 |<2>5,568
1993-94 |7,337 |3,220 |43.9 |<3>5,566
Pendle
1991-92 |5,610 |2,468 |44.0 |3,381
1992-93 |6,005 |3,420 |57.0 |<2>4,429
1993-94 |6,020 |2,954 |49.1 |<3>3,447
Preston
1991-92 |29,567 |5,775 |19.5 |10,785
1992-93 |15,478 |3,958 |25.6 |<2>5,617
1993-94 |9,847 |5,975 |60.7 |<3>11,453
Ribble Valley
1991-92 |1,715 |545 |31.8 |1,292
1992-93 |1,600 |1,156 |72.3 |<2>1,974
1993-94 |1,750 |1,150 |65.7 |<3>1,209
Rossendale
1991-92 |8,245 |2,731 |33.1 |4,698
1992-93 |7,890 |3,242 |41.1 |<2>4,682
1993-94 |7,916 |2,310 |29.2 |<3>5,830
South Ribble
1991-92 |4,178 |1,494 |35.8 |3,083
1992-93 |4,060 |2,301 |56.7 |<2>3,657
1993-94 |2,950 |1,597 |54.1 |<3>3,006
West Lancashire
1991-92 |6,063 |2,908 |48.0 |5,042
1992-93 |6,775 |2,510 |37.0 |<2>4,744
1993-94 |3,507 |1,650 |47.0 |<3>5,220
Wyre
1991-92 |4,520 |1,266 |28.0 |1,763
1992-93 |6,575 |1,738 |26.4 |<2>4,227
1993-94 |6,878 |2,350 |34.2 |<3>3,919
Notes:
<1> Under the new capital finance system, the HIP allocation is an assessment of relative need for housing
capital expenditure. Borrowing approval is conveyed by the single, all service, basic credit approval. The
allocation figures are the 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> Provisional.
<3> Estimated.
Column 538
Hedgerows
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give (a) the number of agreements, (b) the amount of money spent and (c) the length of
Column 539
hedgerow affected in each county under the hedgerow incentive scheme in (i) 1992-93 and (ii) to date in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Yeo [holding answer 25 October 1993] : Under the 411 agreements made in the first year of the scheme some 600km of hedgerow will be restored over a period of five years. The Countryside Commission is currently considering new bids for the 1993-94 round of agreements.
The information is not available in the form requested. Total spend in the financial years requested as at 25 October 1993 is set out on a regional basis. These figures do not include additional resources available under the scheme from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which account for an approximate addition of 15 to 20 per cent.
|1992-93 |1993-94
Region |Agreements |Spend (£) |Spend to date (£)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |83 |58,104 |46,300
Midlands |70 |30,894 |29,382
South West |95 |28,054 |23,335
Yorkshire and Humberside |56 |36,279 |18,405
North West |31 |32,990 |2,757
South East |50 |17,592 |19,403
Eastern |26 |7,522 |13,816
|------- |------- |-------
Total |411 |211,435 |153,398
Opencast Coal
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce the outcome of the review of guidance to planning authorities on opencast coal ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 25 October 1993] : I intend to publish draft revised planning guidelines for opencast coal for public consultation as soon as possible.
Nuclear Power
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what assessment has been made by his Department in respect of new nuclear power stations of the risks of (a) turning out to be a poor performer, (b) major construction cost increases, (c) (i) retrofitting, (ii) power downrating and (iii) closure arising from the tightening of (1) safety standards, or (2) environmental standards resulting from a major accident or otherwise and (d) major increases in (i) spent fuel management, (ii) decommissioning and (iii) radioactive waste management costs ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the strategic benefits of nuclear power which have been identified in his Department's nuclear review ;
(3) what consideration his Department's nuclear review has given to assessing viability of new nuclear power stations to the delays and uncertainties in the development of a national radioactive waste repository ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) what discount rate will be used in his Department's nuclear review in investment appraisal for new nuclear power stations ; (5) what are the results of his Department's nuclear review in respect of tests to determine whether new nuclear power stations are commercially viable ;
Column 540
(6) what consideration his Department's nuclear review has given in assessing the future security of nuclear power to the economic, social and political impacts of a major nuclear accident ; and if he will make a statement ;(7) if he will list the (a) risks and (b) uncertainties associated with nuclear investment which have been identified as a result of the nuclear review ; and what plans he has for determining who will be responsible for covering them ;
(8) if he will list the options being considered in his Department's nuclear review for financing new nuclear power stations.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
It remains Government policy that Nuclear Electric plc will not be granted capital expenditure approval for any new nuclear stations pending the outcome of a review of the future prospects for nuclear power in the United Kingdom. Options for the scope and format of the review are currently under consideration within Government.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Second Church Estate Commissioner
Mr. Wallace : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what estimate has has made of the cost to the Church Commissioners in the last financial year in respect of his discharging his responsibilities in Parliament as Second Church Estate Commissioner.
Mr. Alison : There is no direct cost to the Church Commissioners in relation to my duties in Parliament as Second Church Estate Commissioner.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, what was the cost to the Church Commissioners of answering written and oral questions to the Second Church Estate Commissioner in the last two parliamentary Sessions and in the present Session, up to and including 27 July.
Mr. Alison : A total of 79 questions were answered between 1 October 1991 and 27 July this year, but it has not been the Commissioners' practice to keep a record of the cost.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ecclesiastical Matters
Mr. Wallace : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate he has made of the staffing costs incurred by House of Commons staff and officials in connections with work associated with the Ecclesiastical Committee or other parliamentary matters relating to the Church of England.
Mr. Beith : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) on 25 March, column 663. The total cost is of the order of £2,000 per annum.
Column 541
TRANSPORT
British Rail Privatisation
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to involve non-metropolitan local authorities in the franchising of rail services following the privatisation of British Rail.
Mr. Freeman : We propose to incorporate in the Secretary of State's statutory guidance to the Franchising Director the following : Outside PTE areas you should consult such representatives of local government as appear to you to be appropriate about the pattern of services and the quality of services to be provided through franchising. In your consultations you should seek to agree practical arrangements which will provide for effective mutual communication between local authorities and franchisees. You should also include within franchise agreements a requirement for franchisees to take reasonable steps to keep the local authorities for the areas served by their franchised services informed of significant intended changes to the pattern of franchised services. These arrangements must be implemented in such a way as to place the minimum burden on franchisees. I would expect local authorities to consult you before formally adopting plans and policies dealing with the role of passenger rail services in their areas.
Motor Rescue Services
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has yet concluded whether rights of access to motorway service areas similar to those currently enjoyed by the RAC and AA should be extended to other motor rescue services.
Mr. Key : My predecessor decided that the requirement on motorway service area operators to permit access at all times to the employees or agents of the AA or the RAC to carry out emergency repairs to members' vehicles should continue under the new regime announced on 6 August last year. I have now decided that similar rights should be extended to any repairer requested to carry out an emergency repair by the driver of a broken down or damaged vehicle.
| Next Section
| Home Page |