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Sir George Young : Local authorities in England report details of the number of households for which they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the housing acts in their quarterly P1(E) returns. These returns do not distinguish between one and two-parent households.
For information about other parts of the United Kingdom I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Tenancies
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain how local authorities can satisfy the proposed obligation in paragraph 18.2 (i) of his consultation paper on access to local authority and housing association accommodation and at the same time accommodate existing tenants seeking a transfer while following paragraph 20.4 of the consultation paper under which waiting lists may be restricted to people who are not currently tenants and who are seeking a tenancy.
Sir George Young : The consultation paper invites views, in paragraph 20.4, on whether the names of people seeking a transfer should appear on the housing waiting list along with the names of people seeking a tenancy for the first time. If, in the light of responses to the consultation exercise, we conclude that people seeking transfers should not be included on the waiting list, they will be the subject of separate provisions.
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Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new arrangements he proposes to create for short-term tenancies within local authority housing stock.
Sir George Young : Paragraph 19.2 of the consultation paper "Access to Local Authority and Housing Association Tenancies" raises the possibility of giving local authorities greater flexibility in the types of tenancy they can offer. I would welcome views on the form that this flexibility might take.
Housing
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he or his Department have received about the implications of the House of Lords decision in the case of Din v. London borough of Wandsworth ;
(2) what representations he or his Department have received about the operation of section 63 of the Housing Act 1985.
Sir George Young : The representations we receive about the operation of part III of the 1985 Act cover a range of issues.
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis he considers that someone asked to leave accommodation by family or friends automatically qualifies for assistance under part III of the Housing Act 1985.
Sir George Young : Section 58 of the 1985 Act states that a person is homeless if, inter alia, there is no accommodation which he has a licence to occupy. Being asked to leave by relatives or friends would amount to the revocation of a licence.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the additional housing benefit costs which will be incurred in consequence of the implementation of the proposals in his consultation paper on changes to arrangements for access to local authority and housing association accommodation.
Sir George Young : I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 27.1 of the consultation paper.
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Environment what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the additional housing benefit costs likely to arise from the proposals in the consultation paper on proposed changes to access to local authority and housing association accommodation.
Sir George Young : The proposals in the consultation paper represent the views of the Government.
Power Station Emissions
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each power station in Britain the most recent emissions data submitted to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Mr. Atkins : The emissions data for power stations in England and Wales, not Scotland authorised by HMIP are
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placed on the public register in HMIP offices in Bedford, Bristol and Leeds as appropriate. The national plan emissions inventory is also placed on the public registers and I have placed a copy of the inventory for 1993, which has recently been received, in the Library of the House.Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis and frequency power stations are obliged to submit emissions data to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Mr. Atkins : For all power stations in England and Wales operated by National Power and PowerGen and authorised by HMIP, the operator is required to send to the chief inspector, within 28 days of the end of the reporting period to which the results refer, the mass releases into the air from the authorised process of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen for that reporting period together with the operational data from which the releases have been calculated.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each power station in Britain the reporting period stipulated in the authorisation for purposes of submitting emissions data to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
Mr. Atkins : For all power stations in England and Wales operated by National Power and PowerGen and authorised by HMIP, the reporting period is each of the 12 periods of either four or five weeks which correspond approximately to calender months in any year for which reports are compiled.
Public Bodies
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Office of Water Services national customer council.
Mr. Atkins : The OFWAT national customer council's members are the 10 chairpersons of OFWAT's 10 customer service committees and the Director General of Water Services.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to each of the customer service committees of OFWAT.
Mr. Atkins : The members of OFWAT's 10 customer service committees as at 31 March 1993 are listed in appendix one to the director general's annual report 1992, a copy of which is in the Library. New members and reappointments are announced in OFWAT news releases from time to time.
Local Government Reform
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to involve the Minister for Local Government when considering the Government's response to the final recommendations of the Local Government Commission on Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire.
Mr. Gummer : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 29 November 1993, Official Report, column 325.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions when either he
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or Ministers in his Department have publicly advocated specific changes in the local government map of England when the Local Government Commission was in the process of reviewing that area.Mr. Curry : It is the policy of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers in this Department who will be involved in decisions on changes to local government structure, not to comment on specific changes in an area which the Local Government Commission is in the process of reviewing. I am not aware of any breaches of this policy.
National Rivers Authority (Laboratories)
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which laboratories of the National Rivers Authority are scheduled for (a) market testing and (b) closure.
Mr. Atkins : The market testing and closure of its laboratories is primarily a management matter for the National Rivers Authority, which advises me that :
(a) all NRA's 11 chemical laboratories were subject to an internal review of cost-effectiveness and efficiency ; and
(b) as a result, the NRA laboratories at Caernarfon Carlisle, Peterborough, Warrington and Washington have been closed and the work transferred to the NRA laboratories at Exeter, Leeds, Llanelli, Nottingham, Reading and Waterlooville.
Water Industry (Regulatory Bodies)
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the annual cost to public funds of the activities of the Audit Commission and the regulatory bodies, in relation to the water industry.
Mr. Atkins : The Audit Commission has no responsibilities in connection with the water industry, and the costs of the Office of Water Services are fully recoverable from licence fees. Costs of other water industry regulators, attributable to public funds, for 1992-93, were £56.71 million distributed as follows :
Drinking water inspectorate £1.35 million.
National Rivers Authority £55 million.
Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution £360,000.
Sustainable Development
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made in implementing a strategy for sustainable development by the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins : The Government published on 25 January 1994 the United Kingdom strategy for sustainable development, together with the United Kingdom's climate change programme, biodiversity action plan and forestry programme, as announced on 20 January, Official Report, column 844. Copies have been laid before the House.
Radioactive Clinical Waste (Hillingdon Hospital)
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from Her Majesty's inspector of pollution in respect of the hospitals whose radioactive clinical waste is being incinerated at Hillingdon hospital incineration plant ; and what estimate he has made as to the hazard to health resulting from the incineration of such waste.
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Mr. Atkins : HMIP has authorised the transfer and the incineration of very low-level radioactive waste at the clinical energy incinerator at Hillingdon hospital from the following hospitals : The Hillingdon hospital
Mount Vernon hospital
Harefield hospital
In addition, it is authorised to receive low-level radioactive waste from Brunel university.
In setting the discharge limits, HMIP is satisfied that any effect is environmentally acceptable and that no national or international dose limits applicable to members of the public would be exceeded.
Standard Spending Assessments
Mr. Michael Spicer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many district authorities have been granted provisional increases in their standard spending assessments of more than 10 per cent. in 1994-95 ; and how that was provided for in his Budget statement that the growth in total standard spending in England for local authorities will be limited to 2.3 per cent. next year.
Mr. Baldry : There were 99 district authorities with provisional increases of more than 10 per cent. in their standard spending assessments for 1994-95. After excluding the additional resources provided for community care and making adjustments for changes in function the overall increase in total standard spending between 1993-94 and 1994-95 will be 2.3 per cent. and the equivalent increase in the total of SSAs will be 2.2 per cent. The review of SSAs and the introduction of information from the 1991 census has led to a number of authorities having large increases between 1993-94 and 1994-95, while other authorities have had decreases.
Small Properties
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what directives he has given to local authorities regarding the treatment of small shops, and other small properties which are used for both business and domestic purposes, as single units for taxation purposes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Properties are liable for council tax only where the occupier works from home, but the part of the premises used for business reverts to domestic use at the end of the day. Composite properties are treated as two units for local taxation purposes. The domestic part is liable for council tax, the business premises are liable for non-domestic rates. The domestic part will attract council tax transitional relief, where applicable, in the ordinary way. Composite properties have been afforded greater transitional protection than other properties from any adverse impact of the 1990 rating changes, and it is proposed that no such property should face a real rate increase in 1994-95. Government guidelines to local authorities on hardship relief for ratepayers draw attention to the special circumstances of composite properties, but it is for authorities to decide whether to grant any relief.
Curtain Walling Contract
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in his Department's inquiry into the exclusion of United
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Kingdom firms from the shortlist for the curtain walling contract at the Ministry of Defence procurement headquarters in Bristol.Mr. Baldry : My officials have met with the MoD, the main contractor and the supply company which made the original complaint. I am satisfied that the choice of curtain wall contractor was a matter for the main contractor, and not the Ministry of Defence. We are reviewing with the industry what lessons can be learnt from this experience.
Groundwork Trusts
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds are made available to the groundwork trusts ; what consideration he has given to making these available equally to existing environmental trusts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The Groundwork Foundation's grant in aid for 1993-94 is £5.5 million, which enables the foundation to support the existing network of 32 groundwork trusts and provide for the establishment of new trusts. Groundwork trusts bring together in partnership local authorities, private companies, voluntary organisations and local people to tackle environmental problems in the community. There is a wide range of grants available from this Department to support the environmental activities of local voluntary groups.
Bed-and-breakfast Accommodation
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the local authorities using bed-and-breakfast accommodation, and numbers in that accommodation, at the end of September.
Sir George Young : The numbers of households reported by local authorities in bed-and-breakfast accommodation at the end of September appear in the supplementary table of the information bulletin "Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act : England. Statistics for the third quarter of 1993", a copy of which is in the Library.
Vacant Properties
Ms Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the locations of the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented housing sector ; (2) how many of the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented housing sector he estimates would have (a) bed-sitter accommodation, (b) one bedroom, (c) two bedrooms or (d) three or more bedrooms ;
(3) how many (a) flats, (b) terraced houses, (c) semi-detached houses and (d) detached houses are among the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented sector.
Sir George Young : The HIP returns submitted by local authorities show that they estimate that there are 765,000 vacant private sector properties as at 1 April 1993. These estimates are not broken down into the categories requested. The Government aim to create the conditions which will encourage landlords to make their empty
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properties available for sale or rent. I have no specific targets, but even if only a proportion could be returned to use that would be a valuable contribution to meeting housing need.Waste Disposal, Yorkshire
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give details of rate support grant for waste disposal purposes in west Yorkshire for each of the last 10 years ;
(2) if he will give details of rate support grant for waste disposal purposes in south Yorkshire for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on Thursday 27 January.
Climate Change Convention
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January, Official Report , column 579 , what was the voting record of the other member states on the European Community ratification of the climate change convention.
Mr. Atkins : The Council decision was adopted unopposed, with the United Kingdom abstaining on the grounds that it did not support the choice of legal base.
Fair Rents
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the findings of his Department's consultation exercise on fair rents ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir George Young : I announced on 15 July last year that following careful consideration of the representations received in response to our consultation paper on fair rents, we did not consider it would be desirable to make any changes to the existing legislation. To provide further legislative controls over rents would hinder efforts to promote the revival of the private rented sector.
We are keen, however, to encourage greater exchange of information and views between rent officers and rent assessment panels. The educational trust of the Institute of Rent Officers has established a working party, made up of rent officers and rent assessment panel members, to look into how this might be achieved. The group aims to publish its report in the spring.
Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which special advisers in his Department are seconded from other organisations ; and what are the organisations and the lengths and terms of the secondments.
Severence Schemes
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will publish details of the severance schemes available to employees which were in operation immediately prior to the privatisation of the Thames water authority, including details of facilities to make early payment of pensions to staff under such schemes.
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Mr. Atkins : The severance scheme used was the water industry security and severance scheme as adapted by the Thames water authority. I have no plans to publish the scheme but the text is available from the National Rivers Authority. The early payment of pension benefits was subject to the provisions of the Local Government Superannuation Scheme Regulations 1986, as amended.
Air Quality
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the report on air quality undertaken for him by Professor Roy Harrison.
Mr. Atkins [pursuant to his reply, 20 January 1994, c. 837] : I am pleased to announce the publication earlier today of the second report of the quality of urban air review group "Diesel Vehicle Emissions and Urban Air Quality".
Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and are available free of charge from the QUARG secretariat, Institute of Public and Environmental Health, university of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Consultancies
Ms Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the (a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.
Mr. Hague : The information is not available in the form requested.
Elderly People
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's estimate of the number of people who will be aged (a) 65 years and over and (b) 80 years and over for each year to 2010.
Mr. Hague : The information is in the table.
thousands
Year |Total aged 65 and|Total aged 80 and
|over |over
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992 |8,933 |2,174
1993 |8,961 |2,227
1994 |8,992 |2,280
1995 |9,030 |2,327
1996 |9,069 |2,352
1997 |9,095 |2,354
1998 |9,105 |2,328
1999 |9,115 |2,312
2000 |9,139 |2,417
2001 |9,172 |2,449
2002 |9,212 |2,560
2003 |9,263 |2,601
2004 |9,317 |2,637
2005 |9,365 |2,669
2006 |9,383 |2,702
2007 |9,442 |2,729
2008 |9,552 |2,751
2009 |9,692 |2,776
2010 |9,825 |2,806
Source: OPCS and Government Actuaries Department; based on
mid-1992 GB population projections.
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Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which special advisers in his Department are seconded from other organisations ; and what are the organisations and the lengths and terms of the secondments.
Families (Income Levels)
Sir David Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the answer given to the then right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham, Official Report , 29 November 1991, columns 667-70 ,
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showing the numbers of working and out-of- work families with children at different levels of income, according to family size, distinguishing between one-parent families and two-parent families and showing the benefits on which the out-of-work families depended.Mr. Burt : The information is in the tables.
Some of the estimates in the tables are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a wide margin of error.
The figures are based on estimates taken from 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys, using the income reported in the survey year. They are not adjusted to a common price base and therefore should not be used for comparison over time.
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Table 1
Number of working families with children at various income levels: Great Britain 1990-91
(Thousands)
Gross weekly incoTotal One Two One Two Number of
dependent children
excluding state |parent |parent |wage |wage
benefits
£ |family |family |family |family |One |Two |Three |Four
|or more
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under 80 |140 |20 |130 |130 |10 |50 |70 |20 |10
80-99 |50 |10 |40 |40 |10 |20 |20 |10 |<1>-
100-119 |60 |10 |50 |50 |10 |30 |20 |<1>- |<1>-
120-139 |80 |20 |60 |70 |10 |50 |20 |<1>- |<1>-
140-159 |130 |20 |100 |110 |20 |60 |50 |10 |<1>-
160-179 |160 |30 |130 |120 |40 |60 |70 |20 |<1>-
180-199 |150 |20 |130 |110 |40 |70 |50 |30 |10
200-219 |190 |20 |170 |130 |60 |80 |80 |20 |10
220-239 |220 |20 |200 |130 |90 |90 |100 |20 |10
240-259 |240 |20 |220 |120 |120 |100 |110 |20 |10
260-279 |280 |20 |260 |140 |140 |110 |110 |40 |10
280-299 |240 |20 |230 |100 |140 |100 |90 |40 |10
300-349 |570 |20 |550 |180 |390 |210 |290 |60 |20
350-399 |550 |20 |530 |180 |370 |210 |270 |60 |20
400-449 |440 |<1>- |430 |110 |330 |190 |180 |50 |20
450-499 |390 |<1>- |350 |100 |250 |170 |130 |50 |10
500 and over |1,240 |10 |1,230 |290 |950 |510 |550 |150 |30
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |5,100 |290 |4,810 |2,080 |2,980 |2,110 |2,220 |610 |160
<1> Denotes less than 5 thousand.
Notes:
1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000
and because of this rows and columns may not exactly sum to totals. All estimates are subject to sampling error.
2. Gross weekly income is the income reported in the year of the survey, either 1990 or 1991, with no adjustment for inflation.
3. A "working family" is one where at least one parent/partner is in full-time employment or self-employment and working 30 hours or more.
4. A "two wage family" is where the second wage exceeds £5 per week.
5. The figures include only families in private households.
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Table 2
Number of non-working families of working age with children at various income levels: Great Britain 1990-91
(Thousands)
Gross weekly income |Under 50 |50-69 |70-89 |90-109 |110-129 |130-149 |150-169 |170-189 |190-209 |210-229 |230-249 |250 and |Total
including state |over
benefits
£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total |40 |80 |190 |330 |280 |190 |160 |100 |70 |40 |30 |160 |1,660
One-parent family |20 |70 |150 |270 |170 |90 |80 |40 |30 |20 |10 |30 |970
Two-parent family |20 |10 |40 |60 |100 |100 |80 |60 |50 |20 |20 |120 |690
Number of dependent children
One |20 |60 |140 |210 |110 |50 |40 |30 |20 |10 |10 |70 |770
Two |10 |10 |40 |100 |100 |80 |50 |30 |20 |10 |10 |60 |530
Three |<1>- |<2>- |10 |20 |60 |50 |40 |20 |10 |<1>- |<1>- |20 |250
Four or more |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |20 |20 |20 |10 |10 |10 |10 |110
Contributory benefits being received
None<3> |40 |20 |30 |30 |20 |20 |30 |20 |30 |20 |10 |110 |370
None<4> |<1>- |50 |140 |270 |210 |140 |100 |60 |20 |10 |10 |20 |1,040
UB<3> |<2>- |<1>- |10 |10 |10 |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |10 |<2>- |- |10 |50
UB<4> |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |10 |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |20
SB/SSP<3> |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |10 |<1>- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |<2>- |10 |30
SB/SSP<4> |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |10 |<1>- |<2>- |<2>- |20
IVB<3> |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |10 |10 |10 |10 |10 |10 |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |60
IVB<4> |<2>- |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |20
Other<3> |<2>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |<2>- |10 |30
Other<4> |<2>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |- |<1>- |<2>- |<1>- |<2>- |<2>- |10
<1> Denotes less than 5,000.
<2> Denotes zero.
<3> Denotes without income support.
<4> Denotes with income support.
Notes :
1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 and
because of this rows and columns may not exactly sum to totals. All estimates are subject to sampling error.
2. Gross weekly income is the income reported in the year of the survey, either 1990 or 1991, with no adjustment for inflation.
3. A "non-working family" is one where neither parent/partner is in full-time employment or self-employment.
4. The figures include only families in private households.
5. Other contributory benefits include widows benefit, maternity allowance and statutory maternity pay.
6. It is known that receipt of income support is under-reported in the family expenditure surveys.
Children (Statistics)
Mr. Wicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the latest figures showing (a) the number of children living in families with an unemployed head and (b) the number of children living in families with a long-term unemployed head of household.
Mr. Burt : The labour force survey estimates that 1,133,000 dependent children live in families with an unemployed head and that 452,000 dependent children live in families with a long-term unemployed head.
Unemployment defined by the International Labour Organisation. Children defined as being under 16-years-old and 16 to 19 years on full-time education.
Long-term unemployed defined as 12 months or more.
Source : Labour force survey for Great Britain, spring 1993.
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