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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 3 March 194
ENVIRONMENT
Listed Buildings
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will consider issuing statutory guidelines to local authorities to limit enabling development to those listed buildings with negative equity ;
(2) what plans he has to provide guidelines to local authorities in dealing with planning applications involving enabling development which contravene policies incorporating protection for the countryside, registered parks and gardens and the setting of listed buildings.
Mr. Baldry : The term "enabling development" is not found in the Planning Acts and there are no plans to give it any statutory significance or make any specific reference to it in guidance.
City Grant
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the schemes given city grant in the north-west region in the last two years with the amounts in each case ; and what were the amounts of any clawback of grant.
Mr. Baldry : The schemes in the Department of the Environment's north west region for which the provision of city grant was approved since April 1992, and the approved level of grant, are set out in the table. None of these schemes has yet reached the date for determining the level of any clawback. The urban development corporations offer their own grants analogous to city grant ; schemes funded in this way are not included.
Project |Approved Grant
|(£)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn
Enamel Street housing |735,782
Farmers Market site offices |672,717
Hornby Hotel |127,439
Bolton
Sunnyside Mills housing |1,413,441
Burnley
Holy Trinity Church flats |300,000
Manchester
Broughton Street cash and carry warehouse |249,835
Sherborne Street housing |835,700
Blackett Street units |425,000
Express Offices redevelopment |1,972,000
Lever Street offices |350,000
Jackson Crescent student flats |575,000
Energy Street housing |520,000
Louisa Street housing |774,093
Kelbrook Road units, phase 1 |151,000
Kelbrook Road units, phase 2 |370,000
Oldham
Cromford Street units |121,877
Park Road flats/units |1,012,316
Greengate Industrial Estate, phase 2 |1,306,000
Preston
Avenham Terrace housing |101,170
Queens Mill housing |291,440
Rochdale
Perseverance Mill units |475,000
HQ Co-op Retail Building |3,000,000
Smallbridge Business Park |216,000
Salford
Deva Centre offices |2,770,000
Hamilton Garden housing |380,717
Griffin Court offices |220,000
Liverpool Road industrial units |196,981
Albion units |1,550,000
Wigan
Gordon Close housing |130,605
Kent Street mixed development |280,863
Platt Lane units |147,405
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary aof State for the Environment what is the current situation regarding the city grant application made in respect of the Foleshill gas works site.
Mr. Baldry : English Partnerships has made a proposal to British Gas, the site owners, under which a grant could be offered for a first phase of development on the Foleshill site. English Partnerships has also suggested a possible joint venture for the development of a second phase.
Pollution, Lewisham
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the levels of atmospheric pollution and the levels of nitrous oxide and black smoke emissions in the Lewisham area in each year since 1985.
Mr. Atkins : Annual average concentrations of black smoke and nitrogen dioxide in Lewisham is given in the table. No monitoring data on levels of nitrous oxide in the Lewisham area is available. However, Lewisham was included in both the 1986 and 1991 national nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube surveys. Black smoke is monitored in areas of the United Kingdom at risk of exceeding the limit value of the European Community directive on smoke and sulphur
dioxide--89/427/EEC. The site in Lewisham was closed in 1989 since concentrations of these pollutants were not at risk of exceeding the directive limit values.
Annual emissions of smoke and nitrogen dioxide between 1985 and 1991 are given in the Department of the Environment's 15th edition of the Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
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Annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide
and black smoke
at Ladywell Baths, Lewisham High Street, Lewisham,
London
Year |Black smoke |NO2 (ppb)<1>
|(ug/m<3>)
----------------------------------------------------
1985 |12 |-
1986 |15 |26
1987 |17 |-
1988 |23 |-
1989 |- |-
1990 |- |-
1991 |- |32
<1> Parts per billion at 20øC and 1013 millibars
pressure.
CIPFA Employees
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the grade and present duties of each member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy employed in his Department ; and if he will cross-refer each post to his Department's latest MINIS report.
Mr. Gummer : Three members of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy are employed in the Department of the Environment. They are Mr. P. Rowsell, grade 5, listed as head of finance and local authority expenditure and resources division in page 28 of part 1 of MINIS 14 ; Mr. D. Weatherly, SEO in construction division 5--page 38 of part 6 of MINIS 14 dealing with
prequalification systems and the consultants register ; and Mr. J. Gauld, SEO in management audit services division--page 32 of part 5 of MINIS 14 where the division is shown under its former name of finance management audit.
Council Tax
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to review the council tax transitional relief scheme ;
(2) what plans he has to change the rules governing transitional relief following the letter of 18 February from the hon. Member for Woolwich ;
(3) what estimate he has of the number of cases where persons in a higher property band pay less in council tax than someone in the same district or borough in a lower property band but in otherwise similar circumstances as a result of transitional relief ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 24 February 1994] : We have no plans to change the rules governing transitional relief. I have written to the hon. Member about the application of the transitional relief scheme in Greenwich.
King's Cross Conference
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to respond to the invitation he has received from the Metropolitan police, local churches, and local authorities, to attend the conference on King's Cross due to be held on 8 March.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 2 March 1994] : Following an invitation from the leaders of Camden and Islington councils, my office telephoned the conference organisers on 18 February to say that, because of other commitments, I would be unable to attend.
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Public Interest Immunity Certificates
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Attorney-General whether the common law duty of a Minister of the Crown to sign public interest immunity certificates rests upon the contents of (a) an individual document or (b) the class of document ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to him on 3 February 1994, Official Report, column 833, and to the extract from the "Supreme Court Practice 1993" which I have already placed in the Library.
SCOTLAND
Criminal Proceedings
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make it his policy that the identities of all witnesses as to fact in a criminal investigation which leads to proceedings by way of complaint or indictment are disclosed to an accused person facing trial in a sheriff court or the High Court of Justiciary ; (2) if he will make it his policy to accept the principle of full disclosure of evidence to the defence in criminal cases.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In Scotland, disclosure of the case for the prosecution is achieved by providing the defence with a list containing the names and addresses of witnesses who may be called to give evidence. The defence is then entitled to obtain statements from these witnesses. In summary cases, copies of all police witness statements are given to the defence on request.
An experiment in the provision of some civilian witness statements is being conducted in Paisley. In cases prosecuted on indictment, the accused will also have a list of productions served on him. The production will be lodged in court prior to the trial diet, and they may be examined by the accused or his represenative prior to the trial.
My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate confirms that the policy of the Crown in Scotland is to disclose to the defence any information which supports the defence, even though it may be damaging to the prosecution case. Procurators fiscal are also instructed to provide assistance to the defence if it is necessary to enable witnesses for the defence to be traced. The overall aim is to ensure that the true facts of any case are laid before the judge or jury.
Health Service Contracts
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement regarding contact between Dumfries and Galloway health board, and Mr. Frank Brown of Ayrshire and Arran health board on urology services.
Mr. Stewart : Mr. Brown, commissioning manager of Ayrshire and Arran health board contacted Dumfries and Galloway health board in September 1993 to establish that board's purchasing intentions for urological services.
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 2 December, Official
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Report , column 689 , if he will list the contracts currently in operation between the South Ayrshire and North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trusts and Dumfries and Galloway health board ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Stewart : Currently, the South Ayrshire hospitals and North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trusts each have a block contract with Dumfries and Galloway health board for a variety of specialties.
Forestry
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to assess whether, in deciding not to oppose afforestation plans at Cloanaig, Kintyre, Scottish Natural Heritage took adequate account of the interests of local communities within the terms of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991.
Sir Hector Monro : The formulation and provision of advice to the Forestry Commission on the natural heritage aspects of woodland grant scheme applications is solely a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether tax options of the kind described in the recent Country Landowners Association report, "Focus on Woodlands", are being considered by the forestry review group.
Sir Hector Monro : The Country Landowners Association report was one of a large number of representations received by the review group in the course of its work. The views expressed in these representations have been valuable to the group in preparing its advice to Ministers.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that the Government's forestry review group is considering in detail all types of incentive for both tree planting and management.
Sir Hector Monro : The forestry review group was asked, among other things, to review the effectiveness of the current incentives for forestry investment, in accordance with the manifesto commitment. Ministers are now considering its advice before deciding what action, if any, should be taken.
Health Service Management
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the targets for each national health service general manager, unit general manager and chief executive in the next year ; and what is the performance-related pay payable for achievement of these targets.
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Mr. Stewart : This information is not held centrally. The setting of targets for each NHS general manager, unit general manager and chief executive is determined locally. Arrangements for assessment of performance -related pay for achievement of targets are matters for the remuneration committee of the employing body.
Insolvency Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) corporate and (b) individual insolvencies were recorded in Scotland for each of the past five years.
Mr. Stewart : The number of insolvencies in Scotland for each of the past five full accounting years was as follows :
(a) Corporate insolvencies Year |Number ---------------------- 1988-89 |663 1989-90 |651 1990-91 |720 1991-92 |862 1992-93 |915 Source: Table C2 of "Companies in 1992-93".
(b) Individual insolvencies Year |Number ---------------------- 1988-89 |1,612 1989-90 |2,618 1990-91 |5,451 1991-92 |8,584 1992-93 |11,970 Source: Office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.
A1 (Accidents)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the total number of (a) minor, (b) serious and (c) fatal road traffic accidents on the A1 in (i) East Lothian and (ii) Berwickshire in each month for the last three years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is given in the table.
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Numbers of personal injury accidents on the A1
1991 1992 1993
|Fatal |Serious|Slight |Total |Fatal |Serious|Slight |Total |Fatal |Serious|Slight |Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Lothian
January |- |2 |3 |5 |- |3 |2 |5 |- |- |6 |6
February |- |- |3 |3 |- |1 |1 |2 |- |1 |- |1
March |- |1 |1 |2 |- |- |3 |3 |- |- |1 |1
April |- |- |- |0 |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |2 |2
May |- |1 |3 |4 |2 |- |2 |4 |- |- |2 |2
June |- |1 |2 |3 |- |1 |1 |2 |- |1 |1 |2
July |1 |- |2 |3 |1 |- |5 |6 |1 |1 |5 |7
August |1 |1 |3 |5 |- |- |4 |4 |- |3 |5 |8
September |- |- |3 |3 |2 |- |2 |4 |- |- |2 |2
October |- |1 |2 |3 |2 |- |2 |4 |- |2 |2 |4
November |- |- |2 |2 |- |- |- |0 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
December |- |2 |4 |6 |- |- |3 |3 |n/a |n/a |n/ |n/a
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Totals |2 |9 |28 |39 |7 |5 |26 |38 |1 |8 |26 |35
Berwickshire
January |- |- |- |0 |- |- |- |0 |- |1 |4 |5
February |- |2 |2 |4 |- |1 |4 |5 |- |- |4 |4
March |- |1 |1 |2 |- |- |- |0 |- |- |3 |3
April |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |1 |1 |- |1 |3 |4
May |1 |- |- |1 |1 |- |1 |2 |- |- |1 |1
June |- |1 |- |1 |- |- |- |0 |- |- |- |0
July |- |1 |2 |3 |- |- |- |0 |- |- |2 |2
August |- |- |- |0 |1 |1 |- |2 |- |1 |- |1
September |- |- |1 |1 |- |1 |- |1 |- |- |1 |1
October |-- |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |0 |- |- |- |0
November |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |0 |- |1 |- |1
December |- |- |- |0 |- |- |- |0 |1 |- |1 |2
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Totals |1 |5 |9 |15 |2 |3 |6 |11 |1 |4 |19 |24
Note: n/a=not available as the accident figures for these months have not yet been verified.
New Home Building
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of new homes to be built in the Blairgowrie, Alyth, Coupar Angus, Meigle, Newfyle, Birk Hill and Muirhead areas of Tayside in the next three years and five years, as advised by Tayside regional council, Angus district council and Perth and Kinross district council.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally.
Forestry Review Group
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to publish the report of the forestry review group.
Sir Hector Monro : No. The report of the forestry review group was prepared for the confidential advice of Ministers.
Seals
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the Sea Mammals Research Unit estimates the number of grey and common seals in Scotland ; if the seal population of lochs is included ; and what assessment he has made of the method of counting.
Sir Hector Monro : Each year, the sea mammal research unit--SMRU-- carries out counts of grey seal pups using aerial photography. All major Scottish colonies are surveyed, including Loch Eriboll--the only site within a loch where significant numbers breed. The SMRU counts common seals along the Scottish coastline during August each year, using a thermal- imaging camera mounted in a helicopter. The survey is repeated on a five- year cycle and includes all islands and sea lochs.
The SMRU survey programme for Scottish seals is reviewed annually by the special committee on seals, an independent group of experts.
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Assisted Places Scheme
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 February, Official Report, columns 955-56, if he will make a statement listing the current annual fees levied by the private schools with pupils under the assisted places scheme.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : This information is publicly available in the publication "Which School" which is available from the Independent Schools Information Service (Scotland) at the following address :
Floor 2/1
11 Castle Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3EH
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what agencies are employed by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise to provide its public relations ; and what is the annual cost to the company.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Speech, Paisley
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech on Saturday 26 February.
Mr. Lang : I have placed in the Library a copy of the extract from my speech at Paisley on 26 February which was released to the press. I shall be replying shortly to the hon. Member's letter to me on the subject.
Howie Report
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the Howie report on the reform of the upper secondary school curriculum.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Howie report was published on 5 March 1992.
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Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the report of the Howie committee on curriculum and examinations in upper secondary education in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : I am pleased to announce that I am publishing the Government's response to the Howie committee's proposals today. Details of my decisions, which build on the strengths of the current system, are set out in the document "Higher Still : Opportunity For All", copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House and the Vote Office.
Nurses
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of newly qualified nurses completed their training in Scotish NHS hospitals in the 12-month period ended December 1993 and found full- time permanent employment in NHS hospitals in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 3 February 1994] : The exact information requested is not available centrally. The table shows the status of nurses who were final year students in Scotland on 30 September 1992 one year later.
It should be noted that the methods by which this information is collected do not permit account to be taken of certain students, for example those who have been unable to complete their training within the normal three year period ; those who, having qualified, may have chosen to have a break in service before seeking employment ; those who have found employment as a nurse outwith the NHS ; and those who may have qualified, joined the NHS and left. Those who qualify and work occasionally in the NHS, for example, bank or agency nurses, also cannot be identified and have therefore been counted with the "not employed" category.
Status of final year basic student nurses in Scotland one year later;
year beginning 30 September 1992:
Status at 30 September 1993 |Headcount |Per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In full-time post in NHS |889 |37.5
In part-time post in NHS |325 |13.7
|-- |--
Total in post in NHS |1,214 |51.2
Taking further training in NHS |16 |0.7
Not employed in NHS |1,143 |48.1
|------- |-------
Total |2,373 |100
Public Bodies
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Scottish health service advisory council.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 24 February 1994] : The advisory council was abolished last year.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the people from Clydebank who have been appointed to (a) Glasgow health board, (b) Dumbartonshire local enterprise company, (c) the board of management of Clydebank technical college and (d) other Government bodies ;
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(2) which people from Eastwood have been appointed to (a) Greater Glasgow health board, (b) Argyll and Clyde health board, (c) the boards of local enterprise companies, (d) local hospital trusts, (e) the board of management of technical colleges and (f) other Government bodies ;(3) how many people on local hospital trusts live in (a) Clydebank and (b) Eastwood.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 28 February 1994] : No resident of Clydebank has been appointed to Greater Glasgow health board. One resident of Eastwood has been appointed to the board, Rev. R. D. M. Campbell.
No resident of Eastwood has been appointed to Argyll and Clyde health board.
No resident of Clydebank has been appointed to local NHS hospital trusts. The names of those residents of Eastwood who have been appointed to local NHS hospital trusts are as follows :
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust :--Mrs. Ann P. Moore Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust :--Mrs. Alison Gilchrist
Dr. Robert Colville
Yorkhill NHS Trust :--Mrs. Gwendoline Garner
Information identifying the place of residence of members of the boards of management of further education colleges is not held centrally.
I do not make appointments to the boards of local enterprise companies and so I am not in a position to give the information requested in respect of them.
The addresses of appointees to non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to secure greater transparency in the affairs of non-elected bodies whose membership in whole or in part is appointed by him or who exercise functions previously carried out by local authorities.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 28 February 1994] : Such action as is necessary has already been taken or is in hand. All the bodies to which I appoint members and which undertake expenditure directly either produce audited accounts or, in some minor cases, have their expenditure included in the accounts prepared by my Departments. Most also produce annual reports. These reports and accounts are laid before Parliament and they may be examined by the Committee of Public Accounts.
In addition, the Comptroller and Auditor General may conduct inquiries into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which bodies to which I appoint members and which receive more than half their income from public funds, have used their resources. Reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General may be submitted to Parliament and the Committee of Public Accounts may question senior officials both of my Department and, in many cases, of the bodies themselves. Management statements have been, or will be, prepared for most executive NDPBs. These will be published and will define the role and responsibilities of the body, its relationship with its sponsor departments, its accountability, aims and objectives. In addition, executive NDPBs are expected to meet the charter standards of the citizens charter and the principles of the Government's White Paper, "Open Government". A code of conduct for NHS boards which encourages transparency about NHS activities has already been issued for consultation. It is also planned to produce a code of practice to follow up steps
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already taken as part of the patients charter initiative to incorporate into the NHS the principles of the Government's White Paper, "Open Government".The only bodies which carry out functions formerly undertaken by local authorities, are the colleges of further education for which I became responsible on 1 April 1993. The colleges produce annual reports and audited accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General has a right to inspect their books and records and to carry out value for money studies. Again, he may report the results of these studies to Parliament and the Committee of Public Accounts can question relevant officials. This year, for the first time, each college will also be required to publish a shortened development plan, describing its forward objectives and its performance in meeting past objectives.
Carstairs State Hospital
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received a report on the escape of two patients from Carstairs state hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 2 March 1994] : Yes. On 27 January two patients who were being transported from the west wing to the east wing of the State hospital, forced open the back door of the van and attempted to escape. They were in sight of security staff at all times and monitored by the hospital's close circuit television. They were apprehended within 90 seconds.
As a result of the incident rigorous daily checks are now carried out on all vehicles used for transporting patients at Carstairs. The recent announcement by my noble and learned Friend to invest £14 million in the creation of the state hospital on a single site will remove the possibility of a recurrence of this type of incident.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
British Virgin Islands
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, c. 683-84 what is the total cost per annum to the Overseas Development Administration, including accommodation and air fares of (a) the inspector of banks and trust companies, (b) the insurance services adviser and (c) the principal tax adviser in the British Virgin Islands.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : It is usual in this country to observe the practice of maintaining the confidentiality, on pay and allowances, between employer and employee and therefore it is not our practice to reveal remuneration details for individual technical co-operation officers. However, average costs for the British Virgin Islands were contained in my answer of 15 February, columns 683-84.
Vietnam
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what bilateral aid programmes the United Kingdom is pursuing with Vietnam ; what is the level of aid ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are providing know-how to help prepare for investments in strategic infrastructure and assistance for resettlement of returned economic migrants.
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