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Mr. Richards: The following table gives the information requested as far as it is available. The figures shown are totals for the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse: it is not possible to disaggregate the amount spent on prevention of drug abuse.
|A |B
Year |£ |£
--------------------------------
1989-90 |<1>- |-
1990-91 |<1>- |-
1991-92 |246,712|-
1992-93 |298,129|43,275
1993-94 |354,193|19,500
<1> Not available.
In addition to the sums in column A, the Department has made available the additional moneys shown in column B for specific prevention projects such as European drug prevention week and the Wales sixth form conference.
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many drug addicts were newly notified in Wales in each of the past five years.
Mr. Richards: The information requested is given in table A1 of the Home Office statistical bulletin "Statistics of Drug Addicts notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom 1993"--area tables.
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action his Department has taken to promote and mark European drug prevention week this year.
Mr. Richards: The Department undertook a range of actions to promote and mark European drug prevention week this year. A comprehensive programme of events in Wales for European drug prevention week has been placed in the Library of the House.
Planning Inquiry, Oystermouth
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now publish his decision on the planning inquiry into the proposals at Oystermouth, Swansea.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Secretary of State has not yet issued his decision on the planning application of the development of the Oystermouth bus station site, Mumbles, Swansea. The decision is expected to issue very shortly.
National Curriculum
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to announce his decisions on recommendations for the revised national curriculum submitted to him by the Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales.
Mr. Richards: My right hon. Friend and I are grateful for the extensive work that the authority has undertaken on the shape of its proposals. The result is a slimmer curriculum which meets Welsh needs, offers teachers more time to use at their discretion and gives schools an excellent platform from which to continue the work of raising educational standards. Accordingly, my right hon. Friend has accepted the authority's recommendations for the new subject orders. Proof copies will be issued in November and will be placed in the Library of the House.
Health Authorities
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has concluded his consideration of the future configuration of health authorities in Wales; and when a decision is likely to be released to the service.
Mr. Redwood: The extensive consultation exercise conducted by my Department revealed a broad consensus
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on the advantages of amalgamating district health authorities and family health services authorities. Opinion was much more divided on the geographical areas which merged authorities should cover. In the light of the consultation responses, I believe that the health service in Wales will best be served by a reduction of DHAs and FHSAs from 17 to five. Subject to legislation, this will involve the merger of DHAs and FHSAs and the geographical amalgamation of certain areas also. My preferred option--based on option C in the consultation document--will involve the creation by 1 April 1996 of: a North Wales Health Authority (Gwynedd and Clwyd);a Mid and West Wales Health Authority (Powys and Dyfed); an enlarged Gwent Health Authority (including Caerphilly Unitary Authority area);
an enlarged West Glamorgan Health Authority (including Bridgend Unitary Authority area); and
a Mid and South Glamorgan Health Authority (comprising all of South Glamorgan and the remaining parts of the present Mid Glamorgan)
Recognising the strides already made by Pembrokeshire and East Dyfed health authorities to establish a West Wales Commission, those DHAs could be amalgamated formally in advance of the main reorganisation. I therefore propose to issue very shortly draft regulations for their amalgamation to form a single Dyfed health authority as from 1 April 1995.
My aim is:
to reduce expenditure on management and administrative costs in favour of spending on direct patient care;
to ensure that Health Authorities are in a position to perform all their roles and functions effectively ; and
to ensure that Health Authority boundaries are compatible with those of the new Unitary Authority boundaries.
The reorganisation should result in significant savings, which I believe should exceed £3 million per year in the longer term, allowing more patients to be treated sooner. As it is envisaged that fewer staff will be required than at present, I expect health authorities to use natural wastage to run down their numbers. There will be full consideration and consultation.
I believe that the new health authorities should aim to pursue greater patient choice. Their task is to improve standards of care and treatment and provide effective stewardship of public resources. I am writing today to the chairmen of the existing health authorities and family health service authorities informing them of the outcome of my deliberations. Having decided upon the future health authority structure in Wales, I hope to shortly announce my decision on the structure of community health councils in Wales.
Welsh Language
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to extend the official status of the Welsh language in European Union proceedings.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 20 October 1994]: Under article 217 of the treaty, the Council has to agree unanimously to approve a new official language. It has recently agreed that Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian will
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be added as official languages subject to their entry. The Council has no plans to add any other languages.Public Appointments
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many public appointments (a) he is responsible for making and (b) require his approval, including those not listed in "Public Bodies"; and if he will give this figure in terms of (i) appointments to executive bodies, (ii) appointments to advisory bodies and (iii) other appointments.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 27 October 1994]: The details of the public appointments I make are given in "Appointments by the Secretary of State of Wales, 1 September 1994", copies are in the Library of the House. The figures are as follows:
|Number
-----------------------------------------------
Appointments to Executive Bodies |235
Advisory Bodies |170
Other Appointments |<1>403
<1> Of which 320 are to NHS bodies
I am also consulted on a number of appointments made by Ministers in charge of other Government Departments, but this information is not held centrally by the Welsh Office.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Foreign Legislatures
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Lord President of the Council what are the salaries, expenses and associated benefits paid to the elected members of the legislatures of (a) each EU member state, (b) the United States of America, (c) Canada and (d) Japan.
Mr. Newton: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Parliamentary Salaries (Europe)
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Lord President of the Council, what are the basic salaries paid to elected Members of Parliament in each of the European Union countries.
Mr. Newton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Privy Council Office
Ms. Maddock: To ask the Lord President of the Council what percentage of public appointments made by his Department were held by women at the most recent date for which figures were available.
Mr. Newton: The percentage in 1993 was 36 per cent.
Norman Shaw Buildings
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee (1) what compensation has been received by the House from the company responsible for the non-availability of lifts in the Norman Shaw North building;
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(2) if he will list the companies, the cost and the length of the contracts to undertake structural alterations at the riverside entrance to the Norman Shaw buildings;(3) what has been the total cost to date of the work in Norman Shaw North and South on (a) the structure and (b) the lifts.
Mr. Ray Powell: These are matters for the Director of Works and I shall ask him to write to the hon. Member.
Clock Adjustment
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many man hours were taken up by adjusting the clocks throughout the Palace of Westminster.
Mr. Ray Powell: This is a matter for the Director of Works.
Administration Committee
Mr. Pike: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee when it is proposed to introduce improved large envelopes for hon. Members' mail.
Mr. Michael J. Martin: Approval for the inclusion of large pre-paid plastic envelopes for bulk mail in the range of stationery available to Members has been given by the Administration Committee. These envelopes are now available from the Serjeant at Arms Stores.
Palace of Westminster
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what proportion of the floor area of the Palace of Westminster is occupied by (a) the House of Commons and (b) the House of Lords.
Mr. Ray Powell: Of the usable floor space in the Palace of Westminster 58.3 per cent. is the responsibility of the House of Commons and 38.7 per cent. the responsibility of the House of Lords. Three per cent. of the Palace is under the joint control of the Speaker, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Great Chamberlain.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Public Appointments
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of public appointments made by his Department were held by women at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Jack: The percentage of women appointments made by the Minister to those bodies listed in "Public Bodies" is 18 per cent. Figures for 1994 are still being collated and will be announced in due course.
Quangos
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which former hon. Members of this House have been appointed since 1988 by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations; and if he will list, in each case, the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment, and the party which each represented as an hon. Member.
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Mr. Jack: I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Gentleman of 6 July 1993, Official Report, column 110.
Animal Transportation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms animals have been shipped by ferry from (a) France, (b) Holland and (c) Belgium into the United Kingdom, in each of the past three months; and if he will make a statement.
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Mrs. Browning: The information requested is not available. However, when consignments of animals are despatched from other member states notifications are sent via the Animo computer messaging system from the veterinary authorities of the countries of despatch. These notifications indicate that the following numbers of farm animals have been sent by all routes to Great Britain from the member states in question in the period July to September 1994:
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July August September
1994 |France |Holland|Belgium|France |Holland|Belgium|France |Holland|Belgium
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cattle |493 |1,190 |- |401 |1,019 |- |132 |265 |7
Pigs |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Sheep |1 |7 |115 |25 |- |20 |3 |3 |-
Poultry |56,330 |6,720 |25 |70,250 |24,999 |- |63,064 |8,552 |31
Note:
Figures are provisional and subject to change.
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Pigs
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to assist pig producers in the United Kingdom between now and 1 January 1999 when new unilateral rule changes on sow stall and tether regulations take effect.
Mrs. Browning: This Department has contributed to the work of the pig welfare advisory group and financed the publication of a series of nine booklets on alternative systems of pig husbandry. These have been used at associated workshops run by ADAS. The Government also fund a programme of research into alternative systems.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the additional financial cost to United Kingdom pig producers of the unilateral rule changes on sow stall and tether regulations to be introduced on 1 January 1999; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Browning: The total cost to producers in Great Britain of complying with the phasing out of tethers and close confinement systems for sows has been estimated at £9 million. Further details are given in the compliance cost assessment, prepared for the Welfare of Livestock Regulations 1994, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House. The total cost to producers in Northern Ireland is estimated at £0.5 million.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to make the proposed United Kingdom changes in rules on sow stall and tether regulations applicable throughout the European Union.
Mrs. Browning: EC Directive 91/630 requires the European Commission to report, by 1 October 1997, on the welfare of pigs in different types of intensive system and to submit appropriate proposals to the Council. The United Kingdom will be pressing for this review to beundertaken at the earliest opportunity and for our own high standards to be adopted throughout the European Union.
Oyster Farms
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many of the oyster farming
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sites in England and Wales monitored for faecal coliforms achieved (a) classification A, (b) classification B or (c) classification C; how many were prohibited; what percentage of the total number of sites each represents; how many oyster farming sites in Holland and France are also monitored for faecal coliforms; what classification each site achieved; and if he will make a statement;(2) how many oyster farming sites in England and Wales are monitored for faecal coliforms under the shellfish hygiene regulations.
Mr. Jack: In England and Wales a total of 41 oyster production areas are monitored for faecal coliforms--E.Coli--under the Food Safety--Live Bivalve Molluscs and Other Shellfish--Regulations 1992. In these areas there are 63 groupings of beds, of which 12--19 per cent.--fall into class A, 39--62 per cent.--into class B, nine--14 per cent.--into class C, and three--5 per cent.--are prohibited. All production areas in Holland and France are required by directive 91/492/EEC to be monitored. Information on the number of oyster farms classified in other EU member states is not generally available to us.
Whitland and Longridge Creameries
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he was informed that Dairy Crest intended to close its Whitland and Longridge creameries.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 31 October 1994]: The closures were a matter for the commercial judgement of Dairy Crest.
It is not my practice to reveal details concerning the receipt of commercially sensitive information.
Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether the members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee are required to declare their commercial and non-commercial interests;
(2) if he will publish the commercial and non-commercial interests of the members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee.
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Mr. Hinchcliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 17 May, Official Report, column 446, for what reason members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee are not required to provide details of consultancies held; and how this practice differs from that applied to other advisory committees for which he is responsible.
Mrs. Browning: Further to my written answer on 18 October about the commercial and non-commercial interests of members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, the following information is now available from member, Dr. W. A. Watson:
Commercial interests
Name of company |Nature of interest
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Sheep farmer
Food and Agriculture |Occasional consultancy work
organisation of the United
Nations
Biotechnology and biological |Occasional consultancy work
sciences research council
ENVIRONMENT
Toxic Waste
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what amount of toxic waste was imported into Britain from abroad for disposal or reprocessing in 1991, 1992 and 1993; and what is the projected level for 1994.
Mr. Atkins: Imports of hazardous waste into Great Britain, notified under the Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste Regulations 1988, were as set out in the table. In order that comparison may be made with previous years, the totals are expressed by financial year--1 April to 31 March.
Year |Tonnes ---------------------- 1990-91 |44,542 1991-92 |46,714 1992-93 |45,942
Figures for imports notified in 1993 94 have not yet been published.
For further information, I refer the hon. Member to table 7.6 and paragraphs 7.9 to 7.12 of the " Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics No. 16, 1994 (HMSO) ", copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the draft list of hazardous wastes set out in the European Commission's proposal for a Council decision establishing a list of hazardous waste, pursuant to article 1(4) of Council directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste, Com (94)156 final, dated 21 September 1994.
Mr. Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to my Department's explanatory memorandum on this document, which was deposited in the House Libraries on 27 October.
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Green Belt
Mr. Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce additional planning controls to protect the green belt in the centre of England in the areas affected by the expansion of the national exhibition centre, the expansion of the airport runway, the widening of the M42 and the development of housing under the unitary development plan; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Paul Beresford: Stringent controls already exist to protect green belts from inappropriate development. Such development is only allowed in very special circumstances, while green belt boundaries can be altered only in exceptional circumstances. The revised version of planning policy guidance note 2 will maintain our commitment to green belts when it is published.
In the recently published draft regional planning guidance for the west midlands we confirm that there is no case for fundamental review of the green belts, which have served their purpose well and which will continue to do so.
Pollution
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he was first given a copy of the draft text of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution's 18th report, "Transport and the Environment", Cm 2674.
Sir Paul Beresford: My right hon. Friend was sent a copy of the report the day before publication. My Department's officials received early drafts of parts of the report for factual comment earlier in the year.
Stockton Shopping Centre
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the proposed redevelopment of Stockton's shopping centre by the city challenge team is expected to commence.
Sir Paul Beresford: This is a matter for the Stockton city challenge partnership.
Quangos
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which former hon. Members of this House have been appointed since 1988 by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations; and if he will list, in each case, the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment and the party which each represented as an hon. Member.
Sir Paul Beresford: Such information is not available centrally.
Development Corporations
Ms Gordon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was (a) the total amount of urban block expenditure by his Department, (b) the total amount and percentage allocated to all urban development corporations and (c) the total amount and percentage allocated to the London Docklands development corporation for each year from 1987 88 to 1993 94.
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Sir Paul Beresford: The information requested is detailed in the table:
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£ million
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urban expenditure |514.4 |597.6 |815.0 |964.5 |979.4 |984.4 |936.3
UDCs and Docklands light Railway |160.2 |254.7 |476.8 |607.5 |601.4 |515.0 |371.2
UDCs as a percentage of Urban expenditure |31 |43 |59 |63 |61 |52 |40
LDDC |82.8 |116.4 |255.8 |333.0 |248.7 |156.5 |105.4
LDDC as a percentage of Urban experience |16 |19 |31 |35 |25 |16 |11
Figures exclude UDC borrowing and receipts.
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Waste Disposal
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many successful prosecutions have been undertaken by local waste authorities over the past three years.
Mr. Maclean: I have been asked to reply.
Statistics relating to prosecutions undertaken by waste regulation authorities cannot be identified centrally.
The table shows the number of non-police prosecutions and convictions under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989
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and the Control of Pollution Act 1974 for certain waste-related offences in England and Wales in 1991, 1992 and 1993.It should, however, be noted that the statistics of court proceedings are based on returns made by the police to the Home Office and although these include offences where there has been no police involvement, such as those prosecutions instigated by Government Departments, local authorities--in this case probably waste regulation authorities--and private organisations and individuals, the reporting of these types of offence is known to be incomplete.
Number of non-police prosecutions for certain sections under the Environmental Protection Act 1990,
the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 and the Control of Pollution Act 1974, 1991-1993
England and Wales
1991 1992 1993
Act/Section |Prosecutions|Convictions |Prosecutions|Convictions |Prosecutions|Convictions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environmental Protection Act
1990 Section:
33(8) |- |- |13 |8 |45 |36
33(9) |3 |3 |1 |- |11 |10
34 |- |- |14 |9 |57 |43
38(10) |- |- |- |- |1 |1
38(11) |- |- |- |- |- |-
44 |- |- |6 |4 |- |-
57 |1 |- |1 |1 |- |-
59 |- |- |1 |1 |2 |2
69(a) (b) |- |- |- |- |1 |1
69(c) |- |- |- |- |2 |1
70 |- |- |- |- |1 |1
71 |1 |1 |5 |2 |2 |1
Control of Pollution
(Amendment) Act 1989
Section:
1 |4 |3 |- |- |23 |18
5(4) (a) |- |- |2 |1 |36 |35
5(4) (b) |1 |1 |- |- |13 |11
6(9) |- |- |- |- |1 |1
7(3) (a) |- |- |1 |1 |4 |4
7(3) (b) |- |- |2 |2 |- |-
Control of Pollution Act 1974
Section:
3 |7 |4 |4 |2 |50 |30
16 |- |- |1 |1 |2 |1
93 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Source:
Home Office-Court Proceedings data.
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