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Mr. Atkins: The most complete available historical data on water charges from 1979 are contained in " Waterfacts " published annually by the Water Services Association, copies of which are available in the Library.
Bolton Council
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive a reply from Bolton council to his letter of 9 September, reference PNW/5080/147168.
Sir Paul Beresford: Bolton borough council has advised that if hopes to reply to that letter within a week.
Vehicle Emissions
Mr. Elletson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of whether there is a connection between respiratory diseases and vehicle emissions; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins: My Department takes advice from the Department of Health on the effects of pollutants on human health. The Government take very seriously evidence that high levels of some traffic-related pollutants can have adverse effects on those suffering from respiratory disorders. On 3 October 1994 my Department, the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council announced a £5 million research programme into links between air pollution and respiratory disease. I and my colleagues will further consider issues of air quality and public health when we discuss the terms of our response to the consultation paper on improving air quality. We intend to publish our proposals later this year.
Building Regulations
Mr. Donald Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from public and private representative bodies to amend the building regulations to reduce the danger of accidents from the collapse of freestanding masonry walls; and what proposals he has in response to amend or to institute some form of regulatory control.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Apart from a request from the hon. Member's own local authority at Swansea and from HM coroner for north Buckinghamshire, following an
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inquest into a tragic accident involving a young boy, the Government have received few representations calling for freestanding masonry walls to be brought under building regulation control. Following its review earlier this year, the Government accepted the Building Regulations Advisory Committee recommendation that such walls should not be brought under statutory control. It was the committee's view that despite the tragic fatality cases reported, the health and safety risks associated with such walls are far less than for other hazards, such as those present in the home. The burden of control on enforcement authorities, industry and the public could not therefore be reconciled against such low risk of injury.The Government are, however, committed to improving the safety of freestanding walls through their continued sponsorship of the development and dissemination of technical guidance on wall construction and maintenance. NHBC registered builders already have an obligation to observe such guidance.
In addition, the Government are encouraging local authorities to be vigilant in exercising their powers under sections 77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984 to remedy any dangerous walls.
Council Tax
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against banding remain outstanding in the London borough of Lambeth; and when he expects the appeals to be disposed of.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: As at 30 September, 1,788 initial period banding appeals were outstanding in respect of dwellings in the London borough of Lambeth.
We expect four out of five initial appeal period appeals to be settled nationally before the end of this year. The remainder will be settled as soon as possible in 1995. I cannot estimate a date by which all such appeals will have been settled since a few may be affected by special factors, such as an appeal on a point of law to the High Court.
Zoos
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many exemptions have been granted in each county to establishments keeping animals from provisions of the Zoo Licensing Act in each year since 1982; and if he will make a statement about the reasons for these exemptions in respect of the last year for which figures are available.
Sir Paul Beresford [pursuant to his reply, 20 October 1994, c. 292]: Between 1984 and 1991 the following exemptions from the provisions of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 have been granted.
|1984|1985|1986|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Cambridgeshire |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1
Cheshire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Cornwall |5 |5 |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Derbyshire |- |- |1 |- |- |1 |- |-
Devon |3 |3 |- |1 |1 |- |1 |-
Dorset |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Essex |3 |2 |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Gloucestershire |1 |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Hampshire |1 |1 |3 |- |- |- |- |-
Herefordshire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Humberside |- |6 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Isle of Wight |3 |3 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Kent |- |3 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Lancashire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Lincolnshire |2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
London |5 |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Greater Manchester |- |- |4 |- |- |- |- |-
Merseyside |2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |3
Middlesex |- |- |1 |- |- |- |- |-
Norfolk |- |1 |- |1 |- |1 |- |-
Northamptonshire |2 |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Nottinghamshire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Northumberland |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Oxfordshire |- |- |- |1 |- |- |- |-
Somerset |- |2 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Staffordshire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Suffolk |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |-
Sussex |1 |- |2 |- |- |- |- |-
Tyne and Wear |- |1 |- |- |- |- |1 |-
Warwickshire |- |1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
West Midlands |2 |1 |- |1 |- |- |- |-
Worcestershire |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1
Yorkshire |- |3 |1 |3 |1 |1 |- |-
No exemptions have been granted in 1992 to 1994. Exemptions from the Act are granted to collections which consist entirely of animals which are normally domesticated in Great Britain. Establishments which have been granted exemptions are not considered to meet the definition of zoo within the meaning of the Act by virtue of the fact that wild animals are not being exhibited to the public.
EDUCATION
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions in the past year the spouse of a Minister in her Department has travelled abroad at public expense to accompany a Minister on public duties, and what has been the total cost to public funds; and on how many occasions such travel has been undertaken at own cost.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [pursuant to her reply, Official Report, 27 October 1994, c. 626]: There have been no occasions in the last yeawhen the spouse of a Minister in the Department for Education has travelled abroad to accompany a Minister on public duties at public cost. On four occasions, a Minister was accompanied, but in no case was this at public cost.
Ethnic Monitoring
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action she is taking to maintain in schools the teaching of English to ethnic minority children currently funded under section 11; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire: In addition to existing mainstream provision for them, initiatives to benefit minority ethnic pupils for whom English is not their first language are eligible for support from the single regeneration budget. Bids for that support in 1995 96 are currently under consideration. Support will also be available from the
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rersidual element of section 11 grant, for which my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has invited bids for next year.Cash Limits
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes she has to announce to cash limits and running cost limits on votes within her responsibility for 1994 95.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limits for class X, vote 1, schools, research and miscellaneous services and vote 4, administration will be amended. The cash limit changes are as follows:
|Class and vote
|current cash |Change |Revised cash
|limit |limit
|£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
X.1 |800,269,000 |+ 3,527,000 |803,796,000
X.4 |93,032,000 |+ 5,911,000 |98,943,000
The increase on class X, vote 1 is in respect of the take up of the capital end-year flexibility entitlement of £3,538,000 announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 14 July 1994, Official Report , columns 729-34 , offset by a contribution of £11,000 from the Welsh Office Education Department towards the funding of the special educational needs tribunal.
The increase on class X, vote 4 is in respect of the take-up of the end- year flexibility entitlements of £1,886,000 for capital and £4, 021,000 for running costs as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 14 July 1994, Official Report , columns 729-34 , and a transfer of £32,000 from the Public Services Agency, offset by a contribution of £28,000 from the Welsh Office.
Education Department towards the running costs of the special educational needs tribunal.
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The running costs limit for the Department for Education will be increased by £4,053,000 from £90,347,000 to £94,400,000. This reflects take-up of the end-year flexibility entitlement and the transfer from the Public Services Agency.The increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Nursery Education
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what educational effect she expects increased levels of nursery education to have over the next two years.
Mr. Robin Squire: Progress will be made in the lifetime of this Parliament towards implementation of the Government's firm commitment to make a pre-school place available for all four-year-olds whose parents wish to take it up. Good quality nursery education should lead to improved performance at key stage 1, and the beneficial effects should last well beyond that.
Travellers
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment she has made of the educational effect on gipsy and travellers' children of evictions under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill.
Mr. Robin Squire: The increased powers of eviction provided under the Bill are intended primarily to tackle the serious nuisance of mass trespass, raves and illegal camping. The draft circular of guidance recently issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has drawn attention to the need for local authorities to take particularly careful account of the effects of any evictions on the education of children. The guidance also draws attention to the need for alternative
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educational arrangements to be made in such circumstances, appropriate to the children's ages, abilities and aptitudes.Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 25 October, what was the funding to the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute by the Further Education Funding Council in 1993 94 and 1994 95.
Mr. Boswell: Funding of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute by the Further Education Funding Council was £20,974 in respect of the period April 1993 to July 1994, and £140,767 in respect of the period August 1994 to July 1995. This reflects the re-classification of some courses for English as a foreign language.
Public Appointments
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of public appointments made by her Department were held by women at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Forth: In 1993, 27 per cent. of public appointments made by this Department were held by women. The 1994 figures are still being finalised and will be made available in due course.
Quangos
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which former hon. Members of this House have been appointed since 1988 by her Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations; and if she 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.
Mr. Boswell: The information requested is given as follows:
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|Salary |Duration of
Name of member |NDPB and post held |£ per annum |appointment |Political party
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. N. Bennett | Further Education Funding |4,000 honorarium |3 years |Conservative
|Council (England) Member of
|the Council
Mr. M. Fallon |Higher Education Funding Council|4,000 honorarium |2.5 years |Conservative
|(England) Member of the
|Council
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Clock Adjustment
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Attorney-General how many man hours were taken up by adjusting the clocks throughout his Department.
The Attorney-General: Adjusting clocks forms part of the normal day- to-day maintenance of my Department's buildings. No separate records are kept of the time spent on this.
Children (Legal Guardianship)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement regarding legal guardianship and adoption of
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children when one or both parents are deceased or not able to look after the child and when friends of the parent or parents act to adopt he child against the wishes of other blood relatives of the child who may be surviving.Mr. John M. Taylor: I have been asked to reply.
Each case will be decided within the legal framework and according to its individual circumstances.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to review the law regarding legal guardianship of children by persons who are not related to the child when grandparents willing to act as legal guardian and bring up the child are still alive; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. John M. Taylor: I have been asked to reply.
There are no plans to review the law.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the law regarding access rights of grandparents with particular reference to cases where the child is the legal ward of people who are not related by blood or birth; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor: I have been asked to reply.
The Children Act 1989 contains provisions under which grandparents can apply to the court for contact with their grandchild. These apply whether or not the child is living with its natural parents or with others. There are no plans to review these provisions.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Appointments
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many of those people currently holding public appointments hold more than one appointment; and if he will list those people and the appointments they hold;
(2) how many members of public bodies have been dismissed from office since 1979.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: This information is not held centrally.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many names on the public appointments unit list currently hold public appointments.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the Government accepted the recommendations of the 1989 review of public appointments procedures that all Departments should set a target for the percentage of women in public appointments by the end of 1994; and if he will give details of targets for each Department and of current performance against it.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Departmental plans and goals for the increased representation of women on public bodies were published on 16 November 1992. A summary of these is in the Library of the House. Details of progress toward these goals can be found in "Public Bodies 1993", a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the public appointments which are made by Ministers are (a) full-time, (b) part-time, (c) paid, (d) unpaid, (e) full-time and paid, (f) part-time and paid, (g) full-time and unpaid and (h) part-time and unpaid.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: This information is given in the Cabinet Office publication " Public Bodies 1993 " a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of the public appointments made in 1993 94 were public appointments unit nominees; and if he will list these appointments.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: During 1993 94, the public appointments unit learned of 134 appointments which
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were made following nomination by the unit. A list of these appointments is as follows:Nationalised industries and public corporations:
Bank of England--1 appointment
British Railways Board--2 appointments
London Transport Board--1 appointment
Executive bodies:
Brent Housing Action Trust--1 appointment
Broadcasting Standards Council--1 appointment
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work-- 1 appointment
Horticultural Development Council--1 appointment
Monopolies and Mergers Commission--1 appointment Museum of London--1 appointment
Occupational Pensions Board--1 appointment
Regional Flood Defence Committees--2 appointments
Remploy Ltd.--2 appointments
Royal Armouries--1 appointment
Urban Development Corporations--3 appointments
Water Customer Service Committees--2 appointments
Advisory Bodies :
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments--1 appointment Advisory Committee on Telecommunications--3 appointments Citizens' Charter Complaints Task Force--1 appointment
Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body--1 appointment
Electricity Consumer Committees--5 appointments
Farm Animal Welfare Council--1 appointment
London Regional Passengers Committee--2 appointments
MAFF Regional Panels--4 appointments
National Consumer Council--2 appointments
Post Office Users' Council for Scotland--1 appointment
Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution--1 appointment Schoolteachers' Review Body--1 appointment
Scottish Consumer Council--1 appointment
Social Security Advisory Committee--2 appointments
Transport Users' Consultative Committees--8 appointments
Tribunals :
Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal--2 appointments
Copyright Tribunal--3 appointments
Meat Hygiene Appeals Tribunal--1 appointment
VAT Tribunal--1 appointment
National Health Service Bodies:
Regional and Special Health Authorities--2 appointments
District Health Authorities--3 appointments
Family Health Service Authorities--4 appointments
National Health Service Trusts 27 appointments
Executive Agency and other Management Boards:
Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research--1 appointment Employment Services External Advisory Board--4 appointments Insolvency Service Steering Board--1 appointment
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Advisory Board--1 appointment Royal Mint--1 appointment
Other Appointments:
British Waterways Board--1 appointment
CAPAM--1 appointment
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority Committee of Enquiry-- 1 appointment
Final Selection Board--1 appointment
General Medical Council--1 appointment
General Optical Council--2 appointments
Home Office Inspectors of Constabulary Selection Panel-- 1 appointment
Independent Living Fund--3 appointments
Institute of Cancer Research Audit Committee--1 appointment International Development Research Centre (South African Workshop)--1 appointment
National Board for Crime Prevention--2 appointments
National Support Force for Children's Residential Care--1 appointment
Registry of Friendly Societies--1 appointment
Restrictive Practices Court--3 appointments
Review of Government Administration in Lithuania--1 appointment Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons--1 appointment
Royal Commonwealth Society of the Blind--1 appointment
Soil Association Organic Marketing Company Ltd--1 appointment South African Advanced Education Project--1 appointment
US/UK Education Commission--1 appointment
Women's Issues Working Group--2 appointments
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