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Column 235
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 24 November 1994
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the salary and other emoluments of the civil servant who did the work of, or work comparable to that of, the chief executive of each next steps agency established by his Department before the agency was established.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The information requested for Lord Chancellor's Department existing next steps agencies is given in the table.
|Remuneration of
|postholder prior to |End date of previous
Agency |chief executive |postholder's tenure
|£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HM Land Registry |53,420 |31 December 1990
Public Record Office |49,300 plus |31 March 1992
| 2,000 Inner London
|Weighting
Public Trust Office |50,525 plus |8 June 1994
|1,776 Inner London
|Weighting
Court Accommodation
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will bring forward proposals to meet the problems of witnesses fearing intimidation in the waiting areas of court houses.
Mr. John. M Taylor: This Department recognises the concern witnesses may have about the fear of intimidation and has taken steps to minimise the risk. The court standards and design guide makes provision for one courtroom witness suite per Crown court centre, and similar arrangements are made for new magistrates courts, with the provision of multi-purpose suites. Approximately 40 per cent. of existing Crown court centres already provide separate and exclusive witness waiting areas. Where these are not available, special arrangements can be made to ensure that, as far as possible, intimidation does not occur.
ENVIRONMENT
Council Tax
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average council tax in England and Wales for each of the property bandings.
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Mr. Robert B. Jones: The average council tax in 1994 95, before transitional relief and council tax benefit, for a property containing two adults, is as follows:
[TITRE} ------------------------ A |387 |234 B |451 |272 C |516 |311 D |580 |350 E |709 |428 F |838 |506 G |967 |584 H |1,160|701
Averages cannot be calculated for England and Wales combined because a different banding structure operates in each country.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against council tax valuation banding have been received; and what percentage of these appeals have been (i) resolved, (ii) withdrawn or (iii) are still outstanding (a) nationally and (b) by valuation office.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: As at the end of October the Valuation Office had received 946,149 council tax banding appeals in respect of dwellings in England. Of these (i) 63.9 per cent. had been resolved, (ii) 20.7 per cent. had been withdrawn before a tribunal hearing, and (iii) 36.1 per cent. were outstanding.
The numbers of appeals received as at 31 October and the percentage for (i), (ii) and (iii) by VOA office are as follows:
Region: East Anglia Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bedford |9,829 |62.3 |18.9 |37.7 Cambridge |10,108 |59.7 |25.0 |40.3 Chelmsford |15,805 |70.9 |13.8 |29.1 Colchester |17,253 |61.1 |11.9 |38.9 Ipswich |11,416 |55.3 |9.5 |44.7 Norwich |14,421 |54.8 |9.5 |45.2 Peterborough |11,327 |58.3 |8.0 |41.7 St Albans |9,480 |61.0 |20.7 |39.0 Stevenage |8,291 |54.4 |13.3 |45.6
Region: East Midland Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Derby |12,654 |65.6 |12.8 |34.4 Doncaster |6,410 |71.1 |9.3 |28.9 Grimsby |7,295 |63.7 |10.2 |36.3 Hull |9,459 |66.4 |18.5 |33.6 Leicester |6,858 |66.2 |22.0 |33.8 Lincoln |10,327 |68.5 |11.6 |31.5 Loughborough |8,090 |66.0 |15.3 |34.0 Mansfield |7,470 |70.5 |10.6 |29.5 Northampton |7,811 |70.5 |18.6 |29.5 Nottingham |8,375 |72.7 |11.1 |27.3 Sheffield |7,942 |63.6 |15.9 |36.4
Region: London Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barking |4,175 |58.1 |21.1 |41.9 Bromley |18,112 |60.1 |12.3 |39.9 Camden |7,983 |59.9 |14.8 |40.1 City |224 |86.2 |37.9 |13.8 Ealing |9,877 |65.1 |14.4 |34.9 Enfield |20,442 |58.6 |21.2 |41.4 Greenwich |11,788 |55.1 |13.2 |44.9 Harrow |10,167 |59.7 |12.8 |40.3 Islington |8,873 |59.1 |12.3 |40.9 Kensington |16,561 |60.3 |13.2 |39.7 Lambeth |13,354 |65.0 |14.8 |35.0 Redbridge |6,564 |61.7 |23.6 |38.3 Tower Hamlets |3,867 |60.7 |14.9 |39.3 Westminster 1 |3,096 |61.2 |13.3 |38.8 Westminster 2 |5,921 |78.7 |15.1 |21.3 Wimbledon |12,850 |59.3 |14.2 |40.7
Region: North Western Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bolton |6,450 |65.9 |6.8 |34.1 Burnley |8,515 |63.0 |8.1 |37.0 Chester |7,846 |61.9 |8.9 |38.1 Crewe |10,286 |60.1 |14.5 |39.9 Lancaster |9,557 |69.0 |8.3 |31.0 Liverpool |8,797 |62.4 |6.1 |37.6 Manchester |2,509 |61.4 |9.6 |38.6 Preston |7,629 |62.1 |6.5 |37.9 Rochdale |3,539 |76.0 |13.2 |24.0 Salford |6,496 |73.8 |6.5 |26.2 Stockport |7,197 |60.7 |9.6 |39.3 Warrington |10,042 |65.0 |11.3 |35.0
Region: Northern Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alnwick |7,146 |68.6 |11.7 |31.4 Bradford |6,250 |63.1 |13.6 |36.9 Carlisle |6,978 |65.0 |11.1 |35.0 Durham |8,280 |71.3 |21.1 |28.7 Halifax |11,706 |72.7 |9.8 |27.3 Harrogate |12,538 |69.3 |11.0 |30.7 Leeds |8,654 |67.6 |13.7 |32.4 Middlesborough |4,935 |77.8 |12.0 |22.2 Newcastle |4,607 |75.7 |21.1 |24.3 Sunderland |4,971 |77.5 |14.3 |22.5 Ulverston |6,658 |60.8 |16.0 |39.2 York |10,688 |65.7 |11.1 |34.3
Region: South Eastern Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brighton |11,533 |71.8 |13.9 |28.2 Chatham |7,610 |65.2 |20.2 |34.8 Eastbourne |11,184 |58.4 |9.3 |41.6 Folkestone |9,464 |67.1 |14.8 |32.9 Guildford |12,273 |59.1 |9.9 |40.9 Reigate |18,047 |54.8 |19.3 |45.2 Tunbridge Wells |16,189 |61.0 |7.2 |39.0 Worthing |15,495 |60.9 |12.6 |39.1
Region: Southern Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aylesbury |15,662 |64.9 |11.3 |35.1 Basingstoke |12,280 |59.5 |11.6 |40.5 Bournemouth |12,697 |63.0 |14.1 |37.0 Dorchester |7,377 |59.8 |15.6 |40.2 Oxford |14,830 |72.7 |14.3 |27.3 Portsmouth |7,173 |63.0 |13.8 |37.0 Portsmouth (IOW) |4,259 |60.0 |13.5 |40.0 Reading |17,720 |60.8 |15.0 |39.2 Southampton |16,324 |64.5 |8.5 |35.5 Swindon |12,854 |66.4 |9.5 |33.6
Region: West Midland Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Birmingham |8,958 |69.3 |17.0 |30.7 Coventry |7,241 |63.1 |15.8 |36.9 Kidderminster |7,150 |62.1 |13.0 |37.9 Lichfield |6,082 |61.4 |12.6 |38.6 Sandwell |1,814 |75.6 |22.0 |24.4 Shrewsbury |11,821 |63.5 |11.7 |36.5 Stoke |7,796 |65.2 |8.4 |34.8 Warwick |10,319 |62.5 |8.7 |37.5 Wolverhampton |5,870 |75.8 |25.3 |24.2 Worcester |15,135 |62.5 |15.9 |37.5
Region: Western Office |Received |(i) |(ii) |(iii) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barnstaple |8,704 |65.7 |11.7 |34.3 Bath |8,889 |69.8 |11.3 |30.2 Bristol |11,779 |64.8 |14.8 |35.2 Exeter |14,742 |63.4 |16.3 |36.6 Gloucester |18,140 |67.7 |11.2 |32.3 Plymouth |13,942 |64.1 |10.9 |35.9 St Austell |13,235 |63.6 |13.1 |36.4 Taunton |13,902 |53.2 |13.1 |36.8
Home Improvement Grants
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about delays being experienced by applicants for mandatory housing improvement grants; and what provision in the relevant regulations would prevent claims for consequential loss by households whose property suffered marked deterioration in condition between the date of initial inquiry and final grant approval which has necessitated extra works and additional expenditure.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: We are aware that some applicants for house renovation grants have experienced delays in the processing of their applications by local authorities.
The grant legislation in part VIII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 does not provide for additional claims from householders. However, authorities must ensure that a property is fit for human habitation on completion of grant-aided works. The amount of grant may also be re- determined where unforseen works arise.
Quangos
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which quangos his Department has abolished since 1979.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Tables A and B list bodies which existed in 1979, were classified as
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non-departmental pubic bodies, and have been wound-up as such bodies by the Department of the Environment since 1979. Table C lists non-departmental public bodies which have been both created and wound-up by the Department of the Environment in the period since 1979.Table A
Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Advisory Panel on Institutional Finance in New Towns
Centre for Environmental Studies
Location of Offices Bureaux
London Housing Staff Advisory Committee
National Building Agency
English Water Authorities (9)
National Water Council
New town Development Corporations
Aycliffe
Basildon
Bracknell
Central Lancashire
Corby
Harlow
Milton Keynes
Northampton
Peterborough
Peterlee
Redditch
Runcorn
Skelmersdale
Stevenage
Telford
Warrington
New Towns Staff Commission
Water Space Amenity Commission
The above Table includes organisations, some, or all, of whose functions have been transferred to bodies other than Non-Departmental Public Bodies. It excludes organisations whose functions have largely been transferred to, or merged with, other Non-Departmental Public Bodies. Table B
Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Advisory Committee on Bird Sanctuaries in Royal Parks
Advisory Committee on Housing Cooperatives
Advisory Committee on Local Government Audit
Advisory Committee on Protection of Birds England and Wales Advisory Committee on Rent Rebates and Rent Allowances
Advisory Committee on Sculptures in Royal Parks
Advisory Committee on Trees in Royal Parks
Ancient Monuments Board Committee for Rescue Archaeology Area Archaeological Advisory Committees (13)
Building Research Establishment Advisory Committee
Clean Air Council
Committee to Examine Standards of Lawn Tennis in Great Britain Commission on Energy and the Environment
Construction and Housing Research Advisory Council
Construction Industry Manpower Board
Detergents and Allied Products - Voluntary Notifications Scheme Scrutiny Group
Economic Planning Councils (8)
Environmental Board
Hadrian's Wall Advisory Committee
Historic Buildings Council for England
Housing Association Registration Advisory Council
Housing Services Advisory Group
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Hydraulics Research Station Advisory CommitteeLocal Government Commission for England
National Consultative Council for the Building and Civil Engineering Industries
Noise Advisory Council
Planning and Transportation Research Advisory Council
Recreation Management Training Committee
Scientific Authority for Animals
Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents
Table C
Executive
Greater Manchester Residuary Body
Merseyside Residuary Body
South Yorkshire Residuary Body
Tyne and Wear Residuary Body
West Midlands Residuary Body
West Yorkshire Residuary Body
Advisory
Committee on the Management of Privately-Owned Blocks of Flats London and Metropolitan Government Staff Commission
Review of Rating of Plant and Machinery
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many quangos his Department was responsible for (a) in 1979 and (b) in the latest year for which a number is available.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: In 1979 the Department of the Environment was responsible for a total of 114 non-departmental public bodies--45 executives, 66 advisory and three tribunals. In 1993, the Department was responsible for a total of 41 non-departmental public bodies--28 executive, 10 advisory and three tribunals.
Ethnic Minorities (Education)
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment what amount of money was distributed to local education authorities through the standard spending assessment formula to meet the additional educational needs of those from non-English speaking backgrounds in each of the last five years.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: In each of the last five years the additional education needs index has contributed the following amounts to authorities standard spending assessment:
$
Total England contributed on the
Additional Educational Needs
index
|(£ million)
------------------------------------
1994-95 |3,241
1993-94 |3,749
1992-93 |3,986
1991-92 |3,696
1990-91 |3,458
The additional educational needs index is composed of indicators which measure lone-parent families, children of income support claimants and ethnic background.
Registration of Architects
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce legislation or produce the draft of a Bill for introduction by a private Member covering the registration of architects.
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Mr. Robert B. Jones: I hope that appropriate legislation can be introduced at an early opportunity. My noble Friend, the Minister for Construction and Planning, wrote to the chairman of the Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom on 21 November setting out our proposals for reform of the Architects Registration Acts. A copy of his letter has been placed in the library.
Construction Industry
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will respond to the Latham report on the future of the construction industry.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: In common with the whole of the construction industry, the Government gave a warm welcome in the speech of my noble Friend the Minister for Construction and Planning on 25 July to the thrust of Sir Michael Latham's report. We are now supporting the review implementation forum's work. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has approved an interdepartmental scrutiny of Government's procurement of construction which will respond to Sir Michael's recommendation that Government should commit itself to being a best practice client.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the next report from Sir Michael Latham; when he expects to be able to announce his response; what provision is being made for the working parties on the Latham report while he is considering his response; and when he expects to announce whether the Government will introduce legislation to implement the Latham report.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The review implementation forum, chaired by Sir Michael Latham, is due to report on the limited range of issues within its remit to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State by the end of December. My right hon. Friend will consider the report at a meeting with industry organisations currently fixed for 2 February. Meanwhile, the secretariat of the forum and the working parties will remain in place. We have made it clear that we are prepared in principle to legislate on Sir Michael Latham's proposals subject to agreement on the need for, and form of, such legislation.
CITES
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for the environment if he will make a statement to the House on the outcome of the Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting in Florida.
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the recent CITES meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
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