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Column 476
Action Against Crime"
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the bodies involved in drafting his Department's "Action Against Crime" pack. [22919]
Mr. Maclean: The "Action Against Crime" pack was drafted by officials in my Department.
Column 477
Knives
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration he has given to restrictions on the buying of knives by children; [22722]
(2) what representations he has received on the purchase of knives by children. [22725]
Mr. Maclean: The question of the sale of knives to children has been raised with my right hon. and learned Friend from time to time--he has received three letters from hon. Members about this in the last 12 months. Banning such sales would do little to reduce the availability of knives given that they are available in most homes.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what talks he has had with the police on the control of knives; [22723]
(2) what work has been carried out on behalf of his Department to define for legislative purposes the difference between assault and working knives; and what plans he has to resume this work. [22727]
Mr. Maclean: Chief officers of police were last formally consulted about controls on the sale of knives during the preparation of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988. This lists 14 weapons the sale of which is prohibited. No item has been added to the list. We will consider adding to the list weapons which have no legitimate use and have some feature which enables them to be distinguished from ordinary knives. Whether these criteria apply is considered in relation to individual items. An assault knife, although possibly offensive in the way it is described, may, depending on its exact specification, not be distinguishable in practice from an ordinary domestic knife.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the figures for knife-related incidents for each of the last five years (a) for the country as a whole and (b) by region. [22724]
Mr. Maclean: The available information relates to an ad hoc survey concerning notifiable offences recorded by the police in which knives were involved. The results were published in table 2.24 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1989". A copy of this publication is available in the Library.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were arrested for knife-related incidents in each of the last five years (a) in the country as a whole and (b) by region. [22726]
Mr. Maclean: This information is not collected centrally.
Parole
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average current delay in parole for prisoners in (a) London and (b) England and Wales. [22835]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Provisional figures for the period January to April inclusive 1995 show that, out of 794 prisoners in England and Wales notified of their parole decisions, 237 were notified before their parole
Column 478
eligibility date or its anniversary. The remainder were notified of decisions, on average, 7.7 weeks after their parole eligibility date or its anniversary. These figures include decisions to refuse as well as decisions to grant parole.I regret that information relating to London is not available separately.
Crime Victims
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the statement of service standards for victims of crime to be published. [22839]
Mr. Maclean: We hope to publish the statement in July.
Naturalisation
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time it takes to process applications for naturalisation at the most recent date; what was the time five years ago; and if he will make a statement. [23657]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The average waiting time for certificates of naturalisation issued in April 1995 was 13 months, compared with 28 months in April 1990.
Manslaughter
Mrs Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given by his Department to (a) the judiciary and (b) secure mental hospitals regarding the minimum length of time for which those convicted of manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility should be detained in a secure mental hospital. [23519]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: The law does not provide for the period of detention under a hospital order to be fixed in advance. A patient subject to such an order will be detained until this is judged to be no longer necessary on account of his health or safety or the safety of others. Where a hospital order is accompanied by a restriction order, the power of discharge by the responsible medical officer may be exercised only with the consent of my right hon. and learned Friend.
Blasphemy
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the benefits and disbenefits of retaining the offence of blasphemy on the statute book. [22941]
Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend considers that an unacceptable legal vacuum would be created if the legal protection afforded by the law on blasphemy were removed and nothing introduced in its place. It would be a mistake to attempt to legislate on what is a sensitive matter of conscience without a wide consensus as to the best way forward; in the Government's view there is no such consensus.
Unescorted Prisoners
Mr. Heppell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to secure
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the safety of the public and railway employees when prisoners travel unescorted by train. [21657]Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. John Heppell, dated 10 May 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the director general from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the arrangements made to secure the safety of the public and railway employees when prisoners travel unescorted by train.
Following the announcement made by the Home Secretary on 6 April about changes to the Prison Rules, new stricter arrangements for the unescorted temporary release of prisoners were implemented on 25 April. Under the new system, there will be substantially fewer prisoners released on temporary licence and prisoners will have to serve longer in prison before their application for release on licence will be considered. Governors may only release suitable eligible prisoners for specific and justifiable purposes if they have satisfied a stringent risk assessment which includes an assessment of the proposed travelling arrangements and the prisoner's compliance with the terms of the licence issued. Instructions to Governors governing the new national policy of release on temporary licence are set out in Prison Service Instruction 36/1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Accelerated Promotion Scheme
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prison staff on the accelerated promotion scheme are of ethnic minority origin. [23092]
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 9 May 1995]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 10 May 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the proportion of prison staff on the Accelerated Promotion Scheme who are of ethnic minority origin.
There are at present 89 members of the Prison Service on the Accelerated Promotion Scheme, none of whom is of ethnic minority origin.
Accounting Officers
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times in the last 10 years, and on which dates, his departmental accounting officer has issued a minute in that role; and what was the issue in each case. [22568]
Mr. Howard [holding answer 9 May 1995]: Where a Minister overrules an accounting officer's advice on an issue of propriety or regularity or one of value for money, the accounting officer should request a written instruction from the Minister to take the action in question.
All such instructions are reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General who, after making whatever investigations he considers appropriate, will report his findings to the Committee of Public Accounts.
There are no known instances of this in the Home Office in the last 10 years.
Column 480
Asylum Procedures
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what indicators or other methodologies are used to measure the impact of training on performance of officials in admission and asylum procedures. [22751]
Mr. Nicholas Baker [holding answer 5 May 1995]: The quality of decision making is monitored by senior officers. An important measure of quality is the number of refusal decisions which are upheld on appeal by the independent appellate authorities. At present only 5 per cent. of appeals by failed asylum seekers are allowed by special adjudicators.
ENVIRONMENT
Interim Development Orders
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many interim development order permissions were re-registered within one specified time limit, broken down by local authority area, indicating in each case the name of the company making the application. [22604]
Sir Paul Beresford: This information is not held centrally. However, according to statistics prepared for the County Planning Officers Society the following number of IDOs was registered in England and Wales, broken down by region:
Region |Number
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern (31): |Cumbria 3
|Northumberland 10
|Tyne and Wear 1
|Durham 17
Yorkshire and Humberside (44)
North West (22): |Lancashire 18
|Greater Manchester 3
|Cheshire 1
East Midlands (64): |Derbyshire 12
|Nottinghamshire 14
|Lincolnshire 13
|Leicestershire 24
|Northamptonshire 1
West Midlands (54): |Shropshire 10
|Staffordshire 33
|Walsall 5
|Warwickshire 6
East Anglia (17): |Cambridgeshire 7
|Norfolk 7
|Suffolk 3
South East (103): |Oxfordshire 7
|Buckinghamshire 3
|Bedfordshire 7
|Hertfordshire 7
|Essex 13
|Berkshire 7
|Hampshire 8
|Surrey 6
|West Sussex 18
|East Sussex 7
|Kent 20
South West (99): |Cornwall 18
|Devon 17
|Somerset 24
|Dorset 13
|Wiltshire 2
|Avon 22
|Gloucestershire 3
Wales (74): |Gwynedd 13
|Clwyd 16
|Dyfed 19
|Powys 7
|West Glamorgan 2
|Mid Glamorgan 8
|South Glamorgan 5
|Gwent 4
There was only one time period allowed for registration applications to be submitted to local mineral planning authorities. This period was six months and ran from 25 September 1991 to 25 March 1992--see paragraph 8a of MPG8.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of his Department's budget is allocated to initiatives which have been undertaken to secure private finance for his Department's projects. [22798]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Department and its sponsored bodies seek to maximise the amount of private finance it raises to assist in the implementation of a wide variety of programmes, most notably in housing, inner cities and urban regeneration. Over 60 per cent. of the Department's discretionary expenditure--excluding demand led programmes such as housing revenue account subsidy--is on programmes which attract private finance. The Department expects to generate some £4 billion of private investment this financial year.
Housing Capital Receipts, Harrogate
Mr. Robert Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the gross receipts from the sales of (a) council dwellings, (b) property assets and (c) land assets realised by Harrogate borough council for each of the last five years. [22804]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information reported by Harrogate borough council is as follows. The figures for council house sales are based on their value after discount, and without subtracting the value of any mortgage lending by the local authority.
Housing capital receipts in Harrogate borough council
(excluding lending for council house purchase)
£ thousand
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sale of:
Council Dwellings |3,058 |1,367 |1,480 |888 |1,487
Other property assets |48 |89 |0 |18 |0
Sale or lease of land |57 |55 |271 |278 |7
These receipts figures also exclude any repayments of discount, or sums outstanding, on council house sales; repayments of principal of mortgages to private persons; and repayments of principal of loans to housing associations.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the document on safety fundamentals and standards for radioactive waste management as agreed by the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors at its meeting on 27 to 30 March; and what contribution was made by United Kingdom specialists to this document. [22932]
Mr. Atkins: A copy of the International Atomic Energy Agency safety fundamentals "The Principles of Radioactive Waste Management" and safety standard No. 1 "Establishing a National Legal System for Radioactive Waste Management", which were adopted by the IAEA board of governors in March, will be placed in the Library when published later this year. The UK made a full contribution to the preparation of these documents.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what British specialists Her Majesty's Government have nominated for the group of experts being convened by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency to prepare a convention on the safety of radioactive waste management. [22929]
Mr. Atkins: Officials from my Department and, as appropriate, from other Government Departments, agencies and organisations will be involved in preparations for the proposed International Atomic Energy Agency convention on the safety of radioactive waste management.
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary ofState for the Environment what investigations havebeen carried out into the radioactive waste found atPoplar farm, Northamptonshire, on 13 January; and what these investigations conclude is the source of this material. [23043]
Mr. Atkins: The investigations undertaken to date by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in order to trace the origin of the depleted uranium found at Poplar farm, Chelveston, have included the following: firstly, identifying the type of material found; secondly, identifying the sources of such material; and, finally, visiting all these locations in order to either eliminate them from the investigation, or to identify the site as a possible source for the material. The investigations are still under way.
National Vocational qualifications
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many, and what proportion of, vacancies advertised by his Department, and by each of his Department's agencies, in the last three years have listed the attainment of national vocational qualifications as an acceptable entry requirement; and, of those, how
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many have required (i) level 1 NVQs, (ii) level 2 NVQs, (iii) level 3 NVQs and (iv) other level NVQs. [22977]Sir Paul Beresford: My Department, its agencies and DOE personnel staff in Government offices are happy to accept national vocational qualifications at the appropriate level as alternatives to traditional educational qualifications. The Buying Agency has run one advertising scheme in the last three years with NVQs, level 1 or 2 as a requirement--4 per cent. of vacancies. No other vacancies advertised in the last three years have specifically referred to the acceptance of NVQs.
Domestic Properties
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many domestic properties in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north- west and (c) England are valued below £20,000 and £30,000 and between £30,000 and £40,000. [22942]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested is not available centrally.
Council tax valuation band A covers all properties up to and including those valued at £40,000 on 1 April 1991; properties in band A are not separately graded into the valuations requested.
Non-domestic Properties
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total net rateable value of non-domestic property for each district council in England and for each London borough. [22780]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The table shows the total of rateable values at 1 April 1995 in the local rating lists for all billing authorities in England. In addition, the aggregate of rateable values in the central rating list was £2.9 billion.
|Rateable Value
Authority |(£000)
----------------------------------------------------------
Adur |24,714
Allerdale |40,507
Alnwick |9,696
Amber Valley |48,477
Arun |51,079
Ashfield |39,074
Ashford |52,964
Aylesbury Vale |68,138
Babergh |29,398
Barnsley |76,570
Barrow in Furness |34,576
Basildon |99,390
Basingstoke and Deane |107,281
Bassetlaw |49,023
Bath |64,930
Berwick upon Tweed |14,048
Birmingham |633,966
Blaby |38,629
Blackburn |66,334
Blackpool |90,947
Blyth Valle |27,241
Bolsover |19,299
Bolton |116,270
Boothferry |24,438
Boston |26,384
Bornemouth |95,543
Bracknell Forest |80,040
Bradford |254,875
Braintree |59,719
Breckland |42,669
Brentwood |44,627
Bridgnorth |16,495
Brighton |110,958
Bristol |311,242
Broadland |31,553
Bromsgrove |30,185
Broxbourne |48,455
Broxtowe |36,530
Burnley |38,363
Bury |67,648
Calderdale |95,808
Cambridge |128,797
Cannock Chase |37,888
Canterbury |70,937
Caradon |20,813
Carlisle |50,625
Carrick |45,002
Castle Morpeth |20,791
Castle Point |24,014
Charnwood |76,722
Chelmsford |94,966
Cheltenham |72,016
Cherwell |67,997
Chester |89,723
Chesterfield |51,352
Chester Le Street |12,720
Chichester |60,034
Chiltern |34,880
Chorley |29,395
Christchurch |24,011
Cleethorpes |33,664
Colchester |86,150
Congleton |38,936
Copeland |80,102
Corby |57,911
Cotswold |32,240
Coventry |183,229
Craven |27,605
Crawley |153,496
Crewe and Nantwich |52,608
Dacorum |106,548
Darlington |53,784
Dartford |52,632
Daventry |39,111
Derby |108,388
Derbyshire Dales |27,686
Derwentside |21.361
Doncaster |110,759
Dover |43,161
Dudley |161,866
Durham |40,380
E Yorks Boro' of Beverley |43,004
Easington |21,980
East Cambridgeshire |22,517
East Devon |36,717
East Dorset |29,340
East Hampshire |42,719
East Hertfordshire |77,872
East Lindsey |43,910
East Northamptonshire |25,801
East Staffordshire |66,825
East Yorkshire |35,705
Eastbourne |51,880
Eastleigh |65,145
Eden |21.557
Ellesmere Port and Neston |55,245
Elmbridge |83,246
Epping Forest |46,518
Epson and Ewell |37,510
Erewash |39,779
Exeter |88,306
Fareham |51,999
Fenland |29,445
Forest Heath |29,009
Forest of Dean |20,875
Fylde |36,933
Gateshead |104,309
Gedling |35,399
Gillingham |40,585
Glanford |44,360
Gloucester |69,416
Gosport |18,983
Gravesham |40,333
Great Grimsby |50,350
Great Yarmouth |54,149
Guildford |111,062
Halton |73,831
Hambleton |35,405
Harborough |34,192
Harlow |65,010
Harrogate |82,361
Hart |37,585
Hartlepool |38,571
Hastings |32,418
Havant |45,281
Hereford |35,988
Hertsmere |74,762
High Peak |33,635
Hinckley and Bosworth |47,110
Holderness |17,048
Horsham |60,607
Hove |38,519
Huntingdonshire |67,418
Hyndburn |32,191
Ipswich |89,428
Isle of Wight UA |49,613
Isles of Scilly |1,560
Kennet |22,213
Kerrier |25,429
Kettering |37,703
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk |55,157
Kingston upon Hull |145,844
Kingswood |23,704
Kirklees |161,932
Knowsley |48,842
Lancaster |56,023
Langbaurgh on Tees |97,896
Leeds |474,215
Leicester |175,442
Leominster |12,897
Lewes |36,544
Lichfield |41,383
Lincoln |59,206
Liverpool |236,313
Luton |103,383
Macclesfield |97,135
Maidstone |91,329
Malden |20,448
Malvern Hills |27,468
Manchester |476,469
Mansfield |38,790
Melton |19,848
Mendip |42,931
Mid Bedfordshire |44,258
Mid Devon |19,653
Mid Suffolk |26,253
Mid Sussex |66,380
Middlesbrough |66,141
Milton Keynes |154,498
Mole Valley |57,004
New Forest |70,125
Newark and Sherwood |46,777
Newbury |97,533
Newcastle upon Tyne |194.438
Newcastle under Lyme |48,781
North Bedfordshire |79,285
North Cornwall |28,239
North Devon |42,905
North Dorset |18,469
North East Derbyshire |23,306
North Hertfordshire |63,034
North Kesteven |22,780
North Norfolk |33,877
North Shropshire |17,482
North Tyneside |67,366
North Warwickshire |40,616
North West Leicestershire |56,111
North Wiltshire |45,220
Northampton |162,644
Northavon |87,251
Norwich |122,783
Nottingham |211,784
Nuneaton and Bedworth |54,454
Oadby and Wigston |19,989
Oldham |89,781
Oswestry |13,597
Oxford |119,126
Pendle |28,074
Penwith |21,925
Peterborough |127,377
Plymouth |119,587
Poole |84,959
Portsmouth |108,984
Preston |68,497
Purbeck |32,644
Reading |144,249
Redditch |60,415
Reigate and Banstead |81,585
Restormel |41,435
Ribble Valley |18,205
Richmondshire |14,747
Rochdale |97,432
Rochester upon Medway |77,631
Rochford |23.949
Rossendale |23,129
Rother |27,906
Rotherham |102,388
Rugby |55,870
Runnymede |58,314
Rushcliffe |30,115
Rushmoor |65,685
Rutland |13,625
Ryedale |42,276
Salford |142,946
Salisbury |45,064
Sandwell |180,431
Scarborough |52,438
Scunthorpe |58,595
Sedgefield |38,555
Sedgemoor |46,300
Sefton |100,114
Selby |58,468
Sevenoaks |52,602
Sheffield |297,523
Shepway |36,242
Shrewsbury and Atcham |54,059
Slough |125,681
Solihull |124,244
South Bedfordshire |64,922
South Buckinghamshire |40,939
South Cambridgeshire |62,999
South Derbyshire |27,063
South Hams |30,530
South Herefordshire |19,848
South Holland |22,817
South Kesteven |60,577
South Lakeland |64,820
South Norfolk |29,469
South Northamptonshire |25,993
South Oxfordshire |55,626
South Ribble |38,517
South Shropshire |11,751
South Somerset |59,777
South Staffordshire |30,450
South Tyneside |46,160
Southampton |129,884
Southend-on-Sea |77,994
Spelthorne |76,112
St. Albans |93,225
St. Edmundsbury |60,547
St. Helens |77,122
Stafford |58,770
Staffordshire Moorlands |30,311
Stevenage |69,998
Stockport |134,582
Stockton on Tees |97,761
Stoke on Trent |141,393
Stratford on Avon |65,306
Stroud |38,308
Suffolk Coastal |57,285
Sunderland |112,777
Surrey Heath |60,764
Swale |59,155
Tameside |73,591
Tamworth |39,501
Tandridge |32,977
Taunton Deane |51,504
Teesdale |6,656
Teignbridge |38,234
Tendring |44,767
Test Valley |61,586
Tewkesbury |29,946
Thamesdown |151,410
Thanet |42,318
The Wrekin |88,505
Three Rivers |45,504
Thurrock |128,013
Tonbridge and Malling |66,556
Torbay |54,304
Torridge |14,688
Trafford |181,022
Tunbridge Wells |73,482
Tynedale |21,667
Uttlesford |39,819
Vale of White Horse |62,622
Vale Royal |56,451
Wakefield |152,449
Walsall |130,544
Wansbeck |23,104
Wansdyke |23,977
Warrington |135,859
Warwick |91,713
Watford |99,346
Waveney |43,056
Waverley |59,780
Wealden |46,687
Wear Valley |22,606
Wellingborough |47,408
Welwyn Hatfield |84,449
West Devon |13,940
West Dorset |42,937
West Lancashire |39,229
West Lindsey |27,218
West Oxfordshire |37,034
West Somerset |13,149
West Wiltshire |43,604
Weymouth and Portland |22,063
Wigan |113,789
Winchester |65,427
Windsor and Maidenhead |109,307
Wirral |108,113
Woking |68,690
Wokingham |71,355
Wolverhampton |127,863
Woodspring |73,896
Worcester |62,394
Worthing |50,048
Wychavon |53,787
Wycombe |111,554
Wyre |37,868
Wyre Forest |47,208
York |89,614
|--------
England (ex London) |22,262,087
Barking and Dagenham |97,790
Barnet |178,143
Bexley |107,204
Brent |168,673
Bromley |149,087
Camden |439,981
City of London |614,420
Croydon |206,069
Ealing |208,047
Enfield |165,834
Greenwich |97,305
Hackney |121,632
Hammersmith |160,436
Haringey |120,669
Harrow |108,650
Havering |118,887
Hillingdon |465,187
Hounslow |223,995
Islington |235,762
Kensington and Chelsea |298,265
Kingston upon Thames |120,364
Lambeth |136,523
Lewisham |98,409
Merton |111,793
Newham |122,598
Redbridge |102,107
Richmond upon Thames |99,351
Southwark |223,084
Sutton |88,456
Tower Hamlets |242,841
Waltham Forest |105,143
Wandsworth |141,306
Westminster |1,403,742
|--------
London |7,281,755
|--------
England |29,543,842
Construction Industry
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the Government have to (a) implement the Latham report and (b) introduce legislation on contracts in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement. [22740]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mr. Gapes) on 5 April, Official Report, columns 1283 84, and the answer given to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Cunningham) on 21 April, Official Report, column 286 .
Business Start-ups
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has issued regarding the
Column 489
availability of business start-up allowance following its absorbtion into the single regeneration budget. [22998]Sir Paul Beresford: The bidding guidance issued for the first and second rounds of the SRB challenge fund, published in April 1994 and April 1995 respectively, made it clear that the fund is available to provide business support. Copies of the guidance is in the Library of the House. Subject to the preparation of delivery plans, some 60,000 new business start-ups are forecast to be supported under schemes approved in round 1. Successful bidders are expected to ensure that local people know what assistance is available.
Training and enterprise councils can also continue to support those intending to start up in business through the training for work programme or, where circumstances allow, from their own resources. TECs publicise these arrangements in whatever way seems appropriate locally.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the administration and availability and take-up of the business start-up allowance following its incorporation into the single regeneration budget; and if he will make a statement. [22996]
Sir Paul Beresford: The business start-up scheme became part of the single regeneration budget on 1 April 1994 and ceased as a separate programme on 31 March 1995. Participants starting before then will continue to receive the agreed levels of support. Support for new businesses is one of the objectives of the SRB challenge fund. Subject to the preparation of delivery plans some 60,000 business start-ups are forecast to be supported under schemes approved in the first challenge fund bidding round. The second bidding round was launched on 12 April and this will provide further opportunities for similar support.
Commercial Leases
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that smaller landlords are adequately protected under the terms of commercial leases. [22692]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Lease terms are a private contractual matter for the parties; it is up to them to take appropriate professional advice to ensure that their leases give them adequate protection. If the hon. Member's questions are prompted by specific cases, he may wish to write to me with details for further comments.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that commercial tenants do not gain unfair advantages through legal loopholes in commercial leases. [22691]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Commercial lease terms are a matter for negotiation between the parties prior to occupation. No doubt each party will seek to use its bargaining strengths but it should ensure professional advice is sought to avoid terms which are potentially damaging.
If the hon. Member's questions are prompted by specific cases he may wish to write to me with details for further comments.
Column 490
Tree Preservation
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of tree preservation orders issued by Sheffield city council for each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [23073]
Mr. Atkins: The information requested is not held centrally.
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice is issued by his Department to local authorities regarding tree preservation orders; and if he will make a statement. [23072]
Mr. Atkins: To supplement existing advice in DOE circular 36/78, my Department published a comprehensive guide to the tree preservation order system for local planning authorities in October 1994-- " Tree Preservation Orders--A Guide to the Law and Good Practice" . Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to change planning law to protect trees. [23075]
Mr. Atkins: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Waterside (Mr. Colvin) on 21 July 1994, Official Report , columns 450-52 .
Training
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, what special training is given to persons who have responsibility for assessing the historical significance of documents held by his Department. [23287]
Sir Paul Beresford: Training in assessing the historical significance of departmental records is carried out under the guidance of the Keeper of Public Records. It is provided in a number of different ways, including courses on the appraisal of records and through conferences and seminars arranged by the Public Record Office.
Enterprise Zones
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on co-operation between the Welsh Office and his Department in relation to the designation of enterprise zones; what is the average length of time the necessary procedures take; and if he will make a statement. [21975]
Sir Paul Beresford: Enterprise zones in Wales are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales. I am satisfied that there is full co- operation between my Department, other interested Government Departments and the Welsh Office in considering the case for designating further enterprise zones in Wales. The arrangements for establishing enterprise zones, including those for enforcing European Community restrictions on state aids, mean that zones now take at least two years to designate.
Special Protection Areas
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those sites which (a) have been designated or (b) meet the criteria for designation as(i) special protection areas under the European
Column 491
Community directive on the conservation of wild birds or (ii) Ramsar sites under the convention of wetlands of international importance. [22367]Sir Paul Beresford: The following table lists all those sites in England which have been designated as either special protection areas, or Ramsar sites, or both.
Column 491
Site |County |SPA/Ramsar |Date designated
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridgwater Bay |Somerset |Ramsar |5.1.76
Bure Marshes |Norfolk |Ramsar |5.1.76
Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere |Norfolk |Ramsar |5.1.76
Lindisfarne |Northumberland |SPA/Ramsar |5.1.76
|Extended |11.3.92
Minsmere-Walberswick |Suffolk |SPA/Ramsar |5.1.76
|Extended |19.5.92
North Norfolk Coast |Norfolk |SPA/Ramsar |5.1.76
|Extended |20.1.89
Ouse Washes |Cambridgeshire/Norfolk |SPA/Ramsar |5.1.76
|Extended |5.3.93
Abberton Reservoir |Essex |Ramsar |24.7.81
|SPA |5.12.91
Rostherne Mere |Cheshire |Ramsar |24.7.81
Moor House |Cumbria |SPA |31.8.82
Orfordness-Havergate |Suffolk |SPA |31.8.82
Ribble Estuary |Lancashire |SPA |31.8.82
The Swale |Kent |SPA/Ramsar |31.8.82
|Extended |17.7.85
|Further extended |15.12.93
Chesil Beach and The Fleet |Dorset |SPA/Ramsar |17.7.85
Chew Valley Lake |Avon |SPA |17.7.85
Coquet Island |Northumberland |SPA |17.7.85
Dee Estuary |Clwyd, Cheshire and Merseyside |SPA/Ramsar |17.7.85
Derwent Ings (part of Lower Derwent Valley) |North Yorkshire/Humberside |SPA/Ramsar |17.7.85
Farne Islands |Northumberland |SPA |17.7.85
Holburn Lake and Moss |Northumberland |SPA/Ramsar |17.7.85
Irthinghead Mires |Cumbria/Northumberland |Ramsar |17.7.85
Alt Estuary |Merseyside |SPA/Ramsar |28.11.85
Leighton Moss |Lancashire |SPA/Ramsar |28.11.85
Martin Mere |Lancashire |SPA/Ramsar |28.11.85
Rockliffe Marshes (part of Upper Solway Flats and Marshes) |Cumbria |SPA/Ramsar |23.9.86
Chichester and Langstone Harbours |Hampshire/West Sussex |SPA/Ramsar |28.10.87
Upper Severn Estuary |Gloucestershire |SPA/Ramsar |5.2.88
The Wash |Lincolnshire/Norfolk |SPA/Ramsar |30.3.88
Pagham Harbour |West Sussex |SPA/Ramsar |30.3.88
Redgrave and Lopham Fens |Norfolk/Suffolk |Ramsar |15.2.91
Rutland Water |Leicestershire |SPA/Ramsar |4.10.91
Esthwaite Water |Cumbria |Ramsar |7.11.91
Walmore Common |Gloucestershire |SPA/Ramsar |5.12.91
Exe Estuary |Devon |SPA/Ramsar |11.3.92
Old Hall Marshes |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |11.3.92
Chippenham Fen |Cambridgeshire |Ramsar |11.3.92
Porton Down |Wiltshire/Hampshire |SPA |3.7.92
Upper Solway Flats and Marshes |Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway |SPA/Ramsar |30.11.92
Roydon Common |Norfolk |Ramsar |5.3.93
Great Yarmouth North Denes |Norfolk |SPA |5.3.93
Nene Washes |Cambridgeshire |SPA/Ramsar |5.3.93
Gibraltar Point (Wash Phase II) |Lincolnshire |SPA/Ramsar |5.3.93
Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs |Humberside/North Yorkshire |SPA |5.3.93
Hornsea Mere |Humberside |SPA |5.3.93
Hamford Water |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |8.6.93
Lower Derwent Valley |North Yorkshire/Humberside |SPA/Ramsar |8.6.93
New Forest |Hampshire |SPA/Ramsar |22.9.93
Malham Tarn |North Yorkshire |Ramsar |28.10.93
Salisbury Plain |Wiltshire |SPA |3.11.93
Medway Estuary |Kent |SPA/Ramsar |15.12.93
Bowland Fells |Lancashire |SPA |16.12.93
Stodmarsh |Kent |SPA/Ramsar |16.12.93
Benfleet and Southend Marshes |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |14.2.94
Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons (Wealden Heaths PhI) |Surrey/Hampshire |SPA/Ramsar |14.2.94
Dengie |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |24.3.94
Midland Meres and Mosses |Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire|Ramsar |9.5.94
Stour and Orwell Estuary |Essex/Suffolk |SPA/Ramsar |13.7.94
Humber Flats, Marshes and Coast Phase 1 |Humberside/Lincolnshire |SPA/Ramsar |28.7.94
Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay |Kent |SPA/Ramsar |28.7.94
Colne Estuary |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |28.7.94
Broadland |Norfolk/Suffolk |SPA/Ramsar |21.9.94
Ribble and Alt Estuaries Phase 2 |Lancashire/Merseyside |SPA/Ramsar |16.2.95
Portsmouth Harbour |Hampshire |SPA/Ramsar |28.2.95
River Crouch Marshes |Essex |SPA/Ramsar |24.3.95
A list of areas identified on the basis of scientific evidence as potentially qualifying for classification as special protection areas in England
was published in planning policy guidance note 9, issued in October 1994. This list and the list of potential Ramsar sites is currently under review.
When this work is completed a revised list will be published.
Women's Refuges
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding is provided by Her Majesty's Government to support women's refuges throughout the United Kingdom; how much is to be provided in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [23093]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: In 1995 96 the Government will be providing through the Housing Corporation about £3.25 million in revenue support for 1,910 bed spaces in women's refuges, and capital amounting to £2.5 million to develop further schemes. The Government are also making available to the Women's Aid Federation (England) £151,200 in core funding to provide support services for women and children who are victims of domestic violence in the home; £49,000 towards their national telephone help line and £55,000 over three years to fund a national housing co-ordinator. Other Government funding includes £252,662 to Welsh Women's Aid and an estimated £362, 000 for projects in individual refuges and advice centres in Wales; £45,000 to Scottish Women's Aid for projects associated with tackling homelessness by women escaping domestic violence; and £159,609 in grant under sections 9 and 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for training and administration costs.
Funding for future years depends upon the outcome of public expenditure decisions.
Recycling
Sir Kenneth Carlisle: To ask the Secretary ofState for the Environment which local authorities will receive supplementary credit approval resources for recycling projects in 1995 96; and if he will make a statement. [23930]
Mr. Atkins: I am announcing today the allocation of £16.4 million in supplementary credit approval resources for investment in recycling by local authorities in 1995 96. This is the fifth year of the programme, and we have been able to allocate more resources than ever before.
The £16.4 million of SCAs available for 1995 96 forms part of the Government's environmental partnership
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