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Commission for the New Towns

Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has received from the Commission for the New Towns on the likely effect of his Department's current land sales programme on market prices. [3455]

Mr. Curry: The Commission for the New Towns' strategy for the disposal of land is discussed with it in the context of its corporate plan. It attaches importance to phased release to local markets.

Nursery Voucher Scheme

Mr. Bill Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect the pilot scheme for vouchers

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 176

has on the rate support grant of those authorities taking part in the scheme; in (a) the first and (b) the second year of its operation. [3267]

Sir Paul Beresford: Authorities taking part in phase 1 of the scheme will receive less revenue support grant because they have a reduced standard spending assessment for education. But if they continue to attract the same number of nursery pupils as in the past, their income from vouchers would equal the reduction in their RSG.

We will take decisions on the second year of the scheme in the light of experience in the first year.

Health and Safety Executive

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount payable to the chairman of the Health and Safety Executive; and for how many hours a week is his appointment. [3613]

Sir Paul Beresford: The annual salary of the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission is currently £58,456. The appointment is pensionable and reasonable travel and subsistence expenses are payable in connection with commission business. The appointment is for three days a week.

Drinking Water

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has made in pursuit of a derogation for the United Kingdom Government from the obligation in Com(93)680 final to reduce nitrates in drinking water below their natural level. [3491]

Mr. Clappison: The European Commission's proposal for a directive on the ecological quality of water, COM(93) 680 final contains no such requirement in respect of nitrates.

Consultants

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those (a) consultants, (b) outside organisations and (c) individuals employed by his Department in each year since 1990, indicating the purposes of their employment and the total payments made to them. [3963]

Sir Paul Beresford: The information requested is not held centrally by my Department and is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.

Cement Kilns

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue a full reply to the second report of the Environment Select Committee on the burning of secondary liquid fuel in cement kilns HC 479 of Session 1994-95. [3792]

Mr. Clappison: The Government expect to make a full response early in the new year.

Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of

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28 November, Official Report, column 557, what reports he has received from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution concerning persistent plume grounding at Castle Cement in Clitheroe; and what assessment he has made of the possible risks to public health in the vicinity. [3790]

Mr. Clappison: Ministers are fully aware of the reported incidence of plume grounding and the investigative monitoring that national physical laboratory carried out on behalf of HMIP. The results of this investigation are being reviewed by the Department of Health.

Boundary Review

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions his Department has given to the Local Government Commission on the review of boundaries of metropolitan areas; and if he will make a statement. [4097]

Sir Paul Beresford: None. We are considering what reviews the commission should undertake in addition to its statutory responsibilities for periodic electoral reviews.

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 178

Manchester Airport

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what date he now expects to receive the inspector's report on Manchester airport's planning application for a second runway; and if he will make a statement. [3190]

Mr. Robert B. Jones: I expect to receive the report by autumn 1996. The public inquiry lasted about nine months and there is a very considerable weight of evidence from the main parties, conservation groups, local residents and business people to evaluate.

Standard Spending Assessments

Sir Peter Hordern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the change in standard spending assessment for county councils in England for (i) 1995-96 and (ii) 1996-97, identifying the standard spending assessment for education separately and (b) the amount of total external support for each county council, together with the percentage change from 1995-96 in order from the highest increase to the lowest. [3927]

Mr. Curry: The information is as follows:

	Change in total SSA 1995-96	Percentage change in total SSA 1995-96	Change in education SSA 1995-96	Percentage change in education SSA 1995-96
Local authority	(£ million)	(Percentage)	(£ million)	(Percentage)
Bedfordshire	-1.830	-0.5	0.603	0.3
Berkshire	6.809	1.5	5.788	2.2
Buckinghamshire	-0.104	-	1.762	0.7
Cambridgeshire	4.348	1.2	4.528	2.0
Cheshire	-0.927	-0.2	-1.428	-0.4
Cornwall	5.178	1.9	1.936	1.3
Cumbria	-0.146	-0.1	-0.934	-0.6
Derbyshire	0.994	0.2	1.980	0.7
Devon	10.114	1.7	6.848	2.1
Dorset	3.024	0.9	2.089	1.1
Durham	-0.377	-0.1	0.257	0.1
East Sussex	6.766	1.7	6.404	3.1
Essex	-4.799	-0.5	-1.391	-0.3
Gloucestershire	7.095	2.4	2.198	1.3
Hampshire	-0.814	0.1	2.302	0.5
Hereford and Worcester	4.886	1.4	4.751	2.2
Hertfordshire	9.753	1.6	10.328	2.9
Kent	3.126	0.3	4.416	0.8
Lancashire	7.180	0.9	6.688	1.4
Leicestershire	3.206	0.6	2.919	0.9
Lincolnshire	1.117	0.3	0.614	0.3
Norfolk	-1.500	-0.4	-1.580	-0.7
Northamptonshire	0.947	0.3	1.563	0.8
Northumberland	-1.225	-0.6	-1.980	-1.8
Nottinghamshire	3.214	0.5	3.205	0.9
Oxfordshire	-1.655	-0.5	1.543	0.8
Shropshire	1.230	0.5	1.248	0.9
Somerset	3.656	1.4	3.494	2.5
Staffordshire	3.094	0.5	4.054	1.2
Suffolk	1.835	0.5	3.156	1.6
Surrey	18.146	3.5	16.766	5.9
Warwickshire	1.129	0.4	1.839	1.2
West Sussex	1.649	0.4	3.524	1.6
Wiltshire	3.831	1.2	4.878	2.7
Avon (Old area)	0.094	-	-0.419	-0.1
Cleveland (Old area)	0.262	0.1	0.007	-
Humberside (Old area)	-0.422	-0.1	-0.394	-0.1
North Yorkshire (Old area)	3.784	1.0	3.838	1.7

1. Changes calculated using Adjusted SSAs. The adjusted SSA updates the previous years SSA to take account of changes in function and geographical responsibility, but not data, methodology or control total changes. 2. Due to Local Government reorganisation, Avon CC, Cleveland CC, and Humberside CC have been abolished. The new area of North Yorkshire CC excludes the new area of York Unitary Authority.

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 177

Local authority	Change in total SSA 1996-97 £ million	Percentage change in total SSA 1996--97	Change in education SSA 1996-97 £ million	Percentage change in education SSA 1996-97
Bedfordshire	7.987	2.3	8.251	3.9
Berkshire	8.096	1.8	9.042	3.3
Buckinghamshire	8.219	2.1	8.417	3.5
Cambridgeshire	14.232	3.7	11.167	4.9
Cheshire	18.023	3.2	17.024	5.1
Cornwall	8.603	3.0	8.700	5.6
Cumbria	9.896	3.4	9.408	5.8
Derbyshire	20.615	3.9	17.155	5.7
Devon	21.852	3.6	17.422	5.3
Dorset	10.650	2.9	9.509	4.8
Durham	10.206	2.8	9.840	4.8
East Sussex	8.402	2.0	7.264	3.4
Essex	24.652	2.6	26.289	4.9
Gloucestershire	9.505	3.1	9.286	5.3
Hampshire	23.810	2.7	22.701	4.5
Hereford and Worcester	11.752	3.2	9.097	4.1
Hertfordshire	15.730	2.5	15.882	4.3
Kent	22.259	2.3	22.742	4.1
Lancashire	26.606	3.1	26.588	5.5
Leicestershire	17.452	3.2	16.818	5.3
Lincolnshire	15.138	4.3	13.932	7.0
Norfolk	17.826	4.2	15.359	6.7
North Yorkshire (New Area)	13.369	4.2	11.577	6.6
Northamptonshire	12.748	3.6	12.504	6.0
Nottinghamshire	20.518	3.4	18.535	5.3
Northumberland	6.291	3.2	5.950	5.5
Oxfordshire	7.510	2.4	5.951	3.2
Shropshire	8.879	3.7	8.223	6.0
Somerset	8.884	3.4	7.385	5.1
Staffordshire	18.151	3.1	17.324	5.0
Suffolk	13.020	3.6	11.665	5.7
Surrey	10.070	1.8	8.188	2.7
Warwickshire	8.907	3.3	7.850	5.0
West Sussex	7.663	1.9	8.715	3.8
Wiltshire	9.543	3.0	9.017	4.8

1. Changes calculated using Adjusted SSAs. The adjusted SSA updates the previous years SSA to take account of changes in function and geographical responsiblity, but not data, methodology or control total changes. 2. Due to Local Government reorganisation, Avon CC, Cleveland CC, and Humberside CC have been abolished. The new area of North Yorkshire CC excludes the new area of York Unitary Authority.

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 179

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 179

	Proposed total external support 1996-97	Percentage change relative to 1995-96
Local authority	£ million
Lincolnshire	281.307	6.9
Derbyshire	422.515	6.7
Devon	462.854	6.4
Suffolk	280.824	6.2
Somerset	197.322	6.1
Nottinghamshire	486.294	6.0
Shropshire	188.561	6.0
Cumbria	229.105	5.9
Northumberland	156.751	5.9
Warwickshire	197.170	5.8
Dorset	261.525	5.8
Cambridgeshire	300.818	5.8
Northamptonshire	279.661	5.6
Durham	300.380	5.5
Cornwall	219.921	5.5
Hereford and Worcester	274.477	5.5
Gloucestershire	227.468	5.4
Lancashire	694.961	5.4
Leicestershire	432.662	5.3
Staffordshire	466.331	5.2
Cheshire	432.157	5.2
Norfolk	323.785	5.1
East Sussex	311.010	4.9
Hampshire	662.366	4.8
Wiltshire	233.543	4.8
Essex	710.598	4.7
Hertfordshire	458.742	4.6
Kent	744.579	4.3
West Sussex	284.664	4.2
Oxfordshire	230.107	4.0
Surrey	360.818	4.0
Bedfordshire	268.352	3.8
Berkshire	337.796	3.0
Buckinghamshire	288.380	1.4
North Yorkshire (New area)	236.399	--

1. Where total external support is defined as revenue support grant plus Income from non-domestic rates plus SSA reduction grant. 2. No TES figures for 1995-96 are available for the new area North Yorkshire county council, so no percentage change figure shown in the table.

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 180

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