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Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department spent on official hospitality in 1994-95 and the financial year to date; and what is the 1995-96 projected budget for official hospitality. [5591]
Sir Paul Beresford: In 1994-95 the cost of hospitality, which is included in the running cost budget for my Department, was £121,000. Figures for the financial year to date are £63,000.
The projected budget for 1995-96 is £114,000.
Pipeline Link (Yorkshire Water)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost of constructing a mains pipeline link into the Yorkshire Water area from an adjacent water authority area. [6431]
Mr. Clappison: The cost of such a pipeline would depend on the length, the type of terrain to be crossed and whether there are suitable water treatment facilities to process the water. Yorkshire Water announced a new programme on 13 December, estimated to cost around £50 million and to be completed by early next summer, to provide some 35 miles of new pipeline and five new pumping stations to create a new east-west link from the Yorkshire grid near Selby to the major conurbations of West Yorkshire.
Advertising
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the expenditure of his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies on newspaper advertising by title for each year since 1990-91; and what estimate he has made for 1995-96 based on expenditure to date and existing plans. [6567]
Sir Paul Beresford: The information requested is not kept in the required format and is not available except at disproportionate cost.
Research Studies (Wearside)
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all Department of Environment funded pilots, trials and research studies which have been conducted since 1989 involving the residents of (a) the City of Sunderland, (b) Wearside district and (c) the Sunderland travel-to-work area identifying (i) title, summary and duration of the pilot-trial, (ii) target population and total number of participants and (iii) whether each pilot, trial or research finding was published and date of publication; and if he will give details of all other non-Department of the Environment research bodies or other organisations involved in each pilot, trial or research scheme. [6306]
Sir Paul Beresford: Information on this range of activities is not held centrally, either by the Department of the Environment or the Government office for the north-east.
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| Title | Objectives | Fieldwork start date | Location | Researchers | Number of respondents and target population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventilation in homes | To evaluate the effectiveness of building regulations | October 1993. Results available March 1994 | Cambridge, Cotswold, East Devon, Luton, Rushcliffe, Sunderland, Wakefield and Walsall | PAS | 250 owner- occupiers of modern homes |
| Energy monitoring of low energy multi- residential student accommodation | To assess behaviour in building related to energy efficiency and attitude to energy issues | Early summer 1995. Results available late summer 1995 | Linacre college, Oxford and Sunderland university | Wimpey environmental Ltd. | 100 students |
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Water Grid
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has made of the likely cost of constructing a water grid in Great Britain. [6420]
Mr. Clappison: The National Rivers Authority's discussion document "Water Resources Development Strategy" estimates that the capital cost of a water grid to meet additional demands of 2,000 m1/d would be several billion pounds.
Telephone Helplines
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial support Government give through (a) the standard spending assessments, (b) the rate support grant and (c) other means to local authorities to fund rape crisis or sexual assault telephone helplines; and which authorities receive such funding. [6433]
Sir Paul Beresford: As part of the safer cities initiative, we provide grant direct to a number of voluntary bodies and other organisations for the provision of rape crisis or sexual assault telephone helplines.
Standing spending assessments are made in relation to the major groups of services. They do not distinguish such detailed provision as telephone helplines. Revenue support grant is based on the total of SSAs, without distinction between services. It is for authorities to decide how much of their revenue from RSG and other sources they will spend on such telephone helplines. The Department has no information on authorities' expenditure on these services.
Discharge Consents (Appeals)
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals have been lodged by water companies against National Rivers Authority consents; if he will list each appeal; and how long each appeal has been on file. [6048]
Mr. Clappison [holding answer 18 December 1995]: Since 1990, water companies have lodged a total of 1,854 appeals against NRA discharge consents. Following clarification of policy issues arising in the appeals, the NRA has been reviewing the consents in question with the water industry. As a result, over 700 appeals have now
20 Dec 1995 : Column: 1232
been satisfactorily resolved and work is continuing to deal with the remaining cases as expeditiously as possible. I am placing the information requested in the Library of the House.
Air Pollution (London)
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information was received by his Department concerning air pollution levels in London between 8 and 11 December; and if he will make a statement. [6479]
Mr. Clappison [holding answer 18 December 1995]: The Department of the Environment receives information on hourly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, fine particles--PM10--carbon monoxide, ozone, benzene and 1, 3-butadiene from its data dissemination unit at the national environmental technology centre, Culham, Oxfordshire. This information is also made available on the Internet. Information on hourly levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone, described as "very good", "good", "poor" or "very poor", together with a forecast for the following day, is made available on Ceefax, Teletext and a range of other media.
Between 8 and 11 December "poor" air quality was forecast for London. "Poor" air quality then occurred for nitrogen dioxide for a period of eight hours at the Department's automatic monitoring site at Cromwell road and for two hours at Earls Court. One hour of "poor" sulphur dioxide occurred at Bexley. There were no forecasts or occurrences of "very poor" air quality.
Repossessions
Mr. Jim Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of schemes to assist home owners threatened with repossession by banks and building societies. [7004]
Mr. Clappison: Mortgage lenders are pursuing a range of initiatives designed to help borrowers in difficulty and to avoid unnecessary repossessions. The success of Government policies in securing sustainable economic growth, increased employment opportunities and low interest rates means fewer people are likely to get into difficulties with their mortgage payments and those in arrears are more likely to be able to pay them off.
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Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation was undertaken with housing associations before amendments were made to the eligibility criteria of the do-it-yourself shared ownership programme in respect of private tenants; what account was taken of the practice of housing associations in respect of their policy towards applications from private tenants when their quotas were filled; and what action his Department intends to take to help those private tenants who have (a) signed agreements with housing associations, (b) given notice to their present landlords and (c) paid for valuation fees, mortgage offers or local authority searches who were subsequently informed that their agreements have been cancelled. [6910]
Mr. Clappison:
Housing associations were not consulted about our decision, as part of the Budget settlement for the Housing Corporation's approved development programme, to direct the whole of the DIYSO programme at housing association and local authority tenants from April 1996, to ensure that for every successful DIYSO applicant a social letting would be released for another family in housing need.
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