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Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [21279]
Sir Paul Beresford: A list of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department can be found in the Cabinet Office Publication "Public Bodies 1995". A copy is available in the House of Commons Library. Of these the following bodies carry out activities falling within the specified categories:
a. hold open meetings,
Local Government Commission
Local Government Staff Commission
b. conduct public consultation exercises,
Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council
Local Government Commission
Local Government Staff Commission
c. conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests,
Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
Advisory Panel for Construction Research
Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate
Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council
Local Government Commission
d. publish a register of members' interests (in annual reports),
20 Mar 1996 : Column: 214
- Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances
Advisory Committee on Releases of Genetically Modified Organisms to the Environment
Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate
Local Government Commission.
The royal commission on eNvironmental pollution is an independent body appointed by the Queen by royal warrant. Its policy is to consult widely on subjects it is studying and to ensure that all the advice it gives is in the public domain.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Dunn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of uncollected domestic rates, community charge and council tax for the London boroughs of (a) Lambeth and (b) Islington at the latest date for which figures are available. [21400]
Sir Paul Beresford: Estimates of uncollected community charge and council tax for individual authorities are published regularly by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Estimates for 31 March 1994 are available in its revenue collection statistics 1993-94 publication, which shows the following figures:
| Arrears outstanding at 31 March 1994 for: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Community charge | Council tax | |
| Lambeth | 84,895 | 29,597 |
| Islington(4) | n/a | 10,270 |
(4) No information as published by CIPFA for Islington: the figure shown for council tax arrears is the Department's estimate based on information supplied by the authority in May 1994.
Later figures are not yet available, but will differ from those given above to the extent that the authorities concerned have collected outstanding amounts, written off uncollectable amounts or, in the case of council taxes, raised new debits.
Information on arrears of domestic rates is not published by CIPFA and is not available centrally.
Mr. Frank Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what additional funding has now been made available to local authorities to compensate for the effect of the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 1996 (S.I., 1996, No. 30). [21600]
Sir Paul Beresford:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Austin-Walker) on 19 March Official Report columns 146-47.
20 Mar 1996 : Column: 215
Sir Peter Lloyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the orders will be made implementing his decisions on the Local Government Commission's recommendations for new parishes in Hampshire. [21972]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The order creating the new parish of Bishopstoke in the borough of Eastleigh came into force on 14 December 1995. In the light of further evidence, we have decided not to implement the commission's recommendations for new parishes for Sarisbury and Warsash in the borough of Fareham.
Mr. Thomason:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make an announcement about the spending plans of the Department of the Environment, Ordnance Survey and the Office of Water Services for the years 1996-97 to 1998-99. [22345]
Mr. Gummer:
Yes. I have today published the Department of the Environment's annual report for 1996. This sets out in detail the outcome of the public expenditure survey which was announced in the November 1995 Budget statement as it affects the areas of my responsibility. The report records how the Department, Ordnance Survey and the Office of Water Services have discharged their functions over the past year. It provides the background to each spending programme and it sets out our plans for the future, where it sees environmental concerns playing a key role both within the UK and in the European Union.
Works of Art
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the National Audit Office report "Ministry of Defence, Management of Works of Art". [20842]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The NAO report will be considered in the normal way. It would not be appropriate to anticipate the outcome.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans (1) he has to obtain a full valuation of his Department's art collection; [20843]
- (2) what plans he has to conduct an inventory of all works of art held by his Department and the armed services. [20835]
Mr. Arbuthnot: Both the valuation of my Department's collection and the inclusion of additional works of art on its inventory are recommended by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his report "Ministry of Defence, Management of Works of Art", which is to be considered shortly by the Committee of Public Accounts. I do not propose to anticipate consideration of the report.
Nimrod MR2
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 March, Official Report,
20 Mar 1996 : Column: 216
column 508-09, what is the estimated cost of converting the Nimrod MR2; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken. [21678]
Mr. Soames: The total cost of conversion is not expected to exceed £30 million. The cost is being met in full from existing provision, the bulk of which falls within the top-level budget of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Logistics Command, vote 2 section C2(1).
Ballistic Missile Defence System
Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the review of a United Kingdom-based theatre ballistic missile defence system; and if he will make a statement. [21376]
Mr. Arbuthnot: We are currently assessing our response to the risks posed by ballistic missiles both to the UK mainland and dependent territories, and to UK forces deployed overseas. This assessment will be informed by the results of a pre-feasibility study, which will advise on options, costs, time scales and technical risk. We hope to be in a position to make decisions regarding the way ahead by the end of the year.
Service Personnel (Evictions)
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what review he has carried out, since 1992, of his Department's policy of evicting service families following (a) marital breakdown and (b) the redundancy of service personnel; how many such evictions have taken place in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [21382]
Mr. Soames: The Department's policy on the treatment of personnel who lose their entitlement to service accommodation was examined, as part of the process of transferring responsibility for administering the married quarter estate, to the defence housing executive. Consequently, the defence housing executive will become responsible for evictions within the married quarter estate from 1 April 1996. Records of the reasons for eviction of RAF and Navy personnel who lose their entitlement to service accommodation are not held. The total number of all evictions remains very low, however, as the eviction process is initiated only after all other avenues have been exhausted. Since 1992, there have been no evictions in the RAF, three in the Navy and 45--all marital breakdown--evictions in the Army. The breakdown in years for the Army is as follows:
- 1992: 17
1993: 15
1994: 6
1995: 7
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