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Forth Rail Bridge

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the Health and Safety Executive has spent on its study over the last year on the structural condition of the Forth rail bridge. [22844]

Sir Paul Beresford: Over the last year, the Health and Safety Executive has spent approximately £221,000 on its assessment of the structural integrity of the Forth bridge.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of answering parliamentary questions in each Session since 1989-90.[22903]

Sir Paul Beresford: This Department does not calculate the data requested, and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Contracts

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidelines are currently in force in his Department and its executive agencies relating to competitive tendering and the use of single negotiated tenders; on what grounds single negotiated tenders can be used; and what procedures are in place within his Department to ensure that the use of single negotiated tenders in competitive tendering processes is justified in all cases; [22854]

(2) how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contacts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22869]

Sir Paul Beresford: Information on the award of individual contracts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department submits the purchase of all goods, materials, services and works to competition wherever possible. Single tender action is used where there is a single source of supply, a need for compatibility, or for one off purchases of very low value. These procedures are set out in the Department's purchasing guide.

28 Mar 1996 : Column: 711

Planning Inquiries

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 631, if he will give, in each case of called-in application, the length of time which has elapsed following the local inquiries being completed and the decision from the inspector and the determination by his Department. [22913]

Sir Paul Beresford: Due to an administrative error within the Department, for which I apologise, the number of called-in planning applications awaiting decision by my right hon. Friend was incorrectly stated in my answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 631.

The number of applications awaiting decision following receipt of the inspector's report was in fact 22, not 42. For these applications, the information requested is shown by Government office regions in the following table. None of these applications has yet been decided.

Region	Development proposal	Date inquiry completed	Date Inspector's report received
North West	Retail development, Cockermouth, Cumbria	3 February 1995	3 July 1995
West Midlands	Retail development, Oldbury, W. Midlands	14 July 1995	8 November 1995
East Midlands	Retail development, Daventry, Northants. (3 applications)	2 March 1995	5 June 1995
Eastern	Highway development, Baldock By-pass, Herts. (2 applications)	25 May 1995	23 November 1995
	Motorway service areas, M25, Epping, Essex (5 applications)	25 May 1995	25 January 1996
South West	Retail development, Tewkesbury, Gloucs.	11 August 1995	21 December 1994
	Retail development, Falmouth, Cornwall	26 July 1995	17 October 1995
	Residential development, Tredarrup, Cornwall	6 September 1995	24 November 1995
	Retail development, Chard, Somerset (2 applications)	20 September 1995	28 November 1995
South East	Gypsy site development, Dunsfold, Surrey	1 December 1995	22 January 1996
	Residential development, Wraysbury, Berks.	6 December 1995	29 January 1996
London	Leisure centre/ student accommmodation, Elephant and Castle, SE1	2 December 1994	27 February 1995
	Residential/leisure complex, Battersea, SW11	3 August 1995	4 October 1995
	Leisure/retail complex, Beckton, E6	19 October 1995	28 November 1995

EC (Civil Service Employment)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications of the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order 1991 for service in local government. [22920]

Sir Paul Beresford: This order has relevance for the civil service, not local government.

28 Mar 1996 : Column: 712

Mortgage Interest Rates

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when average mortgage interest rates were last at present levels. [23387]

Mr. Gummer: Figures from the Halifax Building Society show that mortgage rates are the lowest since April 1968.

Universal Houses (Asbestos)

Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will undertake a survey of the health of tenants of those Universal houses built between 1925 and 1935 which contain asbestos. [23293]

Mr. Clappison: No. Asbestos materials in dwellings present a minimal risk to health. If there are particular local concerns, owners should refer to the comprehensive guidance issued by my Department on the management and treatment of such materials.

Mrs. Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by local authority area in England the number of Universal houses built between 1925 and 1935 (a) currently standing, (b) currently occupied and (c) assessed by his Department as containing asbestos. [23292]

Mr. Clappison: This information is not centrally available.

Recycling

Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the recycling rates for (a) glass, (b) plastics, (c) steel cans, (d) aluminium cans, (e) paper and card, (f) batteries, (g) tyres, (h) vehicles and (i) electrical and electronic equipment for each OECD country at the latest available date. [23342]

Mr. Clappison: The OECD publishes information on the environment every two years. Limited information on the recycling of different materials, which is given in the table is published in the "OECD Environmental Data Compendium, 1995". Information may not be on a consistent basis from one country to another. Information on the United Kingdom is provided by trade associations and published in the "Digest of Environmental Statistics, 17, 1995".

Recovery of Paper and Cardboard and Glass in OECD countries

Country	Year	Paper and cardboard (percentage)	Year	Glass (percentage)
Canada	1992	32.0	1992	75.0
USA	1993	34.0	1993	22.0
Japan	1992	51.0	1992	56.0
Australia	1991	50.0	1992	36.0
Austria	1990	78.0	1994	76.0
Belgium	1993	11.0	1994	67.0
Denmark	1992	36.0	1994	67.0
Finland	1992	45.0	1994	50.0
France	1993	42.0	1994	48.0
Germany	1993	46.0	1994	75.0
Greece	1993	30.0	1994	29.0
Ireland	1991	3.0	1994	31.0
Italy	1991	47.0	1994	54.0
Netherlands	1991	53.0	1994	77.0
Norway	1993	32.0	1994	72.0
Portugal	1992	41.0	1994	32.0
Spain	1993	78.0	1994	31.0
Sweden	1993	50.0	1994	56.0
Switzerland	1993	54.0	1994	84.0
United Kingdom	1993	35.0	1993	29.0

28 Mar 1996 : Column: 713

Housing (Right to Buy)

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants in the United Kingdom have bought their homes under the right to buy since 1979. [23386]

Mr. Gummer: In the period between the introduction of the legislation in October 1980 and the end of September 1995, the latest date for which information is available, local authorities in England reported total right to buy sales of 1,235 million homes. In the same period, housing associations and new towns reported right to buy sales of 28,000 and 10,000 respectively.

For information on sales elsewhere in the United Kingdom, I refer the hon. Member to the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland.

Composting

Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the composting rates in each OECD country, at the latest available date. [23373]

Mr. Clappison: The OECD publishes information on the environment every two years. Data on the composting of municipal waste, which are given in the table are taken from the OECD Environmental Data Compendium, 1995". Information may not be on a consistent basis from one country to another. Information relating to composting in the United Kingdom is not collected centrally.

Amounts of municipal waste composted in OECD countries

Country	Year	Composted waste (000 tonnes)	Total collected (000 tonnes)
Canada	1992	218	18,800
USA	1993	5,821	187,790
Japan	1991	57	50,767
Austria	1990	85	2,506
Belgium	1994	96	1,160
Denmark	1993	206	2,377
Finland	1990	50	3,100
France	1992	1,300	20,500
Germany	1990	369	21,615
Luxembourg	1993	5	190
Netherlands	1991	475	7,602
Norway	1992	15	2,223
Portugal	1992	444	3,270
Spain	1993	1,560	14,256
Sweden	1990	100	3,200

28 Mar 1996 : Column: 714

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