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Rents
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the annual average rent increase for (i) developing housing associations, (ii) council and (iii) private tenants since 1988. [32039]
Mr. Clappison: The available information is that council rents increased at an average annual rate of 10.7 per cent. per annum between April 1988 and April 1995, and private rents by an average of
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15 per cent. per annum between 1988 and 1994-95. These increases make no allowance for changes in the mix of property quality and type over the period.
The estimate for private tenants is from the family expenditure survey and, like all estimates from sample surveys, is subject to sampling variability.
Information is not available centrally on rent increases by developing housing associations for periods prior to March 1993.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times the director general of the Health and Safety Executive has met members of the deregulation unit during (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996. [31988]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The current director general of the Health and Safety Executive, Miss Jenny Bacon, took up post in July 1995. Since then she has met members of the Cabinet Office deregulation unit--CODU--on two occasions. She has also been to two other meetings where members of CODU have been present. Information about meetings prior to this is not available.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many research projects the Health and Safety Executive has funded in the past five years which analysed the effectiveness of respiratory protective equipment. [31992]
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which respiratory protective equipment has been identified to give less protection than claimed by the manufacturer in research projects funded by the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years. [32008]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Research projects funded by the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years have examined the field performance of respiratory protective equipment, including full-facepiece powered respirators, compared with their performance in laboratory-based tests. The HSE is not aware that manufacturers claim that respiratory protective equipment will always meet in practice the standard of protection that can be achieved in laboratory tests, so it is not possible to say from the HSE's research which respirators given less protection than that claimed.
The HSE has for some time advised users of respirators that they should not rely on laboratory-derived information alone when choosing appropriate respiratory protective equipment.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many consultation documents the Health and Safety Commission has published for public consultation in each year since 1988. [32029]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The figures requested are set out in the table:
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| Calendar year | Number of Consultation documents |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 8 |
| 1989 | 15 |
| 1990 | 8 |
| 1991 | 13 |
| 1992 | 13 |
| 1993 | 16 |
| 1994 | 13 |
| 1995 | 16 |
| 1996 | 10 |
Housing Associations
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies his Department has undertaken to evaluate the comparative efficiency of tenant-managed housing associations. [31984]
Mr. Clappison: Ten case studies comparing tenant management organisations with locally matched social housing managed by local authorities and housing associations were carried out between 1991 and 1994. A report, "Tenants in Control: an evaluation of tenant led housing management organisations", was published last September. A copy is available in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on investments by housing associations in derivatives. [31985]
Mr. Clappison: Housing associations are allowed to use derivatives only in order to reduce risk and, in particular, the risk of interest rates fluctuating. Each derivative transaction must match a corresponding identified risk. Speculation is not permitted. Guidance on investment in derivatives by housing associations is set out in Housing Corporation circular 11/95.
Working Times
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the circumstances in which a 12-hour working shift would be considered a risk to health and safety. [32032]
Sir Paul Beresford: Employers are required to carry out assessments to identify the risks to the health and safety of their employees, including any which might result from working hours. There is no definitive list of circumstances where working 12 hours shifts might be considered a risk to health and safety, but employers might consider factors such as the nature of the work, its physical or mental demands, the level of concentration required and whether it is safety critical.
Rents
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the annual average rent increase for non-developing housing association tenants in each year since 1988 in (a) cash and (b) real terms. [32040]
Mr. Clappison: This information is not held centrally.
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Equal Opportunities
Mr. Bernie Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made of the number of new black and minority ethnic construction firms or consultancies which (a) have been able to start up and (b) develop further, from the projects that have been funded in inner-city areas; [31962]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the number of black and minority ethnic construction firms or consultancies which the banks have assisted in (i) the last financial year and (ii) in the last five years; [31963]
(3) how many black and minority ethnic construction firms or consultancies, as defined by the Commission of Racial Equality, are on the approved contractors list of local authorities in London. [31964]
Mr. Clappison: No data are available centrally to answer these questions.
Mr. Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many black and minority ethnic construction firms or consultancies (i) are currently and (ii) are planned to be engaged in capital projects under (a) round 1 single regeneration budget challenge fund projects in London and (b) round 2 single regeneration budget challenge fund projects in London. [31965]
Sir Paul Beresford: The information requested is not available. Partnerships are required in the grant offer letter not to discriminate unlawfully against any person on the grounds of sex or race.
Mr. Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to ensure that black and minority ethnic businesses are able to compete successfully as part of the single regeneration budget challenge fund programme in London and the regions. [31966]
Sir Paul Beresford: The SRB challenge fund bidding guidance clearly states that bids for funding must be supported by partnerships representing all those with a key interest, including ethnic minority communities. Challenge fund objectives also address the need to involve ethnic minorities; these include enhancing the employment prospects, education and skills of local people, particularly the young and those at a disadvantage, promoting equality of opportunity and promoting initiatives of benefit to ethnic minorities.
Over a third of successful SRB challenge fund schemes in the first two bidding rounds are specifically targeted at ethnic minorities. In addition, over 60 per cent. of successful round 2 schemes will include outputs for which ethnic minorities are intended beneficiaries.
Mr. Grant:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are being taken to monitor the success of local authority equal opportunities policies, with particular reference to the awarding of contracts for capital projects under the single regeneration budget challenge fund programme in London and in the regions. [31967]
Sir Paul Beresford:
No formal monitoring of equal opportunities policies is carried out. Local authorities are required to comply with the law relating to equal opportunities. In the specific case of the SRB challenge
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fund, all successful partnerships are made aware of the need to comply with this law in the grant offer letter and are directed to the codes of practice issued by the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission for further advice.
Mr. Grant:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the single regeneration budget--SRB--challenge fund (a) has been paid to and (b) is planned to be paid to black and minority ethnic construction firms or consultancies in (i) round 1 SRB challenge fund year by year in London and (ii) round 2 SRB challenge fund year by year in London. [31968]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The information requested is not available.
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