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Water Payments

Mr. Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what mechanisms people living in new properties are able to change from meters to rateable value means of paying for water. [37370]

Mr. Clappison: Properties built after April 1990 do not have rateable values. Consequently, where a water company has a policy of metering new properties, it is not possible to change to a rateable value basis of paying for water.

House Condition Survey

Mr. McKelvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the supplement to the English house condition survey will be published. [37991]

Mr. Clappison: The supplementary energy report will be published this summer.

Footpaths

Mr. Merchant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in taking forward the commitment in the White Paper, "Rural England", to stimulate the more active participation of parish councils in footpath management and to develop, with the Countryside Commission, a pilot project to build on the experience of the parish paths partnership. [38817]

Mr. Clappison: The aims of the local access initiative will be to maximise the role of local people in access management and maintenance, to integrate more fully the rights of way network with other access and recreational opportunities, and to provide opportunities for additional access, on a voluntary basis.

We also intend that the initiative will consider the relationship of local management to the accurate recording of rights of way and look at the scope for changes to the network. We intend to set up projects in four or five areas in England.

We have asked the Countryside Commission to manage the initiative. The commission will be seeking to set up schemes involving partnerships of local landowners, farmers, other local people and interested groups of individuals, on a parish basis. Participation in the initiative will be entirely voluntary and management of the scheme is expected to be through the local highway authority. We hope to announce the projects by the end of the year.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Record Office

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he takes to protect from (a) fire and (b) other damage manuscripts and other records at the Public Record Office. [36892]

Mr. Streeter: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Public Record Office is best placed to provide an answer. I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

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Letter from Duncan Simpson to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 18 July 1996:

In the absence on leave of the Chief Executive, I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about the steps taken to protect from (a) fire and (b) other damage manuscripts and other records at the Public Record Office.
a) Protection from fire
At Kew the two buildings have advanced fire protection systems. Fire detection is provided in offices and plant areas by smoke, heat and beam detectors, and manual call points. Detection in document storage areas is provided by an early smoke detection system. All systems are connected to a central computerised control centre, from which the fire services can be summoned. Document storage areas are divided into fire compartments by walls of two hour fire resistance; doors in these walls are held open on fusible links so that they will close automatically in case of fire.
At Chancery Lane fire detection is through a manual alarm system linked to a central control centre. Document storage areas are divided into fire compartments by fire resistant walls and doors.
At both sites the document storage areas are also served by hose reels and extinguishers and are subject to regular round the clock patrols.
We are currently transferring the Chancery Lane documents to Kew so that all will be protected by the highest modern standards.
b) Protection from other damage
The Office has established and promotes a preservation policy. This sets out the obligations of the Office, the staff and the readers protect the documents it its care.
It also has a preservation strategy and programme which includes:
Security
--invigilation of the reading rooms by security staff and, at Kew, by CCTV cameras
--round the clock security patrols of the buildings, with CCTV monitoring at Kew
--registering document users
--computerised tracking of document requisitions and movements
--prosecuting those who are caught damaging documents
Storing and protecting material
--monitoring the environmental conditions in which documents are stored: at Kew documents are stored to the requirements of BS 5454 Recommendations for the storage and exhibition of archival material
--regular cleaning of document storage areas
--protecting documents against damage in transit or by fire or water by boxing them
--providing protective equipment in the reading rooms, for example book supports, melinex sheets through which to trace maps, and cotton gloves for use while handling material such as photographic negatives or prints
--following recommended standards for the exhibiton of documents
Training
--training staff and readers in the care and handling of documents
--producing leaflets to promote understanding of the physical nature of documents
--holding workshops for staff and readers on preservation and conservation issues
Conservation --the Office has trained staff to conserve documents
Disaster control
--the Office has a disaster control plan which includes staff training and periodic trial exercises

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Providing surrogates
--The Office is undertaking a programme of copying heavily used classes of documents, mainly on microfilm, in order to enable readers to access the information without subjecting the originals to wear and tear
I shall be happy to provide further information about any of these subjects if you require.

Magistrates Courts

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those magistrates courts in the Yorkshire and Humberside region that are to be built under the private finance initiative proposals; and if he will make a statement. [36876]

Mr. Streeter: PFI bids will be sought for the provision of new or improved magistrates court facilities at: Kingston upon Hull, Beverley, Keighley, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Northallerton, Malton and Doncaster.

The programme for procuring magistrates courthouse facilities under PFI is now to be taken forward. Details of the programme and guidance are being sent to local authorities and magistrates courts committees this week.

Mr. O'Brien: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many schemes for the building of magistrates courts are proposed under the private finance initiative. [36887]

Mr. Streeter: There are proposals to provide new or improved facilities at 50 magistrates courts under the private finance initiative.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

South Africa

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent advice he has given to the Republic of South Africa on land reform; and if he will make a statement. [38191]

Mr. Hanley: Land reform is a major priority for the South African Government. We are currently supporting, with the EU and the Danish Government, a Government pilot programme of land reform which aims to promote land transfer to the rural poor using the market and to develop local capacity for service provision. Her Majesty's Government's contribution is about £7 million including our share of EU funding.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Television Licences (Caravans)

Mr. Hargreaves: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the current television licensing requirements for touring caravans; and if she will make a statement. [38769]

Mr. Sproat: As announced on 2 July on Report stage of the Broadcasting Bill, the Government will introduce regulations to take account of the changes in the use of television in recent years. Our intention is that the scope of the television licence will be altered so that a licence will be required only when a television is installed or used in a

18 Jul 1996 : Column: 602

"fixed abode or permanent place of residence". This will be reflected in the regulations which specify the fees. Use of television in touring caravans, and in other vehicles and vessels, will require a separate licence only if they are used as a permanent place of residence or if no licence is held for the normal place of residence. The revised licensing requirements will be set out in detail in new consolidated regulations, which we aim to lay before the end of this calendar year.

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