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School Overcrowding
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what legal safeguards exist against overcrowding in schools. [40583]
Mrs. Gillan: The legal safeguards are those set out in my reply of 19 March, Official Report, column 121. Regulation 17(3) of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1996 requires that every part of a school building shall be such that the health, safety and welfare of occupants shall be reasonably assured. Regulation 7 requires that the buildings provided for a school shall be adequate to permit the safe and convenient passage of persons and movement of goods within the buildings.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Women's Ordination (Compensation)
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy who have resigned over the ordination of women have not claimed compensation to which they are entitled. [39262]
Mr. Alison: The commissioners' records relate only to clergy who have claimed assistance in accordance with the Ordination of Women (Financial Provisions) Measure.
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They have no way of estimating how many other clergy eligible for financial provision have resigned as a result of the ordination of women.
However, I understand from the Advisory Board of Ministry that, as at 31 December 1995, figures received from dioceses show no significant difference between the total number of stipendiary clergy who have resigned over the ordination of women and the number of those who have claimed assistance under the financial provisions Measure.
Mr. Field:
To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will publish the estimates of the purported cost of the compensation scheme for clergy resigning over women's ordination which the commissioners have undertaken for the latest period for which such calculations have been made. [39264]
Mr. Alison:
A total of 314 clergy have resigned to date and an additional 29 have expressed their intention to resign. It is difficult to predict the final number of resignations. However, actual expenditure, including housing costs, in 1994 and 1995 and estimated costings based on an illustrative total of 400 resignations are set out in the table.
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| Year | Gross costs to be met from CC Income £ | Housing capital (funded by CC) £ | Net costs for Church £ | Net housing capital (funded by CC) £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 2,581,000 | 5,011,000 | 792,000 | 5,011,000 |
| 1995 | 3,282,000 | 2,094,000 | 1,841,000 | 1,745,000 |
| 1996 | 2,990,000 | 1,325,000 | 1,531,000 | 974,000 |
| 1997 | 2,770,000 | 840,000 | 1,401,000 | 329,000 |
| 1998 | 2,030,000 | 350,000 | 872,000 | 46,000 |
| 1999 | 1,623,000 | 182,000 | 697,000 | (213,000) |
| 2000 | 1,222,000 | 189,000 | 507,000 | (58,000) |
| 2001 | 1,005,000 | 197,000 | 482,000 | (231,000) |
| 2002 | 942,000 | 204,000 | 575,000 | (151,000) |
| 2003 | 783,000 | 213,000 | 530,000 | 28,000 |
| 2004 | 557,000 | -- | 436,000 | (288,000) |
| 2005 | 325,000 | -- | 268,000 | (500,000) |
| 2006 | 212,000 | -- | 188,000 | (208,000) |
| 2007 | 187,000 | -- | 178,000 | (324,000) |
| 2008 | 165,000 | -- | 162,000 | (562,000) |
| 2009 | 142,000 | -- | 141,000 | (1,053,000) |
| 2010 | 135,000 | -- | 135,000 | (243,000) |
| 2011 | 137,000 | -- | 137,000 | (506,000) |
| 2012 | 133,000 | -- | 133,000 | (526,000) |
| 2013 | 133,000 | -- | 133,000 | (274,000) |
| Total | 21,354,000 | 10,605,000 | 11,139,000 | 2,996,000 |
1. The number of resignations shown (400) is a broad estimate, and the final costs could vary substantially.
2. Actual costs are show for 1994 and 1995 based on resignations totalling 232 and 67 respectively in those years, including housing subsidy. A similar pattern of costs has been assumed for future years.
3. The figures make allowance for future increases in house prices and stipends.
4. The net figures take account of such variables as stipends savings (assuming at least a temporary reduction in the payroll), allowance for retirement housing provision which would otherwise have arisen on retirement, and the possibility of some people redeeming loans or leaving rented accommodation once they have obtained alternative employment.
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 740
Mr. Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy resigned over women priests and gained payment from the compensation scheme in each year since its first payments were made broken down by age of the clergy grouped in convenient decades; and what was the size of the payments made. [39263]
Mr. Alison: A breakdown of this information in respect of the 314 clergy who have resigned to date is shown in the following table.
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| Age at resignation | Number of resigners | Total payments in 1994 | Total payments in 1995 | Projected payments in 1996 | Projected payments 1997 to end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| 1993 | |||||
| 30-39 | 6 | 89,023 | 37,983 | 26,936 | 0 |
| 40-49 | 5 | 81,344 | 37,711 | 27,964 | 0 |
| 50-59 | 2 | 38,353 | 18,414 | 17,517 | 94,175 |
| 60-64 | 2 | 22,034 | 9,302 | 8,758 | 261 |
| Total | 15 | 230,754 | 103,410 | 81,175 | 94,436 |
| 1994 | |||||
| 30-39 | 49 | 508,473 | 481,273 | 309,820 | 142,483 |
| 40-49 | 51 | 520,563 | 544,668 | 424,176 | 188,699 |
| 50-59 | 79 | 793,197 | 859,500 | 691,198 | 2,705,302 |
| 60-64 | 38 | 389,256 | 334,917 | 184,681 | 107,093 |
| Total | 217 | 2,211,488 | 2,220,359 | 1,609,874 | 3,143,577 |
| 1995 | |||||
| 30-39 | 6 | -- | 50,847 | 64,965 | 77,279 |
| 40-49 | 12 | -- | 134,015 | 117,001 | 133,783 |
| 50-59 | 27 | -- | 295,610 | 300,037 | 1,438,696 |
| 60-64 | 22 | -- | 233,355 | 230,400 | 321,095 |
| Total | 67 | 0 | 713,827 | 712,403 | 1,970,854 |
| 1996 (1 January-30 June) | |||||
| 30-39 | 2 | -- | -- | 25,617 | 49,102 |
| 40-49 | 1 | -- | -- | 10,600 | 27,028 |
| 50-59 | 8 | -- | -- | 104,028 | 495,290 |
| 60-64 | 4 | -- | -- | 51,979 | 77,635 |
| Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 192,224 | 649,056 |
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 739
Turnbull Report
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners have considered how many of the Turnbull report recommendations can be implemented without seeking parliamentary approval; and if he will place a copy of their considerations in the Library. [39672]
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Mr. Alison: The Church Commissioners have consulted the Standing Committee of the General Synod and the synod's legal advisor has been asked to provide, in conjunction with the official solicitor of the Church Commissioners, an assessment of what could be done without legislation. The results will be considered by the archbishops' advisory group, the standing committee and the Church Commissioners with a view to a response to the recommendation then being made.
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 741
Pensions Report
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, when he expects the Church Commissioners to be able to respond fully to each of the main recommendations and requests for further information contained in the fifth report of the Social Security Committee of 1995-96, on Church of England pensions, HC 340. [39606]
Mr. Alison: The Church Commissioners have consulted the Standing Committee of the General Synod and careful consideration is being given to each of the main recommendations of the Social Security Committee. We hope to provide a full response as soon as possible in the autumn.
WALES
Trunk Roads
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to integrate trunk road planning into the process of land use planning. [40063]
Mr. Hague: "Planning Guidance (Wales) Planning Policy" published in May this year includes an outline of the Government's transport planning aims and indicates how development plans can contribute towards integrating transport and land use planning.
Any further consideration of linkages between transport and land use planning will be set out in my transport policy statement in due course.
GP Pharmacies
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dispensing general practices there are in Wales. [40048]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Eighty-nine.
M4 Relief Road
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what investigations have been carried out into possible alternatives to road building in the case of the M4 relief road; and if he will publish the terms of reference of those investigations. [40062]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The development of proposals for the M4 relief road will include an assessment of alternative transport modes. My right hon. Friend and I have no plans to publish the terms of reference.
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