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Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many members of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee are qualified ecologists; and what plans he has to strengthen the ecological expertise of this committee. [39920]
Mr. Clappison: Of the 13 members of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, nine have qualifications in earth of life sciences. The other four have backgrounds in
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farming and broadcasting. On 1 September, two new members of the joint committee took up their appointments. Professors Crawley and Heal bring broad ranging expertise on national and international nature conservation issues to the committee.
Health and Safety
Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to extend health and safety protection at work. [39994]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Government have no plans, at present, to extend the application of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and related legislation on health and safety at work.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of people, in each region who are exposed at work (a) to noise at levels which can permanently damage their hearing and (b) to ergonomic problems which can permanently damage their health. [40472]
Sir Paul Beresford: The information is not available in the form requested.
The Health and Safety Executive estimates that around 500,000 people are exposed to noise at work of above 90 dB(A), the level at which employers are legally required to reduce exposure and provide hearing protection.
There are no figures on the number exposed to ergonomic problems at work, either nationally or regionally. Most such problems can readily be put right and do not cause permanent damage to health if appropriate action is taken.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to promote an extension of river corridor surveys to a full riparian zone survey; and if he will make a statement. [40124]
Mr. Clappison:
Between 1989 and 1995, the former National Rivers Authority carried out river corridor surveys along 30,000 km of river in England and Wales. The primary purpose of such surveys is to map, in detail, habitat and vegetation of the channel and banks and to identify features of special interest which require protection. The surveys also record riparian features and land use in a 50 m strip either side of the watercourse.
The Environment Agency is now developing the river habitat survey system for assessing the habitat quality of rivers and streams based on their physical structure. RHS provides a classification system according to river segment type and a comparison with the predicted state of an unmodified channel. The methodology reflects channel features, vegetation in and around the channel, trees, land use, alien plant species and wildlife. An interim report with preliminary results was issued in March. A full report with final results form the period 1994-96 will be published in May 1997.
Ms Armstrong:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, by authority, the surplus achieved on trading accounts for the financial year
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1994-95 for (a) refuse collection, (b) street cleaning, (c) building cleaning, (d) school and welfare catering, (e) other catering, (f) vehicle maintenance, (g) ground maintenance and (h) sports and leisure management services delivered by local authorities' direct labour or service organisations in England under the terms of the Local Government Act 1988. [40170]
Sir Paul Beresford:
A detailed list of the surpluses achieved for these services for the financial year 1994-95 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Ms Armstrong:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library in machine-readable form a table showing for each authority for each year from 1979-80 to 1996-97 the amount that each authority was deemed to need to spend in cash and in real terms for the purposes of distributing rate support grant; to what extent the figures are comparable, taking account of (a) changes in functions of local authorities, (b) abolition of the Greater London council, the Inner London education authority and metropolitan counties, (c) the local government review and (d) changed arrangements for (i) the assessment of needs, (ii) for the payment of the needs element of the rate support grant and (iii) precepting arrangements; if he will indicate for each authority on a comparable basis of ranking the assessed needs in each year on the basis (1) the percentage of total local government spending and (2) the amount assessed needs per head of population; and if he will make a statement about the needs of (A) Liverpool and (B) Westminster over the period. [40157]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Information on the amount which each local authority was deemed to need to spend for the purposes of distributing rate support grant and revenue support grant has been placed in the Library as printed tables and in machine readable form. The data consist of damped needs assessment for 1979-80 and 1980-81, grant-related expenditure assessments for 1981-82 to 1989-90, and standard spending assessments for 1990-91 to 1996-97. Information has been provided in cash terms, in real terms, as an amount per head and as a percentage of the total needs assessment for all English authorities. The figures in real terms are based on the gross domestic product deflator.
The information includes, for 1992-93 and later years, figures recalculated so as to be comparable to those for the year immediately following. These adjusted figures take account of changes in function and geographical responsibility, but not changes in data, methodology, or the national totals. Adjusted figures are not available for earlier years.
The damped needs assessments of 1979-80 for Liverpool and Westminster included allowance for the needs of the authorities which precepted on the two cities. In 1996-97, the needs of precepting authorities are calculated separately. For comparability, therefore, the 1996-97 figures are the total standard spending assessments per head of both the cities and the authorities which precept on them. On this basis, the damped needs assessment for Liverpool in 1979-80 was £327 per head, some 33 per cent. below that for Westminster. In 1996-97, standard spending assessments for the Liverpool area were £1,053 per head, some 25 per cent. below those for the Westminster area. Thus the Liverpool area now has
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standard spending assessments £111 per head greater than if it had continued to have an assessment 33 per cent. below Westminster's, as it did in 1979-80.
Mr. Hardy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of greenhouse gas emissions in (a) 1995-96 and (b) 1990. [40245]
Mr. Clappison:
Estimates of the United Kingdom's emissions of the main greenhouse gases for 1990 and 1994 were published in the 18th "Digest of Environmental Statistics":
| Estimated emissions (million tonnes of gas) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1994 | |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) | 583 | 544 |
| Methane (CH4) | 4.44 | 3.88 |
| Nitrous oxide (N2O) | 0.11 | 0.09 |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 2.71 | 2.22 |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 6.42 | 4.86 |
| Non-methane volatile organic compounds | 2.28 | 2.03 |
1994 is the most recent year for which we have a published inventory of the United Kingdom's emissions of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide emissions are provisionally estimated to have been 548 million tonnes in 1995.
These figures were calculated by the national environmental technology centre using the methodology developed by the intergovernmental panel on climate change.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 23 July, Official Report, column 312, on cases settled under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payments of Claim) Amendment Regulations, if he will give a breakdown of the 75 per cent. of payments which were not for pneumoconiosis or asbestosis. [40171]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The table provides a breakdown of the 75 per cent. of all cases settled in 1995-96 under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payments of Claims) Amendment Regulations which were not for pneumoconiosis or asbestosis;
| Disease | Percentage of claims(47) | Average age | Average payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | |||
| Mesothelioma | 74 | 61 | 14,506 |
| Bilateral diffuse pleural thickening | 17 | 61 | 8,749 |
| Primary carcinoma of the lung (accompanied by asbestosis or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening) | 8 | 59 | 7,509 |
| Byssinosis | 1 | 71 | 4,506 |
(47) Represents the percentage of claims in relation to the 75 per cent. of all claims paid for diseases other than pneumoconiosis or asbestosis.
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