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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 21 November 1996
PRIME MINISTER
European Year Against Racism
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what plans Her Majesty's Government have to mark European Year Against Racism in 1997. [5438]
The Prime Minister: The Government believe that the European Year Against Racism will make a valuable contribution to the work already being carried out to combat racism and we intend to take a full and active part in the initiative to ensure its success.
We are setting up a national co-ordinating committee which will oversee this work in the United Kingdom. The committee will be chaired by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Department, and I understand that the first meeting is due to take place on 2 December.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 November.[3995]
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 November. [3996]
The Prime Minister: This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Government Information (Access)
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions part 7, paragraphs (a) and (b) of the code of practice on access to Government information has been used to deny information to hon. Members in each of the last three years, broken down by Government Departments and their agencies. [5445]
The Prime Minister: The information in the detail requested is not held centrally. Monitoring reports, showing progress in implementing the code of practice on access to Government information, are produced each year by the Office of Public Service. These include a breakdown of the exemptions cited when a refusal to provide information under the code results in a review of the case, but not a breakdown of the exemptions cited when the refusal is initially made. Copies of the monitoring reports published in March 1995 and March 1996 are available in the Libraries of the House.
EU General Affairs Council
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he or his Ministers have had with European
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Union Commissioners or officials on matters to be considered at the General Affairs Council on 25 November. [5473]
The Prime Minister: We have regular discussions with our European colleagues on all matters to be considered at the forthcoming General Affairs Council.
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Prime Minister who will be representing the Government at the General Affairs Council on 25 November. [5475]
The Prime Minister: My right hon. and learned Friend, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Boothferry, (Mr. Davis) will represent Her Majesty's Government at the General Affairs Council on 25 November.
ENVIRONMENT
Castle Cement
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to monitor air quality around the Castle Cement plant in Clitheroe. [4715]
Mr. Clappison: The Department of the Environment has established a fixed monitoring station in the village of Chatburn in the vicinity of the Ribblesdale plant. The station is carrying out monitoring:
for PM10 (fine particles) using both the tapered element oscillating microbalance ("TEOM") automatic method and non-continuous sampling;
for NOx using the continuous ozone chemiluminescence system;
for NO2 non-continuously using diffusion tubes;
for SO2 using the continuous UV flourescence method.
European Union
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what has been the cost in the last 12 months of sending Ministers and officials to meetings in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe in connection with his Department's handling of EU business; [4944]
- (2) what percentage of his Department's time and resources are spent dealing with administrative and policy matters connected with British membership of the European Union. [4954]
Sir Paul Beresford: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Construction Industry (Timber)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to promote the use in the construction industry of timber produced from sustainable industries in rural areas. [4902]
Mr. Clappison: The Department of the Environment is supporting a number of innovation projects to encourage the use of sustainable timber from United Kingdom forests. These should assist the development of
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rural industries. One such project will result in the construction of a demonstration building at Hook forest in Dorset.
Local Government Finance
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the reduction in public expenditure from the measures taken over the last 15 years to restrict expenditure by local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [4907]
Sir Paul Beresford: Since 1990-91, when capping in its current form was introduced, it has been directly responsible for reducing the budgets of those authorities that challenged their caps by a total that has now reached over a third of a billion pounds a year compared with the budgets originally set. The great majority of authorities did not challenge their caps, but set budgets within the limits implied by the capping criteria; although no direct estimate can be made, it is clear that in these cases, too, capping has been generally successful in ensuring that many authorities have budgeted at a lower level than would otherwise have been the case.
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to prevent local authorities setting budgets prior to the announcement of standard spending assessments; and if he will make a statement. [4825]
Sir Paul Beresford: I have no powers to stop an authority setting its budget before the statement on the local authority finance settlement. However, it is highly unlikely that an authority would wish to set a budget before this date and I am not aware of any authority having done so in recent years.
Homelessness (Sheffield)
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken to reduce homelessness in Sheffield; and if he will make a statement. [4904]
Mr. Clappison: In 1996-97, £7.8 million of grants are being paid under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 to voluntary sector organisations which prevent or relieve homelessness. Of this, nearly £2 million funds the national Homelessness Advice Service, based on Citizens Advice Bureaux, which advises people who are homeless or potentially so. The service is available from four bureaux in Sheffield and at the specialist Sheffield debt support unit.
The remaining grant supports around 180 projects throughout England which offer direct practical help to single homeless people by finding accommodation and providing follow-up support. The Nomad advice centre in Sheffield, which helped over 170 people to find accommodation last year, will receive £25,780 this year.
Construction Industry (Insolvency Protection)
Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to begin the independent review of insolvency protection for the construction industry; what the format of the review will be; and if he will make a statement. [4789]
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Mr. Clappison: I intend to put proposals for the further consideration of these issues to the Construction Industry Council shortly.
Asbestos-related Diseases
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington), of 1 November, Official Report, column 269, what assessment he has made of the reason for the named areas having high rates of asbestos-related mesothelioma; and for what reasons a breakdown by district is not available from 1991. [5066]
Sir Paul Beresford: The high rates of mesothelioma in the districts mentioned in my reply of 1 November are related to the heavy industrial use of asbestos in the past in these areas, including shipbuilding, ship repairing and the manufacture of asbestos products.
The analysis was completed by the Health and Safety Executive only up until 1991 because at the time those were the most recent data available. The analysis will be updated next year to include the data from 1992 to 1995.
Doncaster Urban Development Plan
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the inspectors' report into the Doncaster urban development plan to be published; and if copies will be made available to hon. Members. [5139]
Sir Paul Beresford: The inspector's report on objections to the Doncaster unitary development plan is expected to be delivered to the Doncaster metropolitan borough council at the end of February 1997. It will be for the council to decide when to publish the report. Copies of the report would then be available on request from the council.
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