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Savings
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average amount of savings held per household in (a) Post Office accounts, (b) tax-exempt special savings accounts, (c) building society accounts, (d) bank accounts, (e) other accounts, (f) gilts, (g) unit trusts, ((h) stocks and shares, (i) personal equity plans, (j) national savings bonds, (k) save-as-you-earn and (l) premium bonds broken down by gross weekly household income divided into £100 bands. [16017]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply.
The information is not available.
ENVIRONMENT
Wild Boar
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the change in the number of wild boar in England. [15646]
Mr. Clappison: There are no figures available on the numerical trends in wild boar in England. Licences to keep wild boar are issued by local authorities, who maintain central records.
While there have been sporadic sightings of wild boar in the wild, many of these have not been substantiated and there is no confirmed evidence of the animal breeding in the wild.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government intend to apply the London convention's ban on sea disposal of radioactive wastes to radioactive scale on redundant oil installations; what criteria they will apply in assessing the best practicable environmental option for disposal of radioactive material from oil and gas installations; and how those criteria will differ from the criteria applied to wastes from the civil nuclear industry and radioactive military waste. [15672]
Mr. Clappison:
The London convention does not prohibit the dumping at sea of wastes or other materials containing "de minimis"--exempt--levels of radioactivity.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 445
Authorisations for the disposal of radioactive wastes are issued by the environment agencies under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. Policy on determining authorisations is set out in the White Paper "Review of Radioactive Waste Management Policy--Final Conclusions", Cm 2919.
Sir Irvine Patnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to help to minimise the effect on small businesses of the producer responsibility for packaging waste directive. [15703]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
Following extensive consultation with industry on the draft packaging waste regulations, my rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 18 December, Official Report, columns 614-16, the modifications that we propose to make in the light of the comments and proposals received.
Among the changes announced were measures to help small businesses. We are proposing a staged approach to the new system, bringing in the largest businesses first, and we have introduced a turnover element to the cut-off threshold which should assist smaller businesses in establishing whether they will be obligated under the regulations. Businesses with a turnover of £5 million or less, and who handle 50 tonnes of packaging or less, will not be obligated in the years 1997 to 1999. With effect from 1 January 2000, the small business threshold applies to those with turnover of £1 million or less or who handle 50 tonnes of packaging or less. In addition, the provision that wholesalers take the selling obligation for small retailers will take effect from 1 January 2000. These changes will mean that the number of businesses obligated in the first few years will be in the region of 4,000 rising to around 9,000 by the year 2000. This compares with a total of over 250,000 businesses who handle packaged goods.
A further measure which will help small businesses is the development of a ready reckoner or packaging catalogue to ease the collection of data and my Department has now commissioned contractors to this end.
Mr. William Powell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total usable receipts held by each local authority in each year since 1990. [15729]
Sir Paul Beresford:
A list of the usable capital receipts held by each English local authority on 31 March of each year from 1990 to 1996 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Barry Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the minimum age requirements enforced by his Department. [15913]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Specific measures to protect the health and safety of young people and the relevant minimum age requirements are listed in annex 3 of the Health and Safety Commission's consultative document,
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 446
"The Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1996: Proposals to implement the health and safety provisions of the EC Directive on the protection of young people at work". Copies of this document have been placed in the House of Commons Library. No other part of my Department is responsible for enforcing minimum age requirements.
Mr. William Powell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the arrears of outstanding uncollected (a) domestic rates, (b) business rates, (c) community charge and (d) council tax for each collecting authority in Northamptonshire. [15728]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Estimates of the levels of business rates, community charge and council tax arrears for individual authorities are published regularly by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
| £000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated arrears of: | |||
| Business rates | Community charges | Council taxes | |
| Corby (31 March 1995) | 211 | 1,189 | 451 |
| Daventry (31 March 1993) | 475 | 1,663 | -- |
| East Northamptonshire | -- | -- | -- |
| Kettering (31 March 1994) | 390 | 860 | 463 |
| Northampton | -- | -- | -- |
| South Northamptonshire (31 March 1995) | 1,092 | 368 | 205 |
| Wellingborough (31 March 1993) | 804 | 1,099 | -- |
-- No information has been published by CIPFA for East Northamptonshire or Northampton since community charge was abolished.
Council Tax
Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) which 10 local councils in England have the highest amounts of uncollected council tax; [16156]
- (2) which local council in (a) the north-west of England and (b) England as a whole has the highest amount of uncollected council tax; [16163]
(3) which local council in (a) the north-west of England and (b) England as a whole has the lowest amount of uncollected council tax. [16167]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Estimates of the levels of council tax arrears for individual authorities are published regularly by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The latest information relates to the position at 31 March 1995 and is available in the "Revenue Collection Statistics 1994-95" publication in the Library.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 447
| Council tax arrears | |
|---|---|
| (£ million) | |
| Lambeth | 40.2 |
| Birmingham | 25.9 |
| Manchester | (3) 21.6 |
| Liverpool | 19.3 |
| Bristol | 18.5 |
| Camden | 12.4 |
| Newham | 12.1 |
| Leeds | 11.2 |
| Southwark | 10.8 |
| Sheffield | 9.9 |
(3) Highest in north-west of England.
Wyre has the lowest amount of council tax arrears in the north-west of England, with a total of £0.6 million uncollected as at 31 March 1995. The Isles of Scilly has the lowest uncollected council tax in England, with a total of £6,000 uncollected as at 31 March 1995. CIPFA does not publish data for all authorities, so the figures above represent only those authorities which have supplied data.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) which local council has (a) the north-west of England and (b) England has the lowest council tax rates; [16164]
(2) which local council in (a) the north-west of England and (b) England as a whole has the highest council tax rates. [16165]
| Lowest | £ | Highest | £ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) North West | Halton | 647 | Liverpool | 1,006 |
| (b) England | Westminster | 295 | Liverpool | 1,006 |
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