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Environmental Task Force (Horticulture Training)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will examine the potential role of horticultural training within the environmental task force; and if he will make a statement. [8487]
Angela Eagle:
We want to see as wide a range of organisations as possible in the environmental field involved in constructing high quality programmes,
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projects and training for the environmental task force. We hope that horticultural projects will be included among these.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of local authority planning applications are currently dealt with under the delegated powers procedure (a) in total and (b) by local authority; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of these procedures for planning matters.[8461]
Mr. Raynsford:
My Department is this year collecting, for the first time, statistics on the number of planning applications which were decided by planning officers under delegated powers by each local authority. This information should allow an assessment, over time, of the relationship between the numbers of applications decided by local authorities, their performance and their use of delegated powers. The first figures will be collated at the end of September. I will ensure the figures are forwarded to my honourable Friend as soon as possible after they have been compiled and checked.
Mrs. Ann Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the adequacy of the protection afforded to new house buyers. [8455]
Mr. Raynsford:
I am aware of criticisms of the protection afforded by the National House-Building Council's warranty scheme for new houses. The Council has announced a wide ranging review including insurance cover, inspection service, communications with consumers and house builders, and powers to discipline bad builders. I have recently met representatives of the Council and I have asked to be kept closely in touch with the progress of this review.
My hon. Friend, the Minister for Local Government and Housing has also recently met the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Association of British Insurers to discuss ways in which the mortgage lending and insurance industries can develop better mortgage protection products.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has evaluated into the relationship between agricultural production and global climate change; and if he will make a statement. [8488]
Angela Eagle:
UK emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture are evaluated using research sponsored by my Department and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
We estimate that, in 1995, UK agricultural production was responsible for about 1 per cent, 30 per cent. and 10 per cent. of UK emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide respectively. Agricultural land use change resulted in the release of a further 4 per cent. of total emissions of carbon dioxide. Together these emissions were equivalent to about 7 per cent. of the
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climate change impact of all UK greenhouse gas emissions in 1995. Land set aside from agricultural production removed an amount of carbon from the atmosphere equivalent to about 1 per cent. of UK carbon dioxide emissions in 1995.
Research evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from global agricultural production and related land use change together account for about 34 per cent. of the climatic disturbance from current man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Ms Atherton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responsibilities have been placed upon the water companies to control rat infestation of the sewerage system. [8451]
Angela Eagle:
There is no specific duty on water and sewerage companies in relation to the control of rats in sewers. However, all sewerage undertakers have programmes to control and reduce the number of rats in their systems. This includes the use of baits in pumping stations and air vents to stop rats entering the system, or on ledges within sewers. In addition, I understand that the water industry will be undertaking some research into the issue of rats in sewers early next year.
Local authorities have a long standing duty to keep themselves informed about the sufficiency of drainage systems in their area to ensure that they do not pose a threat to public health. Failure to control rat infestations on property could be enforceable by the Local Authority Environmental Health Officer under Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, if it is judged to be a statutory nuisance.
I have no plans at present to introduce legislation to regulate the performance of sewerage undertakers in this field.
Mrs. Ann Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the statistical assumptions behind the household composition growth figures contained in his Department's response to the consultation paper "Household Growth" with particular reference to Bradford metropolitan district council. [8457]
Mr. Raynsford:
Descriptions of the methodology and main statistical assumptions underlying the household projections presented in the consultation paper "Household Growth: where shall we live?" are set out in the annexes of "Projections of Households in England to 2016", published by HMSO in March 1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The projections for the Metropolitan District of Bradford are given in Table 9 of this publication.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of hedgerow he estimates will be (a) planted and (b) cut down in the next three years. [8508]
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Angela Eagle:
The most recent statistics on hedgerow planting and removal come from a survey of hedgerow changes in England and Wales between the years 1990 to 1993, undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology on behalf of the Department of the Environment. That survey estimated that on average some 4,400 km of hedgerows were newly planted each year, whilst an average of 3,600 km of hedgerows were removed each year.
Estimates for future years have not been made. New planting is encouraged, in England, through the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Schemes administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and, in Wales, through Tir Cymen and the Hedgerow Renovation Scheme operated by the Countryside Council for Wales. Important hedgerows are protected from removal under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have to introduce an independent environmental information appeals tribunal. [8676]
Angela Eagle:
The Government's proposals for appeals procedures relating to information in general, including environmental information, will be set out in our forthcoming White Paper on freedom of information.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department has taken to (a) control and (b) prohibit the import of animal furs on conservation grounds. [8662]
Angela Eagle:
The import of furs into the United Kingdom is controlled under European Council Regulation 338/97 which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) within the European Union as a whole. A permit is required from the Department of the Environment to import the fur of any species listed in the CITES Appendices. Trade in furs from endangered species, such as leopards and tigers, is strictly prohibited. Trade in other less sensitive species is strictly controlled and monitored to ensure that they are not over-exploited. My Department is also responsible for the EU ban on the import of furs from harp and hooded seal pups under the EC Seals Directive 83/129. The Directive is implemented in the UK through the Import of Seal Skins Regulations 1996.
Mr. Butterfill:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many homes are (a) owner occupied, (b) privately rented without housing benefit, (c) privately rented with housing benefit, (d) rented from local authorities and (e) rented from housing trusts or housing associations (i) in England and Wales and (ii) in the Borough of Bournemouth; and if he will provide comparable figures for 1987. [8756]
Mr. Raynsford
[holding answer 15 July 1997]: The Department's estimates of the stock of dwellings in England as at December 1987 and December 1996 are shown in the table below.
(6) Notionally includes renting from other public sector.
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The information used to compile these figures does not show how much of the privately rented stock contains people claiming housing benefit. However information from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) shows that during 1995-96 nearly one third of private renters (including those in rent free accommodation) were claiming housing benefit. Comparable figures for 1987 are not available.
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The only information about the stock of dwellings in Bournemouth comes for the annual "Housing Investment Programme" (HIP) returns, which combine the owner occupied and rented privately groups together. The figures for April 1987 and April 1996 are as follows:
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| Private | Rented from housing associations | Rented from local authorities | Rented from other public sector | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1987 | 60,644 | 638 | 6,591 | 375 | 68,248 |
| April 1996 | 65,325 | 1,985 | 5,726 | 60 | 73,096 |
It is not possible to provide reliable information at local authority area level compatible with the FRS data quoted above.
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Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people have been living in houses in multiple occupation in each of the last five years; how many of them have been aged under 25 years and what proportion of those aged (a) under 25 years and (b) over 25 years have been (i) male and (ii) female. [8800]
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Mr. Raynsford
[holding answer 15 July 1997]: I regret that information in the form requested is not available. The following table shows the latest estimate of occupants of houses in multiple occupation by age and gender in England.
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| Traditional HMOs (bedsits) | Shared houses/flats | Households with lodgers | Purpose Built HMO | Self-contained converted flats | Hostels, boarding houses etc | All HMOs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of People in HMO | 631,467 | 343,187 | 106,645 | 246,354 | 1,533,597 | 237,717 | 3,098,967 |
| Under 25(7) | 457,605 (72) | 202,855 (59) | 58,012 (54) | 98,542 (40) | 483,579 (32) | 121,236 (51) | 1,421,829 |
| Male | 283,743 (62) | 115,322 (57) | 41,338 (71) | n/a | 242,861 (50) | 67,607 (56) | -- |
| Female | 173,862 (38) | 87,534 (43) | 16,674 (29) | n/a | 240,718 (50) | 53,629 (44) | -- |
| 25 and over(8) | 173,862 (28) | 140,332 (41) | 48,633 (46) | 147,812 (60) | 1,050,018 (68) | 116,481 (49) | 1,677,144 |
| Male | 150,217 (86) | 79,197 (56) | 27,443 (56) | n/a | 496,437 (47) | 86,469 (74) | -- |
| Female | 23,645 (14) | 61,135 (44) | 21,190 (44) | n/a | 553,581 (53) | 30,013 (26) | -- |
Source:
Totals from the Local Authority Houses in Multiple Occupation Survey 1995. Proportions from the English House Condition Survey 1991 and Census 1991.
(7) Under 30 years old for hostel residents.
(8) 30 and over for hostel residents.
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