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Islington Local Education Authority
Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the report on the Ofsted inspection of Islington Local Education Authority is to be published. [84731]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The report is to be published by Ofsted tomorrow morning. Copies of the report and the Secretary of State's response will be placed in the Library tomorrow morning.
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Paramilitary Violence
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list for the week ended Saturday 1 May (1) the number of violent incidents involving paramilitary groups which took place in Northern Ireland, indicating how many involved (a) Loyalist and (b) Republican groups; [83893]
- (2) the number of (a) punishment beatings and (b) punishment shootings which took place in Northern Ireland, indicating how many in each category were committed by (i) Loyalist and (ii) Republican groups. [83894]
Mr. Ingram: The number of security incidents during the period 25 April-1 May 1999 are as follows:
Shooting incidents: 3
The number of casualties as a result of paramilitary-style attacks during the period are as follows:
Bombing incidents: 3
| Loyalist | Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| Assaults | Nil | 1 |
| Shootings | 1 | Nil |
| Total | 1 | 1 |
Note:
1. Figures may be subject to minor amendment
2. The shooting and bombing incidents cannot as yet be attributed to a grouping although 2 of the bombing incidents have been claimed by the Orange Volunteers.
International Fund for Ireland
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice her Department gives to applicants to the International Fund for Ireland on how to accommodate the McBride principles in their applications. [83355]
Mr. Paul Murphy: As my hon. Friend may know, the International Fund for Ireland is administered by an independent Board jointly appointed by the two Governments and all matters pertaining to the handling of applications are a matter for the Board.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Luton Bypass
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assistance the Government are giving towards the Luton north bypass. [83142]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Luton Northern Bypass is a major long-term local authority scheme. Bedfordshire County Council and Luton Borough Council are currently working on a joint 5-year local transport plan submission for the area.
In the Trunk Road Review, the A5 Dunstable Bypass and the M1 Junction 6A-10 Widening were included in the London to South Midlands Multi-Modal Study--
17 May 1999 : Column: 244
which is in Tranche 2 of the study programme starting in 2000-01. The study will address a range of issues including motorway congestion, development pressures, the contribution made by a shift to other modes of transport and access to major urban areas such as Luton and Dunstable.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the total amount of capital housing receipts that have been released to Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council for each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [83924]
Mr. Raynsford:
The following capital allocations have been made to Shrewsbury and Atcham under the Capital Receipts Initiative. Allocations are made in the form of Supplementary Credit Approvals.
| Year | £ |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 219,000 |
| 1998-99 | 757,000 |
| 1999-2000 | 685,000 |
These are available for spending on housing and housing related regeneration projects which meet local priorities.
Council Tax Fraud
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what procedures are available to a local authority to take action against individuals who wrongly claim the single person's household council tax discount; and what monitoring he undertakes to ensure that local authorities check the validity of those claiming such a discount. [84034]
Mr. Meale: Billing authorities are under a duty in relation to each financial year to take "reasonable steps" to ascertain whether any discount applies to a dwelling before calculating the bill. It is for individual authorities to decide what action to take in the light of local circumstances but it usually takes the form of a written request for information from each household. Authorities also have powers to request information from certain public bodies such as the electoral registration officer. If a person receiving a discount fails to notify the authority that he is no longer (or never was) eligible for it he may be subject to a penalty of £50. It is for the local authority's auditor to satisfy itself that the local authority has the necessary procedures in place to fulfil its statutory duties.
Aircraft Fuel Reserves
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many investigations have been held in the past year into aircraft arriving at UK airports with a fuel level lower than that required; how many have been in respect of aircraft landing at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Stansted; if he will investigate recent reports concerning an aircraft from Malaysia Airlines with nearly empty fuel tanks; and if he will make a statement. [84033]
17 May 1999 : Column: 245
Ms Glenda Jackson:
In the past year, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has completed an investigation into a report by NATS of an air traffic control occurrence involving an aircraft landing at Gatwick low on fuel following its diversion from Manston. The AAIB report will be published in June.
The AAIB is also currently investigating a further air traffic control occurrence report that an aircraft arrived at Stansted from Glasgow with fuel at the minimum level set out in the relevant company fuel policy, following a diversion from Gatwick; their report will be published in due course.
The recent allegations concerning an aircraft of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) was not the subject of a formal occurrence report, but came from a confidential source. We have drawn the allegations to the Malaysian aeronautical authorities who are investigating the reported incidents. DETR and Civil Aviation Authority officials have also discussed the allegations in detail with representatives of the airline. MAS has co-operated fully in reviewing their fuel policy and examining why, on a very few occasions, low fuel levels may have been recorded at the completion of a flight. MAS has offered to provide weekly reports of fuel levels for all its aircraft on arrival in the UK and this has been incorporated into their conditions for operating into this country.
In light of these recent allegations, the Civil Aviation Authority is to carry out an increased number of inspections of long haul aircraft arriving in the UK in the coming weeks, as part of a programme of checks on foreign aircraft at UK airports.
Mr. Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reports he has received in the period since 1 January 1997 of aircraft arriving at (a) Luton and (b) Stansted with empty fuel tanks; and if he will make a statement. [84376]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
There have been no reports received in the period since 1 January 1997 of aircraft arriving at Luton or Stansted with empty fuel tanks.
There has been one report of an aircraft arriving at Stansted from Glasgow on 12 September 1998 with fuel at the minimum level set out in the relevant company fuel policy, following a diversion from Gatwick. This incident is subject to an investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch; their report has not yet been published.
One report has been received of a light aircraft landing at Luton low on fuel.
Ms Kelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the (a) average length of time between diagnosis and receipt of compensation and (b) the average value of compensation paid for former employees of British Rail who are diagnosed as having (i) mesothelioma, (ii) asbestosis and (iii) primary carcinoma of the lung, related to exposure to asbestos in (1) the North West and (2) England. [84221]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
I understand from the British Railways Board that information is not available in a form which can be analysed in the manner requested without
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disproportionate cost. Since 1991, the Board has settled approximately 500 such claims. Diagnosis may occur before or after a claim is made.
Mr. Cotter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to reach a decision on the petition for a town council for Weston-super-Mare submitted by North Somerset Council. [84176]
Mr. Meale
[holding answer 14 May 1999]: We are currently considering a number of petitions and district reviews for new parish arrangements, including the petition for a town council for Weston-super-Mare. Our intention is to take decisions on a timescale to allow elections for any new parishes to be held in May 2000.
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