| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
School Organisation Committees
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of schools' organisation committees; and if he will take steps to give their role greater clarity. [131246]
Ms Estelle Morris: We shall be reviewing the issues which arise for School Organisation Committees as they increasingly become involved in complex school
19 Jul 2000 : Column: 202W
organisation decisions. This review will help us determine whether further guidance or changes in the procedures governing the conduct of Committees would be helpful.
School Playing Fields
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2000, Official Report, columns 269-70W, how many sales of school grass areas smaller than a sports pitch he has (a) approved and (b) rejected in each month since October 1998; what the acreage is of the school grass areas smaller than a sports pitch whose disposal he has (i) approved and (ii) rejected in each month since October 1998; and what has been the total sale value of such areas whose disposal he has (A) approved and (B) rejected in each month since October 1998. [131214]
Jacqui Smith: The Department has approved the sale of 18 school grass areas smaller than a sports pitch of 2000m 2 between October 1998 and June this year. The following table shows the information requested.
| Number of sales approved | Number of sales rejected | Area (m(1)) | Total sale value (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | ||||
| October | 1 | -- | 300 | 5,000 |
| November | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| December | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1999 | ||||
| January | 1 | -- | 1,250 | 72,000 |
| February | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| March | 1 | -- | 600 | 115,000 |
| April | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| May | 2 | -- | 1,680 | 3,300 |
| June | 3 | -- | 2,100 | 241,000 |
| July | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| August | 2 | -- | 1,870 | 97,250 |
| September | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| October | 1 | -- | 640 | 50,000 |
| November | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| December | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2000 | ||||
| January | 1 | -- | 50 | 3,000 |
| February | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| March | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| April | 1 | -- | 530 | 20,000 |
| May | 3 | -- | 2,985 | 305,000 |
| June | 2 | -- | 910 | 37,500 |
Notes:
1. In this table a sports pitch is regarded as being an area of open grassed land equal to, or greater than, 2000m
(1).
2. All sale proceeds are used to provide new or improved education or sports facilities at maintained schools.
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School,
Sunningdale
Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children applying for places at the Holy Trinity Church of England primary school in Sunningdale have been refused on the ground that admission would breach the maximum class size of 30; how many of these have siblings in the school; and how many of those referred were new to the area. [131304]
19 Jul 2000 : Column: 203W
Ms Estelle Morris: I understand from my officials, who have contacted the school, that no applications were refused on the ground that admission would breach the class size limit. Thirteen children were refused admission because there were forty-three applications for only thirty available places. The school's standard number of thirty, which indicates its capacity, pre-dates our class size legislation.
The thirty places were allocated to Sunningdale residents, thirteen of whom had siblings in the school. Of those applicants refused, four were non residents of Sunningdale with siblings in the school. The school gives priority for admission to children resident in the ecclesiastical parish of Sunningdale. A further four applications from the Sunningdale area were received after places had been allocated, and were refused.
Ministerial Code
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) on how many occasions since May 1997 Ministers in his Department have made a declaration of interest to their colleagues under circumstances envisaged in Paragraph 110 of the Ministerial Code; [129146]
- (2) if he will list the occasions on which ministers in his Department have sought the advice of the Permanent Secretary under the circumstances envisaged in paragraphs 118, 121 and 123 of the Ministerial Code. [129180]
Mr. Wills: Information relating to internal advice and consultation is not disclosed under Exemption II of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information".
PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Early-day Motions
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the President of the Council what the total cost of early-day motions was in (a) 1999 and (b) 1998. [130028]
Mr. Kirkwood: I have been asked to reply.
The printing and publication costs associated with early-day motions was (a) approximately £597,000 in 1999 and (b) approximately £750,000 in 1998. Other costs associated with early-day motions, such as editorial preparation and control and electronic publication, are not separately identifiable. I am informed that costs arising in Government Departments could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Incineration
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Government's assessment of the relationship between rates of death and projected increases in incineration of waste. [126470]
19 Jul 2000 : Column: 204W
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 20 June 2000]: A methodology for assessing the health impacts of air pollution (particles, sulphur dioxide and ozone) from industrial sources, including waste incinerators, is being considered by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP), which advises the Department of Health, and a full statement from COMEAP is expected in due course.
Emissions from incineration are already tightly controlled, and incinerators can now be designed to meet the standards in the forthcoming Waste Incineration Directive, which will further reduce emissions, for example reducing emissions of total dust by 67 per cent. and of dioxins by 99 per cent. An assessment of the health benefits of the tighter standards in the Waste Incineration Directive has been made by my Department for the regulatory and environmental impact assessment of the proposed Directive. The relevant consultants' reports are available in the House Library.
Public Water Supply
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the chemical compounds added to the public water supply in England and Wales, indicating which is used for (a) water treatment, (b) ingestion and (c) other purposes; and if he will give details of the most recent safety tests carried out by his Department on each such compound. [130203]
Mr. Mullin: The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 provide for the approval of products, substances and processes used in the provision of public water supplies. The Secretary of State is advised on approvals issues by the Committee on Chemicals and Materials for Use in Public Water Supply. The Secretary of State's List of Approved Products, which includes all chemicals approved for use in public water supplies, is published annually by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The list is installed on the Inspectorate's website www.dwi.detr.gov.uk
Approved chemicals are classified according to whether they are used for water treatment or other purposes. Where residues of the chemical are likely to be ingested, a condition of approval imposes a maximum dosing concentration as a public health protection measure.
Household Waste Collection
Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidelines he has given local authorities about the frequency with which they should collect household waste; and if he will make a statement. [130527]
Mr. Meacher: Under section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities have a duty to collect household refuse, but the Act does not stipulate the frequency with which local authorities should collect it. We have not provided any guidance on the frequency with which collections should take place.
A30
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the A30 Honiton to Exeter road will be resurfaced. [130540]
19 Jul 2000 : Column: 205W
Mr. Hill [holding answer 17 July 2000]: Our 10-year Transport Strategy, which will be published shortly, will include further proposals for dealing with road noise. Those roads with the worst noise problem will be dealt with first.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |