Written Answers
Unlicensed Vehicles In London
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the number of unlicensed vehicles parked in the streets of London and which
(a) are sometimes used, and (b) have been abandoned.
Throughout 1987 the department's London enforcement office received 276,000 offence reports relating to apparently unlicensed, unattended vehicles. The vast majority were parked vehicles in use. No figures are available for the number that may have been abandoned.
Air Pollutants In Hospitals
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will initiate a programme to analyse the main air pollutants in Britain's major hospitals; and whether they will ensure that, where necessary, all parts of the air conditioning systems are cleaned.
Air pollution in hospitals is under continual review. Guidance is provided to health authorities in minimising various problems—for example, the removal of anaesthetic gas pollution in operating departments and the control of contaminants within laboratories. Many hospitals now follow a no-smoking policy.Guidance is also provided on the frequency of cleaning measures for the appropriate parts of air conditioning and ventilation systems, and health authorities are expected to adopt these recommendations.
Elderly War Widows: Benefits
asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to improve the plight of elderly war widows.
There are already preferential provisions for elderly war widows. The standard rate of tax-free war widow's pension is £51.35 a week, which is 30 per cent. higher than the taxable national insurance widow's pension. On top of that, an age allowance of £5.50 is paid at age 65, increasing to £11.10 at 70 and £13.85 at 80. Next April, war widow's pension will be uprated to £53.50 and the age allowances to £5.75, £11.30 and £14.45 respectively.
In addition to her war widow's pension, a war widow (unlike a national insurance widow) may also receive a retirement pension if she has worked and paid the necessary contributions; retirement pensions will be uprated in April. War widows also have £4 of their war widow's pension statutorily disregarded when claiming income-related benefits, and this disregard will be increased to £5 next April.
Link Programme
asked Her Majesty's Government:If they will make a statement about progress on the LINK programme.
In announcing the LINK initiative, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister indicated the Government's intention to boost industrially relevant research and development, and to make scientists and the business community more aware of the potential of science and technology for commercial exploitation. LINK will eventually range over the whole spectrum of science based technology.On Wednesday, 3rd February 1988, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and I announced the first five LINK programme areas. These are: Molecular Electronics, Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Industrial Measurement Systems, Eukaryotic Genetic Engineering, and Nanotechnology. Each of these programmes is in a key area of strategic research.
The first five programmes will account for some £83m. The total expenditure on LINK by Government and industry is expected to be at least £420m over the next five years; Government will meet up to half of the cost of each programme.
Environmental Action Programme Proposal
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have yet considered the proposal, made on 9th July 1987 during the debate on the report of the Select Committee on the European Communities on the EC Fourth Environmental Action Programme, that there should be a corresponding national rolling forward action programme for the environment.
The Department of the Environment has made a thorough investigation of the options for producing a national rolling programme for the environment similar to the EC Fourth Action Programme. The conclusion was that an exercise of this type would be proportionately too resource intensive; but that we should work on ways generally of improving the quality and presentation of the department's publications on the state of the environment.