asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the responsibility of his Department for environmental noise control in regard to microlight aircraft.

Responsibility for noise from aircraft, including microlight aircraft, rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade, whilst I have an overall interest in all aspects of noise nuisance and specific responsibility for the control of neighbourhood noise under part III of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. The specific exclusion of aircraft from the Act was fully debated during the passage of the Bill. I have reconsidered the matter very carefully, but see no case at the moment for extending the current scope of the Act, which is designed particularly to deal with noise from fixed premises.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the noise from microlight aircraft, which are like flying motor cycles, is just as offensive to many people as noise from large aircraft? Will he reconsider the statutory exemptions that are given to that small, but offensive beast?

I am aware that there is considerable public anxiety on this issue. It is primarily a matter for the Department of Trade, which, as my hon. Friend will be aware, deals with many aspects relating to aircraft.

That is not a satisfactory answer. Is the Minister aware that constituents of mine, who are persecuted by noise from hang gliders with engines, which are much the same as microlight aircraft, can get no answer from the Civil Aviation Authority, or any Government Department, that would give them some peace and rest?

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's concern. I understand that discussions are going on in the Department of Trade. I have no doubt that in due course my right hon. Friend will take the action that the hon. Gentleman suggests.

Will my hon. Friend and his hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Trade, who is responsible for aviation matters, be careful not to regulate microlights out of existence? Does he agree that we should encourage people to fly, provided that they do not cause danger or inconvenience through noise?

My hon. Friend is correct. There are legitimate uses for that type of aircraft. He will also be aware of the regulations that apply to piloted aircraft and aircraft that operate out of airfields. I do not see any case for making further adjustments to the noise regulations under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what increases in population in the Home Counties he took into account when approving the structure plans for the local authorities in the Home Counties.

My right hon. Friend took account of a wide range of information, including population increases. Each structure plan is based on population forecasts for its own individual area. As the projections relate to different time periods, it is not meaningful to give an aggregated figure for population increase for an area as large as the Home Counties.

To what extent can population forecasts be described as accurate? If my hon. Friend believes that local authorities are providing accurate forecasts for the populations in their areas, may I ask whether he agrees that they should be considered to have the last word, except in the most exceptional circumstances?

I cannot claim that population forecasts at any given moment have a high degree of accuracy. A structure plan has to take account of trends that put pressure on a county's resources. The county is obliged to take account of trends towards house building or the desire to live in certain areas when preparing provisions for the use of land.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has received the Sports Council's publication on its future strategy for sport; what is his policy towards the report's proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Yes, I have received this document—"The Next Ten Years". I welcome the Sports Council's appraisal and I hope that all those involved in the provision of sport and recreation in our communities will study it carefully.

The Minister will be aware that the Sports Council has put forward three options for funding during the next decade: first, participation; secondly, excellence in sports; and, thirdly, spending money to assist sports facilities. Which option do the Government favour? Have they any special programme for areas such as Toxteth, Bristol and Brixton? As the Government's policies have created 3 million unemployed, and bearing in mind that last week the Chancellor of the Exchequer accepted that the figure would be nearly 5 million by 1990, does the hon. Gentleman accept that the Government have an obligation to provide recreational facilities?

The Sports Council and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State attach equal importance to all aspects of the strategy. The three aspects to which the hon. Gentleman referred are of equal importance in many regions. I welcome the fact that the Sports Council has published a clear statement of the objectives. I like the objective to create sporting opportunities for those between the ages of 13 and 24 and 45 and 59. A great deal of work is to be done in planning and preparation.

With the greatest respect, does my hon. Friend really believe that the Sports Council is necessary? Could not voluntary bodies do the job better, with a great saving of money?

If my hon. Friend appraises the Sports Council's publication, I believe that he will be totally convinced of the need for the Sports Council. It is important to work through voluntary organisations, but, equally, local authorities have a vital role in dispersing funds from the urban aid programme, derelict land grants and the inner city partnership, all of which can help to provide sport and recreation.

Was the Minister consulted about the weekend speech of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury calling for the privatisation of recreational services? What does it mean, and how does it fit in with the strategy for sport? What is the Minister's estimate of the increased costs of swimming pools, football and cricket pitches and other sports facilities that will result? Most important of all, what do the Government believe will be the effect if we price sport and recreation beyond the reach of hundreds of thousands of young unemployed?

The right hon. Gentleman has been around the House of Commons and the corridors of power for longer than I have.

Too long.

The right hon. Gentleman knows that I cannot give him an answer here and now. No doubt he will approach the Chief Secretary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what directions are given by his Department to the Sports Council on the Gleneagles agreement; and whether these directions relate to the council's allocation of funds.

Speak a little faster!

I am going at this speed especially for the hon. Gentleman at this time of day.

Does my hon. Friend accept that any Minister with responsibility for sport—I include the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Small Heath (Mr. Howell) when he held the position—has no authority to direct the Sports Council where it should place its funds, and I refer particularly to sports in which there is South African participation? Has not the time come for the Minister to look again at the South African sports which, like soccer, have become fully multi-racial and should be exempt from the Gleneagles agreement?

I hope that my hon. Friend will consider the importance of multi-racial sport throughout the Commonwealth and, indeed, the world.

Does the Minister agree that the vast sums made available to send teams to South Africa show a political motive by the sponsors? Is there not ample evidence that it is a concerted attempt to undermine the Gleneagles agreement? Should not sporting bodies be told that so that they can tell their members, and should not those members who bring their sport into disrepute be disciplined?

It is a difficult area. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, Foreign Office Ministers and I have made clear the Government's total commitment to the Gleneagles agreement, and we have conveyed that view to governing bodies. Most people will recognise that the tour was phoney, as many other tours have been.

As my hon. Friend supports the Gleneagles agreement, and as he is no doubt aware that 18 per cent. of Israel's population is of Arab extraction, will he look at each international team from Israel to make sure that it reflects that proportion and, where it does not, take action through the Sports Council to ensure that money is not expended in that direction?

I have no doubt that my hon. Friend is resourceful enough to approach the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on that matter.

What does the Minister make of the antics of the hon. Member for Luton, West (Mr. Carlisle), who, on 18 June, demanded that the Home Secretary establish an inquiry into why the BBC was flying Mr. Jimmy Hill around Spain in pursuance of his World Cup duties, yet appeared on television within two weeks and demanded that the same Mr. Jimmy Hill be flown around South Africa in support of a private football organisation and in defiance of the Gleneagles agreement and the FIFA rules?

I have no comment to make. Most people recognise that this and other tours are phoney. In recent weeks certain reputations have become tarnished and actions have bordered on the farcical. It is a matter not only for the domestic governing body, but for FIFA, and both bodies have made it clear that they exclude South Africa from international competition.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. With respect to my hon. Friend, in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply and the interest in the House in the subject, I give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to celebrate the centenary of the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 with an exhibition similar to that being mounted by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment.

There are no plans by my Department to celebrate with an exhibition the centenary of the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882 The centenary will be marked by a reception held in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries on 11 November following a lecture on the centenary by my chief inspector of ancient monuments and historic buildings.

I welcome the close interest that the Secretary of State takes in the conservation of old buildings. Is not the time opportune to remind the public of the value of the work to future generations? Will he consider celebrating the centenary by updating legislation in related areas, such as the law on treasure trove and movable antiquities?

I share the hon. Gentleman's anxiety, but at present we have no proposals to update the legislation, although we keep such matters under review.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he gives to local authorities' local road maintenance needs in setting the rate support grant levels.

There are annual discussions with local government about the amount of relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes on all services.

Does the Minister appreciate that as a result of adverse weather conditions road maintenance has fallen badly behind? If we are to improve our overall industrial efficiency, it is necessary to improve and adequately maintain our road system. Together with local authorities, will he do what he can to ensure that road maintenance is carried out as speedily as possible?

As the hon. Gentleman is probably aware, that is a question for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. However, I notice that about 96 per cent. of local authority bids this year were approved by the Government. That is a very high level.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that a growing pothole epidemic is affecting roads throughout London and is causing great danger to some of the 96,000 cyclists who commute into London every day? Will he advise the local authorities in London how they can best deal with this epidemic?

The answer will, I think, be fairly clear to my hon. Friend as it will be to the House. I have no doubt that the relevant authorities will take note of his comments.

Is the Minister aware that the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board must maintain many roads that should be maintained by local authorities? Will he ensure that the rate support grant settlement takes account of that fact so that the local authorities concerned can take over responsibility for the maintenance of those roads?

As I said in my original reply, this is intitially a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport as it involves transport expenditure. I shall ensure that the hon. Gentleman's comments are conveyed to him.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings have been held under the chairmanship of the hon. Member for Ealing, Acton (Sir G. Young) of the inner city partnerships of Lambeth, Islington and Hackney; and what plans there are for future meetings.

The first meeting of the Hackney partnership under my chairmanship will take place tomorrow. I hope to chair the Islington partnership in the autumn and the Lambeth partnership in December.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. However, is it not time that he realised that efforts spent on such meetings are counter-productive, a deflection from the excellent work that he does elsewhere in his Department, and not consistent with good race relations in London?

Government policy is to reinforce the economic and social fabric of our inner cities, in which the ethnic groups have a crucial role to play. For that reason, under the auspices of the partnership committees, we support many projects which we believe can play a real role in revitalising the economy of our inner cities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had discussions with other countries about the problems of acid rain.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department is taking to diminish the incidence of acid rain pollution emanating from the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards incidence of acid rain pollution.

I have recently discussed the problems of acid rain with representatives of other countries at the acidification conference in Stockholm. For the results of the conference, I refer hon. Members to my answer of 15 July to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris). We have other frequent contacts, especially in the context of the 1979 convention on long range transboundary air pollution, which we ratified on 15 July. Our emissions of suphur dioxide have already fallen by more than 20 per cent. during the last decade, and our energy conservation and fuel policies may well reduce this further.

I thank the Minister for that informative reply. There has been a drop in the level of pollution, but it appears that the countries worst affected by acid rain pollution are Britain and the United States. Is he aware that this problem is affecting not only Scandinavia, but regions as distant as the Arctic, and that eventually that could have serious repercussion on the world's ecology? I am aware, from a reply that the Minister gave recently, that we are spending about £1½ million in an attempt to resolve the problem of pollution. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that we must do much more and at least ensure that our power stations reduce their pollution of the atmosphere?

I agree with the hon. Lady that pollution is an important problem which the Government must take seriously. That is why we are particularly pleased that the convention on long range transboundary air pollution has now been ratified by so many nations. In that convention there is a commitment to work towards generally acceptable methods of control of sulphur emissions, which includes sulphur emissions from power stations.

During his discussions with other countries, has my hon. Friend discovered any authority comparable with the North West water authority which charges ratepayers for rain falling on their roofs, be it acid or any other rain? Is that something that he would wish to encourage? Does he know of any other authority that does that—

Order. Does the hon. Gentleman really feel that this is connected with the question on the Order Paper, which relates only to acid rain?

Mr. Speaker, I was asking my hon. Friend whether acid or any other rain attracted such a charge.

This is an acid question, to which I propose to give an alkaline response. I take note of my hon. Friend's remarks.

I congratulate the Government on taking part in the Stockholm discussions on acid rain. Will the Government give much greater priority to a matter that will affect the world's population during the next 20 or 30 years? I believe that about 150 lakes in Canada are already dead, and the same is happening in Scandinavia. Forests are dying in Germany. This is a matter—

Order. The hon. Gentleman is making a speech. He must ask a question.

I assure the hon. Gentleman that we are taking this problem extremely seriously. The evidence so far produced does not indicate that, for a given reduction in sulphur emissions, there will be a given improvement in the ecology of the country concerned.

Is the Minister aware that some of Britain's rivers are now badly affected by acid rain, as are the runs of sea trout and salmon? Britain's anglers expect the Government to do something as quickly as possible.

I am aware that there are localised problems in the United Kingdom. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that special researches are taking place in South West Scotland into the ecology of certain rivers. I assure him that this problem is not nearly as severe as the media often make out.

I am interested in the 20 per cent. reduction in emissions, because I recollect hearing similar figures from the Minister's predecessors in the 1970s. Is the hon. Gentleman talking about a 20 per cent. reduction from stacks, in domestic fall-out or at international level? Those are different and important considerations. Will he assure the House that the Government will do everything possible to achieve international co-operation and will try to bring the Soviet Union into the negotiations, as it did not attend the Stockholm conference?

That figure results from monitoring that we carry out from time to time in areas not directly associated with stacks. As I have said, that monitoring shows a progressive reduction in sulphur emissions totalling 20 per cent. I agree that this is an international problem. The sooner we get full support from all industrial nations, the better our chances of arriving at an internationally agreed solution.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I notice that I was excluded from the grouping on this question. Will you perhaps comment?

It is not for me to comment, but I hope that we will reach the hon. Gentleman's question.

It is question 40.

In that case, we shall have to move rather fast.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was, approximately, the average net council rent at the latest available date and in May 1979; and what was the approximate annual council house subsidy for 1979–80 and 1982–83.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the average unrebated rent of local authority dwellings in England and Wales, net of rates and other charges collected with rent, stood at approximately £13·54 per week at the end of April this year. In April 1979, it stood at £6·40.

Does that not show that the Government do not give a damn about how one-third of families have to live? Is it not grossly unfair that we should give council tenants less than mortgagors, who get a 30 per cent. subsidy? Would not the introduction of Labour's rate-free scheme lessen the injustice?

It shows no such thing. The nonsense was the decline in rent levels under Labour, when people who could be expected to pay more for their housing were indiscriminately subsidised, and there was a sensational cut in the housing investment programme to pay for it—a cut that we have now begun to reverse.

Are we not making progress along the lines laid down in the 1978 Labour Government White Paper on public expenditure in which the right hon. Member for Heywood and Royton (Mr. Barnett) made it clear that the proportion of income paid by council tenants should be increased?

If the Labour Government had adopted the policies enunciated by their own Treasury Minister, there would have been no need for the very large increases that we have had to introduce.

Does the Minister appreciate that the real problem is that, because local authorities are being starved of funds for their housing programmes and forced to increase rents against their will, they cannot build the houses so desperately needed by people, such as those on the growing waiting list in the city of Leicester?

If local authorities spend the money allocated to them for the current year, there should be a cash increase of about 30 per cent. over last year's spending—the first increase of that magnitude in about seven years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the number of local authority and other public sector tenants who have bought their homes since May 1979.

It is estimated that up to 31 March the number of local authority, new town and housing association dwellings sold in Great Britain since the Government came to office was approximately 300,000.

Does my hon. Friend agree that 300,000 tenants will now be grateful to the Government for having enabled them to realise their lifetime's ambition? Does he also agree that there may well be a further 100,000 to 150,000 tenants who would like to exercise their democratic rights and buy their own homes but who are frustrated in that wish by Labour-controlled local authorities imposing exorbitant service charges and onerous restrictive covenants and moving difficult tenants into houses next door to those who wish to buy their homes?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As there are about 2·5 electors per council dwelling, about 1 million electors will now be very grateful to the Government for the opportunity to buy their homes. I also agree that many more will be able to buy their homes during this Parliament. Council tenants should also be aware that the Labour Party's publication "Labour's Programme '82" proposes that a future Labour Government should have the right in perpetuity to oblige council tenants who have bought their homes to sell them back to the local authority, thus denying owner-occupiers who were previously council tenants the right to sell their own homes at a price of their own choosing.

How many homes have been sold in areas of high unemployment and how many were designated as hard to let?

I cannot say how many were designated as hard to let, but it is extremely encouraging that in a number of areas of high unemployment there has been a substantial demand for the right to buy, not least in areas such as Liverpool, Skelmersdale and Knowsley.

While the Minister is berating Labour authorities for their lack of activity in this direction, will he bear in mind the activities of the Teesdale district council, which is controlled by Tories and Independents, and is now attempting to rob tenants of gardens which they have enjoyed for the past 30 years and which should be covered by the right to buy legislation? Will he deal with that problem?

The definition of what land tenants may buy with their homes is set out in the Housing Act 1980. I shall be glad to look at the specific case to which the hon. Gentleman refers if he will write to me about it.

Has my hon. Friend read the report of the attitude of Sheffield council to would-be home purchasers and its use of service charges? Will he ask his Department to investigate whether there has been a deliberate breach of the 1980 Act?

I am well aware of the concern among tenants in Sheffield about the council's policy on the imposition of service charges. My hon. Friend will be glad to know that I met representatives of the council on Monday this week.

Although it is true that some housing associations have been selling their houses, will the Minister congratulate Ken Livingstone, leader of the GLC, on revealing this week the disgraceful affairs of the Strongbridge housing association, which has enjoyed subsidies from both taxpayers and ratepayers for many years? Will he also comment on the effectiveness of the Housing Corporation's monitoring function, particularly in relation to the 1980 Act, which seeks to avoid relationships of the kind that have now been revealed, and the way in which the provisions of the Act have been treated with contempt nowhere more clearly than by his Conservative friends who are GLC councillors?

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the Housing Corporation is conducting a fact-finding exercise into the housing association that he mentioned. So far as I know, in all the matters raised by the gentleman to whom he refers, the right to buy is not an issue.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to review the 4 per cent. cash limit for income of local government expenditure in 1983–84, in the light of present and prospective wage and salary measures and the probable inflation rate for this period.

I met the local authority associations on 19 July and heard their arguments for an increased cash provision for local government current expenditure in 1983–84. In considering the Government's response I shall take into account current and prospective pay and price levels in local government.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that there are two kinds of council, the stupidly extravagent and the sensibly economical, and that most of the latter are Conservative-controlled? Does he appreciate that in the past two years many Conservative councillors have followed his policy of being extremely hard in making economies in their spending? Will he therefore promise that he will not penalise them in the next year, as it is important that those who have helped him should now have his support?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me the opportunity to reassure him that I have tried consistently to recognise the co-operation that I have received from the more prudent local authorities, by expecting them to make fewer economies than those at the other end of the spending scale.

Does the right hon. Gentleman intend in the next financial year to maintain the GREA exemption for local authorities that spend above his ceilings? Secondly, in view of the great uncertainty that prevails among local authorities about their finances in the current year, will he state categorically that he does not intend to impose a mid-year hold-back penalty on local authorities in this financial year?

Certainly, it is important to give the clearest and earliest indication to local authorities of the Government's view about their expenditure plans for 1983–84. The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that we have already announced a hold-back exercise for the current year and I shall shortly be making the Government's final views known in respect of any additional hold-back.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it costs more than £25 million per year to pay local government employees' wages and salaries physically, but that if they were to accept credit transfer half that money could be saved? Will he see what can be done to encourage local authorities to follow that course?

My hon. Friend makes an interesting point. Clearly, we wish to encourage anything that will save unnecessary expenditure which adds nothing to the quality of service provided.

Is it not nonsensical for the Department to try to make local authorities cut expenditure when it knows full well that the result will be more people on the dole due to a deliberate act of Government policy, which in turn will mean that the Department of Employment will be paying much more unemployment benefit and the DHSS much more supplementary benefit? Is it not better to give local authorities the money to provide the services so as to keep people in jobs?

The hon. Gentleman will be well aware that he has seen only one side—the wrong side—of the argument. High levels of expenditure with consequent high rates destroy far more jobs than they create.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the total numbers of architects employed full or part-time in England in local authority departments in each of the past three years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff, principals and their assistants, employed full or part-time in England in the town and country planning departments of local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff employed full or part-time in England in the refuse collection and disposal departments of local authorities in each of the past two years.

From figures available in the joint manpower watch, the total numbers of staff, full or part-time, employed by local authorities in England were as follows:

Does my right hon. Friend agree that if public architects' departments in local authorities were reduced in size a considerable saving could be made and architectural contracts could be put out to competitive tender?

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. I can commend all local authorities to review the services that they provide and to test whether they can provide them more cheaply through the private sector.

Although my right hon. Friend will be delighted to learn that the number of local authority days lost through strikes was reduced from 1·25 million in 1977 to 0·25 million in 1980, does he agree that the best way to protect the ratepayer from the powers of the unions is to contract out as many services as possible to private enterprise?

I welcome what my hon. Friend said. I shall not cease to encourage local authorities to pursue that course of policy.

Is my right hon. Friend not worried that the rise in local authority employees from 2 million to more than 3 million between 1965 and 1980 has put heavy pressure on the rates? Does he agree that services can be performed better by private enterprise? Will he try to push services out to private enterprise from local authorities wherever that is possible?

I agree with my hon. Friend's sentiments. He will realise that local authorities are autonomous bodies and that I do not have the power to compel them to act in that way. There is considerable scope for more private sector competition for local authority services. The evidence, such as it is, shows that where such competition exists the ratepayers get a better deal.

When the Secretary of State gives that advice, will he be giving any advice on the terms and conditions that should be adopted by private enterprise? Will he follow the lead that he gave when he appointed Arnold Montague Alfred as chief executive of the PSA on £50,000 a year, plus VAT, which is paid into his management consultancy service company, which is owned by him and his wife? Will the right hon. Gentleman give that advice, which will cost more money rather than save it?

I am grateful for the opportunity to refer to the appointment of Mr. Alfred as head of the Propery Services Agency. He is now presiding over one of the fastest decreasing Government Departments in Whitehall. If I were asked to give local authorities guidance, my answer would be clear. As the private sector can usually provide a better service at less cost, local authorities should try to achieve those terms.

Will my right hon. Friend examine examples in other Western industrialised countries and note that in each one, including Sweden, there is much less local authority activity, especially in refuse collection? Is he aware that many more services in those countries are hived-off to the private sector than in Britain, much to the benefit of their citizens?

I know that my hon. Friend has made a study of these matters. I have recently taken the opportunity to visit Southend—not quite as far afield as my hon. Friend went—where it is quite apparent that the employees of the private sector firm, the firm itself and the ratepayers—the people whose refuse is being collected—are delighted with the change. I hope that all my right hon. and hon. Friends will ask their local authorities the same questions that they are now asking me.

Is the Secretary of State aware that when there are countless thousands of unemployed construction workers in the North and when the city of Newcastle upon Tyne has a waiting list of 12,000 for council houses, the local authority is employing 22 per cent. fewer architects than when the right hon. Gentleman took office? Does he agree that that is deplorable?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would want to ask about the reasons for the capital reductions that he was keen to support when the party of which he is a member was in office. The Government have witnessed the first reversal in capital allocations to local authorities since 1975. Local authorities have responded to that by underspending on capital receipts by £400 million.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses must be built in central Berkshire under policy HI of the central Berkshire structure plan.

Under policy HI, the local planning authorities have to make available sufficient land to allow the construction of 31,700 houses in central Berkshire.

Would I correctly understand the complicated matter if I said that if Berkshire could demonstrate, in respect of its number of houses, that its commitment was met by existing planning consents, it need not feel that the Department of which my hon. Friend is a distinguished member will be chasing it for substantially increased housing that is bitterly resented in central Berkshire?

I am well aware of my hon. Friend's assiduous concern for the welfare of the citizens of central Berkshire. Nevertheless, he will be aware that we are dealing with land upon which houses may be built. As far as I understand it, about 19,500 such consents are available, within the overall total of 31,700, for the period of the structure plan. That leaves a significant shortfall.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a document assessing the operation of the Wildlife and Country side Act, following its first year of operation.

I see no need for a report on all of the different parts of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. However, assessments of tae provisions of the Act which concern the Nature Conservancy Council and the Countryside Commission will be made by the bodies in their annual reports which are laid before Parliament.

How can we explain the continuing and irretrievable loss of so much unique habitat, not least on the Minister's own doorstep at West Sedgemoor?

The problems of protecting habitat have been with us for a considerable time. We are worried about some of the impact of this. I am worried about some of the incidents that took place during the consultation period before the notification of an SSSI. I take the matter seriously. I shall discuss it with agricultural and landowning interests. If we cannot achieve a satisfactory outcome of that we shall face a much more difficult circumstance, which will have to be considered carefully.

Will my right hon. Friend say what action he is taking with regard to West Sedgemoor, which is facing erosion as a result of the activity of local farmers, before it is decided whether to designate it as an SSSI?

The matter is under discussion between the bodies concerned. Considerable consultations are taking place. My hon. Friend will be aware that the most important basis on which we can secure a proper agreement is by good will and sensible consultations between the parties concerned. There are conflicting interests, but we shall not protect the countryside and valuable habitats simply by Acts of Parliament and imposing legislation. We must secure the support of all parties. That is the Government's approach. It is the sensible one at the moment.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a great deal of anxiety in the North-West of England about the future of Kinder Scout? Will he do all that he can to help the Peak District national park to purchase that land if it is otherwise unable to do so because it is outbid by private interests? Will he insist that such private interests should respect all of the access agreements and should not change the character of the moorlands or ruin them, as many other agricultural developers have done?

I am aware of the anxiety about Kinder Scout, but I would rather not comment further now. The matter is being considered by the bodies concerned. The type of consideration with which the hon. Gentleman is familiar as a result of his interest in these matters is in our minds at the moment.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that when the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 went through Parliament its foundation, which was recommended to us, was the voluntary method of reaching agreement? Does he agree that it is clear from what he has said today that such voluntary agreement has broken down, as many of us feared it would, and that there have been serious consequences for important sites, the drainage of wetlands and use of scarce resources? Will the Minister take the matter seriously? We must return to it to protect the countryside and wildlife. Does he agree that we may need planning law to achieve that?

I repudiate entirely the opening part of the right hon. Gentleman's contribution. If we are to have an effective response, it requires co-operation and good will among the parties concerned. I hope that he will lend his good offices and those of his right hon. and hon. Friends to try to make the system work and not ally himself with certain bodies which are concerned to prove that the system cannot work, which could do lasting damage to the British countryside and habitat. The system can be made to work. The Government are determined to make sure that it does.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the most recent information he has on the construction industry's prospects indicate any improvement in orders during the current year.

I am glad to say that the latest construction new order figures published this afternoon show a number of improvements. In the past three months total construction orders were 11 per cent. higher in real terms than a year ago. Commercial orders were 10 per cent. higher, and so far this year have been at a higher level in real terms than in any year since 1973. In addition, in the past three months private housing orders were 41 per cent. higher in real terms than a year ago and public housing new orders were 46 per cent. higher.

While welcoming signs of improvement—and slight ones at that—of the appalling situation that this country faces, will the Minister bear in mind that thousands of construction workers are out of work all over the country and that there is an appalling situation in many constituencies, for example in my constituency, with regard to the size of housing waiting lists? Is there not a need for a massive increase in the work of the construction industry? If the Government take seriously the unemployment figures that were announced yesterday, will they take into account the fact that the construction industry is labour-intensive? That is the way in which we need to get people back to work.

The hon. Gentleman does not seem to take into account the fact that in the financial year that has just been completed local authorities underspent by more than £400 million on the capital allocations that were made available to them. This year the increased provision that we have made permits an increase in cash spend on capital for housing by one-third. I hope that we shall have the support of the hon. Gentleman in asking all local authorities to make the fullest possible use of the increased provision that has been made on the housing side, reinforced by what my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer did in his Budget.

I welcome the encouraging answer that has been given by my hon. Friend. Does he not agree that capital investment would be of tremendous benefit to the construction industry and a way of reducing unemployment? Will he therefore encourage my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to consider the introduction of index-linked construction bonds as a way of encouraging private capital into the provision of construction projects to improve our infrastructure?

My right hon. Friends regularly consider proposals for private financing of construction work. With regard to the public sector, we must take into account what is the most economic way of debt financing for construction work. I share my hon. Friend's sentiments. It is very much the Government's wish, within the overall public expenditure constraints, to make the greatest possible provision for capital expenditure, bearing in mind the benefits of employment in the construction industry.

Does the Minister agree that while the construction industry is used as an economic barometer, it would be impossible for local authorities to gear their programmes to their capital allocations? Does he further agree that while 400,000 building workers are out of work, it is a downright scandal that 500,000 British people are in homes without inside toilets, running hot water or bathrooms?

I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is impossible for local authorities to gear their programmes to the capital allocation system. About one-fifth of all authorities last year spent 90 per cent. or more of their capital allocations plus their capital receipts. With regard to the other point, we have made an increased provision for home improvement grants. I am glad to say that in the last quarter the number of home improvement grants was at its highest for more than six years.

If my hon. Friend speaks to my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer about more capital for the construction industry, will he tell him that to issue index-linked bonds for construction is merely putting off the evil day, and that future taxpayers will have to pick up the bill?

Absolute nonsense.

As I said in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton), in all forms of public debt financing we must look at the most economic way of providing debt financing for construction in the public sector.

After the Government's unprecedented attack on the construction industry, is it not unseemly for the Minister to rejoice on finding a few twitches of life in the body of his victim? If the Government persist in passing the phoney debating point about underspend or capital receipts across the Floor of the House will the Minister agree, as he is concerned about capital spending, to increase the housing investment programme allocation of any local authority that tells him that it wants to spend more so that we can get rid of the 30 per cent. unemployment in the building industry which the Minister has created?

There is nothing phoney about hundreds of millions of pounds of genuine cash receipts going to local authorities, which this Government alone made it possible for them to spend. One gets the impression from the right hon. Gentleman that anything is phoney if it does not reinforce his prejudices. The right hon. Gentleman talked about damage to the construction industry. I see that the Labour Party is now committed to the establishment of a national construction corporation based on the acquisition of one or more contractors, the extension of the activities of local authority direct labour organisations and the establishment of a building materials corporation. In terms of damage to the construction industry, that programme of nationalisation and municipalisation would be the greatest single disaster for it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses and flats are standing empty; and what proportion of this total are (a) awaiting repair and (b) awaiting purchasers.

According to the authorities' own estimates, 97,000 council dwellings were vacant in England on 1 April 1981. The reasons for vacancy are available only for the 24,000 local authority dwellings that have been empty for more than a year. Of these, 11,700 were awaiting or undergoing repair or improvement and 4,500 were awaiting sale.

Does the Minister agree that the hundreds of thousands of badly housed and homeless families find it extremely offensive that there are so many empty properties around them? They find it particularly offensive, when they live in areas such as Wandsworth, to see the numbers of empty council properties that are awaiting a purchaser. Does the Minister agree that that is a scandal? Will he monitor the situation more carefully and take steps to bring it to an end?

Wandsworth council has a number of empty dwellings awaiting sale. The hon. Gentleman referred to a scandal. However, in the Labour-controlled city council of Manchester, of the number of dwellings that have been vacant for more than a year, the number awaiting sale was 596. Many people who are seeking houses find offensive the political position of the Labour Party which, in undertaking to repeal shorthold, will deliberately deprive many people of short-term rented accommodation.

Does my hon. Friend agree that it would make a great deal of sense for local ratepayers if every council were required to publish a list, not only of council homes that have been standing empty for more than three months, but of any council homes that have been refused by two sets of people to whom they have been offered, so that other people can take over the homes and, if necessary, do the repairs themselves?

I agree that more attention should be given to the number of local authority dwellings that are subject to two refusals. In some cases there are more than two refusals. The number of properties that have been standing empty for a long time feature in local authority HIP returns. If my hon. Friend would like to table a question on that matter, I shall give him details of all the empty properties.

Is the Minister aware that in my constituency more than 100 excellent houses are standing empty which belong to the Home Office and were formerly prison officers' houses? Does he regard that as a scandal? Will the Minister suggest to his right hon. Friend, who is sitting next to him, that he should do something about those houses?

As my right hon. Friend is next to me, I am sure he heard what the hon. Gentleman said.

In view of the plethora of statements that my hon. Friend mentioned as coming from Labour hon. Members, can my hon. Friend name one that will in any way reduce the problem outlined by the hon. Member for Battersea, South (Mr. Dubs)?

My hon. Friend is right. It is the Government who have introduced shorthold and encouraged homesteading and improvement for sale. It is a Conservative Government who have sought to resolve the problem of empty dwellings.