| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Viggers : Detailed negotiations are under way with two companies which have submitted proposals for the acquisition of Harland and Wolff-- both involving orders for new ships. I have also had discussions with the
Column 47
chairman of the company and his colleagues about the basis for a possible management/employee buy-out. Details of these discussions are commercially confidential.ENERGY
War Dead (Disposal)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he proposes to make special provision of fuel stocks for use by local authorities in utilising cremation as a means of disposal of the dead in the event of war ; and if he will make a statement.
Petroleum Engineering Inspectorate
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish staffing figures for the petroleum engineering inspectorate in each year since 1979.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The number of inspectors employed in the petroleum engineering inspectorate and the number of vacancies since 1980 is set out in the table.
Date |Staff in post|Vacancies -------------------------------------------------------- June 1980 |25 |3 July 1981 |31 |2 March 1982 |32 |3 October 1985 |27 |6 March 1987 |36 |8 July 1988 |37 |9 November 1988 |39 |7
Prior to 1988, figures are available only for the dates shown.
WALES
Housing (Rural Areas)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he proposes taking to relieve the pressure on local people in rural parts of Wales who are experiencing difficulties in securing houses within their own communities, for renting or for purchase, because of the price increases during 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : We propose to increase to £1 million the funds available to local authorities in rural areas with a high concentration of second homes to purchase homes for sale or rent to local people. In addition Housing for Wales will devote a substantial proportion of its development programme to rural areas.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list in the Official Report (a) the actual and (b) the percentage fall in unemployment from August 1983 to August 1988 in each parliamentary constituency in Clwyd, Gwynedd and Powys.
Mr. Peter Walker : The information requested is as follows :
Column 48
Total unemployed claimants<1>
|August 1983 |August 1988 |Actual change |Percentage change
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Alyn and Deeside |4,684 |2,811 |-1,873 |-40.0
Clwyd North West |3,888 |3,721 |-167 |-4.3
Clwyd South West |3,549 |2,667 |-882 |-24.9
Delyn |4,969 |3,066 |-1,903 |-38.3
Wrexham |5,095 |3,152 |-1,943 |-38.1
Gwynedd
Caernarfon |2,929 |2,571 |-358 |-12.2
Conwy |2,937 |2,812 |-125 |-4.3
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy |1,434 |1,217 |-217 |-15.1
Ynys Mon |4,009 |3,647 |-362 |-9.0
Powys
Brecon and Radnor |2,050 |1,735 |-315 |-15.4
Montgomery |1,886 |1,404 |-482 |-25.6
Source: Department of Employment.
<1> The figures are affected by a change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986 to
reduce over-recording.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Postage Costs
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional postage costs have been incurred by the Inland Revenue since 1 January, by issuing tax assessments to agents in separate envelopes rather than in bulk.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I am afraid that this information is not available.
The Department has plans to utilise automatic mail handling equipment that will bring most agents' copies together, though it is unlikely that the new arrangements will be in place before 1990.
Woodlands (Maintenance Costs)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate costs previously claimed by woodland owners as maintenance expenses incurred in their woodland activities which were offset against income derived from other schedule D sources in Scotland and in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Norman Lamont : I regret that the information on which to base a reliable estimate is not available centrally.
EC Budget Council
Mr. Bright : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent meeting of the European Community's Budget Council.
Mr. Brooke : The council considered the European Parliament's amendments and modifications to the 1989 draft budget established on 26 July at columns 500-01 ; and the Commission's proposed amending letter. The revised draft budget to which the council agreed totalled 46,190 mecu (about £32,100 million) in commitments and 44,668 mecu (about £31,050 million) in payments.
As regards non-compulsory expenditure, the council accepted amendments totalling 109 mecu (about £75 million) in commitments and 96 mecu (about £65 million) in
Column 49
payments (around one third of the total increases proposed by the Parliament at its first reading of the budget on 27 October). Only a small part of the amendments to which the council agreed were for "privileged" expenditure (the structural funds, the R and D framework programme and the integrated Mediterranean programmes). The bulk were for other, "non-privileged" non-compulsory expenditure. The overall growth of this form of expenditure in the revised draft budget by comparison with 1988 is 5.6 per cent. in commitment and 5.4 per cent. in payments, somewhat below the calculated maximum rate of 5.8 per cent. communicated by the Commission at the beginning of the budget procedure.As regards compulsory expenditure, the council established an amending letter which, amongst other things, reduces the total provision for agricultural guarantee expenditure in the 1989 draft budget by 1,366 mecu (about £950 million) and increases the United Kingdom's abatement in 1989 under the Fontainebleau mechanism by 50 mecu (about £35 million).
Taking all of these factors together, the revised draft budget is around 2,200 mecu (about £1,500 million) below the overall ceiling in the financial perspective attached to the inter-institutional agreement (IIA) between the council, the Parliament and the Commission.
The council also agreed the basis on which it would enter into a process of co-decision with the European Parliament under article 203(9) of the Treaty to agree the overall growth of non-compulsory expenditure at the time of the Parliament's second reading of the budget in the week beginning 12 December.
CIVIL SERVICE
Foreign Visits
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what amount was reclaimed from his Office for expenditure incurred by Her Majesty's Embassies and High Commissions arising from ministerial visits abroad in the last financial year.
Mr. Luce : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 27 October at column 372.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service in what form his Office maintains details of amounts reclaimed by Her Majesty's Embassies and High Commissions for costs arising from ministerial visits abroad.
Mr. Luce : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 7 November 1988 at column 40.
THE ARTS
Libraries Green Paper
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will place responses to the libraries Green Paper in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Luce : Public disclosures of the responses to the Green Paper is a matter for those who replied : some have chosen to publish their answers. As I said in reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on
Column 50
7 November 1988 at column 14, I will in due course make a statement in the House on the representations made to me.DEFENCE
Development Programmes
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) further to the Government's reply to the third report from the Defence Committee, House of Commons Paper 674, how long a delay in a development programme must be before it is considered significant enough to report to the Defence Committee ;
(2) what other criteria, apart from the length of time, are considered when deciding whether or not to inform the Defence Committee of delays in development programmes.
Mr. Sainsbury : A major project statement (MPS) is sent each year to the Public Accounts Committee and the Defence Committee, giving details of in-service dates and development and production costs of major defence equipments. In addition, the first in an annual series of defence equipment project reports (DEPR), containing information of a similar character, was sent to the Defence Committee last May. The primary criterion for inclusion of an individual equipment item in either document is whether it exceeds a cost threshold : length of delay in a development programme has no bearing on inclusion or exclusion. For fuller descriptions of these documents I would refer the hon. Member to HC371 pages 18-22 as regards the MPS and HC340 page xxxiii as regards the DEPR.
AWE Capital Programme
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he decided to commission the British Nuclear Fuels' audit of the capital works programme at Aldermaston and Burghfield, which reported in February 1986; and why he decided to commission this report ; (2) when he agreed that the controller R & D establishments research and nuclear programmes should carry out a review of 32 AWRE projects ; and why he decided to commission this report.
Mr. Sainsbury : Following indications that the estimated total cost of the AWE capital programme was rising and that slippage was forecast, MoD Ministers endorsed a limited independent programme audit by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. (BNFL) in November 1985. The BNFL report was received by my Department on 7 March 1986. In the light of this Ministers subsequently agreed that the controller establishments and research and nuclear programmes should carry out a review of a wider group of 32 AWE capital and works projects. The reasons for the review are given in detail in paragraph 10--appendix 4 to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the "Control and Management of the Trident Programme" (HC 27).
Smith Report
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish the Smith report on the future management of non-nuclear research establishments.
Column 51
Mr. Sainsbury : The report by the defence research study team into the feasibility of establishing the non-nuclear defence research establishments as an executive agency was submitted in the summer. We are now considering the way ahead in the light of its conclusions and recommendations. This will include the question of publication of the report.
Statistics Organisation
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the report on the possibility of using the private sector in the Defence statistics organisation.
Mr. Sainsbury : The report examined the potential for using the private sector in the work of the Defence statistics organisation. It represented a preliminary stage in the process leading towards a full feasibility study. It is not appropriate to publish such an internal advisory document.
Milan 2T
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department will be participating in the Milan 2T tandem warhead development programme.
Mr. Sainsbury : Currently we have no requirement for an alternative Milan warhead and accordingly are not participating in the Milan 2T warhead development programme.
Gunnery Competition
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British Army units will be participating in next year's Canadian Army gunnery competition.
Challenge
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve the fire control system currently fitted to the Challenger tank.
Mr. Sainsbury : Improvement to the fire control system for existing Challenger tanks are currently under development.
Battlefield Lasers
Mr. Allan Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of the two contracts placed with Ferranti for the development of battlefield lasers capable of inflicting damage on optical sensors ; when the contracts were placed ; and if these contracts specify that the lasers should be capable of inflicting temporary damage to the human eyeball.
Mr. Sainsbury : The contract placed wth Ferranti Defence Systems covers investigation of laser technology alone and does not specify the requirement to inflict any damage, temporary or permanent, on any sensor, including the human eyeball. The contract was placed in 1982 but its terms and value are a commercial matter between the Department and Ferranti.
Column 52
War Dead (Disposal)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has carried out or commissioned research into the psychological difficulties likely to be experienced by those involved in mass burials in the event of war ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There has not been any research into the psychological difficulties likely to be experienced by those involved in mass burials in the event of war. The effects upon those individuals suffering from post traumatic stress disorder following their experiences in all aspects of the Falklands campaign have been observed.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has carried out or commissioned research into disposal of the dead in the event of war ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Tri-Service policy on the disposal of bodies of service personnel killed in action overseas was reviewed in 1983, mainly as a result of the Falklands conflict.
It was agreed that bodies of service personnel killed in action should in the first instance, and in accordance with established practice, be buried locally. The question of later burial in military cemeteries close to the battle areas, or of repatriation of the bodies, will be decided after the cessation of hostilities.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist in his Department for the provision of military assistance to local authorities for the disposal of the dead in the event of war.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No troops are specifically allocated to undertake military aid to civil authorities. In the event of war, any requests by local authorities for the provision of military assistance to carry out tasks in the community would be considered in the light of the circumstances and availability of resources at the time.
TRANSPORT
Air Misses
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be issuing a report on the air miss between aircraft of British Airways and Bulgarian Ailines which occurred on 6 February ; and if he intends to make a statement to the House.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : In accordance with the regulations, a draft of the report has been sent by the air accident investigation branch, in confidence, to those persons whose reputations might be adversely affected by it, to give them an opportunity to make representations to the inspector.
The Chief Inspector of Accidents expects to present the report to the Secretary of State by early in the new year. The report should be published a few weeks thereafter, provided there is no review board requested by affected persons.
London Assessment Studies
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if any limits on access to the London
Column 53
transportation survey model have been laid down in respect of the consultants for the London assessment studies.Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning the London assessment studies ; and when he expects to make a statement on future road planning for London.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : We have received representations on various aspects of the assessment studies from the London local authority associations, the London Planning Advisory Committee, individual local authorities, national organisations with an interest in transport matters, amenity groups, residents associations, and members of the public.
The consultants are due to submit their reports in summer 1989. There will then be an opportunity for public comment before any decisions are taken.
Channel Tunnel
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from how many companies and consortia of companies bids have been invited to pre -qualify for the financing and construction of a new railway link between London and the Channel tunnel by the private sector ; and if he will make a statement on the progress with this initiative.
Mr. Portillo : I understand that the British Railways Board's invitation is a general one which has not been restricted to particular companies or consortia. Interest has been expressed by a number of companies, but no firm applications have yet been received by the board. The deadline for applications is the end of January 1989.
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, if British Rail's proposed high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel is financed in the public sector, the cost of the associated environmental works will form part of the capital cost of the project for the purpose of calculating the rate of return.
Marine Inspectorate
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish staffing figures for the marine inspectorate in each year since 1979.
Mr. Portillo : The staff-in-post figures for each of the years are as follows :
|Figures
------------------------
1979 |605.0
1980 |582.5
1981 |559.0
1982 |510.0
1983 |504.5
1984 |509.0
1985 |484.5
1986 |446.0
1987 |412.5
1988 |380.5
Railway Inspectorate
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish staffing figures for the railway inspectorate in each year since 1979.
Mr. Portillo : Staffing figures for the railway inspectorate for each year since 1979, as at 31 December, are :
|Number
---------------------
1979 |36
1980 |37
1981 |37
1982 |35
1983 |35
1984 |36
1985 |36
1986 |32
1987 |31
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Deoxygenated Water
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has of the existence and location of large areas of deoxygenated water in the seas around Britain and of the causes of this condition ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : There has been no evidence of any such areas in British coastal waters for a number of years.
EC (Cereals)
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the United Kingdom intervention price for cereals would have been at 1988 values, for each year 1975 to 1988 if there had been no green pound disparity.
Mr. Ryder : The table sets out the prices at which feed quality wheat would have been bought into intervention in the United Kingdom if it is assumed that common agricultural prices had been converted at the market rate of exchange for the pound sterling obtaining at the beginning of the marketing year. These prices have been converted to 1988 values using the GDP deflator.
Marketing year beginning in
|<1>£ per tonne
---------------------------------------------
1975 |154
1976 |169
1977 |180
1978 |176
1979 |175
1980 |152
1981 |133
1982 |133
1983 |134
1984 |136
1985 |120
1986 |129
1987 |131
1988 |114
<1> (rounded to nearest £).
Note: Basic co-responsibility levy has been
deducted from 1986: the full additional
co-responsibility levy has been deducted in
1988, though in practice producers will
receive some refund of this. The amount of
levy deducted, per tonne in 1988 values, is
as follows: 1986, £4.20; 1987, £4.57; 1988,
£8.19.
Column 55
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the United Kingdom intervention price for cereals, at 1988 values, for each year 1975 to 1988, together with the
co-responsibility levy, where applicable, which would have been deductable.
Mr. Ryder : The following is the information :
Intervention/buying in prices for
feed quality wheat: 1988 values
Marketing year beginning in:
|£ per tonne
------------------------------------
1975 |148
1976 |157
1977 |160
1978 |170
1979 |167
1980 |155
1981 |148
1982 |149
1983 |146
1984 |138
1985 |128
1986 |115
1987 |108
1988 |98
Notes:
1. Rounded to nearest £1.
2. The prices shown are start of
season intervention/buying in
prices applicable in the United
Kingdom for feed quality grain
converted to 1988 prices using the
GDP deflator.
3. Prices for 1975 to 1977 were
those established under
transitional arrangements.
4. Basic co-responsibility levy has
been deducted from 1986: the full
additional co-responsibility levy
has been deducted in 1988, though
in practice producers will receive
some refund of this. The amount of
levy deducted per tonne in 1988
values, is as follows: 1986, £3.76;
1987, £3.75; 1988, £7.06. (Although
from 1 January 1989 this will be
reduced to £5.57.)
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he anticipates will be (a) the United Kingdom and (b) total European Economic Community intervention stocks of cereals at 1 January 1989.
Mr. Ryder : At 13 November 1988 the quantity of unsold intervention stocks held in the Community was 9.9 million tonnes of which 1.4 million tonnes was held in the United Kingdom. I cannot forecast possible changes in these stocks by 1 January, but a note setting out the volume of intervention stocks in the United Kingdom and the EEC is deposited in the Library of the House and is updated monthly.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current annual consumption in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European Economic Community of (i) cereals produced within the European Economic Community and (ii) cereals imported from outside the European Economic Community.
Mr. Ryder : The information requested, relating to the past complete marketing year (1987-88) is as follows :
]
million tonnes
|United Kingdom |European Economic
|Community
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumption of cereals produced within
the European Economic Community |19.3 |126.6
Consumption of cereals imported from
outside the European Economic
Community |0.8 |8.1
Source: EC Commission Balance Sheet 1987-88.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total European Economic Community intervention stock levels for cereals, at 1 January in each year from 1975 to 1988.
Mr. Ryder : The unsold intervention stocks, at a date nearest to 1 January for each of the years 1977 to 1988, are as follows. Stock levels for 1975 and 1976 are not available.
Unsold intervention stocks<1> Year |million tonnes --------------------------------------------- 1977 |<2>2.1 1978 |<2>1.1 1979 |<2>1.9 1980 |<2>2.6 1981 |<3>6.7 1982 |<3>4.3 1983 |<3>9.0 1984 |<3>8.9 1985 |<3>11.9 1986 |<4>16.4 1987 |<4>12.9 1988 |<4>8.1 <1> Source: EC Commission Intervention Stock Tables. <2> EC 9. <3> EC 10. <4> EC 12.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the United Kingdom intervention stock levels of cereals in each year, at 1 January, from 1975 to 1988.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The information is as follows :
|Tonnes
------------------------------
1975 |Nil
1976 |Nil
1977 |Nil
1978 |Nil
1979 |20,921
1980 |416
1981 |619,542
1982 |444,853
1983 |1,546,194
1984 |836,665
1985 |2,831,303
1986 |5,701,123
1987 |3,793,565
1988 |1,111,926
Mr. Paice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the total (a) United Kingdom and (b) European Economic Community cereal harvest in each year from 1975 to 1988.
Mr. Ryder : The information requested is as follows :
Million tonnes
|<1>United Kingdom |<2>European Economic
|Community
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1975 |13.9 |<5>97.1
1976 |13.3 |<5>90.4
1977 |16.7 |<5>103.6
1978 |17.3 |<5>116.1
1979 |17.4 |<5>113.4
1980 |19.5 |<5>119.2
1981 |19.6 |<6>122.5
1982 |21.9 |<6>131.7
1983 |21.3 |<6>123.7
1984 |26.6 |<6>151.1
1985 |22.5 |<6>138.8
1986 |24.5 |<7>153.8
1987 |<3>21.7 |<3><7>154.0
1988 |<4>21.0 |<4><7>162.5
<1> Source: Annual Review of Agriculture.
<2> Source: Agriculture Situation in the Community Reports 1975-87.
<3> Forecast.
<4> Estimate.
<5> EC 9.
<6> EC 10.
<7> EC 12.
Animal Corpses (Cremation)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has carried out or commissioned research into the mass cremation of animal corpses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department has gained experience of the mass cremation of animal corpses in dealing with disease but has not carried out or commissioned any specific research into the matter.
War Dead (Disposal)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding the prevention of pollution of food supplies arising from the disposal of the dead in the event of war.
Mr. Ryder : Arrangements for those killed in the event of war would depend on the type of attack sustained. Any hazard to food supplies would be assessed in the light of circumstances.
HEALTH
NHS (Agency Staff)
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to review the amount agencies charge the National Health Service for hiring medical staff for work in hospitals or as locums ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : No. Health authorities may have to pay over 120 per cent. more for an agency doctor than they would for an NHS-employed doctor doing the same job. The spending on agency staff increased from £26.3 million in 1984-85 to an estimated £32.2 million in the current year. I have today told health authorities that the amount that they can pay agencies supplying locums will be pegged at 1987-88 levels. This will save some £750,000 in England this financial year. I am consulting health authorities, the medical profession and the agencies about proposals designed to produce further savings in future years.
Care of the Elderly
Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list by regional health authority (a) the number of 65 to 70 year olds receiving National Health Service care and (b) the number of 65 to 70 year olds receiving private sector care ;
Column 58
(2) if he will list by regional health authority (a) the number of 70 to 75 year olds receiving National Health Service care and (b) the number of 70 to 75 year olds receiving private sector care ; (3) if he will list by regional health authority (a) the number of 75 to 80 year olds receiving National Health Service care and (b) the number of 75 to 80 year olds receiving private sector care ; (4) if he will list by regional health authority (a) the number of 80 to 85 year olds receiving National Health Service care and (b) the number of 80 to 85 year olds receiving private sector care ; (5) if he will list by regional health authority (a) the number of people over 85 years old receiving National Health Service care and (b) the number of people over 85 years old receiving private sector care.
| Next Section
| Home Page |