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[Lords] Considered ; to be read the Third time.
[Lords]
Order for Second reading read.
To be read a Second time on Thursday 8 December.
Considered ; to be read the Third time.
Return ordered,
for Session 1987-88 of--
(1) the total number of Questions to Ministers or other Members which stood on the Order Paper, distinguishing those set down for oral, written answer priority and written
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respectively, the number of days upon which replies to Questions for oral answers were given in the House ; and the total number of Questions for oral answer to which such answers were given in the House ;(2) the total number of Notices of Motions given for an early day ;
(3) the number of Members ordered to withdraw from the House under Standing Order No. 42 (Disorderly conduct) showing separately the orders given in the House and those given in Committee ; and the Members suspended from the service of the House under Standing Order No. 43 (Order in debate) or otherwise, distinguishing whether the offence was committed in the House or in Committee, the period of such suspension, the number of occasions on which more than one Member was so suspended having jointly disregarded the authority of the chair, and the number of occasions on which the attention of the House was called to the need for recourse to force to compel obedience to Mr. Speaker's direction ; and
(4) the number of public petitions presented to the House distinguishing separately those brought to the Table at the times specified by Standing Order No. 133 (No debate on presentation of petition).-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
Respecting--
(a) applications of Standing Order No. 35 (Closure of debate) during Session 1987-88 :
(1) in the House and in Committee of the whole House, under the following heads :
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Respecting (a) applications of Standing Order No. 35 ( Closure of debate during Session 1987-88: (1) in the House and in Committee of the whole House, under the following heads: 1 Date when Closure claimed, and by ------------------------------------------------
and (2) in the Standing Committees under the following heads: 1 ------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5
Date when
Closure claimed,
and by whom Whether in
House or
Committee Whether claimed
in respect of
Motion or
Amendment Whether assent
given to Motion
or withheld by
the Chair Result of Motion,
and, if a Division,
Numbers for
and against
and
(2) in the Standing Commitees under the following heads :
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and (b) applications of Standing Order No. 28 (Powers of Chair to propose question) during Session 1987-88: (1) in the House and in Committee of the whole House, under the following heads: 1 ------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4
Date when
Closure claimed,
and by whom Whether claimed
in respect of
Motion or
Amendment Whether assent
given to Motion
or withheld
by the Chair Result of Motion,
and, if a Division,
Numbers for
and against
-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
and
(c) the number of Bills in respect of which allocation of time orders (distinguishing where appropriate orders supplementary to a previous order) were made under Standing Order No. 81 (Allocation of time to bills), showing in respect of each bill--
(i) the number of sittings allotted to the consideration of the Bill in Standing Committee by any report of a Business Sub-Committee under Standing Order No. 103 (Business sub-committees) agreed to by the Standing Committee, and the number of sittings of the Standing Committee pursuant thereto ; and
(ii) the number of days or portions of days allotted by the allocation of time order and any supplementary order to the consideration of the Bill at any stage in the House or in committee, together with the number of days upon which proceedings were so taken in the House or in committee.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
Of the number of Instruments considered in Session 1987-88 by the Joint Committee and the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments respectively pursuant to their orders of reference, showing in each case the numbers of Instruments subject to the different forms of parliamentary procedure and of those within the Committees' orders of reference for which no parliamentary procedure is prescribed by statute ; setting out the grounds on which Instruments may be drawn to the special attention of the House under Standing Order No. 124 (Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)) and specifying the number of Instruments so reported under each of these grounds ; and of the numbers of Instruments considered by a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c., and by the House respectively, in Session 1987-88, showing the number where the Question on the proceedings relating thereto was put forthwith under Standing Order No. 101(5).-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
Of the Number of Private Bills, Hybrid Bills, Bills for the confirmation of Orders under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland), Act 1936, and Bills for confirming Provisional Orders introduced into this House, and brought from the House of Lords, and of Acts passed in Session 1987-88, specifying also the dates of the House's consideration of the several stages of such Bills ; Of all Private Bills, Hybrid Bills and Bills for confirming Provisional Orders which in Session 1987-88 were reported on by Committees on Opposed Bills or by Committees nominated by the House or partly by the House and partly by the Committee of Selection, together with the names of the selected Members who served on each Committee ; the first and also the last day of the sitting of each Committee ; the number of days on which each Committee sat ; the number of days on which each selected Member served ; the number of days occupied by each Bill in Committee ; the Bills of which the Preambles were reported to have been proved ; the Bills of which the Preambles were reported to have been not proved ; and in the case of Bills for confirming Provisional Orders, whether the Provisional Order ought or ought not to be confirmed ;
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Of all Private Bills and Bills for confirming Provisional Orders which in Session 1987-88 were referred by the Committee of Selection to the Committee on Unopposed Bills, together with the names of the Members who served on the Committee ; the number of days on which the Committee sat ; and the number of days on which each Member attended ;Of the number of Bills to confirm Orders under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act 1936, distinguishing those proceeded with under section 7 and under section 9 respectively ; specifying, in the case of Bills proceeded with under section 9 against which petitions were deposited, whether a motion was made to refer the Bill to a joint committee, and if so whether such motion was agreed to, withdrawn, negatived or otherwise disposed of ; and stating for each joint committee to which a Bill was referred the names of the Members of this House nominated thereto, the first and last day of the committee's sitting, the number of days on which each joint committee sat for the consideration of the Bill referred to it, the number of days on which each Member of the committee served, and whether the committee reported that the Order ought or ought not to be confirmed.
And of the number of Private Bills, Hybrid Bills, Bills for the confirmation of Orders under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act 1936, and Bills for confirming Provisional Orders withdrawn or not proceeded with by the parties, those Bills being specified which were referred to Committees and dropped during the sittings of the Committee.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
Of the number of Public Bills (other than Bills to confirm Provisional Orders and Bills to confirm Orders under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act 1936) distinguishing Government from other Bills, introduced into this House, or brought from the House of Lords, during Session 1987- 88, showing : (1) the number which received the Royal Assent, and (2) the number which did not receive the Royal Assent, indicating those which were introduced into but not passed by this House, those passed by this House but not by the House of Lords, those passed by the House of Lords but not by this House, those passed by both Houses but Amendments not agreed to ; and distinguishing the stages at which such Bills were dropped, postponed or rejected in either House of Parliament, or the stages which such Bills had reached by the time of Prorogation.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
Of the days on which the House sat in Session 1987-88, stating for each day the day of the month and day of the week, the hour of the meeting, and the hour of the adjournment ; the total numbers of hours occupied in the sittings of the House ; and the average time ; showing the number of hours on which the House sat each day, and the number of hours after the time appointed for the interruption of business and specifying, for each principal type of business before the House, how much time was spent thereon, distinguishing from the total the time spent after the hour appointed for the interruption of business.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
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Return ordered,
Of the number of Special Procedure Orders presented in Session 1987-88, the number withdrawn ; the number annulled ; the number against which Petitions or copies of Petitions were deposited ; the number of Petitions of General Objection and for Amendment respectively considered by the Chairmen ; the number of such petitions certified by the Chairmen as proper to be received, and the number certified by them as being Petitions of General Objection and for Amendment respectively ; the number referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses ; the number reported with Amendments by a Joint Committee, and the number in relation to which a Joint Committee reported that the Order be not approved and be amended respectively ; and the number of Bills introduced for the confirmation of Special Procedure Orders :
Of Special Procedure Orders which, in Session 1987-88, were referred to a Joint Committee, together with the names of the Commons Members who served on each Committee ; the number of days on which each Committee sat ; and the number of days on which each such Member attended.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
For Session 1987-88 of (1) the total number and the names of all Members (including and distinguishing Chairmen) who have been appointed to serve on one or more of the Standing Committees showing, with regard to each of such Members, the number of sittings to which he was summoned and at which he was present ; (2) the number of Bills, Estimates, Matters and other items referred to Standing Committees pursuant to Standing Order No. 102 (Standing Committees on Statutory Instruments, &c.), or Standing Order No. 103 (Standing Committees on European Community Documents) considered by all and by each of the Standing Committees, the number of sittings of each Committee and the titles of all Bills, Estimates, Matters and other items as above considered by a Committee, distinguishing where a Bill was a Government Bill or was brought from the House of Lords, and showing in the case of each Bill, Estimate, Matter and other item, the particular Committee by which it was considered, the number of sittings at which it was considered (including, in the case of the Scottish Grand Committee, the number of meetings held in Edinburgh, pursuant to a motion made under Standing Order No. 95(3) (Scottish Grand Committee)) and the number of Members present at each of those sittings.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
Return ordered,
For Session 1987-88 of statistics relating to the membership, work costs and staff of Select Committees with so much of the same information as is relevant to the Chairmen's Panel and the Court of Referees.-- [The First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.]
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2. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what action has been taken by his Department over the past two years to ensure greater safety in the use of domestic household electrical appliances.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Consumer Affairs (Mr. Eric Forth) : Effort has been directed to two main sectors.
First, regulations have been prepared which set constructional requirements aimed at ensuring the intrinsic electrical safety of household appliances and accessories. Last year, the Plugs and Safety Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1987 were introduced to improve the safety of those items. Consultation has also been carried out on the Low Voltage Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations, intended to implement the low voltage directive, which I expect to lay before the House early in the new year. More generally, the Consumer Protection Act 1987 also introduced a new general safety requirement for all consumer goods not covered by specific regulations to be reasonably safe.
Secondly, promotional campaigns have been undertaken, in conjunction with industry, to heighten awareness of the hazards associated with the use of certain electrical equipment and the ways to minimise those risks. Particular examples have concerned the proper use and maintenance of electric blankets and the enhanced protection against electric shock provided by residual current devices.
Mr. Sumberg : Does my hon. Friend agree that it is hardly helpful to safety in the home to oblige the disabled, the elderly and the plain incompetent, among whom I number myself, to fit plugs to electrical appliances? Is it not time that we followed the practice on continental Europe and obliged manufacturers to fit moulded plugs on all electrical appliances?
Mr. Forth : I am charmed, if not seduced, by my hon. Friend's confession of weakness. There is no evidence that safety problems arise in domestic use from plugs not being attached to flexes by manufacturers, so I should be reluctant to make that compulsory. I remind my hon. Friend that 5 to 10 per cent. of households still use the old round-pin plugs, which could give rise to problems.
Mr. Thurnham : Is my hon. Friend aware that Britain is one of the few countries in the world in which any Tom, Dick or Harry can set up as an electrician? No doubt any Frank, Fritz or Sebastian will soon be able to do so as well. Will my hon. Friend encourage householders to use only qualified electricians? Will he acknowledge the work done by the Electrical Contractors Association in setting high standards of training and encouraging the installation of residual current breakers in every house?
Mr. Forth : I welcome what my hon. Friend has said. It is of the greatest importance that consumers generally--certainly in the sector that we are discussing--should always try to ensure the competence of a contractor. I
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encourage the industry to go further in its efforts to ensure that potential users of its services use only the competent and qualified.Mr. Kennedy : I listened with interest to the Minister's first response, but something was lacking. Why is he so against making the attachment of plugs compulsory?
Mr. Forth : I am sorry that I did not carry the hon. Gentleman with me. Not only are we generally against compulsion where it can be avoided, but there is no evidence that plugs not compulsorily attached to electrical flex cause any safety hazard in the home. The hon. Gentleman must concede that some housholds in his constituency may still use the old two-pin plugs. Making the use of square-pin plugs compulsory would thus give rise to problems, perhaps among people on low incomes.
3. Mr. Richard Page : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to make an announcement on possible launch-aid for the Rolls-Royce 211-524L engine.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Mr. Robert Atkins) : Discussions are continuing with Rolls-Royce onits launch-aid application for the RB211-524J and 524L engines. I expect the Government to be in a position to make an announcement on the application early next year.
Mr. Page : I am disappointed that an announcement will not be available today. I remind my hon. Friend that this engine application will produce the most powerful civil aviation engine in the world, one that will have considerable world markets. As our manufacturing base, although growing and expanding, is still regretfully rather small--as witnessed by our balance of payments problems--will my hon. Friend use his considerable charm, influence and persuasion to ensure that, however it is funded, the application goes ahead?
Mr. Atkins : I am delighted by my hon. Friend's question. My hon. Friend, along with me and those who appreciate the value of Rolls-Royce, recognises that the potential for this engine is not in doubt. Rolls-Royce has a deserved reputation for excellence, which this derivative will enhance. I agree that Rolls-Royce has found the right market. I hope that the engine will be successful.
Mr. Greg Knight : Will my hon. Friend confirm that, with or without launch-aid, this is an excellent engine and that Rolls-Royce has an excellent safety record?
Mr. Atkins : Of course I agree with my hon. Friend. I paid a visit to Rolls-Royce in his constituency and recognise the importance of the work force. As usual, my hon. Friend puts the case for his constituents and for Rolls-Royce with the persuasion that we have come to expect.
4. Mr. Rowe : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has held concerning employment and training and inner-city policy ; and if he will make a statement.
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The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr. Tony Newton) : The measures available under the DTI's enterprise initiative already recognise that some areas of the country require additional assistance to encourage enterprise and growth.
Mr. Rowe : My right hon. Friend will be aware of some of the evidence given recently to the Select Committee on Employment about the lack of provision for training in some of the urban development corporations. Will he give an assurance that he will take into account some of the excellent suggestions made in that evidence and elsewhere for improving the position, because the need is urgent?
Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend knows the importance that we attach to employment and training issues in relation to inner-city policy. They are the subject of frequent discussion. I shall certainly take account of my hon. Friend's comments in considering the points made.
Mr. Vaz : When the right hon. Gentleman considers future inner-city policy, will he learn from the mistakes that were made with the establishment of the inner-city task forces? Will he ensure that local authorities, such as mine in Leicester, are consulted fully before any of these policies are put into effect? Will he also consider extending the inner-city initiatives to the outer areas of cities, which suffer from similar problems to those in inner-city areas?
Mr. Newton : As it happens, I was in Leicester yesterday and visited the task force area with which the hon. Gentleman is concerned. It seems to be doing very good work. I must say gently that it takes two to achieve the degree of co-operation that the hon. Gentleman and I would like to see. I hope that it will be possible to work as co-operatively as both of us would like.
On the hon. Gentleman's other point, of course there are other places which suffer significant problems and that is one point that we shall bear in mind as we consider the deployment of the task force effort.
5. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he next intends to meet his European Community counterparts to discuss the equalisation of funding conditions for unit trusts and similar investment media throughout all the European Community member states.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs (Mr. Francis Maude) : I regularly meet my European Community counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. These include the sorts of matters indicated by my hon. Friend.
Mr. Dykes : May I eschew the ghastly phrase "level playing fields" and ask my colleague whether he will work hard from now on to achieve the equalisation and harmonisation of conditions for these unit trust groups, both British and foreign? Does my hon. Friend agree that there should be equalisation of distribution and marketing provision in all member states as soon as possible? Does he agree also that insurance groups launching unit trusts and other similar instruments should not be able to conceal the real net charges from unit trust purchasers, but should reveal the same charges as other genuine unit trust groups?
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Mr. Maude : All unit trusts, whether produced by insurance companies, specialised unit trust companies or anyone else, have to meet the same terms and conditions. I am delighted that my hon. Friend did not talk about level playing fields. In the time that I have been doing this job, I have heard a great deal about playing fields but have never come across one which people agreed was level. We must ensure that such products are readily marketable across Europe. Under the directive that comes into force next October, it will be possible for a unit trust which is authorised in one Community country to be marketed throughout the Community, but it will have to be marketed subject to the rules of the country in which it is being marketed. There would therefore be no question of products authorised elsewhere but marketed in the United Kingdom being subject to a laxer regime.
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