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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 19 December 1988
PRIME MINISTER
Visits
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Prime Minister how many official visits she made to Scotland in each year from 1979 to 1988.
The Prime Minister : The information is as follows :
|Number
----------------------
1979 |2
1980 |2
1981 |2
1982 |3
1983 |2
1984 |1
1985 |1
1986 |3
1987 |2
<1>1988 |5
<1> To date.
Meetings
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Prime Minister if, on her next meeting with President-elect George Bush she will give him a report on the meeting between the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) and Bassam Abu Sharif of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
The Prime Minister : No. But I expect that the Arab-Israel question will be among the topics for discussion when I next meet Mr. Bush.
White Papers
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list all the White Papers produced by the Government since 1979.
The Prime Minister : A list of Command Papers from May 1979, which includes White Papers, is held on POLIS in the House of Commons Library.
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Armenia
Mr. Speller : To ask the Prime Minister whether she will accept an offer from the Royal College of Art to assemble a small architectural planning team for Armenia ; and if she will inform the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of this voluntary project.
The Prime Minister : I am grateful to the Royal College of Art for its offer of help, which we shall pass on to the Soviet authorities.
Economic Regions
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for determining the boundaries of economic regions ; how often these boundaries are reviewed ; and by what process and criteria they are reviewed.
The Prime Minister : There is no longer a single set of planning regions for economic purposes although for statistical purposes such as Regional Trends we adopt a standard presentation for all subjects.
Special Needs Housing
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Prime Minister if she will set up an interdepartmental review of the funding of special needs housing.
The Prime Minister : There is already adequate and continuous discussion of these issues between the responsible Departments.
THE ARTS
Items in Lieu of Tax
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will specify the allocations made to public institutions in the United Kingdom during the half year ending 31 December 1988 of individual works of art and museum objects pre-eminent for national, scientific, historic or artistic interest which have been accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax, together with information, where applicable, as to conditions or wishes expressed in the matter of allocation by testators, or executors ; whether he will list the works of art and museum objects which are still awaiting allocation, with the respective dates of their acceptance in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax ; and whether he will issue a press notice covering the information given in his reply.
Mr. Luce : The information is as follows :
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c
Items allocated since 1 July 1988
Item |Conditions or wishes |Recipient institution
|expressed
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Print by William Blake |Conditional |Fitzwilliam Museum
|Cambridge
Two paintings by William Hogarth |None |National Museum
|of Wales
|Item awaiting
|allocation
Item |Condition or wishes|Date of acceptance
|expressed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flower painting by Jacob Marrel |None |9 May 1988
A press notice is being issued.
Museums and Galleries (Attendances)
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will publish in the Official Report the attendance figures for 1988 reported by the national museums and galleries in England for which he is responsible, broken down into the individual institutions, including their outstations, with figures in each case of the percentage change on the attendance figures for 1987.
Mr. Luce : The information on attendance figures for 1988 will not be available until the new year.
Works of Art (Export Licences)
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will list the items for which export licences were withheld on the recommendation of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art during the half year ended 31
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December 1988, specifying in each case the valuation and whether an item was eventually exported or retained, with particulars in the latter event of the acquiring institution ; whether he will list any items for which licences have been withheld but the final disposal of which is not yet decided, specifying in each case (a) the valuation and (b) the relevant time limit ; and whether he will issue a press notice covering the information in his reply.Mr. Luce : My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry accepted my recommendation following consideration by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art to defer for the period specified a decision on an export licence application in respect of the items listed. The valuation has been omitted in one case where the owner wished it to remain confidential. Details of the items listed were given in press notices issued at the time the Secretary of State decided to accept the recommendation ; however, a further press notice will be issued.
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Description of item |Valuation £ |Outcome
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A portrait of "Sir Joseph Banks" by Benjamin West |1,922,250 |Decision deferred for 6 months until 1 June 1989
A rare signed Cameo plaque "The Pearl Necklace" by George |20,240 |Decision deferred for 3 months until 31 January
Woodall |1989
A Dutch ewer and basin by Christian Van Vianen |- |Decision deferred for 6 months until 22 January
|1989
A Roman bronze mask of Silenus |55,000 |Decision deferred for 3 months until 24 January
|1989
A pair of George II black and gold lacquer open armchairs |111,500 |Decision deferred for 3 months until 24 January
|1989
A white marble relief "Dido" attributed to Antonio Lambardo |650,000 |Decision deferred for 4 months until 1 April 1989
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
United Kingdom-Soviet Relations
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent the further education sector is preparing for closer and better relations between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union ; what resources are being devoted to that end ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : A number of specific objectives have developed from my right hon. Friend's recent visit to the USSR against the background of the long-standing scientific, educational and cultural agreement between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union and the growing independent links between British and Soviet universities and other educational establishments.
The implementation of the cultural agreement and the encouragement of independent links rests with the British Council. Existing activities include encouraging links between institutions for the direct exchange of staff and students and providing for British undergraduate students to study in the Soviet Union, for Soviet teachers to study in Britain, for exchanges of lecturers, and for visits by senior academics, researchers and postgraduate scholars. It is proposed to increase the Council's budget for co-operation with the Soviet Union generally. If approved,
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a proportion of the additional funds will be used to strengthen activity in further and higher education, but it is not possible at this stage to say what those additional resources will be. In addition, the University Grants Committee is to set up an inquiry into the current and future provision of Soviet and East European studies in this country.Identity Cards
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has investigated, or is currently studying, the usefulness of a national identity card to his departmental responsibilities ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) on 15 December at columns 1080-81.
School Meals (Bradford)
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, how many children took school meals in Bradford for each year since 1975 ; and in each case how many children were taking free meals and how many were paying for their meals.
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Mr. Butcher : The information is not available in the precise form requested, but the table shows the number of pupils taking school meals in primary, secondary and special schools in Bradford on the day of the annual school meals census in each year since 1975. In each case it also shows how many children were taking free meals on the day of the census and how many were taking paid meals.
Year |Free |Paid |Total ----------------------------------- 1975 |9,935 |43,979|53,914 1976 |11,253|43,641|54,894 1977 |13,227|37,558|50,785 1978 |15,818|37,355|53,173 1979 |14,002|37,038|51,040 1980 |12,826|28,948|41,774 1981 |16,442|26,875|43,317 1982 |20,076|25,585|45,661 1983 |22,741|25,051|47,792 1984 |23,116|21,437|44,553 1985 |N/A |N/A |N/A 1986 |28,818|21,990|50,808 1987 |23,336|18,130|41,466
Smoking
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that children in schools are protected from the effects of passive smoking and from the influence of seeing their teachers smoke ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) what steps he is taking to ensure that, in order to protect children from the effects of passive smoking and from the influence of seeing adults smoke around them, all school buses are smoke-free ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Butcher : My right hon. Friend has no powers to prohibit smoking either on school premises or on school buses. These are matters for the local education authority or the individual school to consider and decide upon.
Willowbrook School
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the purpose of the recent visit of Her Majesty's inspector of schools to Willowbrook primary school, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : The district inspector for Leicestershire has general responsibility for all schools in the local education authority, and visited Willowbrook school recently as part of his routine programme of pastoral visiting.
Mathematics and Science
Mr. Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will respond to the National Curriculum Council's reports published on 5 December on his proposals for mathematics and science 5 to 16 in the national curriculum.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : I have accepted in full the advice set out in the National Curriculum Council's reports on mathematics and science. In the light of this, and of the results of the consultation which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has carried out in Wales, we are today publishing draft orders and draft associated
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documents for attainment targets and programmes of study for mathematics and science, in accordance with section 4(2)(a), (b) and (4) of the Education Reform Act 1988. In accordance with section 20(5) of the Act, I shall be consulting all persons who were formally consulted by the National Curriculum Council on our proposals for mathematics and science. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales will be making the required arrangements for consultation in Wales. Copies of the draft orders and the associated documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.ILEA (Expenditure)
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what decision he has taken on the application from the Inner London education authority for redetermination of the expenditure level for 1989- 90 which he set in July ; and what maximum he proposes to prescribe for the Inner London education authority's precept in that year.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Having considered the Inner London education authority's application, I have decided to redetermine the expenditure level for 1989-90 at £950 million, £10 million higher than the level I set in July. In coming to this decision, I have taken into account the authority's representations about the particular circumstances of its last year of operation. I have today notified the authority of this decision.
I have also notified it of my proposal to prescribe a maximum precept for 1989-90 of 77.61p which would, on the latest information available, enable the authority to raise £950 million. The proposed precept maximum is 4.19p less than the current year's precept--a reduction of 5.1 per cent. I have given the authority until 13 January to inform me whether it accepts the proposal.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Nicaragua
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the applications made by Nicaragua to the World Bank and IADB which have been vetoed by (a) the United Kingdom or (b) the United States of America in the last five years, giving reasons for the United Kingdom veto in each case.
Mr. Chris Patten : No loan proposals for Nicaragua have been considered by the executive boards of the World Bank and the Inter-American development bank in the past five years.
Bilateral Aid
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the figures for bilateral aid to Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua for the years 1986 and 1987.
Mr. Chris Patten : The figures for gross bilateral aid from the Overseas Development Administration are as follows :
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£ million
|1986|1987
--------------------------
Costa Rica |0.52|0.36
Honduras |0.76|0.81
Nicaragua |0.09|-
In addition, the Commonwealth Development Corporation provided the following amounts of project aid in the form of loans or equity investment :
£ million
|1986|1987
--------------------------
Costa Rica |9.52|2.23
Honduras |0.50|-
We have also provided aid for projects jointly funded with British voluntary agencies. Financial year disbursements are :
£ million
|1986-87|1987-88
-----------------------------------
Costa Rica |- |0.01
Honduras |0.03 |0.05
Nicaragua |0.02 |0.05
Cambodia
Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what humanitarian aid Britain is providing for Cambodia.
Mr. Chris Patten : We have already contributed £100,000 to the Food and Agriculture Organisation/World Food Programme appeal for Cambodia and I recently announced an increase of £500,000 to support projects, including humanitarian projects in Cambodia, proposed by British voluntary agencies for assistance under the joint funding scheme. In addition, I have decided to make a contribution of £250,000 to the UNICEF programme in Cambodia.
Voluntary Recruiting Agencies
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to increase the level of financial support to the British volunteer recruiting agencies.
Mr. Chris Patten : Subject to parliamentary approval, I propose to make a total of £13 million available in 1989-90 to the British agencies which recruit volunteers to work in developing countries. This represents an increase of more than 20 per cent. on this year's grants and marks our appreciation of the important and distinctive role that British volunteers play.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Cathedrals
74. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, if, since 28 November, the Church Commissioners have had any discussions with the authorities of the General Synod of the Church of England with a view to securing the amendment of the draft Care of Cathedrals Measure and
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enabling it to complete its passage through Synod in time to come before Parliament for consideration before 1 June 1989.Mr. Alison : The progress of the draft Care of Cathedrals Measure is not a matter for the Commissioners. However, I understand that it is hoped to take the revision stage of this Measure at the February group of sessions of the General Synod. The final stage would then be taken in July.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Office Costs Allowance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many employees are employed by hon. Members paid from the secretarial and office allowance.
Mr. Wakeham : The total number of individual payments made from the office costs allowance to persons employed by Members is currently 1, 267.
TRANSPORT
Radio Beacons
Mr. Couchman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fishing vessles of more than 12 m registered length have been inspected by his Department to ensure that they carry an emergency position indicating radio beacon ; what proportion of those British vessels eligible to carry emergency position indicating radio beacons this represents ; and how many were found to be deficient.
Mr. Portillo : The information is not available in the form requested. However, from registration records kept, 603 fishing vessels have been equipped with operating on 406 MHz but this does not include approved beacons operating on 121.5 MHz which will continue to be accepted until 1992 if they were installed before the requirements came into force. Some 1,950 fishing vessels will be required to carry these devices by 15 January 1989.
New Motorway (North-East)
Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the cost of building a three-lane motorway from London to the north-east of England.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The Department has no plans to build such a motorway. We have no estimates of the possible cost.
A1
Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average number of vehicles per hour travelling on the A1 in each year from 1960 to date ; and what is the projected annual rate for the next 10 years.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The earliest year for which data are available is 1983.
Estimated average
number of vehicles
per hour on the A1
|Number
---------------------
1983 |900
1984 |940
1985 |990
1986 |1,040
1987 |1,060
These estimates are based on counts taken at different times and are subject to sampling errors. The A1 has been defined to include those sections designated as motorways.
The Department prepares forecasts of national traffic. Where specific trunk road improvements are being assessed, local traffic forecasts are prepared. Projections are not otherwise made for specific roads.
Driving Licences
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the driver and vehicle licensing centre in Swansea ; how many inquiries they have received during the last 12 months ; and how many driving licences have been (a) issued and (b) reissued during the last 12 months.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Between December 1987 and November 1988 the driver and vehicle licensing centre issued a total of 6.727 million driving licences of which 1.189 million were first provisional licences and the remainder reissues of varying types.
Driver and vehicle licensing centre's staff in post at 1 December 1988 totalled 5,214. A total of 3,773 are employed at Swansea and the remainder in vehicle registration offices.
In the year 1987-88 there were 373,000 progress inquiries (representing 0.52 per cent. of all transactions processed) and 1.312 million information inquiries making a total of 1.685 million.
Light Dues
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the European Economic Community countries which charge shipowners light dues.
Mr. Portillo : Light dues are charged in Greece, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. I understand that in the Netherlands there is a Government levy on port dues which is applied to meeting the costs of navigational aids outside the ports.
M20 (Hollingbourne to Ashford)
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now make a statement on the letting of the first contract for the building of the Hollingbourne to Ashford section of the M20 motorway.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The contract was let on 9 December. Work will start in January for completion in the spring of 1991.
British Transport Police
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has received any recommendations from Mr. Charles McLachlan on manning levels of L division of the British Transport police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : Mr. McLachlan, one of Her Majesty's inspectors of constabulary has reported on his inspection
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earlier this year of L division of the British Transport police. It is for the BT police committee to consider the recommendations, some of which concern manning levels.Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Mr. McLachlan to conclude his report into the operations of the British Transport police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : Mr. McLachlan's report on the L division of British Transport police has been completed. It is proposed to inspect and report on the rest of the force early next year.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public affairs resources the British Transport police has ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : I understand that the British Transport police has no press office. Officers deal with the media when appropriate, taking account of force standing orders and can seek assistance and advice from the British Rail and London Regional Transport public affairs departments.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if there have been any discussions between his Department and British Rail over the level of funding of the British Transport police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : My Department has had recent discussions with the Railways board on a number of issues involving the BTP, including funding arrangements.
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on the continued existence of the British Transport police as a separate entity.
Mr. Portillo : If a decision to privatise British Rail were taken, it would be necessary to consider whether to change the arrangements for policing the railway. But since no such decision has been taken, no such question arises at present.
Airports
Sir Fergus Montgomery : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now announce the 1989-90 capital expenditure allocations for municipal airports and public airport companies.
Mr. Channon : I have today approved borrowing allocations for these airports totalling £23 million. These, together with other resources which they expect to invest, will assist the airports concerned to provide improved facilities which they estimate could cost some £90 million in 1989-90. I am pleased to have been able to include an allocation for a start to be made on the first phase of the major new terminal at Manchester airport. Other major schemes for which I have made provision are :
Birmingham
Further development of existing terminal and infrastructure for new hub terminal to expand capacity.
Bristol
Runway resurfacing.
East Midlands
Improvements to Freight operator's facilities and further terminal improvements.
Humberside
Terminal improvements and car park extension.
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Leeds/BradfordExtension of apron area.
Luton
Taxiway resurfacing ; new control tower and improvements to present terminal to increase capacity.
Newcastle
Parallel taxiway.
Teesside
Improved fire and safety facilities.
Some additional allocations may be made during the course of next year.
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