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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 21 February 1989
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
ading Vietnamese Refugees Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the light of the agreement by the United States of America, Canada and Australia to admit more Vietnamese refugees, he will now confirm the agreement to increase the United Kingdom quota announced on 22 December 1988 ; what the arrangements will be for the increased numbers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : We have been encouraged by the responses to our call for a new international effort to take more Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. We are now considering whether we can confirm the decision announced on 22 December 1988.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Immigration
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is to be taken in respect of Cynthia Wright, a foreign national living in the London borough of Brent, in respect of her visitor's visa which expired 14 years ago.
Mr. Renton : Consideration is being given to whether the original deportation order should now be enforced.
Commonwealth Refugees
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Commonwealth refugees have been assisted under the terms of section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. John Patten : Grant under section 11 of the local Government Act 1966 is paid to local authorities only in respect of the employment of staff. No information is available on the numbers or status of persons assisted by such staff, though some will have been refugees.
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Police (Assaults)
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information he has concerning the total number and category of assaults perpetrated upon serving police officers in each different force and in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available ;
(2) what information he has concerning the total number of days lost through absence on sickness leave following assaults upon serving police officers in each different police force in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available ;
(3) if he will make a statement summarising his Department's achievements since 1979 in giving protection to serving police officers against assaults.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There has been no central record of assaults on police officers or of sick leave following assaults. Arrangements have, however, been made for information relating to assaults to be collected in 1989 and subsequent years. This will be published in the annual reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary.
Cheshire Constabulary
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current establishment of the Cheshire constabulary in terms of (a) police officers and (b) civilian personnel ; and what was the establishment in 1979.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested is as follows :
|c|Establishment (at 31 December)|c|
Police Civilian personnel
|full time|part time
--------------------------------------------------
1979 |1,805 |378 |129
1988 |<1>1,860 |499 |129
<1> Will increase to 1,868 from 1 April 1989.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the expenditure upon the Cheshire constabulary from (a) central Government and (b) Cheshire county council ; and what were the comparable figures in (i) real terms and (ii) cash terms in 1979.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information is as follows :
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|c|Cheshire Constabulary-Expenditure 1979-80 and 1987-88|c|
£s
|1979-80 cash |1979-80 real terms |1987-88 (provisional)
|(1987-88 price base) |cash
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net expenditure (relevant for grant) |20,008,493 |35,130,353 |47,267,338
Other expenditure |288,843 |507,143 |674,000
|------- |------- |-------
Net revenue expenditure |20,297,336 |35,637,496 |47,941,338
Expenditure met by police specific grant<1> |10,004,246 |17,565,177 |24,106,342
Expenditure met by Government block
grant and by the rates<2> |10,293,090 |18,072,319 |23,834,996
<1> Police specific grant paid directly by the Home Office was at 50 per cent. until 31 March 1986 and at 51 per cent. since 1
April 1986.
<2> The expenditure met by Cheshire country council is made up by a contribution through block grant by the Department of the
Environment together with the local ratepayers contribution. Through police specific grant and block grant it is estimated that the
Government contributed about 62.9 per cent. of total expenditure on the police in Cheshire in 1987-88. Comparable information is
not available for 1979-80.
Pensioners
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider creating a standing committee of representatives of the pensioners' movement together with the Minister and senior civil servants dealing with the areas mainly affecting the retired in matters for which he is responsible.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 17 February 1989 at column 404.
Drink-driving
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in rank order, starting with the police force with the highest number of breath tests, the number of breath tests administered in each police force area, the percentage of positive tests and the number of accidents in each police force area expressed per head of population for the Christmas period 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for drink-driving offences were made during the Christmas period in the Bolton area, for each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 31 January 1989] : The information available centrally is given in the table ; corresponding figures for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Comprehensive information is not collected on the date of offence but sample inquiries indicate that court proceedings for drink-driving offences take on average, throughout England and Wales, about three months from offence to completion.
|c|Proceedings completed at Bolton magistrates' court for offences of|c|
|c|driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs by month|c|
Month of completion |1986 |1987
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |38 |41
February |43 |41
March |44 |48
April |48 |34
May |39 |36
June |36 |53
July |34 |47
August |32 |36
September |33 |56
October |33 |48
November |31 |63
December |39 |46
|------- |-------
Total |450 |549
NATIONAL FINANCE
Self-employment
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total growth in self-employment since 1979.
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Mr. Major : Between June 1979 and September 1988 the number of self- employed people in Great Britain rose by 60 per cent. to nearly 3 million.
EC Budget
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions and how much money cumulatively has been transferred each year from one chapter of European Community budget appropriations to another by decision of the European Parliament against the wishes of the Council.
Mr. Brooke : This information could not be made available without disproportionate cost. However, unsigned explanatory memoranda are provided in respect of all transfer proposals and, following a request last year by the Select Committee on European Legislation, the memoranda indicate the positions taken by the Council and the European Parliament.
Civil Servants (Incentives)
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about incentive schemes for civil servants.
Mr. Brooke : We have introduced a number of schemes in the Civil Service for encouraging and rewarding high performance.
At senior levels, additional discretionary awards can be paid to grade 2 and 3 staff for sustained high performance. Below this, new flexible pay arrangements which include provision for performance related pay are in place for grades 5-7, professional and scientific grades and staff in the Inland Revenue.
Performance pay is also a feature of the provisional agreements that the Treasury has recently reached with the National Union of Civil and Public Servants and the Civil and Public Services Association. If those provisional agreements are endorsed, nearly all the non-industrial Civil Service will be covered by new performance-related pay schemes.
Private Medical Insurance
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate of the cost of private medical insurance tax relief for each of the five years following its introduction ;
(2) how many elderly persons would be eligible for tax relief as private income ; what is his estimate of the number who currently hold private medical insurance ; and how many more he estimates will take out health insurance under this new scheme ;
(3) what proportion of the cost of private medical insurance tax relief he estimates will be paid out to those who already have private medical insurance ;
(4) what proportion of the cost of private medical insurance tax relief he estimates will go to taxpayers paying tax at 40 per cent. ;
(5) how many persons over 60 years have private medical insurance ; and what is his estimate of how many would be entitled to tax reliefs under his proposals ;
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(6) what is the estimate of the average cost of tax relief at the top rate for the typical private medical insurance policy for a person at the age of (a) 60 years, (b) 70 years and (c) 75 years.Ms. Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the cost of tax relief on premiums for health insurance for those aged 60 years or over under the National Health Service White Paper ;
(2) if he will estimate the average cost per year of tax relief as proposed in the National Health Service White Paper for a person over 60 years who has private health insurance.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the deadweight cost of giving income tax relief from April 1990 on medical insurance premiums for those aged 60 years and over.
85. Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the cost to be of introducing tax relief on private health insurance for the elderly, as proposed in "Working for Patients," Cm. 555.
Mr. Norman Lamont [holding answers 6 February 1989, 9 February 1989, 16 February 1989 and 17 February 1989] : Estimates of the cosof this relief will be announced in the 1989-90 Financial Statement and Budget Report. The number of people affected and the average value of the relief will depend on the precise details of the scheme, which are under consideration.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Kampuchea
Mr. Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, further to its recent decision to share in funding projects supported by Christian Aid in Kampuchea, the Government will now consider substantial reconstruction and development aid for Kampuchea.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the right hon. Member for the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on 20 February. The decision to support projects in Cambodia proposed by voluntary agencies, including Christian Aid, does not affect our policy of not giving Government-to-Government aid to the regime in Phnom Penh.
Development (Education)
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the amount spent on education about development, including separate
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figures for internal expenditure and grants to outside bodies, for each year since 1979, in constant 1988 prices, and in current prices.Mr. Eggar : The Overseas Development Administration has a programme of press, publications and other information activities about Britain's official aid programme. The cost, excluding staff and general administrative costs, for each year since 1979 was :
£ thousand Financial year |Current prices |Constant 1987 prices ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1979-80 |110 |193 1980-81 |130 |193 1981-82 |143 |193 1982-83 |153 |193 1983-84 |159 |192 1984-85 |176 |202 1985-86 |208 |226 1986-87 |207 |218 1987-88 |265 |265
Expenditure on grants to non-governmental organisations for their development activities was :
£ thousand Calendar year |Current prices |Constant 1987 prices ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1979 |385 |698 1980 |450 |682 1981 |331 |450 1982 |154 |195 1983 |158 |189 1984 |104 |119 1985 |118 |128 1986 |121 |126 1987 |141 |141 Note: 1988 prices are not yet available.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Footwear
Mr. Pike : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been the EEC market share of footwear imports from Taiwan and South Korea, for each of the last five years ; and what have been the corresponding figures for the EEC market share of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins : The EC market share of footwear imports from the United Kingdom was 1 per cent. for each of the years 1983 to 1987. Figures for the EC market share of footwear imports from Taiwan and South Korea are available for 1986 and 1987 and are given in the table :
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|Imports to rest of the EC|Total EC market<2> |Imports from the United |Imports from South Korea |Imports from Taiwan as a
|from the United Kingdom |Kingdom as a proportion |as a proportion of total |proportion of total EC
|of total EC market |EC market |market
|Million pairs |Million pairs |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 |10.4 |1,090.1 |1.0 |- |-
1984 |11.8 |1,139.3 |1.0 |- |-
1985 |11.7 |1,140.8 |1.0 |- |-
1986<1> |12.9 |1,276.0 |1.0 |3.8 |6.3
1987 |14.0 |1,374.8 |1.0 |5.7 |7.8
<1>The EC includes Portugal and Spain from 1986.
<2>Defined as apparent consumption viz. production less exports plus imports.
Source: British Footwear Manufacturers Federation annual statistical reviews.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Mr. Beith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what will be the scope of the consultations he will have before further descriptions of institution are specified under section 174 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as educational establishments for the purposes of parts I and II of that Act ; and what educational organisations will be consulted over the substance of the order to be made ;
(2) what consultations his Department is having with educational organisations with a view to formulating advice as to what further descriptions of institution it would be appropriate to specify as educational establishments for the purposes of parts I and II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Mr. Forth : We are giving careful consideration to the question of which educational establishments should, in addition to schools, benefit from the limited exceptions to copyright to be provided by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It is our intention to consult both copyright interests and educational bodies before finalising the terms of any order under section 174. I hope to be in a position to do this very soon.
Paper Products
Ms. Walley : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will take steps to make statutory the provisions of the good manufacturing practice guide for soft tissue paper products.
Mr. Atkins : I have no plans to do so.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will consider initiating research into ways of curbing the increased consumption of paper products because of the environmental implications of production and disposal thereof.
Mr. Forth : I see no reason to do so.
Clothing Industry
Mr. Latham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received from the knitwear industry about the need to extend the multi-fibre arrangement after it expires ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : I met representatives of the knitwear industry on 31 October 1988 to discuss the future of the multi-fibre arrangement and other matters of interest to them. Several hon. Members have also drawn to my attention a statement on this subject issued by the Knitting Industries' Federation in co-operation with other textiles associations. I explained to the industry, and to the House during the debate on the MFA on 9 December 1988, Official Report, columns 553-618, that although the United Kingdom, as part of the European Community, is already committed to examining the "modalities" for returning trade in textiles and clothing to GATT rules, the Community has continued to make clear in negotiations that any such return must be accompanied by a
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strengthening of those rules and include liberalisation of trade by all countries, including the better of developing countries. This remains the United Kingdom's and the Community's objective in negotiations.Mr. Latham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will raise in the European Council of Ministers the possibility of maintaining some cross-border scrutiny of knitwear moving within the European Community after 1992, so as to maintain statistical information on imports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : A proposal for an EC Council regulation, which sets out a revised methodology for the collection of trade statistics between member states of the European Community after 1992 to replace the current procedure based on Customs documentation, has been prepared by the EC Commission and will be considered by EC Ministers over the coming months.
Trade statistics will continue to be collected both for intra-EC trade and for trade with third countries. But the level of detail for commodity classification will be the subject of related legislation and will be discussed by a working party of officials from member states later this year. The Government are seeking to ensure that the collection of these statistics does not impose unnecessary burdens on business involved in trade between member states.
Mr. Latham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will raise in the European Council of Ministers the possibility of permitting the expression "Made in the European Community" to be attached to garments made in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : No. It is already possible to do so.
Mr. Latham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent representations he has received from the knitwear industry regarding (a) the general state of trade at present and (b) the imports of garments from China ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : My hon. Friend the Minister for Trade and officials have received various representations from the knitwear industry about concerns on the current general state of trade and imports of garments from China.
Negotiations between China and the European Community for a new bilateral textiles and clothing agreement under the multi-fibre arrangement were concluded in December 1988. The text of the agreement reached is set out in the annex to the Council decision 88/656/EEC which is published in the official journal of the European Communities, dated 31 December 1988, reference OJL 318, which is available in the Library of the House.
Full details of the application of the agreement in each member state, in the form of an EEC implementing regulation, are still awaited from the Commission. The agreement has been provisionally applied by the Council of Ministers from 1 January 1989. The agreement will be submitted to the Council for final approval in due course.
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Betting
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will initiate an inquiry into the concentration of power in the betting industry.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 17 February 1989] : It falls to the Director General of Fair Trading in the first instance to keep competition in the United Kingdom economy under review. I understand that he is continuing to monitor developments in the betting industry under the competition legislation for which he is responsible.
Remote-sensing Satellite (Purchase)
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects the decision on purchase of a remote-sensing satellite, the polar platform to be taken by the European Space Agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 17 February 1989] : The European Space Agency and its member states are currently examining which configuration the polar platform (an important element in the Columbus programme) should have. Studies have been conducted by British Aerospace and Matra on the basis of two alternative concepts. The merits, and costs, of each are now being reviewed. The ESA hopes to be able to take a decision at the meeting of its council on 13 and 14 March.
Earth Observation Data Centre
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the implications for the British space industry of the development of the earth observation data centre as a result of the ESA recommendation on the polar platform order ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 17 February 1989] : The Government are supporting the creation of the earth observation data centre at Farnborough because of the key role that it will play in the progressive commercial development of the United Kingdom's capabilities in this field. We expect that the private sector will, in due course, take over the EODC as a wholly commercial facility. The centre will receive data from various satellites, and not merely from the polar platform. But it remains a United Kingdom objective to achieve a polar platform series which will facilitate effective commercialisation.
PRIME MINISTER
Scotland
Q22. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to Scotland.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.
Whales
Q41. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise, when next she meets the Prime Minister of Japan, the issue of Japanese whaling operations in the Antarctic.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply.
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My right hon. Friend will not be meeting the Japanese Prime Minister immediately, but the Government have expressed their views firmly on the current operations to the Japanese Government both directly and through the International Whaling Commission and have asked that the operations cease.Hillmorton, Rugby
Q62. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Hillmorton, Rugby.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.
Bristol, East
Q143. Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Prime Minister when she next expects to pay an official visit to Bristol, East.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.
Citizens Advice Bureaux
Q149. Mr. Harry Ewing : To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to meet the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.
Research Bases
Mr. Warren : To ask the Prime Minister if she will review the operation and current value of the Rothschild principle adopted in 1972 establishing the relationship between Government Departments and research bases ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Wakeham : I have been asked to reply.
The Government reviewed this matter in 1987. I refer my hon. Friend to paragraph 21 of the White Paper on civil research and development (Cm 185) which the Government published in response to the First Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology.
Engagements
Mr. Patnick : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 21 February.
Mr. Cran : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 21 February.
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 21 February.
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 21 February.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 21 February.
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