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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 6 March 1989
WALES
Rates
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average rate per adult in Wales in 1988-89.
Mr. Grist : The average domestic rate bill per adult in Wales in 1988-89 is £156.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what is his best estimate of the amount of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants under the control of his Department ;
(2) what plans there are to minimise the risk of leaks of chlorofluorocarbons from refrigeration and air conditioning systems under his Department's control.
Mr. Peter Walker : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Merionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) today.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Seafarers (Taxation)
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the extent to which the Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands are contemplating following the example of the Danish and Swedish Governments in making special arrangements to reduce the burden of personal income tax and social security payments by or on behalf of their national seafarers so as to improve the competitive position of their merchant fleets in international trade ; and if he has any plans to follow their example.
Mr. Norman Lamont : The information that we have is as follows. In 1988 the Netherlands Government distributed NFl 50 million (£12, 500,000) to shipowners in proportion to the tax and social security payments that they remitted. The Netherlands Council of Ministers has approved a proposal to reduce by 35 per cent. the taxable income of seafarers employed by shipping companies whose ships fly the Netherlands flag. If this proposal is enacted, companies will from 1 January 1990 be entitled to withhold from seamen's wages the amount of tax and social security thus saved, while employees' after-tax position will remain unchanged.
I understand that the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany has agreed a Bill to establish a second German register for ships in international trade, the intention being that foreign seafarers not resident in the Federal Republic of Germany would be paid at rates agreed by the trade union of their native country.
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On the final part of the question, I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget statement.Public Service Pensions
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his best estimate of the number of widows of post-retirement marriages with public servants contracted after 6 April 1978 who receive a pension in respect of their late husband's service ; and what is the average amount received.
Mr. Brooke : I regret that the information required is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
VAT
Mr. Curry : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, pursuant to the reply of 6 February, Official Report, column 548, to the hon. Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo), he has received any recent representations about the timetable for the imposition of value added tax on non-domestic construction and property ; (2) what discussions he has had with representative bodies in the construction industry about the proposed commencement date of 1 April 1989 for the extension of value added tax to non-domestic construction ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : I have received a number of letters on this subject since 6 February. I met the joint taxation committee of the Building Employers Confederation and other construction industry trade bodies on 16 February. I told the committee that there was to be no change in the commencement dates I announced on 6 February following an extensive period of consultation.
Mr. Curry : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will indicate when Her Majesty's Customs and Excise plans to publish guidance literature on the proposed extension of value added tax to non-domestic constructon ; and what steps are being taken to see that traders affected by the new rules receive that literature sufficiently before the proposed start date for the new regime.
Mr. Lilley : The guidance for building contractors is now available in local VAT offices. That for property developers and landlords is expected to be available during the week ending 17 March. All the trade bodies have known about the main changes since 21 June 1988 and they have had the draft legislation since 6 February. They have thus had ample time to inform their members accordingly. In addition Customs and Excise has referred to the changes in "VAT Notes" (No. 2) 1988-89 and will do so again in "VAT Notes" (No. 1) 1989-90. "VAT Notes" goes to every registered trader with the VAT return and will alert traders to the further guidance available from local VAT offices.
Workplace Nurseries
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list all pre-Budget representations that have been received on the taxation of workplace nurseries.
Mr. Norman Lamont : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has received a small number of representations.
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Data Network
Mr. Wood : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will make a statement on the implementation of the Government data network and on the Government's plans for the future management of its voice and data traffic.
Mr. Brooke : After trials in January the initial phase of the Government data network has been accepted. It was implemented at 178 Customs and Excise sites throughout the United Kingdom on 20 January and is now in daily use.
The Government will now be considering the future strategy for Government voice and data traffic as a whole. An interdepartmental collaborative study, led by Her Majesty's Treasury, has been set up to identify possible options for aggregating Government voice traffic and integrating voice and data traffic. Ministers will receive a report of the study in about six months' time and will announce their conclusions, in the light of the study, in due course.
The study will be undertaken by a project team involving Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, the Department of Employment, the Home Office, the Inland Revenue, the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Department of Social Security in conjunction with Her Majesty's Treasury's central computer and telecommunications agency. Consultancy support for the project team will be provided by Kermon Associates Ltd. and PA Consulting Group, and a third consultancy firm will be chosen to provide independent quality assurance.
Excise Duties (Revalorisation)
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be (a) the revenue yield and (b) the impact on the retail prices index of revalorisation of excise duties at (i) the present rate of inflation and (ii) the present rate of inflation less the mortgage component of inflation.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 3 March 1989] : Estimates are as follows :
|Net revenue yield 1989-90 |RPI impact effect Per
|£ million |cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) |Present rate of inflation |1,350
(January 1989 RPI)
(ii) |Present rate of inflation less|995
mortgage components
Premium Bonds
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government pay banks and post offices for their involvement in the selling of premium bonds.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 3 March 1989] : In 1987-88 banks, including Girobank, were paid a total of £2 million for their involvement in the selling of premium bonds. In addition, Post Office Counters Ltd. was paid a composite fee for servicing National Savings products. The premium bond element cannot be separately identified.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Leo Alexandrovskey
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the British Government have made to the Russian authorities about their continued failure to grant an exit visa to Leo Alexandrovskey of Leningrad who first applied for such a visa in 1978.
Mrs. Chalker : The case of Lev Aleksandrovsky has only very recently been brought to our attention by my hon. Friend. We are now including it among those cases on which we consistently press the Soviet authorities.
Angola (Weapons)
Sir Ian Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the levels, quantities and types of Cuban and Soviet military equipment recently introduced into Angola ; and what assessment he has made of the implications of this information for Her Majesty's Government's policy of supporting the United Nations embargo on the supply of weapons to South Africa.
Mrs. Chalker : We have no reliable information to provide about recent Cuban and Soviet military supplies to Angola but are encouraged by Cuba's commitment to withdraw all its troops from Angola within 27 months from 1 April 1989 and the deployment of the United Nations Angola verification mission (UNAVEM) to verify this. We remain fully committed to the United Nations arms embargo on South Africa.
Israeli-occupied Territory
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will arrange for a copy of the United States State Department report regarding human rights abuses in the Israeli- occupied territories to be (a) made available to interested Members and (b) deposited in the Library.
Mrs. Chalker : I am arranging for a copy of the report to be placed in the Library.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is his best estimate of the amount of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants under the control of his Department ;
(2) what plans there are to minimise the risk of leaks of chlorofluorocarbons from refrigeration and air conditioning systems under his Department's control.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) today.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Race Relations
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Government have decided not to uprate the grant for the Commission for Racial Equality in line with inflation.
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Mr. John Patten : Subject to parliamentary approval of the supply estimates, the Commission for Racial Equality's grant-in-aid provision for 1989-90--£11,440,000--will meet in full the commission's bid for additional expenditure.
Information Technology
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement of progress on the introduction of information technologies to facilitate internal communications in his Department and the provision of information to the public concerning those areas for which he is responsible ; and if he has any further plans to apply the newest technologies in these fields.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Home Office makes increasing use of information technology, where this offers the best value for money, to help meet its business objectives. Developments in information technology and their application to the Department's business needs are kept under review, and the newest technologies are applied where these provide cost-effective solutions.
Police Custody (Deaths)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all deaths in police custody since 1979, giving the date and cause of death, the age and sex in each case, the location of police custody at the time of death and the inquest verdict.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Information on deaths in police custody for the years 1980-87 is contained in the annual reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary and of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for the years in question. Copies of these may be found in the Library. It was not the practice to compile figures relating to deaths in police custody before 1980 and information for 1979 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information about deaths which occurred last year will appear in the 1988 reports, and these will be published shortly.
Non-animal Testing (Grants)
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for grant have been received by the animal procedures committee under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for funds for research into non-animal testing techniques in 1988-89 and 1989-90 ; how many grants were given ; to whom ; and for what purposes.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Of 124 applications received for Home Office research grants it was decided to fund four, following
recommendations from the Animal Procedures Committee :
Dr. P. A. Botham and Dr. G. J. A. Oliver, ICI Central Toxicology Laboratory.
"Validation of an enucleated eye model".
Dr. A. F. Bristow and Dr. S. Poole, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control.
"Assay of Pyrogens measuring lymphokine production in vitro". Dr. A. Robinson, Public Health Laboratory Service.
"Alternative potency tests for cellular pertussis".
Dr. R. M. Stagg, now at Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Scotland.
"Fish cell culture for toxicity assessment".
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In addition, the Home Office has commissioned an investigation into antibody production and is supporting international work on acute toxicity testing aimed at further reducing the need for formal LD50 tests.No applications have been sought or received for funding in 1989-90 whilst consideration is being given to the possibility of commissioning work in particular areas of concern.
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the grant made to the animal procedures committee under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to commission research into non- animal testing techniques in 1988-89 ; and whether he will announce the grant for 1989-90.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Home Office grants for research to reduce the number and severity of experiments on living animals in 1988-89 totalled £70,000. We have sought provision for 1989-90 of £120,000.
Electronic Surveillance
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the companies which have tendered for pilot bail projects using electronic surveillance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : No companies have yet tendered. Invitations to tender will be sent shortly.
Football (Offences)
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exclusion orders have been granted against persons convicted of a football-related offence in (a) the Merseyside police area, (b) the Tyneside police area, (c) the Birmingham police area and (d) the Greater Manchester police area since 1 July 1987.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The exclusion order provisions of the Public Order Act 1986 came into force on 1 August 1987. I understand from the chief officers of police concerned that the information for their force areas since then is as follows :
(a) Merseyside--56 ;
(b) Northumbria--3 ;
(c) West Midlands--150 ;
(d) Greater Manchester--113.
Blasphemy
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to seek the advice of the hierarchy of the Church of England on reform of the law on blasphemy.
Mr. John Patten : We have noted the views of the group set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury to consider the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of the law of blasphemy, but we have no plans for any such reform.
Remand Statistics
Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown by race on the most recent convenient date, of the prisoners held in the following remand establishments : Ashford, Chelmsford, Feltham, Latchmere House, Norwich and Rochester.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : The readily available information is given in the table. Ashford was not open on 30 September 1988.
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|c|Population<1> of selected prison service establishments on 30 September 1988: by ethnic origin|c|
Number<2>
Establishment |White |West Indian, Guyanese,|Indian, Pakistani, |Chinese, Arab, Mixed |Other, not recorded |Total
|African |Bangladeshi |origin |refusal
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chelmsford local prison |326 |53 |3 |10 |6 |398
Feltham remand centre |249 |107 |12 |20 |36 |424
Latchmere House |68 |59 |23 |11 |12 |173
Norwich remand centre |54 |1 |- |1 |4 |60
Norwich local prison |193 |11 |2 |1 |16 |223
Rochester remand centre |147 |43 |4 |2 |16 |212
<1> Including sentenced and non-criminal prisoners.
<2> The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate.
Erotica
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the strip show currently being transmitted on Super channel, which originates from Italian television station Rete Mia, is subjected to approval of the Broadcasting Standards Authority ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what powers the Cable Authority has to ban transmissions of an erotic nature from being carried out on cable networks ; whether it is his intention to exempt satellite television operators from such a restriction ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Renton : The Cable Authority is under a statutory obligation to ensure that programmes on cable do not offend good taste and decency. If, in the authority's opinion, a programme fails to meet these standards, it may give a direction excluding it from a licensed station and as an ultimate sanction has the power to revoke a licence.
Most satellite services uplinked from abroad are received in the United Kingdom on cable and are regulated by the Cable Authority. Paragraphs 7.12- 7.14 of our recent White Paper, "Broadcasting in the '90s ; Competition, Choice and Quality" set out our proposals to safeguard against the possible future development of unacceptable satellite services not taken on cable.
The terms of reference of the Broadcasting Standards Council require it to monitor and report on the portrayal of violence and sex and standards of taste and decency in television and radio programmes received in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on whether the Italian television station Rete Mia, currently transmitting a strip show to the United Kingdom on Super channel, has plans to extend such transmissions via a Sky television transponder and a channel on the second Astra satellite ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. J. Garfinkle
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation has been paid by the Metropolitan police to Mr. J. Garfinkle of 110 Dirleton road, London E16 ; what was the justification for the payment ; and to what incident it related.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Mr. Garfinkle was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug but was released
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without being charged. In a civil action claiming damages for assault ; wrongful arrest and unlawful detention he was awarded compensation of £1,532.50p by the court.Raja Shahid Mahmoud
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Raja Shahid Mahmoud, Ref : TN4/IS81/161/2/889, was detained on arrival in the United Kingdom ; whether he possessed a valid visa to visit the United Kingdom ; where he was detained ; whether he has been released from detention ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Renton : Raja Mahmoud held a valid visit visa when he arrived on 13 February. He was detained under the authority of an immigration officer pending further examination, and pending a decision to grant or refuse him leave to enter. Raja Mahmoud was detained at Harmondsworth until 3 March when he was refused entry and released on temporary admission. He has a right of appeal exercisable before removal.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what allowance he has made in his Department's budget for each of the next five years to provide for the substitution of HCFC 22 for chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants covered by the Montreal protocol ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The cost of replacing refrigerants over the next five years will be contained within planned maintenance budgets.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his best estimate of the amount of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants under the control of his Department ;
(2) what plans there are to minimise the risk of leaks of chlorofluorocarbons from refrigeration and air conditioning systems under his Department's control.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Merionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) today.
Magisterial Officers
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if approval has been sought for the
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payment of grant for the purposes of authorising the pay award to magisterial officers for 1988 following Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service arbitration in January ; when such approval is likely to be given ; and if he will make a statement ;(2) when he anticipates the pay award to all magisterial officers for 1988 will be implemented ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 2 March 1989] : The management side of the joint negotiating committee for magistrates courts staff has sought confirmation that grant will be paid on the recent arbitration award.
We hope to provide a response very shortly, taking into account recruitment and retention problems.
PRIME MINISTER
Chlorofluorocarbons
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Prime Minister what steps she has taken to ensure the use of chlorofluorocarbons in food and other packaging in refrigerator units in Government buildings and in research stations operated on behalf of the Government is halted as soon as possible.
The Prime Minister : As I informed the hon. Member on 25 January at column 568 , Government Departments have been asked to review their policies, specifications and practices with a view to promoting the objective of reducing use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons to the maximum possible extent. The Government's policies are aimed at ensuring that production and consumption of CFCs, whether in the public or the private sector, are eliminated as quickly as possible, and that all possible steps are taken to minimise emissions of CFCs currently in use.
Lead-free Petrol
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Prime Minister if she will initiate a study to evaluate the total cost of converting (a) all ministerial and departmental cars and (b) all vehicles operated by Her Majesty's armed forces to lead-free petrol use.
The Prime Minister : No. The Crown Suppliers (a trading fund of the Property Services Agency) who supply vehicles to various Government Departments and manage the ministerial fleet through the Government car service, and the MOD, have already implemented a policy of purchasing vehicles which can run on unleaded petrol and a programme of converting the vehicles which can be adapted to run on unleaded petrol. The cost of converting vehicles, capable of conversion, to run on unleaded petrol is minimal. In the majority of cases this involves only minor engine adjustment.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy to ensure all vehicles operated by (a) Government Departments and (b) the armed forces are converted to use lead-free petrol by installation of catalytic converters.
The Prime Minister : No. It is our policy that, where possible, vehicles should run on unleaded petrol. In the majority of cases this involves only minor engine adjustment. The installation of catalytic converters is not usually necessary.
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