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Montreal Protocol (Ozone Layer)
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the countries which have so far ratified the Montreal protocol of 1987 on the ozone layer.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The following had become Parties to the protocol before the London "Saving the Ozone Layer" conference held on 5-7 March :
Belgium
Byelorussian SSR
Canada
Denmark
Egypt
Finland
France
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Federal Republic of GermanyGerman Democratic Republic
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Portugal
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Uganda
Ukrainian SSR
United Kingdom
United States of America
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
European Community
(Total 33) (Source : United Nations environment programme). At the conference some 20 further countries said that they would become parties and another 14 said that they would seriously consider doing so.
Festival of Food and Farming
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that at the festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park on 4-7 May English food and the produce of English farming are both on display and available for purchase ;
(2) when his Department was advised of the forthcoming festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park on 4 to 7 May ;
(3) in view of the cost of producing English wine, whether he will ensure that charging is permitted for samples of English wine at the festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park from 4 to 7 May ;
(4) what steps he is taking to ensure that at the festival of food and farming to be held in Hyde park on 4 to 7 May English wine will be both on display and available for purchase.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department was first approached about this event in March 1986. Approval for it to be held in Hyde park was given on 6 May 1988. Exhibitors may display and sell a range of agricultural goods, including food. Exhibitors may display English wine and take orders for later delivery or collection. They may also give away small free samples. I have accepted the advice of the Metropolitan police that alcohol should not be on direct sale to the public on site.
Leeds UDC
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he has issued any guidelines to the urban development corporation in Leeds as to the length of time it should take to process planning applications ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) whether he will provide information as to the total number of planning applications received by the Leeds urban development corporation ; and how many of those have been determined within (a) four weeks, (b) six weeks and (c) eight weeks ;
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(3) whether he has given any guidance to the Leeds urban development corporation in relation to consultation on planning applications ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Trippier : UDCs are required to operate within the same statutory framework as any local planning authority when considering planning applications. This includes requirements to undertake consultations in accordance with article 18 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988. All the relevant guidance has been provided to the corporations.
All local planning authorities, including UDCs, are expected to provide quarterly returns giving details of the number of planning applications received and the number determined within the statutory eight-week period. These statistics are published by the Department. Figures for the final quarter of 1988 will include the first return from LDC. By 31 December 1988, LDC had received 51 applications, 14 had been determined and of these 12 (86 per cent.) were determined within eight weeks. This is substantially better than the national average.
Working Groups and Working Parties
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library papers produced for recent meetings of the (a) new systems working group, (b) rates working party, (c) community charge working group, (d) community charge implementation sub-group and (e) capital programmes working party ; and if he will undertake to do so for future meetings of these working groups and working parties.
Severn-Trent Water Authority (SSIs)
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sites and acreage of special scientific interest in the ownership of the Severn-Trent water authority.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information is currently being assembled by the Nature Conservancy Council. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
Capper Pass Works, North Humberside
Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet received Her Majesty's inspector of pollution's report on the subject of the emission of radiation from the Capper Pass works in north Humberside.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The report on emissions from the Capper Pass works completed by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has been received by the Secretary of State and will shortly be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Water Authorities (Capital Debt)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any proposals to write off part or all of the capital debt of any of the English water authorities.
Mr. Howard : The Water Bill contains powers which will enable National Loans Fund and Public Works Loans
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Board debt, inherited by the new companies from the water authorities, to be replaced by a combination of equity and debentures. These powers will be used to put in place capital structures appropriate for the new companies.Water Industry, Derbyshire
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much capital investment was made in Derbyshire's water industry in 1979 ; and in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Howard : Information in the form requested by my hon. Friend is not available.
Assured Tenancies
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances it is intended that the new assured tenancy replaces retrospectively a statutory tenancy under the Landlord and Tenancy Act 1954 (PL1) or the Rent Act 1968.
Mr. Trippier : Under part 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 most long leaseholders of residential property at a low rent can convert to a statutory tenancy under the Rent Act 1977 when the lease comes to an end. Clause 137 of and schedule 9 to the Local Government and Housing Bill would replace this right with a right to convert to an assured tenancy under the Housing Act 1988. These new provisions would apply to such leases entered into after clause 137 comes into force, and also to such leases which come to an end on or after 15 January 1999. The provisions would have no retrospective effect on statutory tenancies which arise before they come into force.
House Prices
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish for each county, metropolitan district and London borough area estimates of average prices for (i) all houses, (ii) flats, (iii) terraced houses, (iv) semi-detached and (v) detached houses.
Mr. Trippier : I have today arranged for a table giving figures for building society mortgages for 1988 to be laid in the Library.
AIDS
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the longevity of the HIV AIDS virus in untreated sewage sea outfalls.
Mr. Howard : I am advised that there is no evidence to suggest that the HIV AIDS virus survives in the sea.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Insider Dealing
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in chronological order all the cases of suspected insider dealing which have been, or are being, investigated by his Department, the date the investigation started, the sum involved in each case, the date of the suspected offence, the action taken on conclusion of the case, and the penalty imposed, if any.
Mr. Maude : In the interests of efficiency and justice, the fact that an insider dealing investigation is being considered or has been started, the details of the possible offence or possible offender, and the progress of the investigation and its outcome, are not normally announced or confirmed. However an announcement of an investigation may be made if it is considered to be in the public interest to do so, and the fact of a prosecution becomes known when the matter first comes before the court. It has been possible to appoint inspectors to carry out investigations into possible insider dealing offences since November 1986 (though not all investigations of insider dealing have involved inquiries by inspectors). Since then, 28 such appointments have been made. The following investigations have been announced :
Possible insider dealing offences related to: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (a) |Certain actions by Mr. Geoffrey Collier (b) |Dealings in securities of British and Commonwealth Shipping Company plc |12 December 1986 (c) |Information about mergers possibly deriving from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Office of Fair Trading or the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (d) |Dealings in securities of Unigroup plc (e) |Dealings in securities of Grand Central Investment Holdings plc (f) |Dealings in securities of Peachey Property Corporation plc (g) |Dealings in securities of Consolidated Gold Fields plc
Prosecutions have been instituted in relation to cases (a), (b) and (c), and it has been decided to take no further action on case (f).
Information about completed prosecutions for insider dealing offences, and about cases where criminal proceedings in respect of such offences have begun but are not completed, is as follows :
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|c|(A) Completed prosecutions|c|
Defendant Company security(ies) Date of offence or Outcome Penalty
involved alleged offence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. |John Bryce |Winterbottom Trust Ltd. |5 January 1981 |Guilty |None
2. |John Titheridge |Joseph Stocks and Sons |11 December 1980 |Guilty |Fine £4,000 each + £250 to Legal
|Joyce Titheridge |(Holdings) Ltd. |Day between 15 April 1980 |Guilty |Aid Fund + £250 costs-or 3
|and 11 December 1980 |months imprisonment in de-
|fault of payment
3. |John Allan Crump |Harris and Sheldon |Day unknown between 4 |Guilty
|Dickinson |Group Ltd. |June 1981 and 18 June |ded for 2 years + £100 costs
|1981
4. |David John Brooks |Suter Electrical Ltd. |4 December 1980 |Not guilty |n/a
|15 December 1980
|23 December 1980
|24 December 1980
|30 December 1980
|5 January 1981
|6 January 1981
|Ronald Hancock |Suter Electrical Ltd. |8 January 1981 |No case to |n/a
|15 January 1981 |answer
5. |Colin Kettle |Blockley plc |9 August 1982 |Not guilty |n/a
|Neil Thorneywork |Blockley plc |9 August 1982 |Not guilty
6. |Maurice John Naerger |Martin the Newsagent plc |6 March 1984 |Guilty |Fine £800, £100 costs
|9 March 1984
7. |Brian Fisher |Thomson T-Line plc |5 December 1985 |Not guilty |n/a
8. |William Antony |Reardon-Smith Line plc |28 May 1985 |Guilty |£3,000 fine; £2,000 costs
|Reardon-Smith
9. |Geoffrey William Collier |AE plc |3 November 1986 |Guilty |12 months suspended for 2 years;
|£25,000 fine; £7,000 costs
|Cadbury Schweppes plc |14 October 1986
10. |Ronald Richard Jenkins |The British and |14 October 1986 |Guilty |£10,000 fine; £2,000 costs
|Commonwealth
|Shipping Co. plc
|Steel Brothers Holdings |14 November 1986
|plc
11. |John Morris Cross |Wordplex plc |30 April 1987 |Guilty |£7,000 fine; sentence of 9 months
|imprisonment in default of
|payment. A notice of appeal
|has been lodged
|c|(B) Current prosecutions|c|
|Defendant |Company security(ies) |Date(s) of alleged
|involved |offence(s)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. |Jonathon Howard Greenwood, Sara Joy Coren |Richard Clay plc
|SGB plc |December 1985
|Allied Lyons plc |December 1985
|Wedgwood plc |June 1986
|McCorquodale plc |February 1986
13. |Keith Thomas Robinson, Penelope Jane Scott Robinson |Mercantile House Holdings plc |5 January 1987
14. |David Ivor Holyoak, Arthur Francis Nicholas, Wills Hill,|Press Tools plc |5 August 1987
|Ian Michael Morl
15. |Frederick John Briggs |Wheway plc |10 November 1987
16. |Piers Richard Fitzwilliams |Centreway Industries plc |3 July 1987; 9 July 1987;
|29 July 1987; 30 July 1987
Cases 9, 10 and 12 resulted from the investigations by the inspectors at (a), (b) and (c). Case 13 also resulted from inquiries by inspectors who were appointed on 11 June 1987. In addition information obtained by inspectors has, in appropriate cases, been disclosed to regulatory
authorities, as permitted by section 180 of the Financial Services Act.
Information Technology
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to reply to the Trade and Industry Select Committee's report on information technology.
Mr. Forth : The Government's response to the Trade and Industry Select Committee's report on information technology was published on 9 March.
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UK-EC Development
Mr. Cox : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the major joint industrial projects now being developed between the United Kingdom and other member states of the European Economic Community.
Mr. Atkins : We keep no central record of such projects. However, the indications are that there is increasing collaboration between United Kingdom companies and those in other member states as evinced by such projects as the Channel tunnel and the Airbus and the by the United Kingdom participating in the EC R and D framework programme.
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Hearing Aid Council
Mrs. Rosie Barnes : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what review he has made of the effectiveness of the Hearing Aid Council.
Mr. Forth : I am content that the Hearing Aid Council fully discharges its responsibilities set out in the Hearing Aid Council Act 1968.
The Bill promoted by the hon. Member for Ynys Mo n (Mr. Jones) would make changes to the Act. The Government will seek to ensure that the best possible Bill for all concerned emerges.
I am also considering with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health the suggestions made by the RNID in its "Fair Hearing Campaign" document.
Oil Exports
Mr. Wray : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what has been for each year since 1981, the total contribution of oil exports, in 1989 terms, to the balance of trade.
Mr. Alan Clark : The information requested is as follows. Figures are expressed in 1988 prices as 1989 prices are not yet available.
£ billion constant 1988 prices
|Visible trade balance|Exports of oil
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |1.6 |2.9
1982 |0.4 |3.2
1983 |-3.1 |5.5
1984 |-5.6 |6.1
1985 |-4.1 |6.4
1986 |-6.8 |6.5
1987 |-8.7 |6.5
1988 |-20.6 |5.6
New Businesses
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his estimate for each of the past 10 years of the number of new businesses established in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk and (c) Waveney.
Mr. Forth : The table gives the numbers of new businesses registering for VAT. Reliable estimates are not available prior to 1980 or for 1988.
|(a) |(b) |(c)
|Suffolk|Norfolk|Waveney
----------------------------------------
1980 |1,659 |2,183 |260
1981 |1,777 |2,052 |282
1982 |1,818 |2,147 |255
1983 |1,898 |2,351 |301
1984 |1,931 |2,338 |324
1985 |1,935 |2,306 |305
1986 |2,100 |2,621 |338
1987 |2,325 |2,840 |345
Over the period of total numbers of businesses registered for VAT increased by 21 per cent. for Suffolk, 15 per cent. for Norfolk and 19 per cent. for Waveney.
Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the latest figure for the estimated
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spending in 1988-89 by the Department of Trade and Industry on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material ; and what is the 1989-90 budget for each of these categories of spending.Mr. Forth : Expenditure under the Department's paid publicity budget is expected to total some £29 million in 1988-89. Of this, some £13.5 million will have been spent on television advertising, about £4.3 million press advertising, £75,000 on radio advertising, and the balance on other publicity activities. Expenditure in 1989-90 is expected to be some £25 million ; detailed allocations by media have not yet been made.
Press and Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, in the press and public relations office of the Department of Trade and Industry ; and what is the proposed complement for 1989-90.
Mr. Forth : The manpower allocations for 1989-90 will be set by my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State later this month in the light of the Department's annual activity and resource management review. The number of staff currently employed in the Department's press office is 37 (including 16 on clerical and other support duties). The current manpower allocation is 41.
Statistical Staff
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in the Department of Trade and Industry ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989-90.
Mr. Forth : The manpower allocations for 1989-90 will be set by my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State later this month in the light of the Department's annual activity and resource management review. The current allocation, and the number of staff in post on 1 February 1989 (part time staff are counted as half), is as follows :
Statistics division 1
Grade |SIP 1 February 1989|Allocation of posts
|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 3 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 5 |3.0 |<1>3.0
Grade 7 |12.0 |<1>12.0
SEO |1.0 |1.0
HEO |8.0 |8.0
Senior Assistant Statistician |2.0}
Assistant Statistician |1.0} |7.0
EO |16.0 |14.0
AO |17.5 |17.5
AA |3.0 |3.0
PS |4.0 |4.0
Subtotal-Statistical Grades |3.0 |7.0
Subtotal Other Grades |65.5 |63.5
|--- |---
Total |68.5 |70.5
<1> Following the introduction of unified grading, chief statistician and statistician
grades were absorbed into Grades 5 and 7 respectively. All of the Grade 5 and 7 posts are
filled by professional statistical staff.
In addition on 1 February 1989 there were four casual staff in post of which one was
Senior Assistant Statistician.
|c|Business Statistics Office|c|
Grade |SIP 1 February 1989|Allocation of posts
|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 3 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 5 |5.0 |<1>5.0
Grade 6 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 7 |20.0 |<1>20.0
SEO |18.0 |20.0
HEO |85.0 |80.0
Senior Assistant Statistician |3.0}
Assistant Statistician |3.0} |10.0
SEO/SIO |1.0 |1.0
EO |173.5 |184.0
AO |224.5 |242.5
AA |60.0 |63.5
PS |6.0 |6.0
Librarian |1.0 |1.0
Assistant Librarian |1.0 |1.0
Typing Manager |2.0 |2.0
Typist |10.5 |15.0
Senior Messenger |2.0 |2.0
Porter/Messenger |8.0 |9.0
Paper Keeper |2.0 |3.0
Repro Graphics Officer I |1.0 |1.0
Repro Graphics Officer II |2.0 |2.0
Superintendent Telephonist |1.0 |1.0
Telephonist |2.0 |2.0
SubtotalStatistician grades |6.0 |10.0
SubtotalOther grades |627.5 |663.0
Total |633.5 |673.0
In addition on 1 February 1989 there were 11 casual staff in post of which three were
Assistant Statisticians.
<1>Following the introduction of unified grading, chief statistician and statistician
grades were absorbed into Grades 5 and 7 respectively. However, 4 of the Grade 5 posts
and 12 of the Grade 7 posts are filled by professional statistical staff.
|c|Business Statistics Office|c|
Grade |SIP 1 February 1989|Allocation of posts
|1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 3 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 5 |5.0 |<1>5.0
Grade 6 |1.0 |1.0
Grade 7 |20.0 |<1>20.0
SEO |18.0 |20.0
HEO |85.0 |80.0
Senior Assistant Statistician |3.0}
Assistant Statistician |3.0} |10.0
SEO/SIO |1.0 |1.0
EO |173.5 |184.0
AO |224.5 |242.5
AA |60.0 |63.5
PS |6.0 |6.0
Librarian |1.0 |1.0
Assistant Librarian |1.0 |1.0
Typing Manager |2.0 |2.0
Typist |10.5 |15.0
Senior Messenger |2.0 |2.0
Porter/Messenger |8.0 |9.0
Paper Keeper |2.0 |3.0
Repro Graphics Officer I |1.0 |1.0
Repro Graphics Officer II |2.0 |2.0
Superintendent Telephonist |1.0 |1.0
Telephonist |2.0 |2.0
SubtotalStatistician grades |6.0 |10.0
SubtotalOther grades |627.5 |663.0
Total |633.5 |673.0
In addition on 1 February 1989 there were 11 casual staff in post of which three were
Assistant Statisticians.
<1>Following the introduction of unified grading, chief statistician and statistician
grades were absorbed into Grades 5 and 7 respectively. However, 4 of the Grade 5 posts
and 12 of the Grade 7 posts are filled by professional statistical staff.
Column 102
/flagPrivatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by the Department of Trade and Industry in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for 1989-90.
Mr. Forth : The following table, based on information already published, shows gross expenditure incurred by the Department of Trade and Industry in connection with the sale of shares in British Aerospace, British Steel, British Telecom, Rolls Royce, and Rover Group plc since 1979 -80, together with an estimate for expenditure in 1989-90. The figures exclude subscriptions for new shares and injections of funds for capital restructuring but include commission and some relatively minor items (including stamp duty) which were not paid as fees to outside organisations. The Department also incurred expenses in 1986-87 under a single contract in connection with the sale of certain British Shipbuilders' yards, but these are excluded on the ground of commercial confidentiality :
Company |Year
---------------------------------------------------------
British Aerospace |1980-81
British Aerospace |1981-82
British Aerospace |1984-85
British Aerospace |1985-86
British Aerospace |1986-87
Total
British Telecom |1983-84
British Telecom |1984-85
British Telecom |1985-86
British Telecom |1986-87
Total
Rolls Royce |1985-86
Rolls Royce |1986-87
Rolls Royce |1987-88
Rolls Royce |1988-89
Total
Rover |1988-89
British Steel |1988-89
British Steel |1989-90
Total
<1>Provisional.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the total fees paid out by the Department of Trade and Industry to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Forth : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the fees paid by the Department of Trade and Industry for general consultancies from 1984-85 to the current financial year
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are given in the table. In addition to management consultancies the figures also include procurement of other specialised services by the Department to improve its efficiency. The apparent decrease from 1986-87 indicates a shift of consultancy expenditure from general to programme-related consultancies for which separate consolidated records are not kept.
|£'000
---------------------------
1984-85 |6,104
1985-86 |6,417
1986-87 |4,650
1987-88 |3,050
1988-89 |<1>2,500
<1>Forecast outturn.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the total fees paid out by the Duchy of Lancaster to management consultants in 1979-80 and each year to date ; and what is the estimate for the current year.
Mr. Newton : Fees paid out by the Duchy of Lancaster to management consultants in 1979-80 and subsequent years were as follows :
|£
----------------------
1979-80 |34,097
1985-86 |10,524
1986-87 |28,629
1987-88 |4,185
The forecast payment for 1988-89 is £4,000.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the latest figure for (a) the estimated expenditure by the Department of Trade and Industry on press and public relations during 1988-89 and (b) the budget for 1989-90.
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