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Mr. Cope : At 31 December 1989 the total number of full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers was 3,018. This represents approximately 28 per cent. of all constables in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and Royal Ulster Constabulary full and part-time reserve.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have (a) to provide access for full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers to the police pension fund and (b) to approve the payment of an employers' contribution to a private pension scheme for full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have to incorporate full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers into the regular force after a specific period of service.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what system of negotiation, conciliation or arbitration exists for full- time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers ; and what are the rules under which this system operates.
Mr. Cope : There is no formal system of negotiation, conciliation or arbitration but before the Secretary of State makes regulations about pay and conditions of service for the RUC reserve he consults the Police Authority, the Chief Constable and the Police Association.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers are (a) precluded from negotiating their conditions of employment, pay, pension, etc. under the normal terms of industrial relations legislation and (b) excluded from the joint police negotiating board of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Mr. Cope : RUC reserve officers, like their fellow officers in the regular force, do not come within the terms of industrial relations legislation. The RUC reserve is not included within the remit of the police negotiating board for the United Kingdom.Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Government have any plans to replace or modify the present short-term contract system of employment for full-time Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers.
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Government intend to replace or amend the system of negotiation, conciliation or arbitration for Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve officers.
Anglo-Irish Agreement
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Mr. Brooke : The Government are committed to the Anglo-Irish Agreement and to the principles it embodies. As recorded in paragraph 29 of the report of the review of the working of the conference : "If in the future it were to appear that the objectives of the Agreement could be more effectively served by changes in the scope and nature of the working of the Conference, consistent with the basic provisions and spirit of the Agreement, the two Governments would be ready in principle to consider such changes".
Captain Fred Holroyd
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will acquire for the library of the Northern Ireland Office a copy of the book "War Without Honour" by Fred Holroyd.
Mr. Brooke : The Northern Ireland Office already possesses copies of Mr. Holroyd's book.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will now allow independent inspection on Privy Councillor terms of the records of his office relating to contacts with Fred Holroyd.
Minister's Car (Theft)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any Government papers were included in the recent theft from the motor car being used by the hon. Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) ; and if he will make a statement.
ENERGY
Energy Exploration, Doncaster and Rotherham
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the sites in the Doncaster and Rotherham areas that are due to be drilled by geologists seeking oil and gas.
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Mr. Peter Morrison : Proposals to drill for oil and gas are subject to approval by my right hon. Friend. No such proposals have been submitted to him by current holders of petroleum licences in the Doncaster and Rotherham areas.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will name the 30 companies that have been granted Government licences to explore in the Doncaster and Rotherham areas for oil and gas.
Mr. Peter Morrison : There are 19 companies with interests in petroleum licences within a radius of five miles from Doncaster and Rotherham.
These are as follows :
Exploration Licence EXL 050
Fina Petroleum Development Ltd*, Blackland Exploration Ltd, Eaglestone Petroleum Ltd
EXL 100
Clyde Expro plc*, Phillips Petroleum Co UK Ltd
EXL 138
Sovereign Oil & Gas plc*, Coalite Group plc, LASMO (TNS) Ltd, Union Texas Petroleum Ltd
EXL 182
Teredo Petroleum plc*, East Midland Oil & Gas Ltd, Croft Exploration Ltd
EXL 183
Pentex Oil Ltd*
Production Licence PL 161
Kelt UK Ltd*, Candecca Resources plc, Elf Oil & Gas (UK) Ltd, James Finlay plc, Marinex Exploration Ltd, Pict Petroleum plc
* denotes operator
Of these, EXL 182 and EXL 183 were awarded in the third onshore licensing round, announced on 14 December 1989.
Condensate Boilers
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what estimates he has made of the reduction of carbon dioxide from condensate boilers.
Mr. Peter Morrison : It is very difficult to give a precise figure as performance of gas condensing boilers used in space heating applications varies according to specific circumstances. However the average efficiency of a new non-condensing boiler in the domestic sector can be taken as 70 per cent. and that of a condensing boiler as 85 per cent. leading to a reduction of the CO emitted of 18 per cent.
Renewable Energy
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has to re-evaluate the role of (a) renewable energy technologies and (b) combined heat and power and biomass energy production in the context of environmental damage from fossil fuels.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Energy paper No. 55 laid out proposals for the development of renewable energy technologies and these are reviewed annually. An initial assessment of the contribution to reducing the impact of greenhouse emissions from a range of energy technologies, including CHP and biomass, was included in the United Kingdom study for the inter- governmental panel on climate change. This report "An Evaluation of Energy- Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Measures to Ameliorate Them" was lodged in the Library of the House last November and will be published shortly as a
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Department of Energy paper. Further re- evaluation may be required as more information on greenhouse emissions becomes available.Plutonium
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what action he is taking to assess the current location of all plutonium created in United Kingdom electricity board magnox reactors since the nuclear programme began.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the details of plutonium produced at Britain's civil nuclear power stations which were published by my Department on 5 December 1989. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mining Subsidence
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he has any proposals to change the present arrangements for appeals against decisions by British Coal on claims concerning the effects of mining subsidence brought by individuals and organisations against that company ;
(2) if he will set up local arbitration panels to resolve all claims concerning mining subsidence in respect of private dwellings, and up to £50,000, index-linked, in respect of other property.
Mr. Baldry : In line with the recommendations of the Waddilove report, the Government, in the White Paper "The Repair and Compensation System for Coal Mining Subsidence Damage", Cm. 235, undertook to review in November 1990 the procedures for resolving disputes over subsidence damage. In view of the Government's intention to legislate at the earliest practicable opportunity, this review has been brought forward and is presently under way.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the number of mining subsidence claims, by coalfield or British Coal administrative region, currently being processed by British Coal.
Mr. Baldry : Details of British Coal's subsidence claims for 1987-88 are contained in an annual report to the Secretary of State for Energy, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I hope that the annual report for 1988-89 will be available shortly.
Gas-fired Power Stations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy further to his answer to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras of 8 January, Official Report, column 475, if he will give the output capacity of each of the gas-fired projects listed together with the likely annual gas consumption in each case.
Mr. Wakeham : The applications from the CEGB for section 2 consent under the Electric Lighting Act 1909 are for gas-fired stations, of the following proposed capacities :
|Megawatt
------------------------------------------
Killingholme A |1000
Little Barford |700
Killingholme (PowerGen) |700-1000
Rye House |700
The capacities of the stations proposed by independent generators are matters for them.
The projects are at early planning or development stages and gas contracts are in most cases not yet in place.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how many applications for consent to build gas-fired power stations have been received but not yet granted ;
(2) whether he has refused any applications for consent to build a gas- fired power station.
Mr. Wakeham : I have received four applications from the CEGB for my consent to construct combined cycle gas turbine power stations. I shall announce my decisions on these applications in due course.
Electricity Supply
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what representations he has received about the absence of any obligation to supply electricity once electricity supply is privatised.
Mr. Wakeham : The area boards will continue to have an obligation to offer terms for a supply. Every customer will be able to find a supplier and regulations will continue to prescribe the quality and safety of supplies. Licence conditions on all suppliers will ensure current standards of security. I regularly receive correspondence and hold meetings with individuals, trade associations and other interested bodies on all aspects of the workings of our proposals for the privatised electricity market.
Gas Leaks
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are current levels of natural gas leakages ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 26 October last.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what research his Department has commissioned or proposes into the incidence of natural gas leakages ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : My Department has already published estimates of United Kingdom methane emissions, including those from natural gas leakage. Discussions on further work with interested parties are in hand.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what steps are being taken to reduce overall levels of carbon dioxide emissions within the natural gas industry in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The natural gas industry itself is responsible for only a small proportion of total carbon dioxide emissions. British Gas puts a substantial engineering and R&D effort into technologies to improve the efficiency with which gas is used, thereby helping to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its customers.
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Natural Gas
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how much natural gas he estimates will be used for the production of electricity in the United Kingdom in 1995 and 2000.
Mr. Peter Morrison : The amount of gas used for the production of electricity in the United Kingdom in 1995 and 2000 will depend on many factors. The attractions of gas to power generators together with the availability of competitive UKCS gas supplies seeking new markets suggest that gas burn in electricity generation will increase in the 1990s.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average cost of producing natural gas from the United Kingdom continental shelf ; and what information he has as to the cost of the most economic method so far recorded of gasifying coal.
Mr. Peter Morrison : To date some £12 billion has been spent in developing our natural gas resources on the continental shelf and some 260 billion therms of gas have been produced. This gives a simple average cost over the past two decades, excluding exploration costs and a return on capital, of some 5.0 pence per therm. The Watt committee report number 20, published last year with financial support from my Department, provides a comprehensive assessment of the costs of coal gasification. The production costs of the cheapest method are about twice the cost of the coal feedstock used. The average price of coal purchased by large United Kingdom industrial consumers in the third quarter of 1989 was 15 pence per therm.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is prepared to authorise connection with the European gas grid to supplement gas supplies from the United Kingdom continental shelf.
Mr. Peter Morrison : It is for the private sector to bring forward proposals for the financing and construction of a connection with the European gas grid. Known reserves of natural gas in the UKCS are, as presently assessed, capable of meeting the needs of the United Kingdom gas market competitively for the foreseeable future. The Government will give full consideration to any proposal to build a marine pipeline link to the European gas grid on the merits of the case.
Underground Miners
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many men were working underground in mines operated by British Coal in 1978-79 and each succeeding year.
Mr. Wakeham : The numbers of underground wage earners on British Coal's colliery books at the end of the following years were :
Year |'000 -------------------- 1978-79 |185.1 1979-80 |185.8 1980-81 |181.0 1981-82 |171.9 1982-83 |164.4 1983-84 |147.5 1984-85 |139.2 1985-86 |113.7 1986-87 |91.1 1987-88 |74.6 1988-89 |68.7
HOME DEPARTMENT
Traffic Wardens
63. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the main role of traffic wardens.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The main role of traffic wardens is to assist the police in the enforcement of parking regulations.
Fixed Penalties
64. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to alter the fixed penalty level for illegal parking.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, West (Mr. Jones) on 20 December 1989 at column 275 .
Centrally Funded Information
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish details of centrally funded information prepared by his Department, or by the Central Office of Information on his Department's behalf, supplied to police forces in England and Wales, in each year since 1983 ; and if he will indicate the languages of publication for this material.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Following is a list of the publications produced by the Home office public relations branch since 1 April 1986 for issue to police forces in England and Wales. Where the publication was produced in other languages, as well as English, this is shown. Details of publications for earlier years and of those which were produced without the assistance of the public relations branch are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Description |Title
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crime Prevention
Burglary/Theft Poster |Watch Out
|An Open Invitation
Autocrime Posters |Who Forgot
|Give a Thief an Inch
|Police Warning
|Don't Make Your Picnic
|Police Warning
Vandalism/Juvenile Posters |Suddenly It's Not So Funny
|Suddenly It Comes Home to
| You
|Do You Know
|Vandalism is Pointless
Bicycle/Motor Cycle Posters |Coded Cycle
|Lock It or Lose It
|Lock & Chain
Theft Posters |Thieves Do a Roaring Trade
|Preventing Office Theft
|By the Time
|Game Set & Snatch
Bogus Callers Poster |Someone at the Door
Bomb Warning Poster |Bombs...Be Alert
Xmas Theft Posters |An Unlocked Car
|Keep a Hold on Your Bag
Autocrime Posters |You are at Risk
(Weatherproof) |There Has Been a Spate
|Car Thieves Operate
|Have You Locked Your Car
Home Security Booklet |How to Protect Your Home
Home Security Leaflet |How to Protect Your Home
| (Magpie)
Home Security Leaflet |As Safe as Houses
Home Security Leaflet |Coded for Keeps
Vandalism Leaflet |Facing up to Vandalism
Armed Robbery Leaflet |Protection Against Armed
| Robbery
Caravan and Boat Leaflets |Keep Your Caravan Safe
|Keep Your Boat Crimetight
Autocrime Leaflet |Your Car is at Risk
Bogus Callers Leaflet |Knock Knock
Leaflet for Farmers |The Big Steal Is On
Holiday Advice Leaflet |You Can't Take it With You
Video Theft Leaflet |Video/Theft Alert
Retail Theft Booklet |Profit from Prevention
Crime Leaflet |Crime Prevention Makes Sense
| (Punjabi, Hindi, Gujerati)
Crime Leaflet |Crime Prevention Makes Sense
| (Bengali, Urdu)
Booklets for Industry |Design Solutions Autocrime
|A Guide to the Security Homes
Community Programme |The Community Programme
Violent Crime Leaflet |Violent Crime
|Police Advice for Women
Practical Ways to Crack Crime |1st Edition
|2nd Edition
|3rd Edition
Practical Ways to Crack Crime |The Family Guide
Crime Leaflet |Police Advice on Preventing
| Crime
Neighbourhood Watch/ |A Guide to Community Action
Homewatch Material |Incident Report Card
|Window Sticker
|Burglars Beware Sticker
|Logo Sticker
|Door Sticker
Xmas Theft Sticker |Keep a Hold on Your Bag
Cycle Coding/Locking Material |Lock and Chain-Bookmark
|Coded Cycle-Sticker
|Have You Locked Your Bike-
| Lamppost Sticker
4D Special Agent Material |Bookmark
|Sticker
|Membership Card
Door Sticker |Stop- Chain the Door
Anti Burglary Sticker |Burglars Beware
Autocrime Sticker |Watch Out
Jigsaws |Police Jigsaw
Pack |Peter Pan
Pack |Protecting Your Home
| (Magpie)
Booklet |Crime Prevention Publicity
| Catalogue
Booklet |Crime Prevention News
|A Quarterly Magazine
Criminal Justice |Working Paper 1986
Criminal Justice |Key Statistics
Crime Booklet |Tackling Crime
Crime Leaflets |Tackling Crime
Miscellaneous
Shotgun Booklet |Shotguns-A Guide to the Law
Gun Permit Leaflet |Gun Permits for Visitors
Gun Clubs Leaflet |Approval of Gun Clubs
Gun Sense Leaflet |Gun Sense is Good Sense
Firearms Folder |Firearms Buy in Scheme
Witness in Court Leaflets |Witness in Court
Victims of Crime Leaflet |Victims of Crime
Knives Amnesty Poster x 3 |Amnesty for Knives
Crossbow Leaflet |Crossbows Act
Interception Leaflet |Interception of Tele-
| communications
Firearms Leaflet |Firearms-Changes in the Law
Firearms Poster |Amnesty-Firearms
Security Leaflet |Complaints Against Security
Booklet |Police National Computer Unit
Booklet |Scientific Research and
| Development Branch
Booklet |Civil Protection
Booklet |Protect and Survive
Leaflet |Complaints Against the Police
| (Welsh, Urdu, Bengali,
| Punjabi, Gujerati, Hindi,
| Chinese)
Leaflet |The Police are Ignorant
Booklet |Homes Security Booklet
Leaflet |The Work of the Coroner
Leaflet |The New Fixed Penalty Scheme
Leaflet |The Forensic Science Service
Police Recruitment
Poster |Undergraduates
Poster |Special Constabulary
Poster |Get Yourself a Real Job
Poster |A Job That Earns Respect
Poster |Serving the Community
Poster |Preserving the Peace
Booklet |Police Career-Graduate
Booklet |Police Officer
Booklet |Special Constabulary
Booklet |The Police Staff College
Bramshill
Leaflet |The Police-A Career for Ex-
|Servicemen and Women
Leaflet |Police Special Reserve
Leaflet |Police Ethnic Recruitment
Leaflet |Police Cadets
Card |Police Recruitment Pay Scale
Card |Police Force Address List
Schools Pack |The Story of our Police
Disclosure of Information
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the disclosure of information from the electoral register without the consent or knowledge of the voter ; whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to allow voters to consent to the sale of their name and address ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : During 1989 we received two letters from members of the public and one from an hon. Member about disclosure of information from the electoral register without the elector's consent. We have no plans to introduce regulations to require the consent of electors to the sale of their names and addresses. The operation of the electoral registration system requires that all the information in the register should be freely available to the public. The provisions of the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 governing the publication and supply of the register reflect this fact and the conclusion that its use by commercial organisations could not effectively be prevented.
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Police Assaults (Wales)
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the figures, on a force by force basis, of police officers who suffered violent assaults over the recent Christmas and new year period in Wales.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the chief constables concerned that, during the period from 22 December 1989 up to and including 1 January 1990, the numbers of police officers in Wales who were physically attacked were as follows :
------------------ Gwent |8 Dyfed Powys |5 North Wales |19 South Wales |33
Cigarette Sales
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government propose to take to enforce the law on the prohibition of selling cigarettes to children under the age of 16 years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The enforcement of the law is a matter for trading standards officers and the police. However, we are concerned that the prohibition on sales of tobacco to children should be effective and are currently considering what steps might be taken to strengthen the law in this area.
Birmingham Six
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusion he has reached as a result of the meeting he had this week with the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs about the Birmingham Six.
Mr. Waddington : I explained to Mr. Collins when I met him on 8 January that I was giving very careful consideration to further material which had been submitted to me on behalf of the Birmingham Six. I will decide as soon as possible whether that further material justifies any intervention on my part.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet members of the European Parliament Committee set up to consider the soundness of the conviction of the Birmingham Six.
Mr. Waddington : As I said in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 30 November 1989, I understand that the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has not yet decided whether to conduct an inquiry into the case of the Birmingham Six, and if so, what its terms of reference should be. We believe that it would be inappropriate for the European Parliament to inquire into the convictions of the Birmingham Six, which we regard as a matter wholly outside the Parliament's competence.
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now had an opportunity of considering fresh evidence presented to him before Christmas by lawyers representing the Birmingham Six ; and if he has reached a conclusion.
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Mr. Waddington : I am considering very carefully the further material which has been presented to me by a solicitor on behalf of the Birmingham Six, and will decide as soon as possible whether it justifies any intervention on my part.Mr. Albert Baker
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is yet able to make a further statement as to the case of Mr. Albert Baker and his request for a transfer to a prison in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Mellor : Mr. Baker was informed in a petition reply dated 24 November 1989 that, because of the risk to his own safety if transferred to Northern Ireland, it had been decided to refuse his latest request.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent petitions have been received from Mr. Albert Baker, Her Majesty's prison Full Sutton, No. 241254.
Mr. Mellor : Mr. Baker last petitioned on 12 September 1989, when he wrote about the withdrawal of his special category status in 1973 following his transfer from a prison in Northern Ireland. A reply was sent on 22 November.
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