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Teachers' Pay
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Blackburn, Official Report, 7 March, columns 626-27,
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what assumption he made in calculating the cost of £620 million in 1990-91 of implementing the recommendations of the interim advisory committee on teachers' pay in the manner he has proposed of (a) the number of teachers who would be awarded pay supplements of £750 in the Inner London weighting area from 1 April, (b) the number of teachers awarded enhanced incremental points and (c) the number of teachers whose maximum was extended to £18,000.Mr. MacGregor : I followed the IAC in assuming that 50 per cent. of eligible teachers would receive the new London pay supplement. The new main scale discretions, which will be introduced from 1 January 1991, are designed to give authorities a wider range of options on pay in the light of local circumstances : they will not necessarily lead to increases in costs overall.
Modern Languages
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to publish the initial advice of the national curriculum working group for modern foreign languages ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are publishing today the initial advice of the national curriculum working group for modern foreign languages, together with our letter to the group's chairman, Professor Martin Harris. Copies of the initial advice including the letter have been placed in the Library.
We welcome the progress which the group has made in developing the attainment targets and programmes of study for modern foreign languages in the national curriculum. The proposed structure covers the important aspects of learning a modern foreign language and it should provide a good basis for both developing and raising the linguistic competence of pupils of all abilities during compulsory secondary schooling.
We also welcome the helpful advice which the group has offered on the issues in its terms of reference. We hope that all those concerned with modern foreign languages will now take the opportunity during the consultation period to comment on the group's proposals in order to guide it in its further work. We look forward to receiving the group's final report by the end of July.
Capital Allocations
Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide estimates showing for each financial year from 1978-79 to 1989-90 the capital spending allocations for (a) local education authorities and (b) voluntary-aided and special schools.
Mr. Alan Howarth [pursuant to his reply, 21 December 1989, column 351] : In my earlier reply, the figures for capital grants paid to voluntary-aided and special agreement schools were given, from 1982-83 to 1989-90, as gross amounts including the governing bodies' 15 per cent. contribution. The adjusted table shows the level of net DES capital grants to these schools :
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Abattoirs and Meat Inspection
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many of his staff, full-time equivalent, were involved in the supervision of abattoirs in 1988-89 and 1989-90 ;
(2) if he will list the number of man years of his staff involved in poultry meat inspection in 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Mr. Maclean : Local authorities are responsible for the supervision of slaughterhouses and for meat inspection. Officers of my Department visit plants to advise on hygiene and welfare standards. The manpower involved for 1988-89 was approximately 41 man years and we expect that it will be of a similar order for 1989-90. Of this, we estimate that in 1988-89 and 1989- 90 seven man years were spent on poultry meat premises.
Food Safety Bill
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what level of new costs he expects to fall upon Devon county council in implementing the provisions of the Food Safety Bill and making preparation therefor, in the financial years 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93, respectively.
Mr. Maclean : We have already announced that the Food Safety Bill is likely to create additional costs, for all the local authorities in Great Britain taken together, of the order of £30 million a year from 1991- 92 onwards. This sum will be taken into account in the revenue support grant settlements, and will be reflected in the standard spending assessment for each authority. It is for individual authorities to plan their expenditure accordingly.
Butter Substitutes
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to introduce further legal controls on butter substitutes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham) on 1 March 1990, at column 335.
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to purchase at full value all offspring of cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : We have no plans to do so.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the risks arising from his decision to allow the export of calves born of mothers affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Mr. Maclean : The Southwood working party concluded that the risk to humans from BSE is remote and there is no evidence at present to show that the disease can be transmitted maternally from dam to offspring.
From 1 March, EC measures have restricted United Kingdom cattle exports to animals less than six months old and which are not the progeny of BSE- affected dams. Exports of cattle to third countries must satisfy the health conditions imposed by those countries.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further measures he proposes to take to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy among cattle and to reduce further the possibility of transmission to humans.
Mr. Maclean : The Government have introduced a comprehensive package of measures to tackle BSE in cattle and to eliminate the remote risk to public health.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the relationship between scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : BSE was almost certainly caused by feeding scrapie- infected protein material to cattle. The feeding to ruminants of protein material derived from ruminants was prohibited in July 1988.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has had from the National Farmers Union in respect of the incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Mr. Maclean : We have received a number of representations from the National Farmers Union about BSE.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Ministry will take to ensure that no threat is posed to humans by the sale of calves of six months or under, whose mothers are affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Mr. Maclean : If transmission from dam to offspring can take place (and there is no evidence to indicate that this occurs), research into scrapie suggests that the agent of the disease would not be detectable in such young animals.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies have been undertaken to establish whether bovine spongiform encephalopathy can transfer from cattle to sheep ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Maclean : Studies on the experimental transmission of BSE from cattle to sheep are being undertaken as part of the Ministry's programme of research announced on9 January at column 572 .Salmonella
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to eliminate so far as is practicable salmonella in poultry breeding flocks ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Under the Poultry Breeding Flocks and Hatcheries (Registration and Testing) Order 1989, registered owners of breeding flocks are required to have their flocks tested for the presence of salmonella and to comply with specific hygiene standards. A programme of compulsory slaughter, with compensation, has been introduced for flocks infected with salmonella enteritidis or salmonella typhimurium.
Scrapie
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies have been undertaken to establish whether scrapie can transfer from sheep to cattle ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Epidemiological studies have shown that the most likely cause of BSE was feeding cattle with ruminant-based protein which included material from sheep infected with scrapie. Research investigating the experimental transmission of scrapie from sheep to cattle is not considered a priority.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether scrapie has been identified in muscle tissue in sheep ; and if he will make a statement.
Glace Cherries
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the use of E127 on glace cherries is permitted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The food colour erythrosine BS (E.127) is currently approved for use in both the United Kingdom and the European Community in a number of foodstuffs. The recent review of colouring matter in foodstuffs conducted by the Food Advisory Committee recommended in the light of fresh scientific evidence that the use of E.127 should be restricted to cocktail and glace to a maximum level of 200 mg/kg. I have accepted that recommendation and will be taking steps to implement it in United Kingdom regulations in conjunction with European Community requirements as soon as possible.
PRIME MINISTER
Mr. Ian Richter
Q157. Mr. Hanley : To ask the Prime Minister if she will continue to seek to secure the release of Ian Richter from detention in Iraq.
The Prime Minister : I assure my hon. Friend that our efforts to secure the release of Ian Richter on humanitarian
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grounds are continuing and will continue. Mr. Richter's case remains a cause of deep concern, as we have made clear to the Iraqis on many occasions.Marine Archaeological Sites
Q206. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions Her Majesty's Government have held with other European Community states concerning the protection of important marine archaeological sites ; and if she will make a statement.
Car Imports
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the restraints placed on the import of cars by individual member states ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The future treatment of car imports into the European Community from Japan was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council on 5 March. The Commission is to open exploratory talks with Japan and the Government will consider any proposals resulting from these talks when they emerge.
The Government have put the case forcefully that there must be no obstacle to free trade between member states in all cars produced within the Community.
German Reunification
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if she will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the implications for the European Economic Community of the reunification of Germany ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The EC implications of German unification will be considered at an informal meeting of Community Heads of State and Government in Dublin on 28 April.
Marine Pollution
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning action to reduce marine pollution.
The Prime Minister : The Government have recently had representations from a wide range of interested organisations and individuals including industry, environmental groups and members of the public in the run-up to the third North sea conference which took place in The Hague last week on 7 and 8 March.
The United Kingdom played a full and constructive part at the conference which, among other measures, agreed to
reduce discharges to rivers and atmosphere for substances causing a major threat to the marine environment, such as cadmium, mercury, dioxins and lead by 70 per cent. or more by 1995 ;
reduce emissions to the atmosphere for 17 dangerous substances by 50 per cent. or more by 1995, and at the latest by 1999 ; phase out all remaining identifiable uses of PCB by 1999 and to destroy them as far as possible in the country of origin and using storage only as an interim option ;
reduce nutrient inputs to the North sea by improving sewage discharge treatment standards and adopting secondary treatment as a general rule with exceptions in less sensitive areas ;
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end sewage sludge dumping at sea at the latest by 1998 and to develop a programme to achieve this as soon as possible ; end incineration in the North sea by the end of 1991 (the United Kingdom will end it by the end of this year) ;protect dolphin and small cetacean species in the North sea and to co- operate on a programme to identify and protect a network of marine wildlife conservation sites around the North sea.
South Africa
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister how many representations and from whom, she has received regarding opposition to her current policy in South Africa ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I receive many representations from a wide range of people expressing both opposition and support for our policy towards South Africa.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister what public expenditure will be incurred on publicising the lifting of limited sanctions with South Africa in order to encourage wider investment in that country ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in a written answer to a parliamentary question on 23 February 1990, Official Report, columns 934-35, announced the withdrawal of the advice on new investment in South Africa which was issued in 1986. This was a deserved response to the constructive steps taken by President de Klerk. However, it will, as before, be for companies and firms to make their own judgment about whether to invest in South Africa. The Government will neither encourage nor discourage them. The statement made by the Secretary of State announcing the lifting of the ban was released as a press notice. Copies of this notice were also sent to relevant associated bodies and United Kingdom companies with existing interests in South Africa.
The Department of Trade and Industry incurred minor administrative costs in doing this.
Engagements
Mr. Pike : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 15 March.
Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 15 March.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 15 March.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Kashmir
Mr. Denis Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has received a petition on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir Plebiscite Front about the rights of the people of Kashmir to obtain self-determination ; and what response he proposes to make.
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Mr. Maude : Yes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is writing to the right hon. Member. Both the Indian and Pakistan Governments are aware of our concern about the situation in Kashmir, and also of our long-standing view that their dispute over its status can be settled only by agreement between them.
North Korea
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Leith (Mr. Brown), Official Report, column 702, 7 March, what action is taken to protect the well-being of British citizens who visit North Korea.
Mr. Maude : Since we do not recognise North Korea as a state, and accordingly have no relations with any authorities in North Korea, we can offer no consular protection there. British travellers to North Korea who seek advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are warned of this difficulty.
Archbishop Romero
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Salvadorean authorities about the murder of Archbishop Romero on 24 March 1980 and efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
DEFENCE
Conventional Forces in Europe
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current United Kingdom and NATO holdings of equipment covered by the Vienna negotiations on conventional forces in Europe.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Definitions of the treaty-limited items of equipment covered by CFE are not yet fixed. It is not therefore possible to be precise about the relevant holdings. But in general terms, on proposed western definitions the United Kingdom has some 1, 250 battle tanks ; 650 artillery pieces ; 3,500 armoured combat vehicles ; 1,000 combat aircraft ; and 500 attack helicopters. Equivalent NATO figures are some 24,000 battle tanks ; 18,000 artillery pieces ; 30,000 armoured combat vehicles ; 6,000 combat aircraft and 2,400 attack helicopters. The figures reflect the fact that for treaty purposes the definitions extend to equipment in storage and held in other non-operational forms, for example, in R and D and training establishments, rather than the more usual categorisation which reflects only equipment in active units.
Nuclear Tests
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, at the next meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, he will raise the implications of the Soviet decision to move its nuclear warhead-testing site to the Novaya Zemlya Islands.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend will discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest with other NATO Defence Ministers when they next meet at the nuclear planning group meeting early in May.Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Norway concerning the plan by the Soviet Union to move its nuclear warhead-testing site to the Novaya Zemlya Islands.
Ministry of Defence Land
Dr. Woodcock : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review water access arrangements to Ministry of Defence land with a view to facilitating greater access when this would not pose security or safety problems.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is Ministry of Defence policy to allow access to our land and facilities for recreational, social or commercial purposes wherever this is consistent with operational, safety and security requirements and does not conflict with the interests of tenants or have a detrimental effect on local amenities and the environment.
Low Flying
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying were received in each month since November 1988 from addresses in (1) Scotland, (2) England, (3) Wales and (4) Northern Ireland.
Mr. Neubert : The number of total monthly inquiries and complaints received over the period 1 November 1988 to 28 February 1990 relating to military low-flying training in England, Scotland and Wales is as follows :
1988
November |254 |81 |50
December |137 |63 |26
1989
January |428 |78 |106
February |297 |90 |82
March |278 |75 |36
April |301 |55 |86
May |478 |132 |100
June |662 |167 |118
July |822 |186 |196
August |802 |143 |154
September |584 |179 |70
October |437 |165 |91
November |250 |160 |32
December |117 |61 |39
1990
January |267 |93 |18
February |256 |71 |62
No fixed-wing low-flying training is carried out in Northern Ireland. However, helicopters undertake low-flying operations in Northern Ireland and although no central records are available of complaints received, headquarters Northern Ireland received 38 complaints in 1988 and 50 in 1989.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low -flying sorties were carried out over the United Kingdom in each month from November 1988 to the latest available date.
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Mr. Neubert : The number of low-flying sorties flown in the United Kingdom in each month over the period of 1 November 1988 to 31 December 1989 is as follows :
Exercise Northaxe
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters are scheduled to take part in Exercise Northaxe 2/90 ; and what overland flying activity is planned during the exercise ;
(2) what use is being made of (a) Stornoway airport, (b) Benbecula airport and (c) the Cape Wrath ranges as part of Exercise Northaxe 2/90.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Some 74 aircraft took part in Northaxe 2/90. Overland flying during the exercise was limited to transiting to and from Stornoway airport (to collect mail, stores and passengers for ships at sea), navigation training over north-west Scotland and the use of the Cape Wrath range. Benbecula airport was used as a diversion airfield.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many surface vessels and submarines are scheduled to take part in Exercise Northaxe 2/90 ; and what warnings have been issued to mariners about activities connected with this exercise.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Eleven vessels were involved in the exercise. Warnings of activity in the area round the Cape Wrath range between 6 and 9 March were issued to fishermen. It is not our normal practice to issue notices to mariners for exercises of this sort.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions have been given to military aircrew concerning interceptions of civilian air traffic during Exercise Northaxe.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Military aircraft engaged on operational exercises have no instructions to intercept civilian aircraft and, in accordance with normal practice, aircrew have been instructed to avoid civilian aircraft during Exercise Northaxe.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the purpose of Exercise Northaxe 2/90 ; which nations are participating in the exercise ; whether it is part of a regular series of exercises ; and what plans exist to hold future Northaxe exercises in the region of the Minch.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : Northaxe 2/90 is a primarily naval exercise which enables participant forces, all British, to practise their various anti-submarine and air defence roles. Northaxe exercises generally take place annually and one is provisionally planned for 1991.Radiation
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have received, in the last two decades, consecutive or separate annual radiation doses of more than 15 milliSieverts ; and what is the total radiation dose, including doses of less than 15 milliSieverts, sustained by those workers.
Mr. Archie Hamilton [holding answer 5 March 1990] : Records for radiation workers at the atomic weapons establishments are held separately from those for other Ministry of Defence radiation workers.
During the 17 years that AWE has been under the control of the Ministry of Defence, 91 individuals sustained attributable exposures to penetrating radiation determined to have been 15 mSv or more in each of one or more calendar years. The total attributable radiation exposure for all these individuals was approximately 15 person-sieverts.
Figures for other MOD radiation workers are readily available only for the period 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1989, when 1,484 individuals sustained attributable exposures to penetrating radiation determined to have been 15 mSv or more in each of one or more calendar years. The total attributable radiation exposure for all these individuals, based on a sample of 100, was approximately 143 person-sieverts.
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