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The Prime Minister : None is needed.
Correspondence
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Prime Minister what measures she will take to improve the performance of Government Departments in answering letters from hon. Members.
The Prime Minister : There are nearly 250,000 replies a year from Ministers to letters from hon. Members and replies are sent at official level to several million letters received direct from members of the public. It is clearly in the interests of Members, the public and Ministers that this correspondence is conducted speedily and efficiently. I have therefore asked the efficiency unit to conduct an interdepartmental scrutiny into the methods and costs of handling this correspondence, and to seek the views of hon. Members and others who receive replies, so as to identify good methods of operation and recommend them for adoption by all departments. Departmental performance will be monitored and a Minister in each Department will be given responsibility for overseeing progress. In appropriate cases, Members of Parliament are encouraged to write in the first instance to civil service agencies, or the local offices directly concerned.
Engagements
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 March.
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 March.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 March.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 March.
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Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 March.
Mr. Pike : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 29 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 the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I am speaking at the Anglo-German Konigswinter conference held in Cambridge.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Land Registry
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General what is for each of the last three years (a) the minimum length of time and (b) the maximum length of time that Her Majesty's Land Registry has taken to deal with a first registration application.
The Attorney-General : No statistical information is available on either the maximum or the minimum processing times. The minimum processing time can be as low as one or two weeks for expedited applications and those where no queries arise. Some complex applications, involving clarification from an applicant's solicitors, take a considerable time to process.
The average time taken to process a first registration application is currently 27 weeks, compared with 30 weeks in 1989, 34 weeks in 1988 and 32 weeks in 1987.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General on what date the Land Registration Act 1988 will come into force.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor hopes to bring the Land Registration Act 1988 into force in December 1990. An announcement of the exact date will be made in due course.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General what action he is taking to reduce the delays at Her Majesty's Land Registry in dealing with applications to register title.
The Attorney-General : Since 1 March 1987 the Land Registry has increased its work force by over 3,000 staff. In order to move work away from the south-east of England, where the recruitment and retention of staff is difficult, four new district registries have been opened and two more are planned in the near future. Computerisation of the application processing system will have been introduced at a total of eight district registries by the end of this year and by 1993 all district registries will operate the computerised system. Average completion times on all types of application to register title are improving steadily, unit cost targets are being met and productivity is at record levels.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has recieved regarding the delays at Her Majesty's Land Registry in dealing with applications to register title.
The Attorney-General : A total of 128 representations about delay were received by the Lord Chancellor between January and December 1989.
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Marconi
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Attorney-General what recent developments have taken place into the inquiry being carried out by the special fraud office into fraud in the Marconi company ; and if he will make a statement as to general progress of that inquiry over the last six months.
The Attorney-General : A case in which the defendents are Marconi Company Limited, Marconi Space Systems Limited, Marconi Secure Radio Systems Limited and various former employees of those companies is pending before Winchester crown court. It results from inquiries carried out by the Serious Fraud Office. The remaining inquiries concerning Marconi companies are being carried out as expeditiously as possible.
ENERGY
Oil Companies
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to require all oil companies to deposit a bond with his Department that can be immediately used to finance clean-up operations in the event of an oil spillage around the British coast.
Mr. Peter Morrison : Primary responsibility for clean-up, following an oil spill from an offshore installation, rests with the operator. To ensure that operators have sufficient funds available to discharge any liability attributable to such an incident, the offshore pollution liability agreement (OPOL) was set up by the oil industry in 1975 at the request of the Department of Energy. This agreement ensures that funds are available, up to $60 million per incident, to meet claims for remedial measures and pollution damage from an offshore oil spill incident.
North Sea Oil and Gas
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the output of North sea oil and gas for each year since 1980.
Mr. Peter Morrison : North Sea oil and gas production in the period 1980 to 1989 was as follows :
|Crude oil |Natural gas |Gas
|(thousand |liquids |(Million
|tonnes) |thousand |cubic metres)
|tonnes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |78,680 |1,550 |37,290
1981 |87,714 |1,534 |37,186
1982 |100,058 |2,908 |37,832
1983 |110,566 |4,078 |38,690
1984 |120,961 |4,759 |38,520
1985 |122,069 |5,150 |42,961
1986 |120,734 |5,815 |45,289
1987 |117,030 |5,693 |47,623
1988 |108,641 |5,004 |45,726
1989<1> |86,505 |4,407 |44,705
Source: Figures for 1980 to 1988. United Kingdom Digest of Energy
Statistics 1989. Figures for 1989. February 1990 issue of Energy
Trends.
<1> Provisional
Electricity Consumers
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will amend the part of the draft electricity licence dealing with domestic consumers in default, on the terms submitted to him by the National Consumer Council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Electricity disconnections are currently standing at the lowest level since records began in 1976. Careful consideration has been given to the NCC's proposals but we believe that the combination of protections we have provided for, including the role of the director general and the consumers committees, will give the best degree of protection to consumers and ensure that the downward trend continues.
DEFENCE
Community Charge
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received regarding the community charge and its effect on service personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Ministers have received about 85 such written representations or inquiries.
Trident
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will be ordering a fourth Trident nuclear submarine.
Mr. Neubert : We expect to issue an invitation to tender for the fourth Vanguard class submarine later this year.
WE177 Free-fall Bomb
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reassess the basis for envisaging a requirement for a replacement for the WE177 free-fall bomb.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We keep our requirements for all weapons systems under review. As the WE177 free fall bomb approaches the end of its service life we are studying options for its replacement.
Statement on the Defence Estimates"
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the 1990 "Statement on the Defence Estimates".
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We expect to publish the "Statement on the Defence Estimates" on Monday 2 April.
School of Peace Studies
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any serving members of the armed forces are currently studying at the School of Peace Studies in Bradford.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A serving WRNS officer is currently undertaking a one-year defence fellowship at the School of Peace Studies in Bradford. I am not aware of any other serving members of the armed forces who are studying at the school.
Column 283
Warsaw Pact
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent contacts members of his Department have had with Warsaw pact countries.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There have recently been regular meetings with representatives of Warsaw pact nations at ministerial and official level. In the past month the Ministry has hosted visits by Colonel General Morocz, Hungarian State Secretary for Defence, Colonel General Stanculescu, Romanian Defence Minister and Colonel General Omelichev, Soviet Deputy Chief of General Staff. These contacts are a valuable means of building mutual confidence and improving understanding.
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the accountancy firms used by his Department.
Mr. Neubert : The two outside accountancy firms currently employed by the Ministry of Defence on accountancy-type tasks are : Ernst and Young
Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Leicester (IRA Bomb)
49. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the consequences of statements made after the recent explosion of the Irish Republican Army bomb in the city of Leicester for the fight against terrorism.
Mr. Waddington : The statements made by the police following the incident provided the public with information about what happened in order to reassure them that the matter was under control, to learn of any possible further threat and to seek their help in identifying those who had planted the device. The public response once again has been of great assistance to the police in pursuing their investigations.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those organisations which sought inclusion in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Mr. John Patten : The following organisations sought exceptions under the 1975 exceptions order :
The Association of British Adoption Agencies
The National Deaf Children's Society
The National Council for Social Services
The National Association for Deaf/Blind and Rubella Children The National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children The Ockenden Venture
The NSPCC
The Church of England Children's Society
The Girl Guides Association
The National Institute for the Deaf
The National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations The National Association of Boys Clubs
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The Church ArmyThe National Association of Youth Clubs
The General Synod Board of Education
Christians Abroad
The Baden Powell Scout's Association
The Scout Association
The Methodist Church Division of Education and Youth The Local Authority Associations (and individual
local authorities)
The GLC and ILEA
The General Medical Council
The General Dental Council
The General Nursing Council
The Central Midwives Board
The General Optical Council
The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Law Society
The Senate of the Inns of Court and the Bar
The Architects Registration Council of the
United Kingdom
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Police
The British Bankers Association
The Building Societies Association
The London Diamond Bourse
The Committee of Magistrates for Inner London
The Fire Service
Representatives of the Press
The Bank of England
The Retail Distributors Association Incorporated
Augustus Barnett and Sons Ltd
The Museums Association
The London Diamond Club Ltd
The National Supervisory Council for Intruder
Alarms Ltd
The National Supervisory Council for Intruder
Alarms Ltd
The British Security Industries Association
The National Freight Corporation
The Association of British Investigators
The British Shipping Federation
The British Casino Association
The Betting Office Licensees Association
The British Bingo Association
The National Association of Licensed Bingo and Social Clubs The Continental Oil Company Ltd.
Johnson, Matthey and Co. Ltd.
The Accepting Houses Committee
The British Jewellery and Giftware Federation Ltd.
The Wellcome Foundation Ltd.
Members of the London Gold Market
The British Museum
The Civil Aviation Authority
The British Insurance Association and Lloyd's
The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments
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