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Mr. Archie Hamilton : Details of operational and non-operational energy consumption by the armed services and the procurement executive for 1988-89 are contained in table 3.6 in volume 2 of the 1990 Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cm. 1022-11). The only figures available for the civil estate are those for electricity and gas for the calendar year 1989.
There are :
|c|Energy Consumption|c| Electricity |Gas --------------------------------------------------- 71,803,344 kWhs |1,653,321 therms
RAF Trials
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the purpose of the trials activity to be conducted by the Royal Air Force central tactics and trials organisation to the west of the Isle of Lewis between 30 April and 4 May ; how many and what types of aircraft are involved ; what airfield the aircraft will be operating from ; and what precautions will be taken to avoid dropping missile or other debris on vessels operating in the extended danger area.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The purpose of this trial is to assess the capability of United Kingdom air defence assets in the detection of incoming cruise missiles, which will be simulated by
television-guided Martel missiles. Buccaneer, Tornado F3, Nimrod, NATO E3A and Shackleton aircraft will take part in the trial, operating from RAF Lossiemouth, Coningsby, Leeming and Kinloss, and from the German air force base at Geilenkirchen. A maximum of 12 aircraft will participate in the trial area at any one time and approximately 60 sorties will be flown over the trial period. A notice to mariners has been issued advising of the extension to the range danger area, and all proper precautions will be taken to ensure that no vessel is within range of any missile when firing takes place.
Low Flying
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of his Department's investigation of a complaint about low flying over Coll, Lewis, on 6 April 1989.
Mr. Neubert : I have nothing further to add to my letter of 19 June 1989 to the hon. Member, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recently reported breach of low-flying regulations over St. Kilda by two Tornado aircraft from RAF Leeming.
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Mr. Neubert : In September 1989, the National Trust for Scotland complained about unauthorised low-flying military aircraft on 24 and 26 June 1989 over a bird sanctuary on the St. Kilda group of islands. Following an investigation by the Royal Air Force police, appropriate disciplinary action has been taken against the aircrews concerned.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low-flying aircraft were received by his Department in 1988 and in 1989 from addresses in the Western Isles ; and how many were found to relate to aircraft operating from Stornoway airport.
Mr. Neubert : The Ministry of Defence received the following numbers of complaints or inquiries about military low flying from addresses in the Western Isles :
|Number
---------------------
1988 |4
1989 |21
Complaint records do not generally identify the operating base of the aircraft concerned, but one complaint in 1988 and two complaints in 1989 have been positively identified as relating to military aircraft operating from Stornoway airport.
Near Miss (Stornoway)
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Nimrod aircraft which was involved in a near miss with a British Airways aircraft near Stornoway on 13 March was participating in exercise Northaxe.
RAF Crash, Berwickshire
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now publish the report on the fatal RAF crash 12 months ago at Fast Castle, Berwickshire.
Petrol
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of vehicles used by his Department currently run on (a) leaded petrol and (b) diesel.
Mr. Neubert : Information is not available in the form requested. However, within the main vehicle fleets, 56 per cent. of vehicles use diesel fuel and 36 per cent. use leaded petrol. The remaining 8 per cent. are capable of using unleaded petrol.
CIVIL SERVICE
Business Appointments
59. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many business appointments of former civil servants have been approved by the advisory committee in the last year.
Mr. Luce : Twenty-seven in 1989.
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Skill Centres
60. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what rules govern the arrangement of civil service buy-outs such as the recent purchase of skill centres.
Mr. Luce : The overall objective is to get the best value for the taxpayer consistent with the avoidance of possible conflicts of interest.
Civil Service Agencies
62. Mr. Squire : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what proportion of the original agency candidates have now been successfully set up as agencies within the civil service.
Mr. Luce : Nine of the original 12 candidates for agency status are among the 30 executive agencies which have now been launched. Work continues on the remaining three candidates.
Civil Service (Duties and Functions)
63. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will review the duties and functions of the civil service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Luce : Ministers continually review the functions and priorities of their Departments in order to improve efficiency and service to the public.
Trade Unions
64. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what recent discussions he has had with civil service trade union representatives ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Luce : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes).
Civil Service Medical Centre
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service whether he has any plans to improve the present method of manually recording treatment of persons by the civil service medical centre ; and whether individuals treated by the centre can be supplied with records of past treatment.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 26 April 1990] : The only form of treatment provided by the civil service occupational health service (CSOHS) at its clinic in central London is the provision of immunisations and other prophylactic procedures for individuals exposed to specific risks. Each individual is supplied with a personal record of the procedure undertaken but, at present, it is not possible to supply records of past procedures.
A feasibility study is currently being undertaken into the information- recording needs of the service in preparation for introducing a new computer system in 1991-92. This study will address the issue of improving all recording systems in the CSOHS. The CSOHS became a "next steps" agency at the beginning of April and Dr. George Sorrie, the medical adviser and director, will be pleased to provide information about day-to-day operations of the CSOHS if the honourable Member for Cynon Valley would like to write to him directly.
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TRANSPORT
Irradiated Fuel
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will ensure that the proposed transportation of irradiated fuel from the Torness nuclear power station will satisfy the current International Atomic Energy Authority series 6 regulations on the emissions of radioactivity from exposed surfaces of the flasks used to carry the irradiated fuel ;
(2) if he will name the type of flask to be used for the transport of irradiated fuel from the Torness nuclear power station ; and in which way these flasks differ from other varieties of nuclear flasks ;
(3) if he will ensure that the current means of transportation of irradiated fuel from Hunterston B nuclear power station and the proposed transport of irradiated fuel from Torness nuclear power station will comply with his Department's requirements.
Mr. Portillo : Irradiated fuel flasks are designed and tested in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency's safety series No. 6 and certified for compliance by my Department. Regular compliance audits are carried out at points of departure, transhipment and receipt.
The proposed mark A2 flask, to be used at Torness nuclear power station, is an evolutionary development of the existing mark I AGR fuel flask.
Air Traffic Control
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the provisions for protection of aircraft flying on advisory routes from other air traffic ; and what regulations exist to restrict other aircraft from crossing advisory routes without air traffic control clearance.
Mr. McLoughlin : The statutory responsibility for the safety regulation of United Kingdom civil aviation rests with the Civil Aviation Authority. The CAA discharges its responsibilities in respect of air traffic control through the national air traffic services (NATS), a joint CAA/Ministry of Defence organisation. I have been informed that air traffic service advisory services have been established offering, in addition to flight information services, a continuous separation service to all participating aircraft. Participation is not compulsory and it has to be emphasised that the advice offered to participating aircraft relates only to known traffic. Pilots of aircraft wishing to cross an air traffic service advisory route should contact the appropriate air traffic services unit before doing so in accordance with the rules of the air. The United Kingdom aeronautical information publication contains details of the advisory airspace within the United Kingdom.
Road Deaths
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing the number of road fatalities in England since 1 October 1989 and for each year from 1980 to 1990.
Mr. Atkins : Following is the table requested for road accident fatalities from 1980 to 1989. No information is yet available for 1990.
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|c|Number of road accident fatalities in England: 1980-1990|c| Year |Killed ------------------------- 1980 |4,984 1981 |4,896 1982 |4,943 1983 |4,576 1984 |4,754 1985 |4,322 1986 |4,546 1987 |4,349 1988 |4,283 <1>1989 |4,492 <1><2>1989 |1,254 <1>Provisional. <2>4th quarter.
M1 (Junction 15A)
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the contract for junction 15A on the M1 to be let ; and when he anticipates it being completed.
Mr. Atkins : The construction of the new junction 15A on the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire is part of the contract for the A43 Blisworth and Milton Malsor bypass.
A £15 million contract for construction of the bypass has been awarded to Calliford Engineering and work started on site on 18 April. Construction is expected to take about two years.
EC Aviation
Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is his policy on the recent proposal by the European Community Commission to take responsibility on behalf of European Community member states for aviation negotiations with non-European Community countries ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is his policy towards the application of the liberalisation principles currently being applied to bilateral aviation relations within the European Community to international aviation agreements between the United Kingdom and non-European Community countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : We continue to seek liberal aviation arrangements both bilaterally and within the European Community. At its March meeting, the Council of Transport Ministers agreed in principle that negotiations should get under way with the countries of the European Free Trade Association on a package of civil aviation measures and asked the Commission to produce more specific proposals for this. We are considering the Commission's proposal about responsibility for aviation negotiations with non-EC countries.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the target reductions for energy consumption in the buildings occupied by his Department.
Mr. Atkins : The Department of Transport aims to achieve real cost reductions in energy consumption of 5 per cent. per annum over the next five years.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.
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Mr. Atkins : Consumption of energy by the Department of Transport in 1989-90 is calculated to have been :
|Energy consumption
---------------------------------------------------------
Electricity |32 million kWh
Gas |1.6 million therms
Liquid fuel |240,000 litres
Solid fuel |185 tonnes
Airline Safety
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that all the passengers in an airliner can be successfully evacuated in 90 seconds if the cabin is full of smoke and some of the exits inoperable ; and how recently a practical demonstration of evacuation on each of the civil airliners currently on the British register has taken place ; (2) how many of the recommendations relating to airliner safety arising from the fire on a 737 aircraft at Manchester in 1985 have now been made mandatory on British airliners ; and if he will list them.
Mr. McLoughlin : The statutory responsibility for the safety regulations of civil aviation within the United Kingdom rests with the Civil Aviation Authority. As my hon. Friend's questions require detailed answers, I have drawn them to the attention of the chairman of the authority and asked him to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Long-haul Flights
Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on when the Civil Aviation Authority expects to produce the fourth version of CAP 371 for fixed-wing long-haul and ultra long-haul two-crew operations.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am advised by the Civil Aviation Authority, which has the statutory responsibility for the safety regulation of United Kingdom civil aviation, that it is currently examining the results of tests and research conducted by several nations into the effects of long-haul two -crew operations. When these tests have been fully analysed, the Civil Aviation Authority will make any necessary changes to the provisions contained in CAP 371 covering such flights.
Jump Seats
Mr. Ernie Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he last met his European partners to discuss the use of jump seats on tourist buses ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) whether he will introduce legislation to ban jump seats on tourist buses.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 26 April 1990] : British requirements for folding crew seats are similar to those in other European countries. This Department is involved closely in the current European Commission work on a draft directive to cover all safety aspects relating to bus and coach construction, including these seats. It would be premature for Ministers to discuss appropriate EC requirements before the technical work is complete.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will give the target reductions for energy consumption in the buildings occupied or owned by the Duchy of Lancaster ;
(2) if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied or owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, for the latest year available.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The principal building which is both owned and occupied by the Duchy, and which houses their administrative staff, is at Lancaster place. Heating for this building, which comprises the main form of energy used, is supplied on a fixed cost basis from a circuit linked to an adjoining building. The amount of energy and type of fuel consumed is not within the Duchy's control.
Other buildings owned by the Duchy are leased to occupiers who are responsible for meeting their own costs of energy consumption. It would not be appropriate for the Duchy to set energy consumption targets, or to seek a breakdown of fuel consumed.
THE ARTS
P G Wodehouse Memorial Library
29. Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Minister for the Arts when he next plans to visit the P G Wodehouse memorial library at Dulwich college to discuss support for cultural commemorations.
Mr. Luce : I shall be visiting the P G Wodehouse memorial library tomorrow. P G Wodehouse made a unique contribution to the literature of this country.
Arts, South-West
32. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received about arts in the south-west.
Mr. Luce : I visited Plymouth on 9 February and met many representatives of the arts in the south-west. I was able to see at first hand the thriving arts scene they have created.
Library Association
33. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Minister for the Arts when he last met the chairman of the Library Association ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Luce : I last met the president of the Library Association on 18 April and discussed matters of concern to the Library Association and other issues of mutual interest.
National Companies
34. Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has on the current financial circumstances of the national companies.
Mr. Luce : I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 5 March, column 480.
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Arts Companies (Trading Deficits)
35. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has on the number of Arts Council clients who are currently in deficit.
40. Dr. Marek : To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received about the number of arts companies currently trading in deficit.
52. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received about arts companies which are in current deficit.
Mr. Luce : I understand that arts organisations funded directly by the Arts Council were expected to have accumulated deficits of some £12.7 million, or 6 per cent. of total turnover, by the end of March. This figure conceals a wide variation in the performance of individual organisations.
European Community
36. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Minister for the Arts how he intends to spread British culture into the European Community.
Mr. Luce : Lead responsibility for the promotion of British culture overseas rests with the British Council which launched last autumn its "Britain in Europe" initiative to encourage commercial sponsorship of visits to Europe by leading British arts organisations. The Arts Council is also actively exploring the new opportunities for artistic interchange which 1992 will bring. I am confident that the excellence of many British performers and companies will continue to be recognised in Europe and recently had the pleasure of showing to my EC colleagues some of the range and distinction of Glasgow's cultural provision during its inauguration celebrations as EC city of culture.
Liverpool Theatres
37. Mr. Wareing : To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has received on the financial circumstances of the Liverpool Playhouse theatre and Everyman theatre.
Mr. Luce : I understand that the Arts Council is continuing to work closely with Liverpool city council to ensure a satisfactory solution to the problems facing these two theatres.
Arts Funding
38. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Minister for the Arts what additional resources he will make available to the arts consequent upon his proposed restructuring of their funding in England.
Mr. Luce : I expect changes in the structure of arts funding that I have announced to be achieved within the Arts Council's existing financial allocation. There will, of course, be an appropriate transfer of resources from the Arts Council to the regional arts board as clients are devolved.
Museums and Galleries
39. Mr. Conway : To ask the Minister for the Arts what provision he is making for the refurbishment and repair of museums and galleries.
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Mr. Luce : I have earmarked £180 million over the next three years for the building and maintenance programmes at the national museums and galleries which I sponsor.Welsh Arts Council
41. Dr. Thomas : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he has any proposals for the restructuring of the Welsh Arts Council.
Mr. Luce : No, but I shall be considering with my Welsh and Scottish colleagues whether the Welsh and Scottish Arts Councils need to be brought within the new planning and monitoring arrangements that I have proposed for the English regions.
Arts, East Midlands
42. Mr. Vaz : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a further statement on funding for the arts in the east Midlands.
Mr. Luce : I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 12 February 1990, columns 15-16.
Works of Art (Public Viewing)
43. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Minister for the Arts what contribution the private sector can make to preserve important works of art for public viewing.
Mr. Luce : The Government firmly believe in the partnership between private and public sectors in the preservation of our nation's heritage. There are many ways in which the private sector, whether corporations or private individuals, may contribute to the preservation of important works of art in this country. Sponsorship and generous private patronage of our museums and galleries has already made a significant contribution to the acquisition, conservation and display of important works of art. Those who are fortunate enough to own such works of art may offset them against capital taxation by either offering them to the nation in lieu of tax or to a national institution by means of a private treaty sale. Similar benefits to both the nation and the individual or corporate giver will accrue from cash gifts to arts charities with the establishment of gift aid as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget statement. I am confident that the introduction of this concession will further encourage both corporate and private giving to museums and galleries and fine arts charities such as the national art collections fund as well as more generally to a range of other arts bodies.
53. Mr. Wood : To ask the Minister for the Arts what steps he is taking to encourage public access to important works of art held in private hands.
Mr. Luce : I actively encourage public access to privately owned works of art by facilitating the lending of such works for public exhibition through the Government indemnity scheme. This scheme, by removing the substantial cost of insurance, not only makes it possible for institutions around the country to stage exhibitions which often include the cream of private collections but enables the long-term loan of privately owned items to institutions which can then display them in their galleries.
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Arts Council
44. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Minister for the Arts when he is next due to meet the chairman of the Arts Council.
Mr. Luce : I meet the chairman regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest.
50. Mr. Hardy : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make further funds available to the Arts Council to enable it to assist the local authorities which have now been subject to capping of the community charge to maintain support for libraries, museums and cultural activities.
Mr. Luce : It is up to local authorities to decide how much to spend on the arts.
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