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Column 195
£000's
|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |4,474 |7,354 |5,966 |6,061 |6,610
East Dyfed |2,204 |1,818 |2,561 |1,980 |2,658
Gwent |4,101 |4,029 |6,970 |6,910 |7,198
Gwynedd |2,811 |936 |1,248 |3,457 |2,066
Mid Glamorgan |3,013 |7,955 |5,198 |5,738 |6,268
Pembrokeshire |1,260 |1,734 |2,386 |2,668 |2,705
Powys |949 |1,257 |1,186 |971 |1,037
South Glamorgan |6,245 |3,614 |6,441 |4,619 |5,160
West Glamorgan |5,258 |8,348 |10,835 |11,225 |12,654
|---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Total DHAs Wales |30,315 |37,045 |42,791 |43,629 |46,356
Source: Health authorities annual accounts.
Cottage Hospital, Caernarfon
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what are the estimated annual savings of closing the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how many minor casualty cases were treated by the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon during 1989 ; and what proportion of such cases (a) will be dealt with by local general practitioners, and (b) is expected to travel to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for casualty treatment, following the closure of the Cottage hospital ;
(3) what was the average number of available beds and the percentage bed occupancy at the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon during 1989 ; and what were the assumptions made in the public consultation document on the proposed closure of that hospital, published by the Gwynedd health authority in 1987 ;
(4) what alternative new provision is being made at other hospitals in Caenarfon to replace facilities that have hitherto been provided at the Cottage hospital, Caernarfon.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 9 May 1990.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 427, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.
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Mr. David Hunt : Expenditure on energy consumption in buildings occupied by my Department in 1988-89 was as follows :
|£
----------------------------
Electricity |367,407
Gas |88,509
Liquid fuel |24,198
Solid fuel |2,431
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prisons (Isle of Wight)
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that the recent incidents at Isle of Wight prisons will be fully investigated and the necessary steps taken to ensure the maintenance of secure conditions at Parkhurst, Albany and Camp Hill.
Mr. Mellor : All serious incidents are investigated, and steps are taken, as appropriate, to guard against a recurrence and to ensure that security at the establishment is maintained.
Probation Service
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of probation officers in the probation service ; and what is the average number of cases an officer deals with in a year.
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Mr. John Patten : The number of probation officers in post in 1988 was 6,604 (whole-time equivalents) and the average number of persons under supervision by a maingrade officer on general duties (that is, excluding community service orders) was 29 (tables 10.1 and 11.1 of "Probation Statistics, England and Wales, 1988"). In 1989, the number of probation officers was 6,750.Dogs
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics are centrally maintained on the incidence of attacks by dogs on people ; and what information he has on the level of attacks and the types of breeds involved in the past decade.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This information is not available centrally.
Immigration and Nationality Division
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the cost of the immigration and nationality division in the years 1987 to 1989 ;
(2) what revenue was generated by the immigration and nationality division in the years 1987 to 1989.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is set out in the table.
|c|Immigration and Nationality Department expenditure and
receipts|c|
£ million
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
------------------------------------------------------------
Pay running costs |42.9 |49.9 |57.8
Non-pay running costs |13.4 |14.3 |16.6
Non-running costs |4.5 |4.4 |5.3
|-- |-- |--
Total gross expenditure |60.8 |68.7 |79.8
Receipts |16.8 |7.9 |4.2
Immigration<1> (Carriers'
liability) Act receipts |1.8 |2.2 |2.1
<1> These receipts are not appropriated-in-aid to the IND
budget and Home Office vote, but are paid direct into the
Consolidated Fund.
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the financial contribution made to the immigration and nationality division by Commonwealth citizens in the years 1987 to 1989.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : This information is not readily available, and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 400, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, for the latest year available.
Mr. Waddington : The information is as follows :
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|c|Expenditure on energy consumption in|c|
|c|21 Home Office buildings in 1989-90|c|
Site |Gas |Electricity|Oil |Solid
|£ |£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abell house |18,182 |115,827 |0 |0
Branston |1,172 |62,983 |0 |186,098
Cleland house |17,605 |108,322 |0 |0
Clive house |10,881 |44,357 |0 |0
Corby |4,043 |16,071 |4,122 |0
Cowley |3,266 |8,561 |0 |0
Dunkeswell |0 |7,896 |434 |0
Easingwold |0 |19,435 |9,489 |0
Fire Service college |<1>24,259 |123,895 |73,567 |0
Harmondsworth |3,407 |38,020 |19,472 |0
Horseferry house |0 |53,696 |10,376 |0
Horsham |2,128 |9,889 |0 |0
Inverness |0 |6,474 |0 |0
Langhurst |0 |12,135 |1,200 |0
Leeds |18,739 |13,812 |0 |0
Lunar house |0 |134,396 |31,706 |0
Olympia |0 |10,580 |5,390 |0
Queen Anne's gate |31,342 |309,392 |37,895 |0
Sandridge |0 |32,165 |9,655 |0
Steventon |0 |27,480 |28,184 |0
Woking |20,123 |14,184 |0 |0
<1>Expenditure on liquid petroleum gas.
Marches and Demonstrations
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is the practice for police forces to make a report to him of marches and demonstrations which have occurred in their area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : A report from a police force to the Department about a public procession or assembly which had been held in the force area would normally be made only if one was requested by the Department.
Civil Defence
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by local authorities in fulfilling their civil defence obligations during the third year of the planned programme for implementation of the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations 1983.
Mr. John Patten : Copies of a report on implementation of the 1983 regulations by 30 September 1989 have today been placed in the Library. The report discusses local authorities' progress in meeting their civil defence obligations since the last such report, which covered the period up to 1 October 1988.
The planned programme for implementation was introduced in 1986 to monitor local authority progress under the 1983 regulations. It provides a broad framework within which the work can be developed and enables the Government to assess whether the civil defence duties of local authorities are being adequately discharged and thus whether grant can properly be paid.
It is clear that the planned programme for implementation has been an effective means of developing the planning process. A circular is therefore being issued to local authorities today announcing the Government's decision to extend the planned programme for implementation into a sixth year covering the period from October 1991 to September 1992.
The Government will continue to monitor local authority activity and the value for money in the grant
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paid by calling for annual progress reports and costed programmes of work which will be the subject of individual discussion.Manchester Prison
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the inquiry into the serious disturbances at Her Majesty's prison, Manchester and other establishments.
Mr. Waddington : I understand that Lord Justice Woolf envisages the inquiry falling into two parts. The first part of the inquiry will examine the facts of the disturbances and evidence will be taken in public. The second part of the inquiry will involve consideration of the wider issues which may, in Lord Justice Woolf's view, underlie the recent serious prison disturbances. Lord Justice Woolf considers that it would be helpful if he was assisted in this second part of the inquiry by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, Judge Tumin, with his wide experience and independent view of prison matters. On the advice of Lord Justice Woolf and after consultation with Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, I have therefore decided that once the first part of Lord Justice Woolf's inquiry has been completed Judge Tumin should join with him in the second part of the inquiry.
Immigration Control (Heathrow)
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what reports he has received of airline passengers arriving at Heathrow being detained airside by officials of the carrying company and compelled to board departing aircraft without access to immigration officials ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) what involvement immigration officials had in the refusal of entry to Tamils who arrived at Heathrow on 9 April as passengers of Egyptair and British Airways ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 8 May 1990] : I understand that a group of seven Sri Lankans arrived at Heathrow on 5 April on an Egyptair flight, and a further group of three on 9 April by British Airways. None of the passengers was presented at the immigration control and none was refused entry. Later inquiries established that the airlines concerned had returned the groups to Cairo and Rome respectively. It is being made clear to representatives of the two airlines that any passenger who wishes to seek entry to the United Kingdom must be presented at the immigration control on arrival.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 406, if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by the Privy Council Office for the latest year available, in kilowatt hours and therms.
Sir Geoffrey Howe : The figures given in my answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 406, represent 195,414 kWh and 9,100 therms of electricity and gas respectively.
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ENERGY
Spent Nuclear Fuel
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has concerning the behaviour of spent fuel and storage facility components during long-term storage programmes co-ordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency ; what information and assistance has been afforded to the BEFAST II secretariat ; and what benefits to the medium and long-term financial planning of Nuclear Electric and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority spent fuel management programmes will accrue from the BEFAST II programme.
Mr. Baldry : The International Atomic Energy Agency's BEFAST II programme has studied three major aspects of spent fuel storage : long-term behaviour of spent fuel in wet and dry storage ; surveillance mechanisms ; and the handling and transport of spent fuel after storage. The programme will not be completed until 1991. Nuclear Electric and British Nuclear Fuels have participated in the programme and have played a key part in the working groups set up to study the problems and prepare reports. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is not directly involved. However, participation in the BEFAST II programme provides access to worldwide experience of the storage of spent oxide fuel and to related R and D activity. The knowledge acquired through this participation, supplementing the United Kingdom's own domestic expertise, should allow the longer-term spent fuel storage requirements of the United Kingdom's continuing nuclear power programme, including the Sizewell B PWR station, to be met in the most cost-effective manner.
Oil and Coal Exploration
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if his Department intends to license any explorations for (a) oil or (b) coal, in the county of Essex ;
(2) when his Department last licensed trials in Essex for (a) oil and (b) coal mining ;
(3) if his Department intends to license any exploratory boring for (a) oil and (b) coal measures in the areas of (i) Harwich, (ii) Weeley in the county of Essex, or (iii) along the banks of the River Lea in the vicinity of Enfield lock.
Mr. Wakeham : There are no current petroleum licences in respect of areas in the county of Essex or any area near the River Lea in the vicinity of Enfield lock and no petroleum licences have been awarded in the past 25 years in respect of these areas. The Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1984 set out the arrangements for making applications for petroleum licences. The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 vested the ownership of almost all coal deposits in Great Britain in the British Coal Corporation. At present the corporation also has exclusive right to search and bore for coal in Great Britain and is the licensing authority.
Electrical and Gas Appliances
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will take steps to require sellers of electrical or gas appliances to label each item to indicate the approximate fuel consumption or running cost.
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Mr. Peter Morrison : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) at column 275 on 26 April 1990.Almost all gas appliances sold in the United Kingdom are already marked with their rating (ie. the maximum rate of gas consumption) under voluntary agreements.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 414, if he will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department for the latest year available in kilowatt hours, therms and litres.
Mr. Wakeham : In 1989-90 my Department is estimated to have consumed 3,292,605 kWh of electricity and 59,647 therms of gas. My Department has no fuel oil or electricity consumption figures for its former headquarters building as the cost of these fuels was included in the overall accommodation charge levied by the Property Services Agency.
Thermal Insulation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give, for each type of thermal insulation measure, and each other type of energy efficiency measure, where the payback period is 10 years or less (a) the number of homes occupied by claimants of means-tested benefits which would gain from the measure, (b) the cost per home and (c) the total cost of installing the measure in all homes occupied by claimants of means- tested benefits.
Mr. Wakeham : The information requested is not available. However, surveys indicate that the proportion of households in social classes D and E where the following thermal insulation measures were appropriate which have them installed in whole or in part are :
|Per cent.
-------------------------------------------
Loft insulation |83
Hot water tank jacket |90
Draughtproofing |33
Cavity wall insulation |14
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Auditors
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, under the Companies Act 1989, he will refuse to grant supervisory status to any accountancy body which in the past formulated rules on professional independence but failed to offer any way of monitoring compliance with such rules.
Mr. Redwood : It is a requirement of the Act that before a supervisory body may be recognised it must appear to the Secretary of State to have adequate arrangements and resources for the effective monitoring and enforcement of compliance with its rules. The question of whether a body had such arrangements in the past is not directly relevant to that requirement.
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Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether he will provide a list of all the cases which he has referred to the joint disciplinary scheme since 1979 ; (2) whether he will provide a list showing the conclusions of the disciplinary hearings held by the joint disciplinary scheme as a result of his referral of the cases to the joint disciplinary scheme.
Mr. Redwood : It is for individual accountancy bodies to decide whether to refer cases made to them to the joint disciplinary scheme. Completed inquiries under the scheme are reported in the annual reports of the joint disciplinary scheme, copies of which are in the Library.
Financial Services Act
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies or firms which have ceased to be members of FIMBRA are known to have engaged in unauthorised investment business subsequently.
Mr. Redwood : I am aware of only one instance recently. The Securities and Investments Board has prime responsibility for action in relation to firms believed to be engaged in unauthorised investment business.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will amend the Financial Services Act to give FIMBRA access to the client base of those companies whose licences it withdraws.
Mr. Redwood : No ; FIMBRA's rules are a matter for that body, subject to meeting the provisions of schedule 2 of the Financial Services Act.
Electrical Goods (Imports)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the amount of electrical goods imported in each of the years 1979- 89 from (a) Japan, (b) Taiwan, (c) Korea and (d) Singapore.
Mr. Redwood : The figures are as follows :
|c|United Kingdom imports of electrical goods 1979-89|c|
|Japan |Taiwan |South Korea|Singapore
|£ million |£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |88 |17 |5 |16
1980 |115 |17 |6 |25
1981 |180 |21 |5 |30
1982 |200 |18 |4 |38
1983 |310 |32 |7 |44
1984 |470 |42 |22 |45
1985 |506 |46 |41 |46
1986 |594 |51 |60 |59
1987 |694 |68 |99 |77
1988 |784 |83 |138 |98
1989 |886 |108 |131 |142
Note: Figures relate to Division 77 of the Standard International Trade
Classification (Revision 3).
Source: Overseas Trade Statistics.
Steel
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tonnes of steel per man were produced in the United Kingdom in (a) 1981 and (b) 1989.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Crude steel production per man rose from 159 tonnes in 1981 to 344 tonnes in 1989.
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India and Indonesia
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on continued Export Credits Guarantee Department cover for exports to India and Indonesia.
Mr. Redwood : ECGD is currently reviewing its policy towards those markets on which, in portfolio terms, its exposure is heavily concentrated. India and Indonesia are two such markets. The importance of these markets to United Kingdom exporters is recognised and this will be taken fully into account in the review.
Atlantic Computers Company
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will establish an inquiry into the accounting policies of Atlantic Computers Company and their implications for public accountability of public limited companies.
Mr. Redwood : No. Any such implications are primarily for the accountancy profession to address and I therefore welcome the recent decision of the research board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to support a research study into accounting for the residual value of leased assets.
Thatching
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about the dumping in the United Kingdom from eastern Europe of combed wheat reed for thatching ; and if he will make a statement on the state of the United Kingdom thatching industry at present.
Mr. Redwood : I have received no representations about the dumping of combed wheat reed. The thatching industry is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. I understand, however, that business is generally good, particularly because of work needed after the storms that occurred earlier this year, although there are obviously regional variations.
GATT Textile Negotiations
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those parts of the United Kingdom that will be visited by Ministers responsible for the general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations prior to the textile committee meeting in June.
Mr. Redwood : Ministers in this Department responsible for the general agreement on tariffs and trade negotiations plan to visit the following parts of the United Kingdom before 12 June, the start of the next GATT textiles negotiating group meeting :
Cheltenham ; Derby ; Edinburgh ; Kettering ; Manchester ; Slough ; Wales ; Yorkshire.
Environment
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals to encourage British industry to be environmentally friendly.
Mr. Forth : I shall continue to encourage British industry to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities presented by environmental issues.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Bulgaria
Mr. Thorne : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Bulgaria.
Mr. Hurd : I have no immediate plans to do so.
Romania
Mr. Thorne : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Romania.
Mr. Hurd : I have no immediate plans to do so.
Departmental Savings
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what value for money savings have been achieved by (a) the diplomatic wing and (b) the Overseas Development Administration in the last year ; and how much of this was as a result of advice from the Central Unit on Purchasing.
Mr. Sainsbury : A table of value for money savings made in 1989-90 by the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been presented to Parliament in the committee proceedings of the Foreign Affairs Committee. These savings include some made under the purchasing initiative.
Savings on the purchase of goods and services in 1989-90 were : Diplomatic wing--£13.1 million on an expenditure of £146 million ODA-- £8.48 million on an expenditure of £121 million
It is not possible to attribute particular value for money savings to advice from the Central Unit on Purchasing. The role of the unit is to provide advice on best purchasing practice ; it provides overall support and guidance and encourages value for money across all Departments.
Supply Index
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his Department's decision not to participate in the Government supply index.
Mr. Sainsbury : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office considered joining the Government supply index in 1989. It was decided, at that time, that membership would not be cost effective.
This Department will look again at this question as the range of products and services covered by the index expands.
Central and Eastern Europe
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide updated figures on assistance to countries of central and eastern Europe from the group of 24, in similar form to the tables in his Department's supplementary memorandum submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee, printed in HC 58-i.
Mr. Maude : The G24 countries are now considering how to extend co- ordinated assistance to the countries of
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central and eastern Europe in addition to Poland and Hungary. As far as G24 assistance to those two countries is concerned, the European Commission has continued to compile a "scoreboard" of contributions by participating states. This was most recently published on 24 April, and a copy is being placed in the Library of the House. This provides the most comprehensive review available of G24 aid to Poland and Hungary.Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much emergency relief and humanitarian assistance has been provided to eastern Europe so far in the current year ; how much more is promised ; and from which budget the funds are drawn.
Mr. Waldegrave : In 1990, we have allocated £500,000 for a donation to the World Health Organisation's programme of aid to the Romanian health service. Details were given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development on 26 April, at column 283 . We have also allocated a total of £223,000 for various humanitarian projects for Romania, including donations of disposable syringes, treatment in the United Kingdom for victims of the fighting and a family planning project. These allocations were from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office class II, vote 2. No further aid of this nature is planned at present.
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much food aid has been provided to eastern Europe in 1989 and 1990 ; what further food aid has been promised ; and from which budget the food aid is taken.
Mr. Maude : In 1989 the European Community provided £97 million of food aid to eastern Europe. Since January 1990 it has provided a further £53 million. Funding has come from the "other policies" provisions within the Community's budget and from the FEOGA guarantee fund.
No further food aid has been requested or therefore promised.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 30 April, Official Report, column 405, if he will give the expenditure on energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department.
Mr. Sainsbury : In the financial year 1988-89, expenditure on fuel and utilities in Foreign and Commonwealth Office buildings was :
|£
--------------------------------
(1) Electricity |925,600
(2) Gas |104,500
(3) Fuel oil |146,200
Overseas Development Administration expenditure was contained in our answer of 30 April, at column 405 .
Endangered Species
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the current stocks of animal tusks, skins, antlers and
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