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than those funded under employment and housing programmes and the urban programme or via non-departmental public bodies.Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Prime Minister if she will give the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by the Cabinet Office for the latest year available in units of consumption, kilowatt hours, therms and litres.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 10 May 1990] : Comprehensive energy consumption figures in the form requested by the hon. Member for each of the buildings occupied by the Cabinet Office are not available.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
EC Import Bans
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions in each of the last five years article 36 has been used by other European Community states, and by which countries, to ban imports from the United Kingdom.
Mr. Redwood : This information is not available. There is no general requirement under the treaty of Rome for EC member states to notify the European Commission of prohibitions or restrictions on imports justified on the grounds specified in article 36 of the treaty of Rome. Prohibitions or restrictions on the free movement of goods within the Community normally come to light as a result of complaints by the firms or individuals affected by them. The European Commission examines over a thousand such cases each year, although by no means all of them relate to prohibitions or restrictions justified under article 36 itself.
For their part, the Government are keen to promote free movement of goods throughout the Community, and to that end has set up a single market compliance unit within the Department of Trade and Industry. The compliance unit stands ready to pursue vigorously any well-founded complaints about prohibitions or restrictions elsewhere in the Community which affect import from the United Kingdom. In some cases, however, we would accept that certain prohibitions or restrictions, such as those on pornography, are fully justified under article 36 and we would not therefore press for their removal.
Auditors
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will describe the manner in which his Department scrutinises the annual report and accounts published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Mr. Redwood : There is no requirement for the institute to submit its annual report and accounts to my Department.
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Bryanston Insurance
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to the public interest issues raised by the purchase of (a) Bryanston Insurance and (b) Trident by Mr. Grant Fowler.
Mr. Redwood : Before Trinity Insurance (formerly Trident) and Bryanston Insurance were purchased by Mr. Grant Fowler and companies associated with or controlled by him, prior notice was served on the Department as required by section 61 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982. The Department, in deciding not to object, took fully into account the interests of policyholders.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has received in relation to the conduct of Bryanston Insurance and the payment of claims over the last three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Airport (Hong Kong)
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Hong Kong Government concerning the allocation of contracts for the construction of a new airport in Hong Kong.
Mr. Redwood : The award of contracts for the construction of the new airport in Hong Kong is a matter for the Hong Kong Government. United Kingdom firms have outstanding capabilities in this sector. The Hong Kong authorities are well aware of this.
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received any request for assistance from British companies in their submission of tenders to the Hong Kong Government for the new Hong Kong airport.
Mr. Redwood : My Department is fully supporting the efforts of British companies pursuing this project, but particular approaches by companies are regarded as confidential.
Supply Index
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about his Department's decision not to participate in the Government's supply index.
Mr. Forth : Two of the Department's research establishments were early participants in this scheme but found that in practice the contents of the index did not meet their requirements and the benefits were at best marginal. A more targeted modular version of the scheme has been drawn up and is currently under consideration.
Accounting Standards Board
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he has taken to assure himself that written representations to the Accounting Standards Board are placed on public record ;
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(2) what steps he has taken to assure himself that voting on accounting standards will be recorded by the Accounting Standards Board ;(3) what steps he has taken to assure himself that internal working papers and proposals in draft of the Accounting Standards Board are available to all on an equal basis ;
(4) what steps he has taken to assure himself that access to internal working papers and proposals in draft of the Accounting Standards Board are restricted to major accountancy firms ; (5) what steps he has taken to assure himself that meetings of the Accounting Standards Board are open to outside observers ; (6) what steps he has taken to assure himself that the membership of working parties set up by the Accounting Standards Board will be published.
Mr. Redwood : None. These are matters which the Financial Reporting Council and the proposed Accounting Standards Board will no doubt consider.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he proposes to take to inform himself and the House if and when members of accountancy firms criticised in reports by his Department's inspectors are appointed to membership of working parties set up by the Accounting Standards Board.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he proposes to make it his policy that members of the Accounting Standards Board sever links with accountancy firms during their term of office.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : The terms of appointment of members of the proposed Accounting Standards Board will be a matter for the Financial Reporting Council. It is envisaged that most of the members of the Board will serve on a part-time basis and it would therefore be both unreasonable and impracticable to require members of the board to sever links with the organisations from which they are drawn.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will place a copy of any guidelines that govern potential conflicts of interest between members of the Accounting Standards Board and other firms, partnerships or businesses in the Library.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : Detailed procedures for dealing with matters of this kind have yet to be determined, but I am sure that the Finance Reporting Council and the proposed Accounting Standards Board will be conscious of the desirability of the greatest possible openness in such matters.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any non-accountants will be represented on the Accounting Standards Board.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : I understand that the composition of the proposed Accounting Standards Board has yet to be decided.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that the Accounting Standards Board attends to the users and readers of both the conventional and the short corporate reports created under the Companies Act 1989 ;
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(2) how he proposes to ensure a reflection of the views and interests of the consumer and personal shareholder in the workings of the Accounting Standards Board ;(3) if he will list the members of the Accounting Standards Board.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : The ASB does not yet exist but I am sure that the Financial Reporting Council and the chairman designate of the board will have taken note of the hon. Member's question and will consider the issue he addresses.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the deliberations of the Accounting Standards Board will be in public ; and what guidance he has offered on this point.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : The procedural arrangements of the proposed Accounting Standards Board will be a matter for the board to decide. I am sure that the board will be fully conscious of the need to maximise public understanding of and involvement in its work.
Atlantic Computers
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether he will make a statement on the collapse of Atlantic Computers ;
(2) how and when his Department became aware of the financial difficulties at Atlantic Computers and British and Commonwealth Holdings ;
(3) whether the Government will offer any financial aid to British and Commonwealth Holdings.
Mr. Redwood [holding answer 8 May 1990] : My Department became aware of financial difficulties at Atlantic Computers when it was announced early on 17 April that administrators had been appointed by British Commonwealth Holdings. I have no plans to offer financial aid.
Arms Exports
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make it his policy to compile an annual register of arms exporters to be placed in the Library and made available outside the House.
WALES
Housing
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the number of households and numbers of houses in Wales and the ratio between each at the end of each of the five-year periods for the last 30 years.
Mr. Grist : The available information is as follows :
|Estimated |Estimate |Households
|number of |stock of |as percentage
|Households |dwellings |of stock
|(000's) |(000's)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1961 |804 |824 |97.6
1966 |835 |897 |93.1
1971 |910 |967 |94.1
1976 |959 |1,029 |93.2
1981 |1,012 |1,089 |92.9
1986 |1,049 |1,128 |93.0
1989 |1,078 |1,159 |93.0
Notes:
1. Estimates of households given for 1961 and 1966 are the number of
private households enumerated at the 1961 census and 1966 sample
census, each of which took place in April. Estimates of households
for 1971 and later years are taken from the latest relevant household
projections and relate to usually resident households at 31 June.
Such household projections are based on the most recently preceding
census of population and take account of household formation and
dissolution and migration. For the 1981 Census household was taken as
either one person living alone or a group of people who share either
common housekeeping or a living room. In previous censuses people who
catered separately were counted as separate households even if they
shared a living room. 1989 estimates are calculated from 1987 based
projections by interpolation.
2. Dwelling stock estimates (at December each year) are based on
information collected in the most recently preceding Census of
Population and take into account subsequent housebuilding and
demolition. Due to changes in the census information collected, stock
figures based on different censuses are not strictly comparable.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the numbers of the population and the numbers of habitable rooms in Wales and the ratio between each at the end of each of the five-year periods for the last 30 years.
Mr. Grist : The available information is as follows :
Year |Population<1>|Number of |Persons per
|rooms<2><3> |room
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1961 |2,567,900 |4,125,575 |0.62
1966 |2,594,390 |4,717,230 |0.55
1971 |2,647,015 |4,769,835 |0.55
1981 |2,727,220 |5,287,914 |0.52
Source:
1961, 1971, 1981; census of population. 1966; sample census.
<1> Enumerated population in private households.
<2> Rooms in private households enumerated on census night.
<3> 1961-1981 excludes bathrooms, WCs, lobbies and those rooms used
solely for business etc.; 1961 kitchens were counted only if they
were used regularly for meals; 1966 all kitchens were counted; 1971
and 1981 kitchens under 2 metres wide were not counted.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North, Official Report, column 20, of 26 March, if he will now state in the Official Report for each county and district council in Wales (a) the current community charge, (b) the equivalent of raising the same sum by the rating system and (c) the increase for each of those equivalent rates over last year's rates.
Mr. Grist : I wrote to my hon. Friend on 3 May 1990 in response to his original question. The table placed in the House of Commons Library contained the figures that he has requested.
Flexi-ownership
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent to date to promote his housing flexi-ownership scheme.
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Mr. Grist : The Department has provided an explanatory booklet, a leaflet and application forms at a cost of some £9,896 and the Development Board for Rural Wales, who administer the scheme, have incurred costs of between £150 and £200, mainly on the delivery of a letter from my right hon. Friend to the tenants.Health Service
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what are the implications of paragraph 40 of annex A of his letter of 20 April sent by P. R. Gregory to the general managers of Gwynedd health authority for that authority's consideration of further hospital closure programmes ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make a statement on paragraph 10 of annex A of his letter sent by P.R. Gregory of his Department to the general manager of Gwynedd health authority concerning changing circumstances causing a delayed implementation of plans for improved provisions of community hospitals in the county ; and what circumstances caused this change of policy ;
(3) if he will take steps to assess the adequacy of arrangements made by general practitioners in Caernarfon for the transfer to them of responsibility for aspects of casualty cover following the proposed closure of Caernarfon cottage hospital before agreeing to the final closure ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what potential deficit Gwynedd health authority has identified for the current financial year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : As noted in my reply to the hon. Gentleman of 9 May, the Gwynedd health authority has identified a deficit of some £4 million on its budget requirements for 1990-91 by comparison with its notified revenue cash allocation.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the non -dental services at the cottage hospital, Caernarfon may be deemed to be closed prior to the three conditions laid down by the Welsh Office being met.
Mr. Grist : My right hon. Friend would have no objection to Gwynedd health authority closing the non-dental services at the cottage hospital prior to meeting the three conditions relating to dental services.
A55
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his most up-to-date estimate of the out-turn cost of (a) the A55 Conwy crossing project and (b) its adjoining westward extension to Penry-Clip ; and what is his best estimate of the overspend on these contracts.
Mr. Roberts : The estimated total out-turn costs for the A55 Conwy crossing and Pen-y-Clip schemes, as set out in the Welsh Office commentary on public expenditure in Wales 1990-91 to 1992-93, are £170.8 million and £85.3 million respectively. These estimates are in line with expectations at the time the contracts were let.
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Computerisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 8 May what penalty clause will be triggered or exacted from IBM UK in request of the computerised management information system ordered in August 1986 for delivery in April 1987 being three years late on stream.
Mr. David Hunt : This matter has been settled. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 8 May.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he contemplates awarding any further contracts in respect of computerised financial management systems for his Department.
Mr. David Hunt : There are no plans to do so.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 8 May, what further payment was made to IBM UK in January for the computerised finance system for his Department.
Mr. David Hunt : A total of £102,827 was paid to IBM UK Ltd. in January 1990 for goods and services provided in accordance with the terms of the contract between my Department and the company.
Floods
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to respond to the request by Clwyd county council for funding of a social work support team following the flood disaster on the north Wales coast ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Clwyd county council's request for financial assistance towards a social work support team has been discussed with the director of social services. The council is aware that expenditure on social services incurred in dealing with the emergency falls to be considered under the Bellwin arrangements.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Drugs
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his answer of 2 May to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Michie), Official Report, column 564 , Ministers are considering recycling confiscated money from drug traffickers towards schemes designed to reduce demand run under the auspices of local health authorities.
Mr. John Patten : Ministers are still considering the detailed arrangements for the proposed scheme and how priorities might best be determined between the possible candidates for the use of such monies.
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new initiatives are being pursued in an effort to prevent the laundering of illegal drug profits by reputable banks and financial institutions in the United Kingdom.
Mr. John Patten : The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 created a criminal offence of money laundering,
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punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment. The Government recently extended the scope of this offence through new provisions contained in the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act 1990. The new Act will enable us to ratify the United Nations convention against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances later this year. It also introduced a new power to prevent evasion of the controls on money laundering by those attempting to import or export the proceeds of drug trafficking as cash. The Act meets a number of specific proposals in the recent Home Affairs Committee report on Drug Trafficking and Related Serious Crime. In response to a further recommendation by the Committee the Government has set up a working party to consider how the provisions on the confiscation of drug traffickers' assets have worked since their introduction, and to identify any changes to the law that may be necessary.In addition to this, we are involved in a number of other initiatives, both domestically and internationally, aimed at ensuring that the measures taken to combat money laundering are as effective as possible.
On 19 April my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the publication of the report of the financial action task force on money laundering, a copy of which is in the Library. The United Kingdom were active contributors to the work of the task force ; the priority is now on the implementation of its recommendations. In the light of the report a working group has been established, bringing together representatives of banks, building societies and the enforcement agencies, under the chairmanship of the Bank of England, to take forward those recommendations of the task force which relate to banks and building societies.
We are seeking to negotiate further international agreements under the 1986 Act to trace, freeze and confiscate the proceeds of drug trafficking. Thirteen such agreements or arrangements have already been concluded. That with the United States of America came into force in April 1989 ; an Order in Council currently before Parliament will designate the remaining countries with whom agreements of arrangements have already been made, together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Within Europe, the United Kingdom is involved in developing a draft Council of Europe convention on tracing, freezing and confiscating the proceeds of crime. The European Commission has recently published a draft directive on money laundering, and the United Kingdom looks forward to taking an active part in its consideration.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women from Nigeria and Colombia have been convicted for drug smuggling offences in the last five years.
Mr. John Patten : The number of women convicted of unlawful import or export of controlled drugs whose country of birth was recorded as Nigeria and Colombia was as follows :
|c|United Kingdom|c| Number of women Country of birth |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nigeria |53 |12 |23 |54 |42 Colombia |6 |3 |2 |6 |4
Motoring Offences
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each of the financial years 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90, how many motorists the Crown prosecution service prosecuted who were acquitted because of a Magill type defence ; and how much such cases cost to (a) the Crown prosecution service, (b) the legal aid fund, (c) central funds and (d) the magistrates court.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is not collected centrally.
Prison Incidents
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of serious incidents in prisons in England and Wales for 1990 to date.
Mr. Mellor : The following numbers of incidents are recorded as having been reported by prison service establishments between 1 January and 8 May 1990 under the broad headings shown, excluding incidents under headings categorised as minor :
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Escapes |32
Attempted escapes |4
Escapes from escort |35
Attempted escapes from escort |3
Recapture/surrender of escaped inmates |35
Assaults-on staff |24
-on inmates |57
-on others |6
Deaths of inmates believed to be suicide |14
Other deaths of inmates |13
Deaths of staff |2
Fires causing personal injury, or serious and/or extensive damage to property |7
Acts of concerted indiscipline |48
Barricade incidents |7
Rooftop demonstrations |21
Food refusals |28
Key/lock compromises |4
Hostage incidents |8
Bomb threats/explosions |17
Other miscellaneous incidents |25
Television Licences
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 6 March, 12 March and 22 March, regarding the concessionary television licence fee.
Mr. Mellor : I hope to be able to reply to all three letters shortly.
Power Cut, West London
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the disruption to traffic caused by the power cut in west London on the morning of 8 May.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the commissioner that no significant additional traffic disruption was caused in west London by the power cut on 8 May.
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Electronic Tagging
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of electronic tagging per offender.
Mr. John Patten : The total cost of the electronic monitoring trials to date is £602,000 and the number of defendants monitored has been 50. But the former figure includes the cost of setting up three different schemes on an experimental basis and the special production of the different equipment needed. It would not be sensible to take the figure yielded by dividing the latter figure into the former as a realistic average cost for the use of electronic monitoring on a larger scale. The evaluation of the trials now being prepared will attempt to identify the factors which ought to be counted for longer-term cost purposes.
DEFENCE
Bases (Wales)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service men and (b) civilian employees are based in establishments situated in (i) the former county of Pembroke, (ii) Dyfed and (iii) Wales.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The total numbers of military and civilian personnel in the areas specified, as at 1 January 1990, are as follows :
|Service |Civilian|Total
--------------------------------------------------------------
Former county of Pembroke |763 |984.5 |1,747.5
Dyfed |790 |1,638.5 |2,428.5
Wales |5,403 |5,395.5 |10,798.5
The figures for the former county of Pembroke cover establishments in the Preseli and South Pembrokeshire local authority areas.
Defence Lands (Multiple Use)
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent he makes multiple use of defence lands.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence owns or leases 241, 000 hectares, of which 110,000 hectares are let to tenants for agricultural use. This is in line with the Department's policy of allowing public access to our land and facilities for recreation, 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.
WRNS
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Wrens have volunteered for sea-going duties ; and what is the current number of WRNS personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : As at 9 May 283 ratings and 90 officers had volunteered to go to sea this year.
The number of WRNS officers and ratings serving on 1 April 1990 were 320 and 2,904 respectively.
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