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Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Hind : To ask the Attorney-General whether he has received the Director of Public Prosecution's report on the Crown prosecution service for the year 1989-90 ; and when the report will be laid before Parliament.
The Attorney-General : I have received the annual report from the Director of Public Prosecutions today, and have placed a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.
Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Attorney-General how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
The Attorney-General : In the legal secretariat to the Law Officers, four civil servants at grade 7 or its equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford or Cambridge, and six are graduates of other universities. In the Serious Fraud Office, five are graduates of Oxford or Cambridge and 13 are graduates of other universities. In the Treasury Solicitor's Department and the Crown prosecution service, this information is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Korea
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government are proposing to recognise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; and if they will be taking steps through the United Nations to improve relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have no plans to recognise North Korea as a state. We actively support all steps towards peace on the Korean peninsula, including those pursued through the United Nations, but we believe that progress can be achieved only through direct contacts between North and South Korea. We welcome the resumption of contacts on 3 July.
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Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government have any plans to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.Sri Lanka
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka have been held in respect of (a) the reported use of napalm in northern Sri Lanka and (b) the lack of access accorded to relief agencies in northern Sri Lanka ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : None. We have seen no evidence to support press reports alleging the use of napalm. We are in regular contact with relief agencies in Sri Lanka but have received no specific complaints about obstruction of their activities.
Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
Mr. Sainsbury : Out of a total of 1,219, 489 officers in the relevant ranks in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (diplomatic and aid wings) are graduates of Oxford or Cambridge. Graduates of other universities total 346.
Cyprus
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy to the recently submitted application by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to join the European Community.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy towards Cyprus's application to join the European Community.
Mr. Maude : The handling of the Cyprus application may be discussed at the 16 July General Affairs Council. In considering the application, the Council will need to take into account the unresolved inter-communal dispute. In any event, we share the consensus in the Community that there should be no decisions on enlargement until at least 1993.
Malta
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy towards Malta's application to join the European Community.
Mr. Maude : Malta intends to submit an EC membership application on 16 July. We expect the Council to refer the application to the European Commission for its opinion in the normal way. We share the consensus in the Community that there should be no decisions on enlargement until at least 1993.
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My right hon. Friend and I shall be meeting the Maltese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor de Marco, later today.Agricultural Support
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the information on which he based his statement at the Group of Seven conference in Houston, Texas, that the European Economic Community supports its agriculture to a lesser extent than the United States of America ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the press in Houston that the European Community gives less support to its agriculture than previously, because of changes made to the CAP. These include controls introduced in 1988, for example stabiliser mechanisms, which automatically cut prices when Community production exceeds preset limits.
CIVIL SERVICE
Agencies (Management Consultants)
Dr. Marek : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what moneys have been spent by the Government on management consultants since the inauguration of the "next steps" programme.
Mr. Luce : The information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Total expenditure on management consultants by my own Department for work relating to the "next steps" programme since its launch in February 1988 up to 30 June 1990 was £90,100.
ENVIRONMENT
London Residuary Body
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 35 Brownhill road from the London residuary body to the London borough of Lewisham ; what consideration was paid with respect to this property ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(2) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 35-43 Bondway from the London residuary body to the London borough of Lambeth ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(3) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of (a) Russell Chambers, (b) 142 Charing Cross road, (c) St. Vincent's (d) 100 Shaftesbury avenue, (e) 35 Wellington street, (f) Hungerford house, Victoria embankment and (g) Torquay house, 217-221 Harrow road, from the London residuary body to the London borough of Westminster ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(4) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 116 Ladbroke grove from the London residuary body to
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the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea ; what consideration was paid with respect to this property; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;(5) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 76-82 Salusbury road from the London residuary body to the London borough of Brent ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(6) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of (a) 311 Plumstead high street, (b) 16 Askew crescent and (c) 22 Stuart crescent from the London residuary body to the London borough of Greenwich ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(7) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 745 Barking road from the London residuary body to the London borough of Newham ; what consideration was paid with respect to this property ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included ;
(8) what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 3 Allington road and 2 Stanhope road from the London residuary body to the London borough of Barnet ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of 38 Mount Pleasant and Wesley house from the London residuary body to the London borough of Camden ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : None for 38 Mount Pleasant. Wesley house was sold by the London residuary body to the London borough of Camden for £1.8 million without clawback conditions or restrictive covenants.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements were instituted for the transfer of The Beormund, 177 Abbey street and Tress House, 3 Stamford street, from the London residuary body to the London borough of Southwark ; what consideration was paid with respect to each of these properties ; and what clawback conditions and restrictive covenants were included.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : None for Tress house, 3 Stamford street. The Beormund, 177 Abbey street, was sold by the London residuary body to the London borough of Southwark for £225,000 subject to an existing lease to the Beormund centre without clawback conditions or restrictive covenants.
Community Charge Rebates
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which categories of mature students are not eligible for community charge rebates ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Students who undertake a full-time course of education are liable to pay the community charge at the
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reduced rate of 20 per cent. and are not therefore eligible for community charge benefit. The age of an individual is not addressed in the definition of a full-time student as defined in the Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989.Building Regulations
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has had from the National Association of Fire Officers to his Department's proposed changes to part B of the Building Regulations 1985.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The National Association of Fire Officers considers that the proposals in the Department's consultation paper would lead to a reduction in standards for means of escape in case of fire, and the detailed points that it has made in this connection will be carefully considered. It has also expressed concern about the proposals for relaxations in the requirements relating to the use of fire-resisting and non-combustible materials and for increases in the permissible size of compartments, and suggests that the use of sprinkler systems is not a satisfactory alternative. The association has welcomed the proposals relating to access and facilities for the fire service, and for the provision of smoke alarms in domestic premises.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reply to the representations received on his Department's proposed changes to certain sections of part B of the Building Regulations 1985 concerning fire.
Mr. Michael Spicer : A consultation paper setting out proposals for amendments to part B, "Safety in Fire", of the Building Regulations 1985 was issued on 19 March, and comments were invited by 30 June. There has been a considerable number of responses, and these will now be considered in detail by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, and by the Department's fire advisory panel. While it will not be practicable to send an individual reply to each person who has responded, officials are meeting a number of those concerned to discuss their views. I hope that final decisions on these and other proposals for amendments to the regulations can be taken in the first half of next year.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses there have been to the Department's proposed changes to part B of the Building Regulations 1985, relating to reduction of fire resistance periods, increased compartment sizes, and relaxation of non-combustibility requirements ; and if he would indicate the proportion in favour of these proposals, and against.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The Department has so far received 169 responses to the consultation paper setting out proposals for amendments to part B, "Safety in Fire," of the Building Regulations 1985. The number of responses on the particular aspects referred to have been :
|Number
--------------------------------------------
Reductions in fire resistance
periods
In favour |16
Against |76
No view expressed |77
Increases in permitted
compartment sizes.
In favour |25
Against |50
No view expressed |94
Relaxation of non
combustibility requirements
In favour |22
Against |42
No view expressed |105
Rochester-upon-Medway Council
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give details of the financial and other proposals made to him by Rochester-upon-Medway city council concerning the transfer of its housing stock ; and what decisions or advice he has given.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The consent given by the Secretary of State to Rochester-upon-Medway city council to dispose of its housing was conditional on the disposal taking place on or before 30 June, and the city council has not made an application for a renewal of that consent.
Without prejudice to any decision which he may be called upon to make on such an application, the Secretary of State has indicated that, exceptionally, he may in principle be prepared to countenance a deferred payment of part of the purchase price by the city council, if the council wishes to pursue that option. However, I understand that the city council has not yet decided how or whether to proceed.
Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
Mr. Chris Patten : In my Department, of the total of 1,217 staff in the ranks in question, 761 have degrees. Of the degrees obtained by these staff, 252 were awarded by Oxford and Cambridge, and 931 by other universities or higher education bodies. Some staff in the ranks in question have more than one degree.
Falconers
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many licences have been issued by his Department for falconers to set (1) sparrowhawks on to (a) blackbirds and (b) other birds ; and (2) other birds of prey on to (a) blackbirds and (b) other birds.
Mr. Trippier : In 1989, 60 licences were issued to falconers to fly birds of prey at specified quarry species as follows :
|Number
---------------------------------------------------
Sparrowhawk at blackbirds |25
Sparrowhawk at other species |1
Other birds of prey at blackbirds |1
Other birds of prey at other species |33
RECHAR
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to ensure that revenue implications for local authorities which arise from expenditure under the RECHAR programme will not result in eligible local authorities being subjected to community charge capping.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 10 July 1990] : I am not willing to speculate on how any scheme of charge capping might operate were my right hon. Friend to consider it necessary to use the powers available to him in future years.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it his policy that letters and papers referred to in parliamentary replies shall be provided directly to the hon. Member asking the question and placed in the Library on or before the afternoon on which the answer falls due.
Mr. Chris Patten [holding answer 10 July 1990] : It is already my policy that, wherever possible, enclosures referred to in replies are provided directly to the Member (and placed in the Library) on the same day as the question is answered.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
GCSE (English Literature)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will call for a report from the School Examinations and Assessment Council on the standard of marking of GCSE English literature, external school, by the Midland examining group in 1989 and 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : Officials are investigating the matter, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Grant-maintained Schools
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money is allocated to grant-maintained schools in their annual maintenance grants as arising from their share of their former local education authority budget provision for inspection and advisory services.
Mrs. Rumbold : Annual maintenance grant is calculated to include a per-pupil proportion of the planned spending on such services by each grant -mantained school's former maintaining local education authority. The amount of money allocated will therefore vary between schools in different authorities.
For example, in 1989-90 the full-year amount attributable to such services in Lincolnshire, the authority formerly responsible for maintaining three of the first 18 grant-maintained schools, was £9.36 per pupil ; and in Barnet, where there are two grant-maintained schools, the amount was £12.21 per pupil.
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School Inspections
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many (a) grant-maintained schools, (b) independent schools and (c) local education authority controlled schools in England have been visited by Her Majesty's inspectorate since September 1989.
Mrs. Rumbold : I give below the figures for the number of institutions in each category visited between 1 September and the end of the autumn term 1989. This is the latest period for which the information is available :
|Number
-------------------------------------------------
Grant-maintained schools |31
Independent schools |185
Local authority maintained schools |2,434
Adult Education
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be in a position to make a decision about the future of REPLAN ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend hopes to make a decision on the future of REPLAN in the autumn. Proposals for a new programme from the further education unit and from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education are being considered.
Education Reform Act
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on his review of the charging regulations issued under the Education Reform Act.
Mrs. Rumbold : The Department is at present collecting evidence, through a sample survey of schools and from other sources, of the pattern of out-of-school activities since 1989 and the reasons for any changes. Results will be available later this year. We shall consider, in the light of all the evidence, whether there is a case for further advice to schools or other action.
Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
Mrs. Rumbold : This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
School Closures
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table listing the number of proposals for school closure or reorganisation made to him, following objection or call-in, since May 1987, with a table showing the numbers where the time taken between first submission or notification to him and decision by him has been (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to 12 months, (d) 12 to 18 months and (e) over 18 months, and the numbers where a decision is outstanding.
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Mr. MacGregor : The answer can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will update the table in the answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn, Official Report, 29 June 1989, columns 535-36 and 26 March, column 33, to give the latest information available for 1990, and his estimate of the total numbers of places likely to be taken out of use as a result of approved proposals during the course of 1990.
Mr. MacGregor : The information on school closures is in the following updated table. It is not possible to estimate the number of places likely to be taken out of use as a result of approved proposals during the course of 1990.
0 ------------------------------------------------ 1983 |366 |104,174|330 |85,606 1984 |292 |85,862 |270 |77,590 1985 |205 |101,097|185 |88,218 1986 |172 |81,663 |147 |62,828 1987 |159 |55,116 |134 |45,326 1988 |145 |64,256 |116 |27,170 1989 |140 |59,527 |114 |41,831 <1>1990 |56 |21,492 |46 |21,073 <1>(1 January 1990-31 May 1990).
Science Budget
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the effect on expenditure covered by the science budget as a result of actual inflation in 1990-91 as against that allowed for in the science budget announced on 15 November 1989.
Mr. Jackson : The value of the science budget announced on 15 November 1989 represented at that time a 4.8 per cent. increase in real terms ; this has been reduced to a real terms increase of 3.3 per cent. according to the latest published GDP deflator.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice the Secretary of State has received from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils this year with respect to the funding requirements of the science base ; and when it will be published.
Mr. MacGregor : The ABRC, which was reconstituted and given new terms of reference in April, submitted its advice on this year's public expenditure survey on 22 May. I intend to treat the advice on a confidential basis, in common with the corresponding advice from the Universities Funding Council and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. I recognise that the board may wish to make its views on some matters, including priorities for United Kingdom science, more widely known, and I will be considering with the board's chairman the appropriate form of an ABRC publication for this purpose.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the year in which the data were
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collected on which was based the survey of academic research equipment in the United Kingdom commissioned by the Advisory Board for the Research Councils which was published in November 1989 ; and what plans the Advisory Board for the Research Councils has to update the survey.Mr. Jackson : The data were collected in 1988. The Advisory Board for the Research Councils was reconstituted in April, and the new board has yet to consider what policy studies should be undertaken.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made by his Department in establishing an index to take into account inflation for scientific equipment rather than that indicated by the retail prices index.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend is at present considering whether it is feasible to construct an index of recurrent scientific costs. If he concludes that such an index can be produced he will then consider the feasibility of an index of scientific equipment costs.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much per head the Government are spending on equipment for scientific research in higher education institutions ; and what information he has on the comparable sums spent in the United States of America, West Germany, Japan, France and Italy.
Mr. Jackson : The allocation of block grant to individual higher education institutions is the respon-sibility of the funding councils, with funding for specific research projects provided by the research councils. Allocations for research equipment are not separately identified. The Department does not hold the requested international comparisons.
Surplus School Places
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will update the information given in answer to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey), Official Report, 12 March, column 25, on surplus school places.
Mr. MacGregor : The premises-related costs at current prices of retaining a surplus primary and secondary place are now estimated to be £150 and £240 a year respectively. There are also opportunity costs arising from inefficient retention of buildings and land. The latest estimate is that, in January 1989, there were approximately 830,000 surplus primary school places and 950,000 surplus secondary school places in England.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table in respect of surplus school places giving the targets for every year shown in each public expenditure White Paper, or elsewhere, from and including 1985, and the number taken out of use in each year from and including 1985, with an estimate for 1990, broken down by the number taken out as (a) a result of approved proposals and (b) by other means, to be specified.
Mr. MacGregor : The available information is in the following table. It is not possible to distinguish which surplus places were taken out of use in a given year as a
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result of approved proposals and which were removed by other means. Nor is it possible to estimate how many will be removed in 1990.
Cost places 000s
|Targets |Actual
|removals
------------------------------------
1985-86 |<1>168 |128
1986-87 |167 |106
1987-88 |139 |109
1988-89 |137 |118
1989-90 |133 |<2>76
1990-91 |110 |-
<1>From the report of the Joint
Working Group on falling rolls and
size of schools, 1986.
<2>Provisional estimate.
Richmond College
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence from and to the Middle States Association in respect of the proposed MBA course at Richmond college, or from third parties relating thereto.
Mr. MacGregor : Subject to the agreement of the two sides concerned, I will send a copy of the relevant letter to the hon. Member. The hon. Member's concern about this correspondence arises, I believe, from a misunderstanding of the significance of designation of this MBA as an award recognised for the purpose of the relevant section of the Education Reform Act 1988. That purpose is to end the trade in "bogus" United Kingdom degrees. Richmond college's MBA is an American degree. It has been designated because the college, which is based solely in this country, is a United Kingdom institution. Its MBA could thus be taken to be a United Kingdom degree : it could therefore innocently fall foul of the unrecognised degree legislation, and run the risk of prosecution under Section 214(1) of the Education Reform Act 1988. The college could not seek accreditation of the MBA through the Council for National Academic Awards or a United Kingdom university, which would have given it protection by making it a United Kingdom degree, because it would then have lost its accreditation from the American Commission of Higher Education of Middle States Schools and Colleges.
City Technology College
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in determining the capital costs of a city technology college under the terms of paragraph 7 of the model funding agreement, he will take into account only such costs of a type specified in that paragraph which are those to be incurred by the parties to that agreement.
Teachers (Vetting)
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to ensure that the same vetting procedure applies to United Kingdom and non-United Kingdom applicants for teaching posts after 1992.
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Mr. Alan Howarth : I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend gave to him on Tuesday 10 July at columns 160- 61.Recruitment of teachers including vetting their suitability is a matter for LEAs and school governors as employers. Since 1984, arrangements have existed for local authorities to check against police records for any criminal convictions, but the information available does not extend to convictions incurred outside the United Kingdom. This facility, however, is not intended to replace effective recruitment procedures including taking up references with previous employers. LEAs have for many years successfully recruited and employed teachers from outside the United Kingdom, but I shall consider whether there is any practicable way to strengthen the procedures relating to overseas teachers.
Secondary Education (Management)
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action has been taken by him to implement each of the recommendations of the Audit Commission contained in pages 2 to 4 of the summary of its report, "Towards Better Management in Secondary Education,"--May 1986, and its August 1988 report.
Mr. MacGregor : A range of Government initiatives has addressed the issues raised in the Audit Commission's 1986 report. Local management of schools is enabling school governors to determine staffing profiles, and to deploy available resources, in line with each school's needs and priorities. The national curriculum and its associated assessment procedures will provide a better basis for measuring pupil and school performance. Since the abolition of the Burnham committee in 1987, teachers' pay and conditions have been determined on the basis of recommendations from the Interim Advisory Committee ; I am currently considering what permanent arrangements should replace the IAC. On surplus school places, which are also the subject of the August 1988 Audit Commission paper, the Government continue to encourage LEAs to take effective action to remove them.
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