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Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c) the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non-governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the latest issue of "Public Bodies", a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, which contains all the information he requires.
Biological Diversity
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to the proposed UNEP biological diversification convention ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : I have been asked to reply.
The Government fully support proposals for the elaboration of a global convention on conserving biological diversity. The United Kingdom has extensive and internationally respected scientific and technical expertise in this area and has taken a leading role in a series of preparatory meetings organised by the United Nations Environmental Programme. Formal negotiations are planned to begin in February 1991, with the aim of reaching agreement in time for the UN conference on environment and development which will be held in Brazil in June 1992.
HEALTH
Benzodiazepines
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is currently being carried out within the national health service into improved methods of withdrawing from benzodiazepines.
Mr. Dorrell : Professor Malcolm Lader and his team at the Institute of Psychiatry in London provide a service to NHS patients who wish to withdraw from benzodiazepines. The service offers both psychological and pharmacological methods of treatment and aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of approaches to this form of drug dependency.
Research into various aspects of dependency on benzodiazepines has been carried out in Yorkshire, West Midlands and South East Thames regions.
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Military Medical Requirements
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the financial cost to the national health service of the cutback in military medical facilities since 1975.
Mr. Dorrell : Apart from the services provided to the dependants of military personnel, the treatment which military hospitals provide to civilians is undertaken to ensure adequate training and professional opportunities for the staff of such hospitals. It is not taken into account when determining the funding requirements of the national health service, or when allocating funds to regional health authorities.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of measures presently being undertaken in the national health service as a result of a possible military conflict in the Gulf.
Mr. Dorrell : The national health service has at all times the function of ensuring that it is in a position to respond effectively to a major emergency. Contingency plans are reviewed regularly in the light of prevailing circumstances. The cost of maintaining this function is not held centrally.
North Nottinghamshire Health Authority
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the consultation period for proposals for the creation of a new North Nottinghamshire health authority began ; when it ended ; and on what date the consultation document was supplied to the hon. Members for the constituencies concerned.
Mr. Dorrell : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is considering Trent regional health authority's proposal to proceed to formal public consultation. No document has yet been issued.
Benzene
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government's health advisers have now examined the evidence on exposure of the public to benzene in the atmosphere and its possible implications for public health ; what conclusions have been reached ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : At a preliminary discussion recently the Department of Health's independent committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment (COC) concluded that benzene is a human carcinogen for which it is prudent to assume no safe level of exposure. This accords with the view of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is based on evidence from heavily exposed occupational groups. Exposure of the general population from benzene in the environment, food and drink is at an extremely low level. The committee is now considering information on exposure levels including occupational exposures in order better to assess the risk to public health. Meanwhile the Department advises that exposure should be reduced as low as reasonably achievable.
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Disabled People
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will meet voluntary organisations to discuss the implementation of sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ;
(2) when he last met voluntary organisations to discuss implementation of sections 1 to 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ;
(3) when he next expects to meet voluntary organisations to discuss implementation of section 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ;
(4) when he last met local authority associations on sections 1 to 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; and if he will make a statement on the meeting.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I met representatives of the consortium of voluntary organisations, "Act Now", on 5 June, with the right hon. Member and other members of the all-party disablement group. I have no current plans for further meetings. Decisions as to further action on sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Act cannot be taken until our consultations with the local authority associations are complete. Officials last met the associations on 30 October.
Waiting Lists, Herefordshire
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the latest available figures for (a) urgent and (b) non-urgent hospital waiting lists for each district in Herefordshire.
Mr. Dorrell : At March 1990 there were 3,579 people on hospital in- patient waiting lists in Herefordshire district health authority compared with 3,648 at March 1989, a reduction of 2 per cent. Waiting list data have not been collected by urgency of condition since 1987.
NHS Reform (Leaflet)
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will indicate the cost of the preparation and distribution of the leaflet "The National Health Service Reforms and You".
Mr. Dorrell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister for Health gave the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 5 July at column 675.
Custard Tarts
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of food poisoning have been notified to his Department as a result of the consumption of custard tarts.
Mr. Dorrell : None specifically related to custard tarts. The public do not, however, always report foodborne illnesses to their doctor.
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c)
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the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.Mr. Dorrell : The Department of Health occupies buildings on the common user estate provided and administered by the Department of the Environment. Identifiable totals of the Department of Health's expenditure are available only from 1 April 1989 following this Department's separation from the Department of Social Security. In the financial year 1989-90 the Department of Health spent £2.292 million on new works not exceeding £150,000 each.
Details of the combined Department of Health and Department of Social Security major building projects are published each year with the supply estimates and details are in the Library.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non-governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Transplant Service
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has decided on the arrangements which are to be made to set up the United Kingdom transplant service as a special health authority.
Mr. Dorrell : The report prepared by Dr. N. J. B. Evans has been considered and Ministers have decided, in general, to accept its recommendations. Regulations will be laid shortly to set up the authority. Dr. Evans will be appointed as its chairman. A copy of his report has been placed in the Library.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
State Opening of Parliament
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will itemise, by Department, the cost of the current year's state opening of Parliament.
Mr. Yeo : I have been asked to reply.
The estimated cost to the Parliamentary Works Office is £45,500.
Workplace Nursery
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Lord President of the Council what progress has been made on the feasibility study regarding a workplace nursery in the House ; and if he has yet consulted the staff unions regarding carrying out the study and establishment of the nursery.
Mr. MacGregor : It is understood that the feasibility study by the Administration Department on the provision of child care facilities has been completed and is to be considered by the Services Committee at its next meeting. Copies of the study have already been made available to the trade union side of the House of Commons Whitley
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Committee, and there will be a further consultation with it and with other relevant staff organisations once the Services Committee has responded.House of Commons (Reform)
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will bring forward proposals to reform the workings of the House of Commons.
Mr. MacGregor [holding answer 3 December 1990] : I am always ready and willing to consider ideas for improvement. I shall, of course, be replying to the Procedure Committee on Select Committees.
THE ARTS
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c) the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Renton : Responsibility for the repairs and maintenance of the two properties occupied by my Department rests with the Property Services Agency (PSA). The payments made to it in respect of these works are given in the table.
|£
----------------------
1986-87 |26,747
1987-88 |24,525
1988-89 |36,333
1989-90 |41,376
1990-91 |52,983
Prior to 1 April 1988, responsibility for the building and maintenance programmes of the national museums and galleries that my Department sponsors and of the British library also rested with the PSA. Expenditure incurred by the PSA, but which was included in the central Government arts programme, was £34.5 million in 1986-87 and £34.0 million in 1987 -88 in respect of the national museums and galleries, and £11.2 million and £21.8 million, respectively, for the British library.
From 1 April 1988, such costs have become the responsibility of the individual institutions, with that of the new British library building project at St. Pancras the responsibility of my Department. The grant in aid provisions for the national museums and galleries building and maintenance programmes are :
Grant in aid
Building programme provision
(Amounts shown in £ millions)
Institutions |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British museum |6.497 |7.650 |9.000
Imperial War museum |6.363 |4.097 |3.100
National gallery |3.255 |4.390 |5.100
National Maritime museum |1.853 |3.450 |4.600
National museums and galleries on Merseyside |2.690 |3.060 |3.800
National Portrait gallery |2.926 |1.530 |1.800
Natural History museum |6.172 |6.260 |8.100
Science museum |4.617 |5.310 |5.920
Tate gallery |3.236 |3.800 |4.800
Victoria and Albert museum |7.024 |7.660 |9.900
Wallace collection |0.271 |0.482 |0.627
|------- |------- |-------
Totals |44.904 |47.689 |56.747
Expenditure on the British library building project at St. Pancras is :
£ million 1988-89 |1989-90|1990-91 -------------------------------- 23.3 |41.4 |49.2
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has on the level of repairs and maintenance needs in (a) theatres, (b) museums and (c) libraries.
Mr. Renton : I am setting in hand a new initiative to review and assess rigorously the building renovation needs of the national museums and galleries which I sponsor. This review, which will be undertaken by professional multidiscipline building consultants, will entail a detailed study of a variety of building conditions and other technical surveys. These will be compared against requirements already identified in museums buildings and the need for further technical studies identified if required. The review should be completed by summer 1991. The results will inform my decisions in carrying forward the Government's policy of bringing about the renovation of these important and historic buildings by the end of the decade ; I am at present providing £189 million over the next three years towards these building and maintenance needs. I understand that the Theatres Trust is carrying out a small study to establish whether a systematic examination of the national state of theatres could be undertaken at reasonable cost. It is for other relevant funding bodies, including local authorities, to determine the needs for the buildings within their areas of responsibility.
Funding Requirements
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts what he estimates is needed by (a) the Arts Council, (b) the Museums and Galleries Commission, (c) the Crafts Council, (d) the British Film Institute and (e) the British library if their 1991-92 budgets are (i) to stand still in relation to inflation, (ii) return in real terms, to levels of (1) 1986-87 and (2) 1979 -80 in cash terms and in percentage terms.
Mr. Renton : The future expenditure programme of the Office of Arts and Libraries and the particular provisions for the institutions it supports are defined in cash terms.
In comparison with 1986-87 and 1979-80, the 1991-92 expenditure programme will be higher in real terms by £86 million (18 per cent.) and £199 million (55 per cent.) respectively. No additional funding is needed, therefore.
Additional details for each of the institutions listed could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Minister for the Arts what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non- governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
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Mr. Renton : In general, those appointed by my Department to the institutions and committees it sponsors and supports do not receive fees or remuneration. They are normally reimbursed for travel and other expenditures which they incur as part of their duties, but detailed information on such reimbursements could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
There is an exception ; part-time members of the British library board are remunerated for their services. The annual cost to the British library is currently £70,000.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
GCSE Examinations
Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of students entered for GCSE examinations in the years 1988 to 1990 were from maintained further education institutions.
Mr. Eggar : In summer 1988, candidates from further education institutions accounted for about 4.4 per cent. of GCSE entries. In 1989, the corresponding figure was about 4.5 per cent. The figures for 1990 are not yet available.
Purchasing
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science is he will make a statement about the purchasing policy of his Department.
Mr. Fallon : The Department is bound by the Government's policy that purchasers should base all procurement of goods and services on value for money, including quality (or fitness for purpose) and delivery against price. In accordance with that policy, goods and services are purchased by competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. Under EC rules, and the GATT Government procurement agreement (GPA) where appropriate, the Department is obliged to award relevant contracts in accordance with prescribed procedures aimed at avoiding discriminiation on grounds of nationality.
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what were his Department's (a) best and (b) worst purchases made in the current month as measured against the Government's supply index ;
(2) what were the 10 worst purchases made by his Department in the month of October as measured against the Government's supply index.
Mr. Fallon : This Department does not subscribe to the Government supply index because the items currently covered by the index do not form a significant part of our expenditure and it has not therefore been economically viable to join the system. It follows that we are not privy to the information which would enable comparisons to be made.
Administrative Costs
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the administrative costs of his Department rose by more or less than the retail prices index in the last financial year.
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Mr. Eggar : Gross running costs expenditure on DES administration was 8.7 per cent. higher in 1989-90 than in the previous year. During the same period the retail prices index increased by 7.8 per cent.Research Councils
Dr. Bray : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what advice he has received in the current year from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on the level of science expenditure from public funds ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will publish the advice given to him by the Advisory Board for the Research Councils for the current year's public expenditure survey.
Mr. Alan Howarth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Sir I. Lloyd) on 19 November 1990 at column 30.
Dr. Bray : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the chairmen of the Agricultural and Food Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Science and Engineering Research Council to discuss the levels of their budgets ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend and I from time to time meet the chairmen and secretaries of each of the research councils. However neither of us has recently had any such meetings to discuss the levels of their budgets.
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Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received the annual report of the Economic and Social Research Council for 1989-90 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The annual report of the Economic and Social Research Council has been submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend under the requirements of the Science and Technology Act 1965, and a copy is being laid before the House today.
I was most interested to read about the council's achievements in the first full year after its move to Swindon. I noted in particular the council's introduction of a new method of allocating course work awards ; its creation of a new training strategy ; and its continuing commitment to the development of new centres of excellence. I congratulate the council on these and its many other achievements, and look forward to reading about further progress in next year's report.
Building Works
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will publish tables showing (a) the number of new buildings, (b) the amount spent on new buildings, (c) the amount spent on repairs and maintenance and (d) the amount spent on building renovation by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Eggar : The Department's own expenditure in respect of buildings is limited to those which are occupied by departmental staff. The information is given in the table.
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K
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
forecast
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of new buildings |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Expenditure on new
buildings (£000) |0 |0 |0 |1,184 |5,100
Expenditure on repairs and
maintenance (including
building renovations)
(£000) |116 |116 |980 |411 |296
Departmental Appointees
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the annual cost of fees and reimbursements to people appointed to (a) public, (b) non-governmental and (c) other bodies by his Department.
Mr. Eggar : The estimated cost for 1990-91 of fees to people appointed by the Secretary of State to non-departmental public bodies is £775,000. In addition there are a number of appointments to other bodies which do not normally attract payment. Information about reimbursement is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Architecture Courses
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information his Department supplies to students, outlining alternative funding arrangements for those studying five-year architecture courses giving
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exemption from parts 1 and 2 of the RIBA examination in architecture, following the de-designation of such courses by the Secretary of State.Mr. Alan Howarth : A circular letter sent by the Department in August to local education authorities and higher education institutions asked them to inform their affected students of the following arrangements for support in 1990-91 :
(a) courses leading to a first degree or comparable qualification giving exemption from part 1 of the RIBA examination continue to be designated for mandatory student awards from LEAs ;
(b) separate courses leading to further qualifications giving exemption from part 2 cannot for legal reasons remain designated but eligible students will instead receive equivalent bursaries under a temporary scheme.
Funds and detailed guidance have been provided for the institutions administering the scheme, and most eligible students should have received their bursaries. The Department publicised the arrangements again in September, and has continued to explain them in response to any individual inquiries from students or others. A further circular letter was issued last month on the handling of any outstanding cases.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Common Agricultural Policy
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the cost of the common agricultural policy to the United Kingdom expressed in terms of the average cost in food bills and tax for a family of four.
Mr. Curry : The Government have long recognised that the CAP system of agricultural support, in common with the support policies of other industrial countries, gives rise to substantial costs to taxpayers and consumers compared with a situation in which foodstuffs were imported at world market prices with no support to domestic producers. Estimates of these costs, and the savings that could be secured if current policies were ended, are possible only by making many assumptions. Important judgments are necessary about the current levels of world prices--no simple matter given the wide variations in quotations and substantial fluctuations from year to year--and the changes in these prices if present policies were abandoned. The latter depends on how producers and consumers throughout the world might respond to the new circumstances and on the impact on such factors as exchange rates.
Estimates made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, using a particular set of assumptions, imply that the transfers from consumers and taxpayers in 1989 resulting from agricultural policies in the European Community as a whole--separate figures for the United Kingdom are not available--were equivalent to £14 per week per family of four. (This is derived from the OECD estimate of the aggregate cost of 88.5 billion ecu for 1989, assuming the EC12 population is 324.8 million and that 1 ecu=£0.6733.) This is one estimate of the extent to which the CAP raises the cost of food and agricultural products, and incurs budgetary costs, compared to existing "world" prices. Those who quote this figure ignore the authors' note that the estimate is a static one : it takes no account of the effect that removal of farm support would have on world prices, and other variables, and thus gives no indication of the extent to which taxpayers and consumers might be better off if current policies were removed. A family of four would benefit by considerably less than £14 per week if all agricultural support were removed.
Set-aside Scheme
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of reduced production due to set-aside in each year since its inception in tonnes of cereals and meat and also in value at real and 1990 prices.
Mr. Curry : The EC Commission has estimated that in the first year of the scheme 362,000 hectares were set aside in the Community representing a saving in production of between 1 million and 2 million tonnes of cereals. Recent information from the Commission suggests that a further 328,000 hectares have been set aside in the second year giving a total of 690,000 hectares which would represent a saving in production of between 1.9 million and 3.8 million tonnes of cereals. The Commission has not made available any estimates of value nor of impact on meat production.
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Tributyltin
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what tests he has conducted for levels of tributyltin in fish and shellfish ; if he will publish the results ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what action he is taking to ensure that fish stocks are prevented from contamination by the anti-fouling agent tributyltin ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what analysis he has carried out to assess the levels of tributyltin in United Kingdom coastal waters ; and if he will publish the results.
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