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Mr. Curry : Member states' shares of Community agricultural output are shown in column (a) of the table : information on gross value added--a measure of agricultural output--per annual labour unit on average is shown in column (b) . The information provides only a broad guide to comparative labour productivity for the agriculture sector as a whole : comparisons are affected by exchange rates, including differences between green and market rates, price levels and many other factors including variations in the weather. Labour productivity is a partial measure of overall efficiency since it ignores other factors of production, notably capital : comprehensive comparisons of productivity are not available. Less than 15 per cent. of Community output is produced in member states with higher labour productivity than the United Kingdom whereas over three quarters of Community output is accounted for by member states where labour productivity on average is lower than in the United Kingdom.
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|Share of Community |Gross value added<1>
|agricultural |per annual labour
|output average |unit average
|1987 and 1988 |1987 to 1989
|(forecast)
|per cent. |£<2>
|(a) |(b)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Netherlands |7.7 |22,400
Denmark |3.4 |21,300
Belgium |3.0 |17,000
United Kingdom |9.6 |12,200
Luxembourg |0.1 |11,500
France |23.2 |10,700
Germany |14.4 |10,600
Italy |18.9 |7,100
Ireland |2.1 |6,600
Spain |12.1 |<3>5,300
Greece |3.8 |4,600
Portugal |1.7 |1,200
<1>Gross value added is the value of output minus current material inputs.
<2>Rounded to nearest £100.
<3>Relates to average of 1987 and 1988.
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food calculations based on Eurostat
information.
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the state of agriculture.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter) on 29 November, Official Report, column 1008.
Cereals
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much has been deducted from farmers in each of the 12 EEC states in cereals co-responsibility levy in each year since its inception ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Information provided by the Commission of the European Communities on cereals co-responsibility levy receipts in each member state is set out in the table. These omit Portugal because under its accession terms Portuguese farmers are exempt from levy until 1991. It should be noted that levy is not necessarily collected in the country of origin of the grain.
MECU (Budget)
|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989
-------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |5.203 |18.958 |13.814 |12.89
Denmark |1.841 |12.081 |9.615 |35.39
Germany |16.749 |65.130 |132.853|67.15
Greece |0.877 |1.458 |6.084 |6.19
Spain |- |38.765 |33.971 |69.91
France |10.337 |103.625|305.016|311.61
Ireland |0.766 |4.131 |9.390 |6.68
Italy |10.074 |37.430 |33.589 |56.24
Luxembourg |0.069 |0.419 |0.280 |0.30
Netherlands |0.769 |22.110 |20.210 |6.74
United Kingdom |9.745 |62.732 |71.837 |116.11
EEC |56.430 |361.839|636.660|689.22
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DEFENCE
Defence Exports
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department has a record of exports of defence equipment and munitions to Yugoslavia for each year during the period 1980 to 1990 ;
(2) whether the defence export services organisation maintains records of exports of defence material on a country-by-country basis ;
(3) whether his Department has a record of exports of defence equipment and munitions to Cyprus for each year 1980 to 1990.
Mr. Alan Clark : No. Statistics of United Kingdom defence exports, derived from Customs and Excise, are set out by broad geographical regions in volume 2 of the annual SDE.
Astra Holdings plc
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has, at any time, received information from
representatives of Astra Holdings plc relating to the export activities of its former subsidiary PRB.
Mr. Alan Clark : Shortly after acquiring PRB, Astra Holdings plc consulted the MOD about certain contracts which the company had inherited through its acquisition. These discussions took place in confidence.
Hunting
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date a licence was first issued to the Essex and Suffolk hunt to hunt on his Ministry's land at Colchester ; and how frequently the licence is renewable.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Essex and Suffolk hunt has had a licence to hunt on Ministry of Defence land since before 1974. Records before that date are no longer retained. The licence is renewed annually.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the licence issued to the Essex and Suffolk hunt to hunt on his Ministry's land at Colchester in the Library.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No. The full terms of the licence are commercial-in-confidence between my Department and the Essex and Suffolk hunt.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual fee paid by the Essex and Suffolk hunt to hunt on his Ministry's land at Colchester.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : This information is commercial-in-confidence between my Department and the Essex and Suffolk hunt.
Light Bulbs
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to encourage the use of low-energy light bulbs in his Department's buildings and offices.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is our policy to install the most efficient suitable lighting systems in all newly designed
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buildings and offices, and in those undergoing major refurbishment. On existing installations the use of low- energy light bulbs is encouraged where practical.Over-the-horizon Radar
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the appropriated funds required for the United States' share of the proposed joint United States-United Kingdom trial of an over-the- horizon radar in the United Kingdom was requested from the United States Congress in fiscal year 1991 ; and how much of this was authorised or appropriated.
Mr. Alan Clark : This is a matter for the United States Government.
Atomic Weapons Establishment
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements currently exist for the disposal of nuclear waste from the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Nuclear waste is disposed of from the atomic weapons establishment taking advantage of nationally available disposal routes under arrangements which are overseen by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution of the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is intended that the company running the atomic weapons establishment after contractorisation will be able to alter the redundancy arrangements of the staff of the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The redundancy arrangements will form part of the conditions of service of staff. Any changes to the conditions of service will be a matter for negotiation between the contractor and the trade unions.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now make it his policy to release information on the number of staff in the safety division stationed at (a) the atomic weapons establishment, Cardiff, (b) the atomic weapons establishment, Burghfield, and (c) the atomic weapons establishment, Aldermaston, following the evidence given to the Select Committee on Defence, printed on page 81 of its ninth report, Session 1989-90, HC 237.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No. It would not be in the national interest to do so.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are envisaged for the disposal of nuclear waste from the atomic weapons establishment after its contractorisation.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The arrangements for the disposal of nuclear waste from the atomic weapons establishment will continue to be overseen by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution of the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what differences there will be in the index-linking arrangements between the new atomic weapons establishment pension scheme that is due to be arranged as a result
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of the contractorisation of the atomic weapons establishment and the existing principal civil service pension scheme and the UKAEA pension scheme.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is intended that the benefit terms of the new AWE pension scheme include provision for pensions to be increased in line with PCSPS or principal non-industrial superannuation scheme increases.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements currently exist for redundancy payments under the principal civil service pension scheme and the UKAEA scheme.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The current arrangements for making redundancy payments to AWE staff are set out in section 10 of the PCSPS and section 8 of the UKAEA PNISS. Broadly, these provide for benefits according to age, length of qualifying service and rate of pay at the time of redundancy. In the unlikely event that the redundancy benefits of PCSPS and the UKAEA PNISS amount to less than the statutory provision, staff may receive a special payment to bring them up to the level paid under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are planned for redundancy payments under the new AWE pension scheme that is due to be arranged as a result of the contractorisation of the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The new redundancy scheme will provide redundancy payments which, when taken together with those of the new pension scheme, will be at least as good as those currently provided under the PCSPS and UKAEA PNISS arrangements. However, in view of AWE's continuing need for staff, and the Government's firm commitment to the nuclear programme, redundancies are unlikely.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the proposed relationship between the compliance directorate and the safety division of the atomic weapons establishment under phase 2 of the contractorisation programme.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The MOD compliance directorate based at AWE will be independent of the establishment's division. It will be staffed by Crown servants and, to carry out their role of contract oversight and compliance, there will need to be a close and co-operative relationship between them and the contractor's safety division.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to ensure that the company currently producing proposals for the full contractorisation of the atomic weapons establishment will not derive an unfair advantage in competing for the contract in 1992.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The interim-management contractor is not responsible for formulating proposals for full contractorisation of AWE. This task is the responsibility of the MOD and the usual steps will be taken to ensure full and fair competition for the eventual operating contract.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will be the employer of members of staff in the safety division of the atomic weapons establishment under the proposed contractorisation.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The staff of the safety division will become part of the contractor's organisation on full contractorisation.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is envisaged that the company that wins the contract to operate the atomic weapons establishment will have the power to alter the pension arrangements for the staff of the atomic weapons establishment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The new AWE pension scheme will be set up under trust deed which will include the rules of the scheme. The scheme will be managed by a trustee company specially set up for this purpose. The board of this trustee company will include persons nominated by the employing company, the Ministry of Defence and the members, or their representatives. In this way, members will have a say in the operation of the scheme. Any changes in the terms of the scheme will be negotiated between the employing company-commercial manager and the trade unions. MOD approval will be required before any changes in benefits or contributions can be implemented.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the company selected to operate the atomic weapons establishment after contractorisation will be allowed to alter the number and grades of staff in the safety division of the establishment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The contractor will be bound by strict safety requirements which will include the maintenance of a fully effective internal safety organisation. The compliance directorate will ensure that safety requirements are met effectively and efficiently. Any detailed changes the contractor may wish to make would have to be compatible with this requirement.
HMS Challenger
Mr. Douglas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the total cost involved in the construction, repair, renewal and redesign of HMS Challenger at current market prices and the anticipated reserve price proposed for the vessel at this period.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The total project acquisition cost of HMS Challenger, together with the cost of the two docking periods which she has undergone is some £240 million at 1990-91 prices. The arrangements for the sale of the vessel are commercially confidential.
Iraqi Supergun
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on whether Iraq has test-fired a supergun.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is not the practice to comment on such matters.
Adjutant General's Corps
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has determined which existing corps and functions should be included in the new Adjutant General's Corps ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I can confirm that my right hon. Friend has decided that the Adjutant General's Corps should include the following existing Corps, which will retain their individual cap badges :
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Corps of Royal Military PoliceMilitary Provost Staff Corps
Royal Army Educational Corps
Army Legal Corps
The Adjutant General's Corps will also include a new Corps, covering various administrative functions, whose title has not yet been determined. This new Corps will be responsible for the functions currently undertaken by the Royal Army Pay Corps, the staff clerk functions undertaken by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and the Women's Royal Army Corps, and all other regimental clerks. Those members of the WRAC who do not elect to join existing Corps under our plans for the wider employment of women will also become members of this new Corps.
The Royal Army Chaplains' Department will not form part of the AG Corps, but will be closely associated with it and supported administratively by the Corps.
The formation of a single Adjutant General's Corps will offer a firm basis for rationalisation of the Army's personnel services and contribute to the reductions being sought in the support area following my right hon. Friend's statement on 25 July concerning "Options for Change".
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disability
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) visually impaired people, (b) deaf people, (c) mentally handicapped people and (d) people with agoraphobia will receive (i) lower rate attendance component of the disability living allowance, (ii) middle rate attendance component, (iii) higher rate attendance component, (iv) lower rate mobility component and(v) higher rate mobility component.
Mr. Scott : The numbers of people in each category who will receive the various rates of disability living allowance cannot be predicted reliably. The estimates in the table for the new lower rates of each component are derived from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys disability surveys, and give the numbers of people with each of these disabilities who come into the projected eligible populations. For the rates of the disability living allowance which equate to the existing benefits, the figures are based on those who in 1985 reported receipt of attendance allowance or mobility allowance in the OPCS surveys. Given the substantial increases in the caseloads for both benefits since 1985, the numbers in these groups will inevitably be much higher now.
Column 138
Table 1
Lower rates
(in thousands)
|Care |Mobility
|(i) |(iv)
---------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Visually impaired people |40 |55
(b)[Deaf people |10 |15]
People with hearing impairments |60 |65
(c) Mentally handicapped people |30 |75
(d) People with agoraphobia cannot be identified from the OPCS
Table 2
Higher rates
(in thousands)
|care |care |mobility
|(ii) |(iii) |(v)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Visually impaired people |95 |85 |70
(b) Deaf people |30 |25 |15
People with hearing
impairments |115 |85 |90
(c) Mentally handicapped
people |55 |40 |35
Benefit Payments (Worksop)
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the reasons why his Department's payments have not been made to claimants in Worksop ; and when he expects the situation to return to normal.
Miss Widdecombe : Severe weather conditions on 10 and 11 December meant that the DSS office in Worksop was without power or water and the office had to be closed. Partial restoration of services on 12 December allowed the office to reopen that day. Management also opened a caller office in Retford to help make urgent payments. Normal service has now been restored.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many local authority tenants of pensionable age are in receipt of (a) full housing benefit and (b) partial housing benefit ; and what percentage they are of the total number of local authority tenants of pensionable age.
Miss Widdecombe : It is estimated that the number of recipients aged 60 and over in receipt of housing benefit at 31 May 1989 was :
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|Rent rebates |Percentage |Rate rebates |Percentage
|Great Britain|of local |England and |of local
|authority |Wales only |authority
|tenants<1> |tenants<1>
|(000) |(000)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
House benefit recipients also in receipt of income support |735 |(24) |615 |(20)
Housing benefit recipients not in receipt of income support |950 |(30) |755 |(24)
Total |1,685 |(54) |1,370 |(44)
<1> Local authority tenants are men aged 65 and over and women aged 60 and over.
Source:
(a) Housing Benefit Management Information System annual statistical enquiry, and
(b) Department of Employment Labour Force Survey April 1989.
Column 139
Pensioners
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether, further to the answer given to the hon. Member for Walsall, North on 7 December, Official Report, column 233, he will publish similar estimates for April 1991 ; if he will include an allowance for the shortfall in the 1979 uprating relative to earnings ; and if he will base his estimate of increases in earnings on data which would have been available shortly after each uprating.
Miss Widdecombe : The full rate of basic retirement pension, if revalued since 1979 by the higher of the annual percentage increase in prices or earnings six months before the date of the uprating would be £21.05 higher for a couple based solely on the husband's contribution and £13.05 more for a single person. The cost to the national insurance fund of these increases would amount to about £6 billion a year. It is not possible to calculate extra amounts on the basis of increases in earnings available after the April 1991 uprating.
Pensioners' Christmas Bonus
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security at what level the Christmas bonus for senior citizens would now stand if the original payment when first introduced in 1972 had been uprated by (a) the rise in retail prices or (b) the rise in average earnings ; what is the estimated cost of paying the pensioners' Christmas bonus at £10 in the current year ; what would be the cost of increasing it by (i) 50 per cent., (ii) 100 per cent.,(iii) sufficient to take account of (a) and (iv) sufficient to take account of (b) ; and whether he has any plans for future increases in the payment.
Miss Widdecombe : If the Christmas bonus had been uprated each year since 1972 in line with the increase in retail prices it would now be worth approximately £52. If it had been uprated each year since 1972 in line with earnings it would now be worth approximately £70. The estimated cost of paying the pensioners' Christmas bonus in 1990-91 is approximately £114 million. Increasing it by 50 per cent. would cost an extra£57 million ; increasing it by 100 per cent. would cost an extra £114 million.
Increasing the Christmas bonus to £52 would cost an extra £479 million and increasing it to £70 would cost an extra £684 million. We have no plans at present for increasing the payment.
Opinion Surveys
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list any opinion surveys conducted by, for or on behalf of his Department since 1 January 1985 giving the date and purpose of each survey.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 17 December 1990] : Details of most surveys conducted by, for or on behalf of the Department are contained in the DHSS yearbooks of research and development 1985-88 and in the Department of Health yearbook of research and development 1989, copies of which are in the Library. Opinion surveys have also been conducted as part of the following customer research activities :
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Survey |Date of |Purpose
|Fieldwork
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Public Attitudes to |January 1985
Social Security |the background to the
|review of social security
|to add to and bring up-
|to-date information
|already available from
|past surveys about
|people's views of social
|published in Cmnd 9519
Family Credit |April 1989- |Evaluation of the Family
Campaign Evaluation |March 1990 |Credit Campaign
Attendance Allowance |February- |To measure claimants'
Medical Examination |March 1990 |views of the Attendance
|Allowance Medical
|examination
Disability Benefit |April 1990 |Evaluation of Disability
|Information
|Freeline trials
Community Charge |April 1990 |To check understanding
Benefit Leaflets |of benefit in relation to
|new leaflet and press
|advertisements
Benefit target groups |April 1990 |Research in relation to
|providing information
DSS Advertising |April 1990 |Testing of telephone
|directories as suitable
|media for DSS
|advertising of local office
|addresses
Family Credit |April 1990 |Evaluation of Family
Advertising |Credit advertising in
|Child Benefit order
|books and/or order book
|information awareness
Methods of Payment |November- |To assess awareness of
of Benefits |December '90 | and attitudes towards
|methods of payment of
|Retirement Pension,
|Child Benefit and
|Income Support
Taxi Fares (Reimbursement)
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances taxi fares will be paid to claimants attending a regional medical service examination for invalidity benefit ; what is the procedure for claiming taxi fares in advance ; what is the procedure for reimbursing claimants their taxi fares ; what is the average length of time taken to reimburse claimants' taxi fares ; and how much has been paid out in taxi fares.
Mr. Dorrell : I have been asked to reply.
Taxi fares are not ordinarily reimbursed to claimants attending a regional medical service examination for invalidity benefit. They may be paid if the claimant is unable to travel by public transport because of illness or disability, or if public transport is not available at the time of attendance.
A claimant wishing to claim taxi fares should contact the divisional medical office in advance. Each application is assessed individually and, if authorised, the claimant will be reimbursed at the time of examination.
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If the claimant requests taxi fares at the time of examination, the public transport fares are paid immediately, and the request for the excess taxi fare forwarded to the divisional medical office. If authorised, the claim is either paid direct by the divisional medical office or forwarded to the regional finance office, DSS, for payment. The claim is usually reimbursed within 10 days.The annual cost of reimbursing taxi fares is approximately £800 per year.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ulster Agricultural Organisation Society
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has for financial support for the Ulster Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd.
Mr. Hanley : I have no proposals to provide financial support to the Ulster Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd. The organisation is, I understand, examining other possible ways of supplementing its income.
Eating Disorders Association
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial assistance he will make available to the Eating Disorders Association self-help group in Northern Ireland for the financial year commencing 1 April 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Department of Health and Social Services has grant- aided the central administrative costs of the Eating Disorders Association since its formation in Northern Ireland in 1985. The current year's grant is £9,240. Grant aid for the financial year 1991-92 will not be determined before March 1991.
Fallen Animals
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the health and environmental implications of the decision by processing plants not to accept fallen animals for disposal ; and what proposals he has to provide alternative means of disposal of such animals in Upper Bann.
Mr. Hanley : I am aware of the recent decision by the rendering plants not to accept fallen animals. The Department of Agriculture issued advice to farmers and others on disposal of fallen animals in the present circumstances.
The Department is also ready to advise the industry on any proposals it may make to provide alternative means of disposal. It is the responsibility of the agriculture industry, like that of any other industry, to exercise a duty of care in the safe disposal of its waste and protect public health and the environment.
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action the Department of Agriculture will adopt following the withdrawal of a collection service in respect of fallen animals.
Column 142
Mr. Hanley : The agriculture industry is responsible for the safe disposal of its waste products in a manner which safeguards public health and avoids harm to the environment.
The Department of Agriculture has issued advice to the industry on the existing alternative disposal arrangements. It will continue to advise the industry on any new proposals which the industry may make.
Security
Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Brooke : Seventy-four people have died in Northern Ireland this year as a result of the security situation. Up to 30 September 1990, 288 people had been charged with terrorist-type offences, including six for murder and 49 for attempted murder, and 307 had been convicted of terrorist -type offences including two for murder and 21 for attempted murder.
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