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circumstances. They are directed towards recognition of good teaching, extra responsibility and scarce qualifications. They will improve career prospects and incentives to promotion within the profession. The committee emphasised the benefits of appraisal for individual teachers, for heads, for the management of schools and ultimately for pupils. It also recognised that appraisal might have a link, although indirect, with pay.I propose to accept all the committee's recommendations, but, as for the doctors, nurses and other groups covered by the review bodies except the armed forces, to stage their introduction over the period up to 1 December 1991.
The decision to stage was taken in view of the size of the recommendations and for wider economic reasons. It now seems overwhelmingly likely that inflation will fall to 5.5 per cent. by the end of the year. I believe that it is right to reflect the sharp drop in pay expectations in the rest of the economy by the staging of this generous award for teachers.
I propose to increase all pay scales by 7.5 per cent. from 1 April 1991. I propose to implement from the same date the committee's proposals for greater local discretion about the pay of heads and deputies, and to backdate to 1 July 1990 increases in London allowances. The increase of 30 per cent. in the value of incentive allowances would be introduced on 1 December 1991, as would the further increases in the scales needed to bring them up to the full amounts recommended by the committee. The extra 9,100 incentive allowances proposed by the committee would be introduced from September 1991, as it recommended. The committee's recommendations would thus be implemented in full on 1 December 1991. Overall, the increases in the pay bills for school teachers in England and Wales flowing from these proposals would be 8.4 per cent. in 1991-92 and 11.3 per cent. in a full year.
The education standard spending totals we announced last autumn comfortably allow for the cost of implementing these recommendations as well as for the follow-through costs of the 1990-91 pay award. These totals also include an element for the exercise of local discretion introduced following the recommendations of the committee's previous report and of this one which we are assuming will add a further 1.5 per cent. to the pay bill. This leaves plenty of scope for well-managed authorities to find resources for the other pressing demands on the education budget.
I am publishing the committee's report today and have initiated the consultations required by section 3(1) of the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1987 on my detailed proposals for implementing its recommendations.
ENERGY
Sizewell B
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has had any recent discussions with the chairman of Nuclear Electric concerning (a) construction delays in the schedule drawn up for Sizewell B, (b) the failure of the computer programme design consultants to meet their target in completing the main safety computer programme and (c) the revised costings produced by Nuclear Electric and its consultants for the decommissioning and waste management programme for the Sizewell B plant.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The construction of Sizewell B is a matter for Nuclear Electric plc. I understand from the company that the project is eight months ahead of programme. It remains Nuclear Electric's intention that the software for the integrated systems for control and operation of the station should be available to enable commissioning of the station in accordance with the project programme. The latest costs available for decommissioning of Sizewell B or its waste management programme are those presented to the Hinkley Point C public inquiry.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of the final capital cost of the Sizewell B nuclear plant on commissioning expressed in (a) March 1987 prices and (b) present-day prices ; what was the estimate 15 months ago ; and if he will indicate the reasons for the differences.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In his letter of 26 June 1990 to the Chairman of the Energy Select Committee, the Secretary of State gave the revised estimated cost to completion of Sizewell B as £2,030 million, April 1987 prices, together with a full explanation of the reasons for the revision of the estimate. This remains the latest estimated cost to completion for the project. Over the period from April 1987, the inflation in power station construction costs has been slightly less than in retail prices.
Atomic Safeguards
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has concerning the work of the standing advisory group on safeguards implementation organised under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The standing advisory group on safeguards implementation provides advice to the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its work is confidential to the group.
THORP
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what plans he has to institute a near-real time nuclear materials accountancy arrangement for the safeguards provisions at the new thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Detailed arrangements for safeguards at specific sites are confidential. However, BNFL is developing near real time materials accountancy systems in support of safeguards on the thermal oxide reprocessing plant--THORP. Technical reports relating to this technique have been published by BNFL. Details of these publications can be obtained from the company.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he possesses concerning the applicability of Euratom nuclear safeguards to the new BNFL thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield will be fully subject to Euratom safeguards under the Euratom treaty of 1957, as are all other civil nuclear facilities.
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Sellafield
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when an assessment was last made of the environmental implications of a serious leak from Sellafield, including the localities which would be most affected ; and if he will publish its findings.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Assessments of the safety of operations at Sellafield, which include assessments of the possible environmental implications of serious leaks, are the responsibility of BNFL in accordance with conditions attached to the nuclear site licence. These assessments are independently examined by the regulatory authorities in the regular discharge of their statutory functions.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Rost : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the level to which the public sector is taking advantage of private sector energy efficiency management services and third-party financing for energy efficiency investment ; and if he will make a statement on progress.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In taking forward the energy efficiency campaign on the Government estate where Departments are working towards achieving 15 per cent. savings in their energy bills over the next five years, my Energy Efficiency Office employed an energy efficiency management services company to assist Departments in the preparation of their energy strategies. The majority of Departments continue to seek advice from Property Holdings and the Property Services Agency on energy efficiency initiatives, but a number have also commissioned advice from private sector companies.
I understand that a number of Government Departments are presently considering whether third-party financing is a suitable option for their estates. I also understand that certain authorities and local authorities have entered into contracts for third-party financing.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what specific measures his Department has taken to promote energy efficiency ; what further measures his Department intends to take to promote energy efficiency ; and by what amount and what percentage of its total energy bill his Department's energy bill has been reduced over the past year.
Mr. Wakeham [pursuant to the reply, 24 January 1991, c. 276-77] : The table and explanatory footnotes show how effectively the main Government Departments used energy in their HQ type offices for the period April to September 1990.
The league table and performance ratios are an important part of the Government estate campaign where all Departments are working towards achieving savings of 15 per cent. of their energy bill over the next five years.
Department |Performance|Position
|Ratio
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Welsh Office |0.750 |1
Lord Chancellor's Department |0.790 |2
Scottish Office |0.830 |3
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |0.860 |4
Energy |0.920 |5
Education and Science |0.920 |5
Employment |0.950 |7
Home Office |1.010 |8
Ministry of Defence |1.050 |9
Environment |1.070 |10
National Savings |1.090 |11
Inland Revenue |1.120 |12
Customs and Excise |1.130 |13
Health |1.150 |14
Northern Ireland Office |1.189 |15
Transport |1.192 |16
Trade and Industry |1.210 |17
Foreign Office |1.290 |18
Treasury |1.440 |19
Social Security |1.450 |20
Notes :
1. The league table of performance is based on Departments' main(HQ) office buildings. In some cases this represents only a small percentage of a Department's energy consumption. Some Departments have calculated their performance indicators using partly estimated data.
2. The performance indicators and yardsticks for these offices are expressed in cost terms using average 1990 prices, ie 6p/KWh for electricity and 1.25p/KWh for all fossil fuels.
3. Yardsticks for these offices are as follows :
|April-September|Annual
|£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturally ventilated offices |2.50/m<2> |7.70/m<2>
Air conditioned office |7.00/m<2> |15.50/m<2>
Computer suites |70.00/m<2> |140.00/m<2>
4. A building's energy consumption is adjusted where applicable for regional variations in climate and annual weather differences, divided by floor area and then divided by the appropriate yardstick to obtain its cost performance indicator. A department's overall Performance Ratio is obtained by adding together all its buildings' performance indicators (which are weighted according to respective consumption).
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what policy considerations will determine whether to proceed with the flotation of the two generating companies in the event of a Gulf war precipitating a stock market fall.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : All relevant factors will be taken into consideration at the appropriate time.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Baltic States
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received regarding actions by the Soviet military in the Baltic states ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have received more than 50 letters from Members of Parliament on this subject, and a large number of letters and petitions from members of the public and from Baltic emigre groups in the United Kingdom. We have also met the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Latvia, who have set out their views on the present situation. We continue to urge all concerned to follow the path of negotiation. In particular, we call on the Soviet authorities to refrain from the use of force or coercion.
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Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken concerning the problems between the Baltic states and the USSR ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have made our concern at recent events in the Baltic states very clear. We are pressing the Soviet leadership, both bilaterally and with partners and allies, to refrain from the further use of threats or force. We are urging all involved to undertake serious negotiations. This is the only way to find a lasting solution to this dispute.
Cambodia
Mr. Bellotti : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of (a) the trade and aid embargo against Cambodia enacted under United Nations resolution 34/22 (1979), (b) the initiative by the Thai Government in respect of the provision of neutral camps in border areas and (c) the supply of arms through countries bordering Cambodia ; and what steps he is taking to promote a ceasefire.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : United Nations General Assembly resolution 34/22 does not refer to a trade and aid embargo against Cambodia. Nor do we operate one. If and when neutral camps in border areas under UN administration are created as part of a comprehensive political settlement, we would be ready to play our part in their establishment. A ceasefire and the cessation of all outside military assistance are integral parts of the draft comprehensive settlement document agreed between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the co-chairmen of the Paris conference on Cambodia in November 1990.
Human Rights
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from Her Majesty's ambassador in China about the treatment of pro-democracy demonstrators detained in prison.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Her Majesty's embassy in Peking reports regularly on all aspects of China's domestic politics including the detention and the recent trials of those involved in the 1989 demonstrations. We and our European partners have expressed our concern to the Chinese Government over the fate of the detainees on a number of occasions.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from Her Majesty's ambassador in the Soviet Union about human rights abuses involving people of Latvian and Lithuanian origin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We receive regular reports from Her Majesty's embassy in Moscow about all aspects of the Baltic states, including matters affecting the civil and political rights of the Baltic peoples. On behalf of the Twelve, the Luxembourg presidency has invoked the CDH--conference sur la dimension humaine--mechanism, which enables CSCE countries to raise cases of human rights abuses with other member states.
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Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from Her Majesty's ambassador in Chile about human rights abuses in that country.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We have had no reports of human rights abuses since the inauguration of the democratically-elected Government of President Aylwin, which is committed to upholding human rights. It has established a commission to investigate past abuses, released most political prisoners, and changed the law to permit the release of others.
Boat People
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the numbers of boat people in Hong Kong ; and how many there were 12 months ago.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : On 24 January 1991 there were 51,871 Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong. On 30 January 1990 there were 55,533.
Hong Kong
95. Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that any new airport for Hong Kong will be served by a rail link.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This is a matter for the Hong Kong Government.
Scholarships (Eastern Europe)
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will spend on scholarships for students from eastern Europe during 1991-92.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : For 1991-92, we expect to allocate £1.2 million under the FCO scholarships and awards scheme for the provision of some 300 scholarships to enable students from eastern Europe--not including the Soviet Union--to study in the United Kingdom. As many as two thirds of these awards will be jointly funded with United Kingdom institutions, private trusts and private sector partners.
BBC World Service
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of the BBC World Service in terms of pounds per output hour, at constant prices, in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information requested is as follows :
Cost per output hour at 1990 prices Year |£ -------------------- 1980-81 |2,117 1981-82 |2,078 1982-83 |2,076 1983-84 |2,118 1984-85 |2,207 1985-86 |2,185 1986-87 |2,079 1987-88 |2,104 1988-89 |2,401 1989-90 |2,278
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the hours of output figure per member of staff of the BBC World Service in each year since 1983
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information requested is as follows :
Output hours per member of staff Year |Hours -------------------- 1983-84 |13.3 1984-85 |13.2 1985-86 |12.4 1986-87 |12.7 1987-88 |13.2 1988-89 |13.6 1989-90 |14.1
In 1986, 71 staff posts were transferred from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the BBC world service.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current shortfall in staffing levels in Foreign and Commonwealth offices overseas posts by grade ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There is no such shortfall : it is our policy to fill all posts overseas.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each of the last five years the number of secondments (a) into and (b) out of his Department ; and if he will give details of which Departments were involved.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Tables I to V contain details of inward and outward secondments between other Government Departments and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the last five years. Secondments between the Overseas Development Administration and diplomatic wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are shown separately, as are secondments to the Cabinet Office.
In addition to exchanges with other Whitehall Departments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has an interchange programme with the private sector. Details of these secondments over the last five years are contained in tables VI and VII.
Table I (Part a)Number of DS Officers on loan from the FCO to the
Home civil
service at 31 December 1990
Receiving department |Number
------------------------------------------------------------------
Treasury |1
MAFF |1
ECGD |-
DTI |9
NIO |1
MOD |8
Office of Fair Trading |1
Law Officers Department |1
Cabinet Office |12
ODA |1
Home Office |1
Privy Council Office |1
Other |4
|-------
|41
Table 1 (Part b)
Number of Home civil service Officers on loan to the FCO
at 31
December 1990
Parent department |Number
---------------------------------------------------------
DTI |28
MAFF |11
MOD |23
Employment |5
Home Office |93
Treasury |7
DOE |-
Northern Ireland CS |2
NIO |4
Scottish Office |1
CAA |1
Energy |1
Customs and Excise |11
ODA |23
Transport |3
Cabinet Office |1
Department of Health |2
|-------
|216
Table II (Part a)
Number of DS Officers on loan to the Home civil service at 31
December 1989
Receiving department |Number
------------------------------------------------------------------
Treasury |1
MAFF |1
ECGD |1
DTI |7
NIO |2
MOD |8
Office of Fair Trading |1
Law Officers Department |1
Cabinet Office |11
ODA |5
Other |1
|-------
|39
Table II (Part b)
Number of home civil service officers on loan to the FCO
at 31 December 1989
Parent department |Number
---------------------------------------------------------
DTI |26
MAFF |10
MOD |22
Employment |6
Home Office |70
Treasury |8
DOE |1
Northern Ireland CS |2
NIO |4
Scottish Office |1
CAA |1
Energy |1
Customs and Excise |9
ODA |26
Transport |3
Cabinet Office |1
Department of Health |2
|-------
Total |193
Table III (Part a)
Number of DS officers on loan to the home civil service at 31 December 1988
Receiving department Number
ECGD 1
DTI 10
NIO 2
MOD 4
MPO 3
Office of Fair Trading 1
Law Officers Department 1
Cabinet Office 10
ODA 4
Home Office 1
Treasury 1
Total 38
Table III (Part b)
Number of home civil service officers on loan to the DS at
31 December 1988
Parent department |Number
-------------------------------------------------------------
DTI |23
MAFF |11
MOD |22
Employment |8
Home Office |73
Treasury |6
DOE |1
Northern Ireland Civil
Service |3
NIO |4
Scottish Office |1
Civil Aviation Authority |2
Energy |2
Customs and Excise |10
ODA |23
Department of Transport |3
Cabinet Office |1
|---
|193
Table IV (Part a)
Number of DS officers on loan to the Home civil service at
31 December 1987
Receiving department |Number
------------------------------------------------------------------
ECGD |1
DTI |9
NIO |1
MOD |4
MPO |4
Office of Fair Trading |2
Law Officers Department |1
Cabinet Office |11
ODA |4
Home Office |1
|---
|38
Table IV Part (b)
Number of Home Civil Service Officers
on loan to the DS at 31 December 1987
Parent department |Number
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DTI |22
MAFF |11
MOD |21
Employment |8
Home Office |65
Treasury |6
DOE |1
Northern Ireland Civil Service |4
NIO |3
Scottish Office |1
Civil Aviation Authority |2
Energy |3
Customs and Excise |10
ODA |22
Department of Transport |4
|-------
|183
Table V Part (a) Number of DS Officers on loan to the Home Civil Service at 31 December 1986 Receiving department Number DTI 12
NIO 2
MOD 3
Energy 1
MPO 4
Office of Fair Trading 2
Law Officers Department 1
Home Office 2
Cabinet Office 13
ODA 5
Treasury 2
47
Table V (Part a)
Number of DS officers on loan to the
Home Civil Service at 31 December 1986
Receiving department |Number
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DTI |12
NIO |2
MOD |3
Energy |1
MPO |4
Office of Fair Trading |2
Law Officers Deaprtment |1
Home Office |2
Cabinet Office |13
ODA |5
Treasury |2
|-------
|47
Parent department |Number
DTI |23
MAFF |13
MOD |24
Employment |6
Home Office |31
Treasury |5
DOE |1
Northern Ireland Civil
Service |5
NIO |2
Scottish Office |1
Civil Aviation Authoroty |2
Energy |3
Customs and Excise |7
ODA |18
Department of Transport |5
|-------
|146
Table VI Diplomatic Service :Interchange with the private sector : Secondments into the Diplomatic Service
Organisation
Starting during 1990
Barclays
British Gas
Bank of England
British Telecom
BNF
Starting during 1989
Nil
Starting during 1988
Jaguar
BP
Peat Marwick
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