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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 2 July 1991
TRANSPORT
Piracy
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by year for the last 10 years, and by location, the number of incidents of piracy at sea involving United Kingdom merchant seafarers.
Mr. McLoughlin : Shipowners, flag states and coastal states are encouraged to report incidents of piracy to the International Maritime Organisation. When we are advised of incidents involving British ships we report them to the International Maritime Organisation. However, it is not mandatory to report incidents of piracy so records may be incomplete. Nor is it possible to identify from the reports that are made if British seafarers serving on foreign flag vessels were victims of piracy. The reports made to the International Maritime Organisation indicate that since 1984 there were 11 incidents of piracy involving British ships :
Year |Number |Location
--------------------------------------------------------
1984 |2 |Singapore (2)
1985 |1 |Singapore
1987 |6 |Singapore (4)
|Indonesia
|India
1988 |1 |Brazil
1989 |1 |Sri Lanka
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list by year for the last 10 years, and by location, the number of United Kingdom merchant seafarers who have been (a) killed, (b) injured and (c) reported missing after attacks of piracy on the high seas.
Mr. McLoughlin : No British seafarer serving on a British ship has been reported killed or missing as the result of an act of piracy in recent years. Information regarding injuries or about British seafarers serving on foreign flag vessels is not available.
International Maritime Bureau
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last had discussions with officials of the International Maritime Bureau ; what was discussed ; when he next expects to have discussions with officials from the International Maritime Bureau ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : I have not met the International Maritime Bureau and have no plans to do so.
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British Rail (Inflammable Goods)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss measures to ensure that the inquiry into the derailment of a freight train carrying inflammable goods at Bradford on Tone on 16 May proceeds with expedition and the steps which will be taken to ensure that hon. Members are notified of any preliminary conclusion from this inquiry as soon as possible.
Mr. McLoughlin : British Rail is carrying out an internal inquiry into this derailment. It will send a full report to the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate, which is also holding a technical investigation into the accident. BR reports, and those of investigations under section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, are not normally published, but I have asked the chief inspecting officer to let me know the conclusions of the investigations. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
Northolt Airport
Mr. Fry : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans for the use of Northolt airport by civil aircraft.
Mr. McLoughlin : RAF Northolt is used by both military and civil aircraft. There are no plans to alter this arrangement.
Passenger Safety
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends taking following the Clapham rail crash to ensure that the safety lessons learnt in one section of the transport world are passed on to other travel modes.
Mr. Freeman : We shall continue to ensure that accidents are thoroughly investigated and that any wider lessons are identified and applied across the modes.
Flight Delays, London-Gibraltar
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has on any delays caused by Madrid air controllers to flights between London and Gibraltar that can be attributed to non- operational reasons.
Mr. McLoughlin : I am not aware of any such delays.
Ferries (Safety)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research there is available to his Department into passenger safety on ferries ; and which of these receive funds from Government.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1991] : The Secretary of State sponsored a comprehensive research programme in 1988 aimed at enhancing the survivability standards of roll on/roll off passenger ferries. The initial phase of that programme was completed last year. Copies of the reports were sent to interested parties and a report giving an overview of the whole programme was placed in the House of Commons Library.
Government-funded research has also been undertaken in recent years to study the effect of damage to roll on/roll
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off passenger ferries in shallow waters, to investigate the evacuation of passengers from roll on/roll off passenger ships and to produce a risk analysis.Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give (a) the total number of ferries using British ports, (b) those over 10 years old and (c) those over 25 years old for each of the past 10 years.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1991] : Figures for 1990-91 for roll on/roll off passenger ferries using United Kingdom ports are set out below. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
|1990 |1991
------------------------------------
Over 10 years old |<1>85|<1>89
Over 25 years old |8 |9
Total |113 |110
<1> Figure includes vessels over 25
years old.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported shipping accidents there were (a) in British waters and (b) involving British ships ; and if he will give the number and percentage of those involving ferries for each of the past 10 years.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1991] : The information requested is as follows :
(a) The statistics maintained do not distinguish between shipping accidents in United Kingdom and non-United Kingdom territorial waters.
(b) The number of reported accidents worldwide involving United Kingdom registered merchant vessels over 100 gross tonnes for the period 1981 to 1990 is :
Year |Number of
|United Kingdom
|vessel accidents
---------------------------------------------------
1981 |430
1982 |413
1983 |284
1984 |269
1985 |237
1986 |188
1987 |152
1988 |190
1989 |210
1990 |183
The number of reported accidents involving United Kingdom registered passenger and/or cargo ro-ro ferries worldwide for 1989 and 1990 (the only years for which figures are readily obtainable) is :
|1989 |1990
----------------------------------------------------------------
Number of ro-ro ferry accidents |42 |44
Number of United Kingdom vessel accidents |210 |183
Percentage of United Kingdom vessel accidents |20.00|24.04
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the Government risk analysis figures for United Kingdom ferry travel for (a) collisions involving a ferry, (b) a collision induced capsize, (c) flooding and (d) ferry fires for each of the past 10 years.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1991] : The information is not available in the form requested. However, the number of accidents on United Kingdom
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passenger ferries recorded in a recent risk analysis study for the period 1 January 1978 to 30 April 1988 was as follows :(a) four collisions; 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1987 (b) one collision leading to capsize; 1982 (c) one flooding; 1987, and (d) seven serious fires; 1979,1981,1982,1983 (two) and 1988 (two).
(d seven serious fires ; 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983 (two) and 1988 (two).
Advertising Campaigns
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the topics of each television advertising campaign to be carried out by his Department and any other publicity campaign costing more than £100,000.
Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 1 July 1991] : The following topics are expected to be the subject of television campaigns in the current financial year :
Child road safety Drinking and driving
The following other topics are expected to be the subject of campaigns costing over £100,000 in the current financial year :
Transport and the environment Coastguard advice for users of coastal waters Road Traffic Act "Safety on the Move" exhibition programme.
ENERGY
British Coal
Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the British Coal complaint to the European Commission on the dumping of coal in the Community.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : It is for the European Commission to consider British Coal's complaint and take action if necessary. The Commission has not, at this stage, reached a decision on whether to launch a formal investigation.
Coopers and Lybrand
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library details of the advice he received from Coopers and Lybrand between July 1989 and April 1990 on salaries appropriate for the privatised electricity industry.
Mr. Wakeham : No. Advice given to the Secretary of State is confidential.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Race Relations (Legal Aid)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Attorney-General if he will extend legal aid to discrimination cases involving race relations ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Legal advice and assistance from a solicitor is available under the green form scheme,
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subject to the normal financial conditions, where there is no reasonable expectation of an applicant obtaining help from an alternative source such as a trade union or the Commission for Racial Equality.In addition, where civil remedies are sought under the Race Relations Act 1976, legal aid is available for legal representation in county court proceedings, under the normal conditions.
Maguire Judgment
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Attorney-General if he will arrange for a copy of the Maguire judgment to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The Attorney-General : The approved transcript of the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Maguire case is not yet available. I will cause copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament as soon as it is received.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Capital Flows
Mr. Forman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the latest available information on inward and outward capital flows between the United Kingdom and other EC member states and the United Kingdom and north America for each year from 1979 to the latest available date.
Mr. Maples : Information by country on direct investment abroad by United Kingdom companies and by overseas companies in the United Kingdom is given in tables 5 and 9 of CSO Bulletin 33/91 "Overseas Direct Investment 1989". Figures for earlier years are given in the "Business Monitor MA4 (Overseas Transactions)". Copies of these publications are in the Library.
Some additional information on capital transactions with countries and institutions of the European Community is given in the published annual Pink Books on the United Kingdom balance of payments and is available from the CSO databank, both of which are available in the Library.
Advertising Agencies
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which advertising agencies were on the Central Office of Information approved list in 1986 ; which have been added in each year since 1986 ; and if he will make a statement on how the system works.
Mr. Maples : The Central Office of Information does not keep a list of approved advertising agencies. Advertising agencies are appointed to work for Government following competitions between agencies nominated by the Advisory Committee on Advertising. The advisory committee is an independent group of media and marketing professionals appointed to advise on the nomination of suitable advertising agencies for Government work.
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Woolwich Tax Model
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which day or days, in any hearing, counsel for the Inland Revenue challenged the Woolwich tax model of the effects of regulations 3 and 11 (1985).
Mr. Maples : The Inland Revenue's response, challenging the conclusions of the Woolwich building society based on its hypothetical tax model, was set out in affidavits which were in evidence in all the courts up to the House of Lords.
THE ARTS
Provincial Amateur Orchestras
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will list the provincial amateur orchestras encouraged by his Department.
Mr. Renton : Last year no fewer than 132 amateur orchestras, as listed, received support from the English regional arts associations and the Scottish and Welsh Arts Councils.
Support for amateur orchestras by the regional arts associations and the Scottish and Welsh Arts Councils is usually through the payment of the fees of professionals working with the orchestras. Some organisations pay support directly to the orchestras ; others channel the support through independently constituted bodies like the Welsh Amateur Music Federation.
I have listed the orchestras supported in this way by the original funding agency.
Scottish Arts Council
Dundee Orchestral Society
Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra
Glasgow Chamber Orchestra
Glasgow Orchestral Society
Helensburgh Orchestral Society
Kirkaldy Orchestral Society
Meadows Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh
Perth Orchestral Society
St. James Orchestra, Paisley
Welsh Arts Council
Abergavenny Orchestra
City of Cardiff Symphony Orchestra
Philomusica of Aberystwyth
St. Mary's Orchestra, Monmouth
University College (Cardiff) Choir and Orchestra
University College of North Wales (Bangor) Orchestra
Eastern Arts
Bedfordshire Orchestral Society
Bushey Symphony Orchestra
Cambridge Philharmonic
Cambridge University Music Society
Essex Symphony Orchestra
Hatfield Philharmonic Orchestra
Haverhill Sinfonia
Hertford Symphony Orchestra
Hitchin Concert Orchestra
Huntingdonshire Philharmonic
Ipswich Orchestra Society
Luton Symphony Orchestra
Norwich Philharmonic
Peterborough Philharmonic
Southend Symphony Orchestra
Watford Philharmonic Society
Welwyn Garden City Music Society
Wolsey Chamber Orchestra, Ipswich
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East Midlands ArtsChesterfield Symphony Orchestra
Northampton Symphony Orchestra
Nottingham Symphony Orchestra
Rutland Sinfonia
Greater London Arts
Chelsea Opera Group
Collegium Musicum of London
Croydon Philharmonic Society
Ealing Symphony Orchestra
Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra
Forest Philharmonic Society
Kensington Symphony Orchestra
Royal Orchestral Society for Amateur Music
Salomon Orchestra
Tallis Chamber Orchestra Society
Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra
Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra
Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts
Hull Philharmonic Orchestra
Lincoln Symphony Orchestra
Stamford Chamber Orchestra
Merseyside Arts
Liverpool Mozart Orchestra
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Concerts Society
Northern Arts
Darlington Orchestra
Durham Sinfonia
New Tyneside Orchestral Society
West Lakeland Orchestra Society
Westmorland Orchestra
North West Arts
Blackburn Sinfonia
Haffner Orchestra, Lancaster
Oldham Symphony Orchestra
Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra
Southern Arts
Abingdon and District Music Society
Aylesbury Orchestral Society
Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra
City of Southampton Orchestra
Havant and District Orchestral Society
Henley Symphony Orchestra
Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra
Milton Keynes Sinfonia
Newbury Symphony Orchestra
Oxford Symphony Orchestra
Petersfield Orchestra
RAE Symphony Orchestra, Farnborough
Reading Symphony Orchestra
Winchester Music Club
Windsor and Maidenhead Symphony Orchestra
Woodstock Music Society
Wycombe Sinfonia
South East Arts
Canterbury Orchestra
Claud Powell Concerts Society, Guildford
Dartford Symphony Orchestra
Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra
Epsom Symphony Orchestra
Folkestone and Hythe Orchestral Society
Jupiter Chamber Orchestra, Haywards Heath
Maidstone Orchestral Society
Mid Sussex Sinfonia
Oare String Orchestra
Redhill Society of Instrumentalists
Rochester Arts Orchestra
Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra
Surrey Philarmonic Society
Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra
University of Kent Orchestra
Woking Mozart Players
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