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Column 453
Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 23 July 1991
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Irvine : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for reshaping his Ministry's organisation to make it more effective in meeting the requirement of its customers.
Mr. Gummer : The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food provides a range of services for our customers. Our regional administrative staff handle grant and subsidy work, licensing and other services for farmers ; animal health offices provide veterinary services ; and ADAS makes available advice and expertise to farmers and growers.
I have been considering how best to improve the delivery of our services, particularly in the light of the decision to establish ADAS as an executive agency from1 April 1992. As a result, we are establishing three service centre networks, each one dedicated to delivering the best possible quality of service.
1. MAFF service centres
There will be nine regional service centres, which will handle the Ministry's grant and subsidy work, licensing and various other services which are provided to farmers and growers. These centres will be located as follows :
Service centre location |Areas Covered
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bristol |Avon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire
Cambridge |Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex,
| Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk
Carlisle |Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland,
| Tyne and Wear
Crewe |Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater
| Manchester, Shropshire,
| Staffordshire
Nottingham |Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire,
| Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire
Northallerton |Cleveland, Durham, Humberside,
| Yorkshire (North, South and West)
Reading |Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East
| Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight,
| Kent, Greater London, Oxfordshire,
| Surrey, West Sussex
Worcester |Hereford and Worcester,
| Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, West
| Midlands
The 9th regional service centre will cover Cornwall and Devon. I have asked for further study of where this centre should be located. Meanwhile, the administrative staff will continue to be in Exeter and Truro, as at present.
It is proposed to put in place this new structure of regional service centres as from April of next year. The
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reorganisation of the offices will take rather longer than this, but will be put in effect as quickly as possible. Initially, all the centres will occupy existing offices, although in the case of Cambridge the possibility of a move to a location outside the city is being considered.In order to make sure that the needs of the regions covered by each of these new centres are properly reflected, I am intending to appoint nine regional panels of outside advisers, drawn from procedures, retailers and consumers. They will continue the work done by the five larger panels we have at present, and the wider consumer representation will complement the work of the consumer panel which I set up in 1989, and my meetings with consumer groups.
2. Animal Health
I have concluded that the continuation of efficient and effective services by the state veterinary service will be best achieved by retaining the present structure of 29 animal health offices and five regional centres. They will continue in their present locations. 3. Agricultural Development and Advisory Service
The Agricultural Development and Advisory Service plans to restructure the management of its main consultancy operations into 13 new business centres in England located at Bury St. Edmunds, Guildford, Huntingdon, Leeds, Lincoln, Maidstone, Newcastle, Oxford, Preston, Starcross (Devon), Taunton, Wolverhampton and Worcester. Proposals for office locations in Wales are being considered by ADAS and the Welsh Office. ADAS plans to retain its existing analytical and microbiology laboratories together with the network of experimental farms. ADAS also envisages that some consultancy staff will continue to be located in satellite offices. The precise number and location of these satellite offices is still under consideration, but most of the existing ADAS-locations will still be operating when ADAS becomes an executive agency in April 1992. Initially, at least, the new business centres will be located in existing Ministry offices, but in all cases ADAS will be reviewing its office accommodation. Any changes will be publicised by ADAS.
I am confident that this new tripartite organisation will enable the regional service centres, the animal health offices and ADAS to provide the high level of cost effective and efficient service which the Ministry's customers have a right to expect from us.
Veterinary Investigation Centres
Mr. Harris : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he is making to maintain veterinary investigation service facilities for private veterinary surgeons and farmers in Cornwall.
Mr. Gummer : One of the considerations which led to the decision to close the Truro centre was the low level of local demand by private veterinary surgeons for chargeable services. I have now concluded, however, that a VI service unit should be retained at Truro in order to continue to provide statutory and chargeable post-mortem facilities and statutory and chargeable advisory visits. It will be staffed by a veterinary investigation officer and supporting staff. The position will be reviewed in two years' time in the light of the demand, in the meantime, for the services.
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Farm Woodland Scheme
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the future of the farm woodland scheme.
Mr. Gummer : The farm woodland scheme was introduced in October 1988 for a three-year trial period. That period will shortly expire and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and I are undertaking a comprehensive review of the scheme. As a contribution to the review we commissioned three farm surveys from Robertson Gould Consultants on the silvicultural and the environmental aspects of the scheme in Great Britain, and from Wye college and the Scottish agricultural college, Aberdeen on the socio-economic aspects in England and Scotland respectively. These have now been published by the three organisations and copies are available from them. In addition we have received a number of submissions from organisations with a particular interest in the scheme. To give us time to analyse this information and to complete the review we have decided to continue to accept applications under the existing rules of the farm woodland scheme until31 March 1992. An announcement about the outcome of the review will be made in the autumn.
Finally, section 2(3) of the Farm Land and Rural Development Act 1988 requires that Ministers review the grants under the farm woodland scheme in Great Britain by 30 September 1991 and lay a report before Parliament. The Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and I have reviewed the annual payments provided under the scheme and have decided that they should remain unchanged. A report giving the background to our decision has been placed in the Library of the House.
Agricultural Prices
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will describe the net effects on supply estimates of the European Community decision on agricultural prices for 1991-92.
Mr. Gummer : The net voted provision for class III vote 1 intervention board--executive agency (CAP market support) is £72.270 million. Gross provision is £1,895 million. It is estimated that changes to market conditions which had arisen after the supply estimate was published would have increased the net provision required to some £110 million and that the price settlement has reduced this requirement to nearly £81 million. Supplementary estimates will be presented as necessary to reflect changes in vote provision required, reflecting also any further changes in market conditions.
The effect of the price settlement arises mainly from reduced attractiveness of intervention for beef and dairy products, lowered rates of aid for oilseeds crushing and on protein plants and increased receipts because of the higher cereals co-responsibility levy. The devaluation of the green pound has increased sterling costs of CAP market support but has removed the MCAS on trade both within the community and with non-member states at current market exchange rates.
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Fish Products
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table showing the volume and value of imports and exports of fish-fingers in 1970, 1979, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and the current year to date.
Mr. Maclean : The value and volume of trade in deep-frozen raw fish fillets, coated with batter or breadcrumbs, are set out as follows. Comparable information is not available for 1970.
Volume Value
(thousand tonnes(£ million)
Period |Imports|Exports|Imports|Exports
------------------------------------------------
1979 |1.7 |4.4 |2.8 |7.0
1987 |2.4 |3.2 |6.4 |7.6
1988 |3.5 |4.8 |10.4 |10.8
1989 |3.9 |5.0 |11.0 |9.9
1990 |3.7 |5.0 |11.9 |11.7
<1>1991 |1.8 |2.3 |5.9 |4.9
<1>January to May 1991.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish a table showing the volume and value of imports and exports of fish products other than fish fingers in 1970, 1979, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and the current year to date.
Mr. Maclean : The value and volume of trade in fish products other than deep-frozen raw fish fillets, covered with batter or breadcrumbs, are set out in the table. Comparable information is not available for 1970.
0
Period Volume (thousandValue (£ million)
|Imports|Exports|Imports|Exports
------------------------------------------------
1979 |208.1 |171.5 |262.1 |102.6
1987 |299.2 |118.5 |647.4 |251.6
1988 |316.8 |119.1 |656.4 |231.7
1989 |361.8 |131.3 |741.2 |256.3
1990 |378.8 |138.0 |807.1 |292.6
<1>1991 |155.7 |172.3 |325.9 |124.3
<1> January to May
Chemical Spraying
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state, for each European Community member country, what requirements, if any, exist at the point of sale for the display of information on the chemical spraying of fruit and vegetables.
Mr. Maclean : Labelling of four preservatives when used on citrus and one when used on bananas is required by some member states. An indication of other post-harvest treatments is required in France and is required in Greece for produce imported from outside the Community. No other requirements are known. However, the Council has asked the Commission to conduct a "close study" of "all aspects and practical consequences" of both pre and post-harvest pesticide labelling.
Marine Mammals
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the work on marine mammals which is carried out at the Truro veterinary investigation centre ; and how many and what type have been seen at that veterinary investigation centre in each of the last five years.
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Mr. Gummer : Post mortem examinations of marine mammals are carried out on behalf of research workers at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London as part of a project funded by the Department of the Environment. The number and type of submissions examined at the Truro veterinary investigation centre in each of the last five years are :
Post mortem examinations Examination of carcass
of carcasses viscera only (carcasses not
examined)
|Whale |Dolphin/|Seal |Whale |Dolphin/|Seal
|Porpoise |porpoise
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |0 |1 |1 |0 |0 |1
1987 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
1988 |0 |0 |2 |0 |3 |0
1989 |1 |2 |5 |1 |2 |1
1990 |1 |10 |6 |0 |0 |1
1991 |0 |5 |5 |0 |0 |0
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Interest Charges
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the amount paid on interest charges by farmers for current farming purposes and buildings and works for (a) bank advances, (b) Agricultural Mortgage Corporation loans, (c) instalment credit, (d) leased assets, (e) other credit and (f) interest on deposits for 1990 ; what forecasts he has for 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The latest estimates of the level of interest payments in 1990 were published in table 6.8 of Agriculture in the United Kingdom : 1990. Forecasts for the 1991 year will be contained in the next edition to be published early in 1992. I am sure that farmers generally will welcome the recent reductions in interest rates, which have been made possible by the success of the Government's anti-inflation policy.
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Table 6.7 Costs and earnings of hired labour
£ million (unless otherwise specified) Calendar years
|Average of|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
|1979-81 |(forecast)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hired labour costs
Wages and salaries<1> |906 |1,271 |1,271 |1,330 |1,375 |1,479
Insurance payments |112 |104 |99 |106 |117 |129
Other payments<2> |2 |7 |7 |7 |8 |7
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,021 |1,383 |1,378 |1,443 |1,500 |1,616
------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Hours and earnings of regular whole-time male workers, 20 years and over
Hours per week<3> |46.1 |46.7 |46.5 |46.6 |46.6 |46.8
Earnings per week (£ )<4> |84.7 |140.8 |148.0 |155.4 |167.4 |187.4
Index of earnings in real terms (deflated by the RPI, 1985=100) |91.1 |101.5 |102.4 |102.6 |102.6 |104.7
<1>Includes perquisites.
<2>Includes redundancy payments, workers' pension scheme and youth training scheme.
<3>All hours worked and statutory holidays.
<4>Includes pay for statutory holidays, employers' contribution to employees' community charge and payments in kind for houses, board and
lodging and milk which are valued at rates laid down by the agricultural wages boards.
Table 6.8 Interest
£ million (unless otherwise specified) Calender years
|Average of|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
|1979-81 |(forecast)
Interest rates
Average bank base lending rate in the United Kingdom (percentage) |14.4 |10.9 |9.7 |10.1 |13.9 |14.8
Average rate of interest on bank advances to agriculture (percentage) |16.8 |13.1 |12.1 |12.5 |16.2 |17.1
------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Interest charges (for current farming purposes and buildings and works) on:
bank advances |423 |656 |595 |636 |881 |991
AMC loans |5 |6 |7 |7 |9 |11
instalment credit |20 |30 |29 |34 |48 |59
leased assets |14 |58 |42 |50 |65 |68
other credit<1> |3 |3 |4 |4 |5 |6
less interest on deposits<2> |47 |54 |40 |34 |52 |54
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |417 |700 |637 |696 |955 |1,080
<1>This includes interest paid on loans from the Agricultural Credit Corporation, from the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland
and from private sources.
<2>Interest earned on money held on short term deposit.
Table 6.8 Interest
£ million (unless otherwise specified) Calendar years
Average of
1979-81 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
(forecast)
Interest rates
Average bank base lending rate in the United Kingdom (percentage) 14.4 10.9 9.7 10.1 13.9 14.8
Average rate of interest on bank advances to agriculture (percentage) 16.8 13.3 12.1 12.5 16.2 17.1
Interest charges (for current farming purposes and buildings and works) on :
bank advances 423 656 595 636 881 991
AMC loans 5 6 7 7 9 11
instalment credit 20 30 29 34 48 59
leased assets 14 58 42 50 65 68
other credit 3 3 4 4 5 6
less interest on deposits 47 54 40 34 52 54
Total 417 700 637 696 955 1,080
This includes interest paid on loans from the Agricultural Credit Corporation, from the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and from private sources.
Interest earned on money held on short term deposit.
Drift Nets
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans exist for a team of his scientists to join Cornish fishermen to observe large-scale drift-netting in operation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : A MAFF observer is currently accompanying the present fishing trip. Further plans will be made in the light of findings on this trip. The nets being
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used are about one-eighth of the large-scale 50 kilometre nets in the Pacific which prompted United Nations resolution against drift nets.State Veterinary Service
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out the costs of running the state veterinary service, excluding compensation paid
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as a result of animals contracting various diseases, for each year since 1979 ; what are his estimates of expenditure for each year until 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Gummer : The information requested for each year since 1979 is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The baseline figures for expenditure for each year until 1993-94, is as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------------
1991-92 |27.8
1992-93 |30.0
1993-94 |32.9
Alcohol Labelling
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made by the European Community to require compulsory nutrient-labelling of wines and other alcoholic beverages, with full disclosures of all chemical additives, colourings and preservatives, as well as of any pesticide used on the fruit.
Mr. Maclean : General compulsory nutrition labelling is not an option at the moment as there is no support from other member states. We therefore believed it right to put our full weight behind the Nutrition Labelling Rules Directive (90/496/EEC) which, with the exception of drinks subject to the labelling requirements of the wine regime, is fully applicable to alcoholic drinks. The Directive provides for the voluntary declaration of nutrients within mandatory formats. Declarations will be compulsory only if a nutrition claim is made. United Kingdom has achieved provision for a review of arrangements five years after implementation and will look at the need for general compulsory labelling in the light of experience gained.
Proposals to amend the EC Food Labelling Directive (79/112/EEC) to require ingredient listing for alcoholic beverages have not yet been received from the European Commission. These are expected late summer 1991.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Land Registry
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Attorney-General what is the average period of time that it takes for the Land Registry to register fully a change in title.
The Attorney-General : The average period of time that it currently takes the Land Registry to register a change in title is six weeks. A much faster service is provided where the application is urgent.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has for improving the speed and efficiency of the Land Registry.
The Attorney-General : Following its establishment as an executive agency the Land Registry published performance targets agreed with the Lord Chancellor and covering the three years 1991-1994. Those targets included the following improvements in productivity and speed of services :
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|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Productivity
Progressive reduction in
unit costs Target: to achieve or better
a 6 per cent. improvement over
Progressive increase in the three-year period.
output per post per year
Quality of Service
Speed
Percentage of pre-completion
applications handled in four
days |91 |91.5 |92
Average handling time for post-
completion applications
(weeks) |7 |6 |5
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 24 June, Official Report, column 352, if he will arrange for a copy of the research on the potential costs and savings to the Crown prosecution service, according to the range of options open to the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and training, to be placed in the Library.
Assistant Recorders
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) women and (b) men were authorised to sit as assistant recorders in the last five years at (i) 12 years or under call, (ii) 13 years call, (iii) 14 years call, (iv) 15 years call, (v) 16 years call, (vi) 17 years call, (vii) 18 years call, (viii) 19 years call and (ix) 20 or more years call, respectively.
The Attorney-General : The information is not available in precisely the form requested. For those who are currently serving as assistant recorders (who include the majority of those authorised to sit in the last five years) the numbers for each length of call, or, in the case of solicitors, length of admission, are as follows :
|Women|Men
-----------------------------------
12 years or less |1 |2
13 years |1 |5
14 years |1 |16
15 years |- |28
16 years |3 |42
17 years |5 |47
18 years |4 |50
19 years |3 |46
20 or more years |9 |157
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Attorney-General what is the average length of call and average age on appointment of (a) women and (b) men currently serving as assistant recorders.
The Attorney-General : The information is as follows :
|Average |Average
|length of call<1>|age
|(years) |(years)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Women |19.0 |43.2
Men |19.2 |43.4
<1> Or, for a solicitor, length of admission.
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Ms. Richardson : To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of those called to sit as assistant recorders were women in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 respectively.
The Attorney-General : The information is not available in the form requested. However, invitations since 1986 to attend the Judicial Studies Board criminal induction courses, which must be completed before authorisation to sit as an assistant recorder, indicate that the proportions are as follows :
(
|Women |Men
|Per cent.|Per cent.
----------------------------------------
1986 |9 |91
1987 |5 |95
1988 |4 |96
1989 |7 |93
1990 |7 |93
1991<1> |15 |85
<1> To date.
Women Lawyers
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Attorney-General how many women solicitors and barristers are statutorily qualified for any circuit appointment.
The Attorney-General : This information is not held by Government in the form requested. Eligibility for appointment depends on the number of years for which a solicitor or barrister has held the appropriate qualification within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. The Law Society and the General Council of the Bar regulate the holding of such qualifications by solicitors and barristers respectively and lists of practitioners are published on a regular basis.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
UN Arms Sales Register
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on an international United Nations arms sales register.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Our initiative for a UN register has received wide support. The European Council on 28-29 June decided that the Twelve should put forward a joint resolution to the next UN General Assembly proposing a register. Leaders at the London economic summit affirmed their commitment to the early adoption of such a register. At their meeting in Paris on 8 and 9 July the five permanent members of the Security Council also endorsed this approach. We are pleased that the recent report of the UN expert study group on transparency has recommended the prompt establishment of a register.
Israel (Nuclear Weapons)
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he intends to take to secure the elimination of nuclear weapons in Israel.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : As a depositary state of the nuclear non- proliferation treaty (NPT) it is our policy to take every suitable opportunity both to raise the importance of
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nuclear non-proliferation with all non- parties to the non-proliferation treaty and to lobby them to accede as soon as possible. This would engage them in an undertaking not to manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons.Mr. Scott Joyce
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will call for a report from Her Majesty's Government's consul on Corfu into the circumstances of the arrest of Mr. Scott Joyce of 28 Cannon Drive, Ash Green, Coventry, on 26 June and his sentencing to 12 months' imprisonment on 27 June, and as to whether legal representation was available to him.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received a report from our consul at Corfu about the arrest and conviction of Mr. Scott Joyce. The consul was notified on 27 June 1991 of Mr. Joyce's arrest the previous day. Mr. Joyce's trial was held the same day, after he had confirmed to the consul that he did not intend to request a postponement. He was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.
The consul, aware that Mr. Joyce did not have funds for a lawyer, asked whether he required assistance to contact anyone for funds. Mr. Joyce declined this offer, and was therefore unrepresented in court.
Criminal Matters
Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government intend to ratify the European convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters and the additional protocol to the European convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Government of the United Kingdom intend to ratify the European convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters and the additional protocol to the European convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters in August this year.
TRANSPORT
British Rail Property
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the income from the sale of British Rail property for each year since 1980 ; what is his estimate of the value of property at present owned by British Rail ; and into what broad categories the property can be classified.
Mr. McLoughlin : Income from the sale by the British Rail Property Board--BRPB--of British Rail property for each year since 1980 was as follows :
Year |Net sales
|after expenses
|(£ million)
---------------------------------------------
1980 |33
1981 |38
1982 |29
1983 |67
<1>1984-85 |145
1985-86 |73
1986-87 |101
1987-88 |176
1988-89 |265
1989-90 |<2>331
1990-91 |<2>122
<1> 15 months.
<2> Includes sales of property acquired in
connection with the channel
tunnel rail link project.
The book value of the assets owned by British Rail is shown in BR's accounts, published with the board's annual report ; the value of the board's interest in non-operational property on 31 March 1991 was £268.5 million. Operational property may also be sold once it becomes surplus to operational requirements.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the cost of the Jubilee line extension he currently expects to recover from Olympia and York, and other private sources ; what is the current estimated cost in current prices of the Jubilee line extension ; and whether private sector contributions to the line will be inflation- protected.
Mr. Freeman : The approved cost of the Jubilee line extension is £1,042 million in 1989 prices, equivalent to £1,188 million in today's prices, although the figure is currently under review. The agreed private sector contributions are spread over a longer period than the construction ; when costs and contributions are discounted to a common base year, some 17 per cent. of the approved cost is covered by contributions. These are not inflation-protected.
Dartford Bridge
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether disabled people will be permitted to drive invalid vehicles across the new Dartford bridge.
Mr. Chope : The Dartford Tunnel Byelaws 1988, as amended, permit the passage of any vehicle, including an invalid carriage, through the tunnels as long as it is capable of maintaining a minimum speed of 10 mph. I understand that the crossing operator, Dartford River Crossing Ltd, intends to propose the same conditions for the new bridge when it opens later this year.
Channel Tunnel
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he intends to announce a shortlist of the options proposed for the route of the channel tunnel rail link ; when he expects to make a decision ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The Government are still considering the large volume of material submitted by British Rail in the last 11 weeks. We have also had discussions with the proponents of the options that were studied. The issues were complex and require careful and thorough examination.
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Ferries
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is a condition of the operating licence for ferries docking in ports in the United Kingdom that the post emergency evacuation and exit signs are in English on all ships.
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