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TRANSPORT

Road Transport Industrial Training Board

Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is satisfied with the level and quality of training provided by the road transport industry ; and what role is envisaged for the road transport industrial training board.


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Mr. Chope : The road transport industry has a wide range of training available, much of it to a high standard and leading to recognised qualifications.

The road transport industry training board is expected to be succeeded by RTITB Services Ltd. next year. This company will assume responsibility for all the training functions of the present board except those transferred to the two standards councils.

Severn Bridge

Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the current repair and renewal work on the Severn bridge will be completed ; and when the bridge will be fully operational.

Mr. Chope : Resurfacing work is planned to be completed within the week and at that time the alignment of the two traffic lanes in each direction will be straightened. Other work including modification and erection of the central reserve safety barrier and improvements to the toll plaza will continue.

Wiltshire Roads

Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his current projection of future expenditure on road schemes in Wiltshire ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 October 1991] : It is currently projected that the Department's expenditure on trunk road schemes solely in Wiltshire, as detailed in the White Paper "Trunk Roads, England into the 1990s", is £39.8 million (estimated works costs, November 87 prices). Also three schemes in adjoining counties (total cost £60.7 million) include sections of trunk road in Wiltshire.

M3

Mr. John Browne : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's current legal position vis a vis the European Commission regarding the environmental implication of his proposals to complete the M3 at Winchester between Bar End and Compton.

Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 October 1991] : Earlier this year the European Commission asked the Government for their informal comments on a complaint which the Commission had received in respect of the proposed M3 at Winchester. The basis of the complaint was that the M3 decision announced in March 1990 should have been preceded by an environmental impact assessment in accordance with EC directive 85/337/EEC. The Government have replied to the Commission. The next step for the Commission to take, if it intends to pursue the complaint future, is to issue a formal letter under article 169 of the treaty of Rome and to consider the Government's comments on it. The Commission would then decide whether to issue a reasoned opinion.

No formal letter under article 169 has been received.

Departmental Property Sales

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to protect the tenancies of residents on the Archway road, London N6, in view of the proposed sale of Department-owned properties ; and if he will make a statement.


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Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 October 1991] : The Archway Road Tenants Association made an offer in May 1991 for the Department's surplus properties on the Archway road. This was unacceptable because the ARTA's offer was well below the district valuer's valuation with sitting tenants. Subsequently two housing associations expressed an interest in buying the properties on a tenanted basis. Exploratory talks between the housing associations and the district valuer are continuing.

London Priority Routes

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will ensure that the traffic director for London will consult organisations representing people with disabilities before placing priority route plans before him.

Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 October 1991] : The Road Traffic Act 1991 provides that when the traffic director prepares or varies a priority route local plan, he must consult such organisations representing the interests of people with a disability who may be affected by the plan as appear to him to be appropriate.

London Traffic Officers

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to appoint the traffic director for London and the traffic commissioners for London as envisaged in the Road Traffic Act 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope [holding answer 14 October 1991] : I hope to announce the appointment of the traffic director for London shortly. Traffic commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of State under separate legislation with a different role. They license operators of public service and heavy goods vehicles, register local bus services and license local bus services in London.

Blackwall Tunnel

Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will initiate feasibility studies concerning methods for routine maintenance and renewal of the south bound bore of the Blackwall tunnel that can be used (a) maintaining a single line of traffic and (b) requiring a complete closure to traffic during the night hours at weekends, in a manner unlikely to precipitate significant congestion in east London.

Mr. Freeman [holding answer 14 October 1991] : Following my visit to the Blackwall tunnel last month the Department, together with the London borough of Greenwich, have reviewed the programme of annual maintenance closures for the southbound tunnel. A revised programme has been drawn up, which will allow for a number of night time closures over a period rather than the present method of closing the tunnel for three weekends. We are hopeful that this programme can be implemented and details are now being finalised.


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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Soviet Union

Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian authorities about their failure to grant an exit visa to Iosef and Alla Rajinsky of Leningrad.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Alla Rajinsky was given permission to leave the Soviet Union earlier this year. We made representations to the Soviet authorities about Iosef Rajinsky in March. We understand that he has been notified orally that he has permission to leave, but that he still awaits formal confirmation of this.

Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian authorities about their failure to grant an exit visa to (1) Dmitri Yakubovsky of Kiev ; and (2) Leah Yusofova of Dzhez Kazgan.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Details of the exit visa applications of Dimitri Yakubovsky and Leah Yusofova were included in a list of cases handed over by the British embassy in Moscow to the Soviet authorities on 29 August. During the CSCE conference on the human dimension in Moscow (10 September to 4 October) the United Kingdom delegation strongly urged the Soviet authorities to implement freedom of travel for all Soviet citizens.

Fish Stocks

Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure that there is adequate protection of fish stocks around the dependent territories.

Mrs. Chalker : We have been examining the fishing regimes of our dependent territories. We are about to approach other Governments in the Caribbean with a view to delimiting zones of maritime jurisdiction by agreement for our dependent territories. On 1 October we introduced a 200- mile fisheries zone around the British Indian Ocean Territory.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Evaluation Work

Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the Overseas Development Administration's evaluation work.

Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Overseas Development Administration evaluation work.

Mrs. Chalker : As I told the House during oral questions on 14 October, I have written in the following terms to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) about the evaluation work of ODA : "On 19 September you issued a Press Release headed "Secret Report shows Government hid the truth about Aid from Parliament". This contained allegations that the report


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had been "doctored" by removing many critical evaluation statements. I owe it to the public, Parliament and, not least ODA officials who administer the ODA's evaluation programme and who cannot defend themselves, to set the record straight.

Though it will no doubt be obvious to anyone who read your Press Release, I should emphasise that what came into your possession was not a secret report but an early draft of a published report. I attach a note explaining ODA's ex post evaluation procedures which are considered by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD to be a model of their kind. I would like to stress that ODA's evaluation programme is administered by officials with the purpose of learning lessons from the past and thereby improving future aid funded activities. The evaluations are published so that, in addition to disseminating their lessons throughout the ODA, those same lessons can be shared with others outside ODA who have an interest in these matters.

As Minister I have no involvement in this process beyond ensuring that a vigorous evaluation programme is undertaken. ODA evaluation reports are published, unless there are particular reasons to the contrary concerning commercial or diplomatic sensitivities. A quick read of our published evaluation reports would reveal that there has been no hesitation in publishing reports which are critical of the work of the Department. It is quite absurd to suggest that ODA has sought to prevent proper scrutiny of the aid programme by Parliament or international bodies.

I also attach an analysis prepared by my officials on your Notes to Editors. You will see from this that your allegations of doctoring and misleading Parliament are wholly unfounded. That the final published report should differ from an early draft is hardly surprising, particularly as great care is taken to ensure that the final report is of a high quality and of as much value as possible in feeding back lessons learnt. Had you taken as much care in the preparation of your Press Release, what you eventually published might have been very different.

It was most unfortunate that you chose to repeat some of your allegations in the BBC's Today' programme on 20 September, including the charge of providing environmentally unfriendly aid to the Third World. You cited the Botswana Power Project co-financed by the World Bank and approved in 1981, alleging that a reference relating to emission levels had been omitted from the published version of the report. But you will see from paragraph 49 of the published report that this is not the case. More important, however, you chose to misinterpret what was said. The point is that the plant did meet European standards (as well as the World Bank's and Botswana's guidelines) at the time the plant was designed and approved in 1981, although by the time the evaluation was undertaken some six years later, environmental standards for new plant had been further strengthened.

In commenting on the project in West Bengal, India, you refer to a passage as going to the heart of the ATP controversy'. But that project was not financed under ATP arrangements ; it was funded under a power sector grant which, as was the practice in the 1970s and early 1980s, gave the Indian authorities considerable discretion over individual projects. This arrangement has now been discontinued. You should understand that the UK firm concerned won the order against international competition. There was nothing wrong with the basic technology ; gas turbines can be a cost- effective way of meeting peak demand, but an important lesson we learned from this project is that, in the absence of properly-structured electricity tariffs, management may have a disincentive to use the equipment and may instead allow power cuts.

You also appear, in some important respects, completely to misunderstand the OECD's rules. The minimum test of development soundness' is a phrase inherited by this Administration from the last Labour Government. It has since been abandoned in favour of more rigorous appraisal. We have also taken the lead in the DAC to seek agreement to adopt more rigorous and comprehensive project appraisal guidelines for DAC members.


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As the Note points out, you also fail to understand the meaning of the 35 per cent. rule which relates to the nature of the financing arrangements, not the UK content of what is supplied.

I very much regret that you should seek to call into question what is an important and valuable part of the professional work of the Department, simply in the hope of scoring party political points. I trust that you will now withdraw your allegations.

In the best interests of clear and unequivocal evaluation and of the staff and independent consultants who are involved in this, I am sending this letter and its attachments to the press."

Copies of this letter and its enclosures have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Trade Fairs

Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any new proposals concerning the work of his Department in organising trade fairs ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sainsbury : Changes in the structure and operations of the Department's fairs and promotions branch are being considered in the light of the recommendations in the scrutiny report on FPB published in June 1991.

Bed and Breakfast

Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bed-and-breakfast businesses registered for the uniform business rate have gone into liquidation during the past 12 months (a) in England and (b) in Torbay.

Mr. Redwood : This information cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

Waste Management

Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to encourage effective, competitive waste management in trade and industry.

Mr. Lilley : Primary responsibility for waste management rests with the Department of the Environment. We work closely with it to ensure that UK and international policies and regulations take full account of the legitimate interests of business, encourage competition, and promote best practice in waste management.

We will also continue to promote business awareness and technology transfer in the field of waste management. Grants are available to companies with innovative ideas and new technologies which could be demonstrated to other potential users.

British Shipbuilders

Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received the annual report and accounts of British Shipbuilders for 1990-1991.

Mr. Leigh : In accordance with sections 17(9) and 18(6) of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, on 23 August 1991 I laid before each House copies of British Shipbuilders' annual report and accounts for 1990-91.


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Accounts Services Agency

Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the launch of the Accounts Services Agency.

Mr. Lilley : The Accounts Services Agency was launched as the 10th executive agency in the DTI on 1 October. The Accounts Services Agency is the DTI's first central service supplier to become an executive agency. Agency status will assist Accounts Services Agency further to improve the quality and efficiency of its services. I have set Accounts Services Agency the following performance targets for the 1991-1992 financial year :

to break even in full economic cost terms ;

to make 97 per cent. of payments (including travel and subsistence claims) within three working days of receipt by Accounts Services Agency ;

to ensure that all cheques are banked within 36 hours of receipt by the Accounts Services Agency ;

at each month-end to ensure that all transactions notified to the Agency are properly recorded on the database of the Departmental Financial Management Information System ("FINMIS") by the start of the fifth working day of the following month. Operating statements to be produced and distributed by the sixth working day.

I have also set Accounts Services Agency a target of 2.3 per cent. improvement in efficiency measured in terms of cost per transaction for 1991-1992.

Hungary

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of annual imports from Hungary ; and what are the major items imported.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom imports from Hungary for the eight months ended August 1991 were £67.1 million. The three main items were (1) articles of apparel and clothing accessories ; (2) electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances not elsewhere specified and electrical parts thereof ; and (3) non-ferrous metals.

Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of United Kingdom exports to Hungary ; and what are the major items exported.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom exports to Hungary for the eight months ended August 1991 were £86.9 million. The three main items were (1) general industrial machinery and equipment not elsewhere specified and machine parts not elsewhere specified ; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries ; and (3) organic chemicals.

Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Czechoslovakia

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest estimate of the annual exports from the United Kingdom to Czechoslovakia ; and what are the major items exported.


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Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom exports to Czechoslovakia for the eight months ended August 1991 were £75.1 million. The three main items were (1) office machinery and automatic data processing machines ; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries ; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified.

Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest estimate of the annual imports from Czechoslovakia ; and what are the major items imported.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom imports from Czechoslovakia for the eight months ended August 1991 were £83.5 million. The three main items were (1) road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) ; (2) textile yarn, fabric, made-up articles not elsewhere specified, and related products ; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified. Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Poland

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of United Kingdom annual exports to Poland ; and what are the major items exported.


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Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom exports to Poland for the eight months ended August 1991 were £193.1 million. The three main items were (1) medical and pharmaceutical products ; (2) machinery specialised for particular industries ; and (3) miscellaneous manufactured articles not elsewhere specified. Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the latest estimate of the annual imports from Poland ; and what are the major items imported.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : United Kingdom imports from Poland for the eight months ended August 1991 were £206.7 million. The three main items were (1) coal, coke and briquettes ; (2) iron and steel ; and (3) non-ferrous metals. Information on United Kingdom trade is published monthly in Business Monitor MM20 "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom" which is available in the Library of the House.

Invisible Trade

Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the variations of invisible trade for Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, the USA and the United Kingdom, for each year since 1974.

Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : The information is in the table. Data for 1974 were not readily available.


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Invisible transactions in the period 1974-90                                                                               

£ billions                                                                                                                 

               |1974 |1975 |1976 |1977 |1978 |1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990       

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belgium/Luxembourg                                                                                                         

Credits        |n/a  |5.3  |6.6  |7.9  |9.0  |11.1 |14.2 |23.9 |22.3 |21.4 |26.9 |23.2 |28.0 |25.8 |31.0 |43.8 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |4.5  |5.3  |6.3  |7.7  |10.0 |13.5 |22.9 |21.0 |19.7 |25.2 |21.9 |25.6 |23.4 |28.8 |41.4 |n/a        

Balance        |n/a  |0.8  |1.3  |1.6  |1.3  |1.1  |0.6  |1.0  |1.3  |1.7  |1.7  |1.2  |2.3  |2.3  |2.2  |2.4  |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Canada                                                                                                                     

Credits        |n/a  |2.9  |3.8  |3.4  |3.6  |3.9  |4.4  |7.2  |7.6  |8.8  |11.7 |10.2 |10.5 |8.8  |12.1 |13.1 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |5.2  |7.4  |7.2  |7.6  |7.9  |8.5  |15.1 |16.2 |18.0 |24.3 |20.3 |21.5 |18.2 |23.5 |28.5 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |-2.3 |-3.6 |-3.9 |-4.1 |-3.9 |-4.1 |-7.9 |-8.6 |-9.2 |-12.6|-10.1|-11.0|-9.4 |-11.4|-15.4|n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Denmark                                                                                                                    

Credits        |n/a  |1.7  |2.3  |2.3  |2.6  |3.0  |3.1  |4.4  |4.1  |4.3  |5.5  |4.8  |5.7  |5.6  |7.1  |8.6  |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |1.4  |1.8  |2.0  |2.5  |2.9  |3.3  |4.8  |4.9  |5.2  |6.8  |6.1  |7.8  |7.5  |9.0  |9.3  |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |0.4  |0.4  |0.3  |0.1  |0.0  |-0.2 |-0.5 |-0.8 |-0.8 |-1.3 |-1.3 |-2.1 |-1.9 |-1.9 |-0.8 |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

France                                                                                                                     

Credits        |n/a  |9.4  |11.9 |12.5 |16.1 |22.8 |26.9 |42.0 |38.5 |38.3 |48.0 |40.4 |46.4 |42.4 |48.3 |62.2 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |8.7  |11.0 |11.1 |13.0 |17.2 |21.3 |36.2 |33.4 |33.2 |42.2 |34.9 |40.2 |37.2 |42.1 |53.4 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |0.8  |0.9  |1.4  |3.0  |5.6  |5.6  |5.8  |5.2  |5.1  |5.8  |5.4  |6.2  |5.1  |6.2  |8.8  |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Germany                                                                                                                    

Credits        |n/a  |11.3 |14.8 |14.8 |18.3 |19.9 |21.8 |30.8 |30.9 |33.1 |41.7 |34.7 |45.5 |43.8 |48.1 |60.0 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |14.1 |17.8 |18.8 |21.6 |24.6 |26.1 |36.4 |36.5 |37.3 |43.5 |35.8 |47.7 |47.8 |54.1 |61.7 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |-2.7 |-3.0 |-4.0 |-3.3 |-4.7 |-4.3 |-5.7 |-5.6 |-4.2 |-1.9 |-1.1 |-2.1 |-4.0 |-6.0 |-1.7 |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Italy                                                                                                                      

Credits        |n/a  |5.4  |6.3  |7.1  |8.6  |10.7 |11.8 |15.9 |16.1 |17.2 |22.2 |18.9 |21.8 |21.1 |23.5 |29.7 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |5.3  |5.7  |5.9  |6.8  |8.0  |9.5  |14.9 |15.2 |15.6 |20.8 |17.8 |21.8 |21.4 |25.4 |33.6 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |0.2  |0.6  |1.2  |1.8  |2.7  |2.3  |1.0  |0.9  |1.7  |1.5  |1.0  |0.0  |-0.3 |-1.9 |-3.9 |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Norway                                                                                                                     

Credits        |n/a  |2.4  |3.0  |2.8  |2.9  |3.4  |4.0  |6.3  |5.9  |5.8  |7.5  |6.6  |7.4  |6.2  |7.2  |8.7  |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |2.1  |3.0  |3.2  |3.5  |3.8  |4.2  |6.5  |6.6  |7.1  |9.0  |7.4  |8.5  |7.4  |8.7  |10.3 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |0.3  |0.0  |-0.4 |-0.6 |-0.3 |-0.1 |-0.2 |-0.7 |-1.2 |-1.5 |-0.8 |-1.1 |-1.3 |-1.4 |-1.6 |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Netherlands                                                                                                                

Credits        |n/a  |6.3  |7.9  |7.9  |8.9  |11.2 |12.7 |17.9 |17.5 |17.6 |22.9 |16.9 |20.2 |19.9 |21.2 |27.5 |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |5.5  |6.8  |7.1  |8.4  |10.2 |12.0 |17.2 |16.7 |16.4 |21.3 |17.2 |21.4 |19.5 |22.0 |26.3 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |0.9  |1.0  |0.8  |0.5  |1.0  |0.7  |0.8  |0.8  |1.2  |1.7  |-0.3 |-1.2 |0.4  |-0.7 |1.1  |n/a        

                                                                                                                           

Sweden                                                                                                                     

Credits        |n/a  |1.9  |2.4  |2.3  |2.7  |3.4  |3.7  |5.4  |5.4  |5.5  |7.1  |5.7  |6.6  |6.3  |7.1  |9.8  |n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |2.2  |3.0  |3.1  |3.5  |3.7  |4.0  |6.6  |6.7  |6.9  |9.0  |7.7  |9.1  |8.6  |10.3 |14.2 |n/a        

Total          |n/a  |-0.4 |-0.6 |-0.8 |-0.8 |-0.3 |-0.4 |-1.2 |-1.4 |-1.4 |-1.9 |-2.0 |-2.5 |-2.3 |-3.1 |-4.5 |n/a        

USA                                                                                                                        

Credits        |n/a  |24.1 |33.4 |33.4 |38.4 |46.0 |49.5 |85.8 |87.2 |93.4 |130.8|107.4|114.3|104.6|116.4|148.0|n/a        

Debits         |n/a  |17.1 |22.2 |21.9 |26.4 |31.3 |34.9 |60.0 |63.3 |71.0 |112.8|90.3 |95.6 |88.5 |108.0|136.1|n/a        

Total          |n/a  |7.0  |11.2 |11.5 |12.0 |14.7 |14.6 |25.9 |23.9 |22.4 |18.0 |17.2 |18.7 |16.0 |8.5  |11.9 |n/a        

United Kingdom                                                                                                             

Credits        |13.3 |15.0 |19.2 |21.3 |24.9 |33.3 |41.0 |57.1 |65.2 |65.6 |77.2 |80.0 |77.3 |79.9 |88.0 |108.5|117.4      

Debits         |11.3 |13.3 |16.0 |19.0 |22.2 |30.4 |39.6 |53.6 |62.4 |60.3 |70.1 |73.8 |67.5 |72.5 |81.9 |104.3|113.1      

Total          |2.0  |1.7  |3.2  |2.4  |2.7  |2.9  |1.5  |3.5  |2.7  |5.3  |7.1  |6.2  |9.7  |7.4  |6.1  |4.2  |4.3        

Source: United Nations Statistical Yearbook.                                                                               

International Monetary Fund.                                                                                               

CSO Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics.                                                                           

PRIME MINISTER

Lord Lieutenants

Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister when the functions of lord lieutenants were last reviewed ; and what current action resulted from that review.

Mr. MacGregor : I have been asked to reply.

The principal functions of lord lieutenants, who hold an ancient office, is to act as the sovereign's personal representative in the county concerned. Their duties include support of the armed forces, the magistracy and voluntary organisations, as well as certain civic and social functions. I understand that the lord lieutenants themselves keep their responsibilities and practices under constant review, referring to the Royal Households for advice as necessary.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has to review the selection and method of appointment of lord lieutenants of counties and their deputies.

Mr. MacGregor : I have been asked to reply.

None.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister how many lord lieutenants and deputies there are and when each was appointed.

Mr. MacGregor : I have been asked to reply.

The following are currently in office :




County                    |Lord      |Vice lord            

                          |lieutenant|lieutenant           

                          |appointed |appointed            

-----------------------------------------------------------

England                                                    

Avon                      |1974      |1980                 

Bedfordshire              |1991                            

Berkshire                 |1989      |1989                 

Buckinghamshire           |1984      |1984                 

Cambridgeshire            |1985      |1985                 

Cheshire                  |1990      |1990                 

Cleveland                 |1981      |1981                 

Cornwall                  |1977      |1979                 

Cumbria                   |1983      |1991                 

Derbyshire                |1978                            

Devon                     |1982      |1991                 

Dorset                    |1984      |1984                 

Durham                    |1988      |1990                 

East Sussex               |1989                            

Essex                     |1978      |1985                 

Gloucestershire           |1978                            

Greater London            |1986      |1987                 

Greater Manchester        |1987      |1988                 

Hampshire                 |1982      |1988                 

Hereford and Worcester    |1977      |1977                 

Hertfordshire             |1986                            

Humberside                |1983      |1983                 

Isle of Wight             |1985      |1987                 

Kent                      |1982      |1984                 

Lancashire                |1976      |1977                 

Leicestershire            |1989      |1990                 

Lincolnshire              |1975      |1991                 

Merseyside                |1989      |1989                 

Norfolk                   |1978      |1980                 

Northamptonshire          |1984      |1991                 

Northumberland            |1984      |1987                 

North Yorkshire           |1987      |1987                 

Nottinghamshire           |1991                            

Oxfordshire               |1980      |1989                 

Shropshire                |1975      |1990                 

Somerset                  |1978      |1978                 

South Yorkshire           |1985      |1990                 

Staffordshire             |1968      |1984                 

Suffolk                   |1978      |1983                 

Surrey                    |1986      |1986                 

Tyne and Wear             |1984      |1987                 

Warwickshire              |1990      |1990                 

West Midlands             |1974      |1990                 

West Sussex               |1975      |1990                 

West Yorkshire            |1985      |1985                 

Wiltshire                 |1989      |1989                 

                                                           

Wales                                                      

Clwyd                     |1985      |1986                 

Dyfed                     |1979      |1989                 

Mid Glamorgan             |1990      |1990                 

South Glamorgan           |1985      |1990                 

West Glamorgan            |1987                            

Gwynedd                   |1990                            

Gwent                     |1979      |1985                 

Powys                     |1986      |1986                 

                                                           

Northern Ireland                                           

Antrim                    |1959      |1982                 

Armagh                    |1989      |1989                 

County borough of Belfast |1991      |1991                 

Down                      |1990      |1990                 

Fermanagh                 |1986      |1987                 

Londonderry               |1975      |1985                 

County borough of Londonderry 1986                         

Tyrone                    |1986      |1987                 

                                                           

Scotland                                                   

Highland Region                                            

Caithness                 |1973      |1986                 

Sutherland                |1972                            

Ross and Cromarty         |1988                            

Inverness                 |1985      |1986                 

Nairn                     |1969      |1988                 

                                                           

Grampian Region                                            

Moray                     |1964      |1980                 

Banff                     |1987                            

Aberdeen County           |1987      |1987                 

Kincardine                |1977      |1978                 

                                                           

Tayside Region                                             

Angus                     |1989                            

Perth and Kinross         |1971      |1984                 

                                                           

Fife Region                                                

Fife                      |1987      |1988                 

                                                           

Lothian Region                                             

West Lothian              |1985                            

Midlothian                |1972                            

East Lothian              |1986                            

                                                           

Central Region                                             

Clackmannan               |1966      |1974                 

Stirling                  |1983      |1984                 

                                                           

Borders Region                                             

Peebles                   |1980      |1981                 

Roxburgh                  |1974      |1975                 

Berwick                   |1989      |1989                 

                                                           

Strathclyde Region                                         

Argyll                    |1990      |1990                 

Dumbarton                 |1990      |1990                 

Lanark                    |1963      |1964                 

Renfrew                   |1980      |1990                 

Ayrshire and Arran        |1991      |1991                 

                                                           

Dumfries and Galloway Region                               

Wigtown                   |1989      |1990                 

Stewartry                 |1989      |1990                 

Dumfries                  |1991      |1988                 

                                                           

Island Areas                                               

Orkney                    |1990                            

Shetland                  |1982      |1983                 

Western Isles             |1983      |1984                 

In Scotland the Lord-Provosts of Aberdeen city, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow hold office in addition as lord-lieutenants.

IPPR Report

Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will obtain a copy of the Institute for Public Policy Research report on a written constitution for his office's library.

Mr. MacGregor : I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is aware of the document and its contents.

Green Decision-making

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister when the intra-departmental guide for civil servants on green decision-making was completed and distributed to each Government Department ; and what has been the cost to date of producing this guide.

Mr. MacGregor : I have been asked to reply.


Column 134

The guide, "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" was published by HMSO on 23 September 1991. The Department of the Environment distributed copies to other Departments during the following week, and copies are available at HMSO bookshops. The guide cost approximately £76,000 to produce.

Civil Servants

Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the names of those civil servants whom Her Majesty's Government have authorised to volunteer statements to the media whose substance is the prerogative and responsibility of Ministers, together with their names, post and annual salary.

Mr. MacGregor [holding answer 14 October 1991] : I have been asked to reply.

No. Many senior civil servants give occasional interviews to the press.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Publicity

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table giving the total budget for his Department for (a) publicity and publications and (b) press for each year from 1979 to date and the planned allocation for future years, in current, and constant prices.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The expenditure figures for publicity and publications and for press advertising for each year from 1979-80 are given in the table. The figure for 1991-92 is estimated expenditure. The Government's expenditure plans for 1992-93 and the following two years will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement. The rise in expenditure since 1989-90 is the result of the teachers' recruitment campaign and the parents charter.


Year          |Publicity and|Press                      

              |publications |advertising                

              |£000         |£000                       

--------------------------------------------------------

1979-80       |12.2         |91.6                       

1980-81       |58.3         |8.9                        

1981-82       |49.9         |86.9                       

1982-83       |33.7         |6.0                        

1983-84       |74.9         |9.6                        

1984-85       |150.6        |18.5                       

1985-86       |184.1        |14.8                       

1986-87       |533.0        |532.0                      

1987-88       |1,459.0      |280.0                      

1988-89       |1,196.0      |475.0                      

1989-90       |1,161.8      |238.0                      

1990-91       |3,113.0      |1,407.0                    

1991-92<1>    |4,893.0      |2,049.0                    

<1> Estimated.                                          

Parents Charter

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total cost of the launch of the parents charter, with a breakdown of these costs.

Mr. Kenneth Clark : The total cost of the launch of the parents charter was £36,500. A total of £22,000 was paid for staging and display material, most of which will be reused for other events. The remainder was spent on the hire of the venue and fees for related services.


Column 135

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated total gross cost of the publication of the parents charter ; how many of each document has been printed ; and how they are to be distributed.


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