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|£ ---------------------------1988-89 |89,000 1989-90 |51,000 1990-91 |88,000 1991-92<1> |100,000 <1> Estimate.
The Department continues to encourage the installation of smoke alarms in domestic premises in Scotland through media advertising and the provision of publicity material to the eight Scottish fire brigades.
Nuclear Fuel Transport
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from local authorities, non-governmental organisations and individuals over the transport to the nuclear reprocessing
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facility at Dounreay by road across Scotland of highly enriched spent research reactor fuel from Braunschweig in Germany in early October.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Office has received four representations, all of which are from individuals. Responsibility for transport safety issues throughout Great Britain rests with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he received a copy of the radioactive waste management advisory committee's 12th annual report ; and what plans he has to take action on issues raised in the report referring to radioactive waste management in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : A copy of the report was submitted to my right hon. Friend on 23 August. He is considering the issues raised in the report with his ministerial colleagues.
COSLA
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had any recent meetings with representatives from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to discuss (a) plans to dispose of nuclear waste in Scotland and (b) the plans for an environmental protection agency.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No such meetings have taken place. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities will be among the bodies to be consulted in the consultations on the Government's proposals for a Scottish environmental protection agency.
Rehabilitation Medicine
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the number of consultants in rehabilitation medicine in post in Scotland in December (a) 1980, (b) 1985, (c) 1990 and (d) July 1991, respectively.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The numbers requested are :
|Number ----------------------------December 1980 |8 December 1985 |7 December 1990 |7 July 1991 |<1> <1> Not yet available.
Sports Development Officers
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total number of sports development officers in Scotland for each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This information is not held centrally.
Perth Sheriff Court
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost and latest figures for the work being undertaken on the Perth sheriff court building ; and what was the estimate.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The present estimate of the cost of the work being undertaken on the Perth sheriff court building is £1, 199,450. £619,786 has been spent to date. The pre-tender estimate was £1,178,750.Training Schemes
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has on the financial contribution of private employers to the Government's youth training and employment training programmes since the programmes were introduced.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 14 October 1991] : My right hon. Friend has no detailed evidence about financial contributions made by private employers, either in money or in kind, to the youth training and employment training programmes. It is in the interest of employers to contribute towards training costs, and they are encouraged to do so.
Boxing
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to see that the incidence of brain stem injuries as a result of boxing accidents in Scotland is monitored.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 16 October 1991) : It is for the boxing authorities to consider what specific information on boxing it is appropriate to collect and monitor.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Iraq
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will initiate a further review of all nuclear materials, exports and nuclear technology, or nuclear-related technology, exported under licence to Iraq, subsequent to the report made available to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry in early August following the findings made public by the special United Nations inspection team following visits to Iraq in mid- August and in September.
Mr. Sainsbury : The finding of the United Nations Inspection team have not been made public. Details of all goods licensed for export to Iraq for the period 1987 to the introduction of sanctions in August 1990 have already been given to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the current availability of medium-term cover to Iraq from the Export Credits Guarantee Department for the use of British exporters.
Mr. Sainsbury : Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq ECGD withdrew all forms of export credit support for Iraq. There are no current plans to restore cover.
Paper Industry
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any Minister or official of his Department expects to attend the conference on the paper industry and the environmental challenge, to be held in London on 21 October.
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Mr. Leigh : A deputy director of my Department's enviroinment unit will attend the conference and give a presentation on ecolabelling, including the latest developments on the proposed European Community scheme.
BCF Halon Chemicals
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what restrictions exist on the export of BCF halon 1211 chemicals.
Mr. Sainsbury : There are no current restrictions on the export of halon 1211. However, in accordance with EC Regulation 594/91 on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the export of virgin, recycled or used halon 1211 to a state not party to the Montreal protocol will be prohibited from 1 January 1993.
Markets for Environmental Monitoring Instrumentation"
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has made available to interested parties and businesses in central and eastern Europe his Department's report on "Markets for Environmental Monitoring Instrumentation," published in June.
Mr. Leigh : The DTI has no responsibility for the distribution of the report. It has been published by HMSO and is available through its network of bookshops and officially accredited agents in the United Kingdom. International supply of publications is arranged through an overseas network of stockists and agents. The publication is priced at £22 net.
GATT
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals have been put forward by the United Kingdom to the Uruguay round of discussions within the general agreement on tariffs and trade to ensure environmental protection considerations are included in the trade agreements reached ; and what existing mechanisms and programmes exist within GATT to take into account the environment.
Mr. Sainsbury : The European Commission negotiates on behalf of the Community in international trade negotiations and the United Kingdom contributes to the formation of Community policy.
GATT already provides for exceptions from the standard rules which permit member countries to take action for the purposes, among others, of environmental protection. A GATT working party on trade and the environment has been reactivated and will start work shortly. In the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations consideration is being given to permitting agricultural subsidies for environmental purposes. Separately from the round, a GATT working party is close to agreement on criteria for regulating the export of goods which are prohibited in the exporter's home market.
Visible Trade
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will update the information provided to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan in his answer of 4 July
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1988, Official Report, column 417-18, on the variations of the crude balance of visible trade for Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the USA and the United Kingdom, for each year since 1988.Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 14 October 1991] : The information is available from the OECD's Monthly Statistics on Foreign Trade and the CSO's Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, which are kept in the House of Commons Library.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what additional funding he will make available to the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service to enable it to provide expert and independent advice to those refused their claim to asylum ;
(2) what action he is proposing to take to provide independent and expert advice on appeal to those refused asylum in the event that the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service declines to provide full advice.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The UKIAS refugee unit is available to provide advice and representation before the immigration appellate authorities to those refused a claim to asylum. Discussions have been continuing between Home Office officials and representatives of UKIAS on the enhancements needed to the unit to enable it to respond to the increased workload that will result from the measures announced in the Home Secretary's statement of 2 July. An initial payment of £200, 000 has been made by the Home Office to UKIAS for this purpose and further amounts will be made available as they become needed. I am confident that the proposed enhancements will allow the refugee unit to handle the extra demands which will fall upon it as a result of the Government's plans to deal expeditiously with aslyum applicants.
Carl Bridgewater
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on examination of evidence presented to him concerning the safety of the conviction of those men accused of the murder of Carl Bridgewater ; when he expects to make a decision ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : The representations made on behalf of the convicted men are under consideration. A decision whether the representations call for further inquiries or other action will be made as soon as possible.
Racist Attacks
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will raise with his counterpart in the EC steps to be taken in member countries to deal effectively with racist attacks and particularly those directed against immigrants and visitors.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government strongly support a rigorous response to racial attacks across the EC, and will take every suitable opportunity to ensure effective, co-ordinated action.
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Magistrates Courts
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce financial provision for magistrates courts committees for 1992-93 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : It will not be possible to assign cash limits for 1992-93 to individual committees until after the Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement on public expenditure.
However, to enable courts to make an early start on preparing budgets for the coming year. I have today circulated to magistrates courts committees illustrative tables showing the share of grant for the present financial year they would have been allocated had 1991-92 been the first year of cash limits. This is illustrated by comparison with 1989-90 spending, the most recent year for which confirmed outturn figures are available. Copes have been placed in the Library.
Actual grant allocation for 1992-93 will be based on the cash limiting formula, taking into account the Chancellor's autumn statement provision, and the most recent performance and expenditure data from courts.
A number of modifications to the grant allocation arrangements proposed in January 1991 have been made following extensive consultation with the committees. Individual committees' cash limits will reflect local conditions by taking into account a number of local requirements and measuring work load and performance on the following basis :
|Per cent. -----------------------------------------------------------------------Weighted case load |60 Effectiveness in collecting fines and compensation |25 Time taken to complete cases |10 Quality of service to the public |5
The revised formula will apply from next April to be phased in over five years, while kept under close review.
To assist committees' preparation of longer-term strategies, the figures include provisional outlines for illustrative purposes of the possible implications for funding over the five-year transitional implementation period of the cash-limiting arrangements, assuming no change in local courts' circumstances.
I wish to make it clear that these are exemplary figures based on recent past expenditure and performance data available and that actual provision in future years will become increasingly based on work load and performance.
Allocation by formula will provide a strong incentive for all committees to find ways of improving the quality and efficiency of their service, while of course maintaining the judicial independence of the courts.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Radioactive Pollution (Russia)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to offer assistance to the Russian Federation to monitor the extent of radioactive pollution in the Barents and Kara seas arising from the Soviet nuclear-powered fleet.
Mr. Curry : This Department has sophisticated monitoring expertise which we readily provided when the
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USSR sought assistance with monitoring at Chernobyl. The Government have received no such request for monitoring radioactive pollution in the Barents or Kara seas.Fishing Vessels
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what share of the costs of a decommissioning scheme for fishing vessels is provided by the European Community ; if he will now introduce a decommissioning scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The Community's contribution to the cost of decommissioning is 70 per cent. or 50 per cent. depending on whether vessels are scrapped or disposed of in other ways. However the rules governing our payments to the EC budget mean that 73 per cent. of the Community contribution to any United Kingdom scheme would have to be met from public expenditure, which would also have to bear 30 per cent. or 50 per cent. of the cost. In the light of these figures I am concerned that a decommissioning scheme might not offer value for money, but I am ready to consider industry proposals provided they form part of a wider conservation package which will deliver effective curbs on effort directed against the stocks.
Grant Applications
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many man hours on average are required for applications for each type of grant and subsidy to be processed by his regional offices.
Mr. Gummer : Information is not available in the form requested. The table below sets out the numbers of applications and claims processed under the principal grant and subsidy schemes in 1990-91, together with the man years devoted to the overall administration of these schemes in my regional organisation. Technical input by ADAS staff is not included.
Scheme |Applications/|Man-Years |Claims --------------------------------------------------------------------------Farm and Conservation Grant Scheme |6,721 |49.25 Farm Diversification Grant Scheme |1,387 |17.53 Set Aside |4,109 |41.12 Environmentally Sensitive Areas |5,587 |20.05 Farm Woodlands Scheme |1,264 |11.76 Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances |12,975 |56.33 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme |24,026 |49.43 Sheep Annual Premium Scheme |35,252 |71.42
Badgers
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the progress on the development of a live test for tuberculosis in badgers, including the location of such trials and the implications for his Department's badger control strategy.
Mr. Gummer : Field trials of the live diagnostic test started in March of this year, in conjunction with routine badger investigations in parts of Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ; 134 badgers have been examined to date.
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Trials are expected to continue for some months to come. It is too early, at this stage, to say how the live test will be used within a revised badger control strategy. I intend to take the views of the consultative panel on badgers and tuberculosis into full consideration before introducing any revision of the present strategy.Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cost of the badger control strategy as part of the tuberculosis eradication scheme in 1990 ; what are his estimates for the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : For the cost of the badger control strategy in 1990, I refer the hon. Member my answer to the hon. Member for Newport, East (Mr. Hughes) on 17 October 1991. The estimate of expenditure for 1991 is £461,000.
Tuberculosis
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle that have been tested for tuberculosis have been found to be positive in (a) slaughterhouses, (b) knackers yards and (c) hunt kennels in each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The number of cattle found to be positive for tuberculosis in slaughterhouses from 1986 to 1990 was as follows :
|Number ------------------------------------------1986 |7 1987 |15 1988 |13 1989 |16 |1990 |16
Knackers yards and hunt kennels have not reported any tuberculosis affected cattle. Meat from knackers yards and hunt kennels is, of course, wholly excluded from the human food chain.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the tuberculosis eradication policy ; and what change there has been in the evidence of the disease since the policy was introduced.
Mr. Gummer : The present programme began in 1935 with the introduction of the attested herd scheme. At that time an estimated 40 per cent. of cattle in Great Britain were affected ; the 1990 figure is 0.0038 per cent.
Drift Nets
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to discuss the ban on the use of drift nets above 2.5 km at the EC Fisheries Council meeting on 28 October ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : Yes. We have already supported the Commission's proposed restriction on the length of drift nets and will be pressing for its early adoption when the Fisheries Council considers the large package of technical conservation measures on 28 October.
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Enzootic Bovine Leucosis
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the results of his investigations into the presence of enzootic bovine leucosis in Great Britain.
Mr. Gummer : An investigation of milk samples from over 15,000 dairy herds and of blood samples from over 600 beef herds confirms the belief that the prevalence of this disease, which has no implication for human health, is very low.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Visas
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long it takes for cases to be processed from the results of DNA testing being received to visas being issued.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : If no considerations apply other than the question of relationship, applicants are called in to collect their visas within 14 days of positive DNA test results being received. Posts endeavour to process maintenance and accommodation requirements, where necessary, on the papers submitted. Applicants previously refused entry clearance on relationship grounds and now over the qualifying age limit for settlement, are invited for interview within three months. These cases are then referred to the Home Office for consideration under the Home Secretary's concession announced to Parliament on 14 June 1989.
BCCI
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was told that the restructuring plans for the Bank of Commerce and Credit International would not go ahead.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : FCO officials were informed of the content of the press statement issued by the majority shareholders on 3 October shortly before it was released.
Soviet Visas
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the Soviet authorities their failure to grant an exit visa to Vladislava Shtibina of St. Petersburg who wishes to emigrate to Israel.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Details of the exit visa application of Vladislava Shtibina of St. Petersburg were included in a list of cases handed over by the British embassy in Moscow to the Soviet authorities on 29 August. We continue to urge the Soviet authorities to implement freedom of travel for all Soviet citizens.
Baltic States
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with the new Baltic Governments on the Baltic gold issue, and other matters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I discussed the question of Baltic gold with Baltic leaders when I visited Latvia, Lithuania
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and Estonia from 3-6 September. President Landsbergis of Lithuania raised the subject of Lithuania's gold when my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met him in Blackpool on 8 October. We have invited each Baltic Government to send a representative to London in the next few weeks for a first round of negotiations on the gold and other financial issues.United Arab Emirates
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs last met Mr. Rashid Abdullah on 25 September in New York, in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. They agreed that relations between Britain and the United Arab Emirates remained excellent.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend has no present plans to visit the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi, but I plan to visit the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar from 28 to 31 October.
Conference on the Human Dimension
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent CSCE conference on the human dimension in Moscow.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Moscow meeting of the conference on the human dimension (10 September to 4 October) provided an opportunity to review human rights observance in the 38 participating states. We welcome the fact that the meeting agreed to expand the existing CSCE mechanism for raising human rights questions, to allow the involvement of the services of impartial experts. The body of CSCE commitments in the human dimension was further extended.
The United Kingdom delegation took a constructive part in the work of the conference, both nationally and in concert with other EC member states.
Human Rights, Tibet
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese Government on the denial of human rights and the right to self- determination in Tibet.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have frequently reminded the Chinese authorities of our concern about reports of human rights abuses in Tibet. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister specifically referred to Tibet when discussing human rights with Premier Li Peng in Peking in September. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also raised the issue with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen. We continue to urge the Chinese Government to enter into dialogue with the Dalai Lama.
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Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's reasons for not recognising the Republic of China (Taiwan).Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As was set out in the 1972 Joint Communique with the People's Republic of China, the British Government recognise the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and acknowledges the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China.
Neville Norton
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the British business man Neville Norton has yet been allowed to leave Saudi Arabia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Mr. Norton left Saudi Arabia on 13 August 1991.
Iraq
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has of the number of deaths and injuries to Kurds in northern Iraq as a result of Turkish aircraft bombing ; what representations he has made to both sides ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have no authoritative figures for casualties resulting from Turkish military action in northern Iraq. We have condemned terrorist activities, including those of the PKK, on many occasions. We regret any casualties amongst innocent civilians as a result of the military operations and have made our concerns clear both to the Turkish Government and to the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdish Front.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information Her Majesty's Government possess on the nuclear activities undertaken at the An Walid site in Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Information derived from inspections in Iraq is confidential to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and to the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM). It is for them to determine the extent to which such information is made public. The only publicly available information about this site is contained in paragraphs 17 and 18 of United Nations Security Council document S/22986 of 28 August, a copy of which is already in the Library of the House.
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