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Immigration
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of putting a potential immigrant through a test to determine whether he or she has sufficient knowledge of the English, Welsh, or Gaelic languages.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : There is no language test for potential immigrants. In a small number of cases, it may be necessary to make special inquiries to establish that applicants for naturalisation meet the statutory requirement to have a sufficient knowledge of the English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic language. The cost of these inquiries cannot be separately identified from the cost of other inquiries that are made in particular applications.
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Prisoners (Police Cells)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning convicted and remand prisoners being kept in police stations because prisons are full ; whether he has any immediate plans to reduce the number of prisoners being held in police cells in Leicester ; and whether he has any timetable for ending the holding of convicted and remand prisoners in police stations nationwide.
Mrs. Rumbold : I have received a large number of representations from hon. Members and others about this problem. As my hon. Friend has made clear, he has taken a number of steps to reduce the numbers held in police cells, by converting young offender establishments to adult use, deferring the closure of wings, and retaining in use establishments which would otherwise have closed.
Because the arrangements for holding prisoners in police cells are co- ordinated nationally through the police mutual aid co-ordination centre, it is not possible to predict the effect of these measures on police cells in particular areas. While not being able to predict accurately when the problem will be solved, I can say that I believe the measures taken, together with new prisons opening, will relieve the pressure in the foreseeable future.
Sunday Trading
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on which Acts of Parliament are in force governing which shops and markets may open and what goods may legally be sold on Sundays in England ; and who has responsibility for enforcing such Acts.
Mrs. Rumbold : Part IV of the Shops Act 1950 contains the general prohibition on Sunday trading in England and Wales. It also contains provisions for partial exemption from, and modification to, that general prohibition, and for there to be, in schedules 5, 6 and 7 to the Act, lists of exempted transactions. Special exemptions from the general prohibition are also made in the Tyne and Wear Act 1976 for the Quayside market in Newcastle upon Tyne ; in the West Midlands County Council Act 1980 for the national exhibition centre in Birmingham ; and in the Greater London Council (General Powers) Acts 1981 and 1983 for exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences held at certain specified premises in Greater London.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing this area of the law.
Street Lighting
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has on the link between the level of crime and poor street lighting.
Mr. John Patten : Recent independent research for the Home Office ("The Influence of Street Lighting on Crime and Fear of Crime", Crime Prevention Unit paper 28 and "The Effect of Better Street Lighting on Crime and Fear : a Reveiw", Crime Prevention Unit paper 29, both papers published in August 1991 and copies available in the Library) has shown that good street lighting is helpful in reducing the fear of crime but has little effect on crime itself, except perhaps in small localised spots where
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lighting is particularly inadequate. Other research has shown that it can also, in some cases, reduce the incidence of anti-social behaviour.Personation
Mr. Brando-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the guidelines to presiding officers at polling stations in order to minimise the risk of personation.
Mrs. Rumbold : No. Revised and updated Home Office guidance for acting returning officers was issued in September of this year. If my hon. Friend is aware of a particular problem with regard to personation, perhaps he would consider writing to me about it.
Retailers (Crime)
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of annual retail turnover lost through unauthorised entry to premises by retailers in the United Kingdom ; and what information he has on the percentage lost by similar crime from retailers in other EC countries.
Mr. John Patten : It is estimated that retailers lose some 2 per cent. of turnover annually through the disappearance of stock. This loss includes thefts of all descriptions ; the proportion attributable to unauthorised entry is not known and cannot be ascertained.
Information about losses elsewhere in the EC is not available.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give separate figures for spending by the Metropolitan police on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what are his latest estimates for 1991-92 and budgets for 1992-93.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 5 November 1991] : I understand from the Commissioner that expenditure by the Metropolitan police on all forms of recruitment and other advertising, and other promotional material in each financial year since 1979-80 is as follows (it is not possible to give separate spending figures for the years before 1987 -88) :
-
|£
------------------------------
1979-80 |759,000
1980-81 |967,000
1981-82 |1,062,000
1982-83 |1,028,000
1983-84 |1,675,000
1984-85 |1,747,000
1985-86 |1,868,000
1986-87 |2,269,000
|Television |Radio |Newspaper |Other
|advertising|advertising|advertising|promotional
|literature
|£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |- |3,000 |1,722,000 |1,111,000
1988-89 |- |6,000 |1,881,000 |1,258,000
1989-90 |472,000 |15,000 |1,660,000 |663,000
1990-91 |683,000 |59,000 |1,065,000 |1,322,000
<1>1991-92 |200,000 |66,000 |1,110,000 |1,852,000
<1> Estimated out-turn.
Decisions on expenditure for 1992-93 have yet to be settled.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure by the Metropolitan police on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his estimate for 1991-92 and budget for 1992-93.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 5 November 1991] : I understand from the Commissioner that expenditure on staff and accommodation costs of the directorate of public affairs, and on recruitment and other advertising and other promotional literature, in each financial year since 1985-86 and estimate expenditure for 1991-92 are as follows :
|£
-------------------------------
1985-86 |3,622,861
1986-87 |4,444,103
1987-88 |4,555,000
1988-89 |5,475,000
1989-90 |5,366,000
1990-91 |5,921,000
<1>1991-92 |6,274,000
<1> Estimated out-turn.
Information for the years prior to 1985-86 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Decisions on expenditure for 1992-93 have yet to be settled.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Local Education Expenditure
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the percentage element of central Government support in local education authority expenditure for each financial year since 1979-80.
Mr. Eggar : The bulk of central Government support for local authority expenditure is channelled through revenue support grant, which is not hypothecated to individual services. Latest available published data suggest that specific and special grants to local authorities falling within the Department of Education and Science programme have accounted for the following percentages of local authority recurrent education spending :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1979-80 |6
1980-81 |7
1981-82 |7
1982-83 |6
1983-84 |6
1984-85 |6
1985-86 |6
1986-87 |5
1987-88 |6
1988-89 |6
1989-90 |<1>7
1990-91 |<1>9
<1> estimated
Expenditure by local authorities on education is also supported by grants within the programmes of a range of other Government departments, including grants made under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, the urban programme, the technical and vocational education initiative, and the work- related further education programme.
Health Care
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science is he will make it his policy to include individual self health care in the national curriculum ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : My Department's policy is to secure that young people are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to promote their immediate and long-term good health. To that end, aspects of health education are already included, wherever relevant, in a number of national curriculum foundation subjects.
Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he will publish the final report of the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The final report of the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils is published today, covering the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1991. The board's responsibilities were transferred to the Universities Funding Council and the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on 1 April this year.
The computer board's remit was to :
--assist United Kingdom universities in keeping at the forefront of information systems (IS) developments in support of their academic research ;
--promote innovation, sound practice and value for money in the provision and use of information systems ; and
--foster universities' interaction on IS matters with the wider academic and research community.
I pay tribute to the computer board's achievements over the past 25 years. Thanks to the board, the use of computers in the universities is now spread extensively over all subject areas. Before it began its work it was the preserve of only a few specialists. The board's vital contribution to this process was in helping and encouraging the universities to develop information systems strategies while also taking account of the rapid pace of technological change, initiating developments and promoting sound procurement procedures.
Agricultural and Food Research Council
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to lay before parliament the annual report of the Agricultural and Food Research Council for 1990-91 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Alan Howarth : The annual report of the Agricultural and Food Research Council--AFRC--has been submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend as required by the Science and Technology Act 1965. A copy is being placed in the House today.During the period covered by the report a new chairman, Mr. Alistair Grant, and a new director general, Professor Thomas Blundell FRS, have been appointed to the council.
I am pleased that the AFRC has continued to make notable achievements under their leadership. For example, scientists at its Institute of Plant Science Research have identified and isolated a single plant gene which controls the development of flowers--the most productive part of the plant and also the source of grain, fruit and seed for propagation. Research on seed oils is providing new options for industry, including use of enzymes to upgrade low value oils and expansion of the industrial use of oilseed crops in the manufacture of plastics, lubricants and pharmaceuticals.
In 1990-91, the AFRC launched a new £9 million programme over four years on the biology of spongiform encephalopathies, involving seven universities, including an award to the AFRC centre for genome research in Edinburgh, the AFRC institute of animal health and the joint AFRC/MRC neuropathogenesis unit. AFRC scientists are also co-ordinating a 1.2 million ecu programme, involving 16 laboratories in eight European countries, to produce a genetic map of the pig. This will allow breeders to identify genes that determine commercially important traits, such as temperament, litter size and meat quality, and will greatly advance livestock breeding programmes. AFRC's scientists are participating in more than 50 EC co-ordinated programmes and the council has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with its Dutch counterpart and has commenced a programme of joint research fellowships with its French counterpart. I congratulate the council on these and numerous other achievements.
Science Budget
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what rates of inflation he has applied in estimating the real increases in the science budget over the three years 1992-93 to 1994-95.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend used the forecast Treasury GDP deflators of 4.5 per cent. for 1992-93, 3.75 per cent. for 1993-94 and 3 per cent. for 1994-95 announced in the 1991 autumn statement.
Women's Institutes
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from women's institutes concerning their responses to the White Paper on education and training for the 21st century ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend has received a large number of such representations. I met representatives of the National Federation of Women's Institutes on 31 October.
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Science Policy
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what preparations have been made by his Department to make an input on science policy for the 21st century, to the United Nations conference on environment and development in June 1992.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Department and the research councils are providing input to the Department of the Environment, which is responsible for co-ordinating the Government's preparation for the United Nations conference on environment and development.
Global Science Conference
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department will be represented at the ASCEND 21 global science conference organised in Vienna on 24 to 29 November by the International Council of Scientific Unions.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The ASCEND 21 global science conference in Vienna, attendance at which is by personal invitation to scientific experts, will be attended by 12 scientists from the United Kingdom, including a member of the Natural Environment Research Council and three members of its staff.
Higher Education
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how he proposes to ensure parity of treatment for students in higher education.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The higher education funding councils, set up under the Further and Higher Education Bill now before Parliament, will be required to eliminate unjustified differences in funding methodologies between universities, polytechnics and colleges, while safeguarding the best of the distinctive missions of individual institutions.
Pupil Numbers
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all local education authorities in rank order by percentage change of total pupil numbers for each of the last three years giving in each instance the percentage change for each authority in (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) 16 to 18 years age groups.
Mr. Fallon : Information on the percentage change of full-time equivalent pupil numbers, in each of the age groups requested, within each local education authority and the rank order of each local education authority in England for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991--provisional--has been placed in the Library.
WALES
Local Government Finance Bill
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what effect he estimates the proposals in the Local Government Finance Bill will have on inward migration into Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : I do not expect that the Local Government Finance Bill will have any material effect on the pattern of migration.
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New Dwellings
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of new dwellings constructed in Wales in each of the past 10 years by (a) councils and (b) housing associations.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Annual data from 1975 to 1990 were published in table 2.3 of "Welsh Housing Statistics No. 11, 1991", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
TECs
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to meet the chairmen of training and enterprise councils to discuss their budget plans ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have regular meetings with the TEC chairmen in Wales and arrangements are being made for our next meeting at which a range of issues will be discussed.
Employment Initiatives
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will propose initiatives amongst the young males in Wales who are unemployed.
Mr. David Hunt : The Government are providing a wide range of employment and training programmes focused on both young men and women. All those under 18 not in full-time education or training are guaranteed the offer of a training place, recruitment into employment training affords priority to those aged 18 to 24 who have been unemployed for between six and 12 months, and the employment action scheme enables the unemployed to contribute their skills and efforts to work of value for their area while at the same time gaining work experience. The training and enterprise councils are tailoring these schemes to local labour market and are also able to introduce their own initiatives to meet the needs of young people in their areas. In addition the Employment Service has a range of measures to help young people into work.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Auditors
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, since 1988, any auditing firms have been criticised in more than two DTI inspectors' reports.
Mr. Redwood : Yes. Once such firm has been criticised in more than two inspectors' reports published since 1988.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has plans to propose legislation under which companies would be required to publish the fees paid to auditors for recruitment of company executives.
Accountants
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any staff from accountancy firms criticised by his Department's inspectors are currently seconded to his Department.
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Mr. Redwood : The Department currently has one secondee who is a staff member of an accountancy firm which has been criticised in a published inspector's report during the period since June 1979. A further two secondees are from an accountancy firm, the predecessors of which have been criticised.
Political Donations
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to propose legislation under which all political donations by any company would require a specific resolution at the annual general meeting.
Mr. Redwood : No. There is a general requirement in the Companies Acts for directors' reports to disclose the amount and beneficiary of any money given for political purposes exceeding in aggregate £200. This report must be circulated to all shareholders before the annual general meeting. Shareholders may then comment on the donations and put down resolutions on them in the same way as they can for other aspects of the management of the company's funds. In the Government's view this gives shareholders sufficient protection.
AGIP (Africa)
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the inquiries he has conducted into the AGIP (Africa) affair.
Mr. Redwood : It is not our practice to confirm or deny the existence of Companies Act inquiries in relation to a particular case unless there has been an announcement of an investigation.
Supervisory Bodies
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rights the public has under the terms under which he has given recognition to the supervisory bodies (a) to know the findings of the bodies' monitoring activities and (b) to require the bodies to investigate complaints against auditing firms.
Mr. Redwood : The recognised supervisory bodies' monitoring reports on individual auditing firms are intended to be internal documents. However, I understand that the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants proposes to include in its annual report a report of its monitoring unit, and the other bodies are considering what information to publish. It was a precondition for recognition that the supervisory bodies had effective arrangements for the investigation of complaints, details of which are readily available from the bodies.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to propose legislation under which any member of the public will have a right to know shortcomings in auditing firms discovered by the recognised supervisory bodies.
Accounting Standards Board
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will propose legislation under which the Accounting Standards Board will be required to open all its meetings to the public.
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Mr. Redwood : No.Fraud, Tenerife
Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make representations to the Spanish Government over the alleged fraud which has led to the forthcoming foreclosure of 101 apartments on the Parque Don Jose, Costa Del Sileneis, Tenerife ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : I sympathise with the owners of the apartments at Parque Don Jose, but I believe that the applicable contracts are subject to Spanish law in which case neither the United Kingdom Government nor English law has any jurisdiction. Even if the contract was subject to English law, in so far as this is a civil dispute between purchasers and the developers, it would be for the civil courts to resolve. If an allegation of fraud or other criminal activity is involved it would be a matter for the police. It would not therefore be appropriate for me to make representations to the Spanish Government.
Hostile Bids
Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what period he will allow for negotiation of undertakings relating to a hostile bid under section 75G of the Fair Trading Act 1973 as amended in 1989 to protect the public need for relevant information.
Mr. Redwood : The timetable established for negotiating undertakings under section 75G of the Fair Trading Act 1973 will depend on the circumstances of each particular case. The Secretary of State will wish to secure undertakings as soon as practicable while ensuring that third parties are given a reasonable opportunity to comment on what might be appropriate to remedy the adverse effects expected to arise from the merger situation.
Mr. Haselhurst : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the degree of proof a hostile bidder under section 75G of the Fair Trading Act 1973 as amended in 1989 must provide to satisfy him that assets acquired in a hostile bid will be sold to avoid a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Mr. Redwood : Undertakings given by a company under section 75G of the Fair Trading Act 1973 to divest or separate part of a merged business in lieu of a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission are enforceable in the courts. Alternatively, the Secretary of State may make an order to remedy the expected adverse effects of the merger when it appears to him that an undertaking has not been or will not be fulfilled.
Footwear
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken and intends to take to discourage foreign manufacturers producing fraudulent imitations of United Kingdom manufacturers' footwear products.
Mr. Redwood : Our legislation provides effective remedies against the sale of counterfeit goods in the United Kingdom. The Government also recognise the importance of discouraging international trade in counterfeit goods. One of their chief objectives in the
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current GATT Uruguay round negotiations on trade-related aspects of intellectual property is to achieve strengthened multilateral rules for combating trade in counterfeit goods, which should be of benefit to all sectors of United Kingdom manufacturing.Political Risk Insurance
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that political risk insurance is readily available to British exporters on terms which enable them to compete on equal terms with their overseas competitors.
Mr. Lilley : I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade during the debate on the Lords Amendments to the Export and Investment Guarantees Bill on 22 October, Official Report columns 815-17, in which he described the two forms of reinsurance which the Government, through ECGD, will provide to the insurance services business after the latter's privatisation.
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the resignation of the chief executive of the Export Credits Guarantee Department, Mr. Malcolm Stephens.
Mr. Lilley : Mr. Stephens will be leaving ECGD later this year to take up the post of chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce. I should like to record my gratitude for his effective and professional leadership of ECGD over the last four and a half years. I wish him well in his new career in the chamber movement, to which the Government attach great importance.
Astra plc
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date, on what grounds, and by reference to which section of legislation he referred problems at Astra plc to his inspectors ; if he will name the inspectors involved in this investigation ; and when he expects the inspectors to report.
Mr. Redwood : Following an application by the company, Colin Percy Farquharson Rimer QC and John White FCA, were appointed inspectors on 16 August 1990 under section 431(2)(c) of the Companies Act 1985 to investigate and report on the affairs of the company. My right hon. Friend has asked them to look in particular at the events surrounding the rights issue by the company in July 1989. The inspectors are making good progress, but I cannot say when they will complete their report.
Film Industry
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any proposals to help stimulate investment in films ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley : A working party, chaired by my Department, is looking at ways of increasing private sector investment in film production in the United Kingdom. It will report to me when it has completed its work.
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Industrial Policy
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will next meet representatives of the Yorkshire and Humberside regional CBI to discuss industrial policy.
Mr. Lilley : I have no plans at present to meet representatives of the Yorkshire and Humberside regional CBI, but officials of my Department keep in touch with them on a wide range of business matters. I met a large number of CBI representatives when I attended their national conference on 4 November 1991.
Relocation Assistance
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he carries out of the financial viability of companies before providing them with relocation assistance.
Mr. Redwood : Grants are not normally made available by my Department solely for the purposes of relocation. Where such a case may qualify for regional selective assistance, a financial appraisal of the commercial prospects of the company would be undertaken to enable a judgment to be made about the viability of the business, before any offer of grant is considered. A simplified appraisal is used for smaller value cases.
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