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EC Meetings
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the EC Ministerial Council meetings at which his Department has or will be represented during November and December.
Mr. Lilley : This table lists the EC ministerial meetings at which my Department has or will be represented during November and December.
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EC Ministerial Meetings November-December 1991
|November |December
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Secretary of State |Nil
|Minister for Trade |Nil
|Minister for Corporate Affairs |4 November 1991-
|Telecoms Council-
|Brussels
|7 November 1991 Internal |Provisional Telecoms-No date yet
|Market Council-Brussels |fixed-Brussels 19 December 1991
|Internal Market Council-Brussels
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of |18 November 1991 |Provisional. Telecoms-No date yet
State for Industry and Consumer |Ministerial meeting on |fixed-Brussels
Affairs |Regional Policy-The
|Hague
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of |18-20 November 1991 |Nil
State for Industry and Technology |Ministerial meeting on
|European Space Agency-
|Munich
Self-regulating Bodies
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there is any independent body to which complaints can be made about the conduct of the bodies recognised as RSBs under the Companies Act 1989.
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Mr. Redwood : All of the recognised supervisory bodies have made arrangements for complaints against them to be considered by independent persons.
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Car Alarms
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent 18-nation talks in Prague held to discuss radio frequencies for car alarms.
Mr. Redwood : My officials are not aware of any major international talks held recently in Prague to discuss car alarms.
There was a meeting of the CEPT--conference of European posts and telecommunications administrations--frequency management working group held in Prague on 21 to 25 October and, of the 32 CEPT member countries, 18 were present at this meeting. However, while the meeting discussed such items as harmonisation of radio frequencies for low-power devices and frequencies for an automotive radiolocation system, radio car alarms were not specifically covered.
NHS Procurement Directorate
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the NHS procurement directorate's regulations governing the NHS regional supply centres with respect to the marginal costings of their operations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I am aware of the guidelines issued by the NHS management executive to health authorities on the carrying out of any resale activities outside the NHS. My Department, the Department of Health and the Office of Fair Trading have found no evidence of anti-competitive practices arising from this trade, but we continue to keep this market under review.
WALES
National Health Service (Expenditure)
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much spending on the NHS in Wales increased from 1974 to 1979 and from 1979 to the latest available date in cash and in real terms.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced that planned net provision for the NHS in Wales in 1992- 93 will be £1,877 million ; an 11.1 per cent. increase on comparable expenditure plans for the current year. Expenditure for earlier years is given in the table :
National Health Service-Wales
Gross Expenditure
|1974-75 |1979-80 |1991-92
(outturn) |(outturn) |(planned
|provision)
|£ million |£ million |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cash |210 |481 |1,769
1991-92 prices |1,024 |1,118 |1,769
|1974-75 |1979-80 |1991-92
(outturn) |(outturn) |(planned
|provision)
|£ million |£ million |£ million
Cash |75 |171 |614
1991-92 prices |368 |398 |614
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Between 1974-75 and 1979-80 expenditure on the NHS in Wales increased by 9.2 per cent. in real terms. Since then expenditure has increased by almost 60 per cent. in real terms.Training (Dwyfor)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many training opportunities have been provided for young unemployed people in the Dwyfor area this year to date ; how many young unemployed people have been registered during this period in Dwyfor ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Information about the number of training opportunities provided for young unemployed people in Dwyfor is not collected centrally. Between January and October this year, 700 people aged under 25 registered as unemployed in Dwyfor and 699 left the register.
Training and enterprise councils are under a contractual obligation to meet the Government's guarantees of training opportunities for the under-25s. I am satisfied that TARGED, the TEC for north-west Wales, has sufficient resources for this purpose.
Probate Registry, Cardiff
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the chairman of Cadw concerning the denudation of the probate registry, Cardiff road, Llandaf, Cardiff of its historic fixtures and their subsequent destination ; and what assessment has been made of the chances of their recovery.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Cadw : Welsh Historic Monuments is an executive agency within the Welsh Office and does not have a chairman. An inspection of the former Probate Registry in Llandaff by Cadw's professional staff and inquiries of Property Holdings reveal that works to the interior of the building were carried out some 20 years ago and before the building was listed.
General Practitioners
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average income of general practitioners in Wales, including incentive payments, before and after the introduction of the new general practitioners contract.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : General medical practitioners' remuneration is primarily determined by the doctors and dentists review body which makes recommendations each year as to the level of income the average GP should receive after meeting the expenses of running his practice.
The latest year for which actual earnings of general practitioners is known is 1988-89, at £28,979. The average intended net income determined by the review body for subsequent years is as follows :
|£
------------------------------
1989-90 |31,105
|<1>33,280
1990-91 |<2>34,680
|<3>37,280
1991-92 |<4>37,975
<1> (with effect 1 April
1990-implementation date of
new contract)
<2> (with effect from 1
January 1991)
<3> (with effect from 1 April
1991)
<4> (with effect from 1
December 1991)
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Separate Welsh figures are not maintained.Treatment Contracts
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance he issues to health authorities on the circumstances in which they can contract for treatment with private hospitals.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : This is a matter for individual health authorities to determine in the light of their responsibilities to identify the health care needs of local residents, and then arrange for these needs to be met. Collaborative ventures between the NHS and private hospitals have always existed and advice has been issued on standard formats including health authority contracts with the private sector.
Oystermouth Development
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now announce the date of the public inquiry into the proposed development at Oystermouth, Swansea.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The applicant and the local planning authority have requested that the application should be held in abeyance to enable further discussions to be held. Arrangements for the public inquiry have therefore not yet been made.
Motorway Statistics
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many miles of motorway are (a) currently open, (b) currently under construction and (c) planned for future construction in Wales either (i) as completely new motorway or (ii) as existing motorway being widened ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Miles of motorway opened, under construction and planned are :
Open Under Planned
|construction|New motorway|Widening
-----------------------------------------------------------------
74 |3 |<1>7.5 |7.8
<1> Does not include the proposed M4 alternative motorway around
Newport: a decision on the line of the route has yet to be made.
A total of £79 million has been spent on motorway improvements since 1979. Expenditure on schemes in progress or planned including the alternative motorway around Newport will exceed £600 million.
Live Television Feed
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the locations of the television sets in his Department which can receive the live television feed from the Chamber, and the total cost to his Department of this service.
Mr. David Hunt : My Department has five monitors located in Gwydyr house, Whitehall that can receive this service. Installation costs were £20,000, annual line rental is expected to be approximately £12, 000 a year.
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Secure Units
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether a secure unit in Wales will be provided in addition to the two new secure units announced by the Minister for Health.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The Welsh Office completed a review of secure care in Wales, the final report on which was published on 14 August 1991 and a copy of which was sent to the hon. Gentleman at that time.
One of the recommendations of the review is for a new secure unit to be provided in Wales.
The report was published for consultation with a closing date of 8 November 1991 and the many representations received are currently being considered.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the units providing secure accommodation for young people from Wales and show how many young people from Wales were in each of the secure units in each month of 1989, 1990 and the current year.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The form in which information is available is not readily extractable. The information will be assembled and I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Care Places
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the short-term care places for adults with learning difficulties it is his policy to provide in Wales (a) in the present financial year, (b) in the 1992-93 financial year and (c) by the year 2000.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Targets for the development of all aspects of care for people with mental handicaps are set out in annual county plans produced jointly by social services, health and education authorities, housing bodies and representatives of voluntary organisations, users and carers.
These plans indicate that by 31 March 1992 there should be 1,333 people receiving short-term care in the new patterns of service, compared with 34 in the year before the all-Wales mental handicap strategy was launched, as well as 377 in more traditional patterns of service. Targets for future years will be set by county teams in due course.
Appointments to Public Boards
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of public boards whom he has appointed serve as officers carrying out executive duties in the Conservative party in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : Political affiliations are not a consideration in making public appointments. Such information is not, therefore, collected centrally.
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his parliamentary answer of 28 November, what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the number of companies visited in Australia in the course of his recent inward investment mission ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. David Hunt : I have frequent discussions with the chairman. I understand that during the visit to Australia meetings were held with seven individual companies.EMPLOYMENT
Retraining
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the level of provision of retraining schemes for those in marketing who have lost their jobs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Figures are not available. Local management of Government-funded training is a matter for the training and enterprise councils which assess specific local needs and provide training to meet those needs.
Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress by training and enterprise councils on the establishment of rural schemes for retraining those leaving farming ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Training and enterprise councils are implementing their plans to meet the training and enterprise needs of their local communities including the needs of rural areas where this is relevant. A number of TECs are now involved in specific rural initiatives and a consortium of around 20 TECs has been formed to share good practice and common goals in meeting the needs of rural areas.
Women's Earnings
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women earned (a) less than £52 a week and (b) above £185 a week in the last year for which figures are available ; and what is this figure as a percentage of (a) the female work force and (b) the total work force.
Mr. Forth : Estimates based on the April 1991 new earnings survey are given in the table.
I
Women Earning
Estimated |(a) less than|(b) more than
|£52 a week |£185 a week
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of women employees
in employment |1.2 million |3.8 million
Percentage of female
employees in employment |11" |36"
Percentage of all employees in
employment |5" |17"
Maternity Pay
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women workers who earn more than £185 a week are covered by contractual maternity pay arrangements ; and what is this figure as a percentage of (a) all women who earn more than £185 a week and (b) the total female work force.
Mr. Forth : We do not hold such information.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women workers are covered by contractual maternity pay arrangements ; and what is this figure as a percentage of the total female work force.
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Mr. Forth : We do not hold information on the total number of women workers covered by contractual maternity pay arrangements. However, the recent Policy Studies Institute report on maternity rights in Britain found that of the 2,514 women employees surveyed, 360--14 per cent.--received contractual maternity pay.
Live Television Feed
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the locations of the television sets in his Department which can receive the live television feed from the Chamber, and the total cost to his Department of this service.
Mr. Forth : There are four television sets in the Department's headquarters at Caxton house capable of receiving the Chamber live television feed. There is one in the Secretary of State's private office, one in my office, one in the parliamentary unit and one in the press office. The annual cost is £12,700.
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what steps the Department of Employment redundancy payment office is taking to expedite payment of statutory redundancy payments to ex-BCCI staff ;
(2) what response has been received from Touche Ross, the provisional liquidators of BCCI, in response to inquiries from his Department on form RP22 in respect of ex-staff members claiming statutory redundancy money ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The redundancy payments service has agreed with Touche Ross arrangements for processing RP22 forms relating to claims from ex-BCCI staff. I now expect claims to be paid shortly.
Youth Training Scheme
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people are waiting for a place on the YTS in the Wakefield area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The Department does not hold figures that would be sufficiently reliable for publication. However, Wakefield training and enterprise council and Wakefield careers service are co-operating to ensure that an adequate supply of places is available to meet likely demand.
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has received from the Wakefield training and enterprise council on the difficulties in placing young people on the YTS ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : Wakefield training and enterprise council is co- operating with the local careers service and has advised that it will be able to meet demand for YT places in its area.
Unemployed Young People
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 and 17-year-olds are unemployed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : In October 1991 the number of 16 and 17-year-old unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 5,982.
Column 105
TRANSPORT
Bus Services, London
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he intends potential passengers to be able to obtain information about bus services in London after deregulation and privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : Clearly, it will be in bus operators best interests to publicise their services. Supplementing this, the London Bus Executive will have powers to provide information centrally, which it will exercise in co- operation with London Transport and British Rail.
Road Pricing
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the intention of road pricing in London would be to raise money or to restrict demand.
Mr. Chope : We have no plans to introduce road pricing. The research we are undertaking will assess the potential of road pricing to reduce congestion in London. Until the research is done we can make no estimate of the demand and revenue implications of seeking to meet this objective.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if effective parking controls, parking pricing and enforcement are included in the road pricing study for London.
Mr. Chope : Road pricing is one of a range of options for combating congestion in London. Parking policy forms part of a wider programme of research into urban traffic congestion.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of restraint on which roads or types of roads in London would be seen as a successful outcome to road pricing.
Mr. Chope : It is the role of the research to identify the different possible levels and structures of charges in London and to evaluate their effects. The final outcome of the research will not be prejudged.
Ashford International Station
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is yet able to authorise the construction of Ashford international passenger station.
Mr. Rifkind : The increase in British Rail's external finance limit for 1992-93 which I announced last month allowed for some £18 million of expenditure on an international passenger station at Ashford. I have asked the chairman of British Rail to give serious consideration to the possibility of building a simpler station at Ashford than the one proposed. I hope it can be in place in time for Ashford to be served by some international passenger trains once scheduled service through the channel tunnel commences.
Coastguards
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he is now able to announce the outcome of the review of Her Majesty's coastguard's sector organisation.
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Mr. McLoughlin : To ensure that Her Majesty's coastguard continues to provide the best possible search and rescue service in an efficient and cost-effective manner, a review of its present sector and auxiliary structure was undertaken. The review defined the coastguard's coastal commitments and reviewed the availability, readiness and training of coastguard personnel to met current requirements. During the course of the review there was extensive consultation with coastal local authorities, staff and the public. The review concluded that present-day needs could be best met by establishing 68 additional auxiliary companies at new locations around the coast to improve the coastguard's intelligence-gathering and surveillance capability, while streamlining the size of companies so as to permit a reduction in the number of auxiliary coastguards and sector officers. The review also recommended improvements in the remuneration, equipment and training of the auxiliary coastguard service. In particular, the number of available pagers and portable radios should be doubled and extra uniform items made available to improve the public profile of the auxiliary coastguard.
The chief coastguard made a number of recommendations and I have accepted them all. The review also concluded that the need for fixed watchkeeping at lookout stations in the south-west should be re-examined. Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such lookouts have since 1978 been replaced by mobile patrols.
I have agreed that fixed watchkeeping at Lizard should cease and be replaced by a mobile lookout undertaken by a coastguard response vehicle on a casualty watch basis. However, the present fixed lookout at St. Ives will continue for eight to 10 hours watchkeeping per day during the Easter to September period to cater for the special circumstances of that station.
I have not approved the closure of Gwennap Head, but because no operational case can be made for a 24-hour fixed lookout I have agreed to amend its watchkeeping to match that of St. Ives. The situation at Gwennap Head will be reviewed after the modified arrangements have been in force for a year.
I have further agreed to an extensive building programme to ensure that the coastguard is provided with modern bases from which to operate. New sector stations are planned to be built at Thurso, Buckie, Hartlepool, Port Pendennis and Burnham on Sea. In addition, suitable buildings will be leased or existing buildings rebuilt at 18 other locations.
New auxiliary stations will be provided in Orkney, Burnham on Crouch, Whitstable, St. Just, Penhale, Bridport and at Sutton Bridge.
This progressive programme is in addition to the six sector or auxiliary stations currently under construction and the three new large maritime co- ordination sub-centres under construction or at the planning stage at Bangor (Northern Ireland), Holyhead and Milford Haven.
The implementation of the review will be spread over four years.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether British Rail has yet advised him of the pattern of its proposals for passenger services to the north of London from the continent after the opening of the channel tunnel.
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Mr. Freeman : I am aware that British Rail is having to consider some adjustments to its proposals, published in accordance with section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act 1987, for channel tunnel passenger services north of London, but it is still discussing its plans with its continental railway partners and the manufacturers. I should expect BR to publish in due course any revisions to its "Section 40 plan".Motorway Statistics
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway are currently (a) open, (b) under construction and (c) planned in England either (i) as completely new motorway, or (ii) as existing motorway being widened ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : There are 1,650 miles of existing motorway in England, and four miles are under construction. The trunk road programme includes proposals to provide a further 58 miles of new motorway. We have also announced our intention to upgrade about 180 miles of the A1 to motorway between the M25 and Tyneside.
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Over 20 miles of existing motorway are currently being widened, and the programme includes proposals to widen a further 605 miles. The emphasis of the national road programme is on relieving congestion on the broad routes followed by the present motorways which have by far the heaviest traffic flows and are the backbone of Britain's road system.Trunk Roads
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) trunk road new construction contracts placed by his Department since the start of this financial year giving the name of the company to which the contract was awarded and the value of the contract and (b) trunk road new construction and improvement contracts which his Department expects to award by the end of the financial year.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 2 December 1991] : The following motorway and trunk road new construciton contracts have been awarded since 1 April 1991.
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Scheme title |Winning contractor |Award value |Month awarded
|(£ Million)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A1 Gatenby Lane Junction Improvement |John Mowlem Construction Plc |2.66 |April
A3 Liphook (Milford) Bypass |Constain Civil Engineering Ltd. |7.89 |October
A5 Little Brickhill Bypass |Galliford (UK) Ltd. |5.84 |June
A11 Red Lodge to Newmarket Bypass |Kier Construction Ltd. |4.08 |November
A20 Court Wood to Dover Contract 3 |Norwest Holst Construction Ltd. |21.68 |May
A23 Warninglid Flyover-Sayers Com. Con 1 |Costain Civil Engineering Ltd. |15.69 |October
A30 Okehampton-Launceston |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |26.81 |September
A39 Wadebridge Bypass |Balfour Beatty Ltd. |8.30 |September
A40 Western Avenue Improvement, Hillingdon |Fairclough Civil Engineering Ltd.|17.19 |April
A41 Kings Langley Bypass |AF Budge (Contractors) Ltd. |19.97 |June
A47 East Dereham to North Tuddenham |Fitzpatrick Contractors Ltd. |6.90 |June
A47 Narborough Bypass, Kings Lynn |May Gurney & Co. Ltd. |2.24 |August
A421 Wendlebury to Bicester Dualling |Amey Construction Ltd. |3.90 |September
A423 Southan Bypass |Midland Oak Construction Ltd. |2.22 |June
A453 Ratcliffe on Soar power station access |Monk Construction Ltd. |1.16 |August
A590 Dalton-in-Furness Bypass, Cumbria |Miller Construction Ltd. |7.91 |November
A595 Egremont Bypass, Cumbria |Alfred McAlpine Construction Ltd.|6.67 |July
A596 Wigton Bypass, Cumbria |Alfred McAlpine Construction Ltd.|4.05 |July
M1-A1 Link Road Contract 2, West of Naseby |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |19.22 |November
M1-A1 Link Road Contract 3, East of Naseby |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |18.29 |November
M1-A1 Link Road Contract 5, North Kettering |Fitzpatrick Contractors Ltd. |3.75 |November
M1-A1 Link Road Contract 8 |Henry Boot Southern Ltd. |7.04 |July
M1-A1 Link Road Contract 9 |Tarmac Construction Ltd. |16.36 |October
M5 Widening between junctions 6 and 8 |John Laing Construction Ltd. |59.37 |June
M6 Widening junctions 20/21A Advance bridgeworks |Edmund Nuttall Ltd. |1.81 |April
M6/M61 cabling for CCTV |Birse Construction Ltd. |1.85 |April
M20 Widening junctions 5 to 8 (Maidstone) |Balfour Beatty Ltd. |68.80 |July
M25 Clackett Lane Service Area Slip Roads |Birse Construction Ltd. |3.89 |November
M25 provision of signs mark 2 |Birse Construction Ltd. |1.59 |April
M42/M40 provision and installation of CCTV |CMR Electronics Ltd. |2.14 |April
M42/M40 Warwicks, control area upgrading |Pirelli Construction Ltd. |2.03 |April
M62 Widening between junctions 17 and 18 |Balfour Beatty Ltd. |3.75 |April
The following contracts are expected to be let before April
1992
Location |Estimate
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------
A11 Thetford Design and Build |3.70
A11 Four Wentways to Newmarket |16.25
A16 Ludborough Bypass |2.50
A16 Stickford Bypass |1.80
A20 Folkestone to Court Wood Contract 2 |15.00
A27 Westhampnett Bypass |10.00
A27 Cross Bush, Arundel |3.35
A33 (M3 advance works) Hockley Junction |1.80
A41 Berkhamsted Bypass Contract 4B |25.80
A339 Basingstoke Northern Bypass Stage 3 |9.90
A420 Kingston Bagpuize Bypass |5.60
A585 Fleetwood Dock Road Improvement |4.00
A638 North West of Doncaster |6.50
Street Works
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in support of his proposal to use the provisions of section 94 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to prevent local authority direct labour organisations from being able to tender for utility work.
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Mr. Chope [holding answer 2 December 1991] : As the hon. Lady will recall, the vote in the House on 22 May 1991 produced 130 representations in favour, and only 38 against. Since then, I have received a small number of representations against the proposal.Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he intends to consult on his proposals for the use of section 94 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to prevent local authority direct labour organisations from being able to tender for utility work ;
(2) for what reasons he has decided not to monitor the implementation of part III of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, before considering whether to use his power under the provisions of section 94 to prevent local authority direct labour organisations from being able to tender for utility work ;
(3) what evidence is available, to date, to enable him to assess the length of the transitional period after which the local authority direct labour organisations will be prevented by section 94 of the New Roads and Street Works Act from tendering for utility work.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 2 December 1991] : No decision has yet been taken on the timing of consultations about section 94.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opinions the utilities have expressed in relation to his proposal to use the provisions of section 94 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 to prevent local authority direct labour organisations from being able to tender for utility work.
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