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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : This is a personal matter for the chief executives of the executive agencies and defence support agencies. I have asked them to consider this question and write to the hon. Member as appropriate.
Submarines
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the decision was taken to place all four Upholder class submarines in dry dock for repair ; whether
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all four vessels will be dry-docked simultaneously ; what is the expected timescale and cost of the repair work ; and what is the total cost so far of the Upholder programme.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The arrangements for docking Upholder class submarines in order to correct a design fault in the submarines weapon handling and discharge system were decided in March 1990. The modification work necessarily involves placing the submarines in dry dock. Only three vessels will need to be modified ; the fourth will be built to the modified design. They will not all be docked simultaneously. HMS Upholder will be docked early in 1992 and is due to be completed by the end of that year. HMS Unseen and Ursula are both due to be docked in early 1993 and should be completed by the end of that year. The cost of the modification work is between £7 million and £9 million. The total cost of the Upholder programme is expected to remain within the figure shown in table 3.2 of volume 2 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1991.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional facilities are planned at Rosyth to support the sea trials of the Vanguard class submarines.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No additional facilities are being provided at Rosyth solely to support the Vanguard class submarine sea trials. The docking facility (RD46) currently under construction is for use throughout the operational life of the Vanguard class submarine and could be used during sea trials if necessary.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on future plans for the British underwater test and evaluation centre.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : A study is being carried out into the value for money aspects of the British underwater test and evaluation centre. This study is a precursor to a wider-ranging review of Ministry of Defence test and evaluation facilities generally. Until that review is completed, I cannot comment on the future plans for any individual establishment.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the in-service dates of (a) Tigerfish Mod. 0, (b) Tigerfish Mod. 1 and (c) Tigerfish Mod. 2 ; whether each variant is still in service ; and what changes have been made to (i) the planned role of each variant, (ii) design requirements for each variant, as issued to contractors and (iii) numbers of each variant ordered.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The in-service dates for the three Tigerfish torpedo variants were : Mod 0--1974 ; Mod 1--1980 ; Mod 2--1986. All current in-service Tigerfish torpedoes have been upgraded to Mod 2 standard. The Mod 0 was an anti-submarine weapon. The Mod 1 version added an anti-surface capability and the Mod 2 was the result of a consolidation programme to overcome technical shortcomings with the weapon. Appropriate design specification changes were issued to the prime contractor. Three hundred and sixty Mod 0 torpedoes and 300 Mod 1 torpedoes, including Mod 0s converted to Mod 1s, were ordered. Mod 2 torpedoes are conversions from the earlier Mod 0s and Mod 1s.
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Territorial Army (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will review the proposed changes in the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland so as to ensure that the Province does not bear an unfair share of the cuts.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 10 December, Official Report, column 733. In reaching this position a wide range of factors were taken into account. Territorial balance was one consideration but, in reconciling the differing interests, decisions were taken in the context of the TA as a whole.
Defence Establishments
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in his review of defence establishments ; and when he expects to make an announcement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The review of defence establishments is an ongoing process which involves a number of studies producing results to varying timescales. Announcements of decisions are made as and when appropriate.
ENERGY
Making a Corporate Commitment"
Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what response he has received from his campaign "Making a Corporate Commitment"; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wakeham : The objective of the "Making a Corporate Commitment" campaign is to promote investment in energy efficiency by increasing the number of companies with formal management arrangements, including targets for energy savings, and by providing these companies with targeted information on energy efficiency. I am encouraged by the response to the campaign. To date over 350 companies have requested details and 67 companies have signed the declaration of commitment to responsible energy management, which is the central feature of the campaign. I intend to raise awareness of the campaign in the months ahead through mailshots, seminars, exhibitions, presentation and targeted advertising.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Pesticides
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the pesticides advisory committee will report on pentachlorophenol.
Mr. Maclean : Under the EC Marketing and Use Directive restrictions have been placed on the use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) which will be implemented on 1 July 1992 in all member states. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides will be reviewing the remaining uses of PCP early in 1992.
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Eggs
Mrs. Heal : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what controls and checks there are on the standard of imported eggs ; and in how many cases batches of imported eggs have been found unfit in the last six months.
Mr. Curry : Port health authorities monitor imports of eggs for wholesomeness, including infection by salmonella enteritidis. Information available for the first six months of 1991 shows that six cases of salmonella enteritidis were identified. These have been brought to the attention of the member states concerned.
Executive Agencies
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by each of his Department's executive agencies since their establishment ; and separately identify those quality of service performance indicators already operative prior to agency status.
Mr. Gummer : Prior to its becoming an executive agency the Central Veterinary Laboratory's main quality of service performance indicator was peer assessment by external specialists of its research and development ; since it achieved agency status the laboratory has continued with the peer review of its R and D, achieved National Measurement Accreditation Service (NAMAS) accreditation and is good laboratory practice (GLP) compliant.
The laboratory also participates in the standardisation programmes and international collaborative assays organised by the World Health Organisation, the International Association of Biological Standardisation and the EC.
The Intervention Board is a separate Department under the European Communities Act 1972. Its quality of service indicators for 1990-91 and 1991-92 are :
Percentage of external trade claims processed within deadlines Percentage of external trade claims processed correctly Percentage of payments to storekeepers of intervention stock made within 28 days
Percentage of intervention stock disposed of other than under EC schemes because of deterioration in quality
Percentage of non intervention internal market schemes for which regulatory payment periods are fully met
Percentage of UK accounts submitted within deadline
Percentage of EC accounts submitted within deadline
Percentage of accounts revised after submission
Percentage of guarantee applications dealt with inside 10 days. All these indicators were in existence in some form prior to agency status, but they have been refined and improved. The agency's targets and performance in 1990-91 have been published in its annual report. The quality of service indicators have been revised for 1992-93 and will be :
Percentage of all claims processed within deadline.
Percentage of all claims processed correctly.
Percentage of intervention stock disposed of other than under EC schemes because of deterioration in quality.
Percentage of EC accounts submitted within deadline.
Percentage of United Kingdom accounts submitted within deadline. Percentage of accounts revised after submission.
In answer to a question by my hon. Friend, the Member for Corby, on 16 April 1991 at column 143 , I announced the 1991-92 targets for the veterinary medicines directorate. The quality of service performance indicator
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included in those targets is for 100 per cent. of new licence applications to be issued within 120 clock days. This was operative prior to agency status.Mr. McAllion : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the maximum salary payable to the chief executive of each of his Department's executive agencies, including
performance-related element, and the length of time of the chief executive's contract in each case.
Mr. Gummer : The chief executive of the Central Veterinary Laboratory receives the standard civil service pay for grade 3, and is subject to standard civil service terms and conditions including eligibility for performance pay. His contract is for four years. The appointment of the chief executive of the Intervention Board, which is a separate Department under the European Communities Act 1972, is for three years ending in October 1992. He is paid standard civil service pay at grade 3 plus one discretionary increment under the standard civil service performance pay arrangements gained before his present appointment. He does not participate in civil service performance pay but is eligible for a performance bonus linked to the achievement of predetermined efficiency and quality of service targets, of up to 12.5 per cent. of his salary at the end of the financial year. The maximum payable for 1991-92 would therefore be £52,899.
The chief executive of the veterinary medicines directorate was appointed as director in April 1989 for a period of four years. He is employed as a grade 4 with standard civil service pay, terms and conditions of service and is eligible for performance related pay.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) when the last annual report for each of his Department's executive agencies was published ; and when the next one is due ; (2) if he will list the post, grade and maximum salary payable, including performance-related element, in each case where appointments from the private sector have been made to his Department's executive agencies at grade 7 or above, since their establishment ;
(3) if he will list those new facilities for staff including nurseries and health care schemes which have been introduced in each of his Department's executive agencies since their establishment ; (4) if he will list the new forms of alternative working patterns introduced into each of his Department's executive agencies since their establishment and provide a break-down by grade of the numbers of staff taking up each new working pattern for each new agency ; (5) what was the first degree obtained by the chief executive of each of his Department's executive agencies ; and from which university or polytechnic it was awarded ;
(6) whether a group bonus scheme is in operation in each of his Department's executive agencies ;
(7) how many staff were in post on the date that each of his Department's executive agencies was established ; and how many staff are in post now in each case.
Mr. Gummer : This is a matter for the chief executives of the appropriate agencies and they will be writing to the hon. Member shortly.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was spent on events and
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publicity surrounding the launch of each of his Department's executive agencies ; and whether the cost was borne by the parent department or the new agency.Mr. Gummer : The cost of events and publicity surrounding the launch of the Central Veterinary Laboratory as an executive agency was £28,163 of which £25,000 was borne by my Department.
The amount spent by the Intervention Board on events and publicity surrounding its launch as an agency was £8,520. The cost was borne by the agency, which is a separate Department under the European Communities Act 1972.
The cost of events and publicity surrounding the launch of the veterinary medicines directorate as an executive agency was £13,088. This was borne by my Department.
Badgers
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he intends to take to ensure that licences issued under section 4 of the Badgers Act 1991 do not lead to indiscriminate violation of badger setts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 12 December.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 28 November, Official Report, column 650, what serious risk was involved in the circumstances which led to the granting of a licence under section 4 of the Badgers Act 1991 ; if the licence was issued to one named individual only ; what conditions he attached to that licence ; what action was taken under the licence ; what steps he has taken to ensure that the licence conditions were complied with ; and if he has yet formulated the criteria under which future licences will be issued.
Mr. Maclean : The licence issued by this Ministry under section 4 of the Badgers Act 1991 permitted a named individual to use exclusion techniques for a period of three weeks to prevent a badger digging into and undermining flood defence banking. This action was necessary in order to prevent the risk of flooding. A full report of action taken will be submitted on completion of the work. The criteria under which future licences will be issued will be decided after the consultation exercise is completed.
Set-aside Scheme
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the results of his study of the evaluation of set-aside conducted by the university of Reading.
Mr. Gummer : Reading university will be publishing its findings early next year.
Potatoes
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans there are to change the regime for potatoes in both the EC and the United Kingdom ; what stage the proposed changes have reached ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : I understand that European Commission officials are working on a proposal for a re gime for
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potatoes to come forward early in 1992. I will await these developments in Brussels before taking up a position on the future of our domestic arrangements.Civil Servants (Outside Appointments)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the positions of civil servants in his Ministry at grade 3 and above who have taken up appointments in outside organisations in 1991, giving the name of those organisations and giving in each case (a) the level at which their application for approval was considered, and (b) the conditions of approval which were imposed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : It is not Government practice to disclose details of individual applications under the business appointment rules.
Agriculture Council
Mr. Jopling : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held on 11 and 12 December ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting of the Council accompanied by my hon. Friend, the Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry), Parliamentary Secretary in my Department. The Council completed its first reading of the Commission's proposals for reform of the CAP. I emphasised that proposals should come forward for those sectors not yet covered such as wine, fruit and vegetables and sugar. It was clear that the Council is still some way from agreement and several Ministers pointed out that final decisions could not be taken until the outcome of the GATT round was known. Discussion is now expected to resume under the Portuguese Presidency in January.
The Commissioner reported on developments in the GATT negotiations which seem now to be coming to a climax. I made clear the United Kingdom aim of a lasting, balanced and genuine reform of agricultural policies worldwide.
The Council agreed by a qualified majority an increase in the maximum level of the suckler cow premium, with three member states, including the United Kingdom, voting against. I argued that increased premiums could be justified only by equivalent or greater savings on intervention, which were not proposed.
The Council noted agreement in principle to two directives on plant health. This represents a most satisfactory outcome to a long, difficult negotiation and a significant step towards the single market.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Slovenia and Croatia
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the United Kingdom will recognise the independence of Slovenia and Croatia.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : We accept that those Yugoslav republics which desire independence will have it. We have to judge whether recognition would exacerbate the situation in Croatia or increase the real danger of civil war in other republics. We are working towards recognition as part of a negotiated general settlement involving all Yugoslav parties. This is the only way of guaranteeing the rights of minorities.
Sensitive Technologies
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to the report prepared by the EC Directorate General for Customs on the status of EC member-state customs departments in regard to their adequacy to implement controls over sensitive technologies and military exports from EC member states from 1 January 1993.
Mr. Garel-Jones : No such report has been formally issued by the EC directorate general for customs.
The Commission has, however, been undertaking an informal fact-finding mission to collect information on the export control regime maintained by each member state for dual-use goods : we are closely involved in discussions with the Commission services. We will give careful consideration to the Commission's findings once these are available.
Disarmament
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report by Thomas Schmalber for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR/91/16) "In Pursuit of a Nuclear Test Ban treaty : A Guide to the Debate in the Conference on Disarmament, 1991."
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Yes. A copy has been ordered and will be added to the FCO departmental library in due course.
East Timor
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information Her Majesty's ambassador to the United Nations has received following the visit by the special rapporteur on arbitrary executions, of the United Nations Human Rights Commission to East Timor.
Mr. Lennox Boyd : The special rapporteur on arbitrary executions for the United Nations Human Rights Committee has not visited East Timor recently. A visit is still being considered.
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