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Energy Supplies Ltd.Northfleet Waste to Energy
Babcock Power Investments Ltd.
Southampton Geothermal Heating Co. Ltd.
Wessex Waste Management
Yorkshire Renewable Energy
Thames Water Utilities
Biogas Generation Ltd
North West Water Ltd.
Arigen Ltd.
Adams Integrated Waste Ltd.
Northumbrian Environmental Management Ltd.
Slough Estates
MANWEB plc
Midlands Electricity plc
Northern Electric plc
South Western Electricity plc
Southern Electricity plc
SEEBOARD plc
London Electricity plc
Yorkshire Electricity Group plc
East Midlands Electricity plc
Eastern Electricity plc
OFFER
Vestas Danish Wind Technology
Renewable Energy Systems Ltd.
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry
Petroleum Industry Association
Onshore Oil Operators' Group
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.
The National Grid (CEGB)
British Gas plc
In addition to the 100 energy organisations mentioned, comments were also invited from more than 200 other organisations and individuals including local authority associations, professional and planning bodies, and conservation organisations.
PRIME MINISTER
Non-proliferation Treaty
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister what steps Her Majesty's Government intend to take in the current year to achieve full compliance with United Kingdom obligations under article VI of the United Nations nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The Prime Minister : The Government's policy continues to be to work for secure defence at the lowest possible level of armaments, both conventional and nuclear, building on the arms reductions announced by us and others in 1991. The immediate priority is to ensure full compliance in the Commonwealth of Independent States with the arms control undertakings of the former Soviet Union.
United Nations Security Council
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the plans Her Majesty's Government have to promote the role of the United Nations in (a) disarmament and (b) environmental protection, during the United Kingdom presidency of the United Nations Security Council in 1992.
The Prime Minister : We hope that the high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council which I shall be chairing on 31 January, will stress the importance the council attaches to arms control, to the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, and to responsibility in the export of
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conventional arms. We are also playing a full part in the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June.EC (United Kingdom Contribution)
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the size of the net contribution made by the United Kingdom to the EC ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so. The Fontainebleau mechanism negotiated in 1984 continues to provide a significant abatement to our contributions, with a cumulative benefit of some £12.5 billion by the end of 1992.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Indonesia
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government with regard to President Suharto's accelerated transmigration programme.
Mrs. Chalker : We have not had any recent discussions with the Indonesian Government on this subject.
Bulgaria
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to increase the amount of aid to Bulgaria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : The know-how fund was extended to Bulgaria in February 1991 to provide British advice, skills and training in assisting the transition to democracy and a market economy. In this first year an initial range of projects has been developed involving some £1.3 million of commitments mainly in the financial, management, employment and public administration sectors. I expect the programme to expand as more know-how fund projects are identified.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet his EC counterparts to increase the amount of food aid to Bulgaria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : The need for food aid for central and eastern European countries is kept under close review by the Council and Commission. Aid to these countries will be considered by the Council on 3 February. Neither Her Majesty's Government nor the Commission is aware of any Bulgarian requests for food aid this winter.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Schools (Performance Information)
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will specify the information to be made available to parents and the general public concerning a school's performance ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Eggar : We issued on 10 January a consultation document covering our proposals for the publication of performance information in 1992. Copies of the document were placed in the Library. We shall extend the content and coverage of our proposals from 1993 using the powers to be made available under the Education (Schools) Bill.Special Education
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if Her Majesty's inspectorate will continue to employ inspectors with a specific responsibility for and experience in special educational provision ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) what measures he proposes to ensure that the proposed local school inspection teams take account of provision of special education ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what plans he has to ensure that the Department continues to receive information and independent advice on special education from Her Majesty's inspectorate.
Mr. Eggar : Under the Education (Schools) Bill, Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools will be under a duty to keep the Secretary of State informed about the quality, standards and efficiency of education in schools, and to advise the Secretary of State on specific issues either on request or as the chief inspector sees fit. The provision of information and advice on special educational needs will therefore form part of the chief inspector's duties. The arrangements made to meet this responsibility will be a matter for the chief inspector.
The Bill will also place a general duty on registered inspectors to report on quality, standards and efficiency when carrying out inspections under the new arrangements. Provision made for pupils with special educational needs will fall to be considered under each of these headings. I am confident that the chief inspector's guidance to registered inspectors will deal with the need to cover this aspect in every school inspection.
Citizens Charter
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money his Department has spent on producing its citizens charter proposals, arising from production, distribution and publicity costs.
Mr. Eggar : The citizens charter promised publication of a charter for parents and an updated Guide to the national curriculum. The total cost as at 31 December 1991 of producing, distributing and publicising the parents charter was £1.853 million. The estimated cost to date of producing and distributing the guide to the national curriculum is £0.423 million ; no publicity costs have been incurred.
Seven-year-old Children (Testing)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science why it was decided to abandon the undertaking to local education authorities that the tests for seven-year-old children would not be published.
Mr. Eggar : Parents and others involved in education have every right to see the results nationally and at local level : the assurance given when collecting the results was
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that neither individual schools' nor individual pupils' results would be identified. This assurance has been honoured by my Department.Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science why it was decided not to moderate the tests for seven-year-old school children undertaken in 1991 to ensure consistency of testing between local education authorities.
Mr. Eggar : Consistency of testing seven-year-olds was secured through the use by all schools of standard tests against the clear criteria of the national curriculum ; the guidance to all schools provided by the School Examinations and Assessment Council--SEAC--and the duty on local education authorities, under the oversight of SEAC, to monitor and ensure the consistency of their schools' assessments in relation to national standards.
Examination Statistics
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many boys and girls passed one of more A-level subject for each year from 1985-86 ; and how many pupils gained one or more O-levels from 1985-86 both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the 17-year-old population for A-level subjects and as a percentage of all maintained school leavers for O-level subjects.
Mr. Eggar : For the academic years 1985-86 to 1989-90, the latest year for which information is available, the numbers and percentages of pupils gaining one or more A-level or O-level passes in maintained schools were as are shown in the following table.
School leavers with one or more A/AS passes
Maintained schools-England
Number of leavers As a percentage of the
(thousands) 17-year-old population
|Boys |Girls |Total |Boys |Girls |Total
---------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |46.42 |45.45 |91.87 |12.2 |12.5 |12.3
1986-87 |46.84 |46.18 |93.02 |12.5 |12.9 |12.7
1987-88 |47.19 |45.97 |93.16 |12.9 |13.2 |13.0
1988-89 |46.92 |48.68 |95.59 |12.7 |13.8 |13.2
1989-90 |51.00 |54.31 |105.31|14.7 |16.5 |15.6
Number of leavers As a percentage of leavers
(thousands) from maintained schools
|Boys |Girls |Total |Boys |Girls |Total
1985-86 |119.90|139.64|259.55|35.1 |42.0 |38.5
1986-87 |119.10|139.27|258.37|34.9 |42.2 |38.5
1987-88 |112.95|134.44|247.40|36.0 |44.7 |40.2
1988-89 |114.25|129.72|243.96|39.2 |46.4 |42.8
1989-90 |106.57|122.35|228.92|39.1 |46.6 |42.8
East Devon College of Further Education
Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science for each of the financial years 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94, whether it is Government policy that any surplus of revenue over expenditure should be at the disposal of the governors of East Devon college of further education at Tiverton or that it should be paid over to the local education authority.
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Mr. Eggar : For 1991-92 the treatment of any surplus of revenue over expenditure is determined by the provisions of the scheme for local management of further education colleges in Devon.The position in 1992-93 and thereafter will be subject to the passage of the Further and Higher Education Bill currently before Parliament. It is proposed that the balance of a college's income and expenditure in local authority accounts for 1992-93 will transfer to the new corporate body to be established under the legislation. Regulations will be drawn up under which such balances can be determined and attributed to colleges. Wherever possible, that will be by reference to the arrangements set out in the local management scheme for the local authority concerned.
Subject to the financial memoranda agreed between individual colleges and the Further Education Funding Council (England), which, from April 1993, will fund institutions, it is intended that any surplus of revenue over expenditure after that date will be at the disposal of the new corporate bodies.
Higher Education
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of students in advanced education now and in 1979.
Mr. Alan Howarth : There were 1,103,700 higher education students in Great Britain institutions in the academic year 1990-91 compared with 777,800 in 1979-80.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of students attending polytechnics this year ; and what was the corresponding figure for 1987.
Mr. Alan Howarth : There were 317,500 students attending polytechnics in England in the academic year 1990-91, compared with 242,200 in 1987.
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of students currently in higher and university education ; and what were the numbers in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The numbers of students in higher education in Great Britain universities, polytechnics and colleges, including the Open university and the centrally funded colleges in Scotland in the years 1979, 1983 and 1987 were 777,800, 871,300 and 1,066,700 respectively. Numbers of students in academic year 1990-91, the latest for which information is available, were 1,103,700.
Universities
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessments his Department makes of the comparative level of achievement of British universities relative to those in other countries.
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Mr. Alan Howarth : Comparisons between education systems are notoriously difficult. However, statistical comparisons based on internationally accepted definitions show that the proportion of the relevant age group gaining higher education qualifications in the United Kingdom is among the highest in Europe. Her Majesty's inspectorate, as part of its foreign travel programme, compares and contrasts the quality of provision in higher education institutions at home and abroad.
Foreign Students
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of foreign students with places at universities, and the approximate revenue generated.
Mr. Alan Howarth : In the academic year 1990-91, there were 56,409 students from overseas attending full-time courses at universities in Great Britain. Universities received a total of approximately £232 million in tuition fee income from these students.
Illiteracy
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the extent of adult illiteracy in the United Kingdom ; what definition he uses of illiteracy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : There are very few adults in the United Kingdom who cannot read or write at all, but there are substantial numbers who cannot cope with the demands of everyday life. They cannot, for example, fill in forms, check pay-slips or give the correct change. Such people are often described as being "functionally illiterate". The adult literacy and basic skills unit--ALBSU--which advises the Government, estimates that 5.5 million people in England and Wales have some difficulty with reading, writing, spelling and basic mathematics. That cannot be a precise figure, but there is no doubt that there are still many people requiring help.
The Government give high priority to basic skills--that is literacy and numeracy--education for adults. Local education authorities are currently the main providers of this, but central government also gives support, to ALBSU, and through a number of central initiatives. Grants to ALBSU have increased more than six-fold over the past decade, to over £3 million in 1991-92.
The Further and Higher Education Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will strengthen the position of basic skills. The further education funding councils will be under a specific duty to secure adequate provision of basic skills education for adults.
Such provisions should make the best use of whatever facilities and expertise are available and should be readily accessible to local communities.
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ENERGY
Renewable Energy
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects the renewable energy advisory group strategy review to be reported to him ; and what arrangements he proposes to make to publish its contents.
Mr. Moynihan : The report of the renewable energy advisory group is expected by April and it will be published shortly after that.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his oral statement to the House on 5 November, Official Report, columns 329 -31, on the 1991 Renewable Energy Order, what is his most up-to-date estimate of the amount of up-and-running installed capacity measured on a declared net capacity basis, on 1 January 1993, 1994 1995, 1996 and 1997, based on an equivalent basis to the 472 MW of capacity to be installed by 1 January 1998.
Mr. Moynihan : Orders setting a non-fossil fuel obligation specify the amounts of non-fossil sourced generating capacity that the regional electricity companies must have available during the periods covered by the order, and the regional electricity companies must satisfy the Office of Electricity Regulation that they have made arrangements to secure that capacity. However, the amount of such capacity that is actually available to the regional electricity companies at any particular time will largely depend on the extent to which new projects are able to obtain planning permission, and any other necessary consents, and to go forward to commissioning.
Major Energy Users Council
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what date he has set for his meeting with the Major Energy Users Council ; what is the proposed agenda for the meeting ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wakeham : I have offered to meet the Major Energy Users Council to discuss electricity prices ; a meeting has been arranged for next month.
Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list those advanced gas-cooled reactors belonging to Nuclear Electric which have their main steam and hot reheat steam pipework manufactured from 0.5 per cent. chrome, 0.5 per cent. molybdenum and 0.25 per cent. vanadium (CMV) alloy steel.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : This is an operational matter for Nuclear Electric plc.
Uranium (Dounreay)
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on what date he was first advised of the recorded disappearance of 10.1 kg of highly enriched uranium from Dounreay.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My Department was advised of the nuclear materials discrepancy at Dounreay on 3 December 1991.
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Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what estimate he has made of loss of revenue to Dounreay reprocessing plant following its closure after the recorded disappearance of 10.1 kg of highly enriched uranium.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : None. This is a commercial matter for the management of the Atomic Energy Authority.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what aspects of the accounting procedures at Dounreay are to be re-assessed following the recorded disappearance of 10.1 kg of highly enriched uranium from Dounreay.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The inquiry report into the nuclear materials discrepancy at Dounreay has just been received and is being studied by officials of my Department. I will consider what information may be provided when examination of the report and its findings have been completed.
Dounreay
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on how many occasions in the past three months he has had (a) written and (b) telephone communication with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority about the operations of Dounreay nuclear reprocessing plant.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We have regular contact with the UKAEA regarding all aspects of their activities, including those carried out at Dounreay.
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