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Mr. Chope [holding answer 27 January 1992] : In 1995. There are a number of statutory procedures still to be completed. The scheme remains a high priority and these will be progressed as speedily as possible.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he is making to receive financial advice on the channel tunnel rail link and to consult local authorities and other local interests about the project.
Mr. Rifkind : I am appointing Samuel Montagu and Company Ltd. to act as financial advisers on the rail link project.
Samuel Montagu will advise on private sector interests whilst the line is refined and on the best way in which to hand over the project to the private sector in due course.
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It will also be the Department's point of contact for developers and other private sector concerns with a potential interest in funding and developing the rail link.A new high-level forum, chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Transport, is also to be set up to allow discussions about the rail link project prior to the full public consultations which will be necessary as part of the environmental impact assessment. Local authorities directly affected by the project are being invited to be represented on the forum together with British Rail, my Department, Samuel Montagu, the Department of the Environment and Llewelyn-Davies Planning, the DOE's consultants for the east Thames corridor study. The London Planning Advisory Committee, SERPLAN and Eurotunnel are being invited to attend as observers. The forum is expected to meet for the first time on 17 February. The statutory environmental advisory bodies will also be involved in working-level discussions about the rail link.
PRIME MINISTER
Sellafield
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure co-ordination of consideration by the Secretaries of State for Energy, for Environment and for Northern Ireland of the environmental impact of the Sellafield plant on Northern Ireland and the Irish sea.
The Prime Minister : I am satisfied that suitable mechanisms already exist to achieve the required co-ordination.
Bingham Inquiry
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister on what date he gave his evidence to the Bingham inquiry ; and if he will place a copy of his evidence in the Library.
The Prime Minister : I have nothing to add to the letter I sent the hon. Member on 22 January, a copy of which has been placed in the House Library.
Hong Kong
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the visits made to Hong Kong by Government Ministers since June 1987 giving the date and purpose of the visit in each case.
The Prime Minister : The following Government Ministers visited Hong Kong since June 1987 on Government business :
Ministerial Visits to Hong Kong
1987 (from June) :
Lord Glenarthur, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in September.
1988 :
Sir Geoffrey Howe, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in May ; Lord Glenarthur, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in February and June ; Mr. Chris Patten, Minister for Overseas Development, in September ; Lord Young, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in June ; Mr. Cecil Parkinson, Secretary of State for Energy, in June ; Mr. George Younger, Secretary of State for Defence, in March ; Mr. Archie Hamilton, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, in March ; Mr. Ian Stewart, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, in January ; Mr. Peter Morrison, Minister of State for Energy, in
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September ; Mr. Wyn Roberts, Minister of State, Welsh Office, in September ; Mr. John Macgregor, Minister for Agriculture, in September ; Mr. Paul Channon, Secretary of State for Transport, in November ; Mr. Nicholas Ridley, Secretary of State for the Environment, in December ; Mr. Francis Maude, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in September.1989 :
Lord Mackay, Lord Chancellor, in December ; Sir Geoffrey Howe, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in July ; Lord Young, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in April ; Lord Glenarthur, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in January ; and his successor, Mr. Francis Maude, in September ; Mr. Peter Viggers, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry, in November ; and Mr. Richard Needham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in December. 1990 :
Mr. Douglas Hurd, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in January ; Mr. Michael Howard, Secretary of State for Employment, in September ; Mr. Francis Maude, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in April and July ; and his successor, Lord Caithness, in September ; Mr. Tim Sainsbury, Minister for Trade and Mr. David Mellor, Minister for the Arts, in September ; Mr. Peter Lloyd, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office, in March and Mr. John Maples, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, in November.
1991 :
I visited in September ; Mr. Douglas Hurd, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in April and September ; Mr. Michael Heseltine, Secretary of State for the Environment, in September ; Mr. Tom King, Secretary of State for Defence, in September ; Mr. John Wakeham, Secretary of State for Energy, in November ; Mr. John Gummer, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in October ; and Lord Caithness, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in January, July and December.
Departmental Information Systems
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the current state of implementation of FAMIS--financial and management information systems--or its equivalent in each of Her Majesty's Government's Departments ; and what proposals he has to develop the system.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 27 January 1992] : Following the financial management initiative, most Departments have been developing financial and management information systems, although there is no single model. Executive agencies set up under the "next steps" initiative are now doing the same. Such systems require continuing development to clarify managerial responsibility, to give better information on how to improve value for money and quality of service from the resources consumed, and to meet changing business needs. The Government will continue to encourage the effort being devoted to developing such systems.
ENERGY
Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will specify the marketing and public relations functions of Dewe Rogerson on electricity privatisation since the flotation of the generating companies in 1990-91.
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Mr. Wakeham : Dewe Rogerson's functions in this period relate to the collection of the further instalments due on the shares in the privatised electricity companies.Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) on what criteria Schroder Wagg was selected as underwriters on electricity privatisation in September 1990 ;
(2) on what criteria Schroder Wagg was selected to advise on a trade sale in the course of electricity privatisation from June to August 1990.
Mr. Wakeham : The firm was selected on the usual principal of their experience and expertise in the areas in question.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what advice he has received on electricity privatisation during 1991-92.
Mr. Wakeham : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 23 January 1992, at columns 282-84 .
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the fees to be paid in 1991-92 for advice on coal privatisation ; and what estimate has been made for 1992-93.
Mr. Wakeham : The provision for preliminary expenses in 1991-92 in connection with the privatisation of British Coal is £5 million. Provision for 1992-93 is under consideration.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy further to his answer of 23 January, which of the advisers on electricity privatisation were appointed by competitive tender.
Mr. Wakeham : As a general rule the advisers listed in that answer were appointed through a process of competitive tendering. New tenders were not sought for certain of the reporting accountant and property valuer appointments where the firms were already retained by the electricity companies and were judged to have given satisfactory service. Competitions were not held for five contracts, either because they were very small, or on other specific grounds including that of limited alternative sources of expertise.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what were the total fees paid out to underwriters in the course of the privatisation of the regional electricity companies and the generating companies, respectively.
Mr. Wakeham : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 25 June 1991, at column 437.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether any foreign individuals or organisations have been considered for appointment as consultants on mining safety and coal privatisation.
Mr. Wakeham : No foreign individuals or organisations were considered for appointment as consultant on coal mining safety matters.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all those companies that acted as underwriters to the sale of the regional electricity companies, and of the generating companies, respectively, giving the date of their appointments in each case.
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Mr. Wakeham : J. Henry Schroder Wagg and Co. Limited was appointed in September 1990, as the Government's lead underwriters to the regional electricity companies sale, to assemble the underwriting group listed below as shown in the prospectus. The underwriting was secured by competitive tender, not by appointment.
Underwriters to the regional electricity companies sale J. Henry Schroder Wagg and Co. Ltd.
Barclays de Zoete Wedd Ltd.
Baring Brothers and Co. Ltd.
The British Linen Bank Ltd.
Chartered WestLB Ltd.
Charterhouse Bank Ltd.
County NatWest Ltd.
Robert Fleming and Co. Ltd.
Guinness Mahon and Co. Ltd.
Hill Samuel Bank Ltd.
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Laing and Cruickshank
Lloyds Merchant Bank Ltd.
Samuel Montagu and Co. Ltd.
Morgan Grenfell and Co. Ltd.
Paribas Ltd.
Swiss Bank Corporation
UBS Phillips and Drew Securities Ltd.
S. G. Warburg and Co. Ltd.
There was no primary underwriting for the generating companies sale.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy which of the organisations that have advised or are advising on electricity and coal privatisation respectively, have been criticised in public reports by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors.
Mr. Wakeham : Of the advisers listed in my answers to the hon. Member on 23 January 1992, at columns 282-84, such references have been made to the following firms engaged on electricity privatisation :
Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte ; Ernst & Young ; James Capel ; Kleinwort Benson ; Peat Marwick McLintock ; Price Waterhouse ; Smith New Court ; and Spicer & Oppenheim.
The extent of criticism varies in scale, and reference should be made to the relevant reports.
No such references have been made to any of the advisers listed as engaged on coal privatisation.
Publicity
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are his current duties in relation to the co-ordination of Government publicity.
Mr. Wakeham : My responsibilities for co-ordinating the development of the presentation of Government policy are unchanged.
Coal Imports
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his Department's estimate of the likely total coal imports in the current financial year in both volume and value.
Mr. Wakeham : My Department does not make such estimates. Provisional figures suggest that the volume of coal imports in calendar year 1991 was 19.5 million tonnes and the value was £702 million.
British Coal (Chairman)
Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has set objectives for the chairman of the British Coal Corporation.
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Mr. Wakeham : I have agreed objectives with Neil Clarke, chairman of the British Coal Corporation, as follows :1. The overall objective of the Corporation must be to develop a coal mining business that achieves sustainable profitability. British Coal must of course operate within the financial framework set by Government, and notably the Corporation's external financing limit and the required rate of return of at least 8 per cent. in real terms on the Corporation's investment programme. Specific objectives should be :
(i) to achieve a profit (after interest and tax) on a group basis over the period 1991-92 to 1993-94 ;
(ii) to achieve in the deep mine sector over that period an overall operating profit while at least breaking even on operational cash flow, including operational capital expenditure ;
(iii) to withdraw from all presently loss making business where practicable except in cases where there is the realistic prospect of achieving sustained profitability in the foreseeable future ; 2. The Corporation should further review its policies on licensing both deep mines and opencast operations so as to enable the expansion of competitive private sector coal production.
3. The Corporation should continue to develop policies to mitigate adverse environmental effects arising from its activities. 4. The safety of all persons at British Coal workplaces must remain the Corporation's overriding concern. The safety objectives should be to aim for zero fatalities and progressively to reduce the reportable accident rate from that experienced in 1990-91.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Schools (Selection)
14. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the effects of the Greenwich judgment on the selection of schools.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Greenwich judgment widened the choice of school available to some parents by requiring applications from those living outside a local authority's area to be considered in the same way as those living within it. At our request, the London Boroughs Association and individual local authorities have submitted evidence about the effects of the Greenwich judgment on school admissions in 1991. I am considering the evidence and will give my conclusions soon.
Education Administration (Lancashire)
16. Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the annual cost per pupil of administration on education of Lancashire county council in the latest year available.
Mr. Fallon : The information from Lancashire's section 42 budget statement for 1991-92 shows that the annual cost of administration per pupil is £60.
Teacher Supply
17. Mr. Haynes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his current assessment of teacher supply.
Mr. Fallon : Teacher supply has improved significantly--vacancies in 1991 fell by 20 per cent. and recruitment to teacher training rose by 21 per cent. These improvements are particularly marked in those subjects and locations to
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which it is traditionally difficult to recruit. Government efforts to make teaching more attractive are working and will be maintained to meet rising demand through the 1990s.Grant-maintained Schools
18. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress he can report on applications for, and agreement of, grant-maintained status.
Mr. Eggar : There are currently 168 schools approved for grant- maintained status, of which 143 are operating. Another 76 schools have published proposals, 43 schools are committed to publish proposals following a yes vote. A further 49 schools are committed to holding a ballot of parents on grant-maintained status.
22. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many school applications for
grant-maintained status are now in the pipeline ; how many other school reorganisation applications are currently before him ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : A total of 168 schools are now in the process of applying for grant-maintained status, with published proposals, yes votes or ballots pending. There are currently some 118 proposals for school reorganisation under section 12 or 13 of the Education Act 1980 before the Secretary of State for decision. This figure excludes proposals which are expected to be determined by local education authorities. Where there are conflicting proposals, my right hon. and learned Friend is obliged to consider one set of proposals against the other and then decide on the grant-maintained proposals first, followed by the proposals from the local education authority and the governors of the voluntary-aided schools.
Primary Schools
20. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the implementation of the national curriculum in primary schools.
Mr. Eggar : The implementation of the national curriculum in primary schools is proceeding well, thanks in large part to the dedication and hard work of teachers, and is already achieving our objective of improving the quality of education offered to children.
Student Grants
21. Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the distribution of mandatory student grants by local education authorities in the current academic year.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Most local education authorities have managed to administer the record numbers of student awards this year on a satisfactory timescale. It is a matter for regret that a number of authorities, however, allowed significant backlogs to occur last autumn. My Department has investigated the complaints we have received, and has reminded the authorities in question of their obligations.
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Grammar Schools
23. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards grammar schools.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Government do not intend to impose any particular organisational pattern for schools. I believe in a diversity of provision of schools and I am ready to consider any application for change of character of school put forward by a local education authority for a maintained school or the governing body of a voluntary-aided or grant- maintained school. I will consider each application for a change of character from comprehensive to selective entry on its individual merits.
25. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many grammar schools have been closed since 1979.
Mr. Eggar : In January 1991 there were 106 fewer maintained grammar schools in England than there had been in January 1979. However it does not follow that this represents the number of actual closures in that period, since some of these may, for example, have merged with other schools, or transferred to the independent sector, or changed status within the maintained sector.
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