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Mr. McGrady : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Director of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. concerning the siting of the repository for radioactive and toxic waste at the Sellafield re- processing plant in Cumbria.
The Prime Minister : None. Proposals for developing a repository for intermediate and low-level radioactive
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wastes are a matter for UK Nirex Limited. The Departments of Energy and of the Environment are in contact with Nirex from time to time.Pollution, Northern Ireland
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the directors of industry concerning environmental pollution during his recent visit to Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister : The subject did not arise.
Scotland
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I hope to make another visit to Scotland in the near future.
HEALTH
Hospital Eye Service
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has had regarding the feasibility of collecting information about and monitoring trends in referrals to the hospital eye service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Other than two parliamentary questions from my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Edgbaston (Dame Jill Knight), on 20 December 1991 at column 356, we have received no representations.
The Department collects information on the hospital eye service through regular statistical returns. This includes data from district health authorities on the number of glasses, contact lenses and low vision aids prescribed and the number of patients attending the hospital eye service in connection with these services.
Erythropoieten Treatment
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated number of patients who need erythropoieten treatment who have been refused on the ground of cost (a) nationally and (b) regionally.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not collected centrally.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the total number of people who have (a) been removed from national health service hospital waiting lists and (b) been placed on pending waiting lists prior to being added to waiting lists, in the last 12 months.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : If a hospital doctor decides that someone needs treatment they are either treated immediately or put on a waiting list for non-urgent treatment. In the 12 months to September 1991 nearly 2.8 million patients were admitted to hospitals from waiting lists. The names of a further 334,118 were removed from lists for other reasons, for example, because they had already been treated or no longer needed treatment.
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HIV (Blood Transfusions)
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many non-haemophiliacs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have contracted HIV as a result of contaminated national health service blood/tissue trans-fers (a) remain alive, (b) have developed AIDS and remain alive and (c) developed AIDS and have since died ; (2) how many non- haemophiliacs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have contracted HIV infection as a result of national health service transfers of (a) blood, (b) blood products and (c) tissue ; and how many of each of these groups became infected before the introduction of screening of donations in October 1985.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There have been 61 reports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland of HIV infection in people who received blood in the United Kingdom. All of these reports related to the period prior to October 1985. In addition, there has been one report of HIV infection in a patient who received a tissue transfer after October 1985 from a donor who was subsequently found to be HIV positive.
The total number of infected people thought to be alive is 30. The number of people reported with AIDS is 29, of whom 23 are known to have died.
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of people who received national health service transfusions of blood contaminated with the HIV virus ; how many have subsequently been diagnosed HIV positive ; and how many have died.
Mr. Waldegrave [pursuant to the reply, 14 November 1991, c. 656] : I have decided that the special provision already made for those with haemophilia and HIV is to be extended to those who have been infected with HIV as a result of national health service blood transfusion or tissue transfer in the United Kingdom. The payments will also apply to any of their spouses partners and children to whom their infection may have been passed on. The rates of payments are shown in the table. Similar help will be available throughout the United Kingdom.
The Government have never accepted the argument for a general scheme of no fault compensation for medical accidents, as such a scheme would be unworkable and unfair. That remains our position. We made special provision for those with haemophilia and HIV because of their very special circumstances. It has been argued that this special provision should be extended to include those who have become infected with HIV through blood or tissue transfer within the United Kingdom. I have considered very carefully all the circumstances and the arguments which have been put to us. I have concluded that it would be right to recognise that this group, who share the tragedy of those with haemophilia in becoming infected with HIV through medical treatment within the United Kingdom, is also a very special case.
The circumstances of each infected transfusion or tissue recipient will need to be considered individually to establish that their treatment in the United Kingdom was the source of their infection. A small expert panel is being set up to consider cases where necessary. I am pleased that Mr. Benet Hytner QC
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has agreed to chair this panel and I shall shortly appoint two medical assessors to assist in this work. Further detailed work needs to be done on the machinery for handling individual claims for these payments ; but payments will be made as soon as possible. Parliamentary authority for making these payments will be sought through supply estimates and the confirming Appropriation Act. On the basis of the reported cases the estimated cost could be £12 million. However, I cannot be certain about the cost, as numbers of valid claims are not known.I share the great sympathy which is universally felt for the blood and tissue recipients who have tragically become infected through their treatment. Money cannot compensate for this, but I hope that the provision we are making will provide some measure of financial security for those affected and their families.
Table
The amounts of payments to be made to the HIV infected NHS
blood and tissue transfer recipients are:
|£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Infant |41,500 each
-Single adult |43,500 each
-Married adult without dependant children |52,000 each
-Infected person with dependant children |80,500 each
and to the infected spouses and/or children of the above:
Adult infected spouse or partner of the blood or
tissue recipient |23,500 each
Infected child who is married |23,500 each
Unmarried infected child |21,500 each
These are the amounts already paid to people with HIV and
haemophilia.
Tobacco
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total amount paid by his Department to campaign against the use of tobacco products in the past year.
Mr. Dorrell : In 1991-92, the Health Education Authority, which is wholly funded for this purpose by the Department of Health, will have spent an estimated £6 million on smoking and health campaigns. In addition, health authorities mount local campaigns from within their own resources.
NHS Executive Report
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of producing the national health service management executive report on the performance of the national health service in the first six months of its reform ; how many copies of the report were printed ; what was the cost associated therewith ; who approved the cost ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : Ministers are accountable to the House for all their Department's expenditure. The estimated cost of producing, distributing and launching 35,000 copies of the booklet "NHS Reforms--The First Six Months" is £34,000.
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Clinical Priorities
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of clinical priorities in respect of the treatment of individual patients in implementing (a) the waiting list initiative and (b) the patients charter.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for clinicians to decide when a patient should be admitted for treatment having regard to the individual's clinical priority. However, because we believe that no patient should wait excessively for any treatment, under the patients charter, we are introducing a two-year waiting time guarantee from1 April. We are also investing an additional £39 million through the waiting list fund next year to ensure that everyone is treated within a reasonable time.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Companies (Trade Aid)
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which 10 companies have been the leading indirect beneficiaries of spending within the aid trade provision since its inception in 1978 ; and what percentage of total aid and trade provision-- ATP--spending each has attracted.
Mrs. Chalker : The ATP commitments since 1978 total £1,374 million. The 10 largest aggregate commitments by lead contractor were as follows :
|Percentage of
|total
|commitments
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Balfour Beatty |21.7
GEC |8.1
Davy |6.3
Biwater |4.5
AMEC International |4.3
Snamprogetti UK |3.4
NEI |3.3
JBE |3.2
Phillips Radio Communication Systems |2.5
Marconi |2.0
Project |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Balfour Beatty
Cameroon NW Electrification |1.795
Malawi Power Transmission |2.590
China Yueyang Transmission Line |3.072
Malaysia Pergau Hydro-electric |234.000
Burma Bridge Project |0.090
Colombia Bridges |0.301
Colombia Bridges Extension |0.152
Indonesia Bukit Asam Railway Bridges |0.152
Indonesia Mrica Hydro Project |12.075
Jordan HV Transmission Line |3.611
Malaysia Shungei Ahning Dam |2.344
Paraguay Power Transmission Scheme |1.350
Paraguay Power Transmission Scheme |2.870
Peru Mini Hydro Project |4.852
Philippines Wood Burning Power Station |1.967
Philippines Dendro Power Station Adviser |0.040
Sri Lanka Samanalawewa Hydro Project |16.570
Thailand Mini Hydros Pilot Plant |2.500
China Beijing Subway |7.070
Tunisia Railway Equipment |0.500
|-------
Total |297.901
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Project |£ million --------------------------------------------------------- Marconi Indonesia Shortwave Transmitters |25.911
Project |£ million -------------------------------------------------------------- Phillips Radio Communications Systems Indonesia Forestry Communications |34.111
Project |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------
John Brown Engineering
Burma Gas Turbines Project |3.201
Burma Gas Turbines Project |2.213
Kenya Kipevu Power Station |1.959
Vietnam Haiphong Power Station |2.888
Panama Gas Turbines Power Station |6.727
China Chongquing Power Station |6.500
Morocco Gas Turbines |7.276
Philippines Gas Turbines |13.125
|---
Total |43.889
@
Project |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------
NEI
Malaysia Sandakan Power Station |0.929
Botswana Moruple Power Station Turbines |4.418
Malaysia Connaught Bridge |23.485
Cyprus Dhekelia B Power Station |0.366
India Super Thermal Power Plant |17.034
|---
Total |46.232
Project |£ million -------------------------------------------------------- Snamprogetti China Dushanzi Ethylene Project |47.179
Project |£ million -------------------------------------------------------- Amec International Construction Turkey natural gas conversion |58.700
Project |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------
Biwater
Malaysia rural water supply scheme |59.460
Sri Lanka hill country water |2.129
|-------
Total |61.589
Project |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Davy
Egypt brake block foundry |0.884
Mexico Sicartsa steel works |34.943
China Bohai I |8.802
Morocco Nador roll mill |13.505
China Danyang aluminium plant |3.532
Indonesia Cigading/Serpong railway rehabilitation |24.690
|-------
Total |86.356
Project |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GEC
China Yueyang power station |51.414
China Yueyang power station training |3.864
Turkey circuit breakers |0.940
Indonesia scattered diesels |5.891
Yueyang additional training |0.450
Bangladesh combined cycle gas power station |4.680
Bolivia mineral concentrator project |0.027
Egypt electrical switchgear |2.000
India Balco power station |33.066
Malawi telecommunications |0.052
Malawi telecommunications |0.026
Malaysia viewdata project |0.851
Zimbabwe railway electrification |8.068
|-------
Total |111.329
Brazil
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 December, Official Report, columns 149-50, what was the total proportion of each project budget for technical and scientific co-operation with Brazil earmarked for long-term consultancy inputs, including management charges, costs of technical co-operation officers and travel and subsistence costs for consultants.
Mrs. Chalker : The information requested is as follows :
Project |Per cent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Anglo-Brazilian Climate Observation Study |53 2. Caxiuana Research Station |12 3. Forestry Development of Aromatic Plants and Essential Oils |17 4. Recife Environmental Control Project |30 5. Tocantins Forestry and Rural Development Project |18 6. Demini Yanomami Health Care Project |nil 7. Floodplain Forest Ecology and Management Project |11 8. Tapajos Forest Management Project |<1>16 9. Central Amazonia Flora and Vegetation Project |29 <1>Includes short-term consultancy fees. Projects 8 and 9 were approved since the answer given on 4 December.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Criminal Trials
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Attorney-General how many criminal cases were brought to trial in (a) the magistrates courts and (b) the Crown courts in each of the past five years ; how many of them resulted in pleas of guilty ; and how many which involved not guilty pleas resulted in acquittal.
The Attorney-General : Tables 1 to 3 give the information that is currently available. Table 1 shows the number of defendants proceeded against at the magistrates courts from 1986 to 1990, the latest available. The figures for the number of pleas of guilty are not separately collected. Tables 2 and 3 give the information for cases and defendants dealt with at the Crown court in the years 1987 to 1991. The information provided comes from two different sources, each using different definitions and collection mechanisms. As a consequence, the figures in tables 2 and 3 are not directly comparable with those in table 1.
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Table 1
Defendants dealt with summarily at magistrates' courts in England and Wales<1>
Thousands
Summary offences Indictable offences
triable either way
|<2>Acquitted|<3>Convicted|<2>Acquitted|<3>Convicted|Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |183 |1,510 |54 |308 |2,052
1987 |166 |1,168 |60 |300 |1,695
1988 |175 |1,169 |65 |295 |1,705
1989 |197 |1,192 |67 |256 |1,712
1990<4> |222 |1,169 |74 |262 |1,727
<1> Source: Home Office.
<2> Charge withdrawn or dismissed (ie the court after hearing the evidence, decide the
defendant is not guilty).
<3> Includes pleas of guilty.
<4> Provisional.
Cases dealt with at the Crown court in England and Wales<1>
|Guilty plea|Not guilty |<2>Other |Total
|plea
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |59,218 |28,006 |8,973 |96,197
1988 |68,389 |26,820 |9,564 |104,773
1989 |64,570 |26,830 |9,832 |101,232
1990 |63,588 |26,177 |10,240 |100,005
<3>1991 |62,319 |27,432 |11,632 |101,383
<1> Source: Lord Chancellor's Department.
<2> No plea recorded.
<3> Provisional and liable to revision in the future.
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Table 3
Defendants dealt with at the Crown Court in England and Wales<1>
Plea
Not guilty to all counts Not guilty to some counts
|Guilty plea |Acquitted<2>|Convicted |Acquitted<2>|Convicted |Other<3> |Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |86,555 |15,560 |15,475 |790 |2,233 |12,344 |132,957
1988 |95,866 |17,542 |14,507 |792 |1,760 |13,004 |143,471
1989 |89,361 |17,517 |13,827 |993 |2,202 |13,085 |136,985
1990 |86,845 |17,241 |12,752 |1,012 |1,978 |13,862 |133,690
<4>1991 |82,305 |17,663 |12,701 |1,460 |2,595 |15,440 |132,164
<1> Source: Lord Chancellor's Department.
<2> Jury acquittals, discharges by the judge (not guilty to all those counts where not guilty plea entered only) and
acquittals directed by the
judge).
<3> Bench warrants issued, no plea recorded, indictment to lie on file, found unfit to plead and other results.
<4> Provisional and liable to revision in the future.
Court of Appeal
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Attorney-General how many defendants in the Court of Appeal criminal division were (a) granted leave to appeal against conviction and (b) refused leave to appeal against conviction in each of the past five years ; and how many cases where leave was granted resulted in the conviction being quashed.
The Attorney-General : The number of defendants granted leave to appeal against conviction in each of the past five years was :
|Number
---------------------
1987 |400
1988 |429
1989 |460
1990 |561
1991 |662
These figures include a small number of referrals direct to the full court by a single judge.
The numbers of defendants refused leave to appeal against conviction in each of the last five years were :
|Number
---------------------
1987 |964
1988 |913
1989 |960
1990 |891
1991 |878
The numbers of defendants granted leave and whose conviction was quashed were :
|Numbers
------------------------
1987 |192
1988 |223
1989 |211
1990 |256
1991 |269
Legal Services (Wales)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Attorney-General what further proposals he has to increase the provision of public legal services in Wales.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor has no specific proposals to increase the provision of public legal services in Wales.
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Mortgage Repossessions
Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Attorney-General how many repossession orders were made at Barry county court in favour of building societies or other lending institutions between (a) 1979 and 1989 and (b) 1990 and 1991.
The Attorney-General : The table gives the total number of mortgage possession actions entered and orders made in Barry county court for each year since 1987, the earliest year for which the information is available. These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts as not all of the orders made will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession. At this stage, the 1991 figures are provisional and, therefore, liable to revision in the future.
Mortgage possession-actions entered and orders
made in Barry
county court
Year |Actions |Orders made
|entered
------------------------------------------------
1987 |184 |127
1988 |188 |147
1989 |170 |94
1990 |225 |144
1991 |286 |225
Gulf War
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Attorney-General if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the report, "Needless Deaths in the Gulf War", published by Middle East Watch last November.
The Attorney-General : No. Copies of the report are already held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.
Immigration
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General what is the average period between a visitor visa application being refused in Dhaka and an appeal against refusal to grant a visitor visa being heard before an immigration appeals tribunal in the United Kingdom.
The Attorney-General : The appeal process does not start until an appeal is lodged with the entry clearance officer at the post overseas. This is the responsibility of the appellant and it is not therefore possible to give the average sought. However, it currently takes between nine and 15 months to process an average case from the date notice of appeal is lodged to the issuing of the immigration adjudicators' determination. This depends largely on the time taken for the parties to prepare for the hearing, over which the immigration appellate authorities have no control. If leave is granted, an appeal against an adjudicator's determination to the immigration appeal tribunal takes on average between four and six months, again depending on the length of time taken for the parties to get ready for the hearing.
EMPLOYMENT
Youth Training
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give for each region, and for Great Britain as a whole, the latest results of the youth training
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leavers survey, showing for male and female trainees and for each separate ethnic group and for those with a disability (a) those in full time work with the same employer, (b) those in full time work with a different employer, (c) those in part time work, (d) those on a full time course at a college/training centre, (e) those on another YTS, (f) those doing something else, (g) those who were unemployed and (h) those who had obtained a vocational qualification together with (i) the number of questionnaires issued, (ii) the usable percentage response rate and (iii) the percentage of respondents who were early leavers.Mr. Jackson : As the information requested is contained in a number of tables, I will write to the hon. Member.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of (a) employees in employment and (b) self-employed in the Chelmsford constituency in June 1983, June 1987 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Jackson : Latest available constituency data for the self- employed relates to the population census for 1981. Information available for employees in employment is from the periodic censuses of employment and is given in the table. No census was taken in 1983.
Employees in employment in the Chelmsford constituency September |Number of of each year |employees ------------------------------------------ 1984 |42,600 1987 |49,700 1989<1> |53,200 <1> Latest available.
Hexagon Community Ltd.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will visit Hexagon Community Ltd. in Liverpool in the near future to discuss the funding of the adult training programme.
Mr. Forth : Contractual and financial arrangements for adult training provision with Hexagon Community Ltd. are entirely a matter for the Merseyside training and enterprise council.
My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson) meet TEC chairmen on a regular basis to discuss the matters for which TECs are responsible.
Training Contracts
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to apply the White Paper, "Proposals for Training Contracts", to private education establishments ; and if he will make it his policy to recover the costs of training teachers who have already left the state sector for private schools.
Mr. Forth : The effect of the change in the law that may be made, following the planned consultation on the clarification of the law relating to the enforceability of training contracts, will be determined in any particular case by the terms of the contracts of employment drawn up between the employers and employees concerned.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Price Waterhouse Reviews
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total cost of reviews of parts of his Department carried out by Price Waterhouse in the past year.
Mr. Redwood : This information is not readily available.
British Telecom (Prices)
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much British Telecom's regulated prices have changed in real terms since 1984.
Mr. Redwood : The prices of BT's main services, controlled by the "price cap" in its licence, have fallen by around 27 per cent. in real terms since privatisation. This control covers residential and business charges for domestic and international calls, exchange line rentals and directory enquiries, which represent over half of BT's turnover.
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Industry Investment
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investment has been made in industry in the Greater London area over the past five years ; what were the comparable figures in real and money terms for the five years to May 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 February 1992] : Information on investment in industry for the Greater London area is not readily available. The CSO publication "Regional Trends", a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library, gives details of investment in the south- east region.
ENERGY
Privatisations
Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give in respect of each privatisation since 1979 (a) the loss or profit of each company in the five years prior to privatisation and (b) any grants or loans made over the same period.
Mr. Wakeham : The information is as follows :
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Column 23
Electricity Council
Years ended 31 March
HCA Convention
£ millions
|1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before tax<1> |(592.6)|1,444.9|1,441.5|1,166.4|2,117.9
After tax<1> |(592.6)|1,444.9|1,315.0|810.2 |2,117.9
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total borrowing as at 31 March<1> |4,700.3|4,208.2|2,874.6|1,597.3|(181.5)
Amersham International
Years ended 31 March
HCA convention
£ millions
|1977 |1978 |1979 |1980 |1981
Profit before tax<2> |4.897 |6.656 |6.014 |4.011 |4.079
Profit after tax<2> |3.350 |4.562 |6.405 |2.777 |2.667
Loans and investment grants<1> |3.870 |3.918 |8.002 |8.935 |15.229
British Gas
Years ended 31 March
HCA convention
£ millions
|1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986
Profit before tax<3> |743 |1,106 |1,185 |992 |1,100
Profit after tax<3> |556 |875 |1,031 |804 |720
Bank loans and short term borrowing- |(146) |31 |(4) |162 |(112)
(increase)/decrease<3>
Britoil (incorporated 1 August 1982.
Formerly part of the British National Oil Corporation)
Years ended 31 December
HCA Convention
£ millions
|1977 |1978 |1979 |1980 |1981
Profit before tax<4> |(43) |(35) |69 |256 |435
Profit after tax<4> |(31) |(26) |33 |67 |73
Loans and deferred liabilities<4> |18.1 |- |55.6 |- |-
<1> Information from published annual report and accounts.
<2> Information from Amersham International plc Offer for Sale 1982.
<3> Information from British Gas plc Offer for Sale 1986.
<4> Information from Britoil plc Offer for Sale 1982. Profit figures exclude amounts
arising on the discharge of advance oil sale obligations.
NB Loan figures are not necessarily on a comparable basis.
Figures are not available for Enterprise Oil as this was not a distinct company in
the years prior to privatisation.
Radiation
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many people have made applications to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. for compensation in respect of illnesses associated with exposure to radiation from 1 April 1981 to 31 March 1991 and from 1 April 1991 to 31 December 1991 ; and, of these, how many have been successful.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : This is a matter for British Nuclears Fuels plc.
Closed Coal Mines
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy who he proposes will carry the legal responsibilities for existing abandoned coal mine workings in his plans for the privatisation of British Coal ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We have made clear that no decisions on the form of the privatisation of British Coal, or on the timing, will be made until after the general election.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many abandonment plans for closed coal mines are held by his Department under the provisions of the Mining Act 1871 ; how many plans are missing ; and how many have been obtained for coal mines closed prior to 1871.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Under the provisions of the Mines and Quarries Act 1954, plans, drawings and sections of abandoned mines are preserved by the Health and Safety Executive or by other persons under arrangements made or approved by it. The Health and Safety Executive has made arrangements for the British Coal Corporation to preserve such plans, drawings and sections in respect of coal mines. No plans are held by my Department.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list, for each of the past 10 years for which figures are available, recorded incidents of the leakage of methane gas from closed coal mines, giving the names of the abandoned coal mines from which the gas originated, the dates of closure of the mines and details of the nature of any buildings in which methane was entrapped.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The information requested is not available.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will bring forward proposals to require the adequate ventilation of abandoned coal mines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have no proposals for such action.
Electricity
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the market value of National Grid.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : At present, the market valuation of the National Grid Company could be of the order of £2 billion.
Column 24
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his estimate of the number of shareholders in the 12 regional electricity companies.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : There are currently nearly 3.2 million shareholder accounts in the 12 regional electricity companies. It is likely that the majority of these accounts are held by individuals who own shares in only one company ; although information on the precise number of such individuals cannot be produced from the 12 separate company registers.
Nuclear Power Stations
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of "Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Stations", prepared by Fred Barker for the National Steering Committee of Nuclear Free Local Authorities published in January.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I understand that the Department will be receiving a copy of the report after its publication on 14 February.
Domestic Gas Prices
Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how much gas prices of domestic customers have changed in real terms since 1986.
Mr. Moynihan : Gas prices to domestic customers are estimated to have fallen by 13 per cent. in real terms between 1986 and 1991.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
National Minimum Stipend
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, if the Commissioners have any proposals to abolish the national minimum stipend.
Mr. Allison : No. It provides an important floor for stipend levels and also helps to determine pension levels.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Common Agricultural Policy
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the Government will consider using EC funds to provide pensions to farmers and farm workers who are affected by changes in the CAP.
Mr. Curry : The EC Commission has tabled proposals that require all member states to set up an early retirement scheme linked to the amalgamation of small farms. The Community would contribute to the cost of the pensions paid to farmers and farm workers under this scheme. The proposed scheme is not relevant to the United Kingdom conditions because it is primarily aimed at amalgamating the many very small farms prevalent on some other member states, and we are arguing that it should be optional.
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