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Adjutant General's Headquarters
Dr. Fox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made with the relocation of the Adjutant General's headquarters.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A study is now being undertaken to examine the efficiency and cost effectiveness of forming an integrated Army personnel centre outside London. In addition to the headquarters of the Adjutant General and the military secretary, the review will encompass the manning and record offices, regimental pay offices and the Army pay office (officers accounts). The study team is expected to report by the end of the year : no decisions will be taken before the study has been completed and all concerned (including the trade unions) have been fully consulted.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
COCOM
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of COCOM.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 5 June at column 673.
Antarctica
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy on the United Kingdom's abandoned bases in Antarctica.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Government are fully committed to implementation of the environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty.
The British Antarctic survey is already implementing fully the provisions of the protocol. It has undertaken a survey of all accessible abandoned United Kingdom bases in Antarctica. A programme either to remove the bases, or to retain some as emergency refuges or historic sites is in preparation.
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Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the new international instrument negotiated for conservation of Antarctica.Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Government are fully committed to implementation of the environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty.
Boat People
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what latest discussions he has had with the Government of Vietnam and the Governor of Hong Kong about the plight of the boat people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : Most recently, I discussed the problem of Vietnamese migrants in Hong Kong and repatriation of non-refugees with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, Nguyen Manh Cam, during his visit to London on 4 to 5 June. I also discussed this issue with the governor of Hong Kong during my visit to the territory from 25 to 29 May.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese boat people remain in camps in Hong Kong ; and what timescale is envisaged for their resettlement.
Mr. Goodlad : A total of 54,686 Vietnamese migrants were in the camps in Hong Kong on 4 June 1992. Those determined to be refugees will be resettled in third countries. Those who are not have no option but to return to Vietnam. At current rates of arrivals in Hong Kong and returns to Vietnam, it will take over three years to clear the camps.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the Vietnamese boat people have been resettled from Hong Kong (a) in individual countries and (b) in total.
Mr. Goodlad : Between 1979 and April 1992, a total of 129,607 Vietnamese boat people who were considered to be refugees were resettled from Hong Kong in the following countries :
|Number
---------------------------------------------
Argentina |75
Australia |9,289
Austria |437
Belgium |196
Bermuda |7
Canada |24,872
China |37
Denmark |1,408
Finland |485
France |1,745
Germany |2,429
Greece |50
Hong Kong |554
Iceland |60
Ireland |110
Israel |38
Italy |112
Ivory Coast |1
Japan |554
Luxembourg |32
Netherlands |1,042
New Caledonia |80
New Zealand |877
Norway (direct) |486
Norway (via RPC<1>) |547
Spain |251
Sweden |1,277
Switzerland |679
United Kingdom |14,296
USA (direct) |48,623
USA (via RPC<1>) |15,754
Vanuatu |12
Others |50
In refugee transit centre at
Bataan awaiting resettlement |3,142
<1> RPC=the refugee processing centre at
Bataan.
Refuseniks
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of refusenik Gersh Furman and his family of Kazan.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have made various representations to the Russian authorities on behalf of Gersh Furman. In Moscow in March I raised human rights issues with the Russian first deputy Foreign Minister, including the case of Mr. Furman.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of refusenik Pyotr Slutsky and his family of Primorsky Kray.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We can consider raising with the Russian authorities the case of Pyotr Slutsky and his family, but to make effective representations we would need further details.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of refusenik Yakov Rovinsky and his family of Moscow.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We can consider raising with the Russian authorities the case of Yakov Rovinsky and his family, but to make effective representations we would need further details.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of refusenik Igor Gopp and his family of St. Petersburg.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have made various representations to the Russian authorities on behalf of Igor Gopp. In Moscow in March I raised human rights issues with the Russian first deputy Foreign Minister, including the case of Mr. Gopp.
United Nations Centre for Transnational Corporations
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to make representations to the Secretary General of the United Nations for the restoration and strengthening of the United Nations centre for transnational corporations.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We welcome the recent restructuring of the United Nations secretariat and the Secretary-General's efforts in this respect, which include
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the establishment of the new Department of Transnational Corporations and Management. The expectation is that this will lead to an improved focus on priority issues, which are increasingly multi-disciplinary, and a better use of resources and co-ordination of work between the various parts of the secretariat.EC President
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the period of office of the President of the EC Commission comes to an end ; and if consideration has been given to extending this period beyond this date.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The period of office of the president of the EC Commission will end, along with that of the rest of the Commission, on 6 January 1993. A decision on the next Commission president is likely to be taken at the European Council in Lisbon on 26-27 June.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Nations sanctions against Serbia preclude the provision of emergency relief aid by humanitarian organisations.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Foodstuffs and supplies intended strictly for medical purposes are exempt from the embargo imposed by United Nations Security Council resolution 757. Applications for the delivery of other humanitarian supplies will have to be considered by the Sanctions Committee established by SCR 724.
Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to secure the onward travel of the two vehicles owned by the charity Blythwood, which are being prevented by the German authorities from completing their journey to deliver blankets and bedding to the refugee centre in Belgrade.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : A request has been put to the United Nations Sanctions Committee for permission to deliver the consignment to Belgrade.
HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION
Transport Office
Mr. Wilson : To ask the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission if he will outline the arrangements, including the period of franchise, under which Thomas Cook Ltd. provides the travel agency service within the Palace of Westminster.
Mr. Beith : The present arrangements under which the Transport Office is operated on behalf of both Houses by Thomas Cook Ltd. date from an agreement concluded in August 1985. They are set out in detail in the third report from the Services Committee of Session 1984-85 (HC 437) ; but have been subsequently amended and extended by resolutions of the Services and Administration Committees. Under the terms of the Services Committee's resolution of 15 May 1990 the 1985 agreement between the House
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and Thomas Cook Ltd. for the operation of the Transport Office was extended beyond its original four years for an indefinite period ; but it was a recommendation of that Committee that these arrangements should be fully reviewed within 12 months of the beginning of this Parliament (HC 100-iv). It is expected that the Administration Committee will be invited to initiate that review as an early priority.Thomas Cook Ltd. is required to report regularly to the Administration Committee and to the Transport Office consumers' panel whose chairman is a member of that Committee and which includes representatives of the Finance and Administration Department and the main user groups.
Full details of the services provided by the Transport Office are contained in the Booker's reference guide issued by Thomas Cook Ltd. to all Members and in the Members' handbook.
WALES
Hospital Incinerators
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the locations of hospital incinerators in Wales which have not been registered with the local authority.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : District health authorities in Wales have confirmed that applications for the authorisation of incineration processes have been submitted to local authorities for all incinerators currently in use.
Environmental Care
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to develop community-based primary environmental care programmes in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The environmental programme for Wales encompasses a wide range of policies and initiatives, including measures to support environmental improvement at the community level. Support for locally based action includes the Environment Wales initiative, which provides assistance to voluntary groups ; the community revival strategy for the south Wales valleys ; as well as funding for the activities of the Groundwork trusts in Wales.
Arsenic Contamination
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has investigated the levels of arsenic contamination in mining spoil used in concrete for house building in Wales.
Aquatic Environment
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the responsibilities and duties of his Department and any agency which reports to his Department in relation to inshore waters, intertidal areas and maritime land ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Government's memorandum on this subject which was
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submitted to the Environment Committee of this House in the last Session. It has now been published by HMSO as part of the Environment Committee's report on Coastal Zone Protection and Planning Volume II, Minutes of Evidence and Appendices.Swansea Canal Society
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assistance his Department is currently providing to the Swansea Canal Society ; and what further assistance is under consideration.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Department is not currently providing or considering any assistance to the Swansea Canal Society.
Ramsar Sites
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to designate further Ramsar sites in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Department is currently processing two submissions for Ramsar site status, and the Countryside Council for Wales is considering further submissions.
Plantings
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hectares of non-native species and native broadleaf species have been planted in Wales in each year since 1984.
Mr. David Hunt : Information in this detail is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
National Trails
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to designate further national trails in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The responsibility for making proposals for designating long-distance routes in Wales rests with the Countryside Council for Wales, although these require my right hon. Friend's approval. There are no such proposals currently before the Department.
Data Protection
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's arrangements for consulting the Data Protection Registrar during the planning stage of any initiative involving the collection, use or disclosure of personal data ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : Officials are aware of the need to consult the registrar about proposed legislation or other initiatives which might affect or be affected by the Data Protection Act 1984, and will consult him as necessary when planning the collection, use or disclosure of automated personal data.
Environment Programme
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which organisations have received grants to date under the Environment Wales programme ; and how much has been allocated in each instance.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is as follows :
|Total value
|of grants
|awarded to each
|organisation
Name of organisation |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Association of Welsh Wildlife Trusts |16,000
Amelia Trust Farm |9,000
British Trust for Nature Conservation |21,333
Cardiff City Farm |5,110
Centre for Alternative Technology |15,000
Community Service Volunteers |21,333
Friends of the Earth |32,149
Friends of Forest Farm and the Glamorgan Canal |1,800
Groundwork Trusts |40,750
Keep Wales Tidy Campaign |31,333
National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardners |1,820
National Trust |5,000
North Wales Wildlife Trust |3,300
Offa's Dyke Association |2,385
Open Spaces Society |3,470
South Glamorgan Play Resource Centre |8,000
Prince of Wales Committee |60,000
Prince of Wales Committee-Environmental
Education Group |16,536
Rambler's Association |8,320
Royal Society for Nature Conservation |21,333
Wales Wildlife and Countryside Link |12,480
Welsh Historic Gardena Trust |7,200
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust |6,942
Special Protection Areas
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the designated special protection areas currently developed in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Previously designated areas are Skoholm and Skomer, the Dee Estuary and Grassholm. I have today announced the designation of four more sites : Glannau Aberdaron/Yns Enlli ; Ynys Feurig/Cemlyn bay/the Skerries ; Glannau Ynys Gybi and Traeth Lafan.
Conservation
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to designate new areas of heritage conservation and marine nature reserves in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Heritage coasts in Wales are defined by local authorities in consultation with the Countryside Council for Wales. My right hon. Friend is responsible for designating marine nature reserves in Wales following an application from the Countryside Council for Wales. There are no such applications currently before the Department.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he hopes to announce his final proposals for local government reorganisation in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : Later this year, in a White Paper.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he hopes to introduce legislation to give effect to his proposals for local government reorganisation in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : Legislation will be introduced at the appropriate time, following publication of a White Paper.
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Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he plans that elections will take place for the new shadow authorities consequent on local government reorganisation in Wales.Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he plans that the new authorities established as a consequence of his plans for local government reorganisation shall take over responsibilities from the present district and county authorities in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : On 1 April 1995.
Speech Therapy
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average amount of time spent awaiting an initial assessment by a speech therapist in each health authority area in Wales ; and what is the average amount spent per week in dealing with each patient.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information is not held centrally.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts are currently being undertaken by his Department to encourage more applications for training places as speech therapists in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : There is currently no shortage of applicants for the training in speech therapy provided in Wales.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much is currently allocated by his Department to each individual health authority area in Wales for the training of speech therapists ; and what plans he has to increase the allocation.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Welsh Office makes no specific allocation to health authorities for the purpose of training speech therapists. How much district health authorities choose to invest in speech therapy training services to meet the needs of their resident populations is a matter for determination in the light of local priorities and local circumstances.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Sports Grounds (Safety)
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to publish the next edition of the "Guide to Safety of Sports Grounds", known as the green guide.
Mr. Mellor : I have no plans to publish a new edition of the "Guide to Safety of Sports Grounds".
Football Supporters Association
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to hold discussions with the Football Supporters Association ; and whether the association's views have been taken into account when considering the implementation of the Taylor report.
Mr. Mellor : I have no specific plans at present to meet the Football Supporter's Association but would be willing
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to meet both it and the National Federation of Football Supporters Clubs. The views of both organisations have been sought on the review of all seating at Football League grounds which I announced on 4 June.Aquatic Environment
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the responsibilities and duties of his Department and any agency which reports to his Department in relation to inshore waters, intertidal areas and maritime land ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : I refer the hon. Member to the Government's memorandum on this subject which was submitted to the Environment Committee of this House in the last Session. It has now been published by HMSO as part of the Environment Committee's report on Coastal Zone Protection and Planning, Volume II, Minutes of Evidence and Appendices. Since the preparation of the memorandum the responsibilities of the Department of the Environment for the heritage, including the protection of historic wrecks, and those of the Department of Education for sport and recreation have transferred to the Department of National Heritage.
Works of Art
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he intends to proceed with the proposals to list works of art to prevent their export.
Mr. Mellor : I refer to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North-West (Mr. Bellingham) on 5 June 1992 at columns 646-47.
TRANSPORT
Bicyclists
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bicyclists sustained serious head injuries in the United Kingdom in 1991, or the latest year for which statistics are available ; what study he has made of the potential impact of a regulation requiring all bicyclists to wear crash helmets on this injury rate ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Provisional figures for 1991 indicate that 239 cyclists were reported killed and 3,939 seriously injured in road accidents in Great Britain. The standard report form does not provide information on the part of the body affected. However research by the Transport Research Laboratory suggests that 53 per cent. of cyclists reporting to a hospital had injuries to the head and that had helmets been worn some 11 per cent. of serious injuries would not have occurred whilst a further 18 per cent. would have been only slight injuries. The sales of helmets have increased in recent years, particularly for children following the Department's television campaign in 1991. We shall continue to encourage this trend but have no plans to introduce compulsion.
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Heavy Goods Vehicles
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the parking of heavy goods vehicles in residential and other unsuitable areas ; and what proposals he has to assist local authorities to deal with this problem.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I receive correspondence from time to time on this issue. Local authorities have a wide range of powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to control or prohibit lorry parking. These are described in detail in the Department's publication "Lorries in the Community", produced in 1990 in conjunction with the Civic Trust and the County Surveyors' Society, and in the accompanying manual of guidance issued to all local authorities. Parking arrangements for heavy goods vehicles may also be controlled by the traffic commissioners under operator licensing.
International Passenger Station, Kent
Mr. Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the latest position as regards the provision of an international passenger station at Ashford, Kent.
Mr. Freeman : British rail has announced that it is soon to submit an application for planning permission for the central Ashford proposal for an international passenger station. I welcome this move, which will help allow early progress.
Shipping (Foreign Flags)
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the impact of the transfer of merchant shipping to foreign flags since 1979 on the balance of payments deficit.
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Mr. Norris : For the calculation of the balance of payments, the sea transport account includes the international income and expenditure of all ships owned by United Kingdom residents, without reference to flag of registry. Thus the transfer of ships to foreign flags has no direct impact on the balance of payments.
Licences
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average length of time taken to process an application for (a) a driver's licence, cars, (b) an HGV licence, (c) a PSV licence, (d) a provisional driving licence and (e) a driving test.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The average length of time currently taken to process a full and provisional car driving licence is nine days and eight days for a lorry and bus licence. This includes three days taken to return the licence to the customer. Driving test applications currently take seven days in total.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average monthly number of (a) drivers licences, (b) HGV licences, (c) PSV licences, (d) provisional driving licences and (e) driving test applications processed by the Vehicle Licensing Authority in the most recent year for which figures are available for (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Driving licence information is available only in a national figure. LGV and PCV figures are not available for the years prior to 1991-92. Over the last three years the monthly average number of driving licences processed was :
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