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Pyramid Selling
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will initiate a review of the operation of the Fair Trading Act 1973 to consider whether (a) legal recognition may be given to operators of ethical multi-level marketing businesses and (b) these businesses should be labelled as something other than a pyramid selling scheme.
Mr. Leigh : As regards the first half of the hon. Gentleman's question, multi-level marketing schemes which meet the requirements of the pyramid selling regulations may already operate legally, and I see no need for any further provision for legal recognition. As regards the second half, the Fair Trading Act does not label schemes : it outlaws certain practices by promoters and participants of pyramid selling and similar trading schemes, and provides for regulations for others.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Janner : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are women.
Mr. Eggar : The figures for the Department, including its executive agencies and the former Department of Energy, as at 22 June 1992 are :
Grade |Number |Percentage level |of women |of staff -------------------------------------------- Grade 1 |0 |0 Grade 2 |0 |0 Grade 3 |6 |10.2 Grade 4 |2 |14.3 Grade 5 |38 |13.5 Grade 6 |24 |10.5 Grade 7 |169 |12.9 All staff |5,808 |43.9
Overhead Electric Cables
Mr. Harvey : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the Government's current policy on the safety of overhead electric cables.
Mr. Eggar : The policy is to ensure the continuing protection of the public from dangers arising from the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. This includes overhead lines. To achieve this, regulations made under the Electricity Act 1989 require the works of electricity suppliers to be used, constructed, installed and protected to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. My Department's engineering inspectorate ensures compliance by carrying out regular safety audits and investigations, and examining the event reports submitted by the companies under the regulations.
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Disabled Employees
Mr. Janner : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are registered disabled people.
Mr. Eggar : The figures for the Department, including its executive agencies and the former Department of Energy, as at 25 June 1992 are :
Grade levels |Number of |Percentage of
|registered |staff
|disabled staff
------------------------------------------------------------
Grades 1-4 |0 |0
Grades 5-7 |4 |0.2
All staff |135 |1.0
Nuclear Power
Mr. Morgan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with Nuclear Electric concerning (a) the 1994 review date set for decisions on further investment in nuclear power, (b) the criteria to be used and (c) proposals for a 2,600 MW station at Sizewell.
Mr. Eggar : I meet the chairman of Nuclear Electric regularly to discuss a range of issues.
The then Secretary of State for Energy made clear to the House on 9 November 1989, Official Report, column 1176, that the Government would review the future prospects for nuclear power in 1994. That remains the Government's policy. No capital expenditure approval will be given to Nuclear Electric plc in respect of any new stations beyond Sizewell B pending the outcome of the review. The review will take account of all relevant factors.
Self-catering Accommodation (Fire Safety)
Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to issue (a) the consultative paper and (b) the draft amendment regulations concerning furnishings and fire safety in respect of self-catering accommodation under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 25 June 1992] : My Department plans to publish, in mid-July, draft amendment regulations and associated consultation documents relating to the fire safety of furnishings in respect of self-catering accommodation under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
Water Guns
Mr. Michael : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he intends to strengthen the law to control the sale of high-pressure water guns as toys.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 25 June 1992] : The Consumer Protection Act 1987 provides the necessary powers to remove from the market any consumer product which is considered unsafe.
Action Teams
Mr. Hutton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many action teams his Department has established in Great Britain since 1987 ; what were their budgets in 1991-92 ; and what are their proposed budgets for 1992-93 ;
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(2) what was the budget for his Department's action team in Barrow-in-Furness in 1991-92 ; and what is the proposed budget for the year 1992-93.Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 19 June 1992] : This Department has established one action team since 1987--the Cumbria action team, set up in 1991.
There is no budget as such. The schemes which the action team targets are national or regional in nature and are not costed on geographical basis. The action team is an inter-departmental body, led by DTI. The running costs of the action team fall to the cross-participating departments. The DTI element of running costs for the Cubria based operation--which cover both the Barrow and Cockermouth offices--is estimated at some £65,000 in the current financial year compared to £56,000 for the nine months in which the team was operation in 1991-92.
The Department has also provided support for other initiatives set up by local communities to deal with major closures or redundancies.
Assisted Areas
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report, columns 61-62, what assessment he has made of whether the coverage of the assisted areas is likely to decrease, following the current review ; (2) what role the European Commission will have in determining the precise extent of the new assisted areas map or the split between development areas and intermediate areas.
Mr. Sainsbury : Under the state aids provisions of the treaty of Rome the Government will have to clear any new map of the assisted areas, including the designation of development and intermediate areas, with the European Commission.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report, columns 61-62, if he will indicate what views the European Commission have expressed about the current and future extent of the assisted areas map.
Mr. Sainsbury : The current assisted areas map was cleared by the European Commission in 1984 under the state aid provisions of the treaty of Rome. No proposals on the future shape of the map have yet been put to the Commission.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
EC Presidency
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact he has with local authorities, community groups and other organisations in each standard planning region of the United Kingdom prior to the drawing up of the calendar of special events being held in the United Kingdom as part of the programme of the United Kingdom presidency of the EC.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had regular contact with the Local Government International Bureau which drew attention to the forthcoming presidency and the special events in its
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newsletter. This was followed by further contacts with a range of local authorities and community groups to take forward ideas for individual special events.Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of producing the pamphlet "The UK Presidency of the European Community".
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A total of 75,000 copies of the presidency programme booklet are being produced at a total cost of £38,444.60.
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about how the United Kingdom venues for the calendar of special events being held as part of the United Kingdom's EC presidency were chosen.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The choice of Edinburgh for the European Council was made by the Prime Minister. The venues for other ministerial meetings were chosen by the Departments concerned. Most of the special events are being organised by non-governmental groups and will take place in various parts of the United Kingdom, including Durham, Bolton, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are women.
Mr. Goodlad : The figures at 1 April 1992 for the diplomatic and aid wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are as follows :
Grade<1> |Number of |Women as
|women in |percentage of
|grade |total in grade
------------------------------------------------------------
1 |0.0 |0.0
2 |1.0 |3.5
3 |4.0 |3.2
4 |0.0 |0.0
5 |16.0 |4.6
6 |13.0 |14.4
7 |<2>98.5 |13.5
Overall, 2,941 officers, representing 37.1 per cent. of the
Departments staff, are women.
<1>Includes home civil service grades and the diplomatic
service equivalents.
<2>Part-time staff are counted as half.
Channel Islands (War Crimes)
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many files relating to war crimes in the Channel islands during world war two are retained in his Department and withheld from the Public Record Office.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : No records relating to war crimes in the Channel islands during world war two are retained in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Vietnamese Migrants
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the number of Vietnamese migrants forcibly repatriated to Vietnam who have subsequently returned to Hong Kong.
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Mr. Goodlad : None of the 161 Vietnamese migrants returned to Vietnam under the orderly repatriation programme has returned to Hong Kong.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what improvements are planned in the conditions under which Vietnamese migrants are held in Hong Kong ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : Facilities in the camps are kept under constant review and repair or improvement works are carried out where necessary. The Vietnamese migrant population is steadily decreasing and it will soon be possible to close some of the temporary camps altogether.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guarantees he has received from the Government of Vietnam that migrants forcibly repatriated from Hong Kong will not suffer punitive and discriminatory action ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : In the statement of understanding signed by the British, Hong Kong and Vietnamese Governments on 29 October 1991, the Vietnamese undertook that no Vietnamese migrant returning from Hong Kong would be persecuted and that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would have access to them for monitoring purposes. They have reaffirmed this undertaking on several occasions.
More than 20,000 migrants have now returned from the region to Vietnam. There has not been a single substantiated case of persecution.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what screening procedures are applied before any Vietnamese migrants are forcibly repatriated from Hong Kong camps ; and what legal advice is made available to them.
Mr. Goodlad : Vietnamese asylum-seekers arriving in Hong Kong are interviewed by immigration officers using the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' guidelines for the determination of refugee status. Those who are found not to be refugees may appeal to the refugee status review board. Legal consultants operating under the auspices of UNHCR are on hand to assist applicants.
The screening procedure is supervised by the high commissioner's staff who have unrestricted access to asylum-seekers at each stage.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about the number of lawyers employed in the Hong Kong camps in which Vietnamese migrants are housed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : The number of lawyers employed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is a matter for her decision, but such questions are regularly discussed by participants at meetings about the comprehensive plan of action for Indo-Chinese asylum seekers.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
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Rights about the resources she has available to monitor the experience of Vietnamese migrants repatriated to Vietnam from Hong Kong ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Goodlad : Returning migrants are monitored by the staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, based in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city, who undertake frequent visits to returnees' home villages. We regularly review the position with them. Monitoring visits are also carried out by the staff of the British embassy in Hanoi and by various non -governmental organisations.
Vietnam (Sanctions)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of the United States of America about lifting economic sanctions against Vietnam and paying agreed war reparations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : We regularly discuss these issues bilaterally and in the relevant international bodies.
Government Communication Headquarters
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now make it his policy to answer questions on the number of staff employed at the Government communications headquarters at Cheltenham in departments that do not deal directly with matters of national security.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : In his statement to the House of Commons on 6 May at columns 64-65, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made it clear that the Government would maintain their policy of not commenting on operational information relating to security and intelligence. The information requested by the hon. Member would fall into that category.
Disabled Employees
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of officers in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively and overall in his Department are registered disabled people.
Mr. Goodlad : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs no registered disabled staff in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7. One officer at grade 5 is registered disabled--0.3 per cent. of the grade. A total of 0.4 per cent. of the work force of the diplomatic wing and 1.94 per cent. of the work force of the Overseas Development Administration are registered disabled people.
Brazil
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Brazil about the preservation of tribal reserves of the Guapore valley and the extraction of mahogany from within them.
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Research Projects
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy with regard to, and extent of, the commissioning of research projects in universities and polytechnics by Government communications headquarters.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [pursuant to his reply, 23 June 1992, c. 108.] : GCHQ, in common with other Government Departments and private industry, commissions research from universities or polytechnics when they are able to offer a particular area of expertise. Research is confined to unclassified subjects and the results may be published by the university or polytechnic if it wishes for the benefit of the academic community as a whole. Over the last four years seven research contracts totalling £506,953 have been placed by GCHQ with four institutions.
President Mary Robinson
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to have an invitation issued to President Mary Robinson of Ireland to make an official visit to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Hurd : There are no plans at present for an official visit.
China (Political Prisoners)
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the removal of Chinese political prisoners to Hong Kong for use in organ transplant operations.
Mr. Goodlad : No Chinese prisoners, political or otherwise, have been sent to Hong Kong. No representations have been received.
Peru
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Peruvian authorities concerning human rights in Peru ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We take every appropriate opportunity, both bilaterally and with our European partners, to emphasise to the Peruvian authorities their obligation to respect and protect human rights. When President Fujimori called on my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister earlier this year, he was left in no doubt about the strength of feeling in this country. Most recently on17 June our embassy in Lima reminded the Peruvian Foreign Ministry of the importance we attach to this matter.
Market Testing
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who has been appointed as a consultant to his Department for market testing.
Mr. Goodlad : No consultants are presently working on market testing in my Department, although, as I told the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on
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16 June, Official Report, column 491, Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte carried out separate studies on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration earlier this year in line with the commitments given in the White Paper "Competing for Quality".DEFENCE
Chemical and Biological Weapons
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British equipment related to chemical and biological warfare has been tested at any military establishment in Australia and New Zealand since 1962 ; and what was the nature of this work.
Mr. Aitken : As explained in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 21 May 1992, Official Report , column 254 , the United Kingdom armed forces chemical and biological equipment is wholly for defence.
Environmental testing of prototypes of the S10 respirator was carried out in Austalia in the 1980s.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department's scientists have conducted into the incapacitating agent BZ ; and what is the evaluation of BZ as a weapon of war.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : BZ has been identified as a possible incapacitating agent which might be used against United Kingdom armed forces. The chemical and biological defence establishment has carried out studies of anticholinergic compoounds including BZ which confirmed the effectiveness of medical counter-measures against their effects.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Public Record Office the documents relating to the Cabinet Defence Committee in July 1956 to abandon unilaterally all offensive chemical and biological weapons ; and for what reason these papers have not yet been placed in the Public Record Office.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The documents in question continue to be properly withheld under the established criteria of the Public Records Acts.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the research establishments conducting human or animal research on nerve gases in Britain.
Mr. Aitken : The only research establishment for which my department is responsible conducting research on nerve gases involving animal or human studies is the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down. All research is conducted for defence purposes with the aim of developing effective protective measures for the armed forces against the use of chemical and biological warfare by an aggressor.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many experiments with physostigmine on human volunteers have been carried out at the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down in each year since 1987.
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Mr. Aitken : This is a matter for the chemical and biological defence establishment (CBDE) under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of CBDE to write to the hon. Member.
International Agreements
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the bilateral and multilateral agreements directly or indirectly negotiated by his Department or a body acting on behalf of his Department with (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My Department has the following memoranda of understanding with Switzerland :
i. Security of classified non-atomic defence matters
ii. Exchange of quality assurance services
iii. Firings of the Swiss Rapier weapon system at the Royal Artillery range, Hebrides.
There are no formal arrangements or agreements with Liechtenstein.
For details of international treaties with these two countries, I refer my hon. Friend to the answers that he received from my right hon. and hon. Friends the Ministers of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 24 and 25 June, Official Report, columns 208-211 and 269 respectively.
Pensions
Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many retired officers of the armed services over the age of 55 years are currently in receipt of pensions for each of the ranks of captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, brigadier and major general who retired in the year 1 January 1977 to 31 December 1977.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The number of retired Army officers over the age of 55 years, currently in receipt of pension, who retired in the year 1 January 1977 to 31 December 1977 is as follows :
Rank |Number of officers --------------------------------------------------------- Major general |11 Brigadier |29 Colonel |55 Lieutenant colonel |155 Major |355 Captain |117
Detention Centres
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the military detention centres in England.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : They are :
Royal Naval detention quarters--Portsmouth
Military corrective training centre--Colchester
Regional services detention room--RAF Innsworth
Regional services detention room--RAF Wyton
Public Information
Mr. Cann : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now release the files relating to the Shingle street incident in 1940 into the public domain.
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