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Mr. Charles Wardle : This has been passed to the chief executive of the Passport Agency who will reply shortly. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Firearms
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to implement the European Community directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have today laid before Parliament draft regulations under the European Communities Act 1972. These regulations will, if approved, transpose the directive into law in Great Britain. Domestic controls on firearms will remain substantially unchanged. However the private possession of firearms disguised as other objects will be lawful only for museums, collectors and others duly authorised. We intend to make arrangements for ex-gratia payments to people who as a result of these regulations surrender such firearms before 1 January 1993 which were lawfully held by them on or before 16 July 1992. Further details of these arangements will be announced in the autumn.
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will lay before Parliament the third annual report of the Firearms Consultative Committee.
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Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have placed a copy of the annual report of the Firearms Consultative Committee in the Library of both Houses today.
Police Responsibilities and Rewards
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about financial provision for the inquiry on police responsibilities and rewards.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : On 20 May 1992 I announced my intention to set up an inquiry to look at police responsibilities and rewards, reporting to me by the end of May 1993. Parliamentary approval for this new service will be sought in a winter supplementary estimate for the Home Office administration, immigration and police support services, England and Wales vote--class IX, vote 3. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £334,000 will be met by repayable advances from the contingencies fund.
Young Offenders
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are proposed for the committal of young persons sentenced to periods of detention in young offender institutions following the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Criminal Justice Act 1991, which comes into effect on 1 October, changes sentencing arrangements for those under 18 years of age and replaces the juvenile court by a new youth court to deal with all young persons up to the age of 17.
These changes will be reflected in the way in which the prison service manages the sentenced young offender population. Two new age bands will be introduced of 15 to 17 years for juveniles, as opposed to 14 to 16 years at present, and 18 to 20 years for young adults. The proposed arrangements for the committal of male young offenders sentenced to periods of detention in a young offender institution will be as follows. Juveniles will in future be taken direct from the court of sentence to one of six designated juvenile institutions at Deerbolt, north Yorkshire, Feltham in London, Guys Marsh, Dorset, Onley, Warwickshire, Werrington, Staffordshire, and Whetherby, west Yorkshire. A further young offender institution, Thorn Cross near Warrington in Cheshire, will also hold juveniles who are considered suitable to be housed in open conditions.
Further consultation will now take place with other criminal justice agencies in respect of the catchment areas each establishment will serve. All young adults will be committed to an allocation unit in the nearest remand centre or local prison serving the court. Those serving short sentences, who are currently subject to separate direct committal arrangements, will be allocated to a young offender institution at the earliest opportunity. Closeness to home will be an important consideration in the allocation decision.
It is not proposed to make any changes to the committal arrangements for young women who will be affected by the new provisions. They will continue to be held in the most appropriate female establishment closest to their homes.
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Unconvicted Prisoners
Sir John Wheeler (Westminster North) : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in developing the separate statement of principle for unconvicted prisoners, referred to in paragraph 7.5 of the White Paper "Custody, Care and Justice."
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The prison service has adopted a statement in the following terms :
"Unconvicted prisoners are presumed to be innocent. Subject to the duty to hold them and deliver them to court securely and to the need to maintain order in establishments, they will be treated acordingly and, in particular, will be allowed all reasonable facilities to-- seek release on bail
preserve their accommodation and employment
prepare for trial
maintain contact with relatives and friends
pursue legitimate business and social interests
obtain help with personal problems
They will receive health care appropriate to their needs. They will have opportunities for education, religious observance, exercise and recreation and, where possible, for training and work."
The statement will be included in the material issued for the information of new unconvicted prisoners and will feature in the training material of new prison officers.
The statement of the task of the prison service set out in the "Prison Service Management Manual" and guidance in that manual for preparation of governors' contracts with their area managers have been expanded to reflect the separate status of unconvicted prisoners and the revised guidance will be issued shortly.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Auditing
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many times in 1989, 1990 and 1991 company auditors filed a statement in respect of sections 390(2)a and (2)b of the Companies Act 1985.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The number of notices of auditors' resignations received by the registrars of companies for England and Wales and for Scotland was as follows :
Year |Number of
|notices
------------------------------
1989 |9,452
1990 |12,494
1991 |15,787
Until 31 March 1990 notices were sent in accordance with section 390(3) of the Companies Act 1985, as originally enacted. Subsequently notices were sent in accordance with section 392(3) of the Companies Act 1985, as substituted by the Companies Act 1989.
Air Pollution
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to provide specialist assistance to small businesses suffering economic hardship arising from
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the new requirements to comply with the part I air pollution process controls under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.Mr. Leigh : In framing air pollution controls under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities are, however, required to apply the principles of best available techniques not entailing excessive costs which requires companies to use the best available techniques provided these do not entail excessive costs. Individual authorisations are a matter for the companies and local authorities concerned. My Department has been involved in discussions over the guidelines which inform local authorities.
My Department operates a number of schemes of assistance and provides information and advice to help large and small firms to develop and adopt the technologies and practices which will enable them to remain competitive in the face of rising environmental standards. In particular, the Department's environmental inquiry point offers free advice on a range of environmental issues ; and it is open to small firms to use the consultancy initiatives to obtain assisted consultancy help on specific environmental problems. I have also recently announced that my Department will be piloting "one-stop shops" to provide small firms with initial guidance on all matters relevant to their competitive position, including environmental matters.
Share Option Schemes
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he proposes to review the extent and nature of executive share option schemes ; and what discussions he has had with the Association of British Insurers about its guidelines for the exercise of executive share options.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I am aware of the association's guidelines and would support it in urging companies to link share options to sustained underlying growth of the company. This does not require any change to the Companies Act provisions affecting those participating in share option schemes.
Consulting Grants
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consulting grants are available through the enterprise initiative ; and if he will publish a table showing the number of grants taken up, and their cost in each standard region during the last three financial years.
Mr. Leigh : Under the enterprise initiative consultancy help scheme, the DTI pays up to two thirds of the cost of consultancy projects, for small and medium-sized enterprises, in the following areas : business planning, design, financial and management information systems, manufacturing and services systems, marketing and quality. Details of the numbers of assisted projects in each region during the last three financial years, and the associated financial contribution from DTI, are as follows :
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Enterprise initiative consultancy scheme: Expenditure by region
Financial year 1989-90 Financial year 1990-91 Financial year 1991-92
Region |Completed |DTI contribution|Completed |DTI contribution|Completed |DTI contribution
projects |(£ thousands) | projects |(£ thousands) | projects |(£ thousands)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North East |540 |1,709 |583 |2,287 |765 |3,119
North West |1,964 |6,192 |2,032 |7,002 |2,165 |6,905
Yorkshire and
Humberside |1,157 |3,987 |1,172 |4,723 |1,482 |5,969
West Midlands |1,332 |4,343 |1,236 |4,963 |1,680 |6,912
East Midlands |726 |2,136 |781 |2,654 |1,017 |3,694
South West |894 |2,491 |1,028 |2,981 |1,182 |3,795
East |725 |1,922 |828 |2,316 |1,032 |3,227
South East |2,355 |6,905 |2,834 |7,751 |3,302 |11,157
Scotland |1,054 |3,631
3,137 |1,007 |4,248
Wales |644 |2,278 |633 |2,418 |755 |3,108
Total |11,391 |35,594 |11,933 |40,232 |14,387 |52,134
Commonwealth Development Corporation
Mr. Wells : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the Commonwealth Development Corporation.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The cost to the Monopolies and Mergers commission of carrying out the inquiry into the Commonwealth Development Corporation is estimated at £570,000.
Breathing Equipment
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps his Department will be taking to encourage British manufacturers to produce in quantity breathing-gas-based passenger protective breathing equipment meeting the EUROCAE ED-65 specification published on 1 April 1991, for placement by operators of British-registered passenger transport aircraft.
Mr. Sainsbury : None. This is a matter for the commercial judgment of the companies concerned.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the achievements of his Department and his policies in helping small businesses over the last 12 months relative to the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
Mr. Leigh : The Government continue to help small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and through specific programmes of support and assistance. Measures operated by my Department to assist small businesses include :
The enterprise initiative consultancy help scheme. In the year ended March 1992, 23,342 applications were received and 17,996 were approved.
The small firms merit award for research and technology (SMART) scheme. Last year 180 grants, the maximum number on offer, were made.
Support for products under research (SPUR) which helps small firms develop new products and processes. In the first 12 months of the scheme, to February 1992, 100 grants were offered worth over £9 million.
For the future, I intend to establish a network of first stop shops to act as a central signposting and referral
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service for small firms to all the business support measures available in an area from all sources. As a first step, 10 to 15 pilot projects will be established as quickly as possible. The loan guarantee scheme enhances smaller firms access to finance. In the 12 months to 30 May 1992, 2,916 loans were guaranteed to a value of £69 million.A guide to sources of venture capital under £250,000 was published. This comprises a booklet which aims to take some of the mystery out of venture capital and a directory which lists more than 200 organisations throughout the country which offer smaller amounts of venture capital.
Informal investment demonstration projects have been established by five training and enterprise councils in partnership with other local organisations. They help bring together potential investors and small businesses seeking investment. The projects, which were established with pump-priming money from the Employment Department, were established in January 1992 and will run for two years.
New measures were announced at the time of the 1992 Budget to help small firms. These include new Government contracting terms requiring those companies awarded Government contracts to pay their subcontractors promptly ; consideration of changes to company reporting requirements to oblige large companies to state their payment terms and performance in annual reports and accounts ; improvements to court procedures for debt recovery and financial assistance for trade associations to develop new prompt payment initiatives.
The Department monitors all its programmes and also commissions external evaluations which are published. In May 1992 the Employment Department published "Small Firms in Britain" which was sent to all Members of Parliament. This report surveys developments in the sector, including key statistical indicators and outlines overall Government policy towards small firms.
RETEX Grants
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the representations he has received concerning the allocation of RETEX grants to parts of areas designated for objective 1, 2 or 5(b) of the structural funds in Lancashire.
Mr. Sainsbury : Representations have been received from a number of local interests.
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he will take to consult interested
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parties on the allocation of RETEX grants within areas designed for objective 1, 2 or 5(b) of the structural funds in Lancashire.Mr. Sainsbury : The actual allocation of RETEX grants, as with other Community structural funds initiatives and programmes, will be a matter for special committees established for the purpose, under the terms of operational programmes. The United Kingdom and other member states have until December 4 to present these to the Commission.
The Government are currently considering what arrangements are appropriate for the drawing up and implementation of the programmes. The views of local authorities, trade associations and other interested parties have been and will continue to be taken into account.
Coal Industry
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list (a) the collieries operative in Wales and (b) the number of miners employed in (i) Wales and (ii) Great Britain, in (1) 1971, (2) 1981 and (3) 1991.
Mr. Eggar : There are currently four British Coal collieries operating in Wales--Betws, Taff Merthyr and Tower in south Wales and Point of Ayr in north Wales. The total number of men on colliery books employed by British Coal in Wales and Britain in 1971-72, 1981-82 were as follows :
|South Wales|North Wales|Britain
------------------------------------------------------------
1971-72 |36,100 |2,500 |274,000
1981-82 |24,300 |1,200 |212,800
1991-92 |890 |455 |43,800
In addition, British Coal currently licences about 140 deep mines, about 100 of which are in south Wales. The licensed sector employs around 1,500 men, of whom about 800 are employed in south Wales. Figures for 1971-72 and 1981-82 are not readily available.
Regional Assistance
Mr. William Powell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list each recipient company and the level of grant provided through regional selective assistance since 1984-85 in the Corby area.
Mr. Sainsbury : Details of offers of regional selective assistance are normally made public only after the company has made a claim and has been paid. Since 1984-85 there are 58 companies in the Corby travel-to-work area who have benefited from regional selective assistance. The firms and the offers made and accepted for £5,000 and above are as follows :
Name of company |Offer value
|(£)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A. G. Thompson (UK) Ltd. |5,000
Advanced Textile Printers Ltd. |125,000
Albion Group Ltd. |25,000
Alfred Engelmann Ltd. |230,000
Aluminium Shapes Ltd. |140,000
Applied Printed Systems Ltd. |6,500
Aqua-Gas Manuf Ltd. |75,000
Austin Productions Ltd. |350,000
Bambo Ltd. |25,000
Blandburgh Nemo Ltd. |150,000
Blaze Advertising & Marketing Ltd. |10,000
BPCC Corby Ltd. |100,000
Ceramic Developments (Midlands) Ltd. |18,000
Certech International Ltd. |160,000
Cheminex Laboratories Ltd. |25,000
Corby Bottlers plc. |65,000
Corby Polymex Ltd. |180,000
County Powder Coaters Ltd. |18,000
Curver Consumer Products Ltd. |1,500,000
Drilltec (UK) Ltd. |65,000
DU Bois plc. |122,000
Dulmison (UK) Ltd. |180,000
Field, Sons & Co. Ltd. |250,000
Fixit (Adhesive) Ltd. |120,000
Heditos Ltd. |20,000
Hedemora Eng Ltd. |13,000
Honicel UK Ltd. |136,495
Impress Printers |25,000
Interoll Ltd. |280,000
Ion Deposition Ltd. |50,000
J. Dyson & Co. Ltd. |15,000
Jarratt Brushes Ltd. |20,000
Johnsen & Jorgensen (Plastics) Ltd. |180,000
Liftcran & Co. Ltd. |115,000
Lincolt Ltd. |25,000
Merley Paper Converters Ltd. |15,000
Mezzanine Floor Co. Ltd. |25,000
Midland Battery Distribution |38,000
N.C.T. & S. Ltd. |100,000
Newteam Ltd. |184,610
Oxford University Press |70,000
Peavey Electronics (UK) Ltd. |90,000
Perfil Ltd. |210,000
Powdertech (Corby) Ltd. |15,000
Premier Python Products Ltd. |25,000
Roscope Ltd. |25,000
Sias Foods (UK) Ltd. |450,000
Solway Foods Ltd. |50,000
Supermix Systems Ltd. |34,000
Suretred (UK) Ltd. |100,000
Taurostone Ltd. |20,000
Tradesource Ltd. |90,000
Unit Two Glass Ltd. |95,000
Weldon Stone Enterprises Ltd. |12,000
White Welding & MFG Inc. (Powerbrace) |160,000
Willett Systems Ltd. |25,000
Woodman Developments Ltd. |12,000
Zeller Plastik UK Ltd. |150,000
Radio
Mr. Waterson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the Government's response to the recommendations contained in the report of the radio spectrum review committee stage 2 : 3,400 MHz to 30 GHz, published in September ; and when the response will be published.
Mr. Leigh : Following publication of the report, I and my colleagues have had the opportunity to consider the recommendations in detail. We are in full agreement with their intended aim to strengthen the management of the radio spectrum in the interests of more efficient use of this valuable resource.
When the report was published on 30 September 1991, my predecessor announced the Government's response to two of the recommendations and stated that the Government intended to publish a consultative document on the future management of the radio spectrum in the United Kingdom. Some of the issues raised in the report
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would benefit from wider consultation and therefore it is my intention that they be included in the consultative document. The Government's written response to the recommendations is now available from the Library, Radiocommunications Agency, Room 605, Waterloo Bridge house, London SE1 8UA. Telephone 071 215 2352/2140. I have placed copies of the response in the Library of the House.International Investment
Mr. Waterson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's performance in attracting internationally mobile investment projects in 1991-92.
Mr. Sainsbury : My Department's Invest in Britain
Bureau--IBB--announced in its annual report published today that 1991-92 was another good year for inward investment and jobs in the United Kingdom.
Between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1992, 332 direct investment projects by foreign-owned companies into the United Kingdom were recorded by the IBB. On the basis of information supplied by the companies at the time of the announcement, it is estimated that these projects will create or safeguard over 50,000 jobs.
These results demonstrate, yet again, the attractiveness of this country to foreign investors. It is very pleasing that our lead position within the European Community as a partner to foreign investors has remained despite the world recession.
The results are also evidence of the successful partnership my Department has with many public and private sector organisations involved in the promotion of inward investment both at home and abroad.
I am arranging for a copy of the report to be placed in the House of Commons Library.
EC Company Law
Mr. Waterson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made on the implementation of the EC 11th company law directive and the bank branches directive.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Department of Trade and Industry has today issued a consultation document inviting comments on draft regulations to implement the EC 11th company law directive and the bank branches directive.
These draft regulations represent a major step towards full implementation of both.
The 11th company law directive deals with the disclosures, including accounting documents, to be made by the branches established in a member state of companies registered in another member state or non-EC country. The bank branches directive complements the 11th directive by setting special requirements regarding the disclosure of the accounting documents of a credit of financial institution which has established a branch in a member state, but has its head office outside that member state. The Government have also taken the opportunity provided by these regulations to deal with two other minor matters relating to the accounts of banks. These are
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amendments to sections 255A and 255B of the Companies Act 1985 as inserted by the Companies Act 1985 (Bank Accounts) Regulations 1991. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library. Views are invited by 23 September 1992.Company Inspections
Mr. Waterson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps are taken to maintain confidentiality when pre-publication copies of reports into the affairs of companies by inspectors appointed under section 432 of the Companies Act 1985 are provided to certain persons referred to in such reports ; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Secretary of State has discretion under the legislation to provide copies of unpublished reports of inspectors to persons referred to in the report. When, in the interests of fairness, the Department exercises its discretion to do so, it requires those concerned, including advisers, to give strict undertakings to preserve the report's confidentiality. Where these undertakings exceptionally appear to have been breached, the Department has and will continue to take firm action. It may seek an injunction from the court to prevent further unauthorised disclosure. Where advisers are found to have breached undertakings, the Department will, where appropriate, pursue the matter with the professional body concerned. The Department has recently drawn one such case to the attention of the Law Society and it has concluded its proceedings, which are confidential, in favour of the Department.
Petroleum Licensing
Mr. Waterson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about further onshore petroleum licensing.
Mr. Eggar : I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses the text of a notice, which will be published as soon as possible in the Official Gazette, inviting companies to apply for exploration licences in respect of unlicensed areas in Great Britain and certain near-shore waters. The notice specifies that applications should be made on Wednesday 21 October 1992. Application forms and guidance notes will be available from my Department.
I shall separately be inviting holders of production licences to apply to transfer exploration acreage within their existing licences to the new style exploration licences, subject to agreement being reached on a satisfactory work programme for the area.
Successful applicants will be offered exploration licences containing the conditions set out in the Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1991. The licences will grant rights for a term of six years and entitle the licensee to carry out seismic surveys and deep drilling subject to the need to obtain the requisite permission from the appropriate mineral planning authorities and landowners and occupiers.
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EMPLOYMENT
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training and enterprise councils had not had their budgets for 1992-93 finalised by 1 July ; and if she will publish a list of those TECs.
Mr. McLoughlin : On 1 July 1992 nine TECs had not signed a contract with the Department and therefore had not had their budgets for 1992-93 finalised. The TECs concerned were :
AZTEC
Central London TEC
City and Inner London North TEC
London East TEC
North London TEC
North West London TEC
SOLOTEC
South Thames TEC
West London TEC
However all these TECs have now indicated their willingness to sign contracts subject only to small points of detail. I anticipate that most of these contracts will be signed in the next few days.
Global Warming
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement on the research being conducted by the Health and Safety Executive into the effects of climate change attributable to the consequences of global warming.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Health and Safety Executive is not conducting any research into the effects of climate change attributable to the consequences of global warming. Research into the effects of climate change is outside the normal remit of the Health and Safety Executive. Government- funded research on this topic is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
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