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Mr. Hanley : As at 26 October the information is as follows :


Month     |Number       

------------------------

June      |19           

July      |25           

August    |25           

September |27           

October   |31           

There are approximately 1.5 million cattle in Northern Ireland and a total of 542 confirmed cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been reported to 26 October 1992.

Fact-finding Visits

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the fact-finding visits made in the last 12 months by the chief executive of each executive agency for which he is responsible ; and what were the findings resulting from each visit.

Mr. Mates : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the following agencies under their respective chief executives.

Training and Employment Agency--Mr. J. Crozier

Rate Collection Agency--Mr. D. Gallagher

Social Security Agency--Mr. A. Wylie

Ordnance Survey Agency--Mr. M. Brand

Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency--Mr. J. Watson

Compensation Agency--Mr. J. Robinson

I have asked them to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from J. S. Crozier to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 29 October 1992 :

You asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to list the fact finding visits made in the last 12 months by the chief executive of each executive agency for which he is responsible ; and what were the findings resulting from each visit.


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As Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) (T&EA), I made two fact finding visits in the last twelve months, one to Brussels and one to Germany.

The Brussels visit was to meet senior officials of DG XV1, DG V and the Task Force, Human Resources. The visit provided an update on the Commission's strategic thinking on training and employment which will assist the T&EA to match best practice elsewhere in the European Community (EC) and to take maximum advantage of EC programmes. Potential for the secondment of T&EA staff to the Commission was also identified.

The aim of the German visit was to examine employment prospects and training opportunities for Northern Ireland people in Germany. Links were established with the Bundesanstalt fur Arbeit (Federal Labour Office) and contacts were made with German firms offering the prospect of advanced apprenticeship training.

Letter from D. W. Gallagher to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

As I am responsible for the Northern Ireland Rate Collection Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to some Parliamentary Questions recently put down by you. These related to papers published by the Agency during the last 12 months and any fact-finding visits undertaken by myself during the same period. As you may know, the Rate Collection Agency was established on 1 April 1992. During the last 12 months I have issued the Agency's 1992/93 Business Plan. Our 1991/92 Annual Report will be published shortly.

I would also advise that I have not undertaken any fact finding visits over the same period.

I hope this information answers your questions but please let me know if I can be of any further help.

Letter from A. Wylie to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 28 October 1992 :

Your recent Parliamentary Question asking for a list of fact finding visits made in the past 12 months by the Chief Executive of each Executive Agency and the findings resulting from each visit has been passed to me as Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency for reply.

In summary, I have undertaken 19 fact finding visits during the past 12 months, all of which were to Agency locations. I have enclosed a table setting out the date, location and purpose of my visits.

The visits to Social Security Offices and Benefit Branches gave me the opportunity to meet local management and staff and obtain their views on a wide range of issues such as resourcing, accommodation and communication. These visits have been extremely useful when developing high level plans for the Agency.

I hope that this is helpful.


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Date of visit                           |Location                               |Purpose                                                                        

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29 October 1991                         |Paid Order Unit, Lisahally, Londonderry|To attend official Opening of POU                                              

                                                                                |  and meet management and staff                                                

                                                                                                                                                                

14 November 1991                        |Carrickfergus SSO                      |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

22 November 1991                        |Strabane SSO                           |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

28 November 1991                        |Pensions Branch, Castle Buildings      |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

 5 December 1991                        |Lisburn SSO                            |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

15 January 1992                         |Bangor SSO                             |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

21 January 1992                         |Portadown SSO                          |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

29 January 1992                         |Newtownards SSO                        |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

 4 February 1992                        |Holywood Road SSO                      |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

 6 February 1992                        |ROSIT, York House                      |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

13 March 1992                           |Newtownabbey SSO                       |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

20 March 1992                           |Larne SSO                              |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

16 April 1992                           |Lisnagelvin SSO                        |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

16 April 1992                           |Foyle SSO                              |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

 2 June 1992                            |Armagh SSO                             |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

16 June 1992                            |CBB, Castle Court                      |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

18 June 1992                            |Knockbreda SSO                         |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

14 September 1992                       |Belfast Benefits Centre                |To meet management and staff                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                

 8 October 1992                         |Antrim SSO                             |To meet management and staff                                                   

Letter from J. F. Codd to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

You have asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the fact finding visits made in the last 12 months by the Chief Executive of each Executive Agency for which he is responsible ; and what were the findings resulting from each visit. Mr. M. J. D. Brand was appointed Chief Executive and Director of Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland on 1 April 1992. Since that date he has not undertaken any fact finding visits.

Letter from J. B. Watson to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

I am responding to your recent Parliamentary Question about fact finding visits made by Agency Chief Executives over the past 12 months.

The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency was established on 1 April 1992. Since then I have been on two fact finding visits to the Vehicle Inspectorate Agency, Bristol and the Driving Standards Agency, Nottingham. Both of these Agencies are involved in similar work to my own Agency and the visits allowed me to obtain information on a range of operational, financial and personnel issues.

The visits were valuable as they established useful contacts, informed debate and have assisted with subsequent policy formulation.

Letter from J. Robinson to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

I refer to your recent Parliamentary Question about fact finding visits made in the last 12 months by Chief Executives of Northern Ireland executive agencies. The Secretary of State has asked me to provide the information in respect of the Compensation Agency. I have not made any fact finding visits since this Agency was established on 1 April 1992.

Students Unions

Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his reply of 20 October, Official Report, column 273, how much of the payments of £1,427,900 in the academic year 1991-92 was allocated to the students' union at each university and college of education in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :


                           |£              

-------------------------------------------

Queens University, Belfast |664,000        

University of Ulster       |686,000        

Stranmillis College        |43,900         

St. Mary's College         |34,000         

DEFENCE

Bosnia

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigation he has made of the means by which 755 bombs manufactured by Hunting Engineering Ltd., Bedfordshire came to be used by the warring factions in Bosnia ; and what information he has on other United Kingdom- built armaments being used in that conflict.

Mr. Aitken : The BL755 bombs were exported legitimately by Hunting Engineering Ltd. to a number of countries between 1977 and 1985. Until the outbreak of the current conflict, when an embargo was placed on such exports, individual export licence applications for Yugoslavia were scrutinised carefully and approved or rejected on a case-by-case basis.

Appointments

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the names of public appointments that he has made, giving the period for which the appointment was made, relevant qualifications of the appointees, and what remuneration each currently receives.

Mr. Rifkind : I refer the hon. Member to "Public Bodies 1991", issued by the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service in December 1991 ; pages 10 to 13 list Ministry of Defence appointments. Relevant information is also in "Public Appointments : A Handbook for Women's Organisations" ; pages 31 to 37, published by the Women's National Commission. Copies of these publications are available from the Library.

Ultra-Violet Radiation

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures have been taken to warn and protect military personnel serving in areas with high levels of harmful ultra-violet radiation ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : All service personnel serving in areas of high levels of harmful ultra-violet radiation and excessive sunlight receive health education briefing and appropriate protective equipment such as eye protectors, screening cream and climatic clothing.


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Nuclear Submarines

Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recommendation has been made by the Navy Board in relation to the best location for refitting of nuclear submarines.

Mr. Aitken : It is not our practice to disclose any recommendations which the Navy Board may make in confidence to Ministers.

Search and Rescue

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has carried out into predicted rescue times in the North sea the effect on his plans to transfer the helicopter search-and- rescue unit from RAF Coltishall to RAF Wattisham ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : There was no requirement for such research, as the new basing structure for the RAF search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter force took into account the established civil SAR criteria.

Army Housing

Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army personnel currently returning from Germany to be deployed in Northern Ireland are on waiting lists for married quarters ; and how many families or spouses are being accommodated in hostels in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are 39 Army personnel from Germany who are on waiting lists for married quarters in Northern Ireland. A total of 28 Army families are in hostel accommodation in the United Kingdom.

RAF Brawdy

Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of operations flown by B flight, 202 Squadron RAF Brawdy in each of the last five years ; and how many operations in each year were in response to a military incident.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The table details the total number of call- outs--civil and military--of B flight 202 Squadron over the past five years and the number of these call-outs that were to military incidents. The figures in brackets show the number of call-outs which involved the rescue of people, including incidents such as the transfer of sick or injured people from ship to hospital.


Year               |Total Call-outs   |Military Call-outs                   

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1987               |134 (52)          |17 (2)                               

1988               |154 (69)          |13 (4)                               

1989               |148 (65)          |5 (0)                                

1990               |172 (72)          |9 (3)                                

1991               |162 (69)          |7 (3)                                

<1>1992            |110 (35)          |4 (1)                                

<1> To end August.                                                          

Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the operating costs of B flight 202 Squadron based at RAF Brawdy for the years 1990-91 and 1991-92 and the estimated costs for 1992-93 and 1993-94.


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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The operating costs requested are :


          |£ million          

------------------------------

1990-91   |2.32               

1991-92   |2.48               

1992-93   |<1>2.58            

1993-94   |<1>2.67            

<1> Estimated.                

Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish the risk analysis study carried out by his Department into the need to respond to civilian emergencies before the decision on ending search-and-rescue operations from RAF Brawdy ;

(2) if he will publish the risk analysis study prepared for his Department of the need to respond to civilian emergencies before the decision on ending the search-and-rescue operations at RAF Brawdy.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : There was no requirement for such a study, since the new basing structure for the RAF search-and-rescue helicopter force took into account the established civil search-and-rescue criteria.

Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions Her Majesty's Government had with the Irish Government concerning the withdrawal of search-and-rescue operations from RAF Brawdy in April 1994.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The British embassy in Dublin notified the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs on 21 October of the change in search- and-rescue cover.

Sea King Helicopters

Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the length of time a search and rescue Sea King takes to travel 40 nautical miles in usual conditions of (a) calm, (b) a 10 knot headwind, (c) a 20 knot headwind, (d) a 30 knot headwind, (e) a 40 knot headwind and (f) a 50 knot headwind.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : Assuming an aircraft air speed of 120 knots, and excluding standby times, the information requested is :


Condition          |Ground speed knots|Time minutes                         

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calm               |120               |20.0                                 

10 knot headwind   |110               |21.8                                 

20 knot headwind   |100               |24.0                                 

30 knot headwind   |90                |26.7                                 

40 knot headwind   |80                |30.0                                 

50 knot headwind   |70                |34.3                                 

Army Recruits (Ill-treatment)

Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on alleged incidents of ill-treatment of Army recruits at Whittington barracks and Sennybridge training camp.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The commanding officer initiated an investigation by the special investigations branch of the Royal Military police as soon as the allegations came to


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light. Its report has now been submitted to the commanding officer. I would not wish to prejudice the outcome of any disciplinary action which might be taken by commenting further at this stage.

Nuclear Weapons

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 October, Official Report, column 403, how his Department will determine whether or not another country has tested nuclear weapons after 1996 ; and for what reasons the United Kingdom will resume nuclear testing if another country tests nuclear weapons after 1996.

Mr. Aitken : Since the issue arises from United States legislation regarding testing in the United States, it will be for the United States authorities to make any determination concerning testing by another country after 1996. Our position on a resumption of testing in that event would be decided in the light of circumstances at the time.

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 October, Official Report, column 403, on alternative technologies what is his Department's assessment as to the ability of alternative technologies to ensure the safety of the United Kingdom's nuclear warheads after 1996.

Mr. Aitken We believe that underground testing remains the best means of ensuring the safety and credibility of nuclear weapons. Alternative techniques are not at present an adequate substitute. It is too early to assess how effective they may have become after 1996.

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence(1) pursuant to his answer of 23 October, Official Report, column 403, if he will provide details of the numbers and types of alternative technologies for proving nuclear warheads that his Department has been involved in working on ; and what additional financial resources will be provided for such work in the future ;

(2) what alternatives to nuclear testing exist as means of developing new warheads ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken : There is a range of technologies which might assist the proving and developing of nuclear warheads in the absence of nuclear tests. These include computer modelling and various forms of simulation using lasers and hydrodynamics. We already make extensive use of them, to keep nuclear testing to a minimum ; the question of resources for their development will be considered as part of the normal process of determining the forward defence programme.

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the United Kingdom is prohibited from conducting an underground nuclear test in Nevada before July 1993 under the terms of the United States energy appropriation legislation.

Mr. Aitken : The legislation makes no provision for a United Kingdom nuclear test before 1 July 1993 and it is not practicable for the United Kingdom to test while the United States Government are themselves unable to do so.


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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Charters

34. Mr. Dickens : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will ensure that charter standards are regularly reviewed and improved if necessary.

Mr. Waldegrave : Yes. The citizens charter is a programme of continuous improvement. As targets are set, and met, we aim to improve on them over time. Charters will be reviewed and improved year-by-year. Our White Paper later this month will set out the future development of the charter programme.

Research and Development

37. Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on Government spending on research and development in the coming year.

Mr. Robert Jackson : Government spending on research and development in 1992-93 is £5,587 million. The figure for 1993-94 will be announced in the autumn statement.

Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of gross domestic product the United Kingdom Government spends on civil research and development ; and what are the comparable figures for France and Germany.

Mr. Robert Jackson : In 1990 the United Kingdom Government spent 0.51 per cent. of GDP on civil R and D. The corresponding figures for France and Germany were 0.85 per cent. and 0.9 per cent. respectively. The figures for USA and Japan were 0.44 per cent. and 0.43 per cent.

Maastricht Treaty

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the price of the Maastricht treaty published by HMSO ; what is the price of the English text published in Luxembourg for the European Community on sale in HMSO shops ; what is the reason for the difference in price ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Robert Jackson : The English language version of the treaty on European union published by the office for official publications of the European Communities is priced at 9 ecu. HMSO, which is the appointed sales agent in Britain for publications of the European Community, has translated this into a selling price of £6.50, using a conversion table provided by the European Community.

HMSO has also published the treaty on European union, including the protocols and final act with declaration, as Cm. 1934. This publication has a cover price of £13.30, determined by reference to a pricing scale applied to all monochrome Command Papers. The pricing scale ensures consistency in the prices of items of similar size and appearance, regardless of their relative popularity.

Publishing Restrictions

Mr. Fisher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will publish a complete list of statutory restrictions which he has identified as preventing the publication of information known to the Government.

Mr. Waldegrave : I hope to announce conclusions of the review of specific statutory restrictions on the disclosure of information early in the new year.


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Executive Agencies

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list, for the last 12 months, the titles of papers published by the chief executive of each executive agency for which he is responsible.

Mr. Waldegrave : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the chief executives of the Central Office of Information, the Civil Service College, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, the Occupational Health Service and the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency. I have asked them to write to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from Mike Devereau to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

You recently tabled a Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in connection with papers published by the Chief Executive of each Executive Agency. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has asked me to reply direct to you with regard to the Central Office of Information.

The only paper I have published in the past year is COI's Annual Report and Accounts 1991-92, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Letter from Marianne Neville-Rolfe to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 October 1992 :

You asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he would list for the last twelve months the titles of papers published by the chief executive of each agency for which he is responsible. I attach a list of the publications which have been issued by the Civil Service College since October 1991.

Civil Service College publications since October 1991

Prospectus 1992-1993

Training for Trainers and Training Managers

Equality of Opportunity Training

Equality of Opportunity Training (Private Sector)

Training in Purchasing and Supply

IPM Professional Education Scheme

Systems and Project Management

R and D Management

Policy Programme for Managers

Senior Finance Training

Training in Personnel Management

Training for Auditors

European Community and International Relations

Senior Training

Management Development Programmes

Fast Stream Training

Training for Lawyers

Training in Market Testing

Personnel Management Training

Node Programmes

Report and Accounts 1991-1992

Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

I am responding, in respect of HMSO, to your question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on papers published by the executive agencies for which he is responsible.

HMSO normally publishes around 9,000 titles per year in its capacity as Government Publisher. I enclose a copy of our booklet "Getting HMSO Books", which explains the various means of keeping track of HMSO publications.

I assume, however, that your question is directed towards publications which relate to HMSO's own activities as an Executive Agency. These would be the HMSO Trading Fund Accounts 1991 and HMSO Review 1991, and I am pleased to enclose complimentary copies. Letter from Dr. George Sorrie to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 27 October 1992 :

As you know I have been asked to respond to your question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about papers published by Chief Executives of Executive Agencies.


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