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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 6 November 1992
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Citizens Charter
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the publication dates of (a) the citizens charter White Paper, Cm 1599, and (b) the tape recorded version for partially sighted people.
Mr. Jackson : The citizens charter White Paper (Cm 1599) was published on 22 July 1991 and the audio version on 18 November 1991.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Mr. Garrett : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the salaries of the executive directors of Her Majesty's Stationery Office at the present time and 18 months ago ; and what proportion of their present salaries is in the form of
performance-related pay.
Mr. Waldegrave : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to HMSO under its chief executive. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. John Garrett, dated 3 November 1992 :
I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about the salaries of HMSO's executive directors.
The remuneration arrangements for HMSO's directors are exactly the same as for other staff. Jobs are assigned to a pay band by means of an analytical job evaluation system. Progression within the pay band is dependent on performance, and performance pay is not separately identifiable. Details of the relevant pay bands are as follows :
Pay band |April 1991 |Now
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------
14 |27,856-36,549|29,165-38,267
15 |30,748-40,343|32,193-42,239
16 |33,940-44,532|35,536-46,625
17 |35,658-46,786|37,334-48,985
18 |37,469-49,155|39,224-51,465
ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Forged Banknotes
Mr. Janner : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee whether he will arrange for an ultraviolet monitoring machine to be made available in the House of Commons Members' post office to protect hon. Members against receiving forged banknotes.
Mr. Martin : There is no evidence of sufficient demand to justify this provision.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Battery Cages
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the main findings of the EC scientific veterinary committee report on hen welfare ; and if he will make it his policy to advocate the phasing out of battery cages.
Mr. Soames : We await the official publication of the scientific veterinary committee's report, together with the Commission's proposals for revision of the battery hens directive and new welfare standards for hens kept in alternative systems.
It is already the Government's policy that the current battery cage design, in which only feeding and drinking facilities are provided, must be phased out on a Community basis.
Farms (Pollution Control)
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures are currently available to assist family farms with the costs of fulfilling pollution control requirements.
Mr. Curry : Since the farm and conservation grant scheme was introduced in 1989, £88 million has been spent on grants to help United Kingdom farmers meet the costs of installing or improving waste handling facilities. Free initial advice on pollution control is available to farmers from the Agricultural Development Advisory Service, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture.
In addition, the Ministry is carrying out a pilot study to see if farmers can help to reduce pollution themselves by drawing up their own farm waste management plans.
Agricultural Support
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, for each system of agricultural support which will be effective next year, the total estimated cost, the likely quantities involved and also the split in costs between the common agricultural policy and United Kingdom public funds.
Mr. Curry : Details of estimates for the years 1992-93 to 1994-95 were provided in the departmental report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Intervention Board. This report was presented to Parliament in February 1992 and a copy was placed in the Library. Details are not readily available of the likely quantities involved in each of the support systems and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Milk Hygiene
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what charges are being set for milk hygiene enforcement work for 1992-93.
Mr. Curry : Following consultation with interested parties the Government have today laid before Parliament regulations maintaining the current charge for milk hygiene inspection visits and increasing the charge for visits for sampling and testing of untreated milk undertaken by ADAS. The new charge will come into force on 27 November 1992.
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The Milk and Dairies and Milk (Special Designation) (Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 1992 will increase the charge for sampling and testing visits from £47 to £63. This increase is necessary to assist the Government in meeting its ultimate objective of recovering the full costs of milk hygiene enforcement work. The charge for milk hygiene inspection visits will remain unchanged at £92--£71 for producers with fewer than 20 cows--as will the present exemptions from charges for pre-registration inspection visits, for farmhouse caterers and for suppliers in remote areas.The current milk hygiene enforcement programme will be reviewed in the context of the arrangements that are being made to implement the new EC milk hygiene directive by 1 January 1994. The review will include an examination of the possibility of contracting out the work.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Poll Tax
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average weekly amount ordered by magistrates for payment of poll tax arrears by recipients of income support.
Mr. John M. Taylor : This information is not collected.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will include in the community charge enforcement statement figures for the remission of debt following means tests.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I have no plans to add to the existing information that is supplied to the Library of the House.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make regulations to limit the amount of payment for poll tax arrears ordered by the courts in the case of recipients of income support to no more than £2.15 per week ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : It is not the role of the courts to determine the rate of payment of arrears by debtors subject to a liability order. Where recovery cannot otherwise be achieved, a court may, on an application by the charging authority, decide in the light of the debtor's means to postpone committal to prison for default, subject to any requirement to make such payments as the court may determine. I do not think that it would be right for me to seek to fetter the courts' discretion in such matters.
Legal Aid
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to grant the right to free legal advice to all patients detained in psychiatric hospitals.
Mr. John M. Taylor : No. It is the Government's general policy that those who are assessed as having the means to contribute towards the cost of legal advice provided under the legal aid scheme should do so.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average time
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between legal aid work being done by barristers and legal aid fees being paid to them for (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid for each of the past 20 years.Mr. John D. Taylor : Figures are not available in the form nor for the period requested. The information immediately available is contained in the tables. It shows performance against target for bills paid by the Legal Aid Board and the Crown court. It is only available in respect of the time taken to pay bills once they have been submitted.
Payments made by the Legal Aid Board
1991-92 |March 1992 |March 1992
and assessed
Time taken |Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 weeks |65 |78
8 weeks |85 |88
Bills in Magistrates' Courts' proceedings
6 weeks |80 |89
Other bills
6 weeks |95 |95
1990-91 |March 1990 |March 1991 |March 1992
Civil bills: taxed |performance |performance |target
and assessed
time taken |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 weeks |38 |31 |-
6 weeks |68 |71 |85
8 weeks |81 |88 |85
Bills in Magistrates' Courts' proceedings
4 weeks |78 |76 |-
6 weeks |93 |91 |80
0
1990-91 |March 1991 |March 1992
Other bills |performance|target
Time taken |Per cent. |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------
4 weeks |82 |-
6 weeks |95 |95
1989-90 time taken to process bills
4 weeks |82 |76
6 weeks |95 |91
Payments made by the Crown court
In the Crown court, where counsel has claimed a standard fee the target is for payment within five working days where the claim is lodged on the day that the case is concluded ; and within 10 working days where it is not. The table gives the percentage of cases paid within target and the average number of days taken to pay all standard fees.
Index Percentage change
over
|(January 1987 = 100|Twelve months |Six months |Three months
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All items |139.4 |3.6 |2.0 |0.1
All items except housing |134.9 |3.5 |1.4 |-0.1
All items except mortgage interest payments |137.3 |4.0 |2.1 |0.1
Note: The housing group of the retail prices index comprises rents in both the public and private sectors, mortgage interest payments,
Community charges, water and sewerage charges, dwelling insurance and ground rent, repairs and maintenance charges and do-it-yourself
materials.
For non-standard fee cases in the Crown court there is a target of no more than 30 per cent. of claims to be outstanding after four weeks from date of receipt.
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Index Percentage change
over
|(January 1987 = 100|Twelve months |Six months |Three months
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All items |139.4 |3.6 |2.0 |0.1
All items except housing |134.9 |3.5 |1.4 |-0.1
All items except mortgage interest payments |137.3 |4.0 |2.1 |0.1
Note: The housing group of the retail prices index comprises rents in both the public and private sectors, mortgage interest payments,
Community charges, water and sewerage charges, dwelling insurance and ground rent, repairs and maintenance charges and do-it-yourself
materials.
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InterCity 225 Trains
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 16 July, Official Report, column 866, if he will list the number of claims by British Rail, under warranty protections, to the manufacturers of InterCity 225 trains.
Mr. Freeman : The number of claims is a commercial matter between British Rail and the manufacturers.
Nuclear Materials
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will establish a centralised database of the movement of nuclear materials, including medical isotopes, within, into and from the United Kingdom.
Rail Privatisation
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are his plans for the membership of the franchising authority proposed as part of the rail privatisation ; and what local imput there will be.
Mr. Freeman : The franchising authority's head will be appointed directly by the Secretary of State. The authority will wish to take into account the views of local authorities when specifying service levels for franchises, particularly in the passenger transport authorities areas where the passenger transport executives will continue to pay for the services they support.
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure the continuation of the integrated local services in the west midlands area after privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : The west midlands, in common with six other areas in the United Kingdom, has a passenger transport executive responsible for specifying and procuring local passenger rail services, and for measures which promote their operation in conjunction with local passenger transport services. PTEs will continue to have this responsibility following British Rail's privatisation, feeding their requirements into the service specification that the franchising authority will draw up when letting the franchises for passenger rail services which cover PTA areas.
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that expenditure by the West Midlands passenger transport authority on rail developments receives a return on outlay following privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : Any contractual rights or obligations existing between British Rail and the West Midlands PTA will be honoured.
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Radioactive Fuel
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many occasions in 1991 and so far in 1992 irradiated test reactor fuel from Harwell has been transported by road to Dounreay ; and how many accidents have taken place in the course of those journeys.
Mr. Norris : There were no such shipments in 1991, and have been none so far this year.
Westway
Mr. Walden : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the dates of resurfacing work carried out on the Westway since 1987 ;
(2) to what extent the present repairs to the Westway in west London involve remedial work following the most recent previous repairs ; and what amount and proportion of the costs of the current repairs are accounted for by such remedial work ;
(3) why the current repairs to the Westway in West London were not carried out when the road was last under repair ;
(4) what the difference is between the current repairs to the Westway in west London and those carried out in the most recent previous repair programme.
Mr. Norris : During an inspection of Westway in 1988, the waterproof membrane was found to have reached the end of its life. As an interim measure the defective membrane was patched in places between August and November of that year. This was the first time that Westway had been subject to substantial repair works since 1986. Following this interim measure, full waterproofing and resurfacing of the entire length of A40(M) is being carried out. In consultation with the police and the local boroughs--Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham--it was decided that to undertake all the work at once would cause unacceptable disruption to traffic on both Westway and the adjacent road network. The work was accordingly divided into two phases.
Phase I, from the Marylebone flyover to just short of Ladbroke grove, and the A40(M)/M1 flyover, started in September 1991 and was completed in February 1992. Phase II, which covers work at the A40(M)/M41 roundabout and the Wood Lane flyover, began in July 1992 and is due to finish at the end of November. None of the current work is remedial work. During carriageway closures, signed diversions are in operation.
Once the work is complete, I do not envisage resurfacing the Westway for many years.
Brake Lights
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what alterations are being considered with regard to the regulations affecting the provision of high mounted brake lights on motor vehicles.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I have no plans at present to alter the current lighting regulations which provide for the optional fitting of high mounted stop lamps on vehicles.
It now seems likely that Europe will follow the USA and, for the future, make the fitting of a supplementary high mounted stop lamp compulsory. When changes are agreed by the European Community, an amendment will be needed to our regulations.
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EC Transport Council
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the result of the Luxembourg Transport Council.
Mr. John MacGregor : The Transport Council, in Luxembourg on 26 October, held most constructive discussions which have cleared the way for agreement on a wide range of subjects including airport slot allocation, transport infrastructure funding, road and rail transit of Austria and Switzerland and road haulage cabotage liberalisation together with associated taxation and charging issues.
Airport Slot Allocation
The Council provided guidance on the direction which further preparatory work should take on key issues, with the objective of agreeing the detailed regulation at the December Council.
Transport Infrastructure Funding
After discussion based on a presidency compromise, the Council is now in a position to reach agreement on the regulation to supersede the present transport infrastructure funding regulation, subject to the views of Parliaments. As at present, maritime and aviation infrastructure is not to be included in the regulation. Its duration is to be two years but with the provision that it will automatically lapse on the introduction of trans- European networks funding for transport under the Maastricht treaty.
Road and Rail Transit of Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia The Council is now also in a position to conclude transport agreements between the Community and Austria and Switzerland and administrative arrangements for implementing them, subject to the views of Parliaments and to the satisfactory conclusion of outstanding discussions between Germany and Austria. The Council reached a similar provisional agreement on a regulation on the distribution to member states of "ecopoints" which encourage the use of "green lorries" for additional transit journeys through Austria. I expect that final agreements will be reached on these items in time for implementation from 1 January 1993.
The Council also reached agreement on a mandate and procedures for the Commission to negotiate a transit agreement between the Community and Slovenia.
Road Haulage Cabotage Liberalisation and Fiscal Harmonisation The Council had a constructive discussion on the taxation and charging of road goods transport and made useful progress. It was agreed that the Commission's proposals on taxation and charging represent the best possible basis for making further progress. The presidency will work further in the next few weeks on this issue and the related one of road haulage cabotage liberalisation, on the basis of the Commission's proposal together with the previous compromise proposal of the Portuguese presidency on cabotage liberalisation. Agreement on free cabotage is required under the single market provisions of the treaty by the end of 1992 and I shall be pressing for agreement on this at the Council's December meeting.
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Combined TransportThe Council is also in a position to reach agreement, subject to the views of Parliaments, on a directive amending the definition of combined transport for the purpose of certain concessions to road hauliers so as to include journeys made partly by sea ; and on a regulation to extend by three years and to widen the scope of the existing regulation permitting member states to grant aid for combined transport.
The Commission's proposal for a Community shipping register, Euros, was discussed briefly and a full discussion will take place at the December Council. The Commission briefly introduced proposals for revising the code of conduct on airline computer reservation systems, for a directive on standards for air services relations with third countries. All these issues were referred to the Committee of Permanent Representatives for examination.
Rail Freight Services
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 22 October, Official Report, column 345, whether his Department or British Rail put out to tender the consultancy on the sale of British Rail's freight operations ; and how many replies were received to the invitation to tender.
SCOTLAND
Consultants
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the names of all the consultants commissioned by his Department from 1986 to the most recent date for which information is available ; and if he will give the subject and expenditure for each.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 29 October 1992] : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Low Pay
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his proposals to increase equal economic opportunities for the low paid.
Mr. Lamont : The Government's strategy of reducing inflation, cutting taxes and making markets work better is the best way of helping the low paid.
Exchange Rates
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the reduction in the trade-weighted nominal rate for the pound sterling since the fourth quarter of 1986, together with his estimate of the corresponding reduction in relative export unit values, assuming that the fall in the nominal rate is fully reflected in a reduction in the prices charged by United Kingdom exporters in foreign currency terms.
Mr. Nelson : The latest figures for the sterling effective exchange rate index and the United Kingdom's relative export prices are on the CSO databank which may be accessed through the Library of the House.
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Pension Scheme Surpluses
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has for legislation under which banks would be prevented from appropriating pension scheme surpluses in their annual accounts.
Mr. Nelson : I have no such proposals.
Bingham Inquiry
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Government Ministers who gave evidence to the Bingham inquiry and the dates on which they appeared before the inquiry.
Mr. Nelson : A full list of those who gave evidence to the Bingham inquiry is at annex 1 to the report, a copy of which is available in the Library. Of those, five present or former Government Ministers appeared before the inquiry to give oral evidence. The dates of their appearances were :
Date and Witness
4 February 1992--The Right Hon. Sir Ian Stewart, now Lord Stewartby (former Economic Secretary).
6 February--The Right Hon. Nigel Lawson, now Lord Lawson (former Chancellor of the Exchequer).
10 February--The Right Hon. John Major MP (Prime Minister and former Chancellor of the Exchequer).
11 February--John Maples (former Economic Secretary).
12 February--The Right Hon. Norman Lamont MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer).
Interest Rates
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the interest rates in Britain and other EC countries.
Mr. Nelson : United Kingdom short-term interest rates are the lowest in the EC.
Kerrey Inquiry
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the departments and agencies of Her Majesty's Government which provided evidence to the Kerrey inquiry in the United States of America ; and if he will place all such evidence which has been published in the Library.
Mr. Nelson : No Departments or agencies of Her Majesty's Government provided evidence to Senator Kerrey's inquiry into the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, nor did Senator Kerrey seek to check the accuracy of his report with them.
Retail Prices Index
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the rate of increase in the retail prices index (a) including and (b) excluding, housing costs in (i) the year, (ii) the six-month period and (iii) the three-month period to October ; and if he will estimate the effect on the price index of including rents, but excluding mortgage costs.
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