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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 10 November 1992
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Legal Aid
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will review the legal aid scheme to ensure that applicants can be fully represented in preparing submissions to the investors compensation scheme.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Those who meet the financial eligibility criteria may already seek legal advice and assistance in preparing their applications to the investors compensation scheme.
Sentencing
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what studies he has carried out into sentencing for similar offences in different parts of the country ; and what plans he has to deal with disparities in sentencing for similar offences by different courts.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 9 November 1992] : I have been asked to reply.
Information about the sentencing practice of Crown court centres and magistrates courts petty sessional divisions is being published by the Secretary of State, in pursuance of his statutory duty under section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to enable persons engaged in the administration of justice to become aware of the financial implications of their decisions. Volume I of an eight-volume publication on costs of the criminal justice system was published on 29 October. It provides information about sentencing including information about sentencing for similar offences, in the Crown court. The remaining volumes will provide information about sentencing in the magistrates courts and will be published shortly. The sentencing profiles revealed in these publications must be read with caution. They cannot reflect what may be underlying differences in the workload and case mix at different courts. Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the courts in the light of all the circumstances of the offence and subject to the decisions of, and any guidance from, the Court of Appeal. A substantial programme of training on good sentencing practice is provided for both judges and magistrates under the auspices of the Judicial Studies Board.
SCOTLAND
College Merger
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decision he has reached on the formal date for the merger of (a) university of Strathclyde and Jordanhill college and (b) Queen's college and Glasgow polytechnic.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Secretary of State and I indicated in our letters approving the two mergers that the necessary steps would be taken to give effect to the mergers in the first half of 1993. My officials are in close touch with each of the institutions concerned about the precise timetable and legislative arrangements for implementing the mergers.
Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many papers his Department and the Lord Advocate's Department have currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if he will list their titles ; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. Lang : Neither the Scottish Record Office nor the Lord Advocate's Department has withdrawn papers from the Public Record Office.
Legal Aid
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average time between legal aid work being carried out by lawyers and legal aid fees being paid to them for (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid for each of the past 15 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The average times, in weeks, taken by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to process accounts for (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid work in the years 1987-88 to 1991-92 and the situation at September 1992 are set out in the table. Prior to 1987, the payment of accounts for legal aid work in Scotland was the responsibility of the Law Society of Scotland and the figures for previous years are therefore not readily available. The board does not have figures available for 1987-88. The figures shown include periods of time when the board was awaiting responses from lawyers to its inquiries about accounts.
|(a) Criminal|(b) Civil
----------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |7.55 |13.26
1989-90 |6.09 |13.39
1990-91 |5.06 |11.65
1991-92 |5.59 |15.81
April-October 1992 |4.44 |9.08
School Transport
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement in relation to the provision of home- to-school transport following comments received on the consultation paper, "Competing for Quality : Competition in the Provision of Local Services", published in November 1991.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In Scotland, the majority of home-to- school transport is already provided by the private sector, either under competitive tendering arrangements or through other arrangements such as the issuing of bus passes to children. Taking account of the responses to the consultation paper, I have concluded that compulsory competitive tendering need not at this stage be extended to apply to all home-to-school transport, I will, however, keep this position under review.
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Charities
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many charities, whose gross income does not exceed £25,000 per annum, will have to conform to the regulations specified in the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 1992 ; if he will list them ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 4 November 1992] : As a general rule, all Scottish charities must now prepare annual accounts conforming to the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 1992.
Where a charity's annual income is £25,000 or more, the statement of accounts must comprise a balance sheet, and an income and expenditure account, and must include a report of its activities. In cases where the annual income is less than £25,000 charities may elect to prepare simpler accounts.
No information is held centrally about the annual income of individual Scottish charities.
Health Service Expenditure
Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish for each health board for the current financial year (a) the planned capital and revenue expenditure on mental handicap (learning disabilities) services and (b) the value of assets relevant to mental handicap (learning disabilities) services listed in capital asset registers.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 6 November 1992] : This information is not held centrally.
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Hospital Food
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the minimum amount that may be spent per patient per day in purchasing food for in-patients in hospitals.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 9 November 1992] : There is no minimum amount. It is for each health board to decide on the amount which it considers appropriate to spend on catering services, including food provisions, to meet patient care needs. The board's decision will be informed by advice from dietitians on the dietary requirements of patients in the different care groups.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken by his Department to ensure quality control for meals served to in-patients in hospitals.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 9 November 1992] : Quality control arrangements for meals served to patients is the responsibility of management teams in hospitals. The standards considered appropriate are specified in catering contracts and management teams are responsible for monitoring performance to ensure the contract specifications are met and maintained.
Water Services
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the expenditure by each regional council on (a) water and (b) sewerage service provision in each of the last five years.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 9 November 1992] : Revenue expenditure on water and sewerage services by each regional and islands council is given in the tables.
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Gross Revenue Expenditure on Scottish Water Services
£ thousands
Authority |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |<1>1991-92
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |3,479 |3,606 |5,638 |5,383 |4,652
Central |11,448 |11,549 |12,303 |13,624 |12,498
Dumfries and Galloway |4,718 |5,365 |5,904 |7,271 |8,509
Fife |9,207 |9,862 |10,721 |16,426 |13,748
Grampian |17,301 |18,484 |20,017 |23,130 |27,695
Highland |6,635 |7,199 |7,890 |9,338 |9,924
Lothian |21,640 |22,374 |24,259 |27,562 |29,442
Strathclyde |63,509 |68,050 |75,053 |76,597 |87,874
Tayside |12,663 |13,353 |15,125 |17,477 |19,263
Orkney |1,540 |1,412 |1,177 |1,342 |1,607
Shetland |1,984 |2,040 |1,561 |1,425 |2,945
Western Isles |1,193 |1,336 |1,502 |1,566 |1,877
|---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Scotland |155,317 |164,630 |181,150 |201,141 |220,034
<1>Estimated.
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Gross revenue expenditure on Scottish sewerage services
£ thousand
Authority |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |<1>1991-92
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |3,191 |3,279 |3,804 |5,873 |4,648
Central |9,150 |9,159 |10,186 |11,452 |11,365
Dumfries and Galloway |3,805 |4,129 |4,744 |5,481 |6,353
Fife |6,462 |7,246 |8,180 |12,144 |12,072
Grampian |16,551 |18,097 |18,463 |19,807 |23,276
Highland |5,667 |6,040 |6,601 |8,126 |8,552
Lothian |21,281 |21,438 |24,524 |27,626 |32,528
Strathclyde |61,382 |65,867 |71,776 |78,325 |94,496
Tayside |9,295 |10,240 |11,505 |13,551 |17,818
Orkney |454 |307 |439 |525 |601
Shetland |782 |2,776 |545 |400 |975
Western Isles |697 |829 |889 |1,391 |995
Scotland |138,717 |149,407 |161,656 |184,701 |213,679
<1> Estimated.
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed in the (a) water and (b) sewerage services in Scotland in each year since 1979.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 9 November 1992] : The numbers employed in water and sewerage services in Scotland since 1979 are set out in the table.
Numbers of employees in Scottish
Water and Sewerage Services
|Water |Sewerage
--------------------------------------
1979-80<1> |3,592 |2,674
1980-81<1> |3,689 |2,741
1981-82<1> |3,631 |2,634
1982-83<1> |3,484 |2,577
1983-84 |3,604 |2,524
1984-85 |3,564 |2,516
1985-86 |3,546 |2,506
1986-87 |3,515 |2,649
1987-88 |3,577 |2,660
1988-89 |3,491 |2,659
1989-90 |3,486 |2,632
1990-91 |3,579 |2,643
<1> Orkney, Shetland and Western
Isles not included.
Source: The Water Industry-Services
and Costs published annually by CIPFA
and latterly by CRI.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Forest Clearance
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to investigate the schemes on clearing natural forest to develop timber plantations funded by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in Cote d'Ivoire and Thailand ; and if he will ensure that future moneys granted by the Overseas Development Administration in overseas aid do not fund the destruction of natural forests.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Before proposed investments are submitted to the Commonwealth Development Corporation's board for approval they are subject to appraisal, which includes explicit assessments of their environmental and social impact. We have no plans to investigate CDC forestry projects in Thailand. As part of our regular evaluation programme we expect to release shortly an evaluation report on the SODEFOR forestry project in Cote d'Ivoire in which CDC is a co-financier with the World bank and the Government of Cote d'Ivoire. We also expect to release shortly an evaluation synthesis report on six forestry projects including SODEFOR. Our policy is to help and encourage developing countries to manage their forests sustainably.
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PRIME MINISTER
Economic Policy
Q9. Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government's new economic policy including his forecasts for growth in the financial years 1992-93 and 1993-94.
The Prime Minister : The Government's central objective remains to achieve sustainable and non-inflationary growth. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor set out details of the Government's economic policy in his Mansion House speech of 30 October. He will be announcing the Government's spending plans and publishing a new forecast for the economy in 1993 in the autumn statement.
Official Statistics
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what provisions are made to ensure that Ministers and others in Government service are not permitted to take personal advantage of access to official statistics before they are published.
The Prime Minister : "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes and the civil service code make it clear that both Ministers and civil servants should avoid any conflict of interest between their official duties and private interests. Ministers and civil servants are bound by the provisions of the Companies Securities (Insider Dealing) Act 1985. Copies of "Questions of Procedure" and the code are in the Library.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 10 November.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 10 November.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Pit Closures
Mr. Madden : To ask the Prime Minister (1) when he arranged for the telephone line in his office for views on pit closures to be closed and callers told to write instead ; and what arrangements he is making for more telephone lines to his office to enable the public to make calls, the substance of which can be logged for record purposes ;
(2) if he will publish the telephone numbers to his office which members of the public may telephone if they wish to record protests about pit closures and other matters ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : I do not propose to change the existing practice.
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TRANSPORT
Radioactivity
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of radioactive sources or materials that are known to have escaped the official control regime while in transit within the United Kingdom and its territorial waters.
Mr. Norris : A database on accidents and incidents occurring in the transport of radioactive materials is maintained by the National Radiological Protection Board. I am placing copies of the relevant reports in the Library of the House.
Pedestrians
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the advice on grade separation for pedestrians promised in departmental advice note 57/87, published in 1987.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Advice on footbridges is given in departmental standard BD 29/87, and advice on subways TD 2/78 and TD 3/79. The advice on subways is currently being updated and my Department expects to publish a revised standard in 1993. I am putting copies of the relevant departmental standards in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list, for each class of all-purpose road set out in table 2 of departmental standard TD 20/85, the maximum traffic flow at which he considers it safe for all pedestrians to cross in safety.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Advice on at-grade pedestrian crossings is given in departmental advice note TA 52/87 on the parameters and other factors to be considered when assessing the provision of pelican and zebra crossings.
A copy of the advice note is being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total revenue expenditure in each of the English regions by his Department in the years 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Estimates of general Government expenditure on transport by English region for 1990-91 and 1991-92 are not yet available. However, estimates for the two preceeding years--1988-89 and 1989-90--are given in appendix E of "Public Expenditue Analyses to 1994-95 ; Statistical Supplement to the 1991 Autumn Statement", Cm. 1920. It is not possible to break down the figures between revenue and capital expenditure.
Road Schemes (Environmental Appraisal)
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisation he has consulted or will be consulting on the draft revision of the manual of environmental appraisal for new road schemes.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Department has consulted, or will be consulting other Government Departments, and
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all the statutory organisations with responsibility for the environment--English Nature, English Heritage, National Rivers Authority, and the Countryside Commission--where they have an interest. The standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment will also be consulted.Lifeboat Service
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make any contribution towards the extra costs incurred by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to meet additional
responsibilities in areas like the Firth of Forth as described in the Defence Open Government document of October following the closure of RAF search and rescue helicopter bases at Leuchars and elsewhere.
Mr. Norris : The Royal National Lifeboat Institution provides an excellent service under its royal charter which is entirely supported by voluntary public subscription. It is a matter for the institution whether it would apply to the Government for any funding.
Train Drivers
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the statutory authority for the test and authority to drive a locomotive.
Mr. Freeman : There are at present no statutory requirements which cover the testing and authorisation of train drivers.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list, for each local authority area in South Yorkshire, how many residential properties are currently owned by his Department ; and if he will list, by location, those residential properties which are empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant, and its intended future use.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Department owns two residential properties in South Yorkshire--one each in the Doncaster borough council and Rotherham borough council areas.
One property is at 50 School road, Wales, Sheffield. It is a three-bedroom semi-detached house and has been empty since 11 November 1991. The property is in need of substantial structural repairs. Its future use will be decided when proposals to widen the M1 between junctions 28 and 32 are finalised.
The other property is The Bungalow, Grove avenue, Doncaster. It is a three- bedroom detached property, which the tenant vacated on 28 October 1992. Another tenant is to be sought.
Tunnels (Lighting)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the lighting in tunnels on trunk roads in Greater London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The only tunnel on a trunk road in Greater London is the Blackwall tunnel. The lighting in the northbound bore of this tunnel was improved earlier this year and is now up to the British Standard.
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A principal inspection of the southbound bore will take place in the spring of 1993. Consideration will be given at that time to the need for improvements to the lighting.Local Authority Parking System
Mr. Lester : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement concerning the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering to the management and provision of services for the new local authority on-street parking enforcement system under the Road Traffic Act 1991.
Mr. Norris : In November 1991 the Department of the Environment consulted local authorities nationally about the extension of CCT to further services--"Competing for Quality--A Consultation Paper"--which included the provision and management of services for the new local authority on-street parking enforcement system under part II of the Road Traffic Act 1991. This information was supplemented by further details in the draft traffic management and parking guidance for London issued in March this year for consultation.
There was general agreement that the services should cover the provision of parking attendants, the clamping and removal, and the release, of vehicles found breaching the new decriminalised controls and the management of such services. Some concern was expressed about the timing of the introduction of CCT to these services. The London local authorities in particular felt that they needed time to assess the levels of enforcement that will be necessary to help them determine specifications for CCT.
To meet these concerns I have concluded that the services should not be subject to compulsory competitive tendering until 1 April 1995. Outside London, authorities will generally not be given the powers to apply the new parking enforcement system until experience of their operation in London has been gained. It is intended that CCT will also apply in those areas from 1 April 1995.
The requirement to introduce CCT for these services will be made by order under existing legislation. The order will be subject to formal consultation before coming to Parliament for approval.
Surveyor General's Organisation
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions he has reached following his consideration of the Surveyor General's Organisation as a possible candidate for executive agency status.
Mr. MacGregor : I have decided that the Surveyor General's Organisation--SGO--should be a candidate for executive agency status. The necessary preparatory work is in hand with a view to the organisation becoming an agency on 1 April 1994. The agency will be called the Marine Safety Agency. I intend shortly to issue a consultation document on the scope for increased private sector participation in the survey and certification work currently done by the SGO.
Airbags
Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage the fitting of airbags to cars sold in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The single most effective measure for reducing accident injury is the wearing of a seat belt.
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This, in conjunction with a well-designed steering wheel, is much more cost effective than the fitting of airbags. While we are not therefore actively encouraging the fitting of airbags, we are participating in discussions on a European standard and are monitoring experience of the fitment of airbags worldwide.Nudge Bars
Mr. Gallie : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to ensure the fitting of nudge bars to motor vehicles does not create added danger to pedestrians.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Government are working with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on developing a code of practice on the design of nudge bars. The United Kingdom is also actively pressing within Europe for an EC directive to make the front of cars less harmful to pedestrians. When adopted, this will exercise some control over the fitment of nudge bars.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's estimate of the likely number of jobs that would be created in the United Kingdom by the building of the proposed Jubilee line extension ; and when he expects to make an announcement about the future of the project.
Mr. Norris : The building of the proposed Jubilee line extension is estimated to create direct employment on-site on civil works for up to 5,000 people and off-site in manufacturing and supply for approximately five times as many more people. Talks are continuing on the promised £400 million contribution from the private sector. I cannot speculate on the timing of any announcement about the future of the project in advance of the conclusion of those talks.
Emergency Vessels
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many inspectors and related officials are presently engaged in the inspection of those emergency or standby vessels which are being assessed in terms of the revised code ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : Fifteen marine surveyors are engaged in such duties as part of their overall responsibilities, with some support from other officials.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of building the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency offices in Swansea ; and what that cost would be at today's prices.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I shall write to the right hon. Member.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Parliament
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make, before the Edinburgh summit, an estimate of the cost to the European Parliament of having more than one place of work.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We do not possess the information to make such an estimate.
Debt Write-offs
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy during the United Kingdom presidency of the EC to press for European fiscal and other measures to encourage European banks to write off commercial debt.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom, in common with its EC partners, is already encouraging commercial debt reduction through the Brady plan. This international agreement allows the IMF and World bank to devote some of their leading resources to facilitate voluntary debt reduction agreements between banks and debtors. As noted by the most recent International Monetary Fund--International Bank for Reconstruction and Development development committee communique , debt and debt service reduction arrangements that account for around 90 per cent. of the bank debt of the major debtor nations have now been reached.
Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if he will list their titles ; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the ODA have 513 records on loan. To list them all would involve disproportionate cost. Government Departments have a statutory right under the Public Records Acts to recall records temporarily from the Public Record Office for administrative use. Records are returned as soon as departmental action has been completed.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each local authority area in South Yorkshire, how many residential properties are currently owned by his Department ; and if he will list, by location, those residential properties which are empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant, and its intended future use.
NATIONAL FINANCE
BCCI
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the earliest date at which his Department was alerted to possible connections between Bank of Credit and Commerce International and terrorist organisations.
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Mr. Dorrell : The Treasury was first made aware of such possible connections in July 1991.
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