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Per cent.
|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93<1>
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Royal Navy/Royal Marines
Officers |3.0 |3.2 |2.7 |2.2
Ratings |6.1 |6.8 |5.5 |4.7
Army
Officers |4.7 |4.3 |3.6 |2.6
Soldiers |9.9 |9.0 |7.4 |7.1
Royal Air Force
Officers |3.0 |2.5 |2.2 |2.2
Airmen/Airwomen |5.4 |4.7 |3.8 |3.2
<1> As at 1 September 1992.
The numbers of personnel leaving by premature voluntary release have declined steadily in recent years and are now at their lowest level since 1986-87.
Official Entertainment
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by Ministers in his Department on official entertainment in the year 1991-92.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The total amount spent directly by Ministers' private offices in the year 1991-92 was some £4,500. This does not include expenditure incurred by the Department on occasions arranged through the departmental protocol Office when Ministers were the principal host.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the final figure for his Department's expenditure on official entertainment in the financial year 1991-92.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The amount spent by the Ministry of Defence on official entertainment for the financial year 1991-92 was £4.1 million. This figure includes expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence itself, by formations and establishments of the armed forces at home and abroad, and by individual officers occupying appointments for which entertainment allowances are payable.
W. H. Mackay and Sons
Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the sums outstanding to W. H. Mackay and Sons Ltd. of Fearn, Ross-shire, as a result of work carried out on various Property Services Agency contracts at the Faslane site, to be paid ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : I refer the hon. Member to his copy of my letter dated 31 October to the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. McFall). Property Services Agency, with the agreement of all parties, have been acting as honest brokers in this matter. I am well aware of the hon. Member's concern about the urgency of this situation and I will shortly write to him.
Correspondence
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the letter dated24 June sent to his Department by the hon. Member for Aylesbury on behalf of his constituent Mrs. I. R. T. and which his Department acknowledged on 31 July.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State has written to the hon. Member today.
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ENVIRONMENT
Superstore, Greenwich
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he is satisfied that the public interest requires a public inquiry into superstore plans in Eltham, London SE9 ; (2) when a decision has to be made by him as to whether to call in or to have an inquiry or to allow the breaking of covenants and the granting of development permission at Well Hall, London SE9 ; (3) when he expects to receive conclusions by the inspector hearing objections to the proposal by the London borough of Greenwich to grant planning permission for a superstore in exchange for £4 million ;
(4) when the London borough of Greenwich advised his Department that they no longer objected to a superstore at Well Hall, London SE9.
Mr. Baldry : The London borough of Greenwich referred to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State on 4 November one planning application for a superstore at Well Hall. He has until 29 November to consider whether or not to call in for a public inquiry, but a power is available to the Secretary of State to extend the time. I understand that another application, for a superstore at Shooter's hill, will also be referred to the Secretary of State if the London borough of Greenwich resolves to grant planning permission. If the Secretary of State decides to cause public inquiries to be held, we expect to receive the inspector's conclusions when the report has been completed.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received (a) in favour and (b) opposing the proposal by the London borough of Greenwich to determine the applications on Well Hall playing field, London SE9.
Mr. Baldry : Of 74 representations to my right hon. and learned Friend, all but two have opposed the proposed superstore development.
London Residuary Body
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what price was received by the London residuary body for the sale of the Greater London supplies organisation.
Mr. Robin Squire : This is a matter for the London residuary body.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the formal wind-up of the London residuary body.
Mr. Robin Squire : The timing of the wind-up of the London residuary body will depend on progress with the disposal of the County Hall site.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of (a) the emoluments received and (b) the hours worked by each board member of the London residuary body in 1992-93.
Mr. Robin Squire : As at 1 April 1992 the salaries and the time inputs of the chairman and members of the London residuary body were as follows :
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Member |Time input<1>|Salary £ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Godfrey Taylor |5 |73,070 Mr. Wallace Mackenzie |1 |8,830 Mr. Michael Roberts |1 |8,830 Mr. Jack Wolkind |1 |8,830 Sir Peter Bowness<2> |1 |8,830 Mr. Jack Esling<2> |1 |8,830 Mr. Reg Hartles<2> |1 |8,830 <1> Days per week. <2> Appointment terminates 5 January 1993.
As from 1 December 1992, Sir Godfrey Taylor's time input will be reduced to one day/week. As from this date, his salary will be reduced accordingly to £14,615.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what costs were associated with the office of chairman of the London residuary body in 1991-92 other than that of his personal emolument.
Mr. Robin Squire : The provision of appropriate support for the chairman is a matter for the London residuary body.
Playing Fields
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances local councils are permitted to accept cash for lifting covenants against development of playing fields.
Mr. Baldry : An authoritative answer to the question can be given only by the courts. The general powers of local authorities to dispose of their interests in land do not extend to removal of binding covenants, except in relation to open space which is former public trust land, i.e. land held in trust for enjoyment by the public in accordance
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with section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875 or section 10 of the Open Spaces Act 1906. The Lands Tribunal may, however, modify or discharge covenants under section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925. The Audit Commission may be asked to investigate alleged irregularities in local authority land transactions. The Secretary of State, however, has no jurisdiction.Battersea Power Station
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the former Battersea power station was last inspected on his behalf.
Mr. Baldry : The building was last inspected by English Heritage on Wednesday 7 October.
Opencast Mining
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he expects to publish the draft of the new "Minerals Planning Guidance on Opencast Mining."
Mr. Baldry : We hope to be in a position to issue draft revised guidance for public consultation following the outcome of the recently announced coal review.
Council Tax
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each region the number of households in each of the council tax property bands.
Mr. Redwood : The number of dwellings in each council tax band in each region shown in advance valuation lists sent to billing authorities on 28 August 1992, is given in the table.
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Number of dwellings in each council tax band in each region shown in advance valuation lists
|A |B |C |D |E |F |G |H |Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North |751,440 |186,539 |179,834 |91,716 |46,130 |22,605 |13,582 |1,667 |1,293,513
North West |1,185,088 |486,183 |454,364 |229,635 |128,209 |66,832 |50,061 |6,336 |2,606,708
Yorkshire and Humberside |972,926 |395,495 |332,689 |157,629 |97,243 |51,338 |33,015 |4,977 |2,045,312
West Midlands |706,560 |525,626 |405,543 |211,166 |128,111 |72,226 |47,707 |5,337 |2,102,276
East Midlands |660,292 |376,429 |305,471 |157,070 |85,863 |44,400 |30,983 |2,946 |1,663,454
East Anglia |198,096 |243,858 |202,248 |110,552 |61,451 |32,178 |20,514 |5,469 |874,366
South West |332,486 |489,344 |474,304 |309,277 |204,133 |111,775 |74,411 |4,708 |2,003,437
South East |359,187 |719,011 |1,216,145 |890,045 |578,717 |340,382 |273,664 |37,725 |4,414,876
London |85,824 |380,952 |785,392 |743,466 |469,379 |232,183 |195,542 |53,123 |2,945,861
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
England |5,251,899 |3,803,437 |4,355,989 |2,900,556 |1,799,236 |973,919 |739,479 |125,288 |19,949,803
Source: Valuation Office Agency.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 16 November to the hon. Member for Ealing North, Official Report, column 56, what significant changes to a property between 1 April 1991 and April 1993 will be ground for a change in a council tax valuation ; what changes in value of the property will be ground for such a change ; and what publicity has been given by Ministers to these provisions.
Mr. Howard : The banding of each dwelling shown in a valuation list compiled on 1 April 1993 will be based on its estimated sale price on 1 April 1991, but reflecting its size, layout and character and the physical state of its locality on 31 March 1993. Any change in the dwelling's size,
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layout and character or in the physical state of its locality which occurs after it has been banded but before 1 April 1993 may therefore be reflected by a change in the banding.These principles are illustrated on page three of the booklet, "Council Tax --a guide to the new tax for local government", a copy of which has been sent to each household, and on page 6 of the booklet on valuation and banding, which is available to householders on request.
County Hall, London
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the current situation in respect of the disposal of County Hall, London SE1.
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Mr. Robin Squire : The agreement between the London residuary body and the Shirayama Company provides for the sale of the riverside building to be completed in October 1993. The residuary body is pursuing the question of the disposal of the remainder of the County Hall site in accordance with its statutory responsibilities.
Capital Receipts
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each county council in England the total amount of unapplied capital receipts.
Mr. Robin Squire [pursuant to the answer given on 5 November 1992, Official Report, column 371] : The total usable receipts for each county council in England as at 31 March 1992 are shown in the table.
|£000s
-------------------------------------
Avon |9,488
Bedfordshire |204
Berkshire |566
Buckinghamshire |1,765
Cambridgeshire |296
Cheshire |0
Cleveland |13
Cornwall |0
Cumbria |822
Derbyshire |6,930
Devon |0
Dorset |0
Durham |139
East Sussex |3,096
Essex |726
Gloucestershire |240
Hampshire |52
Hereford and Worcester |1,318
Hertfordshire |853
Humberside |5,369
Isle of Wight |0
Kent |4,432
Lancashire |1,961
Leicestershire |2,519
Lincolnshire |0
Norfolk |2,409
North Yorkshire |651
Northamptonshire |11,829
Northumberland |496
Nottinghamshire |358
Oxfordshire |0
Shropshire |1,029
Somerset |140
Staffordshire |125
Suffolk |386
Surrey |605
Warwickshire |963
West Sussex |0
Wiltshire |350
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each housing authority in England the amount of unapplied capital receipts from (a) housing sales and (b) other capital sales.
Mr. Robin Squire [pursuant to his reply, 5 November 1992, c. 371] : I have arranged for the revised information to be placed in the Library of the House.
Separate figures for housing receipts and other capital receipts are not available.
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SCOTLAND
Self-governing Hospital Trusts
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if self- governing hospital trusts are exempt from compulsory competitive tendering ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The Government's position on market testing is set out in the White Paper, "Competing for Quality", and trusts have been asked to take account of this. The Government will be monitoring the position to ensure that the benefits of obtaining best value for money are realised in order to improve patient care.
Superannuation Division
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to establish the superannuation division of the Scottish Office as an executive agency.
Mr. Lang : I announced on 6 March, Official Report, col. 335, that under the Next Steps initiative the Scottish Office superannuation division was to be designated an executive agency. I have now decided that the change in status should take effect from the start of the next financial year, on 1 April 1993. The agency will be known as the Scottish Office Pensions Agency (SOPA). Following open competition Mr. Norman MacLeod, currently head of the Scottish Office superannuation division, has been appointed chief executive of the new agency.
HCFC22
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what quantity of HCFC22 is purchased by his Department per annum.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 19 November 1992] : The information required could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ozone Depletion
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an undertaking to purchase only ozone-friendly fridges that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons for his Department.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 19 November 1992] : The Scottish Office will purchase fridges which do not contain CFCs or HCFCs when they are available in the market place and provided that they offer good value for money.
PRIME MINISTER
Libya
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on what Libya has done to comply with Security Council resolutions 731 and 748 and Her Majesty's Government's policy to bring Libya to compliance.
The Prime Minister : It is our policy that Libya should implement in full the two SCRs to which the hon. Member
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has referred. Neither we nor the other co- sponsors of the resolution in question, France, and the United States, will be satisfied with less. Unfortunately, I cannot report more than limited success at this stage.During the summer the Libyan authorities closed, and in some cases dismantled, many of the camps previously used to house or train terrorists. They have also given us information on their links with the Provisional Irish Republican Army which we believe may prove useful. We welcome both these developments as steps towards demonstrating that Libya has renounced terrorism called for in SCR 731 and 748.
But the Libyans must take further steps in order to comply fully with those resolutions. In particular, it is necessary for them to surrender for trial in Scotland or the United States the two accused of responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and for them to satisfy the French demands for co- operation on the investigation into the UTA bombing. Libya can be sure that a trial in Scotland will be fair, and in accordance with normal Scottish procedures, including trial by jury. If the Libyans convince us that they have decided to surrender the two suspects, then we would be willing to meet them to discuss the mechanics of handing them over.
We have no hidden agenda, and we are not seeking to use this issue to undermine the regime in Libya. But it is now a year since the warrants for the two accused of Lockerbie were issued. There can be no question of any relaxation of United Nations sanctions, complete or in part, until Libya has surrendered the two accused of Lockerbie and satisfied French requirements on UTA. If they do, this situation will be transformed. If they do not, the consequences for Libya are bound to be increasingly serious.
Iraq (Exports)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the letter, reference 000399, dated 20 June 1990, from the principal private secretary to the noble Lord, Lord Ridley, then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, to the private secretary to the chairman of Customs and Excise, under the heading "Exports to Iraq" which was copied to him as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the previous letter, reference 000395, copies of which have been sent to him.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 16 November 1992] : The first document to which the hon. Member refers relates to consultations between Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Department of Trade and Industry prior to a fact-finding visit by Customs officers to the premises of Matrix Churchill. A reply from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to the Department of Trade and Industry dated 22 June 1990 made it clear that decisions about any follow-up action would rest with the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in accordance with their statutory responsibilities. These documents were copied to my Private Secretary in the Treasury. Treasury records do not reveal whether I saw this correspondence, but I have no recollection of having done so. The then Paymaster General was responsible in the first instance for matters involving Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
The second document is an internal submission dated 14 June 1990 to the right hon. Lord Ridley, then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, concerning the
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implications of the visit by customs officers to Matrix Churchill. It was not copied to other Ministers. It will be for Lord Justice Scott to consider the relevance of this document to the implementation of Government policy on the export of defence equipment to Iraq.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iraq
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United Nations special inspection commission investigating Iraqi chemical weapons production sites at Ramadi, Fallujah, Saad-16, Salman Pak, Muthanna and Samara, respectively, found any United Kingdom origin technology or chemicals at any of these sites.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations Special Commission has provided information on United Kingdom supplied materials and equipment discovered in Iraq. Any evidence of breaches of export controls are urgently investigated, and if substantiated would be a matter for the courts.
Kashmir
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with the Government of India the current situation in Kashmir ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs last discussed the situation in Kashmir with the Indian Government during his visit to New Delhi on 15 to 18 January 1992. Ministers and officials have discussed Kashmir with the Indian authorities on a number of occasions since then.
China
Mr. Duncan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Chinese ambassador concerning the well-being and treatment of prisoners at the Lingyuan No. 2 labour reform detachment in Liaoning province of the People's Republic of China.
Mr. Goodlad : None. We take every opportunity to put on record with the Chinese authorities our serious concerns about human rights, including the treatment of prisoners detained at the Lingyuan No. 2 labour reform detachment.
Hong Kong
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the consistency with the Basic Law of the proposals for democracy in Hong Kong ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : We and the Governor took full account of the provisions of the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law in developing the proposals that he announced on 7 October. We have pressed the Chinese side to change the Basic Law to allow for an increase in the number of
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directly-elected seats in the Legislative Council for 1995. In view of their position that this is not possible, the Governor has set out in parallel an alternative approach. That is the approach on which we are concentrating at present. We consider that the Governor's proposals are within the terms of the Basic Law.Export Controls
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department will make to the seminar planned by the Export Control Organisation on the practical guide to United Kingdom export controls.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Foreign Office officials regularly contribute to seminars organised by the Export Control Organisation on United Kingdom export controls. They will next do so on 1 December 1992.
Albania
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest estimates are for food supplies in Tirana ; and what plans he has to provide food aid to Albania.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : An EC mission to Albania earlier this year estimated Albania's additional food needs until the autumn of 1993 at around US $84 million. In June, the EC agreed a food aid grant worth 45 mecu ($59 million). A further 40 mecu ($53 million) was subsequently approved in October.
South Africa
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 19 October, Official Report, column 90, when he now expects to receive a further report from the South African Government on the agents mentioned.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have been kept fully abreast of the South African investigation as it proceeded. During his visit last weekend President de Klerk handed over a letter on this matter to the Prime Minister. This issue was also covered in their talks on 14 November.
Sarawak
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Malaysian Government to prevent further deforestation of the Sarawak region.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development held discussions on 15 May 1992 with a delegation led by the Malaysian Minister of Primary Industries, Dr. Lim Keng Yaik. The two Ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on co-operation for the conservation, management and development of forest resources, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. We have regular contact with the Malaysian Government on policies in this area as on many other issues. It is clear from these contacts that the Malaysians are very much aware of international concern about such matters.
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The Sarawak state authorities have made a number of important undertakings to the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) Council. At a meeting in November 1991, they reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable forest management and declared their intention to reach sustainability before the year 2000. They also announced measures to bring extraction levels down within two years to those recommended by the 1990 ITTO mission led by Lord Cranbrook. We, like many other countries, consider this to be a welcome statement of intent.TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Assisted Areas
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what additional funding for assisted areas status provision will be made available (a) for Barnsley, Doncaster and Mansfield and (b) elsewhere.
Mr. Sainsbury : Assisted area status determines eligibility for Great Britain regional measures, primarily regional selective assistance. In all assisted areas spending on regional assistance depends upon the demand for the schemes and will be met from the schemes' agreed funding provision.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many delegations he has met arising from the assisted areas review ; (2) how many submissions he has received as a result of the assisted areas review.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 18 November 1992] : My ministerial colleagues and I have met 52 delegations and received 1,550 formal written responses to the assisted area map review public consultation document issued on 9 June 1992.
British Coal
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of directors' emoluments incurred by British Coal in each year since 1987.
Mr. Eggar : The total emoluments of the members of the corporation, including payments in kind and pensions to former members or their dependants, were as follows :
Year ending March |£ ------------------------------------------------------ 1987 |647,495 1988 |574,697 1989 |657,955 1990 |745,687 1991 |819,742 1992 |1,138,608
Clothing Quotas
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will promote discussions among clothing manufacturers about the possible advantages of extra import quotas under the
outward-processed system from averaging the prices of home-produced and outward-processed clothing to make their United Kingdom production more price-competitive.
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Mr. Needham : It is for the relevant trade associations to promote discussion among clothing manufacturers on the economic merits of outward processing trade. However, my Department has gone to great lengths to explain to individual manufacturers the procedures and rules governing this scheme and the benefits which can accrue to companies from its application.
Coal Review
Mr. David Porter : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what terms of reference have been given to the consultants appointed to assist in the coal review which he announced on 26 October.
Mr. Heseltine : I announced on 26 October that it was my intention to appoint consultants to report on the prospects for British Coal, including any alternative markets that may exist for coal and to comment generally on the competitiveness of British Coal as an organisation.
Following evaluation of proposals from a number of companies invited to bid to undertake this work, CAminus Energy Ltd have been appointed to conduct a study of markets for coal, and Ernst and Young will be carrying out a study of the competitiveness of British Coal as an organisation.
Boyds have already begun work, starting their programme of pit visits on 5 February. Boyds will examine historical operating data, mine plans, coal reserves, and other relevant information supplied by British Coal Corporation to develop an independent assessment of the future production costs of each of the 21 pits at different potential levels of output, within the context of British Coal's operations. Their conclusions will be based on an evaluation in respect of each mine of
(i) the available coal reserve base,
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