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Mr. McMaster : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will specify the restrictions governing the sale and distribution of the pesticides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Soames : The sale and distribution of pesticide products containing 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D are subject to the general conditions which must be met when pesticides are advertised, sold, supplied, stored and used. These are consents made under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. The consents have been published in "Pesticides 1992" which is held in the House Library.
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which Minister in his Department is responsible for oversight of deregulation of regulatory matters which fall within the responsibility of his Department.
Mr. Curry : The Parliamentary Secretary, the Earl Howe.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the main measures of deregulation, or simplification of regulation, which his Department has carried out, or caused to be carried out, since 9 April.
Mr. Curry : The main measures of deregulation which my Department has carried out since the last general election are as follows : Sheep Scab (Revocation) Order.
Restricting certification requirements for imports of medicated feedingstuffs only to those containing prescription only medicines. Exemption for pet shopowners from the need to register their premises for the sale of medicated feed in retail pack sizes of 5 kg. or less.
Publication of Medicines Act Veterinary Information Services (MAVIS) newsletter.
Cattle (Transport)
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 23 November, Official Report, column 528- 29, regarding the transport of cattle, what informal requests have been made by the Dutch authorities for the sealing of lorries carrying British cattle to Holland.
Mr. Soames : An informal approach has been made by the Dutch authorities for the sealing of vehicles transporting calves from Great Britain to Holland. No further consideration will be given to the request until it has been confirmed in writing.
CAP Pound
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the common agricultural policy pound to be devalued in line with the open market traded pound ; and what effect he expects the transition to have on the price of butter measured from current levels.
Mr. Curry : New agrimonetary arrangements compatible with the single market are due to be put in place on 1 January 1993. Under the new system, the green exchange rates used to convert CAP support prices into sterling will
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be kept in line with market exchange rates. If the present exchange rate for sterling continues until the end of the year, a further green pound devaluation will be necessary, in addition to the 7 per cent. devaluation agreed at the Agriculture Council and the automatic devaluation of 2 per cent. resulting from the realignment within the exchange rate mechanism of 22 November. While the support price for butter will rise in line with these devaluations, the effect on the retail price for butter is likely to be much smaller. This is because retail prices will ultimately be determined by supply and demand conditions in the market and these will depend on the use of intervention, the relatively high level of commercial stocks and the fact that packaging and handling costs will not be directly affected by the devaluations.Meat Trade
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new restrictions on trading cattle, calves or beef from the United Kingdom have been introduced by other European countries during 1992.
Mr. Soames [holding answer 23 November 1992] : During 1992 Poland and Czechoslovakia have notified new conditions coverning a wide range of animal and public health guarantees for the importation of meat and meat products, including beef from Great Britain. In both cases, the conditions exceed those recommended by the Office Internationale des Epizooties and as such are restricting trade. Officials are currently negotiating with the veterinary authorities concerned to agree alternative conditions which will enable trade to resume.
DEFENCE
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main measures of deregulation, or simplification of regulation, which his Department has carried out, or caused to be carried out, since 9 April.
Mr. Aitken : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State does not generally have responsibility for regulations which impact on the business community. However, a number of procedures within the Department have been revised to reduce the administrative burden on companies. In addition, we have recently undertaken, in consultation with the defence industry, an extensive review of our contracts procedures and a number of measures will be implemented which will have the same effect.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister in his Department is responsible for the oversight of deregulation of regulatory matters which fall within the responsibility of his Department.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main measures increasing regulation in any area for which his Department has responsibility, which his Department has caused to be put into effect since 9 April.
Mr. Aitken : No such measures have been put into effect.
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Allivane International
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he possesses in regard to the sale of advanced 155 mm shells by Allivane International to the Yugoslavian Federal Directorate of Supply and Procurements in 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Aitken : It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on individual export licence applications.
National Parks
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all land in national parks where his Ministry has extended or significantly intensified military activity in each of the last five years ; in which cases he has consulted with the local planning authority, Countryside Commission and national park authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State will write to the hon. Member.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all land in national parks surplus to defence requirements which has been released in each of the last five years ; in each case if he will indicate what improvements there have been to public access ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State will write to the hon. Member.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ameliorate the effects of military activity in national parks ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence attaches great importance to its declaration of commitment to the national parks and endeavours to promote the objectives of the park authorities wherever these are compatible with the needs of national defence.
Land and Buildings
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money was spent on purchasing land and buildings by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The amount spent by the Ministry of Defence on the purchase of land and buildings in each of the last five years was :
FY |£m ---------------------- 1991-92 |21.201 1990-91 |7.555 1989-90 |29.266 1988-89 |6.069 1987-88 |6.032
Brecon Beacons National Park
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what agreement he has negotiated, or is currently negotiating, with the Cnewr estate in the Brecon
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Beacons national park for the use of the land ; whether the national park authority was consulted about these negotiations concerning that land ; and if he will make a statement ;(2) what plans he has for the use of the Cnewr estate in the Brecon Beacons national park ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Army has been using the Cnewr estate for adventurous training on an informal basis since 1976. The local defence land agent was approached by the trustees of the estate on 31 July 1992 with a view to putting arrangements on a more formal basis. These discussions are still at an early stage. The national park officer was informed on 22 September, when it was proposed that a meeting should take place between MOD, the national park and the estate.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for allowing public access to the Cnewr estate in the Brecon Beacons national park ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Cnewr estate is privately owned and public access is not, therefore, a matter for the Ministry of Defence.
Ministry Land (Access)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations in each of the last five years where his Ministry has improved public access to his Ministry's land, giving the location, timing and nature of the improvement in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State will write to the hon. Member.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what liaison he has with (a) the Countryside Commission and (b) the Ramblers Association at a national, regional and local level concerning improving the right of access to land owned and leased by his Ministry.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence encourages public access to its land whenever possible. There is a well-established system of consultation with local parties interested in the countryside. We also have national level liaison with the Countryside Commission on a wide range of issues.
Land Sales
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list on a county basis in England, Scotland and Wales the land that his Department has sold, giving the name of the site, the number of hectares, to whom the land was sold and for how much, in each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : This information is not maintained in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Landscape Preservation and Access
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he proposes to his policy on landscape preservation and access as outlined in chapter 19 of his Ministry's document entitled "Environment Manual" ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The policy on landscape preservation and acciss is kept under review. Chapter 19 of the MOD "Environment Manual" is changed as necessary.
Ministry Land
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the land that his Department has bought, giving the name in each county of England, Scotland and Wales of the site, the number of hectares, and for how much the land was bought, in each of the last five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the future requirements of his Ministry of land required for military training ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We continually assess our requirement for training land to ensure that we retain only that which is essential to meet our operational and training requirements.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of his leaflet "Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands" have been published ; at what cost ; how they have been distributed to the public ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Since its launch on 21 May 1992, just over 155,000 copies of the leaflet "Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands" have been published at a total cost of £28,500, or 18p each. Copies have been distributed to tourist information centres throughout the United Kingdom, public libraries, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Youth Hostels Association, national parks, tourist information offices, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, the National Council of YMCAs, the National Trust, the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, the Countryside Council, the Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature and the Ramblers Association. A further 48,000 copies of the leaflet were distributed with the August edition of the magazine "Country Walking". Copies were also distributed by the "Defence Into the 90s" exhibition tour and the Ministry of Defence stand "Defending the Environment" at the Royal show in Stoneleigh.
In addition, 8,000 leaflets have been despatched in response to specific requests. Finally, copies of the leaflet have been placed in the Library of the House.
Defence Estimates
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about progress he has made concerning his Department's contribution to the citizens charter following the publication of the Statement on Defence Estimates 1992.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : As was explained in the Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cm 1981, paragraphs 336 to 337), the Ministry of Defence does not provide any service direct to the public. The Department's principal response to the citizens charter is therefore the continued provision of a high standard of defence capability giving value for money to the tax payer. The performance and quality disciplines inherent in the new management strategy and in the formation of next steps agencies are however valuable tools through which the Department is seeking to improve the standard of the service it provides.
For examples of where the work of the Department is relevant to the citizens charter I refer the hon. Gentleman to the White Paper "Citizen's Charter First Report 1992" (Cm 2101), published on Wednesday 25 November 1992.
Reactor Cores
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current locations of the reactor cores from(i) HMS Sovereign, (ii) HMS Swiftsure and (iii) HMS Revenge.
Mr. Aitken : The reactor cores of HMS Sovereign and HMS Revenge remain contained on board the submarines. The core removed from HMS Swiftsure is stored ashore in containers authorised for this purpose.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last reactor core was moved to Sellafield ; and from where it was moved.
Mr. Aitken : The last nuclear reactor core moved to Sellafield was transferred from Rosyth. As the core was unirradiated, individual module transport containers, fully licensed by the Department of Transport, were able to be used for this transfer, which took place between July and September 1992.
Forces in Germany
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what respects the legal basis for stationing British forces in Germany has changed since German unification.
Ordnance Board
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the responsibilities of the Ordnance Board with regard to nuclear weapons ; and what consideration he has given to changes in these responsibilities.
Mr. Aitken : The role of the Ordnance Board in respect of nuclear weapons is described in the MOD's chief scientific adviser's report on the safety of United Kingdom nuclear weapons, a copy of which is available in the Library. The hon. Member will be aware that the Ministry of Defence has accepted all of the recommendations in this report and is proceeding with their implementation.
Trident Safety Committee
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the role and function of the Trident safety committee ; when it was established ; how many personnel are assigned to it ; and what is its annual budget.
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Mr. Aitken : The Trident safety committee is an internal committee which supports the director general strategic weapon systems in discharging his specific responsibilities in relation to the safety of the Trident II strategic weapon system. It was established in its present form in 1988. The committee has two full-time staff and draws on about 15 others. The total annual staff costs associated with the committee's work are in the order of £400,000.
Polaris
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies his Department has commissioned in the United States of America in the last five years on the disposal of Polaris missiles and their components.
Mr. Aitken : As part of normal business under the Polaris sales agreement, my Department obtains advice and guidance from the United States authorities on all aspects of the disposal of Polaris missiles and their components.
Rosyth Dry Dock
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when RD46 dry dock at Rosyth is expected to become operational.
Mr. Aitken : RD46 became operational on 24 November 1992.
Defence Contractors
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former officials of his Department have taken up gainful employment with defence contractors during the past three years.
Mr. Aitken : A total of 285 serving or former civil servants have applied, under the Government's business appointment rules, to take up paid employment with defence contractors since January 1990. In the same period 268 members of the armed forces have similarly applied under the rules. Applicants are not required to advise whether, in the event, employment was taken up.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what record is kept of former members of the armed services taking up gainful employment with companies supplying his Department.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Records are maintained of all applications received from members of the armed forces and civil servants wishing to take up paid employment outside Crown service under the Government's business appointment rules. The rules do not require applicants to advise whether, in the event, employment was taken up.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Video Duplication
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures the Government are taking to stop the infringement of copyright by illegal video duplication.
Mr. Leigh : The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) provides for significant criminal penalties for those
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who make or sell unauthorised copies of audiovisual works, and makes it clear that this is also a civil offence. It is for the police themselves to determine the priority they give to the investigation of particular criminal offences. It is open to copyright owners to take civil action to enforce their rights. The Patent Office is active in the creation of awareness of the existence of rights subsisting in these works by widespread dissemination of promotional literature and the marketing of an audiovisual aid.Intellectual Property Contracts
Mr. Miller : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will bring forward proposals for legislation to restrict the powers of United Kingdom companies to enter into intellectual property contracts with offshore companies and to increase the level of supervision of such contracts.
Mr. Leigh : I have no plans to bring forward proposals for legislation to restrict the powers of United Kingdom companies to enter into contracts concerning intellectual property, or to supervise such contracts.
Mr. Miller : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what monitoring his Department carries out of intellectual property contracts with offshore companies entered into by United Kingdom companies ; what estimate he has made of the effect of such contracts on the conduct of pension funds and life assurance funds ; what provisions exist as to the role of auditors in such cases ; if he will list companies known to have been involved ; and if he will make a statement on the role of supervisory bodies in these circumstances.
Mr. Leigh : My Department does not monitor contracts concerning intellectual property entered into by United Kingdom companies or their effects on pension and life assurance funds. Auditors' activities are governed by company law.
Pit Closures
Mr. Tipping : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what terms of reference were given to J. T. Boyd Company for its present consultancy work ; when work commenced ; when he expects it will be completed ; at what estimated cost ; if he will place a copy of the completed report in the Library ; and if the consultancy work was put out to tender.
Mr. Eggar : Regarding the terms of reference, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Mr. Porter) on 20 November at column 433. Boyds commenced work on 28 October 1992 and is expected to submit its final report early in the new year. The completed report will be published and a copy will be placed in the Library. On the remaining points, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Cummings) on 24 November at column 611.
Post Bus Services
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post bus services have existed, and what route mileage they have covered, in each year since 1989.
Mr. Leigh : The number of post bus services and their route mileage in each year since 1989 are as follows :
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As at |Routes |Miles (millions) -------------------------------------------------------------------- April 1989 |170 |3.40 April 1990 |172 |3.45 April 1991 |173 |3.50 April 1992 |179 |3.75
Pension Funds
Mr. Sims : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many instances of alleged irregularities in the administration of company pension funds have been drawn to the attention of his Department in the last 12 months ; what investigations in respect of these allegations are in progress ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : There have been four instances in the past 12 months where complaints have included such allegations, but I cannot provide any further detail for reasons of confidentiality. I should make it clear, however, that my Department's powers under the Companies Act are confined to the investigation of companies themselves--they do not extend to examining the affairs of any pension funds administered by trustees on behalf of employees, which is a matter for other regulatory and investigatory bodies with whom my Department liaises where appropriate.
Funeral Costs
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received requesting an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into coffin prices ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : I have received no such representations.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken over representations received from the National Death Centre asking him to make changes in the arrangements for consumer protection in the field of funeral expenses ; and what plans he has to meet the National Association of Funeral Directors to discuss the matter.
Mr. Leigh : I have received one such representation and I am considering it. I have no current plans to meet the National Association of Funeral Directors.
Bankruptcies
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number of companies which have gone bankrupt in each local authority in England and Wales in each year since 1987.
Mr. Neil Hampton : There are two types of company insolvencies : compulsory liquidations and creditors' voluntary liquidations. No geographical information on creditors' voluntary liquidations is available. For compulsory liquidations the only geographical information available is by the court in which the order was made. This is not a good basis for analysing company location, since many cases in England and Wales are dealt with in London regardless of the company's location, and work may be moved between courts according to differing workloads.
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Coal Consumption
Mr. Batiste : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the levels of the United Kingdom coal consumption for each month of the last 12 months.
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