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Teachers' Authority
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the need for further legislation to clarify the legal basis of teachers' authority referred to in the Elton report on discipline in schools.
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Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend does not consider that further legislation would be appropriate.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
National Lottery
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish the terms of reference given to the GAH group of consultants for the report on the national lottery commissioned by his Department.
Mr. Brooke : All the firms invited to tender for the consultancy were sent the following terms of reference.
The Commission ANNEX A
1. The Secretary of State for National Heritage intends to introduce a National Lottery to raise funds for arts, sport, the heritage and charities, and for the Millennium Fund, which will finance projects which celebrate and commemorate the turn of the millennium. The Department of National Heritage will require advice on the key determinants of a successful National Lottery in the United Kingdom. To this end, the contractor is asked to provide a report which covers structure, administration and marketing issues, and includes consideration of the following :
2. The determinants of a successful Game.
Lotto/instant lotteries ;
On-line/off-line operations ;
Frequency of games ;
Size and range of prizes, and roll-over provision ;
Retailing strategy.
3. The Secretary of State is concerned that there should be competition between providers of Lottery goods and services to ensure efficient practice. It is envisaged that one contract will be let to co-ordinate and run the National Lottery, but that a competitive environment will be created in the provision of games. The contractor is asked to provide a suitable model to promote competition and efficiency.
4. Creating a competitive environment.
Length of contract awarded to primary operator.
Separation of services/games offered by sub-contractors. Administrative costs of complex/simple arrangements.
5. Regulatory issues. The contractor is asked to bear in mind the balance to be struck between regulation, innovation, and yield. Identify where either on-line or off-line systems might present opportunities for fraud, and ways of avoiding or minimising those opportunities.
Ways of minimising vulnerability to very large, big-spending syndicates.
6. Assessing other economic effects. Some respondents to the consultation have claimed that the introduction of a Lottery will seriously damage the turnover of other industries. Some substitution to the Lottery will undoubtedly take place, but it would be helpful to have an estimate of :
The extent to which the Lottery will tap into new markets. Insofar as existing markets are affected (particularly gambling and charitable giving), advice will be needed on possible changes to the current regimes for those activities, with quantified effects as far as possible. The contractor should for the purposes of this exercise assume no changes in the tax regimes for any of these markets. The Method
7. Given the time constraints, it is not envisaged that the contractor will undertake specific market research for this project but will proceed by modelling, using information already available in the United Kingdom and abroad. Your presentation will need to make clear how you would intend to carry out the commission.
Royal Armouries Museum
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the projected number of visitors to the royal armouries museum being built in Leeds ; what is the projected break-even attendance figure ; and what
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commitment the Government have given to secure the future of the royal armouries in the event of the move not breaking even financially.Mr. Key : A nationally recognised firm of market researchers has advised that the proposed museum in Leeds will attract well in excess of 1 million visitors per year, and has confirmed this advice recently.
The projected break-even attendance figure is well below half the expected number of visitors.
There is no question of the royal armouries not having a secure future.
Windsor Castle
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Natioal Heritage how much of the £2.50 that members of the public are being charged to view the fire-damaged rooms at Windsor castle will go to its restoration fund ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : Visitors to the state apartments at Windsor castle are currently being charged a reduced admission fee of £2.50 instead of the normal adult charge of £4 because some rooms are temporarily removed from the public route as a result of the fire. Visitors view only in passing the areas damaged by fire. Admission fees continue to be used for the conservation, presentation and administration of the royal collection.
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KPMG Management Consultants
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months.
Mr. Key : The Department of National Heritage, which came into being in April 1993, has not awarded any contracts to KPMG Management Consultants during the past 12 months. However, on 5 March 1992 the Department of Trade and Industry awarded a contract to KPMG Management Consultants to carry out a review of British Screen Finance Ltd. The Department of National Heritage inherited this contract when responsibility for film industry policy, including British Screen Finance, passed to this Department on 1 May 1992. The final report was delivered in May 1992.
Welsh Television
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received regarding the reception of Welsh television services in north east Clwyd ; and what has been his response.
Mr. Brooke : Since responsibility for broadcasting policy was transferred to the Department of National Heritage in April 1992, we have received representations about Welsh television services in north-east Clwyd only from the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones). We have offered advice on how to improve reception of Welsh programmes in some parts of the area.
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TRANSPORT
Public Transport Fares, London
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will update the table of real fares and passenger mileage on London Transport underground and buses given in his answer to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock), 22 July 1991, Official Report, column 336.
Mr. Norris : The information requested is given in the table. Figures for bus passenger miles, given in the answer referred to, were on a financial year basis from 1984. London Transport has revised its estimates of passenger miles for the years from 1987-88 to 1990-91, so these data are also shown.
Real fares
indices
|(1971=100)
Year |Million passenger |Year |London bus services|London bus and
|miles |underground
London bus services
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |2,646 |1991 |140 |142
1988-89 |2,629 |1992 |146 |148
1989-90 |2,588 |- |- |-
1990-91 |2,573 |- |- |-
1991-92 |2,483 |- |- |-
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a real fares index for child fares on (a) British Rail, (b) Network SouthEast, (c) London Underground, (d) London Buses and (e) London Transport bus and underground services combined for each year since 1971 expressed at 1971 prices.
Mr. Steven Norris : The information available for London Buses, London Underground, and London Transport bus and underground services combined is shown in the table. Comparable figures for British Rail and Network SouthEast are not readily available.
The figures shown in the table are for child ordinary tickets only. They do not include the effect of changes in the price of child season tickets, travelcards and passes, as this information is not available. The figures shown for bus and all London Transport services start in 1976 because the age band covered by child tickets on buses changed during 1975, and consistent data for earlier years are not available.
Real fares indices for child ordinary tickets (1976=100)
|Bus |Underground |London Transport
|Bus and Underground
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1971 |- |101 |-
1972 |- |111 |-
1973 |- |106 |-
1974 |- |91 |-
1975 |- |96 |-
1976 |100 |100 |100
1977 |96 |85 |95
1978 |90 |92 |90
1979 |87 |96 |89
1980 |109 |106 |111
1981 |105 |98 |106
1982 |102 |128 |111
1983 |112 |131 |120
1984 |107 |120 |113
1985 |134 |123 |134
1986 |129 |119 |129
1987 |124 |138 |129
1988 |141 |146 |145
1989 |165 |158 |168
1990 |152 |172 |161
1991 |171 |193 |180
1992 |189 |188 |194
Ferries
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the incident threatening the safety of the Stena Sealink ferry Hibernia on the night of 16-17 January.
Mr. Norris : The incident is the subject of an investigation by the Department's marine accident investigation branch. The inspector appointed to carry out the investigation will in due course submit a report to the the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which ferries currently in service and operating from British ports are comparable in design or class to the Jan Heweliusz.
Mr. Norris : There is one ferry operating to British ports that can carry rail freight in a similar manner to the Jan Heweliusz. This is the French-registered ferry Nord Pas de Calais.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances and under what powers the Irish or British authorities can intervene to prevent the sailing of ferries between Ireland and the United Kingdom because of hazardous conditions.
Mr. Norris : Unless a vessel has weather restrictions placed on its operation, my Department has no powers to prevent the sailing of ferries because of hazardous weather conditions. The decision to sail is ultimately that of the ship's master.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which ferries currently in service and operating from British ports are comparable in design or class to the Stena Hibernia.
Mr. Norris : The Stena Hibernia is typical of the type of ro-ro passenger ferry in service between United Kingdom ports, continental Europe and Ireland, although the design will differ in detail.
London Underground
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of investment in the London underground system made in 1992-93 and planned for 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Mr. Norris : Total investment expenditure by London Underground in 1992-93 is currently forecast to be about £680 million. London Transport is still finalising its budget
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plans for future years, in light of the autumn statement, but I expect London Underground investment, including provision for the Jubilee line extension and crossrail, to be in the region of £1 billion per annum over the next three years.Shipping Statistics
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is his best estimate of the number of vessels passing through the Bristol channel daily ;
(2) what is his estimate of the average number of vessels passing through St. George's channel each day.
Mr. Norris : My Department does not hold information on the number of vessels passing through the St. George's channel or the Bristol channel daily.
Network SouthEast
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of the investment made in Network SouthEast in 1992-93 and planned for 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Mr. Freeman : Around £600 million is being invested in Network SouthEast in 1992-93. Rolling stock, including networkers for Kent link and turbos for Thames and Chiltern, accounts for over half this sum. Other major projects include resignalling schemes on the Great Eastern, London, Tilbury and Southend, Thames, Kent link and Kent coast lines, and Cambridge to King's Lynn electrification. Some of these projects will continue in 1993-94 including the delivery of more rolling stock for Kent link and Thames. However, British Rail has yet to be make final decisions on its detailed investment plans for 1993-94 to 1995-96.
Oil Spills
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is, in both cash and constant prices, the amount of financial support his Department has given to fund research into oil spill clean-ups in each year since financial year 1987-88 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The expenditure on research into oil spill clean-ups in the years specified was :
P
Year |Expenditure |Deflated to 1987-88
|prices
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |988,938
1988-89 |741,975 |691,621
1989-90 |737,089 |644,687
1990-91 |874,603 |708,410
1991-92 |610,464 |462,506
1992-93 |<1>830,000 |603,197
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration has been given to the use of napalm to tackle the oil slick resulting from the Braer disaster ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : My Department considers all available techniques when dealing with oil pollution at sea in oil spill
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incidents. Burning the slick would not have been appropriate in the Braer incident due to the location of the vessel and the weather conditions. My Department has also commissioned a research project to review burning as a response option.Transport Links
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations have been made by his Department to the European Commission's request that a full evaluation should be undertaken of all transport links between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Mr. Norris : I am not aware of any such request from the Commission.
Planning Appeal, Ealing
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy not to oppose the application or the continuation of the appeal proceedings in the matter of the planning appeal being heard at the Ealing town hall and relating to the access to Norbreck parade, London NW10, from the north circular road, on the grounds that the appellant may not in fact at present own the land in question.
Mr. Norris : The Department's grounds for opposing this application are set out in its proofs of evidence submitted to the public inquiry. These and all other evidence submitted are matters for the inspector to consider before making his recommendations to the Secretary of State for the Environment.
WALES
Capital Receipts
Mr. Murphy : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the level of (a) housing and (b) other capital receipts held by each Welsh district council at the end of the year 1991-92 which they are unable to spend.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : For the year in question under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the capital finance regulations made under the provisions of that Act, a proportion of capital receipts is available for the redemption of debt with the balance being available either for voluntary debt redemption or for new capital spending. Debt redemption, or the holding of receipts set aside for this purpose, reduces or offsets the interest charges that have to be borne by a local authority or its housing revenue account and there are no capital receipts that cannot be used either in that way or for new capital spending.
Accident Trauma Specialists
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many accident trauma specialists have been employed within each health authority area of Wales during each of the last five years.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The available information, which relates to consultants in the specialty of traumatic and orthopaedic surgery, is given in the table. It is not known centrally how many of these consultants are accident trauma specialists.
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Traumatic and orthopaedic surgery consultants
in post as at 30
September (whole-time equivalents)<1>
|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------
Clwyd |4.0 |4.0 |4.1 |4.5 |3.9
East Dyfed |3.9 |3.9 |4.9 |4.9 |5.9
Gwent |5.8 |6.0 |5.9 |6.9 |6.9
Gwynedd |2.4 |2.5 |2.0 |3.0 |3.0
Mid Glamorgan |6.0 |6.8 |6.8 |6.8 |6.8
Pembrokeshire |2.0 |2.0 |2.0 |2.0 |2.0
Powys |0.3 |0.3 |0.3 |0.3 |0.3
South Glamorgan |4.8 |5.8 |4.9 |4.8 |4.8
West Glamorgan |7.0 |7.0 |6.9 |6.9 |7.6
<1> Excluding locums.
Further Education
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to launch a review of further education provision for students with learning difficulties and physical disabilities in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Further education is currently a matter for the local education authorities. On 1 April, the Further Education Funding Council for Wales assumes responsibility for planning and funding the sector. In the Secretary of State's guidance letter of 27 May 1992 to the chairman of the funding council he asked that the council ensures that adequate arrangements are in place for assessing the needs of students with learning difficulties and disabilities and for identifying appropriate provision within further education.
Public Bodies
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated total number of people he has currently appointed to public bodies in Wales ; and what is the estimated total annual amount paid to those members appointed by him to public bodies in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The total number of people I have currently appointed to public bodies in Wales is 1,195. Information on the total amount paid to those members appointed is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on the level of remuneration for each appointment was given in the reply I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 30 October 1992, at columns 866-908.
Transport Links
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action has been taken to date by his Department in response to the European Commission's invitation to the United Kingdom to undertake a feasibility study as background to the pilot project on transport links between Holyhead and Dublin.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My officials have been discussing with colleagues in the Department of Transport possible terms of reference for a feasibility study into combined transport links between Great Britain and Ireland.
Ramp Metering
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to introduce ramp metering on motorway and dual carriageway approach roads in Wales.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : None at this time.
Alcohol Projects
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps will be taken to ring-fence money for residential alcohol projects in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Resources being transferred for residential facilities under the care in the community arrangements will be ring- fenced. The Department will continue to support individual projects aimed at combating alcohol misuse.
Hearing Aids
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what charge is made for replacement hearing aids for adults and children by (a) South Glamorgan health authority and (b) other health authorities in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The National Health Service Act 1977 enables the making of regulations to provide for health authorities to recover the cost of lost or damaged equipment. The National Health Service (Charges for Appliances) Regulations 1974 make such provision. It is for individual health authorities to assess how much to charge for replacing appliances and information on charges made is not held centrally.
Early Retirement
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees aged 55 years or over have retired early on grounds of ill- health in Wales in each year since 1985.
Mr. David Hunt : This information is not available centrally.
Roadworks
Mr. Llywd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to issue a code of practice on the reduction of traffic delays around roadworks in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Advice on reducing delays around roadworks is available to highway authorities in Wales.
Special Needs Education
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much extra money will be allocated for the assessment of support services and placements for students with learning difficulties and physical disabilities in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The allocation of funds to the further education sector will become the responsibility of the Further Education Funding Council for Wales from 1 April. The Secretary of State announced on 15 December 1992 the planned funding for further education in Wales from 1993- 94 to 1995-96. The Secretary of State has acknowledged that additional costs are involved in making provision for students with special needs and has asked that the funding council take this into account in distributing funds to the FE colleges.
Council Tax
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to set a target time in which valuation tribunals in Wales will complete a council tax valuation appeal.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : When the number of appeals coming forward in 1993 is known, we will agree with the tribunal service and the Valuation Office agency a broad timetable for their disposal. The Government will keep under review the progress of tribunals in disposing of appeals. The time taken to clear individual appeals will vary with the particular circumstances of the appeal. It would not be practicable to set a time within which an individual appeal should be settled.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Official Information
Mr. Richard Shepherd : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the statutory provisions restricting disclosure of official information, other than the Official Secrets Acts, which came into force after the publication of the list of provisions in appendix V of the Franks report, Cmnd 5104 ; (2) if he will publish a list of the clauses containing provisions bearing upon the disclosure of official information which appear in Government Bills published since 2 April 1990.
Mr. Waldegrave : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) on 2 November 1992, at column 55.
ENVIRONMENT
Tenants Cash Incentive Scheme
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount used by each local authority in the United Kingdom, as a percentage of its housing budget, to fund the tenants cash incentive scheme in the last financial year.
Mr. Baldry : The available information for authorities in England operating approved cash incentive schemes in 1991-92 is given in the table. Corresponding data for authorities in other parts of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the territorial Departments.
Local authority expenditure on cash incentive schemes in
England in 1991-92 as a proportion of total housing capital
expenditure by local authority
Local authority |Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Hambleton |2
East Midlands
Daventry |1
East Northamptonshire |4
South Kesteven |1
Eastern
Aylesbury Vale |5
Basildon |5
Castle Point |19
Colchester |11
Dacorum |8
East Hertfordshire |8
Huntingdonshire |1
Luton |6
North Hertfordshire |1
Peterborough |2
Rochford |35
Southend-on-Sea |6
St. Albans |6
Stevenage |5
Three Rivers |2
Watford |4
Greater London
Barnet |4
Brent |11
Bromley |6
Camden |2
Croydon |13
Ealing |13
Enfield |13
Hackney |3
Hammersmith and Fulham |4
Haringey |5
Harrow |14
Havering |4
Hillingdon |13
Hounslow |12
Islington |8
Kensington and Chelsea |10
Kingston upon Thames |15
Lambeth |4
Lewisham |2
Merton |6
Redbridge |2
Richmond upon Thames |9
Southwark |2
Sutton |19
Tower Hamlets |1
Waltham Forest |5
Wandsworth |9
Westminster |9
South East
Adur |8
Arun |2
Bracknell Forest |4
Brighton |4
Canterbury |3
Cherwell |3
Chichester |3
Dartford |7
Dover |8
Eastbourne |10
East Hampshire |2
Eastleigh |3
Elmbridge |6
Fareham |7
Gillingham |4
Gosport |6
Gravesham |-
Guildford |1
Hart |9
Hastings |5
Havant |6
Horsham |11
Hove |5
Lewes |1
Maidstone |7
Mole Valley |10
New Forest |3
Oxford |2
Portsmouth |8
Reading |6
Reigate and Banstead |5
Rother |5
Rushmoor |7
Runnymede |4
Shepway |2
Slough |8
Southampton |2
Spelthorne |5
Tandridge |9
Test Valley |4
Thanet |4
Tunbridge Wells |4
Vale of White Horse |3
Wealden |2
Woking |7
Wokingham |13
Worthing |5
South West
Bournemouth |2
Carrick |4
Exeter |1
Kennet |-
Mendip |2
Poole |1
Restmorel |-
Stroud |2
Teignbridge |1
Woodspring |1
West Midlands
Malvern Hills |-
Solihull |-
Stafford |1
Wyre Forest |1
Source: 1992 HIP2 returns submitted by local authorities
-' = less than " per cent.
Disclosure of Information
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many prosecutions have been carried out under section 206 of the Water Industry Act 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Neither my Department nor the Office of Water Services collect information about prosecutions under the provisions of section 206 of the Water Industry Act 1991. No such prosecutions have been otherwise brought to my attention.
Construction Industry Inquiry
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure representation of client interests in the construction industry inquiry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : We are having discussions with several bodies about the representation of public and private client interests in the proposed review. We hope to finalise the arrangements shortly.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the terms of reference of the inquiry into the construction industry will include retention money reform.
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