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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 4 February 1993
TRANSPORT
Buses Project
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authority and bus company have been selected for the low floor demonstration project outside London.
Mr. Freeman : We have selected a route in North Shields and Whitley Bay run by Go Ahead Northern Coastline. I am delighted that we have been able to find the resources to enable Tyne and Wear passenger transport executive to fund this project. The route carries a significant number of elderly and disabled people who will particularly benefit from the introduction of new low floor buses. But such
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vehicles will also benefit other passengers who find the entrance steps and narrow gangways of conventional buses difficult to negotiate. We will monitor the scheme and make the results available to other bus operators and local authorities.Appointments
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will update the information given in his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 29 October 1992, Official Report, column 760 ; and if he will state the political affiliation of the appointees where known.
Mr. Norris : Details of public appointments made by my right hon. Friend since 20 October 1992 are set out in the table. It is not considered practicable or appropriate to list the many and varied qualifications of the individual appointees, but my right hon. Friend will have satisfied himself as to their relevance before making the appointments. The Department usually does not know, and certainly would not specifically record, the political affiliation of appointees. Remuneration of port authority appointees is a matter for the authorities themselves.
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Name of appointee |Body to which |Period of the
|appointed and |appointment
|remuneration
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. D. E. Rayner<1> |British Railways Board £69,550 pa |1 November 1992 to
|31 October 1995
Mr. M. W. Betts |Traffic Commissioner, Scottish |9 November 1992 to
|Traffic Area £42,724 pa |3 March 2003
Captain M. Willett |Civil Aviation Authority £69,300 pa|14 November 1992 to
|13 November 1996
Mr. R. B. Horton |British Railways Board £120,000 pa |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Miss K. Kantor<1> |British Railways Board £7,160 pa |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. A. J. Norman |British Railways Board £7,160 pa |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Miss J. A. Page |British Railways Board £7,160 pa |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. D. B. Pearl<1> |Medway Ports Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Sir Brian Shaw |Port of London Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1994
Mr. I. F. Halliday<1> |Port of London Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Ms. P. Hawkes |Shoreham Port Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. J. M. Buttmer<1> |Shoreham Port Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. G. R. Green<1> |Shoreham Port Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. J. E. White<1> |Shoreham Port Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. B. J. Wilson<1> |Shoreham Port Authority |1 January 1993 to
|31 December 1995
Mr. J. V. S. Evans |Landscape Advisory Committee |1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid
Mrs. E. J. Garland |Landscape Advisory Committee |1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid |31 December 1997
Mrs. V. R. Wakefield |Landscape Advisory Committee |1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid |31 December 1997
Professor Margaret A. MacKeith |Landscape Advisory Committee |1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid |31 December 1997
Ms. W. M. Lutley |Landscape Advisory Committee |1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid |31 December 1997
Professor Mary Benwell |Landscape Advisory Committee Unpaid|1 January 1993 to
|Unpaid |31 December 1997
Mr. T. O. Lewis<1> |Milford Haven Port Authority |1 February 1993 to
|31 January 1996
Mr. W. A. J. Reardon-Smith<1> |Milford Haven Port Authority |1 February 1993 to
|31 January 1996
Mr. R. E. Birdseye |Civil Aviation Authority £43,020 pa|1 February 1993 to
|31 January 1996
<1> Reappointments.
Seat Belts
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budget has been set for the forthcoming campaign on seat belt wearing ; and if he will give a breakdown of the estimated costs of advertising.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle [holding answer 2 February 1993] : A budget of £1.2 million has been set for the campaign on seat belt wearing which was launched on Tuesday 2 February. The bulk of this budget, £1.15 million, has been allocated to the production and airing of a television commercial over the period 2 to 16 February. The remainder of the budget, £50,000, has been allocated to the production of leaflets explaining seat belt law and posters and research.
ENVIRONMENT
Biodiversity Plan
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to develop a United Kingdom-wide biodiversity plan.
Mr. Maclean : My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 24 June 1992 that the United Kingdom would prepare a national biodiversity action plan to promote the convention on biological diversity agreed earlier that month. The target date for the publication of the plan is the end of 1993.
Aggregates
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide in tabular form the numerical data used in preparation of the pie charts in figures A2.2 to A11.3 inclusive in annex A of his Department's draft consultation document "Guidelines
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for Aggregates Provision in England and Wales-Revision of MPG6", showing in each case the tonnages assumed for each source of aggregates supply.Mr. Baldry : This information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Noise Review
142. Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken by his Department following the report of the noise review working party in 1990.
Mr. Maclean : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell) on Tuesday 19 January, at column 163.
Marine Impact Assessment
143. Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of how adequately his Department's marine impact assessment procedures meet the terms of EC directives.
Mr. Maclean : The requirements of directive 85/337 on environmental impact assessment have been fully incorporated into existing regulatory systems for controlling marine developments. EIA procedures are being considered as part of the Government's review of the effectiveness of regulations below the low water mark, which I announced on 8 July last year in response to a question from the hon. Member for Kincardine and Deeside (Mr. Kynoch), at column 252.
Local Authorities (Devolution)
144. Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proposals he has to devolve power to local authorities ;
(2) if he will make a statement on progress in the devolution of power to local authorities.
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Mr. Squire : The split of responsibilities between central and local government is a matter for Parliament to determine. There has always been an ebb and flow of responsibilities between the two and this will continue.
Urban Priority Areas
145. Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations he has had and plans to have with the voluntary sector on the review of urban priority areas.
Mr. Squire : We will write shortly to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Services to invite comments on the methodology recommended by external researchers for use in analysing data on urban conditions drawn from the 1991 census.
Empty Office Buildings (Residential Consent)
146. Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice his Department gives to local authorities concerning the granting of temporary residential consent for empty office buildings.
Mr. Baldry : Last October we published a draft Planning Policy Guidance Note 6, Town Centres and Retail Development, which at paragraph 14 states :
"In those town centres that contain vacant office and retail premises that seem unlikely to be reused for that purpose, local planning authorities should encourage conversion to other service, retail or residential uses. Such buildings, especially older office buildings originally converted from houses, may be particularly suitable for conversion to flats, for example for students and householders without cars."
We will finalise the draft note within the next few months. Some developers might believe that such a conversion will mean for ever abandoning the prospect of attracting a commercial tenant. We see no such difficulty. Owners may seek temporary residential permissions--for, say, 10 years--with the certainty of being able to switch back to commercial use at a later date.
Empty Departmental Houses
156. Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the task force on Government Department's empty houses.
Mr. Baldry : The task force on Government Departments' empty houses has met once since it was established on 8 December 1992. It has made a positive start on the work necessary to deliver its remit of helping to bring empty Government residential properties into use for people in housing need. The next meeting of the task force is on 10 February.
Air Quality
157. Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on the draft air quality framework directive ; and what assessment he has made of the consequences for the United Kingdom national air quality monitoring network and for local authority air quality monitoring activities.
Mr. Maclean : My Department has had three meetings with the Commission to discuss its emerging proposals for
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a draft air quality standards framework directive. The proposals are still at an early stage of development and it is too soon to say what implications the eventual directive might have for the United Kingdom monitoring network and local authority monitoring activities. Meanwhile, my Department is already expanding its urban air quality monitoring network and preparing proposals for better integration of central and local monitoring effort.Local Authority Recycling Plans
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons the Coopers and Lybrand report on local authority recycling plans will not assess the quality and realism of the plans ; what steps he took to ensure that the tender specification for the report was widely distributed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : The review of local authority recycling plans is intended to provide a comprehensive picture of the information they contain ; a qualitative assessment of the plans is beyond the scope of the exercise. We made clear our intention to commission a detailed study of the plans to extract useful information from them. Those organisations which expressed an interest in this project were invited to tender for the work.
Hedgerows
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when Her Majesty's Government first committed themselves to bring forward new legislation to protect hedgerows ; on how many occasions and in which documents that commitment has been repeated subsequently ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : Proposals to give local authorities powers to protect hedgerows were first announced in the Government White Paper, "This Common Inheritance" in September 1990. Revised proposals were announced in July 1991 and restated in the first year report of the White Paper (September 1991) and our policy document "Action for the Countryside" (February 1992). Due to pressure on the parliamentary programme, we were unable to introduce appropriate legislation this Session, but we continue to support the Hedgerows Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, East (Mr. Ainsworth).
Local Government Commission
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the timetable for the Local Government Commission's reviews of areas in the second tranche of its work programme.
Mr. Redwood : I am pleased to announce, following consultation with the Local Government Commission, the timetable for the second tranche of the review of areas.
We intend the commission begins its review of Leicestershire on 10 May. The review of Nottinghamshire will begin a few weeks later. The commission's review of the other second tranche areas of Cumbria and Lancashire, Hampshire, Staffordshire, Devon, and Cambridgeshire will begin soon after the other reviews of areas in the first tranche have been completed.
We anticipate that the commission will require less time to formulate draft and final proposals for the second
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tranche review areas than it needed for some of the more complex first tranche reviews. However, we are still adamant that local people should have ample opportunity to express their views to the commission and have plenty of time to respond to draftrecommendations and the period allowed at the consultation stages remain as set out in the original procedure guidance to the commission.
In drawing up the timetable, we have allowed for local government elections and the need for extra consultation time over the summer holiday period.
The announcement of the detailed timetable will now enable all authorities in the second tranche to plan ahead in order to ensure that the Commission's review of their area will be executed as smoothly as possible.
I have placed a copy of the second tranche timetable in the Library.
Development Plans
Mr. Walden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a local authority development plan is an interest of acknowledged importance in terms of the guidance provided in paragraph five of planning policy guidance note 1.
Mr. Baldry : Planning policy guidance note 1 (March 1992) provides advice on the determination of planning applications in accordance with sections 70(2) and 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. In the process of deciding a planning application, which entails having regard to the development plan and all other material considerations, all interests of acknowledged importance should be identified and any harm that would be caused, were permission to be granted, taken into account.
Appointments
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will update the information given in his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley on 30 October 1992, Official Report , columns 859-62 ; and if he will state the political affiliation of the appointees where known.
Mr. Howard : The following new appointments have been made since October 1992 to the boards of non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department. Information on political affiliation is not held centrally.
Department of the Environment
New appointments made from 31 October 1992
Name of body and |Appointment end
postholder
---------------------------------------------------------------------
British Waterways Board
Member
Viscountess Cobham |31 January 1996
Commons Commissioners
Commissioner
M. J. Roth |11 May 1994
G. Langdon-Davies |31 December 1993
English Nature
Member
Professor R. C. L. Wilson |31 March 1995
Housing Action Trust-Liverpool
Member
Miss D. Todd |12 November 1995
Mrs. M. F. Gallimore |12 November 1995
Housing Action Trust-Tower Hamlets
Chairman
Dr. M. A. Barraclough |17 December 1995
Deputy Chairman
J. Ludlow (Councillor) |17 December 1995
Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council
Chairman
G. H. Baker |31 December 1993
Urban Development Corporation-Sheffield
Member
F. Eul |30 November 1994
M. Bower (Councillor) |30 November 1994
Ms. J. Bacon |30 November 1994
Housing Investment Programme
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the relative performance of each local authority in Merseyside for the purposes of determining the housing investment programme allocations for 1993 to 1994 ; and if he will publish the figures.
Mr. Baldry : Figures for local authority housing investment programme allocations for 1993-94 were announced on 17 December by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning, at column 507 ; details are in the Libraries of the House. The primary criterion which underlay the discretionary element of these allocations was the efficiency and effectiveness of authorities in the use of resources to meet housing need. In reaching an assessment for these purposes of the authorities in Merseyside, we took into account all available information which was relevant, including authorities' housing strategies and HIP bids, and discussions in the course of the annual round of HIP meetings between authorities and officials in the Department's Merseyside task force.
Ordnance Survey
Mr. Pickles : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals there are to change the 1992-93 cash limit and running cost limit for Ordnance Survey.
Mr. Howard : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary spring supplementary estimate for Ordnance Survey, class VIII, vote II, the cash limit for Ordnance Survey, class VIII, vote II will be increased by £2,866,000 from £19,049,000 to £21,915,000. The increase will be a charge on the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure. The net running cost limit will be increased by £3,076,000 from £18,998,000 to £22,074,000. The increase in the cash limit is required to reflect a shortfall in the receipts for the sales of maps, copyright and public sector repayments due to a reduction in the demand for OS products, partially offset by savings from running costs, capital and superannuation expenditure. Supplementary provision is also required to reduce the imbalance between input and output VAT resulting from cutbacks in capital and running cost expenditure.
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The increase to the net running cost limit is required to reflect a shortfall in the receipts for sales of maps, copyright and public sector repayments due to a reduction in demand. This is partially offset by savings from running cost expenditure.Departmental Costs
Mr. Pickles : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to his Department's cash limits and running costs limit for 1992-93.
Mr. Howard : Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made :--
The DOE/UA non-voted cash limit will be increased by £1,020,000 from £1,017,449,000 to £1,018,469,000. The increase is a net effect of savings and increases within the cash limit. Increases include £6, 000,000 for local authority sector derelict land grant to account for increases in the forecast level of spend and £1,750,000 for the urban programme. A further £3,020,000 will be required for various projects for urban development corporations, to fund a number of schemes for the Cleveland city action team and to increase the provision for urban development grant. There is a technical increase of £3,000,000 which will be offset by a decrease in the Department of Transport national roads England cash limit. Savings include £10,205,000 on the city grant programme, £1,000,000 for the non local authority sector derelict land grant programme and a technical saving of £1,545,000 which will be offset by an increase in the Housing Corporation cash limit. The effect on voted expenditure will be a net increase of £3, 000,000.
The cash limit for class VIII, vote 5 (Central environmental services etc.) will be increased by £5,861,000 from £317,127,000 to £322,988,000. The increase provides for an additional £7,900,000 in grant in aid to the Rural Development Commission, required because of a shortfall in the commission's receipts from property sales. This will be partially offset by a saving of £1,439,000 on the energy efficiency programme, £200,000 on the environmental technology innovation scheme and £400,000 on grants to water companies. The cash limit increase will be funded in part by forecast savings of £1,500, 000 in European regional development fund payments to water undertakers and £161,000 of previously unallocated public expenditure provision.
The running cost limit for Property Holdings and Central Support Services will be reduced by £668,000 from £48,201,000 to £47,533,000. This reduction reflects pay savings. The net running cost control limit for the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre will be reduced by £48,000 from £1,136,000 to £1,088,000. Some receipts which would have been paid into the Consolidated Fund will be reclassified as appropriations in aid. This reclassification will fund a freehold acquisitions programme, cover a shortfall of property disposal receipts and offset an increase in vacant accommodation costs. The Department of the Environment's running costs limit has been reduced by £5,556,000 from £201,899,000 to £196,343,000. This change mainly results from a
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reallocation of existing estimate provision between running costs and non-running costs, in line with estimated outturn, on class VIII, vote 8 (Department of the Environment : administration), partly offset by a transfer of £34,000 running costs cover to class VIII, vote 2 (Miscellaneous housing administration and grants). The cash limit for class VIII, vote 9 (Revenue support grant, payment of non-domestic rates, valuation office rating services, etc, England) will be decreased by £176,000 from £29,523,296,000 to £29, 523,120,000. This is due to lower than expected computer costs for valuation tribunals and a transfer of provision to the Ministry of Defence (class I, vote 1) compensating local authorities for community charge income foregone from servicemen as a result of the Gulf crisis. £71,000 of the savings offset an equivalent increase on class VIII, vote 13, for the new grant to compensate local authorities for additional costs arising from the influx of people displaced from former Yugoslavia.The DOE/HC non-voted cash limit will be increased by £598,545,000 from £1,707,200,000 to £2,305,745,000. This increase reflects the addition of £597,000,000 mainly for housing associations to purchase empty dwellings as part of the housing recovery package announced in the Chancellor's autumn statement, and a transfer from the city challenge programme of £1,545,000 to increase housing association funding in city challenge areas.
The DOE/LACAP non-voted cash limit will be increased by £28,259,000 from £2,914,829,000 to £2,943,088,000. This increase reflects the addition of £30,000,000 for local authority cash incentive schemes as part of the housing recovery package announced in the Chancellor's autumn statement. This is partly offset by savings of £1,741,000 in other grants within the cash limit.
All the increases will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Oil Pollution
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he will take in the implementation of the new EC habitats and species directive to safeguard key coastal and inshore waters from oil pollution.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 15 January 1993] : The Government are considering what measures are necessary to implement the EC directive on the conservation of habitats and of wild flora and fauna. Proposals will be issued for consultation in the coming month. The inquiry under Lord Donaldson announced on 11 January by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will consider whether any further measures are appropriate and feasible to protect the United Kingdom coast from pollution from merchant shipping giving due consideration to the international and economic implications of any new measures.
Local Authorities (Debt)
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities which are currently debt free.
Mr. Squire [pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1993,c. 116-17] : I regret that the list of authorities which became debt free as a result of the commutation of grants
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for debt charges which took place on 1 October 1992 contained an error. I now understand that Mid Bedfordshire district council is not in fact debt free.ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Gill : To ask the Attorney-General what changes he proposes to the Crown prosecution service's cash limit for 1992-93.
The Attorney-General : Yes. The cash limit for class X, vote 5 will be reduced by £1,500,000 from £199,846,000 to £198,346,000. This is to offset, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, increased net expenditure on class X, vote 6, Crown prosecutions and legal services. This extra provision is needed to meet additional costs arising from implementation of the Road Traffic Act 1991 and a shortfall in appropriations-in-aid.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Printers
Mr. Garrett : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he proposes to introduce the defence of innocent dissemination for printers.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor has already announced the Government's intention to make provision for the proposed defence of innocent dissemination by printers. This will require primary legislation which will be introduced when there is a suitable opportunity.
Land Registry
Mr. Butler : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what changes he proposes to the Land Registry's cash and running costs for 1992-93.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 11 will be increased by £10,999,000 from a token £1,000 to £11,000,000. In addition, the net running costs limit for the Land Registry will be increased by £11,000,000 from zero to £11,000,000.
The Land Registry is a demand-led executive agency which relies on fees paid by its customers to cover its administrative costs which it has successfully achieved since 1976. The continuing low level of activity in the property market in England and Wales has resulted in the agency's workload (in units) being some 30 per cent. lower than originally anticipated. In order to keep its costs within the reducing income, the agency has restricted expenditure to 16 per cent. below the main estimate provision, but it is now clear that the total fee income for the year will fall short of forecast spending by the amount sought through the supplementary estimate. The agency's cashflow position has been made worse by the fact that some larger liabilities relating to its legal liability to indemnify for losses resulting from register and search errors have required payment. These increases will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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Public Record Office
Mr. Peter Butler : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what changes are planned to class X, vote 12 of the Public Record Office's vote for 1992-93.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The cash limit for class X, vote 12 has been reduced by £3,393,000 from £33,739,000 to £30,346,000 as a result of slippage on a major capital project. In addition, and subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary token supplementary estimate, the running cost limit for class X, vote 12 will be increased by £369,000 from £22,352,000 to £22,721,000 to cover certain payments to Property Holdings. This increase is financed by a transfer of provision from Property Holdings and an increase in receipts.
Northern Ireland Court Service
Mr. Butler : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what changes have been made to the class X, vote 3 cash limit and running costs limit for the Northern Ireland court service.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 3 has been increased by £1,226,000 from £19,086,000 to £20,312,000 and the running costs limit by £73,000 from £14,685,000 to £14,758,000. The increases arise because of additional costs incurred in respect of bomb damage to the number of court buildings, bomb damage to the Legal Aid Department's accommodation and the transferral from the Northern Ireland block of project costs for the child support legislation and the fixed penalty/points scheme.
The increases will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total public expenditure.
House Repossessions
Mr. Battle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many repossessions have been carried out in county courts since September 1992 by lenders who are not members of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
Mr. John M. Taylor : This information is not collected.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Cash Limits
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what changes will be made to his Department's cash limits or running costs limits for 1992-93.
Mr. Brooke : Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made : (
(i) The cash limit for class XII, vote I (museums, galleries and the heritage) will be increased by £1,606,000 to £222,289,000. The increase is the net result of additional provision for payments to Inland Revenue in respect of important heritage offers in lieu of tax (£4,325,000) partly offset from savings (£2,719,000) in the contributions made in lieu of rates by certain national museums and galleries. As announced in the Official Report, at columns 891-92, on 12 November 1992, part of the
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achieved savings has also been used to meet the balance of Government support for the European arts festival in 1992 (£458,000) (class XII, vote 2) and administration costs associated with the creation of the Department of National Heritage (£1,218,000) (class XII, vote 4). The balance of the additional provision now required (some £3,300,000) will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure. ()(ii
The departmental running costs limit will be reduced by £83,000, from £18,731,000 to £18,648,000, as a result of an adjustment to the provision transferred from the Department for Education, to reflect lower costs attributable to the Department of National Heritage for certain central support services.
Regulations
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will place in the Library a list of all the regulations for which his Department is currently responsible with a descriptive title for each individual regulation.
Mr. Brooke : A provisional list of regulations which impact on business has recently been put together. Consideration will be given to placing the list in the Library once it has been fully checked for accuracy and consistency of definition.
Television
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage under what authority the Independent Television Commission is making representations to the Monopolies Commission about the commercial arrangements made between production companies and broadcasters.
Mr. Brooke : Section 39 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 establishes the Independent Television Commission's role in the provision of networking arrangements for Channel 3.
National Lottery
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has to locate in Cardiff the (a) national headquarters and (b) regional sub-office for the south of the United Kingdom of the national lottery ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : The location of the operator of the national lottery will be a matter for the appointed licensee. Those companies tendering for the licence will be aware of the advantages of locating in an area receiving Government incentives.
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to award the contract for the operation of the national lottery ; when he expects the national lottery to be in operation ; and in what year he expects the national heritage memorial fund to commence the distribution of moneys received from the national lottery distribution fund.
Mr. Key : The contract or licence for the operation of the national lottery will be awarded as soon as practicable after the National Lottery etc. Bill receives Royal Assent. It is hoped that the lottery will be operational towards the end of 1994. The National Heritage Memorial Fund should be in a position to distribute funds during 1995.
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Appointments
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list all the names of those he has appointed to public bodies, giving the period for which the appointment was made and the remuneration each currently receives ; and if he will state the political affiliation of the appointees where known.
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