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Mr. Peter Lloyd : I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) on 12 February, at columns 811-12.
Immigration
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial contribution is made by Her Majesty's Government to the work of the ad hoc group, immigration, including the cost of time of civil servants spent at meetings, allocations for travel costs and any other specific allocations ; and on which vote the costs fall.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Except during the United Kingdom presidency, there have been no direct financial subventions from United Kingdom funds to the work of the ad hoc working group on immigration. Meetings of the ad hoc group, usually in the presidency capital, and of its subgroups, usually in Brussels, are serviced by the secretariat of the Council of the European Communities, and accommodation and so on are provided by the presidency or the secretariat respectively.
Attendance at the preparation for meetings forms part of the normal duties of officials, most of whom are from the immigration and nationality department, their salary and so on and travelling subsistence costs form part of the overall expenditure of the Department, which is met from class IX vote 3.
A detailed breakdown of the staff costs of all those involved in this work could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Animal Experiments
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring forward amendments to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to permit members of the Animal Procedures Committee to disclose information currently restricted.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Government have no plans to amend section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
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Betting Shops
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to extend the provisions of the Shops Act 1950 to cover betting shops, before 1 March.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No, we have no plans to extend the provisions of the Shops Act 1950 to cover licensed betting offices.
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for tackling juvenile crime in Cleveland.
Mr. Jack : The Government have already introduced a wide range of measures which aim to prevent young people from committing crime. In Cleveland, safer cities projects in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough provide grants for a number of local initiatives aimed at tackling juvenile crime. These link, in turn, with the work being undertaken at local level by the police, probation, local authority education and social services, which is co-ordinated through an inter-agency strategy group.
In the Criminal Justice Act 1991, implemented on 1 October 1992, Parliament strengthened the powers of the court in relation to defendants under the age of 18. The Government are presently considering additional measures to help the courts to deal more effectively with the small number of juveniles who persistently re-offend and for whom existing measures appear not to be working.
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to give local authorities the power forcefully to detain juveniles remanded or serving a sentence in their care.
Mr. Yeo : I have been asked to reply.
Following consultation, we are considering what further guidance may need to be given about the control and restraint of young people in residential care.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Companies House
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what checks his Department makes when a company files its annual return at Companies House.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : This is a matter for Companies House. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Durham to Mr. Austin Mitchell, dated 22 February 1993 :
You tabled a Parliamentary Question regarding the checks made when a company delivers its annual return to Companies House.
My examiners carry out two types of check. First, they ensure that the company's name, registered number and registered office are consistent with the information already held.
Secondly, they check that all the necessary details have been provided regarding company type, principal business activities, location of registers, secretary, directors, issued capital and members and that the form has been signed and dated.
This process is simplified if the company uses a "shuttle" annual return form provided by Companies House. In this case, most of the information will be pre-printed and it would only be necessary to check additions or amendments to that information.
Department Inspectors
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the amounts paid to each of his Department's inspectors for the reports published since 1985.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows :
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Name of company |Date of publication |Payments to |Disbursements |Payments to legal |Disbursements
|of report |accountant |including VAT (£) |inspector and legal |including VAT (£)
|inspector and |staff (£)
|support staff from
|his firm (£)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Westminster Property Group plc<1> |28 November 1985 |- |1,882 |- |-
Aldershot Football Club Ltd. |2 July 1987 |84,602 |19,625 |16,042 |2,488
Milbury plc ) |27 October 1988 |723,736 |157,672 |221,440 |33,215
Westminster Property Group Ltd. )
Emray plc
(now Equity and General plc)<2> |4 May 1988 |<3>13,538 |9,477 |- |-
Greenbank Trust plc<1> |4 August 1988 |- |3,237 |- |-
Summer International plc
(formerly Sumrie Clothes plc) |14 October 1988 |37,925 |12,551 |7,725 |-
Bremner plc |7 June 1989 |58,193 |14,731 |63,443 |16,708
County NatWest Ltd. |20 July 1989 |770,370 |205,921 |116,437 |17,494
County NatWest Securities Ltd.
Consolidated Gold Fields plc |6 September 1989 |118,522 |19,775 |10,776 |1,697
House of Fraser Holdings plc |7 March 1990 |1,015,992 |244,194 |218,500 |33,818
Alexander Howden Group plc |29 August 1990 |784,763 |187,421 |71,134 |12,382
Minet Holdings plc (Interim)
Minet Holdings plc ) |29 August 1990) |885,457 |227,633 |132,220 |23,110
Aldermanbury Trust plc |20 March 1991 |370,321 |58,798 |448,825 |94,913
The Animal Defence Society Ltd. |17 April 1991 |28,705 |8,916 |15,762 |2,726
Sound Diffusion plc |1 May 1991 |783,478 |142,928 |53,265 |8,010
Rotaprint plc |24 July 1991 |580,412 |140,170 |125,105 |18,766
The Milford Docks Company |16 January 1992 |382,980 |92,782 |130,556 |20,212
BOM Holdings plc |27 February 1992 |807,244 |182,690 |168,322 |27,622
Blue Arrow plc |24 September 1992 |2,312,296 |572,292 |597,936 |91,864
National Westminster Bank plc |14 January 1993 |1,612,272 |476,880 |405,907 |71,309
James Neill Holdings plc )
Francis Industries Ltd. )
FH Lloyd Holdings plc )
The Mersey Docks and Harbour ) |21 January 1993 |105,134 |23,308 |100,926 |21,447
Company )
Metal Closures Group plc )
Winchmore plc )
Edencorp Leisure plc<1> |18 February 1993 |- |14,222 |- |-
<1> Reports by departmental officers.
<2> Departmental officer appointed with non-departmental inspector.
<3> Stockbroker (inspector) and support staff.
Audit Companies
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce proposals under which all auditing firms carrying out the audit of a public limited company would be required to publish the profits made from its overall auditing business.
Car Registrations
Ms. Harman : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has about the number of new car registrations in each year after 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : New car registrations between 1988 and 1992 are as follows :
Year ------------------------------ 1988 |2,215,574 1989 |2,300,944 1990 |2,008,934 1991 |1,592,326 1992 |1,593,601
Highlands and Islands
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations his Department has made to the European Commission with regard to objective I status for the highlands and islands of Scotland ; what decision he has reached about whether Merseyside should be put forward ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Coe) on 17 February, Official Report, column 269.
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Cleaner Technology
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the agencies represented on his liaison group on cleaner technology ; how many meetings this group has had ; and what new initiatives have flowed from its work.
Mr. Eggar : The interdepartmental liaison group on cleaner technology has representatives from Department of the Environment, Science and Engineering Research Council, Health and Safety Executive, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Office of Science and Techology, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, under the chairmanship of Department of Trade and Industry. The group has now had three meetings. The group has been exchanging information on the separate initiatives that the different Departments are pursuing and the scope for co-operation between them. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment are working together to promote waste minimisation and energy efficiency.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his inquiry into United Kingdom output of, and trade in, environmental and clean technology industry has been completed ; and if he will place its conclusions in the Library.
Mr. Eggar : Work within the DTI to identify and extract relevant data on output of, and trade in, environmental and clean technology is continuing.
European Companies (Accounts Regulation)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether subsidiaries of European companies are subject to home or host country accountancy regulation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : Companies incorporated in Great Britain, whether or not they are subsidiaries of companies
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incorporated in other European countries, are required to prepare and file accounts in accordance with part VII of the Companies Act 1985.Military Equipment
Mr. Battle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether military equipment made as a result of collaboration between a British and an overseas company needs a United Kingdom export licence before it can be sold to a third country.
Mr. Needham : Military equipment made as a result of collaboration between a British company and an overseas company requires a United Kingdom export licence if exported from the United Kingdom. Exports of such equipment from overseas countries are the responsibility of those countries.
Weaving Industry
Mr. Martlew : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what investment has taken place in the cotton and man-made fibre weaving industry, statistical class 4322, in the last five years for which figures are available ; and to what extent this investment benefited from Government grants.
Mr. Sainsbury : The available information for investment for standard industrial classification activity heading 4322 is given in the table.
Investment in the
cotton, silk and
man-made fibres
weaving industry
--------------------
29.3
21.7
36.4
36.3
40.9
The annual amounts of Government grants paid in support of investment in the cotton and man-made fibre weaving industry in the United Kingdom for the years 1986 to 1990 were :
|£ thousands
------------------------------------
1986 |920
1987 |1,480
1988 |469
1989 |685
1990 |953
In Great Britain grants were paid under the regional selective assistance scheme and the revised regional developments grants scheme. Information about grants paid to this industry under the original regional grants scheme is available only at disproportionate cost. In Northern Ireland grants were made available from the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland under the Industrial Development (NI) Order 1982.
Single Market
Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many complaints were referred to the single market compliance unit in 1992 ; and how many were satisfactorily resolved.
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Mr. Needham : The single market compliance unit--SMCU--receives inquiries daily. At any one time the SMCU is dealing with some 30 to 40 cases. However, in practice, after detailed examination, only a minority of these, about 10 per cent. turn out to be breaches of EC law. Those not involving breaches are normally passed on to the Department's sectoral or trade divisions which are better able to assist with such inquiries.
In 1992 the SMCU dealt with 23 new cases involving actual breaches of the EC law to add to the 16 which it was already dealing with. Typically, a case takes at least six months and sometimes over three years to resolve. This is due to the lengthy process of compiling sufficient evidence, normally with the help of British embassies, together with the time it takes to raise a complaint with a member state or the European Commission. Of the cases dealt with last year by the SMCU, nine so far have been successfully resolved.
Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to expand the number of desks at the single market compliance unit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : In line with my Department's new "Business in Europe" initiative, the single market compliance unit is to expand. Expressed in terms of man years, the level of resources allocated to the SMCU is to rise from 2.5 to 4.5.
Internal Market Council
Mr. Rowe : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Internal Market Council held on 8 February.
Mr. Needham : I attended this first Council of the Danish presidency under the chairmanship of the new Danish Industry Minister, Mr. Troejborg. It was also the first Council for Commissioner Vanni d'Archirafi.
The meeting had a short agenda which it completed in half a day. A review of the completion of the internal market confirmed that some 95 per cent. of the original White Paper had been agreed, with few problems reported on the free movement of goods since the 1 January deadline. An updated "league table" of implementation of White Paper measures by member states showed that the United Kingdom had risen to third position, with an 85 per cent. implementation record. There was general agreement on carrying forward the initiative on "Making the Single Market Work", in the light of the Commission's response to the Sutherland report. It is hoped that specific proposals on, for example, improving exchange of information between member states on single market issues will be considered by future Councils during the Danish presidency.
The Council adopted a regulation providing for checks for product safety at the Community's external border, as well as food law directives covering fruit juices and food contaminants. The Commission was requested by the Council to introduce specific proposals for safety standards covering motor cycle helmets, in addition to the existing powers available under the personal protective equipment directive.
Column 607
One-stop Shops
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress on his pilot scheme for one-stop shops.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : Fifty-seven partnerships have submitted bids for funding pilot one-stop shops. The bids cover a wide geographical area and many make proposals for establishing One Stop Shops in more than one local area. This is an excellent reponse and these bids are now being examined.
I will announce the winning bids within the next two months.
EC Development Assistance
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations his Department has made to the European Commission with regard to objective 1 status ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 23 February 1993] : I refer to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Coe) on 17 February, Official Report, column 269.
Post Office
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post offices and sub-post offices closed in the United Kingdom and in each region and county each year since 1988.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The number of post offices closed in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988 is as follows :
Year |Number ---------------------- 1988-89 |76 1989-90 |242 1990-91 |372 1991-92 |303
The majority of these closures were in rural areas where, due to the decline in the number of village shops, it has not been possible to find suitable candidates for subpostmasterships. A breakdown of this information by region or by county could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the value of the privately owned assets that form the branch service network of Post Office Counters Ltd.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : Neither the Government nor the Post Office have any records of the privately owned assets within the branch network of Post Office Counters Ltd. and have no authoritative basis on which to estimate the value of those assets.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the Government Departments and other agencies having contracts with Post Office Counters Ltd. ; and what is the duration of the contract period in each case.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The following Government Department and agencies have contracts with Post Office Counters Ltd. :
Column 608
Department/Agency |Duration of current
|contract (years)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department for National Savings |3
Benefits Agency |3
United Kingdom Passport Agency |2
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |3
In addition Post Office Counters has contracts with the BBC, Girobank, Royal Mail, Parcelforce, British Telecom, British Gas, regional and Scottish electricity companies and some 100 local authorities. The duration of the current contracts with these bodies varies between six months and five years.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of franchises for franchised post offices and the income generated from the sale of franchises.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The cost of each franchise for franchised post offices varies with the circumstances of sale. Cumulative income from the sale of franchises to December 1992 amounted to some £5.5 million.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the profit or loss on Post Office Counters Ltd. in each year since the separation of its accounts ; and what was the value of the direct assets of Post Office Counters in each of these years.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The profits after taxation and net assets of Post Office Counters Ltd. in each year since the separation of its accounts were as follows :
Year |Profits after|Net Assets
|taxation
|£ million |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |13.6 |455.4
1987-88 |20.9 |493.7
1988-89 |31.3 |517.9
1989-90 |10.7 |<1>251.7
1990-91 |22.0 |244.0
1991-92 |16.0 |254.0
<1>As part of the introduction of return on capital
employed targets, a special dividend, representing
funds accumulated as a result of previous years'
activities and amounting to £276.3 million, was paid to
the holding company.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many post offices and sub-post offices, showing community post offices separately, opened in the United Kingdom and in each region and county in each year since 1988.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : The number of post offices opened in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988 is as follows :
Year |Number ---------------------- 1988-89 |35 1989-90 |21 1990-91 |63 1991-92 |<1>157 <1> includes 74 satellite offices.
The number of community and restricted hours offices operating in rural areas at the end of each financial year was as follows :
|Community offices|Restricted hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 1989 |724 |0
March 1990 |1,413 |23
March 1991 |1,511 |55
March 1992 |1,626 |90
A breakdown of this information by region or by county could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the licence fee for new sub-post offices in each year since 1989 ; and what income those fees generated in each year.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 22 February 1993] : For franchised offices a commercially confidential and individual franchise fee is negotiated with each agency partner. For other new or resited post offices an initial fee equivalent to 12 months' remuneration in England and nine months' remuneration in other parts of the United Kingdom is levied. All rural offices are exempted from paying such fees. Since April 1992 initial fees have no longer been levied on transfer of sub-post offices at their existing site.
The overall yield to Post Office Counters Ltd. from franchise and initial fees has been £3.9 million in 1989-90, £9.6 million in 1990-91 and £10.5 million in 1991-92.
Cornwall and Devon
Mr. Tyler : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what criteria he used to substantiate the application for designation of (a) Cornwall and (b) Devon as economically deprived regions requiring objective 1 status for European Community development assistance ; and what effect a separate or joint submission will have on Cornwall's chances of success ;
(2) if he will publish his submission to the European Commission seeking designation of Cornwall and Devon as economically deprived regions requiring objective 1 status for development assistance.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 23 February 1993] : The European Council decided at Edinburgh that the future coverage of objective 1 should be determined as article 8(1) of Council regulation (EEC) 2052/88. This states that objective 1 regions shall be regions at NUTS II level whose per capita GDP is less than 75 per cent. of the Community average. It also provides for the inclusion of Northern Ireland and, for special reasons, of other regions whose GDP figure is close to 75 per cent.
Devon and Cornwall together form a NUTS II level region with GDP assessed as being 82 per cent. of the Community average. My right hon. Friend has written to the responsible Commissioner proposing this NUTS II region for objective 1 on the grounds of its relatively low GDP coupled with its peripherality, the effect of defence changes and declining employment in agriculture. I do not consider that it would be appropriate to publish my right hon. Friend's letter. Cornwall alone is classified as a NUTS III region. Its estimated per capita GDP exceeds not only 75 per cent. of the Community average, but the estimated figures of more
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then 60 other NUTS III regions in the Community, which are not part of NUTS II regions, likely to be eligible for objective 1 status.SOCIAL SECURITY
Market Testing
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the market tests that have taken place in his Department since November 1991 ; whether the result was the maintenance of in-house provision or whether the service was contracted out ; what was the name of the successful contractor where appropriate ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : Market tests for the following services have taken place :
Travel services
A contract for a new national travel service to this Department and the Department of Health was awarded to Wagons-Lits in January 1993. Facilities management and the provision of office services at Quarry House, the Department's new headquarters building in Leeds shared with Department of Health.
There was no existing in-house provision, but in-house bids were made for office support services. The contract was awarded to Manpower UK Ltd in June 1992.
Cleaning services for North Fylde Central Offices, Norcross, Blackpool.
Contract awarded to Care Cleaning Services in April 1992. Building maintenance and works. Contracts for services previously provided by Property Services Agency (PSA) have been awarded to : Tarmac Construction in April 1992 and June 1992
Henry Boot in May 1992
Laing Management in April 1992
The contract for services to the Fylde Benefit Directorate was won by PSA in April 1992.
Contributions Agency's microfilming and retrievals service. The contract was awarded to the in-house team in February 1993.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff in his Department are assigned to the market testing programme ; how much the programme has cost his Department since November 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
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