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Column 11
Well Person Clinics
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total cost to the Exchequer to date of payment by the Benefits Agency for all staff aged 35 years and over to attend private well person clinics ; and how many such staff have to date attended.
Mr. Burt : The Benefits Agency has corporate responsibility for the management and funding of the health screening programme for staff aged 35 years or over.
For reasons of commercial confidentiality, the number of staff examined cannot be given. Up to 31 March 1993, the total cost to the Exchequer was £2.1 million.
PRIME MINISTER
Buses
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Prime Minister if he will commission a study of experience of bus tendering in London, deregulation elsewhere in England and Great Britain and of regulation in Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister : The Transport Select Committee is currently considering these issues in the context of its inquiry into bus deregulation in London and is taking evidence from a number of sources, including the Government.
Overseas Visits
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy for taking senior British business representatives with him on official overseas visits.
The Prime Minister : I am firmly committed to taking senior business representatives with me whenever possible when I visit key markets overseas. My recent visits with a business group to India and Saudi Arabia were examples. I intend to build on them. I hope to visit Japan in the Autumn with senior business representatives. My ministerial colleagues also take every opportunity to promote Britain and British goods abroad. They are planning to lead at least 14 missions to 17 countries, to markets as diverse as Ghana, Singapore and Kazakstan this year.
Prerogative Powers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the groups of actions taken using prerogative powers for which it would incur disproportionately high costs for them to be recorded individually.
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Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to record the occasions on which prerogative powers are used where disproportionate costs would not be involved.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what prerogative powers have been attenuated by being bought within statute law since 1979.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 1 March at column 19 , and to the response of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Home Department's response to the hon. Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Garrett) on 21 April at column 492. The relationship between statutory and prerogative powers can be very complex. This complexity would mean examination of each section of each Act passed since 1979 in order to determine whether a prerogative power had been brought within statute law. This would be impracticable and would lead to disproportionate cost.
Treaty on European Union
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister what consideration was given at the European Council held at Edinburgh in December 1992 to the termination of membership of any member state of the European Community in the event of non-ratification of the treaty on European union.
The Prime Minister : The issue was not considered at the Edinburgh European Council.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Kent Marshes
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what studies have been carried out into water availability in the north Kent marshes for site of special scientific interest management and environmentally sensitive area implementation ;
(2) what criteria he will employ to decide the priority for water level management on SSSI in north Kent and the creation of new wetland areas under the recently announced environmentally sensitive area.
Mr. Curry : During the preparation of the north Kent marshes environmentally sensitive area (ESA) extensive consultations were carried out on all aspects of the scheme, including the availability and management of water. English Nature was one of the organisations consulted both in respect of the ESA as a whole and the sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) within it. The Ministry will continue to work closely with English Nature to achieve our shared environmental objectives throughout the area.
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what financial resources are available to install new drainage structures which will permit raising of ditch water levels in the north Kent marshes environmentally sensitive area.
Mr. Curry : Eighty per cent. grants for the construction of bunds or sluices or other works to control water levels are available to farmers who have land under an environmentally sensitive area agreement. Where schemes are undertaken by drainage bodies grant aid may also be available under the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Land Drainage Act 1991.
Meat Products
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the average increases in the retail price of bacon, sausage and other meat-based food products sold in the United Kingdom year on year over the past five years.
Mr. Curry : The annual percentage increases over the last five years in retail prices, as measured by the retail prices index, are given :
Year (change on |Bacon |Other meat products
previous year) |(including
|sausages)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |+3.3 |-0.6
1989 |+9.3 |+6.0
1990 |+12.2 |+11.3
1991 |+1.4 |+3.9
1992 |+6.8 |+0.5
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of bacon, sausage and other meat-based food products (a) exported from and (b) imported into the United Kingdom year on year for the past five years.
Mr. Curry : The figures for trade in all meat preparations--which includes bacon and sausage--during the last five years are as follows :
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Exports Imports
|Weight (MT.)|Value (£m) |Weight (MT.)|Value (£m)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |16,817 |33.121 |488,924 |791.763
1989 |18,006 |37.868 |492,847 |936.193
1990 |18,449 |42.357 |481,505 |981.358
1991 |23,398 |54.737 |488,013 |989.969
1992 |27,176 |66.792 |495,577 |1,026.292
Source: Central Statistical Office MA 20 and MM20.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many companies are involved with the manufacture of bacon, sausage and other meat-based foods in the United Kingdom in total ; and how many of those are based in (a) other EC countries and (b) non-EC countries.
Mr. Curry : Information is not available on the number of companies engaged in these activities or on their distribution according to the domicile of the controlling interest. However, at the end of 1992 there was 637 establishments in the United Kingdom classified as having a principal activity of bacon curing or the manufacture of meat products--heading 4122 of the standard industrial classification, revised 1980.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what volume of meat foods was manufactured in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Comprehensive information on the volume of meat foods manufactured in the United Kingdom is not available. However, the value of sales of meat products by all establishments engaged in their manufacture is available and is shown below :
£ million Year |Volume --------------------- 1988 |2,464 1989 |2,545 1990 |2,723 1991 |2,832 1992 |3,040
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in the level of consumption of manufactured meat foods in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Information on the level of household consumption of manufactured meat foods--which includes bacon and ham, sausages, pies, canned or cooked meats and other meat products--is available from the national food survey.
6
Year |Household
|consumption in
|ounces per person
|per week
------------------------------------------------------
1988 |15.97
1989 |15.86
1990 |15.03
1991 |15.03
1992 |15.41
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people were employed in meat foods manufacturing in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Information is not available for each of the years requested. Figures from the three most recent censuses of employment are shown :
Year to September |Great Britain (000) ------------------------------------------------------------ 1987 |50.9 1989 |48.7 1991 |52.1
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what volume of manufactured meat foods was sold in the retail market in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Information is not available in the precise form requested. Consumers' household expenditure on manufactured meat foods-- which includes bacon and ham, sausages, pies, canned or cooked meats and other meat products--at constant 1985 prices for the years in question is shown :
|£ million
------------------------------
1988 |3,555
1989 |3,730
1990 |3,593
1991 |3,509
1992 |3,651
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provisions are in place to ensure fair competition in manufacturing and retailing of meat-based foods ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : I have been asked to reply.
The Government's policy is to promote competition throughout the economy. If the hon. Member has evidence of anti-competitive practices in the manufacturing and retailing of meat-based products, he should write to the Director General of Fair Trading who has responsibility, under the Fair Trading Act 1973 and the Competition Act 1980, for investigating allegations of anti-competitive practices.
Cereal Output
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of EC cereal output in each year since 1990.
Mr. Curry : Based on European Commission statistical information, the level of EC cereal output in each year since 1990 in tonnes is as follows :
|Tonnes
---------------------------------------------
1990 |170,108,200
1991 |181,034,800
1992 |<1>167,902,800
<1>Provisional.
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Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the change in cereal output in the latest available year from the previous year in each EC country.
Mr. Curry : Based on European Commission statistical information, the table sets out the change in cereal output from 1990 to 1991 for each EC country
Country Output (Tonnes) Change (Tonnes)
|1990 |1991
-----------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |1,996,100 |1,979,300 |-16,800
Denmark |9,606,000 |9,169,000 |-437,000
Germany |37,580,000|39,289,000|+1,709,000
Greece |4,042,000 |5,607,400 |+1,565,400
France |55,118,000|60,232,000|+5,114,000
Ireland |1,970,000 |2,093,000 |+123,000
Italy |16,286,000|18,202,000|+1,916,000
Luxembourg |125,800 |137,600 |+11,800
Netherlands |1,388,300 |1,296,000 |-92,300
United Kingdom |22,566,000|22,635,000|+69,000
Portugal |1,200,000 |1,543,300 |+343,300
Spain |18,230,000|18,851,200|+621,200
Peat-free Composts
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what incentives are available to the horticulture industry to use peat-free composts.
Mr. Curry : The incentive to use peat-free compost flows from the demands of the market.
Set-aside Land
Sir Roger Moate : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about the operation of rotational set-aside in United Kingdom relative to other EC countries (a) in general and (b) in respect of reducing the threshold tonnage for cereal production ; what is the Government's policy with regard to reducing the number of exempted farms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : We have received a number of representations about various aspects of the set-aside arrangements under the arable area payments scheme. We have always argued that the threshold for the simplified scheme for small producers, which has no set-aside requirement, should be set at the lowest figure consistent with the need for a de minimis treatment of the very smallest producers.
Gangmasters
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the activities of gangmasters in the farming industry.
Mr. Curry : Gangmasters play a role in the recruitment of casual agricultural labour at certain times of the year. Like other employers of agricultural labour, they are subject to monitoring by the Ministry to ensure compliance with agricultural wages orders.
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Cormorants
Sir Cranley Onslow : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cormorants were killed under licence to prevent serious damage to fisheries in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mr. Soames : No cormorants have been killed under licence in Wales in the last 10 years. Details for England are as follows :
|Number
----------------------
1983 |12
1984 |13
1985 |14
1986 |14
1987 |19
1988 |12
1989 |11
1990 |11
1991 |18
1992 |13
|---
Total |137
Fisheries
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will initiate discussions with other EC fishing nations and the European Commission to ensure a reduction in the European fishing effort in British waters pari passu with that enforced by the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1992.
Mr. Curry : Working group discussions on the implementation of the 1993-96 multi-annual guidance programmes are already taking place in Brussels. I assured the House last July that we would not reduce days at sea here unless we are satisfied that other member states are taking effective steps to meet their targets.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will suspend the implementation of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1992.
Food Hygiene
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure the effective application of the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations 1991.
Mr. Sackville : I have been asked to reply.
A statutory code of practice issued under section 40 of the Food Safety Act gives guidance to food authorities on the enforcement of the temperature control requirements contained in the Food Hygiene (Amendment) Regulations 1990 and 1991. This code sets out a staged approach to enforcement, with particular emphasis on educating and advising proprietors of food businesses. The Government have also published guidelines for enforcement authorities and the catering industry giving advice on the requirements of the regulations. In addition, officials have held meetings with representatives of the food industry to discuss the application of the regulations.
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Farm Shops
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent farmers are permitted or encouraged to maximise the range of goods sold in their farm shops, including the buying in from wholesalers of other food and related products.
Mr. Baldry : I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 April, Official Report , column 320 . It will be for the local planning authority to take into account the advice in planning policy guidance note 7, together with all other material planning considerations, in reaching planning decisions on farm shops in the countryside.
DEFENCE
Bosnia
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 April, Official Report, column 242, whether the United Nations has agreed to reimburse all the costs of British Forces in Bosnia, including the national support element ; what will be the basis of calculation for charging the costs ; whether British forces in Bosnia will be obliged to seek United Nations sanction for replacement items of equipment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Nations will reimburse costs for all British forces in Bosnia in accordance with established rules, in so far as contributions from member states allow. Our charges are calculated on an extra cost basis. From 1 April, the United Nations assumed responsibility for deciding operational requirements. Payments for any equipment replaced by the British forces will be made only with the prior agreement of the United Nations.
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions are given to commanding officers in Bosnia with regard to contacts with the press.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Written guidelines are given to commanding officers in Bosnia. These guidelines are structured to help commanding officers, most of whom have no experience of the media or press, on how best to deal with press inquiries. These guidelines supplement those issued by the United Nations, which has overall responsibility for relations between the United Nations protection force in the former Yugoslavia and the media.
Laser-guided Bombs
Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he intends to meet the RAF's future requirements for laser-guided bombs.
Mr. Aitken : The 1992 Statement on the Defence Estimates--paragraph 421--noted the remarkable results achieved in Operation Granby by precision -guided munitions and that we were reviewing the mix of precision and non- precision munitions in the RAF's inventory. I am pleased to announce that my Department is today inviting tenders for the supply of new advanced low- level laser-guided bombs. These bombs will, in part, replace our existing Paveway II laser-guided bombs ; they will be more flexible and accurate, and effective against a wider range of possible targets.
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This competititive procurement is part of our programme to ensure that our armed forces continue to be provided with up- to-date and highly capable equipment.Employment Costs
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the average daily costs attributable to the employment of (a) a lance corporal and (b) a trooper.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The average daily cost of a lance corporal is £107.30 and a trooper is £91.29.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy towards the reciprocated withdrawal of all sub- strategic nuclear weapons from the arsenals of NATO and Russia.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The alliance's strategic concept published in November 1991 makes clear that NATO continues to require sub-strategic nuclear forces, albeit at a significantly reduced level, as an essential link between conventional and strategic nuclear forces.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the planned Trident deployment is capable of accommodating both the United Kingdom's entire sub-strategic and strategic nuclear force requirements ;
(2) if United Kingdom Trident submarines are capable of deploying missiles that are assigned a sub-strategic role alongside missiles that are assigned a strategic role, within the same submarine ; (3) what is his Department's policy towards the development of a stand-off capability for the United Kingdom's air-launched sub-strategic nuclear weapons ;
(4) what assessment his Department has made as to the cost savings that would result from the deployment of the United Kingdom's sub-strategic nuclear capability within the Trident force deployment.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We are continuing to study a range of possible options for our long-term sub-strategic nuclear capability, including the possible use of Trident in this role. An announcement will be made at the appropriate time.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the implications of the collapse of the Warsaw treaty organisation for the operational effectiveness of the United Kingdom's air-launched sub-strategic nuclear force.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom's force of dual-capable aircraft remains fully capable of carrying out its sub-strategic nuclear role.
Nuclear Free-fall Bombs
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the military rationale for the continued deployment of free-fall nuclear bombs by the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have a continuing need for a sub-strategic nuclear capability, as an essential link between conventional and strategic nuclear forces.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the means by which his Department will
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demonstrate to other countries that the recent reduction in the number of nuclear free-fall bombs deployed by the United Kingdom has been implemented.Mr. Archie Hamilton : In keeping with the practice of successive Governments, we do not make public detailed information on our nuclear stockpile size. The reduction of our free-fall bomb holdings by over a half is currently being implemented. The question of verification does not arise.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what improvements have been implemented to extend the operational life of the WE177 nuclear bomb beyond the 1990s.
Mr. Aitken : It is not in the interest of national security to discuss details of the configuration of nuclear weapons. However, the WE177 free-fall nuclear bomb is expected to remain serviceable well into the first decade of the next century.
Polaris Submarines
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the information regarding the number of missiles and warheads deployed on the Polaris submarines when they first entered service was released into the public domain.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : This information was first provided in defence open government document 87/01 "Trident and the Alternatives, Modernising the United Kingdom Strategic Nuclear Deterrent Force".
Married Quarters, Plymouth
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the sale of surplus married quarters at Mantle gardens, Barne Barton, Plymouth, to Devon and Cornwall housing association to be completed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Devon and Cornwall housing association has requested that completion of the deal should be delayed. The properties are now being seriously damaged by vandals, however, and in order to protect the interests of the taxpayer and to ensure the early reuse of the dwellings, arrangements are now in hand to sell the estate on the open market.
Adriatic (Port Monitoring)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the information available to him on the actions taken by NATO or the WEU monitoring forces in the Adriatic in relation to the passage to Montenegrin ports of each of the motor vessels Dimitrakis, Novotsak II and East River, showing the dates on which each was identified, challenged or boarded, and the purported port of destination.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I have been asked to reply.
MV Dimitrakis was boarded by a NATO monitoring vessel on 18 January 1993. It gave its port of destination as Koper--Slovenia--and was allowed to proceed. It then diverted to the Montenegrin port of Bar ; on emerging, it was intercepted and towed to Brindisi for inspection.
MV Novotsak II was boarded by a Western European Union vessel on 23 January 1993. Having declared Venice
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