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Planning Decisions
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many decisions by planning authorities in Wales have been revoked by him over the last two years.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Republic (Students)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost to public funds for students from the Republic of Ireland now receiving their higher education in Northern Ireland in consequence of European Community agreements.
Mr. Hanley : Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the estimated cost to public funds of tuition fees for students from EC countries, including the Republic of Ireland, holding mandatory or postgraduate awards in the 1992-93 academic year will be about £4.5 million.
Training Centres
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the 1993-94 budget for each of the training centres in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Atkins : Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from J. S. Crozier to Mr. Andrew Hunter, dated 6 May 1993 :
You have asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for the 1993-94 budget for each of the Training Centres in Northern Ireland. As Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) the Secretary of State has asked me to reply.
The Training and Employment Agency operates a network of 12 Training Centres throughout Northern Ireland. At this stage in the training year, budgets have not yet been finalised for individual Training Centres as the main recruitment period follows the annual school leaving date in late June.
However, the Public Expenditure Survey allocation for the Training Centres network is :
|£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Programme expenditure (training costs, training
allowances and related expenditure) |10.957
Capital, including energy efficiency measures |0.704
In addition salaries, travel, subsistance and other administrative costs will be met from the Agency's Running Cost Budget.
However the estimated net expenditure for each Training Centre, including central services costs, in 1992-93 was :
|£
--------------------------------------------------
Alfred Street/Leander House |625,200
Ballymena/Ballymoney |2,376,600
Boucher Road, Belfast |2,266,200
Craigavon |1,893,500
Dundonald, Belfast |2,140,000
Enniskillen |1,325,600
Felden |2,207,200
Lisburn |1,547,100
Maydown, Londonderry |1,568,200
Newry/Downpatrick |1,945,900
Omagh/Strabane |1,439,700
Springtown, Londonderry |2,164,700
|-------
|21,499,900
Health and Social Services Boards
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will establish an independent staff commission to review and monitor the personnel procedures of the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 29 April 1993] : Health and personal social services employing authorities are bound by legislation in relation to employment procedures. The management executive of the Department of Health and Social Services monitors their personnel policies, and has particular responsibility for the selection and appointment procedures which apply to all staff in the health and personal social services. It is considered unnecessary to set up such a commission.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total expenditure, including legal costs and compensation payments, incurred by each health and social services board in defending religion and sex discrimination cases over the past three years to 30 April.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 29 April 1993] : Although the total expenditure occurred could be provided only at disproportionate cost, I will write to the hon. Gentleman with details of legal costs and compensation payments when this information has been compiled.
Terrorism
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a list of children, including their ages, who were presumed killed or mutilated by the Irish Republican Army since 1969.
Mr. Mates [holding answer 4 May 1993] : A comprehensive list of persons who have been killed as a result of the security situation in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe, including name, date of death and a brief report of the incident, is currently being compiled and will be placed in the Library in due course. To 31 March 1993, there have been 42 children aged under 14 years killed in Northern Ireland, by terrorists. Sixty-two per cent. of these attacks are believed to have been carried out by Republican terrorists. Information on children injured is not available.
Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were on the waiting list for occupational therapy in the Down and Lisburn unit of management, Newry and Mourne unit of management and Banbridge and Craigavon unit of management in 1983, 1986, 1989 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 May 1993] : The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) occupational therapists and (b) physiotherapists were employed in the Eastern and Southern health and social services boards ; and, of
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these, how many were employed in the Down and Lisburn unit of management, Newry and Mourne unit of management and Banbridge and Craigavon unit of management in each of the years ended 31 March since 1983.Column 200
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 May 1993] : The number of occupational therapists and physiotherapists employed in the Eastern and Southern health and social services boards, Down and Lisburn, Newry and Mourne, and Banbridge and Craigavon units of management in each of the years ended 31 March since 1983 was as follows :
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Occupational Therapists
|Eastern board |Southern board |Down and Lisburn|Newry and Mourne|Banbridge and
|unit |unit |Craigavon unit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983 NO |184 |31 |23 |5 |15
WTE |160.7 |30.0 |21.0 |5.0 |14.5
1984 NO |182 |35 |23 |7 |15
WTE |161.7 |34.0 |21.2 |7.0 |14.5
1985 NO |181 |35 |23 |7 |16
WTE |161.2 |34.0 |21.2 |7.0 |14.5
1986 NO |188 |37 |24 |8 |15
WTE |169.1 |36.0 |22.4 |8.0 |14.5
1987 NO |192 |37 |21 |8 |15
WTE |172.5 |35.8 |20.1 |8.0 |14.3
1988 NO |200 |39 |24 |9 |15
WTE |178.9 |37.4 |23.3 |9.0 |13.9
1989 NO |210 |45 |29 |11 |16
WTE |187.5 |42.8 |25.3 |10.5 |15.3
1990 NO |190 |49 |26 |11 |19
WTE |170.1 |46.9 |22.5 |11.0 |17.8
1991 NO |198 |52 |29 |10 |22
WTE |175.5 |49.0 |25.1 |10.0 |19.8
1992 NO |206 |57 |31 |13 |20
WTE |188.6 |54.5 |26.3 |13.0 |18.6
1993 NO |208 |61 |32 |13 |23
WTE |188.6 |58.0 |27.4 |13.0 |21.5
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) physiotherapists and (b) occupational therapists are employed in the Eastern and Southern health and social services boards ; and how many of these are located in the Down and Lisburn unit of management, Newry and Mourne unit of management and Banbridge and Craigavon unit of management ;
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 May 1993] : The number of physiotherapists and occupational therapists employed in the Eastern and Southern health and social services boards and located in Down and Lisburn, Newry and Mourne and Banbridge and Craigavon units of management at 31 March 1993 was as follows :
PhysiotherapisOccupational
therapists
|Number|WTE |Number|WTE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern H&SS Board |341 |274.8 |208 |188.6
Southern H&SS Board |86 |71.4 |61 |58.0
Down and Lisburn Unit |41 |35.1 |32 |27.4
Newry and Mourne Unit |24 |18.1 |13 |13.0
Banbridge and Craigavon Unit |36 |30.8 |23 |21.5
Note
WTE=Whole Time Equivalents
Figures for Banbridge and Craigavon include both the community and hospitals units of management.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much will be spent or has been spent in each year from 1990-91 to 1995-96 on (a) stage 1
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ESAs, (b) stage 2 ESAs, (c) stage 3 ESAs and (d) stage 4 ESAs, identifying how much of the total is allocated for the public access payments ; what is the amount to be spent on (i) nitrate- sensitive areas, (ii) the moorland scheme, (iii) the habitat improvement scheme, (iv) set-aside management, identifying how much of the total will be for public access payments, and (v) organic farming in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Hanley [holding answer 4 May 1993] : Expenditure on payments to farmers in the two ESA areas designated in 1988 and 1989 was £200, 000 in 1990-91, £393,000 in 1991-92 and £466,000 in 1992-93 and planned expenditure is £750,000 in 1993-94. Planned expenditure for revised and new ESAs designated in 1993 is £2 million in 1994-95 and £4.4 million in 1995-96. None of this funding is specifically allocated for public access.
While there are no plans at present to introduce a
nitrate-sensitive areas scheme in Northern Ireland, public consultation documents have been issued under the agri-environment regulation for a moorland scheme, a habitat improvement scheme and an organic scheme. Planned expenditure on payments to farmers under these proposed new measures in Northern Ireland is £252,000 in 1994-95 and £1.08 million in 1995-96. The precise allocation between the schemes will be decided in the light of the results of public consultation. As is the case for ESAs, no payments are specifically allocated for public access.
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Taxi Drivers (Terrorist Incidents)
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all reported incidents since 1969, in date order, in which taxi or minicab drivers in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain were the victims of (i) loyalist and (ii) republican terrorists.
Mr. Mates [holding answer 5 May 1993] : The information is not available in respect of Nothern Ireland and is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary in respect of Great Britain.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Independent Television Companies
Ms Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to meet the Independent Television Commission to discuss the implications of the merger of Yorkshire Television and Tyne-Tees Television for the work of his Department ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : I do not consider a meeting with the chairman of the Independent Television Commission to be necessary. The monitoring of licence conditions is the responsibility of the ITC and not the Government, and I understand that the ITC is discussing with Yorkshire Tyne-Tees Holdings how it proposes to fulfil its licence obligations.
Ancient Monuments
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many scheduled ancient monuments are currently at risk as a result of ploughing ; and how many have been damaged since the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
Mr. Brooke : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 1 March, Official Report, column 14. It is not known how many scheduled monuments are at risk as a result of ploughing or how many may have been damaged through ploughing since 1979. English Heritage will shortly be embarking on a study to identify those monuments most at risk.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to propose to landowners practical and financial arrangements to prevent the destruction of scheduled ancient monuments through ploughing.
Mr. Brooke : English Heritage already offers advice to landowners and, under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, often negotiates management agreements, which can involve financial payment, for the protection of sites. I will consider the case for further action in the light of the study which English Heritage is about to undertake of monuments at risk from ploughing.
Archaeological Sites
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what effect the introduction of policy planning guideline 16--PPG 16--has had on the
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protection and investigation of archaeological sites blighted by redevelopment proposals ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Brooke : My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State announced on 9 June 1992, Official Report, column 124 , the outcome of a review of the effectiveness of PPG 16 one year after it was published. A copy of the report of the review was placed in the Library. It indicated that the advice given in PPG 16 has been adopted by every local planning authority in England, and that the archaeological significance of planning applications is now much more fully considered. I am satisfied that the guidance is proving valuable to all parties who may become involved with archaeology and the planning process.
Lighting Costs
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the current annual cost of lighting the exterior of (a) Buckingham palace, (b) St James's palace, (c) Clarence house and (d) other Government buildings in Whithall and Parliament square. , but I understand that the cost is currently around £40,000 per year. The House authorities are responsible for the floodlighting of the Palace of Westminster and I understand that the cost is around £7,000 per year.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Agricultural and Food Research Council
Dr. Strang : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out the role the Agricultural and Food Research Council has with respect to horticulture ; and what resources are deployed including manpower and finance by the council with respect to horticulture.
Mr. Robert Jackson : The Agricultural and Food Research Council's programme includes basic and strategic research which underpins horticulture. The council's funding for horticultural research at Horticulture Research International and in universities is expected to be £4.5 million in 1993-94. A total of 561 staff at Horticulture Research International are currently AFRC employees. In addition, AFRC supports 17 research assistants on three-year
horticulture-related projects in universities.
Research and Development
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is Her Majesty's Government's response to the proposals for the Commission's fourth framework research and development programme launched by Research Commissioner Ruberti on 22 April.
Mr. Robert Jackson : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 4 May, at column 26.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Infrastructure Projects
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is a requirement for each European Community-supported infrastructure project in the United Kingdom and in each other member state to have had an environmental assessment and an economic assessment ; and what arrangements are made for the assessments to be available to members of the public.
Mr. Sainsbury : There are no special provisions for the environmental impact assessment of European structural funds projects, but all such projects must conform with national and Community environmental legislation.
Where a proposed development is of a type listed in directive 85/337/EEC and is likely to have significant environmental effects, environmental assessment will be required under the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988. For such projects the applicant must prepare and submit an environmental statement, setting out the likely effects of the project on the environment, with the application for planning permission. Notice must be publicised in a local newspaper and copies of the statement made available for inspection and placed on the planning register.
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Mr. Spellar : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell), on 16 April, Official Report, column 763, what is the breakdown by county of the amount of ECGD guarantees in default.
Mr. Needham : The total of £8,118.5 million in respect of gross paid claims, plus interest, under ECGD guarantees which have not been recovered or have been written off as at 31 March 1992 is made up of amounts on 130 different countries.
The largest are :
|£ million
--------------------------------
Nigeria |1,957.1
Poland |1,544.4
Brazil |903.6
Iraq |391.5
Yugoslavia |362.8
Mexico |292.4
Egypt |286.9
Sudan |277.1
Zambia |206.4
Tanzania |161.8
Argentina |130.9
Morocco |108.4
Jordan |102.5
Gabon |90.5
Zaire |87.0
Congo |86.9
Mozambique |83.7
Iran |82.2
Peru |81.4
Guyana |70.7
Angola |67.6
Ecuador |59.6
Cuba |58.6
Philippines |55.5
Cameroon |46.1
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Serbian Companies
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies based in Serbia currently operate from the United Kingdom.
Mr. Needham : The Department is aware of 36 companies in the United Kingdom that are "persons connected with Serbia or Montenegro" for the purposes of United Kingdom sanctions legislation.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action the Government have taken to ensure that no Serbian company is trading in the United Kingdom in violation of UN sanctions.
Mr. Needham : The United Kingdom has implemented the following legislation in respect of UN sanctions. It applies to all United Kingdom companies.
Orders
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1302 (5 June 1992)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1992 Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1303 (5 June 1992)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Sanctions Order) (Dependent Territories) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1304 (5 June 1992)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Prohibition of Flights) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1305 (5 June 1992)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Prohibition of Flights) (Dependent Territories) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1308 (5 June 1992)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Sanctions) (Channel Islands) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1272 (31 May 1992)
The Export Goods (Control) (Serbia and Montenegro Sanctions) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1992 No. 1419 (12 June 1992)
The Export Goods (Control) (Serbia and Montenegro Sanctions) (Revocation) Order 1992
Statutory Instruments 1993 No. 1189 (26 April 1993)
The Export Goods (Control) (Croatian and Bosnian Territories) Order 1993
Statutory Instruments 1993 No. 1188 (1 May 1993)
The Serbia and Montenegro (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1993 Statutory Instruments 1993 No. 719 (10 March 1993)
The Export of Goods (Control) (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (ECSC) Order 1993 (c)
Statutory Instruments 1993 No. 1200 (30 April 1993)
The Export of Goods (Control) (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (ECSC) (Revocation) Order 1993
Carbon Tax
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom policy position on the carbon tax put to the Joint Energy and Environment European Council meeting on 23 to 24 April ; what proposals were put forward by the Ministers of other EC member states ; in what respects agreement has not been reached ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North-West
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(Mr. Bellingham) on 5, May Official Report, columns 109-10, reporting on the recent joint session of the Energy and Environment Councils.Timeshare
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the organisations that have made representations to him over timeshare accommodation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : I have received many representations concerning timeshare accommodation. My Department sought representations from interested parties in connection with the Timeshare Act 1992 and the draft EC Commission directive on timeshare which is currently under discussion in Brussels.
Trawsfynydd Power Station
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what will be the increase in radioactive dosage to the surrounding area involved in the application by Nuclear Electric to set up an incinerator to dispose of contaminated oil at Trawsfynydd power station.
Mr. Eggar : The environmental statement which accompanied the application stated that the increase in radioactive dosage to the most exposed member of the public would be in the region of 0.005 microSieverts per annum. This is equivalent to 0.0002 per cent. of natural background radiation.
Wood Imports (Thailand)
Mr. Mullin : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of hard and softwood imports from Thailand for each of the last three years.
Mr. Needham : United Kingdom imports of hardwood from Thailand were worth £0.79 million in 1990, £0.16 million in 1991 and £0.32 million in 1992. The United Kingdom has not imported any softwood from Thailand in the last three years.
Post Office Counters Ltd.
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with Post Office Counters Ltd. about the method of payment of pensions and benefits following privatisation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : No decision has been made to privatise Post Office Counters Ltd. and the Post Office review is considering both public and private sector options. A statement will be made to the House in due course. In the meantime, I continue to have regular discussions with senior Post Office management on a wide range of issues.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration has been given to the retention of Post Office Counters in the public sector following privatisation of the rest of the Post Office.
Mr. Leigh : With the exception of Parcelforce, no decision has been made on whether to privatise any part of the Post Office. Within the Post Office review, we are considering private and public sector options.
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Leather Goods
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement concerning the penetration into the EC retail market of leather goods manufactured in China, India and elsewhere outside the EC.
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