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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 19 May 1993
PRIME MINISTER
Biodiversity
Ms Short : To ask the Prime Minister which Government Departments have been and continue to be involved in discussions over the negotiation, ratification and implementation of the convention on biological diversity.
The Prime Minister : The Government Departments mainly involved include the Department of the Environment, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office--including the Overseas Development
Administration--Her Majesty's Treasury, the Northern Ireland Office, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Law Officers' Department, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Decisions on these matters are taken collectively.
Economic Recovery
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Prime Minister from what month or quarter he estimates the economic recovery began ; and if he will set out the evidence from output and trade statistics underlying his estimate.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 17 May 1993] : It is always difficult to pinpoint economic turning points accurately until some time after they have occurred. But total output has been rising since last summer, and there have been encouraging signs--in figures for gross domestic product, manufacturing output, retail sales and exports--that recovery is under way across a broad front.
TRANSPORT
Birmingham Northern Relief Road
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the Birmingham northern relief road during construction in toll operation and in motorway service areas.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The concessionaire, Midland Expressway Ltd., estimates that the road will generate well over 500 on-site jobs during each year of construction ; 220 to 270 full-time jobs when the road is operating at capacity ; and the equivalent of a further 200 to 250 full- time jobs when the motorway service area opens.
Emissions
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many copies of his Department's joint report with the Department of the Environment on reducing transport emissions through planning, published this year, have been published ; at what cost ; and to whom it has been distributed.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The report for this research, "Reducing Transport Emissions through Planning", was published on 20 April by HMSO, price £12 (ISBN 0-11-752785-8). HMSO printed 1,300 copies. The Departments of the Environment and of Transport have bought copies for their own use and a limited number of complimentary copies have been sent to key bodies, such as the local authority associations. Members of the public can buy the report directly from HMSO, through their agents or through good booksellers.
Nuclear Materials
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has recently received regarding the hazards posed by the transport of plutonium.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : During this year, my Department has received a variety of letters from hon. Members and others, together with parliamentary questions from both Houses, about the transport of plutonium.
M3
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the status of the M3 extension through Twyford Down, and the planned timetable ; if the extension is currently on schedule ; and if contracts include penalty clauses for a time delay.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The main works for the construction of the Bar End to Compton section of the M3 have been in progress since October 1992 and are due for completion in autumn 1994. A three-week extension of time has been granted to the contractor in respect of difficulties with the appointment of a steel work subcontractor for the Shawford railway bridge. The contract includes the normal provision for liquidated damages if the works are completed later than the contract completion date.
Transport Supplementary Grant
Mr. Keith Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect his recent circular 2/93 on transport policies and programme submissions has on (a) the threshold for highway schemes to qualify for TSG, (b) from minor schemes costing under £2 million and (c) from road safety schemes.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The circular explains that from 1994-95 the threshold for construction and improvement schemes to be accepted for TSG will be £2 million. Schemes costing under £2 million, including road safety measures, will be supported with credit approvals only.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Mediation Services
Mr. Michael : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration he has given to the potential for cost-saving advantages of funding more community mediation services as an alternative to litigation or, when the offence has arisen from an interpersonal dispute, to prosecution.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor is in favour of disputants resorting to mediation or other private
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dispute resolution processes where they do not need the compulsion, certainty or finality that only the court can provide. We are currently reviewing the ways in which the tangible benefits of alternative dispute resolution might be harnessed to contribute to our programme of reducing delay, cost and complexity in civil litigation.The potential of schemes involving mediation between offenders and victims to contribute to the process of cautioning as an alternative to prosecution is being considered by the Home Office.
Cyprus
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement outlining the basis on which the Lord Chancellor visited northern Cyprus ; and whom he met.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor visited Cyprus from 1 to 8 May where he was attending the 10th Commonwealth law conference and on 6 May attended a function at the British high commission in northern Nicosia to which the high commissioner had invited lawyers from northern Cyprus. While in northern Cyprus, the Lord Chancellor had an opportunity to speak to Mr. Denktash, leader of the Turkish Cypriots, and to put to him the British Government's serious concern about the arrival of Mr. Asil Nadir in northern Cyprus.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
British Antarctic Survey
Dr. Twinn : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to complete the restructuring of the British Antarctic Survey ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert Jackson : As part of the allocations of the science budget announced on 10 February, some £4 million over three years up to 1995-96 has been allocated to the Natural Environment Research Council towards the completion of the restructuring of the British Antarctic Survey's facilities in Antarctica. This will increase the opportunities for visiting scientists from our higher education institutions and will facilitate international collaboration. Over the past decade, the survey has undertaken a major capital replacement programme. It has rebuilt the Halley station as a centre for geospace and atmospheric research, including ozone destruction. It has replaced one of its two ships by a purpose-built dual research and logistics vessel, the RRS James Clark Ross, and it has greatly enhanced the air facilities at its Rothera station by the construction of a hard airstrip, the purchase of two further Twin Otters and a longer range DHC7 aircraft, which will improve access at the start of the Antarctic season.
It will now consolidate its marine biology work from the RRS James Clark Ross and at Rothera, where new facilities will be built for biological research. Automated data collection systems will be developed and introduced to Faraday, which will remain as an unmanned station from 1995- 96, and to the Signy station, where the present outdated accommodation will be replaced with modern facilities to support biological research during the austral summer.
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A proportion of the funds will also be used to clean up abandoned former British bases in Antarctica, a requirement under the 1991 environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty.NORTHERN IRELAND
Witness Protection
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a witness protection scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mates : Arrangements for the safety and protection of Crown witnesses, in selected cases, are operational matters for the Chief Constable of the RUC. The RUC has had a witness protection scheme since the early 1980s.
Playgroups
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the amount of financial support granted by (a) each education and library board and (b) each health and social services board in Northern Ireland to pre-school playgroups in their respective areas ; and what is the value of this funding expressed as an amount per pupil enrolled per session provided for a year.
Mr. Hanley : Education and library boards do not provide financial support for pre-school playgroups. In 1991-92, the latest financial year for which figures are available, the amount of grant aid provided by each health and social services board to registered playgroups in their respective areas was as follows :
Board |Amount of grant
|£
------------------------------------------------
Northern |64,387
Southern |209,177
Eastern |822,140
Western |142,488
|-------
Total |1,238,192
It is not possible to express the value of this funding as an amount per child enrolled.
Medical Inquiries
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many NHS hospital doctors and consultants are currently under suspension pending inquiries and disciplinary action.
Mr. Hanley : This information is not held centrally.
Select Committee Recommendations
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about his Department since April 1989 ; and how many of them have been accepted.
Mr. Mates : I refer the hon. Member to the "Sessional Information Digest", a copy of which is held in the Library.
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School Tests
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on future testing and assessment of pupils in Northern Ireland schools.
Mr. Hanley : The Northern Ireland Schools Examination and Assessment Council (NISEAC) is currently undertaking an evaluation of the pilot key stage 2 and key stage 3 assessments which took place recently. I have asked the council to let me have, by the end of May, preliminary advice on the main changes which will need to be made to the assessment arrangements next year. I have already given a firm commitment to respond to the findings of the evaluation and to make whatever changes I consider are necessary to make the arrangements workable and manageable. An announcement about the arrangements for next year will be made before the end of June.
Jubilee Maternity Hospital
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what discussions he has had on the plans for the closure of the Jubilee maternity hospital with (a) the Royal College of Midwives, (b) Belfast city council, (c) the National Childbirth Trust, (d) the Christian Churches in Northern Ireland, (e) the medical, nursing and ancillary staff of the hospital, (f) local Members of Parliament, (g) pregnant mothers and (h)
representatives of the welfare organisations serving police and military personnel ;
(2) what recent meetings he has held with representatives of the Jubilee Action Group ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : None at this time. The Eastern health and social services board, in whose area the Jubilee maternity hospital is located, is currently engaged in the process of determining its strategy for acute services within the framework set in the Department of Health and Social Services' regional strategy. That process has involved the board in widespread consultation on its "Statement of Intent for general (Acute) Hospital Services within the Eastern Board Area". The consultation period ended on 14 May 1993 and the board, having regard to the comment and representations made during the consultative exercise, is expected to reach its decisions by September 1993. These decisions will, of course, be subject to ministerial endorsement.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many babies are currently delivered annually in the Jubilee maternity hospital ; and what percentage of all hospital deliveries in Northen Ireland is represented by this figure.
Mr. Hanley : Of the 25,960 hospital deliveries in Northern Ireland in 1991-92--including live and still births--2,869 were at the Jubilee maternity hospital, representing 11 per cent. of the total.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consideration was given to issues of (a) security of access and (b) public transport accessibility by the Eastern health board in assessing the future of the Jubilee maternity hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The board has recently concluded a consultation process on its plans for acute hospital services
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and has not yet completed its deliberations. It will be some time before it is in a position to submit its conclusions to my noble Friend the Earl of Arran for endorsement.Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters he has so far received concerning the future of the Jubliee maternity hospital ; and how many of those letters supported (a) retention and (b) closure of this facility.
Mr. Hanley : My right hon. and learned Friend has so far received 138 letters concerning the future of the Jubilee maternity hospital, most of which supported the retention of the hospital.
Eastern Health Board
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the members of the Eastern health board.
Mr. Hanley : The current members of the Eastern health and social services board are as follows :
Chairman
N. G. D. Ferguson
Non-Executive Members
J. C. Morton
D. J. McGuinness
Mrs. G. Loughran
Mrs. J. Ferguson
Prof. R. W. Stout
P. J. McLachlan
Executive Members
P. Kinder--Chief Executive
Miss A. Paisley--Director of Finance
Ms A. Lynch--Director of Planning
E. McCullough--Director of Operations
B. Moore--Director of Social Services.
Hearing Aids
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for the provision and maintenance of radio hearing aids for (a) pre-school children, (b) children at school and (c) students in further and higher education in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : The education and library boards.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Retail Prices Index
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the effect since 13 January 1987 in terms of the retail prices index of (i) privatisation, (ii) intervention by Government to raise the rate of return on sales and capital in the public sector and (iii) increases in indirect taxation excluding rates etc., and (iv) reduction of subsidies.
Mr. Nelson : It is not possible properly to isolate such effects.
Foreign Holidays
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely change in the price of foreign holidays in 1993 and 1994 as
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a result of the fall in nominal exchange rates since September 1992 ; and if he will exclude such changes from the retail prices index.Mr. Nelson : An assessment of the effects of depreciation on all prices was built into my right hon. Friend's Budget forecast for underlying inflation. Changes in the price of foreign holidays have been included in the retail prices index from January this year, as recommended by the RPI Advisory Committee.
Manufactures
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1970 and this year to date (a) the nominal and real rate of interest and (b) the change in the nominal and real rate of exchange based on relative unit values for manufactures based on the second half of 1973=100.
Mr. Nelson : Nominal rates of interest are published in the Central Statistical Office's "Economic Trends", table 41. There is no unique definition of real interest rates. For example, calculations based on yields on index-linked gilts are published montly in CSO's "Financial Statistics", table 13.4 ; alternative measures of real interest rates may be derived from nominal interest rates and the various price indices published in, for example, "Economic Trends". The sterling--nominal-- exchange rate index is published in "Financial Statistics", table 13.1. Finally, calculations of United Kingdom relative manufacturers' exports prices, based on unit value indices, are published in "Economic Trends", table 25.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether domestic holidays are included under other recreations in the retail price index in table 18.2 of the "Monthly Digest of Statistics" ; and if he will publish separate figures for the increase in the price of domestic holidays to enable a comparison to be drawn with the newly published figures for foreign holidays.
Mr. Nelson : At present, no index measuring price changes in domestic holidays is compiled. However, the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee has recom-mended--Cm 2142, paragraph 122--that such an index, be developed as soon as practicable.
Illegal Weapons
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many illegal weapons purchased through mail order catalogues have been seized by HM Customs and Excise in each of the last 10 years.
Sir John Cope : Customs records of total seizures do not specify those which relate to items purchased through mail order catalogues.
European Parliament Pensions
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provision is being made for the payment of improved death gratuities and dependants' benefits to beneficiaries under the European Parliament (United Kingdom Representatives) Pension Scheme.
Mr. Portillo : Parliamentary approval will be sought later this year in an order under the European Parliament
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(Pay and Pensions) Act 1979 to changes to the European Parliament (United Kingdom Representatives) Pension Scheme. These changes will bring the scheme's provisions for death gratuities and dependants' benefits into line with those introduced for the parliamentary contributory pension fund by the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 1991. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £1,100 will be met from repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. Once the order has been approved, the Contingencies Fund will be repaid upon approval of the Contingencies Fund repayment vote in 1994-95.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Yugoslavia
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made by Her Majesty's Government to the Croat Government following the attack by Croat forces on UN-protected Serbian positions in Krajina in January ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 9 February, Official Report, column 545.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the President of Croatia in relation to reports of forcible detention of Muslim civilians by Croat forces near Mostar.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg), on 17 May, Official Report, column 43.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's ambassador to Zagreb has been instructed to draw to the attention of the President of Croatia the establishment of a war crimes tribunal ; and if Her Majesty's Government will make similar representations to the leader of the Bosnian Croats, Mr. Mate Boban.
Mr. Garel-Jones : No such instructions have been given. We welcome the UN Secretary-General's draft for the statute of such an international tribunal.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirements will be imposed on the (a) Serbian, (b) Montenegrin and (c) Yugoslav Governments as a requirement for the removal of economic sanctions.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The sanctions imposed under United Nations Security Council resolutions 757, 30 May 1992 ; 787, 16 November 1992 ; and 820, 17 April 1993, apply to Serbia and Montenegro which together constitute the so-called "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia". The measures adopted in these resolutions will apply until the UN Security Council decides that the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro have taken effective measures to fulfil the requirements laid down in UNSCR 752, which was adopted on 15 May 1992.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had
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with the German Foreign Minister, Herr Klaus Kinkel, about Croatian aggression against Bosnia-Herzegovina ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Garel-Jones : The Croat/Muslim clashes in central Bosnia were discussed at the meeting of EC Foreign Ministers on 10 May. All partners expressed their concern over the renewed fighting between Bosnian Croats and Muslims in Mostar and agreed that the EC presidency should send a firm protest to President Tudjman of Croatia. Mr. Kinkel undertook to reinforce this message when he met President Tudjman on 14 May.
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now urge his counterparts at the United Nations to consider a full range of economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Republic of Croatia in the event that Croat aggression against Bosnia-Herzegovina continues.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The EC presidency sent a message to President Tudjman on 12 May making clear that unless Croatia used all its influence to stop the fighting between Croats and Muslims in central Bosnia, stronger measures would be considered.
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for military intervention in the former Yugoslavia have been discussed with the United States State Department since 8 May ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We are in regular contact with the United States Government on developments within the former Yugoslavia. We are agreed that the first objective must be to induce the parties to accept a lasting ceasefire and a negotiated settlement. We have taken a number of measures in the United Nations to maximise pressure on the parties, without excluding the possibility of stronger measures. No decision has been taken on the steps which might be taken if the Serbs continue to reject the will of the international community.
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Croatian Government regarding the disruption of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees effort following Muslim-Croat fighting around the British Army base at Vitez.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham, to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North (Mr. Elletson) on 17 May, Official Report, column 43.
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