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NATIONAL HERITAGE
Tourism
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the increase in real output of the United Kingdom tourist industry in each year since 1986 ; what effect the decline in the nominal exchange rate since September 1992 has had on bookings for this year ; and if he will publish his forecast for the industry's real output this year and next.
Mr. Key : The information on output is not available in the form requested. The Department does not collect data on bookings and so cannot quantify the effect of the depreciation of sterling since September 1992 ; however, it will have made the United Kingdom a more competitive tourism destination.
The British Tourist Authority forecasts that the number of overseas visits will rise by 5 per cent. in 1993 and by a further 6 per cent. in 1994. Spending by overseas visitors is expected to rise by 4 per cent. (in cash terms) in 1993, and by a further 4 per cent. in 1994. The English tourist board forecasts that the number of domestic tourism trips of one night or more will rise by 1 per cent. in both 1993 and 1994. Spending on domestic tourism trips is expected to rise by 7 per cent. (in cash terms) in 1993 and by a further 5 per cent. in 1994.
Arts
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the Government's activities in the field of the arts since 1987.
Mr. Brooke : The Government aim to create the conditions which enable the arts to flourish. This is now the responsibility of my Department, the creation of which indicates the priority that the Government place both on the arts and on the other areas for which it carries responsibility. Most of the Department's funding for the arts is channelled through the Arts Council of Great Britain (ACGB) ; decisions on funding arts organisations
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are taken by ACGB at arm's length from Government. Grant-in-aid for the ACGB has risen from £139.3 million in 1987-88 to £225.6 million in 1993-94, an increase of 16 per cent. in real terms.EDUCATION
Humanities Research
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he is considering for the funding of humanities research.
Mr. Boswell : The Government have considered carefully the appropriate framework for supporting humanities research, in the light of the Follett report and of the debate in another place on 17 February.
The Government support humanities research primarily through the higher education funding councils (HEFCs), which have allocated some £90 million research funding for the humanities for the 1993-94 academic year. It also funds the British Academy to provide postgraduate and senior research awards and support research activities and facilities in the humanities : the Department for Education's grant to the academy for the 1993-94 financial year is some £22 million (an increase of 11 per cent. over the previous year).
For research in the humanities the most important resources are the time of individual scholars, and library and other collections. For the humanities these are supported almost entirely through the HEFCs' institutional grant, as are permanent academic salaries in the sciences. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is undertaking a review of library provision. The Government do not believe that humanities research would be strengthened by reducing reliance on the HEFCs' institutional grant as the means of supporting academic salaries and research collections.
Since the major channel for Government funding for humanities research will continue to be the HEFCs, the Government has concluded that the responsibility for promoting and funding it should remain with the Education Departments. This will allow the Office of Science and Technology to focus on its core responsibilities.
The Government have also concluded that a research council established to manage the appropriate proportion of the resources available to humanities research would not be viable. The Government consider, moreover, that the direction and consolidation of research that the existing research councils provide would not be appropriate in the humanities.
The Government believe that the existing structures for supporting humanities research, operating through the HEFCs and the British Academy, are best suited to meeting the particular needs of research in the humanities, and will continue to support high quality research in these disciplines in the United Kingdom.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools which have voted in favour of becoming grant-maintained are waiting for their applications to be accepted by his Department.
Mr. Forth : There are 166 schools whose proposals for self-governing (grant-maintained) status are currently
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under consideration in the Department. A further 87 have voted in favour of applying for self-governing status but have yet to publish proposals.Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those organisations which have been approved by his Department as registered grant-maintained school auditors under the CIPFA scheme of audit regulation approved by his Department on 18 January.
Mr. Forth : Self-governing state schools (grant-maintained) are required to have an external audit of their accounts undertaken annually by one of the following : the Audit Commission ; members of one of the professional accountancy bodies which are recognised supervisory bodies and who are also registered to audit limited companies in accordance with the companies legislation ; or people or members of any other body approved by the Department of Trade and Industry to audit limited companies or approved by the Department of Education to audit grant-maintained schools.
This Department has approved the CIPFA scheme of audit registration for this purpose but, as with the other professional bodies who can audit grant -maintained schools, is not responsible for approving the individuals or organisations applying for registration. That is a matter for the professional bodies concerned, who both register and monitor the auditors.
I understand that the CIPFA has registered the following bodies under its scheme for the audit of grant-maintained schools : Surrey county council
Dudley metropolitan borough council
Hampshire county council
Norfolk county council
London borough of Croydon
Derbyshire county council
Bedfordshire county council
Dorset county council
Hertfordshire county council
Lincolnshire county council
Nottinghamshire county council
Kent county council
Cambridgeshire county council
Gloucestershire county council
Northamptonshire county council
The requirements for external audits of grant-maintained schools are specified in an audit code issued by this Department. This includes an obligation on schools to notify the Department of the auditors they appoint.
School Tests
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about the publication, or otherwise, of the results of key stage 1 and 3 tests in schools this year ; and what percentage of schools he expects to carry out these tests.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend intends to publish national curriculum test results in school performance tables this year. The primary tables will show the proportion of seven-year-old pupils in each primary school reaching or exceeding the level expected of a typical seven-year-old --level 2--in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and in reading. The secondary performance tables will show the proportion of 14- year-olds in each secondary school reaching or exceeding the level expected of a typical
14-year-old--level
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6--in mathematics and science. School results in English will not be published until 1994. My right hon. Friend has said that he will decide whether tests for 14-year-olds in technology should take place in 1994 in the light of this year's tests.My right hon. Friend also intends to publish both national and local analyses of the results of key stage one and three tests in England this autumn, although he has made clear that the local analyses will not include the results of the tests of 14-year-olds in English and technology.
My right hon. Friend has repeatedly said that this summer's tests should be administered in the interest of pupils and in order to learn lessons for the future.
Students
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total full-time equivalent number of students in higher education, postgraduate and undergraduate, from the United Kingdom and EC, in each year from 1980 to the most recent year available.
Mr. Boswell : Total full-time equivalent (FTE) student numbers of United Kingdom and EC domiciled higher education students in Great Britain institutions are shown in the table :
Year |FTE<2> (thousands) --------------------------------------------------------- 1980 |542.7 1981 |570.5 1982 |587.8 1983 |603.6 1984 |612.4 1985 |624.1 1986 |642.1 1987 |655.4 1988 |678.6 1989 |724.8 1990 |785.3 1991 |880.6 <1> Includes a small number of non-EC overseas domiciled part-time students. <2> An illustrative weight of 0.35 has been applied to part-time students to derive full-time equivalent student numbers. Sources: USR, FESR, WO, SOED.
Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given, in connection with considering the potential membership of the
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proposed Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority, to the reasons given by Lord Skidelsky and Dr. John Marenbon for their resignations from the School Examinations and Assessment Council.Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend regrets the resignations of Lord Skidelsky and Dr. Marenbon from SEAC, and is aware of the reasons they gave. When considering the appointment of members to the proposed SCAA he will take account of relevant comments made to him from all sources.
Charters
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made in issuing charters for further and higher education.
Mr. Patten : I have today issued the charters for further and higher education as consultative documents. I am seeking the views of a number of organisations including the representative bodies of universities and colleges before publishing the final documents in the autumn. Copies of the charters have been placed in the Library. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is consulting on charters for Wales.
EMPLOYMENT
Defence Work
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to encourage the allocation of defence work and related employment to the north of England and Scotland.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement on Friday 14 May 1993, Official Report, column 603.
Select Committee Recommendations
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about her Department since April 1989 ; and how many have been accepted.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Employment Select Committee has published 14 reports since April 1989. The Government's responses are contained in the following table. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.
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Employment Select Committee reports
Report number |Title and date |Government response
|published
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992-93 Session
First report |Employment in the Horseracing Industry and the new VAT regime after 1 January 1993 (16 December 1992)|Second Special report HC 521
Second report |Employment Consequences of British Coal's Proposed Pit Closures (21 January 1993) |Third Special report HC 597
1991-92 Session
First report |Employment in Prisons for Ex-offenders (28 November 1991) |CM 1837 March 1992
Second report |Industrial Change: Retraining and Redeployment (7 May 1992) |First Special report HC 219
1990-91 Session
First report |Disability and Employment (Typescript 20 December 1990 HMSO) |No Special report published-letter sent by Secretary of State 15 January 1991
Second report |Recruitment Practices (20 February 1991) |Departmental Memorandum sent 19 April 1991
Third report |Future Prospects for Levels of Employment and Unemployment (5 June 1991) |Second Special report HC 675
Fourth report |The European Community Social Charter (20 August 1991) |Third Special report HC 676
Fifth report |Training and Enterprise Councils and Vocational Training (20 August 1991) |Fourth Special report HC 677
1989-90 Session
First report |Legionnaires' Disease: Further Developments (25 January 1990) |First Special report HC 428
Second report |Part-time work (31 January 1990) |Second Special report HC 485
Third report |Employment Training (11 June 1990) |Third Special report HC 643
Fourth report |Tourism (25 July 1990) |Fourth Special report HC 668
1988-89 Session
Second report |The Employment Patterns of the Over 50's (9 May 1989) |Fourth Special report HC 581
Unfair Dismissal
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to amend the qualifying conditions for unfair dismissal set out in the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 to enable a claim for unfair dismissal to be pursued by a woman dismissed because of her pregnancy at any stage between conception and the end of maternity leave.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Yes. The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions which will make it automatically unfair for an employer to dismiss an employee on maternity-related grounds during the period of her pregnancy or statutory maternity leave. This protection will apply regardless of the employee's length of service or hours of work.
PRIME MINISTER
Government Priorities
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister what priorities have been set for Her Majesty's Government between now and the beginning of the summer adjournment.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 14 January 1993 at columns 786-87.
Policy Objectives, London
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister what are Her Majesty's Government's short-term, medium-term and long-term policy objectives for London.
The Prime Minister : Our policy objectives are to maintain and enhance London's position as a thriving national capital and a leading world city.
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Council of Ministers (Votes)
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister what advice has been given to all Departments concerning the recording of answers to be published in the Official Report to parliamentary questions of all votes in meetings of the EC's Council of Ministers ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : All Departments are being advised that statements to the House following meetings of the Council of Ministers should include details of the vote, whenever a formal vote is taken in Council, or should record that no formal votes were taken.
Correspondence (Journalists)
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister what guidelines he has issued governing official correspondence between civil servants and journalists ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : None. Guidance on various points concerning relations between civil servants and journalists is given in "A Working Guide for Government Information Officers" produced by the information officer management unit in the Office of Public Service and Science, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Engagements
Mr. Congdon : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 20 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and 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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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Yugoslavia
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the total amount of UNHCR humanitarian aid reaching Bosnia-Herzegovina during the last two months originating from (a) the Republic of Croatia and (b) the Republic of Serbia ; how much of that aid arrived by road to each destination ; and how much by air.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The most recent figures available from UNHCR show that in February a total of 17,653 tonnes were delivered to Bosnia- Herzegovina, 24,330 tonnes were delivered in March and 6,131 tonnes in the first half of April. Most of this aid was delivered by road from UNHCR's distribution centres in Metkovic, Zagreb and Rijeka in Croatia and from Belgrade in Serbia. Exact figures showing the distribution from each centre are unavailable.
No aid was delivered by air to Bosnia-Herzegovina from Croatia or Serbia during this period--the airlift to Sarajevo operates from Ancona in Italy and has delivered a total of 38,356 tonnes to date. The air drops to eastern Bosnia operate from Rheinmain in Germany and have delivered 2,849 tonnes to date.
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Serbian refugees displaced by the conflict in the former Yugoslavia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The United Nations does not keep records of displaced people in the former Yugoslavia by ethnic origin. However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are now a total of 457,000 displaced people in Serbia, of whom 291,000 have come from Bosnia-Herzegovina and 166,000 from Croatia.
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on incidents involving the stopping of United Nations and humanitarian aid convoys by Croat forces in Bosnia on (a) 11 May and (b) 12 May ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We understand that on Monday 10 May a UNHCR convoy manned by Bosnian Muslim drivers en route from Metkovic to Zenica was stopped at a Bosnian Croat militia (HVO) checkpoint. Reports indicate that the vehicles were damaged, some of the goods were stolen and several of the drivers were beaten. The convoy then proceeded to Gorni Vakuf, where the drivers received medical attention from British UNPROFOR troops, and finally returned to Metkovic on 11 May.
We have no reports of any incidents involving UNHCR convoys on Tuesday 11 May. But on Wednesday 12 May the HVO stopped a UNHCR convoy manned by Danish drivers which carried Italian goods and visiting Italian officials. The convoy, en route from Split to Zenica was held up for nine hours, but eventually allowed to proceed without harm to goods or personnel.
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Indonesia
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the terms on which £65 million aid was granted to the Government of Indonesia to develop a power project in east Kalimantan ; if he will name the project ; and if he will list the British companies involved.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The £65 million loan arrangement signed with the Indonesian Government in April 1993 provided finance at 3.5 per cent. interest, repayable over 25 years with a seven-year grace period. The Samarinda electric power project in east Kalimantan is likely to utilise most of the £65 million. The Indonesian electricity authority will award a contract for equipment supply after a competition between a number of British suppliers.
Family Planning Projects
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how ODA-funded population and family planning projects are evaluated ; what criteria are used ; which organisations have been evaluated ; and with what results.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 19 May 1993] : ODA's evaluation department is responsible for formal impact evaluations of, mostly, bilateral aid spending. Their current work programme includes population and family planning projects. The criteria used for their evaluation are the same as for other ODA programmes, and include assessing how far the objectives of the spending have been achieved and its impact on intended beneficiaries in comparison with cost.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Yugoslavia
Mr. Faber : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policies were put forward by Foreign Ministers of other member states in relation to the commitment of ground forces and combat aircraft in the former Yugoslavia at the most recent EC Foreign Affairs Council.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the hon. Member for Keighley on 19 May at column 168.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise in the European Council the issue of human rights in Croatia and the role of extreme right-wing groups in that country.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The behaviour of the Croatian Government and its human rights record are regularly discussed with our EC partners. These factors, together with the Croatian Government's attitude towards fighting between Croats and Muslims in Bosnia, and towards the Serbs in Krajina, are taken into account in determining EC policy towards Croatia.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications
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from holders of Yugoslav passports have been refused since the introduction of visa requirements ; and how many have been issued during the same period.Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The method of collecting statistics at posts world wide does not normally allow us to establish the number of applications by nationality. For an initial period, however, we are monitoring the effect of the visa regime on former Yugoslav nationals at the visa sections in Belgrade, Zagreb, Vienna, Budapest, Sofia, Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Dusseldorf and Paris. At these Posts, up to the end of April, 494 applications from former Yugoslav nationals had been refused ; 3,918 applications were granted.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to contribute monitors, including military personnel, along the border of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We support the deployment of international observers on Bosnia's borders with Serbia and Montenegro to monitor implementation of the prohibition of supplies (except humanitarian goods) to areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled bingdom would contribute to international efforts to implement measures agreed by the United Nations Security Council.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to provide monitors to police the border between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina ; and when he expects the first monitors to be in place.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The United Nations Security Council is actively considering proposals to deploy international observers on Bosnia's borders with Serbia and Montenegro. We hope that these personnel will take up their duties as soon as possible.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first became aware of a proposal by the Federal Government of Yugoslavia to put the border between Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina under the supervision of United Nation monitors ; and how this was responded to by Her Majesty's Government and EC partners.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Serbia and Montenegro authorities announced on 6 May their intention to prohibit the supply of all goods (except humanitarian supplies) to the Bosnian Serbs. We hope that the United Nations Security Council will soon agree to deploy international observers to monitor implementation of these measures. At its meeting on 10 May the EC Foreign Affairs Council indicated that the European Community and its Member States would be willing to contribute to international efforts to support implementation.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has in respect of human rights abuses and restrictions on the press and media in Croatia ; and what representations have been made to the Government of Croatia.
Mr. Garel-Jones : There are continuing concerns about Croatia's human rights record and treatment of the media.
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Several representations have been made, most recently a strong message from the EC presidency to President Tudjman on 12 May, warning that the Community would not be able to continue its support for Croatia if the violence and ethnic cleansing committed by Croats in Bosnia continue.Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the number of detention camps operated by (a) Bosnian Serbs, (b) Bosnian Croats and (c) Bosnian Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly visits 1,023 prisoners held by Bosnian Serbs in eight places of detention, 2,200 held by Bosnian Croats in six places of detention and 1,023 held by Bosnian Muslims in 15 places of detention. The ICRC is also visiting those detained during the recent fighting between Bosnian Croat and Muslim forces in central and southern Bosnia.
BBC World Service
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his most recent estimate of the number of people living outside the United Kingdom who listen to BBC World Service broadcasts.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Latest estimates by the BBC World Service, based on audience research, indicate that the global audience for World Service broadcasts in all languages is in the region of 124 million. This figure does not include any information on audiences in certain countries, such as China, Burma and Vietnam, where reliable data are not readily available.
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