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Defence Industry
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 475-76, if he will publish a detailed and declassified analysis of the factors that have influenced his consideration of the need to retain a viable and effective defence industry when making procurement decisions ; what information sources he uses when considering the
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need to retain a viable and effective defence industry ; and what staff in his Department are involved in his considerations of the need to retain a viable and effective defence industry.Mr. Aitken : The importance of retaining a viable and effective defence industry is self-evident. It is in the United Kingdom's defence interest that there should be a commercially strong supplier base, able to compete effectively to provide good value for money in meeting the requirements of the armed forces for equipment and services. The success of the United Kingdom defence industry in overseas markets also has direct and indirect benefits for my Department ; and the industry is a major employer.
We gather information on the defence industry from many sources. These include industrialists themselves in their frequent contacts with all levels of my Department ; representations made on their behalf, including those from hon. Members ; the trade associations, with which there are regular contacts ; and our dealings with other Government Departments.
Advising on the implications for industry of individual procurement decisions is one of the tasks of project staff throughout my Department's procurement executive. In addition, it is one of the responsibilities of the centfor Defence if he will make a statement concerning his recent meeting with Mr. Gareth Evans, Foreign Minister of the Australian federal Government, regarding the clean-up of the Maralinga site.
Mr. Hanley : Following a meeting of Australian and United Kingdom Ministers and officials on 17 and 18 June, and consideration by the Australian Cabinet, it has been agreed in principle that Her Majesty's Government will pay £20 million to the Government of Australia in full and final settlement of Australia's claims against the United Kingdom regarding the rehabilitation of the former British nuclear weapon test sites at Maralinga and Emu in South Australia. The precise terms of the settlement will be the subject of a written agreement between the two Governments, the details of which are expected to be finalised soon. Her Majesty's Government remain of the view that our legal responsibilities for rehabilitation have already been fully discharged and the payment is therefore being made on a strictly ex-gratia basis. Nevertheless, we believe that this represents a satisfactory solution to a long-running dispute between the United Kingdom and Australia.
HEALTH
Health Care Costs
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per head of providing health care in (a) inner London and (b) the rest of England ; and what is (b) as a percentage of (a) .
Mr. Sackville : Figures of total expenditure derived from the 1991- 92 annual accounts of district health
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authorities and family health services authorities in England indicate that total expenditure per head was £655 in inner London and £460--representing 70 per cent. of the inner London figure--in the rest of England.These figures exclude expenditure by regional health authorities and special health authorities.
Trent Regional Health Authority
Mr. Kevin Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the latest statistics on the number of deaths in surgery for each of the hospitals in the Trent regional health authority.
Mr. Sackville : The health service indicators graphical package for 1990-91 contains information on the standardised number of deaths by district health authorities occurring in national health service hospitals. This is available in the Library. 1991-92 figures will be published shortly.
Health Care (Form AG3)
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many successful claims were made for health care costs using form AG3 in the last year for which figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : The available information is shown in the table.
Number of courses of adult dental treatment and sight tests obtained at reduced cost by people covered by AG3 certificates and numbers of optical vouchers used by people covered by AG2 or AG3 certificates issued under the national health service low-income scheme in England in 1991-92 Courses of adult |Sight tests |Optical vouchers dental treatment -------------------------------------------------------------------- <1>125,000 |54,000 |<2>289,550 <1>Figure derived from a 5.5 per cent. sample produced by the Dental Practice Board. <2>Figure derived from 2 per cent. sample of all vouchers reimbursed by family health services authorities.
European Year of the Elderly
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the actions taken by her Department in support of the European Year of the Elderly within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Bowis : The Department, in co-operation with the Department of Social Security, has overall co-ordinating responsibility in the United Kingdom for the European Year of Older People and Solidarity between Generations. Officials from the Department participate in an advisory committee on the year at European level.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched the year in the United Kingdom at the age resource awards, which were presented in London on 17 December 1992 by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Following consultation with a wide range of national voluntary and professional bodies, statutory authorities and other relevant Government Departments, we have set up a group to advise on the conduct, promotion and evaluation of the programme of events to celebrate the year. The group involves representatives of organisations
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reflecting the interests of older people, and will take direct account wherever possible of the views and preferences of older people themselves. The programme in the United Kingdom is focusing on four major themes :Combating ageism' and promoting positive images of aging ; Volunteering ;
Health promotion and active leisure, including remaining mentally active ;
Social integration, including problems of isolation and loneliness, information needs, housing, transport and community care issues. Task groups have been set up to examine each of these themes and put forward specific proposals.
There are two elements to the year in the United Kingdom : a core programme involving national events focusing on the four themes, including cultural and sporting events, exhibitions and conferences ; and a general programme, consisting of local and regional activities. A number of high-profile initiatives have already taken place and several important forthcoming events are planned, including a major European symposium in Birmingham in October on the theme "Promoting Health in Europe : Investing in Older People at Work."
The Department is also funding a secretariat--based at Age Concern England headquarters--to co-ordinate the core programme and to disseminate news and information.
Drugs (Use-by Dates)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to hospitals as to the use of drugs after their use -by date.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department has issued guidelines on the safe and secure handling of medicines which contains guidance requiring hospital staff to return all out of date drugs or medicines to the pharmacy for disposal. Copies of the guidance will be placed in the Library.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has of hospitals using drugs which are past their use-by date ; and if she will make a statement.
Countess of Chester Hospital
Mr. Miller : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place between her Department and Merseyside regional health authority in respect of planned reductions in provision for the Countess of Chester hospital ; and what estimates have been made of the effects of these cuts on patient care.
Mr. Sackville : Provision of services at the Countess of Chester hospital national health service trust is a matter for the trust in consultation with local purchasers. I understand that the hon. Member is to meet the chairman and chief executive of the trust to discuss this matter.
Patient Care
Mr. Miller : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions she has given to health authorities to require hospital trusts to publish decisions made by the board which have an effect on patient care.
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GP Fund Holders
Mr. Kevin Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the general practitioners in the area served by Doncaster health authority, and their location, according to those who are fund holders and those who are not.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally but may be obtained from Doncaster family health services authority (FHSA). The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. K Jones, the chairman of Doncaster FHSA, for details.
Neo-natal Care
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 21 June, Official Report, column 28, on the number of neo- natal cots and nurses, if she will specify the definition of particular local circumstances.
Mr. Sackville : The organisation of neo-natal care services varies from region to region and is dependent on a number of different factors : the number of births, the case mix--the balance between special care and the different levels of neonatal intensive care--the local geography and variations in demand. None of this can be prescribed centrally and must therefore be for local decision, taking into account any guidance from professional and other bodies.
Grading Appeals
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 27 May, Official Report, column 672, how many (a) clinical and (b) NHS staff grading appeals were outstanding in (i) the West Midlands regional health authority and (ii) South Birmingham Health District in (1) June 1991, (2) June 1992, (3) December 1992, (4) March 1993 and (5) June 1993 ; and how many of the appeals in each category outstanding in June 1993 had been outstanding for (A) up to six months, (B) between six months and one year, (C) between one and two years and (D) over two years.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available centrally is shown in the table :
Outstanding Grading Appeals as at 31 May 1993
|West Midlands |South Birmingham
|Regional Health |Health Authority
|Authority
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nurse clinical
grading appeals:
Local level |1,526 |719
Regional level |1,424 |47
Other NHS staff
grading appeals:
Regional level |58 |0
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General Practitioner Services
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of general practitioner consultations per head in each family health service authority in 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; and what was the average number of general practitioner consultations per head of those aged over 65 years.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally.
Euro-constituency Boundaries
Mrs. Browning : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the 1993 electorates for United Kingdom parliamentary constituencies to be used in drawing up proposals for the revised European parliamentary constituencies will be published.
Mr. Sackville : The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) is today publishing the required information in OPCS Monitor EL 93/2. Copies are available in the Library. Further details will appear in the usual OPCS annual reference volume which will be published in August.
Housing for the Elderly
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place with social services departments of local authorities to ensure that sufficient priority is given to housing needs for the elderly.
Mr. Bowis : Under arrangements introduced on 1 April, it is for individual local social services departments to assess the community care needs of people in need of social services. They will consider, with other agencies, including housing authorities, how these needs can be met within local priorities. The community care support force visited a number of local authorities to offer advice and guidance as part of its overall work in helping authorities implement the community care reforms. Further advice on housing and community care issues is contained in the joint Departments of Health and the Environment circular (LAC(92)12) issued last September, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Appointments
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give details of individuals appointed to the chairs of district health authorities and chairs and non-executive directorships of NHS trusts within the Northern region, listing their occupation and sex.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is shown in the table :
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District health authority chairmen District health |Name |Occupation authority ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northumberland |Mr. J. Baker |Managing director South Tees |Mr. P. A. Marsden |Managing director North Durham |Prof. John Clarke |University professor East Cumbria |Mr. I. Carr |Company chairman Gateshead |Vacancy |- South Cumbria |Mrs. A. Graham |Retired civil servant Hartlepool |Mr. B. Hanson |Development engineer North Tees |Mr. D. Otter |Chartered accountant North Tyneside |Mrs. S. Murray |Housewife Newcastle |Mr. A. Crute |Solicitor Sunderland |Mr. G. Bedell |Lecturer South Durham |Dr. John Marshall |Business school director South Tyneside |Mr. W. Darling |Pharmacist West Cumbria |Vacancy |-
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NHS trusts
Name |Occupation
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newcastle Mental Health Services NHS Trust
Chairman: |Rev. Bryan Vernon |Anglican Chaplain
Non-executive |Mrs. I. Cheyne |Lecturer
directors: |Mr. D. Wilson |Management consultant
|Prof. Ian Ferrier |Lecturer
|Mr. B. Roycroft |Social services director
|Mr. N. Price |Housing officer
Northumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. R. Stewart |Chartered accountant
Non-executive |Mr. P. Moth |Public affairs controller
directors: |Dr. Jacqueline Higson |Company director
|Mr. A. Ferguson |Company director
|Mr. A. Knight |Company director
|Mr. D. Smith |Chartered accountant
Freeman Group of Hospitals NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. F. Hoult |Company chairman
Non-executive |Mrs. M. Border |Teacher
directors: |Mr. R. Middleton |Financial adviser
|Mr. J. Ward |Company director
|Miss H. Goodworth |Nurse
|Dr. Roger Freeman |Lecturer
Royal Victorial Infirmary and Associated Hospitals NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. A. Galbraith |Lecturer
Non-executive |Prof. John Davison |Medical consultant
directors: |Mrs. S. Wilson |Personnel director
|Miss A. Willis |Retired nursing officer
|Mr. P. Stoddart |General manager
|Mrs. K. Brunton |Public relations manager
Cleveland Ambulance NHS Trust
Chairman: |Dr. Alistair Thomson |Retired medical officer
Non-executive |Mr. T. Weastell |Chartered accountant
directors: |Ms S. Bush |Personnel director
|Mr. K. Flethcher |Solicitor
|Mr. K. Hellawell |Chief constable
|Mrs. P. Campbell |Voluntary worker
North Tees Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. J. Graham-Bowman |Magistrate
Non-executive |Ms J. Slater
directors: |Mr. P. Jackson |Chartered accountant
|Miss J. Brown |Lecturer
|Mr. R. Stewart |General manager
|Mr. C. Porter |Management consultant
Northgate NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. P. Hutchinson |Retired chartered surveyor
Non-executive |Mrs. J. Stephenson |Citizens Advice Bureau manager
directors: |Ms S. Adams |Personnel consultant
|Mr. G. Rutherford |Managing director
|Mr. J. Handley |Retired company director
|Prof. John Rear |Barrister/Polytechnic director
South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. A. Collins |Housewife
Non-executive |Mr. D. Collier
directors: |Mr. J. Webster |Personnel manager
|Mrs. H. Thompson |Company secretary
|Mr. R. Kingdon |Retired chief executive
|Mr. S. Still |Business consultant
Gateshead Community Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. P. Smith |Retired county treasurer
Non-executive |Ms P. Remfry |Development officer
directors: |Mr. M. Scott |Auctioneer
|Mr. D. Mitford |Solicitor
|Dr. Raymond Jackson |Retired GP
|Mr. R. Dixon |Managing director
Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. A. Graham |Television/radio production consultant
Non-executive |Mr. P. Simpson |Retired managing director
directors: |Mrs. F. Cartmell |Part-time school secretary
|Mr. D. Dickinson |Retired Royal Mail executive
|Mr. I. Pirnie |Retired naval officer
|Mr. J. Clayton |Company director
Durham County Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. P. Wynne |Community worker
Non-executive |Prof. Charles Baker |University professor
directors: |Mr. M. Hemingway |Company secretary
|Mr. D. D'Arcy |Company director
|Mrs. E. Wallis |Voluntary worker
|Mr. N. Martin |Part-time business consultant
Gateshead Hospitals NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. C. Morton |Personnel director
Non-executive |Mrs. N. Cookson |College deputy principal
directors: |Mrs. A. Cooper |Managing director
|Mr. D. Irwin |Project manager
|Dr. James Dalgleish |Retired GP
|Miss M. Davies |Company chairman
South West Durham Mental Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mrs. J. Pease |Company director
Non-executive |Mr. D. Bright |Lecturer
directors: |Mr. J. Scally |Director, development corporation
|Mrs. C. Hillery |Part-time editor
|Mr. N. Hart |Solicitor
|Mr. P. Briggs |Managing director
Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. D. Reay |Retired chief executive
Non-executive |Mr. D. Davison |Retired social services director
directors: |Prof. Mary Bromley |Lecturer
|Mr. S. Gibson |Solicitor
|Mrs. J. Turner |Retired nursing officer
|Mr. H. Herron |Chartered accountant
South Cumbria Community and Mental Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. E. Holmes |Retired general manager
Non-executive |Mrs. S. Godfrey |Personnel manager
directors: |Mrs. M. Davies |Retired head teacher
|Mr. L. Davies |Retired quantity surveyor
|Mr. J. Davies |Company director
|Dr. Rodney Leach |Chief executive
South Tees Community and Mental Health NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. R. Murray |Retired chief executive
Non-executive |Mrs. H. Sillars |Company director
directors: |Dr. Susan Miller |Lecturer
|Mr. J. Wilson |Company director
|Mr. G. Bowles |Managing director
|Mr. G. Crispin |Dean, Teeside Polytechnic
South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust
Chairman: |Miss D. Blenkinsop |Retired nursing officer
Non-executive |Mr. R. Graham |Director/company secretary
directors: |Mrs. M. Mills |Retired nurse
|Mrs. F. Walker |Solicitor
|Mr. M. Wright |Company chairman
|Mr. E. Russell |Finance manager
West Cumbria Health Care NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. E. Urquhart |Insurance inspector
Non-executive |Dr. Peter Inglis |Chemical consultant
directors: |Mr. G. Lamont |Chartered accountant
|Mrs. C. Madden |Solicitor
|Mrs. R. Porter |Head teacher
|Mr. D. Gill |Managing director
Westmorland Hospitals NHS Trust
Chairman: |Mr. P. Reay |Retired personnel director
Non-executive |Mr. D. Hawkes |Retired company director
directors: |Mr. G. Turnbull |Retired consultant gynaecologist
|Mrs. C. Hensman |Housewife
|Mrs. S. Evans |Solicitor
|Mr. M. Lund |Management consultant
Vaccination
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost to the NHS of vaccines provided on prescription solely for the purpose of foreign travel.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally.
NHS Employees
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 23 June, Official Report, column 182, if she will provide comparable information in respect of (a) a district general manager/chief executive, (b) a chief finance officer and (c) a unit general manager.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally.
TRANSPORT
European Transport Council
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Mr. Harris) of 21 June, Official Report, columns
Column 556
59-60, what were the voting figures for each decision taken at the European Community's Transport Council held on 7 and 8 June ; and if he will make it his policy to include in further statements on council meetings information on whether formal votes were taken.Mr. Macgregor : The Transport Council resumed on 19 June the meeting that it had held on 7 and 8 June. No formal votes were taken.
Traffic Regulation Conditions (Buses)
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 21 June, Official Report, columns 58-59, where each of the traffic regulation conditions were imposed and for what reason in each case ; and which conditions were subject to appeal and on what grounds appeals were allowed.
Mr. Freeman : Information on each traffic regulation condition imposed since 1986 and details of those that were subject to appeal is given in the table.
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Traffic regulations conditions imposed since 1986
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Traffic Director, London
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total staff complement of the Traffic Director for London's office ; what is its annual budget ; what reports it makes to the Minister ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The Office of the Traffic Director for London has a staff of 12 and a budget for 1993-94 of £10 million. Under schedule 5 to the Road Traffic Act 1991, the traffic director is required to submit an annual report to the Secretary of State on the discharge of his functions together with a statement of accounts.
Red Route
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to ensure relief from red route-related traffic in respect of Windsor road N7, Fairbridge road N19, Stanhope road N6 and Cressida road N.19 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The traffic director intends to carry out a review of the pilot red route to ensure that it is operating within the framework set out in his network plan. If traffic problems on the roads mentioned are related to the red route, the traffic director will consider what measures can be taken. Otherwise, any action would be a matter for the appropriate highway authority.
Channel Ports
Mr. Gale : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is taking to ensure that the port of Ramsgate, serving Dunkirk, is restored to the same trans-Europe network map that features Dunkirk serving Ramsgate.
Mr. Key : We do not propose at present to press for any additions to the trans-European road network map. The current network proposals reflect key routes of greatest interest to intra-Community road traffic.
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The importance of good road access to Ramsgate has been recognised already by the Government's substantial support, through transport supplementary grant, to Kent county council's programme of road improvements between Ramsgate and the M2.Channel Tunnel (Signposts)
Mr. Gale : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proposals his Department has for the improvement of the signposting of the channel ports in general and of Port Ramsgate in particular ; (2) what proposals his Department has to ensure that destinations in east Kent in general and the Isle of Thanet in particular are clearly signposted for the benefit of travellers emerging from the channel tunnel.
Mr. Key : The M20/A20 will be will reflect this generally, in the case of either route the signing will not be restricted to the towns and ports which that route primarily serves.
We are now reviewing the signing of east Kent towns. Our plans include signing both Canterbury and Ramsgate, along with Folkestone and Dover, eastwards on M20 from the channel tunnel exits. The details of the signing arrangements are necessarily complex and I have written to my hon. Friend about them.
Newcastle Western Bypass
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is (a) the design capacity of the road, (b) the maximum daily and hourly use of the bypass after its complete opening and (c) the maximum daily and hourly use of the road currently for the Denton Burn, Ponteland road and Great North road interchanges of the Newcastle western bypass.
Mr. Key : The Department does not use the concept of design capacity. It uses a range of flows to provide starting
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points for the economic, environmental and operational assessment of carriageway width options. In the case of this road the range of flows is 30,000 to 46,000 vehicles per day. This range of flows does not provide any indication of the ultimate traffic flows which the carriageway can carry.The Newcastle western bypass was fully opened to traffic in December 1990. No hourly traffic flows are available. The 1991 annual average daily traffic flows are as follows :
|Traffic flow
-------------------------------------------------------------
Great North Road to Kingston Park |44,000
Kingston Park to Ponteland Road |44,000
Ponteland Road to Stamfordham Road |55,300
Stamfordham Road to Denton Burn |55,300
The 1992 annual average daily traffic flows are as follows :
|Traffic flow
-------------------------------------------------------------
Great North Road to Kingston Park |44,400
Kingston Park to Ponteland Road |47,800
Ponteland Road to Stamfordham Road |55,700
Stamfordham Road to Denton Burn |61,000
Road Signposts
Mr. Gale : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he intends to implement to improve road and destination signing and to clarify the regulations that relate to such signs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : Destination signing reflects the relative importance of different destinations for traffic management purposes, taking account of distance ; it is kept under review in the light of changing traffic patterns in any given area. New designs for the layout of signs, with a clear format relating closely to road status, have been developed following comprehensive consultation and a subsequent trial. These signs will be incorporated in the new traffic signs regulations which I expect to lay before the House around the end of the year.
Gatwick Express
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that a competitive market should be allowed to operate in the event of the Gatwick express being privatised on the route between Gatwick and Central London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The promotion of competition in the provision of railway services is a key objective of our privatisation proposals. We have made it clear that on-track competition will be moderated for the first generation of franchises to the extent necessary to ensure the successful transfer of British Rail's passenger services to the private sector, and to ensure that the taxpayer receives value for money for subsidising services. These concerns will determine the degree of competition to apply between the Gatwick express and other services on the route between Gatwick and central London ; and that will be decided before the Gatwick express is offered for franchise.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Set-aside
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many EC member state farmers have completed their set-aside forms on time ; and in which states a lower proportion of forms has been received than in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jack : The Commission has asked member states in general terms to report on the implementation of the integrated administration and control system. We understand that, as yet, the information it has received is not complete and no complete Community picture on this matter is currently available.
Tuberculosis (Badgers)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received regarding the need for carcases of dead badgers to be checked for tuberculosis ; and what is her assessment of the dangers to cattle of unchecked tuberculosis in the badger population.
Mr. Soames [pursuant to his reply, 25 June 1993, c. 328-29] : I would like to make it clear that the statement that badgers infected with tuberculosis do not pose a significant threat to the national cattle herd was based on scientific evidence that the disease in badgers has been associated with breakdowns in cattle herds only in south-west England and in a limited number of other areas.
Waterside Habitats
Sir Cranley Onslow : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received about the possibility of applying set-aside payments to the creation of riverside buffer zones, in conformity with option 2 on the recreation of waterside habitats set out in her Department's consultation document on the habitat improvement scheme ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : We received a large number of comments from many organisations on our consultation document on the proposed habitat improvement scheme. The option for water fringe habitats was widely welcomed. We are currently finalising our proposals for the scheme which we will be submitting to the Commission as part of the agri-environmental programme for England.
Cormorants and Goosanders
Sir Cranley Onslow : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's new application form for licences to control cormorants and goosanders.
Mr. Soames : Yes. The new form is designed to assist applicants in providing the sort of information the Ministry requires to make licensing decisions. It will result in a more streamlined and therefore speedier decision-making process.
Column 563
Vitamins
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been made by her Department to the European Commission concerning its directive on vitamins.
Mr. Soames : In early 1992, there was an exploratory discussion in Brussels on the possibility of a directive on dietary supplements, including vitamins. However, there have been no subsequent developments.
Public Appointments
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the names, occupations and current employers of those who currently
Column 564
hold positions in each public body to which he makes appointments ; if he will make a statement on the considerations taken into account when making such appointments ; and if he will list details of the posts and salaries or allowances payable which have changed since the publication of "Public Bodies 1992".Mr. Jack [holding answer 25 June 1993] : No changes have yet taken place in the remuneration for members of the MAFF advisory bodies listed in "Public Bodies 1991"--a copy of which is available in the Library of the House--nor for the agricultural wages board or agricultural wages committees. For the executive bodies, tribunals and public corporations the new rates payable for 1 April 1993 are as follows--all figures are sterling :
Column 563
Executive bodies |Chairman |Deputy chairman |Members
|£/per annum |£/per annum |£/per annum
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agricultural Training Board |<1>15,600 |7,147 |-
Apple and Pear Research Council |16,676 |40 per day |40 per day
Food From Britain |32,100 |- |1,930
Home-grown Cereals Authority |18,270 |6,313 |<2>3,145/3,263
Horticultural Development Council |25,011 |- |40 per day
Horticulture Research International |20,624 |4,098 |-
Meat and Livestock Commission |53,789 |26,584 |<2>6,313/12,829
Regional Flood Defence Committees |<2>8,988/11,235 |- |-
Sea Fish Industry Authority |29,612 |13,835 |6, 313
Wine Standards Board of the Vintners |3,231 |- |813
Company
<1> Now based on two days per week instead of 1.
<2> Depending on how many days worked.
Tribunals |Chairman/deputy|Members
|£ per annum |£ per annum
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agricultural Land
Tribunals (England) |221 |-
Dairy Produce Quota
Tribunal |300 |177
Milk and Dairies Tribunal
(England) |91 |-
Plant Varieties and Seeds
Tribunal |(Junior) |-
Plant Varieties and Seeds
Tribunal |(Silk) |113
Public Corporation
Covent Garden Market
Authority |32,411 |6,313
Members of public bodies receive the same rates of travel allowances as civil servants, but subsistence is paid according to actual costs. There have been no changes to this agreement since the publication of "Public Bodies 1992".
The biographical information on appointees is not held centrally in the form requested. However, appointments are made on the basis of suitability, merit and personal expertise and announced in Ministry news releases, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.
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