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Hong Kong
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who has the power of appointment of (a) the Hong Kong Registrar of Companies, (b) the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, (c) the Inland Revenue Commissioner for Hong Kong, and (d) the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
Mr. Goodlad [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The Registrar of Companies and the Commissioner of Inland Revenue are appointed by the Secretary for the civil service. The chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority is appointed by the Financial Secretary. The Financial Secretary is appointed by the Governor.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give (a) the name of the present Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and indicate whether he is an appointed or a directly elected member and (b) the names of the members of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority together with the banks and other financial institutions they are associated with.
Mr. Goodlad [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The present Financial Secretary is Mr. Hamish MacLeod. He is an ex-Officio member of the Legislative Council appointed by the Governor. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is part of the Hong Kong Government. The chief executive is Mr. Joseph Yam. He is not associated with any banks or financial institutions.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Secret Fish Holds
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Spanish vessels, British and Spanish registered, have been found by United Kingdom to have secret fish holds in each year since 1991 ; and how many have been prosecuted.
Mr. Jack : There have been no prosecutions, but legislation is being brought forward shortly to provide for the prosecution of the owners or skippers of vessels over 17 m which fail to carry plans of their rooms. Three vessels, two Spanish-owned but British registered and one Spanish registered, have been found to have secret fish rooms since 1991.
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Fish Conservation
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate has been made of the cost to date of setting up the machinery for the implementation of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1992 ; and what is (a) the number and location of jobs created, (b) the number of vessels so far registered and (c) the number of appeals initiated.
Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 July 1993.
Seals
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food how many reports regarding incidental catches of seals by fishermen the fisheries officers in England and Wales have received to date under the scheme set up to monitor the extent of this interaction.
Mr. Jack : There have been no reports of incidental catches of seals under this scheme for England and Wales.
Pregnant Ewes
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the screening of pregnant lowland ewes to ascertain the number of lambs each is carrying.
Mr. Jack : My Department does not run any such screening programme, but screening is available from various commercial organisations for a fee. We understand that those who make use of it find it valuable as a means of determining appropriate feeding regimes for their breeding ewes.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Environmental Initiatives
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what matters in regard to the financing of environmental initiatives were introduced by the United Kingdom at the G7 heads of state economic meeting in Tokyo.
Mr. Nelson : The environment, and in particular the follow up UNCED, was one of the issues discussed in Tokyo. The G7 agreed to work to ensure that the global environment facility functions as the financial mechanism to provide funding for the incremental costs of implementing the global environment conventions signed at Rio.
Government Departments (Expenditure)
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of placing in the House of Commons Library each year for the inspection of hon. Members a microfiche copy of a computer printout of each Government Department's expenditure analysed (a) by account code and (b) by item charged.
Mr. Portillo : Information on which to base such costings is not held centrally, and could not be assembled without disproportionate cost. The detailed management of operational accounts is a matter for individual Departments.
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EMPLOYMENT
Unemployment
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the changes made to his Department's definition of unemployment since May 1979, with the dates upon which the changes were made.
Miss Widdecombe : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 26 October 1992 at column 496.
Mr. Clapham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to encourage better skills training ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : The Government's strategy is to encourage effective investment in skills by employers and individuals, by stimulating a strong market in training, by encouraging standard setting and by offering training to young people and long term unemployed people. Britain's workforce is becoming more skilled. Over 2.5 million more people in the workforce now have a qualification than five years ago.
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest available figures for the numbers of people on Government training schemes in North Derbyshire.
Miss Widdecombe : As at 18 June 1993 there were 1,070 people participating in training for work and 1,708 people in training on youth training in the area covered by the North Derbyshire training and enterprise council.
Mr. Clapham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated total amount spent by the Government on training since 1979.
Miss Widdecombe : The estimated total spend on training--including vocational education and enterprise--in Great Britain since 1979, in cash prices, is £23.8 billion and, at 1992-93 prices, is £31.6 billion.
Vocational Courses (Allowances)
Ms Coffey : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to the statement of the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Thames (Mr. Lamont), 16 March, Official Report, column 193, if he will list, by training and enterprise council area, how many educational allowances for vocational courses have been granted to the long-term unemployed since 16 March.
Miss Widdecombe : None. Education allowances will be paid under the learning for work initiative which starts in mid August in Scotland and in September in England and Wales.
Gas Appliance Installers
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unqualified gas appliance installers have been prosecuted in the last year that figures are available.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is not available in the form requested.
In 1991-92, 93 informations were laid under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 and the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 1990. These resulted in 86 convictions.
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Wages Councils
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the new earnings survey will continue to provide comparable figures for at least five years on those sectors previously covered by wages councils.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 8 July 1993] : The new earnings survey obtains information on the earnings of employees covered by wages councils by asking employers to report the relevant wages councils. This practice will clearly cease when there are no wages councils. The extent to which information on earnings for selected occupations, industries and age groups can be used as a replacement, will be investigated before next April.
SCOTLAND
Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposals for the reform of local government in Scotland on the preservation of the role of the Strathclyde passenger transport executive ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend recognises the important role of Strathclyde passenger transport executive in transport provision. He has taken this into account in the examination of how the functions of local authorities can best be carried out under the various options for local government reform. The Government's proposals wil reflect fully the consideration given to the executive's role.
Optical Appliances Vouchers
Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total number of optical appliances vouchers redeemed in Scotland in each year since 1986 ; and what was the total cost of the optical appliances voucher scheme in Scotland each year since 1986.
Mr. Stewart : The information requested on optical appliances vouchers in Scotland is in the table. The information is for vouchers issued through the general ophthalmic services.
Optical vouchers and repair/replacement vouchers
redeemed in Scotland
Year |Number of vouchers|Cost of redeeming
|redeemed<1> |vouchers
|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |<2>- |3.718
1987-88 |350,479 |6.332
1988-89 |317,645 |6.747
1989-90 |315,266 |6.990
1990-91 |337,073 |8.566
1991-92 |410,935 |10.596
1992-93 |431,956 |<3>-
<1>Analysis is made from payments made by health boards in Scotland to
ophthalmic medical practitioners (OMPs) and ophthalmic opticians (OOs).
<2>Information on the current collection basis for 1986-87 is not centrally
available.
<3>Not yet available.
Child Care Policy
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish his White Paper on child care policy and law.
Mr. Stewart : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State intends to publish a White Paper on child care policy and law in due course.
Children's Rights
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contribution he has made to the United Kingdom's first report to the United Nations convention on the rights of the child.
Mr. Stewart : The Government's first report on the United Nations convention on the rights of the child is due to be submitted in January 1994. The Scottish Office will contribute to the report, ensuring that it reflects the situation in Scotland where that is different from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Students
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from colleges and universities of further and higher education about the adequacy of student incomes ; and what was the substance of those representations.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 July 1993] : In the past 18 months or so, my right hon. Friend has received representations about student income from only one educational institution, a university, which argued that students faced financial hardship due to the lack of vacation employment and the withdrawal of entitlement to social security benefits.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent research he has commissioned on (a) the adequacy of student income, (b) the level of student debt and (c) whether students are leaving courses prematurely because of financial need ; and what were his findings.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 July 1993] : My hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, announced on Wednesday 21 October 1992 the commissioning of a United Kingdom-wide survey of student income and expenditure initiated jointly by the Education Departments. We hope that the results, which should be available later this year, will bring our knowledge of student income and indebtedness up to date.
There is no evidence to suggest that the proportion of Scottish domiciled award-holding students who leave their courses prematurely is increasing.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what current information he has on (a) the adequacy of student housing, (b) the extent to which students income meets their housing needs and (c) levels of student debt.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 July 1993] : Detailed information on student housing and its cost is not held centrally.
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The survey of student income and expenditure announced by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education on 21 October 1992 will provide certain information on housing costs and student debt.Refuge Hostels
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will commission research into what happens in the immediate aftermath to those women and children who leave refuge hostels.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 9 July 1993] : Research has recently been completed on domestic violence and the effect on children and families. No further research is planned on the specific issue of women and children who leave refuge hostels.
Police Arrests (Forms)
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the maximum and minimum number of forms which must be completed by a police officer making an arrest followed by (a) release and (b) detention ; and what, on average, is the time taken to complete these formalities.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 July 1993] : The minimum number of forms which must be completed by an officer making an arrest is two, rising possibly to 20 in exceptional circumstances. On average, the time taken to complete this process is about 60 minutes. Some police forces are introducing automated systems which will reduce the need to complete successive forms manually.
Women's Aid
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much grant has been awarded to Scottish Women's Aid in each of the years since it first applied for grant.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 9 July 1993] : The total grants paid from 1978-79 are as follows :
|£
---------------------------------
1978-79 |7,740
1979-80 |9,433
1980-81 |13,329
1981-82 |19,466
1982-83 |31,395
1983-84 |38,871
1984-85 |58,865
1985-86 |72,141
1986-87 |84,829
1987-88 |93,630
1988-89 |99,860
1989-90 |106,931
1990-91 |98,000
1991-92 |109,911
1992-93 |121,282
1993-94 |<1>115,092
<1>Grant offered.
Information for the years 1975-76 to 1977-78 is not readily available.
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Racial Harassment
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to criminalise racial harassment and to make racial harassment an aggravation of existing crimes.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The Government have no plans to introduce a new offence of racial harassment. Aggravating factors such as racial harassment can be taken into account for sentencing purposes.
Conservation Areas
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the sites in (a) Strathclyde and (b) the rest of Scotland which will be placed on a list of special areas of conservation under the European Community's Directive 92/43/EEC in the conservation of natural habitats and of wild flora and fauna ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The Government have not yet proposed any sites for designation as special areas of conservation (SACs) under Directive 92/43/EEC. The country nature conservation agencies and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee are at present undertaking the scientific analysis necessary for the preparation of the United Kingdom's national list from which areas to be designated as SACs will be selected.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sites in (a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole have been or are to be, designated as special protection areas under the European Community's Directive 70/400/EEC on the conservation of wild birds ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 12 July 1993] : I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Galbraith) on 16 June 1993.
Wetlands
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all those wetlands, Ramsar sites, under the European Parliament Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (1971) in (a) Strathclyde and (b) the rest of Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 12 July 1993] : The information requested is set out in the table :
Site name |Region -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bridgend Flats (Islay) |Strathclyde<1> Cairngorm Lochs |Grampian and Highland Claish Moss |Highland Eilean Na Muice Duibhe (Duich Moss-Islay) |Strathclyde<1> Fala Flow |Lothian<1> Feur Lochain (Islay) |Strathclyde<1> Glac Na Criche (Islay) |Strathclyde<1> Gladhouse Reservoir |Lothian<1> Gruinart Flats (Islay) |Strathclyde<1> Hoselaw Loch |Borders<1> Loch An Duin |Western Isles Loch Druidibeg, Loch A'Machair |Western Isles<1> and Loch Stilligar Locy Eye |Highland<1> Loch Ken and Dee Marshes |Dumfries and Galloway<1> Loch Leven |Tayside Loch of Lintrathen |Tayside<1> Loch Lomond |Strathclyde and Central Loch of Skene |Grampian<1> Loch Spynie |Grampian<1> Rannock Moor |Tayside Silver Flowe |Dumfries and Galloway South Tayside Goose Roosts |Tayside<1> Upper Solway Flats and Marshes |Dumfries and Galloway<1> <1> Also designated as a special protection area under the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC).
DEFENCE
Fast Jet Aircraft
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the required (a) vertical and (b) horizontal avoidance distances for camouflaged fast jet aircraft of activities notified under the civil aircraft notification procedure.
Mr. Hanley : Civil pilots can if they wish, notify low level aerial activity under the civil aircraft notification procedure specifying the location and horizontal dimensions of the area in which they will be operating, together with the maximum height of their activities. Commercial activity accepted for notification attracts temporary avoidance status, in which case pilots of military fixed wing aircraft flying in excess of 140 knots are required to avoid the specified area laterally or if overflying it to do so at a minimum height of 300 ft above the maximum specified in the notification. Recreational and other aerial activity does not normally attract avoidance status but when details are provided they are passed to military air crew who will take account of such activities in planning their sorties.
Low Flying
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 October 1992, Official Report, column 159, if he is yet able to give an analysis of the noise generated by the F-15E aircraft at low level.
Mr. Hanley : For technical reasons, the F-15E aircraft involved in the trial last September were unable to achieve all of the planned runs over the test site and firm conclusions could not be drawn from the limited data produced. A further trial which was arranged earlier this year had to be abandoned due to adverse weather conditions but has been re-arranged for later this month.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the nature of the sortie, (b) the recorded height, (c) the recorded speed and (d) the home base of the military jet aircraft that overflew the village of Clayton, south Yorkshire on 30 June at approximately (i) 22 : 00 hours, (ii) 22 : 04 hours, (iii) 22 : 08 hours, (iv) 22 : 12 hours, (v) 22 :15 hours, (vi) 22 : 19 hours, (vii) 22 : 23 hours (viii) 22 : 23 hours, (ix) 22 : 35 hours ; and what notification was given to the pilots of the aircraft of two low-speed non-jet aircraft in the area between approximately 22 : 20 hours and 22 : 35 hours.
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Mr. Hanley : A number of Tornado aircraft from RAF Cottesmore conducted routine low-level training in the area at about the times stated on 30 June. We have no reason to believe any of the military aircraft flew below the permitted height of 1,000 ft. No military non-jet aircraft were booked to low fly in the area at the time, and no notification was received under the civil aircraft notification procedure or by other means of any civil aircraft activity.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the limit on the number of aircraft per000 ft above sea level.
Mr. Hanley : The limit placed by the Ministry of Defence on the number of aircraft permitted to fly in low-flying area 17 at any one time applies only to military aircraft flying below 2,000 ft.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given by his Department to the printing of pipeline routes on military low-flying charts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The national air traffic services have set in hand a review of the civil aircraft notification procedure--CANP. The review will include consideration of whether helicopters conducting pipe and power line inspections should be included in the CANP system and of the possibility of printing pipeline routes on military low-flying charts.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what capacity the ALFENS system will have to provide warning to military pilots of pipeline and power line aerial survey activity.
Mr. Hanley : ALFENS will provide information to military pilots on civil air activity notified under the national air traffic services'--NATS- -civil aircraft notification procedure--CANP. Pipe and power line aerial
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survey activity is excluded from CANP at present but a review is in hand by NATS to consider whether it may be included in future.Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list (a) the nature of the sortie, (b) the recorded height, (c) the recorded speed and (d) the home base of the military jet aircraft that overflew the village of Clayton, south Yorkshire on 1 July between the approximate times of 22 : 04 hours and 22 : 45 hours ;
(2) if he will list (a) the nature of the sortie, (b) the recorded height, (c) the recorded speed and (d) the home base of the military jet aircraft that overflew the village of Clayton, south Yorkshire on 29 June at approximately (i) 22.01 hours, (ii) 22.09 hours, (iii) 22.17 hours, (iv) 22.20 hours, (v) 22.25 hours, (vi) 22.29 hours and (vii) 22.46 hours.
Mr. Hanley : A number of aircraft from RAF Cottesmore were conducting routine low-level training sorties in the area at about the times stated on 29 June and 1 July. We have no reason to believe any of the aircraft flew below the permitted height of 1,000 feet on either of these dates.
Army Discharges
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by rank and by year for the last five years the number of Army personnel who were discharged under section 69 of the Army Act 1955 ; and what percentage this represents for discharges by year.
Mr. Hanley : No discharges from the Army are effected under the Army Act 1955. Officers hold their commissions at the pleasure of the Sovereign, who may take action if the officer is sentenced to dismissal. Soldiers are discharged under Queen's regulations. The table shows the number of discharges and resignations following convictions under section 69 of the Army Act 1955. The annual figures are also expressed as a percentage of the total exits from the regular Army.
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|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private |12 |9 |8 |7 |18
Lance Corporal |4 |2 |1 |1 |2
Corporal |1 |1 |0 |4 |2
Sergeant |2 |0 |2 |1 |1
Staff Sergeant |2 |2 |0 |1 |0
Warrant Officer II |1 |0 |2 |0 |0
Warrant Officer I |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Subaltern |1 |3 |2 |0 |0
Captain |0 |1 |1 |1 |0
Major |0 |1 |1 |0 |0
Lieutenant Colonel |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Colonel |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Brigadier |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
General |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
All Ranks |23 |19 |17 |15 |23
Percentage of all Army exits |0.10 |0.08 |0.07 |0.08 |0.10
Air Crash, North Sea
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 October 1992, Official Report, column 159, if he is yet able to give the
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hon. Member a copy of the military aircraft accident summary in respect of the air crash in the North sea on 9 July 1992.Mr. Hanley : The board of inquiry is not expected to be completed for some time. My noble Friend the
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member as soon as a summary of the findings is available.Toxic Pollution Syndrome
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel have been monitored or treated for symptoms of combined toxic pollution syndrome following deployment during Operation Granby in 1991 ; and in which hospitals.
Mr. Hanley : The term "combined toxic pollution syndrome" is not recognised in the United Kingdom as a clinical condition. No such figures therefore exist.
Mine Counter-measure Vessels
Mr. Whittingdale : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 50 military tasks ascribed to the United Kingdom forces, and identified in his White Paper, Cm 2270, require a mine counter-measure vessel component ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Of the 50 military tasks identified in the White Paper, Cm 2270, 10 require a mine counter-measure vessel component.
Cruise Missiles
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the studies for a United Kingdom requirement for land attack cruise missiles for the Royal Navy are to include options for dual-capable systems.
Mr. Hanley : No. The scope of the study is restricted to conventional options.
Nuclear Testing
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek assistance from the United States in the development of alternative testing technologies to those of underground nuclear testing.
Mr. Aitken : Under the United States-United Kingdom 1958 agreement, we co-operate closely with the United States on a wide range of nuclear matters, including alternative testing technologies.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the non-proliferation benefits arising from President Clinton's extension of the nuclear testing moratorium.
Mr. Aitken : President Clinton has made clear that the extension of the United States moratorium on nuclear testing is intended to promote a comprehensive test ban. Our view is that a comprehensive test ban would not in itself prevent a proliferator from producing and deploying a crude nuclear weapon and from obtaining the materials with which to do this. But associated measures for verification and inspection, if sufficiently rigorous and applicable to the states concerned, might constrain potential proliferators.
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