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Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department, including the Overseas Development Administration, in the financial year 1992-93.
Mr. Goodlad : Expenditure on official hospitality by both wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1992-93 is estimated at £6,946,298.
In addition, the FCO availed itself of part of the £1,141,600 grant-in -aid to the Government hospitality fund, but the exact figure is not available.
Endangered Species
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of items from endangered species seized by the Hong Kong authorities in the years 1991, 1992 and the first half of 1993 ; and what prosecutions arose from the seizures.
Mr. Goodlad : The Hong Kong authorities made 276 seizures of items from endangered species in 1991, 256 seizures in 1992 and 120 seizures in the first half of 1993. A total of 341 prosecutions for the two and a half year period arose from these seizures.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the ivory exported from Hong Kong since 25 March 1991 in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species requirements.
Mr. Goodlad : No commercial exports of ivory have been authorised by the Hong Kong authorities since 25 March 1991 except for six shipments of pre-convention specimens of worked ivory totalling 1.48 kg.
Special Operations Executive
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to release the records of the wartime Special Operations Executive.
Mr. Hurd : I said in my answer on 26 November 1992, Official Report, column 766, that work had started on reviewing the SOE archives. A first batch of files, covering SOE activities in the far east have been transferred to the Public Record Office and will be available to the public from 21 October. The next batches will cover Scandinavia and Africa and will be released as soon as possible after mid-1994.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Ethiopia
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on future British aid to Ethiopia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have agreed to commit £10 million of bilateral development assistance to support projects in Ethiopia in the period 1993 to 1995. In addition, during her recent visit to Ethiopia, my right hon. Friend
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Baroness Chalker of Wallasey agreed to provide £5 million balance of payments support during United Kingdom financial year 1993-94 to support Ethiopia's economic reform programme.Natural Resources Institute
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about recent discussions between the Natural Resources Institute and the university of Greenwich.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd its services and of the White Paper on science and technology, Cm 2250. The institute has concluded that it has surplus accommodation on its Chatham maritime site. At the same time, it wishes to strengthen links with centres of higher education and research.
The NRI has, therefore, agreed with the university of Greenwich that its school of earth sciences will be based at Chatham from the autumn of 1994. The university is considering whether to relocate other operations--notably its school of engineering--to Chatham as part of a wider plan to rationalise its estate and to expand the provision it offers in Kent. The NRI and the university intend to develop substantive links in research, teaching and consultancy. This association between NRI and the university is a welcome and constructive initiative, which will also give added impetus to the development of the Chatham maritime site and the Medway towns and will make an important contribution to the regeneration of the east Thames corridor.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Value Added Tax
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage fall in the volume of book purchases if VAT at 17.5 per cent. were imposed on books and (b) on the consequential loss in corporation tax, income tax and national insurance contributions.
Sir John Cope : Research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests that imposing the standard rate of VAT on books would reduce book sales by approximately 10 per cent. The consequential loss in corporation tax, income tax and national insurance contributions would depend on the behaviour of individual companies.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated effect on the retail prices index of the imposition of VAT at 17.5 per cent. on books.
Sir John Cope : Imposing VAT at the standard rate would increase the RPI by around 0.08 per cent., assuming the tax is fully passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he estimates would be raised if VAT at 17.5 per cent. were applied to books.
Sir John Cope : The Treasury publication "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" shows the estimated cost of
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applying a zero rate of VAT to books, newspapers and magazines as being £1,100 million in 1993-94. Revenue from books alone would be around 30 per cent. of this figure. This estimate makes no allowance for the likely behavioural response to applying VAT at the standard rate.Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992- 93.
Mr. Nelson : Expenditure on official hospitality in 1992-93 was £287,195. This is significantly higher than expenditure in 1991-92 reflecting two large one-off events ; the annual conference of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions for which the United Kingdom was host in July 1992 ; and the informal ECOFIN meeting in September 1992 which was held as part of the United Kingdom presidency. If these two items are excluded, expenditure was £84,904.
No. 11 Downing Street
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 July, Official Report, column 876, in respect of No. 11 Downing street, on what floor and room the old carpet was relaid ; where the carpet already in that room is now located ; what adjustments had to be made to the old carpet before it was relaid ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Cope : The old carpet was relaid on the back staircase between the ground and second floors. The carpet had to be cut to fit this previously uncarpeted staircase.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Computer Exports
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the co-ordinating committee on multilateral export control was notified of the United States decision announced on 26 August to lift existing restrictions on export of computer equipment to China and eastern European countries ; and if he will make a statement on the implications of the decision on British export policy for computers to these countries.
Mr. Needham : My officials were present at the meeting of COCOM--the Co-ordinating Committee for Multilateral Strategic Export Controls--on 30 September 1993 when the US delegation presented its proposals for amending the agreed level of controls on computer equipment by all COCOM members including the US to proscribed destinations, including China and eastern Europe. Agreement to decontrol was reached at a further meeting held on 5 October.
Like our counterparts in the US and other COCOM member states, we are considering the practical issues of implementing in the United Kingdom this more relaxed export control policy. We expect to introduce new measures soon.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992-93.
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Mr. Eggar : My Department spent £526,447 on entertainment in the 1992-93 financial year.
British Aerospace
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with British Aerospace concerning launch aid for the Jetstream plant at Prestwick ; what action he has taken as a result ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : British Aerospace has had initial discussions with officials about launch aid for Jetstream. No application has yet been made.
Nuclear Industry
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations his Department has received from the nuclear installations inspectorate concerning the safety of computer software to be used in the Sizewell B power station.
Mr. Eggar : I have received no such representations. I understand that the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate has not yet completed its assessment of Nuclear Electric's safety case for the computerised primary protection system proposed for Sizewell B.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to announce the timetable and the terms of reference of the 1993 nuclear review.
Mr. Eggar : The terms of reference and the format of the forthcoming review of the future prospects for nuclear power in the United Kingdom are under consideration within Government. It remains the Government's intention, as set out in the White Paper "The Prospects for Coal", to make an announcement later this year.
Renewable Energy
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to publish his Department's renewable energy strategy document.
Mr. Eggar : I expect to publish a new and renewables strategy document this year.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when potential bidders will be informed whether they have been successful in obtaining support under the third renewables order of the non-fossil fuel obligation.
Mr. Eggar : The Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency expects to be able to inform bidders whether they have been successful around October 1994.
Regional Development Funds, Merseyside
Mr. Wareing : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made to enable funds to be allocated to Merseyside as a result of its designation within objective 1 status ; what is the total amount to be allocated ; what changes have taken place in the allocated amount ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 18 October 1993] : The objective 1 funds to be allocated to Merseyside are 840
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mecu at 1992 prices, as I announced in my written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Sir J. Hannam) on 27 July, Official Report, column 948.A regional development plan is currently being prepared by the Government in consultation with local interests as required by the regulations and will shortly be transmitted by the Government to the Commission.
Swan Hunter
Mr. Trotter : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to obtain the approval of the European Commission to the making of intervention funding available for merchant shipbuilding at Swan Hunter.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 19 October 1993] : Following my initial approach to Vice President van Miert in May, applying for the shipbuilding intervention fund for British warship yards, I have submitted to the Commission a detailed case in writing. Since then I have met with Mr. van Miert in Brussels to urge approval of our application and I have pursued this in correspondence and on the telephone, most recently today. Negotiations between officials continue to take place and a further official level meeting is scheduled for Monday 25 October. I will continue to maintain a close involvement in this issue.
DEFENCE
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992-93.
Mr. Hanley : In the financial year 1992-93, my Department spent £4, 950,000 on official entertainment and refreshments, and on protocol entertainment. This figure includes expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence itself, by formations and establishments of the armed forces at home and abroad, and by individual officers occupying command and international appointments for which entertainment allowances are payable.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Sick Notes
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance is given to Benefit Agency officers regarding the period of notice given to claimants when the sick note reminder form BF60B is sent out.
Mr. Scott : The issue of form BF60B is a procedural matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. James Wallace, dated 27 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what guidance is given to Benefit Agency officers regarding the period of notice given to customers when sick note reminder form BF60B is sent out.
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Guidance to Benefit Agency staff does not specify how much notice a customer should be given about the expiry of their medical statement. Normally form BF60B is issued whenever an order book is issued to a customer which runs on beyond the expiry date of the medical statement. Notice to customers of expiry of medical statements would normally be in the range of 1 to 20 weeks. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.Official Cars
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many official cars are currently at the disposal of his Department.
Mr. Hague : There are currently 2,188 official vehicles in use on the Department's business.
Official Travel
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was spent by his Department on travelling abroad by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in each of the last three financial years ; and which countries were visited.
Mr. Hague : Information for financial years prior to 1992-93 is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The sum spent in the financial year 1992-93 on the cost of travelling abroad was £403,600. Countries visited in that period were :
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA and Zimbabwe.
Separate figures for Ministers and officials are not available.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent by his Department in each of the last three financial years on costs for officials travelling to France.
Mr. Hague : Information on costs for officials travelling to France in years prior to 1992-93 is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The sum spent in the financial year 1992-93 on the cost of travel to France by officials was £26,735.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992-93.
Mr. Hague : Departmental expenditure on official hospitality in the financial year 1992-93 was £175,901.
SCOTLAND
Sheep Annual Premium
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many application forms were received after the deadline for sheep annual premium ; how many were accepted late ; what were (a) the reasons for late
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applications and (b) the percentage of applications received by the deadline ; what his Department regards as exceptional circumstances ; how many applications were accepted because of exceptional circumstances ; if he will give details of each case ; and if he will make a statement.Sir Hector Monro : Thirty-eight applications were received after the closing date for applications for the 1993 sheep annual premium scheme. The EC regulations which govern the scheme provide that only those late applications which can be attributed to "force majeure" can be accepted. For this purpose, on the basis of guidance from the European Commission, "force majeure" means abnormal or unforeseeable circumstances beyond the control of the applicant. The 38 applications in question were late for a variety of reasons, but none of them fell in the "force majeure" category.
A total of 17,027 applications--99.8 per cent.--were received by the deadline.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he proposes for the election, operation and financing of community councils in his plan for reorganisation of local government in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : Our White Paper, published last July, "Shaping the Future--The New Councils" restated our commitment to community councils. We are currently examining responses and will announce our conclusions in due course.
EMPLOYMENT
Environmental Training
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representation his Department will have at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre meeting on training and education for business and the environment, to be held in Seville on 8 to 12 November.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Joint Research Centre's Eurocourse on business and the environment, originally planned for November in Seville, has been postponed until some time next year.
Restricted Reporting Orders
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what methods a journalist or newspaper editor may challenge or apply to vary a restricted reporting order made under the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : None, unless they are a party to the case.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much was spent on official hospitality in his Department in the financial year 1992-93.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : In 1992-93, the amounts spent on official entertainment by the Employment Department, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the
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Health and Safety Executive/Commission, the Employment Service and the Office of Manpower Economics were £39,000, £8,000, £20,000, £21, 000 and £10,000, respectively.ENVIRONMENT
Raw Materials
16. Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans Her Majesty's Government have to reduce United Kingdom consumption of non-renewable raw materials.
Mr. Yeo : The consumption of non-renewable raw materials will be one of the issues raised in the United Kingdom strategy for sustainable development, which the Government are currently preparing.
Sustainable Development
17. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are Her Majesty's Government's policies for sustainable development.
Mr. Gummer : The United Kingdom has taken a leading role in establishing the world strategy on sustainable development. We shall be publishing our strategy in the very near future, following the wide consultation which we have already undertaken.
Eco-labelling
18. Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about eco-labelling.
Mr. Yeo : The eco-labelling scheme was formally launched by the European Commission at the end of June 1993. The Commission has also approved the first ecological criteria, those for washing machines and dishwashers which were developed by the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board. Manufacturers of these products are now able to apply for an ecolabel for products which meet the published environmental criteria and we expect the first labels to be awarded at the turn of the year. We hope that agreement will soon be reached on a range of other criteria including those for light bulbs, hairsprays, tissue products and soil improvers.
Competitive Tendering
20. Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the services which councils may put out to tender.
Mr. Curry : Local authorities can voluntarily put out to tender any services they think it appropriate. An increasing number of councils recognise the benefits of competition and, in addition to the services already subject to compulsory competitive tendering, have their own voluntary tendering programmes.
37. Mr. Congdon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in his plans to extend CCT to a council's professional services.
Mr. Curry : We are continuing to consult the local authority associations and professional institutions on all
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aspects of the Government's proposals for extending CCT to local authority professional services, and have made considerable progress. Secondary legislation for legal and construction- related services, the first services to be introduced in the phased programme, will be circulated in draft for consultation in December and laid before Parliament thereafter. Legislation for the other services will follow.Local Government Finance
21. Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about his review of the formulae for calculating grants to local authorities.
Mr. Gummer : Work on the review of standard spending assessments for 1994-95 is now complete. I discussed the findings of the review with the local authority associations at the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance last week. Proposals for 1994-95 will be announced later this year.
28. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made to alter, amend and improve standard spending assessments.
Mr. Gummer : Work has now finished on the review of standard spending assessments for 1994-95. The primary aim of the review was to incorporate data from the 1991 census into the underlying standard spending assessment formulae. Proposals for 1994-95 will be announced later this year.
Energy Conservation
22. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to develop energy conservation projects both in domestic and business buildings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : To encourage energy efficiency at home so as to reduce the threat of global warming, my right hon. Friend will tomorrow launch the Helping the Earth week.
At the same event, the Energy Saving Trust will launch a pilot trial of local energy advice centres which is partly funded by the Government.
Council Property (Repairs)
23. Mr. Stephen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that councils repair properties promptly.
Sir George Young : We are introducing an improved right to repair scheme from 1 April 1994 which will ensure that council tenants have a simple and reliable way of getting urgent repairs carried out promptly and paid for by the council.
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