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Column 295
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 9 December 1993
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Myodil (Compensation)
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will hold an urgent investigation into the legal aid position for those suffering from arachnoiditis following treatment by Myodil and who are seeking compensation from Glaxo.
Mr. John M. Taylor : No. Decisions on individual legal aid applications are entirely a matter for the legal aid board.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
India
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Indian Government following the recent clashes between the Narmada Bachao Andolan and police during peaceful opposition of the surveying of villages due to be submerged in the Narmada valley in India.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are concerned about human rights abuses in India, including the excessive use of force by police. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs regularly raises human rights issues with the Indian Government, most recently in his talks with the Indian Prime Minister on 15 November. We have welcomed the recent establishment of the Indian Human Rights Commission which we hope will look into incidents of this type.
International Disarmament Fund
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to President Kravchuk's proposal in January for an international disarmament fund.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We have offered Ukraine practical help with missile dismantling, and we have made around £37 million available to help the process of arms reduction in the former Soviet Union. These efforts are closely co-ordinated with other major donors and we do not believe that the creation of an international fund for these purposes would increase the effectiveness of the programmes concerned.
Ukraine
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government are now proposing to take to assist the dismantling and destruction of strategic warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles in Ukraine.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We have offered Ukraine technical help with the safe disposal of toxic liquid fuel from missiles remaining in Ukraine.
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the exclusion of article V of the Lisbon protocol by the Ukrainian Parliament for the success of the non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The nuclear non-proliferation treaty, NPT, now has 162 states party--more than any other arms control agreement in history. We deeply regret the Ukrainian Parliament's specific exclusion of article V of the Lisbon protocol in its resolution on the ratification of the strategic arms reduction talks--START 1. We have noted that the Government of Ukraine has affirmed Ukraine's intention to abide by her commitments to non-nuclear weapon status, and we have called upon the Government of Ukraine to take all necessary steps towards full implementation of the START 1 treaty and accession to the NPT, as a non- nuclear weapon state, without further delay.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Next Steps
Mr. Moss : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of the next steps initiative.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Government today published the fourth next steps review--Cm 2430. It brings together information on the 92 agencies within government, and the executive organisations of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue which now constitute 60 per cent. of the civil service.
Within central Government, agencies are leaders in delivering the citizens charter commitment to customer service and value for money. The review highlights how the focus on the needs of users has been reinforced and gives examples of what individual agencies have achieved. It reports on the steps taken to enable agencies to deliver improved performance, better value for money and greater openness and accountability by, for example, clarifying the responsibilities of Ministers and chief executives, increased delegation, and sharpening the aims and objectives of agencies ; financial arrangements and pay and grading systems which are tailored to the work of individual agencies ; and the application of the competing for quality initiative.
The arrangements are therefore now in place to enable agencies to deliver real benefits to customers and the taxpayer and these are becoming increasingly evident. The review reports for Parliament and the public on the targets set for agencies and their performance against them in 1992-93 and lists key targets for 1993-94. In 1992-93 agencies met around 77 per cent. of their key targets. This represents a small improvement over the proportion of targets met last year. In general, targets have been made progressively tougher year on year. However, further progress will have to be made, particularly in the area of efficiency. There is a continuing need for Ministers to ensure that the targets they set are challenging and that they have appropriate arrangements in place for overseeing the performance of their agencies. For both tasks they may need to draw on expert advice.
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The Government's aim is that every public service should be provided in the most appropriate and cost-effective way. All the executive functions of the civil service are therefore being tested against the following criteria : first, whether they need to continue to be performed at all ; secondly, whether they need to remain the responsibility of Government ; thirdly, whether they should be market tested or contracted out ; and, fourthly, whether they should become the responsibility of an agency within Government, itself subject to the Government's competing for quality initiative. The review reports substantial further progress in this work.Once established, agencies are subject to a systematic periodic review, normally after three years of operation. The review lists the current position on these reviews. The Government want to ensure that, in this process, the widest possible range of views are taken into account. In future, therefore, we have decided that reviews will be publicly announced, including through the next steps review, to enable all those with an interest in the agency and its work to contribute to the discussion of its future organisation and status.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensions
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list the criteria for deciding what amount of any surplus in pension funds of privatised industries are split, once the actuarial assessment of the amount needed to meet the pension benefits of past and present employees has been made ;
(2) if he will list the criteria for deciding who receives any surplus of pension funds in privatised industries, after the actuarial assessment of the amount needed to meet the pension benefits of past and present employees has been made.
Mr. Hague : In all occupational pension schemes, including those of privatised industries, the application of any scheme surplus is a matter to be determined in accordance with the terms of the scheme rules. Pension arrangements on privatisation accordingly depend upon the particular circumstances of the scheme concerned.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will issue the discussion papers on occupational pensions that he announced on 3 November ; and who they will be available to.
Mr. Hague : The first five papers in a series of discussion papers on non-state pensions were published on 3 December 1993. Copies of the papers have been placed in the Library, sent to interested parties, and are available on request.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Michael Spicer : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for altering the guidelines given to the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Burt : The Government have always made it clear that the policy will be kept under review. We are looking at the recommendations of the Social Security Select Committee and other comments and concerns which have
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been raised, and testing them against the basic principles of the child support scheme. If, after examination, we think we can improve the scheme, we will do so.Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what the estimated first year running costs of the Child Support Agency are ;
(2) what the set-up costs of the Child Support Agency were.
Mr. Burt : The total cost of setting up the Child Support Agency was around £146 million. This figure includes the 1992-93 cost of liable relative work, transferred in April 1992 from the Benefits Agency to the child support unit--as the shadow agency was known before its launch in April 1993.
The costs of the agency in 1993-94 are as follows :
|£ million
----------------------------------------
Running costs |99.1
Capital |6.8
Other current costs |13.9
|---
Total |119.8
Source: Winter Supplementary Estimate,
November 1993.
Disability
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional measures have been taken by his Department to assist the operation of the independent tribunal service since the introduction of disability living allowance.
Mr. Scott : I am advised by the independent tribunal service that, since the introduction of disability living allowance, its budget for running costs has been increased by over £21 million. It has been authorised to increase its staff by 357 posts.
Fraud
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are engaged in his Department in combating fraud ; and at what annual cost.
Mr. Hague : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) on 23 November at columns 83-85.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Communications
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what communications have been received from or sent to any terrorist organisation or Sinn Fein since 29 November.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : For the reasons I explained to the House on 29 November, Official Report, columns 785-812, while it is useful to have a means of communication by which messages could be exchanged indirectly between the Government and the provisional movement, such a chain could function only if its secrecy was respected on both sides. Accordingly, we do not propose to divulge any
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further information about messages sent or received or to comment further, save to give the assurance that any communications from Her Majesty's Government will be consistent with their publicly stated policies.Comptroller and Auditor-General
Mr. Roy Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements have been made to appoint a new Comptroller and Auditor- General for Northern Ireland.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : Her Majesty the Queen has graciously approved the appointment of Mr. John Michael Dowdall as Comptroller and Auditor- General for Northern Ireland in succession to Dr. W. H. Jack CB who is due to retire on 17 February 1994.
WALES
Youth Service
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his policy for the youth service.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 27 April 1993, Official Report, column 363.
I reaffirmed the Welsh Office's continued support for the Welsh youth service in my keynote speech to the national youth service conference in Cardiff on 3 December.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in the youth service in each of the counties of Wales ; and how many were in post in 1983.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not collected centrally.
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Information Security
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the operation of his Department's sensitive documents unit ; how many staff are employed in its operation ; and approximately how many documents per annum come within its purview.
Mr. Redwood : My Department does not have a separate unit for handling sensitive documents. This function is subsumed in the general records management operation. A record of the number of such documents is not maintained.
Health Service
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) clerical and administrative staff and (b) nurses and doctors are employed in each of the hospital trusts in Wales ; how many clerical and administrative staff are employed in the NHS ; and how many were employed in 1990.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information relating to administrative and clerical and nursing and midwifery staff in each NHS trust at 30 September 1993 is given in the table.
The latest information on medical staff in the hospital and community service relates to 30 September 1992. At that time, there were 2,805 medical staff in the NHS in Wales--whole-time equivalents, including eight hospital practitioners and 146 clinical assistants. The equivalent figure for 1990 was 2,634--including 12 hospital practitioners and 138 clinical assistants. In 1992, there was only one NHS trust in Wales--Pembrokeshire-- which employed 87 medical staff--including five clinical assistants.
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Staff in post (whole-time equivalents) as at 30 September 1993
Trust Administrative Nursing and
and clerical midwifery
|Managerial<2>|Other |Other |Learners<3> |Total<3>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridgend and District |29 |275 |1,254 |- |1,254
Carmarthen |21 |195 |581 |21 |602
Ceredigion |16 |107 |419 |16 |435
Clwydian Community Care |53 |283 |1,537 |- |1,537
Glan Clwyd Hospital |27 |271 |869 |- |869
Glanhafren |40 |451 |1,660 |1 |1,661
Gwent Community |49 |260 |1,273 |1 |1,274
Llandough |20 |266 |764 |- |764
Llanelli/Dinefwr |17 |131 |522 |22 |544
Pembrokeshire<1> |1 |107 |544 |21 |565
Powys Health Care |37 |196 |1,009 |23 |1,032
Swansea |15 |232 |809 |- |809
Wrexham Maelor Hospital |27 |234 |837 |- |837
All NHS<4> |1,028 |8,577 |25,206 |1,033 |26,239
Staff in post (whole-time equivalents) as at 30 September 1990
All NHS<4> |416 |7,653 |25,018 |3,075 |28,093
<1>The use of locally devised pay scales from 1991 onwards may affect the comparability of figures as staff
on such scales cannot be allocated centrally to a specific staff group and are not, therefore, included
above. This particularly affects figures for the Pembrokeshire NHS trust.
<2>May include some managers previously classified in staff groups other than administrative and clerical.
<3>Since 1991 student nurses have been classified as students and are no longer included in the NHS staff
figures. Staff included here are students finishing courses started before this date.
<4>Includes staff employed by the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, NHS trusts and those family
health service authorities using district health authority payroll systems. Administrative and clerical
staff employed by the South East Wales ambulance trust are not included in the 1993 figures.
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Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of the Welsh health authorities and trusts in relation to the signing of contracts between purchasers and providers within this financial year ; what guidelines he has issued or will issue in relation to recommended final dates for publishing draft prices for 1994-95 ; what expectations of advancement he has of the time of signing contracts between purchasers and providers between 1993-94 performance and 1994-95 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Signing contracts is a matter for health authorities and provider units, although early agreement and signature are encouraged.
Following discussions with the NHS in Wales, a timetable for planning services and completing the contracting process was issued in August this year. Health authorities and provider units will be expected to sign contracts in accordance with this published schedule.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to issue his final allocation letter to the health authorities in Wales for the current financial year.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The initial revenue and capital allocations to health authorities for 1993-94 were announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 4 March, Official Report, columns 252-58, and this was followed by detailed allocations from the director of the national health service in Wales on 10 March.
Allocations are always subject to adjustment throughout the financial year as funding is released for centrally sponsored developments.
The latest allocation adjustments were notified to health authorities on 15 November. Further adjustments will be issued during the remainder of the year as provision held in reserve for centrally funded service developments is claimed by authorities.
Toxic Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the proportion of imports and exports for each year through Welsh sea ports, contained at table 6.12 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics" 1993, page 103, which comprise hazardous or toxic wastes.
Mr. Redwood : As information on the import of hazardous waste is available only from 1988, figures for 1981 comparable to the data given in table 6.12 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics" cannot be supplied. Data for 1990, 1991 and 1992 are shown in the table. Information on the export of hazardous waste is not collected centrally.
Imports of hazardous waste into Welsh ports for disposal in
England
and Wales<1>
Tonnes<2>
|1990 |1991 |1992
------------------------------------------------------------------
Near and short sea trading areas:
Irish Republic |2,313.2|848.9 |426.4
Germany |113.3 |154.6 |-
Benelux |- |- |-
France |- |- |-
Italy |- |- |-
Scandinavia and Baltic |- |25.1 |-
Iberia and Mediterranean<3> |176.3 |- |301.9
|---- |---- |----
Total<4> |5,505.5|1,991.0|1,623.6
Deep sea trading areas:
Africa |- |- |-
India and Persian Gulf |- |- |-
Far East |- |- |-
Australasia |- |- |-
America |- |- |-
|-- |-- |--
Total |- |- |-
All overseas trading areas |- |- |-
Source: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
<1> As reported to HMIP.
- indicates no waste reported.
<2> Includes crates and packaging. Therefore not directly
comparable with the "Digest of Welsh Statistics," table 6.12.
<3> Excludes Italy.
<4> Includes Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary
which are not included separately.
Forestry
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future of the freedom to roam on any forestry land currently available in the forests and woods of Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : We have no plans to change our policy of allowing "freedom to roam" on forestry land managed by the Forestry Commission. Arrangements have been in place since October 1991 to secure continued public access to Forestry Commission woodlands in the event of their disposal, through the commission offering local authorities the opportunity to enter into access arrangements prior to sale.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the value of the forests of the Forestry Commission in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The latest published valuation of the Forestry Commission's forests, as at 31 March 1992, included a figure of £632.8 million for its forests in Wales. An estimate of the value of the forests at 31 March 1993 will be published in the commission's annual report and accounts early in the new year, once the accounts have been examined and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Shell Fishing
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements exist for examining the environmental implications of licence authorisations for shell fishing in inshore waters.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Under the terms of the Sea Fisheries (Wildlife Conservation) Act 1992, Ministers and sea fisheries committees are required, in discharging their functions to have regard to the conservation of marine flora and fauna.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of tonnes of cockles harvested since 8 October from Traeth Lafan, Conwy bay, and the proportion taken from the site of special scientific interest.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : This is a matter for the North Western and North Wales sea fisheries committee.
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Grant-Maintained Schools
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the grant-maintained schools and those schools seeking grant- maintained status in each of the local education authorities of Wales, giving the amount of extra cash grants for each of the grant-maintained schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information is as follows :
Local education authority and school
Clwyd
Ysgol Emrys ap Iwan Comprehensive
The Maelor School Comprehensive
Ysgol Derwen Primary
Eirias High School
Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn Primary
Ysgol Bryn Elian Comprehensive
Dyfed
None
Gwent
Cwmcarn Comprehensive
Brynmawr Comprehensive
St. Alban's Comprehensive
Our Lady and St. Michael's Primary
Gwynedd
Ysgol Caergeiliog Primary
Mid Glamorgan
None
Powys
Ysgol Llanerfyl Primary
South Glamorgan
Stanwell Comprehensive
St. Cyres Comprehensive
Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic High School
West Glamorgan
Bishop Vaughan Catholic Comprehensive
Approved for grant-maintained status with effect from 1 January 1994.
Proposals currently under consideration.
As regards the funding of grant-maintained schools, I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 6 December 1993, Official Report, column 47.
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