Previous Section Home Page

Column 786

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Robin Corbett, dated 16 December 1993 :

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about any proposals the Prison Service has to build a new prison in Birmingham.

Although the Prison Service is actively seeking sites for new prisons, at present there are no specific plans to build a new prison in Birmingham. Any such sites must be near to the locality from which prisoners come in order to meet our commitments set out in the White Paper "Custody, Care and Justice". At present, there are insufficient prison places available in the West Midlands area to house all the prisoners who come from that area.

Hunters

Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect his proposals for an offence of aggravated trespass would have on hunters entering land belonging to people who have not given them permission to do so.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The proposed new offence will apply to all trespassers, including hunters, who disrupt, or seek to disrupt, a lawful activity on land.

Administration

Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992- 93 ; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993-94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in, 1992- 93 prices ; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994-95 in (a) cash terms and (b) 1992-93 prices.

Mr. Howard : The final outturn for the recurrent costs of running the Department in 1992-93 is £1,421 million. The estimated outturn for 1993-94 is £1,642 million--£1,590 million at 1992-93 prices. These figures include the costs of immigration service staff and of Prison Service grades. The planned running costs expenditure for 1994-95 will be published in the Home Office annual report 1994 and in the unified Budget supplement.

Metropolitan Police

Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about Mr. Graham Wyn Jones, Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

Mr. Howard : Following a review by Mr. Jeremy Gompertz QC of the evidence relating to Mr. Wyn Jones's conduct, the then Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informed my predecessor in October 1992 that he regarded Mr. Wyn Jones's behaviour as reprehensible and wholly inconsistent with what was expected of someone holding the office of Assistant Commissioner.

The Permanent Under-Secretary of State of the Home Department heard representations from Mr. Wyn Jones in January 1993.

My predecessor subsequently concluded that Her Majesty the Queen should be advised that Mr. Wyn Jones should no longer be regarded as fit to hold his office. I delayed putting such advice to Her Majesty so that Mr. Wyn Jones should have an opportunity to seek leave to apply for judicial review. This he did, but on 2 December 1993 the Divisional Court refused him leave.


Column 787

I accordingly advised Her Majesty the Queen that Mr. Wyn Jones must be regarded as unfit to continue to hold office as an Assistant Commissioner and Her Majesty has now withdrawn his warrant of appointment. Mr. Wyn Jones has been removed from office.

Court Escort Service

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in selecting a contractor to operate the court escort service in the Metropolitan police district.

Mr. Howard : On 16 February, my predecessor announced an intention to invite tenders for the provision of the court escort and custody service for the Metropolitan police district, under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.

After carefully considering the proposals submitted, the Prisons Board has decided to award the contract to Securicor Custodial Services Ltd. A contract will be signed before the end of the year. The new service will come into operation in five phases starting in July 1994, using staff who are required by statute and under the contract to be properly trained and vetted. It will release prison and police officers to concentrate on duties more appropriate to their particular skills and duties.

Travel Documents

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the policy and practice on the issue of Home Office travel documents.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Officials have written to the United Kingdom representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to other interested


Column 788

organisations setting out changes which are to be introduced on 1 January 1994. The new arrangements clarify our policy and practice in the issue of Home Office travel documents and the charges we make for them. I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library.

Parish Constables

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made on the parish constable initiative ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard : Commitments have been received from police forces and communities to 38 schemes. Twenty of these schemes will be evaluated by the Home Office.

I am greatly encouraged by the response to this initiative, which has been very positive. Communities and police forces all over the country are engaged in a constructive process of consultation. I expect to be in a position to give an account of progress on a force by force basis early in the spring.

Hit and Run Accidents

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by police authority for the last four years, and for this year to date, the number of hit and run vehicle accidents involving pedestrians that have been reported ; how many of the accidents were caused by stolen vehicles ; and how many resulted in the death of the pedestrian.

Mr. Key : I have been asked to reply.

The number of hit and run accidents involving pedestrians and the number of hit and run accidents involving pedestrian fatalities for the last four years for each police authority are given in the tables. Data for 1993 are not yet available. Information on stolen vehicles involved in injury accidents is not available.


Column 787


Hit and run accidents involving pedestrians: 1989 to 1992                              

                       Year of Accident                                                

[NL]                  |Police Force|1989        |1990        |1991                     

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metropolitan Police   |1,578       |1,440       |1,358       |1,255                    

Cumbria               |45          |38          |38          |32                       

Lancashire            |152         |166         |172         |181                      

Merseyside            |233         |205         |220         |232                      

Greater Manchester    |512         |425         |445         |442                      

Cheshire              |97          |98          |86          |80                       

Northumbria           |178         |187         |170         |162                      

Durham                |51          |75          |67          |60                       

North Yorkshire       |79          |71          |56          |40                       

West Yorkshire        |191         |231         |259         |257                      

South Yorkshire       |153         |143         |133         |139                      

Humberside            |89          |117         |91          |89                       

Cleveland             |95          |102         |93          |69                       

West Midlands         |364         |411         |424         |380                      

Staffordshire         |93          |108         |87          |89                       

West Mercia           |82          |79          |91          |62                       

Warwickshire          |35          |28          |33          |36                       

Derbyshire            |85          |89          |84          |85                       

Nottinghamshire       |154         |138         |123         |113                      

Lincolnshire          |33          |41          |28          |40                       

Leicestershire        |85          |68          |85          |89                       

Northamptonshire      |46          |40          |34          |46                       

Cambridgeshire        |56          |47          |45          |59                       

Norfolk               |74          |66          |63          |49                       

Suffolk               |43          |44          |28          |26                       

Bedfordshire          |53          |49          |27          |41                       

Hertfordshire         |68          |75          |49          |58                       

Essex                 |121         |112         |108         |115                      

Thames Valley         |180         |144         |114         |119                      

Hampshire             |137         |143         |138         |144                      

Surrey                |73          |83          |70          |56                       

Kent                  |132         |153         |152         |120                      

Sussex                |120         |135         |126         |113                      

Devon and Cornwall    |130         |120         |129         |134                      

Avon and Somerset     |129         |75          |99          |82                       

Gloucestershire       |44          |31          |41          |41                       

Wiltshire             |37          |43          |44          |39                       

Dorset                |56          |60          |42          |46                       

North Wales           |52          |74          |65          |59                       

Gwent                 |26          |14          |45          |29                       

South Wales           |234         |209         |185         |171                      

Dyfed-Powys           |26          |29          |48          |35                       

Northern              |8           |7           |7           |9                        

Grampian              |44          |35          |56          |53                       

Tayside               |23          |23          |20          |17                       

Fife                  |20          |14          |14          |17                       

Lothian and Borders   |100         |104         |86          |112                      

Central               |12          |19          |17          |17                       

Strathclyde           |195         |240         |220         |210                      

Dumfries and Galloway |10          |12          |8           |5                        

                      |-------     |-------     |-------     |-------                  

Total                 |6,633       |6,460       |6,223       |5,954                    


Hit and run accidents involving pedestrian fatalities:                                                     

1989 to 1992                                                                                               

                      |Year of accident                                                                    

Police force          |1989            |1990            |1991            |1992                             

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metropolitan Police   |14              |14              |16              |19                               

Cumbria               |1               |2               |1               |0                                

Lancashire            |0               |2               |2               |3                                

Merseyside            |4               |6               |8               |2                                

Greater Manchester    |7               |16              |15              |8                                

Cheshire              |3               |1               |0               |0                                

Northumbria           |2               |5               |6               |6                                

Durham                |3               |3               |3               |0                                

North Yorkshire       |2               |1               |0               |0                                

West Yorkshire        |3               |5               |4               |3                                

South Yorkshire       |2               |4               |4               |5                                

Humberside            |0               |0               |0               |1                                

Cleveland             |0               |2               |1               |0                                

West Midlands         |6               |6               |8               |6                                

Staffordshire         |1               |0               |0               |0                                

West Mercia           |0               |0               |2               |0                                

Warwickshire          |2               |0               |0               |0                                

Derbyshire            |0               |1               |2               |2                                

Nottinghamshire       |1               |2               |2               |1                                

Lincolnshire          |0               |0               |0               |0                                

Leicestershire        |1               |1               |1               |0                                

Northamptonshire      |3               |0               |0               |0                                

Cambridgeshire        |1               |1               |0               |0                                

Norfolk               |2               |2               |0               |1                                

Suffolk               |0               |1               |0               |0                                

Bedfordshire          |0               |1               |2               |0                                

Hertfordshire         |1               |1               |1               |3                                

Essex                 |2               |3               |1               |0                                

Thames Valley         |4               |2               |1               |1                                

Hampshire             |2               |5               |0               |3                                

Surrey                |0               |2               |0               |0                                

Kent                  |4               |4               |3               |2                                

Sussex                |3               |2               |1               |0                                

Devon and Cornwall    |1               |0               |2               |2                                

Avon and Somerset     |2               |3               |5               |4                                

Gloucestershire       |1               |0               |1               |1                                

Wiltshire             |0               |0               |1               |0                                

Dorset                |0               |1               |1               |1                                

North Wales           |2               |0               |0               |1                                

Gwent                 |0               |0               |1               |0                                

South Wales           |2               |1               |3               |6                                

Dyfed-Powys           |0               |0               |1               |1                                

Northern              |0               |0               |1               |0                                

Grampian              |1               |0               |0               |1                                

Tayside               |0               |1               |0               |0                                

Fife                  |0               |0               |0               |0                                

Lothian and Borders   |2               |4               |1               |1                                

Central               |0               |1               |0               |0                                

Strathclyde           |3               |3               |4               |6                                

Dumfries and Galloway |0               |0               |0               |0                                

                      |-------         |-------         |-------         |-------                          

Total                 |88              |109             |105             |90                               

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the employment status of the Under-Secretary General of the department of humanitarian affairs at the United Nations.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Under-Secretary General of the United Nations department of humanitarian affairs is appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General on a fixed term contract for one year, which may be renewed by mutual agreement.

United Nations Emergency Intervention

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what policy proposals he has to improve the co- ordination of United Nations activities in emergency intervention situations ;

(2) what proposals he has for changing the role of the department of humanitarian affairs at the United Nations ;

(3) what assessment he has made of the performance of the department of humanitarian affairs at the United Nations.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The views of Her Majesty's Government on the improvement of the co-ordination of United Nations emergency relief and the performance to date and future role of the United Nations department of humanitarian affairs are set out in the address of my noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development to the United Nations General Assembly of 19 November 1993, a copy of which has been placed in both the Libraries of the House.


Column 791

Aid

Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how British aid is helping poverty reduction in developing countries.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The British aid programme, in collaboration with the World Bank and other donors, is supporting economic reform programmes in developing countries, which will set the policy framework for sustainable growth and create jobs. At the same time the Overseas Development Administration is assisting recipient governments to define and carry out their own poverty reduction strategies, to ensure that the poor benefit from economic growth. We are also providing direct assistance to the poor in developing countries, to enhance their livelihood security, increase their incomes, and improve their access to basic social services.

Non-governmental Organisations

Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list payments made to each non-governmental organisation under the joint funding scheme in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Details of all ODA grants made to United Kingdom non-governmental organisations under the joint funding scheme, for the financial year 1992-93, are set out in the table.


ODA joint funding scheme grants to NGOs 1992-93                      

Amount of grant awarded in financial year 1992-93                    

                                               |£                    

---------------------------------------------------------------------

ACORD                                          |625,066              

ActionAid                                      |992,749              

Action Health 2000                             |27,541               

ADD                                            |166,621              

ADRA                                           |9,213                

Africa Now                                     |69,283               

Africa Resource Trust                          |66,118               

Aga Khan Foundation                            |459,302              

AHRTAG                                         |280,846              

Alternative for India Development              |65,351               

AMREF                                          |194,642              

APT Design and Development                     |153,031              

APTT Trust-United Kingdom                      |4,163                

British Nepal Medical Trust                    |27,260               

British Red Cross Society                      |53,550               

Busoga Trust                                   |50,000               

CAFOD                                          |1,321,000            

Cambodia Trust                                 |160,000              

CARE Britain                                   |1,339,687            

Catholic Institute for International Relations |193,825              

Childhope                                      |34,750               

Christian Aid                                  |2,231,000            

Christian Outreach                             |44,771               

Christians Abroad                              |5,112                

CODA International Training (CIT)              |58,022               

Commonwealth Human Ecology Council             |13,601               

Commonwealth Trade Union Council               |167,567              

Concern                                        |997,569              

Conservation Foundation                        |74,244               

Cooperation For Development                    |394,325              

Cusichaca Project Trust                        |33,551               

Duke of Edinburgh Award                        |39,523               

Durham-Lesotho Link                            |40,692               

Feed The Minds                                 |14,638               

Find Your Feet                                 |10,370               

Food For The Hungry                            |7,820                

Friends of Conservation                        |63,179               

Friends of Urambo and Mwanhala                 |8,791                

Gaia Foundation                                |1,306                

Gordon Barclay Vietnam Fund                    |5,481                

Halo Trust                                     |188,900              

Harvest Help                                   |34,423               

Health Aid Moyo                                |84,180               

Health Unlimited                               |426,935              

Hedley Roberts Trust                           |13,477               

Help The Aged                                  |199,014              

Henry Doubleday Research Association           |17,521               

Homeless International                         |90,280               

ICBP                                           |76,940               

Impact Foundation                              |8,818                

India Development Group                        |39,375               

Institute of Development Studies               |140                  

International Committee for Andean Aid         |21,769               

Intercare                                      |43,178               

Intermediate Technology Development            |495,856              

International Agricultural Training            |27,240               

International Children's Trust                 |1,717                

International Christian Relief                 |102,349              

Lasallian Projects                             |6,993                

Leonard Cheshire Foundation                    |4,350                

Leprosy Mission                                |12,575               

Living Earth                                   |178,100              

Medical Aid for Palestinians                   |46,530               

Money for Madagascar                           |20,649               

MSI                                            |993,902              

National Children's Home                       |66,767               

New Age Access                                 |9,800                

Ockenden Venture                               |36,665               

One World Action                               |11,289               

OXFAM                                          |4,207,651            

Panos Institute                                |13,550               

Plan International                             |622,309              

Population Concern                             |304,815              

Project Mala                                   |69,317               

Richmond Fellowship International              |33,566               

Rio Maza                                       |21,179               

Royal Commonwealth Society                     |231,006              

Ryder-Cheshire Foundation                      |11,441               

SALTLIC                                        |13,247               

Save The Children Fund                         |3,531,000            

SCIAF                                          |131,898              

Scripture Union                                |36,089               

Send A Cow                                     |39,417               

Skillshare Africa                              |150,132              

SOS Sahel                                      |206,930              

South African Townships Health Fund            |80,000               

SPICMA                                         |24,179               

St. John Ambulance                             |9,738                

Tanzania Development Trust                     |191                  

Tear Fund                                      |75,800               

Toch-H                                         |11,024               

Traidcraft Exchange                            |130,739              

TRAX Programme Support                         |9,603                

Tropical Health and Education Trust            |15,446               

TUIREG                                         |14,709               

Uganda Society for Disabled Children           |173,909              

United Kingdom Jewish Aid                      |95,000               

UKFSP                                          |125,297              

University of Warwick                          |21,700               

Urban Aid                                      |62,477               

VetAid                                         |47,815               

Village Service Trust                          |8,501                

Vision Aid Overseas                            |26,149               

VSO                                            |65,000               

Water Aid                                      |772,325              

Womankind                                      |120,717              

World University Service                       |176,642              

World Vision                                   |304,450              

Worldwide Fund for Nature                      |1,510,000            

Youth With A Mission                           |48,411               

Y-Care International                           |52,856               

Zimbabwe Trust                                 |552,080              

Zoological Society of London                   |40,000               

                                               |-------              

Total                                          |27,963,597           


Column 793

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Private Contractors

Mr. Cox : To ask the Chairman of the Finance and Services Committee if he will list the work within the House that is now undertaken by private contractors.

Mr. Channon : Private contractors are used extensively in the provision of services to the House. The Parliamentary Works Directorate makes use of contractors and consultants for works projects funded by subheads A1, A2, and A3 of the vote for works services ; and Departments of the House commission consultants and contractors to provide administrative or technical support in such fields as recruitment, training, catering and information technology. Details are a matter for the respective heads of Department.

National Audit Office

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how many reports have been prepared by Clark Whitehill into the value for money achieved by the National Audit Office ; what

recommendations it has made for improvements ; which of its reports he will make publicly available ; if he will give his reasons in respect of those he will not place in the public domain ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Peter Hordern : The Public Accounts Commission appointed Clark Whitehill as external auditors of the National Audit Office on 1 April 1990 for a period of up to five years. At the request of the Commission they have so far produced two value for money reports on the National Audit Office.

In November 1991, Clark Whitehill reported on the National Audit Office's environmental policy, monitoring and reporting. They recommended that the NAO adopt an environmental policy statement, set environmental targets and objectives, and improve monitoring of environmental legislation and European Community activities. The Comptroller and Auditor General took prompt action in response to all recommendations.

In 1993 Clark Whitehill reviewed the National Audit Office's certification audit methods. They reported to the Commission in June 1993, and concluded that NAO methods are comparable to best practice in the auditing profession and result in efficient audits of an acceptable quality. Again, the Comptroller and Auditor General has taken action to implement the recommendations, and he reported details of progress to the Commission earlier this month. He will be reporting again in 1994.

I have arranged for copies of both reports to be placed in the Library.

Public Accounts Commission

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission (1) what plans he has to centralise the functions of the Audit Office by relocating the employment and training division from Sheffield to London ;

(2) what estimate he has made for the cost of relocating the employment and training division of the Audit Office from Sheffield to London ; and what estimates have been made of the travelling expenses that would arise from such a relocation.


Column 794

Sir Peter Hordern : Decisions on the administration and organisation of the NAO are a matter for the Comptroller and Auditor General to take within his budget, which is considered by the Public Accounts Commission on behalf of the House.

I understand that the NAO has 15 staff in Sheffield who undertake the audit of the Department of Employment, the Employment Services Agency and a number of non-departmental public bodies. This work is carried out at various locations across the country but only 4 per cise the handling of the work carried out from its Sheffield office. The NAO has estimated that it will achieve a net saving of £1 million over 10 years by arranging for some of the work to be undertaken by private sector accountancy firms located where the work needs to be done and by transferring responsibility for other work to its headquarters in London.

PRIME MINISTER

Homeless People

Q10. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Prime Minister when he next expects to meet representatives of London's homeless people.

The Prime Minister : I have no plans to do so at present. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing, Inner Cities and Construction frequently meets staff of voluntary sector bodies working with homeless people in central London ; and he regularly visits projects managed by these agencies.

Special Advisers

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

The Prime Minister : My special advisers are Sir Rodric Braithwaite KCMG, Mrs. Sarah Hogg, Mr. Nicholas True CBE, Mr. Damian Green, Lord Poole and Mrs. Katherine Ramsay. Their duties vary.

Norwegian and German Prime Ministers

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 2 December, Official Report, column 687, if he will give more specific details on the range of issues he discussed with his Norwegian and German counterparts.

The Prime Minister : My discussions with Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway on 16 November covered the European Community, Norwegian accession and Norway's whaling policy. In my talks with Chancellor Kohl on 25 November, we discussed problems of unemployment ; growth and competitiveness within the EC ; enlargement ; subsidiarity and the fight against terrorism ; drug trafficking and organised crime ; GATT ; the forthcoming NATO summit and other foreign policy issues, including Bosnia.


Column 795

Engagements

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 16 December.

The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House. I shall be having further meetings later today.

Chemical Weapons

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to ratify the chemical weapons convention before the convention enters into force.

The Prime Minister : The United Kingdom played an active role in the negotiations leading to the opening for signature of the chemical weapons convention and continues to play an active role in the preparatory commission in The Hague, which is working towards the establishment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The United Kingdom signed the Convention in January 1993 and we intend to ratify the chemical weapons convention at the earliest possible opportunity.

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to put in place the necessary legislation to enable the United Kingdom to fulfil its obligation under the chemical weapons covention in time for Her Majesty's Government to ratify the convention by 18 July 1994.

The Prime Minister : We intend to introduce implementing legislation for the convention as soon as parliamentary time permits.

Press Releases

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister how many press releases his office has issued in each year since 1979.

The Prime Minister : Since I took office in 1990, some 200 press releases have been issued each year. Figures for previous years would be obtainable only at disproportionate costs.

EC Infrastructure Programmes

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out (a) the treaty powers and (b) other powers granted to the European Commission with regard to infrastructure programmes.

The Prime Minister : Titles XII--trans-European networks--and XIV-- economic and social cohesion--of part 3 of the EC treaty, as amended by the treaty on European Union, are those principally concerned with infrastructure. The regulations governing the structural and cohesion funds --EC2080-2085/93 and EC792/93--set out the role of the Commission in this field. Articles 198d-e of the treaty refer to the European investment bank which lends to investment projects, the greater proportion of which are infrastructure improvements.


Column 796

EC Official Languages

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to seek a reduction in the number of official languages in the European Community.

The Prime Minister : We have no plans to seek a reduction in the number of official languages of the European Community. It is right that legislation and judgments which apply in each member state should be officially available in the language of the citizens of that country.

European Commission

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy regarding the number of Commissioners appropriate to an EC expanded by the four applicant countries ; and by what measures he seeks to achieve such a quantity.

The Prime Minister : At the Brussels European Council on 10 and 11 December, all member states agreed that the EFTA applicants should be given one Commissioner each, with the question of the number of Commissioners to be reviewed at the 1996 intergovernmental conference. We have made clear our view that it would not be in the best interests, either of the Commission or of the Community as a whole, to maintain the present arrangements governing the number of Commissioners as the European Union continues to enlarge.

Capital Markets

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Presidency conclusions as to how the capital markets can be made more efficient in order to encourage a flow of savings into productive job- creating investments.

The Prime Minister : Implementation of a number of directives relating to banking and financial services should facilitate the development of efficient capital markets within the Community. Member states also need to ensure that domestic capital markets encourage the flow of savings into productive job-creating investments. My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, recently announced that the Treasury is currently reviewing this area. The Economic Secretary is examining the role of banks and other financial institutions in channelling finance to industry. The Financial Secretary is examining the impact of tax and other Government policies on savings and the flow of funds through the economy. These reviews will make an important contribution to ensuring that policies in this area enhance our economic performance.

Subsidiarity

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the EC directives which the Government have proposed so far should be abolished, modified or replaced on the ground of subsidiarity, setting out what has happened so far in each case.

The Prime Minister : In Community discussions about putting the principle of subsidiarity into effect, the Government have put forward a large number of suggestions for the amendment, repeal or withdrawal of


Column 797

existing or proposed legislation. The Commission's report to the European Council last week reflected many of our suggestions and, following the European Council's endorsement, action will now begin in Brussels to put the report's recommendations into effect. A copy of the Commission's report has been made available to the House.

New Jobs

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister what opportunities are available to the European Commission for the discovery of a source of new jobs which are not also available to national Governments.

The Prime Minister : As the Government stated in their contribution to the Commission's white paper, the Community's central aim must be the creation of conditions for enterprise, innovation and investment to generate wealth and employment. To achieve this the Government recommended that the Commission should ensure that the single market works effectively, that the principle of subsidiarity is put into effect and that it should undertake an audit of community legislation to remove barriers to employment. All these proposals were reflected in the conclusions of the European Council.

National Regulations

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the European Council on the request to the European Commission to audit national regulations.

The Prime Minister : The European Council in Brussels on 10 and 11 December adpoted a short-to-medium-term action plan to reinforce the competitiveness of the European economy, which the Council will monitor. The Council recognised the importance of a large European export-oriented market and proposed a number of measures to exploit this major asset.

The Council recognised that legislation must be simplified and reduced in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, and that consistency between national and Community legislation must be ensured. The Council requested the Commission to examine ways of creating a more favourable business environment for small and medium-sized enterprises for example, by providing for an audit of Community and national regulations in terms of their consequences for employment. Any review of national regulation will respect the competences of Community and member states and the principle of subsidiarity.

The Government have nearly completed a comprehensive review of 3, 500 regulations which impact on United Kingdom business to ensure that they do not impede our potential for wealth and job creation. We welcome similar efforts at the Community level and at member state level systematically to review legislation which impairs the competitiveness of European industries and Europe's potential for economic growth and employment.

EC Voting Procedures

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister what powers he has to prevent any dilution of the blocking minority under qualified majority voting procedures ; and to what extent such powers are constrained by the presidency conclusions.


Column 798

The Prime Minister : Any change to the qualified majority voting procedures must be agreed by all member states. The question of the blocking minority threshold in an enlarged Community was not resolved at the European Council held in Brussels on 10 and 11 December.

European Investment Bank

Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister to what extent additional loans from the European investment bank will be underwritten by other EC institutions.

The Prime Minister : The European investment bank is required by its statute to lend only if it has a guarantee from a member state or other adequate guarantees, such as from a commercial bank. It is not the practice, nor is it intended, for Community institutions to guarantee EIB loans within the European Community.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Car Boot Sales

Mr. French : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence she has of farmers having used fields subject to set-aside payments for car boot sales.

Mr. Jack : Car boot sales can be held on land set aside under the non-agricultural use option of the voluntary five year set-aside scheme ; payments under this option are reduced to reflect the fact that the farmer may be earning some income from the land. In certain, strictly defined circumstances, car boot sales may also be permitted on some other land set aside under the five year scheme and the arable area payments scheme. In all cases, it is the farmer's responsibility to obtain any planning permission that may be required.

The information which we have about the numbers of car boot sales on set- aside land is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Forestry Commission

Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to sell off any woods owned by the Forestry Commission in East Anglia under the current disposal programme.

Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission has no forest land on the market at present in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire or Essex.

Cetaceans

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures she intends to introduce to implement article 12(4) of the EC habitats and species directive (92/43/EEC) which requires member states to ensure that incidental capture and killing of dolphins, whales and other cetaceans in fishing gear does not endanger the population of those species.

Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 26 October, Official Report , column 567 .


Column 799

Sea Birds

Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures she intends to introduce to monitor the incidental entanglement of sea birds in fishing gear and to ensure that populations of those sea birds do not become endangered.

Mr. Jack : The sea fisheries inspectorate is instructed to report immediately any major incidents of sea birds being caught in fishing gear. They also make an annual report. There is no evidence to suggest that cases of entrapment, which are rare, are currently threatening the survival of any species of sea bird.

Forestry, Hillsborough

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to sell any of the Forestry Commission woods in the constituency of Sheffield, Hillsborough under the current disposal programme.

Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission has no forest land on the market at present in the hon. Member's constituency.


Next Section

  Home Page