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Estimated cost to National Insurance Fund<4> Financial year |£ million --------------------------------------------- 1993-94 |<2>105 1994-95 |80 <1>1995-96 |<3>100 <1> Estimates for later years are not available. <2> Estimates for 1993-94 include arrears from 1 April 1992, the date of the commissioner's decision. <3> Estimates for 1995-96 take account of the proposed introduction of incapacity benefit from April 1995. <4> All estimates are expressed in constant 1994-95 benefit rates, and are rounded to the nearest £5 million.
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Appointed Day Requirements
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce the appointed day requirements as set out under the Social Security Act 1990.
Mr. Hague : The appointed day requirements in the Social Security Act 1990 refer to the limited price indexation--LPI--of salary-related occupational pensions. The implementation of LPI is one of the many issues for the Government to consider in the light of the recommendations in the Pensions Law Review Committee report "Pension Law Reform" and the responses to our series of discussion papers on non-state pensions issued on 3 December.
European Court of Justice
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the outcome of recent European Court of Justice cases affecting his Department's policies.
Mr. Hague : Since the beginning of April 1993, three such cases have been decided, but none has required a change of policy. In the first case, the European Court of
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Justice ruled that survivors' benefits in occupational pension schemes should be equal for men and women. It also confirmed that its earlier ruling in the Barber case, requiring equality in occupational pensions, applied only in respect of pensionable service after 17 May 1990. In the second case, the court upheld the validity of national time limits for payment of benefit relating to periods before the date of claim. In the third case, the court held that in certain circumstances occupational "bridging pensions" could be paid to men between the ages of 60 and 65.Press Officers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many press officers his Department has employed in each year since 1983.
Mr. Hague : Information for the years 1983 to 1988 is not available in the form requested. The Department of Social Security did not exist independently until August 1988.
The figures for 1988 onwards are in the table. They include the Benefits Agency, Contributions Agency and Child Support Agency where indicated.
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|Headquarters |Benefits Agency |Contributions Agency|Child Support Agency
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 1988 to April 1989 |8 |- |- |-
April 1989 to April 1990 |8 |- |- |-
April 1990 to April 1991 |8 |- |- |-
April 1991 to April 1992 |8 |1 |- |-
April 1992 to April 1993 |<1>10 |2 |1 |-
April 1993 |<1>10 |3 |1 |3
<1>Includes one press officer on long-term secondment to Motability.
Correspondence
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of correspondence received by (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's agencies receives (i) an acknowledgement within five days and (ii) a substantive reply time within 15 days.
Mr. Hague : Correspondence to Ministers from hon. Members is registered and an acknowledgement produced on the day of receipt. The departmental target for substantive replies is 20 working days. This has been achieved in 77 per cent. of cases this year to date. Letters to Ministers from members of the public are not acknowledged due to the large number involved. The target reply is again 20 working days.
The chief executive of the Benefits Agency--BA--tells me that all correspondence received from hon. Members is acknowledged within 24 hours of receipt. The latest available figures show that 51 per cent. of all such letters receive a substantive reply within 15 working days and 84 per cent. within 20 working days.
The BA charter sets out a commitment to reply to correspondence from customers within 10 working days. If only a partial reply is possible within that time, the customer should be told how long it will be before a comprehensive reply can be made.
Of the replies sent by the chief executive of the Contributions Agency--CA- -to hon. Members, 46 per cent. were sent within 15 working days and 70 per cent. in 20 working days.
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The CA's target is to dispatch either a full reply or an informative response to 95 per cent. of all customer inquiries within 10 working days. In 1992-93, this target was surpassed, with 98.5 per cent. of responses being within this time scale.All letters from hon. Members to the chief executive of the Child Support Agency--CSA--are now acknowledged on the day of receipt. The agency has a target to reply within 20 working days. The CSA has received 2,027 letters in a short space of time. To date, 458 have received replies. Of these, 63 per cent. were within 15 working days and 75 per cent. within 20 working days.
Letters from members of the public are usually referred to CSA centres to respond on individual cases. Their target is to acknowledge letters within two working days, which has been successful in 90 per cent. of cases, and to send a full reply within 10 working days. This has been achieved in 65 per cent. of cases. The chief executive of the Information Technology Services Agency received only 15 letters last year. All were acknowledged within five days and 14 of the 15 replies were sent in 15 days.
Departmental Offices
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the regional and area offices of his Department, and of inspectorates, agencies, and other public bodies for which he is responsible.
Mr. Hague : In view of the length of this reply, I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library.
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Child Support
Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the formula for phasing in child support maintenance ; if he will limit the increase in maintenance payments in cases of an existing court and order.
Mr. Burt : The existing provisions for phasing in child support maintenance payments apply where an absent parent with a court order or written maintenance agreement has a second family and a new liability of less than £60 a week which is over £20 more than his previous liability. In these circumstances the amount of any increase will be limited to £20 for the first 12 months. The Social Security Select Committee has recommended an extension of these arrangements. I am still considering the Committee's report and shall make an announcement as soon as possible.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the decision not to restore disability living allowance to Daniel Mark Hadlow, JJ 57 29 82 C.
Mr. Scott : The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
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Letter from Tony Laurance to Mr. Barry Field, dated 16 December 1993 :As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Bichard is away on annual leave at the moment, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security. This was about the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claim for D. Hadlow. I should explain that all claims to DLA are decided by independent adjudicating authorities who are specially appointed for this purpose under legislation approved by Parliament. They are responsible for deciding if the conditions for entitlement are satisfied. Neither Ministers nor officials of the Benefits Agency can influence or alter decisions made by these authorities.
In order to provide you with the full details personal to this case I have written separately to you.
Pensioners
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of people over state pension age are expected to qualify for (a) basic state pension at the full rate, (b) basic state pension at a reduced rate, (c) an element of state earnings-related pension scheme and (d) an element of income support in the tax years (i) 1993-94, (ii) 1998-99, (iii) 2003-4 and (iv) 2008-9.
Mr. Hague [holding answer 29 November 1993] : The information is in the table.
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Estimated proportion of people over state pension age expected to be entitled to:
|Full-rate basic retirement pension |Less than full-rate basic retirement pension|Some SERPS |Income support
[NL] |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94 |66 |28 |40 |16
1998-99 |67 |28 |53 |-
2003-04 |67 |29 |67 |-
2008-09 |68 |29 |80 |-
Note:
No figures readily available for income support entitlement for 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2008-09 but the analysis which underpins "The Growth of Social Security" for 1999-2000 is consistent with a relatively unchanged percentage to the end of the century.
Source: GAD/DSS Analytical Services.
Benefits
Sir Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the saving in the whole range of social security benefits, including exemption from prescription charges and other associated benefits, if everybody were deemed to have earned £100 per week between the ages of 18 to 65 years who was fit and able to work.
Mr. Scott [holding answer 6 December 1993] : The information is not available in the precise form requested. It is estimated that if everybody between the ages of 18 to 65 who was fit and able to work earned £100 per week gross of tax and national insurance contributions there would be a reduction in expenditure on social security benefits and on welfare foods and free school meals for social security benefits recipients of approximately £17 billion in the financial year. It is not possible to estimate what effect this change would have on the NHS low-income scheme which exempts those on low incomes from prescription, dental and optical charges.
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Any savings would, of course, be offset by future expenditure arising from entitlement gained to retirement pension and other contributory benefits.Occupational Pensions
Mr. Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he is yet in a position to publish the discussion papers on occupational pensions issues to which he referred in his statement to the House on 3 November, Official Report, columns 354-65.
Mr. Hague [pursuant to his reply, 3 December 1993, c. 817] : The final two discussion papers will be published today. Copies of the papers will be placed in the Library.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Forestry Commission
Mr. Rendel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all Forestry Commission woods in the Newbury constituency.
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Mr. Jack : The only Forestry Commission woodland in the hon. Member's constituency is part of Cake wood, near Hungerford.
Milk Industry
Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how she proposes to compensate those milk producers who choose not to join Milk Marque, the successor to the Milk Marketing Board, for resources employed by the Milk Marketing Board in seeking to establish Milk Marque as the dominant force in the milk industry.
Mr. Jack : Expenditure by the Milk Marketing Board on promoting its proposed successor body, Milk Marque, has been approved by the EC Commission under state aid rules. The board's reorganisation scheme makes no provision for repayment of part of the sum in question to producers who choose not to join the successor body. Nor, so far as I am aware, does the board have plans to do so outside the framework of the reorganisation scheme. It is not for Government to make proposals in this regard.
Fisheries Conservation
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the alternative conservation document prepared by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, a copy of which has been sent to her ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : As I informed the House in the annual fisheries debate on 14 December, Official Report, columns 894-936, valuable work has been done by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations on technical conservation. I will discuss these ideas with the industry and will wish to see what part it can play in balancing conservation and fishing effort and meeting our Community obligations.
Slaughtermen
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average number of units per year one slaughterman is able to deal with in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland for the most recent year in which figures are available.
Mr. Soames : The information requested is not available in the format required.
Equine Industry
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her reply of 6 December, Official Report, column 262, if she will make a statement on her meeting of 9 December with representatives of the equine industry ; and what action has been taken and will be taken by her Department to combat and eliminate equine viral arteritis.
Mr. Soames : I had a useful discussion on 9 December with representatives of the equine industry on possible ways of providing horse owners with increased protection from infection with equine viral arteritis, particularly from "carrier" stallions. I undertook to prepare proposals for further consultation with the industry, while making it clear that the Government cannot undertake any liability for compensation in connection with this disease.
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Forestry, Hillsborough
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all Forestry Commission woods in the constituency of Sheffield, Hillsborough.
Mr. Jack : The only Forestry Commission woodland in the hon. Member's constituency is part of Wharncliffe wood.
Less-favoured Areas
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average size of farm holding in the less-favoured areas as sampled by (a) the most recent farm business survey and (b) the most up-to- date and comprehensive data she has available, by county and in England.
Mr. Jack : The table provides information on the average size, in hectares, of cattle and sheep farms, wholly or mainly in the less-favoured areas--LFAs--in England from the agricultural census as at June 1992. As the farm business survey covers only farms that are considered to be full- time commercial businesses, very small farms are excluded from the survey. The average size of cattle and sheep LFA farms in England as estimated from the farm business survey sample for 1992-93 is 159 hectares, compared with 130 hectares for similar farms in the agricultural census at June 1992. Results from the farm business survey are not available by county.
Average size<1> of cattle and sheep
farms, wholly or mainly in the LFA
as at June 1992
County |Hectares
-----------------------------------------
Cleveland |73
Cheshire |61
Cornwall |49
Cumbria |107
Derbyshire |67
Devon |60
Durham |91
Hereford and Worcester |47
Lancashire |71
Northumberland |195
Shropshire |62
Somerset |97
Staffordshire |30
Greater Manchester |42
South Yorkshire |63
North Yorkshire |111
West Yorkshire |35
|--
England |86
<1> Total area of holding.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the autumn review of hill livestock compensatory allowances statistical tables and charts draws on information published in the annual farm business survey ; and what other sources of information are used to establish farm size, livestock and numbers and farm income indices.
Mr. Jack : The data on farm incomes which is presented in the statistical tables and charts are derived from the farm business survey in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
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and the farm accounts system in Scotland. Data on livestock numbers are derived from the agricultural census and from records of the claims for hill livestock compensatory allowances. When average survey results of two or more groups of sample farms are combined, the results for each group are given a weight proportional to the total number of holdings in that group recorded at the June agricultural census.Departmental Offices
Mr. Straw : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the regional and area offices of her Department, and of inspectorates, agencies, and other public bodies for which she is responsible.
Mr. Jack : The information requested by the hon. Member is included in the publications "At the Farmers' Service", section 10, and "Public Bodies 1992". Copies of both publications are lodged in the Library of the House of Commons.
Correspondence
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of correspondence received by (a) her Ministry and (b) each of her Ministry's agencies receives (i) an acknowledgement within five days and (ii) a substantive reply within 15 days.
Mr. Jack : The Ministry keeps central records of the time taken to reply to Ministers' correspondence, but does not have a central record in relation to letters replied to by civil servants. This Department's target is for Ministers to reply within 21 days of receipt to letters from hon. Members and noble Lords. In the past 12 months, Ministers received 11,053 of these letters and 7,516--68 per cent.--were replied to within 21 days. Our records do not indicate how many replies were sent within 15 days and correspondence is not generally acknowledged.
Correspondence dealt with solely by executive agencies is a matter for which responsibility is delegated to them and I have therefore asked the chief executives to reply to the hon. Gentleman direct. Letter from Guy Stapleton to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 17 December 1993 :
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the speed of the Intervention Board's replies to correspondence.
The Agency's target when letters require an answer from the Chief Executive is for me to reply within 10 working days of receiving a letter. Correspondence is not routinely acknowledged. The percentage of replies within this deadline in the last year was 89.7 per cent. Letter from Dr. Julian Walsh to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 16 December 1993 :
The Minister has asked me to reply to part (b) of your question concerning acknowledgements and replies of correspondence. The ADAS Agency keeps central records of the time taken to reply to Chief Executive's correspondence with MPs but does not have central records related to letters replied to by its staff.
The ADAS target for despatch of reply to Chief Executive correspondence with MPs is ten working days. The percentage of such letters replies to within this deadline in the last year was 100 per cent. If it is anticipated that a substantive reply will take more than five working days to despatch, all correspondence is routinely acknowledged.
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Letter from Dr. P. I. Stanley to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 17 December 1993 :In its Charter Standards Statement the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) stated its aim to answer correspondence within three weeks of its receipt. Where a full reply cannot be given within this time scale an interim response is sent as soon as possible within the three week period and the reason for the delay is given together with the name and telephone number of the person dealing with the correspondence.
CSL's Charter Standards Statement was published in July 1993. All staff were alerted to the need to adhere to this standard and office procedures have been introduced to ensure that correspondence is dealt with efficiently. Our records do not indicate how many replies were sent within 15 days and we do not acknowledge correspondence as a matter of routine.
Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 17 December 1993 :
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about the Ministry of Agriculture aent and commercial customers. Enquiries tend to be technical, specific and to a named individual. No central record is kept of this. However, the Agency has recently set a target for replies to general enquiries relating to our work. Our aim is to provide a full reply within fifteen working days. If it becomes evident that a delay is likely we advise the correspondent immediately.
Since this arrangement is a new procedure we do not yet have the historical records to judge our performance against this target. These will be available in 1994.
Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 17 December 1993 :
The Pesticides Safety Directorate aims to deal efficiently and helpfully with all correspondence received. The central Information Section received 3,567 written enquiries in the period 1 April to 30 November and 96 per cent. of these were acknowledged within five days. Our records to not indicate how many substantive replies were sent within 15 days but every effort is made to respond quickly. Our Policy Group deals with Ministers' correspondence for MAFF on pesticide issues and observes the standards set by the Ministry in respect of response times. We do not have central records of other correspondence dealt with by the staff of the Agency.
Letter from J. M. Rutter to Mr. Michael Meacher, dated 16 December 1993 :
The Minister of State has asked me to reply for the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) to your Question about the response time for correspondence in the Ministry's Agencies.
The VMD receives approximately 11,500 items of external correspondence each year. Unless an immediate reply is appropriate, all should receive an acknowledgement within five days. The length of time taken to provide a substantive reply where one is required will vary dependent on the nature and complexity of the issues raised. For those letters sent on behalf of Ministers, in the last year 97 per cent. received a reply within 21 days. Our records do not indicate how many of these replies were sent within 15 days.
Thames Cockle Fishery
Mr. Channon : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when there will be a public inquiry into the proposed regulating order for the Thames cockle fishery.
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Mr. Jack : A public inquiry will be held if the objections which have been made in relation to the Kent and Essex sea fisheries committee's proposed regulating order are not withdrawn. I understand that the committee has not yet ruled out the possibility of meeting the objectors' concerns.
Agriculture Council
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels between 13 and 16 December ; and if she will make a statement.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting of the Agriculture Council, which took place from 13 to 17 December.
The Council reached agreement on changes to the regionalisation and set- aside rules under the arable regime ; on measures to implement the agreement between the European Community and the United States on oilseeds ; on changes to the agrimonetary system ; on a one-year rollover of the sugar regime ; and on a number of other issues. With the exception of oilseeds, all measures were agreed unanimously. The Council had been considering set-aside since July and decisions were long overdue. The agreement met the United Kingdom's two key aims. The set-aside requirement for mixtures of rotational and non-rotational set-aside in the United Kingdom will be 18 per cent. of a farm's arable area, the same as for non- rotational set-aside, not 20 per cent. as originally proposed. Farmers finishing a five-year set-aside scheme will be able to enter all the land in that scheme into arable set-aside for a further five years, including, for those who finished five-year agreement this autumn, any land already cultivated for harvest in 1994.
It was also agreed that there will be changes to alleviate the impact of the overshoot of the main arable base area in Scotland. This will be widely welcomed there.
In addition, the Commission will examine the relationship between set-aside and land withdrawn from production for woodland or environmental purposes. While this does not go as far as I would like, it represents an important step forward.
On oilseeds, the Council decided that any cuts in aid arising under the agreement with the United States should fall on those member states in which the area of oilseeds exceeds a level calculated by reference to the 1989-91 average area, but with certain adjustments. I regarded this as unsatisfactory and, with Portugal, voted against. The changes agreed to the agrimonetary system will reduce the likelihood of green rate revaluations. The Council did not, however, accede to the request by some member states to extend the potentially costly switchover mechanism to floating currencies.
The sugar regime will be extended for a further year, until the end of June 1995. This will enable it to be revised from 1 July 1995 to take account of the Community's new obligations under the GATT and other factors.
The Council agreed to maintain the current level of imports of butter from New Zealand for 1994, pending the implementation of the GATT agreement. The Council also approved voluntary restraint agreements on the import of sheepmeat from third countries during 1994 which will broadly continue 1993 quantities.
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Agreement was reached on the abolition of the headage limit on the annual ewe premium and on provisions permitting member states to attach environmental conditions to the payment of the ewe premium and the beef special premium. These were measures particularly sought by the United Kingdom and the ending of headage limits will be especially welcomed by producers.Agreement was reached on a measure to improve the welfare of animals at slaughter. But I refused to support proposals on the welfare of animals during transport since, in their present form, they would have allowed unacceptably long intervals between feeding and watering and minimum rest periods that were too short. These proposals clearly need further discussion.
The Council decided that the current moratorium on the use of bovine somatotrophin should be extended for one further year instead of for the longer period proposed by the Commission. It also reached agreement on a proposal on harmonised charging arrangements for the veterinary inspection of fresh meat and on a Community system for inspection of meat from third countries.
I drew the attention of the Council to the serious implications for United Kingdom glasshouse lettuce and other vegetable growers of a proposed Commission measure to control nitrate levels in lettuce. I pointed out that the Scientific Committee for Food was, in any case, still considering the advice it should put forward on the intake of nitrate from vegetables. I am glad to say that the Commissioner accepted the need to examine this issue in the light of both the public health and the economic implications. He confirmed that the Commission would act in the light of the further advice that it expected from the scientific committee.
Welfare of Battery Hens Regulations 1987
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement about the implementation of the Welfare of Battery Hens Regulations 1987.
Mr. Soames : Many questions have been raised on the application of the Welfare of Battery Hens Regulations 1987, which come fully into force on 1 January 1995. It is our intention that the regulations should be applied sensibly and consistently. A paper has been prepared by the Agriculture Departments in order to provide detailed guidance to producers on the approach which it is intended to follow. The paper has been placed in the Library of the House and copies will be made available to producers and any others with an interest.
Forests, Honiton
Sir Peter Emery : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the Forestry Commission woods in the Honiton constituency.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 13 December 1993] : The Forestry Commission is preparing such a list and I shall send a copy to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible. I shall also arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.
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Farm Incomes
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average net farm income and average cash income per livestock farm in the less-favoured areas and per lowland livestock farm for each year since 1982.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 15 December 1993] : Estimates of net farm income and cash income based on results of the farm business survey are provided in the tables. The method of farm classification has been changed and results are only available on the new classification from 1986- 87 onwards. Estimates for lowland cattle and sheep farms for 1992-93 are not yet available.
Year-to-year comparisons can best be made by reference to the indices shown in the tables, which are based on results from constant samples of farms.
Table 1 Average net farm income and cash income on LFA cattle and sheep farms in England Year<1> Net farm income Cash income [NL] |£'000 |Indices |£'000 [NL] |per farm|<2> |per farm -------------------------------------------------------- 1986-87 |6.7 |80 |7.1 |67 1987-88 |9.4 |113 |10.8 |101 1988-89 |12.7 |145 |11.0 |101 1989-90 |9.1 |103 |14.1 |92 1990-91 |6.6 |78 |13.2 |91 1991-92 |8.8 |119 |14.3 |117 1992-93<3> |12.9 |174 |18.4 |151 1993-94<3> |16.4 |221 |22.0 |180
Table 2
Average net farm income and cash income on lowland
cattle and sheep
farms in England
Year<1> Net farm income Cash income
|£'000 |Indices |£'000 |Indices
|per farm|<2> |per farm|<2>
------------------------------------------------------
1986-87 |3.3 |121 |6.6 |59
1987-88 |6.3 |227 |10.8 |97
1988-89 |7.5 |226 |11.9 |100
1989-90 |5.0 |120 |14.5 |94
1990-91 |2.4 |61 |15.6 |108
1991-92 |4.8 |120 |16.7 |98
<1> Accounting years end of average in February.
<2> Average of 1989-90-1991-92=100.
<3> Provisional and forecast figures at the time of
the 1993 Autumn Review of the economic conditions in
the hills and uplands.
WALES
Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.
Mr. Redwood : Care is taken to ensure that special advisers do not have access to the kind of information likely to create suspicion of impropriety. They are not involved in evaluating tenders or letting contracts.
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