House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Jan 1994

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 11 January 1994] : The Central Legal Office, which exists to provide independent legal advice to the national health service in Scotland, is part of the Common Services Agency, not of the Scottish Office. I understand officers of the Central Legal Office had frequent discussions with Mr. Fyfe concerning Mr. Peterken's position.

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which persons were involved in the appraisal of performance of Mr. Laurence Peterken for the year to 31 March 1993.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 11 January 1994] : Mr Peterken's performance for the year to 31 March 1993 was appraised by the former chairman of Greater Glasgow health board, Sir Thomas Thomson, who was in office for the period under review. This appraisal was supplemented slightly by the then chairman, Mr. W. S. Fyfe, who took up office on 1 April 1993 and submitted by him to the management executive for the NHS in Scotland. The appraisal was reviewed by the acting chief executive for the NHS in Scotland following discussions with the former NHS chief executive.

Common Services Agency

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has sought an estimate of the cost of commissioning external consultants to review the operation of the Common Services Agency.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 11 January 1994] : No.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Parliamentary Costs

Mr. Gapes : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what is the cost in terms of (a) staff, (b) lighting, (c) heating, (d) catering and (e) other costs of operating Parliament on its current hours ; and what would be the estimated cost should the recommendations of the Select Committee on Sittings of the House relating to hours of sitting be implementing in full.

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Mr. Beith : The costs of the House of Commons on the present basis of operations are set out in the 15th annual report of the House of Commons Commission--House of Commons Paper No. 820 of Session 1992-93. It is not practicable to provide an estimate of changes in these costs if the recommendations of the Jopling report were to be implemented in full. However, an indication of the additional staff costs of sittings after 10.30 pm was given in response to a question by the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 22 October 1993, Official Report, column 347.

Mr. Luff : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what is the cost per hour of the House sitting beyond midnight.

Mr. Beith : I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 22 October 1993, Official Report, column 347. The rate at which additional costs are incurred when the House sits after midnight is broadly the same as the rate at which costs are incurred when the House sits after 10.30 pm.

Posting Boxes

Mr. Steen : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many posting boxes there are (a) within that part of the Palace of Westminster under House of Commons control and (b) in the outbuildings in the parliamentary estates ; how many have been replaced in the last five years ; why this has been necessary ; and what was the cost (i) within the Palace of Westminster and (ii) in the other buildings.

Mr. Ray Powell : There are 18 posting boxes within that part of the Palace of Westminster occupied by the House of Commons and nine boxes in the parliamentary outbuildings. During the past five years 14 of the boxes within the palace have been replaced, having become unserviceable through age, and inadequate for the volume of letters and packages they were required to accommodate. The new boxes, produced to designs approved by the appropriate Committees of the House, were provided by the Post Office in 1992 at no cost to the House.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Sheep Quota Scheme

Mr. Wigley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she proposes introducing to ensure that sheep do not die of malnutrition in any part of the United Kingdom as a direct result of loss of subsidy eligibility arising from the sheep quota scheme ; and if she will immediately announce an emergency aid package to assist all farmers caught in such a dilemma.

Mr. Jack : There is no evidence that the introduction of quotas will result in farmers keeping animals that they will be unable to feed. We have already allocated some 18.7 million sheep quota units. In addition, some 780,000 quota units will be available for distribution from the 1993 national reserve and a special "pool" of quota set up for those who claimed premium for the first time under the 1992 sheep annual premium scheme. These are very substantial levels of quota allocations and will ensure, in

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general, that producers have access to the premium payments they need. Sheep producers also receive aid from other sources. For example, those in less favoured areas are eligible under the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme. Producers wishing to acquire extra quota can do so under the flexible transfer and lease arrangements we have negotiated. They can also sell any stock which is surplus to their requirements.

Diseased Cattle

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will instigate immediate checks on the health of all cattle and sheep entering the United Kingdom from whatever source.

Mr. Soames : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. and learned Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence) on 1 December 1993, Official Report, columns 590-91, about checks on imported cattle. Similar measures are applied to imported sheep.

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will raise with the European Council of Ministers the resurgence in the United Kingdom of brucellosis from warble fly infested cattle, the risk to human health and necessary measures to eliminate such diseases.

Mr. Soames : The incidence of warble fly in imported cattle has been taken up vigorously with the veterinary authorities of the countries of origin concerned and notified to the EC Commission. Although the cases of brucellosis last autumn affected imported cattle as well as indigenous animals, investigations have not revealed conclusive evidence to confirm that the primary source of infection was an imported animal.

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will take action to bar the free movement of cattle and sheep into the United Kingdom from any country reporting warble fly infestation.

Mr. Soames : No. All cattle imported into the United Kingdom, with the exception of those imported direct to a slaughterhouse for immediate slaughter, must be treated with an approved warble fly preparation within 24 hours of arrival at the premises of destination. Sheep are not susceptible to warble fly infestation.

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers govern the restriction of free movement within the European Community of animals which are a danger to public health.

Mr. Soames : Controls to prevent the spread of disease, including diseases transmissible to humans, as a result of trade in live animals within the Community are laid down in the following EC directives :

Council directive 64/432/EEC on animal health problems affecting intra- Community trade in bovine animals and swine ;

Council directive 90/426/EEC on health problems governing the movement of equidae and their import from third countries ; Council directive 90/539/EEC on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in, and imports from third countries of, poultry and hatching eggs ;

Council directive 91/68/EEC on animal health conditions governing intra- Community trade in ovine and caprine animals ;

Council directive 92/65/EEC laying down animal health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of animals, seman, ova and embryos not subject to animal health requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in annex A(1) to directive 90/425/EEC ;

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Council diretive 92/117/EEC concerning measures for protection against specified zoonoses and specified zoonotic agents in animals and products of animal origin in order to prevent outbreaks of food-borne infections and intoxications.

Rabies

Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she is taking to ensure that Britain remains free of rabies.

Mr. Soames : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) by my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) on 16 June 1992, Official Report, columns 455-56.

Milk

Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of whether the national interest and that of milk producers would be better served by the bulk of our milk being handled by processors who have a proven track record in the development of new products instead of by Milk Marque, the successor of the Milk Marketing Board.

Mr. Jack : My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales will have to have regard to all the circumstances when deciding whether to approve the Milk Marketing Board's reorganisation scheme. One of the main purposes of ending the milk marketing scheme is to allow producers to decide to whom and on what terms to sell their milk. I look forward to when they will be free to do so.

Fisheries Council

Mr. Harris : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the December Fisheries Council meeting.

Mr. Barnes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Fisheries Council of 20 and 21 December, indicating the voting record of each member state on each item and where no formal votes were taken.

Mr. Jack : I represented the United Kingdom together with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Scotland, my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro).

The December Fisheries Council is the one at which total allowable catches- -TACs--for the EC, and member states' quota shares of those TACs, are settled for the forthcoming year. Stocks are generally under pressure and efforts against them need to be reduced. However, within that overall strategy, on which decisions were reached by the Council without a vote, we obtained the best possible outcome compatible with the scientific advice. For some stocks, fishermen will have better prospects in 1994. In particular, they should be pleased with the large share of the North Sea nephrops TAC allocated to the United Kingdom ; a significant increase in the availability of haddock in the North sea and of flatfish in the Irish sea ; agreement to "mackerel flexibility" so that our fishermen can catch this species in the North sea between October and December at the same level as last year ; the 40 per cent. increase in the United Kingdom's quota for cod at north Norway. In the light of the scientific advice, it would have

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been damaging to the stocks, and therefore not in the long-term interest of the fishermen themselves, to maintain the previous quotas for all stocks, but I negotiated the best obtainable outcome. The Council also considered adjustments to the rules under which the Spanish and Portuguese vessels fish in Community waters. As a result of the strong line which we and others have been taking in the negotiation, the presidency produced a compromise document in an endeavour to find a way forward to an agreement. This document replaced the Commission's "blank cheque" approach under which we would have released the Iberians from all constraints without knowing what would go in their place. It represented a workmanlike first step in reflecting our key interest in ensuring satisfactory safeguards for all the areas around our shores and provides a useful basis for considering the detailed arrangements which will apply after 1995. I pressed for a decision to be reached quickly on the basis of the presidency's document so that the uncertainty facing our fishermen could be removed. However, agreement was not possible at this meeting. The Council agreed to continue work, on the basis of the Belgian presidency's proposal, under the forthcoming Greek presidency.

At my request, the Council considered, and adopted unanimously, an EC- Canada fisheries agreement which establishes satisfactory arrangements for managing complicated and sensitive fisheries. There were two issues before the Council that have been concerning fishermen and environmentalists. The first was industrial fishing. In response to pressure that I have been applying for several months, the Commission will establish a working group. This will bring together marine ecologists and fisheries biologists to study the implications for the marine ecosystem of fishing in general and industrial fishing in particular. The group will also set priorities for future research work on the effect these have on the marine ecosystem, sea birds and cetaceans. There will be a report to the Council before the end of April 1994. The second issue concerns drift nets. There was no proposal before the Council for an extension of the derogation allowing limited use of long drift nets and no decision on this was taken. However, the Council asked the Commission to prepare a report on drift netting in the light of the best scientific advice available. A proposal could be made only if it were possible to demonstrate scientifically the absence of any ecological risk.

On the market situation, the Council noted that minimum import prices could not form a permanent instrument of market management. They could apply only in exceptional circumstances and the general range of minimum import prices would expire at the end of December. However, for salmon the Commission agreed to review the situation during January to see whether the minimum import prices for salmon should continue beyond 31 January 1994.

The Council agreed a regulation to implement the financial instrument for fisheries guidance, which amalgamates, with some amendments, the regulations dealing with fisheries structures and with marketing and processing. I voted against this new measure because some of its provisions did not provide value for money. The Government will carefully consider which provisions to implement in the United Kingdom bearing in mind the need to maintain an efficient industry while balancing fishing capacity and resources.

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A Council decision concerning the objectives and detailed rules for restructuring the Community fisheries sector was adopted. This formalises the Council's endorsement in 1992 of the horizontal targets for reducing fishing effort contained in the 1993-96 multi-annual guidance programmes. I abstained, since the introduction of more binding targets goes beyond the requirement in the basic regulation for the Council to set objectives. The Netherlands also abstained ; Greece voted against.

Ministerial Powers

Mr. Allen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the powers she has under public legislation to give directions to local authorities or otherwise require them to act in a way which she prescribes, giving in each case the legislative authority under which she may exercise these powers.

Mr. Jack : This information can be provided only at

disproportionate cost.

Set-aside

Mr. Tipping : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the conditions that can be placed on land that has been set aside under the arable area payments scheme to improve or protect the environment and improve recreational opportunities ; what plans she has to impose new conditions ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Jack [holding answer 11 January 1994] : The conditions for the management of set-aside under the arable area payments scheme are given in the explanatory guide to the scheme for 1993-94. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. Farmers can obtain further advice on how to manage their set-aside land for specific environmental objectives from the arable area payments leaflet AR14, a copy of which has also been placed in the Library. In addition free advice on environmental matters is available to farmers through the ADAS agency.

The proposed countryside access scheme, which we plan to introduce later this year, should increase the recreational potential of set-aside by offering farmers incentive payments for providing public access to suitable non-rotational set-aside land. In addition, following pressure from the United Kingdom, the Agriculture Council has asked the Commission to undertake a study of the relationship between set-aside and arable land withdrawn from production under EC forestry and agri-environment regulations. We will continue to press for such land to be allowed to qualify as set-aside under the arable area payments scheme.

Press Officers

Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many press officers her Department has employed in each year since 1983.

Mr. Jack [holding answer 17 December 1993] : The number of press officers, including the chief press officer, employed by MAFF in each year since 1983 is as follows :


Year      |Year          

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

1983 |6   |1989|<1>7     

1984 |6   |1990|<2>8     

1985 |6   |1991|<1>7     

1986 |6   |1992|<1>7     

1987 |6   |1993|7        

1988 |<1>7               

<1> not including two    

press officers working   

specifically for ADAS.   

<2> (as <1>above) and    

including an extra press 

officer to cover the     

introduction             

and implementation of    

the Food Safety Act      

1990.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Nuclear Power (Privatisation)

15. Mr. Ainger : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he next intends to discuss privatisation with the chairman of Nuclear Power.

25. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to meet the chairman of Nuclear Power to discuss privatisation.

Mr. Eggar : I meet the chairman of Nuclear Electric regularly to discuss a range of issues.

Aerospace Industry

16. Mr. Pike : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will visit the aerospace industry in Lancashire to discuss the implications of the Budget.

Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend has no plans for such a visit.

Payment of Debt

17. Mr. Burns : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to bring forward proposals to deal with the late payment of debts.

Mr. McLoughin : On 30 November my Department published the consultation paper ; it considers possible measures to address late payment including legislation for a statutory right to interest and a British standard on prompt payment as well as inviting other ideas. Responses to the consultation paper are invited by 31 March 1994. Any measures arising from the consultation process will be implemented as soon as practicable after that date. In the meantime, the Government will continue to address the problem of late payment through the range of initiatives which have already been introduced.

20. Mr. Bates : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received on proposals to tackle late payment of commercial debt ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. McLoughlin : Representations have been received from individual small businesses and from other interested organisations seeking action to reduce the incidence of late payment. They have proposed a variety of possible measures, all of which have received careful consideration.

My Department is currently consulting on possible new measures to address the problem of late payment through the consultation paper "Late Payment of Commercial Debt". Responses are invited by 31 March 1994. In the meantime, the Government will continue to address the problem of late payment through the range of initiatives which have already been introduced.

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Pit Closures

18. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met representatives of the mining supplies industry to discuss the impact of the colliery closure programme.

Mr. Eggar : I met the Association of British Mining Equipment Companies--ABMEC--in May 1993 and I have had frequent contact with individual companies in the industry since then. An increasing number of mining equipment companies are in contact with the Department to take advantage of the mining equipment company scheme which I announced in August.

Recycled Materials

19. Mr. Marland : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action has been taken over the past year to encourage industry to make greater use of recycled materials.

Mr. McLoughlin : The main reason manufacturers use recycled materials is to gain competitive advantage.

We have seen levels of United Kingdom recycling increase in recent years. Between 1991 and 1992 the tonnages of recycled plastics rose by almost 20 per cent., of glass containers by almost 20 per cent. and of waste and paper board by 5 per cent.

We are looking to industry's response to the producer responsibility challenge to increase the use of recycled materials.

Investment Fund Companies (Insurance Policies)

21. Mr. Denham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to monitor the performance of investment fund companies related to life, pension and endowment policies.

Mr. Neil Hamilton : My Department undertakes the prudential supervision of companies providing life, pension and endowment policies in accordance with the Insurance Companies Act 1982 and associated regulations. Responsibility for regulating the marketing of such products rests with the Securities and Investments Board and the relevant self- regulatory organisations under the Financial Services Act 1986.

Interbuild

22. Mr. O'Hara : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many officials from the ECGD were in attendance at the overseas trade services stand at Interbuild to advise on export strategy.

Mr. Needham : The Government were represented at this private sector exhibition by officials from DTI's overseas trade services and the Department of the Environment. ECGD was not present. The exhibition was geared primarily to goods and services sold on short terms of payment. These would be covered by private insurers rather than ECGD.

Technology Transfer

23. Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to establish a mechanism for technology transfer to help small and medium-sized enterprises increase their competitiveness.

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Mr. Sainsbury : My Department operates a number of technology transfer programmes whose main aim is to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ferranti International

24. Mr. Bryan Davies : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what meetings he has had with the receivers of Ferranti International about the assistance his Department can offer to preserve the high skill and high technological capacity of the company.

Mr. Sainsbury : Officials of my Department have had a number of meetings with the receivers.

Electrical Appliances (Plugs)

26. Mr. Rooney : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects legislation to be implemented requiring all new electrical appliances to be sold with a plug.

Mr. McLoughlin : The European Commission is still seeking clarification on a number of points which is delaying the progress of the proposed regulations. I am hopeful that these matters will be resolved shortly.

Small Businesses

27. Mr. Milligan : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on measures he plans to assist small businesses.

Mr. McLoughlin : The Government will continue to encourage small businesses by fostering a stable economic climate at home and by encouraging and promoting competition in world markets. Both directly and through the training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies, the Government will continue to make available a wide range of high-quality support and assistance which will be further enhanced by the development of a national network of business links.

38. Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met representatives of small businesses to discuss their future ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade met representatives of the Institute of Directors when he spoke at their annual dinner on 23 November 1993.

My noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for small firms has regular meetings with all the major small firms organisations to discuss a range of issues.

Foam Filling

28. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what further representations he has received from firms manufacturing foam and foam-filled furniture about the dangers of low-quality imports.

Mr. McLoughlin : Three identifiable businesses responding to the recent consultation on the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, as part of my Department's deregulation initiative review alleged that some imported foam-filled furniture does not

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comply with the regulations. The regulations apply to all domestic upholstered furniture intended for supply to the United Kingdom market, and, accordingly, local authority trading standards officers, who have a day-to-day responsibility for enforcement of the legislation, have powers to deal with any non-complying furniture, whatever its country of manufacture.

32. Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to protect United Kingdom consumers from dangerous foreign foam-filled furniture.

Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to protect United Kingdom consumers from dangers arising from imported foam-filled furniture.

Mr. McLoughlin : The Furniture and Furnishings Regulations (Fire) (Safety) 1988 ban the use of standard polyurethane foam and cite a series of flammability tests designed to increase the fire resistence of upholstered furniture. These regulations apply to all domestic upholstered furniture intended for supply to the United Kingdom market and, accordingly, local authority trading standards officers, who have day-to- day responsibility for enforcement of the legislation, have powers to deal with any non-complying furniture, whatever its country of manufacture.

Manufacturing

29. Mr. Hain : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the change in manufacturing investment in real terms since 1978-79.

Mr. Heseltine : In the latest financial year--1992-93--manufacturing investment was 8 per cent. lower than in 1978-79 but 23 per cent. higher than in 1981-82, a similar point in the economic cycle.

31. Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he intends to introduce to expand the manufacturing base of the United Kingdom economy.

Mr. Sainsbury : All the Government's policies are focused on improving the competitiveness of United Kingdom industry, both manufacturing and services.

Chief Scientist

30. Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the departure of the chief scientist on 1 December.

Mr. Heseltine : The DTI's chief adviser on science and technology will be leaving the Department at the end of February 1994 for career reasons. He has done an excellent job, including making a major contribution to the refocusing of the DTI's innovation policy, and to the White Paper on science, engineering and techology published last May.

Small Firms Loan Guarantee

33. Mr. Gunnell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many loans have been made between April and December 1993 under the small firms loan guarantee

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scheme ; what was the total grant involved ; and what are the comparable figures for the corresponding period in 1992.

Mr. McLoughlin : The number and value of loans guaranteed under the small firms loan guarantee scheme in the period April to September 1993 was 1,384 loans to a value of £55.33 million. In the same period in 1992, the figures were 1,266 loans and £27.74 million. Figures for October to December 1993 are not currently available.

Scientific Research

34. Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes he proposes to make in his Department's support for scientific research.

Mr. Heseltine : I do not envisage any further changes to my Department's recently refocused science and technology policy. We will be concentrating resources on improving the climate for innovation and facilitating access to technology and best practice while reducing support for technology development. Assistance for research and development in small and medium-sized firms will continue through the small firms merit award for research and technology and the support for products under research programmes, as will support for collaborations between industry and acadamia through the LINK scheme and for European collaborations, including EUREKA.

Telecommunications

35. Mrs. Lait : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects the European Community to deregulate telecommunications.

Mr. McLoughlin : The Telecommunications Council agreed on 16 June 1993 that voice telephony services will be liberalised by 1 January 1998, with an additional derogation period of no more than five years for Spain, Portugal, Greece and Ireland and, if justified, no more than two years for Luxembourg. The Commission will produce, by 1995, a green paper on the liberalisation of network infrastructure. The Commission presented on 7 December its proposals for the liberalisation of telecommunications services provided over satellites.

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