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Biodiversity
Mr. Dafis : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the activities of his Department he has so far identified which threaten biodiversity abroad.
Mr. McLoughlin : The principles of sustainable development are taken into account in the development of my Department's policies. In international trade for example, the United Kingdom complies with the convention on international trade in endangered species and is participating fully in the trade and environment debate in both the general agreement on tariffs and trade and the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development.
So far as United Kingdom bilateral aid support for infrastructural projects in developing countries is concerned, the Overseas Development Administration guidelines on aid procedures are taken into consideration. The industrial and commercial aspects and the environmental impacts of the project are assessed.
Mr. Denham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those areas of the United Kingdom international trade he has so far identified where his Department has a role to play to further the objectives of the United Kingdom biodiversity national action plan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I have been asked to reply.
International trade, finance and aid issues will be covered in the biodiversity United Kingdom action plan and the sustainable development strategy as appropriate, both of which are due to be published very soon.
Cardigan Bay Licenses
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what response he made to the request by the campaign for a cleaner Cardigan bay for reasons for his Department's decisions on the issuance of oil and gas exploration licenses under the 14th round.
Mr. Eggar : I wrote to the Friends of Cardigan Bay regarding their "Campaign for a Cleaner Cardigan Bay" on
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18 November 1992 and 29 January last year to explain the reasons for the Government's decision to offer blocks for oil and gas licensing in the 14th round. Since then, my officials have reiterated the points I made, both in general terms and with specific reference to those licences issued following the 14th round for blocks in Cardigan bay, through a number of letters and a recent meeting at which a member of the Friends of Cardigan Bay was present.Nuclear Shipments
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has received from the United States Energy Secretary with regard to her policy on the shipment of US-origin nuclear fuel from Switzerland to Sellafield.
Plutonium (Japan)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the dates of dispatch and arrival of the plutonium returned to Japan since 1979 ; and what quantities of plutonium were involved.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 25 May 1993, Official Report, column 487.
Nuclear Safety
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the publication date for the nuclear installations inspectorate examination of generic safety issues in Magnox reactors in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 11 January, Official Report, column 185.
Vehicle Maufacturers
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the numbers of motor cars and commercial vehicles manufactured in the United Kingdom and in South Korea since 1987.
Mr. Sainsbury : The numbers of cars and commercial vehicles manufactured in the United Kingdom and in South Korea since 1987 are given in the table.
Number of motor cars and commercial vehicles
produced in the United Kingdom and in South Korea
United Kingdom South Korea
|Cars |Commercial|Cars |Commercial
|vehicles |vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |1,142,683 |246,728 |793,125 |186,614
<1>1988 |1,226,835 |317,343 |872,898 |211,581
1989 |1,299,082 |326,590 |871,898 |257,572
1990 |1,295,611 |270,346 |986,751 |334,879
1991 |1,236,900 |217,141 |1,158,245 |339,573
1992 |1,291,880 |248,453 |1,306,752 |422,944
<1>United Kingdom data is for 53 weeks.
Sources: Central Statistical Office, Society of Motor
Manufacturers and
Traders Ltd., Korea Auto Industries Association.
Swan Hunter
Mr. Burns : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the European Commission has agreed to allow Swan Hunter to have access to the shipbuilding intervention fund.
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Mr. Sainsbury : Following protracted negotations, the European Commission agreed on 21 December to allow Swan Hunter to have limited access to the shipbuilding intervention fund. The sum agreed is £7 million for up to three contracts to be offered during 1994 and 1995. This concession should enable Swan Hunter to compete more effectively for merchant contracts and so make them more attractive to potential buyers.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Taxation
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of direct and indirect tax paid by each quartile income group for each year since 1977 ; and what amounts are estimated for the next three years.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested is not available.
1993 Budgets
Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average cost of the March and November 1993 Budgets to businesses with a turnover of less than £30,000 per annum and to businesses with a turnover greater than £500,000 per annum in terms of a percentage of turnover.
Mr. Dorrell : It is not possible to provide the information requested. The net cost or benefit to individual businesses from the 1993 Budget measures will depend on a wide variety of factors including many not dependent on turnover, such as number of employees and rates of pay, level of profits, level of dividends and liability for non-domestic rates.
Private Medical Insurance
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many over 60-year-olds claim tax relief on private medical insurance in each year since relief was granted.
Mr. Dorrell : About 350,000 people have received tax relief on private medical insurance for contracts covering about 500,000 individuals, in each year since 1990-91.
Private Health Care
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much revenue is generated from individuals paying tax on the benefit of private health care provided by an employer ;
(2) what is the Treasury estimate of the loss of revenue caused by making the company provision of private health care able to be set against tax.
Mr. Dorrell : It is estimated that in 1993-94 the tax due on the benefit of private medical, dental, etcetera, attention and treatment or insurance against the cost of such treatment provided by an employer will be about £190 million. Employers generally are able to obtain business tax relief for the expenses incurred in providing any benefits in kind in the same way as for wages and salaries. It is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the effects on tax paid by employers.
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Statistical Inquiry Work
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make available the results of the consultation exercise on contracting out statistical inquiry work announced by the Central Statistical Office on 22 September 1993.
Mr. Dorrell : The consultation exercise was carried out by independent market researchers, and a copy of their report has been placed in the Library of the House of Commons. The results will be taken into account when any market testing of statistical activities is undertaken.
ENVIRONMENT
Toxic Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the implications for the import and export of toxic waste to and from the United Kingdom of the entering into force of the European Economic Area agreement on 1 January.
Mr. Atkins : Shipments of toxic waste will continue to be regulated as before.
Housing Subsidy
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total housing subsidy paid to (a) local authorities in England and Wales and (b) the City of Manchester for (i) the lastest 12-month period for which figures are available and (ii) the comparable 12-month period for 1979-80.
Mr. Baldry : The figures are set out in the table.
|England |City of
|and Wales |Manchester
Year |£ million |£
------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |1,333 |30,063,403
1993-94 |4,229 |172,142,731
Since 1 April 1990, housing revenue account subsidy has included a contribution to rent rebate expenditure by local authorities. A rent rebate element of subsidy is therefore included in the above figures for 1993-94, but not in the figures for 1979-80.
Ordnance Survey
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total cost to date of the Ordnance Survey market-testing programme.
Mr. Atkins : The total cost to date of the market-testing programme which commenced in April 1992 is £342,500 including full staff costs and consultants' fees. The management and staff costs incurred before April 1992 were not specifically attributed to market-testing.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the expected total cost of the Ordnance Survey market-testing programme.
Mr. Atkins : The total cost of the existing market-testing programme which commenced in April 1992 and is
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planned to end in March 1994 is expected to be £413,250 ; this comprises both management costs and consultancy fees.Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what management consultants have been used to advise on market-testing in connection with Ordnance Survey ; for what purposes ; and at what cost.
Mr. Atkins : The following management consultants have been engaged in assisting Ordnance Survey with its market-testing programme at a total cost of £113,750 :
Coopers and Lybrand
CSL Group Ltd.
Grosvenor Consulting Ltd.
Tricon FoodService Consultants
Consultants provided scoping advice, advised on the preparation of service specifications and assisted in the assessment of potential bidders, preparing in-house bids and analysing tenders.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total management and staff costs for the project board teams associated with the Ordnance Survey market-testing programme.
Mr. Atkins : The total management and staff costs to date for market -testing project teams in Ordnance Survey are £249,000.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what savings have been made as a result of the Ordnance Survey market-testing programme.
Mr. Atkins : Projected annual savings resulting from the market- testing programme which commenced in April 1992 are £1,554, 580. Further benefits include the acceleration of the development and production of base data for new products.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost in 1992-93 of the Ordnance Survey market-testing programme.
Mr. Atkins : The total cost in the financial year 1992-93 was £230, 000.
Biodiversity Action Plan
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those areas of export finance and aid he has so far identified where he believes his Department can help to further the objectives of the United Kingdom biodiversity national action plan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today to his question to the President of the Board of Trade, Official Report , column 306 .
Local Government Finance
Mr. Michael Spicer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage increase in the standard spending assessment provided for the Wychavon district council.
Mr. Baldry : Within the proposals for revenue support grant for 1994 -95 announced on 2 December 1993, the provisional increase in the SSA for Wychavon district council between 1993-94 and 1994-95 is 11.9 per cent.
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Yorkshire Water
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what agreements the National Rivers Authority has made with Yorkshire Water (a) on levels of pollution entering the Yorkshire Ouse system from sewage treatment works and (b) on increasing abstraction of water from the Ouse system ; and how these two sets of agreements are linked.
Mr. Atkins : This is a matter for the National Rivers Authority and Yorkshire Water.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was Yorkshire Water's 1992 estimate of the cost of transferring water from Kielder reservoir via the River Tees to Elvington on the River Derwent.
Mr. Atkins : This is a matter for Yorkshire Water.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the National Rivers Authority's 1993 estimate of the cost of transferring Kielder water into the Yorkshire grid system.
Mr. Atkins : My Department does not have this information.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how much the National Rivers Authority paid to Sir William Halcrow and Partners for its study of water resources in the Yorkshire region, published in October 1993 ;
(2) what advice the National Rivers Authority's fisheries scientists have given to the National Rivers Authority's water resources division about the consequences of transferring Kielder water via the Rivers Whisk, Swale and Ouse.
Mr. Atkins : These are matters of day-to-day management for the National Rivers Authority.
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Corby District Council
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total sum paid to Corby district council in each year of operation in lieu of rate revenue forgone in enterprise zones.
Mr. Baldry : The sums paid to Corby District Council in lieu of rate revenue forgone in enterprise zones were :
Year |£000's ---------------------- 1981-82 |126 1982-83 |434 1983-84 |1,146 1984-85 |1,688 1985-86 |2,155 1986-87 |2,896 1987-88 |3,464 1988-89 |4,344 1989-90 |4,711
The figures are in own year prices.
Following the introduction of the national non-domestic rates in April 1990, the lost yield from business rates on enterprise zones is taken into account in setting the national poundage and it is no longer necessary to compensate councils individually for rate revenue forgone.
Council House Sales
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each district authority in Northamptonshire the total discounted value of houses and flats sold by them for each year since 1980-81.
Sir George Young : The total discounted values of dwellings sold by local authorities in Northamptonshire in the years 1980-81 to 1992-93 are given in the table. Actual cash receipts in any year will depend on the extent to which sales were financed by loans from the authorities.
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Discounted value of all sales £ thousand Local Authority |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corby |716 |2,837 |5,393 |4,326 |3,711 Daventry |1,643 |2,478 |2,067 |1,995 |1,605 East Northamptonshire |757 |2,585 |1,002 |1,013 |831 Kettering |721 |1,659 |1,035 |918 |1,108 Northampton |1,831 |2,861 |2,717 |2,135 |1,381 South Northamptonshire |1,123 |2,258 |2,628 |2,382 |1,727 Wellingborough |833 |2,592 |2,055 |1,765 |1,962
Discounted value of all sales
£ thousand
|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
----------------------------------------------------------
Corby |3,901 |3,332 |4,998 |9,036
Daventry |1,929 |n/a |3,740 |4,651
East
Northamptonshire |1,008 |1,720 |2,519 |4,160
Kettering |1,809 |2,754 |3,974 |5,300
Northampton |n/a |5,674 |8,961 |16,530
South
Northamptonshire |1,379 |1,829 |n/a |5,471
Wellingborough |1,303 |2,882 |3,617 |6,311
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Discounted value of all sales
£ thousand
|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
----------------------------------------------------------
Corby |6,764 |2,508 |2,421 |2,373
Daventry |3,437 |1,425 |1,242 |3,061
East
Northamptonshire |1,404 |979 |1,042 |1,261
Kettering |1,869 |923 |1,020 |1,029
Northampton |11,595 |3,521 |4,197 |2,584
South
Northamptonshire |2,467 |769 |1,109 |1,543
Wellingborough |2,937 |2,232 |1,480 |1,165
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the Government's policy towards
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council tenants purchasing the property they live in with the assistance of a loan from a private individual to whom they are not related.Sir George Young : Council tenants have the same freedom as other home buyers to finance the purchase of their homes under the right to buy from whatever source they choose. The Department's advisory booklet "Your Right to Buy Your Home" encourages tenants to take independent legal advice before proceeding with their purchase.
North Peckham Task Force
Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the funding for the North Peckham task force in 1994-95.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 6 December 1993 setting out the arrangements for funding of the North Peckham task force up to and beyond its closure on 31 March 1994. Detailed allocations of funding for 1994-95 have not yet been agreed, but there will be sufficient cover to honour all continuing contractual commitment.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the hon. Member of Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 11 November regarding market franchise rights of G/BA/150/28931/93 ; and what is the reason for the delay.
Mr. Baldry : We are considering the issue of market franchise rights in the light of the responses received to our consultation document of 16 August 1993 on this subject. Ministers will be replying as soon as possible to the hon. Gentleman and to other hon. Members who have corresponded with them on this subject.
Single Regeneration Budget
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish for consultation the draft bidding guidance on the single regeneration budget.
Sir George Young : We are today issuing for consultation the draft bidding guidance on the single regeneration budget. The guidance is being circulated to a wide range of national and local organisations. Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Library of the House.
Local Government Commission
Ms Janet Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of the budget of the Local Government Commission and the costs incurred by the commission so far.
Mr. Baldry : The Local Government Commission incurred expenditure of £2.056 million in 1992-93. We are making available £5.124 million to fund the commission's activities in 1993-94.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Forestry (Gloucestershire)
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all land owned by the Forestry Commission in Gloucestershire.
Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission manages 10,376 hectares of land in Gloucestershire. The commission is preparing a list of the individual woods and I shall send a copy to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the Forestry Commission's holdings in Gloucestershire are earmarked for sale.
Mr. Jack : None of the Forestry Commission's woodlands in Gloucestershire is currently being considered for sale.
Biodiversity Convention
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussion she has had with the Fisheries Ministers in Denmark on initiatives to meet joint commitments under the biodiversity convention signed at Rio, including the application of the conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources to the North sea.
Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 14 December 1993, Official Report, columns 541-42.
Latero Flora
Mr. Corbett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of whether labelling on the American imported product Latero Flora and its active ingredient bacillus laterosporus complies with current food labelling requirements.
Mr. Soames : The responsibility for determining whether labelling of foodstuffs complies with the food labelling regulations lies with local authority trading standards departments. I will ensure that the hon. Gentleman's concerns about this product are brought to the attention of the co-ordinating body for enforcement authorities.
HEALTH
NHS Administration
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers and administrators have been employed in NHS hospitals in each year since 1990.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available is shown in the table. The figures provide the total number of managers and administrative and clerical staff in national health service regions including those in regional and district headquarters units. The general and senior manager class was introduced in phases from 1986 in recognition of the fact that the NHS was clearly undermanaged. The figures should be treated with caution because the increase is largely due to the reclassification of other professional and administrative staff as general and senior managers. My
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