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Mr. Baldry : I have placed tables in the Library showing the requested information. The 1994-95 figures have been calculated on the basis of the provisional SSAs announced by the Secretary of State on 2 December 1993. Final SSAs for 1994-95 will be announced shortly.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the change in the area cost adjustment factor compared to the overall change in standard spending assessment for each year since 1990-91.
Mr. Baldry : The annual percentage changes since 1990-91 in the total of SSAs and in the amounts allocated on the area cost adjustment have been as follows :
Year |Increase in SSAs |Increase in amount
|cost adjustment
|Per cent. |Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 to 1991-92 |19.4 |37.7
1991-92 to 1992-93 |6.8 |14.1
1992-93 (adj) to 1993-94 |2.9 |8.9
1993-94 to 1994-95 (prov) |3.3 |15.3
Notes:
1. For the purposes of comparison with 1993-94, the 1992-93 figures
have been adjusted to allow for the transfer of certain local authority
responsibilities, most notably for further education. These calculations
have been revised and now show an increase in the area cost factor
contribution of 8.9 per cent. between 1992-93 and 1993-94.
2. The 1994-95 increases have been calculated on the basis of the
provisional SSAs announced by the Secretary of State on 2 December
1993. After adjustment to allow for the impact of extra money for
community care and other changes of function, the overall increase in
SSA between 1993-94 and 1994-95 would be 2.2 per cent. Final SSAs for
1994-95 will be announced shortly.
Industrial and Commercial Assets (Transfers)
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the value of industrial and commercial assets transferring over the last five years from (a) Milton Keynes development corporation to Milton Keynes borough council, (b) Peterborough development corporation to Peterborough city council and (c) Telford development corporation to The Wrekin council.
Mr. Baldry : During the last five years, the former Milton Keynes development corporation has transferred industrial and commercial assets with an estimated open market value of £16,661,000 to Milton Keynes borough council and the former Telford development corporation has transferred industrial and commercial assets with an estimated open market value of £26,184,000 to The Wrekin council. In both cases, these transfers took place in order to generate the rental income streams required to cover the maintenance costs of the community facilities, open spaces, and other community related assets being transferred to the respective councils at the same time. There have been no subsequent transfers of industrial or commercial assets to these local authorities from the Commission for the New Towns. The Peterborough development corporation was wound up in September 1988, since when there have been no transfers of industrial or commercial assets to Peterborough city council from the Commission for the New Towns.
Hazardous Substances
Mr. Forman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to assess the effectiveness of planning controls over hazardous substances introduced in June 1993.
Mr. Baldry : The Department has recently commissioned research into the operation of hazardous substances consents under the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990. The research is designed to establish how effective these controls are in preventing unacceptable risks to the public from storage and use of hazardous substances at least cost to industry.
It will look at all aspects of the system by means of survey, case studies and interview.
Langbaurgh Council
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has considered the response by Langbaurgh on Tees borough council to the notice served on the authority on 10 September 1993 under section 19A of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. Friend has considered carefully the response which Langbaurgh on Tees borough council has made to the notice served in the authority, and
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has today given the authority a direction under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. The effect of the direction is to require the authority to retender the work which was the subject of the notice when the current arrangement comes to an end and to seek my right hon. Friend's consent should it wish to reassign the work to the direct service organisation.NATIONAL HERITAGE
BBC Board
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the membership of the board of the BBC, together with their salaries.
Mr. Brooke : The members of the board of the BBC and their salaries are as follows :
|£
----------------------------------------------------
Chairman
Mr. Marmaduke Hussey |59,015
Vice Chairman
Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe |15,140
National governor (Scotland)
Sir Graham Hills |15,140
National governor (Wales)
Dr. Gwyn Jones |15,140
National governor (Northern Ireland)
Sir Kenneth Percy Bloomfield |15,140
Members
Lord Nicholas Gordon Lennox KCMG KCVO |7,570
Miss Jane Glover |7,570
Mrs. Shahwar Sadeque |7,570
Mr. Bill Jordan |7,570
Mrs. Margaret Spurr |7,570
Concessionary Television Licences
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to introduce a special concessionary television licence for all chronically sick persons, including those who do not live in residential nursing homes and similar sheltered housing schemes.
Mr. Brooke : No. As the Government have repeatedly stated, they have no plans to extend the scope of the existing concessionary television licence scheme, under which concessionary licences are available only to retirement pensioners and disabled people living in residential homes or in comparable sheltered housing schemes.
Tourism (Safety Regulations)
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress he has made to equalise fire, safety and health regulations faced by the tourist industry in the European Union.
Mr. Sproat : I have held a series of meetings with ministerial colleagues with a view to reducing the impact of legislative and bureaucratic burdens on tourism, and discussions are continuing between Department and a number of other Departments. The areas of regulation under discussion include fire precautions, food hygiene and some elements of health and safety at work legislation. The implementation and enforcement of regulations in these
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areas in other European Union member states is not within the Government's control, but I am concerned to ensure that the tourism industry in the United Kingdom is not put at a disadvantage because regulations are enforced in more rigorous manner here than in other member states.Uniform Business Rates
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received regarding the six-bed rule for exemption from uniform business rates.
Mr. Sproat : My Department has received many representations expressing different points of view on the six-bedspace rule, which was introduced in April 1991 after very wide consultation with interested parties. Ministers at the Department of Environment, who are responsible for policy on non-domestic rates, are also aware of the tourism industry's opinions.
Sportsmatch Scheme
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the grants awarded by the Sportsmatch scheme in 1993 indicating the amounts, the recipients and the commercial sponsors and which grants have gone to private schools.
Mr. Brooke : I have arranged for a list of all the Sportsmatch scheme awards approved in 1993 to be made available in the Library. Only non-profit distributing bodies are eligible to receive awards, and priority is given to those schemes which increase participation and are considered to benefit young people, the disabled and ethnic minorities, or deprived urban or rural areas. As far as we are aware, no awards were made to private schools.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Private Bills
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will bring forward proposals to alter the restrictions on the drafting of private bills.
Mr. Newton : I have no plans to do so.
Privy Council
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the precise wording of the oath administered to persons appointed to the Privy Council.
Mr. Newton : By convention, the terms of the Privy Counsellor's oath are confidential to members of the Privy Council.
EDUCATION
Discipline
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to introduce new measures to improve discipline in schools.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend has recently issued for consultation a number of draft circulars providing guidance on a range of issues relating to discipline in
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schools and pupils with problems. We look forward to positive and constructive responses which will strengthen and improve the guidance in those circulars.Food Technology
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the status of food technology in the national curriculum at key stage 3 following the Dearing report.
Mr. Robin Squire : No decisions have yet been made about the new requirements for national curriculum technology to be introduced in 1995. The responsibility for continuing the review of the existing requirements, so as to take account of the Dearing report, rests currently with the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority. My right hon. Friend expects to receive the authority's recommendations for revision in April.
Back to Basics"
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the implications of the Government's "back to basics" policy for his Department during 1994.
Mr. Robin Squire : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member on 21 January at column 849 .
Mr. Rendel : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what working definition of "back to basics" is used by his Department ; and what his Department has done in the past three months to implement the policy.
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 20 January 1994] : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 21 January at column 849.
School Transport
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will make a statement on the rules and regulations governing concessionary school transport for pupils attending secondary schools ;
(2) what powers county councils have to discriminate against one secondary school with regard to concessionary school transport without adopting a similar policy for all other similar secondary schools in the county ; what representations he has had from Essex on this matter ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) how many non-Church comprehensive schools in Essex benefit from the policy of concessionary school transport from Essex county council ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) if he will make a statement on Essex county council's proposed policy towards discretionary school transport.
Mr. Forth : A local education authority must provide free transport if it considers it necessary to facilitate a pupil's school attendance. Authorities have considerable discretion to tailor this provision to meet pupils' individual needs. They also have power to help other pupils with their travelling expenses, and to carry them at a charge in any spare seats on school buses provided by the authority to carry pupils who do qualify for free transport. Data on local education authorities' school transport provision are not collected centrally.
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LEAs must treat pupils at grant-maintained schools no less favourably than comparable pupils at schools maintained by an LEA. The Department has had three representations from Essex about the authority's proposal to phase out discretionary transport for pupils at the Ingatestone Anglo-European and Davenant Foundation grant-maintained schools, but has seen no evidence that would justify my right hon. Friend's intervention.Chief Inspector of Schools
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of every letter to hon. Members from her Majesty's chief inspector of schools.
Mr. Robin Squire : I am consulting Professor Sutherland and will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Fitzherbert School, Brighton
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the guidance given by his Department to the estate agent responsible for the sale of the former Fitzherbert school site, Brighton.
Mr. Robin Squire : As owner of the site the CTC trust instructed agents for sale.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if the former Fitzherbert school site Brighton was sold to the organisation submitting the highest offer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : After taking professional advice, the Department was satisfied that sale of the former Fitzherbert school site was achieved on the most favourable terms available.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions (a) he, (b) his civil servants or (c) the city technology college trust met with Mr. John Spiers to discuss the future use of the former Fitzherbert school site, Brighton.
Mr. Robin Squire : I understand that the then Secretary of State met Mr. Spiers on 19 May 1989, together with Mr. Ivor Revere who was the principal potential sponsor, to discuss the proposal to establish a CTC in Brighton. I am not aware of any other meeting with Ministers, but officials and staff of the CTC trust met Mr. Spiers and others interested in the project on various occasions before the Government withdrew their support in April 1990.
City Technology College, Brighton
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list those individuals and industrial sponsors who had indicated an interest in supporting the proposed city technology college in Brighton.
Mr. Robin Squire : The principal potential sponsor was Mr. Ivor Revere chairman and managing director of South Weald Properties Ltd.-- trading as Greenleaf Planters. Mr. Revere had made a firm written pledge of £1 million which he withdrew on 13 April 1990. In consequence, the Secretary of State announced to Parliament on 24 April 1990 that the Government were withdrawing their financial support. Other potential sponsors had expressed interest but had not submitted firm pledges to the Department.
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Statutory Sick Pay
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 414 , what are the additional costs, net of any reduction in employer's national insurance contributions, to his Departmental budget for the financial year 1994-95 of the changes in statutory sick pay provision.
Mr Boswell : The information requested will not be available until after the end of the financial year requested.
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Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 73 , what is the total number of schools in each local education authority and the percentage thereof which have opted for grant-maintained status.
Mr. Robin Squire : The table shows total numbers of maintained schools and the numbers and percentages of schools operating with or approved for grant-maintained status in each local education authority area.
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LEA |Total Primary|GM Primary |Percentage |Total |GM |Percentage
|GM |Secondary |Secondary |Secondary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |369 |- |0.0 |60 |2 |3.3
Barking |55 |- |0.0 |8 |- |0.0
Barnet |89 |2 |2.2 |21 |9 |42.9
Barnsley |96 |- |0.0 |15 |- |0.0
Bedfordshire |218 |3 |1.4 |71 |10 |114.1
Berkshire |275 |7 |2.5 |59 |10 |16.9
Bexley |64 |2 |3.1 |17 |4 |23.5
Birmingham |336 |4 |1.2 |79 |16 |20.3
Bolton |105 |1 |1.0 |16 |3 |18.8
Bradford |167 |3 |1.8 |88 |6 |6.8
Brent |64 |1 |1.6 |13 |8 |61.5
Bromley |78 |2 |2.6 |17 |11 |64.7
Buckinghamshire |290 |6 |2.1 |45 |10 |22.2
Bury |71 |1 |1.4 |14 |- |0.0
Calderdale |91 |2 |2.2 |16 |6 |37.5
Cambridge |267 |6 |2.2 |44 |16 |36.4
Camden |41 |- |0.0 |11 |2 |18.2
Cheshire |454 |3 |0.7 |68 |3 |4.4
Cleveland |203 |- |0.0 |44 |- |0.0
Cornwall |249 |- |0.0 |31 |- |0.0
Corp. of London |1 |- |0.0 |0 |- |0.0
Coventry |109 |- |0.0 |19 |- |0.0
Croydon |98 |2 |2.0 |20 |6 |30.0
Cumbria |306 |14 |4.6 |42 |11 |26.2
Derbyshire |450 |7 |1.6 |61 |14 |23.0
Devon |442 |1 |0.2 |64 |6 |9.4
Doncaster |127 |- |0.0 |34 |- |0.0
Dorset |200 |1 |0.5 |56 |9 |16.1
Dudley |83 |1 |1.2 |22 |6 |27.3
Durham |298 |- |0.0 |43 |- |0.0
Ealing |92 |4 |4.3 |13 |5 |38.5
East Sussex |219 |- |0.0 |34 |- |0.0
Enfield |70 |1 |1.4 |17 |5 |29.4
Essex |581 |66 |11.4 |105 |66 |62.9
Gateshead |82 |- |0.0 |13 |- |0.0
Gloucestershire |262 |7 |2.7 |43 |24 |55.8
Greenwich |79 |- |0.0 |15 |- |0.0
Hackney |70 |- |0.0 |10 |- |0.0
Hammersmith |38 |- |0.0 |10 |1 |10.0
Hampshire |580 |13 |2.2 |94 |17 |18.1
Haringey |77 |- |0.0 |9 |- |0.0
Harrow |54 |- |0.0 |10 |1 |10.0
Havering |74 |- |0.0 |19 |4 |21.1
Hereford and Worcester 288 - 0.0 76 5 6.6
Hertfordshire |432 |6 |1.4 |88 |20 |22.7
Hillingdon |72 |11 |15.3 |15 |12 |80.0
Hounslow |62 |- |0.0 |14 |2 |14.3
Humberside |354 |2 |0.6 |60 |- |0.0
Isle of Scilly |4 |- |0.0 |1 |- |0.0
Isle of Wight |46 |- |0.0 |21 |- |0.0
Islington |57 |- |0.0 |9 |- |0.0
Kensington |27 |1 |3.7 |4 |1 |25.0
Kent |570 |17 |3.0 |136 |57 |41.9
Kingston |36 |1 |2.8 |10 |4 |40.0
Kirklees |158 |- |0.0 |34 |2 |5.9
Knowsley |68 |- |0.0 |11 |1 |9.1
Lambeth |77 |5 |6.5 |19 |5 |50.0
Lancashire |605 |1 |0.2 |106 |8 |7.5
Leeds |249 |1 |0.4 |46 |1 |2.2
Leicester |334 |- |0.0 |79 |5 |6.3
Lewisham |72 |1 |1.4 |13 |- |0.0
Lincolnshire |293 |22 |7.5 |63 |24 |38.1
Liverpool |198 |- |0.0 |36 |3 |8.3
Manchester |174 |- |0.0 |28 |- |0.0
Merton |49 |- |0.0 |11 |- |0.0
Newcastle |82 |- |0.0 |22 |- |0.0
Newham |67 |- |0.0 |14 |1 |7.1
Norfolk |397 |13 |3.3 |52 |12 |23.1
North Tyneside |61 |- |0.0 |26 |- |0.0
North Yorkshire |394 |- |0.0 |59 |- |0.0
Northamptonshire |270 |9 |3.3 |65 |12 |18.5
Northumberland |143 |- |0.0 |61 |1 |1.6
Nottinghamshire |426 |- |0.0 |82 |3 |3.7
Oldham |104 |- |0.0 |15 |- |0.0
Oxfordshire |241 |1 |0.4 |44 |- |0.0
Redbridge |56 |- |0.0 |14 |1 |7.1
Richmond |39 |- |0.0 |8 |- |0.0
Rochdale |76 |3 |3.9 |14 |1 |7.1
Rotherham |115 |- |0.0 |18 |- |0.0
Salford |88 |- |0.0 |18 |1 |5.6
Sandwell |112 |- |0.0 |20 |1 |5.0
Sefton |94 |- |0.0 |22 |- |0.0
Sheffield |164 |4 |2.4 |32 |2 |6.3
Shropshire |214 |1 |0.5 |37 |5 |13.5
Solihull |70 |1 |1.4 |13 |- |0.0
Somerset |229 |2 |0.9 |39 |1 |2.6
South Tyneside |58 |- |0.0 |11 |- |0.0
Southwark |75 |4 |5.3 |14 |5 |35.7
St Helens |72 |- |0.0 |12 |- |0.0
Staffordshire |414 |2 |0.5 |85 |5 |5.9
Stockport |110 |- |0.0 |14 |- |0.0
Suffolk |255 |- |0.0 |77 |- |0.0
Sunderland |105 |- |0.0 |17 |- |0.0
Surrey |372 |11 |3.0 |51 |13 |25.5
Sutton |43 |3 |7.0 |14 |8 |57.1
Tameside |82 |- |0.0 |18 |3 |16.7
Tower Hamlets |73 |- |0.0 |15 |1 |6.7
Trafford |78 |- |0.0 |16 |4 |25.0
Wakefield |130 |- |0.0 |38 |- |0.0
Walsall |106 |2 |1.9 |21 |6 |28.6
Waltham Forest |61 |- |0.0 |16 |2 |12.5
Wandsworth |72 |2 |2.8 |10 |6 |60.0
Warwickshire |244 |- |0.0 |37 |8 |21.6
West Sussex |246 |- |0.0 |41 |- |0.0
Westminster |42 |- |0.0 |8 |- |0.0
Wigan |125 |- |0.0 |21 |- |0.0
Wiltshire |294 |9 |3.1 |44 |13 |29.5
Wirral |106 |- |0.0 |21 |2 |9.5
Wolverhampton |101 |- |0.0 |20 |3 |15.0
TOTALS |18,905 |295 |1.6 |3,657 |561 |15.3
Note: Numbers and percentages of operating and approved GM schools are as at 20 January 1994.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Consultancies
Ms Abbott : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the (a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which her Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.
Mr. Jack : During the years 1992 and 1993, the following firms, including one merchant bank, offering accountancy services were awarded consultancy contracts by my core Department.
Amtec Consulting
BDO Binder-Hamlyn
Coopers & Lybrand
Ernst & Young
KPMG Peat Marwick
Leopold Joseph
PA Consulting
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Price WaterhouseStoy Hayward
Touche Ross Management Consultants
Consultancies given to the above firms included various areas of work other than accountancy and the total cost was in the region of £950,000 individual contract figures cannot be given as this information is classified commercial in confidence. This answer excludes contracts made by agencies.
Kent Woods
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the number and names of Forestry Commission woods in Kent (a) sold in the last two years and (b) to be sold in the next 12 months, showing the hectarage of each and how much money was or will be received for each wood.
Mr. Jack : The Forestry Commission has sold one woodland in Kent in the last two years--Rogley hop garden--3 hectares. The new owner did not agree to the purchase price being made public.
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The commission is currently selling or considering the sale of the following woodlands in Kent in the next 12 months :
Woodland |Area
|(hectares)
-----------------------------------
Post Wood |26
Stone Wood |11
Cole Wood |22
Penfold Wood |7
West Wood |176
The price received for these woodlands will depend on the state of the market at the time.
Food Labelling
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the regulations currently implemented by Her Majest's Government and the European Commission relating to food labelling; what implications these have for the production and export of traditional Scottish fare, including haggis; and if she will ensure that no regulations will prevent the use of traditional recipes.
Mr. Jack : Food labelling rules are set out principally in EC directive 79/112 and these are implemented in Great Britain by the Food Labelling Regulations 1984 and the Food Labelling (Scotland) Regulations 1984, both of which have been subject to some amendment and both of which are currently being reviewed and updated. I know of nothing in any of these regulations which has a particular effect on either Scottish fare or any other traditional receipe and I have no plans to make regulations that will. If any applications are received under the EC schemes for the registration of specific characteristics of food or of geographic names, which are separate from the labelling rules, which appear to affect adversly the interests of Scottish, or any other UK producers, then I would wish to give them every opportunity to comment on issues which concern them.
Pesticides
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate she has made of the effect the liberalisation of trade under the new GATT regime will have on the amount of fruit and vegetables entering the United Kingdom contaminated with pesticide residues.
Mr. Jack : We expect imports of fruit and vegetables to continue to comply with our pesticide residues requirements. The food industry has been reminded of the need to ensure that residues comply with our statutory requirements.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consignments of fruit and vegetables were refused entry at United Kingdom ports in 1993 because they contain excess levels of pesticides and preservatives.
Mr. Jack : In 1993, our monitoring of imported fruit and vegetables, including enforcement monitoring of imported oranges, indicated that residue levels were sufficiently low and that the imports were acceptable. Consequently, none were refused entry.
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Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps her Department is taking to ensure that imports of fruit do not contain levels of pesticides and preservatives exceeding the maximum residue level.
Mr. Jack : One of the purposes of the surveillance monitoring programme which is carried out by the Government's working party on pesticide residues is to check that imported food complies with statutory maximum residue levels contained in the Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Food) Regulations 1988. The latest results, which are made available in full each year, were published on 18 January. Where surveillance shows that imported food does not comply with statutory limits, enforcement action may be taken at ports or within the UK.
Rift Valley Fever
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the number of incidents of Rift Valley fever in each year since 1985.
Mr. Jack : There have been no outbreaks of Rift Valley fever since 1985.
Coastal Erosion, Isle of Wight
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what advice she can give the Isle of Wight local authorities following the recent extensive coastal problems ; and what moneys may be available to help with the problems ;
(2) if she will ensure her advisers visit the Isle of Wight to assess the extent of coastal erosion and landslip and to advise the local authorities.
Mr. Jack : I understand that the earth slip on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight was caused by excess water in the coastal slope rather than erosion by the sea. The coastal defences around the Isle of Wight have not been affected but, if the council wishes to undertake any works to protect against erosion by the sea in the area, its proposals will be considered by MAFF for grant aid in the normal way. So far as the present landslip is concerned, I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment would be willing to consider any application for assistance under the Bellwin scheme.
Engineers from South Wight borough council have been in contact with the Ministry's regional engineer but have not yet felt it necessary to invite him to visit the area.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which special advisers in his Department are seconded from other organisations ; and what are the organisations and the lengths and terms of the secondments.
Mr. Howard : Neither of the special advisers employed by the Home Office is seconded from other organisations.
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Visas
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the European Commission proposal for a regulation determining the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the member states ;
(2) if he will list those countries which are indicated on the European Commission list as countries which will require a visa for entry to the European Union.
Mr. Charles Wardle : In accordance with the procedures for Parliamentary scrutiny of European Community documents, the Commission's proposal was deposited on 18 January. An explanatory memorandum is in preparation.
Addictive Diseases Trust
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution his Department makes towards the Addictive Diseases Trust.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Addictive Diseases Trust receives a grant of £18,000 towards the provision of drug counselling services at HM prison Downview for the period 1 September 1993 to 30 August 1994.
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons which make available the services of the Addictive Diseases Trust to combat drug and alcohol abuse.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Lady Olga Maitland, dated 24 January 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about prisons which make available the services of the Addictive Diseases Trust.
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