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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 26 January 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Stockton-on-Tees County Court

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what future use his Department intends for

Stockton-on-Tees county court.

Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor consented on 5 March 1993 to public consultation on the proposal by the circuit administrator for the north-eastern circuit to close Stockton-on-Tees county court. The responses to that consultation are being considered and a decision by the Lord Chancellor will be made shortly. If the court were closed, the present court building would be sold.

Barristers

Ms Lynne : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what efforts are being made to ensure that newly qualified barristers are fully utilised.

Mr. John M. Taylor : The legal profession is independent and self regulating and the Government do not control the utilisation of newly qualified, or any other, members of the profession. These are matters which are properly the province of the professional bodies to consider.

Ethnic Minority Seminars

Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the purpose of the seminars on ethnic minorities to be undertaken by all judges ; how many seminars are taking place ; where they are held ; on what dates ; at what cost in each case ; what are the exact topics to be discussed ; and if he will name those directing the discussions.

Mr. John M. Taylor : This programme of seminars is arranged by the Judicial Studies Board. Its purpose is to enhance the awareness of judges, recorders and assistant recorders of ethnic minority issues which may assist them. The seminars will be held at locations throughout England and Wales over the next two years ; a detailed programme is being prepared. The Lord Chancellor supports this programme and has allocated a sum of over £900,000.

ENVIRONMENT

Minewater Pollution

Mr. Etherington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since 1988 all organisations or projects investigating minewater pollution which have received, or are receiving, financial or grant aid support from his Department.

Mr. Atkins : Comprehensive information in the form required is not readily available. However, the National


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Rivers Authority is currently funding a pilot project at the Wheal Jane tin mine in Cornwall devoted to identifying low cost treatment options. The NRA is jointly funding, with the British Oxygen Company Foundation for Environmental and Community Research, projects to examine low cost treatment technologies for discharges from disused mines involving the River Pelena in south Wales and the Little Don in Yorkshire. The NRA is also collaborating in a study with the Welsh Development Agency into the efficiency of engineered wetlands for the removal of metals and acidity from discharges from abandoned mines.

Mr. Etherington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he or his Department last held meetings with (a) the National Rivers Authority and (b) British Coal to discuss minewater pollution in the Durham coalfield.

Mr. Atkins : My Department maintains regular contact with the National Rivers Authority about this and other issues. Liaison with British Coal is a matter for the NRA, and there are well-established arrangements.

Mr. Etherington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the Wardell-Armstrong report on minewater pollution.

Mr. Atkins : Additional copies of Wardell Armstrong's final report on the potential impact of ceasing mine dewatering in the south-western part of the Durham coalfield are being produced. They will be placed in the House Library as soon as they are available.

Environmental Information Regulations 1992

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the operation of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 since they came into force.

Mr. Atkins : The Government introduced the Environmental Information Regulations just over a year ago, and they seem to be meeting their purpose.

Radiation Monitoring Scheme

Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to implement the Government's proposals for a radiation monitoring system and public warning network ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : The RIMNET national radiation monitoring and nuclear emergency response system, set up as part of the national response plan for dealing with overseas nuclear accidents, has been operating since 1988. Details of the system are given in the HMSO booklet, "The National Response Plan and Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET). Phase 1", copies of which are available in the Library of the House. A contract to extend, automate and provide additional operational facilities for the system is currently approaching completion.

Biodiversity Convention

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January, Official Report, column 566, if he will list the 38 countries


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that had ratified the biodiversity convention by 29 December 1993 ; and if he will list the countries that have ratified the convention since then.

Mr. Atkins : Revised information from the United Nations legal office in New York shows that 41 countries had ratified the biodiversity convention by 29 December 1993, rather than the 38 we believed had done so when I answered the hon. Member's earlier question on 18 January. A further two countries have since ratified, and the following is a full list in order of ratification.


List of countries to ratify the Biodiversity Convention             

Country                   |Date of ratification                     

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

 1. Mauritius             |4 September 1992                         

 2. Seychelles            |22 September 1992                        

 3. Marshall Islands      |8 October 1992                           

 4. Maldives              |9 November 1992                          

 5. Monaco                |20 November 1992                         

 6. Canada                |4 December 1992                          

 7. China                 |5 January 1993                           

 8. Saint Kitts and Nevis |7 January 1993                           

 9. Ecuador               |23 February 1993                         

10. Fiji                  |25 February 1993                         

11. Antigua and Barbuda   |9 March 1993                             

12. Mexico                |11 March 1993                            

13. Papua New Guinea      |16 March 1993                            

14. Vanuatu               |25 March 1993                            

15. Cook Islands          |20 April 1993                            

16. Guinea                |7 May 1993                               

17. Armenia               |14 May 1993                              

18. Japan                 |28 May 1993                              

19. Zambia                |28 May 1993                              

20. Peru                  |7 June 1993                              

21. Australia             |18 June 1993                             

22. Norway                |9 July 1993                              

23. Tunisia               |15 July 1993                             

24. Saint Lucia           |28 July 1993                             

25. Burkina Faso          |2 September 1993                         

26. Bahamas               |2 September 1993                         

27. Belarus               |8 September 1993                         

28. Uganda                |8 September 1993                         

29. New Zealand           |16 September 1993                        

30. Mongolia              |30 September 1993                        

31. Philippines           |8 October 1993                           

32. Uruguay               |5 November 1993                          

33. Nauru                 |11 November 1993                         

34. Jordan                |12 November 1993                         

35. Nepal                 |23 November 1993                         

36. Barbados              |10 December 1993                         

37. Sweden                |16 December 1993                         

38. Denmark               |21 December 1993                         

39. Germany               |21 December 1993                         

40. Portugal              |21 December 1993                         

41. Spain                 |21 December 1993                         

42. Belize                |30 December 1993                         

43. Albania               |5 January 1994                           

                                                                    

European Community        |21 December 1993                         

Olympic Games

Mr. Litherland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has examined the accounts for the Manchester Olympic Bid Committee ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Baldry : The Manchester Olympic Bid Committee was established under the Companies Acts as a company limited by guarantee. It has no legal link with my Department.

However, since the company received £2.2 million in grant on a pound for pound basis to cover the cost of


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preparing the bid, my Department carried out an internal audit to assess the adequacy of the arrangements established by the company to safeguard public funds. The report found that the accounting arrangements were generally satisfactory and the terms of the grant letter were being met.

My right hon. Friend expects to receive a copy of the final audited accounts in due course.

Mr. Litherland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of the commitment given by the Sports Council, the Department of National Heritage and the Prime Minister, including all travel costs, of the Manchester olympic bid campaign.

Mr. Baldry : The Government committed some £75 million to support the Manchester olympic bid. This comprised £35.5 million for the arena ; up to £30 million for the acquisition and clearance of the Eastlands site, which is ongoing ; £6.4 million for the velodrome, plus £2 million from the Sports Council ; £2.2 million to support the activities of the Manchester Olympic Bid Committee.

The Prime Minister and Ministers from a number of Government Departments met International Olympic Committee members on a number of occasions at home and overseas to discuss the olympic bid. Most of the meetings took place in the course of normal departmental business and, therefore, the costs fell within existing departmental running cost budgets. Information about these costs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Bed-and-Breakfast Accommodation

Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the accident rate for children living in

bed-and-breakfast accommodation for the last year that figures are available ;

(2) how many families with children are currently living in bed-and- breakfast accommodation in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Sir George Young : The information for England is not available centrally and my Department has no estimates.

For information about Wales, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

South-East Planning Guidance

Mr. Peter Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to publish regional planning guidance for the south-east.

Mr. Baldry : The regional planning guidance for the south-east will be published as soon as possible.

Council House Sales

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority in London the total discounted value of houses and flats sold by them in each year since 1980-81.

Sir George Young : The total reported discounted values of dwellings sold by local authorities in London 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 Sales in London                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

£ thousand                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Local authority        |1980-81        |1981-82        |1982-83        |1983-84        |1984-85        |1985-86        |1986-87        |1987-88        |1988-89        |1989-90        |1990-91        |1991-92        |1992-93                        

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

Barking and Dagenham   |0              |7,802          |29,152         |11,262         |10,705         |14,222         |n/a            |20,000         |45,116         |26,984         |13,724         |10,680         | n/a                           

Barnet                 |3,664          |5,371          |8,041          |13,595         |13,499         |12,367         |13,065         |19,787         |21,203         |0              |9,431          |6,714          |3,818                          

Bexley                 |4,761          |6,297          |4,041          |5,033          |3,925          |4,179          |4,844          |7,156          |11,580         | n/a           | n/a           |3,315          |4,022                          

Brent                  |22             |3,194          |6,794          |5,669          | n/a           | n/a           |7,032          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |21,590         |7,932          | n/a                           

Bromley                |5,626          |8,608          |9,470          |10,563         |14,929         |11,848         |13,251         |23,286         |28,124         |14,713         | n/a           |9,013          |116,888                        

Camden                 |10             |346            |5,221          |1,950          |25             |1,799          |4,611          |20             |18,663         |41,037         |32,158         |14,103         | n/a                           

City of London         |0              |3,496          |10,997         |5,585          |3,408          |9,230          |16,088         |15,497         |16,795         |8,117          |3,399          |3,755          |3,993                          

Croydon                |3,927          |10,088         |10,717         |10,599         |9,485          |13,522         | n/a           |20,353         |26,744         |18,850         |8,749          |10,912         |5,671                          

Ealing                 |9,327          |11,643         |10,620         | n/a           |7,307          |10,475         |12,190         |11,794         |0              | n/a           |17,663         | n/a           | n/a                           

Enfield                |3,891          |5,513          |8,245          |13,704         |13,610         |9,733          |11,915         |15,608         |31,955         |27,236         |13,518         |8,819          |4,978                          

Greater London Council |95,279         |43,700         |19,768         |11,209         |6,276          |-              |-              |-              |-              |-              |-              |-              |-                              

Greenwich              |0              |3,029          |15,062         |6,301          |5,980          |7,932          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |9,891          |8,462                          

Hackney                | n/a           |390            | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |0              |0              |0              |0              |0              | n/a           |14,570         | n/a                           

Hammersmith and Fulham |2,329          |5,853          |6,421          |5,291          |7,047          |7,979          |7,083          |6,600          |15,525         |11,429         |13,587         |7,706          |4,211                          

Haringey               |0              |5,883          |8,268          |4,713          |6,413          |7,076          | n/a           | n/a           |19,847         |27,359         |17,492         |10,701         | n/a                           

Harrow                 |1,739          |3,514          |6,093          |4,315          |3,647          |5,118          |5,724          |8,343          |12,338         |7,776          |4,552          |4,377          |3,596                          

Havering               |427            |4,777          |6,175          |7,632          |6,889          |6,632          | n/a           |11,960         |19,150         |16,672         |7,495          |4,274          |4,388                          

Hillingdon             | n/a           |13,069         | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a                           

Hounslow               |49             |4,082          |12,867         |8,830          |4,888          |6,443          |6,655          |12,329         | n/a           |20,741         |20,357         |11,507         |7,885                          

Islington              |30             |1,791          |6,082          |4,767          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |9,785          |23,298         |33,745         |29,304         |13,525         |11,266                         

Kensington and Chelsea |1,088          |4,394          |4,521          |2,232          |1,700          |2,379          |5,291          |3,971          |6,701          | n/a           |7,499          | n/a           | n/a                           

Kingston upon Thames   |2,381          |2,553          |5,727          |4,190          |2,488          |3,073          |3,009          |2,535          |6,504          |7,518          |3,701          |3,344          |2,397                          

Lambeth                |0              |507            |4,453          | n/a           |128            |318            | n/a           | n/a           |13,632         |15,444         |30,221         |21,409         |11,611                         

Lewisham               |0              |2,665          |12,387         | n/a           |4,981          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |14,191         |11,397                         

Merton                 |6,536          |12,173         |4,799          |6,168          |10,424         |4,607          |9,755          | n/a           |0              | n/a           |8,772          |5,492          |4,146                          

Newham                 |1,400          |2,925          |15,744         | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |0              |0              |0              | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a                           

Redbridge              |3,080          |4,657          |5,802          |6,063          |5,390          | n/a           |4,369          |5,570          |9,583          | n/a           |9,680          |5,487          |4,190                          

Richmond upon Thames   |1,500          |1,336          |4,497          |4,458          |5,296          |5,902          |3,520          |8,196          |14,151         |10,099         |6,108          |5,884          |4,196                          

Southwark              |60             |2,512          |7,354          |4,257          |3,757          |5,449          |3,883          | n/a           | n/a           |38,448         |34,232         | n/a           | n/a                           

Sutton                 |2,201          |3,318          |4,542          |6,386          |7,561          |5,940          |6,178          |7,726          |12,901         |9,518          |6,025          |3,927          |2,801                          

Tower Hamlets          |0              |227            |2,986          |1,957          |1,552          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |53,754         | n/a                           

Waltham Forest         |0              |7,339          |9,324          |6,695          |6,582          | n/a           | n/a           | n/a           |14,307         |18,139         |7,706          |4,848          | n/a                           

Wandsworth             |10,903         |24,023         |19,073         |21,647         |30,703         |37,411         |32,494         |49,354         |67,616         |72,806         |37,031         |25,842         |19,959                         

Westminster            |3,506          |1,602          |5,399          |n/a            |n/a            |8,661          |10,092         |12,515         |43,007         |61,357         |27,935         |14,767         |10,454                         

n/a=Not available.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Rent-a-room Scheme

Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the number of lettings of spare rooms which have been made available in consequence of the rent-a-room scheme under which owners receive tax relief on certain income from lodgers.

Sir George Young : Information about the number of rooms let under the rent-a-room scheme can be obtained only from housing surveys. No data are available as yet.

Housing, Wandsworth

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the London borough of Wandsworth as to the service charges that are imposed by the authority on people living in properties that they have purchased from the borough ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir George Young : Service charges imposed by a local authority as a freeholder on individual leaseholders are a matter for that authority. The London borough of Wandsworth is participating in a survey of charging practice, commissioned by the Department. The findings should inform good practice guidance we propose to issue in the summer.

Home Insulation

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to institute a national programme to insulate homes ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : My Department already operates a national programme to insulate homes. The home energy


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efficiency scheme--HEES--was introduced on 1 January 1991 and provides grants in England, Scotland and Wales to householders on low incomes for the installation of loft, tank and pipe insulation, draughtproofing and energy advice. There is a similar scheme in Northern Ireland. In April 1994 the provision for HEES is to be almost doubled and the scheme extended to pensioners and the disabled.

Letting Agents

Mr. Bendall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider bringing letting agents within the scope of the Estate Agents Act 1979 so as to protect the public against loss of deposits and other malpractices and to ensure that letting agents are properly regulated.

Sir George Young : The Accommodation Agencies Act 1953 already regulates the activities of letting agencies. This makes it an offence to take money for registering the name or requirements of someone seeking a tenancy of a dwelling, to charge for supplying addresses of dwellings to be let and to advertise a dwelling, without the owner's authority, as being available to let. We consulted on the value of the Act towards the end of last year and decided, in the light of responses received, to maintain it in its present form. In addition, a number of trade associations, such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents already promote good practice throughout the industry by means of codes of practice and bonding schemes. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is preparing a code of practice on the management of residential property.


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Local Authority Asset Sales

Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing (a) the value of sales by each local authority of (i) parks and open space and (ii) other outside sports and playing fields in (1) 1991-92 and (2) 1992-93 approximated to the nearest £1,000 and (b) the total value of assets sold in each of those service categories by all local authorities in each of those years.

Mr. Baldry : The total value of fixed assets sold in the service categories specified is summarised in the table.


£'000                                                                

                                    |1991-92   |1992-93<1>           

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

Parks and open spaces               |16,901    |23,924               

Golf courses                        |205       |768                  

Other outside sports/playing fields |1,824     |644                  

<1>Provisional figures.                                              

Source: Local Authority Capital Outturn Returns.                     

I am arranging for information on the sale of fixed assets in these service categories, for each local authority, to be placed in the Library of the House.

Wildlife Injuries, Lancashire

Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sea birds and other wild life have been found dead or injured off the Lancashire coast in the last month ; what information he has to the causes ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Norris : I have been asked to reply.

The pollution incident off the coast of Lancashire was reported to the Department of Transport's marine pollution control unit on 1 January. More than 700 sea birds have been affected, but there are no reports of other wildlife being harmed. Samples of the substance recovered from the coastline and samples from a cargo of lubricating oil additives discharged at Eastham near Liverpool on 30 December by the tanker Stolt Kestrel have been analysed by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist. They have concluded that the two samples originated from the same source.

These particular additives are category D substances--the least harmful category--under the relevant provisions of the International Maritime Organisation--"MARPOL 73/78". The owner of the Stolt Kestrel, the Stolt Nielsen Group, has said that after unloading its cargo the Stolt Kestrel washed its tanks more than 12 nautical miles offshore in the Irish sea in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation regulations for category D substances, which permit discharges of mixtures of not more than one part of substance to 10 parts of water. The permitted discharge of washings from tankers carrying noxious liquid substances in bulk is presently under discussion in the IMO with a view to making discharge provisions more stringent.

The marine pollution control unit is discussing the Laboratory of the Government Chemist report with the Stolt Nielsen Group which is considering its position. The group has already announced that it will no longer wash at sea tanks which have carried these additives.


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ATTORNEY GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Mr. Brazier : To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to his answer of 14 December, Official Report, column 1049, when he expects to inform the House of the results of the survey of cases discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service during November 1993.

The Attorney-General : I have today placed a copy of the findings in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Incitement to Racial Hatred

Mr. Peter Shore : To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 17 December, Official Report, column 1051 , how many cases of alleged incitement to racial hatred under the Public Order Act 1986 were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in each year since 1987.

The Attorney-General : The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain records of files submitted to it by the police, or correspondence from members of the public, categorised by the type of offence alleged to have been committed. The information sought is therefore not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Brian Charrington

Mr. John Morris : To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the persons present in addition to the Solicitor-General at the meeting he chaired of defence and prosecution counsel dealing with the case of Mr. Brian Charrington.

The Attorney-General : Those present at the meeting were, in addition to the Solicitor-General and myself, leading counsel for the prosecution, leading counsel for Mr. Brian Charrington, two lawyers from HM Customs and Excise and two lawyers from my own Department.

Back to Basics"

Mr. Rendel : To ask the Attorney-General 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. Simon Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General what are the implications of the Government's "back to basics" policy for his Department during the current year.

The Solicitor-General [holding answer 20 January 1994] : I refer the hon. Members to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 January 1994, Official Report , column 849.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Domestic Electricity

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will agree to the proposal by the Comite Europe en des Normes to standardise on the continental two-pin unfused star ring system for domestic electricity.


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Mr. Eggar : CENELEC, the body responsible for European electrical standards, is working on draft standards for a future European plug and socket system. While the standards under discussion would not incorporate a fuse in the plug, an equivalent level of protection would be achieved either by a suitable fuse or circuit breaker at the consumer unit or by the incorporation of a fuse in the socket. Moreover, the CENELEC work includes provision for sleeved pins on plugs, shuttered sockets and a three-pin plug for those appliances which need earth protection.

If these discussions result in a European standard, the United Kingdom will need to consider whether to adopt it or seek a derogation. In this assessment, safety will be paramount.

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what costs will accrue from standardisation to the continental two-pin unfused star ring system for domestic users.

Mr. Eggar : My Department has commissioned an independent analysis of the likely costs and benefits for the United Kingdom of adopting a future European plug and socket standard. The final report from the consultants is expected within a few weeks and will be published in the spring to form the basis for wider consultation on this issue. In assessing whether the change to the United Kingdom's present standards might be desirable, full account will be taken of the cost implications for consumers and industry.

Back to Basics"

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the implications of the Government's "Back to Basics" policy for his Department during 1994.

Mr. Heseltine : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 January, Official Report, column 849.

Mr. Rendel : To ask the President of the Board of Trade 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. Heseltine [holding answer 20 January 1994] : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 21 January, Official Report, column 849.

Consultants

Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which occasions since 1979 his Department has employed the services of external consultants ; and if he will give details of the purposes for which they were employed and the cost of employing them.

Mr. Eggar : My Department does not classify consultancy contracts in terms of their activity and the information requested cannot be provided other than at disproportionate cost.


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Pit Closures

Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will take measures to ensure that collieries closed by British Coal are put on a care and maintenance basis until he has explored whether or not EC funds are available to help meet the cost of mothballing mines.

Mr. Eggar : British Coal applies for EC loans and grants as and when these are available on appropriate terms. For instance, loans to British Coal from the European Coal and Steel Community for financing capital expenditure at deep mines currently amount to £99 million in total. It is for British Coal to decide how to finance any particular project or activity which it might decide to undertake.

Electricity Generation

Mr. Clapham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the companies granted licences to build combined cycle gas turbines and the generating capacity of the proposed plant since the EC revoked the restriction on the use of gas for electricity generation.

Mr. Eggar : Details of construction consents granted for new CCGT's are contained in tables 10.2 and 10.3 of the White Paper "The Prospects for Coal", Cmnd. 2235. Since the publication of that White Paper, my right hon. Friend has granted further consents under section 36 of the Electricity Act as follows :


Company             |Location        |Capacity (MW)                    

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

National Power      |Deeside         |Extension to 500                 

                    |Staythorpe C    |1,500                            

                    |Didcot B        |1,500                            

PowerGen            |Connah's Quay   |1,360                            

Grovehurst Energy   |Kemsley         |90                               

SCA Aylesford       |Aylesford       |100                              

Seabank Power       |Seabank         |1,200                            

Eastern Generation  |King's Lynn     |380                              

Central Power       |Fort Dunlop     |120                              

Keadby Developments |Keadby          |700                              

Other stations with a capacity below that for which section 36 consent is necessary--above 50 MW--have received planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Acts.

Contracting Out

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will halt any further proposals to contract out

information-gathering areas of his Department following the findings of the report into business attitudes to the contracting out of statistical inquiry work.

Mr. Eggar : There are no plans to contract out statistical inquiry work undertaken by my Department.

Prospects for Coal"

Mr. Tipping : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost including the expenses of all consultants he has commissioned to help produce the White Paper, "Prospects for Coal".

Mr. Eggar : The total cost was £1.4 million.


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School Fees

Mr. Jamieson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much his Department spent on private education and boarding school allowances for the children of personnel employed by his Department in each of the last five years ; and how many children had their fees paid in each of those years.

Mr. Eggar : This expenditure is not identified separately and to provide the information would entail disproportionate cost.

Power Stations

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures his Department is taking to improve the efficiency of British power stations ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : The choice of fuel and type of plant for power stations are commercial matters for generators. The major plants constructed recently or for which consent has been given use combined cycle gas turbines which operate at a higher level of energy efficiency than the old plant which they replace.

The Government support the wider use of combined heat and power plant, which can operate at very high levels of efficiency, wherever this is economic, and have a role in addressing any unnecessary barriers to such developments. On 16 December, the Government announced changes to the regulations governing on-site generation of electricity. These changes should encourage the further development of combined heat and power schemes.

Tours Direct and New Vista Travel

Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether customers of Tours Direct and New Vista Travel were covered by the legislation covering package travel ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. McLoughlin [holding answer 24 January 1994] : In so far as Tours Direct and New Vista Travel were offering packages, customers will have been covered by the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what improvements in trade opportunities for British companies he expects to result from the GATT, with particular reference to trade with the United States.


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