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Mr. Goodlad : The cost of advertising in the United Kingdom by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for recruitment in 1992-93, the last financial year for which information is available, was :
|FCO |FCO
|Diplomatic|ODA Wing
|Wing
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------
1992-93 |150,787 |238,033
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The corresponding figures for 1979-80 and 1985-86 are :
|FCO |FCO
|Diplomatic Wing|ODA Wing
|£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |100,266 |214,739
1985-86 |160,535 |271,084
Costs for each of the last 12 months are :
|FCO |FCO
|Diplomatic Wing|ODA Wing
|£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------
1992
December |521 |0
1993
January |3,560 |15,668
February |35,656 |9,546
March |11,870 |26,647
April |1,704 |37,152
May |2,938 |32,196
June |1,455 |9,783
July |0 |2,250
August |0 |18,142
September |1,192 |10,587
October |613 |30,680
November |0 |3,987
The compilation of these figures for intervening years and of the cost of advertising overseas would incur disproportionate cost.
Outer Space
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the progress in the discussions in the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, in relation to the benefit of all as set out in article 1 of the outer space treaty.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This topic is debated by the committee and its legal sub-committee during their annual meetings.
The most recent development is the production of a working paper by a number of member states on the consideration of the legal aspects related to the application of one of the principles in article 1 of the 1967 outer space treaty :
"The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries".
PRIME MINISTER
Lords-Lieutenant
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Lords-Lieutenant in England and their dates of appointment.
The Prime Minister : The following is a list of the
Lords-Lieutenant of England and of when their appointments were announced.
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Lord-Lieutenants of England
County |Lord-Lieutenant |Announcement
|of appointment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |Sir John Wills, TD, FRICS, JP |April 1974
Bedfordshire |Samuel Whitbread, Esq., JP |January 1991
Berkshire |John Henderson, Esq., CVO, OBE |June 1989
Buckinghamshire |Commander the Hon. John Fremantle, RN (Retd.), JP |September 1984
Cambridgeshire |James Crowden, Esq., JP |May 1992
Cheshire |William Bromley Davenport, Esq., JP |June 1990
Cleveland |The Lord Gisborough, TD, JP |March 1981
Cornwall |The Viscount Falmouth |October 1977
Cumbria |Sir Charles Graham, Bt. |February 1983
Derbyshire |Colonel Sir Peter Hilton, KCVO, MC, JP |January 1978
Devon |The Earl of Morley, JP |May 1982
Dorset |The Lord Digby, JP |September 1984
Durham |David Grant, Esq., CBE, JP |April 1988
East Sussex |Admiral Sir Lindsay Bryson, KCB, FRSE, FEng. |May 1989
Essex |The Lord Braybrooke |March 1992
Gloucestershire |Henry Elwes, Esq., JP |December 1992
Greater London |Field Marshal The Lord Bramall, GCB, OBE, MC, JP |January 1986
Greater Manchester |Colonel John Timmins, OBE, TD, JP |December 1987
Hampshire |Mrs. Mary Fagan |January 1994
Hereford and Worcester |Captain Thomas Dunne, JP |July 1977
Hertfordshire |Simon Bowes Lyon, Esq., FCA, BA |January 1986
Humberside |Richard Bethell, Esq., JP |October 1983
Isle of Wight |The Lord Mottistone, CBE |August 1985
Kent |The Rt. Hon. The Lord Kingsdown, MA, FRSA, FBIM, JP|August 1982
Lancashire |Simon Towneley, Esq., DPhil, JP |March 1976
Leicestershire |Timothy Brooks, Esq., JP |January 1989
Lincolnshire |Sir Henry Nevile, KCVO, JP |November 1975
Merseyside |Alan Waterworth Esq., MA, JP |October 1993
Norfolk |Timothy Colman, Esq., JP |March 1978
Northamptonshire |John Lowther, Esq., CBE, JP |January 1984
Northumberland |The Viscount Ridley, KG, TD, JP |January 1984
North Yorkshire |Sir Marcus Worsley, Bt., JP |March 1987
Nottinghamshire |Sir Andrew Buchanan, Bt. |January 1991
Oxfordshire |Sir Ashley Ponsonby, Bt., KCVO, MC |January 1980
Shropshire |John Dugdale, Esq. |February 1975
Somerset |Lt. Col. Sir Walter Luttrell, KCVO, MC, JP |March 1978
South Yorkshire |Hugh Neill, Esq., CBE, TD, JP |May 1985
Staffordshire |James Hawley, Esq., TD, JP |August 1993
Suffolk |The Rt. Hon. The Lord Belstead, JP |December 1993
Surrey |Richard Thornton, Esq., OBE, JP |May 1986
Tyne and Wear |Sir Ralph Carr-Ellison, TD |July 1984
Warwickshire |The Viscount Daventry |February 1990
West Midlands |Robert Taylor, Esq., OBE |November 1993
West Sussex |His Grace The Duke of Richmond and Gordon |March 1990
West Yorkshire |John Lyles, Esq., CBE, Bsc. |August 1992
Wiltshire |Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs, GCB, CBE, DSO, MC |December 1989
Paintings and Photographs
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to buy or borrow photographs ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : None, currently.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) paintings and (b) photographs there are on the walls of his rooms.
The Prime Minister : A considerable number.
Public Appointments
Dr. Wright : To ask the Prime Minister how many recommendations for public appointments by the Crown have been made by the Prime Minister since 1979.
The Prime Minister : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 16 December 1993, Official Report, column 798, if he will show any specific policy or departmental areas on which each of the special advisers listed has worked since December 1990 showing their qualifications, expertise or experience relevant to those areas.
The Prime Minister : It is not my practice to comment on the qualifications, expertise or experience of my special advisers.
No. 10 Downing Street
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the criteria used to assess applications by private political parties' organisations for the use of 10 Downing street.
The Prime Minister : I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks), Official Report, 30 November 1993, column 420.
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Children
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to produce a co-ordinated strategy for children throughout all Government Departments ; if he will publish his response to the letter of 24 January from the National Children's Home ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : Our strategy includes regular consultation when considering new legislation or policy initiatives concerning children, between the originating Department and all other Departments with an interest. Several interdepartmental groups have been set up which meet regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern about children. I have no current plans to publish my response to the letter from National Children's Home Action for Children ; that will be a matter for that organisation.
Lebanon
Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Prime Minister when he will be able to report to the House on his recent conversations with the President of the Republic of Lebanon.
The Prime Minister [Pursuant to his answer, 25 January, c.159] : I would like to report on the recent visit by the Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri, and on our discussions on 24 January. Mr. Hariri visited Britain from 23-27 January. He was accompanied by a delegation which included his Minister for Defence, Minister of the Interior, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Minister without Portfolio and the governor of the central bank.
Mr. Hariri and his team met a wide range of representatives of political, commercial and financial interests in the United Kingdom, to explore the role that the United Kingdom might play in Lebanon's programme of reconstruction.
This was a central theme in my discussions with Mr. Hariri. I am keen to see British companies playing an active role, in particular in the water, power and gas sectors. I informed him that we had decided to restore ECGD medium/long-term cover to a ceiling of £50 million. I also discussed with him the possibility of British companies helping to re-equip Lebanon's internal security forces and the Lebanese armed forces.
This was the first visit to Britain by a Lebanese Prime Minister for 20 years. It provided us with the opportunity to reaffirm the long-standing links between Britain and
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Lebanon. Lebanon is now back on its feet and ready to do business. British companies are in an excellent position to exploit the opportunities that exist there.NORTHERN IRELAND
Consultancies
Ms Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the (a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.
Sir John Wheeler : The information will be placed in the Library.
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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.
Sir John Wheeler : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The latest available information is for contracts awarded for the 1992-93 financial year. Details are shown in the table.
Purpose |Occasions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Privatisation |12 Information Technology |98 General Management |938 Next Steps Agencies |20 Capital Works Programme |149 Monitoring MMB (NI)'s commercial subsidiary (Dromona Quality Foods) |1 The Financial and Trading Position of Northern Ireland Meat Plants on behalf of the Beef and Sheep Meat Sectorial Working Party |1 Preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment of Watercourse Management scheme |1 Feasibility Studies into Watercourse Management schemes |2 The design and supervision of Watercourse Management schemes |48 Review of the Foyle Fisheries Commission |1 Evaluation of the Farm and Conservation Grant Scheme |1 Evaluating the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Land Use monitoring project |1 Audit of Credit Control Arrangements within the Forest Service in relation to Timber Sales |1 Assessment of the Financial Credibility of Potential Commercial Partners re the Flax Breeding Programme |1 Identification, Development, Installation and Commissioning of Plant at Enniskillen re the Production of Electricity from Biomass |1 Management consultancy on a Sportsturf/Playing Fields Project at Greenmount Agricultural College |1 Management consultancy on Market Testing |1 Staff training |36 Evaluation of the Agricultural Development Operations Programme |1 Strategic Plan for the Public Library Service |1 Review the structures and funding of the Arts in Northern Ireland |1 Development of Northern Ireland Education Service Strategic Planning process |1 Evaluation of the Northern Ireland Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux and the Forum for Community Work Education |1 Advice on the grading of staff in the Staff Commission for the Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards |1 Development of Information Systems Strategy for Northern Ireland Education Service |1 Evaluation of Local Area Network |1 Survey of Health and Safety at Sports Grounds |1 Design staff magazine |1 Re-design Northern Ireland Office headed stationery |1 Staff competence framework study |1 Year 1 of 3-year combined study into `The Experience of People with Disabilities in Northern Ireland' |1 Legislating for Northern Ireland: Options for Reform |1 Law on Lethal Force: Options for Reform |1 School Effectiveness and Education in Northern Ireland: Practice, Policy and Research |1 Remands in Custody in Northern Ireland: A Critical Appraisal |1 Early Childhood Education/Services: A Review |1 Develop Library System |1 Advise on Questionnaire Development and subsequent analysis |1 Provide advice and produce reports on conservation at Hillsborough Castle |1 Energy Survey |3 Combined Meat and Power Survey |1 Construction of temporary laboratories |2 Identify site for a new permanent laboratory |1 Business implications of a transfer to Agency status |1 Glass fragment analysis |1 Overtime enquiry |1 Pensions |1 Financial Monitoring |1 Advice on asbestos removal |1 Development of total quality management |1
The total cost for external consultancy in 1992-93 is £16,399,560.
Electoral Register
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the electorate of the constituency of Belfast, East ; and how many of them are resident in (a) the city of Belfast and (b) the borough of Castlereagh ;
(2) what is the electorate of the constituency of Strangford, and how many of them are resident in the boroughs of (a) Ards and (b) Castlereagh.
Mr. Ancram : Anticipated, and therefore provisional, figures for the 1994-95 electoral register are given in the table. The register, based on the qualifying date of 15 September 1993, will come into force on 16 February. The hon. Gentleman will have received these figures by now from the chief electoral officer, who sent them to the main political parties on 20 January.
Constituency |Anticipated
|electorate
|1994-95
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Belfast East |53,057
City of Belfast |45,693
Local government district of Castlereagh |7,364
Strangford |71,683
Local government district of Ards |50,336
Local government district of Castlereagh |21,347
Prisoners (Christmas Leave)
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria he uses when deciding which prisoners may be granted Christmas leave.
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Sir John Wheeler : Under the terms of the 1993 Christmas home leave scheme applications were considered from the following prisoners, other than those in the top risk category :
(i) all prisoners who would have served at least 11 years of their sentence by 23 December 1993 ;
(ii) all indeterminate sentence prisoners whose cases were at consultation with the judiciary, or who had been given provisional release dates ;
(iii) "star" class determinate sentence prisoners--that is those serving their first sentence or who are particularly well behaved--committed under sentence on or before 31 October 1993 and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993 ; (
(iv) "ordinary" class determinate sentence prisoners--that is, those on second or subsequent sentences--who were sentenced to 10 years or more and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993 ;
(v) inmates in the young offenders centre in both "star" and "ordinary" class committed under sentence on or before 31 October 1993 and who were in the last year of their sentences at 31 December 1993.
A decision on each case was reached after consideration of the Governor's recommendation, the prisoner's/inmate's attitude and behaviour while in prison/YOC and relevant security issues.
Life Sentences
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors determine whether or not a prisoner's sentence is reviewed by the Life Sentence Review Board.
Sir John Wheeler : All life sentences are reviewed by the Life Sentence Review Board normally after 10 years in custody. Prisoners serving detention during the pleasure of the Secretary of State have their sentences reviewed at the eight-year stage. Thereafter cases are reviewed at intervals determined by the board.
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners he expects to have their sentences reviewed by the Life Sentence Review Board in 1994.
Sir John Wheeler : Forty-five.
Statutory Sick Pay
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a figure for the number of staff in his Department covered by statutory sick pay.
Sir John Wheeler : Approximately 30,000.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Mr. Totterington-Jarvis
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Attorney-General what payments the Serious Fraud Office has made to the City of London police while they were on attachment since 1 September 1991 for information provided by Mr. Totterington-Jarvis.
The Attorney-General : The Serious Fraud Office has not made any such payments.
Column 496
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Pergau Hydro-electric Project
Mr. Hall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish his instruction dated 4 July 1991 to Sir Tim Lankester in respect of the Pergau hydro-electric project.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Public Accounts Committee was informed that, in accordance with usual practice, this internal document would not be released. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will prepare a full memorandum in response to the request now expected from the Foreign Affairs Committee following its decision of 26 January.
Land Mines
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all overseas aid projects which involve the clearing of land mines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Since April 1991 the ODA has funded the following humanitarian mine clearing operations :
Country and project |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
|£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afghanistan
Mine clearance |- |188,900 |290,631
Minefield surveying, |- |1,000,000 |500,000
planning and management;
mine awareness; clearance
and clearance training
Cambodia
Mine clearance, training and |60,000 |199,886 |255,770
awareness programme
Public awareness |- |6,451 |-
Support of Cambodian mine |- |- |133,333
clearance centre (through
UNDP)
Mozambique
Demining of roads in |- |- |710,418
Zambezia province
North West Somalia
Mine clearance training; |300,000 |373,540 |-
clearance management;
mine awareness
|------- |------- |-------
Total |360,000 |1,768,777 |1,890,152
Kashmir
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to increase aid to Kashmir.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There are no plans to increase aid for Kashmir.
Aid (Developing Countries)
Mr. Hawkins : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how British aid can be used to help stimulate enterprise and trade in the developing countries.
Column 497
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : British aid is used to promote policies and an institutional and infrastructural environment in aid recipients conducive to the development of enterprise and trade. This may be done through assistance in support of economic reforms and through projects to promote the rehabilitation, development and effective management of transport and communications infrastructure and of public utilities. We also provide aid to prepare for and facilitate the privatisation of public enterprises and to develop the financial sector and financial markets.
British aid also helps enterprises in aid recipients more directly through know-how and technology transfer to help overcome their production and commercial problems and thus to become more competitive in external markets. The aid programme pays particular attention through research and technical assistance to solving production problems arising in the renewable natural resource sectors. It also has a growing number of projects to encourage the development of small enterprises.
The aid programme supports the Commonwealth Development Corporation, which provides equity investment and loan finance predominantly to private sector enterprises in developing countries. Many of its projects produce commodities for export.
St. Helena
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations he has made into acquiring a shuttle vessel for St. Helena ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Extensive international investigations into the possibilities of acquiring or chartering a suitable shuttle vessel for operation between St. Helena and Ascension island have been made since late 1989. Over 30 ships have been considered, but so far all have been found unsuitable on grounds of cost, technical unsuitability or economic non- viability. A further ship is being investigated currently.
Textile and Clothing Industries
Ms Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all bilateral and multilateral assistance given by the Overseas Development Administration to help the development of textile and clothing industries and the amounts given in the period since 1988.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 24 January 1994] : Bilateral aid for the development of textiles and clothing and investment by the Commonwealth Development Corporation--is shown in a table which I have arranged to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. There is no centrally compiled source of data on aid for textiles and clothing provided by various multilateral
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agencies. Information on these agencies' support--and thus on ODA's share of this--could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Multi-fibre Arrangement Quotas
Ms Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all countries in receipt of United Kingdom aid against whom the European Union multi-fibre arrangement quotas operate and the extent of United Kingdom aid to each of those countries in the period since 1988.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 24 January 1994] : The countries which have European Union multi-fibre arrangement quotas and which also receive United Kingdom aid are shown in a table which I have arranged to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This table also shows their receipts of bilateral aid from the ODA over the last six years.
TRANSPORT
Data Protection
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make arrangements for the Data Protection Registrar to inspect relevant contracts with suppliers of IT services that involve the use of personal data held by his Department in order to check whether all appropriate arrangements in relation to the Data Protetion Act 1984 have been made, and whether such contracts make provisions for the registrar to make random inspections in order to check the suppliers' compliance in with the eighth data protection principle.
Mr. Norris : The Data Protection Registrar has a wide range of powers, under the Data Protection Act 1984, to ensure that all individuals and organisations holding personal data on computer systems are registered and observe the data protection principles as required by the Act. When IT services are contracted out by the data user, the contractor and the user will be subject to the application of the data protection principles, and to the registrars powers to promote compliance with them, as provided for in the Act. It is for the registrar to decide how he will use his powers under the Act, and I do not consider that any further arrangements are necessary for him to discharge his duties effectively.
Consultancies
Ms Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.
Mr. Norris : The information is as follows :
Column 497
Private consultancy work awarded in 1992 and 1993
Year |Consultants |Service required |Value
|£'000s
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Accountancy firms
1992 |KPMG Peat Marwick |IS strategy support to Vehicle Inspectorate |90
1992 |KPMG Peat Marwick |Rail privatisation: accountancy and taxation advice |1,702
1992 |Price Waterhouse |Preparation of DVOIT Long Form Report |52
1992 |Price Waterhouse |Advice on taxation and company cars |6
1992 |Cooper and Lybrand |Temporary finance director |52
1992 |Ernst and Young |Departmental Payroll Costs Model |106
1992 |Price Waterhouse |Senior Staff Review |72
1992 |Ernst and Young |DVOIT privatisation |2
1992 |Touche Ross |Management Information System: OR Preparation |40
1992 |Capita |Financial reporting review |12
1992 |Michael Page Finance |Accountancy services to Driving Standards Agency |16
1992 |Cooper and Lybrand |Evaluation of telesales tenders |36
1992 |KPMG |Network referencing |109
1992 |KPMG |Project management software |172
1992 |KPMG |Disc network policy |26
1992 |Coopers Lybrand Deloitte |Birmingham Northern Relief Road: financial advisers |300
1992 |Coopers Lybrand Deloitte |Study of EC directive |450
1992 |Coopers Lybrand Deloitte |National Motorway Communications System
|maintenance specifications |60
1992 |Ernst and Young |Development of a decision framework for European
|standardisation |87
1992 |Coopers Lybrand Deloitte |DVOIT privatisation strategy review |16
1993 |Capita |Financial reporting review |109
1993 |Ernst and Young |IS strategy support to Vehicle Inspectorate |39
1993 |Capita |Financial advice |250
1993 |KPMG Peat Marwick |Rail privatisation: accountancy and taxation advice |2,072
1993 |Price Waterhouse |London Buses Ltd. privatisation |400
1993 |Price Waterhouse |Review of DVOIT's 1992-93 accounts |30
1993 |Price Waterhouse |Feasibility of privatising Vehicle Inspectorate's testing
|functions |72
1993 |Price Waterhouse |Review of DVOIT Ltd. balance sheet |N/a
1993 |KPMG Peat Marwick |Financial advice on DVOIT's privatisation |541
1993 |KPMG Peat Marwick |Study on the privatisation of Transport Research
|Laboratory |42
1993 |Cooper and Lybrand |Scottish Office Safety Review |18
1993 |Michael Page Finance |Temporary accountant |12
1993 |Price Waterhouse |Advice on the privatisation of Transport Research
|Laboratory |9
1993 |Touche Ross |Management Information System |23
1993 |Ernst and Young |OPRAF Consultancy |170
1993 |Cooper and Lybrand |Training courses on tender evaluation |2
1993 |Touche Ross |Market Testing in DVLA: customer/client role |139
1993 |Capita |Market Testing in DVLA: in-house bid construction |34
1993 |Cooper and Lybrand |Sale of anonymised data |25
1993 |Cooper and Lybrand |Evaluation of vehicle relicensing tenders |25
1993 |Capita |Financial Adviser |N/a
(b) Merchant banks
1992 |Samuel Montagu and Co. |Rail privatisation: merchant banking advice |351
1992 |Samuel Montagu and Co. |Private sector involvement in Channel Tunnel Rail
|Link |223
1992 |Lloyds |Corporate banking |450
1993 |Samuel Montagu and Co. |Rail privatisation: merchant banking advice |1,776
1993 |Hill Samuel Bank |Private sector involvement in Channel Tunnel Rail
|Link |366
N/a-Not available.
A1 and A1(M)
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the current position in respect of the A1 and A1(M) trunk road improvements.
Mr. Key : We are conducting a review of the trunk road programme in preparation for the launch in April of the Highways Agency. I shall write to the hon. Member when the outcome of that review is known.
Cycle Lanes
Mr. Robathan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of a mile of cycle lane on the average road ; and what the cost would be of instituting cycle lanes on all trunk roads in England.
Mr. Key : The cost of constructing a two-way 3 m wide cycle lane on one side of the road is in the order of
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£400,000 per mile. This cost will vary considerably depending on local conditions and excludes the cost of land acquisition. There are approximately 10,000 miles of trunk roads including motorways. Because of varying local conditions it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the cost of installing cycle lanes on all these roads.Diesel Fuel (Buses)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with representatives of bus operators the change in the amount of rebate received in respect of duty on diesel fuel following the Budget ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Following preliminary discussions with my officials, the Bus and Coach Council is preparing a paper on the effects of the recent changes in the payment of fuel duty rebate which I shall be happy to discuss with it in due course.
Column 501
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of the duty payable on diesel fuel used by local bus operators before and after the recent Budget, together with the corresponding proportions of duty as a percentage of overall cost of diesel fuel.
Mr. Freeman : The duty payable on diesel fuel before and after the recent Budget was 25.14p per litre and 27.70p per litre respectively. Duty as a percentage of typical retail pump prices was 50 per cent. before the Budget and about 53 per cent. afterwards. Before the Budget all duty paid by local bus operators was rebated. After the Budget, operators will continue to receive rebate at pre-Budget levels, which will mean that 2.56p per litre in duty will not be recoverable.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that local bus operators continue to receive rebate in full in respect of duties on diesel fuel.
Mr. Freeman : The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 30 November that fuel duty rebate would be held at pre-Budget levels during the lifetime of this Parliament.
Birmingham Airport
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current position of negotiations with the United States Government regarding additional flights into Birmingham airport.
Mr. Norris : Liberalisation of routes from the United States to United Kingdom regional airports has been a consistent priority. In December the United Kingdom tabled a proposal which would give immediate open access to regional routes, including to Birmingham. We hope that the United States Government will consider our proposal seriously.
Driving Standards Agency
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assistance has been provided to the Driving Standards Agency in-house bid team which is involved in the market test of the booking of driving tests and the proposing of test fees ; and what has been the cost of such assistance.
Mr. Key : The in-house bid team has been offered assistance to develop its bid. To date, the in-house bid manager has been provided with training on bid formulation and with travel and subsistence costs to visit staff involved. The agency is now in the process of agreeing with the in- house bidders what further help they need, including from external management consultants, in line with the principles set out in "The Government's Guide to Market Testing". Costs are therefore not yet available.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) of 15 December, Official Report, column 713, how many vehicle excise duty offences reports have been generated for the current financial year ; and how many VED offences reports were received by the DVLA in the financial year 1992-93.
Column 502
Mr. Key : The number of vehicles reported to DVLA for alleged VED offences in 1992-93 was 1.8 million. For this financial year to December the figure was 1.4 million.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed on enforcement duties ; and what amount was raised in enforcement revenue by the DVLA local office network in each year from 1979 -80.
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