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Mr. Forth : Remission of tuition fees under the assisted places scheme is dependent on the level of fees at participating schools and the amount parents can afford to contribute. Subject to parliamentary approval, the parental contribution scales will be adjusted upwards for the school year 1994-95 as set out in the table below. Where the relevant income for the appropriate financial year does not exceed £9,352 the tuition fees will be wholly remitted.
Part of relevant |One |Each |Each of
income to which
percentage applies |assisted |of two |three
|pupil |assisted |assisted
|pupils |pupils
|Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That part which exceeds £9,186
but does not exceed £9,988 |9 |6.75 |5.25
That part if any, which exceeds
£9,988 but does not exceed £10,804 |12 |9 |7
That part, if any, which exceeds
£10,804 but does not exceed £12,422 |15 |11.25 |8.75
That part, if any, which exceeds
£12,422 but does not exceed £14,913 |21 |15.75 |12.25
(over)
That part, if any, which exceeds
£14,913 but does not exceed
£18,163 |24 |18 |14
That part, if any, which exceeds
£18,163 |33 |24.75 |19.25
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Public Bodies
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides.
Mr. Soames : The members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides are :
Chairman :
Professor Sir Colin Berry, DSc, MD, PhD, FRCPath, FFPM
Members :
Dr. Andre e Carter BSc, MISoilSci, MIWEM
Professor Nicola Cherry BSc, MSc, MPhil, PhD, MD
Professor Michael Claridge, MA, DPhil, FIBiol, FLS, FRES Professor Anthony Dayan, BSc, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, FFPM, FIBiol Mr. John Leahy MA(Oxon), CChem, MRSC
Professor Donald Lee BSc, PhD, FIBiol, FRSA
Dr. Alex Proudfoot BSC(Hons), MB, ChB, FRCPE
Dr. Eve Roman BSc, PhD
Professor Geoffrey Sagar CBE, BA, MA, DPhil(Oxon)
Mr. Roger Taylor BSc(Agric), Postgrad Dip Agric, NDA, CBiol, MIBiol
Professor J. Paul Webster BSc, PhD, FBIM, FRSA
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who are the members currently appointed to the Salmon Advisory Committee.
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Mr. Jack : Present membership of the Salmon Advisory Committee are listed :
Chairman :
Professor G. M. Dunnet, CBE OBE, Emeritus Regius Professor of Natural History, Aberdeen University.
Members :
Mr. G. H. Bielby
Mr. C. G. Carnie
Mr. R. M. Clerk
Mr. J. H. Ferguson
Mr. D. Heselton MBE
Dr. L. Laird
Mr. I. Mitchell
Mr. M. Owens
Mr. D. R. Paton
Dr. D. J. Solomon
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who are the members currently appointed to the board of the royal botanic gardens, Kew.
Mr. Robin Herbert (Chairman)
Mr. Robert Bauman
The Viscount Blakenham
Mr. Christopher Brickell
Professor William Chaloner
Sir Phillip Dowson
Mrs. Arabella Lennox-Boyd
Professor Robert May
Mr. Julian Pettifer
Lady Renfrew
The Earl of Selborne
Mrs. Victoria Wakefield
Tobacco
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current subsidy for tobacco growers in the European Community ; what is the projected cost for the next financial year ; what levels of intervention stocks of tobacco are held ; and what amount of tobacco stock has been destroyed over the last five years.
Mr. Jack : The provisional outturn for Community expenditure in 1993 is 1,165 mecu--£917 million--compared to a budget provision of 1, 401 mecu. The 1994 budget for tobacco has been set at 1,235 mecu--£933 million. Following substantive reform of the tobacco regime in 1992, from the 1993 harvest onwards, intervention arrangements no longer exist. The European Commission's most recent figures show 10,344 tonnes of tobacco from harvests prior to 1993 remain in intervention stores. No figures are available for tobacco which may have been destroyed, but the tobacco regime does not provide for destruction of stocks which have received EC support. Tobacco eligible for EC support must be of sound and fair merchantable quality and free of characteristics which would otherwise pevent normal marketing. The effect on expenditure on tobacco resulting from the reform of the regime agreed in 1992 will not begin to show in expenditure figures until at least 1994 and the regime is to be reviewed again in 1996. Nevertheless tobacco is still the most heavily subsidised common agricultural policy crop per hectare and we will continue to press for greater reforms.
Budgetary ecu rates ; 1993 £1=1.2700 ecu ; 1994 £1=1.3234 ecu.
Column 427
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what response she has given to the letter from the president of the Nuclear Control Institute in regard to the economic viability of reprocessing at THORP ; and when he received this letter.
Mr. Jack : The Ministry received a letter from the Nuclear Control Institute dated 28 January. This appears to raise issues which fall outside the areas for which this Department is responsible. I shall be replying in due course.
EC-Canada Fisheries Agreement
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has made to the Commission of the European Communities regarding the proportion of the Canadian catch that United Kingdom vessels may be expected to fish as a result of the European Communities-Canada fisheries agreement.
Mr. Jack : Throughout the negotiations with Canada, the United Kingdom has stressed the traditional importance of these waters to our distant water fleet.
Once the agreement has been ratified by Canada, the United Kingdom will press for an appropriate share of any opportunities which become available.
Coarse Fishing
Mr. Hanson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to alter the current coarse fishing close season.
Mr. Jack : Responsibility for fixing annual close seasons for fishing for coarse fish rests primarily with the National Rivers Authority. It is currently reviewing the various coarse fishing close seasons which apply in different parts of England and Wales. If it concludes that changes are required, these will have to be introduced by way of new byelaws which would be subject to statutory advertisement and ministerial confirmation. In dedciding whether or not to confirm any byelaws, Ministers would take account of any objections they received.
British Columbia
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether she or officials from her Department met the Premier of British Columbia on his recent visit to the United Kingdom to discuss British Columbia's new forest practices code.
Mr. Jack : The Premier of British Columbia was on a private visit and did not meet Government Ministers or their officials.
Sample Management System
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information has been made public by her Department or by agencies of her Department concerning the commissioning, costs and subsequent cancellation of the project to establish a sample management system ;
(2) if she will set out all provisions requiring her Department to make public details of the setting up, costs
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and progress of all computer projects undertaken or commissioned by her Department or by agencies of her Department ;(3) how much money was spent by (a) the Central Veterinary Laboratory and (b) her Department and other agencies of her Department on the sample management system ;
(4) what sum was received by the Central Veterinary Laboratory in respect of the legal settlement with ACT over the failure by ACT to carry out the development of the sample management system.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : A contract for the development of a sample management system, funded by the Ministry's information technology directorate was awarded to ACT Medisys in November 1990. On completion of the development of the project, its ownership was to have been taken over by the Central Veterinary Laboratory. Serious development delays were however identified early in the project, which was then suspended in August 1991. Following a review and subsequent negotiations, there was a mutual agreement to cease the contract in December 1992.
The terms of the contractual arrangements for this project, including those covering the termination, are commercially confidential, although the figures are open to scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the usual way. Under the terms of the settlement secured by the Ministry, compensation--in the form of computer hardware, software and a cash sum-- fully recompensed the Ministry for the costs involved. As the value of the compensation covered the relevant expenditure, there was no loss to report in the Ministry's appropriation accounts. Those accounts were duly audited by the National Audit Office.
The Ministry's requirement to provide, publicly, details of computer projects is generally limited to the advertising of major projects--as required in accordance with the EC's supplies and services directives and appropriate General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade regulations--in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Details of any subsequent award of contract are similarly advertised. Additionally, agency accounts, audited by the National Audit Office, will be prepared in accordance with commercial style accrual accounting principles and include information at appropriate levels of detail.
Consultancies
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the value of consultancy contracts awarded by her Department each year since 1979, both in current prices and at constant 1994 prices.
Mr. Jack : The annual costs of external consultants employed by the Department--excluding agencies--since 1984-85 are set out. Data for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Financial year |Expenditure |Constant 1994
|(£) |prices (£)
------------------------------------------------------------
1984-85 |27,110 |<1>43,617
1985-86 |174,724 |<1>266,339
1986-87 |135,279 |<1>200,346
1987-88 |44,105 |<1>61,887
1988-89 |1,174,114 |1,547,016
1989-90 |2,972,150 |3,661,506
1990-91 |4,495,793 |5,123,327
1991-92 |5,374,284 |5,761,968
1992-93 |7,010,814 |7,238,665
<1> Excludes computer consultants.
Animal Feeding Stuffs
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of processing plants producing animal protein for incorporation into animal feeding stuffs, in each year since 1981 ; and how many such plants were inspected by her officials in each of those years.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The number of plants varied from year to year as plants opened or closed or in some cases did not operate on any continual basis. All plants when actually producing animal protein for incorporation into animal feeding stuffs have been subject to official inspection during the year. Their numbers are as follows :
Year |Number ------------------------------------------ 1981 |Not available 1982 |107 1983 |108 1984 |107 1985 |106 1986 |99 1987 |84 1988 |75 1989 |85 1990 |79 1991 |53 1992 |47 1993 |45
Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will review the need for withdrawal from sale of cows and calves potentially affected by bovine immunodeficiency virus, and milk from affected herds, and for appropriate compensation ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : There is no evidence that the bovine immunodeficiency virus will affect humans, whether through contact with animals, or through drinking milk or eating meat. Experimental studies indicate that the virus has little effect on cattle : the only symptom being a transient rise in temperature which soon passes. Against that background, we have no plans for the type of review mentioned by the hon. Member.
Protected Birds
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list each licence her Department has issued for the killing of protected birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1991 in 1993 and 1994 to date by (a) location and (b) the species involved.
Mr. Soames [holding answer 9 February 1994] : The latest figures available are for 1992 and this information is given in the table.
Column 429
Region
Headquarters South West Wessex South East Anglia South Mercia North Mercia East Midlands North East Northern
Bird species |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed |Issued |Killed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bullfinch |1 |587 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Brent Goose |- |- |- |- |- |- |38 |772 |160 |1,944 |- |- |- |- |16 |81 |- |- |- |-
Cormorant |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |0 |- |- |1 |10 |- |- |- |- |2 |0
Robin |5 |2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Blackbird |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |1
Heron |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Thrush |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Blue Tit |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Pied Wagtail |1 |0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Wren |1 |0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Canada Goose<1><2> |- |- |- |- |3 |17 |14 |218 |10 |240 |11 |145 |21 |520 |27 |1,153 |5 |39 |3 |405
Greylag Goose<1><2> |- |- |- |- |- |- |3 |0 |4 |22 |- |- |1 |0 |2 |0 |4 |15 |- |-
Pink-footed Goose<2> |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |0
Mallard<2> |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |2 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Moorhen and Coot<2> |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |6 |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |30 |- |- |- |-
Wigeon<2> |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |0 |- |- |- |-
Feral Pigeons and House Sparrow<3> |22 |<4>- |2 |0 |32 |504 |16 |587 |7 |321 |34 |183 |59 |3,400 |115 |607 |38 |885 |8 |96
Herring Gull<3><5> |1 |1,546 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
<1>Includes the pricking of eggs.
<2>These birds have an open season when they may be killed without a licence. The licences shown are to kill during the close season.
<3>A general licence has been issued to kill these birds throughout the year. The licences shown are to use methods otherwise prohibited under the act.
<4>These licences were issued on behalf of the regions and the number of birds shot are included in the regional returns.
<5>Including the taking of eggs and nests.
Sheep Dips
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Ministery of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assurances were given to the farmers who appeared in the video on sheep dipping, produced by the agricultural health and safety information centre of the Health and Safety Executive ; what is the purpose of this project ; to whom it is available ; and on what terms.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I have been asked to reply.
Column 430
The video on sheep dipping was produced by the Health and Safety Executive by an independent producer. It describes symptoms of ill-health alleged to be associated with dipping, alternative ways of controlling sheep parasites, guidance on good and poor sheep dipping facilities and practical ways to comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988.The video is primarily to assist in training and is in a format which makes it suitable as guidance to sheep farmers. Participants were given the assurance that they would each receive a copy of the finished video.
Approximately 200 copies of the video have been sent to various individuals, agricultural training organisations
Column 431
and other bodies with an interest in this subject. The video is also available for anyone to purchase--£45 including VAT--or hire--from £11.49 plus VAT--from CFL Vision, PO Box 35, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7EX.WALES
NHS Staff
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of total National Health Service expenditure has been spent on the employment of managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff within the whole of the NHS in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The proportion of total NHS expenditure that was spent on the employment of managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff within the whole of the NHS in Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available was as follows :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1990-91 |5.6
1991-92 |6.0
1992-93 |5.9
Sources:
Health Authorities Annual
Accounts/Financial Returns.
Pembrokeshire NHS Trust
Financial Returns.
Welsh Office Public
Expenditure Records.
Notes:
1. Expenditure spent on the
employment of managers,
advisers, adminstrators and
clerical staff is taken to be
that covering salaries and
wages. Expenditure in respect
of advisers relates to Family
Health Service Authorities
only.
2. Figures include
expenditure by Health
Authorities, the Welsh Health
Common Services Authority,
Family Health Service
Authorities, Pembrokeshire
NHS Trust (1992-93 only), and
the Health Promotion
Authority for Wales.
3. It should be noted that
since 1989 senior managers'
terms and conditions of
service have been extended to
second and third level
managers and some senior
nurses and other professional
staff have also transferred
to senior management grades.
Labour Statistics
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff in the NHS in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Column 432
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The total cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff in the NHS in Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available was as follows :
|£000s
------------------------
1990-91 |86,599
1991-92 |106,742
1992-93 |117,386
Source:
Health Authorities
Annual
Accounts/Financial
Returns Pembrokeshire
NHS Trust Financial
Returns.
Notes:
1. The total cost of
employing managers,
advisers,
administrators and
clerical staff is taken
to be that covering
salaries and wages.
Costs in respect of
advisers relates to
Family Health Service
Authorities only.
2. Figures include
expenditure by Health
Authorities, the Welsh
Health Common Services
Authority, Family
Health Service
Authorities,
Pembrokeshire NHS Trust
(1992-93 only), and the
Health Promotion
Authority for Wales.
3. It should be noted
that since 1989 senior
managers' terms and
conditions of service
have been extended to
second and third level
managers and some
senior nurses and other
professional staff have
also transferred to
senior management
grades.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much funding has been made available to each TEC in (a) 1992-93 and (b) 1993-94, expressed in cash terms and real terms and (c) giving a real terms percentage change from the previous year, for (i) youth training and credits, (ii) training for work and the programmes it replaced and (iii)business start up allowance ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The figures requested are provided in the following tables.
These show a real terms increase in provision in 1993-94 for both the youth training and business start-up programmes. The reduction in provision for training for work is the result of targeting this programme on training for the longer-term unemployed.
I am advised that the funding to be made available in 1994-95 for training in Wales will enable the youth training "guarantee" to be met and, on the basis of TEC assessments, training places will be available for all eligible adults who wish to train.
Column 431
Comparison of 1992-93 expenditure with 1993-94 budgets
TEC |1992-93 |1992-93 |1993-94 |Percentage change in
|real terms from
|1992-93 to 1993-94
|Actual |Real terms |Budget
|£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youth training and credits
Gwent |7.11 |7.34 |7.07 |-3.67
Mid Glamorgan |7.90 |8.15 |9.20 |12.78
North East Wales |4.95 |5.11 |5.24 |2.54
Targed |5.01 |5.17 |5.63 |8.88
Powys |1.62 |1.67 |1.65 |-1.35
South Glamorgan |4.12 |4.26 |4.54 |6.75
West Wales |10.66 |11.01 |11.74 |6.66
Column 433
TEC |1992-93 |1992-93 |1993-94 |Percentage change in
|real terms from
|1992-93 to 1993-94
|Actual |Real terms |Budget
|£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Training for work
Gwent |5.94 |6.14 |4.85 |-20.90
Mid Glamorgan |6.76 |6.98 |5.00 |-28.40
North East Wales |2.10 |2.17 |2.08 |-4.03
Targed |3.45 |3.56 |3.06 |-14.02
Powys |1.03 |1.06 |0.93 |-12.03
South Glamorgan |4.17 |4.30 |3.22 |-25.21
West Wales |7.96 |8.22 |6.54 |-20.47
Column 433
TEC |1992-93 |1992-93 |1993-94 |Percentage change in
|real terms from
|1992-93 to 1993-94
|Actual |Real terms |Budget
|£ million |£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business start-up
Gwent |0.80 |0.82 |0.95 |15.43
Mid Glamorgan |0.83 |0.86 |0.51 |-40.00
North East Wales |0.34 |0.35 |0.45 |26.65
Targed |0.73 |0.75 |0.78 |4.19
Powys |0.26 |0.27 |0.29 |7.92
South Glamorgan |0.41 |0.42 |0.61 |42.76
West Wales |1.62 |1.68 |1.74 |3.91
Private Patient Facilities
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much income has been generated by private patient facilities in national health service hospitals in each year since 1987-88.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The amount of income generated by private patient facilities in national health service hospitals in each year since 1987-88 was as follows :
|£000s
--------------------
1987-88 |1,213
1988-89 |1,388
1989-90 |1,638
1990-91 |1,855
1991-92 |2,173
1992-93 |2,099
Source:
Health Authorities'
Annual Accounts.
Pembrokeshire NHS
Trust Accounts.
Notes:
<1> Consists of
money received from
NHS patients paying
for accommodation
in single rooms or
small wards (
Section 63 NHS Act),
private
in-patients (
Section 65),
private
non-resident
patients (Section
66) and
accommodation and
services provided
under Section 58 of
the NHS Act 1977.
<2> Overseas
visitors (Section
121) not eligible
for free treatment
have been excluded.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients have been treated in national health service hospitals private facilities in each year since 1987-88.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information available, which relates to private patient attendances at national health service hospitals, is given in the following table. The figures do not relate to the number of people treated because an individual person may be treated more than once.
Column 434
|In-patient |Out-patient|Day case |Regular day
|cases |attendances|attendances|attendances
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |1,717 |11,210 |1,221 |-
1988-89 |1,775 |10,737 |1,396 |-
1989-90 |1,994 |8,956 |1,851 |-
1990-91 |1,760 |9,712 |1,225 |-
1991-92 |1,558 |9,015 |1,147 |5
1992-93 |1,257 |7,948 |1,024 |-
National Curriculum Review
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list those organisations and individuals who have made
representations orally or in writing to him personally or to the Welsh Office regarding the review of the national curriculum and its assessment in Wales ;
(2) if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes of the four conferences of teachers held by the Curriculum Council of Wales during its review of the national curriculum and assessment in Wales, together with details and an analysis of evidence provided to these conferences ;
(3) if he will place in the Library copies of the written responses to the Curriculum Council of Wales in its review of the national curriculum and its assessment framework in Wales.
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