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Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage who are the members currently appointed to the South Bank theatre board.

Mr. Brooke : The present members of the South Bank theatre board are :

The Lady Soames DBE

Mr. Anthony Everitt (Secretary-General, Arts Council of Great Britain)

Mr. Vaughan Rees (Department of National Heritage).

The post of chairman is currently vacant.

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage who are the members currently appointed to the board of the British museum.

Mr. Sproat : The members of the board of trustees of the British museum are :


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Sir David Attenborough, CVO CBE FRS

Nicholas Barber Esq.

Professor Gillian Beer, FBA

Professor Rosemary J. Cramp, CBE FSA

Lord Egremont, DL

Sir C. Matthew Farrer, KCVO

HRH The Duke of Gloucester, GCVO

Graham Greene Esq., CBE

Professor Edward T. Hall, CBE DPhil FPhys FSA FBA

Charles E. A. Hambro Esq.

Sir Peter John Harrop, CB

Allen Jones Esq., RA

Simon Lindley Keswick Esq.

Professor Peter E. Lasko, CBE FSA FBA

The Hon. Mrs. Anna-Maria Marten, OBE DL

Sir John Morgan, KCMG

Sir Clause A. Moser, KCB CBE FBA

Right Hon. Sir Timothy Raison

Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, FBA FSA

Professor Guenter H. Treitel, DCL FBA QC

Lord Weinstock, BSc FSS

Lord Windlesham PC CVO (Chairman)

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage who are the members currently appointed to the board of British Broadcasting Corporation.

Mr. Brooke : I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes) on 24 January, Official Report, columns 32-33.

Television Licence Fee

Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what is the present value of the television licence fee concession for people registered as blind, adjusted for inflation since it was set at £1.25 ;

(2) how many people who are registered as blind obtain the television licence fee concession of £1.25.

Mr. Brooke : The £1.25 concession for registered blind people, if adjusted for inflation since 1971, would be worth £8.92 today. I understand that, in the year ended 31 March 1993, 40,731 registered blind people received the concession.

EDUCATION

Assisted Places Scheme

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much the Department for Education has spent on the operation of the assisted places scheme in each year since 1981 ; how many pupils have been covered by the scheme since 1981 ; and if there was any overspend on the budget allocated in each of these years.

Mr. Forth : The information requested is given in the following table for each year up to 1992-93, the latest year for which complete figures are available. Expenditure exceed the original budget estimate in 1990-91 and 1991-92.


Year            |Total cost     |Total number of                

                |£ million      |assisted pupils                

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

1981-82         |3.0            |4,185                          

1982-83         |8.7            |8,616                          

1983-84         |15.0           |13,102                         

1984-85         |22.2           |17,386                         

1985-86         |29.6           |21,412                         

1986-87         |37.9           |24,478                         

1987-88         |46.0           |26,899                         

1988-89         |50.9           |27,083                         

1989-90         |56.5           |27,008                         

1990-91         |63.4           |26,740                         

1991-92         |75.7           |27,641                         

1992-93         |<1>92.8        |28,674                         

<1> Includes £4.9 million brought forward from financial year   

1993-94.                                                        

Note: The figures are for England only.                         

Special Educational Needs

Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many formal assessments are currently being undertaken by Barnsley local education authority and what length of time each stage of the assessment has taken so far together, indicating whether that time exceeds the current legislative maximum time for each stage.

Mr. Forth : The Barnsley LEA has told my officials that it is currently undertaking 337 formal assessments. Information about the length of time taken for each stage of assessment is not availble centrally. There is at present no statutory maximum time for making a formal assessment. However, subject to Parliament's approval, regulations made under the 1993 Education Act will set statutory time limits for the making of assessments and statements, with effect from autumn this year.

Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many appeals have been submitted to his Department from within Barnsley local education authority since 1981 ; and what length of time each has been with his Department indicating when that time exceeds the current legislative maximum time for such appeals.

Mr. Forth : Since 1981, the Department has received a total of 28 appeals under the 1981 Act and related complaints under the 1994 Act from within Barnsley LEA. A breakdown of this figure for each year since 1981, and information about the length of time taken to resolve each appeal or complaint, could be made available only at disproportionate cost. There is no statutory maximum time for resolving appeals under the 1981 Act. The Department is currently consulting upon draft regulations and rules of procedure which will, subject to Parliament's approval, govern the operation of the new special educational needs tribunal, to be established under the Education Act 1993. The tribunal will set time targets for the various stages of an appeal. These will be set out in the tribunal's guide for parents. Performance will be assessed in the tribunal's annual report.

Dyslexia

Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children have been (i) statemented and (ii) formally assessed by Barnsley local education authority in each year since 1981, whose special need is as a result of diagnosis of dyslexia ;

(2) how many appeals from Barnsley local education authority relating to dyslexia are being dealt with by his Department ; (3) how many appeals are currently with his Department in respect of children who have been statemented by Barnsley local education authority ; how many statements


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have been issued ; and how many children have been made the subject of formal assessment by Barnsley local education authority for each year since 1981.

Mr. Forth : The Department is currently dealing with eight appeals in respect of children with special educational needs from Barnsley local education authority--LEA. All concern children with specific learning difficulties, and four of these appeals are in respect of children who have been made the subject of a statement.

Information on the number of formal assessments and statements made by Barnsley LEA, for each year since 1981, is shown in the table. Information for the 1993 calendar year is still being collated, and is not yet available.


Statements of special educational needs:                              

Barnsley LEA                                                          

Year<1>       |Children for |Children     |Total                      

              |whom a       |assessed for                             

              |statement was|whom no                                  

              |made for the |statement was                            

              |first time   |issued                                   

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

1981          |45           |<2>-         |45                         

1982          |45           |<2>-         |45                         

1983          |12           |<2>-         |12                         

1984          |74           |<2>-         |74                         

1985          |60           |<2>-         |60                         

1986          |68           |<2>-         |68                         

1987          |44           |<2>-         |44                         

1988          |34           |5            |39                         

1989          |45           |10           |55                         

1990          |95           |7            |102                        

1991          |122          |7            |129                        

1992          |173          |10           |183                        

<1> Calendar year                                                     

<2> Information not collected                                         

Information on pupils who have been made the subject of a formal assessment or a statement is not categorised by disability.

Tuition Fees

Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action he proposes to take as a consequence of the late payment of tuition fees by local education authorities to universities.

Mr. Boswell : The Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations place local education authorities--LEAs--in England and Wales under a statutory duty to pay most tuition fees in three instalments on specified dates or within one month of the receipt by the LEA of a valid request for payment, whichever is the later. My right hon. Friend wrote last September to the chairmen of all LEAs to remind them of the problems caused by the late payment of fees. My Department is pursuing complaints about late payments against a number of LEAs, including complaints made by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom.

Environmental Education

Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to increase the provision of initial and in-service education for teachers in environmental education.

Mr. Robin Squire : "Biodiversity : the UK Action Plan" and "Sustainable Development : The UK Strategy"


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include suggestions for action by schools and institutions in support of environment education. My right hon. Friend's policies in respect of the initial and in-service education of teachers were set out in my reply of 16 December 1993, column 772.

Assisted Places Scheme

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much it costs his Department annually to publicise and administer the operation of the assisted places scheme.

Mr. Forth : Publicity for the scheme is undertaken chiefly by schools themselves and organisations such as the Independent Schools Information Service--ISIS. The Department produces each year a brief guide for parents and a list of schools participating in the scheme at a cost in 1993-94 of £3,200. The scheme is administered by some eight staff whose direct staff costs are some £134,000 per annum.

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what safeguards are used by his Department to ensure that schools covered by the assisted places scheme meet recognised educational standards.

Mr. Forth : All 295 schools participating in the scheme satisfy stringent criteria relating to high academic achievement. They must offer a broad and balanced curriculum and must be able to demonstrate and maintain high academic standards. The Department monitors these standards through its annual examination results survey.

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement indicating the level of fees charged by the institutions in England covered by the assisted places scheme in the current academic year.

Mr. Forth : Tuition fees charged by participating schools vary considerably and are dependent to a large degree on the type of institution and its location. In the current academic year 1993-94, the average fee charged is about £4,100 per year. The highest fee charged is £9,348 per year in respect of sixth-formers and the lowest fee charged is £2,283 per year.

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the assisted places scheme.

Mr. Forth : The scheme is a success and more popular with parents than ever. Virtually all new places on offer each year are being taken up with a significant proportion going to those children from families with incomes below the threshold, currently £9,225 per year, for full fee remission. To ensure that participating schools carry out assessments of income correctly, the Department also issues regular comprehensive guidance and carries out random audit surveys of income assessments. These surveys, together with the statistical information collected, show that schools are indeed administering the scheme properly and targeting the pupils for whom the scheme is intended.

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the schools in England that have pupils under the assisted places scheme for the current academic year ; how many pupils are supported at each institution ; and how much it has cost his Department to provide this support.


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Mr. Forth : The information requested has been placed in the Library. The estimated cost to the Department for the current academic year 1993-94 is £97.5 million.

SCOTLAND

Freight and Passenger Traffic

Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the volume of freight traffic by (a) road and (b) rail between (i) Glasgow and Aberdeen, (ii) Aberdeen and Glasgow, (iii) Edinburgh and Aberdeen, (iv) Aberdeen and Edinburgh, (v) Glasgow and Inverness, (vi) Inverness and Glasgow, (vii) Edinburgh and Inverness and (viii) Inverness and Edinburgh in the last year for which figures are available ;

(2) what was the total number of passengers travelling by (a) road and (b) rail between (i) Glasgow and Aberdeen, (ii) Aberdeen and Glasgow, (iii) Edinburgh and Aberdeen, (iv) Aberdeen and Edinburgh, (v) Glasgow and Inverness, (vi) Inverness and Glasgow, (vii) Edinburgh and Inverness and (viii) Inverness and Edinburgh.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many visits abroad he made during 1993 ; and what was (a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 2 December 1993, Official Report, columns 689-90.

Roads

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his projected spending on roads in 1993-94 in (a) Scotland and (b) Grampian.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 7 February 1994] : The projected spending on trunk roads and motorways in 1993-94 for Scotland and Grampian is as follows :


          |£ million          

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

Scotland  |240.2              

Grampian  |9.3                

Housing Co-operatives

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of organisations representing housing co- operatives to discuss funding and strategy ; what is his policy regarding the development of housing co-operatives ; what criteria he applies when determining financial assistance to housing co-operatives ; what plans he has to encourage the development of housing co-operatives ; and if he will make a statement.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 10 February 1994] : In June last year I addressed the annual conference of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations which represents housing co-operatives, and


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I expect to meet representatives of the federation soon to discuss a number of issues of concern to the housing association and co-operative movement. The Government continue to be committed to the support of housing co-operatives, through their substantial funding of Scottish Homes, which is responsible for the development and funding of housing associations and co-operatives. The hon. Member may wish to consult Scottish Homes direct about the criteria it applies when determining financial assistance to housing co-operatives.

Johnstone

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he, or any of his ministerial team, last made an official visit to the town of Johnstone ; when he next plans to make a ministerial visit ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lang [holding answer 10 February 1994] : I have not myself nor have any of my ministerial colleagues made an official visit to the town of Johnstone. There are at present no plans to make such a visit.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions have not received a substantive answer by his Department due to disproportionate cost in each of the last five years ; and if he will list those which could now be answered due to the effectiveness of computerisation.

Mr. Lang [holding answer 10 February 1994] : The information requested is shown :


                    |<1>PQs answered in |PQs that can now be                    

                    |disproportionate   |effective                              

                    |cost               |computerisation                        

Year                |Number             |Number                                 

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

1989                |7                  |3                                      

1990                |14                 |9                                      

1991                |20                 |6                                      

1992                |8                  |1                                      

1993                |11                 |4                                      

<1>Source: POLIS.                                                               

Geese

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions have taken place between officials of his Department and representatives of Scottish Natural Heritage regarding the impact on agriculture throughout Scotland of wintering barnacle geese and Greenland white-fronted geese ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 February 1994] : Officials from both the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department and the Environment Department are in regular contact with Scottish Natural Heritage on this matter. Their most recent meeting was on 26 January 1994.

Trains (Glasgow)

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will publish a list of all correspondence between his Department and (a) Strathclyde passenger transport


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executive and (b) Lombard Tricity Finance regarding operational leasing for new trains in the Glasgow commuter network area ; what assessment he has made of the implications of local government organisation for the immediate future of such operational leasing deals ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) if he will publish a list of all meetings held by Ministers or officials in his Department with Ministers or officials in any other Government Departments regarding operational leasing for new trains in the Glasgow commuter network area, giving (a) the dates of each meeting, (b) a full list of those attending and (c) the outcome of each meeting ; whether any further such meetings are planned ; and if he will make a statement.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 14 February 1994] : There have been no exchanges of correspondence between the Scottish Office and (a) Strathclyde passenger transport executive and (b) Lombard North Central about the Strathclyde rolling stock leasing deal. I wrote to Councillor Waugh, chairman of Strathclyde regional council's roads and transportation committee, on 17 December 1993 saying that I saw nothing in our proposals for local government reform to prevent this deal proceeding.

My officials and I have attended meetings in November and December 1993 with Department of Transport Ministers and officials, and representatives of Strathclyde region and Strathclyde passenger transport executive. These meetings discussed a range of issues including the leasing deal and concluded that the issue was primarily a matter for the local authority to resolve. A further meeting is planned for later this month at which representatives of Lombard North Central will be present.

Local Government

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out his intentions for the future of the public analyst, agricultural analyst and regional chemist services under the proposed local government reorganisation in Scotland.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 February 1994] : Each local authority requires a public analyst service for both statutory and non- statutory functions and under current arrangements this service is provided by four laboratories based in Strathclyde, Lothian, Tayside and Grampian regions. The remaining regions, districts and islands councils use the services of these laboratories. This arrangement illustrates the very effective co-operation which can exist between authorities, which I would expect to continue and develop under the proposed new single-tier structure.

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he has made to the document on "Local Government Reform and Planning", sent to him by Professor Brian Parnell of Stirling and the university of Strathclyde.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 February 1994] : My right hon. Friend has not yet received this document.


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Aberdeenshire Council

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what venues he has in mind outside the city of Aberdeen as headquarters of the proposed new Aberdeenshire council.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 February 1994] : The location of headquarters for the new Aberdeenshire council will be for the council itself to determine in the light of local circumstances.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

World Summit for Children

Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has, and what resources have been allocated, within the overseas aid budget, for the implementation of commitments made by Her Majesty's Government at the 1990 world summit for children.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We remain committed to the goals for promoting child survival, development, and protection adopted by the 1990 World Summit for Children. The Government will continue to pursue these aims within their overall objective of reducing poverty and promoting sustainable economic and social development.

The overseas aid budget contains no specific allocation for children. However, in the financial year 1992-93, for example, over £180 million, or more than 31 per cent. of that part of our bilateral aid which can be allocated by sector, was spent in the social sectors which are particularly likely to benefit children. We also contribute to a wide range of multilateral organisations, including UNICEF, which play an important role in helping to achieve the goals of the world summit for children.

A copy of Command No. 1984 entitled "Report on the United Kingdom Implementation of the Goals agreed by the World Summit on Children", of July 1992 was placed in the Library of the House.

Jordan

Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 February, Official Report, column 71-2, which United Kingdom water company is involved in a possible professional link with the water authority of Jordan ; which United Kingdom company carried out the study and what was the value of the contract ; and whether this study was funded under the aid and trade provision.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : No United Kingdom water company has yet been invited to form the possible professional link. Thames Water carried out the study at a cost of £67,959. It was not funded from the aid and trade provision.

Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 February, Official Report, columns 71-72, which United Kingdom company is providing advice to the Jordan Industrial Consortium Engineering Company ; what is its precise brief and what are the key functions of the Jordan Industrial Consortium Engineering Company.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In 1989-90, Price Waterhouse advised the Jordan Industrial Consortium Engineering


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Company on the methodology for conducting the economic and financial feasibility studies, and Environmental Resources Ltd. assisted with the preparation of an environmental impact study, in respect of the Dead sea chemicals project. The Jordan Industrial Consortium Engineering Company was founded in 1986 to develop the skills of Jordanian engineers and create a local consulting and engineering company.


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