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Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the board of the children's panel.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 February 1994] : There are currently 2,009 members of children's panels in Scotland. I am sending the hon. Member a list of their names and am arranging for a copy of that list to be placed in the Library.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the boards of the children's panels advisory committees.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 24 February 1994] : Membership of the children's panel advisory committee for each of the 12 regional and islands authorities as at 18 February is as follows. Chairmen--CH--and members--ME--are appointed by the Secretary of State. Other members are appointed by regional authorities.
|Appointment
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Borders region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mrs. N. Burnett |LA
Mr. A. Hewat |LA
Mr. A. Napier |CH
Dr. J. Paterson-Brown |ME
Mrs. J. M. Schofield |ME
Central Region CPAC at 18 February 1994
The Rev. J. Billows |ME
Mr. W. T. Dickson |LA
Mrs. M. J. Fitzpatrick |LA
Mrs. H. McKechnie |ME
Mr. I. Miller |LA
Mr. R. Pickles |ME
Mr. R. Ramage |CH
Mr. P. Ward |ME
Dumfries and Galloway region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mr. T. Brown |ME
Mr. T. Davis |ME
Mrs. D. M. Hill |ME
Mr. T. A. McAughtrie |LA
Mrs. M. McKay |CH
Mr. K. W. Morton |LA
Mr. J. Pirrie |LA
Mr. R. Smith |ME
Mrs. K. A. Vivers |ME
Mr. J. B. Wallace |LA
Fife Region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mr. A. Cameron |LA
Mrs. M. Cook |ME
Mrs. J. Flannigan |CH
Mrs. V. Gemmell |LA
Mrs. C. Mitchell |ME
Mrs. A. Smith |LA
Mr. J. Taylor |ME
Mrs. E. Thomas |ME
Grampian Region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mr. S. Burnett |LA
Mr. J. K. Fowlie |ME
Mr. J. R. Gibson |ME
Mr. S. A. Kinnaird |ME
Mrs. A. Logan |ME
Mrs. V. J. Maltin |LA
Mr. R. McKail |ME
Mrs. O. Rutherford |CH
Mr. J. Towers |LA
Highland Region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mrs. M. Harley |ME
Mr. J. T. MacDonald |LA
Mr. J. D. MacDonald |ME
Mr. D. Mackenzie |ME
Rev. A. Murray |LA
Dr. P. D. Robertson |Ch
Mr. W. Smith |LA
Mrs. V. A. J. Wotherspoon |ME
Lothian Region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mr. I. Buchanan |LA
Mrs. I. C. Dickison |ME
Mr. D. Flaherty |ME
Mr. M. Gibb |ME
Dr. M. MacMillan |CH
Mr. P. Nolan |LA
Miss E. A. Shaw |ME
Orkney Islands CPAC at 18 February 1994
Dr. M. E. Cant |ME
Mr. H. Ferris |ME
Mr. I. F. MacLeod |ME
Mrs. F. Mathieson |LA
Mrs. C. Muir |CH
Mrs. M. I. T. Trickett |LA
Shetland Islands CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mrs. T. J. Jamieson |ME
Mr. G. M. McElvogue |LA
Mr. D. Sinclair |CH
Rev. L. S. Smith |LA
Mrs. R. Young |ME
Strathclyde region CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mrs. C. M. S. Barron |ME
Mr. J. Douglas |LA
Miss R. Gillan |LA
The Rev. D. Laing |LA
Mrs. H. M. Lang |ME
Miss M. McDonald |CH
Mrs. M. McGaughrin |ME
Mr. T. McGillivary |LA
Miss M. Morris |ME
Mrs. M. L. Robertson |ME
Mr. B. M. Scott |LA
Mr. J. L. Smyrl |ME
Mrs. J. L. Speculand |ME
Mr. N. Toppin |LA
Mrs. E. H. Waine |ME
Tayside region CPAC at 18 February 1994
The Rev. G. Brownlie |ME
Mr. J. B. Coburn |ME
Mr. H. Connolly |LA
Mrs. L. Graham |LA
Mr. F. E. Mcculloch |ME
Mr. G. McNicol |ME
Mr. J. Mudie |LA
Mrs. P. Stevenson |CH
Western Isles CPAC at 18 February 1994
Mrs. M. Bremner |LA
Mr. W. Forsyth |ME
Mrs. M. MacIver |CH
Mr. D. J. Maclennan |LA
Dr. J. Smith |NF
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Scottish agricultural consultative panel.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 17 February 1994] :
The current members of the Scottish agricultural consultative panel who are all appointed by the Secretary of State are as follows : Mr. G. C. D. Budge
Mr. T. A. Cameron (Chairman)
Mr. A. S. Chalmers
Mr. H. Crawford
Mr. D. J. D. Dixon
Mr. J. S. Fowlie
Mr. T. C. Graham
Mr. G. Harvey
Mr. J. K. Henry
Mr. J. L. Howie
Mr. J. F. Lascelles
Mr. I. K. MacKenzie OBE JP
Mr. G. S. McClymont
Mr. D. D. McDiarmid
Mr. J. A. McIntyre
Mr. J. A. McNicol
Mr. C. Manson
Mr. G. R. Marwick JP
Mr. J. A. Morris
Mr. G. B. Pate
Mr. S. M. Ritchie
Mr. M. Stevenson
Mr. F. B. Young
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Scottish Vocational Education Council.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 17 February 1994] : The current members of the Scottish Vocational Education Council are :
Members nominated by the Secretary of State for Scotland Mr. James David Frederick Miller, D.Univ(Stirling) MA(cantab) CIM FIPM FRSA (Chairman)
Mr. Brian James Lundie Minto, CA ATII MIM (Vice Chairman) Mr. John Anderson, MA(Hons)
Mrs. G. Susan Bell, ACIS
Mr. Thomas Johnstone Burness, OBE MA MLitt DipEd
Column 494
FRSA MIMMs Fiona M. W. Hynd, MIM
Mr. Derek Stevens Mason, OBE, JP FRICS FFB
Mr. John Bruce Park, MRSH MIP EngTech
Mr. Frank Pignatelli, MA MEd FIM FRSA
Mr. Iain Richard Roberts, MSc LLB(Hons) FIPM
Mr. Grahame Thomas Smith, BA(Hons)
Mr. Peter Thomson Syme, BSc CEng MIMechE
Professor David J. Tedford, BSc PhD ScD ARCST CEng FIEE SMIEEE FInstP FRSE FRSA
Member nominated by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Councillor Joyce Smith
Members co-opted by the Council
Mr. Andrew P. Armstrong, OBE BSc
Mr. John N. Hornibrook, OBE FEng
Mr. John Meiklejohn, BSc(Hons) C.Chem MRSC FEIS
Mr. William Nicol, CBE BSc HonDEd FCIOB FInstR FScotvec Mrs. Heather B. Sheerin, OBE SRN
Fishing Industry
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultation he proposes to have with representations of the Scottish fishing industry about the European Union proposal for a Council regulation fixing management objectives and strategies for certain fisheries or groups of fisheries for the period 1994 to 1997 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : [holding answer 24 February 1994] : This complex proposal has recently been published by the Commission. It requires careful study, including by scientists. When Fisheries Departments have analysed its implications, discussion will be arranged with representatives of the fishing industry.
Pupil Costs, Strathclyde
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the unit cost per pupil at each secondary school administered by Strathclyde regional council.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : [holding answer 24 February 1994] : This information is published in "Scottish Schools : Costs 1993 -94" published in December 1993, a copy of which is in the Library.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Nuclear Waste (Dumping at Sea)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) of 17 February, Official Report, column 986, if the ban on low-level radioactive waste disposal into the sea includes liquid radioactive waste discharged from land-based sources.
Mr. Jack : The ban on radioactive wastes at sea does not include controlled low-level emissions from land-based sources. Land-based emissions do not come within the scope of the London convention.
Agricultural Development Advisory Service
Mr. Hargreaves : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what cost recovery target she has set for ADAS in 1994-95 ; and if she will make a statement.
Column 495
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided that for 1994-95, ADAS will be asked to recover 63 per cent. of its costs for advisory services charged to the commercial customer from the ultimate beneficiary of those services. The remaining costs will be met by my Department. In order to achieve these new targets, and reduce its cost base to make it competitive in all its markets, ADAS is today announcing plans for restructuring its operations. The principal changes are the consolidation of the 15 consultancy centres into seven larger units, and the 11 research locations will be managed through five of those locations. These changes will give improved efficiency and save management and local administration costs.
With the aim of providing a cost-effective service to smaller farms, ADAS has also introduced an information service called FarmLine on a pilot basis this week which will make full use of modern technology. Although there is expected to be a reduction in the total number of consultants, all farming sectors and geographical areas will continue to have access to ADAS consultancy service.
The combined effect of these changes will ensure ADAS can provide better value for its customers, helping them to respond more profitably to the changing demands of the industry. They will also enable the agency to continue its successful track record of meeting or exceeding all its annual targets since charging was introduced for its services in 1987.
Forestry
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many hectares of forest have been created in England in each year since 1967.
Mr. Jack : The areas of new woodland planted or grant aided by the Forestry Commission in England were as follows :
Year ended 31 |Area March |(hectares) ------------------------------------------ 1968 |<1>5,800 1969 |<1>5,100 1970 |<1>5,900 1971 |6,314 1972 |6,017 1973 |5,231 1974 |3,722 1975 |3,272 1976 |2,438 1977 |2,077 1978 |1,979 1979 |1,388 1980 |1,712 1981 |1,375 1982 |1,353 1983 |1,943 1984 |1,877 1985 |1,143 1986 |1,230 1987 |1,357 1988 |1,857 1989 |1,882 1990 |3,564 1991 |4,397 1992 |4,036 1993 |5,095 <1> Estimate.
Column 496
Ministerial Instructions
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the occasions since 1979 when Ministers have issued written instructions to override her Department's accounting officer's objections.
Mr. Jack : [holding reply 24 February 1994] : From records currently available formal directions have been issued on the following occasion : February 1992.
DEFENCE
House Purchases
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, column 101, what are the criteria and rules applying to the house purchase advances, including the circumstances under which advances can be written off.
Mr. Aitken : Advances of salary are only available to staff who are moving home at public expense following a compulsory transfer. Advances for house purchase of up to six months gross pay may be made available to staff who require financial assistance to complete the purchase of a property at the new place of duty. Applicants must first reinvest any net equity from the sale of their former home and obtain the maximum mortgage from commercial sources. Advances will not be granted to assist staff to improve their standard of housing. Advances of up to 12 months pay may also be made exceptionally to transferring staff who are unable to redeem their outstanding mortgage from the sale proceeds of their former home. Applicants must first satisfy the Department that they have no other means of meeting the debt, for example through use of savings or assistance offered by some building societies and banks.
Additionally, advances of up to 12 months pay have been made in the past to assist staff who, having taken our commercial bridging loans to help them transfer, saw the value of their properties fall below the level of the bridging loans, as a result of the downturn in the property market in the late 1980s.
Recovery of the advance is normally made from salary. When employment ceases full repayment of any outstanding advance would be sought. Write-off of any outstanding advance where employment has ceased would be considered only where the individual cannot be traced or the expenditure required to pursue recovery by legal means is likely to exceed the value of the sum recovered.
Contracting Out (Pension Rights)
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued about the effect of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on the transfer of pension rights in services in his Department which are subject to contracting out.
Mr. Hanley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 18 February 1994, Official Report, column 1010.
Column 497
Missile Defence
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the need for missile defence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : We are embarking on a two-year national programme of pre-feasibility studies into ballistic missile defence options for the United Kingdom. Once this is completed we hope to be in a position to make a definitive decision on whether we have a requirement for such a capability.
Mr. D. Cross
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Mr. D. Cross of Brookvale, Bradiford, Barnstaple, North Devon, will be given a decision on his application, ref : APG/H17830R/JSCO, submitted on 7 November 1993 to the joint services commutation office at Glasgow to commute part of his pension.
Mr. Hanley : Mr. Cross was asked on 12 November 1993 to supply the joint services commutation office with further details of how he intends to fund his venture. Should he be able to provide the necessary funds, he will then be required to take a medical examination following which a decision will be made on his application.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Vineyards Regulatory Regime
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people, full-time or whole-time equivalents, are employed by Customs and Excise on the regulatory regime for English vineyards.
Sir John Cope : Customs estimates that it deploys the equivalent of between one and two staff years on the regulatory regime for English vineyards.
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost per bottle to Customs and Excise and to vineyard owners of English vineyards wine of the Customs and Excise regulatory regime.
Sir John Cope : It is estimated that it costs customs less than one penny per bottle of English wine. I regret that figures are not available for the costs incurred by the vineyard owners.
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual cost to the Exchequer of the regulatory regime operated by Customs and Excise in respect of wine made in English vineyards.
Sir John Cope : It is estimated that the annual cost to the Exchequer of the regulatory regime operated by Customs and Excise is less than £40,000.
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the result of the cost compliance assessment carried out by Customs and Excise of their regulatory regime on English vineyards in respect of (a) Customs and Excise and (b) the vineyards either per vineyard or in total.
Sir John Cope : The regulatory regime operated by customs had already been introduced before cost
Column 498
compliance assessments were carried out. No cost compliance assessment has been undertaken on the regulatory regime for English vineyards since its introduction.Cannabis
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how cannabis seized by Customs and Excise is disposed of.
Sir John Cope : Customs and Excise disposes of the cannabis it has seized by incineration under its supervision.
Commemorative Coins
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new commemorative coins Her Majesty's Government plan to issue.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve my recommendation that two special commemorative £2 coins be issued in 1995. The first of these will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the second world war and the second the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. It is not intended that the coins should be put into general circulation, although they will be available at face value from most banks and post offices. In addition, special collector versions will be produced in base and precious metals.
Capital Allowances
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide further details of the capital allowances measure announced on 13 January.
Mr. Dorrell : As announced on 13 January, at column 249, the Government propose to bring forward legislation at Committee stage of the Finance Bill to rectify a defect in the capital allowances legislation as it affects the disposal of long leases in enterprise zone buildings.
A number of taxpayers have asked for more detail of what the legislation will contain. In the interests of reducing uncertainty which may be affecting perfectly legitimate commercial decisions, I am announcing further details now in advance of the draft legislation being published.
The aim of the measure is to prevent abuse of the enterprise zone allowances for tax avoidance, without damaging the incentive for bona fide investments in enterprise zone property. The legislation will therefore provide that a balancing charge will be imposed when a long lease is disposed of within seven years. This seven-year limit on balancing charges will not apply to artificial tax avoidance schemes which include guaranteed exit arrangements. For those schemes a balancing charge will apply if the building is sold within the first 25 years of its life.
Representations have been made that the weakness in the capital allowances legislation is not significant in the case of buildings eligible only for normal industrial buildings allowances. The Government accept this and the draft legislation will cover buildings in enterprise zones qualifying for 100 per cent. capital allowances, but not other buildings.
Column 499
Bank Charges
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate high street banks' use of bank charges ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson : Bank charges for small business customers were looked at in a Bank of England survey announced to the House by the former Chancellor on 26 January 1993 Official Report, columns 621-23. They were also mentioned in a more recent report by the bank of the financing of small firms. Neither report highlighted the level of bank charges as a significant problem.
The Consumers Asociation published a report on retail banking last December which showed that overdraft and other fees varied considerably between current accounts. The report also found that it could be worth while for customers to move their accounts to the institution which offers the most appropriate services for their needs.
Independent Financial Advisers
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from independent financial advisers about the cost of complying with present regulations.
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