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Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which agencies are currently responsible for emergency planning and the provision of public alert systems.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for emergency planning lies across many parts of central and local government with a wide range of agencies and with the private sector. This is why the Home Office promotes the concept of integrated emergency management.
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My Department has a specific responsibility for the provision of national air attack warning on which studies are in hand to establish whether enhanced arrangements are necessary.Airline Securities Consultants Ltd.
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report of his Department's investigation of the complaints alleging excessive force by Airline Securities Consultants Ltd. when it is complete.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her question on 1 February, columns 649-50.
DEFENCE
Fissile Material
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the United Kingdom is still producing fissile material for weapons purposes.
Mr. Aitken : There has been no change in Her Majesty's Government policy on the production of fissile material. Production of this material for weapons purposes is kept at the minimum level required to meet defence needs.
Trident
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why his Department has decided to raise the maximum warhead ceiling for the United Kingdom's ballistic missile-carrying submarines when Trident replaces Polaris.
Mr. Aitken : The introduction of Trident represents no change in the Government's policy of maintaining only the minimum nuclear deterrent required for our security needs. We have long made it clear that we do not intend to use the full capacity of the Trident system and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 November that each submarine will deploy with no more than 96 warheads, and may carry significantly fewer.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has decided how many warheads will be deployed on the first Trident submarine when it enters operational service.
Mr. Aitken : Planning for HMS Vanguard's first operational deployment is well advanced and assumes a particular number of warheads, within the maximum ceiling of 96 announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 16 November 1993.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 516, if the maximum technical capability of Trident to deploy 192 warheads applies to Trident missiles fitted with the mark IV bus.
Mr. Aitken : Yes. All United Kingdom Trident missiles will be fitted with the mark IV bus.
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Warhead Deployment
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications for the United Kingdom's planned warhead deployment of the recent agreement with Russia to de-target Russian territory.
Mr. Aitken : The joint declaration signed in Moscow on 15 February on the detargeting of strategic nuclear missiles will not affect our planned warhead deployment.
Habitats
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions he will take or policy changes he will make to implement the requirements of European Union directive 92/43 EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Ministry of Defence gives a high priority to the conservation of the land in its ownership and is co-operating with the statutory bodies concerned with the implementation of European Union directive 92/43 EEC (Habitats and Species Directive). In particular, management plans are being created to integrate the protection of flora and fauna with the primary military use.
Public Appointments
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Twenty-four per cent. of new appointments made during 1993 to MOD non-departmental public bodies were women.
Offshore Oil Licensing
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which blocks his Department recommended should be excluded from the 14th round of offshore oil licensing ; and on what grounds.
Mr. Hanley : The Ministry of Defence is consulted on all proposals to undertake oil exploration work to ensure that they and essential military activities are not incompatible. For operational reasons it would be inappropriate to identify the particular blocks where such military activity takes place. The licenses subsequently issued reflect the outcome of negotiations between this Department, the Department of Trade and Industry and the companies concerned.
Hunting Dogs
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who pays for the kennel costs and upkeep of the dogs belonging to the Britannia Beagles Association at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth ; and what was the total cost to the Exchequer in each of the last three financial years.
Mr. Hanley : The Britannia Beagle Association is fully responsible for the cost of water, food, electricity and staff of their kennels which are lodged at and predate BRNC Dartmouth. Maintenance costs are the responsibility of my Department but the kennels require little upkeep and no costs have been incurred during the last three financial years.
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Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all his Department's establishments where hunting dogs are kennelled and list the total amounts spent by his Department, in the last five years, on the upkeep of the dogs at each establishment.
Mr. Hanley : Hunting dogs are kennelled at the following establishments : Sandhurst, Bovington, Catterick, Colchester, Larkhill, Shrivenham, Warminster and Dartmouth. The upkeep of the dogs is paid for out of private subscription and fund-raising, although these are cases where utilities, such as light and water--the costs for which could not be separately identified, and would in any case be minimal--will be borne by my Department.
Low Flying
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list details of accidents involving low-flying RAF jets over Wales in 1991 in which the deaths of civilian pilots flying other aircraft were involved ; and if he will make a statement about the settlements made to the bereaved civilian families.
Mr. Hanley : There was one such accident in 1991 which involved a RAF Jaguar and a civilian Cessna aircraft. No claim has been made against the Ministry of Defence by the next of kin of the civilian who died in the accident.
Mr. Stephen Kock
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions Mr. Stephen Kock has represented Her Majesty's Government in campaigning for defence exports to Oman, Jordan, Indonesia and Thailand.
Mr. Aitken : Mr. Stephen Kock has not, on any occasion, been asked to represent Her Majesty's Government on these matters.
Battle of Normandy
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will arrange for financial assistance to be given to the sons and daughters of British service men who died at the battle of Normandy to enable them to attend the 50th anniversary ceremony in France ; and if he will give special consideration to cases where such sons and daughters are the last surviving next-of-kin and are now retirement pensioners.
Mr. Hanley : While the Government sponsor a war widows grant-in-aid scheme to help widows visit their husbands' graves once at public expense, I regret that it is not possible for my Department to extend financial assistance to all relatives of those British service men who died at the Battle of Normandy. Commercial arrangements are available and in many cases are being arranged by local veterans associations.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial assistance will be given to widows of those involved in the D-day landing to enable them to go to France in June to receive commemorative medals.
Mr. Hanley : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.
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Gulf War
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Government department authorised the export of new uniforms, webbing, disruptive patterned material and other battledress and related equipment manufactured in the United Kingdom, to the Government of Iraq in the 10 years prior to Operation Desert Storm.
Mr. Needham : I have been asked to reply.
Prior to the introduction of sanctions on 9 August 1990 the goods listed would not have required an export licence unless specially treated for use against chemical or biological agents. No Government permission needed to be obtained for the export of untreated military clothing.
Following the imposition of sanctions any applications received for the supply of military clothing would be submitted to the UN Sanctions Committee (Iraq) for approval. No such licences have been issued.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Robins
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give specific details of the premises and their use in which robins were killed under licence in 1990 and 1992.
Mr. Soames : The details requested are as follows :
Year |Type of premises
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |Supermarket, Hove, East Sussex
1992 |Wholesale food shop, Leicester
|Food warehouse, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
Wrens
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what happened to the wrens for which a licence to kill was issued in 1992 but for which no deaths are recorded.
Mr. Soames : The licence was issued to allow the shooting of one wren trapped in a supermarket. Before the licence was used, one last attempt to catch the bird was successful and the bird was released.
Forestry Plantations
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if she will list all the plantations at present owned by the Forestry Commission in Somerset and those disposed of within the last 10 years giving, in each case, their acreage and the extent of public access, and which of them are included in the current disposals programme ;
(2) if she will list all the plantations at present owned by the Forestry Commission in Devon and those disposed of within the last 10 years giving, in each case, their acreage and the extent of public access, and which of them are included in the current disposals programme.
Mr. Jack : Lists and maps of all Forestry Commission woodlands are in the Library of the House. I shall also send the hon. Member a list of the woodlands in Somerset and Devon which will indicate those which the commission is currently selling or planning to sell.
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Lists giving details of the areas of forest land sold by the commission from the start of the disposals programme in July 1981 to December 1992 are held in the Library of the House. A list of the forest land sold by the commission in 1993 is being prepared and will be placed in the Library shortly.The commission does not maintain records of the extent of public access to individual woodlands, so this information is not included in the lists.
Offshore Oil Licensing
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which blocks her Department recommended should be excluded from the 14th round of offshore oil licensing ; and on what grounds.
Mr. Jack : I have nothing to add to the reply given on 16 February 1994 by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Energy, at column 835.
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the dumping of nuclear waste at sea ; and how her plans have changed as a result of the London convention consultative meeting of 8 to 12 November 1993.
Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 17 February, Official Report, column 986.
Wool
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received regarding the operation of the British wool marketing scheme ; what complaints she has received from British wool merchants regarding the purchase of British wool by foreign buyers ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on this issue. Included among these were complaints from two companies of British wool merchants regarding the ability of foreign buyers to purchase wool directly from United Kingdom producers. My right hon. Friend has also received representations from the Confederation of British Wool Textiles Ltd. which emphasise that approximately 98 per cent. of all United Kingdom wool merchants strongly support the Government's decision to retain the British wool marketing scheme.
Farm Business Survey
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the average area in terms of (a) hectarage and (b) acreage of (i) hill and upland less-favoured area farms and (ii) severely disadvantaged less-favoured area farms participating in each of the local surveys conducted by universities and colleges in connection with the annual farm business survey ;
(2) what is the average stocking per farm in terms of (a) cattle livestock units, (b) sheep livestock units and (c) cattle and sheep livestock units for hill and upland less-favoured area farms and severely disadvantaged area farms respectively participating in each of the local surveys conducted by universities and colleges in connection with the annual farm business survey.
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Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 25 February 1994] : The information requested is shown in the following tables for those farms classified in the 1992-93 farm business survey for England as cattle and sheep farms in the less-favoured areas as a whole or in the severely disadvantaged areas. The data provided are unweighted averages and merely describe the sample. In order to make estimates for the populations from which the samples are drawn, it is necessary to weight the sample imformation. The sample for Nottingham is too small to give reliable results.
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p
Cattle and sheep (LFA) farms: unweighted sample averages per farm, 1992-93
Province |Farm area |Farm area |Livestock units|Cattle |Cattle and
|(hectares) |(acres) |Sheep |sheep
|(Isu) |(Isu) |(Isu)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newcastle |307 |757 |80 |69 |149
Askham Bryan |258 |637 |66 |55 |120
Manchester |178 |440 |54 |72 |126
Nottingham |110 |273 |45 |71 |116
Exeter |130 |322 |57 |65 |122
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p
Cattle and sheep (SDA) farms: unweighted sample averages per farm, 1992-93
Province |Farm area |Farm area |Livestock units|Cattle |Cattle and
|(hectares |(acres) |Sheep |sheep
|(Isu) |(Isu) |(Isu)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newcastle |332 |821 |86 |68 |154
Askham Bryan |258 |637 |66 |55 |120
Manchester |195 |483 |56 |73 |129
Nottingham |110 |273 |45 |71 |116
Exeter |149 |368 |69 |63 |131
WALES
Bird Killing
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many licences have been issued in each of the last five years for the taking of cormorants and saw-billed ducks in each river system in Wales ; how many birds were taken, pursuant to each licence ; what consultation he had with the National Rivers Authority and conservation bodies ; and what was the nature and origin of the evidence submitted to him to justify the issue of such licences.
Mr. Redwood : No such licences have been issued. It is the Department's practice to consult the CCW and the Welsh region of the National Rivers Authority on applications.
Housing
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce for Wales a system of licensing for landlords of privately rented accommodation in multiple occupation similar to that currently operating in Scotland.
Mr. Redwood : Local authorities in Wales can already operate registration schemes and have extensive powers to deal with houses in multiple occupation.
Public Appointments
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Between 1 January and 1 December 1993, I and my predecessor appointed 50 women--25 per cent.--and 149 men to public bodies.
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Early Year Forums
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make available funding from the children and family support grant to support voluntary sector early year forums ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : One application for grant aid in 1994-95 has been made to support an early years forum in Clwyd. Details of grant awards under this scheme have yet to be announced.
Technology Education
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure that design and technology are established as statutory entitlements for all pupils at stage 4 in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I have accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum Council for Wales on the review of the national curriculum, including the proposal that technology should become optional for 14 to 16-year-old pupils--key stage 4--and that they should be encouraged to take forward their education in technology at this key stage through a variety of routes. The right course for Wales is to concentrate on the basics of language, mathematics and science and to leave further subjects to choice according to pupils' need to pursue GCSE or vocational qualifications, such as a full general national vocational qualification, if they so wish. I am encouraging schools not only to maintain the progress that they have made with technology at key stage 4 but also to provide appropriate courses in this subject.
European Union Funding
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the 10 capital projects which received the greatest amount of European Union funding in Wales in each year since 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Redwood : Grants under Welsh structural funds programmes are made on a programme basis and cannot be attributed to single calendar years. The 10 largest grants under the programmes for the calendar years 1989-91--1987-91 in the case of the Dyfed-Gwynedd-Powys programme--and 1992 -93 were as follows :
1989-91 |£ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Llanelli Relief Road, Trostre/Yspitty |6,888,464 Technical and Vocational Training Centre, Haverfordwest |6,117,606 Milford Docks Redevelopment Phase 2 |4,685,500 Additional Coastal Protection Works, Towyn |3,108,000 Docklands Distributor Road, Newport |2,778,278 Welshpool Tourism and Leisure World |1,933,350 A4067 Pontardawe to Glanrhyd |1,893,202 Bala Lake Tourism Development |1,750,000 New Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl |1,749,396 West Promenade Car Park, Rhyl |1,694,178 ------- 1992-93 |£ ------- A472 Maesycymmer/Newbridge<1> |5,426,500 Lower Rhymney Valley Relief Road Phase 2<1> |3,971,400 Pontypridd Inner Relief Road |3,324,960 Children's Village, West Promenade, Rhyl |2,753,335 Quest Centre Phase 1, Cardiff Bay |2,744,100 Former Coed Ely Colliery Redevelopment |2,489,200 Fishguard Harbour Development |2,190,000 A4119 Dualling-Ynysmaerdy Industrial Estate |2,091,800 Brecon Leisure Complex |1,734,000 JKI/Firestone Redevelopment, Wrexham Industrial Estate |1,600,000 <1>Grant subject to resolution of outstanding issues with the European Commission.
Information for EU grants other than from the structural funds could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much Wales received from the European social fund in each year since 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : The information for the period from 1990 is set out in the table.
ESF for Wales 1990-93
|£
---------------------------------
1990 |10,094,700
1991 |28,503,500
1992 |29,064,600
1993 |51,792,500
Notes:
1. Before 1990 all applications
were handled directly by the
European
Commission and information is
not held centrally in the United
Kingdom.
2. The amount shown for 1993
represents the amount of ESF
committed as final claims have
not yet been received. For all
other years
the figures show the amounts
claimed.
3. No reliable information is
available for objectives 3, 4
and 6 in 1990
so the figure for that year
covers objectives 2 and 5b only.
4. The objective 3 and 4 money
received by Central Government
for
programmes in Wales for 1991 and
1992 is calculated as a
percentage of
the national figure.
Social Housing
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of their budgets each local authority spent on the provision of social housing in each of the last three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Information is not collected centrally on the proportion of revenue budgets spent on the provision of
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social housing. Information on actual, rather than budgeted, capital expenditure is available but this forms only a small part of the total spending on social housing.Tai Cymru
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much grant Tai Cymru received in each of the last four years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to table 8.6 of "Welsh Housing Statistics No. 13 1993".
Welsh Economic Council
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to set up a Welsh economic council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I intend to make a statement on the Welsh Economic Council in the very near future.
After-school Care
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what money was made available in 1993 to help employers, voluntary groups or schools set up after-school care ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : In 1993-94, £153,000 is available in Wales for after-school and holiday care through the Government's out of school child care grant initiative. A further £18,240 has been made available through the child and family services scheme to support a kids club network development officer in south-east Wales. The Chwarae Teg Consortium is co- ordinating the childcare grant initiative on behalf of the training and enterprise councils. It is proposed to spend a further £2 million on the initiative over the next three financial years.
Radioisotopic Pollution
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest information regarding the levels of radioisotopic pollution in the Trawsfynydd lake ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Data on levels of radioisotopes in Trawsfynydd lake are collected in the course of routine monitoring by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Results are presented in the "Aquatic Environment Monitoring Report" published annually by that Department's directorate of fisheries research. The latest issue, No. 38--item 6.10 of which refers to Trawsfynydd--is in the Library of the House.
Touche Ross Survey
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the cost of the Touche Ross survey of school governors in Wales ; and when the Touche Ross survey of school governors in Wales will be published.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 17 February, column 947, to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley).
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Cardiac Surgery
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the current capacity shortfall for cardiac surgery in (a) Wales and (b) that area of Wales currently served by the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
Mr. Redwood : In addition to their own resources, health authorities in Wales are fully funded for the target level of cardiac surgery set in 1989. Additional resources are being made available, and new facilities developed, to ensure that the total estimated need in South Wales, which we announced in June last year, can be met by Welsh hospitals. Health authorities in North Wales are fully funded to secure appropriate levels of cardiac services from a number of specialist centres both within and outside Wales.
Alzheimer's Disease
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Association of the Directors of Social Services in Wales, the Assembly of Welsh Counties, the chairmen of the health authorities and trusts and the voluntary sector in relation to the reduced grant to the Alzheimer's Society ; and what assessment he has made of the effect of future grant levels on Alzheimer's patients in Wales.
Mr. Redwood : The Welsh Office continues to give financial support to the Alzheimer's Disease Society Wales office. In addition, we provide support for some individual projects at county level on a time limited, reducing basis, with the agreement of the statutory and voluntary agencies concerned. These grants are discussed, as appropriate, with the agencies involved.
Health and social services authorities are responsible for assessing the need for services for people with Alzheimer's disease and their carers and for making arrangements to meet that need, in consultation with all relevant interests.
Consultancy Contracts
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each non-departmental public body in his departmental sponsorship, the value of consultancy contracts approved and commenced in each of the past three financial years.
Mr. Redwood : The information requested is not held centrally.
Conflicts of Interest (Advice)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the additional advice on conflicts of interest given by the then permanent secretary of the Welsh Office in March 1993 to the chief executives of all non-departmental public bodies.
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