Previous Section Home Page

British Transport Police

Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the effect on the jursidiction of the British Transport police of the Railways Act 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman : From 1 April 1994, the British Transport police's jurisdiction in respect of British Rail,


Column 837

London Underground Limited and the docklands light railway will be unchanged. It appears, however, that in respect of matters soley affecting Railtrack, its powers of pursuit and investigation could be limited.

The Government regard such a limitation, which arises from a purely legal point, as undesirable and are urgently considering with BR and BTP how it might be addressed.

Tolls

Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those tunnels and bridges for which his Department has responsibility where tolls are levied which have exemptions for disabled motorists in receipt of mobility supplement and road tax exemption.

Mr. Key : The Department is the highway authority for the Severn bridge and the Dartford-Thurrock crossing. At both crossings, vehicles which are driven or used by disabled people and which are exempt from vehicle excise duty are exempt from tolls.

Scaffolding (Controls)

Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities which have not adopted section 2 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

Mr. Key [holding answer 1 March 1994] : This provision requires any person erecting scaffolding on or above a highway to be authorised by a licence issued by the highway authority. We are not aware of any highway authority which is not complying with this requirement ; detailed information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

If my right hon. Friend has a particular concern he may care to write to me.

WALES

Pit Closures

Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the specific projects, and the amount which (a) has been spent and (b) will be spent to alleviate job losses from coal closures since October 1992 in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

Mr. Redwood : The information requested is shown in the following table.


Assistance for area affected by closure of Taff Merthyr colliery                

£000                                                                            

                                            |Expenditure|Provision              

                                            |1992-93    |1993-94                

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

Mid Glamorgan Training and Enterprise Council                                   

Merthyr Modern Manufacturing Training                                           

 Centre                                     |100        |-                      

Cynon Valley Technology Centre              |100        |51                     

Employment Training and Employment                                              

 Action (Training for Work from 1                                               

 April 1993)<1>                             |<2>135     |<3>450                 

Improved Engineering training facilities at                                     

 Merthyr College                            |-          |50                     

Improved Engineering training facilities at                                     

 Ystrad Mynach College                      |-          |50                     

Improved access to training for Merthyr                                         

 and Rhymney residents at Alan Davies                                           

 Training Centre                            |-          |20                     

Increased Business Enterprise Support<1>    |-          |450                    

Aberdare Opportunity Shop                   |-          |110                    

Improved Engineering training facilities at                                     

 other Mid Glamorgan colleges               |-          |170                    

Access to Training for the Homeless in                                          

 Aberdare                                   |-          |10                     

Women in the Workforce<1>                   |-          |5                      

Education/Business Links<1>                 |-          |45                     

Enhanced Careers Guidance<1>                |-          |20                     

Creation of training/work opportunities for                                     

 the Disabled<1>                            |-          |15                     

                                                                                

                                                                                

Urban Programme                                                                 

Merthyr Tydfil BC:                                                              

  Goatmill Road, Dowlais                    |250        |-                      

  Repairs and Renewal to Treharris Boys                                         

   Club                                     |53         |-                      

  Cyfarthfa Park                            |60         |140                    

                                                                                

Rhymney Valley DC:                                                              

  Caerphilly Business Park                  |58         |-                      

  Infrastructure Works at Duffryn                                               

   Industrial Estate                        |100        |-                      

                                                                                

Cynon Valley DC:                                                                

  Cwm Cynon Enterprise Centre               |100        |100                    

  River/Sewer Diversion, Mountain Ash       |130        |-                      

  Technology Centre, Aberaman               |30         |-                      

<1> Cannot be disaggregated to separately identify costs relating to Merthyr    

Tydfil and Rhymney.                                                             

<2> Excluding participants allowances.                                          

<3> Including participants' allowances.                                         

In addition, expenditure on Welsh Development Agency projects in the hon. Member's constituency is as follows :


                                    |Expenditure |Planned                  

                                    |October 1992|expenditure              

                                    |to date                               

                                    |£000        |£000                     

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

General site improvements                                                  

 completed since October 1992       |103         |-                        

Adoption works under construction   |18          |60                       

Fitting out works at Triangle                                              

 Business Park                      |57          |527                      

13k sq ft extension at Pentrebach   |447         |-                        

Property Development Grant                                                 

 assistance for speculative units                                          

 totalling 14k sq ft                |-           |50                       

Acquisition of Whitbread Enterprise                                        

 Centre, Rhymney and                                                       

 refurbishment                      |250         |150                      

Urban Development activity in                                              

 Merthyr                            |2,164       |1,240                    

Land reclamation activity in the                                           

 constituency                       |6,300       |1,770                    

Loans to businesses                 |40          |-                        

Public Appointments

Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the public appointments he is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993", including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.


Column 839

Mr. Redwood : The details of the public appointments I make are given in "Public Bodies : Appointments Made by the Secretary of State for Wales, 1 December 1993", copies are in the Library of the House. In addition, I appoint jointly with the Secretary of State for the Environment, the following :

Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency--

Advisory panel on standards

Michael Fitzgerald, QC (Chairman)

Jeremy Baylis

Michael Rush, CBE

Robin Thompson

The members of Cadw : Welsh Historic Monuments Advisory Committee were given in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd), c. 946 .

Public Bodies

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish guidelines on the conduct of members of non-departmental public bodies in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Redwood : I expect the highest standards in the conduct of public business in Wales. General guidance is available in "Non Departmental Public Bodies : A Guide for Departments". I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House. The Welsh Office draws on this to provide members of executive non-departmental public bodies in Wales, on appointment, with guidelines


Column 840

describing the purpose and function of the body, and their responsibilities as board members. The Government are also considering ways in which the approach recommended in the Cadbury committee's report could be adapted to meet the needs of non-departmental public bodies.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many non- departmental public bodies there are in Wales as at 1 January ; and what is their total budget.

Mr. Redwood : The information requested is given in HMSO "Public Bodies 1993" which is in the Library of the House.

Strategic Development Scheme

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated to the district and borough councils in Wales by the Welsh Office out of the strategic development scheme in 1992.

Mr. Redwood : The strategic development scheme was launched on 11 June 1993 when a Welsh Office circular invited local authorities to submit bids for support in 1994-95. The scheme brought together support previously administered separately through the urban programme, rural initiative, projects of regional and national importance and special project schemes. The allocations to the district and borough councils in Wales in 1992-93 under these separate schemes is set out in the table.


Column 839


1992-93 Allocations                                                                           

Council                                |Urban     |Rural     |PRNI/SP   |Total                

                                       |Programme |Initiative                                 

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

Alyn and Deeside District Council      |110,000   |-         |-         |110,000              

Colwyn Borough Council                 |137,000   |-         |-         |137,000              

Delyn                                  |765,658   |-         |2,000,000 |2,765,658            

Glyndwr District Council               |225,237   |-         |-         |225,237              

Rhuddlan Borough Council               |1,129,500 |-         |825,000   |1,954,500            

Wrexham Maelor Borough Council         |562,059   |-         |200,000   |762,059              

Carmarthen District Council            |£17,865   |126,500   |-         |144,365              

Ceredigion District Council            |107,163   |100,000   |-         |207,163              

Dinefwr Borough Council                |1,083,375 |125,000   |600,000   |1,808,375            

Llanelli Borough Council               |1,103,627 |-         |1,200,000 |2,303,627            

Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council |112,439   |342,104   |700,000   |1,154,543            

South Pembrokeshire District Council   |198,000   |142,000   |-         |340,000              

Blaenau Gwent Borough Council          |1,692,885 |-         |700,000   |2,392,885            

Islwyn Borough Council                 |852,476   |-         |-         |852,476              

Monmouth District Council              |32,724    |211,000   |-         |243,724              

Newport Borough Council                |840,426   |-         |-         |840,426              

Torfaen Borough Council                |484,436   |-         |-         |484,436              

Aberconwy Borough Council              |190,900   |617,983   |2,185,000 |2,993,883            

Arfon Borough Council                  |661,932   |94,500    |-         |756,432              

Dwyfor District Council                |150,000   |156,400   |1,900,000 |2,206,400            

Meirionnydd District Council           |223,529   |100,000   |-         |323,529              

Ynys Mon Borough Council               |325,282   |135,000   |-         |460,282              

Cynon Valley Borough Council           |2,334,765 |-         |-         |2,334,765            

Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council         |1,499,581 |-         |-         |1,499,581            

Ogwr Borough Council                   |1,363,902 |-         |-         |1,363,902            

Rhondda Borough Council                |1,909,285 |-         |-         |1,909,285            

Rhymney Valley Borough Council         |1,173,766 |-         |-         |1,173,766            

Taff Ely Borough Council               |1,094,591 |-         |-         |1,094,591            

Brecknock Borough Council              |252,000   |-         |-         |252,000              

Montgomeryshire District Council       |-         |196,826   |-         |196,826              

Radnor District Council                |15,836    |-         |250,000   |265,836              

Cardiff City Council                   |1,099,683 |-         |-         |1,099,683            

Vale of Glamorgan County Council       |587,677   |-         |-         |587,677              

Port Talbot Borough Council            |191,047   |-         |-         |191,047              

Lliw Valley Borough Council            |439,078   |-         |-         |439,078              

Neath Borough Council                  |686,811   |-         |-         |686,811              

Swansea City Council                   |564,697   |-         |500,000   |1,064,697            

                                       |-------   |-------   |-------   |-------              

  Wales Total                          |24,219,232|2,347,313 |11,060,000|37,626,545           

Welsh Development Agency

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received in favour of the intention to replace the Welsh dragon with the Union Jack on Welsh Development Agency literature ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Redwood : There is no such intention. However, based on my personal experience of meeting business people from overseas while promoting Wales, I have suggested to the Welsh Development Agency that the recognition of Wales as a first-class location for inward investment would be assisted by having both symbols prominent in the literature.

Railway Lines

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make provision, in his reorganisation of local government in Wales for specific funding for unitary authorities to underpin financially socially necessary railway lines ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Wyn Roberts : No.

Clwyd (Job Losses)

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of (a) steel and (b) aerospace jobs lost in Clwyd since 1979.

Mr. Redwood : The information requested cannot be given as to do so would breach rules of company confidentiality.

Poolside Development, Caernarfon

Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to expedite the necessary decisions, currently being discussed between the Welsh Development Agency, Arfon borough council, Gwynedd county council and the Welsh Office, in relation to the Poolside development at Caernarfon.

Mr. Redwood : I understand that a meeting between Arfon BC and Bangor Market Company Ltd.--to discuss design proposals for this site--is due to take place within the next two weeks. Once the company has firm proposals


Column 842

my officials will be happy to discuss the possibility of urban investment grant support for a retail development on the site.

National Curriculum

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what considerations underlay the issue of English language versions of material used in connection with the implementation of the national curriculum before the Welsh language versions were made available ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Wyn Roberts : It is my aim to issue national curriculum documents in Welsh and English simultaneously whenever possible. Where the documents are not issued at the same time, this is for practical reasons.

Lorry Routes

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration has been given to the establishment of a national network of lorry routes based on weight and speed limits ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Wyn Roberts : Motorways and trunk roads form a national network of through routes in Wales. They are suitable for all classes of vehicle except where specific constraints necessitate weight, height or length restrictions.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated to each district and borough council in Wales out of the strategic development scheme fund in 1993 ; and how this figure was reached in each case.

Mr. Redwood : Allocations for 1993-94 through the urban programme, rural initiative, projects of regional and national importance and special project schemes were determined by a number of factors. A strategic approach was positively encouraged under the urban programme and bids forming part of an acceptable local strategy received priority. Voluntary sector bids under the urban programme and rural initiative were also given some priority. Other factors taken fully into account for all schemes included value for money, jobs created and sustainable economic development.

The allocations to the district and borough councils in Wales under these separate schemes is set out in the following table :


Column 841


1993-94 Allocations                                                                           

Council                                |Urban     |Rural     |PRNI/SP   |Total                

                                       |Programme |Initiative                                 

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

Alyn and Deeside District Council      |337,500   |-         |-         |337,500              

Colwyn Borough Council                 |70,000    |36,000    |1,226,000 |1,332,000            

Delyn                                  |337,998   |-         |1,950,000 |2,287,998            

Glyndwr District Council               |118,131   |174,540   |-         |292,671              

Ruddlan Borough Council                |1,137,554 |27,000    |1,200,000 |2,364,554            

Wrexham Maelor Borough Council         |246,401   |-         |2,085,000 |2,331,401            

Carmarthen District Council            |17,865    |120,000   |-         |137,865              

Ceredigion District Council            |76,781    |519,000   |500,000   |1,095,781            

Dinefwr Borough Council                |427,830   |236,000   |-         |663,830              

Llanelli Borough Council               |764,057   |-         |1,500,000 |2,264,057            

Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council |140,000   |1,007,460 |-         |1,147,460            

South Pembrokeshire District Council   |221,792   |672,238   |1,000,000 |1,894,030            

Blaenau Gwent Borough Council          |915,728   |-         |655,000   |1,570,728            

Islwyn Borough Council                 |722,920   |-         |-         |722,920              

Monmouth District Council              |183,306   |111,911   |-         |295,217              

Newport Borough Council                |1,034,386 |-         |-         |1,034,386            

Torfaen Borough Council                |345,344   |-         |-         |345,344              

Aberconwy Borough Council              |170,450   |440,000   |-         |610,451              

Arfon Borough Council                  |381,854   |590,000   |-         |971,854              

Dwyfor District Council                |121,475   |501,300   |1,000,000 |1,622,775            

Meirionnydd District Council           |157,595   |457,500   |-         |615,095              

Ynys Mon Borough Council               |116,291   |165,000   |-         |281,291              

Cynon Valley Borough Council           |1,725,532 |-         |-         |1,725,532            

Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council         |987,046   |-         |-         |987,046              

Ogwr Borough Council                   |1,165,412 |-         |-         |1,165,412            

Rhondda Borough Council                |2,799,766 |-         |-         |2,799,766            

Rhymney Valley Borough Council         |744,720   |-         |-         |744,720              

Taff Ely Borough Council               |533,282   |-         |-         |533,282              

Brecknock Borough Council              |-         |110,000   |720,000   |830,000              

Montgomeryshire District Council       |-         |262,000   |-         |262,000              

Radnor District Council                |15,836    |-         |-         |15,836               

Cardiff City Council                   |1,305,692 |-         |-         |1,305,692            

Vale of Glamorgan County Council       |760,882   |-         |-         |760,882              

Port Talbot Borough Council            |330,809   |-         |-         |330,809              

Lliw Valley Borough Council            |338,504   |8,344     |-         |346,848              

Neath Borough Council                  |310,285   |-         |-         |310,285              

Swansea City Council                   |964,804   |-         |165,000   |1,129,804            

                                       |---       |---       |---       |---                  

  Wales total                          |20,027,828|5,438,293 |12,121,000|37,587,121           

Water Disconnections

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of domestic water disconnections in Wales for 1993.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : The collection of statistics on water disconnections is a matter for the Director General of Water Services, who publishes this information on a half yearly basis.

The data for the period 1 April 1993 to 30 September 1993 are held in the Library of the House. The results for the period 1 October 1993 to 31 March 1994 will be published in May.

Rural Roads

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make available extra resources to enable highway authorities to improve the maintenance of rural roads.

Sir Wyn Roberts : Resources for local authorities' responsibility for highway maintenance are provided through the local government revenue settlement. They determine the level of expenditure in the light of total resources available and local needs.

Social Services (Charging)

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had from representatives of people with learning difficulties concerning county personal social services charging policies.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have received six letters on this subject.

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the Clwyd People First Committee to discuss charging policies.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : No. The charging policies to which the hon. Member is referring are entirely a matter for Clwyd county council.


Column 844

Children's Play

Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about his policy on children's playing fields and children's play ; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Wyn Roberts : The main planners and providers in this field are local authorities and the voluntary sector. Central Government support is provided by way of grant to help meet the costs of Play Wales, an advisory body made up of representatives from county and district councils and the voluntary sector.

Private Patients

Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total income from private patients in the national health service in each year since 1989-90.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 10 February, column 433-35 .

Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the income from private patients of each trust hospital in each year since 1990 -91.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : There were no NHS trusts in operation in Wales prior to 1992-93. In that year the Pembrokeshire NHS trust came into effect and received £155,000 income from private patients. However, separate figures for each of the trust's hospitals are not available centrally.

Consultants

Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of (a) finished consultant episodes and (b) private patient finished consultant episodes in each year since 1989-90.

Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information in Wales is collected on the basis of in-patient cases treated in NHS hospitals and is given in the following table.


Column 845


              |Total number |of which                   

              |of in-patient|private                    

              |cases        |patients                   

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

1989-90       |475,515      |1,994                      

1990-91       |482,473      |1,760                      

1991-92       |500,336      |1,558                      

1992-93       |503,657      |1,257                      

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Pergau Dam

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he will use in directing what to include in the summary documents to be submitted to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the aid support given to the Pergau dam project in Malaysia.

Mr. Goodlad : The summaries of documents which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has provided with his memorandum to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Pergau and aid and trade provision were drawn up in line with the long-standing conventions relating to the release of documents to Select Committees.

GCHQ

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the (a) planned costs and (b) actual spending on GCHQ civil servants' travel expenses for the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. Hurd : It is not the Government's policy to give detailed information about the expenditure of individual security and intelligence agencies. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 30 November 1993, Official Report, columns 419-20, figures for the aggregate expenditure on the security and intelligence agencies will be published with main estimates.

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are applied by civil servants at GCHQ as to what class of air-travel they use.

Mr. Hurd : In determining travel arrangements for GCHQ civil servants, use is made where practicable of RAF flights, economy fares and MOD charter. Otherwise, normal commercial carriers are used with class of air travel determined in accordance with the following criteria :


Structure                 |<1>Grade 3 and above|Other grades                             

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

First/Economy             |(a) Economy         |Economy                                  

                          |(b) First           |Economy                                  

                                                                                         

Business/Tourist<1>       |(a) Business        |Tourist                                  

                          |(b) Business        |Business                                 

                                                                                         

First/Business/Tourist<1> |(a) Business        |Tourist                                  

                          |(b) Business        |Business                                 

<1>Or equivalent.                                                                        

Note: (a) relates to flights up to 2.5 hours long;                                       

(b) to longer flights.                                                                   


Column 846

Chemical Weapons Convention

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made as to the implications of the United Kingdom Government failing to implement the chemical weapons convention before July 1994.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are unlikely to be any significant implications if the Government do not implement the chemical weapons convention by July 1994, as the earliest the convention can enter into force is January 1995.

Mr. Lorrain Osman

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why his Department issued a fresh public interest immunity certificate on the seventh application by Mr. Lorrain Osman for habeas corpus in January 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : A public interest immunity certificate was signed in the course of Lorrain Osman's seventh application for habeas corpus to reassert the public interest in non-disclosure of documents sought by Mr. Osman.

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the reasons why he, on 26 October 1990, applied for a court order to strike out from affirmations made by Mr. Lorrain Osman all passages referring to nine FCO documents already disclosed to his advisers and the removal of copies of all nine documents from the possession of Mr. Osman and from the record of the court ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : The order was applied for on the grounds that the documents in question were subject to public interest immunity and irrelevant.

Public Interest Immunity Certificates

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the reasons why the disclosure of documents which were the subject of a public interest immunity certificate issued by the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North on 12 June 1990 was thought likely to prejudice relations between Her Majesty's Government and an overseas Government or affect the efficiency of the officers concerned in carrying out negotiations or other diplomatic duties overseas ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : Confidential diplomatic communications are a well- established class of documents whose disclosure would not be in the public interest.

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the nature of the relations, dealing or negotiations between the Government of the United Kingdom and other Governments referred to in paragraph 4 of the public interest immunity certificate issued on 12 June 1990 by the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North in connection with communications between the Hong Kong Government, the United Kingdom high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ; and if he will make a statement.


Column 847

Mr. Goodlad : No. Our relations with other Governments are confidential.

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times since 1979 a public interest immunity certificate has been issued by a Government Minister in a criminal case affecting the liberty of the subject ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : As regards Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers, the information sought is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of how many documents the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North, then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, claimed public interest immunity by a certificate dated 12 June 1990 in connection with communications between the Hong Kong Government, the United Kingdom high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : Sixty-nine.

Dependent Territories

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current rate of (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) corporation tax in each British dependent territory.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman shortly with the information requested.

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was (a) the total revenue received from off-shore financial activities and (b) the total expenditure on regulating such activities by the locally elected administration of each British dependent territory in the Caribbean in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The information is as follows :


Caribbean Dependent Territories: Offshore Finance                   

Financial year 1992-93                                              

                          |Total Revenue|Total cost of              

                                        |regulation                 

                          |(£)          |(£)                        

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

Anguilla<1>               |155,750      |77,500                     

                                                                    

British Virgin Islands<1> |12.66 million|733,333                    

                                                                    

Cayman Islands            |19.52 million|1.16 million               

                                                                    

Montserrat                |159,000      |33,000                     

                                                                    

Turks and Caicos Islands  |1.54 million |200,000                    

<1>Estimate.                                                        

HEALTH

Kidney Transplants

Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many kidney patients died in 1992 while awaiting a suitable donor organ.


Column 848

Mr. Sackville : There is no information about the number of people awaiting a kidney transplant who died of kidney disease during 1992. Kidney failure is fatal unless treated with dialysis or transplantation. People on dialysis awaiting a transplant may live for many years and may die from causes other than kidney failure.

Minimal Access Surgery

Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which bodies her Department is consulting as to the implications of the Cuschieri report on minimal access surgery ; what plans she has to implement the report's recommendations ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Sackville : We have referred Professor Cuschieri's report to the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee for advice.

Discussions are taking place with the competent authorities regarding standards of training of doctors in relation to minimal access surgery. The Department of Health and the Wolfson Foundation are funding the establishment of two minimal access therapy training units in England. Minimal access therapy has been identified as a priority for research to obtain better information about outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of new treatments.

Regional Offices

Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reorganise the regional offices of the national health service ; what criteria will be applied to potential locations in the north-eastern region.

Dr. Mawhinney : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in her statement on managing the NHS on 21 October 1993 her intention to abolish regional health authorities and reorganise the National Health Service Management Executive to include eight regional offices. As a first step towards the new structure she has decided, following consultation, to reduce the number of regional health authorities from 14 to eight, creating common boundaries with the regional offices. Decisions regarding the location of the new regional offices have yet to be reached.


Next Section

  Home Page