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Open Government
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the implications for the operation of his Department, and the Health and Safety Commission, of the code of practice on open government.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Department and the Health and Safety Executive already answer many hundreds of thousands of inquiries each year, through, for example, their "public enquiry point" service. The code of practice will reinforce and build upon existing arrangements for the provision of information to the public.
Financial Services
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 9 March, Official Report, column 201, how many people were employed in banking, insurance and finance in Greater London, including those not resident in Greater London, in the latest quarter for which figures are available and the equivalent quarters of 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is given in the following table :
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Employees in employment in
banking, finance, insurance
and business
services and leasing (SIC
division 8): Greater London
|Number
------------------------------
December 1989 |798,000
December 1990 |773,000
December 1991 |726,000
December 1992 |699,000
December 1993 |712,000
Employment Service
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the reasons for the introduction of the new regional, district and area management structure of the Employment Service ; how will it differ from existing arrangements ; what are the implications for awarding and monitoring contracts entered into with external organisations operating job clubs ; how it relates to and affects PACT--placing assessment and counselling--teams and other services for unemployed people with disabilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated17 March 1994 :
The Secretary of State for Employment has asked me to reply to your question about the new introduction of the Employment Service management structure.
The Employment Service (ES) is setting up a structure of Districts in order to focus more effectively on the delivery of services to its clients, and provide better value for money. Districts will consist of a number of local offices serving discreet local labour markets, and they will be managed through the existing network of ES Regions. The new arrangements become operational from April 1994, when the Area tier of management will cease. The new structure will ensure that more senior managers will be directly responsible for managing resources and performance within districts. The existing network of local offices will remain in place, and continue delivering services to clients.
District Managers will be responsible for awarding contracts to external organisations operating Jobclubs, and for ensuring that these contracts are monitored. In this they will be assisted by programme contracting specialists.
The specialist disability service delivered by Placing, Assessment and Counselling teams (PACTs) will be strengthened by the appointment of Regional managers. Their role is to maximise the potential of PACTs, establish effective working relationships with local offices in the new districts and ensure that the appropriate specialist programmes and services are available for clients.
They will also work with District Managers to provide appropriate help for clients with disabilities who do not need specialist help in funding or retaining work.
I hope this is helpful.
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are employed by the Employment Service ; and what this figure is as a percentage of the total work force of the Employment Service.
Mr Michael Forsyth : Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
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Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mrs. Ann Clwyd, dated17 March 1994 :The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of women employed by the Employment Service and what percentage of the total workforce this represents.
I have looked at the latest available staff-in-post figures taken at 1 January 1994. These show that we presently employ 49,061 staff. Of this figure 35,119 are women, which represents 71 per cent. of the total workforce.
I hope this is helpful.
Rules and Regulations
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many rules and regulations his Department has passed in each of the last three years.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 16 March 1994] : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made the following number of statutory instruments in the last three years :
|New |Other
|instruments|instruments
------------------------------------------------
1991 |25 |10
1992 |29 |12
1993 |27 |9
"Other instruments" cover those which amend, replace, or revoke existing instruments, or are commencement orders.
Not all instruments impose requirements or regulations on business.
Self-financing Regulatory Authorities
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many self-financing regulatory authorities his Department has set up since 1979 ; what was the annual running cost of each of the self-financing regulatory authorities in each of the last three years ; what is the current staffing establishment ; and what it was last year and two years ago.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 16 March 1994] : None.
Civil Servants
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are employed at each civil service grade in his Department as a whole ; and what percentage of each grade is constituted by women.
Miss Widdecombe : The numbers and percentages of women in each grade in the Employment Department Group at 1 January 1994 are set out in the following table :
Women in the Employment Department Group at 1 January 1994 Grade |Number |Percentage ------------------------------------------------------------- Administrative assistant |2,234 |74.7 Administrative officer |24,402 |75.3 Typist |663 |99.7 Executive officer |11,107 |67.8 Administrative trainee |5 |71.4 Management trainee |36 |65.5 Higher executive officer(D) |9 |45.0 Higher executive officer |1,771 |43.1 Senior executive officer |338 |27.5 Grade 7 |182 |24.2 Grade 6 |14 |10.3 Grade 5 |21 |18.8 Grade 4 |0 |0.0 Grade 3 |1 |4.2 Grade 2 |1 |20.0 Grade 1 |0 |0.0
PRIME MINISTER
Cabinet Records
Mr. Kenneth Baker : To ask the Prime Minister whether the 30-year rule applies to the handwritten records of each Cabinet meeting ; and, after the lapse of this time, whether they will be open to public scrutiny.
The Prime Minister : The Cabinet Secretary's handwritten records of Cabinet meetings are regarded as subject to the Public Records Acts which make provision for the release of public records after 30 years. Section 3(4) of the 1958 Act permits the retention of such records for longer than 30 years, subject to the Lord Chancellor's approval.
The question of the release of the notebooks was considered in the summer of 1993, in accordance with a recommendation in the Wilson committee's report on "Modern Public Records", Cmnd. 8204. The Lord Chancellor has approved the continued retention of the notebooks. It is proposed that a further review will take place in 10 years' time.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 17 March.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 17 March.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House,
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Coastal Erosion
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many square miles of coast have been lost to the sea since 1979.
Mr. Jack : Recent studies suggest that the average annual rate of coastal erosion is probably in the range of 0.08 to 0.2 sq m per year. Much of the material lost as a result of this erosion contributes to coastal accretion or the formation of beaches or banks which provide protection to other coastal areas.
Farm Incomes
Mr. Sweeney : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average net annual income of farm owners in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jack : The farm business survey collects data from a sample of farms throughout the United Kingdom which
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are classified as full-time holdings. Results are not readily available for the United Kingdom as a whole, but the table provides information on the occupier's net income for wholly owner-occupied farms in each of the four home countries in 1992-93.
Occupier's net income on wholly owner occupied
farms
1992-93<1>
|Average for all
|types of farm
|£ thousand
-------------------------------------------------
England |19.1
Wales |14.6
Scotland<2> |16.7
Northern Ireland |9.1
<1>Occupier's net income represents the return
to the principal farmer and spouse for their
manual and managerial labour and investment in
the farm business.
<2>Includes holdings which are wholly and mainly
owner occupied.
French Fishing Industry
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has made to the European Commission about the French emergency aid package for the French fishing industry ; how much of this aid is new money ; for what purposes it is paid ; and what assessment she has made of the resulting advantage of French industry over the United Kingdom industry.
Mr. Jack : According to the announcement by the French Government, the aid package takes a variety of forms, including the rescheduling of loans, social payments to fishermen's families, advancement of reimbursement of market withdrawal costs, government-funded promotion of fish, and reduced national insurance contributions. The European Commission has responsibility for assessing state aids and for overseeing their compliance with articles 92 and 93 of the treaty. We have written to the Commission asking them to consider urgently whether the aid package gives French fishermen an unfair economic advantage and whether all its elements are in accordance with EU legal provisions. I understand that the Commission is actively pursuing this.
Farmers
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the numerical difference between the number of United Kingdom citizens whose primary economic activity is farming and the number of public employees and private contractors employed by her Department.
Mr. Jack : No figures are available on the number of United Kingdom citizens whose primary economic activity is farming.
EU Enlargement (Agricultural Protection)
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the notional loss to United Kingdom agricultural producers as a result of the transitional agricultural protection allowed to Austria, Sweden and Finland on their accession to the European Community.
Mr. Jack : The United Kingdom agricultural industry should benefit from the immediate abolition of border
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controls as a result of the agreement by the applicant countries to introduce CAP support prices from the date of accession. While the European Union has authorised Austria, Finland and Norway to introduce transitional, degressive national aids where support levels for particular commodities are significantly reduced, such aids should not adversely effect United Kingdom producers. These arrangements will be approved and supervised by the European Commission to ensure that competition is not distorted.Farm Animals (Poland)
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks are carried out to ensure that farm animals coming from Poland are free from radioactive contamination.
Mr. Soames : Council Regulation (EEC) No. 737/90 lays down conditions governing imports into the European Community of agricultural products, including live animals, originating in third countries following the Chernobyl accident. The regulation specifies maximum permitted levels of radioactivity in imported products and requires checks to be made at the point of entry to the Community. In the United Kingdom such checks are the responsibility of port health authorities, acting under the Imported Food Regulations 1984.
Food Imports
Sir Ralph Howell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the overall value of all food and food products imported from other EU countries ; and what proportion, in cost terms of these imports from (a) France and (b) Germany were of (i) meat and (ii) dairy products in 1980, 1990 and the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Jack : The following is the information requested :
Imports of food and food products into the United
Kingdom from other
EU countries
|EU 11 |France |Germany
Year |£ million|£ million|£ million
--------------------------------------------------
1980 |2,611 |356 |210
1990 |6,659 |1,043 |621
1992 |7,597 |1,252 |773
<
Food imports from France and Germany that were meat
products and
dairy products
From France From Germany
|Meat |Dairy |Meat |Dairy
Year |per cent.|per cent.|per cent.|per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |9.6 |8.8 |12.6 |16.0
1990 |15.3 |11.3 |11.2 |22.0
1992 |16.9 |11.3 |8.8 |20.6
Aggregates
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and food in respect of how many licensing applications for marine dredging of aggregates her Department has commissioned research into the implication for fisheries of such applications in each year since 1989.
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Mr. Jack : Applications for dredging licences are made to the Crown Estate, but the Department is consulted under the Government view procedure because of our concerns about the impact of dredging operations on the marine environment and fisheries. We look to licence applicants to produce a properly researched and comprehensive environmental statement in support of their applications and the Ministry's directorate of fisheries research has recently issued guidelines to indicate the range of issues which need to be considered. Copies of these guidelines have been placed in the Library of the House. In addition from time to time the Department's scientists carry out specific research of their own. Since 1989 they have initiated the following studies relating to marine aggregate extraction :
Migration of sole across Hastings Shingle Bank ;
overwintering of crabs ;
recolonisation of benthos in dredged areas ;
the importance of Race Bank to the North Sea crab population ; physical effects on the seabed.
Some of the work is still in progress.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research her Department has commissioned into the implication for fisheries of the production application by the National Rivers Authority, Anglia, for a licence to extract aggregate from North Race bank--area 405 ; and when the results of the research are expected to be finalised.
Mr. Jack : To enable the Department to make its contribution under the Government view procedure on an application from the NRA to dredge sand from Race bank the Department has required a series of studies to be undertaken. These include a one-year programme of work being carried out by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies of Hull university under contract to NRA, in conjuction with MAFF scientists. Studies of the turbidity of the area to be dredged, the benthos and epibenthos and plankton surveys are all included. A series of potting surveys will be undertaken and two have already been carried out. Longer-term work will be undertaken on crab migration using tags and survey trawls will be undertaken of demersal and pelagic fish species.
Additionally MAFF undertook its own study of crab larval distribution in the southern North sea in July 1993 with particular emphasis on the Race bank and north Norfolk areas. Further physical studies by MAFF are continuing. These include current measurements, sidescan sonar, and underwater TV surveys of the benthos and epibenthos. We shall also be undertaking work on the particle size of sediments in the area.
Much of the work has already been completed and most of the outstanding results will be available later this year. In addition some of the longer- term work, such as the crab migration study, will continue to generate information over the next few years.
Mycoplasma Bovis
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farm holdings in the United Kingdom have been affected by mycoplasma bovis before and after the introduction of the single market in each year since 1990 ; how many cattle are currently infected ; how and when the disease was introduced into the United Kingdom ; and from where it came.
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Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Mycoplasma bovis was first recorded in the United Kingdom in 1975. It is not a notifiable disease and comprehensive data is not maintained. There are no records of the total numbers of infected animals. The numbers of cases recorded by the veterinary investigation laboratories in the United Kingdom for the years concerned are :
Year |Farms ------------------ 1990 |61 1991 |56 1992 |36 1993 |29
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in which EU member states mycoplasma bovis is a notifiable disease.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : Mycoplasma bovis is not a notifiable disease under EC legislation. We have no information on whether member states require notification under their own national legislation.
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action the Government are taking to combat mycoplasma bovis.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : There are no statutory powers in respect of mycoplasma bovis.
Days at Sea
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current state of the dispute over the legality of the days at sea regime under the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992.
Mr. Jack : Following a hearing between 1 November and 5 November 1993, and in accordance with its judgment of 2 December, the High Court has referred a number of questions on the days at sea regime to the European Court of Justice. The court's order includes a request for expedition, and the Government hope that the court in Luxembourg will recognise the need for a ruling within a reasonable timescale. Meanwhile, as I announced on 14 December, implementation of days at sea has been suspended.
Decommissioning
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agreements have been made under the decommissioning scheme ; on what date the agreement was finalised for the last fishing vessel to be decommissioned ; and what is the schedule for the next sequence of decommissioning agreements.
Mr. Jack : Under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) Scheme 1993 135 vessels have been decommissioned : all claims were submitted before 1 March, as required by the scheme.
Decommissioning formed part of a package of conservation measures which is being reviewed following the decision to suspend implementation of days at sea controls, and I am not yet in a position to announce a further scheme.
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the position of the German Government regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the importation of British cattle and beef into Germany.
Mr. Jack : Every necessary measure has been taken to protect both animal and public health in the United Kingdom and in our trade with the European Union. These measures have been endorsed not only by the European Commission and the Scientific Veterinary Committee in Brussels but by the World Health Organisation and its veterinary equivalent the OIE.
I have warned the German authorities that I would regard any unilateral action as contrary to Community law and technically indefensible.
The Commission has already told the German authorities that it shares my assessment of the adequacy of the current arrangements for both cattle and beef and that it would take appropriate action in the event of unilateral action.
Civil Servants
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each civil service grade in her Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.
Mr. Jack : The information set out as at 1 March 1994 relates to non -industrial staff in MAFF, excluding agencies.
|Total staff|Percentage
|women
------------------------------------------------
Grade 1 |1 |0.0
Grade 2 |5 |0.0
Grade 3 |22 |4.5
Grade 4 |8 |0.0
Grade 5 |91 |11.0
Grade 6 |101 |11.9
Grade 7 |697 |19.7
SEO |457 |20.1
HEO |943 |34.7
EO |1,428 |45.2
AO |1,886 |64.5
AA |2,011 |66.8
|------- |-------
Total |7,650 |49.5
The figures are given by grade equivalent and include all permanent staff, casuals and staff on temporary release. Part-time staff are counted as 1.0.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
Mr. Duncan-Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the additional cost to EAGGF guarantee spending of the Breydel agreement.
Mr. Jack : The Breydel agreement concluded between the EU and the United States in the closing stages of negotiations on the Uruguay round agreement allows for greater flexibility in the phasing of cuts in subsidised agricultural exports over the period of the agreement's implementation. As a result, there will be an increased
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possibility of the export of wheat and wheat flour, cheese, beef, pigmeat, poultrymeat, wine, raw tobacco and incorporated foods between 1995 and 2000.It is not possible, however, to estimate the precise cost to EAGGF guarantee since the cost of increased expenditure on export subsidies would, in the absence of the Breydel agreement, have had to be offset by some increase in expenditure on intervention or subsidised internal disposal for some of the commodities and quantities involved. In that the Breydel agreement opened the way for the successful conclusion of the Uruguay round it also avoided the very heavy budgetary costs which would have followed from the failure of the round.
TREASURY
Value Added Tax
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average daily arrears of value added tax for each year since 1980 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of tax liability.
Sir John Cope : Information for the years 1986 to 1993 is shown in the table :
Table of average daily arrears at 31 March
Year |Amount |Current |Percentage of
|(absolute) |values |payment
|£ million |£ million |liability
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |1,351.6 |1,973.3 |6.5
1987 |1,218.6 |1,706.0 |5.4
1988 |1,060.3 |1,442.0 |4.2
1989 |1,085.2 |1,367.4 |3.8
1990 |1,168.7 |1,355.7 |3.6
1991 |1,623.5 |1,753.4 |4.3
1992 |1,927.8 |1,985.6 |4.4
1993 |1,993.9 |2,013.8 |4.4
31 December 1993 |1,897.2 |1,897.2 |3.7
Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.
This measure was introduced in the year 1985-86, and no reconstruction can be done for previous years.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amount of value added tax outstanding for each year since 1980 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of tax liability.
Sir John Cope : Information for the years 1988 to 1993 is shown in the table.
Table of value added tax outstanding at 31 March
|(a) |Current |(b)
|Amount |values |Percentage
|(absolute) |of payment
|liability
Year |£ million |£ million |Per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------
1988 |837.2 |1,138.6 |3.3
1989 |884.2 |1,114.1 |3.1
1990 |1,180.0 |1,368.8 |3.6
1991 |1,466.6 |1,583.9 |3.8
1992 |1,628.9 |1,677.8 |3.7
1993 |1,572.6 |1,588.3 |3.5
Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.
Prior to the year ended 31 March 1988 information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the outstanding balance for collection of the value added tax default surcharge for each year since 1986 (a) in absolute terms in (i) cash and (ii) current values and (b) as a proportion of surcharge liability.
Sir John Cope : The available information is shown in the table.
Table of default surcharge outstanding balances at 31 March
|(a) |(b)
Year |Amount |Current |Per cent. of
|(absolute) |default surch-
|arge
|liability
|£ million |£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |50.7 |69.0 |-
1989 |61.7 |77.7 |-
1990 |74.9 |86.9 |-
1991 |102.7 |110.9 |-
1992 |132.3 |136.3 |57
1993 |116.3 |117.5 |59
Current values represent absolute amounts inflated in line with the retail prices index to prices current at March 1994.
No information is held on the surcharge outstanding for 1986 and 1987, or the surcharge liability for 1986-1991.
The absolute amount outstanding is a year-on-year cumulative total.
The percentage of default surcharge liability is based on the total surcharge assessment issued during that year.
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