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Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Noise at Work Regulations 1989, which came into effect on 1 January 1990, oblige employers to take steps to protect the hearing of all employees at work, including airport workers.
Multinational Companies
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether the EU's draft legislation to make EU multinationals set up cross- border machinery for informing employees of closures, collective redundancies and shifts of production from one country to another will apply to multinationals based in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) on 15 April 1994, Official Report, column 346.
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Working Hours
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current average hours of work of (a) blue collar workers, (b) white collar workers, (c) executives and (d) directors of firms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information on the average hours paid at basic and overtime rates for full-time employees is published in table X3 of part A of the 1993 new earnings survey report. A copy of the report is available in the Library. The table provides information for manual and non-manual occupations. Executives and directors are classified as managers.
The result of the new earnings survey show that the average basic hours of full-time employees have been around 37.5 hours for the last three years. On average, the basic hours of work of manual employees are just under two hours more than those of non-manual workers. In 1993, over two thirds of employees worked no paid overtime and the average was 2.3 hours a week.
Jobs Summit
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received during the G7 jobs summit in favour of measures which would increase non-wage labour costs.
Mr. David Hunt : At the end of the G7 jobs conference, United States Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen noted that we have to create the climate in which the corporate world has jobs for people. One of many encouraging features of this conference was the clear consensus that non-wage labour costs must be controlled, and where possible reduced, to improve employment prospects and help reduce unemployment.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Consultants
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 23 March, Official Report , column 336 , if he will list the firms of consultants employed by his Department in each of the last five years and the number of contracts they have undertaken.
The Attorney-General : The firms of consultants to which contracts have been awarded are listed in the table. Where more than one contract has been awarded to any firm this is indicated.
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Year |Legal Secretariat |Treasury Solicitor's |Crown Prosecution |Serious Fraud Office
|Service
|to the Law Officers |Department
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90
|- |Asterisk Design Systems Ltd. |Aims Systems Ltd. |COI
|BDL Marketing Services |Cumulus Software Ltd. |Digitus
|Kinesis Computing Ltd. |Stothers and Hardy
|PA Management Consultants
|(2)
|The Human Science and
|Advanced Technology
|Research Centre
|Yale Data Management
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Number |- |2 |7 |3
1990-91
|- |Not known |Hunterskil |ACT
|Isis |COI
|Peat Marwick McLintock |Digitus
|Scoll |Stothers and Hardy
|Shapes
|TDA Consulting Group Ltd.
|Touche Ross
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Number |- |- |7 |4
1991-92
|- |CCTA Consultancy Services (3) |Art of Management |Digitus
|P. Hurst Esq., Property |Bull |Stothers and Hardy
| Holdings |CS College
|Integrated Project Support
|P. A. Consulting Group |Lighting FX
|M. L. Taylor, Esq. |Oracle (2)
|PE International
|Shapes
|TDA Consulting Group Ltd.
|Verity
|Yale
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Number |- |6 |12 |2
1992-93
|- |Axsis Consultants Ltd. |Axsis (2) |ACT
|B. D. O. Consulting |Bull |Admiral
|J. Blair, Esq. |CCTA Consultancy Services |Digitus
|CCTA Consultancy Services |CS College |Hedra
|Recruitment and Assessment |DoE Fuel Branch |Morgan Lovell
| Consultancy Services |DoE Special Services Group |SISL
|M. L. Taylor, Esq. |ECD Architects |Stothers and Hardy
|Telecom Capita |Forward Catering |Systemhouse (2)
|B. D. Yates, Esq. |Infact (2)
|Impact
|Lamb Associates
|MCL
|Mouncey
|Price Waterhouse
|PSA BM NorEast
|PSA BMSE
|Sequelogic
|Shapes (2)
|Shreeveport
|Tim Hodder Associates
|Touche Ross
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Number |- |8 |24 |9
1993-94
|- |Axsis Consultants Ltd. |Amtec |ACT
|BDO Consulting (3) |Axsis |Hedra
|G. H. Beetham, Esq. |Bull |Hoskyns
|J. Blair, Esq. |Butler and Young Associates (2)|Insight
|CCTA Consultancy Services |Calibre Training |Rand
|P. Cooper, Esq. |Comshare |Stothers and Hardy
|Lamb Associates |D. E. G. W. Consultants
|N. F. Ledsome, Esq. |DoE Special Services Group
|J. D. Montgomery, Esq. |Hoskyns
|Recruitment and Assessment |Hunterskil
| Consultancy Services |Images
|Touche Ross |Infact
|Triad Special Systems Ltd. |Kaliber Training
|Lighting FX
|MCL
|NIFES
|Olivetti
|Oscar Faber
|P. E. International
|Plain English Campaign
|Projectlink
|Quadratron
|Sequelogic (2)
|Shapes (3)
|Simdell
|Tim Hodder Associates
|Touche Ross (2)
|WTI
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Number |- |14 |33 |6
Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate more than one contract.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Liberia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about military activity in Liberia ; and how it is affecting the peace process and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 15 April at column 330. Aid deliveries from Cote d'Ivoire and from Monrovia to the surrounding regions are uninterrupted, but interfactional fighting is affecting deliveries to south-east and south-western Liberia.
Somalia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps UNDO in Somalia has taken to conduct a strategic appraisal of the infrastructure needs of Somaliland.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The framework for planning Somalia's long-term reconstruction and development, prepared in December 1993 under World bank leadership and with United Nations development office participation, identified broad infrastructure needs throughout the country. UNDO has begun the detailed needs assessment process and carried out a preliminary assessment mission to Woquooyl Galbeed region in the north-west in March. The report will be discussed by the Somali aid co-ordinating body on 18 and 19 April.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans UNOSOM 2 has to devolve decision making to its office in Hargeisa ; and how and when it proposes to deliver services and resources to north-west Somalia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : UNOSOM's Hargeisa office acts primarily as a liaison point for UNOSOM II operations in north-west Somalia. UNOSOM is mandated to assist with the development of programmes on demobilisation and disarmament, demining and the development of justice systems in north-west Somalia. Salaries for police and local mine clearance amounting to US$730,800 have been paid during the period January to April. We intend to raise the question of devolution of decision making to UNOSOM's Hargeisa office at the Somali aid co-ordinating body meeting on 18 and 19 April.
Natural Resources Institute
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his current plans for the future of the Natural Resources Institute.
Column 498
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) on 26 January at columns 272-73. The study of ownership options is continuing and no decision has yet been reached. Meanwhile, restructuring is in train.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) in which programmes staff, proposed for redundancy by the Natural Resources Institute in the course of 1994, are currently involved ; and what the effect on these programmes of the proposed redundancies is expected to be ;
(2) what aid projects and which developing countries benefit from the work done at the Natural Resources Institute on (a) oilseeds and (b) mycotoxins ;
(3) how many staff at each grade the Natural Resources Institute proposes to make redundant in the course of 1994 ;
(4) what programmes of research are currently undertaken by the Natural Resources Institute ; and how each programme will be affected by his plans for the institute's future development.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Natural Resources Institute under its chief executive, Mr. Anthony Beattie. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. Beattie to Mr. Tom Clarke, dated 18 April 1994 : Mr. Lennox- Boyd has replied to the first of the five questions about NRI which you put down for written reply on 14 April. I have been asked to reply to the remainder. If I might take your questions in a slightly different order to that in which they were asked, dealing first with No. 79, the Institute is engaged in programmes of applied and adaptive research which, in line with the objectives of the Aid Programme and of ODA's Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy, seek to help developing countries to improve the productivity and sustainable management of their natural resources. The Institute is presently undertaking research in some 13 programme areas as listed at Enclosure 1.
As an executive agency, NRI undertakes research on a
customer-contractor basis and its activities are accordingly shaped by the requirements of its clients, notably ODA and other major aid agencies. The priorities of these clients are bound to change over time and this will be reflected in the pattern of demand for the Institute's services. Thus it is not so much a question of how plans for future development will affect a pre-determined set of research activities, but rather how the Institute can best be adapted to respond flexibly and effectively to the changing requirements of its clients.
You have asked specifically (No. 72) what aid projects and which developing countries benefit from work done here on oilseeds and mycotoxins. Details are provided in Enclosure 2.
More generally, you have asked (No. 78) how many staff, by grade, are proposed for redundancy in 1994, which areas of work they are involved in and what the effect on existing programmes will be. Under a programme of staff reductions announced earlier this year a total of 49 posts have been abolished. A breakdown by grade is at Enclosure 3. As individual members of staff are likely to contribute to more than one programme of research I have
Column 499
provided a breakdown by a broad strategy area rather than specific research programme. Details in response to question No. 70 are also at Enclosure 3. In all but six cases, this reduction in staff numbers has been achieved by voluntary means. It is likely that further reductions will be needed in due course, but the scale and timing of these have still to be determined.The staff reduction programme is based on a careful analysis of the skills available at NRI and developing patterns of demand for these skills. As mentioned above our concern is with adapting the skill-base to match demand. This is essential if we are to continue to meet the needs of our clients and to maintain the Institute's reputation as a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence in a competitive and evolving field of activity.
I should of course be glad to provide any further information you may require.
Areas of research in which NRI is presently engaged, grouped by strategy area :
Resource Assessment and Farming Systems
Resource assessment
Agronomy and cropping systems
Livestock production
Forestry
Socio-economics
Integrated Pest Management
Pest management for annual and perennial crops
Component technologies for pest management
Adaptive research in integrated pest management
Biological systems and functional variability
Food Science and Crop Utilisation
Horticulture and tree crops
Food security in cereals and pulses
Fisheries and aquatic resources
Forest products, oilseeds, edible nuts and fibres
NRI's work on oilseeds and mycotoxins
Introduction--
NRI's work on oilseeds and mycotoxins spans a wide range of activities and benefits, both directly and indirectly, many developing countries. It is principally funded by ODA's Natural Resources Research Department and feeds into bilateral and multi-lateral development programmes. The following is a synopsis of activities which have been carried out over the last year or so. Oilseeds
The focus of work has been principally on the two priority commodities of ODA's Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy : groundnuts and coconuts. Total expenditure in 1993-94 from all funding sources was approximately £325,000.
Advisory and representation
In the last year over 240 inquiries were received from 36 countries on oilseeds processing and utilisation, mainly from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Several international conferences were attended and research and development findings disseminated.
Training
In 1993 eight personnel from Ghana, Indonesia, Morocco, Peru, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Turkey were trained in various aspects of oilseeds, oils and fats.
Project activities--
Agronomic, pest control and plant pathology :
assisting in improving oilseeds production at the Lumle
Column 500
and Pakribas Agricultural Centres in Nepal ;a study on oilseeds in mixed cropping systems in lowland tropical forest margins ;
a pest control manual for groundnuts (China, India and other producing countries) ;
work on lethal yellowing and wilt disorder of coconuts (Zanzibar and West Africa) ;
collaboration with CGIAR in India on groundnut rosette virus and vector control.
Processing and development :
stemming from socio-economic, marketing and technical studies, the introduction of new and improved methods of small-scale processing of oilseeds mainly in rural areas, with particular emphasis on smallholder farmers, traders and gender issues (Tanzania, The Gambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Indonesia, Solomon Islands). This work is part- funded by the United Nations' Common Fund for Commodities ;
development of analytical techniques, and training in product analysis and quality control, including trade assessments. Mycotoxins
Over the past year the control of mycotoxins in foods and feeds has been pursued at NRI through some nineteen projects. The range of commodities studied includes cereals, oilseeds, edible nuts, spices and livestock feeds from numerous countries. Total expenditure from all funding sources in 1993 -94 was approximately £375,000. Advisory and representation
Over 130 enquiries were received from 30 countries on mycotoxins over the last year, mainly from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Staff attended several international conferences to disseminate information and served on several United Kingdom and EC Committees dealing with mycotoxins.
Training
In 1993 four analysts from Brazil, Philippines and Saudi Arabia were trained in mycotoxin analysis.
Project activities--
The Institute's mycotoxins work involves the establishment, of Mycotoxin Centres in developing countries, with fully equipped and trained personnel ; and the utilisation of these Centres in the identification and control of mycotoxin contamination, using multi-disciplinary teams.
Centres have been established in Pakistan, India, Thailand and Philippines. This approach is supported by a research programme which focuses upon the development of methods (sampling and analysis) for the surveillance of mycotoxins and the development and testing of control (including chemical detoxification) procedures.
Work carried out over the last year includes :
studies on sampling procedures for monitoring bulk shipments of livestock feed ingredients and on methods for the analysis of moulds and mycotoxins in a variety of foods and feeds. The findings assist in the formulation of quality standards and legislation. This work has been partly funded by the EC and MAFF ;
a study of the effect of commercial chemical detoxicification procedures on the transmission of mycotoxins into milk ;
setting up a Mycotoxin Centre in Bangladesh ;
establishing a strategy for the quality control of pistachio nuts in Turkey ;
surveillance studies in Honduras, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Column 499
Analysis of (job) redundancies by grade and strategy area
Enclosure 3
Grade |Resource |Integrated pest|Food science |Social sciences|Corporate |Grade total
|assessment and |management |and crop |group |services
|farming systems |utilisation
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grade 6 |- |1 |- |- |- |1
Grade 7 |1 |- |5 |- |- |6
Senior Scientific Officer |1 |3 |6 |- |2 |12
Higher Scientific Officer |2 |- |3 |- |- |5
Scientific Officer |1 |1 |5 |- |- |7
Assistant Scientific Officer |2 |- |- |- |- |2
Higher Executive Officer |- |- |- |- |1 |1
Executive Officer |- |- |- |- |3 |3
Administrative Officer |- |- |- |- |3 |3
Personal Secretary |- |1 |1 |2 |1 |5
Typist |- |- |1 |- |1 |2
Support Grade Band 1 |- |- |1 |- |- |1
Support Grade Band 2 |- |- |1 |- |- |1
|-- |-- |-- |-- |-- |--
Strategy area total |7 |6 |23 |2 |11 |49
Gambia
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been taken either bilaterally by the Overseas Development Administration or multilaterally through the European Union to promote the development of coastal fishing resources in the Gambia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Between 1979 and 1991 the European development fund provided 5.66 mecu--£4.4 million, of which the United Kingdom share was £0.72 million to develop marine artisanal fisheries in six Atlantic coastal villages.
Multilateral Agencies (Aid)
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms are in place to influence the deployment of funds provided by the United Kingdom to (a) the European bank for reconstruction and development, (b) the European Union, (c) the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and (d) the World bank ; and what further steps are planned to increase the accountability of those organisations to the United Kingdom Government.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : For the European bank for reconstruction and development, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World bank, the United Kingdom participates actively in meetings where overall policy priorities and work programmes are discussed. For the European Union we play a full part in discussion of development policy issues in the Council of the Union, and in discussion of project proposals in European Commission management committees. We also maintain regular contact with the senior management of all these institutions. We will continue to work through these mechanisms to strengthen their efficiency and accountability.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sir Malcolm Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to continue to support economic and political reform in Africa under the third phase of the special programme of assistance for sub-Saharan Africa co-ordinated by the World bank.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have pledged to commit up to £300 million under the World bank's SPA III programme over the three years 1994-95 to 1997-98. These funds will be available to poor, debt-distressed African countries, selected by Her Majesty's Government, which are adhering to an IMF/IBRD-endorsed economic reform programme, and are pursuing good government policies.
Column 502
DEFENCE
Battle Tank Khalid
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which year the battle tank Khalid was first marketed ; and if he will make a statement on its application.
Mr. Aitken : This is a matter for the company concerned.
Chemical Weapons
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent of 25 March, Official Report, columns 471-72, regarding protection against chemical and germ warfare, if he will estimate the cost of (a) protective clothing and equipment, (b) anti-contamination equipment and (c) medical counter measures against chemical and biological attacks during the period April 1990 to April 1992.
Mr. Hanley : The expenditure incurred on clothing and equipment to protect against chemical and biological attack during the period April 1990 to April 1992 is set out in the table.
|£ million
----------------------------------------------
Protective clothing |26.5
Protective equipment |18.4
Detection equipment |24.6
Decontamination equipment |0.9
|--
Total |70.4
As previously advised in response to the hon. Member's questions of 12 July 1993, Official Report, column 366, 19 July 1993, Official Report, column 87 and 26 July 1993, Official Report, column 744, details relating to medical counter-measures against chemical and biological attacks are classified.
PINDAR Bunker
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the equipment installed in the PINDAR bunker.
Mr. Hanley : The cost of the equipment installed in the PINDAR bunker was approximately £60,000,000. The cost of the systems includes hardware, software development, software, documentation, testing and installation.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual running cost of the PINDAR bunker.
Mr. Hanley : The average cost of the PINDAR bunker including staff costs, maintenance and support is £7,320,000.
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