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Mr. Aitken : The director general test and evaluation review of test and evaluation facilities including the proof and experimental establishments involved widespread discussion within the Department, with interested trade associations and individual customers.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from customers of Pendine proof and experimental establishment on the effect of rationalisation of ranges in the United Kingdom on their trials planning.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of an increase in small arms testing and proofing activity at Shoeburyness proof and experimental establishment on noise levels in the Shoeburyness area ;
(2) what assessment he has made of the comparative noise absorption of the topography around the proof and experimental establishments at Pendine and Shoeburyness.
Mr. Aitken : Detailed work of this nature would be performed if it is decided that a case for the move of these activities exists.
Second World War Commemorative Events
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is intended for Italy to be involved in next year's events to celebrate the end of the second world war.
Mr. Hanley : Plans for commemorative events to mark the 50th anniversary of the "End of the War in Europe" are being developed. They will be based on the theme of peace and reconciliation. Consideration is being given to which countries should be involved but no firm decisions have yet been made.
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Mr. Paul Martin
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the appointment of Mr. Paul Martin to the Ministry of Defence as a permanent civil servant was referred to his Public Appointments Unit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : No. Mr. Martin was appointed to the Ministry of Defence as a higher executive officer, development, a junior training grade. Such appointments are not referred to the public appointments unit.
Military Bands
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the costs and sources of finance for military bands for the last year for which figures are available ; and what estimate he can make of the costs and their sources after the present reorganisation.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 13 May 1994] : The cost of Army music to departmental funds in 1993-94 was around £46 million. This covered the costs of manpower, phase 1 training, transport, and the running costs of the Royal Military school of music. It excluded the costs of basic and certain full dress uniforms, food, accommodation, travel and subsistence, which cannot be identified separately. All other items were funded at non-public expense. The annual cost to public funds of the smaller structure announced in March 1993 and to be implemented from 1 April 1995 is likely to be in the order of £30 million, which includes the costs of manpower, phase 1 training, transport, maintenance and insurance of uniforms and instruments, replacement instruments, and running the Royal Military school of music. The likely costs of food, accommodation, travel and subsistence cannot be identified separately. In addition, the cost of providing the new bands with instruments and appropriate uniforms will be met from public funds.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Departmental Publications
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for how many regular publications she was responsible for in 1993-94 ; what was their circulation ; and how many were obtainable by subscription.
Mr. Jack : Details are set out in the Department's current publications catalogue. In addition, specialist statistical and fisheries publications are listed in separate catalogues. Copies of all three publications catalogues have been placed in the Library. Most publications are available on request either from the Department or through HMSO, and some are available on subscription. Of the regular publications where circulation details are kept centrally, the numbers involved are as follows :
State Veterinary Journal--quarterly, 5,000 copies.
Food Safety Directorate Information Bulletin--monthly, 3,000 copies.
Survey News (for users of Government dietary survey data)--twice a year, 300 copies.
Flood and Coastal Defence R & D Newsletter--twice a year, 3,000 copies.
Campaign Against Illegal Poisoning of Wildlife Newsletter--quarterly, 2,000 copies.
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Race Bank
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in finding alternative sources of sand for flood defence works other than source extraction from Race Bank ; what environmental impact studies are continuing in respect of sand extraction from Race Bank ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : The National Rivers Authority has sought tenders for the supply of sand for the Lincolnshire sea defences in 1994 from a range of sources, including existing licensed areas as well as Race Bank. Those tenders are now being evaluated before decisions are made on the source of material to be used in this year's operations. A substantial environmental assessment programme has already been completed in respect of the Race Bank and the outstanding results of the Hull university studies relating to the seasonal variability of crab populations and marine environmental conditions in and around the area of Race Bank will be available later this year. Those results will inform decisions to be made about the source of sand to be used in the Lincolnshire sea defences in 1995 and subsequent years.
WALES
Steel Industry
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future prospects for the Welsh steel industry.
Mr. Redwood : Following substantial investment over the last decade, the Welsh steel industry is in a strong position to take advantage of increasing demand resulting from improving economic prosperity in the United Kingdom and overseas.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Donald Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance and additional resources he will give to the training and enterprise councils to encourage training of craftsmen for the construction industry.
Mr. Redwood : Training and enterprise councils have responsibility for planning and arranging Government-funded training in the light of their knowledge of local labour markets. I have allocated sufficient resources in 1994-95 to enable the TECs to meet their training plans.
GCSE
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who re-sat GCSE in English and mathematics last November in each county ; and how many of these in each county achieved A to C grades.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is not available, as data collected about candidates who are entered for GCSE examinations do not include how many previous attempts the candidate has made at a particular subject.
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who re-sat GCSE last summer in each county ; and how many achieved A to C grades.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is not available, as data collected about candidates who are entered for GCSE examinations do not include how many previous attempts the candidate has made.
Health Promotion Authority
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by the South Wales area office of the district audit service of the Audit Commission into the allegations of malpractice by Professor Catford, the former chief executive of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales.
Mr. Redwood : No. Publication of the report could prejudice possible legal proceedings.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in relation to the reinstatement of Mr. David Griffiths to the audit committee of the authority.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in relation to the recovery of sums owing to it from its former chief executive in respect of work commissioned by other authorities carried out in the authority's time and travel expenses.
Mr. Redwood : The chairman and officials of my Department have kept in close touch on this matter. The authority has already set in hand action to recover certain moneys it believes to be owing from Dr. Catford.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will specify the level of supplementary credit approvals to be allocated to the residuary body for Wales in the (a) present financial year and (b) 1995-96.
Mr. Redwood : A final decision on funding the residuary body for 1994-95 has not yet been taken. If the residuary body were to be set up in January 1995, I would envisage issuing a supplementary credit approval of about £70,000. We have no plans to make a supplementary credit approval available to the residuary body for 1995-96.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he expects to announce the name of (a) the chairman and (b) membership of the board of the residuary body for Wales ; and what guidelines he has issued with respect to previous local government experience for such memberships.
Mr. Redwood : If the residuary body were to be established in January 1995 I would expect to announce the chairman and members in December 1994. I have not issued any guidelines as yet, but as my right hon. Friend said in Standing Committee A on 17 May 1994 there would be a need for members with property expertise and experience of local government.
Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation in relation to the
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setting of an upper limit to the expenditure of public money that the corporation and other Welsh Office sponsored quangos on the resourcing of a Welsh Challenge in the Whitbread round the world yacht race.Grant-maintained Status
Mr. Roger Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has had to take action in respect of any local authority in Wales which has issued misleading information about grant-maintained status.
Sir Wyn Roberts : There have been several instances where it has been suggested that the information being made available by local education authorities to schools that were considering
grant-maintained status or where parents were about to ballot on grant- maintained status, was incorrect and misleading. There has, however, been only one instance to date where there has been sufficient firm evidence that the information was misleading, to justify intervention by the Welsh Office.
Some schools in Dyfed have been advised by their LEA that should a school successfully apply to become grant-maintained, both teaching and non- teaching staff working at the school would have no security of employment and would be required to apply to the grant-maintained governing body for their own jobs. That is clearly incorrect. The contracts of employment of staff who work only at the school transfer automatically from the former employer to the school's governing body on the day the school takes on its new status. Officials wrote to Dyfed county council to correct this misunderstanding and the letter was copied to all head teachers in Dyfed as well as other directors of education.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many parliamentary questions, in the period November 1992 to March 1993, were answered with the response that the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost ; how many were referred on to an agency chief executive ; and, in each case, what percentage of the total number of questions asked this constituted.
Mr. Heseltine : According to the POLIS database, 14 parliamentary questions answered by Ministers in this Department in the period 1 November 1992 to 31 March 1993 were replied to in terms that the information was not held centrally or that the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Fourteen questions were referred to agency chief executives during the same period. Both of these figures represent less than 1 per cent. of written answers given by my Department during the period.
Company Investigations
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Furdrove Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was
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completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;(2) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Signal Life Assurance Co. Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;
(3) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Pharmaceutex (IV Fluid) Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;
(4) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Riafield Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports.
(5) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Corporate Planning Management Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;
(6) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Hartley Baird plc were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;
(7) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Allied Suppliers (Ireland) Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published ; and when he will publish the final reports ;
(8) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Drivehouse Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation ; how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have been published, and when he will publish the final reports ;
(9) when the inspectors to inquire into the affairs of Cubar Construction Company Ltd. were appointed ; when their inquiry was completed ; what are the business connections of the inspectors ; what is the cost of the investigation and how it has been disbursed to each inspector ; what reports have so far been published ; and when he will publish the final reports.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : All inspectors were Department officers and the costs of their investigations are not available. Decisions not to publish their reports were all taken before 1990. The further information requested by the hon. Member is set out in the table.
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Company |Date of appointment|Date of Report
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allied Suppliers (Ireland Ltd.) |14 August 1978 |29 April 1983
Riafield Ltd. |24 August 1981 |30 December 1983
Corporate Management Planning Ltd. |11 November 1981 |24 September 1986
Pharmaceutex (IV Fluid) Ltd. |25 March 1982 |4 June 1986
Drivehouse Ltd. |- |-
Furdrove Ltd. |- |-
Cubar Construction Ltd. |10 May 1982 |28 August 1984
Signal Life Assurance Co. Ltd. |19 November 1982 |16 November 1988
Hartley Baird Plc |25 February 1983 |21 December 1983
|9 May 1985 |23 May 1986
Consultants
Ms Primarolo : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the expenditure on management and financial consultants by his Department in 1992-93.
Mr. Eggar : Expenditure committed to consultants in the financial year 1992-93 was £36 million. That figure does not include contracts let independently by the Department's executive agencies.
China (Forced Labour)
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures his Department has taken to ensure that no products from forced labour camps in China are imported into the United Kingdom.
Mr. Needham : With limited exceptions, the importation into the United Kingdom of goods produced in any foreign prison or like establishment is banned by the Foreign Prison-Made Goods Act 1897, as amended in 1988. Enforcement of the Act is a matter for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, which depends on receiving sufficient evidence, specific to the consignment concerned.
Warren Spring Laboratory Staff
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of the original staff at Warren Spring Laboratory have transferred to AEA Technology Ltd.
Mr. Heseltine : Some 85 Warren Spring Laboratory staff transferred to AEA Technology.
Dounreay
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of (a) the core fuel and (b) the breeder blanket have been reprocessed annually at the Dounreay nuclear power development establishment for (i) the prototype fast reactor and (ii) the Dounreay fast reactor since each was commissioned ; and where the arising plutonium is now stored or has been put to use.
Mr. Eggar : An average of 19.2 PFR core fuel elements have been reprocessed annually and in the last year PFR breeder reprocessing commenced with 148 elements being reprocessed. An average of 576 DFR core fuel elements were reprocessed annually up to 1977 but no DFR breeder elements have been reprocessed. The plutonium arising from this reprocessing is stored under international safeguards at BNFL's Sellafield site. Some of the plutonium arising from reprocessing has been recycled into new fast reactor fuel which has been used to generate electricity.
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Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of (a) core fuel and (b) breeder blanket nuclear material remain inside prototype and demonstration fast reactors at Dounreay ; and what proposals there are for reprocessing or direct disposal of both the core and breeder blanket from each reactor.
Mr. Eggar : There are 83 core fuel elements and 34 breeder elements remaining inside PFR and 977 breeder elements and no core elements remaining inside DFR. Regarding proposals for reprocessing, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Simpson) on 18 May 1994, Official Report, column 469.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to the options for the disposal of radioactive wastes from AEA Technology sites in light of the recent report of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations.
Mr. Eggar : The disposal of radioactive wastes from UKAEA sites is the responsibility of UKAEA management. However, frequent discussions of the options have taken place between the UKAEA and officials from my Department both before and since the recent report of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations recent report.
RECOD Conference
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the Official Report a summary of the Minister for Energy's address to the RECOD 1994 international conference on nuclear fuel reprocessing and waste management, held in London on 24 to 28 April ; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the address.
Mr. Eggar : I have placed a copy of my speech opening the RECOD conference in the Library of the House.
Energy Resources
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what access exists for United Kingdom companies and research organisations to the SESAME database on energy resources operated by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Development.
Mr. Eggar : The SESAME database may be accessed on-line from EUROBASES--the European Commission's agent--and via a diskette of SESAME available from Infopartners and a CD-ROM version obtainable from Longman World.
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Mobile Telephones
Mr. Vaz : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 9 May, Official Report, column 15, what was the cost of calls made on mobile telephones in 1993-94 ; how much this equipment cost to buy or hire ; and what were the maintenance costs.
Mr. Eggar : As stated in my reply of 9 May, records are no longer kept centrally of all uses of mobile telephones. However, using the same basis as before it is estimated that call charges in respect of the mobile telephones in use in my department, excluding "next steps" agencies, were around £91,000 in 1993-94.
The equipment in use was bought over the last three years or so at an annual average cost in the region of £45,000. It is not my Department's general policy to take out maintenance contracts on mobile telephones but the costs of repairs and new batteries are estimated to be in the region of £10,000 per annum.
Motor Vehicles Block Exemption System
Mr. Dykes : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress being made in Government discussions with the European Commission on the motor vehicles block exemption system renewal.
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Mr. Neil Hamilton : The Government are awaiting the Commission's proposals to amend and renew the block exemption. When these are received, officials will consult relevant parties in the United Kingdom motor trade.
Public Expenditure
Ms Harman : To ask the President of the Board of Trade pursuant to the answer of 12 May, Official Report, columns 232-34, what were the principal causes of the difference between the figure for expenditure by the Department of Trade and Industry of £3,340 million in 1993-94 and the equivalent figure of £3,630 million published in table 5B.3 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" 1994-95 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The figures shown in table 5B.3 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" 1994-95 and on 12 May, Official Report, columns 232-34 for trade and industry expenditure include expenditure by nationalised industries and regulatory departments as well as the Department of Trade and Industry. The principal cause of the difference between the two figures is a reduction in estimated expenditure by British Coal reflecting reduced capital expenditure and tighter control of operating costs. The figures shown on 12 May are subject to revision and may differ from the figures eventually published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" 1995-96.
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