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Mr. Morley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which EC member states (a) charges and (b) do not charge VAT on entrance to zoos.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: France, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom all charge VAT on entrance to zoos. Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal charge no VAT on entrance to zoos which are either non-profit making or administered by state bodies. VAT is charged on admissions to other types of zoos. Denmark and Italy charge no VAT on entrance to zoos.
Public Information
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been spent by his Department in each of the last three years to (a) produce public information in alternative formats for visually impaired people and (b) publicise the availability of accessible information among visually impaired people;
(2) if he will indicate which departmental publications are currently available (a) in Braille, (b) in large print and (c) on tape; and if he will indicate what efforts have been made by his Department to inform visually impaired people about the availability of publications in alternative formats to normal print.
Mr. Nelson: If a request were received for a Braille version of a particular document, the Treasury would assess the feasibility of using Cabinet Office facilities which exist to produce documents in this format. The majority of Treasury publications are available on computer disk, on request. Such disks can be processed by voice synthesizer packages.
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World Bank and IMF Meeting
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on matters discussed and decisions taken at the joint meeting of the World bank and the International Monetary Fund in Madrid in October; and if he will place in the Library copies of United Kingdom submissions to both meetings and their final communique s.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: I attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World bank in Madrid from 30 September to 4 October. I also attended the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' meeting in Valletta from 27 to 28 September which discussed several issues also discussed at the IMF/World bank meetings. Following on from the meeting in Valletta, I was able to make some progress, on behalf of the United Kingdom, on a number of issues of importance for the world economy, for developing countries and for the economies in transition.
At the meeting of Commonwealth Finance Ministers I set out new United Kingdom proposals for helping very poor countries with unsustainable burdens of multilateral debt. These proposals complement those we have been pressing for over the last four years to reduce the burden of bilateral debt for the poorest countries by full implementation of Trinidad terms debt relief. My new proposal for the IMF involves use of the income from investment of the proceeds of a modest and phased sale of part of the IMF's gold reserves to support more and longer-term concessional lending to highly indebted countries with significant debt to the IMF and which are following IMF programmes of economic reform. I also called on the other international financial institutions to consider further what they could do to assist their poorest most indebted members. The proposals received strong support from other Commonwealth Finance Ministers. They also supported my proposals to take forward action on international money laundering agreed at last year's Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
In Madrid, my proposals on multilateral debt received support in the development and interim committees of the World bank and the IMF, and will now be considered further by the boards of the World bank and the IMF.
As is usual, the IMF/World bank annual meetings were preceded by a meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central bank governors. We agreed, both in the G7 and in the IMF interim committee, that the outlook for the world economy is good; and that we must ensure the sustainability of the recovery by remaining vigilant against inflation, and by making further progress in reducing budget deficits and in structural reform to improve the flexibility of our labour markets and economies. G7 Ministers and Governors also met with Russian and Ukrainian Ministers, to discuss progress in economic reform in those countries.
In the IMF's interim committee I spoke about the development of the world capital markets and the implications for policy. I stressed the benefits of the free international flow of capital. I also highlighted the special responsibility of the countries with the world's major trading currencies and financial markets to follow sensible and credible economic policies, as the way to foster greater world financial market stability. I also raised the question of a possible connection between lower levels of
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world savings and high real interest rates. I am pleased that G10 Ministers and governors have agreed to my proposal to examine this important issue in more detail.I was also very pleased we were able to reach agreement in the interim committee to an increase in access limits for the IMF's standby arrangement and extended financing facilities. The United Kingdom has been pressing for this: extra financial assistance in support of good economic policies is the best form of help the IMF can give to member countries with economic difficulties. I was disappointed that we were unable to agree to a renewal of, and an increase in, access under the fund's systemic transformation facility, which is of particular assistance to the former communist countries trying to create market economies. I also regret the failure to reach agreement on the long-standing issue of an SDR allocation. The proposals put forward jointly by the United Kingdom and United States on this remain on the table, and I very much hope that agreement will be possible on this basis over the months ahead.
The joint IMF/World bank development committee took aid effectiveness as its main theme. I stressed the need for market-friendly policies which allow private enterprise to flourish, and the need to ensure fuller participation by the people directly affected by World bank projects. I also welcomed World bank president Preston's vision of a leaner, more cost- effective, and more agile World bank.
This year's meetings of the World bank and IMF marked the 50th anniversary of their founding conference, and were preceded by a special conference, which I attended, to discuss their future directions. There was broad agreement among participants from developing countries, industrial countries and countries in transition on many aspects of the future role of the institutions, and also on the economic policies they should be encouraging their members to pursue.
Copies of my speeches to the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting, the interim committee, the development committee and the IMF/World bank annual meetings and the communiques issued following the meetings of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers, the interim committee and the development committee will be placed in the Library of the House.
EMPLOYMENT
Manufacturing
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his assessment of the effects of the measures proposed in annex 2 of "Employment: The Challenge for the Nation". Cmnd. 9474 on output and employment in manufacturing industry; and if he will publish a table showing manufacturing output and the number of full-time male and female workers employed in manufacturing in 1973, 1979, 1984 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Oppenheim: An assessment of Government policies, including those over the last few years, is set out in "Competitiveness: Helping Business to Win". Cmnd. 2563. Figures for manufacturing output and full-time employees in employment are set out in the following table:
Output and employees in employment in manufacturing
|Male full-time |Female full-time
|employees in |employees in
|Index of output |employment |employment
|(seasonally |(thousands) Great |(thousands) Great
|Britain |Britain
|adjusted 1990 = 100)|seasonally |seasonally
|unadjusted |unadjusted
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1973 |94.6 |- |<1>1,794
1979 |90.6 |- |<1>1,617
1984 |82.2 |<2>3,709 |<1>1,225
August 1994 |98.9 |<1>2,906 |<1>1,002
Notes:
<1> June figures.
<2>September 1984, the earliest available figure.
-Unavailable.
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Railway Signal Workers
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 12 July, Official Report , column 539 , comparing the increase in the real earnings of railway signal workers with those of other workers, what has been the percentage increase since 1979 in the real -wage cost of operating the railway signal system; what proportion of the sample quoted in his answer consisted of railway signal workers; and why he was unable to give the figures for such workers solely.
Mr. Oppenheim: The trend in the wages costs of operating the railway signalling system is a management matter for the industry. In the 1993 "New Earnings Survey" sample, 56 full time employees were classified as railway signal operatives and crossing keepers and 10 were classified as shunters and point operatives. In the combined category and it is impossible to separately identify those who were railway signal operatives.
Information on the increases in earnings between 1979 and 1993 of railway signal workers alone could not be given because the relevant category of the occupation coding scheme used between 1979 and 1990 included railway signal workers and the other workers.
Earnings Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) further to his written reply dated 12 July comparing the increase in the real earnings of categories of full time non manual employees since 1989, if he will provide comparable figures for 1979 to 1989; (2) pursuant to his answer of 12 July, Official Report , column 539 , comparing the increases in the real earnings of categories of full time non manual employees, if he will provide comparable figures for 1979 to 1989.
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Mr. Oppenheim: The information requested is in the following table:
Real percentage increase in average gross weekly earnings between April 1979 and April 1989 for full-time non-manual employees Industry |Percentage increase ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Production and distribution of electricity |33.3 Manufacture of office machinery and data processing equipment |56.4 Retail distribution |41.1 Railways |35.1 Banking and finance |45.8 Banking and bill discounting |43.3 Business services |58.9 Accountants, auditors, tax experts |55.0 Social security |<1>- Higher education |41.0 School education (nursery, primary, secondary) |30.0 Source: New Earnings Survey. Note: <1> In 1979 this category was grouped with National Government Service.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment pursuant to his answer of 12 July, Official Report, column 539 if he will publish a table showing (a) the top and bottom deciles in each case, (b) the corresponding figures for manual workers in manufacturing industry and non-manuals in the public sector and (c) the estimated increase in output per head in railway signalmen.
Mr. Oppenheim: The available information is shown in the following table. There were too few railway signalmen and shunters in the new earnings survey sample for reliable estimates to be made of the top and bottom deciles.Information on changes in output per head of railway signalmen is a management matter for the industry.
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Gross weekly earnings of full time employees-pay unaffected by absence; at April
|Percentiles
|10 per cent.|25 per cent.|50 per cent.|75 per cent.|90 per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage increase in pay 1979-1989
Railway signalmen and shunters |men |- |5.3 |13.7 |21.8 |-
|women |- |- |- |- |-
Public manuals |men |5.8 |5.7 |6.0 |7.4 |8.7
|women |11.5 |17.8 |17.2 |19.5 |23.1
Manufacturing manuals |men |0.6 |5.7 |10.6 |14.2 |18.2
|women |6.7 |6.9 |9.2 |13.8 |22.0
All manuals |men |1.5 |6.0 |9.8 |13.4 |16.5
|women |10.1 |10.3 |12.2 |16.6 |24.3
Public non-manuals |men |12.2 |22.5 |27.5 |27.6 |30.0
|women |16.0 |26.1 |38.2 |44.1 |40.7
Private non-manuals |men |14.0 |23.1 |33.7 |40.7 |49.2
|women |25.3 |30.8 |40.8 |50.3 |64.5
Percentage increase in pay 1989-1993
Railway |men |- |26.5 |18.1 |21.7 |-
|women |- |- |- |- |-
|all |- |26.5 |18.1 |21.7 |-
Public manuals |men |7.3 |4.4 |3.0 |2.1 |1.6
|women |1.0 |4.1 |7.0 |10.9 |12.3
|all |5.0 |5.8 |3.8 |2.1 |0.8
|
Manufacturing manuals |men |0.3 |0.3 |1.4 |2.2 |2.0
|women |6.2 |6.3 |5.6 |7.2 |8.7
|all |4.1 |2.5 |1.9 |2.3 |2.4
All manuals |men |1.5 |1.6 |2.2 |2.3 |3.0
|women |2.5 |3.6 |4.7 |7.0 |9.4
|all |2.0 |2.8 |2.2 |2.3 |3.2
Public non-manuals |men |10.7 |9.3 |10.9 |10.5 |10.5
|women |14.8 |11.2 |11.4 |12.3 |13.0
|all |12.0 |10.0 |10.4 |9.3 |10.7
Private non-manuals |men |-0.2 |-0.1 |1.2 |2.8 |4.1
|women |7.9 |9.3 |10.6 |12.0 |10.8
|all |6.9 |6.6 |5.1 |4.7 |4.2
Average gross weekly pay (£)
|Percentiles 10 per|25 per cent. |50 per cent. |75 per cent |90 per cent.
|cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993
Railway signalmen and shunters |men |- |260.3 |323.4 |429.4 |-
|women |- |- |- |- |-
|all |- |260.3 |323.4 |429.4 |-
Public manuals |men |178.2 |206.2 |247.9 |306.3 |375.9
|women |111.7 |137.6 |171.7 |214.4 |266.6
|all |150.7 |190.5 |234.5 |291.3 |360.9
Manufacturing manuals |men |173.9 |215.5 |271.8 |338.9 |418.2
|women |118.5 |139.2 |168.5 |209.7 |264.3
|all |149.4 |190.5 |251.3 |321.9 |402.3
All manual |men |160.9 |201.2 |256.4 |324.0 |407.1
|women |109.6 |130.5 |162.2 |205.8 |263.7
|all |140.3 |181.4 |239.1 |308.8 |391.1
Public non-manuals |men |223.8 |296.2 |388.2 |476.6 |594.9
|women |169.6 |203.4 |272.2 |366.4 |433.1
|all |183.6 |228.4 |322.1 |410.6 |510.6
Private non-manuals |men |186.1 |253.9 |356.4 |498.3 |702.1
|women |135.8 |167.0 |218.9 |293.3 |391.7
|all |153.4 |201.9 |289.8 |422.4 |604.0
Source:
New Earnings Surveys
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Mr Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment pursuant to his answer, 12 July Official Report, column 539 comparing the increase in the real earnings of categories of full-time non-manual employees, if he will publish a table adding the percentage change since 1989 in real average weekly earnings of (a) full-time primary school teachers, (b) hospital porters, (c) hospital ward orderlies, (d) NHS ancillary staff, (e) NHS maintenance staff, (f) local authority manual workers in England and Wales and (g) manual workers in the (i) footwear, (ii) textiles, (iii) clothing, (iv) mechanical engineering and (v) motor vehicle industries; and if he will distinguish between male and female workers.
Mr. Oppenheim: The information requested is in the following table:
Full time MEN on adult rates-pay unaffected
by absence: at April
Percentage increases
in real terms of
average
gross weekly |Percentage
earnings 1989-1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyses by occupation
Primary and nursery education teaching professionals |17.1
Hospital porters |6.5
Hospital ward assistants |-
Analyses by agreement
NHS ancillary staff Whitley Council |9.3
NHS maintenance staff |0.9
Local authority manual workers NJC (England and Wales) |9.8
Analyses by industry (manual employees)
Footwear |11.6
Textile |7.8
Clothing, hats and gloves |-2.3
Mechanical engineering |0.2
Manufacture of motor vehicles and parts |-1.2
Full time WOMEN on adult rates-pay unaffected
by absence: at April
Percentage increases
in real terms of
average
gross weekly |Percentage
earnings 1989-1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyses by occupation
Primary and nursery education teaching professionals |16.9
Hospital porters |-
Hospital ward assistants |9.5
Analyses by agreement
NHS ancillary staff Whitley Council |15.2
NHS maintenance staff |-
Local authority manual workers NJC (England and Wales) |10.9
Analyses by industry (manual employees)
Footwear |6.0
Textile |4.9
Clothing, hats and gloves |5.1
Mechanical engineering |7.2
Manufacture of motor vehicles and parts |5.5
Full time EMPLOYEES on adult rates-pay unaffected
by absence: at April
Percentage increases
in real terms of
average
gross weekly |Percentage
earnings 1989-1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyses by occupation
Primary and nursery education teaching professionals |16.5
Hospital porters |6.3
Hospital ward assistants |3.6
Analyses by agreement
NHS ancillary staff Whitley Council |11.1
NHS maintenance staff |2.1
Local authority manual workers NJC (England and Wales) |9.4
Analyses by industry (manual employees)
Footwear |12.1
Textile |8.9
Clothing, hats and gloves |3.6
Mechanical engineering |0.7
Manufacture of motor vehicles and parts |-1.2
Source:
New Earnings Survey
Note:
"-" denotes sample number too small and/or standard error too large for reliable estimate
Cricket (Overseas Players)
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions his Department has undertaken recently with the Test and County Cricket Board concerning work permits for overseas players; and if his Department has issued new advice during or resulting from these discussions.
Mr. Oppenheim: The arrangements for issuing work permits for overseas players are discussed on a regular and routine basis with the governing bodies of cricket, including the Test and County Cricket Board.
During and as a result of these discussions, the Department has advised the cricketing bodies on a number of matters concerning work permits. New advice has been issued by the Department where these discussions have raised issues which have not previously been clarified.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the increase or decrease in the number of full-time adult males and females in employment since (a) 1984 and (b) 1990; and to which of the factors and reforms listed in section 5.1 and annex 2 of "Employment: The Challenge for the Nation", Cmnd. 9474 he ascribes the change.
Mr. Oppenheim: The period since 1990 covers a trough and a peak in the unemployment cycle. Between the trough in April 1990 and the peak in December 1992, claimant unemployment in Britain grew by 1.37 million. Since then it has fallen by 395,600.
Claimant unemployment has peaked below its previous high point in 1986, and it also began to fall at an earlier stage than in the previous recovery in the early 1980s. A wide range of Government measures, including those in the White Paper referred to, are likely to have contributed to these encouraging signs.
Incomes
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the changes in real incomes of full-time adult male manual workers in manufacturing, full-time adult male non-manual workers in the private sector and non-manual public service workers (a) from
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1979 to 1989 and (b) from 1989 to 1993, and the corresponding changes in productivity and unit labour costs.Mr. Oppenheim: The information requested is in the following tables:
Real percentage increase in average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees on adult rates whose pay was unaffected by absence Males |1979-89 |<1>1989-93 ------------------------------------------------------------ Manufacturing manuals |11.9 |0.9 Private non-manuals |39.8 |5.9 Public service non-manuals |27.1 |12.7 Source: New Earnings Survey. Note: <1> Adjusted for change in occupational classification in 1990.
Annual increases in unit wage costs and productivity
Unit Wage Costs Productivity
|Actual percentage|Actual percentage
|increases |increases
|1979-89 |1989-93 |1979-89 |1989-93
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturing |78 |18 |48 |12
Whole Economy |107 |23 |22 |6
Health and Safety
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will accept the recommendation made in "The Environmental and Occupational Risks of Healthcare," published by the British Medical Association, on making further resources available to the Health and Safety Commission; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Oppenheim: I am satisfied that the Commission has adequate resources to fulfil its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Young People
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the rates of pay and the numbers employed in his Department at each age up to 21 years.
Mr. Oppenheim: The following table shows the numbers of staff employed in the Employment Department at each age up to 21 years. The salaries have been grouped, for convenience and to preserve confidentiality, into bands.
In addition to the staff shown in the table, there are three people in this age range who are paid an hourly or daily fee.
Salary Range |Age 16 |Age 17 |Age 18 |Age 19 |Age 20 |Age 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4,500 - 4,999 |2 |33 |1 |- |- |-
5,000 - 5,499 |- |1 |3 |- |- |-
5,500 - 5,999 |- |13 |- |- |- |-
6,000 - 6,499 |- |- |108 |26 |- |-
6,500 - 6,999 |- |1 |11 |156 |153 |123
7,000 - 7,499 |- |- |47 |28 |65 |117
7,500 - 7,999 |- |- |1 |74 |16 |33
8,000 - 8,499 |- |- |- |21 |6 |4
8,500 - 8,999 |- |- |1 |9 |155 |208
9,000 - 9,499 |- |- |3 |16 |93 |355
9,500 - 9,999 |- |- |- |10 |72 |211
10,000 - 10,499 |- |- |- |1 |17 |69
10,500 - 10,999 |- |- |- |1 |7 |22
11,000 - 11,499 |- |- |- |- |- |8
11,500 - 11,999 |- |- |- |- |- |8
12,000 - 12,499 |- |- |- |- |- |2
12,500 - 12,999 |- |- |- |- |- |1
13,000 - 13,499 |- |- |- |- |- |-
13,500 - 13,999 |- |- |- |- |- |-
14,000 - 14,499 |- |- |- |- |- |-
14,500 - 14,999 |- |- |- |- |- |1
|---- |---- |---- |---- |---- |----
Total |2 |48 |175 |342 |584 |1,162
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(6f heading SOCIAL SECURITYBenefits Agency Offices (Scotland)
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each Benefits Agency office in Scotland, showing (a) the number of employees and (b) the number of claimants receiving benefit through these offices; and how much each office had paid out by way of (i) crisis loans and (ii) community care grants under the social fund in each of the last five years.
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
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Letter from Michael Bichard to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 18 October 1994:The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of employees in each Benefits Agency office in Scotland and the number of customers receiving benefit in those offices. Also, how much has been paid out by way of Crisis Loans (CL) and Community Care Grants (CCG) under the Social Fund in each Benefits Agency (BA) office in Scotland for the last five years.
The latest available data for the number of employees in each BA office in Scotland is for May 1994 and for the purpose of consistency is provided at District level; this is given at Annex A.
The latest data available for the number of customers receiving benefits in each office in Scotland is for May 1994 and is only available at District level. I have provided details of the benefits authorised and paid from these offices and this is given at Annex B.
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However, it should be noted that a person may be in receipt of more than one benefit at any one time and may therefore appear in these figures more than once.Information in respect of the Social Fund for the offices you require is not available prior to April 1990. However, I have provided expenditure data from April 1990 and this can be broken down to each Branch office in Scotland; this data is given at Annex C. In April 1991 the Benefits Agency was established and from that date the information is only available at District level; this data is given at Annex D.
I have enclosed the information and a copy has been placed in the Library.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Council of Mortgage Lenders
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he last met the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
Mr. Roger Evans: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the Council of Mortgage Lenders on the 8 December 1992.
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received from the Council of Mortgage Lenders on the introduction of a mortgage benefit scheme and the level of income support to meet home owners' mortgage interest costs.
Mr. Roger Evans: The Council of Mortgage Lenders regularly keeps us abreast of its view.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of (a) the consistency of performance by local authorities in the administration of housing benefit and (b) the effect on this performance of the publication of a league table of performance indicators; and if he will make it his policy that league tables of local authority performance should be published.
Mr. Roger Evans: I am aware that levels of performance by local authorities in the administration of Housing Benefit vary and am currently considering the impact on performance that the publication of national league tables could have. However, in accordance with the citizens charter, every local authority is required to publish information about the level of its own housing and council tax benefit performance by 31 December. I understand that the Audit Commission intends to publish all of this information early next year.
Restart Courses
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, how many (a) men and (b) women have had their benefit cut for failure to attend a restart course in Great Britain (i) as a whole and (ii) in each region.
Mr. Burt [pursuant to his reply, 21 July 1994, column 633]: The available information is in the table.
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Unemployed claimants who received a reduced personal rate
of Income Support following failure to attend or complete a restart
course during the period April 1991 to March 1994
Area |Number of reductions
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anglia |1,900
Chilterns |2,000
South London and West Sussex |2,400
West Country |1,600
East London and Essex |1,300
South East |2,000
Wessex |3,000
East Midlands |1,500
Midlands and South West |600
West Mercia |1,600
Wales |1,500
Merseyside |1,400
Greater Manchester |2,800
Lancashire and Cumbria |3,600
Tyne Tees |3,100
South Yorkshire and Humberside |2,000
North and West Yorkshire |1,800
Scotland and Northern |3,200
North, Central and West Scotland |1,600
East of Scotland |3,100
|----
Total |42,000
Figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and are subject to amendment.
SCOTLAND
Wildcats
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 28 June, Official Report, column 499, for what purpose were the licences to take wildcats issued; and what methods were employed.
Sir Hector Monro: Licences to take wildcats were issued for scientific purposes to help build up a picture of the number and distribution of wildcats in Scotland.
This involved wildcats being fitted with radio collars to allow their movement in the wild to be tracked, tagging to identify individuals, and the taking of blood samples for genetic analysis. The wildcats were taken by live-trapping, briefly sedated while being examined or tagged, then released back into the wild.
Seals
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the protection of seals.
Sir Hector Monro: Seals receive protection under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, and the Government have no plans for a seal cull.
Boundary Commission
Mr. Kynoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the members of the Boundary Commission for Scotland.
Mr. Lang: I have appointed Dr. Charles M. Glennie, CBE to the Boundary Commission for Scotland on 31 October 1994. The other members of the Commission are:
Madam Speaker -- ex officio, chairman
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The hon. Lord Davidson, appointed as deputy chairman by the Court of Session on 25 September 1985 and subsequently re- appointed. Professor Urlan a Wannop -- appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland on 6 October and subsequently reappointed.All of the appointed members terms of office expire on 31 December 1996.
Access Funds
Mr. Kynoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish details of the level of access funds provision in Scotland for 1994 95.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A total of £4.14 million will be available for the access funds at higher and further education institution in Scotland for academic year 1994 95. This compares with a total of £3.83 million in 1993 94. The provision for 1994 95 thus represents an increase of 8 per cent. over 1993 94.
The sum has been allocated between the three funds as follows:
|£ million
---------------------------------------
Undergraduate Fund |2.5
Postgraduate Fund |0.79
Further Education |0.85
The 1994 95 allocations have been notified to the individual academic institutions in Scotland.
Public Bodies
Mr. Kynoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the way in which the Scottish Office sponsors non- departmental public bodies.
Mr. Lang: The Scottish Office is currently responsible for 49 executive non-departmental public bodies--NDPBs--110 advisory NDPBs and 14 tribunals. These bodies received Government funding of £1.5 billion in 1993 94--10 per cent. of Scottish Office total resources--and play a significant role in the delivery of Government services in Scotland.
The business of ensuring the accountability of these NDPBs to me, and through me to Parliament, is a key task for my staff at the Scottish Office. Last year, therefore, the Scottish Office carried out an efficiency scrutiny to look for ways of improving still further our sponsorship arrangements.
The scrutiny report clearly identifies a general shift over recent years to a more strategic relationship with NDPBs. This involves delegation to each NDPB, to the maximum extent practicable, of responsibility for running its own affairs, within an agreed strategic framework. But across the Scottish Office the pace of change has varied considerably. The scrutiny report recommends a co-ordinated approach to the process of change.
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I welcome the scrutiny report, and have put in hand a three-year programme to implement its recommendations. This will comprise new training and development programmes for staff involved in sponsorship; the provision of more advice and assistance to these sponsor staff; and action programmes for putting strategic frameworks into place for each NDPB as appropriate.Taken together, the range of initiatives set out in the action statement will clarify relationships between sponsor and NDPB, and strengthen further the accountability and effectiveness of NDPBs in Scotland.
I have today placed copies of the efficiency scrutiny report and the action statement in the House Libraries.
Pollution (Mines)
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of his review of the legal framework governing ferruginous pollution from abandoned mines.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 17 October 1994]: The recent consultation paper "Contaminated Land--Clean-Up and Control" sought views on a number of issues, including the possible removal of the existing defence provision and exemption from clean-up costs for pollution caused by water permitted to flow from an abandoned mine. The responses are currently being evaluated and the outcome of this review will be announced shortly.
Incomes
Dr Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average per capita as a percentage of the United Kingdom average; and what were the equivalent figures in 1979.
Mr. Stewart: For 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, average household income per head in Scotland was 99.9 per cent. of the United Kingdom average. This is a provisional estimate. Equivalent figures for 1979 are not available as household income was not calculated on a United Kingdom regional basis prior to 1984.
Derelict Land
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he has had from Scottish Enterprise about the work of the earthworm in accelerating the rate of recovery of derelict land, to which he referred in his letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow on 6 September.
Sir Hector Monro: Scottish Enterprise has confirmed that it is aware of the possible beneficial effects of earthworms in recovering derelict land. Indeed, it has had some work done on its behalf on this issue by the Strathclyde Greenbelt Company. Scottish Enterprise's environmental unit would be happy to provide the hon. Member with further details should he wish to contact it direct about the matter.
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