| Home Page |
Column 753
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 2 February 1995
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Cash Limits
Mr. Patrick Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals there are to change the 1994 95 cash limit for Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, class XVIII, vote 4, will be increased by £59,000 from £2,093,000 to £2,152,000. The increase is necessary to meet a higher than expected level of demand for official publications from United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament, and to restore a shortfall in compensation for the public library discount on official publications, which was occasioned in 1993 94 by excess expenditure on behalf of Members of the European Parliament. The increase will be offset by savings on class XVIII, vote 1, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has to change the 1994 95 cash limit or running costs limit for the Office of Public Service and Science.
Mr. David Hunt: The cash limit for the Office of Public Service and Science, class XVIII, vote 1 will be decreased by £1,556,000 from £66,428,000 to £64,872,000 and the gross running cost limit will also be decreased by £1,556,000 from £85,506,000 to £83,950,000. The majority of this decrease, £1,500,000, is in effect a transfer to Cabinet Office other services, class XIX, vote 1, in final settlement of an earlier transfer of functions. The remaining £56,000 is being transferred to HMSO, class XVIII, vote 4, to cover the increase in Members of the European Parliament supplies. The decrease is offset by increases to other Government Departments and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Science Budget
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what changes he proposes to the estimates, class XVIII, vote 2--Science--for 1994 95.
Mr. David Hunt: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class XVIII, vote 2 will be increased by £840,000 from £1,225,527,000 to £1,226,367,000 to enable the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to meet the cost of certain redundancies at Horticulture Research International. The increase is offset by a similar reduction in class III, vote 4 and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
The opportunity of the supplementary estimate is also being taken to show changes to the appropriations in aid
Column 754
of the vote and to switch resources between certain subheads of the vote.Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the distribution of the science budget in 1995 96.
Mr. David Hunt: I have discussed the allocations with the Director General of Research Councils and have decided that, subject to parliamentary approval of the supply estimates in due course, the science budget of £1,281.675 million should be allocated as follows.
Allocations for |£ million
1995-96
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council |161.631
Economic and Social Research Council |61,232
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council |365.702
Medical Research Council |277.809
Natural Environment Research Council |155.483
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research
Council |196.367
Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research
Councils |1.500
Additional funding for LINK schemes (to be allocated
to Research Councils in due course) |3.000
Royal Society |20.786
Royal Academy of Engineering |2.617
OST initiatives |2.250
Research Councils' Pension Scheme |33.298
Total |1,281.675
In making these allocations, I need to ensure that momentum is maintained with implementing the science, engineering and technology White Paper "Realising Our Potential". I have therefore decided that some 5 per cent. of the science budget should be targeted to priority initiatives aimed specifically at taking White Paper issues forward. Further details are set out in the paper "Allocation of the Science Budget 1995 96" which I have placed in the Library of the House.
Absenteeism
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the absenteeism rate for (a) the Central Office of Information, (b) the Office of Public Service and Science, (c) the Chessington Computer Centre, (d) the Civil Service college, (e) HMSO, (f) the occupational health service and (g) the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency in each year since 1991.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The average number of days sick leave taken by members of the staff of OPSS in each of the last four years was:
|1991|1992|1993|1994
------------------------------------------------------
Office of Public Service and
Science |3.2 |4.5 |4.3 |3.3
These figures include any weekends and public holidays which occurred within a single period of sickness absence.
I have asked the chief executives of each of the other Departments and agencies the hon. Member mentions to write to him with the information he seeks as they are responsible for operational matters within their organisations.
Column 755
Letter from Michael D. Geddes to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 30 January 1995:Mr. Robert Hughes has asked me to let you have the following information in respect of the average number of days sick leave taken by the staff in the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency; it was:
1991: 7.2
1992: 11.1
1993: 15.8
1994: 15.1
I hope that this information is useful to you.
Letter from Dr. Stephen Hickey to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 26 January 1995:
I have been asked to reply to your question about the absenteeism rate for the Civil Service College in each year since 1991. The average number of days sick leave taken by members of the staff in each of the last four years was:
1991 |1992|1993|1994 ------------------------- 4.6 |5.3 |8.2 |7.4 These figures include any weekends and public holidays which occurred within a single period of sickness absence.
Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 26 January 1995:
I have been asked by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to reply to part of your question on absenteeism.
The average number of days sick leave taken by members of staff in HMSO in each of the last four years was:
1991 |1992|1993|1994 ------------------------- 10.0 |9.2 |10.4|7.2
Letter from Dr. E. C. McCloy to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 27 January 1995 :
The Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science (Mr. Robert Hughes) has asked me to provide for my Agency, the information requested in your Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about the absenteeism rate since 1991.
The average number of days sick leave taken by members of the staff of the Agency in each of the years since 1991 was:
1991 |1992|1993|1994 ------------------------- 4.9 |6.2 |9.5 |11.4 This information has been taken from records produced by Chessington Computer Centre and is provided on the same basis as that given for the Office of Public Service. The figures therefore include any weekends and public holidays which occurred within a single period of sickness, and do not necessarily reflect days absent from the office due to sickness.
Letter from R. N. Edwards to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 26 January 1995:
Column 756
SICK ABSENCE AT CHESSINGTON COMPUTER CENTREI refer to your enquiry of 19 January to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster regarding absenteeism at Chessington Computer Centre.
The average number of days sick leave taken by members of staff at Chessington Computer Centre in each of the last four years was:
1991 |1992|1993|1994 ------------------------- 8.6 |9.3 |11.5|10.8 The figures include any weekends and public holidays which occurred within a single period of sickness absence.
Letter from Mike Devereau to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 26 January 1995:
In response to your PQ addressed to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the absenteeism rates for the Central Office of Information in each of the last four years were as follows:
P
|Total number |Average rate
Year |Number of staff|of days sick |(days)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |669.5 |4,776 |7.1
1992 |620.5 |3,632 |5.9
1993 |541.5 |5,467 |10.1
1994 |498.0 |5,033 |10.1
These figures include any weekends and public holidays which occurred within a
single period of sickness absence, so do not necessarily indicate the number of
days absence from the office.
Scientific Researchers
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of the total number of scientific researchers employed in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries was employed in the United Kingdom in each year since 1975.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The only available data are for the years 1981, 1985 and 1989 and are shown in the table.
Total number of scientific
researchers employed in the UK as
a
percentage of the total employed
in OECD countries
Per cent.
|1981|1985|1989
-----------------------------------
United Kingdom |8.0 |6.9 |6.0
Source:
OECD, STIU database (DSTI, EAS
Division), January 1995.
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what number of scientific researchersunder the Organisation for Economic Co -operationand Development definition were employedby publicly funded institutions in each year since 1975.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Available data start from 1981 82 and are shown in the table.
Column 755
Research Scientists and Engineers engaged on R and D within Government 1981-82 to 1994-95<1>
|1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom<2> |20,641 |20,462 |19,914 |19,889 |19,299 |15,456<3>|15,121
Notes:<1> This table refers to personnel engaged in R and D, according to the "Frascati"
definition, and excludes HEIs.
<2> Includes (a) DTI and its agencies and (b) the Sports Council for Wales, with manpower of
33-FTE-included for the first time in 1990-91.
<3> The drop in numbers reflects the fact that the UKAEA became a public corporation in 1986.
Sources:
Annual Review of Government Funded R and D, 1984 (Table 7.1).
Annual Review of Government Funded R and D, 1992 (Table 2.5.2).
Forward Look 1994 Statistical Supplement (Table 1.7.3).
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom<1> |15,019 |14,668 |15,061 |15,027 |15,064 |14,184 |13,487
Notes:<1> Includes (a) DTI and its agencies and (b) the Sports Council for Wales,
with manpower of 33-FTE-included for the first time in 1990-91.
Sources:
Annual Review of Government Funded R and D, 1984 (Table 7.1).
Annual Review of Government Funded R and D, 1992 (Table 2.5.2).
Forward Look 1994 Statistical Supplement (Table 1.7.3).
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Cash Limits
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what changes he plans to the 1994 95 cash limits for the votes of the Lord Chancellor's Department, class IX, vote 1 and the Public Record Office, class IX, vote 5.
Mr. John M. Taylor: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IX, vote 1 has been increased by £18,175,000 from £760,918,000 to £779,093,000 as a result of a shortfall in civil court fee income. The running cost limit has been reduced by £2,884,000 from £431,330,000 to £428, 446,000.
The cash limit for class IX, vote 5 has been reduced by £3,000,000 from £53,993,000 to £50,993,000 as a result of reduced expenditure on a major capital project. The running costs limit has been increased by £199,000 from £25,246,000 to £25,445,000. Some £196,000 is for take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement as announced by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report , columns 729-34 . The remaining £3,000 has been transferred from HM Treasury for the move to repayment of the average property price lists for calculating additional housing cost allowance. The additional running cost provision is covered by savings in capital provision.
The increase in the cash limit on class IX, vote 1 is partially offset by the cash limit reduction on class IX, vote 5. The remaining £15,175,000 will be charged to the reserve and will not add to the planned total of public expenditure.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Nuclear Safety
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) which advanced gas-cooled reactors owned by Nuclear Electric are affected by the cracking of welds in steam headers; which Scottish reactors are affected by the same problem; and what changes have been made in their position on privatisation following these problems; (2) what considerations his Department is giving within the nuclear review to generic cracking faults in welds on steam leaders of advanced gas-cooled reactors.
Mr. Charles Wardle: The answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton on 19 January 1995, Official Report , column 589 , explained that cracks had been identified in some of the steam header welds at Heysham 1 and
Column 758
Dungeness B advanced gas-cooled reactor power stations. The power stations owned and operated by Scottish Nuclear Ltd. are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland but I understand that no such cracks have been identified in any Scottish nuclear power station. The matter of the cracks does not fall within the scope of the terms of reference of the nuclear review.China (Import Quotas)
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans next to meet representatives from the People's Republic of China to discuss import quotas.
Mr. Needham: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has no such plans.
Oxygenated Petrol
Mr. Dowd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research his Department has carried out into oxygenated petrol; what plans for research into the environmental suitability of oxygenated petrol he has.
Mr. Charles Wardle: The Government are supporting the tri-partite programme, sponsored by the European Commission and the oil and motor industries, which is looking into the effects of motor fuel quality, including the use of oxygenates in petrol, and engine technology on air quality. A report is expected by mid-1995.
Tenant Farmers
Mr. Redmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take to protect tenant farmers whose farms are being sold by British Coal.
Mr. Charles Wardle: The sale of British Coal's property is a matter for the corporation.
However, British Coal, in considering potential purchasers of the proposed agricultural land, will take every step to satisfy itself that they meet appropriate tests on viability and commitment to the future of the property which they are purchasing. Tenants' rights of tenure are also protected by the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.
Iraq Trade Delegation
Mr. Worthington: To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what grounds he has given authorisation for a British trade delegation to Iraq on 15 February.
Mr. Needham: I have not given authorisation for a British trade delegation to visit Iraq, nor has such authorisation been sought.
Coal Privatisation
Mr. Tipping: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will detail the present involvement of former
Column 759
employees of British Coal in the ownership and management of new companies formed following the privatisation of British Coal; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Eggar: Tower Colliery was purchased by a team of its former employees and the South Wales regional coal company was purchased by a management buy-out team. Bidders' proposals for employee participation were taken into account in the selection of preferred bidders for the regional coal companies and care and maintenance collieries. The purchasers of the regional coal companies have all undertaken to provide the opportunity for employees to acquire shares.
Video Games
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 5 December 1994, Official Report, column 105, on the publication of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of video games received on 14 November 1994, when he now expects the report to be published; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Publication will take place as soon as possible. As related in my previous answer, I shall make an announcement once the report has been published.
Departmental Funding
Mr. Gale: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent changes have been made and what future changes are planned to his Department's cash and running costs limits for 1994 95.
Mr. Ian Taylor: The cash limit for class IV, vote 1--support for business, consumer and investor protection, energy programmes and administration--has been reduced by £710,000 from £1,185,602,000 to £1,184,892,000. This reduction results from the transfer of responsibility for consultancy initiatives to the Scottish--£400, 000- -and Welsh--£310,000--Offices for their respective territories. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the same vote will be increased by a token £1,000 to £1,184,893,000.
The gross running cost limit for the Department of Trade and Industry will be reduced by £2,758,000 from £342,217,000 to £339,459, 000. This reduction will be offset by an increase of £2,759,000 to cover the expected shortfalls against the Department's research laboratories' original net voted provisions.
In addition, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 4--privatisation of the coal industry--will be increased by £2,000,000 from £15,897,000 to £17,897,000. The increase mainly covers additional costs of privatisation advisers' fees.
N. M. Rothschild and Son Ltd.
Mr. Byers: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the decision was taken to award the contract to advise the Department of Energy on the future of the coal
Column 760
industry to N. M Rothschild and Son Ltd.; who took the decision; what other companies were invited to tender; what criteria were used for awarding the contract; what was the value of the contract; and if the contract was awarded to the lowest tenderer.Mr. Eggar [holding answer 31 January 1995]: N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. was appointed on 31 May 1991. The decision to appoint the company was taken by the then Secretary of State for Energy after receiving recommendations from an interdepartmental panel of officials. In addition to N. M. Rothschild, a further seven companies were invited to tender. Their identity is commercially confidential. The contract was awarded to the tenderer offering the best value for money. The value of the contract, which is still continuing, is commercially confidential.
Nitric Acid
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has authorised the importation of nitric acid from the United States Hanford plant for use in the reprocessing at Sellafield.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 30 January 1995]: The Department of Trade and Industry has responsibility for granting import licences. The import of nitric acid from the United States Hanford plant will be subject to import licensing. Applications for import licences are commercially confidential.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Disabled People
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability".
The Attorney-General: The information for the Departments for which I am responsible as at 1 July 1994 is set out in the table. The Treasury Solicitor's Department also employs people with disabilities who are not registered, but the numbers are not readily available.
Each of the Law Officers' Departments is an equal opportunities employer.
Registered Non-registered
disabled staff disabled staff
|Proportion|Number |Proportion|Number
|Per cent. |Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers |- |- |- |-
Crown Prosecution Service |0.5 |31 |0.6 |41
Serious Fraud Office |- |- |2.25 |3
Treasury Solicitor's Department |2.2 |11 |n/a |n/a
ENVIRONMENT
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government are planning to complete its review of radioactive waste policy.
Mr. Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) on Tuesday 6 December, Official Report , column 132.
Greenpeace
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, columns 109-10, what possible causes of Greenpeace's high readings were investigated apart from the misuse of equipment.
Mr Atkins: The radiological measurements made by Greenpeace personnel at the Drigg low level radioactive waste disposal site were just one component of the complaints made by Greenpeace following its illegal entry. Each component was investigated thoroughly by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.
The Greenpeace complaint provided no reliable evidence of unauthorised disposals of low level radioactive waste, least of all from its radiological monitoring of waste in the disposal trench. HMIP considered the breadth of the findings from its investigations and found no evidence to support the Greenpeace contention that radioactive waste of levels in excess of those permitted had been disposed of at Drigg.
Energy Efficiency Advertising
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report , column 109, who carried out the monitoring of the advertising campaigns run by his Department; and what were the conclusions of this monitoring, with particular regard to projected energy savings flowing from the campaigns and cost-effectiveness of the campaigns.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The "Helping the Earth Begins At Home" campaign was monitored by BMRB International, which tracked significant changes in public knowledge, attitudes and intended energy saving behaviour. The current "Wasting Energy Costs The Earth" campaign, which is closely synchronised with the private sector, therefore places more emphasis on individual actions and is being monitored by National Opinion Poll.
Consultants
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, column 112, if he will list those firms of consultants which are known centrally by his Department to have worked for his Department in 1992 93 and 1993 94.
Sir Paul Beresford: Firms of consultants known centrally to have worked for the Department in 1992 93
Column 762
and 1993 94 are those employed specifically in connection with the market testing programme.The list, excluding those employed direct by the agencies, is as follows:
Amtec Consulting
Andersen Consulting
Capita Management Consultancy Ltd.
Castle Management Consultants
Civil Service College
Coopers and Lybrand
CSL Group
Dun and Bradstreet
Mr P. Dworkin
Hoskyns Group plc
PA Consulting Group
Prime Strategy Consultants
Ray Tilly Associates
Shreeveport Limited
Smith and Williamson
SPT (Simon Thorpe)
Symonds Facilities Management plc
Mr. J. Wormald
| Next Section
| Home Page |