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Service, of the Diplomatic Service and of the Treasury. For this purpose they will take account of all the factors noted in paragraphs 4 6 above as relevant to the pay of Permanent Secretaries.Review Bodies
Sir Michael Neubert: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the review body reports.
The Prime Minister: The 1995 reports of the review bodies on the pay of schoolteachers, senior civil servants, the senior military, the judiciary, the armed forces, doctors and dentists, nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and the professions allied to medicine have now been published. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. The Government are grateful to the members of the review bodies for the time and care which they have put into the preparation of the reports.
The Government's policy is that increases in pay must be fully met from existing budgets. Pay increases for public sector staff therefore have to be paid for by greater efficiency or by other economies. This position was reaffirmed in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on public sector pay on 14 September 1994, and in the Government's evidence to the review bodies. It is fundamental to the Government's response to their recommendations.
The review bodies have made the following recommendations: The Armed Forces Pay Review Body has recommended a range of increases in daily rates of between 2.5 and 2.9 per cent., averaging 2.6 per cent. for the various ranks in its remit group.
The Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine has recommended a 1.0 per cent. increase in national salary rates to be supplemented by local negotiations on pay and, where appropriate, leads and allowances and/or conditions. The Review Body has said it expects that, in the majority of cases, the outcome of local negotiations would provide improvements for the staff concerned totalling between 1.5 and 3 per cent., including 1 per cent. increase in national rates.
The Doctors and Dentists Review Body has recommended pay increases of 2.5 per cent. generally for members of its remit group, and 3 per cent. in the intended average net remuneration of general medical practitioners. It has recommended that Trusts able to conclude local agreements with the profession should proceed accordingly. It also recommends an alternative system of transititional local pay for hospital consultants accepting a divergence from the nationally determined scale subject to a maximum increase of 5 per cent. in consultants' average salary in each Trust.
The School Teachers' Review Body has recommended a 2.7 per cent. increase in teachers' pay.
The Senior Salaries Review Body has recommended:
(i) an increase of 2.5 per cent. in the budget for performance related pay for civil servants in Grades 2 and 3 and increases in the relevant pay ranges.
(ii) a new pay range for Permanent Secretaries to replace the existing system of spot rates with pay decisions to be made on the basis of advice from a new remuneration committee.
(iii) a range of increases between 2.5 and 3.8 per cent., averaging 3.2 per cent., in the pay of senior armed forces officers. (iv) a 2.5 per cent. increase in the pay of the judiciary. The Government have taken their decisions on these recommendations on the basis of our approach to public sector pay. We accept the recommendations and propose to implement them from the due date of 1 April. The costs will be met from the public expenditure totals published at Budget time. There will be no new money to finance
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these pay increases, and for the third year running there will be no call on the reserve.The Government in particular welcome and support the
recommendations of the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine for the development of local pay determination for members of its remit groups. Negotiations with the staff sides at national level need to be concluded quickly to facilitate additional local payments. The Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body has reaffirmed its support for moves towards local pay determination and negotiations are being held with the professions on changes to the distinction awards scheme for consultants which should lead to much greater local involvement. The review body had advocated brisk progress and both sides expect these negotiations to be concluded in the next few months.
I am making a separate announcement on the arrangements for determining the pay of individual permanent secretaries.
Summary of Main Pay Recommendations
|Main pay
|increases |Paybill cost <1>
|per cent. |£ million |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DDRB (Doctors and
Dentists) |<2>2.5-3.0 |144 |2.9
NPRB (Nurses and Allied
Professions)
Nurses and Midwives |1.5-<3>3.0 |117-234 |1.5-3.0
PAMs |1.5-<3>3.0 |15-31 |1.5-3.0
All NAPRB groups |1.5-<3>3.0 |132-265 |1.5-3.0
SSRB (Senior Civil Service,
Military and Judiciary)
CS Grades 2-3 |<4>- |1.2 |2.5
Senior Military |2.5-3.8 |0.4 |3.2
Judiciary |2.5 |3.9 |2.8
All SSRB groups |5.5 |2.7
AFPRB (Armed Forces |2.5-2.9 |140 |2.6
STRB (School Teachers) |2.7 |294 |2.7
Notes:
(1) Pay bill costings include employers' national insurance and superannuation payments.
(2) Plus up to 2.5 per cent. on average salaries for consultants under trasitional local pay
arrangements
(3) Comprising 1 per cent. on national pay scales and the NPRB estimate of additional amounts
likely to result from local pay negotiations.
(4) No across-the board increases 2.5 per cent. to be paid through the performance pay budget.
(5) Increase on daily rates.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Saharawi Refugees
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Algeria concerning their policy on the needs of the Saharawi refugees resident in that country.
Mr. Baldry: We have held no discussions with the Government of Algeria on this subject.
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Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid has been provided (a) directly by the United Kingdom and (b) through bilateral procedures to the Saharawi people who are victims of floods at their refugee camps.
Mr. Baldry: The United Kingdom has provided no aid directly or through bilateral procedures to the Saharawi people. However, we provide support for refugees through UNHCR on a regular basis and in response to special appeals from them and other interactional agencies. UK contributions to UNHCR in 1994 95 so far amount to over £20 million. In 1994, UNHCR earmarked £4 million for assistance to Saharawi refugees in Algeria and have earmarked a further £4 million this year.
EU Overseas Development Programmes
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements exist in the United Kingdom for monitoring and evaluating overseas development programmes of the European Union.
Mr. Baldry: The primary responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation of European Community development assistance rests with the Commission. Monitoring is undertaken by in-country delegations and staff in Brussels administering the various programmes, supported as required by consultants. The evaluation unit in directorate general VIII of the Commission has a wide-ranging work programme covering EC assistance to Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Asia, Latin America and the Mediterranean. Evaluation systems have been established to cover the more recent Poland and Hungary assistance for economic restructuring and Tacis programmes in eastern and central Europe and humanitarian aid--ECHO.
The United Kingdom has pressed successfully for the findings of mid-term reviews to be discussed by member states in management committees. We participate in the regular meetings of heads of evaluations services from the Commission and member state aid administrations. We play an active role in joint evaluations of EC and member state assistance.
Reproductive Health Programmes
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reproductive health programmes are currently being funded by the European Union for developing countries.
Mr. Baldry: The European Community is currently supporting at least 50 population and reproductive health programmes in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. These seek to improve maternal and child health, access to family planning services and contraceptive supplies. In some programmes, these activities are undertaken as elements of broader health care initiatives. We continue to encourage the Commission to develop strategies for increasing support to population and reproductive health activities following the 1994 Cairo conference on population and development.
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to fund reproductive health activities in Botswana.
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Mr. Baldry: At present, there are no plans to support reproductive health programmes in Botswana. The Government of Botswana have agreed that British aid should focus on education, natural resources and public sector financial management. Support for health services is provided by other aid donors and from Botswana's own resources.
Education Projects
Mr. Caborn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the breakdown of spending on education projects within the Overseas Development Administration in the year 1993 94; how much of the total is allocated to (a) basic education for children, (b) literacy for adults, (c) secondary and tertiary education, (d) buildings, for educational purposes, and (e) other services to education beyond a basic level.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 7 February 1995]: Total ODA spending on education projects during 1993 94 amounted to just over £117 million. The figures include all project aid and technical co- operation as well as the ODA's grant to the British Council. The categories given correspond as closely to those in the question as the ODA economic sector codes covered by education allow.
ODA expenditure on education in 1993-94
|Expenditure
Category |(£000)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary education |8,532
Adult education and literacy |660
Secondary and tertiary education |17,806
Buildings for educational purposes |1,735
Other education services
(including ODA's grant to the British Council) |88,665
Total Education |117,398
Note:
"Other education services" includes:
1. ODA grant to the British Council (£31m).
2. Education expenditure allocated to the ODA's general education
economic sector code and not broken down to a lower level. This will
include expenditure in all categories of education including those
specifically covered in the question.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Companies House (Sickness)
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the President of the board of Trade what assessment he has made of the reasons for the relative rates of sickness of staff (a) at Companies House and (b) the Laboratory of the Government Chemist.
Mr. Heseltine: My Department's agencies are assessed against a range of measures and have good records of meeting targets and improving their performance from year to year. I am, however, looking into the issues raised by my hon. Friend's question.
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Shipbuilding Intervention Funding
Mr. Waterson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his Department's policy on the level of shipbuilding intervention funding during 1995.
Mr. Eggar: I have decided that the United Kingdom's maximum level of support for large ships from 1 January 1995 shall continue to be 9 per cent., including shipbuilders' tax relief of 2 per cent. This follows a decision of the European Commission, notified to member states on 27 January 1995.
I have similarly decided that the maximum level of support for small ships from 1 January 1995 shall continue to be 4.5 per cent., including shipbuilders' tax relief at 2 per cent.
Those levels are at the maximum permitted by the EC shipbuilding regime.
This is the last year in which shipbuilding intervention will be available for new contracts. The OECD agreement respecting normal competitive conditions in the commercial shipbuilding and repair industry prohibits direct subsidies from 1 January 1996.
Biological Warfare
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, in his answer to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) of 28 February 1994, Official Report , column 541 , in respect of exports to Iraq, what licences were (a) required for the exports referred to and (b) issued for such exports in the 10 years prior to 1986.
Mr. Heseltine: The agents referred to were not subject to export control before July 1985.
From 1985 to 1992, the toxicological agents were licensable only if adapted for use in war. The agents became licensable in their own right by virtue of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1992. Records prior to 1986 are not available except at disproportionate cost, and even then are unlikely to be complete.
Coal Industry
Mr. Hood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he consulted local government planning authorities when preparing the restructuring scheme in the Coal Industry Act 1994;
(2) what considerations he gave to the interests of local planning authorities when including schedule 2 in the Coal Industry Act 1994; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle: When the Bill was introduced, the Department made widely available to interested parties, including to all those mineral planning authorities which expressed an interest, general guidance on its privatisation proposals.
The restructuring powers under the Coal Industry Act 1994 provide for the transfer of existing property, rights and liabilities of British Coal to successor companies to enable privatisation to take place. The powers are general in nature to deal with many different forms of property, rights and liabilities which had to be transferred.
Mr. Hood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if Clydesdale district council made representations to Her Majesty's Government before the Coal Industry Act 1994 in respect of the dangers of transferring personal planning
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consent to the new coal owners without first referring it to the local planning authority.Mr. Charles Wardle: Her Majesty's Government received no such representation before or during the passage of the Act. Representations on the matter were made to my officials by the district council in October 1994.
Mr. Hood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what considerations led Her Majesty's Government to allow full discretion of schedule 2 to the Coal Industry Act 1994 to treat the transferee as the same person in law as the British Coal Corporation; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle: To ensure that the ongoing operations of British Coal could continue without disruption on transfer to a successor company, it was necessary for the transferee to be treated as the same person in law as the British Coal Corporation.
Mr. Hood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Trade and Industry Minister in the House of Lords, Lord Strathclyde, was explaining Government policy when he said on 3 May 1994, Official Report, column 1056 , that if a coal owner became bankrupt the Coal Authority would be responsible for any costs of restoring the site; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle: My noble Friend made two salient points on a number of occasions: he drew attention to the important duty of the Coal Authority to secure so far as practicable, that operators are able to finance their operations and the discharge of associated liabilities, and he noted that where the Coal Authority is the owner of land, underground workings or coal reserves the associated responsibilities fall on its lessees or, where there is no lessee, on it.
Opencast Mining Sites
Mr. Hood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade who will be responsible for the cost of restoration to opencast mining sites in the event of the new owners going into liquidation.
Mr. Charles Wardle: The obligation to restore a site of opencast coal extraction generally falls on the owner of the surface. Its enforceability during and following an insolvency would depend on the relevant facts.
Rom Data, Falmouth
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will begin an investigation into the running of the Rom Data computer firm in Falmouth.
Mr. Charles Wardle: The company is in liquidation. The Department will consider any information regarding the affairs of Rom Data Ltd. forwarded in the usual manner.
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from hon. Members in connection with the Rom Data computer firm in Cornwall.
Mr. Charles Wardle: One. I had a meeting with the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Coe) on 23 January 1995.
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total amount in grants given to the Rom Data computer firm by his Department and if he
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will make a statement about his Department's funding of Rom Data.Mr. Charles Wardle: The total grant paid to Rom Data Ltd. was £825,000. This grant was made under the criteria for regional selective assistance, which is a grant available to projects which create or safeguard employment in the assisted areas.
Insolvency Service
Mr. Soley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is his intention, when contracting out the functions of the Official Receiver's Insolvency Service, to include the local office information system; and if contractors will have to bid for this.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: In the absence of any decision to contract out the functions of official receivers, the question of whether the local office information system, LOIS, will be included in any contract specification has not yet been considered.
Consultants have been engaged by the Insolvency Service to work up a specification, bid documentation and evaluation criteria and will consider matters such as this as part of their work.
Additional Export Licensing
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which countries or destinations were subjected to additional export licensing procedures from April 1991 for dual-use or other technologies.
Mr. Ian Taylor: The following countries are currently subject to special licensing procedures:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Brazil
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
China
Croatia
Cuba
Egypt
Estonia
Georgia
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Libya
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Mongolia
North Korea
Pakistan
Romania
Russia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Africa
Syria
Taiwan
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