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----------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |10 |37
1989-90 |29 |324
1990-91 |34 |233
1991-92 |64 |345
1992-93 |50 |473
1993-94 |47 |502
1994-95<1> |47 |281
<1> To date.
Five staff provide support for both the Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members and, since her appointment in 1993, the Commissioner for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action. The pay and operational costs, and apportioned costs, of the Commissioner's office have been:
1989 90
Staff salaries: £66,126
Accommodation: £20,896
Fuel and utilities: £1,162
1990 91
Staff salaries: £84,536
Accommodation: £15,693
Fuel and utilities: £4,817
1991 92
Staff salaries: £109,272
Accommodation: £14,555
Fuel and utilities: £4,168
1992 93
Staff salaries: £118,047
Accommodation: £17,938
Fuel and utilities: £4,005
1993 94
Staff salaries: £92,890
Accommodation: £11,362
Fuel and utilities: £5,633
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1994 95Staff salaries: £66,619
Accommodation: £16,216
Fuel and utilities: £3,178
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, what was the financial provision from grants in aid from the Employment Department's Supply Estimates to (a) the Commission for the Rights of Individual Trade Union Members for each year since 1989 and (b) the Commission for Protection Against Unlawful Industrial Action for each year since 1993.
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 15 February 1995]: The estimates provision for grant in aid, and grant in aid actually received from the Department, have been as follows:
Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members
|Actually received
Year |Provision (£) |(£)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |800,000 |246,000
1990-91 |280,000 |263,000
1991-92 |500,000 |291,000
1992-93 |514,000 |431,000
1993-94 |375,000 |276,000
1994-95 |344,000 |<1>257,000
<1> To date.
Commissioner for Protection against Unlawful Industrial Action
|Actually received
Year |Provision (£) |(£)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94 |148,000 |88,000
1994-95 |191,000 |<1>96,000
<1> To date.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Mobile Abattoirs
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what backing he is giving to the development and use of mobile abattoirs.
Mrs. Browning: All slaughterhouses, including mobile abattoirs, must meet the structural and hygiene standards set out in the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992 and have to be licensed by the appropriate Agriculture Department. Officials of the State Vetrinary Service have given, and will continue to give, advice and encouragement to any project to design and establish a mobile abattoir. At present, there are no mobile abattoirs in use in England.
Cheese Production
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the fall in UK cheese production since the demise of the Milk Marketing Board; and what action he plans to take to reverse it and restore the production of quality speciality cheese.
Mr. Jack: Figures for cheese production since 1 November 1994 are not yet available. However, one of the biggest problems for cheese makers under the old milk marketing arrangements was the withdrawal of milk supplies by the MMB at short notice. They now enjoy greater security of supply for their milk.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Ministerial Visits
Mr. MacShane: (1) To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to travel to Hong Kong in 1995.
(2) To ask the Minister without Portfolio what plans he has to travel to Hong Kong in 1995.
Mr. Hunt: We have no present plans to do so.
SCOTLAND
M77
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the formal notice of complaint No 95/40005 SG(95)/A/287 from the European Commission, relating to the Ayr road route M77 was received by his Department; and what response has been made.
Lord James Douglas Hamilton: The Government have received no formal notice of complaint from the Commission.
Legal Aid
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when was the last occasion upon which advice was received on the matter of civil eligibility for legal aid from the Scottish Legal Aid Board; (2) if he will implement advice given by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 1991 in its response to his Department's consultation paper on eligibility for civil legal aid in Scotland to the effect that the fixed upper limit should be abolished and replaced by some other form of universal eligibility or flexible upper limit;
(3) what representations he has received from the Scottish Legal Aid Board following implementation of the new financial limits for eligibility for legal aid.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend has received no representations from the Scottish Legal Aid Board on the question of eligibility for civil legal aid since the advice on proposed changes to eligibility for advice and assistance referred to in my reply to the hon. Members question of 12 February 1993, Official Report , columns 849-50 . In setting eligibility limits, the Government must make a judgement as to the correct level, having regard on the one hand to providing access to legal services to those unable to afford them, and on the other to the need to control the level of public expenditure. Against this background, the Government have no plans to abolish the fixed upper eligibility limit.
Abortions
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many abortions were performed in England and Wales, on women resident in each health authority in 1993; and, of these operations, how many were performed in NHS hospitals.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested for 1993 is not yet available. Information on abortions performed in England and Wales is provided by the Office of Population Census and Surveys. This data will be available within the next few months.
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Scottish Health Common Services
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what consultations he had with the Welsh Health Common Services Authority concerning W. S. Atkins' part in designing Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital, Bangor, Gwynedd, prior to the decision to sell Scottish Health Common Services to the company;
(2) what information he has concerning the level of compensation paid by W. S. Atkins and Partners in 1988 to the Welsh Health Common Services authority in cognisance of the design faults at Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital, Bangor, before his decision to sell Scottish Health Common Services to the company.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 15 February 1995]: None. The decision to sell the building division of the Common Services Agency for the NHS in Scotland to W. S. Atkins Ltd. followed an extensive competitive tendering exercise.
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the occasions during the last five years when his Department or its agencies has taken legal action against a consultancy firm; and what were the reasons in each case.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 15 February 1995]: On no occasion during the last five years has my Department or its agencies taken legal action against a consultancy firm.
Health Care International
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who were the members of the Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Committee when Government support for HCI in Clydebank was confirmed; and what is the industrial or commercial background of those members.
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 23 January 1995]: The provision of regional selective assistance for Health Care International was considered and approved by the Scottish Industrial Development Advisory Board, first in April 1988 and subsequently in February 1990.
Listed below are the SIDAB members at the relevant dates:
April 1988 |February 1990 ------------------------------------------------ Y. Ali |Y. Ali K. Fox |B. J. Fox T. Johnston |K. Fox B. F. Lawson |J. J. G. Good J. M. Little |J. C. G. Halley D. J. MacLeod |J. M. Little A. Merrills |D. J. MacLeod D. M. Paterson |A. Merrills J. C. Shaw |D. M. Paterson A. K. Smith |J. C. Shaw Sir R. Smith |A. K. Smith R. Thomson |P. Timms
The members represented a range of backgrounds including industry and commerce, banking and finance, and the trade unions.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Companies House (Sickness)
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 14 February, Official Report , columns 552 53 , if he will restate the Companies House sickness absence level on the management control basis.
Mr. Heseltine: Sickness absence rates, expressed as a percentage of contracted hours for each member of staff, were as follows:
Year |Per cent. ------------------------------ 1991 |4.9 1992 |5.4 1993 |5.3 1994 |4.9
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the contingent liabilities and interest generated under section 2 of the Export and Overseas Investment Guarantees Act 1978 and charged to the Consolidated Fund accounts in each year since 1981.
Mr. Needham: ECGD's liabilities under section 2 of the 1978 Act, as notified in the Department's statutory return, were as follows:
Year Ending |£ thousands -------------------------------------- 31 March 1983 |21,286 31 March 1984 |22,590 31 March 1985 |23,641 31 March 1986 |21,043 31 March 1987 |20,326 31 March 1988 |19,442 31 March 1989 |20,737 31 March 1990 |16,767 31 March 1991 |15,096
No record is held of the figure prior to March 1983. Likewise no information is available after March 1991 as the section 2 category lapsed when the 1978 Act was superseded by the 1991 Export and Investment Guarantees Act.
ECGD's accounting records have been maintained on a basis which allows interest earned or charged to the notional section 2 Consolidated Fund balance to be detailed only up to the 31 March 1987. The amounts were as follows:
Year |£ Million ------------------------------ 1981-82 |+53.7 1982-83 |+32.3 1983-84 |+14.7 1984-85 |-3.4 1985-86 |-17.4 1986-87 |-37.1
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much interest support payments from the Ministry of Defence are shown in the annual accounts of the Export Credits Guarantee Department.
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Mr. Needham: The level of contributions from the Ministry of Defence towards interest support payments, as shown in the appropriation accounts of the Export Credits Guarantee Department, are as follows:
- Year |£ ------------------------------ 1986-87 |894,000 1987-88 |972,000 1988-89 |1,119,000 1989-90 |993,000 1990-91 |1,058,000 1991-92 |920,000 1992-93 |797,000 1993-94 |597,000
The above totals relate to the interest support scheme reported under ECGD's export finance assistance vote.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. MacShane: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to travel to Hong Kong in 1995.
Mr. Heseltine: At present I have no plans to visit Hong Kong during 1995. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade is hoping to make a trade promotion visit to Hong Kong in the autumn.
Lebanon
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the involvement of the British Government in the promotion of British business interests in the reconstruction of central Beirut.
Mr. Needham: Working in close collaboration with the British embassy in Beirut we have, through a series of promotional events and other activities, ensured that United Kingdom business is fully aware of the opportunities arising from the reconstruction of Beirut. This has included support for trade missions, the "Rebuild Lebanon", and other exhibitions, which have the reconstruction of Beirut as one of their themes. British commercial interests have also been promoted during ministerial visits which have included business men from the UK construction sector.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on economic relations between the UK and Lebanon.
Mr. Needham: Since the end of the civil war, our trade and economic links with the Lebanon have grown steadily; in 1994 our exports reached £138 million. The Lebanese Prime Minister visited the UK in January 1994 and there are regular contacts at ministerial and official level involving economic and trade issues. I look forward to the continuing and mutually beneficial growth in these links.
Inward Investment
Mr. Worthington: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much inward investment there has been in Britain by Taiwanese firms in the past five years by value, number of projects and number of jobs created; and how much has gone to Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mr. Eggar: All but one of the manufacturing investments by Taiwanese companies in Europe are in the
Column 866
UK. Since 1990, four companies have set up manufacturing operations in Britain creating or safeguarding nearly 700 jobs. All these investments are located in England. Two further companies have announced their intention to invest in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.I am unable to release the figure for the value of the investments as it is commercially sensitive.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 18 January, Official Report, column 557, how many appointments to public positions have been made by his Department in the last year.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 15 February 1995]: I am currently responsible for a total of over 630 public appointments. In 1994, a total of 212 appointments, including re-appointments were made.
Advertising
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total expenditure on all forms of advertising by his Department and its agencies for each year since 1979, in 1994 prices.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 13 February 1995]: Expenditure on advertising from my Department's central publicity budget since 1979 80 at 1994 95 prices is as follows:
Year |£000 ---------------------- 1979-80 |3,892 1980-81 |7,677 1981-82 |7,546 1982-83 |6,105 1983-84 |6,701 1984-85 |8,219 1985-86 |7,797 1986-87 |45,769 1987-88 |15,256 1988-89 |27,061 1989-90 |13,166 1990-91 |7,601 1991-92 |1,056 1992-93 |1,197 1993-94 |800
I have asked chief executives of DTI agencies to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from John Hobday to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
I refer to your question to the President of the Board of Trade concerning expenditure on advertising.
The Accounts Services Agency have spent £995 exclusive of VAT during the current financial year. This is the first year since the Agency's creation in October 1991 in which expenditure has been incurred.
Letter from David Durham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
You recently tabled a Parliamentary Question asking about the total expenditure on all forms of advertising by Departments and Agencies since 1979, in 1994 prices.
Following the answer given by the President of the Board of Trade, I am replying as Chief Executive of Companies House which
Column 867
became an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in October 1988.Companies House Executive Agency advertising expenditure at 1994/95 prices is as follows:
1989 90 £380,265
1990 91 £260,288
1991 92 £207,670
1992 93 £348,932
1993 94 £206,040
1994/95--£174,000 year to date
These figures include expenditure on advertising to raise the awareness of Late Filing Penalties and inform and remind companies of the due dates for filing.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your Question about Insolvency Service expenditure on advertising. The Insolvency Service, which became an Executive Agency in March 1990, does not place advertisements of its business. Official Receivers of The Service are required to place in newspapers and other journals notices concerning specific matters relating to individual insolvencies, for example notice of the making of a bankruptcy order. The cost of these notices are a charge on the estates of bankrupts and companies in compulsory liquidation. Letter from R.D. Worswick to Mr. Malcolm Bruce dated 15 February 1995:
PQ on Advertising--
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to write to you about the advertising spend by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC).
LGC's spend on external advertising is concentrated in the trade press to promote seminars and other similar scientific events. We also spend modest amounts on recruitment advertising but this is not included in the figures below.
Information before 1991 is not readily available but I am not aware of any reason to believe that the spend over the last couple of years is not typical of our expenditure in earlier years. In 1991/92 we spent £3,000, in 1992/93 we spent £6,000 and in 1993/94 we spent £4,000 on all forms of advertising (all figures in 1994 prices). Letter from W. Edgar to Mr. Malcolm Bruce dated 17 February 1995:
I refer to your question to the President of the Board of Trade on the subject of the expenditure by the Department of Trade and Industry and its Agencies on all forms of advertising. The expenditure by year in 1994 prices since the vesting of NEL as an Agency on 6 October 1990 is as shown on the attached schedule. I trust you will find this information satisfactory for your purposes.
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