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Expenditure by Nel on all forms of
advertising
|£(1994)
-----------------------------------
FY 90/91 |3,932
FY 91/92 |20,745
FY 92/93 |23,796
FY 93/94 |10,511
FY 94/95 (to date) |5,844
Letter from Peter Clapham to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
I am writing in response to your question to the President of the Board of Trade about expenditure by his department and its agencies on advertising.
NPL became an Executive Agency in July 1990, but advertising (other than recruitment advertising) was covered by the department's central publicity budget until 1991/92. Since then expenditure (including recruitment advertising) has been as follows (including VAT) in 1994 prices:
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1991 92 £82,0001992 93 £46,000
1993 94 £45,000.
Letter from Seton Bennett to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
Expenditure on Advertising--
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about expenditure on advertising.
While NWML takes every opportunity to bring its activities to the attention of interested parties, the use of paid advertising is rare and there has been no such expenditure since 1992. Expenditure in previous years, for which figures are not readily available, was limited to occasional advertisements in specialist journals. Letter from P.R.S. Hartnack to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to provide you with information relating to the Patent Office, as part of the reply to your question on advertising expenditure in the DTI and its agencies since 1979.
The figures for advertising expenditure by the Patent Office are supplied below, covering the years 1990/91 1993/94 (at 1994/95 prices and inclusive of VAT) since the Patent Office became an Executive Agency in 1991. Any advertising expenditure on intellectual property prior to 1990/91 will have been subsumed in general Departmental advertising.
Advertising expenditure in the Patent Office
1990 91 £57,000
1991 92 £54,000
1992 93 £410,000
1993 94 £417,000
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Letter from Jim Norton to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 17 February 1995:
Advertising Costs--
The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question about advertising costs for this Agency.
Since becoming an Agency in 1990 the Agency has spent the following on publicity:
1990 91 £171,426
1991 92 £216,166
1992 93 £289,222
1993 94 £244,953
Publicity includes a wide range of information distributed by the Agency which is not wholly `advertising'. Although we do not have separate figures for advertising as such we estimate this represents around 30 per cent. of the annual outturn figures above.
Prior to 1990, the then Radio Regulatory Division's advertising costs would have been contained within the overall DTI figures which you have.
EDUCATION
Secondary Schools (Spending)
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average spending per pupil is in secondary schools in the northern region; and what the figure was in 1978 at current prices.
Mr. Robin Squire: The table below shows expenditure by 32 LEAs in the north of England on secondary pupils, for 1978 79 and 1992 93, the latest year for which final information is available, in 1994 95 prices. The average is an increase in real terms in 54 per cent.
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Northern region
|Cost per pupil |Cost per pupil
|1978-79 in 1994-95|1992-93 in 1994-95
|prices |prices
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Secondary schools |£ |£
Bolton |1,470 |2,396
Bury |1,434 |2,071
Manchester |1,876 |2,550
Oldham |1,450 |2,600
Rochdale |1,645 |2,294
Salford |1,558 |2,221
Stockport |1,446 |2,405
Tameside |1,509 |2,281
Trafford |1,430 |2,396
Wigan |1,540 |2,403
Barnsley |1,573 |2,261
Doncaster |1,416 |2,294
Rotherham |1,517 |2,402
Sheffield |1,637 |2,325
Bradford |1,416 |1,915
Calderdale |1,505 |2,274
Kirklees |1,402 |2,313
Leeds |1,252 |2,520
Wakefield |1,407 |2,179
Gateshead |1,534 |2,400
Newcastle upon Tyne |1,779 |2,243
North Tyneside |1,570 |2,332
South Tyneside |1,613 |2,310
Sunderland |1,569 |2,246
Cheshire |1,527 |2,178
Cleveland |1,520 |2,644
Cumbria |1,541 |2,424
Durham |1,472 |2,169
Humberside |1,480 |2,342
Lancashire |1,477 |2,439
North Yorkshire |1,487 |2,376
Northumberland |1,489 |1,966
Total (average) |1,504 |2,321
Schools, Bolton
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much money is held in reserves by schools in Bolton.
Mr. Robin Squire: Some £2.291 million, net, at the end of the financial year 1993 94. This figure relates to schools then covered by the local education authority's scheme for the local management of schools. Information relating to financial balances held by grant-maintained schools is held by the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.
Incorporated Colleges
Mr. Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the proportion of spending on staffing of the total of each incorporated college's expenditure; and what is the proportion of total expenditure on teaching staff for each college, in the first accounting period.
Mr. Boswell: This information is not collected by the Department.
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Assisted Places Scheme
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for many pupils (a) in the Northern Region of England and (b) in each school in the region received assistance under the assisted places scheme.
Mr. Robin Squire: There were 9,382 pupils holding assisted places in the Northern Region of England in academic year 1993 94, the latest year for which complete figures are available. The number of assisted pupils in each school in the region is given in the following table.
Assisted places scheme 1993-94 academic year
|Number of assisted
School name |place holders
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ackworth |20
Arnold School, Blackpool |80
Ashville College |11
Austin Friars |12
Barnard Castle |20
Batley Grammar |257
Belvedere GPDST |173
Birkenhead |196
Birkenhead High GPDST |243
Bolton School Boys |263
Bolton School Girls |256
Bootham, York |25
Bradford Girls Grammar |62
Bradford Grammar School |230
Bury Grammar Boys |204
Bury Grammar Girls |251
Casterton |52
Central Newcastle High GPDST |130
Cheadle Hulme |132
Dame Allan's Boys |119
Dame Allan's Girls |129
Durham |36
Giggleswick, Settle |17
Harrogate College |17
Hipperholme Grammar |12
Hulme Grammar Boys |213
Hulme Grammar Girls |188
Hymer's College |144
King Edward VII Lytham |221
King's, Chester |95
King's, Macclesfield |173
King's, Tynemouth |20
Kirkham Grammar |80
La Sagesse Convent |155
Leeds Girls High |87
Leeds Grammar |178
Liverpool College |183
Loreto Convent Grammar |48
Manchester Grammar |261
Manchester High |171
Merchant Taylors Girls |192
Merchant Taylors, Liverpool |226
Mount Carmel, Cheshire |25
Mount, York |24
Newcastle upon Tyne Church High |24
Pocklington |149
Polam Hall |35
Queen Elizabeth, Blackburn |261
Queen Elizabeth, Wakefield |130
Queen Mary, Lytham |231
Queen's School, Chester |63
Rossall |45
Royal Grammar, Newcastle |215
Scarborough College |26
Sedbergh |45
Sheffield High GPDST |99
Silcoates |12
St. Ambrose College |58
St. Anselm's College |206
St. Bede's College |220
St. Bees |72
St. Edward's College |398
St. Mary's College, Crosby |251
St. Peter's, York |107
Stockport Grammar |236
Stoneyhurst College |34
Teesside High |19
Upton Hall Convent |168
Wakefield High |149
Westholme |25
William Hulme Grammar |220
Withington Girls |79
Woodhouse Grove |137
Yarm |37
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time students currently attend first degree courses in the North-East; and how many were doing so in 1978 79, listing by each individual institution.
Mr. Boswell: The available information is shown in the table:
Full-time and sandwich undergraduate<1> students in publicly funded
FHE institutions in the North East region<2> of England
|1978 |1979 |1980 |1992/93
----------------------------------------------------------------------
University of Northumbria at
Newcastle |n/a |4,759 |5,025 |9,390
University of Newcastle upon
Tyne |6,331 |6,460 |6,600 |9,028
University of Sunderland |n/a |2,759 |2,929 |8,647
University of Durham |3,701 |4,083 |4,157 |5,863
University of Teesside |n/a |1,758 |1,885 |5,791
Newcastle College of Art and
Technology |n/a |102 |117 |935
New College Durham |n/a |324 |441 |600
South Tyneside College |n/a |313 |267 |563
Cleveland College of Art and
Design |n/a |0 |0 |202
Darlington College of
Technology |n/a |20 |18 |104
Kirby College of FE |n/a |0 |1 |87
Northumberland College of Art
and Technology |n/a |42 |42 |76
Peterlee College |n/a |0 |0 |66
Hartlepool College of FE |n/a |0 |0 |45
Durham College of Agriculture
and Horticulture |n/a |0 |0 |27
North Tyneside College |n/a |0 |1 |19
Wearside College of FE |n/a |0 |0 |16
Bishop Auckland Technical
College |n/a |0 |0 |10
Derwentside Tertiary College |n/a |0 |0 |8
Monkwearmouth College of FE |n/a |0 |0 |7
Gateshead Technical College |n/a |11 |21 |0
Total |n/a |20,631 |21,504 |41,484
Notes:
<1> Information is not available for institutions in the FEFC and
former PCFC sectors in the form requested.
<2> Institutions shown above are those situated in NE region as
defined within LEA's Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside,
South Tyneside and Sunderland and within counties Cleveland, Durham
and Northumberland.
Source:
University Statistics Volume One: Students and Staff: 1980, 1992-93
and 1993-94 USR, Cheltenham. Statistics of Education: Universities,
Volume 6: 1978 and 1979.
Higher Education Institutes
Mr. Bryan Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether provision exists for higher education institutions that under- recruit on planned student numbers due to exceptional circumstances to be given exemption or relief from fiscal penalisation by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Mr. Boswell: This is a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England and I am asking the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Habitual Residence Test
Mr. Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances the habitual residence test is applied to asylum seekers.
Mr. Roger Evans: It was and remains Government policy that the habitual residence test should not apply to asylum seekers. The independent adjudicating authorities considered that the test applied to all income support claimants since its introduction in August 1994, including asylum seekers, but have now revised their position and concluded that the test does not apply to claimants who are already defined as "persons from abroad" in the income support rules.
Income Support
Sir Ralph Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the net gain for a person who is on income support and has worked at £3.20 per hour for (a) eight hours and (b) 16 hours, showing calculations in each case.
Mr. Roger Evans: Information for a single person is shown in the table.
As part of our plans to make work pay, we aim to pilot new help similar to family credit, but aimed at couples and single people without children. This in-work benefit will be tested in eight pilot locations over a three- year period from October 1996. A consultation document in April will provide more information on the scheme and the proposed pilot locations. If the pilot shows that a national scheme would be effective, the gain from work would increase for childless people with low or modest earnings.
Gain from work at £3.20 per hour
|Net
|Net |Income
|Income |after
|after |payment
|payment |of rent
|of rent |and
|and |council
|Council |Total |council |tax when |Net gain
|Income |Housing |Council |Tax |Net |tax when |not in |from
Hours worked |Pay |Support |Rent |Benefit |Tax |Benefit |Income |in work |work |work
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 |25.50 |25.10 |30.91 |30.91 |6.60 |6.60 |88.21 |50.70 |45.70 |5.00
16 |51.20 |- |30.91 |30.59 |6.60 |6.50 |88.29 |50.78 |45.70 |5.08
Notes:
1. The person is assumed to be single, aged 25 or over, living in local authority accommodation and liable for average council tax and local authority
rent.
2. The person is assumed to take-up full entitlement to income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.
3. Tax and national insurance contributions are not payable at the earnings levels shown.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of non-employed youth trainees who currently receive a top-up on their allowance and who are (a) liable for income tax, (b) liable for national insurance and (c) credited with national insurance contributions.
Mr. Roger Evans: Non-employed young people participating in youth training are eligible for an income support top-up if their allowance is less than benefit levels. The youth training allowance does not attract income tax or national insurance deductions; neither does income support paid to someone who is not required to register for work.
For retirement pension and widows' benefits purpose, all young people are automatically awarded class 3 national insurance credits in the tax year in which they attain their 16th birthday, and the two succeeding tax years.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, if Irish nationals are eligible to receive income support during the child benefit extension period; and what are the eligibility requirements.
Mr. Roger Evans: Income support may be claimed by unemployed young people aged 16 or 17 during the child benefit extension period if they have good reason for living away from the family home and they are registered for employment/youth training.
Unemployed Irish nationals aged 16 or 17 who are forced to live independently, with no established entitlement to child benefit in Great Britain, can claim income support under the severe hardship provision if there is no other means of support and providing they are registered for work/youth training.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give for the last five years for which figures are available the number of claims for severe hardship payments which have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful following review of an unsuccessful claim.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many YT trainees living away from home receive an income support top-up.
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Child Support Agency
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security pursuant to his answer of 2 February, Official Report , columns 820 21, if he will list the sub-headings under which the Child Support Agency reports monthly performance to Ministers on (a) targets, (b) recovery plan implementation and (c) other issues.
Mr. Burt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Frank Field, dated 17 February 1995:
I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the sub headings under which the Child Support Agency returns data to Ministers.
The sub-headings are as follows:
a) Targets; maintenance arrangements, accuracy of assessments, benefit savings, age of cases, speed of clearance, maintenance collected, fees received, and milestones (for example improving information systems).
b) Recovery Plan Implementation; generic Child Support Agency (CSAC), improved management information systems, extending information technology (IT) to Field offices, centralisation of CSAC telephone services, improved IT effectiveness, improved key processes, recruitment and deployment of additional staff, centralisation of appeals, reduced intake, Parliamentary business improvements, and review of operational accounting.
c) Other issues; specialist tracing, paternity, requirement to co-operate, and special payments.
I hope this is of help.
TREASURY
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report , column 595, how many appointments to public positions have been made by his Department in the last year.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 15 February 1995]: Some 84 appointments were made in 1994.
European Central Bank
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the United Kingdom has agreed
Column 875
to pay towards the establishment costs of the European central bank and what is the value of this sum in pounds sterling; and what legal requirement there was for the United Kingdom to make this contribution under the provisions on monetary union in the treaty of Maastricht;(2) if he will make a statement about the basic purpose of the proposed European central bank;
(3) under what legislative provision he intends to make a payment towards the establishment costs of the European central bank; and if the decision will be subject to the approval of the Houses of Parliament.
Mr. Nelson: The UK has made no contribution towards the establishment of a European central bank. Nor would any contribution by any member state be made unless there were a decision to move to stage 3 of EMU as set out article 1091(1) of the EC treaty. The objectives and tasks of a European system of central banks--comprising the ECB and the member states' national central banks--and the arrangements for subscribing capital, are set out in articles 2 and 6, and 28 to 29, of the protocol on the statute of the ESCB and of the ECB, annexed to the EC treaty.
Cuba (Debt)
Sir Thomas Arnold: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is Cuba's external public debt; and how much is owning to Her Majesty's Government or agencies thereof.
Mr. Nelson: We have no reliable estimate of Cuba's total external public debt. The OECD estimates Cuba's total external debt at $35 billion-- end 1993.
A total of £54.6 million is currently owed to HMG under four bilateral debt rescheduling agreements. A further £17.1 million, plus late interest, remains outstanding under contracts insured by HMG through the Exports Credits Guarantee Department.
Government Expenditure
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral answer of 2 February, Official Report, column 1200, if he will give a break down of the identifiable Government expenditure per head in 1993 94 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Mr. Aitken: A detailed breakdown of the identifiable Government expenditure per head in 1993 94 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be published in the statistical supplement to the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995 96" on 24 February 1995.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Advertising
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total expenditure on all forms of advertising by his Department and its agencies for each year since its establishment in 1994 prices.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 13 February 1995]: The estimated annual spend, in 1994 prices, on all forms of advertising for my Department and its two agencies is shown in the following table.
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|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
|£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------
DNH |<1>32,902|37,539 |14,388
Historic Royal Palaces |548,299 |710,750 |527,238
The Royal Parks |<2>- |244 |15,827
Notes:
<1> DNH took on responsibility for its own expenditure in
August 1992 and this figure represents the period August 1992
to March 1993.
<2> The Royal Parks was established as an agency in 1 April
1993.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Zaire
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much food is currently needed for the Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire; and how much is currently being delivered.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 16 February 1995]: Emergency food needs for Rwandan and Burundian refugees in Goma, Bukavu and Uvira in eastern Zaire are estimated by the World Food Programme to be 24,200 metric tons per month. Approximately 26,000 metric tons of food was delivered to the camps in January 1995. This supplemented stocks of approximately 5,000 metric tons already available in the camps at the beginning of the year.
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what difficulties are being experienced by the World Food Programme in crossing Rwandan territory on their way to Rwandan refugees in Zaire.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 16 February 1995]: We understand that the Rwandan authorities are imposing limits on axle loads at Gatuna on the Uganda/Rwanda border and are delaying trucks crossing at Gisenyi on the Rwanda/Zaire border. The World Food Programme is currently in discussion with the Rwandan authorities to try to resolve these matters.
WALES
Cycling Accidents
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many accidents between cyclists and pedestrians occurred in 1994; and how many prosecutions there were for cycling on the footway.
Mr. Redwood: Road accident data is not yet available for the whole of 1994. Provisional data shows that there were seven accidents between cyclists and pedestrians in Wales between January and September 1994. Details of prosecutions for cycling on the footway during 1994 are not yet available.
Rail Freight
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (i) what grants are available for rail freight infrastructure development in Wales; and how much was given for each year since 1990; (ii) what incentives are currently offered for freight users to use rail as opposed to road transportation.
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Mr. Redwood: The freight facilities grant scheme provides financial assistance towards the cost of providing rail freight facilities. This is an environmental grant available from the Welsh Office to encourage firms to take heavy lorries off the roads. Grant assistance of up to 50 per cent. of the capital costs of rail freight equipment is available although schemes of exceptional environmental benefit may attract a higher rate. The amount of grant paid since 1990 is as follows:
|£ million
------------------------------
1990-91 |nil
1991-92 |nil
1992-93 |0.4
1993-94 |0.7
1994-95 |1.6
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if stone may be transported from the Tonfanau quarry into England by train using the Cambrian line; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: I understand from the railway operators that while it is technically feasible to transport stone on the line, the track will not bear high axle weights and loading figures would be poor. Rail sidings which would also be required may be eligible for assistance under the Department's rail freight facilities grant scheme.
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action has been taken to employ load-spreading techniques on trains and tracks in Wales since 1990.
Mr. Redwood: I understand that British Rail has not used such techniques.
I hope that the privatised freight companies will consider all technologies which will enable them to expand the opportunities for attracting more freight off the roads.
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals or plans he has to improve rail freight services in Wales.
Mr. Redwood: Freight services in Wales will benefit by measures provided for under the Railways Act 1993. These include improved rail freight grants, the transfer of freight services to the private sector and open access to the network for private operators. In addition, the Welsh Development Agency has been asked to consider providing a rail freight option at industrial estates, wherever practicable.
Rail Infrastructure
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what infrastructure work is currently being done on Welsh railways.
Mr. Redwood: Infrastructure works are an operational issue for Railtrack, which has a programme of investment to maintain and improve the quality of the rail infrastructure in Wales.
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