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Still-Born Babies
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to establish statutory guidelines with respect to transportation of still-born babies and foetuses between hospitals for pathological examinations and for the establishment of minimum standards on use of specialised containers, dedicated vehicles and drivers and other matters.
Mr. Redwood: I am at present considering the matter.
School Class Sizes
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many children in Wales are currently in classes of more than 30 children; and if he will give the numbers for each local education authority.
Mr. Richards: Information on primary school pupil numbers is not held centrally in the form requested. Some information on the size of registered classes in primary schools in each local education authority area is shown in table 3.04 of "Statistics of Education in Wales: Schools No 2, 1994", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Tables 4.15, 4.16 and 4.17 of the same publication show details of pupil numbers by size of class in secondary schools.
Grant-Maintained Schools
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the grant-maintained schools in Wales giving their total budgets together with the capital and revenue allocations made by him in each year since becoming grant maintained.
Mr. Richards: The main recurrent grant for GM schools is annual maintenance grants. In addition to this, GM schools also receive transitional grants to help meet the transitional costs of school's newly approved for GM status, special purpose grants to help with a variety of activities, and capital grants. Details of the budgets allocated to GM schools, broken down between revenue and capital, are as follows:
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1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95<1>
School |Revenue |Capital |Revenue |Capital |Revenue |Capital |Revenue |Capital
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryn Elian |- |- |- |- |485,753 |6,285 |1,728,982|160,000
Derwen |- |- |- |- |187,104 |8,447 |266,160 |97,632
Eirias |- |- |- |- |1,437,715|18,655 |2,377,713|280,000
Emrys ap Iwan |- |- |675,534 |7,695 |2,572,873|1,502,114|2,600,799|315,726
Maelor |- |- |- |- |1,299,960|776,172 |1,256,667|460,241
Pen-y-Bryn |- |- |- |- |262,174 |9,228 |404,731 |45,096
Brynmawr |- |- |786,883 |156,068 |1,357,858|1,440,649|1,391,797|680,042
Cwmcarn |517,899 |- |857,744 |60,944 |911,486 |405,620 |954,412 |265,853
Our Lady and St. Michaels |- |- |- |- |128,140 |3,850 |369,555 |190,000
St. Albans |- |- |- |- |411,915 |5,610 |1,435,871|598,846
Caergeiliog |- |- |- |- |435,543 |15,360 |409,665 |337,230
Llanerfyl |- |- |- |- |66,572 |6,837 |77,233 |85,831
Mary Immaculate |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,543,300|-
St. Cyres |- |- |- |- |808,996 |9,610 |3,192,764|432,000
Stanwell |- |- |- |- |2,222,422|1,159,664|2,431,228|1,934.065
Bishop Vaughan |583,235 |- |2,220,813|292,260 |2,523,603|827,650 |2,416,363|510,171
<1> 1994-95 figures are provisional.
Revenue figures include annual maintenance grant, transitional, and special purpose grants.
Private Sector Institutions
flag Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the legal status of (a)
grant-maintained schools and (b) universities and colleges as private sector institutions.
Mr. Richards: Grant-maintained schools are classified as private sector institutions by the Central Statistical Office according to its criteria for the purpose of national income accounts. Universities and colleges which receive funding from the higher and further education funding councils for Wales are independent autonomous bodies in the private sector. These are publicly funded institutions and are subject to public law--that is, their decisions are subject to review by the courts.
Welsh Health Common Services Authority
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of the Touche Ross feasibility study on the sale of the Estatecare division of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority; what is the deadline for the preparation of documents and decisions on the sale procedure; and if the sale will be advertised (a) throughout the European Community and (b) will be in accordance with the Public Services Contracts Regulations 1993 and the EC supply and services directive.
Mr. Redwood: The report has been commissioned by the authority for its own use. The exercise is expected to be completed during the next financial year in accordance with all relevant statutory requirements.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision he had made for the market-testing of (a) the work carried out by the whole of the Estatecare group of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority and (b) its constituent parts; what procedures he has put in place for ensuring the equal comparison between public sector and private sector bids for the work; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: This is currently being considered by the authority which expects to report to me in April.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultation he has had with the health trusts and authorities in Wales with respect to the pros and cons of (a) market-testing and (b) outright sale of the Estatecare branch of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority; if he will make arrangements for publication of the views of those consulted on the modus operandi for preparation for sale; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: None. The authority is considering options in discussion with the relevant NHS bodies.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the names of those on the project board charged with following the instructions in relation to the
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preparation for sale of the Estatecare group of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.Mr. Redwood: The project board set up to advise WHCSA on the feasibility of privatising the Estatecare group includes:
Mr. K. C. White, non-executive member, WHCSA (chairman)
Mr. Colin Hughes Davies, chairman, Glan Hafren NHS trust Mr. E. F. Lloyd Fitzhugh, chairman, Gofal Cymuned Clwydian Community Care NHS trust
Mr. A. Beddow, chief executive, West Glamorgan health authority Mr. N. Kirk, chief executive, WHCSA
Mr. J. I. Cook, managing director Estatecare Group
Mr. L. V. Wood, chief executive, Gofal Cymuned Clwydian community care NHS trust
Mr. E. Kinsella, chief executive, Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS trust
Mr. R. Wheeldon, director of facilities, Swansea NHS trust Mr. R. Badman, director of development and facilities, University Hospital of Wales and Cardiff Royal Group
Mr. S. Fletcher, chief executive, Pembrokeshire NHS trust Mr. R. C. Williams, Welsh Office (observer)
Mr. D. Simpson, project manager, WHCSA
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision he has made for the employees of the Estatecare group of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority to be allowed financial, accountancy and legal assistance for a management led employee buyout.
Mr. Redwood: This is a matter for the authority.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision he will make to ensure a continuation of the independent steriliser testing services of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority in the event of a successful sale of the Estatecare division of Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
Mr. Redwood: This will be taken into account at the appropriate time.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many inquiries there have been to date with a view to possible purchase of the Estatecare division of Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
Water Charges
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) when he expects to reply to the letter dated 4 November 1994 entitled "Charges for household water customers in Wales" from the managing director of Welsh Water plc;
(2) what consultations he has had with the Director General of Water Services concerning the contents of the letter from the managing director of Welsh Water dated 4 November 1994 and entitled "Charges for household
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water customers in Wales"; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Redwood: I have not consulted the director general on the issues raised by Dwr Cymru. The company's views have however been taken into account by the Government during their considerations, the outcome of which will be announced in due course. At that time, Dwr Cymru will be advised of the Government's conclusions.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with water consumers, consumer organisations and the Welsh Consumer Council concerning the order of preferences of (a) council tax bands, (b) standard annual licence and (c) universal compulsory metering as the main basis for charging for domestic water and sewerage services after 2000; if he will issue the details of a formal programme of consultation on this issue; and what representations he has had in relation to the use of compulsory water metering in (i) new properties and (ii) old properties with renewed water mains.
Mr. Redwood: I have not undertaken any such formal consultations. However, I have from time to time received representations on water charges and the use of compulsory metering from various organisations and individuals.
W. S. Atkins and Partners
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, Official Report , column 707 , if the decision not to allow health authorities in Wales to appoint W. S. Atkins and Partners to major new commissions without prior reference to the Department related exclusively to the out-of-court settlement in cognisance of design faults at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor or was additional to the out-of-court settlement in relation to faults in the design of the University hospital in Wales, Cardiff.
Mr. Redwood: The decision not to allow W. S. Atkins and Partners to be appointed to major new contracts without prior agreement was made in the light of the out-of-court settlement involving design faults at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Pupil Teacher Ratios
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement explaining the calculations made to assess pupil- teacher ratios in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, with particular reference to the method used for evaluating part-time pupils and part-time teachers.
Mr. Richards: The same method of calculation applies to both primary and secondary maintained schools. Pupil-teacher ratios within schools are calculated by dividing the number of full-time equivalent pupils by the number of full-time equivalent qualified teachers. The number of full-time pupils is calculated by adding half of the number of part-time pupils to the number of full-time pupils. The number of full-time qualified teachers is calculated by dividing the total hours worked per week by part-time teachers by 32.5--the assumed number of hours in a full
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week in maintained schools--and adding the number of full-time teachers.The schools census held in January each year is the source of all information used in the calculations for PTRs within schools. In the calculation of PTRs, teachers temporarily absent on census day are included; relief teachers taking their place are excluded. Teachers absent for long periods or seconded for other duties are excluded but their replacements are included. Peripatetic teachers are excluded.
Local Government Reform
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will happen to local education authority schools when the county councils disappear in 1996.
Mr. Richards: Responsibility for their maintenance will pass from county councils to unitary authorities.
WDA
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 December, Official Report , column 903 , if he will give details of the further legal and administrative consideration given to the issue of the propriety of participation of the Welsh Development Agency in the underwriting and sub-underwriting of share issues.
Mr. Redwood: I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 19 December, Official Report , column 903 . I have already said that my Department's legal advisers are considering the issue.
Intensive Care Beds
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, Official Report, column 708, what representations he has had from the chairman of the South Glamorgan health authority concerning the staffing requirement of incremental intensive care unit beds at the University hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
Mr. Redwood: None, although the South Glamorgan health authority is currently looking into this issue.
Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the non-departmental public bodies he sponsors have introduce new logos and corporate identities in the last three years; and what consultations he has had with non-departmental public bodies about any future proposals to introduce new corporate identities.
Mr. Redwood: Three non-departmental public bodies have introduced new logos in the last three years--the Cardiff Bay development corporation, the Land Authority for Wales and the Sports Council for Wales. I have had no discussions with NDPBs about proposals for new corporate identities, but I do not favour spending much money on this type of activity. I have asked the WDA to do less corporate advertising and more marketing of Wales as a good investment location.
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DEFENCE
Nuclear Weapons Testing
Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many computer modelled tests have been carried out under the Anglo-American mutual defence agreement, to nuclear weapons or major parts of such weapons by the United States of America for the United Kingdom and vice versa.
Mr. Freeman: Computer modelling is a tool used extensively as part of the design, development and qualification of United Kingdom nuclear weapons. Under the auspices of the US-UK 1958 mutual defence agreement, there is an on-going exchange on techniques and data associated with computer modelling. The Ministry of Defence does not hold a database of every individual computer simulation which has been conducted or discussed with the United States and such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Anglo-French Aero-engine Agreement
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for City of Chester of 19 December 1994, Official Report, column 869, if the cost-sharing arrangements are based on juste retour principles; what is expected to be the expenditure under the memorandum in the next financial year; and if the memorandum excludes missile or missile engine development.
Mr. Freeman: The memorandum of understanding contains a commitment to equitable share of costs and work between the two nations. It is not MOD policy to release financial information which is commercial by sensitive. The arrangement does not apply to any missile engine development.
IMS Export Finance House
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the IMS export finance house was a profitable commercial operation; which enterprise or agency acted as its auditors; and if the National Audit Office had full powers to investigate the operations of IMS export finance house;
(2) what access IMS export finance had to the full rate export finance scheme; and if the terms offered were limited to the terms of the OECD interest rate consensus.
Mr. Freeman: The export finance house set up by International Military Services Ltd. in 1985 proved unable to secure finance house business and was wound up the following year. Consequently, no audit requirement arose.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the existence and financial performance, of IMS export finance house was reported to Parliament.
Mr. Freeman: There was no requirement to report this commercial initiative to Parliament.
Mr. Roy Ricks
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what employment, duties or services were carried out for,
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or on behalf of, his Department or its agencies byMr. Roy Ricks and over which periods of time.Mr. Freeman: So far as can be ascertained, none.
Official Residences
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were (a) the amounts spent on domestic and household staff costs, (b) the number of domestic and household staff and the nature of their duties and (c) the cost of food and drink provided at each residence in each of the last five years in the official service residences in Gibraltar and the United States of America.
Mr. Soames: There is currently one official service residence in Gibraltar and one in the United States of America.
Twelve staff are currently employed in the Gibraltar residence, and four in the residence in Norfolk, Virginia. The duties of these staff include valeting, cleaning, cooking, waiting at table and gardening. Gardening at the Norfolk residence is carried out under contract. Staffing levels have been the same for the last five years. Based on annual capitation rates, the annual staff costs are £175,000 for the Gibraltar residence and £95,000 for United States residence, plus a £5,000 annual gardening contract. Although there have been other OSRs in Gibraltar in the past five years, information on these is not readily available.
Occupants of OSRs pay for food and drink for themselves and their families, and are provided with an entertainment allowance to fund official entertaining. The current annual rates of entertainment allowance for the two posts are £4,870 for the Gibraltar post and £7, 470 for the Norfolk, Virginia post.
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated final cost of the independent investigation into expenditure at Haymes Garth; and what is the estimated cost of the internal audit of expenditure on official service residences generally.
Mr. Soames: The estimated staff cost of the internal audit of expenditure on official service residences is £62,000. The cost of the report by Ms Sheila Masters was some £100,000.
Defence Export Services Organisation
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the value of contracts entered into with the assistance of the Defence Export Services Organisation in each year since 1989; and for each year to date giving the three companies entering into contracts with the highest total value.
Mr. Freeman: The Defence Export Services Organisation has played an important part in increasing defence export orders over the period. British defence equipment manufacturers won export orders worth £3.9 billion in 1989, £4.8 billion in 1990, £3.5 billion in 1991, £5.3 billion in 1992 and £7 billion in 1993. Figures for 1994 are not yet available. It is for individual companies to give details of the value of their contracts.
Military Attache s
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) all the overseas posts for military attache s, (b) the total cost of maintaining the
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posts and (c) the date of the most recent review of the value of military attache s.Mr. Soames: The United Kingdom currently has 126 attache s in 70 countries. A further 65 countries are covered by non-residential accreditations. The countries in which the UK has attache s are as follows:
Capital |Country ----------------------------------------------------------------- Abu Dhabi |UAE Accra |Ghana Algiers (currently based Tunis) |Algeria Amman |Jordan Ankara |Turkey Athens |Greece Bangkok |Thailand Beirut |Lebanon Belgrade |Yugoslavia Berne |Switzerland Bogota |Colombia Bonn |Germany Brasilia |Brazil Bratislava |Slovakia Bridgetown |Barbados Brussels |Belgium Bucharest |Romania Budapest |Hungary Buenos Aires |Argentina Cairo |Egypt Canberra |Australia Caracas |Venezuela Colombo (post closes in July 1995) |Sri Lanka Copenhagen |Denmark Damascus |Syria Dhaka |Bangladesh Dublin |Irish Republic Guatemala City |Guatemala The Hague |Netherlands Harare |Zimbabwe Helsinki |Finland Islamabad |Pakistan Jakarta |Indonesia Kampala |Uganda Kathmandu |Nepal Kiev |Ukraine Kingston |Jamaica Kuala Lumpur |Malaysia Kuwait City |Kuwait Lagos |Nigeria Lisbon |Portugal Madrid |Spain Mexico City |Mexico Moscow |Russia Muscat |Oman Nairobi |Kenya New Delhi |India Nicosia |Cyprus Oslo |Norway Ottawa |Canada Paris |France Peking |China Prague |Czechoslovakia Pretoria |South Africa Rabat |Morocco Riga |Latvia Riyadh |Saudi Arabia Rome |Italy Santiago |Chile Seoul |South Korea Singapore |Singapore Sofia |Bulgaria Stockholm |Sweden Tel Aviv |Israel Tokyo |Japan Vienna |Austria Warsaw |Poland Washington |USA Wellington |New Zealand Zagreb |Croatia
The cost this financial year of pay, allowances and related equipment and support costs for the accredited attache s and their dedicated support staff both overseas and in the UK is £25.7 million. Attache costs are reviewed annually. The most recent independent review of attache s was the Goddard study, which reported in July 1993.
RAF Finningley
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 1 February 1995, Official Report, column 743, if he will set out Hodge and Company's full trading name and address.
Mr. Soames: The information will be provided on completion of the sale.
ENVIRONMENT
Water Charges
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the statutory barriers against water companies using council tax band information for the purposes of developing a charging system.
Mr. Atkins: Local authorities do not have the power to supply information to anyone, other than for council tax purposes. Furthermore, access to the contents of valuation lists may be given only within the terms of section 28 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, that is, to enable a person to establish what is, or has been, the state of a list. Release of such information for any other purpose may be construed as unlawful.
Drigg
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the dates of each seizure and checking of waste consignments to Drigg made by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution since 1990; which of these consignments breached the Drigg authorisation; and if he will give the nature of the breach.
Mr. Atkins: Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has seized waste consigned to Drigg on the following occasions: 1991 March, 1992 two in January and one in October; 1993 October; 1994 one in May and one in December.
All the consignments seized, for which full results are available, conform to the conditions specified in the consignor's and the Drigg site's authorisation with the following exception. In several instances, the presence of trivial quantities of free liquids were detected in the form of paint cans, pressurised aerosols and similar residues in containers. I can confirm, however, that none of the consignments seized has breached the consignment limits in the Drigg site authorisation.
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment where the large sliding door, referred
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to in HMIP's response to Greenpeace's complaint regarding a perceived breach of paragraph 4 of the Drigg authorisation, had been stored between its delivery to Drigg and the Greenpeace entry in July 1994.Mr. Atkins: The large sliding door in question was delivered directly to trench 7 at Drigg, where it remains today. The item was disposed of as low-level radioactive waste under the provisions of the Drigg site authorisation.
Endangered Birds and Animals
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many birds were listed as (a) threatened and (b) subject to limited trade imported into the United Kingdom from (i) Spain, (ii) other EC member states and (iii) non-EC member states in each year since 1987;
(2) how many (a) Hyacinth macaw, (b) Blue-crowned pigeon, (c) Palawan peacock-pheasant and (d) African grey parrots were imported into the United Kingdom from (i) Spain, (ii) other EC member states and (iii) non-EC member states in each year since 1990;
(3) what assessment he has made of Spanish legislation and its enforcement to stop the import of endangered birds and animals into the EC and if he will make a statement.
Sir Paul Beresford: The import of endangered species to Spain should be controlled by EC regulations 3626/82 and 3418/83 which have direct force in all EC member states. Enforcement of these regulations in Spain is the responsibility of the Spanish authorities. The regulation requires all member states to notify the Commission of the implementation measures they have adopted within their area of jurisdiction.
The regulations do not require records of intra-community movements to be kept. Information on imports to the UK from non-EC countries is as follows:
|1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hyacinth macaw |1 |5 |21 |1 |2
Blue-crowned pigeon |- |- |- |- |-
Palawan peacock-pheasant |2 |9 |8 |4 |2
African grey parrot |7,170|5,643|2,638|2,829|1,391
Imports of birds of all species listed as threatened--that is, listed in appendix I of CITES--or subject to limited trade--that is, listed in appendices II or III of CITES--were:
@
|Appendix I |Appendix II/III
----------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |79 |39,672
1988 |79 |108,817
1989 |105 |90,666
1990 |231 |96,236
1991 |192 |79,094
1992 |148 |49,384
1993 |105 |24,804
1994 |60 |21,606
Freedom of the Cities Initiative
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has undertaken into, and what assessment has been made of,
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the freedom of the cities initiative; and if he will make a statement.Sir Paul Beresford: We have no plans for a freedom of the cities initiative.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what statutory impediment there is to designating a new unitary authority as a county council where it is conterminous with a county area, in terms of the allocation of district functions to that authority.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Under section 14(5)(a) of the Local Government Act 1992, I may abolish a local authority whose functions would all vest in another as a result of any structural change or whose area would be abolished or otherwise substantially affected by any recommended boundary change. It follows that where there is an existing district council for an area whose boundaries are not recommended to be changed, and it is proposed to establish unitary local government in that area, I cannot abolish the district council and accordingly I cannot establish a unitary county council for the area.
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