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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 9 March 1995
ENVIRONMENT
Non-human Primates
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many non-human primates are imported to the United Kingdom annually; from which nation sources; which species are involved; and what information is held about distribution throughout the country.
Sir Paul Beresford: All species of primate are listed in the appendices to the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and are therefore subject to the import/export licensing controls contained in the convention, which is implemented throughout the European Union under regulations 3626/82 and 3418/83. In 1994, 1,999 live primates were recorded as imports to the UK under the CITES regulations. The species and countries of origin involved are shown in the table. The Department does not keep comprehensive information about the distribution of imported specimens within the UK as this is not required by CITES for most of the specimens concerned.
|Number |Country of
Species |imported |origin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Golden lion Tamarin |2 |Hong Kong
(Leontopithecus rosalia) |3 |Japan
Chacma baboon |7 |South Africa
(Papio hamadryas ursinus)
Olive baboon |55 |Kenya
(Papio hamadryus anubis)
Crab-eating macaque |989 |Mauritius
(Macaca fascicularis) |431 |Philippines
|234 |Israel
|40 |China
Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) |191 |China
|40 |USA
Cotton-top tamarin |4 |Japan
(Saguinus oedipus)
Owl-faced monkey |1 |Zaire
(Cercopithecus hamlyni)
Pileated gibbon |1 |Switzerland
(Hylobates pileatus)
Black howler monkey |1 |USA
(Alouatta caraya)
Local Government Finance
Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment what are his proposals for removing the current restrictions which apply to certain local authorities in the exercise of their economic development powers; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry: I have today laid before the House new regulations which will have the effect of removing from 1 April 1995 the current £10,000 limit on the amount of financial assistance which certain local authorities are able to provide to individual businesses each year under their economic development powers. All local authorities in England will now be free to decide, having regard to all their local circumstances including the resources available to them, the amount of any financial assistance which they provide to businesses.
British Gas
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions there have been with British Gas about grant aid and the development of Foleshill gas work site; if he will make a statement.
Sir Paul Beresford: I understand that British Gas has reached agreement with English Partnerships about the grant required to develop phase 1 of the site and that a survey will be completed this month for British Gas to establish ground conditions on phase 2 of the site. A formal submission to the board of English Partnerships will be made shortly after that about the offer of a grant to British Gas.
Radioactive Waste
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make a submission to the European Commission under article 34 of the Euratom treaty in respect to the planned first shipment of high-level radioactive waste from Sellafield to Japan.
Mr. Atkins: None. Article 34 of the Euratom treaty relates to particularly dangerous experiments which are to take place in the territories of member states. The article will not apply to shipments of radioactive wastes from the UK, which will always comply with internationally agreed safety requirements.
Sickness Absenteeism
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to combat sickness absenteeism in (a) Ordnance Survey, (b) the Planning Inspectorate and (c) his Department.
Sir Paul Beresford: Line managers are required to monitor the level of sick leave taken by their staff and to take action where this gives cause for concern. Continuing failure to achieve the required standard of attendance can lead to medical retirement or dismissal. Where officers require help, the services of the welfare division are available. We can also call on specialist counselling services, and the civil service occupational health service to provide advice.
The Department has also hosted exhibitions and publicised events such as the Health Education Authority's "Look After Your Heart" campaign, together with a health screening programme.
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Office of Water Services
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will permit Ofwat to make appropriate charges when asked to give advice in other countries on water privatisation and the role of the regulator; and if he will make a statement on the basis on which charges are permitted.
Sir Paul Beresford: I understand that Ofwat, as an independent non- ministerial Government Department, follows the normal Treasury accounting guidance on charging practices for Government Departments.
Bathing Water Directive
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will oppose a review and upgrading of the bathing water directive, as proposed by the European Commission.
Sir Paul Beresford: Our objective in the forthcoming negotiations on the Commission's proposal will be to ensure that the revised bathing water directive concentrates on essential quality and health parameters, is cost- effective, based on up-to-date science and meets the requirements of subsidiarity.
South West Water
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the projected cost of the reference by South West Water to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, following the limits imposed by Ofwat on water charging in the south-west.
Sir Paul Beresford: The costs of the reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of the determinations in respect of South West Water Services Ltd. will be borne by that company, in accordance with the terms of its appointment, but these costs cannot be taken into account in setting price limits. The MMC cannot at this stage estimate with any accuracy what those costs will be.
TREASURY
Bank of England Profits
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much profit has been made by the Bank of England in each of the last four years; and what happens to such profits.
Mr. Nelson: The profits of the banking department of the Bank of England for the last four years were:
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
|£ million |£ million |£ million |£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|161.8 |166.2 |88.3 |120.2
The profits were
accounted for
as follows:
(i) |Tax |18.1 |30.9 |12.1 |24.4
(ii) |Paid to the Treasury|81.5 |67.7 |38.1 |48.4
(iii) |Retained by the Bank|62.2 |67.6 |38.1 |47.4
In addition, the profits of the Bank's issue department from the issue of bank notes, which were all paid to the Treasury were:
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
|£ million|£ million|£ million|£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|2,546 |1,875 |1,556 |1,117
This information is published in the Bank's annual report and accounts, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
Career Breaks
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men and (b) women applied for career breaks in his Department or its agencies; and how many have had their employment terminated in the last five years.
Mr. Nelson: Figures relating to the number of staff who applied for career breaks over the last five years are unavailable. The number of staff from my Departments and agencies on career breaks during the period requested is 100 men and 2,224 women.
The total number of staff from my Departments who have had their employment terminated in the last five years is 438. No staff on a career break had his or her employment terminated.
Import Penetration
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of the last three increases in interest rates on import penetration.
Mr. Nelson: Import penetration depends on a variety of factors, including price competitiveness, domestic demand and capacity. Recent increases in interest rates were aimed at ensuring permanently low inflation and sustainable economic growth, thereby providing a stable climate within which British industry can compete successfully in both domestic and overseas markets.
Tourism
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the numbers of jobs (a) lost or (b) gained by changes in the balance of payments in tourism between 1976 and 1993.
Mr. Nelson: HM Treasury has made no such estimate.
Convergence Programme
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to update the convergence programme produced by the United Kingdom in February 1994.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: A revised convergence programme is today being submitted to the European Commission. Copies of the programme are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Incapacity Benefit
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances it is envisaged that
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people receiving incapacity benefit will be taxed at source; and how many people he estimates this will effect.Sir George Young [holding answer 3 March 1995]: It is estimated that there will be over 300,000 new recipients of incapacity benefit in 1995 96, of whom about 200,000 are expected to have an income tax liability. Tax will be deducted under pay-as-you-earn in one of two ways. For most recipients--who have some taxable income other than their benefit--tax will be deducted by adjusting the tax code applied to that other source. For those who do not have another source of taxable income-- about 10,000 recipients--tax will be deducted from their benefit by the Benefits Agency.
Disability Living Allowance
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of raising the personal allowance by an amount equivalent to the blind person's allowance for people receiving disability living allowance at a rate equal to, or greater than, the middle rate of the care component of that allowance.
Sir George Young [holding answer 3 March 1995]: The estimated revenue cost in 1994 95 of such a change is £20 million.
Allowances
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people currently receive (a) the married couple's allowance, (b) the additional person's allowance, (c) the widow's bereavement allowance and (d) the blind person's allowance.
Sir George Young [holding answer 3 March 1995]: Latest estimates are in the table:
Numbers benefiting from allowances in 1994-95
|Thousands
--------------------------------------------------
Married couple's allowance<1> |10,500
Additional personal allowance |750
Widow's bereavement allowance |120
Blind person's allowance |30
<1> Number of married couples with one or both
partners benefiting.
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if related allowances such as the adult and child dependency allowance will be treated as part of the income of the recipient of incapacity benefit once the benefit becomes taxable; and in how many of these cases taxing the recipient of incapacity benefit will render that person eligible for income support.
Sir George Young [holding answer 3 March 1995]: Incapacity benefit, including age-related additions and adult dependency increases, paid to new claimants after 13 April 1995, will be liable to income tax. Child dependency increases will not be liable to income tax. It is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the number of recipients of incapacity benefit with an income tax liability who will be eligible for income support, as a result of taxing the recipient.
Financial Institutions
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if all individual traders in City financial
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institutions are required to have individual trading position limits set by their institutions, under Bank of England regulations, or under other regulations.Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: Both the Bank and the Securities and Futures Authority require the management of relevant institutions to have limits on overall trading positions and, where appropriate, to monitor and record exposures against them.
Barings
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral statement on Barings of 27 February, Official Report , column 693, what he has to add to his statement in respect of his comment that the unauthorised derivative positions in Barings Singapore were built up in a matter of days; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: I have nothing to add to what my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House on Monday 27 February. He has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the responsibilities of Mrs. Lisa Leeson within the back office of Barings Singapore; and if they included the settlement of derivative trades undertaken by traders within Barings Singapore.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: This is a matter for Barings.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the trading limits imposed upon Mr. Nick Leeson of Barings Singapore by Barings.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: None at the moment, but as my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House on Monday 27 February, he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the dates on which the large unauthorised derivative positions build up recently by a trader at Barings in Singapore first became known to (a) Barings managers in Singapore, (b) Barings managers in the far east, (c) staff in the London office, (d) Barings management in London, (e) staff at the Bank of England, (f) staff at Her Majesty's Treasury, (g) the Governor of the Bank of England, (h) himself and (i) the Prime Minister.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: I do not have the information on (a) to (d) . For (e) to (i) the date in each case was Friday 24 February.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what occasions Barings London treasury department, or any other entity within Barings London, arranged funding for any of the recent unauthorised derivative positions initiated by a trade at Barings in Singapore;
(2) on what date a team of staff from Barings in London flew to Singapore to investigate the large derivative positions which were recently taken by a trade in Barings Singapore and which resulted in the collapse of the bank.
Mr. Nelson [holding answers 6 March 1995]: As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the
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Exchequer told the House on Monday 27 February, he has asked the Board of Banking Supervision to investigate fully and urgently all aspects of the Barings episode and to report back to him.Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations exist to control the percentage of contract open interest which may be accounted for by any one trader or entity, on the futures exchanges in (a) London, (b) Tokyo, (c) Singapore and (d) Chicago; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 6 March 1995]: The answers are as follows:
London :
there are no limits on the open positions that may be taken by persons dealing on recognised investment exchanges in London. Transactions on the London, International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, LIFFE, the London Commodity Exchange, LCE, the International Petroleum Exchange, IPE, and the London Metal Exchange, LME, are cleared through members of the London Clearing House, LCH, which regularly monitors its members' margin requirements against their capital. The LCH and the four exchanges also monitor large positions of their members at contract level. The OMLX exchange carries out a daily position and margin review of all its members. Chicago :
two US futures exchanges based in Chicago are recognised as overseas investment exchanges under the Financial Services Act 1986. They are supervised by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission whose regulations have included provisions for limits on open positions for a number of years.
Tokyo and Singapore :
there are no exchanges operating in these centres which are recognised as overseas investment exchanges under the Financial Services Act 1986. Questions about the regulations applying to exchanges in these centres should be addressed to the relevant authorities.
Civil Service
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he has taken to create a more efficient, modernised civil service without demoralising the staff with job insecurity and a reduction of living standards.
Sir George Young [holding answer 8 March 1995]: "The Civil Service--Continuity and Change", Cm 2627, and "The Civil Service--Taking Forward Continuity and Change", Cm 2748, explain what measures have been taken, and will be taken, to create a more efficient civil service; emphasise the Government's intention to deal with staff reductions on a voluntary basis wherever possible; and make clear the Government's commitment to maintaining a predominantly career civil service, committed to the training and development of all staff, and to effective communication to maintain morale. In addition, the recent consultation paper "Better Accounting for the Taxpayer's Money: Resource Accounting and Budgeting in Government", Cm 2626, proposes potentially far reaching changes in the way Government Departments budget and account for all the resources they consume, and what they achieve with those resources, as part of the Government's commitment to improve the way that the public sector manages itself.
Tobacco Products (Distance Selling)
Ms Primarolo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking to prevent the promotion and
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distribution of tobacco products through distance selling; what measures are being or will be taken to publicise the penalties for engaging in this trade; and how many companies have been prosecuted for distance selling of tobacco products.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 8 March 1995]: Distance selling, in which duty is paid in the country of destination, is a recognised legitimate activity for which provision has been made in EC legislation, which is implemented in United Kingdom legislation in the Excise Goods (Holding, Movement, Warehousing and REDS) Regulations 1992. Certain schemes which are being marketed as distance selling are being investigated by HM Customs and Excise as tax avoidance devices.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Sudan
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on recent British initiatives to assist the peace process in Sudan; (2) when the next round in the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development talks on Sudan is expected to take place; (3) what proposals are being considered at the United Nations to increase the pressure on all sides in the Sudanese war to find a peaceful solution.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We believe that the IGADD peace initiative offers the best hope of a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan. We are in regular contact with the parties involved in the initiative and are encouraging them to negotiate in good faith. Consultations between the parties are continuing. No date for the next round of talks has yet been set.
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the progress of the CFE treaty implementation and (b) the prospects for implementation of all the obligations by all signatories by the November 1995 deadline.
Mr. David Davis: So far, progress on CFE treaty implementation has been good, with almost all states achieving the required 60 per cent. target by 16 November 1994. We are actively addressing outstanding problems and hope that the treaty will be fully implemented by all states at November 1995.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the number and the types of CFE treaty limited equipment which have yet to be destroyed in all CFE signatory states.
Mr. David Davis: The information is in the following table.
At November 1994, the following equipment had yet to be destroyed by CFE signatory states:
|Armoured
Country |Battle tanks |Combat vehicles |Artillery |Attack helicopters|Combat aircraft
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armenia |- |159 |- |- |-
Azerbaijan |216 |727 |103 |- |-
Belarus |570 |434 |- |- |50
Bulgaria |317 |92 |162 |- |40
Czech Rep |132 |98 |147 |- |-
Denmark |58 |- |- |- |-
France |- |171 |- |16 |-
Germany |253 |810 |402 |- |-
Greece |400 |- |202 |- |-
Hungary |193 |- |70 |- |-
Italy |53 |220 |82 |18 |-
Norway |24 |- |- |- |-
Poland |380 |- |281 |- |7
Romania |636 |421 |981 |- |31
Russia |1,041 |897 |2 |39 |312
Slovakia |173 |74 |271 |- |2
Spain |26 |- |24 |- |-
Turkey |424 |- |48 |- |-
Ukraine |728 |321 |- |- |226
United Kingdom |62 |10 |- |- |-
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Russian request for a revision of the CFE treaty.
Mr. David Davis: Russia has called for revision of article V of the CFE treaty, which sets limits on the amount of treaty limited equipment in the northern and southern flank regions. We have urged Russia to use the flexibility within the treaty to meet her security concerns. We have also, with our NATO allies, stressed the importance of full implementation of the treaty's provisions.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the consequences of the Belarus decision to halt the destruction of weapons requested by the CFE treaty.
Mr. David Davis: We are most concerned by Belarus's announcement, which, if implemented, would have potentially serious consequences for the CFE treaty. We and other NATO allies have strongly urged Belarus to resume its destruction programme. We are also considering what assistance we might provide to help Belarus to fulfil its reduction obligations by the November 1995 deadline.
Intergovernmental Conference
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the British Government will be pursuing the issue of an enhanced role for national Parliaments in contributing towards the accountability of EU institutions at the
intergovernmental conference.
Mr. David Davis: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 1 March:
"we shall present a range of our ideas at the conference...We shall set out ways of achieving a stronger role for national Parliament".--[ Official Report, 1 March 1995; Vol. 255, c. 1063.]
Ivory Coast
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the human rights situation in the Ivory Coast;
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and if he will publish the representations made to the Government of the Ivory Coast.Mr. Baldry [holding answer 6 March 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to his question of 10 January, column 59 . Code d'Ivoire is a multi-party democracy with functioning human rights institutions. The Ivorian authorities are well aware of the importance attached internationally to full respect for human rights.
EDUCATION
Sickness Absenteeism
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures she is taking to combat sickness absenteeism in (a) the Teachers Pensions Agency and (b) her Department.
Mr. Boswell: Sickness absence in the Department, including the Teachers Pensions Agency, is monitored and reported monthly to heads of branch. Referrals are made to personnel and welfare officers when an individual's sick leave totals give cause for concern. In addition, the Department is about to launch an initiative to (a) remind staff of the procedures to follow if they are sick and (b) encourage line managers through briefings and training to take a leading role in managing sickness absence firmly but fairly.
North Yorkshire County Council
Mr. Robert Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the number of employees in the education department of North Yorkshire county council in each of the last 15 years.
Mr. Robin Squire: The employment of individuals in the education department of North Yorkshire county council is a matter for North Yorkshire local education authority. The Department does not collect such information.
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SCOTLAND
Incentive Prescribing Schemes
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on the introduction of incentive prescribing schemes for non- fundholding practices; which health boards have incentive prescribing schemes already in place or definitely due to start on 1 April and how many practices and list patients will be covered.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The indicative prescribing scheme, introduced in April 1992, allows for incentive prescribing schemes to operate in each health board area. To date, no applications from health boards have been formally approved under the indicative prescribing scheme to set up incentive prescribing schemes.
Allowances
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the (i) salary, honorarium or allowance payable to and (ii) number of days, or part days, on a weekly average devoted to the performance of public duties by (a) the chairman and members of Scottish Homes board, (b) the chairman and members of Argyll and Clyde health board, (c) the chairman and members of the Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS trust, (d) the chairman and members of the RAH trust, (e) the leader of Strathclyde regional council, (f) the chairpersons of committees of Strathclyde regional council, (g) other members of Strathclyde regional council, (h) the leader of Renfrew district council, (i) the conveners of committees of Renfrew district council and (j) other members of Renfrew district council; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Details of allowances paid to individual members of local authorities are not held centrally. Each authority decides on its own scheme within the requirements of the Local Authorities Etc. (Allowances) (Scotland) Regulations 1991, as amended. Details of payments made to individuals are available for inspection by local electors at the appropriate council offices on request.
The information requested for the chairman and members of the other bodies is provided in the table.
|
|£ |commitment
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scottish Homes
Chairman |38,330 |3 days per week
Members |6,600 |2 days per month
Argyll and Clyde Health Board
Chairman |17,700 per annum |2-3 days per week
Non-executive
members |5,000 per annum |3 days per month
Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Chairman |19,285 per annum |2-3 days per week
Non-executive
directors |5,000 per annum
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Chairman |17,145 per annum |2-3 days per week
Non-executive
directors |5,000 per annum |3 days per month
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what items of correspondence were received by Ministers in his Department from Messrs. Ian Greer Associates in the last month.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 28 February 1995]: None.
Forestry Commission
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will review the decision to keep closed until 2006 the Forestry Commission file No. F43/454 at the Public Record Office.
Sir Hector Monro: The file is now available for inspection by the general public at the Public Record Office.
Abattoirs
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many abattoirs there were in 1993 and 1994; and how many of these met European Community standards.
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