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Column 361
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 24 March 1995
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Exhibitions
Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Zoological Society of London to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Michael J. Martin: I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 22 May to Friday 26 May 1995.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Association for the Prevention of Addiction to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Michael J. Martin: I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July 1995.
ENVIRONMENT
Council Housing, London
Mr. Dunn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the highest number of empty units of accommodation, and the political control of each. [14437]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The 10 London boroughs reporting the highest number of management vacants--dwellings available for letting immediately or after minor repairs--on 1 April 1994 in their 1994 housing investment progamme HIP1 returns, were.
|Number of |Present
|management|political
|vacants |control
------------------------------------------------------
Hackney |2,168 |Labour
Lambeth |799 |Noc
Tower Hamlets |744 |Labour
Greenwich |667 |Labour
Southwark |645 |Labour
Islington |602 |Labour
Lewisham |438 |Labour
Croydon |396 |Labour
Newham |389 |Labour
Barking and Dagenham |364 |Labour
Mr. Dunn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the lowest record on collecting council rents, the cost and percentage owed and the political control of each authority. [14435]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Information on local authority rent arrears is collected from authorities on their housing subsidy claim form returns. The 10 London boroughs with the highest cumulative rent arrears--including arrears for former tenants--as a proportion of rent roll on 31 March 1994, the latest date for which figures are available, are as follows:
|Cumulative arrears|Total cumulative |Present
|as a percentage of|rent arrears |political
|1993-94 rent roll |(£000s) |control
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hackney |36.8 |34,684 |Labour
Haringey |35.4 |22,482 |Labour
Lambeth |23.5 |22,491 |Noc
Ealing |22.5 |14,239 |Labour
Greenwich |22.3 |16,300 |Labour
Southwark |20.6 |26,424 |Labour
Newham |17.7 |10,190 |Labour
Brent |16.6 |8,280 |Noc
Camden |16.0 |12,610 |Labour
Islington |15.8 |15,369 |Labour
Publications
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995 96, (i) including and excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000. [14596]
Sir Paul Beresford [holding answer 17 March 1995]: To supply all the information requested would involve disproportionate expense. The following information is readily available.
Publicity expenditure by my Department, excluding agencies, expressed in 1994 prices, is as follows:
Year ------------------------ 1985-86 |5.4 1986-87 |6.3 1987-88 |6.9 1988-89 |9.3 1989-90 |<1>39.5 1990-91 |8.7 1991-92 |3.0 1992-93 |<2>14.1 1993-94 |13.3 1994-95 |9.7 <1> The figure for 1989-90 includes publicity costs associated with water privatisation. <2> The figures from 1992 include publicity costs associated with the carbon dioxide reduction campaign, "Helping the Earth", and the introduction of the council tax.
The expenditure by my Department and its agencies and public bodies on publications--excluding Property Holdings and its agencies and PSA Services --expressed in 1994 prices, is as follows:
|£ million
---------------------------------------
1985-86 |1.3
1986-87 |1.7
1987-88 |0.8
1988-89 |1.0
1989-90 |1.1
1990-91 |1.2
1991-92 |1.5
1992-93 |1.5
1993-94 |1.4
1994-95 (forecast) |1.7
Notes:
It is not possible to identify readily
any expenditure related to
privatisation within the figures
shown.
Polling and Public Survey Organisations
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the employment of polling or public survey organisations by his Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by his Department, on the values of individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14513]
Sir Paul Beresford [holding answer 20 March 1995]: The Department undertakes a wide range of research activities to assist in meeting its priority aims, as set out in the Department's annual report. In order to achieve this in an efficient and cost-effective manner, the Department employs research organisations on short-term contracts to undertake relevant and necessary public survey work. The main purpose of these surveys is to seek public views on key issues in order to monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of departmental policy. Contracts are awarded on the basis of open competitive tendering, in line with government purchasing procedures.
In the current and previous financial years--that is, 1994 95 to date and 1993 94--the Department commissioned 39 public surveys from a variety of research bodies, including market research companies, academic bodies and commercial organisations. The total value of these contracts was in the order of £2.2 million. The value of individual contracts is a matter of commercial confidentiality.
Allotments
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many spare allotment spaces there are currently (a) in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, (b) in the Ancoats area of Manchester, on Teesside and (d) nationally.
Sir Paul Beresford: Allotments are a matter for the appropriate local authority, and this information is not held centrally. However, my Department is currently funding the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners to conduct a survey of allotment authorities. This aims, within the next two years, to produce statistics on the number of plots, vacancies and waiting lists,
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whether the site is local authority run or self-managed, and details of the site facilities.Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans the Government have to make available information to the unemployed on how to manage allotments and grow their own vegetables. [15260]
Sir Paul Beresford: My Department is this year funding the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners with a grant of £35,000, part of which is designed to help promote allotment gardening and increase the take-up of vacant allotment plots, particularly by the unemployed. NSALG has a number of information leaflets available, including a starter pack for new tenants on how to grow vegetables.
Cabling
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the code of practice being prepared by his Department on cabling will be completed. [15761]
Sir Paul Beresford: The national joint utilities group in producing guidelines to encourage operators of underground services to adopt practices which minimise damage to trees. They will be published shortly.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if a report or survey will be produced on the damage to tree roots that has resulted from cabling. [15762]
Sir Paul Beresford: No. However, the national joint utilities group will shortly publish guidelines to help minimise damage to tree roots by operators of underground services. The guidelines will be reviewed six months after their implementation.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Commonwealth Development Corporation (Indonesia)
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the exact date on which it was decided in principle to set up an office of the Commonwealth Development Corporation in Indonesia; on what exact date it was set up; how many staff it has employed in each year since it was set up; what has been its running costs in each year; what account the Commonwealth Development Corporation takes in its funding arrangements on human rights abuses in Indonesia; and if the Commonwealth Development Corporation has supported projects with implications for the development of East Timor. [15473]
Mr. Goodlad: The CDC representative office in Indonesia was opened in 1971 following ministerial approval in 1970 for CDC to operate in Indonesia. I understand from the CDC that the office has three executive and 10 support staff. Running costs in 1994 were £413,000. Staffing and costs since 1971 have been similar; details for each year could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
When deciding on its programme in particular countries, the Government expect CDC to take account of any decision to suspend other aid programme activities on human rights grounds. This does not arise in Indonesia,
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where we believe there is a good economic and development case for continuing to provide aid.CDC does not have, and has never had, any involvement in East Timor.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial support the Commonwealth Development Corporation has given to projects in Indonesia in each year since 1980; and if he will list the project supported and the cost in each case. [15450]
Mr. Goodlad [holding answer 22 March 1995]: CDC Investments, and projects committed since 1980, are shown in the following tables.
CDC investments in
Indonesia 1980 to
1993-94
|£000s
----------------------
1980 |1,635
1981 |7,535
1982 |6,055
1983 |2,843
1984 |15,473
1985 |1,869
1986 |1,435
1987 |2,829
1987-88 |4,537
1988-89 |4,350
1989-90 |9,707
1990-91 |5,550
1991-92 |10,952
1992-93 |9,041
1993-94 |10,439
Source:
British Aid
Statistics.
Note:
British Aid
Statistics was
published by
financial year from
1992.
|Total CDC
|commitment
|£000
--------------------------------------------------------------------
PT Coklat Ransiki-Cocoa in Irian Jaya |2,287
Nusantara Investment Fund-Development Capital
Fund and Development Project |6,527
PT Semen Andalas-Cement Company |11,608
PT Sumatex-Textiles |2,758
PT BBL Dharmalaa Finance-Finance Leasing
Company |12,821
PT Kewalram-Textiles |4,950
PT Wiraswasta-Lube Oil Recycling |11,149
PT Gunung Raja-Paksi-Steel Rolling Mill |6,081
PT Samudera-Shipping |10,068
PT Tata Anya-Tea Estates |2,451
PT Amerta-Road Materials |940
PT Tasik Raja-Oil Palm Estates |4,000
Smallholder Rubber Development Project |15,000
NES VII-Nuclear Estate and Smallholders
(rubber/oil palm) |19,000
NES IV-Nuclear Estate and Smallholders
(rubber/coconuts) |15,600
PT Cirata-Hydro-electricity |13,000
PT Tubantia Kudus-Yarn Spinning |150
Total |138,390
Some of the loans shown have now been repaid or investments realised. At 31 December 1994, CDC investments in Indonesia totalled £71.8 million in 16 projects.
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Madagascar
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is currently being provided by the United Kingdom Government to the Government of Madagascar to promote sustainable development and the conservation of biodiversity in Madagascar.
Mr. Baldry: Under our joint funding scheme we are providing £385, 000 in support of two World Wide Fund for Nature projects to assist the Government of Madagascar in biodiversity and protected areas management and environmental education. Our bilateral development programme is confined to English language teaching and training awards.
Mr. Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the use of United Kingdom public funds in the Rio Tinto Zinc project to mine for titanium dioxide in southern Madagascar.
Mr. Baldry: No British aid funds are involved in this project.
PRIME MINISTER
Scottish Parliament
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the sources and calculation behind his statement in January on the extra amount that a Scottish Parliament could cost the average Scot. [14917]
The Prime Minister: I have no intention of introducing a Scottish Parliament which would undermine the integrity of the Union and make Scotland the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom. As I said in January, a tax-raising Scottish Parliament able to raise income tax by 3p in the pound could cost the average family on Scottish male average earnings £6 per week. I am arranging for the basis for this calculation to be placed in the House library. Moreover, if identifiable public expenditure in Scotland were to be reduced after the establishment of a Scottish Parliament to the same level per head as the United Kingdom average, the shortfall to be made up by Scottish taxpayers would be equivalent to at least an extra 19p in the pound on income tax. The basis for this calculation is also being placed in House Library.
The proponents of a Scottish Parliament should have calculated the cost to taxpayers in Scotland before they committed themselves to its introduction.
Bank of England
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister whether he will ensure that the replacement for the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England in a senior industrialist or trade unionist who understands manufacturing economy and its needs in competitive industry. [16066]
The Prime Minister: The Government will ensure that the person appointed to this post will be the one best qualified to fill it.
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Scott Report
Mr. Bermingham: To ask the Prime Minister how soon after the publication of the Scott report the minutes of evidence will be available; and if he will make a statement. [16067]
The Prime Minister: The transcripts of the public hearings of Sir Richard Scott's inquiry are available in the House Library and Westminster city library. In addition, Sir Richard Scott has made it clear that he will publish as soon as practicable following the publication of his report as much as possible of the documentary evidence submitted to the inquiry, including witness statements and the questionnaires sent by the inquiry to the witnesses.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Privatisation
Ms Armstrong: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list in respect of each privatisation since 1979, including industries previously located at the Department of Energy, (a) the loss or profit of each company in the five years prior to privatisation and (b) the grants or loans made over the same period. [15352]
Mr. Heseltine: This information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost. Such information as is readily available on the finances of privatised bodies when they were in the public sector can be found in the following published sources:
"The Government's Expenditure Plans", for each of the years up to and including 1989;
The annual "Statistical Supplement to the Autumn Statement", for 1990 to 1992, succeeded for 1993 and 1994 by the "Statistical Supplement to the Financial Statement and Budget Report".
These were published by HMSO as Command Papers and are available in the Library of the House.
Microsoft Corporation
Mr. Allen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft Corporation with particular reference to employment issues. [15526]
Mr. Heseltine: We had a wide-ranging discussion about a number of matters. I would not be prepared to make a public statement about matters discussed in confidence.
Inward Investment
Mr. Legg: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much equity capital has been invested in the United Kingdom since 1990 by (a) EU companies and (b) non-EU companies; [15327]
(2) how much has been invested in the United Kingdom by overseas companies by way of additional loans since 1990. [15324]
Mr. Eggar: The latest available information was published by the Central Statistical Office in table 2.10 of Business Monitor MA4, "Overseas Direct Investment", which is available in the Library of the House. Official statistics do not distinguish between share capital and loan capital.
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Coal Imports
Mr. Ainger: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the tonnage of coal imported into the United Kingdom, and the power stations which used it, in each of the last five years. [15841]
Mr. Page [holding answer 23 March 1995]: The total quantities of coal imported into the United Kingdom and the quantities imported by the major power producers over the past five years were:
|(Thousand tonnes)
|Imports
Year |Total imports |by major power
|producers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990 |14,783 |4,721
1991 |19,611 |7,261
1992 |20,339 |7,568
1993<1> |18,400 |4,508
1994<1> |15,850 |2,889
<1>Figures for 1993 and 1994 are provisional and include a small
element of estimation.
Figures for individual companies are confidential.
EDUCATION
Youth and Community Workers
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial provision will be made to training youth and community workers beyond the current financial year; and if she will make a statement. [15542]
Mr. Boswell: Local education authorities are free to decide on how much they budget for youth and community work and other educational areas from within their more general education budgets.
In 1995 96, an allocation of £1.2 million from the Department's budget for the grants for education support and
training--GEST--programme will be specifically target training in youth and community work. The GEST programme accounts for less than 2 per cent. of overall LEA expenditure.
Through the funding councils the Department also funds higher and further education institutions which provide youth and community worker training.
Youth Service Unit
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role is projected for her Department's youth service unit beyond 1995. [15541]
Mr. Boswell: The youth service unit's principal role will be to assist in discharging the objective for the youth service described in the Department's document "Better Education for All", which is to support statutory and voluntary youth service providers in promoting the personal and social education of young people.
Prescriptions (Students)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask (1) the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students in the last year for which figures are available are eligible for free prescriptions. [15950]
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(2) the Secretary of State for Health at what stage the Prescription Pricing Authority regarded a student loan as income when deciding on a claimant's eligibility for free prescriptions. [15952]Mr. Malone: I have been asked to reply.
Student loans have been an integral element of the provision made from public funds for student support since September 1990. Since that day they have been taken into account as income when assessing students' entitlement to help through the national health service low-income scheme. In 1993 94, around 308,000 low-income scheme claims were made by students, of which about 60 per cent. resulted in entitlement to free prescriptions.
TRANSPORT
Rail Services, Carshalton and Wallington
Mr. Forman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to franchise rail services serving the constituency of Carshalton and Wallington in the current Parliament; and what guarantees he can give about the safety, frequency and reliability of the services. [15270]
Mr. Watts: The Franchising Director proposes to issue invitations to tender for the Network SouthCentral franchise later this year. He aims to let the franchise by April 1996. The passenger service requirement for the franchise will specify, among other things, the frequency of trains to be operated and maximum journey times. The Franchising Director will monitor operators' performance regularly and he will be able to impose penalties if the passenger service requirement is not delivered. The Rail Regulator requires train operators to have a validated safety case before he will issue a licence to operate.
Road Schemes, North-west
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff currently employed in the Highways Agency are being re-deployed to the roads programme directorate in Birmingham to provide local knowledge of schemes in the north-west. [15664]
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 24 March 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff currently employed in the Highways Agency are being re-deployed to the Roads Programme Directorate in Birmingham to provide local knowledge of schemes in the North West.
We are keeping the Directorate's Northern Operations Division in Manchester, therefore our oversight of the preparation and design of major improvements to trunk roads in the North West will not change location.
As part of our total restructuring package we asked staff to indicate their preferences for future location and type of work. Many wished to stay working in the same location and are likely to stay on the same work.
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Supervision of construction is being brought together in Birmingham and 3 staff presently based in Manchester are to be transferred with that work.None of our restructuring and reorganisation affects the terms of employment of either firms of consultants or local authorities who are designing the schemes or acting as engineers to the contracts.
Airport Safety
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if individual airports are permitted to carry out self-assessment on the need for arrestor beds; [15776]
(2) if the Civil Aviation Authority has reviewed the potential safety hazards beyond current runway and safety areas and determined the need for ground arrestor systems at Plymouth airport in accordance with recommendation 94-15 of the air accidents branch; [15775]
(3) if he will make a statement regarding the progress being made by the Civil Aviation Authority to implement recommendation 94-15 of the air accident branch report on the accident for Cessna 550 Citation II at Southampton Eastleigh airport on 26 May 1993. [15781]
Mr. Norris: These are matters for the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority who, I understand, wrote to the hon. Member on 22 December 1994. As was pointed out in that letter, it is consistent with good safety management practice for individual airport authorities to conduct their own safety risk assessments of any potential hazards beyond the ends of runways and to take any action they consider appropriate to eliminate or mitigate the potential risks posed.
I expect the Civil Aviation Authority to advise me later this year on progress with the review that it is conducting in response to the air accident investigation branch's recommendation 94-15.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Immigration
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the United Kingdom post in Islamabad asked the Home Office to interview the sponsor in the United Kingdom of Mr. Shahid Iqbal, IMM/89155 and J238169; and when and where the sponsor is to be interviewed. [16147]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The request from the British high commission in Islamabad for an interview from Mr. Shahid Iqbal's sponsor was received by the Home Office on 22 February 1995. The papers are currently at Leeds- Bradford airport, which will contact Mr. Iqbal's sponsor to arrange an interview in due course.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when papers were forwarded to Leeds-Bradford airport in connection with a request to interview the sponsor of Mr. Parvez Akhtar, IMP A518185/2(S) and PO 28871/94; if an interview date has been allocated to the sponsor; and if he will make a staement. [16145]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The papers in connection with the request to interview the sponsor of Mr. Parvez Akhtar were sent to Leeds-Bradford airport on 1 June 1994. Since
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I wrote on 15 February, Leeds-Bradford airport has written to Mr. Akhtar's sponsor to ask whether she would be willing to travel to a port in the north-east other than Leeds-Bradford airport to be interviewed. As a result of the response, the papers have now been transferred to the immigration office at North Shields who will shortly contact Mr. Akhtar's sponsor to offer her an appointment for an interview.Prisons (Drugs)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which of Her Majesty's prisons action to control the use of illegal drugs has been intensified within the past six months.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 16 January 1995]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 24 March 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about which of Her Majesty's Prisons have intensified action to control the use of illegal drugs within the past six months. Reducing the level of drug misuses is one of the Prison Service's main strategic priorities for 1994 to 1997 and as part of this all prisons have been asked to take additional action to prevent the misuse of drugs within their establishments. This is being supported by a range of initiatives from Headquarters to control further the use of illicit drugs, including the development of a new and comprehensive strategy for reducing drug misuse which will be issued shortly.
Examples of measures being adopted to combat drug misuse across the Prison Service include:
wider use of closed (non-contact) visits for those found guilty of drug- related offences;
increased use of drug sniffer dogs;
more extensive use of closed circuit television cameras during visits;
better use of intelligence to target drug dealers and those inmates and visitors attempting to smuggle drugs into prison; improved training for staff in identifying drug substances and in searching techniques.
the start of mandatory drug testing at eight establishments prior to its extension to all establishments.
Police Authority Clerks
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance he issues to police authorities on the remuneration scales to be used for the employment of the clerk to the authority; and if such posts have to be advertised for open competition. [15582]
Mr. Maclean: No guidance has been issued to police authorities on the remuneration scales to be used for the employment of the clerk to the authority; this is a matter for police authorities to determine. There is no requirement for such posts to be advertised for open competition.
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