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Rules and Regulations
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what requirements there are for officials in his Department to introduce a compliance cost assessment for all rules and regulations coming before him and his Ministers; and how many compliance cost assessments have been issued in his Department in the first three months of this year. [19342]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 18 April 1995]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by the President of the Board of Tradewhich sets out the general position on the preparation of compliance cost assessments. MAFF issued 18 compliance cost assessments accompanying draft legislation in the first three months of this year.
Equine Encephalomyelitis
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of cases of equine encephalomyelitis in each year since 1985. [19266]
Mrs. Browning: Equine encephalomyelitis has never been recorded in England.
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Quarantine Regulations
Sir David Steel: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what grounds he has rejected the Agriculture Select Committee's recommendations that a vaccination-based system for approved countries should replace the quarantine system for dogs arriving from those countries. [19524]
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for enabling residents of countries within the European Union to travel with their domesticated animals in an unhindered fashion; and what plans he has to relax the quarantine regulations. [19468]
Mrs. Browning: The Government's position is set out in the reply to the fifth report from the Agriculture Select Committee, Session 1993 94, laid before the House on 25 January 1995, Cm 2735.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Bodies"
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the next edition of the directory entitled "Public Bodies" will be published; if he will ensure that details are included for all quangos; and if he will make a statement. [19106]
Mr. David Hunt: "Public Bodies 1994" was published on 6 February 1995. The next edition will be "Public Bodies 1995" and will be published soon after the end of this year.
"Public Bodies" includes statistical information about all non-departmental public bodies.
British Gas
Mr. Merchant: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in the investigation into whether British Gas should retain its charter mark. [20165]
Mr. David Hunt: Following the approach from the Gas Consumers Council on 18 January, I have now agreed with British Gas and the council a programme of action so that British Gas can retain its charter mark award by demonstrably continuing to meet tough criteria which the charter mark scheme sets down.
In its submission, the Gas Consumers Council expressed faith in British Gas as a company and made it clear that British Gas should retain its charter mark provided it could get its performance back on track. Its main concern was a rise in complaints in the following areas:
account queries (a 27 per cent. increase over 1993);
service and repairs (a 9 per cent. increase over 1993); staff manner (up 12 per cent. on 1993); and
lack of reply to correspondence and non-answering of telephones (up 18 per cent. on 1993).
British Gas has assured me that its aim is to re-establish its reputation for excellence as quickly as possible and that its new structure will ultimately enable it to be more responsive to customers. It is determined to provide the highest service among gas suppliers.
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However, British Gas accepts that the process of reorganisation has meant that it has not always been able to maintain its previous level of performance, despite which it has continued to meet or exceed all but three of its 39 regulated standards of service.The agreed programme of action needed to pass the charter mark test consists of the following main elements:
increased training for staff dealing directly with customers and a project to address customer contact across the company's different business units to ensure that misdirected queries/complaints are handled effectively;
front-line staff will be empowered to make amends to dissatisfied customers;
additional telephone lines have been set up to ensure that telephone answering meets the targets of 90 per cent. of calls being answered in 30 seconds or less;
increased staffing and weekend working to clear the backlog of correspondence and telephone inquiries and to ensure that the target of replying to 90 per cent. of correspondence within five days is met;
a leaflet to all customers outlining the recent changes in the structure of British Gas and details of contacts for further information;
market research to identify core customer requirements, with each business unit developing its own standards for the start of 1996; a freephone number to enable customers to find out the location of their nearest payment or prepayment token outlet;
a national quality audit to ensure that the company's service work, including work carried out by contractors, is of the highest quality;
each business unit to develop new IT systems, or enhance existing ones, to improve the quality of information available to those dealing with inquiries/complaints; and
staff focus groups will monitor standards of service on a regular basis and identify and share best practice.
We have agreed with British Gas and the Gas Consumers Council that we will review progress and the position on British Gas's charter mark at the end of the year.
I believe that this very positive programme shows the real value of the charter mark scheme as a reward for excellence--the charter mark means business.
EDUCATION
Mahogany
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many metres of mahogany or products containing it his Department has bought in the last five years; and if he will list the purposes and the costs. [19838]
Mr. Forth: This Department has not purchased any mahogany, or products containing mahogany, in the past five years.
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Teachers (Early Retirement)
Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many enhancement years have been added to the pensions of teachers taking early retirement in (a) Lancashire and (b) England and Wales since 1989. [19052]
Mr. Robin Squire: This information is not readily available. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) headmasters and (b) other teaching staff including deputy headmasters have taken early retirement due to ill health each year since 1989 in (i) Lancashire and (ii) England and Wales. [19055]
Mr. Robin Squire: The table shows the number of members of the teachers' superannuation scheme who retired on the grounds of ill health for the financial years 1989 90 to 1993 94. This includes some lecturers in further and higher education and some teachers in independent schools as well as maintained school teachers.
Head Teachers Financial Year |Lancashire |England and Wales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1989-90 |9 |379 1990-91 |14 |439 1991-92 |14 |418 1992-93 |16 |416 1993-94 |24 |531
All other teaching staff Financial Year |Lancashire |England and Wales ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1989-90 |104 |3,813 1990-91 |174 |4,499 1991-92 |149 |4,244 1992-93 |150 |4,481 1993-94 |198 |5,004
Mrs. Gorman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the expenditure in each local authority on early retirement compensation in each year since 1990 91 for which information is available (a) in total and (b) per pupil. [19700]
Mr. Robin Squire: Total expenditure and expenditure per pupil on premature retirement compensation and Crombie payments as recorded by each local education authority for the years 1990 91 to 1993 94 is shown in the table. The expenditure figures include payments made to further and higher education lecturers and to teachers at sixth form colleges and grant- maintained schools who were granted premature retirement by the LEA. It is not possible to separate out these costs. The pupil numbers used in the calculations are for all LEA maintained schools: they exclude sixth form colleges.
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Compensation Compensation
Payments (£000) Costs per Pupil (£)
|<1>1993-94
LEA |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |provisional|1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporation of London |0 |0 |0 |3 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |14.02
Camden |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Greenwich |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Hackney |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |n/a
Hammersmith |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Islington |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |n/a
Kensington and Chelsea |0 |0 |101 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |10.95 |n/a
Lambeth |0 |0 |134 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |5.20 |0.00
Lewisham |0 |0 |0 |449 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |14.03
Southwark |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Tower Hamlets |0 |0 |403 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |12.33 |n/a
Wandsworth |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Westminster |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Barking |605 |290 |751 |601 |25.56 |11.74 |29.60 |23.09
Barnet |1,344 |1,425 |1,475 |1,579 |34.14 |35.39 |36.98 |46.57
Bexley |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |n/a
Brent |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Bromley |981 |586 |551 |557 |28.63 |19.42 |21.20 |19.78
Croydon |248 |630 |474 |443 |6.23 |15.90 |11.63 |11.59
Ealing |861 |479 |636 |1,077 |21.89 |12.09 |18.54 |32.97
Enfield |0 |0 |705 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |17.13 |0.00
Haringey |474 |541 |583 |612 |17.56 |19.36 |20.27 |20.67
Harrow |353 |534 |397 |n/a |13.37 |19.94 |14.54 |n/a
Havering |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Hillingdon |0 |1 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.04 |0.00 |n/a
Hounslow |11 |208 |253 |349 |0.34 |6.30 |7.49 |10.77
Kingston upon Thames |304 |358 |454 |428 |17.26 |19.80 |25.72 |26.98
Merton |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Newham |769 |269 |364 |440 |20.12 |7.00 |9.20 |10.93
Redbridge |288 |387 |405 |n/a |9.11 |11.74 |11.77 |n/a
Richmond upon Thames |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Sutton |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Waltham Forest |324 |5 |13 |n/a |10.61 |0.17 |0.42 |n/a
Birmingham |3,422 |3,947 |5,443 |4,911 |20.36 |23.44 |31.83 |30.11
Coventry |12 |2,982 |2,137 |450 |0.25 |61.19 |43.20 |9.02
Dudley |884 |851 |791 |995 |19.85 |18.98 |17.35 |22.94
Sandwell |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Solihull |0 |0 |553 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |16.97 |n/a
Walsall |0 |643 |1,567 |676 |0.00 |13.43 |33.82 |15.71
Wolverhampton |94 |195 |326 |73 |2.34 |4.96 |8.01 |1.80
Knowsley |0 |957 |945 |1,132 |0.00 |34.31 |33.48 |40.44
Liverpool |2,727 |3,780 |3,058 |n/a |34.31 |47.01 |37.50 |n/a
St. Helens |953 |1,126 |2,061 |n/a |32.06 |37.98 |69.39 |n/a
Sefton |1,496 |1,536 |0 |n/a |32.97 |33.53 |0.00 |n/a
Wirral |231 |182 |97 |28 |4.45 |3.48 |1.82 |0.54
Bolton |898 |1,022 |1,122 |n/a |20.78 |23.49 |25.71 |n/a
Bury |848 |1,031 |1,064 |n/a |32.30 |38.67 |38.93 |n/a
Manchester |2,144 |2,815 |4,400 |4,559 |31.28 |40.43 |62.40 |64.40
Oldham |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |n/a
Rochdale |469 |493 |806 |768 |13.40 |14.10 |22.87 |22.57
Salford |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Stockport |512 |447 |547 |677 |12.59 |11.07 |13.23 |16.10
Tameside |0 |0 |933 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |26.07 |n/a
Trafford |0 |0 |0 |569 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |19.07
Wigan |1,377 |1,681 |1,999 |2,269 |27.81 |33.96 |40.02 |44.82
Barnsley |200 |532 |35 |n/a |5.94 |15.79 |1.02 |n/a
Doncaster |0 |379 |0 |1,583 |0.00 |7.47 |0.00 |30.42
Rotherham |203 |271 |0 |0 |4.80 |6.36 |0.00 |0.00
Sheffield |40 |0 |0 |0 |0.57 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Bradford |1,354 |1,153 |2,860 |2,863 |16.00 |13.56 |32.88 |34.33
Calderdale |453 |0 |0 |0 |14.20 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Kirklees |275 |1,465 |838 |397 |4.59 |24.27 |13.76 |6.35
Leeds |0 |0 |3 |3,128 |0.00 |0.00 |0.03 |27.67
Wakefield |1,228 |1,389 |1,924 |n/a |24.82 |27.74 |37.76 |n/a
Gateshead |0 |44 |73 |848 |0.00 |1.46 |2.40 |27.75
Newcastle upon Tyne |305 |1,261 |1,608 |2,776 |7.65 |31.31 |39.60 |68.12
North Tyneside |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
South Tyneside |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |n/a
Sunderland |364 |470 |397 |0 |7.35 |9.43 |7.84 |0.00
Isles of Scilly |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Avon |0 |0 |747 |1,347 |0.00 |0.00 |5.52 |9.81
Bedfordshire |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Berkshire |704 |812 |779 |890 |6.57 |7.83 |7.61 |8.60
Buckinghamshire |249 |265 |1,105 |1,454 |2.65 |2.81 |11.63 |16.14
Cambridgeshire |899 |1,447 |1,705 |834 |9.24 |14.69 |18.14 |9.87
Cheshire |191 |124 |1,874 |940 |1.27 |0.82 |12.23 |6.14
Cleveland |1,328 |1,720 |1,761 |1,901 |13.24 |16.95 |17.22 |18.43
Cornwall |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Cumbria |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Derbyshire |1,320 |1,556 |696 |2,425 |9.47 |11.10 |4.98 |18.86
Devon |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Dorset |782 |1,183 |1,443 |1,402 |9.54 |14.51 |18.00 |17.83
Durham |n/a |0 |0 |0 |n/a |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
East Sussex |547 |877 |1,039 |2,044 |6.77 |10.62 |12.20 |23.22
Essex |1,915 |1,945 |2,066 |2,662 |8.87 |9.11 |10.74 |18.18
Gloucestershire |1,567 |2,150 |0 |0 |21.86 |29.71 |0.00 |0.00
Hampshire |1,862 |2,215 |2,750 |2,720 |9.19 |10.93 |13.51 |13.51
Hereford and Worcester |0 |264 |0 |n/a |0.00 |2.78 |0.00 |n/a
Hertfordshire |453 |1,734 |1,769 |n/a |3.09 |11.86 |12.02 |n/a
Humberside |726 |759 |854 |0 |5.26 |5.45 |6.02 |0.00
Isle of Wight |94 |108 |124 |134 |5.42 |6.17 |6.97 |7.46
Kent |314 |151 |223 |n/a |1.42 |0.71 |1.10 |n/a
Lancashire |4,374 |4,804 |5,193 |4,781 |20.70 |22.79 |24.36 |22.29
Leicestershire |1,267 |2,075 |2,275 |1,701 |9.31 |15.11 |16.35 |12.30
Lincolnshire |968 |148 |126 |110 |11.91 |1.90 |1.74 |1.65
Norfolk |1,200 |196 |0 |0 |12.00 |1.95 |0.00 |0.00
North Yorkshire |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Northamptonshire |111 |128 |494 |313 |1.19 |1.40 |5.69 |3.66
Northumberland |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Nottinghamshire |1,066 |2,295 |0 |0 |7.01 |14.96 |0.00 |0,00
Oxfordshire |1,389 |1,585 |1,586 |1,694 |18.92 |21.24 |20.84 |21.61
Shropshire |16 |19 |18 |13 |0.27 |0.32 |0.30 |0.22
Somerset |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Staffordshire |2,715 |3,214 |3,987 |3,814 |16.99 |19.83 |24.28 |23.38
Suffolk |14 |156 |0 |1,112 |0.16 |1.73 |0.00 |11.92
Surrey |0 |0 |2,791 |4,040 |0.00 |0.00 |25.68 |37.43
Warwickshire |922 |1,269 |1,428 |1,395 |13.02 |18.14 |20.60 |20.30
West Sussex |0 |0 |0 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00 |0.00
Wiltshire |0 |0 |872 |0 |0.00 |0.00 |10.94 |0.00
England total |54,044 |69,564 |80,991 |n/a
<1> Provisional n/a-data not yet available.
Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total cost, for each year since 1989, to the Lancashire ratepayers of the enhancements and pensions paid to retired or retiring headmasters and teachers. [19054]
Mr. Robin Squire: Expenditure on premature retirement compensation and Crombie payments are recorded by Lancashire LEA for the years 1989 90 to 1993 94 is shown in the table. The figures include payments made to further and higher education lecturers and to teachers at sixth form colleges and grant-maintained schools who were granted premature retirement by the LEA. It is not possible to separate out these costs.
|£000
-----------------------
1989-90 |3,377
1990-91 |4,374
1991-92 |4,804
1992-93 |5,193
1993-94<1> |4,781
<1> Provisional.
8f heading -- Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will estimate the number of hours which staff within her Department spend on issues relating to grant-maintained schools in whole-time equivalents. [19131]
Mr. Robin Squire: Some 77 full-time equivalent posts are concerned wholly or mainly with matters specific to
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grant-maintained schools. Many other staff in the Department have responsibilities that relate to both grant- maintained and local education authority schools.Departmental Expenditure Plans
Mrs. Anne Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of editing, designing and printing her Department's expenditure plans 1995 96 to 1997 98, Cm 2810. [19759]
Mr. Forth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 23 March, Official Report, column 175.
Roberts Street Primary School
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education following the meeting held with the Under-Secretary of State and Dudley council and its hon. Members recently, if she has any good news for Roberts Street primary on how the technical barriers to use of the private finance initiative can be removed or other means accessed to enable this badly needed new school project to go ahead. [19145]
Mr. Robin Squire: The local education authority is preparing a more detailed explanation of its proposal. We shall then be able to assess whether it meets the crucial criterion for the private finance initiative, mainly, how far there is a transfer of risk from the public sector to the private sector.
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School Spending
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 28 March, Official Report , column 574 , if she will list the same information on expenditure per pupil for Nottingham and Staffordshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire. [18785]
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Mr. Robin Squire: The table shows expenditure by Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire local education authorities on pre- primary and primary pupils combined, and on secondary pupils, from 1974 75 to 1993 94, the latest year for which provisional outturn figures are available.
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Spending per pupil (1994-95 prices)
Nottingham Staffordshire Surrey Hertfordshire
|Nursery/Primary|Secondary |Nursery/Primary|Secondary |Nursery/Primary|Secondary |Nursery/Primary|Secondary
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974-75 |1,127 |1,871 |1,197 |1,943 |1,310 |2,152 |1,405 |2,399
1975-76 |n/a |n/a |1,204 |2,006 |1,303 |2,159 |1,289 |2,191
1976-77 |1,173 |1,872 |1,223 |1,949 |1,266 |2,107 |1,293 |2,121
1977-78 |1,105 |1,736 |1,167 |1,828 |1,150 |1,991 |1,259 |1,935
1978-79 |1,097 |1,733 |1,180 |1,821 |1,186 |2,003 |1,240 |1,922
1979-80 |1,073 |1,677 |1,195 |1,783 |1,193 |1,891 |1,317 |1,864
1980-81 |1,070 |1,597 |1,186 |1,640 |1,128 |1,784 |1,179 |1,747
1981-82 |1,174 |1,706 |1,253 |1,711 |1,133 |1,785 |1,205 |1,722
1982-83 |1,268 |1,785 |1,279 |1,709 |1,154 |1,808 |1,196 |1,700
1983-84 |1,329 |1,829 |1,324 |1,763 |1,164 |1,842 |1,204 |1,742
1984-85 |1,311 |1,878 |1,288 |1,765 |1,141 |1,855 |1,200 |1,747
1985-86 |1,322 |1,950 |1,281 |1,822 |1,175 |1,878 |1,229 |1,816
1986-87 |1,432 |2,119 |1,344 |1,973 |1,281 |2,049 |1,336 |1,988
1987-88 |1,483 |2,270 |1,418 |2,113 |1,347 |2,223 |1,404 |2,077
1988-89 |1,520 |2,397 |1,442 |2,225 |1,457 |2,406 |1,540 |2,295
1989-90 |1,573 |2,456 |1,451 |2,247 |1,476 |2,180 |1,560 |2,383
1990-91 |1,615 |2,579 |1,464 |2,178 |1,557 |2,445 |1,554 |2,402
1991-92 |1,772 |2,708 |1,527 |2,236 |1,596 |2,406 |1,620 |2,446
1992-93 |1,655 |2,466 |1,538 |2,195 |1,658 |2,410 |1,699 |2,379
1993-94<1> |1,686 |2,429 |1,565 |2,119 |1,735 |2,260 |n/a |n/a
<1> Provisional. n/a-Data not available.
Overtime and Sickness
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list for each agency and the central Department for which she is responsible (a) the total hours of overtime worked for which payment has been made, (b) the total amount paid in overtime and (c) the total time in days and its monetary equivalent lost through sickness in each of the last three years. [19670]
Mr. Forth: Overtime worked in the Department for Education in the years 1992 93, 1993 94 and 1994 95, measured as full-time equivalent staff numbers, was 21, 31 and 32. For each of these financial years, the cost of overtime was £639,000, £694,000 and £750,000 respectively. The figures for 1994 95 are estimated.
Data on sickness are not yet available for 1994. In 1992, the amount of time lost through sickness was 20,368 days, and in 1993 20, 966 days. The monetary cost of these absences is not available.
Grant for Education Support and Training
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average GEST funding for (a) each local education authority school and (b) each grant- maintained school; and what is the accounting procedure for such funding by the local education authorities and Funding Agency for Schools. [19042]
Mr. Robin Squire: For the financial year 1995 96, GEST funding averages £11,100 per local education authority maintained primary, secondary and special school. Grant is payable in instalments, with, if necessary
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a final adjustment for the financial year on receipt by the Department of an audit certificate confirming actual expenditure. For grant-maintained schools, similar activities are supported by special purpose grant--development. The calculation and payment of special purpose grants are now the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools and I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.Funding Agency for Schools
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people are employed at the Funding Agency for Schools; and what were the staff costs in the last financial year. [19130]
Mr. Robin Squire: These matters are the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member with this information.
School Meals
Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will publish a table showing the total expenditure on school meal service on a per capita basis in cash and real terms for each year since 1970 until the most recent date available. [19376]
Mr. Robin Squire: The table shows the cost per pupil on expenditure on the school meal service in cash and real terms from 1976 77 to 1993 94, the latest year for which provisional outturn figures are available. Figures from
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1970 to 1975 76 are not readily available and can be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Net Expenditure on School Meal Service
|Unit cost real terms
|Unit cost cash terms|(1994-95 prices)
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976-77 |47 |172
1977-78 |45 |146
1978-79 |48 |142
1979-80 |54 |134
1980-81 |49 |103
1981-82 |51 |98
1982-83 |54 |97
1983-84 |58 |99
1984-85 |60 |98
1985-86 |61 |95
1986-87 |65 |97
1987-88 |64 |92
1988-89 |56 |75
1989-90 |51 |65
1990-91 |53 |62
1991-92 |53 |58
1992-93 |63 |66
1993-94<1> |62 |63
<1> Provisional.
School Catering
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 29 March, Official Report, column 692, if she will list the same information on school catering for Nottingham and Staffordshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire. [18787]
Mr. Robin Squire: The table shows Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire local education authorities' total expenditure on, and income from, the school catering service from 1982 83 to 1993 94, the latest year for which provisional outturn figures are available.
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School catering service in cash terms
£000
Nottingham Staffordshire Surrey Hertfordshire
|Gross |Gross |Gross |Gross |Gross |Gross |Gross |Gross
|Expenditure|Income |Expenditure|Income |Expenditure|Income |Expenditure|Income
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |14,589 |4,881 |11,726 |5,162 |10,652 |4,992 |14,431 |6,075
1983-84 |15,823 |5,086 |12,234 |5,739 |10,590 |5,080 |15,025 |6,204
1984-85 |15,075 |4,127 |11,241 |5,178 |10,536 |5,550 |14,103 |6,081
1985-86 |14,443 |3,095 |10,671 |4,518 |11,060 |5,612 |14,524 |7,702
1986-87 |16,308 |4,922 |12,431 |5,711 |11,450 |6,177 |15,879 |8,707
1987-88 |18,991 |6,414 |13,412 |6,619 |12,437 |6,442 |15,486 |9,225
1988-89 |19,171 |7,015 |13,330 |7,021 |10,295 |7,506 |15,049 |9,958
1989-90 |18,296 |7,563 |11,710 |6,596 |10,444 |7,643 |16,433 |10,895
1990-91 |14,410 |6,938 |12,422 |7,750 |8,881 |5,256 |16,505 |10,555
1991-92 |n/a |n/a |14,764 |8,230 |9,890 |5,490 |18,556 |9,847
1992-93 |19,059 |7,560 |14,803 |8,944 |13,850 |8,155 |18,214 |9,785
1993-94 <1> |18,654 |7,678 |16,200 |8,674 |11,562 |n/a |n/a |4,110
<1>Provisional n/a-Data not available.
Schools Budget
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 28 March, Official Report, column 577 , if she will list the same information on amounts held back of education budgets in 1994 95 for each county local education authority. [18786]
Mr. Robin Squire: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman) on 17 October 1994, Official Report , column 28.
Schools Management, North Yorkshire
Mr. Robert Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what reductions have been made by North Yorkshire county council to its central administration since the advent of local management of schools. [18829]
Mr. Robin Squire: The percentage of North Yorkshire county council's general schools budget devoted to management and administration in connection with schools since 1991 92 has been as follows:
1991 92: 1.92 per cent.
1992 93: 2.15 per cent.
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1993 94: 1.90 per cent.1994 95: 1.73 per cent.
1995 96: 1.67 per cent.
To maintain comparability, all these figures exclude expenditure on special schools, which only became subject to local management from 1994 95.
PRIME MINISTER
Annual Reports
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Prime Minister when the annual report of the commissioner appointed under the Security Service Act 1989 will be laid before the House; and if he will make a statement. [20166]
The Prime Minister: A copy of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's fifth annual report for 1994 has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 4(6) of the Security Service Act 1989. The confidential annexe to that report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 4(7) of the 1989 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his work in reviewing
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the issue of warrants and in providing assistance to the tribunal as provided in the Act. I note that he is satisfied that the Secretaries of State have exercised their warranty powers in accordance with the provisions of the 1989 Act.Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the Prime Minister when the annual report of the commissioner appointed under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 will be laid before the House; and if he will make a statement. [19946]
The Prime Minister: A copy of Lord Nolan's annual report for 1994 has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 8(7) of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The confidential annnexe to that report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 8(8) of the 1985 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his work in reviewing the issue of warrants and in assisting the tribunal as provided for in the Act. I note that he is satisfied that the powers under the Act are exercised with care and with a strong sense of duty.
Teachers and Administrators
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report, column 112, concerning the ratio of teachers to other manual and non-manual staff employed by education authorities, if he has anything to add to his oral statement of the same day, Official Report, column 140, concerning the ratio of teachers to administrators in their authorities. [19779]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 18 April 1995]: No. I made the position clear in my oral statement of 21 March, Official Report, column 141, and my written answer of the same day, Official Report, column 112 .
Conservative Party Health Group
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister on what basis and on whose authority Conservative central office has dispatched a summons and agenda paper for a Conservative party meeting to be held at the headquarters of the Department of Health in Richmond terrace in April. [18676]
(2) if the Cabinet Secretary approved the conducting of Conservative party health group meetings at the headquarters of the Department of Health in Richmond terrace in 1994 95; [18678] (3) how many Conservative party health group meetings, for which agenda and summonses were dispatched on Conservative central office notepaper, were held at the Department of Health in Richmond terrace in 1994 95. [18679]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 18 April 1995]: One Conservative party health group meeting was held during 1994 95 at Richmond house. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health held another meeting on 4 April. These meetings did not incur additional cost to the taxpayer. No civil servant, apart from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's special adviser, was involved in preparing for or servicing these meetings. Approval was not required.
Official Box, House of Commons
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Prime Minister what instructions and advice is given to special advisers who
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occupy the civil service box inside the Chamber of the House as to their conduct, behaviour and impartiality during Question Time, statements and debates; and if he has any plans to amend or review this advice; and if he will make a statement. [18979]The Prime Minister: Attendance in the Official Box is by permission of Madam Speaker who has laid down clear rules on officials' behaviour. These require officials to conduct themselves discreetly at all times. I expect these rules to be scrupulously observed.
Mr. Ghazanfer Ali
Mr. Madden: To ask the Prime Minister what is the current position regarding representations made on behalf of Mr. Ghazanfer Ali who is in prison in Azad Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [19058]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 18 April 1995]: We continue to raise our concerns over the delays in the hearings facing Ghazanfer Ali. We understand that the hearings continue to be adjourned.
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 28 March, Official Report , column 453 , regarding the concrete evidence on Lockerbie if he will (a) name the relevant authorities and (b) make a statement on the result of his approaches to the United States embassy on the issues of alleged forgery of the telex to which the question refers. [18430]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 5 April 1995]: I have asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to look into the matters raised by the hon. Member. It has consulted the Crown Office and the Dumfries and Galloway constabulary as the prosecuting and investigating authorities in this case, our security and intelligence services and the United States authorities. The consultations with the United States embassy are intended to check the authenticity of the document in question, and are still continuing.
DEFENCE
Salisbury Plain
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation his Department had with English Heritage prior to construction of the new stone roads in the Salisbury plain training area; and if he will make a statement. [18853]
Mr. Soames: Track construction on Salisbury plain training area is subject to the normal planning procedures and the planning authority would formally consult English Heritage where appropriate. In addition, English Heritage is one of several bodies represented on the Salisbury plain training area environmental steering group which oversees development and environmental management of the training area.
Old Ditch"
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the prehistoric earthwork known as the "Old Ditch" on Tilshead down was destroyed; and who authorised its removal. [18852]
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