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converted to agency status in England and Wales, giving the parliamentary constituency in which they lie. [19484]Mr. Heseltine: A list, obtained from the Post Office, showing the Crown post offices in England and Wales which have been converted to agency status, together with the parliamentary constituencies within which they are located, is being placed in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the agency post offices which were once Crown post offices, listing for each (a) how many staff were employed in them prior to agency status, and how many now, (b) the level of training before and after agency status, (c) what changes have occurred in respect of the business in which the Post Office is sited and (d) the occasions on which the Post Office has at any time had to move to other premises and the factors leading to the move. [20892]
Mr. Page [holding answer 27 April 1995]: A list of Crown post offices which have been converted to agency status in England and Wales will be placed in the Library of the House in answer to a question from the right hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) today. As more than 700 Crown post offices have been converted to agency status, the specific information requested about each individual office could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hain: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the terms of reference of the efficiency audit of the Post Office. [21183]
Mr. Heseltine: A copy of the terms of reference of the Post Office performance review has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hain: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the tendering and cost of the efficiency audit of the Post Office. [21182]
Mr. Heseltine: My Department has recently invited tenders for the Post Office Performance Review from five shortlisted consultants. I expect to make an appointment in May.
Arms Exports
Mr. Wilson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when his Department was first informed of allegations that Singapore was a conduit for arms exported by the company BMARC to Iran; [19078] (2) if he will list those contracts involving the firm BMARC, which were notified to his Department as being potentially in breach of Her Majesty's Government's arms export controls; and on what dates this information was received in each case; [19079]
(3) what assessment he has made of the number of occasions on which breaches of the rules applying to notification took place in respect of BMARC between 1988 and 1991. [19165]
Mr. Ian Taylor: The information required to answer these questions is not held centrally. I will write to the hon. Member in due course and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL
War Crimes
Mr. Cyril D. Townsend: To ask the Attorney-General how many second world war war crimes are still under investigation; for how long each of the cases has been under investigation; and when a decision on each case as to possible prosecution is due to be taken.
The Attorney-General: There are 20 second world war war crimes currently under investigation by the Metropolitan police. Fourteen of these allegations were received from the Home Office on 28 May 1991 on the formation of the Metropolitan police war crimes unit. One allegation was received on 3 June 1992. Three allegations were received on 11 March 1993, 9 August 1993 and 8 December 1993. Two allegations were received on 21 January 1994 and 25 March 1994. Decisions as to possible prosecution will be taken once all relevant evidence has been fully considered and analysed. I refer my hon. Friend to the answers that I gave in the House to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Cunningham) and my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) on 24 April 1995 Official Report, columns 517 18, concerning those allegations in the seven cases which have been the subject of initial advice from senior Treasury counsel.
WALES
Inward Investment
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the quantitative impact on inward investment into Wales of an increase of (a) 1p, (b) 2p and (c) 5p on corporation tax; and if he will make a statement. [20897]
Mr. Redwood: The fact that corporation tax in the United Kingdom, along with levels of income tax, is among the lowest in European Union is undoubtedly an important factor in the attraction of inward investment but there are many other factors which need to be taken into account. These include the skill and flexibility of the work force; the competitive overheads that we have to offer; the excellent communications in this country; and the warm welcome offered by central and local government.
Household Expenditure
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average weekly household expenditure on housing for (a) those in rented accommodation and (b) owner-occupiers in (i) Wales and (ii) for each Welsh council district area; what were the corresponding figures in (1) 1987 and (2) 1992; and if he will make a statement.[ 20898]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Estimates of average weekly household expenditure on housing in Wales are as follows:
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£ per week
Gross housing Net housing costs
costs
|Tenants |Owner occupiers|Tenants |Owner occupiers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987 |27 |n/a |15 |27
1992 |41 |n/a |23 |51
1993 |45 |n/a |28 |44
Notes:
n/a = not available.
Source:
Family Expenditure Survey.Welsh figures are taken from the Family Expenditure Survey and are
subject to sampling error.Figures for gross average weekly housing costs for owner occupiers
are not readily available.Data are not available for district council areas because of small
sample sizes.
Philosophy Courses
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people graduated from Welsh higher education institutions with honours either in philosophy or in a joint honours or composite degree involving philosophy in 1994; what proportion of the total number graduating from Welsh higher eduction this represents; and if he will make a statement. [20902]
Mr. Richards: The most recent data available, from Welsh office returns and the university of Wales registry, are for 1992 93. These data can identify only courses whose only, or main, component was philosophy. Courses in which philosophy was a minority component cannot be identified. On this basis, there were 100 first degree graduates in philosophy from Welsh higher education institutions. A total of 9,360 students graduated with first degrees in 1992 93. The proportion with philosophy degrees was therefore 1.1 per cent.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many higher education institutions in Wales currently offer single honours or joint honours degrees in philosophy; what proportion of the total number of higher education institutions in Wales this represents; and if he will make a statement. [20913]
Mr. Richards: The most recent data on courses offered by higher education establishments come from the University and College Admissions Service handbook for the academic year 1994 95. This shows that of the 15 higher education institutions in Wales, four offer first degree courses which have "philosophy" in the course title. This is just under 27 per cent. of the number of institutions.
Badgers
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many licences have been granted for interference with badger setts for the purpose of hunting in each year since 1991. [21112]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: None. There are no specific provisions under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 for the granting of licences to interfere with badger setts for hunting purposes.
Local Government Electoral Arrangements
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who he is consulting on his direction to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales; on what basis; what deadline he has placed on the consultations;
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and if he will place a copy of the consultation document in the Library. [21415]Mr. Redwood: For the guidance of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales in undertaking the electoral arrangements reviews, I propose to issue directions under section 59(1) of the Local Government Act 1972. Copies of the directions in draft form have been sent for comments to the Commission and to the Assembly of Welsh Councils and the Council of Welsh Districts. Comments have been requested by 5 May.
Section 59(2) of the 1972 Act requires me to consult associations which appear to be representative of local authorities. Since the directions will be issued to the Local Government Boundary Commission, I consider it appropriate to seek beforehand the benefit of their advice and experience in these matters.
I have made arrangements for a copy of the draft directions to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Public Bodies
Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department are under a statutory requirement to (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will list those with a statutory base. [21594]
Mr. Redwood: The Local Government Boundary Commission is under a statutory requirement to deposit copies of its reports and proposals to the Secretary of State at the offices of any principal council whose area might be affected.
The Historic Buildings Council for Wales, the Ancient Monuments Board for Wales, and the Local Government Boundary Commission are under a statutory requirement to publish an annual report and lay it before Parliament. A report on the work of the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board must be contained in the annual report on the Industrial Development Act 1982, which must be laid before Parliament.
The following have a statutory base: the Historic Buildings Council for Wales; the Ancient Monuments Board for Wales; the Local Government Boundary Commission; the Staff Commission for Wales; the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board; the NRA Advisory Committee for Wales; the Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees; the Welsh Dental Committee; the Welsh Medical Committee; the Welsh Optical Committee; the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee; the Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee; and the Library and Information Services Council.
Cardiff Bay Barrage
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) of 24 April, Official Report , column 369 , what interim payments had already been paid (a) to Balfour Beatty with respect to the Cardiff bay barrage construction contract and (b) to contractors carrying out the sewer diversion contract connected with the barrage. [21680]
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Mr. Redwood: Interim payments of £16.9 million have been paid to Balfour Beatty-Costain for barrage construction and £0.3 million has been paid for sewer diversion works.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 24 April 1995, Official Report , column
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369 , if he will give the details of the breakdown of the figure of £191 million, by each financial year in which any significant part of that expenditure has or will occur. [21684]Mr. Redwood: Details of possible barrage expenditure to 1997 98 are as follows:
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£ million To: |31 March 1994|1994-95 |1995-96 |1996-97 |1997-98 |Future |Totals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Totals |22.3 |22.3 |44.4 |48.1 |36.6 |17.3 |191.0
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) of 24 April, Official Report, column 369, if he will list what categories of cost escalation apply to (a) the main contract with Balfour Beatty for the construction of the Cardiff bay barrage and (b) contracts for sewer diversion being funded by the Cardiff Bay development corporation; and if he will make a statement on how these categories have affected the difference between the October 1992 estimate and the present outturn forecast. [21681]
Mr. Redwood: This is an operational matter for the corporation and I will ask the chief executive of the corporation to respond.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) of 24 April, Official Report , column 369 , if he will specify how much of the £15.4 million for preliminary design work and the presentation of Bills to Parliament was (a) for preliminary design work and (b) for presentation of Bills to Parliament. [21683]
Mr. Redwood: Of the £15.4 million preliminary design and barrage Bill costs, £9.30 million was for preliminary design work and £6,066 million was for presentation of Bills to Parliament.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) 24 April, Official Report , column 369 , if he will specify what proportion of the construction of the barrage had been completed by 31 March. [21682]
Mr. Redwood: By 31 March 1995, the corporation estimate the construction of the barrage to be 8 per cent. complete. This does not represent the actual cost spent on barrage construction to date, which includes enabling works such as piling and dredging as well as construction materials already bought in.
TREASURY
Interest and Exchange Rates
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of increases in (a) interest rates and (b) exchange rates on the standard of living. [21404]
Mr. Nelson: Permanently low inflation provides the best environment for achieving sustained growth and higher living standards. Monetary policy is set to keep
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underlying inflation within the Government's 1 to 4 per cent. target range and to bring it down into the lower half of this range by the end of the present Parliament. Movements in the exchange rate are taken into account, along with a range of indicators, when considering the prospects for underlying inflation.Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects of a half point rise in official interest rates in theUnited Kingdom upon the trade-weighted value of sterling. [21430]
Mr. Nelson: Movements in the trade-weighted value of sterling depend on many factors beside interest rates and it is not possible to estimate the effect of any one factor with any degree of confidence. Interest rates are set to meet the Government's objective of permanently low inflation.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is Her Majesty's Government's assessment of the effect on the rate of inflation of raising interest and the exchange rate when the output of manufacturing industry approaches full capacity. [21301]
Mr. Nelson: Interest rates are set to keep underlying inflation within the Government's 1 to 4 per cent. target range and to bring it down into the lower half of this range by the end of the present Parliament.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of increases in (a) interest rates and (b) exchange rates on the standard of living. [21404]
Mr. Nelson: Permanently low inflation provides the best environment for achieving sustained growth and higher living standards. Monetary policy is set to keep underlying inflation within the Government's 1 to 4 per cent. target range and to bring it down into the lower half of this range by the end of the present Parliament. Movements in the exchange rate are taken into account, along with a range of indicators, when considering the prospects for underlying inflation.
Tobacco Duty
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what weight he attaches to the cost of NHS treatment of smoking-related diseases when determining the level of duty on tobacco; and if he will make a statement. [20914]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The Government recognised the importance of tax in reducing consumption in the continuing Budget commitment to raise tobacco duties, on average, by at least 3 per cent. per annum in real terms.
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Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department are under a statutory requirement to (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will list those with a statutory base. [21593]
Mr. Nelson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 7 March 1995, Official Report , column 62 .
Pensions Offences
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individual offences against section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986 have been recorded by the Securities and Investments Board since April 1988; and what measures have been taken by the Securities and Investments Board or his Department to notify victims that they have a legal right to ask the police to investigate these offences. [20833]
Mr. Nelson: Prosecution powers in relation to section 47 have not been transferred to the Securities and Investments Board nor are they exercised by the Treasury. These powers can be exercised by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Serious Fraud Office, the Crown Prosecution Service and the procurators fiscal in Scotland.
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, on the various occasions that Treasury Ministers and officials have met pensions industry practitioners and regulators, they discussed (a) section 47 offences and pensions mis-selling and (b) the provision of information to victims that they had the right to ask the police to investigate such offences. [20835]
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, on the occasion of its pensions initiative in October 1994, the Securities and Investments Board referred to (a) the gravity of the offence of mis- selling pensions, (b) prison terms possibly resulting and (c) the fact that victims have the legal right to involve the police in investigations. [20834]
Mr. Nelson: I can add nothing further to my answer to the hon. Member of 30 March 1995, Official Report , column 727 .
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how far (a) his Department, and (b) the Securities and Investments Board, have day- to-day policy control over offences under section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986; and what information about this control provided to those making representations over the mis-selling of pension and other investment products. [20836]
Mr. Nelson: The Treasury is responsible for the general policy expressed in the legislation. On specific contraventions of section 47 and information provided in relation to mis-selling, I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 30 March 1995, Official Report , column 727 .
Vehicle Excise Duty
Sir David Steel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors influenced the decision to impose vehicle excise duty on tower wagons; for what reasons vehicle excise duty was not imposed on mobile cranes
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and mobile concrete pumps; and what principle determined the different status of these items. [21126]Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: A wide-ranging reform of the system of vehicle excise duty exemptions and concessions was announced in the Budget.
Tower wagons currently pay a concessionary rate of duty of £150. Under the new arrangements, they will pay full vehicle excise duty, in common with nearly all goods vehicles fitted with hydraulic platforms.
Mobile cranes, including concrete pumps, currently pay duty of £35. Those weighing 3.5 tonnes or more will, under the new arrangements, be registered in the new special vehicles class and will be subject to duty of £150. Vehicles under that weight can register as normal light goods vehicles and pay £135.
Mobile cranes use the road only between sites and their operations are restricted by their specialised construction which means that they cannot carry any load except necessary equipment. Tower wagons, on the other hand, are adapted goods vehicles which use the road more extensively than mobile cranes and are often parked on the road. Their impact on the roads and the environment is no different to that of normal goods vehicles. There has always been a significant duty differential between the two types of vehicle.
Bilingual Bank Notes
Mr. Cynog Dafis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Wales and the Governor of the Bank of England the issue of bilingual bank notes for Wales; and if he will make a statement. [21048]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 26 April 1995]: The Bank has no plans to issue bilingual English/Welsh banknotes.
SCOTLAND
Badgers
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many licences have been granted for interference with badger setts for the purpose of hunting in each year since 1991. [21111]
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the letter and attached documents JRE 110119 from the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton) of 21 April 1995 to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, (1) what evidence he has that the Libyan position on trial of the accused has been one of constant prevarication, and to whom he refers as intermediaries and well-intentioned individuals; [21409]
(2) what offers have been made by the Crown Office to Lockerbie to the German authorities of evidence relating to Lockerbie. [21410]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: I did not write to the hon. Member on 21 April attaching the documents referred to. The document to which the hon. Member
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appears to be referring was prepared for internal use and I am not therefore prepared to comment further on it.Drugs, Renfrewshire
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange for the Minister of State, Scottish Office, to visit Paisley to meet the police and others involved in combating the drugs-related problems there; and if he will make a statement. [18994]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My noble and learned Friend has no such immediate plans. He has recently held constructive meetings with the hon. Member and with two other hon. Members who represent constituencies in Renfrewshire to discuss drug-related crime. Furthermore, he has been kept fully briefed on relevant developments by the chief constable of Strathclyde police.
Water Charges
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the comparative proportion of unpaid water bills in Scotland and in (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [20352]
Mr. Kynoch: My right hon. Friend has made no such assessment. Domestic charges in Scotland are collected along with the council tax.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many cases of TB in cattle were reported in each region in each year since 1985. [20553]
Sir Hector Monro: Complete information in the form requested is not available and information which is available for the years 1985 to 1987 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the total numbers of confirmed cattle tuberculosis breakdowns in each region affected in Scotland in years 1988 to 1991 were as follows:
Scotland |Number of herds |Number of confirmed
|reactors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeenshire |4 |9
Argyll |1 |1
Ayrshire |10 |65
Berwickshire |1 |1
Kirkcudbright |2 |3
Midlothian |1 |1
Wigtown |4 |5
Shetland |1 |1
For the period 1992 to 1994, the number of confirmed cattle tuberculosis breakdowns in each of the administrative areas in Scotland covered by a divisional animal health office is as follows:
Scotland |Year |Number of herds |Number of confirmed
|reactors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen |1994 |2 |4
Ayr |1993 |2 |52
|1994 |1 |1
Galashiels |1993 |3 |4
Hamilton |1992 |1 |1
|1994 |1 |1
Inverness |1993 |1 |1
Perth |1994 |1 |1
Divorce
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of divorce have been reported during the last year; and what are the figures for each of the previous four years. [20706]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Provisional statistics indicate that there were 13,005 divorces in Scotland in 1994. In the preceding four years the final figures for divorces were:
1993: 12,787
1992: 12,479
1991: 12,399
1990: 12,272
Prison Population
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current prison population; and what were the figures in each of the previous four years. [20776]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The subject of this question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 28 April 1995 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about the current prison population and the population in the previous four years.
On Friday 21 April 1995 the prison population was 5,465. The table below shows the average daily prison population for each of the preceding four years.
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