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Cable Communications
Ms Coffey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes North-East (Mr. Butler), of 5 April, Official Report , column 1722 , and his answer of 27 April, Official Report , column 662 , on what date he expects all schools in the area for which the Communications Association has franchises to be connected to the cable network; and if he will make a statement. [22217]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 2 May 1995]: Schools will be progressively linked to cable networks as cable operators install their systems.
The existing cable franchises networks, covering some two-thirds of the population, are likely to be virtually compete by the end of 2000. The new local delivery operator franchises now being awarded, which permit radio delivery of services, are expected to extend cable type coverage to around 80 to 85 per cent. of the United
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Kingdom population. The Radiocommunications Agency has announced plans for use of radio spectrum in more rural areas.Smoking
Mr. Peter Griffiths: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the well-being and comfort of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking at (i) the work-station and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at Ashdown house, 123 Victoria street, London. [21913]
Mr. Ian Taylor: This Department's policy is to ban smoking in general office areas. Smoking is allowed only in designated smoking rooms and areas. Smoking is not permitted in the staff restaurant at Ashdown house during the luncheon period. Smoking is permitted in a separate area at other times.
A copy of my Department's current smoking policy is available in the House of Commons Library.
Nuclear Industry
Mr. McFall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to privatise the nuclear energy industry. [22036]
Mr. Page: The nuclear review is nearing completion. An announcement will be made shortly.
Mr. McFall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what funds are available for decommissioning and waste disposal in the nuclear industry. [22063]
Mr. Page: The Department of Trade and Industry provides to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority the funds required to undertake its programme of work on nuclear decommissioning and the management of radioactive waste arising from government nuclear programmes. The provision of funds in respect of the decommissioning and waste disposal liabilities of other parts of the nuclear industry is a matter for the companies concerned: their annual accounts report on the relevant provisions.
Mr. McFall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measurements he has made of the security and safety implications of a privatised nuclear energy industry. [22030]
Mr. Page: Safety is of paramount importance and will continue to be so irrespective of ownership.
Mr. McFall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the asset value of the nuclear energy industry in England and Wales. [22029]
Mr. Page: I refer the hon. Member to the annual reports and accounts of the relevant companies, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Nuclear Plant, Taiwan
Mr. McFall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what negotiations he has had with the Taiwan Government regarding the joint bid by Nuclear Electric and Westinghouse for the building of a nuclear power plant in that country. [22035]
Mr. Page: The United Kingdom Government supported Nuclear Electric's bid for the Lungmen project but does not take part in commercial negotiations regarding any international bid.
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Sizewell B
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what emergency storage facilities exist at the Sizewell B reactor for nuclear fuel rods withdrawn from the reactor core should an accident occur while the interim on site storage ponds are being completed. [22034]
Mr. Page: I understand that the fuel storage pond at Sizewell B was commissioned before nuclear fuel was accepted on site. There has therefore been no need for any interim storage facilities, nor is there a need for any additional emergency storage facility. If fuel failures should occur, the failed fuel can be withdrawn from the reactor core using the normal fuel handling equipment and can then be stored safely in the fuel storage pond.
Metrication
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the additional costs involved, including the disposal of surplus materials for (a) the public service and (b) the United Kingdom economy which will stem from the implementation of the European Community directives which require all references to imperial measures to be stopped, with the exception of the area of exemption set out in the Health and Safety Executive document OM 1995/121 appendix 5. [21997]
Mr. Jonathan Evans [holding answer 1 May 1995]: The cost to business of compliance with legislation to implement Council directive 89/617/EEC on harmonisation of units of measurement was considered to be about £35 million spread over a period of six years. This does not take into account the benefits which will accrue from metrication. The costs to the public sector were not considered to be significant.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Identity Cards
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what calculations his Department has made in respect of the cost of issuing an ID card. [21894]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) on 27 April 1995, column 674 .
Daylight Saving
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce proposals on daylight saving; and if he will make a statement. [22221]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Our policy on future summer time arrangements, including whether to move to central European time, remains under consideration.
Electoral Registration
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to implementing the conclusion of his Department's working group report on electoral registration in respect of the provision to transfer electoral qualification from one address to another when an elector moves. [22381]
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Mr. Nicholas Baker: I understand that the working group on electoral registration considered the issue only in the context of rolling registration where it came to no firm conclusion.
Bogus Marriages
Dr. Kim Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of those individuals involved in marriages between British citizens and non-British, non-EU citizens which were adjudged to be bogus by his Department were deported in each year since 1989; [21514]
(2) how many individuals involved in marriages between British citizens and non-British, non-EU citizens which were adjudged to be bogus by his Department were deported in each year since 1989. [21815]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The information requested is not available. The deportation statistics do not identify separately cases involving a bogus marriage.
Citizenship Applications
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his practice to publish his reasons for refusing an applications for United Kingdom citizenship where an applicant wishes this to be done. [21952]
Mahogany
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [19836]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Between September 1993 and March 1995, 132m of African mahogany was purchased, costing £70,000 for use in prison workshops for the construction of furniture for sale and order. The supplier purchases hardwood from controlled areas in line with Government guidelines to the timber trade.
Information is not available for the period prior to September 1993.
Home Office policy on the purchase of wood is, as far as possible, to ensure that wood used in building works and furniture comes from sustainably-managed forests.
EMPLOYMENT
Earnings, North-West
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many full-time employees in the north-west earn less than £2 an hour. [21546]
Mr. Oppenheim: It is estimated from the autumn 1994 labour force survey that approximately 1.7 per cent. of full-time employees in the north -west earn less than £2 per hour. A total of 78.1 per cent. earn more than £4 per hour.
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Building Society Takeover
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs he estimates will be at risk in the United Kingdom if the proposed takeover of the National and Provincial building society takes place. [21931]
Miss Widdecombe: No such estimate is available.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs he estimates will be at lost in Yorkshire if the proposed takeover by Abbey National of the National and Provincial building society took place. [21906]
Miss Widdecombe: No such estimate is available.
Pay Rates
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will make it his policy for job centres to establish with employers the minimum rate of pay for jobs they advertise when the rate is negotiable and to refuse to display advertisements for jobs paying £1 an hour or less; [22211]
(2) what discretion is allowed to jobcentre managers in deciding whether to accept a job advertisement where the wage rate offered is unreasonably low. [22281]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 3 May 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the policy for servicing vacancies where the wages are negotiable or paying £1 an hour or less and what discretion is allowed to Jobcentre managers to refuse an unreasonably low paid job.
Wage levels are a matter for agreement between employers and employees and the Employment Service has no role in policing them. However, guidance to staff in Jobcentres is that where an employer notifies a vacancy offering low pay, or with wages below the prevailing rates for the district, they should advise the employer of the local rates of pay for the job. Where employers insist on offering low pay, they are advised that their vacancy may be difficult to fill.
My people in Jobcentres will also encourage employers to state a rate of pay where they indicate that wages are negotiable, so that potential applicants have as much information as possible before attending a job interview.
In some instances, jobs offering what appears to be a low basic rate of pay may have opportunities to enhance earnings through bonus and commission payments, or offer other benefits such as accommodation. Employers are also encouraged to make these clear in the specification of their vacancy.
Until 30 August 1993 in certain industries minimum rates of pay were laid down in Wages Council Orders. Since the abolition of Wages Councils, only agricultural wages are covered by Acts of Parliament and guidance has been issued to Jobcentres to refer any enquiries relating to rates of pay for agricultural workers to the Agricultural Wages Board, or the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.
Whilst Jobcentres will advise an employer offering low pay the difficulties in filling such a vacancy, there is no legal reason why they could refuse to handle their vacancy. We have to accept that the ultimate decision on the wages offered is left to the employer. I hope this is helpful.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the lowest hourly rate of pay for a job advertised at the jobcentres in Nelson and Colne
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for the latest 12 month period for which figures are available. [22203]Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 3 May 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the lowest wage rate advertised for vacancies notified to Nelson and Colne Jobcentres over the last twelve months.
The information you have requested is not recorded. Supervacs, the computer system used to process notified vacancies, is designed to work as a vacancy recording and circulation system. It does not retain information other than basic data such as Standard Occupational Classification and Standard Industrial Classification. Details such as wage rates, hours of work and job description are not retained by the system once the vacancy is filled or closed. I am sorry I cannot be more helpful.
South Thames TEC
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has replied to an inquiry from Commissioner Padraig Flynn regarding donations to the South Thames training and enterprise council from the European social fund.
Mr. Paice: The Department replied to the European Commission on this matter on 2 May 1995.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Livestock Hauliers
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many journey plans were submitted by hauliers of livestock through (a) Shoreham port, (b) Plymouth docks, (c) Dover port, (d) Brightlingsea docks and (e) Coventry airport in each month since such journey plans became compulsory; how many of these plans were not adhered to; and how many have been submitted for future journeys. [20604]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 May 1995]: Journey plans were compulsory for certain journeys from 1 January 1993. The Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1994 made journey plans compulsory in a specified format for any journey likely to take more than 15 hours, with effect from 23 January 1995. Between this latter date and 7 April, 1995 journey plans have been checked by the Ministry. This figure cannot readily be broken down in the way requested. Exporters are advised to give the Ministry 10 days' notice of an intention to export animals, and in practice not all intended journeys take place. Arrangements exist to carry out spot checks on the details declared in the journey plans with co-operation from certain member states, and inquiries are continuing in a number of cases.
Live Animal Exports
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 4 April, Official Report , column 1058 , how it is possible for calves to be fed a liquid feed while on a lorry. [21088]
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Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 May 1995]: I am advised that calves could be fed aboard lorries in circumstances where the lorries were standing part-loaded and there was room for individual feeding. Facilities for the preparation of the liquid feed would also have to be available nearby.
Contaminated Beef
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will show his assessment of the percentage of beef samples with traces of clenbuterol or other artificial promoters in each of the EC member states; how much of this contaminated beef finds it way into the British market; what concerns he has as to whether existing EC legislation to prevent the use of artificial growth promoters is effective; and if he will make a statement. [21315]
Mrs. Browning: Surveillance for concentrations of clenbuterol and other artificial growth promoters in beef is carried out in all member states under the terms of directive 86/469/EEC. I regret, however, that information on residues surveillance, comparable with that made available by the veterinary medicines directorate, is not published by other member states, and I cannot therefore comment on the position in those countries.
So far as domestic production is concerned, I can confirm that no clenbuterol positives have been identified in any sample collected from slaughterhouses in Great Britain under the national surveillance scheme since testing began in August 1989, nor have any of the samples tested for the banned hormonal growth promoters been found to be positive since 1992. Samples of beef and other meat and meat products are also purchased from retail outlets in the United Kingdom, under a separate surveillance programme which covers both home produced and imported meat products. During the period July 1993 to March 1994 one sample of calf liver imported from a member state was found to contain traces of clenbuterol below the maximum residue limit of 0.5g/kg and did not present a hazard to human health. The use of hormonal growth promoters is banned throughout the European Community, although this ban does not extend to clenbuterol which is an authorised veterinary medicine and available, under prescription, in several member states, including the UK, to treat respiratory ailments in calves and horses and to assist cattle at the time of calving. When used illegally, at high dosages, clenbuterol has similar growth promoting effects to the banned hormones. I am satisfied from the assurances that have been received from member states where a problem with the abuse of these substances is reported to exist, that urgent steps are being taken to stamp out any illegal use, and that consumer safety is not at risk from imported beef.
Mink Farms
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of licensed mink farms in each year since 1989. [21190]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 May 1995]: The number of licensed mink farms in England is as follows:
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9
|Number of licensed
|mink farms on
---------------------------------------------------------
1989 |52
1990 |45
1991 |26
1992 |19
1993 |20
1994 |12
1995 |13
Animal Health
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farm animals were identified as being unfit to travel in each month since January 1992. [21168]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 May 1995]: The information is given in the following table for the years 1992, 1994 and 1995--to February. No figures are available for 1993.
Farm animals inspected prior to export and rejected as unfit for
transportation
|1992 |1994 |1995
----------------------------------------------------------------------
January |1,608 |not available|1,259
February |1,116 |not available|698
March |662 |1,534 |-
April |425 |1,545 |-
May |792 |1,881 |-
June |1,262 |618 |-
July |2,206 |1,227 |-
August |3,694 |4,032 |-
September |4,710 |4,534 |-
October |5,330 |1,424 |-
November |3,126 |1,681 |-
December |3,139 |1,195 |-
Equal Opportunities
Ms Eagle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which Minister in his Department has responsibility for equal opportunity issues. [21445]
Mrs. Browning: My right hon. Friend the Minister, has overall responsibility for all departmental issues. I have particular responsibility for equal opportunity issues.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made within his Department on equal opportunity matters. [21446]
Mrs. Browning: The Department continues to implement its strategy for equality of opportunity for women staff. In the past 12 months this has included the introduction of a career break scheme, an assessment of the suitability of posts for flexible working and increased child-care facilities. The departmental strategy for equality of opportunity for staff of ethnic minority origin has been relaunched. A departmental strategy on the employment of staff with disabilities is being formulated using results from a staff survey in which 600 staff reported a disability.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the gender assessment being prepared by his Department. [21447]
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Mrs. Browning: The Department's policy, in line with guidance issued in 1992 by the ministerial group on women's issues, is that policy proposals should ensure that unlawful or unjustifiable discrimination against specific groups of people, including men and women, does not occur. This scrutiny is part of a continuous and routine process, as part of policy advice to Ministers.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress he hopes to achieve in his Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if he will agree to incorporate a section on equal opportunities in his Department's annual report. [21448]
Mrs. Browning: The Department will continue to ensure that unlawful or unjustifiable discrimination against specific groups of people does not occur as a result of its policies.
The Department's annual report already includes details on equal opportunities with regard to its staff. The Department will continue to include such information in line with central commitments.
Badgers
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what support his Department has given since December 1993 (a) to the continued monitoring of infection in the wild badger population, (b) to research into ways of avoiding transmission of disease from badgers to cattle and (c) to co-operation with university departments on proposed studies about the effects of badger removal operations on the badger population and its impact on the subsequent spread of disease within the badger population. [21716]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 2 May 1995]: In the financial year 1994 95 the Ministry invested £370,000 in on-going work at the central veterinary laboratory and the central science laboratory on an ecological and epidemiological study of a badger population naturally infected with M. bovis in the Gloucestershire study area. A further £138,000 was invested in on-going work to understand the demography and epidemiology of badgers through the production of mathematical models of badger populations to assist in the development of M. bovis control strategies. The Ministry also continues to examine the carcases of wild badgers found by members of the public in the vicinity of farms where there have been cattle herd breakdowns for M. bovis in addition to those killed in Ministry badger removal operations.
In 1994 the Ministry agreed to fund a project over the next three years, now being carried out by Oxford university in collaboration with the Central Science Laboratory and the Central Veterinary Laboratory, to look at the effects of a badger removal operation by examining the behaviour of surviving badgers, their demography and dynamics, and effects on disease transmission. The Ministry has also just agreed to fund a project over the next three years, to be undertaken by the University of Bristol, to investigate the relationships between badger population density and size of social groups with different habitats, the distribution of M. bovis in badgers in south-west England, and the risks of transmitting disease from badgers to cattle.
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Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been madesince December 1993 regarding (a) research into the development of effective vaccines for TB in badgers and (b) research to develop new or improveddiagnostic tests for the presence of infection in cattle and badgers. [21717]Mrs. Browning [holding answer 2 May 1995]: In the financial year 1994 95 the Ministry invested £217,000 on the development of a suitable vaccine for the protection of badgers against infection with M. bovis. Work on this project started at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in April 1994. Initially, this work has concentrated on understanding the badger's responses to the infection, in order to determine possible mechanisms of protection, and investigating possible vaccine candidates. A feasibility study has been completed and is due to be published in the Veterinary Record on 6 May. This work is progressing well although it is anticipated that it will take approximately 15 years to complete.
The Ministry invested £543,000 in financial year 1994 95 in on-going research at the Central Veterinary Laboratory to develop methods for the improved diagnosis of M. bovis in cattle and badgers. This work involves the identification and purification of potential diagnostic antigens, the development of appropriate laboratory-based assays of antibody and cellular immunity in infected cattle and improvement of the current skin test reagent. The preliminary results of this work are encouraging.
Apples
Mr. Martin Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the estimated (a) loss of United Kingdom apple orchards, (b) cost of grants in the United Kingdom, (c) cost of grants across the European Union and (d) cost of grants in the Mediterranean European Union nations under the European Union's grubbing-up grant; [21866]
(2) what estimates he has made of the effect of the European Union grubbing -up grants on the United Kingdom's trade balance in (a) apples and (b) dessert apples. [21857]
Mr. Jack: Growers in the EU have applied to grub about 28,000 hectares of apple orchard. In the United Kingdom we have accepted 271 applications into the scheme covering 2,432 hectares. However, it will be some time before we have details of the final outcome of the 1994 95 apple orchard grubbing up grant scheme since acceptance of an application does not necessarily lead to grubbing.
On trade, "English Apples and Pears" says that the 90 per cent. of English apple growers staying in the industry are delighted that a significant reduction in the surplus of European apples is in prospect. They are confident that with the modern orchards planted in recent years they will, in future, be better placed to produce even higher quality apples in the range of varieties the UK consumer wants.
Chernobyl
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total compensation paid to farmers for loss of earnings and clean-up of radioactive
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contamination arising from the fall out from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. [22027]Mr. Jack: The sheep compensation scheme was introduced in July 1986 to compensate farmers whose enterprises had been disrupted as a result of movement and slaughter restrictions associated with the Chernobyl accident. The total paid out under the scheme in the United Kingdom up to the end of March 1995 was £11,567,729. A table follows, showing the breakdown of payments by country.
Sheep Compensation Scheme
1986-compensation payments up
to 31 March 1995
|£
---------------------------------------
England |1,313,912
Wales |7,524,272
Scotland |2,491,842
Northern Ireland |237,703
|--------
Total |11,567,729
Agricultural Workers
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total number of (a) farmers and (b) farm workers for each year since 1988, giving the figures as a percentage of the population for England. [21861]
Mr. Jack: The information requested is given in the table.
Persons engaged in agricultural work on agricultural holdings in England
Farmers Farm workers
|Number |As percentage|Number |As percentage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |184 |0.39 |286 |0.60
1989 |182 |0.38 |275 |0.58
1990 |182 |0.38 |274 |0.57
1991 |180 |0.37 |265 |0.55
1992 |182 |0.38 |259 |0.53
1993 |184 |0.38 |253 |0.52
1994 |184 |0.38 |247 |0.51
Source:
Agricultural and Horticultural June census.
Notes:
1. Includes estimates for minor holdings.
2. Farmers include principal farmers, and other partners and directors.
3. Farm workers include hired and family workers, managers, seasonal and casuals,
and spouses of farmers, partners and directors.
4.1993 population figure for England is an estimate.
5. 1994 population figure for England is a projection based upon mid-1992 data.
Brucellosis
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of brucellosis have occurred in each year since 1985. [21818]
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