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Mr. Heseltine: (a) When the Department needs the advice of a professional historian, it obtains this via the
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Public Record Office, which maintains close links with the academic community.(b) Those staff at the Public Record Office whose role is to guide and inspect the work of my Department's records review section include one qualified archivist who carries out checks on 10-year sifts and two to three qualified archivists who are involved with the 25-year reviews.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 2 May, column 131, what special training is given to persons who have responsibility for assessing the historical significance of documents held by his Department. [22940]
Mr. Heseltine: The Department provides internal, on-the-job training for records review staff, who are also supported by on-the-job coaching from qualified archivist staff from the Public Record Office. The Department also avails itself of formal training courses, annual conferences and special seminars provided by the Public Records Office.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Simpson: To ask the President of the Boardof Trade, what percentage of his Department's budgetis allocated to initiatives which have been undertakento secure private finance for his Department'sprojects. [22793]
Mr. Heseltine: The private finance initiative within the DTI is one of the responsibilities of the MINIS--management information system for Ministers--unit within the finance and resource management division of my Department. This unit is expected to cost £249,000 in 1995 96 against a total gross running costs provision of £318,883, 000.
Brent Spar Oil Platform
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations have been received by Her Majesty's Government in regard to the permission given to Shell to scuttle the Brent Spar oil platform in the Atlantic. [22928]
Mr. Eggar: Under the terms of section 1(3) of the Petroleum Act 1987, Shell UK Exploration and Production was required to consult a number of interested parties about its abandonment programme for the Brent Spar installation. Replies were received from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and British Telecom International. Since I approved the programme, Greenpeace has made representations to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what surveys and investigations he has conducted into the acceptability of the use of synthetic BST in milk among (a) farmers and (b) consumers.
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Mrs. Browning [holding answer 1 May 1995]: A formal consultation of over 200 organisations and individuals, including farmers and consumer groups was conducted last year seeking views on the future availability of BST products. A copy of the responses received is available from the main Ministry library in Whitehall place. We have also received a number of representations on the subject via hon. Members and direct from both farmers and consumers. In addition, the subject has been raised at farmers and consumer meetings which my ministerial colleagues, have attended around the country.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department are under a statutory requirement to (a) publish their advice to (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will list those with a statutory base. [21598]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 28 April 1995]: The information is as follows:
(a) None, but in practice a number do.
(b) Only the Veterinary Products Committee is required to publish an annual report, but the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and the Food Advisory Committee also do so.
(c) None.
The following advisory non-departmental public bodies have a statutory basis:
The Advisory Committee on Pesticides
The Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees
The Consumers' Committee for Great Britain
The Committee of Investigation for Great Britain
The Committee on Agricultural Valuation
The Hill Farming Advisory Committee
The Veterinary Products Committee.
Fish Farming, Wiltshire
Mr. Key: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the business name and address of each site at which fish are farmed in the country of Wiltshire. [21566]
Mr. Jack: All fish farming businesses are required to register with MAFF for disease control purposes under the Registration of Fish and Shellfish Farming Businesses Order 1985 made under the Diseases of Fish Act 1983. There are currently 25 fish farm sites registered in the country of Wiltshire.
Under the terms of the Act, information obtained for disease control purposes relating to the particulars of any one person or business may be disclosed only in certain specified circumstances. I regret that I am therefore unable to provide details of the business name and address of each site at which fish are farmed.
Coastal Erosion
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will institute a comprehensive technical survey of the coastline between Flimby and Silloth with a view to establishing the scale
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of coastal erosion arising from tidal action in poor weather conditions. [22537]Mr. Jack: This Department commissioned a survey of coast protection works and eroding coastlines in England in 1993 and the then Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, South-West (Mrs. Shephard), announced it publication by written answer on 30 March 1994, Official Report, column 774. A copy of the report on the survey was placed in the Library of the House. More detailed studies of coastal erosion in local areas are the responsibility of the relevant coast protection authority, which for the coastline between Flimby and Silloth is the borough of Allerdale council. I understand that the council intends to prepare a plan for the future management of the shoreline in its area, taking account of coastal erosion patterns. This Department may provide grant aid for studies leading to the preparation of such shoreline management plans or to proposals for improved coastal defences.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from Crosscanonby parish council as to coastal erosion on the west Cumbrian coast. [22538]
Mr. Jack: We have no record of any such representations from Crosscanonby parish council having been received by this Department.
Accounting Officers
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many times in the last 10 years, and on which dates, his departmental accounting officer has issued a minute in that role; and what was the issue in each case. [22559]
Mr. Waldegrave: Where a Minister overrules an accounting officer's advice on an issue of propriety or regularity or one of value for money, the accounting officer should request a written instruction from the Minister to take the action in question.
The cases in which such an instruction has been issued between 1979 and February 1994 were set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney(Mr. Rowlands) on 25 February 1994, Official Report , column 496 .
No such minutes have been subsequently issued by the accounting officer,
All such instructions are now reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General who, after making whatever investigations he considers appropriate, will report his findings to the Committee of Public Accounts.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of his Department's budget is allocated to initiatives which have been undertaken to secure private finance for his Department's projects. [22797]
Mr. Jack: At present, a modest proportion of the resources of my financial policy division, my building and estate management division and some other divisions with significant capital budgets are devoted to this initiative.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
National Vocational Qualifications
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many, and what proportion of, vacancies advertised by his Department, and by each of his Department's agencies, in the last three years have listed the attainment of national vocational qualifications as an acceptable entry requirement; and, of those, how many have required (i) level 1 NVQs, (ii) level 2 NVQs, (iii) level 3 NVQs and (iv) other level NVQs. [22973]
Mr. Goodlad: My Department and its agencies have not listed the attainment of NVQs in advertised vacancies as an acceptable entry requirement in the last three years.
For those vacancies where academic qualifications are an entry requirement, the Department accepts GCSEs and equivalent qualifications including NVQs.
Military Training Assistance Scheme
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the annual cost to his Department of UK military training assistance scheme in each of the last five financial years. [23242]
Mr. David Davis: The annual cost of the United Kingdom military training assistance scheme for the last five financial years was: 1990 91: £18.1 million
1991 92: £15.2 million
1992 93: £12.5 million
1993 94: £11.9 million
1994 95: £12.1 million (forecast outturn)
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries which have benefited from the United Kingdom military training assistance scheme since 1 June 1990. [23247]
Mr. David Davis: The countries which have benefited from United Kingdom military training assistance since 1 June 1990 are Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,
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Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Entry Clearance
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many entry clearance officers were in post in (a) New York, (b) Moscow, (c) St. Petersburg, (d) Accra, (e) Lagos, (f) Abuja, (g) New Delhi, (h) Bombay, (j) Calcutta, (k) Madras, (l) Dhaka, (m) Islamabad, (n) Karachi and (o) Colombo in the financial years (i) 1992 93, (ii) 1993 94 and(iii) 1994 95 to the latest convenient date. [22646]
Mr. Baldry: The number of entry clearance officers at the posts listed, for the calender years 1992, 1993 and 1994, is given in man years as follows:
|1992 |1993 |1994
-------------------------------------------
(a) New York |2.9 |1.42 |3.00
(b) Moscow |5.13 |3.81 |4.90
(c) St. Petersburg |- |1.75 |1.80
(d) Accra |5.64 |4.83 |4.96
(e) Lagos |19 |17.67|14.33
(f) Abuja |- |- |1.58
(g) New Delhi |15.41|14.95|14.42
(h) Bombay |14.21|11.9 |11.54
(j) Calcutta |1.45 |1.4 |1.17
(k) Madras |1.8 |1.6 |1.4
(l) Dhaka |17.5 |12.3 |12.08
(m) Islamabad |28.34|27.25|25.77
(n) Karachi |6.63 |6.5 |6.15
(o) Colombo |3.72 |3.64 |3.56
It should be noted that St. Petersburg and Abuja only started entry clearance work in November 1993 and February 1994 respectively.
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the costs of the entry clearance work at each post in the Indian subcontinent in (a) 1992 93, (b) 1993 94 and (c) 1994 95; what they are forecast to be in (i) 1995 96 and (ii) 1996 97; and how they are calculated. [22644]
Mr. Baldry: The costs of entry clearance work at each post are shown on the table.
These reflect the numbers and grades of staff, both UK-based and locally engaged, employed on entry clearance as a proportion of total staff at post.
£
|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95 |1995-96 |1996-97
|(actual) |(actual) |(estimated)|(estimated)|(estimated)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dhaka |1,787,816 |1,561,703 |1,592,937 |1,644,708 |1,685,825
Bombay |1,322,867 |1,558,321 |1,589,487 |1,641,146 |1,682,174
Calcutta |142,081 |171,963 |175,402 |181,103 |185,630
Madras |185,274 |139,985 |142,785 |147,425 |151,111
New Delhi |1,978,335 |2,029,036 |2,069,617 |2,136,879 |2,190,301
Karachi |766,278 |897,589 |915,541 |945,296 |968,928
Islamabad |2,771,472 |3,196,424 |3,260,352 |3,366,314 |3,450,472
Colombo |467,302 |502,117 |512,159 |528,805 |542,025
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the costs of the entry clearance work at the British posts in (a) New York, (b) Moscow, (c) St. Petersburg, (d) Accra, (e) Lagos and (f) Abuja, in the financial years (i) 1992-93, (ii) 1993-94 and (iii) 1994-95; what are they forecast to be in (i) 1995-96 and (ii) 1996-97; and how they are calculated. [22645]
Mr. Baldry: The cost of entry clearance work at each post are shown on the table.
These reflect the numbers and grades of staff, both UK-based and locally engaged, employed on entry clearance as a proportion of total staff at post.
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W
£
|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95 |1995-96 |1996-97
|(actual) |(actual) |(estimated)|(estimated)|(estimated)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York |551,923 |699,399 |713,387 |736,572 |754,986
Moscow |742,955 |770,194 |785,598 |811,130 |831,408
St. Petersburg |83,195 |212,582 |216,834 |223,881 |229,478
Accra |357,376 |519,756 |530,151 |547,381 |561,066
Lagos |2,873,715 |2,798,959 |2,854,938 |2,947,724 |3,021,417
Abuja
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many entry clearance officers in (a) New York, (b) Moscow, (c) St. Petersburg, (d) Accra, (e) Lagos, (f) Abuja, (g) New Delhi, (h) Bombay, (j) Calcutta, (k) Madras, (l) Dhaka, (m) Islamabad, (n) Karachi and (o) Colombo have other duties, and what proportion of their time, respectively, is spent on these. [22639]
Mr. Baldry: The number of entry clearance officers in the following posts with other duties; and the percentage of their time spent on them is as follows:
|Number |ECO per cent. |Other per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Petersburg |1 |90 |10
Abuja |1 |50 |50
Calcutta |1 |75 |25
Madras |2 |70 |30
Colombo |2 |80 |20
Colombo |2 |98 |2
All other Entry Clearance Officers are 100 per cent. engaged on entry clearance work.
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for visit entry clearance were (a) made, (b) granted and (c) refused at the British post in Kingston, Jamaica in(i) January to June 1993, (ii) July to December 1993,(iii) January to June 1994 and (iv) July to December or the latest convenient date in 1994. [22640]
Mr. Baldry: We do not have a half-yearly breakdown of the details requested.
The number of UK applications for entry clearance--both settlement and non- settlement--made, granted and refused in 1993 and 1994 at Kingston was as follows:
|Number
----------------------
1993
Applied |2,835
Granted |2,044
Refused |804
1994
Applied |4,026
Granted |2,978
Refused |1,034
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for visit entry clearance were (a) made, (b) granted, and (c) refused at the British posts in (i) Ottawa, (ii) Moscow, (iii) Wellington and (iv) Canberra in (1) January to June 1993, (2) July to December 1993, (3) January to June 1994 and (4) July to December or the latest convenient date in 1994. [22642]
Mr. Baldry: We do not have a half-yearly breakdown of the number of the details requested.
The number of applications for visit entry clearance made, granted and refused in 1993 and 1994 at the posts listed was as follows:
1993 1994
|A |G |R |A |G |R
---------------------------------------------------------------
1) Ottawa |8,808 |8,241 |19 |10,019|9,937 |51
2) Moscow |61,184|59,591|1,593 |86,520|84,664|1,856
3) Wellington |- |- |- |1,995 |2,720 |28
4) Canberra |11,593|11,076|16 |17,317|16,065|12
It should be noted that Wellington started entry clearance work in February 1994.
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for visit entry clearance were (a) made, (b) granted and (c) refused at the British posts in (i) Manila, (ii) Tokyo, (iii) Sana'a and (iv) Addis Ababa in (1) January to June 1993, (2) July to December 1993, (3) January to June 1994 and (4) July to December or the latest convenient date in 1994. [22643]
Mr. Baldry: We do not have a half-yearly breakdown of the details requested.
The number of UK applications for visit entry clearance made, granted and refused in 1993 and 1994 at the posts listed was as follows:
1993 1994
|A |G |R |A |G |R
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Manila |12,633|11,388|911 |13,292|12,384|772
(2) Tokyo |4,080 |3,865 |36 |4,548 |4,294 |176
(3) Sana'a |4,210 |3,802 |158 |3,217 |2,824 |169
(4) Addis Ababa |4,642 |3,572 |551 |4,491 |2,893 |898
Antarctic Treaty
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his
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letter of 26 April to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what action was taken by Her Majesty's Government's delegation to the Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Seoul about the condition of the Amundson-Scott base at the south pole. [22661]Mr. David Davis: The Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Seoul does not finish until Friday 19 May. I will write to the hon. Gentleman giving a substantive reply after that date.
Former Soviet Union (Visas)
Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis certain citizens of the countries of the former Soviet Union are not charged for visas to travel to the United Kingdom; when this policy was started; and what plans there are to extend it to other countries. [22649]
Mr. Baldry: The exchange of notes between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics concerning the mutual abolition of consular fees on visas, Moscow, 13 April 1964, provides for entry clearance application fees to be waived for nationals of the former Soviet Union.
There are no plans to introduce similar arrangements for nationals of other countries.
Belgium (Passport Control)
Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the stamping of United Kingdom passports at the Belgian frontier; and if it is his intention that Belgian passports should be stamped at the United Kingdom frontier. [22773]
Mr. David Davis: We are aware of a number of cases recently where the passports of UK nationals have been date-stamped by Belgian immigration officials at the Belgian frontier. We have no reason to believe that this practice amounts to immigration control on UK nationals, which would be illegal. Nevertheless, we have brought it to the attention of the Belgian authorities. The UK has no intention of date-stamping the passports of Belgian or any other EU nationals.
EDUCATION
Accounting Officers
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times in the last 10 years, and on which dates, her departmental accounting officer has issued a minute in that role; and what was the issue in each case. [22556]
Mr. Robin Squire: Where a Minister overrules an accounting officer's advice on an issue of propriety or regularity or one of value for money the accounting officer should request a written instruction from the Minister to take the action in question. In a reply to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands) of 3 March 1994 Official Report , column 808 , it was reported that the Secretary of State had not since 1979 issued any formal instructions to
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override the advice of his accounting officer on a matter of propriety or regularity or one relating to economy, efficiency and effectiveness. No direction has been issued since the date of that reply.All such instructions are reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General who, after making whatever investigations he considers appropriate, will report his findings to the Public Accounts Committee.
Special Needs
Mr. David Porter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on progress of the special educational needs code of practice; to what extent teachers are reporting increased work load as a result; and what plans there are to revise it. [22634]
Mr. Forth: The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs came into effect in September 1994. It has been widely welcomed as reflecting and supporting good practice in schools. Some schools have expressed concern at the increased work load as they change their procedures in the light of the guidance in the code. The Department is monitoring the implementation of the code and will in due course evaluate its effectiveness. There are no plans to revise the code at this stage.
Nursery Places
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the current average cost of providing a full-time nursery place in each local education authority in England and Wales. [22822]
Mr. Forth: This information is not held centrally for local education authorities in England. Local education authorities in Wales are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the grant-maintained schools which have sought a change in their planned admission level or their standard number; and in each case (a) if the application has been successful, (b) how many objections were submitted and (c) if an objection was submitted by the local education authority. [23127]
Mr. Forth: Schools set published admission levels above their approved admission numbers in any particular year without applying to my right hon. Friend for approval.
Details of applications from grant-maintained schools to vary their approved admission numbers are shown in the table. Applications from grant- maintained schools in stage 2 and 3 areas are the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked its chairman to write to the hon. Member.
School |Successful |Number of objections|LEA objection
|(a) |(b) |(c)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Saints CE Primary, Sutton |No |Nil |No
Beaconsfield High, Buckinghamshire |Yes |Nil |No
Beechen Cliff, Avon |Yes |Two |No
Deacon's School, Cambridgshire |Yes |Nil |No
Homewood School, Kent |Yes |None |No
Queensmead School, Harrow |Yes |None |No
St. Bartholomews School, Berkshire |No |None |No
Tiffin Boys' School, Kingston |Yes |<1>One |Yes
<1> LEA objection.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what were the total numbers of schools new to the grant-maintained sector since the previous year for each financial year from 1990 91 to 1995 96 (a) from which bids for capital grants for named projects were received and (b) to which allocations were approved.
Mr. Forth: These matters are now the responsibility of the Funding Agency for Schools. I have asked its chairman to write to the hon. Member with this information.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the grant-maintained schools which have sought approval for changes in their admissions policy to introduce the selection of pupils by reference to their aptitude or ability which do not constitute a significant change of character; and in each case (a) if their application has been successful, (b) how many objections were submitted and (c) if an objection was submitted by the local education authority. [23126]
Mr. Forth: This information is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which grant-maintained schools have applied for a change of character; and what was her decision in each case. [23128]
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