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Northern Ireland Parliamentary Commissioner forAdministration
Northern Ireland Railways Company Ltd.
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company
Pigs Marketing Board (Northern Ireland)
Police Authority for Northern Ireland
Post Office
Probation Board for Northern Ireland
Rathgael and Whiteabbey Schools Management Board
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
Sports Commission for Education and Library Boards
The board of governors of Stranmillis college of education, Belfast
Trustees of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
Trustees of the Ulster Museum
Ulster Sheltered Employment Ltd.
Ulsterbus Ltd.
Warrenpoint Harbour Authority
Youth Council for Northern Ireland
The Fire Authority for Northern Ireland is subject to scrutiny by the Home Office fire service inspectorate.
All non-departmental public bodies are subject to internal departmental scrutiny. All executive non-departmental public bodies listed in the publication "Public Bodies 1994" are subject to performance indicators. Information on advisory non-departmental public bodies is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The following non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland have published charters:
Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenants charter
Northern Ireland railway passengers charter
Ulsterbus/Citybus passengers charter
The following non-departmental public bodies have published charter standard statements.
Eastern health and social services board
Northern health and social services board
Southern health and social services board
Western health and social services board
Each document sets out the rights and standards of service people can expect.
As part of the charter, Northern Ireland Railways operates a compensation scheme whereby passengers receive discount vouchers or refunds if services are delayed.
In respect of members being liable to surcharge, the education and library boards attract the provisions of sections 31 to 33 of the Local Government Act Northern Ireland 1972 which relate to fraudulent activity.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Agricultural Wages Board
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the wage-setting role of the Agricultural Wages Board. [23710]
Mr. Jack: Under the provisions of the Agricultural Wages Act 1948, as amended, the Agricultural Wages Board has the power to make orders:
(a) fixing minimum rates of wages;
(b) directing holidays to be allowed;
(c) fixing any other terms and conditions of employment; for workers employed in agriculture.
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Rural White Paper
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the net annual financial saving, or cost, of his Department's submission for the proposed White Paper on the rural economy. [24334]
Mr. Jack: Proposals for the rural White Paper remain subject to continuing collective consideration and discussion. The costs of measures contained in the White Paper will be taken into account in the public expenditure survey.
Public Bodies
Mr. Wray: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce legislation to make it a statutory requirement for (a) the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, (b) the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, (c) the Food Advisory Committee and (d) the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee to lay an annual report before Parliament. [24178]
Mr. Jack: The answer to (a), (b), (c) is no. These
non-departmental public bodies already produce annual reports, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.
The answer to (d) is no. This NDPB produces periodic rather than annual reports and these are placed in the Library of the House.
Intervention Stores
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when (a) butter and (b) cheese was last distributed on a (i) national and (ii) local basis from intervention stores. [24289]
Mr. Jack: Butter released from intervention stores was last distributed during the period September 1992 to March 1993, as part of the 1992 surplus food scheme arrangements. The scheme applied throughout the UK and distribution was undertaken by 1,367 designated organisations. Cheese has never been distributed in the UK from EC intervention stocks.
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when and where there have been any distribution of Intervention Board (a) butter, (b) cheese and (c) wine in the UK in the last 12 months. [24288]
Mr. Jack: There has been no distribution by the Intervention Board of butter, cheese or wine in the last 12 months.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Investments
29. Mr. Flynn: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what new proposals he has to improve the return of the investments of the Church Commissioners. [22496]
Mr. Alison: DTZ Debenham Thorpe advised on our property investment strategy in March 1994 and is in the course of updating this advice. The commissioners have embarked upon a strategic programme of property sales
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to rebalance their investment portfolio in the light of that advice.Our consulting actuaries have advised on our asset allocation strategy. This advice was recently considered at length by the assets committee and has influenced the committee's aim to combine the maximisation of investment return with an acceptable level of risk and diversification in those investments.
Staff (Dismissals)
31. Mr. David Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners when a member of the commissioners' staff was last dismissed. [22498]
Mr. Alison: The most recent dismissal of a member of the commissioners' staff took place last April, and before that in August 1992.
Pensions
32. Mr. Jenkin: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby as representing the Church Commissioners what discussions the commissioners have had concerning the recent second report of the Social Security Committee on the Church Commissioners and Church of England pensions; and if he will make a statement. [22499]
34. Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners if he will make a statement on the recommendations contained in the second report of the Social Security Committee of Session 1994 95, HC 354, on the operation of Church of England pensions. [22501]
35. Mr. Corbyn: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what action has been taken to carry out the recommendations of the second report of the Social Security Committee, HC 354, in respect of the past use of Church Commissioners' pension fund money. [22502]
Mr. Alison: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier to day to the hon. Members for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes), and Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton-Brown).
33. Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners how many wives have been divorced from their clergy husbands for each of the last 30 years; and if he will make a statement on the impact of these numbers on pension provision. [22500]
Mr. Alison: Neither the Church Commissioners nor the pensions board holds this information. It is possible that Broken Rites, which, as the hon. Member knows, is an independent association of divorced and separated wives of clergy, may be able to provide certain information.
A survivorship pension is payable to a legal widow--the wife to whom the clergyman was married at the time of his death. No such pension is payable in respect of the ex-wife of a divorced clergyman unless he remarries. In that event, and if he is survived by the second wife, she would receive a pension.
The pensions board makes discretionary grants to a former wife, after the death of her ex-husband, if her total income from all sources is below a certain figure.
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ENVIRONMENT
G7 Meeting, Hamilton
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals were put forward by the United Kingdom and what decisions taken at the meeting of G7 Environment Ministers in Hamilton from 29 April to 1 May; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the communique from the meeting. [22927]
Mr. Gummer: The meeting of G7 Environment Ministers was concerned to prepare the response of the most prosperous world economies to the major environmental challenges we face.
We stressed the need to maximise our efforts to implement the biodiversity and climate change conventions. On climate change, we emphasised the importance not only of meeting our targets for the year 2000 but of taking forward the mandate negotiated at the Berlin conference of the parties to consider the position beyond 2000. The UK was able to take the lead in these discussions, and our firm proposition of the need to cut developed country greenhouse gas emissions by the between 5 and 10 per cent. from 1990 levels by the year 2010 is becoming an increasingly important signal as to the direction of the climate change debate.
We discussed the role of international environment institutions, on which we broadly endorsed the conclusions reached at the informal meeting of Environment Ministers, which I hosted at Brocket hall in February. We looked forward to the governing council of the United Nations environment programme in Nairobi next month as an opportunity to confirm the mandate of UNEP as the world's environment voice. These and other results of the meeting were reported in the form of chairman's highlights, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. I will be reporting the outcome of the meeting to the Prime Minister, as will my G7 colleagues to their Heads of Government. The results will thus feed into the discussions by Heads of Government at the Halifax summit in July.
Telephones
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what cost his Department has incurred during the last 12 months as a result of cloning of mobile telephones being utilised by his Department, with particular reference to the making of unauthorised calls; [23484]
(2) what use his Department makes of hand-held and car-based mobile telephones, what were the costs for each financial year of these services since mobile telephones were first introduced to his Department; and how many mobile telephones are currently in use; (3) how many mobile telephones being utilised by his Department have been cloned during the last 12 months; [23432]
(4) what steps his Department has taken to prevent the cloning of telephones being utilised by his Department; and if his Department has discussed this matter with any official agencies; [23461] (5) what representations his Department has made to the Department of Trade and Industry concerning the need for the legislation to prevent the cloning of mobile telephones. [23473]
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Sir Paul Beresford [holding answer 9 May 1995]: Mobile telephones are used by Ministers and officials who, by virtue of their work, need to speak to colleagues when not in the office. The Department does not keep central financial records for mobile telephones but there are currently 230 mobile telephones in use in my Department, of which 16 are car based, at an estimated cost of £74, 000 for the rental per annum.
The information that we have suggests that 11 mobile telephones have been cloned in the last 12 months. Service providers have identified incidents of cloning and the Department has not been charged for the calls.
It is difficult to prevent the cloning of analogue mobile telephones but the Department will be discussing this issue with the mobile phone industry and will consider the further use of digital mobile telephones which are not easily cloned.
No Government Departments or official agencies have made representations to the Department of Trade and Industry concerning the need for legislation to prevent the cloning of mobile phones.
Opencast Mining
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment wht consultations with local communities have taken place in regard to opencast mining in south Yorkshire. [23532]
Sir Paul Beresford: There has been no consultation with local communities by my Department regarding opencast mining in south Yorkshire, but local planning authorities and site operators would have been consulted as part of the planning application process.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many compulsory land purchase orders have been exercised by opencast mining operators under the Coal Industry Act 1994; and in what locations. [23536]
Sir Paul Beresford: No compulsory land purchase orders have been confirmed under the 1994 legislation.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the response of south Yorkshire local authorities to his Department's MPG3 guidance note on opencast mining. [23534]
Sir Paul Beresford: My Department has not received any correspondence from south Yorkshire local authorities on the MPG3 guidance note, which was published in July 1994.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will introduce an environmental test for opencast mining planning applications. [23535]
Sir Paul Beresford: Procedures for environmental assessment of new development already exist in compliance with a European directive which came into force in July 1988. Mineral extraction qualifies under the legislation as a schedule 2 project, with respect to which the requirement for environmental assessment depends on a prior assessment of whether the project in question is likely to give rise to significant environmental effects.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sites where permission for opencast mining has been given in the Rotherham metropolitan borough council area. [23544]
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Sir Paul Beresford: The following opencast coal sites have been given permission in the Rotherham MBC area:
Roundwood Phase 1, Rotherham (site now in restoration stage) Roundwood Phase 2, Rotherham
Cortonwood, Wentworth (site now restored)
Pithouse West, Rother Valley Park (restoration under way)
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate has been made of increased heavy lorry traffic in Rotherham as a result of proposed opencast mining. [23533]
Sir Paul Beresford: No estimate of increased heavy lorry traffic in Rotherham has been made by my Department. However, this matter is one that should have been considered by the local planning authority in its determination of applications for opencast mining permissions.
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Complaints
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many complaints his Department received alleging anti-competitive behaviour by local authorities in England under the terms of the Local Government Act 1988 for the financial years 1990 91, 1991 92, 1992 93 and 1993 94; and how many local authorities were subsequently issued with a section 19A notice or 19B direction as a result. [23340]
Mr. Curry [holding answer 11 May 1995]: The table gives, for the years in question, the number of complaints received by the Department of the Environment alleging anti-competitive behaviour by local authorities under the Local Government Act 1988. It also indicates the number of authorities on which notices were served under section 13 and to which directions were given under section 14, and the total numbers of notices and directions.
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Year |Total number of |Number of |Number of |Total numberof
|authorities |authorities
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |59 |6 |6 |3 |3
1991-92 |41 |6 |7 |2 |2
1992-93 |70 |8 |9 |5 |6
1993-94 |110 |12 |13 |6 |6
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many complaints his Department received alleging anti-competitive behaviour by local authorities in England under the terms of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 for the financial years 1990 91, 1991 92, 1992 93 and 1993 94; and how many local authorities were subsequently issued with a section 19A notice or 19B direction as a result. [23339]
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Mr. Curry [holding answer 11 May 1995]: The table gives, for the years in question, the number of complaints received by the Department of the Environment alleging anti-competitive behaviour by local authorities under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. It also indicates the number of authorities on which notices were served under section 19A and to which directions were given under section 19B, and the total numbers of notices and directions.
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Year |Total number of |Number of |Number of |Total numberof
|authorities |authorities
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |21 |- |0 |- |0
1991-92 |15 |3 |3 |0 |0
1992-93 |36 |2 |3 |3 |3
1993-94 |40 |5 |6 |6 |8
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