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Privatisation
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29415]
Mr. Goodlad: Since April 1992, no parts of the FCO diplomatic wing or its agency, Wilton Park, have been privatised without an in-house bid.
Two contracts have been let by the Overseas Development Administration without an in-house bid: travel unit messagerial service and daytime security guarding of the London premises. In both cases, a
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strategic decision was taken to contract out because outside contractors are better equipped to deliver the services.The following services have already been identified as possible candidates for privatisation:
FCO
Travel accounts unit
Pensions
ODA
Natural Resources Institute
A strategic decision has been taken not to include an in-house bid in the privatisation of the FCO's travel accounts unit, based on the relatively small size of the operation. In-house bids have not been ruled out in the other cases.
Nigeria
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what types of lethal military equipment the United Kingdom has supplied to Nigeria's United Nations contingents, to which contingents, and when. [29845]
Mr. David Davis: Although the measures adopted by the EU in December 1993 leave open the possibility of exporting to Nigeria equipment for peacekeeping use, it has been the practice of successive Governments not to reveal details of export licences or applications for licences unless the requirements of confidentiality are outweighed by the public interest.
Eastern Europe (Investment)
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 12 June, Official Report , column 376 , what steps would be necessary to obtain the information sought on investment in eastern Europe. [29476]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: It would have been necessary, through our embassies, to approach the authorities in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands and/or the authorities in the six recipient countries.
Further research here has revealed a recent OECD publication containing some of the figures requested. I can now provide figures on German, French and Italian investment into the six countries, as shown in the tables.
The publication does not provide figures on UK, Dutch or EU investment into the countries concerned.
Too much significance should not be read into the figures given the problems of data capture, defining investment and determining national origin.
3
A: Figures in national currencies
Stock of direct investment end year
Million FF
France |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |37 |98 |70 |-
CSFR |- |22 |33 |5 |-
Hungary |- |3 |4 |4 |-
Poland |- |92 |171 |877 |-
Romania |- |40 |65 |64 |-
Million DM
Germany |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |- |- |- |-
CSFR |- |- |- |537 |1,355
Hungary |39 |73 |266 |489 |1,158
Poland |16 |10 |26 |86 |286
Romania |- |- |- |16 |27
-
Billion Lira
Italy |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |- |- |1 |2
CSFR |- |- |- |4 |45
Hungary |- |- |- |44 |69
Poland |- |- |- |6 |31
Romania |- |- |- |3 |4
Source: OECD International Direct Investment
Statistics Yearbook 1994.
B: Exchange rates used to produce table C from table A
National currency/$ average exchange rates
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------------------
France |0.165044|0.172771|0.19497 |0.19305 |0.181604
Germany |0.561703|0.588998|0.669344|0.659631|0.619579
Italy |- |- |- |0.000869|0.000587
Source: IMF IFS Yearbook 1994.
C: Figures in US dollars
Million US$
France |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |343.6 |388.0 |384.4 |-
CSFR |- |6.4 |19.1 |13.5 |-
Hungary |- |3.8 |6.4 |1.0 |-
Poland |- |0.5 |0.8 |0.8 |-
Romania |- |15.9 |33.3 |169.3 |-
Million US$
Germany |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |- |- |- |-
CSFR |- |- |- |103.7 |246.1
Hungary |6.4 |12.6 |51.9 |94.4 |210.3
Poland |2.6 |1.7 |5.1 |16.6 |51.9
Romania |- |- |- |3.1 |4.9
Million US$
Italy |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
---------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |- |- |- |0.9 |1.2
CSFR |- |- |- |3.5 |26.4
Hungary |- |- |- |38.2 |40.5
Poland |- |- |- |5.2 |18.2
Romania |- |- |- |2.6 |2.3
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 12 June, Official Report , column 376 , what estimates he has made of the costs which would have been incurred in providing a full answer. [29475]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: I refer the hon. Member to my earlier reply. The cost in time and resources needed to pursue the inquiries would clearly have been in excess of £450 and no more accurate estimates were made.
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Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts he has had with the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to discuss levels of German and EU investment into the countries of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Rumania and Bulgaria. [29363]
Mr. David Davis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister of State, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg), today. The Department is in close contact with the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany on a wide variety of matters, but we have not recently discussed German and EU investment levels in the countries mentioned.
Foreign Affairs Council
Sir Malcolm Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 June. [30412]
Mr. David Davis: The A points listed in document 775/95, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, were adopted unanimously.
The Commission was mandated to conclude the negotiations with Israel on a new agreement and report to the Committee of Permanent Representatives, COREPER.
The Council approved the initialling of a Europe agreement with Slovenia.
On former Yugoslavia, the Council expressed appreciation for the contribution of Lord Owen and welcomed his successor, Mr. Bildt. Agreement was given to open negotiations with Croatia for a trade and co-operation agreement.
The presidency concluded that the situation in Chechnya did not yet allow the EU to proceed with signature of the interim agreement with Russia. But the Council agreed to keep the question under review, and to prepare to sign the agreement as soon as possible.
The presidency outlined subjects for discussion at the European Council at Cannes.
The Council agreed to the disbursement of the first tranche--200 million ecu--of a balance of payments loan to the Ukraine. The Council agreed that negotiations should be opened for partnership and co-operation agreements with the countries of the Transcaucasus, and to open exploratory talks with Uzbekistan. There was a further discussion of the European development fund. The subject was referred to COREPER for further work.
The Commission reported on the state of play in negotiations for agreements with Morocco and Egypt, and announced details of a new Mediterranean financial regulation. There was a brief exchange over lunch on the forthcoming Barcelona Euro-Med conference.
Negotiating directives for an EU/MERCOSUR framework agreement, plus an accompanying political declaration, were agreed.
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Agreement was reached on negotiating directives for a long-term agreement with South Africa, subject to the solution of one outstanding problem by COREPER.There was a discussion of free trade areas, and the subject was remitted to COREPER for further discussion.
The Council agreed that if Canada dropped its threatened retaliation over compensation for tariff increases resulting from EU enlargement, the Community would introduce tariff reductions on newsprint.
Sir Leon Brittan reported on subjects on the agenda of the World Trade Organisation. The Council took note without debate, and endorsed the procedural conclusions on trade and social standards agreed previously in COREPER.
The Council agreed, following a vote, the Commission's proposed negotiating directives for the revision of the protocols on textiles with the central and eastern European countries. Italy, Portugal and Greece opposed, and made minutes statements.
A copy of the Council's conclusions will be placed in the Library of this House as soon as it is received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Intergovernmental Conference, Luxembourg
Sir Malcolm Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the meeting of the study group to prepare for the 1996 intergovernmental conference which took place in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June. [30413]
Mr. David Davis: As the Foreign Secretary's representative, I attended the second meeting of the study group in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June. The meeting concentrated on institutional arrangements in the European Community--the "first pillar". Members of the group agreed that there was no need to change the overall balance between the central EC institutions--the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament.
In my contribution I stressed the need to arrest centralising tendencies in Europe, and to banish the notion of a European Government in embryo. The European Parliament had acquired important new powers in recent years. The EP needed to demonstrate that it was using its existing powers responsibly, and to the full, for example to secure better value for money from Community programmes and to hold the Commission more closely to account.
I put the case for closer involvement of national Parliaments in the work of the EU, and suggested that we might examine, in particular, whether national Parliaments could play a more active role in the application of the principle of subsidiarity. With respect to the Council, I repeated my opposition to any extension of majority voting, and I put the case for changes in the voting system to increase democratic legitimacy and to reduce the present bias against large member states.
I argued that with the accession of new member states including perhaps some very small ones there could be a case for re-examining the system of six-monthly rotating presidencies in the EC.
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Turning to the Commission, I commended Mr. Santer's emphasis on the need to do "less but better". The Council should take a closer interest in the Commission's legislative programme to help to achieve this. I suggested that we might examine the possibility of requiring the Commission to withdraw proposals which had not been agreed within, say, three years--a "sunset clause".North Atlantic Assembly
Sir Malcolm Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made in the composition of the United Kingdom parliamentary delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly.
Mr. David Davis: The hon. Member for Hampshire, East (Mr. Mates) has replaced the hon. Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) as a member of the delegation.
EDUCATION
Research
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of English higher education departments received a research rating of (a) three or above and (b) five during the recent research assessment exercise; and if she will make a statement. [29041]
Mr. Boswell: The higher education funding bodies are responsible for the conduct of the periodic research assessment exercise. Of the 2,127 submissions made by higher education departments in England to the 1992 research assessment exercise, 62 per cent. received a research rating of three or above; 14 per cent. of the departments received the top rating of five. The Government and the High Education Funding Council for England are committed to the principle of selectivity in the allocation of funding for research. The next research assessment exercise is to be undertaken in 1996.
University Degrees
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the proportion of students obtaining (a) first class and (b) upper second class degrees at (i) the university of Oxford, (i) the university of Cambridge, (iii) the university of London and (iv) higher education institutions in England in (1) 1991 92 and (2) 1992 93; and if she will make a statement. [29046]
Mr. Boswell: The proportion of first degree graduates obtaining first class honours is as follows:
Percentage Achieving
Academic year
|1991-92|1992-93
-------------------------------------------------------------
University of Cambridge |24 |24
University of London |10 |10
University of Oxford |15 |14
Other former UFC funded institutions |8 |9
All former UFC funded institutions |10 |10
<1> Source: USR Volume 1 Students and Staff. Data on the
number of graduates who obtain upper second class degrees
are not published in volume 1 and are not readily available.
Percentage achieving
Academic year
|1991-92|1992-93
---------------------------------------------------
First class honours |5 |5
Upper second class honours |39 |40
Source: Department for education examinations
results and first destination survey.
Students
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the average mandatory loans and awards expenditure on each student from England and Wales in 1994 95; what proportion of the figure went on (a) student loans, (b) fee expenditure and (c) maintenance expenditure; what were the corresponding figures for those studying at the universities of (i) Oxford and (ii) Cambridge; and if she will make a statement. [29049]
Mr. Boswell: In the academic year 1993 94, the latest year for which data are available, the average expenditure per mandatory award holder in England and Wales was £3,790 of which 56 per cent. was on fees and 44 per cent. on maintenance.
The average loan to students, including those who do not qualify for mandatory awards, in England and Wales in the academic year 1993 94 was £740.
Separate data in respect of those studying at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are not collected centrally.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 20 February, Official Report , column 52 , when the chairman of the Funding Agency for Schools will reply to the questions on balances and deficits of grant-maintained schools. [29978]
Mr. Robin Squire: I understand that the chief executive of the Funding Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 16 June.
Funding Agency for Schools
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if the remuneration of the chairman and senior staff of the Funding Agency for Schools includes any element of performance-related pay. [29984]
Mr. Robin Squire: The chairman receives a fee with no element of performance related pay. The chief executive's contract entitles him to receive a non-pensionable cash bonus; the basis for the determination of the bonus is his personal responsibility plan, which is agreed each year with the chairman. The remuneration of other senior staff includes an element of performance-related pay, as is the case for most senior staff employed by non-departmental public bodies whose terms and conditions are analogous to those of the civil service. The pay and conditions of senior staff are overseen by the board's remuneration committee.
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Good Shepherd School, Sefton
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the provision of speech therapists at the school of the Good Shepherd, Sefton. [29322]
Mr. Forth: Responsibility for the provision of speech and language services rests with the NHS. I understand that the Department of Health will be asking Sefton health authority to look into provision at the school.
Privatisation
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list those parts of her Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if she will indicate the expertise which was absent in her Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of her Department or departmental agencies she intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29428]
Mr. Boswell: Since the start of the "Competing for Quality" programme in April 1992, my right hon. Friend has not contracted out any parts of the Department or its agencies without an in-house bid. My right hon. Friend will be inviting expressions of interest for a contract to administer the teachers' superannuation scheme. We shall let a contract only if it would provide better value for money than keeping the administration of the scheme in the public sector. We shall not invite a bid from the Teachers Pensions Agency, which administers the scheme at present, because we are not conducting a market test. But it would be open to the management or staff of the TPA to seek to buy out the agency. Whether or not the administration is contractorised, the scheme itself will stay in the public sector, on its current statutory basis.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Insolvency Service
Mr. Hargreaves: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what targets he has set the Insolvency Service executive agency for 1995 96. [30596]
Mr. Heseltine: Against the Insolvency Service's business plan assumption of a further reduction in the number of compulsory insolvencies to 25,000 in 1995 96, I have set it the target of closing 35,000 cases. Taken together with the number closed in 1994 95, this will mean that nearly 90,000 case closures will have been completed by the service in two years. I also expect the service to continue to place increased emphasis on investigative work and hence exceed the number of disqualification proceedings commenced in 1994 95--930--itself an increase of 100 per cent. on 1993 94.
In addition, I have set the service the following quality of service targets for 1995 96:
--to report to creditors on assets and liabilities within eight weeks in at least 90 per cent. of all cases; and within 12 weeks in 98 per cent. of all cases;
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--to hold the initial meeting of creditors within 12 weeks in at least 90 per cent. of all cases; and within four months in 98 per cent. of all cases;--to submit reports within 10 months in at least 90 per cent. of bankruptcy cases and 80 per cent. of company liquidation cases where there is evidence of criminality;
--to submit disqualification reports within 15 months in at least 80 per cent. of cases where there is evidence of unfit conduct by directors;
--to check and action at least 95 per cent. of payment requisitions within five days or by the due date;
--to reduce by at least 10 per cent. the proportion of open cases that are more than 36 months old, so that there are no more than 1, 900 such cases concerned at 31 March 1996.
The service is also required to reduce its unit cost of administering bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases by 3 per cent.
In addition, I expect the chief executive of the service to continue to reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply and to produce audited commercial-style accounts for 1995 96.
I expect the service to complete its contracting-out exercise by 31 March 1996.
Teaching Company Schemes
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the teaching company schemes between academical institutions and industry and numbers participating sponsored by the research councils. [29859]
Mr. Ian Taylor: I am replying as my Department has the lead sponsor role for TCS on behalf of all Government Department and research council sponsors.
I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of the latest edition of the "TCS Quarterly Statistical Report", dated 31 March 1995, which includes brief details of all 518 TCS programmes current at that date. Pages 10 to 12 of the report list TCS programmes by academic institution, while pages 3 and 4 list the current TCS programmes by sponsor, including research council sponsors.
BMARC
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether BMARC received export credits support from the Export Credits Guarantee Department between 1984 and 1990. [29723]
ECGD provided short-term insurance support to BMARC for export transactions to a variety of markets following the issue of a policy to the company in 1990.
In addition, ECGD guaranteed one medium-term transaction for BMARC in May 1988 involving a sale of ammunition valued at just under £1.6 million covered under a line of credit to the Jordan armed forces.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the funds that had been earmarked for the now cancelled research into a wave power
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station will be transferred to research into other forms of alternative entry. [28063]Mr. Page: The answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy on 31 March 1994, Official Report , column 1009 , to my hon. Friend the member for Canterbury (Mr. Brazier) on the publication of energy paper 62, set out the Government's policy, strategy and forward programme for new and renewable energy, including closure of the wave programme. As set out in EP62, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House, the forward programme is expected to reduce in value over a 10-year time horizon as the technologies move towards the market and the DTI's task force role diminishes. Resources will be concentrated on key technologies with good prospects of commercial application in the coming decades--such as solar, energy from coppice and waste, wind and fuel cells. Expenditure estimates for the new and renewable energy programme, consistent with EP62, are published in the Department's annual report, a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House.
Irish Imports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the change in the United Kingdom share of the Irish Republic's market for manufactures following the loss of trade preferences against imports from the EEC Six. [29438]
Mr. Needham: The United Kingdom share of Irish imports was 51 per cent. in 1972 and 36 per cent. in 1993, the latest year information on a consistent basis is available.
Imports of Manufactures
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a further breakdown of the figures contained in the tables in section D of the 1992 annual supplement to the monthly review of external trade statistics, to show for the EEC Six, the other eight EEC countries and the rest of the world the United Kingdom share in each case of their imports of manufactures. [29507]
Mr. Needham: The information requested is given in the table.
UK share of imports of manufactures<1>-1993
|Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------
Original EEC Six Members<2> |7.4
Additional EEC Eight Members<3> |8.5
Rest of the World<4> |n/a
Notes:
<1>Standard International Trade Classification 5 to
8.
<2>Comprises Belgium/Luxembourg, France, Germany,
Italy and Netherlands.
<3>Comprises Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece,
Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland.
<4>Data for the rest of the world are not readily
available.
Source:
OECD Series C
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the United Kingdom percentage share of imports of manufactures by (a) Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa combined, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) Italy in (i) 1970, (ii) 1979, (iii) 1990 and (iv) 1994. [29437]
Mr. Needham: The following is the information:
UK share of imports of manufactures<1>
Per cent.
|1970|1979|1990|1994
---------------------------------------------------
Canada, Australia and New
Zealand<2> |12.0|6.4 |3.8 |n/a
Germany |5.5 |6.6 |7.1 |7.0
France |6.2 |7.0 |7.5 |n/a
Italy |6.3 |6.9 |6.7 |7.0
Note:
<1>Standard International Trade Classification 5
to 8.
<2>Data for South Africa are not readily
available.
n/a = not available.
Source:
United Nations World Trade Annual OECD Series C.
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a further breakdown of the figures contained in the tables in section D of the 1992 annual supplement to the monthly review of external trade statistics to show for the Irish Republic, the original signatories of the EFTA convention and Finland combined and (a) Germany, (b) France and (c) Italy the United Kingdom percentage share of the total imports of manufactures in (i) 1970, (ii) 1979, (iii) 1990 and (iv) 1994. [29508]
Mr. Needham: The information requested is given in the table.
UK share of imports of manufactures<1>
Per cent.
|1970|1979|1990|1994
---------------------------------------------------
Original EFTA Ireland and
Finland<2> |15.5|12.6|8.7 |n/a
Germany |5.5 |6.6 |7.1 |7.0
France |6.2 |7.0 |7.5 |n/a
Italy |6.3 |6.9 |6.7 |7.0
Note:
<1>Standard International Trade Classification 5
to 8.
<2>Original EFTA comprises Austria, Iceland,
Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark.
n/a = not available.
Source:
United Nations World Trade Annual OECD Series C.
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
No. 1 Victoria Street
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much it has cost to renovate his Department's building at 1 Victoria street, London. [28945]
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The Department of Trade and Industry does not own 1 Victoria street. The building was vacated in 1991 after condition surveys had shown substantial deterioration of mechanical and electrical services. The landlord, Legal
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and General Property, subsequently agreed to commit £59 million--net of VAT--to bring the building up to modern standards, in exchange for a new 25-year lease on commercial terms. DTI will finance the balance of the project costs which are expected to be up to £2.4 million.Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's monetary and exchange rate policies since 1979 on the rate of return in manufacturing industry. [29441]
Mr. Needham: The net rate of return on capital employed by manufacturing companies rose from 3.3 per cent. in 1979 to 5.8 per cent. in 1993. This reflects an underlying improvement in the performance of manufacturing industry.
Business Initiatives (Women)
Ms Primarolo: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives his Department has to assist and encourage women who want to start their own business; and how the success of any initiative is monitored and assessed. [29567]
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