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Mobile Phones
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures were used by his Department in awarding contracts for the supply of mobile and car phones to his Department and its executive agencies; and which companies were involved in tendering for these contracts. [9753]
Mr. Horam: In September 1993, the Department invited, via an advertisement in the EC Journal, tenders for the supply of minor items of telecommunications equipment which included mobile telephones. Full open tendering procedures were followed. The companies which tendered were:
Vodafone
Mercury Communications
Rocom
Martin Dawes
BT (Cellnet)
Interconnect
Phillips
Securicor
Pennine Telecoms Ltd
Motorola.
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Mr. Horam: A contract of three years with a possible one-year extension was awarded to Vodafone from 1 April 1994 for the supply of mobile and car phones. For each mobile phone ordered, a one-year agreement applies--thereafter 90 days notice is required to terminate individual mobile phone agreements. Since April 1994 approximately 200 mobiles have been issued at a rental cost of £60,000--£300 per unit per annum. In addition, there are the call charges at £30,000, which average about £150 per unit per annum.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs his Department and executive agencies have incurred as a result of withdrawing from contracts under which mobile phones are provided; and if he will list the companies concerned. [9754]
Mr. Horam: No costs have been incurred by the Department as a result of withdrawing from the contract with Vodafone as it is still in place.
Live Vaccines
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase funding support for research into alternatives to live vaccines. [8700]
Mr. Horam: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. The MRC gives high priority to research relevant to developing new and improved vaccines against diseases. A proportion of this is relevant to developing alternatives to live vaccines.
ENVIRONMENT
Fur Imports
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the briefing notes prepared by United Kingdom representatives in Brussels for the Coreper deliberations on the import of furs from animals caught in leg-hold traps in countries outside the European Union. [8698]
Mr. Clappison: It would not be appropriate for such papers to be placed in the Library. The papers are internal documents whose disclosure might harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Local Government (Services to Disabled People)
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest assessment of the impact of local government reorganisation on the provision of services for disabled people; what guidelines he (a) has issued, and (b) intends to issue, to unitary authorities on the provision of services for and to disabled people; what arrangements he intends to put in place to ensure the continuation of services which are currently provided across the new local government authority boundaries; and if he will make a statement. [9238]
Sir Paul Beresford: All new unitary authorities will be responsible for deciding how their statutory responsibilities for personal social services can best be
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discharged. On 12 May 1995 the Department of Health issued an advice document to all local authorities entitled "Social Services: Maintaining Standards in A Changing World", under cover of a local authority social services letter (95)5. Copies of the advice document are available in the Library. It draws attention to the special features of social services which the new authorities will need to consider if they are to deliver those services effectively to people who need them.
Local Government (Essex)
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on which date he expects to receive the final proposals of the Local Government Commission in respect of the county of Essex; and when he expects to announce his decisions arising from the report. [9326]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Local Government Commission published its final report for all its reviews of individual districts on 19 December 1995. Interested parties have until 13 February to make representations; we aim to announce our decisions soon after that date.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he intends to issue to local authorities about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9245]
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People on Monday 15 January 1996, Official Report, column 417.
Local Government Elections
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what circumstances it is possible to hold the general election of all councillors for proposed unitary authorities at a time other than the normal scheduled date in May. [9325]
Sir Paul Beresford: It is possible by means of a structural change order to hold elections in other months. This is consequential upon the structural change. However, it is our policy not to have local elections other than at the normal time in May. Local authorities do not receive full powers to plan for change until the elections and we believe that, given the importance of proper preparation, there should be the full 11 months between the elections and reorganisation. In addition, because the May elections could be cancelled only by means of the structural change order, the result would be two sets of elections in the one year.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest date upon which parliamentary approval would be required for those orders giving effect to the proposals of the Local Government Commission in respect of the county of Essex to permit the holding in May 1996, of the general election of all councillors for the proposed unitary authorities. [9327]
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. member for Littleborough and Saddleworth (Mr. Davies) on 11 January 1996, Official Report, column 288.
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National Rivers Authority
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to require water companies to provide financial and other information to the National Rivers Authority relating to the costs of implementing activity plans drawn up by the National Rivers Authority. [9691]
Mr. Clappison: No. It is for the Director General of Water Services to secure that those appointed as water and sewerage undertakers are able to finance the proper carrying out of the functions of such undertakers. Accordingly, water and sewerage undertakers provide financial and other information to the director general including in respect of obligations arising from requirements imposed or to be imposed by the National Rivers Authority and in future the Environment Agency. As regards any requirement to provide information to the agency, the Government's view was set out in another place during the passage of the Environment Act 1995, Official Report, 31 January 1995, column 1376, including in respect of the potential implications of such a requirement for the Environment Agency in carrying out its duties under section 39 of that Act.
Education Standard Spending Assessment
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, for each authority in England, the education standard spending assessment for 1995-96 and the provisional education standard spending assessment for 1996-97. [9689]
Sir Paul Beresford: The information has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mine Accidents
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures showing the number of (a) fatal and (b) serious reportable accidents, gathered by the mines inspectorate, covering (i) direct and (ii) contract employees of each of the coal companies operating deep mines which were previously publicly owned, in those months in 1995 for which figures are available; and if he will publish equivalent figures for 1994. [9775]
Sir Paul Beresford: Information for individual mines is not produced. Statistics for the industry are published as an aggregate figure in the Health and Safety Commission's annual report. Those for the period from January 1994 to March 1995 are included in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 statistics. Copies of the commission's annual reports have been placed in the House Library.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information, and at what intervals, is required to be provided to the Health and Safety Executive regarding serious injuries occurring in private coal companies. [9717]
Sir Paul Beresford: The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985--RIDDOR--require the manager of the mine to notify the Health and Safety Executive forthwith in the event of an accident at work to any employee or member of the public resulting in a fatality or major injury or if there is a dangerous occurrence. Accidents at work to employees
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resulting in an absence of more than three days must be reported within seven days. Cases of occupational disease specified in the schedule to the regulations must be reported as soon as an employer receives notification from a doctor.
Incidents must be reported on an approved report form published by HSE. The information required includes details of the employer concerned, the premises where the incident occurred, the injured person and the nature of their injuries, and a description of the accident.
Mr. McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require private coal companies to publish, at regular intervals, detailed statistics relating to the number and types of serious reportable accidents, sustained by (a) directly employed and (b) contract workers. [9776]
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