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Local Government

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the effect of the change in the estimated level of Government financial support for 1996-97, on (a) local government expenditure and (b) local government taxation. [8890]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: My right hon. Friend's provisional 1996-97 settlement proposals announced on 28 November provide for central Government support for local authority spending--through aggregate external finance--to rise by 2.1 per cent. to £2,517.4 million. This level of support represents 87.8 per cent. of total standard spending, compared with 88.6 per cent. in 1995-96.

Actual council tax levels depend also on local authorities' own budgetary decisions.

Butterflies

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new proposals he has to strengthen and enlarge the work of butterfly conservation through nature reserves and butterfly and moth conservation areas. [9294]

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 621

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The statutory countryside agencies, including the Countryside Council for Wales, are jointly funding with the World Wide Fund for Nature a three-year project "Action for Butterflies". It is intended to produce action plans for the conservation of 25 species of butterfly. In addition, two sites containing the Marsh Fritillary--Rhos Llawr Cwrt and Gower Commons--have been submitted to the European Commission as candidate special areas of conservation under the habitats directive. The Countryside Council for Wales continues to support the establishment of local nature reserves, many of which contain significant butterfly and moth populations.

Nursery Education

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his most recent calculation of the proportion of Welsh families that have state nursery education available to them in each education authority for children aged (a) three to four years and (b) four to five years. [9352]

Mr. Richards: No calculations have been made on the basis of families. The following table shows the number of children at maintained nursery and primary schools at January 1995, with estimated ages at 31 December 1994, expressed as a percentage of the Registrar General's mid-1994 population estimates for three and four-year-olds.

Percentage of children at maintained nursery and primary schools, by LEA and by age

	Age
LEA	3 years	4 years
Clwyd	63.4	98.5
Dyfed	43.4	86.7
Gwent	50.3	93.6
Gwynedd	23.2	75.2
Mid Glamorgan	52.9	91.9
Powys	26.8	87.1
South Glamorgan	38.2	80.4
West Glamorgan	72.7	99.2
Wales	49.7	90.2

Mobile Phones

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what agreements his Department and its executive agencies have with companies for the provision of mobile and car phones; and if he will list the companies having these contracts, the duration of the contracts, the number of phones covered by each agreement and the cost to public funds of each agreement. [9770]

Mr. Hague: Welsh Office has no live contracts for the provision of mobile phones. Airtime contracts are presently held with:

	Number of phones
Astec Communications	13
BT	8
Cellular Communications Corporation	1
Martin Dawes Communications	3
Mercury Communications	1
Mobile Telecomms	6
Peoples Phone	100
Talkland International	4
Uniqueair	5
VHL Communications	1
VODACOMM	16

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 622

Airtime contracts for existing mobile phones are initially for 12 months from purchase date and following that period are reviewed competitively and let to ensure value for money.

Contract values are dependent on mobile phone usage.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [9771]

Mr. Hague: My Department's standard competitive tendering procedures are used for the purchase of mobile telephones and car phones. Companies invited to tender for the supply of mobile phones include Peoples Phone, Talkland, Martin Dawes, Uplands Communications, Avenguard Communications, Astec Communications and VHL.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [9772]

Mr. Hague: In the last three years we have paid £264 in penalties for terminating contracts early. The companies involved were Peoples Phone, Vodacom and Uniqueair.

Cardiff Bay (Birds)

Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will announce his plans for bird compensation measures for the loss of the Cardiff site of special scientific interest; and when he expects these to be completed. [10410]

Mr. Hague: I am pleased to announce my plans to proceed immediately with bird reserve compensation measures at Uskmouth and Goldcliff and the area in between on the Gwent levels. These new proposals have been developed with the assistance of the Countryside Council for Wales, from the conclusions reached by the Cardiff Bay development corporation steering group report on alternative mitigation measures--October 1995--and discussed with the European Commission. I have placed a copy of the steering group report in the Library of the House.

I have asked the Cardiff Bay development corporation to set up immediately a project implementation steering group to oversee the establishment of the new integral reserve of over 375 hectares, with the firm objective of completion before the start of impoundment of the waters in Cardiff bay. The longer term objective is for the reserve to be developed so that it qualifies for special protection

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 623

area status. The first task of the group will be to provide clear proposals for the management of the site and by the end of May, specific targets for the birds to be attracted to it. The Land Authority for Wales, working on behalf of CBDC, has already secured from National Power 164 hectares of the land required and lodged a planning application for engineering works for the whole of the reserve site.

Animal Feedstuffs

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines the agricultural section of his Department gives to farmers and other workers in Wales with regard to the need to use gloves when handling animal feedstuffs; and if he will make a statement. [8693]

Sir Paul Beresford: I have been asked to reply.

The Health and Safety Executive has not issued specific guidelines concerning the use of gloves by farmers and other workers when handling animal feedstuffs. However, suppliers of animal feedstuffs have a duty to provide information regarding precautionary measures if the feedstuffs present a health hazard to people.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Engagements

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list her engagements for Monday 18 December and for Tuesday 19 December 1995. [8608]

Mrs. Bottomley [holding answer 16 January 1996]: In addition to my parliamentary duties, I had a series of meetings with ministerial colleagues, officials and others.

Military Knights

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will identify each of the military knights of Windsor who occupy accommodation on the occupied royal palaces estate; and what is the total amount received in rents and other charges from the occupiers. [8906]

Mr. Sproat: There are 13 military knights in residence at Windsor castle. All the military knights are distinguished ex-service men.

The military knights, who receive no payment for performing their ceremonial duties, live rent free but are responsible for internal repairs and decorations. They have paid a total of £1,287 in charges for water from the Windsor castle waterworks for the financial year 1995-96. They are billed for other utilities by the suppliers and they pay council tax.

Royal Residences

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what resources have been provided from public funds for the maintenance of each of the royal residences in each year from 1992-93. [8912]

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 624

Mr. Sproat: The cost to my Department for the maintenance of each of the royal residences, since 1992-93, is as follows:

£ Million

	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Buckingham Palace	1.103	1.326	2.380
Buckingham Palace Mews and Gardens	1.760	0.613	0.624
Kensington Palace	0.483	0.985	1.145
St. James's Palace	1.106	0.974	2.172
Clarence House and Marlborough House Mews	0.468	0.271	0.241
Hampton Court Mews and Paddocks	0.067	0.061	0.155
Windsor Castle	8.518	5.380	2.077
Windsor Castle Mews	0.198	0.137	0.372
Windsor Castle Homes and Great Park	0.463	0.361	0.483

The figures for Windsor Castle exclude fire restoration costs.

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