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Patent Office
Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the consultants currently engaged in examining the work of the Patent Office indicating the cost of each of the studies involved. [1202]
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 21 November 1995]: Two firms of consultants are engaged by the Patent Office to help on possible contractorisation projects. They are Marketing Improvements Group plc and Coopers and Lybrand. The total cost of this work to date is £108,945 plus expenses. The three projects are the Office's information technology services, its marketing and awareness programmes, and the operations of its London front office. The overall annual costs of these are £5.888 million, £1.608 million and £1.125 million respectively.
EU Industry Council
Mr. Barnes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the European Union Industry Council, held on 6 to 7 November listing all votes and all decisions which were determined by unanimity or without dissension. [439]
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 20 November 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson) on 21 November 1995, Official Report, column 71.
Manufacturing Employment
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of total manufacturing employment in the United Kingdom was in foreign-owned companies in each year since 1974. [1516]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 22 November 1995]: The information required is given in the following list:
Percentage of United Kingdom manufacturing employment in foreign-owned companies:
1975: 13.0
1977: 14.7
1979: 15.0
1981: 14.9
1983: 14.5
1884: 14.8
1985: 14.0
1986: 13.0
1987: 13.4
1988: 13.1
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 255
1989: 14.9
1990: 16.1
1991: 17.2
1992: 18.1
Note: 1992 figures are the latest available.
Prior to 1983 figures were only collected bi-annually.
Source Annual Census of Production: CSO Business Monitor PA1002.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 22 November 1995]: According to the annual census of production 18 per cent. of United Kingdom manufacturing employment was attributed to foreign-owned companies in 1992, the latest year for which data are available. No comparable data are available for other EU and OECD countries.
Departmental Staffing
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff employed in his Department are (a) on short-term contracts, (b) employed for less than a year, (c) employed in the press office and (d) employed in his private offices. [1514]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 22 November 1995]: On 1 October 1995 my Department employed 435 staff on short-term contracts--employed on a casual basis for up to a period of 12 months, but exceptionally up to two years. There are currently 243 staff who have been employed for less than a year, including staff on loan from other Government Departments but excluding staff in this category who transferred from the Department of Employment and Cabinet Office as part of the machinery of Government changes announced on 5 July 1995. There are currently 28 staff employed in the press office and 53 staff employed in Ministers' private offices.
Mr. Byers: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff his Department employs on a regional basis in each standard English region, what is the cost of running these regional operations, what was the total budget for each region in 1994-95; and what are the main purposes for which the budget is used. [269]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 22 November 1995]: Disaggregated information on the basis of standard English regions is not available. However, information on the Department of Trade and Industry's regional staff in Government offices for the regions and related budgets and activities is provided in GO MINIS 1, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House in July 1995.
Coal Mines (Accidents)
Mr. Clapham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the number of (a) fatal and (b) serious reportable accidents per 100,000 manshifts recorded by each of the coal companies operating deep mines which were previously publicly owned in the first 10 months of 1995. [1175]
Sir Paul Beresford: I have been asked to reply.
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 256
The Health and Safety Executive does not compile accident rates for individual companies or mines.
Temazepam
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what requirements a pharmaceutical wholesaler must fulfil in order to obtain an export licence for Temazepam. [1538]
Mr. Maclean: I have been asked to reply.
Additional controls to prevent diversion from the legitimate trade in Temazepam will be introduced shortly. These will include a requirement for import and export licences.
Emergency Admissions
Mr. Cohen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what change has occurred in respect of the level of emergency admissions to hospitals in the current year; and if he will make a statement. [1152]
Mr. Sackville: I have been asked to reply.
The latest year for which figures are available is 1993-94. In that year, total admissions were 8,286,515, of which 3,833,498--46.3 per cent.--were emergency admissions. In 1992-93, total admissions were 7,873,219, of which 3,640,896--46.2 per cent.--were emergency admissions.
DEFENCE
Army Training
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about his plans for the support and administration of the Army's training areas and ranges. [2476]
Mr. Soames: As part of the Government's competing for quality programme, the Commander-in-Chief Land Command has initiated a study into the way in which administration and support services are provided to the 100 or so Army training areas and ranges in England, Scotland and Wales for which he is responsible. The aim of the study is to explore the extent to which these support services might be provided more efficiently and at a reduced cost as a result of being exposed to competition. The study will last for about six months and its results will be reported to the House.
HMS Renown
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the current cost per annum of maintaining HMS Renown; and if he will make a statement on her future; [2057]
(2) where HMS Renown is currently stationed. [2058]
Mr. Soames: The cost of operating HMS Renown in 1994-95, the last year for which figures are available, was approximately £29 million. This figure includes the cost of manpower, maintenance and stores. Renown is no longer required to form part of our deterrent force and will in due course move from her current berth at Faslane to Rosyth to await decommissioning.
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 257
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of regular Army surgeons required to meet current commitments; [2056]
(2) what is his estimate for the total number of Army surgeons who will be employed by his Department in each of the next five years. [2055]
Mr. Soames:
The number of trained deployable Regular Army surgeons--comprising the disciplines of general surgery, opthalmics, burns and plastics, maxillo-facial and ear, nose and throat-- oto-rhino-laryngology--required to meet current commitments is 55. Although it is not possible to predict the precise number of surgeons who will be employed in each of the next five years, all practicable steps will be taken to ensure that our requirements are fully met.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the ships which are currently being considered for target practice. [1825]
Mr. Soames:
All vessels on the disposal lists are available to be considered for use as a target. Decisions on whether ships will be used for target practice are made in the light of all relevant factors, including the operational requirement for such trials and the costs involved.
Dr. Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name the ships which have been used for target practice in each of the last five years. [1824]
Mr. Soames:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 16 December 1994, Official Report, column 816. I can confirm that no vessels have been used for target practice since then.
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