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Government Offices for the Regions

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the cost to public funds of each of the Government offices for the region since their commencement. [1940]

Sir Paul Beresford [holding answer 27 November 1995]: The expected cost to public funds of running each of the 10 Government offices in the two years from their creation in April 1994 to the end of this financial year is as follows:

Government Office	£ Million
North-east	18.160
North-west	21.841
Yorkshire and Humberside	18.850
Merseyside	9.675
West Midlands	21.731
East Midlands	14.508
Eastern Region	12.706
South-west	14.548
South-east	17.252
London	27.484

The Government offices have replaced the regional offices of the Departments of the Environment, Trade and Industry and the training, enterprise and education directorate of the former Employment Department, which together cost £92 million in 1993-94.

29 Nov 1995 : Column: 733

Public Bodies

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list annual income from (a) fees, (b) charges and (c) fines; what was the total number of staff employed (i) part time and (ii) full time; and what contribution his Department has made towards the annual running costs in each of the past three years in respect of (1) Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, (2) the British Waterways Board (3) the Health and Safety Executive, (4) the National Rivers Authority and (5) the drinking water inspectorate. [2743]

Mr. Clappison [holding answer 28 November 1995]: The information is as follows with all cash figures in £ thousands and manpower figures in man-years:

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution

	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Income from:
(a) Fees	8,912	13,935	16,856
(b) Charges	15	5	5
(c) Fines	Nil	Nil	Nil
Staff Numbers	1 April 1993	1 April 1994	1 April 1995
(i) Part-time	4	3	7
(ii) Full-time	354	433	427
Total	358	436	434
Running costs	14,338	11,252	10,131

British Waterways Board

Income from	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
(a) Fee and charges	10,500	11,400	11,800
(b) Fines	--	--	--
Average number of persons employed	1,967	1,804	1,696
Grant-in-aid(8)	51,100	49,300	48,900

(8) BW receives a deficit grant (grant-in-aid) to cover the gap between

its self-generated income and expenditure.

Health and Safety Executive

	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Income from
(a) Fees	28,000	28,300	22,800
(b) Charges	10,100	11,300	13,800
(c) Fines	Nil	Nil	Nil
Staff numbers	1 April 1993	1 April 1994	1 April 1995
(i) Part-time	361	361	377
(ii) Full-time	4,357	4,364	4,154
Total	4,718	4,725	4,531
Running costs	163,500	169,000	170,500

29 Nov 1995 : Column: 734

National Rivers Authority

	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Income from
(a) Fees(9)	126,200	136,400	124,000
(b) Charges(10)	209,500	199,000	171,400
(c) Fines	Nil	Nil	Nil
Staff numbers	1 April 1993	1 April 1994	1 April 1995
(i) Part-time(11)	759	636	760
(ii) Full-time	7,483	6,722	6,762
Total	8,242	7,358	7,522
Grant-in-aid(12)	74,700	61,200	60,300

Notes:

(9) Fees for abstraction licences, discharge consents, navigation

licences, rod licences and net licences.

(10) Charges are mainly flood defence levies on local authorities.

(11) Includes limited period employees and consultant and agency staff.

(12) NRA receives a general deficit grant (grant-in-aid) to cover the

gap between its income and expenditure on functions other than flood defence. It is not hypothecated between running costs and other purposes.

Drinking Water Inspectorate

	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Income from fees, charges and fines	Nil	Nil	Nil
Staff numbers	1 April 1993	1 April 1994	1 April 1995
(i) Full-time	29	31	31
(ii) Part-time	1	0	0
Total	30	31	31
Running costs	1,180	1,413	1,660

Running costs for Drinking Water Inspectorate are funded within the Department's running costs.

Water Services (Yorkshire)

Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set up an independent inquiry into the management of the water supply service in the Yorkshire area. [2940]

Mr. Curry [holding answer 28 November 1995]: No. The Director Genral of Water Services is already investigating various aspects of Yorkshire Water's performance.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Deep-sea Fish

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the deep sea fish aspects of the international workshop referred to in his answer of 8 November, Official Report, column 878, considering the competitiveness and consistency of global arrangements for the management of the oceans. [124]

Mr. Baldry: The workshop will consider the key pressure points affecting the sustainability of the oceans, ocean science, linking science to management, and global arrangements for ensuing effective implementation of ocean policies. All of these issues are relevant to intergovernmental co-operation on questions related to deep sea fish.

29 Nov 1995 : Column: 735

Moroccan Tomatoes

Mr. Atkins: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he has had with British horticulture interests over the European Union's proposals to increase access to European countries of Moroccan tomatoes. [2225]

Mr. Boswell: Growers' views on access of Moroccan tomatoes were made very clear by the NFU at the start of the negotiations.

Mr. Atkins: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with his opposite numbers in Spain and Portugal in connection with their requests for greater access to the European Union of Moroccan tomatoes. [2226]

Mr. Boswell: No bilateral discussions were held with Spanish and Portuguese Agriculture Ministers. The issue was discussed in the Foreign Affairs Council where all member states were represented.

Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will lay before the House the results of monitoring of the effect of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [2490]

Mr. Boswell: The Department is planning to obtain relevant information annually from the June agricultural census and a new annual survey of tenanted land commencing in 1996. This information will be published when it becomes available.

Agriculture Fertilisers

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current level of subsidy and grant aid for the use of lime as an agriculture fertiliser; what was the level in (a) 1965 and (b) 1970; and if he will make a statement. [2527]

Mr. Boswell: There have been no subsidies or grant aid available for the use of lime as an agriculture fertiliser since 1976. The level of subsidy in the financial year 1964-65 was £9.9 million and in 1965-66 £8.1 million. Subsidies in the financial years 1969-70 and 1970-71 totalled £4.6 million and £5 million respectively. Lime can be beneficial in certain circumstances and decisions on its application are for farmers and growers. We see no need to subsidise its use.

Arable Area Payments

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the highest payment made under the arable area payments scheme in England in 1994. [3020]

Mr. Baldry: For reasons of confidentiality, it is not possible to identify the highest payment under the arable area payments scheme in 1994.

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