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Mobile Telephones
Mr. Redmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to make cloning of mobile telephones a criminal offence. [4484]
Mr. Ian Taylor: On 24 October, Official Report, column 549, I announced the recommendations of the industry and Government study group on mobile telephone fraud. One of the main recommendations was that the Government should consider extending the range of offences under section 42 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 so that it would cover the possession or supply of equipment capable of use in the course of, or in connection with, the current section 42 offence of dishonestly obtaining telecommunication services with intent to avoid payment. I am considering this recommendation carefully.
Exports
Mr. Salmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the value of exports from (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland to the far east in each of the past five years; and if he will provide a breakdown by sector; [5110]
(2) what was the (a) volume and (b) value of manufacturing exports per capita in each of the past five years for (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland; and if he will provide a breakdown by sector; [5111]
(3) what percentage of Scottish exports consisted of (a) computers/electronics, (b) food and drink, (c) textiles and (d) all other exports, in the past five years. [5105]
Mr. Oppenheim: Geographic analyses of United Kingdom exports are not available since information on the location of exporters is not comprehensive.
Fur Imports
Mr. Morley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to oppose the delay of the implementation of a ban on the import of furs caught by leghold traps into the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [3179]
Mr. Oppenheim: The Government have made clear the United Kingdom's firm support for a ban on leghold traps, and have been in the forefront in pressing for this worldwide. The Commission will be submitting proposals to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament seeking postponement of the ban on imports of furs caught by this method. We shall be considering the details of these proposals when we see them.
14 Dec 1995 : Column: 777
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to implement the proposal to allow the Post Office to keep 50 per cent. of its post-tax profits; and if he will make a statement. [5643]
Mr. Oppenheim
[holding answer 12 December 1995]: We will continue to set external financing limits for the Post Office which reflect an appropriate balance between the needs of the business and its ability to contribute to public finances.
Measles and Rubella Immunisation
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the oral answer of 4 December, Official Report, column 11, if he will list the sources of the advice his Department has accepted on the safety of the measles and rubella immunisation programme; and if he will make a statement on representations his Department has received from parents dissatisfied with the effects of the MMR immunisation programme on their children. [5044]
Mr. Richards: On the safety of the measles and rubella immunisation programme I refer the hon. Member to the answers provided by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health on 6 November and 8 November.
The Welsh Office has not received any representations from parents dissatisfied with the effects of the MMR immunisation programme on their children.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on official hospitality in 1994-95 and the financial year to date; and what is the 1995-96 projected budget for official hospitality. [5589]
Mr. Hague: In 1994, the cost of hospitality, which is included in the running cost budget for my Department, was £28,784. The figure for 1995-96, up to 30 November 1995, was £12,598. The projected budget for 1995-96 is £28,000.
Inward Investment
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold), Official Report, 4 December, column 5, if he will publish a disaggregated breakdown for each year since 1980 of the inward investment to Wales by (a) region and (b) company involved. [5646]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: For reasons of commercial confidentiality for a number of recorded cases, I cannot provide details of the companies involved. However, I will write to the hon. Member separately with details of the origin of recorded inward investment since 1983, together with the destination of that inward investment. A copy of that correspondence will be placed in the Library of the House.
14 Dec 1995 : Column: 778
Mr. Betts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of bills to his Department were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice in the last year for which figures are available. [5693]
Mr. Hague:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roache) on 1 November 1995, Official Report, column 296.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for what reasons a patient waiting for consultation or treatment in the NHS can be disqualified from being considered covered by the total waiting time guarantee or its component parts; and what steps he has taken to ensure commonality of definition of the reasons for disqualification by Welsh health authorities, GP fundholders and trusts. [6151]
Mr. Hague:
The operational guidance for total waiting times, issued to NHS Wales in March 1995, describes the circumstances under which patients waiting longer than the limits will not be judged as being in breech of the patient's charter guarantees. Health authorities, GP fundholders and hospitals are expected to work within the framework of the guidance. The Welsh Office will review the process when the relevant monitoring returns are received.
A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 11 December, Official Report, column 553, what steps he proposes to relate outcome-related payments to training and enterprise councils under training for work programmes for the long-term unemployed to the duration of the job obtained. [6149]
Mr. Hague:
With effect from 27 March 1995, outcome-related payments for training for work trainees obtaining jobs became payable to training and enterprise councils in Wales, in two stages. Two-thirds of an agreed rate is payable after seven days continuous employment has been completed, within 13 weeks of a trainee leaving the programme. The remaining one-third becomes payable if the trainee is in employment eight weeks later.
My officials are currently reviewing the effectiveness of this two-stage job outcome payment procedure.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to publish a list of dates and venues of Welsh Grand Committee meetings in 1996. [5906]
Mr. Hague:
In due course. The proposed changes to Standing Orders have yet to be debated by the House.
14 Dec 1995 : Column: 779
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what consultations he has had with the chairmen of local medical committees in Wales concerning the availability of (a) consultant and (b) general practitioner medical cover for elderly mentally ill patients and bed provision transferred from the NHS hospitals to private nursing homes; what provision he has made for specialist mid-career training in geriatric and psycho-geriatric medicine for GPs required to cover private nursing homes receiving such transferred bed capacity; and if he will make a statement. [6164]
Mr. Hague:
Within the last 12 months there have been no such discussions, nor have any specific arrangements for mid-career training been made.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had from organisations representing diabetics in relation to waiting times and lists for chiropody and on the clinical priority to be given to such treatment. [6139]
Mr. Hague:
I am not aware of any representations. It is for health authorities to assess the health needs of their populations, and to decide on priorities for expenditure within their overall resources.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many independent schools are operating in the current academic year. [5824]
Mr. Richards:
There were 63 in Wales in September 1995.
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