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Industrial Death and Retirement Fund

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) in which publication the annual reports and statement of accounts of the industrial death and retirement fund are published; [11590]

(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the actuary's report on the industrial death and retirement fund. [11591]

Mr. Page: These are matters for British Coal. I am asking the chairman to write to the hon. Member.

Balance of Trade

Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list for each year since 1985 the percentage changes in (a) export volumes and export unit values, (b) import volumes and unit values, (c) the terms of trade and (d) the non-oil visible trade balance. [11898]

Mr. Page: The information is shown in the table.

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 315

	Annual percentage change(total visible trade)					Non-oil balance
Year	Export volumes	Export unit values	Import volumes	Import unit values	Terms of trade	Percentage of gross domestic product	Change in percentage of gross domestic product
1985	5.6	5.4	3.2	4.9	0.5	-3.2	0.6
1986	4.2	-9.9	7.4	-4.6	-5.6	-3.5	-0.3
1987	6.0	3.5	7.7	2.9	0.5	-3.7	-0.2
1988	2.2	1.0	13.5	-1.0	2.0	-5.2	-1.5
1989	5.8	4.5	8.1	4.3	0.3	-5.0	0.2
1990	6.2	3.5	0.1	2.4	1.1	-3.7	1.3
1991	1.2	1.4	-5.3	1.2	0.2	-2.0	1.7
1992	2.5	2.1	6.5	0.9	1.2	-2.5	-0.5
1993	3.6	12.2	3.9	10.0	2.0	-2.5	-0.1
1994	10.4	2.2	4.1	3.4	-1.2	-2.2	0.3

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 315

Mrs. Kennedy: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list as a percentage of gross domestic product for each year since 1985 (a) the visible trade balance, (b) the invisible trade balance,

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 316

(c) the current account balance and (d) the non-energy visible balance. [11899]

Mr. Page: The information is shown in the table.

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 317

Percentage of gross domestic product

Year	Visible trade balance	Invisible trade balance	Current account balance	Non-oil visible balance
1985	-0.9	1.6	0.6	-3.2
1986	-2.5	2.3	-0.2	-3.5
1987	-2.7	1.6	-1.1	-3.7
1988	-4.6	1.1	-3.5	-5.2
1989	-4.8	0.4	-4.3	-5.0
1990	-3.4	-0.1	-3.5	-3.7
1991	-1.8	0.3	-1.5	-2.0
1992	-2.2	0.6	-1.6	-2.5
1993	-2.1	0.4	-1.8	-2.5
1994	-1.6	1.3	-0.3	-2.2

Directors' Remuneration (Disclosure)

Mr. French: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will publish a consultative document on proposals for amending the Companies Acts to take account of the recommendations on disclosure of directors' remuneration contained in the Greenbury report. [12291]

Mr. Lang: I have today published a consultative document seeking views on proposed changes to the requirements of the Companies Act 1985 relating to disclosure of directors' emoluments. The proposals are designed to remove overlap with the Greenbury recommendations for full disclosure of the emoluments of individuals directors by listed companies, now implemented by the stock exchange listing rules, and generally to ensure consistency of approach between the Companies Act provisions and the Greenbury recommendations. Copies of the consultative document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Royal Family (Free Postage)

Mr. Hain: To ask the President of the Board of Trade under which statute free postage to members of the royal family is authorised. [11027]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 24 January 1996]: This facility is not granted by statute. The provision of free postage to members of the royal family is a facility which has been provided by the Post Office since the earliest days of its inception.

Mr. Hain: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which members of the royal family receive free postage for their official mail. [11026]

Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 24 January 1996]: The following members of the royal family and their households receive free postage for their official mail:

the Queen, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Prince Edward, the Princess Royal, the Princess Margaret, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 318

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the total expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity for each of the years (a) 1979-80, (b) 1989-90, (c) 1991-92, (d) 1993-94, (e) 1994-95 and (f) 1995-96 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole year; what estimate he has made of such expenditure for 1996-97; and if he will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (1) advertising and (2) press and public relations. [11380]

Mr. Hanley: Total expenditure on publicity--that is, promotional material and recruitment advertising--in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office--diplomatic wing and Overseas Development Administration--since 1979 at 1995-96 prices was:

	£
1979-80	809,559
1980-81	569,578
1981-82	734,682
1982-83	675,220
1983-84	809,117
1984-85	645,986
1985-86	688,390
1986-87	873,338
1987-88	802,582
1988-89	1,348,555
1989-90	1,883,124
1990-91	2,180,180
1991-92	2,003,485
1992-93	2,193,224
1993-94	2,229,921
1994-95	2,384,083
1995-96	2,707,000 (Estimate)

An estimate for 1996-97 is not yet available.

It is not possible to break these figures down between (1) advertising and (2) press and public relations. However, the expenditure outturn figures for 1994-95 comprise:

At 1995-96 prices

	£	£
Newspaper advertising for recruitment purposes:	(DW) 80,575	82,791
	(ODA) 727,000	746,993
Videos and brochures giving consular advice:	162,700	167,174
ODA publicity and promotional material:	1,350,000	1,387,125
	2,320,275	2,384,083

The foregoing do not include figures for the executive agencies. Publicity expenditure--at outturn prices--for the National Resource Institute and the Wilton Park Executive agency are as follows:

25 Jan 1996 : Column: 319

thousand

	NRI	WP
1990-91	137	--
1991-92	132	20
1992-93	77	27
1993-94	47	22
1994-95	56	20
1995-96	56	15

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if copies of draft sections of Sir Richard Scott's report are in the possession of Ministers or officials in his Department other than those to whom draft sections of the report were sent by Sir Richard Scott. [11880]

Mr. Hanley: In forwarding draft sections of Sir Richard Scott's report to Ministers and officials, the inquiry expressly stated that individuals could, at their discretion, make a copy for a legal or other adviser and another for the department concerned. Whether they did so is entirely a matter for the individuals concerned.

Mr. Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 1996, Official Report, columns 691-92, how much of the sum spent by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry has been spent on legal advice. [11882]

Mr. Hanley: All of it.

Mr. Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have used copies o draft sections of Sir Richard Scott's report to prepare the Government's response to Sir Richard Scott's report. [11881]

Mr. Hanley: No decision about the response to Sir Richard Scott's report will be taken until the report has been received.

In considering issues relating to the Scott inquiry, all Departments naturally take account of material properly available to them.

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