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Employment Law

Mr. Bermingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been of employers for employing persons with no entitlement to work in the United Kingdom in each year from 1988 until 1994. [18238]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 29 February 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 13 December 1995, Official Report, column 661.

7 Mar 1996 : Column: 301

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Committee on Standards in Public Life

Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the review of the legal framework governing accountability and propriety in public bodies and the arrangements for their external audit, undertaken in response to recommendations in the first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [20036]

Mr. Freeman: The Government have published a consultation paper, "Spending Public Money: Governance and Audit Issues", Cm 3179, which has been laid in both Houses. The paper covers executive non-departmental public bodies, NHS bodies and local government and, as regards audit arrangements, what the Nolan committee has called local public spending bodies. Comments have been invited to a 14 June deadline.

The proposals on personal accountability include a more consistent way of handling conflicts of interest on the part of board members. Codes of conduct are planned for staff of executive NDPBs and NHS bodies. NDPB and NHS board members will be protected from the costs of personal civil liability on certain conditions. The proposals make it clear that executive NDPB accounting officers, working under their boards, are responsible for propriety in a broad sense, as Nolan recommended. The Government are not persuaded that provisions similar to surcharging in local government should be extended into areas where other sanctions, including the power of dismissal, are available. Further guidance is being provided on openness, taking account of the Nolan committee's standard of best practice as appropriate. Executive NDPBs should make records of decisions available wherever possible, and should publish reports containing at least a summary of their accounts. The Comptroller and Auditor General is encouraged to develop systematic work on comparative performance.

External audit arrangements should support lines of accountability and include an emphasis on regularity and value for money. There should be an element independent of the audited body involved in setting standards, defining audit practice and laying down reporting requirements. Duplication should be avoided. Reports should be addressed outside the audited body on major issues arising from the audit. The Government will ensure that the Comptroller and Auditor General has inspection rights over all executive NDPBs which he does not audit. He has a key role where Parliament has established Ministers' accountability through legislation; elsewhere, other arrangements are likely to provide better support of accountability. The Government accept the Nolan committee's recommendation that the Audit Commission should be able at its own discretion to publish public interest reports on NHS bodies.

Funding bodies should ensure that bodies receiving grants have adequate financial control arrangements. Education and housing funding bodies should as a matter of good practice require external auditors of bodies which they fund to report to them immediately if they find serious financial weakness or irregularity. They should consider ways in which they can draw on the expertise of the national audit agencies on audit arrangements and value-for-money work.

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The paper proposes that the audit agencies, acting together, should commission an independent review of the interface between them. The paper gives examples of cases where public bodies audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General should ensure that he has appropriate access to contractors' records. He is invited to consider letting private sector firms compete with NAO audit staff to undertake certain audits, without affecting his statutory position as auditor.

The Government intend to consult further on the most suitable arrangements for the external audit of local authorities and health bodies in Northern Ireland.

The differences between sectors mean that imposing a single, uniform structure would require large-scale changes in their relationships with Parliament, requiring major legislation. The Government believe that the best way forward is to build on, and spread, good practice.

ENVIRONMENT

Wetlands

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his proposals to protect wetlands; if these proposals will include riparian zone protection; and how they will affect agriculture and rural communities. [18603]

Mr. Clappison: As a leading supporter of the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance the United Kingdom is committed to protecting wetlands and promoting their wise use. There are numerous mechanisms and initiatives in place to protect UK wetlands, in particular Ramsar listing and the classification of special protection areas under the birds directive, which includes river floodplains and water meadows. The development of catchment management plans and estuary management plans are among other initiatives under way. In addition, the Government intend to propose certain rivers as special areas of conservation under the habitats directive. All these initiatives are pursued in co-operation with landowners and other interested parties.

Departmental Equipment and Furniture

Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and its agencies in each of the past five years, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [19035]

Sir Paul Beresford: Details of non-information technology and information technology thefts for the Department for the 1994-95 and 1995-96, to date, financial years, including details of thefts over £25,000, are given in the table. However, the remainder of the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

7 Mar 1996 : Column: 303

	1994-95		1995-96 (to end February)
	Number	Value	Number	Value
Non-IT Thefts
DOE	4	£1,847	4	£868
IT Thefts
DOE	24	£40,636	11	£44,417

IT Thefts with a Value of Over £5000
1994-95--DOE
(a) £25,000--Theft of computer components from 43 machines in the Government Office East Midlands and the Highways Agency.
1995-96--DOE
(a) £24,000--Theft of computer components from 2 Marsham Street.
1995-96--PH
(a) £17,037--Theft of computer components from St. Christopher House.

Castle Cement

Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will use his powers under section 12(5) of the Environmental Protection act 1990 to instruct Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to revoke the authorisation granted to Castle Cement to burn secondary liquid fuel at its Clitheroe cement works. [18930]

Mr. Clappison: No case has been made to the Secretary of State as to why he should do this.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates he has made of (a) the loss to business and (b) the number of redundancies from the reduction in funding to the home energy efficiency scheme. [19265]

Mr. Robert B. Jones: The changes to the home energy efficiency scheme will create opportunities for businesses involved in it. Householders aged over 60 who are not on benefit will be entitled to a substantial discount. There is no reason why the number of installations should not be the same as in the previous year if installers market the scheme properly.

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation she held with businesses before the decision to reduce Government funding for the home energy efficiency scheme. [19266]

Mr. Jones: Public expenditure decisions are not discussed before the Chancellor's Budget statement to the House.

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the level of Government funding of the home energy efficiency scheme in each year since its starting date; and if he will give the figures for 1996-97 and 1997-98, in real terms and as a percentage change from the previous year. [19267]

Mr. Jones: The information requested is as follows. The figures show that funding for the home energy efficiency scheme for the next financial year will be 280 per cent. more than in 1991-92, its first full year of operation. This increase can be matched by few if any other programmes.

7 Mar 1996 : Column: 304

Year	Expenditure (£ million)	Percentage change
1990-91(1)	1	n/a
1991-92	26	n/a
1992-93	34	+31
1993-94	42	+24
1994-95	83	+98
1995-96	(2)106	+28
1996-97	(3)73	-31
1997-98	(4)75	+3

(1) From 1 January.

(2) Estimated.

(3) Allocated.

(4) Planned.

Taking 1995-96 as the base year, and taking inflation as 3 per cent., the allocation for 1996-97 and the planned allocation for 1997-98 are equivalent in real terms to £71 million.

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