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Military Knights
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her answer of 19 February 1996, Official Report, column 63, if she will state the current level of gross income set by the keeper of the privy purse for the military knights of Windsor. [19440]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer Friday 8 March 1996]: The current level of gross income set by the keeper of the privy purse for officers wishing to apply for the appointment of military knights of Windsor is £10,000.
Royal Palaces Estate
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list those members of the royal family who occupy self-contained residential accommodation on the occupied royal palaces estate. [19439]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer Friday 8 March 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 February, Official Report, column 547.
Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the names of the pensioners and the location of their accommodation within the occupied royal palaces estate. [19435]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 8 March 1996]: There have been several retirements over the past 18 months and there are now 34 pensioners in housing maintained from the grant in aid provided by my Department.
Nine were previous stables staff or are the widows of previous stables staff, four were previously members of the domestic staff or are widows of previous members of the domestic staff, one is the sister of a previous member of the domestic staff, four were previously gatekeepers or are widows of previous gatekeepers, one is the widow of a previous curator at Hampton Court palace, 11 were previously officials in the royal household and four are grace and favour occupants.
One pensioner lives in Marlborough House mews, eight in or adjacent to the Royal mews at Windsor castle, seven in Windsor Home park, eight in Windsor Great park, nine in or near to the Royal mews at Hampton court and one in Hampton court paddocks.
Mr. Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the names of the grace and favour pensioners and the accommodation they have within the occupied royal palaces estate. [19434]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 8 March 1996]: There are four grace and favour pensioners. One is a cousin of the Queen, one is a retired principal of the foundation of St. Catherine, one is the daughter of a wartime chief of the general staff and one is a former nanny to the Queen's children.
Three of the pensioners are housed in Windsor Great park and one in Windsor Home park.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her answer of 17 January 1996, Official Report, column 731, if she will make a statement of the way in which the public funds
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 557
contribution to the costs of fire damage to Windsor castle was calculated; and what specific restoration costs will be met from the expected £10.8 million contribution from public funds. [19482]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 8 March 1996]: Following the fire at Windsor castle, the royal household offered to fund 70 per cent. of the cost of the restoration by opening the state rooms at Buckingham palace to the public and introducing charges for entry to the precincts of Windsor castle. The balance of 30 per cent. was to be found from the existing level of funding provided by my Department for the general maintenance of the estate.
Total expenditure will be split on a 70 per cent. basis and no specific items will be allocated to either tranche.
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what accommodation at Kensington palace is occupied by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales and her staff. [19365]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 11 March 1996]: The Princess of Wales has an apartment at Kensington palace and two of Her Royal Highness's domestic staff occupy flats there.
Mr. Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what accommodation at St. James's palace is occupied by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and his staff. [19364]
Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 11 March 1996]: The Prince of Wales has an apartment at St. James's palace. None of his staff has self-contained residential accommodation at St. James's palace, although His Royal Highness's office is there.
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he plans to make an announcement on the role of the fire service arising out of the report of an interdepartmental review of fire safety legislation and enforcement completed in June 1994. [20274]
Mr. Freeman:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) on 6 March, column 231.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many regulations relating to safety at work have been (a) repealed and (b) modified as a result of recommendations by the deregulation unit. [19574]
Mr. Freeman:
In its review of regulation, the Health and Safety Commission identified 100 regulations and seven pieces of primary legislation as outdated or unnecessary which could be removed or reformed without reducing necessary protection. This represents 40 per cent. of health and safety regulations affecting the generality of business. The removal of a number of these regulations has also been recommended by the sectorial task forces under Lord Sainsbury, and the deregulation task force,
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 558
chaired by Mr. Francis Maude, also recommended that the burden of health and safety needed to be significantly reduced.
As a result of these reviews, 12 sets of regulations affecting business generally and 18 other sets now have been removed, as well as some partial repeals such as 53 requirements to display posters and notices.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many regulations have been (a) repealed and (b) modified as a result of work by the deregulation unit and in which subject areas. [19573]
Mr. Freeman:
We have so far repealed or amended over 500 regulations out of a target of over 1,000 regulations. Examples include the simplification of food temperature control regulations which will save business about £40 million per annum and simplification of trade marks legislation which is saving business about £30 million a year. Details of other key areas of reform are identified in "Deregulation: The Way Forward" published in May 1995 and in "The Government's Response to the First Annual Report of the Deregulation Task Force" published in September 1995, copies of which are available in the House Libraries.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representation he has made to the Audit Commission to receive advance copies of the Audit Commission's local government performance indicators due to be published on 21 March. [20326]
The Deputy Prime Minister:
None.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of member' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20116]
Mr. Willetts:
The answers to each part of this question are:
12 Mar 1996 : Column: 559
Mr. Willetts:
None of the advisory non-departmental public bodies, for which I am responsible has a statutory role.
Mr. Betts:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what values of payments were outstanding within his Department on 5 March, which were beyond the date on the invoice and, where no date was specified, older than 28 days. [20476]
Mr. Willetts:
The information requested is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost. However, the value of invoices paid by the finance division of the Department and its agencies, excluding Security Facilities Executive, during February 1996, which were more than one month old, was £1,476,334.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base, and which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20103]
(a) The Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life and The Citizens Charter Panel of Advisers.
(b) The Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life and The Citizens Charter Panel of Advisers.
(c) None.
(d) The Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life and The Advisory Committee on Advertising.
(e) None.
(f) None.
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