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Office Waste Minimisation Strategy
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the office waste minimisation strategy being adopted by his Department; and if he will list each of the targets. [23371]
Mr. Clappison [holding answer 28 March 1996]: I expect to announce the waste minimisation target for my Department shortly.
WALES
Development Board for Rural Wales
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated to the Development Board for Rural Wales in (a) 1993, (b) 1994 and (c) 1995 in real terms by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [23180]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The resources allocated to the DBRW are shown in the following table. Figures are at 1995-96 prices and have been calculated using the latest GDP deflator.
| Year | Grant-in-aid | Housing subsidy |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 14.506 | 2.588 |
| 1994-95 | 14.808 | 2.540 |
| 1995-96 | 7.980 | 2.368 |
The grant in aid provision for 1995-96 reflected the decision to transfer responsibility and funding for all economic and social grants to the local authorities and tourism activities to the Wales tourist board and the higher levels of self-generated receipts which have been used to re-invest in the economy of Wales.
Orders
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many orders under the negative resolution procedure have been brought into effect on the day they have been made since January 1995. [23308]
SOCIAL SECURITY
Equal Opportunities
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies,
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non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22507]
Mr. Burt: DSS headquarters and the independent statutory bodies have made no payments in respect of equal opportunities breaches over the years 1993-94 to 1995-96. Two payments of £2,000 and £2,250 have been made by the Department's executive agencies to members of staff, both in 1994-95. Neither case proceeded to a tribunal or court.
Contracts
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contracts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22866]
Mr. Burt: It is not possible to say how many contracts have been awarded in each of the last three years since information on numbers of contracts is not available in the format requested. Any contracts entered into on the basis of single tender negotiated procedures are subject to regulations specified in the DSS purchasing and supply manual and the relevant EC legislation.
Orders
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many orders under the negative resolution procedure have been brought into effect on the day they have been made since January 1995. [23311]
Age Allowance
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) of 18 March, Official Report, column 17, what would be the estimated cost to the Exchequer of paying the age-related premium on the basic pension in a lump sum at the same fixed point in the year for all pensioners. [23603]
Mr. Heald: There would be no cost to the national insurance fund as the effect of paying some individuals in advance would be counterbalanced by the effect of paying other individuals in arrears.
If the lump sum is not treated as weekly income for the purposes of calculating entitlement to income-related benefits, the timing of payment would not affect the impact on income-related benefits expenditure.
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Source: Government Actuary's Department.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Orders
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many orders under the negative resolution procedure have been brought into effect on the day they have been made since January 1995. [23305]
SCOTLAND
Equal Opportunities
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what amounts of money have been paid out by (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other organisations for which he is accountable to Parliament, to how many staff or former staff in respect of (i) alleged equal opportunities breaches which do not proceed to tribunals or courts and (ii) equal opportunities breaches which proceeded to tribunals or courts in (1) the current year and (2) the two previous years. [22506]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Higher Education (Inquiry)
Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received concerning a Scottish advisory committee to the Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education in the United Kingdom; and what response he intends to make. [22429]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: We have received so far 63 representations from bodies in Scotland about the composition and draft terms of reference of the Government's Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, and how the distinctive nature of higher education in Scotland should be taken into account. My right hon. Friends and I expect to announce the outcome of the consultations after Easter.
Prisons
Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what time scale he is applying to the private finance initiative for future prisons; and what estimate he has made of the capital costs and annual running costs of these prisons in each of the years of the private finance initiative; [22840]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 618, what representations he has received advocating that prison staff secure the management contract to run any future private finance initiative prison; [22841]
(3) pursuant to his answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 618, if he will make it his policy to allocate the contract for the management of any future finance initiative prison to the prison staff. [22842]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The new prison is not expected to open before 1999 at the earliest. Early cost estimates are around £18 million to £20 million per annum. Payments would be revalued using an appropriate
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indicator over the contract period, which is expected to be 25 years. The Secretary of State met the Scottish Prison Officers Association on 29 September 1995, following which he has received no further representations. However, representations from SPOA have been received on this matter by the Scottish Prison Service chief executive. The option of involving Scottish Prison Service staff in a privately financed prison has not been ruled out.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what allocations the new unitary councils received from the Scottish Office in their notional budgets in 1995-96 for meeting the costs of operating valuation appeals committees. [22908]
Mr. Kynoch: The notional amounts for each of the new mainland councils which were prescribed in the notional amounts report 1996 approved by the House on 28 February, were based on the actual 1995-96 budgets of the outgoing councils.
| Lands valuation £000 | Council tax valuation £000 | Total notional budget £000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unitary Authority | |||
| Aberdeen City | 455 | 482 | 202,484 |
| Aberdeenshire | 542 | 574 | 201,628 |
| Angus | 178 | 179 | 105,178 |
| Argyll and Bute | 323 | 123 | 104,552 |
| Scottish Borders | 516 | 232 | 107,026 |
| Clackmannanshire | 242 | 76 | 48,972 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 405 | 106 | 116,276 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 431 | 493 | 152,773 |
| Dundee City | 361 | 360 | 176,033 |
| East Ayrshire | 284 | 104 | 122,900 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 284 | 104 | 97,602 |
| East Lothian | 708 | (3)0 | 80,196 |
| East Renfrewshire | 116 | 70 | 74,043 |
| Edinburgh City | 4,251 | (3)0 | 418,673 |
| Falkirk | 700 | 228 | 133,326 |
| Fife | 1,223 | 927 | 349,893 |
| Glasgow City | 1,676 | 618 | 800,138 |
| Highland | 921 | 691 | 234,571 |
| Inverclyde | 200 | 78 | 96,974 |
| Midlothian | 488 | (3)0 | 81,875 |
| Moray | 235 | 247 | 85,001 |
| North Ayrshire | 354 | 118 | 135,130 |
| North Lanarkshire | 649 | 235 | 327,768 |
| Perth and Kinross | 267 | 266 | 126,006 |
| Renfrewshire | 521 | 152 | 179,046 |
| South Ayrshire | 344 | 95 | 108,964 |
| South Lanarkshire | 643 | 231 | 294,836 |
| Stirling | 405 | 127 | 85,495 |
| West Lothian | 1,100 | (3)0 | 154,004 |
| Total | 18,822 | 6,916 | 5,201,363 |
(3)Lothian regional council was unable to disaggregate the regional assessor's budget. As a result the figure shown against lands valuation also includes registration of electors and council tax valuation.
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Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what operational expenses will be incurred by each joint valuation board in Scotland in meeting the costs of valuation appeals committees operating within their areas in 1996-97. [22907]
Mr. Kynoch: Responsibility for determining the costs associated with valuation appeal panels and committees drawn from them, as well as the funding of them, rests with the appropriate council or joint board as the appropriate valuation authority.
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