Previous Section Index Home Page


Radar Transmitter (Milford Haven)

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the occasions in the last two years on which the radar transmitter on St. Ann's Head in Milford Haven was not operating effectively. [25766]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 13 March 1996, columns 607-08.

Sea Empress Incident

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the wild bird species affected by the Sea Empress disaster in south-west Wales indicating (a) total populations estimated in the area in 1995, (b) his latest estimate of casualties caused by the spillage and (c) the number of estimated casualties as a percentage of the 1995 populations; and if he will make a statement. [25767]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The latest estimated figures of wild bird species affected are shown in the following table. Only the largest colonies have been counted annually, and most of the breeding total figures were collated during the period 1987-95. The Countryside Council for Wales will be conducting surveys of breeding colonies this summer in order to assess the level of mortalities caused by the spill.

SpeciesBreeding totalNumber affected (individuals)Per cent.
Black-h-gulln/k16--
Black-t-divern/k2--
Cormorant254 pairs214
Common scotern/k (10,000)4,70447
Common gulln/k2--
Curlewn/k2--
Eidern/k9--
Fulmar957 pairs2<1
Gannet26,277 pairs3<1
Great B-B gull229 pairs00
Great-c greben/k3--
Great n divern/k7--
Grey heronn/k3--
Guillemot22,270 pairs1,4843
Herring gull3,473 pairs42<1
L B-B gull19,378 pairs00
Kittiwake3,647 pairs8<1
Mallardn/k1--
Manx shearwater155,000 pairs00
Mute swann/k25--
Oystercatchern/k32--
Puffin13,393 pairs00
Razorbill6,841 pairs3403
Red-b mergansern/k1--
Red-n greben/k3--
Red-t divern/k62--
Scaupn/k2--
Shag84 pairs2113
Shelduckn/k2--
Storm petrel3,500 pairs00
Turnstonen/k1--
Velvet scotern/k3--
Unidentified--130--

n/k = not known (migratory).

"

Compulsory Competitive Tendering

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many complaints his Department received

25 Apr 1996 : Column: 271

alleging anti-competitive behaviour by local authorities in Wales under the terms of the Local Government (Planning and Land) Act 1980 in each financial year from 1990-91 to 1994-95; and how many local authorities were subsequently issued with a section 19a notice or 19b direction; [25895]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Welsh Office received the following number of complaints alleging anti-competitive behaviour under the terms of the Local Government (Planning and Land) Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988:


Our records for 1990-91 and 1991-92 are incomplete. Consequently the figures for these years could be understated. The following numbers of notices and directions were issued in respect of apparent anti-competitive behaviour.

1990-911991-921992-931993-941994-95
----1 section 19A notice6 section 13 notices1 section 13 notices
------2 section 14 directions2 section 14 directions
------1 section 19B direction--

Section 19a notices and section 19b directions relate to the Local Government (Planning and Land) Act 1980. Section 13 notices and section 14 directions relate to the Local Government Act 1988.

Mr. Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the running costs borne by his Department for the financial years 1991-92 and 1993-94 of the local government compulsory competitive tendering enforcement team. [25896]

Mr. Jones: The approximate running costs borne by the Department for the years in question are as follows:


Costs are not available on a consistent basis over the period in question. The main distortion was caused by the introduction of superannuation charges in 1993-94.

Local Authority DLOs

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how may local authority direct labour and service organisations in Wales, operating contracts under the terms of (a) the Local Government (Planning and Land)

25 Apr 1996 : Column: 272

Act 1980 and (b) the Local Government Act 1980 have achieved the required rate of return for the financial years (i) 1992-93, (ii) 1993-94 and (iii) 1994-95. [25897]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The required rate of return was achieved by 241 local authority direct labour and service organisations in 1992-93 and by 260 in 1993-94. The information requested for 1994-95 is not yet available as the Welsh Office has not yet completed its analysis of the reports submitted by local authorities for that year.

Mr. Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by service the local authorities in Wales that have been challenged by his Department under regulations under section 9 of the Local Government Act 1992 in relation to their internal arrangements for establishing client/contractor splits. [25898]

Mr. Jones: None.

Mr. Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list by authority the surplus achieved on trading accounts for the financial years (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94 and (c) 1994-95 for (i) general highways work, (ii) construction and maintenance of sewers, (iii) works of new construction and (iv) maintenance work, delivered by local authorities direct labour or services organisations in Wales under the terms of (1) Local Government (Planning and Land) Act 1980, and (2) the Local Government Act 1988; [25899]

Mr. Jones: I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

Read Codes (NHS)

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what pilot work has been carried out in Wales on the application of Read codes in the NHS; what independent evaluation has been carried out in the Read code's applicability; and by whom; [26840]

Mr. Hague: Pilot work to test the utility and usability of Read codes is being undertaken at Withybush hospital, Haverfordwest. Further, independent evaluation of this particular work is still under consideration. Separately, the school of postgraduate studies in medical and health care at Morriston is undertaking a technical evaluation of the feasibility of incorporating Read codes into an operational clinical information system. Issues concerning pilot schemes and evaluations in England are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what public expenditure has been spent on the development of Read codes for application in the NHS in

25 Apr 1996 : Column: 273

Wales; when the expenditure was commenced; if expenditure was committed outside the main Loughborough development centre; if he has proposals to continue part-funding the centre; and if he will make a statement. [26841]

Mr. Hague: The costs of pilot work at Withybush hospital, Haverfordwest, and the technical evaluation at the school of postgraduate studies in medical and health care at Morriston, have been shared equally between the Welsh Office and the centre for coding and classification at the Department of Health. Costs to date to the Welsh Office, all incurred in 1994-1995 and 1995-96, amount to £69,000. The Welsh Office makes no contribution to the funding of the centre.


Next Section Index Home Page