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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 26 April 1996
ENVIRONMENT
Smoking (Public Places)
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) to what extent the targets for effective smoking policy in public places have been met in the last 12 months; [26593]
- (2) what steps he will take to improve the voluntary imposition to smoking controls in public places; [26578]
(3) what plans he has to introduce statutory protection of the public from passive smoking. [26579]
Mr. Clappison: In 1992, the Government's target was that 80 per cent. of public places should have effective smoking policies by the end of 1994. The report "Smoking in Public Places, 2nd Survey Report," a copy of which has been put in the Library of the House of Commons, shows for eight categories of establishment the percentage with an effective smoking policy are:
| Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Shops | 63 |
| Advice/money transactions | 48 |
| Travel | 38 |
| Health | 71 |
| Formal education | 77 |
| Informal education | 62 |
| Food/entertainment | 37 |
| Sports/recreation | 48 |
The report relates to a survey carried out in 1995.
The Government's position is that non-smoking should be the norm in all enclosed public spaces visited by the public, with facilities as appropriate for those who wish to smoke. In 1991, the Department of the Environment, jointly with other Departments, published a code of practice on smoking in public places which provides practical guidance to owners and managers on implementing suitable policies on smoking. The Government will continue to make copies of that code freely available. The essence of a voluntary approach to smoking in public places is that the public should make their views known without Government interference.
The report shows that the voluntary approach is working, albeit more slowly than had been hoped. The Government had no plans to introduce statutory protection of the public from passive smoking beyond that which already exists.
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DEFENCE
Government Contracts
Mr. George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the annual cost to his Department of allowing defence companies to claim the costs of marketing their products abroad as overheads on non-competitive Government contracts; [26184]
- (2) what is the annual cost to his Department of allowing the costs of entertainment to be included in the overheads on non-competitive Government contracts by companies claiming the costs of marketing their products abroad. [26185]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The financial information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, these costs are the subject of detailed negotiations with individual companies, to ensure that they comply with the criteria laid down in Government accounting conventions for the pricing of non-competitive contacts. Briefly, such costs must be necessarily incurred and be fair and reasonable; they must conform to an appropriate classification into "product groups", which must be agreed by my Department and they must not relate directly to a contract, in which case they would be directly charged to that contract and not be attributed to overheads.
Cyprus (Service Personnel)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 April, Official Report, columns 501-3, in respect of the soldiers convicted of killing a Danish tour guide in Cyprus, if he has conveyed to the Danish Government the content of the reply; and if he will make a statement. [26551]
Mr. Soames: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence wrote to the Danish Minister of Defence, Mr. Hans Haekkerup, on 3 April to make clear the Army's abhorrence of the disgraceful conduct of the three convicted riflemen.
Marine Services Organisation
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Luff) of 28 February, Official Report, columns 553-54, on the market testing of the Marine Services Organisation, what were the reasons for non-compliance with the management requirements of the task which led to the elimination of the in-house team.[26693]
Mr. Soames: The in-house team's bid for the ports element of the marine services market test was ruled to be non-compliant since the proposed management arrangements were judged to be inadequate for the effective control of the task and to carry an unacceptably high risk of failure, with consequent financial and operational penalties to my Department. Specific areas of concern included the absence, under the in-house bid team's proposals, of a single focal point at each naval base responsible and accountable for all aspects of the provision of ports services. In addition, levels of delegation to junior staff were judged to exceed what was considered desirable.
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There would also have been no acceptable system of tasking and prioritising the resources available at each base from the outset of the new operation. The risk assessment associated with these management weaknesses took into account the increase in the marine service tasks to be performed and the reduction of resources with which to undertake them; circumstances which underline the need for effective management arrangements to be put in place. The in-house bid team was ruled non-compliant accordingly and eliminated from this element of the market-test competition.
Land Mines
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the chiefs of staff concerning the military utility of anti-personnel land mines. [27025]
Mr. Soames: It is not normal practice to give details of discussions between Ministers and their advisers. Our policy on anti-personnel mines reflects our judgment of the balance to be struck between humanitarian goals and the continuing needs of our armed forces until there is international agreement on a total ban on such mines, or viable alternatives are developed.
Kaymar Telephone Numbers
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's offices used telephone numbers (a) 01-374-0075 and (b) 01-434-1162 in each year since 1970. [26694]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 18 April to my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Mr. Bottomley), Official Report, column 583.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Machine Guns
Mr. George Robertson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total number of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles for which import licences were granted for each of the last five years; and if he will break down the figures by (a) domestic police and armed forces end use and (b) others. [26427]
Mr. Oppenheim: DTI licences for the import of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles are issued only to those individuals or companies who have a valid authority, granted at the discretion of either the Home Secretary, the Scottish Secretary or the Northern Ireland Secretary, to hold or to trade in such weapons.
The numbers of these types of firearms for which import licences were specifically applied for each of the past five years are as follows:
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It is not possible from import licensing data to provide details of the number of weapons destined for police possession. The armed forces are exempt from the Firearms Act and from DTI import licensing.
Year
1991: £26,709
1992: £ 7,908
1993: £14,571
1994: £23,166
1995: £31,233.
It should, however, be borne in mind that some licences are not used or are only partly used.
KPMG
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the consultancies let to KPMG in each of the last three years and the contract fee in each case. [25559]
Mr. Howard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 25 April, Official Report, columns 261-62.
Prisoners (HIV)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many HIV positive cases were recorded for prison inmates in England and Wales during 1995.[26545]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 26 April 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Question asking about the number of HIV positive inmates during 1995.
Thirty three new cases of HIV positive inmates were notified by establishments to Prison Service headquarters in 1995. An average of 69 inmates were known to be HIV positive at any one time during that year.
Prisoners (Drugs)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates have been put on report in each prison in England and Wales for having in their possession unauthorised drugs, since 1 January. [26304]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for reply to be given.
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