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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 29 April 1996
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Public Tours (Security Controls)
Mr. Pike: To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what arrangements can be made to ensure speedier access through security controls for the public touring the House. [26433]
Mr. Ray Powell: This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Private Finance Initiative
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the revenue spending estimated by his Department in connection with the private finance initiative for (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1997-98. [26637]
Mr. Willetts: The Cabinet Office, including the Office of Public Service, Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Central Office of Information have not yet approved any projects under the PFI. The Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency hopes to involve private finance in the provision of the metropolitan telecommunications service. The precise level of revenue spending will not be determined until detailed negotiations are completed.
EU Regulations
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to ensure that officials negotiating EU regulations are informed of their impact on United Kingdom business. [27074]
Mr. Freeman: Revised guidance requiring Departments to produce a compliance cost assessment for all EC legislative proposals was published on 25 January 1996, Official Report, columns 321-22.
These assessments inform Government policy and the position taken by UK officials when negotiating EC legislation.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when HMSO's 1995 report and accounts will be published; and if he will make a statement [27442]
Mr. Freeman: The 1995 HMSO accounts have been audited and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and are being published today.
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The accounts show an operating loss of £39.7 million for 1995. This is mainly due to HMSO making exceptional provisions for redundancy costs--some £26.1 million--and other one-off items as part of its continuing business transformation programme. The benefits of these changes are already being felt, with indications that HMSO has increased sales and returned to profitability in the first quarter of 1996.
In addition, HMSO has made an exceptional provision of £3 million in respect of a contract with a public sector customer in Uzbekistan, on which the Comptroller and Auditor General reports in detail in the HMSO accounts.
The main task is for HMSO to be ready for privatisation in the summer. In the interim, its management are working to the following key targets:
Ms Janet Anderson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the revenue spending estimated by his Department in connection with the private finance initiative for (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1997-98. [26630]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Department of the Environment and its sponsored bodies attracted over £4.5 billion in private investment in support of programmes in 1994-95 and anticipates a similar outturn in 1995-96. Forecasts for 1996-97 and 997-98 are for about £6 billion in private investment to be generated. This will assist in the delivery of a large number of projects, most notably ones relating to housing and urban regeneration. Estimated revenue spending on the Department's recently announced private finance initiative design, build, finance and operate-type projects is forecast to be nil in 1995-96, £200,000 in 1996-96 and £700,000 in 1997-98.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contracts his Department and his
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agencies have with Serco Ltd.; what is the current cost; when each contract ends; what are the penalties involved should he seek early termination of the contract; and if he will make a statement. [26679]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The information requested is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Whittingdale:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of reserves of Essex county council; what proportion of total expenditure that figure represents; and what is the average proportion for shire counties. [26878]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The total level of reserves of Essex county council at 31 March 1995 was £120,127,000--of which £25,159,000 was local management of schools reserves--which was 12.4 per cent. of budgeted revenue expenditure for 1995-96. The same percentage for all shire counties at that date was 9.3 per cent.
Mr. Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of domestic customers in each water company area who have suffered interruptions of supply through the operation of pre-payment water devices in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represents of customers using pre-payment water devices in each case. [27026]
Mr. Clappison
[holding answer 26 april 1996]: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the numbers of pre-payment water meters installed in each water company area; and if he will list which areas (a) provide for total disconnection from the water supply and (b) continue to allow a restricted quantity of water to be supplied in the event of prolonged non-payment. [26893]
Mr. Clappison:
The Director General of Water Services is assembling information on the number of budget payment units in operation in each water company area. This information will be placed in the Library as soon as it is available. There is no disconnection of the water supply to the property as a result of the operation
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of a budget payment unit. The supply continues to be available and can be used as soon as the unit is recharged. The units do not permit a restricted supply of water in the event of a prolonged non-payment.
Mr. Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Enviornment in what circumstances in each water company area disconnection from water supply as a result of the operation of pre-payment water devices renders a water customer liable for less than the regular annual water and sewerage bill for his or her property. [26894]
Mr. Clappison:
Customers operating a budget payment unit who pay their bill on a rateable value basis are not eligible for a discount to reflect occasions when the water supply is not taken because the customer has not recharged the unit. Customers who pay their bill on a measured basis and use a budget payment unit pay only for the amount of water consumed.
Mrs. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he has made to the water companies' representations on the effect of the current regulation scheme on the level of water resources; and what plans he has to initiate a discussion at high level with the regulators and the Environment Agency on water resources. [27266]
Mr. Clappison:
Together with the Environment Agency, the Office of Water Services and the drinking water inspectorate, the Water Companies Association and the Water Services Association are both participating in high-level discussions as part of the review of water resources and supply arrangements in the longer term which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced last September.
These accounts reflect the seriousness with which HMSO is tackling its trading position. However, this will be challenging as long as HMSO is governed by public sector operating restrictions. Privatisation will remove these and allow the business to compete on equal terms with other suppliers. In this context, I am pleased to inform the House that the sale process is proceeding well, and we have already received a healthy level of interest from good-quality bidders.
(i) to achieve an annual current cost operating profit of £7.8 million, before exceptional items;
(ii) for print, to achieve 97 per cent. of all orders delivered to time, and 99 per cent. of all orders from the print storage and distribution warehouse to be delivered on time;
(iii) for publications, to achieve dispatch times for customers' mail, electronic data interchange and telephone orders of 90 per cent. within four working days of receipt and 97 per cent. within five working days;
(iv) for office supplies, to dispatch 99 per cent. of validated orders for stock catalogue items within two working days of receipt, and for 97 per cent. of items to be dispatched first time from stock.
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