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Official Hospitality

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on official hospitality by his Department and all associated agencies in the financial year 1995-96. [28576]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 May 1996]: The total expenditure on official hospitality by the Scottish Office during the financial year 1995-96 was £82,978. In addition, the Scottish Office spent £34,680 on hospitality as part of the Government's contribution to the VE and VJ-day commemorations.

The actual expenditure on official hospitality during the financial year 1995-96 for each of the agencies associated with the Scottish Office is set out in the table.

AgencyOutturn of expenditure
£
Scottish Office Pension Agency973
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency2,063
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency3,059
Student Awards Agency for Scotland215
Historic Scotland5,362
Scottish Courts Service2,502
Scottish Prisons Service6,824
Scottish Record Office1,166
Registers of Scotland6,249
Total28,413

Cattle

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of (a) dairy and (b) beef cattle in Scotland at the latest available date. [29912]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 17 May 1996]: The information requested is set out in the table.

December 1995
Total dairy cattle(13)342,541
Total beef cattle(13)664,587
Other cattle(14)1,124,305

(13) The totals in each class include breeding cows, breeding heifers and other female cattle for breeding.

(14) Other cattle includes bulls for service and all other cattle not for breeding.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Exchange Rates (EU Funds)

Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what have been the implications of recent changes in exchange rates upon the amounts Her Majesty's Government may receive from regional development funds and social funds from the European Union. [30166]

Mr. Eggar: Governments do not apply for grants from these funds; the Commission, following criteria laid down in Council regulations, makes a number of block allocations for each member state.

22 May 1996 : Column: 266

These allocations, like the whole of the EC budget, from which they are drawn, are denominated in ecu. Changes in exchange rates therefore affect the value in national currencies of the structural funds grants received by all member states.

Business Links

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many business link chief executives have been dismissed from that post; and what proportion this is of the total. [30126]

Mr. Page: No business link chief executives have been dismissed.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many chief executives of business links are the first appointments to such posts. [30127]

Mr. Page: Sixty-six business link chief executives are first appointments to their posts.

Nuclear Privatisation

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his Department's response to the second report of the Trade and Industry Select Committee on nuclear privatisation, HC 383, what estimates his Department has received from British Nuclear Fuels plc in respect of the extent of the future growth in the market for plutonium-based mixed oxide fuel. [30007]

Mr. Eggar: This is a commercial matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc.

Export Controls

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives have been taken to date to implement the recommendations in Sir Richard Scott's report on (a) military and (b) dual-use equipment sales to Iraq in respect of the tightening of export controls and scrutiny of export licence applications; and if he will make a statement on the role of different Government Departments in executing the revised export control policy. [30008]

Mr. Lang: I plan to publish a consultative paper on export licensing procedures in the summer. The Government will consider fully all representations made in response to that paper before making proposals for a revised export control policy.

Research Establishments

Mr. Ingram: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to make a decision on the future of the public sector research establishments under the first tranche of the prior options review; and if he will make a statement. [30323]

Mr. Ian Taylor: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced the timetable for the reviews on 26 January 1996, Official Report, columns 421-23, and made it clear that the results were to be considered by Ministers collectively.

The Government are currently considering the outcome of the first tranche of reviews. I expect an announcement to be made shortly.

22 May 1996 : Column: 267

British Energy

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assumptions informed the adoption of a 135-year time scale for the full dismantling of British Energy's nuclear power generating plants; and if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which the full dismantling of nuclear power generating plants could be undertaken in a shorter period; [30391]

Mr. Lang: Government policy on decommissioning is set out in the July 1995 White Paper "Review of Radioactive Waste Policy". This concluded that there are a number of potentially feasible and acceptable decommissioning strategies for nuclear power stations, including "safestore". British Energy's preferred strategy will be set out in the pathfinder prospectus. To ensure that operators' decommissioning strategies remain soundly based as circumstances change, they will be reviewed quinquenially by the Health and Safety Executive, which will consult the environment agencies. The agreements establishing the segregated fund provide for changes in the level of payments into the fund in the event that British Energy's agreed strategy changes.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements he has made of the assumptions and calculations used by BZW in its paper "The Cash Generator". [30455]

Mr. Lang: The research paper "The Cash Generator" was written by independent analysts from the utilities sector of BZW Research. It is one of a number of research papers by independent analysts on British Energy. The analysts at BZW Research are completely independent of the team from BZW advising the Government on the privatisation.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to underwrite future contributions by British Energy to its segregated fund in circumstances where (a) British Energy could not meet the payment and (b) British Energy became insolvent. [30344]

Mr. Lang: The agreements contain cross and parent company guarantees which make Nuclear Electric Ltd. and Scottish Nuclear responsible for each others' obligations and require British Energy to act as guarantor.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what would be the level of payments of British Energy to its segregated fund if the time scale for the full dismantling of the nuclear power generating plants was (a) 20 years, (b) 50 years and (c) 70 years after the end of production. [30346]

Mr. Lang: The level of payments into the fund are based on British Energy's expected costs of decommissioning its advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power stations 70 years after the end of generation and 50 years after generation for the Sizewell B pressurised water reactor. Figures for other time scales are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

22 May 1996 : Column: 268

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the segregated fund would have preferential creditor status on the company's assets if British Energy became insolvent. [30345]

Mr. Lang: As with other parties with whom British Energy has contractual arrangements, the fund will be able to enforce its contractual rights against the assets of British Energy.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) to what extent British Energy's segregated fund will meet liabilities from the privatised assets; [30382]

Mr. Lang: The initial endowment to the segregated fund will be paid for by British Energy, not from public funds. This endowment, and subsequent quarterly payments will be paid by the privatised companies.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the shortfall between total undiscounted liabilities of British Energy and the sum generated by the segregated fund will be met by British Energy revenues. [30335]

Mr. Lang: British Energy will be responsible for meeting all its liabilities.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Leeds West, of 14 May, Official Report, column 409, from what source intermediate-level waste and high-level waste disposal costs are to be funded. [30394]

Mr. Lang: All ILW and HLW disposal costs for ILW and HLW arising from the operation of British Energy's power stations and the treatment of spent fuel from these stations will be funded by British Energy.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the undiscounted liabilities of British Energy will be met by the segregated fund. [30337]

Mr. Lang: BE's accounts for the year ended 31 March 1996 have not yet been finalised. BE provided provisional financial information in respect of the year ended 31 March 1995 at an analysts' briefing on 4 March 1996.

The provisional financial information indicated that BE's undiscounted nuclear liabilities at 31 March 1995 were £14.3 billion, consisting of £10.3 billion for fuel cycle and £4 billion for decommissioning. The majority of the fuel cycle liabilities are covered by contracts. The segregated fund deals with all decommissioning costs except defuelling costs. As at 31 March 1995, the segregated fund arrangements cover just over 90 per cent. of the undiscounted decommissioning liabilities.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated annual cost for (a) each advanced gas-cooled reactor and (b) the pressurised water reactor of reprocessing after shut-down and stage 1 decommissioning. [30341]

Mr. Lang: This detailed information is a commercial matter for British Energy plc.

22 May 1996 : Column: 269

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the undiscounted value of the liabilities of British Energy; and if he will give a breakdown of the constituent parts of the total. [30336]

Mr. Lang: Details of the undiscounted value of the nuclear liabilities of British Energy will be included in the prospectus.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the financial forecasts indicating when British Energy will generate income sufficient to meet the post-shut-down reprocessing costs and stage 1 decommissioning costs of the advanced gas-cooled reactors as they close. [30340]

Mr. Lang: This is a commercial matter for British Energy plc.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what public funds will be used to meet the liabilities arising from the assets of British Energy. [30383]

Mr. Lang: None. British Energy will be responsible for meeting all its liabilities.

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