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Parliamentary Questions (Meetings)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions ministerial conference and meeting rooms in the parliamentary estate have been booked in his name, or that of the other Ministers in his Department, for meetings with Conservative hon. Members immediately preceding questions to his Department in the current parliamentary Session. [39515]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Meetings at which hon. Members of only one party are present are not the responsibility of my Department.
Knab Graveyard Extension
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he proposes to issue a consent notice under section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, in response to a request from Shetland Islands Council relating to an alleged statutory nuisance at the Knab Graveyard extension, Lerwick. [37864]
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 18 July 1996]: No. On the basis of the information available at the time of the request from Shetland Islands council, it was not considered appropriate to use the consent power in section 79(10) of the Act. I understand that the matter has been referred to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which is considering the terms of an authorisation under part I of the Act. The agency has received no complaints about dust nuisance at the site since 4 June.
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Rural Land Use
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what strategic powers he has over development on private landed estates in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [37994]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 18 July 1996]: The cornerstone of the legislative framework governing development on private landed estates in Scotland is the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972 as amended. This provides the basis for development plans--structure and local plans--and for development control and other related matters.
Structure plans provide the strategic land use planning framework for 10 to 15 years ahead and are prepared by planning authorities. They must be approved by the Secretary of State before they come into force. He may approve structure plans with or without modification, or reject them.
The vast majority of decisions on planning applications are taken by planning authorities. However, the Secretary of State has powers to call in any planning application or appeal for his own determination.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many deaths have been recorded in Scotland for each of the past 10 years in the period December to March; [38051]
Mr. Michael Forysth
[holding answer 23 July 1996]: There is no universally accepted definition of excess winter deaths and it would not be possible to calculate a rate for these. The total number of deaths in the period December to March for each of the past 10 years are as follows:
(2) what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the percentage rate of excess winter mortalities in each of the last 10 years. [38053]
| Winter | December-March |
|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 24,762 |
| 1986-87 | 22,577 |
| 1987-88 | 22,317 |
| 1988-89 | 22,079 |
| 1989-90 | 25,497 |
| 1990-91 | 21,859 |
| 1991-92 | 22,217 |
| 1992-93 | 22,416 |
| 1993-94 | 22,504 |
| 1994-95 | 21,510 |
Beaufort's Dyke
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on the Scottish Office Marine Laboratory survey in and around Beaufort's dyke; when and how he expects the results to be published; and if he will make a statement. [38974]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 23 July 1996]: The survey is in progress and will, on present plans, conclude at the end of July 1996. The results will thereafter be published in full as soon as they have been collated and analysed.
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 423
DEFENCE
Plutonium
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the United States Government have since 1966 requested the United Kingdom to provide reactor grade plutonium for the purpose of conducting a nuclear test explosion under the provisions of the US-UK mutual defence agreement on atomic energy co-operation. [38500]
Mr. Arbuthnot: No such requests have been made by the United States.
Small Businesses
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the impact of (a) his policies and (b) the work of his Department in helping small businesses in the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors the impact and the statistical results of such monitoring. [39141]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The Government recognise the crucial role played by small firms in the UK economy and aim to help them by providing sound economic conditions--keeping inflation and interest rates low; reducing legislative administrative and taxation burdens; and where appropriate provide direct assistance in the form of specialist advice and support and easing access to finance.
My Department supports the DTI's small business measures and initiatives. I am the Minister within this Department for small businesses and I attend or am represented at the DTI's regular meetings.
The Defence Suppliers Service assists companies, including small businesses, in making contact with appropriate contracts branches. It also arranges for details of many forthcoming tenders to be published in the fortnightly MOD Contracts Bulletin which is available to any interested party on subscription. This enables small businesses either to seek to tender directly for specific requirements or, more commonly, to become sub-contractors to larger companies.
Since the Procurement Executive of the Ministry of Defence moved to the new procurement headquarters at Abbey Wood near Bristol earlier this year, the Defence Suppliers Service is in contact with the Bristol chamber of commerce and DTI's business links, whose south-west regional supply network office has become their national focal point for the defence industry. Other areas of the country can reach my Department, and be reached by us, through the business links network.
As much of the assistance provided by my Department to small businesses tends to be in the sub-contractor sector, it is not possible to establish suitable performance parameters and therefore no statistics are available.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what response his Department made to the report submitted by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 424
relating to events in Rendlesham forest in December 1980; what interviews were held; and if he will make a statement; [39247]
Mr. Soames:
The report was assessed by the staff in my Department responsible for air defence matters. Since the judgment was that it contained nothing of defence significance no further action was taken.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions RAF aircraft have been (a) scrambled and (b) diverted from task to investigate uncorrelated targets picked up on radar; and if he will make a statement. [39218]
Mr. Soames:
In the past five years RAF aircraft have been scrambled or diverted from task on two occasions to intercept and identify uncorrelated radar tracks entering the United Kingdom air defence region.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is his Department's assessment of the incident that occurred on 5 November 1990 when a patrol of RAF Tornado aircraft flying over the North sea were overtaken at high speed by an unidentified craft; and if he will make a statement; [39245]
Mr. Soames:
Reports of sightings on these dates are recorded on file and were examined by staff responsible for air defence matters. No firm conclusions were drawn about the nature of the phenomena reported but the events were not judged to be of defence significance.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department made of the photograph of an unidentified craft at Calvine on 4 August 1990; who removed it from an office in secretariat (air staff) 2a; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement. [39248]
Mr. Soames:
A number of negatives associated with the sighting were examined by staff responsible for air defence matters. Since it was judged that they contained nothing of defence significance the negatives were not retained and we have no record of any photographs having been taken from them.
(2) who assessed that the events around RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters in December 1980, which were reported to his Department by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt were of no defence significance; on what evidence the assessment was made; what analysis of events was carried out; and if he will make a statement. [39249]
(2) if he will make a statement on the unidentified flying object sighting reported to his Department by the meteorological officer at RAF Shawbury in the early hours of 31 March 1993. [39246]
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