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Multi-fibre Arrangement

Mr. Rooney: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what discussions took place at the Council of Ministers meeting on 25 October regarding the multi-fibre arrangement; [2987]

Mr. Lang: My Department has been consulting the British textile and clothing industry, retailers, importers and consumers about the basis on which the European Union should implement stage 2 of the phase-out of the general agreement on tariffs and trade multi-fibre arrangement on 1 January 1998. The General Affairs Council has not yet considered the matter but is likely to take a decision on 25 November. Decisions on this sort by textile importing countries, including the EU, are a matter for them and are not up for negotiation at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation to be held in Singapore from 9 to 13 December.

Deregulation

Mr. Steen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what regulations his Department proposes to repeat by the end of 1996; if he proposes to conduct a compliance cost assessment on each resolution repealed; and what is the estimated cost of undertaking a compliance cost assessment to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each repeal. [1404]

Mr. Page: My Department currently proposes to repeal the following regulations by the end of 1996:









My Department currently proposes to repeal and replace the following regulations by the end of 1996:




Since the effect in each case will be to reduce rather than increase, compliance costs, a compliance cost assessment is not required. Departments do, however, seek to estimate approximate savings wherever possible. The cost of undertaking a CCA varies from case to case, but it is generally modest. Because part of the cost falls on the businesses consulted, a full CCA would be inappropriate for measures designed to reduce business burdens. If, however, a replacement regulation would increase burdens, a CCA will be produced.

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 622

Television Decoders

Mr. Renton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that his television decoder to be used for digital satellite programmes is also available at fair and reasonable cost for digital terrestrial programmes. [2053]

Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 6 November 1996]: Regulations have been in place since 23 August this year, well in advance of any manufacturing agreements for decoders, which deal with the licensing of decoder technology. The regulations--1996/2185--provide that licensing of proprietary technology for conditional access to manufacturers of consumer equipment must be undertaken on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Owners of such technology, when licensing one manufacturer, must therefore consider applications for additional licences from other manufacturers--perhaps acting on behalf of other broadcasters operating on other delivery systems--and must grant or refuse such applications on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. If a manufacturer or broadcaster believes he is being unfairly refused a licence, the regulations allow him to take immediate action in court against the owner of the technology.

Taken together, these will enable manufacturers to supply set-top boxes which either incorporate facilities for terrestrial and satellite reception, or to which such facilities could be added at a fair and reasonable cost, should they see a market for such receivers which is worth pursuing.

The regulations also prohibit the owner of the technology from dissuading a manufacturer from including additional conditional access technology or a common interface in the same decoder. A common interface allows for the attachment of additional conditional access components and other components of the digital decoder--for example, a receiver for another deliver mechanism such as digital terrestrial.

The Government do not intend to impose requirements which will increase the cost of set-top boxes, the equipment which will be used to decode digital television signals, by mandating the inclusion of facilities which consumers may not wish to use. However, the European standards for digital television are designed to assist manufacturers who wish to produce receivers capable of receiving and decoding both satellite and terrestrial signals, or to which additional reception capabilities can be added.

In due course, conditional access systems are likely to be integrated in the television set, the manufacturers of which will seek to provide access to a wide range of broadcasters.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Learning Credits

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to introduce learning credits for 16 to 19-year-old students. [2207]

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 623

Mr. Paice: The Government propose to bring together, into a single entitlement to learning expressed in the form of a credit, their existing guarantee of training and the statutory duty of the Further Education Funding Council to secure sufficient and adequate education for young people. All young people would be issued with a learning credit as they complete their compulsory education. Learning credits, which would not be cash based, would build on the best of youth credits arrangements already operated by training and enterprise councils. Careers services, working closely with providers, would have an important role in issuing the credit as part of the information and guidance they provide to all young people.

The Government believe that the learning credits approach, taken together with the work proposed to secure greater convergence of post-16 funding arrangements, would further strengthen the choices young people make and the responsiveness of providers to them. They intend to consult on learning credits in December, with a view to their phased introduction from 1997.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what financial provision is being made to (a) the local education authority and (b) voluntary organisations in the county of Durham to increase awareness of drug and alcohol-related problems. [2406]

Mrs. Gillan: Under the grants for education support and training programme for 1996-97, £67,450 has been made available to Durham LEA in support of in-service training of teachers whose responsibilities include drug education in schools; and £14,000 in support of training for youth and community workers in raising their awareness of and developing skills for dealing with young people at risk from, or in the early stages of, drug abuse.

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many school absences of pupils have been related to drug and alcohol abuse in the county of Durham since 1992. [2407]

Mrs. Gillan: This information is not collected centrally. Information on levels of authorised and unauthorised absence is collected annually in respect of all day pupils of compulsory school age, but schools are not required to break their absence totals down by cause of absence.

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many school children in the county of Durham have received treatment and counselling for alcohol dependency since 1992. [2408]

Mr. Burns: I have been asked to reply.

This information is not available centrally.

Physics Examinations

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of students sitting the A-level examination in physics obtained passes at A, B and C grades (a) in 1976 and (b) in 1996. [2438]

7 Nov 1996 : Column: 624

Mrs. Gillan: The percentage of students obtaining passes at grades A, B and C in GCE A-level physics syllabuses examined in 1976 were 9.5 per cent., 13.3 per cent. and 12.5 per cent. respectively. The corresponding figures for the syllabuses examined in 1996 were 20.6 per cent., 19.1 per cent. and 17.9 per cent.

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if she will calculate the number of questions, accounting for what percentage of the marks, a candidate prepared for the 1976 A-level examination in physics could have answered in the 1996 examination; [2435]

Mrs. Gillan: The examination boards have always offered a range of physics syllabus at GCE A-level, GCE 0-level and, since 1986, GCSE. It is therefore not possible to calculate the precise number of questions common to physics examinations in 1976 and 1996.

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