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Admiral Sir Peter Abbot
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Admiral Sir Peter Abbot required official clearance of the text of his speech to the Royal United Services Institution on 17 October; and to what extent his speech represents Government policy. [5147]
Mr. Soames: Ministerial clearance is not required for addresses given to private bodies such as the Royal United Services Institute, whose purpose is to encourage debate of relevant issues. The speech did not represent Government policy; rather, Admiral Abbot was developing a personal view, contributing to just such an academic debate. The issues raised in the speech are already in the public domain.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is collated centrally on (a) the long-term revenue commitments and (b) any other commitments arising as a result of private finance initiative projects agreed by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies accountable to his Department. [5087]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The Government response to the Treasury Committee report on the private finance initiative agreed on the importance of collecting and monitoring information on future spending commitments arising from contracts under the private finance initiative. Such information is now being collected. The response stated that aggregate projections of the level of expenditure that is expected to arise from signed contracts under the initiative would be published in the 1997-98 "Financial Statement and Budget Report."
Contracts
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has had with (a) Robert Wilson and Sons Ltd., (b) Hillsdown Ambient Foods Group Ltd. and (c) their subsidiary companies during the last five years; what was the value of each of these contracts; what goods were supplied; and to what extent these contracts will be affected by the closure of the Robert Wilsons and Sons Ltd. plant in Kilwinning. [5057]
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Mr. Arbuthnot: The data held centrally for MOD headquarters contracts show that the following contracts have been awarded since 1993:
| Value £ | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | |
| Produced at Kilwinning | |
| Canned meats | 333,000 |
| Retort pouched meals | 1,392,000 |
| Pouched water | 42,000 |
| 1996 | |
| Produced at Kilwinning | |
| Canned meats | 222,400 |
| Retort pouched meals | 4,639,000 |
| Pouched water | 59,600 |
| Value £ | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | |
| Produced at Kilwinning | |
| Canned meats | 265,000 |
| Retort pouched meals | 1,365,000 |
| Produced at North Walsham | |
| Baked beans | 38,000 |
| 1995 | |
| Produced at North Walsham | |
| Baked beans | 49,000 |
| 1996 | |
| Produced at North Walsham | |
| Baked beans | 66,000 |
The following contracts were placed with the former company Haywood Foods Ltd. part of Hillsdown Holdings plc:
| 1993 | Value £ |
|---|---|
| Produced at Kilwinning | |
| Canned meats | 244,000 |
| Canned puddings | 31,000 |
| Retort pouch meals | 1,491,000 |
| Produced at North Walsham | |
| Baked beans | 34,000 |
| 1994 | |
| Produced at Long Sutton | |
| Tinned carrots | 19,000 |
The above companies are subsidiaries of the large Hillsdown Holdings plc group, which includes a large number of household name food, domestic goods, furniture and property companies, for example, and further research on those companies could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
Several of the contracts will be completed before the planned closure of the Kilwinning site early next year. Work that is not completed will be novated to another "sister" company within the Hillsdown Group and it is not expected that there will be any adverse effect on the MOD.
20 Nov 1996 : Column: 615
Mr. David Young:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that Gurkha soldiers serving in the British Army receive the same pay, pensions, family accommodation and other terms and conditions of service as soldiers in the British Army. [4777]
Mr. Soames:
A full review of questions relating to Gurkha conditions of service is currently being undertaken by my Department, including questions relating to their pay, family accommodation and other related matters. The review, which has been prompted by the imminent withdrawal from Hong Kong, is examining the existing arrangements with a view to making them more appropriate to the move of the Gurkha home base from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom. All Gurka terms and conditions of service are underpinned by the 1947 tri-partite agreement signed by the Governments of India, Nepal and the United Kingdom, and will continue to be governed by these arrangements. In essence, the rates of pay and pension are based on those paid to the Indian army as stated in the agreement. British Gurkhas do, however, receive a substantial addition to their basic pay which takes into account the cost of living in their duty station.
Gurkha pensions, while not part of the same review, are, as a matter of routine, reviewed annually. One of the factors taken into account is the rate of inflation in Nepal; another is the rates of pension paid to Indian army Gurkhas as governed by the tri-partite agreement. British Gurkha pensions were increased by 15 per cent. in 1996.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the ways in which his Department has (a) demonstrated by example and (b) promoted externally, the ability to improve efficiency and competitiveness through environmental auditing; and if he will make a statement. [4527]
Mr. Howard:
The Home Office takes its responsibilities to the environment seriously, and has been represented at each of the green Ministers meetings.
The policies and programmes of my Department have been assessed as having low direct environmental sensitivity. Thus, the environmental audits undertaken by the Home Office have concentrated on estate management issues where scope for green housekeeping efficiencies has been sought. All local property centres are asked to conduct an annual green housekeeping audit. A programme of energy surveys has been run in response to the target set by the Department of the Environment to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent. in the period from 1990 to 1995. Notable successes were at the police training centres at Bruche and Cwmbran and at the police scientific development branch premises in Langhurst and Sandridge, where implementing the recommendations of the reviews produced falls in energy consumption of between 16.8 per cent. and 22.9 per cent. over the five years. Where appropriate, the Department adopts the Building Research Establishment environmental
20 Nov 1996 : Column: 616
assessment method as a means of enhancing the environmental performance of new offices and those undergoing major refurbishment.
Mr. George Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by police authority area and by location the number of reported incidents involving objects thrown from motorway bridges at vehicles for each year since 1991 to date, including how many (a) injuries were caused, (b) fatalities were caused, (c) resulted in prosecution and (d) resulted in conviction in each year from 1991 to date. [4695]
Mr. Maclean:
This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he uses in determining the suitability or otherwise of applicants for British citizenship. [4718]
Mr. Kirkhope:
The criterion applied is whether the applicant meets the statutory requirements of the British Nationality Act 1981 relevant to his or her application.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what official publications inform applicants of the criteria that will be used when determining British citizenship applications. [4717]
Mr. Kirkhope:
The requirements for British citizenship are set out in the British Nationality Act 1981 and in a number of information leaflets, copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refusals of applications for British citizenship he has determined since 1992. [4738]
Mr. Kirkhope:
Since 1 January 1992, 32,272 applications for British citizenship have been refused.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which provisions of the winter quarters regulations apply to animals held by zoos; if he will apply them to animals held by circuses; and if he will make a statement. [4578]
Mr. Sackville:
The Zoo Licensing Act 1981, but not the winter quarters regulations, applies to the keeping of animals in zoos. Circus animals will continue to be governed by the Performing Animals (Regulations) 1925 and the Protection of Animals Act 1911.
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