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Wages Councils
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent assessment he has made of the consequences of the abolition of the wages councils for wages in those industries previously covered by them. [7083]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Changes in earnings in particular industries reflect the varying conditions in those industries and it is not possible to attribute such changes to any particular event. Between April 1994 and April 1995, average earnings of full-time workers covered by the main wages councils before their abolition in August 1993 rose at a comparable rate to those of workers employed in other industries.
British Airways and American Airlines
Sir Peter Fry: To ask the President of the board of Trade what assessment he has made of the advantages and
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disadvantages of the proposed British Airways-American Airlines alliance (a) for the United Kingdom and (b) for other United Kingdom carriers. [8180]
Mr. John M. Taylor: On Friday 6 December my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced that he was seeking from the alliance undertakings in lieu of a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. He made it clear that without suitable undertakings the alliance would be likely to lead to a significant loss of actual and potential competition.
The text of the competition analysis under European competition law is being made available to interested parties as from Friday 13 December 1996. I will arrange for a copy of this to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Balance of Trade
Mr. Milburn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the non-oil balance of trade in goods for the United Kingdom with the European Union in each year since 1979. [7830]
Mr. Page [holding answer 6 December 1996]: The information is given in the table.
| Year | Crude balance of trade (£ billion) |
|---|---|
| 1979 | -5.2 |
| 1980 | -3.4 |
| 1981 | -5.2 |
| 1982 | -7.7 |
| 1983 | -11.4 |
| 1984 | -13.3 |
| 1985 | -14.0 |
| 1986 | -16.0 |
| 1987 | -16.9 |
| 1988 | -20.3 |
| 1989 | -21.8 |
| 1990 | -16.7 |
| 1991 | -7.4 |
| 1992 | -10.2 |
| 1993 | -9.2 |
| 1994 | -10.3 |
| 1995 | -8.9 |
Fuel Prices
Mr. Milburn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the average pump price per litre of (a) petrol and (b) diesel in each year since 1979-80.[7824]
Mr. Page [holding answer 6 December 1996]: The average pump price of four star petrol, premium unleaded petrol, and diesel fuel for the calendar years 1979 to 1995, and the first 10 months of 1996, including all taxes, is given in the table.
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| Year | Four star petrol | Premium unleaded petrol | Diesel fuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 22.66 | n/a | 23.65 |
| 1980 | 28.32 | n/a | 29.67 |
| 1981 | 34.29 | n/a | 34.01 |
| 1982 | 36.62 | n/a | 35.86 |
| 1983 | 39.28 | n/a | 37.30 |
| 1984 | 40.62 | n/a | 38.33 |
| 1985 | 43.14 | n/a | 41.94 |
| 1986 | 37.35 | n/a | 35.60 |
| 1987 | 37.90 | n/a | 34.58 |
| 1988 | 37.38 | n/a | 33.99 |
| 1989 | 40.39 | 38.29 | 36.18 |
| 1990 | 44.87 | 42.03 | 40.48 |
| 1991 | 48.48 | 45.07 | 43.82 |
| 1992 | 50.28 | 46.07 | 45.01 |
| 1993 | 54.12 | 49.44 | 49.20 |
| 1994 | 56.87 | 51.58 | 51.53 |
| 1995 | 59.75 | 53.77 | 54.24 |
| 1996(17) | 60.90 | 55.78 | 56.90 |
(17) Average for 1996 relates to the period from January to October (inclusive) only.
n/a denotes not applicable.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many of the individuals appointed by his Department to public positions in the last year were first identified by the public appointments unit. [8537]
Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 10 December 1996]: For appointments made during 1995 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cannock and Burntwood (Dr. Wright) on 25 April 1996, Official Report, column 219. From 1 January 1996 until 6 December 1996 departmental records show that five appointments to four separate bodies were made from names first supplied by the public appointments unit. A list of the appointments is as follows:
British Shipbuilders
Mr. Christopher Campbell
Coal Authority
Mr. John Cunliffe (reappointment)
Copyright Appeals Tribunal
Mrs. Angela Howorth (reappointment)
Sir Michael Lickiss (reappointment)
Human Genetics Advisory Commission
Prof. Cairns Aitken.
SCOTLAND
Public Appointments
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many appointments to non-departmental public bodies his Department has made in each of the last five financial years; [6366]
- (2) if he will list, for each of the non-departmental public bodies under the jurisdiction of his Department, how many appointments his Department is entitled to
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- make to these bodies; how many of these appointments will require to be made during the next (a) six and (b) 18 months; and of how many of its appointees his Department has extended the period of office during the last 12 months. [6367]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is shown in the table. This excludes appointments to advisory NDPBs, tribunals, and so on, which it would not be possible to cover except at disproportionate cost.
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| Executive | Number of Appointments | Appointments Made Extensions January- | Appointments to be Made | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Departmental Public Body | Entitled to be Made | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | December 1996 | January-June 1997 | January 97-June 98 |
| The Accounts Commission for Scotland | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Agricultural Research and Biological Institutes: | |||||||||
| Hannah Research Institute | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Macaulay Research Institute | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Moredun Research Institute | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rowett Research Institute | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Scottish Crop Research Institute | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Crofters' Commission | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dear Commission for Scotland | 13 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland | 10 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| National Galleries of Scotland | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| National Museums of Scotland | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| New Town Development Corporations: | |||||||||
| Cumbernauld Development Corporation | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Irvine Development Corporation | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Livingston Development Corporation | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parole Board for Scotland | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Scottish Agricultural Wages Board | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Scottish Arts Council | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 12 |
| Scottish Children's Reporter Administration | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Scottish Community Education Council | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Council for Educational Technology | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Scottish Environment Protection Agency | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Enterprise | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Scottish Examination Board(18) | 38 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Film Council(19) | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Further Education Unit | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Scottish Higher Education Funding Council | 15 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Scottish Homes | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Scottish Hospital Endownments Research Trust | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Scottish Legal Aid Board | 13 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Scottish Medical Practices Committee | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Scottish Natural Heritage | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Scottish Seed Potato Development Council | 17 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Sports Council | 25 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Scottish Tourist Board | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Scottish Vocational Education Council(18) | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Water and Sewerage Customers Council | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Notes:
(18) The functions of the Scottish Examination Board and the Scottish Vocational Education Council will be transferred on 1 April 1997 to the new Scottish Qualifications Authority. Up to 19 appointments will be made to the new body.
(19) The functions of the Scottish Film Council will be transferred on 1 April 1997 to the new Scottish Screen. Up to 12 appointments will be made to the new body.
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11 Dec 1996 : Column: 283
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