| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Ministerial Leave
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment; [9829]
- (2) how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year. [9828]
Mr. Gummer: As a Minister I am available 365 days of the year. If the hon. Member has issues that he needs to raise with me over the Christmas break or during the coming Easter or summer recesses, he is welcome to contact me at home or my office.
Hemp
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies the Government have (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on the use of hemp as an alternative source for paper manufacture; and what European Union (i) studies and (ii) support schemes have been established in respect of the use of hemp for paper making. [3925]
Mr. Boswell: I have been asked to reply.
Hemp grown under licence in this country may be used for paper making. The Department is funding research into the structure of hemp fibres and the industrial potential of hemp, which will be relevant to its use in paper making.
18 Dec 1996 : Column: 617
In 1994 a European Union funded study looked at the increased application of domestically produced plant fibres. The agri-industrial research programme also funded a three-year study of the processing of short fibres. Both of these studies examined the use of hemp for paper making.
A number of schemes exist under which support would be obtained to assist development of hemp for paper making and these include:
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase the monitoring of asbestos imports. [7899]
Mr. Oppenheim:
I have been asked to reply.
HM Customs and Excise is responsible for enforcing the statutory controls on imports of asbestos from third countries--the controls do not apply to intra-Community movements.
Customs is not aware of any current circumstances which warrant an increase in the monitoring of asbestos imports. Any information indicating that there may be an enhanced risk of unauthorised imports of asbestos should be passed to customs.
Mr. Hain:
To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff there have been in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies of his Department in each year since 1992. [9620]
18 Dec 1996 : Column: 618
The Prime Minister:
For these purposes, my office forms part of the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the then Paymaster General on 10 December, Official Report, columns 83-84.
Mr. Spearing:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the (a) topics and (b) documents considered at the Heads of Government meeting at Dublin on 13 and 14 December on which he placed a United Kingdom scrutiny reserve. [9731]
The Prime Minister:
The contents of the Economic and Finance Council report to the Dublin European Council on preparations for stage 3 of economic and monetary union are subject to a United Kingdom parliamentary scrutiny reserve. This point is reflected in the ECOFIN report itself and in the presidency conclusions of the European Council.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that the severance payment received by a Minister on resignation shall not be paid when that resignation followed criticism of the conduct of the Minister by a Select Committee of the House. [9712]
The Prime Minister:
The terms under which a Minister is entitled to a severance payment are laid down in the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, which was approved by Parliament without any Divisions.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment; [9823]
The Prime Minister:
Ministers are required to be available for Government business at all times. Subject to this overall requirement they may take leave as and when Government business permits.
18 Dec 1996 : Column: 617
18 Dec 1996 : Column: 619
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each of the Ministers in his Department how many official ministerial visits they have undertaken since 1 January; and how many of these have been abroad. [9386]
Mr. Hague:
The information is as follows:
1. the Agriculture and Fisheries (FAIR) Programme, which supports research of development projects;
In addition, the common agriculture policy hemp regime provides for area payments to hemp growers.
2. The EU's Fourth Framework Programme;
3. projects in Objective 5b areas may be eligible under the Challenge for Agriculture Scheme.
(2) how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year. [9822]
Secretary of State (Mr. William Hague): 174 visits of which 3 were abroad
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Gwilym Jones): 128 visits of which 7 were abroad
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Jonathan Evans): 89 visits of which 2 were abroad
(Former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State) (Mr. Rod Richards): 52 visits of which 1 was abroad.
Primary School Class Sizes
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each year group in maintained primary schools the class size figures as tabulated for all registered classes in maintained primary schools in table 3.6 of "Statistics of Educational Training in Wales: Schools No. 4, 1996". [9588]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Information on class size is not collected by year group.
Domestic Telephones
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what proportion of households in Wales in which state benefits are the main source of income do not have a telephone; [9358]
- (2) what proportion of households in Wales do not have a telephone; [9356]
(3) what proportion of pensioner households in Wales do not have a telephone. [9357]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Information on telephone access in Wales is available from two different sample surveys; the Department of Social Security's family resources survey and the Office for National Statistics' family expenditure survey.
Based on the former, 13 per cent. of households in Wales did not have a telephone in 1994-95. The corresponding figure for households where state benefits accounted for more than half of gross weekly household income was 23 per cent. For households where the head of household was over the state retirement age the figure was 12 per cent.
From the latter, the estimate of the proportion of Welsh households without a telephone was 10 per cent. in 1995-96. This survey has a smaller sample size than the former and so these estimates are less reliable, particularly for smaller sub-groups.
Mr. Hain:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff there have
18 Dec 1996 : Column: 620
been in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies of his Department in each year since 1992. [9617]
Mr. Hague:
The numbers of permanent and non-permanent staff employed by my Department and its executive agency since 1992 are set out in the table:
| Welsh Office | Cadw | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Non Permanent | Permanent | Non Permanent | |
| 1 January 1992 | 2425 | 125 | -- | -- |
| 1 January 1993 | 2159.5 | 137.5 | 262.5 | 3 |
| 1 January 1994 | 2183 | 230 | 217 | 9 |
| 1 January 1995 | 2070.5 | 213.5 | 222 | 7.5 |
| 1 December 1996 | 1903.5 | 177 | 179.6 | 7.3 |
1. Cadw was established as an Executive Agency on 1 April 1992.
2. The 1992 figures include OHMCI staff.
Information Technology (Euro)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what tenders his Department has put out to convert its information technology systems to be euro-compliant; what are the cost and person hours required to convert the systems to handle the euro; and when he expects his Department's systems to be fully economic and monetary union compliant. [9458]
Mr. Hague: My Department and agency will need to assess the impact which a single currency, assumed to be starting on 1 January 1999, would have on their information systems, whether or not the United Kingdom decides to participate in the third stage of economic and monetary union.
Housing Associations
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his proposals for changing the arrangements for paying tax relief grant to Welsh housing associations; and if he will make a statement. [10460]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Department received 11 responses in August following the publication of our consultation paper "Proposals for Changes to the Tax Relief Grant Arrangements for Housing Associations in Wales". Most respondents called for more time to plan for withdrawal of the grant and for greater certainty about future rates of payment and some also saw advantages in gearing transitional assistance towards smaller housing associations.
I am pleased to respond to these concerns by setting out our intentions for future years with payments being set on a sliding scale. In 1997-98, claims will be met in full as originally proposed; in 1998-99, we plan to pay 75 per cent. of the first £50,000 of eligible claims, and 50 per cent of the rest; and in 1999-2000, we plan to pay 50 per cent. of the first £25,000 of eligible claims, and 25 per cent. of the rest.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |