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PRIME MINISTER

Netherlands (Visit)

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Prime Minister which persons representing which bodies were present at the meetings he attended recently with the President of the European Council in the Netherlands. [10873]

The Prime Minister: I met the Prime Minister of the Netherlands in The Hague on 7 January. Mr. Kok was accompanied by his State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and three officials. I was accompanied Her Majesty's ambassador at The Hague and three officials.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Prime Minister who represented the British Government at the OECD conference on 16 December on economic flexibility and social cohesion in the 21st century. [10871]

The Prime Minister: Participants to this conference were invited as individuals and not representatives of Governments. Professor Snower of Birbeck college attended, and presented a paper concerning long-term implications of current economic and social policies.

15 Jan 1997 : Column: 277

Chlorofluorocarbons

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister which department is responsible for matters relating to the illegal trade in CFCs. [10804]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 January 1997]: The Department of the Environment has responsibility for the United Kingdom's domestic and international policy on the control of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal protocol, including trade controls. CFCs imported into the European Union require a licence from the European Commission. Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is responsible within the UK for checking that such imports are properly licensed.

Royal Travel

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects parliamentary approval to be sought for the estimate relating to official royal travel by rail and air.[9904]

The Prime Minister: The new grant-in-aid for royal travel will be payable from 1 April 1997 and will be administered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. Pending approval of the main estimates for 1997-98, authority for payment will rest on the vote on account for 1997-98 and the winter supplementary estimate for class V, vote 3, both of which have already been approved by Parliament. Specific provision for royal travel is planned to be made in the main estimates for the Department of Transport's votes. Main estimates are normally laid before Parliament shortly before the financial year to which they relate.

SCOTLAND

Suckler Cow Premium

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to pay the 1996 suckler cow premiums. [9744]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Suckler cow premium advance payments commenced in December. The bulk of these should be with producers by the end of January.

Public Bodies

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how much has been spent to date on converting the Forestry Commission Research Laboratories into a next steps agency; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10006]

(2) what estimate he has made of the future costs of converting the Forestry Commission research laboratories into a next steps agency; and from which budget these sums will be paid. [10007]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 13 January 1997]: Work on the prior options review of the Forestry Commission's research division and subsequent work, which is nearing completion, converting it to a next steps agency was undertaken mainly by commission staff. The cost to the

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commission has been approximately £30,000. Only modest additional costs are likely to be incurred before the division becomes an agency on 1 April 1997.

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how much has been spent to date on converting the fisheries research services into a next steps agency; and from which budget these sums were paid; [10022]

(2) what estimate he has made of the future costs of converting the fisheries research services into a next steps agency; and from which budget these sums will be paid.[10023]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 13 January 1997]: Work on the prior options review of the fisheries research services and subsequent work, which is nearing completion, on converting it to a next steps agency was undertaken mainly by Scottish Office staff. The cost to my Department has been approximately £40,000. Only modest additional costs are likely to be incurred before FRS becomes an agency on 1 April 1997.

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees include employees of the Forestry Commission Research Laboratories as representatives of UK interests; and how many of these employees are leading the UK team on their committee.[10008]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

	United Kingdom	European	International
Representative	20	14	14
Leader	--	2	2

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) United Kingdom, (b) European and (c) international committees are chaired by employees of the Forestry Commission research laboratories. [10009]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 13 January 1997]: The information is as follows:

United Kingdom: 4
European: 1
International: 3.

Local Government Finance

Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each local authority in Scotland the actual capital receipts at the mid-point of 1996-97, indicating for each authority (a) receipts from right to buy, (b) receipts from stock transfer and (c) receipts from land sales; and if he will indicate for each authority and for each category of receipts the mid-year targets set out in the estimates at the start of the year. [10697]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 13 January 1997]: The table which follows lists the actual capital receipts from the sale of housing stock and land reported by local authorities as having been achieved in the six months to 30 September 1996. The Scottish Office does not set mid-year targets for capital receipts.

Housing capital receipts achieved between 1 April and 30 September 1996

			£ million
	Right to buy	Stock transfers	Land sales
Aberdeen City	1.750	0	0
Aberdeenshire	1.682	0	0.056
Angus	1.576	0	0.024
Argyll and Bute	1.315	0	0
Clackmannanshire	0.928	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	2.697	0	0
Dundee City	1.179	0	0.013
East Ayrshire	2.273	0	0
East Dunbartonshire	0.845	0	0
East Lothian	1.477	0	0
East Renfrewshire	0.350	0	0
City of Edinburgh	3.476	0	0.105
Falkirk	1.666	0	0
Fife	4.302	0	0.121
City of Glasgow	4.121	0	0.853
Highland	3.457	0	0.054
Inverclyde	1.231	0	0
Midlothian	0.970	0	0.151
Moray	1.664	0	0.104
North Ayrshire	1.108	0	0.320
North Lanarkshire	6.055	0	0.112
Orkney	0.452	0	0
Perth and Kinross	1.119	0	0
Renfrewshire	1.477	0	0.318
Scottish Borders	1.179	0	0.002
Shetland	0.494	0	0.004
South Ayrshire	1.155	0	0
South Lanarkshire	1.831	0	0.030
Stirling	2.096	0	0.030
West Dunbartonshire	0.983	0	0
West Lothian	1.413	0	0
Western Isles	0.246	0	0

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15 Jan 1997 : Column: 279

Farmers (Negative Equity)

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of farmers with negative equity; and if he will make a statement. [10522]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: None. However, in each of the last three years for which results are available, around 1 per cent. of farm businesses in the farm accounts survey in Scotland had liabilities exceeding total business assets.

Strathclyde Police Force

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police officers of ethnic minority origin there are in the Strathclyde force above the rank of constable; and what ranks they have reached. [10633]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: In Strathclyde police there is one such officer, in the rank of sergeant.

TREASURY

Petrol and Diesel Duties

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total income to the Treasury, measured against an indexed base, resulting from an increase in petrol and diesel duties of (a) 3p per litre and (b) 4.5p per litre. [10204]

15 Jan 1997 : Column: 280

Mr. Oppenheim: Indexed base estimates strip out the effect of the pre-announced 5 per cent. real increase in road fuel duties. In the 1996 Budget, this accounts for £1.2 billion of the £1.4 billion total increase in revenue in 1997-98 referred to in my previous written answer to the hon. Member, Official Report, 11 December 1996, column 209. Accordingly, on an indexed base alone, a 3p per litre increase in petrol and diesel duties in the 1996 Budget would yield the remaining £0.2 billion in 1997-98. Similarly, on a purely indexed base, a 4.5p per litre increase in petrol and diesel duties would yield £0.9 billion, bringing the total yield to the £2.1 billion referred to in my previous answer.

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