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Nursery Inspectors
Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people have
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(a) applied to become a nursery education inspector, (b) embarked on the course to become a nursery education inspector and (c) successfully completed that course and qualified as a nursery education inspector; [11561]
- (2) how many providers participating in phase 1 of the voucher scheme have been found by inspectors to have unacceptable standards of provision; [11562]
(3) how many and what proportion of private and voluntary sector providers in phase 1 of the voucher scheme have been inspected by Ofsted, at the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many such inspection reports have been published; [11564]
(4) how many nursery education inspectors have successfully completed training; and what is the target number of nursery education inspectors for phase 2 of the nursery voucher scheme; [11566]
(5) when the Ofsted report on the operation of the voucher scheme in the phase 1 areas will be published. [11574]
Mr. Robin Squire: These are matters for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.
TRANSPORT
Vehicle Emissions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the implementation of the proposals announced by the Chancellor in his recent Budget speech on vehicle excise duty incentives for lorries meeting low emissions standards. [12658]
Mr. Bowis: We are today issuing a consultation paper on vehicle excise duty incentives for lorries meeting low emissions standards. Copies have been placed in the Library. The Chancellor's 1996 Budget Statement announced his intention to reduce VED by up to £500 per year for lorries meeting these standards. It is planned to introduce the incentive in early 1998 following this consultation on the practical details of implementation of the measure.
The consultation paper seeks views on the administration and enforcement of the VED incentive. The closing date for comments is 22 April 1997. In the light of the replies, we will consider the most appropriate way of implementing the concession.
Emergency Towing Vessels
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will release the report of the trials of two emergency towing vessels during the winters of 1994-95 and 1995-96. [12659]
Mr. Bowis: Copies of the Coastguard Agency's report have today been placed in the Library.
Milford Haven Port Authority
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness
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of the Milford Haven port authority; what measures he has (a) taken and (b) proposes to improve the operations of the authority; and if he will make a statement. [11351]
Mr. Bowis: The operation of the Milford Haven port authority is governed by the Milford Haven Conservancy Act 1983, which does not provide a basis for such an assessment. The terms of reference for the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch investigation into the causes of the grounding and salvage of the Sea Empress cover, inter alia, the safety of port operations in relation to that incident.
MV Canberra (Inquiry)
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action (a) his Department and (b) the Marine Safety Agency is taking against (i) the operators and (ii) the officers and crew of the MV Canberra following the recent publication of the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch report into the incident in December 1994. [11516]
Mr. Bowis: No action has been taken by this Department or the Marine Safety Agency against the operators and crew of the MV Canberra. Although the MAIB investigation highlighted a number of deficiencies in both equipment and operational procedures onboard, these were not considered to justify prosecution.
Between the 1994 incident and the 1996 Marine Accidents Investigation Branch report, the operators initiated a number of modifications to the boiler fuel system and operational procedures in order to prevent a similar accident happening again. We are satisfied that lessons learnt from the Canberra incident have been addressed.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Qualified Majority Voting
17. Mr. Waterson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his assessment of the effect of an extension of qualified majority voting within the social chapter on British business. [10607]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Thanks to our hard won opt-out from the social chapter, legislation adopted under it does not apply to businesses in the UK, irrespective of the voting mechanism.
World Trade Organisation
18. Mr. Benton: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a further statement on the outcome of the recent WTO meeting in Singapore. [10608]
Mr. Nelson: Good progress was made on the United Kingdom's objectives in Singapore; a substantial programme of trade liberalisation was agreed; an information technology agreement was agreed in principle by the EU, US and 11 other countries; and progress was made towards an agreement to open up world telecom markets by February this year.
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29. Mr. Fabricant: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact of the World Trade Organisation meeting in Singapore on trade between the United Kingdom and North America. [10621]
Mr. Lang: The gains and benefits that will result from the recent WTO ministerial meeting in Singapore have not been assessed on a market basis. As an indicator of the importance of the information technology agreement to UK firms buying and selling IT equipment, the potential reduction in tariffs payable on UK IT imports and exports is estimated to be around £250 million. The value of the agreement between the EU and the US on the elimination of tariffs on brown and white spirits by the year 2000 has not yet been quantified, but it will offer significant benefits to the British drinks industry and has been welcomed by them. While any estimates are necessarily tentative, taking account of the large number of countries which have yet fully to liberalise their markets, and the potential for growth, a comprehensive WTO agreement to liberalise telecoms, negotiations for which are due to be completed in February 1997, could be worth £12 billion ($20 billion) in revenue to British companies by the year 2010. A significant proportion of this would be business on the UK-North America routes.
Electricity Industry
20. Ms Eagle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations he has received regarding takeovers and mergers in the electricity industry. [10611]
Mr. Lang: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) earlier today.
Small Businesses
21. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to meet representatives of small business organisations to discuss schemes to encourage enterprise. [10612]
Mr. Lang: My ministerial colleagues and I meet small business representative organisations on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) forms and (b) regulatory visits which firms with (i) under 100 employees, (ii) under 50 employees and (iii) under 10 employees have to undertake each year. [11811]
Mr. Page: The information requested is not available.
Industrial Action
22. Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the cost of strikes to industry in the United Kingdom in 1996. [10613]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I have not made an assessment of the costs to British industry of strikes in 1996, but the number of days lost due to industrial stoppages was nearly four times as high as in the previous year, causing disruption to many businesses and the lives of millions of people.
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Privatisation
23. Mr. John Marshall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the impact of privatisation on industry efficiency. [10614]
Mr. Lang: Privatisation is a major element in the Government's strategy to promote efficiency in the economy. It has led to increased investment, lower prices, better services and wider choice for consumers. A recent assessment by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development concluded that "since privatisation, most of the regulated utilities have achieved substantial improvements in productivity".
Public Sector Research Establishments
24. Mr. Hall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress of the Government's prior options review of the public sector research establishments. [10615]
Mr. Ian Taylor: The Government are considering the prior options review reports. We are determined to achieve the greatest possible benefit from the substantial resources devoted to the public sector research establishments. We expect to make further announcements about outstanding decisions in the near future.
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