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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people are employed by his Department to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities; and at what cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14473]

Mr. Bates: The information requested on staff employed to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities in the departments and agencies for which my right hon. Friend is responsible and other areas which fall to the Cabinet Office vote is as follows:

	Number of staff 1996-97 (full-time equivalents)	Cost £
Cabinet Office/OPS (Departmental Policy)	0.7	17,500.00
Cabinet Office/OPS (Service-wide Advice)	10.5	301,000.00
Civil Service College	0.3	8,000.00
Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency	0.2	4,500.00
Central Office of Information	0.1	1,300.00
Property Advisors to Civil Estate	0.2	3,500.00
Security and Facilities Executive	0.1	1,500.00
The Buying Agency	0.2	4,000.00

7 Feb 1997 : Column: 735

Admiralty House

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 4 February, Official Report, column 526, if he will provide a breakdown of the £723,000 spent on the running costs of Admiralty house in 1995-96. [14964]

Mr. Freeman: The figure of approximately £723,000 spent on the running costs of Admiralty house in 1995-96 may be broken down as follows:

	£
Rent	250,000
Maintenance, including centrally managed maintenance costs	248,000
Security	135,000
Contribution in lieu of rates	38,000
VAT surcharge	22,000
Staff costs	16,000
Cleaning	12,000
Fuel and utilities	2,000
Total	723,000

Manchester City Centre

Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he is yet in a position to respond to proposals for the redevelopment of Manchester city centre following the IRA bombing. [15318]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I have kept closely in touch with the proposals produced by the task force representing Manchester city council and the private sector, under the chairmanship of Sir Alan Cockshaw, chairman of AMEC Building Ltd. and I hope to be in a position to make an announcement early next week.

Cash Limits

Mr. Mans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has to change the Cabinet Office; Security and Intelligence Services cash limits for 1996-97. [15390]

Mr. Freeman: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class XVIII, vote 2 will be increased by £3,750,000 from £751,058,000 to £754,808,000. The running costs cash limit will be increased by £17,631,000 from £386,973,000 to £404,604,000. The increase in running costs will be offset by savings on capital provision, and also the take up £2,670,000 running costs end year flexibility. There will be an increase in appropriation in aid of £2,000,000 and a net increase in superannuation payments of £450,000. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

7 Feb 1997 : Column: 736

Her Majesty's Stationery Office

Mr. Rooker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the value of contracts to supply publications entered into by HMSO before privatisation which were cancelled at the time of privatisation; and if compensation was paid by HMSO in this respect. [14702]

Mr. Freeman: HMSO did not cancel any contracts to supply publications at the time of privatisation and did not therefore have to pay any compensation. All customers were given the opportunity to novate their existing contracts from HMSO to The Stationery Office Ltd.

Mr. Rooker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the publications HMSO was contracted to supply to the Open university prior to privatisation and which at the time of privatisation HMSO withdrew from sale. [14703]

Mr. Freeman: HMSO did not withdraw any items for sale at the time of privatisation, and as a result of privatisation.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Young Workers

Mr. Luff: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to consult on implementing provisions in the EC young workers directive requiring the creation of certain entitlements for adolescent workers; and if he will make a statement. [15231]

Mr. Lang: I am today publishing a consultation document with proposals for regulations to change employment law to give adolescent workers required entitlements to certain minimum daily and weekly rest periods and daily work breaks, and to health and capacity assessment before assignment to night work and at regular intervals thereafter.

We were able to agree to the EC directive on the protection of young people at work which requires these measures--the young workers directive--because its terms also give us an opt-out from what would have been unacceptable arbitrary limits on young people's working hours.

The consultation document seeks views on our proposals for enforcement arrangements to secure these entitlements, and on our assessment that, in general, employers will not have to make significant changes to their current practices in respect of employing young people. The Department of Health has already consulted on proposals for the changes which the directive requires us to make to the law regulating the employment of children, and the Health and Safety Commission about changes required to health and safety legislation.

The consultation period last until 7 May. We will then consider the position in the light of responses.

Inward Investment

Mr. Flynn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the (i) value of inward investment located in Britain and (ii) number of inward investment jobs

7 Feb 1997 : Column: 737

which have come to Britain from (a) Gibraltar, (b) Italy, (c) Malta, (d) France, (e) Scotland, (f) the Netherlands, (g) Sweden, (h) the Azores, (i) Bermuda, (j) the USA, (k) Mexico, (l) Jamaica, (m) the Lesser Antilles, (n) the Windward Islands, (o) the Leeward islands, (p) Portugal, (q) Greece, (r) Cyprus, (s) Russia, (t) Egypt, (u) Saudi Arabia, (v) the UAE, (w) India, (x) the Yemen, (y) Finland, (z) Denmark, (aa) Grand Canary, (bb) Ivory

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Coast, (cc) Namibia, (dd) Ghana, (ee) Senegal, (ff) Maderia, (gg) Germany, and (hh) the Balearic Islands, in each of the last five years. [14424]

Mr. Greg Knight [holding answer 6 February 1997]: Where figures for new jobs--source: Invest In Britain database--and capital flows of investment--source: OECD--into the United Kingdom are available, these are detailed in the two tables.

7 Feb 1997 : Column: 737

New jobs

Country	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96
Denmark	149	654	60	150	296
Finland	13	27	0	225	623
France	1,533	362	1,836	1,409	2,348
Germany	2,274	2,264	1,567	4,811	5,613
India	20	0	0	11	0
Italy	174	427	83	57	327
Netherlands	691	509	780	115	378
Portugal	52	0	0	0	15
Saudi Arabia	0	0	56	0	100
South Africa	0	300	0	34	32
Sweden	314	291	617	281	384
USA	8,375	8,485	15,267	13,285	20,922
Yemen	141	0	0	0	0

Source:

IBB Database.

					£ million
Country	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Denmark	1,610	396	1,261	656	195
Finland	36	8	53	-41	42
France	1,551	1,333	802	-35	655
Germany	1,610	396	1,261	656	195
Greece	-2	-3	--	--	--
India	1	1	2	21	-8
Italy	-43	45	-38	82	179
Mexico	-2	--	--	--	--
Netherlands	2,085	2,334	1,135	1,245	1,691
Portugal	-9	1	7	-	8
Russia (USSR)	-27	-12	-68	50	--
Sweden	1,658	5	129	-55	37
USA	5,094	1,878	3,748	5,144	1,873

Note:

1. These flow figures include UK disposals by foreign companies. Flow figures are volatile and fluctuate year to year in part due to the cyclical nature of reinvestment profits and of mergers and acquisition actively.

2. The negative flow figures represent disinvestment in the UK by inward investors. An inward investor may for example sell a UK based company to a UK investor. This is not outward investment but negative investment.

3. Figures on a FY basis are not available.

Source:

International Direct Investment Statistics Yearbook, 1996, OECD.

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7 Feb 1997 : Column: 737

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