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Waste Disposal at Sea
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what are his Department's current proposals for disposal at sea of (a) bulky radioactive wastes and (b) redundant oil or gas installations; [15652]
- (2) what is his Department's role in respect of the disposal of redundant oil and gas installations at sea; and if he will list the current proposals for such disposal under consideration by his Department. [15654]
Mr. Page:
Any proposals for the removal and disposal of disused offshore oil and gas installations are subject to the approval of the Secretary of State under the terms of the Petroleum Act 1987. Proposals involving disposal at
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sea also require approval under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in English and Welsh waters or from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland in Scottish waters. My Department has no proposals for sea disposal under consideration at the present time.
Questions relating to the disposal of radioactive wastes are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment, and the Secretary of States for Scotland and for Wales.
Sir Michael Marshall:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the outcome of the World Trade Organisation talks on telecommunications; and if he will make a statement. [17104]
Mr. Lang:
I very much welcome this major success, both for the World Trade Organisation as a promoter of free trade worldwide, and for the United Kingdom, particularly for telecommunications operators, manufacturers and users. The United Kingdom was an active participant in the talks, chairing them throughout the nearly three years they took to complete. My hon. Friend the Minister for Science and Technology attended earlier EU Telecoms Ministers Council Meetings and the final stages of the discussions last week.
This agreement, which covers 69 countries and over 91 per cent. of the £400 billion world market for telecommunications will create an enormous boost for operators in the United Kingdom, the most open and competitive market for telecommunications in the world, by offering them access to a large number of markets worldwide, and reinforcing the United Kingdom's position as a global telecommunications hub. It will also give added impetus to the spread of liberalisation, which the United Kingdom has pioneered since the early 1980s, within a guaranteed framework of multilateral, enforceable rules. The expected boost to investment, as more countries open their markets to competition, means new orders for equipment and, equally important, software and systems management from which our manufacturers are well placed to benefit. Some estimates point to an additional £20 billion increase in UK telecoms revenues by 2010.
To British consumers, it will mean cheaper telephone charges, as competition in other markets has the same effect as it has had here in bringing charges closer to cost, and British operators pass these on to consumers here. I expect this to bring us closer to the day when ringing New York will cost little more than ringing another town
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in Britain. This also holds major benefits for the British economy as a whole. World-wide, industry and consumers spend more on telecommunications than on oil products. Low telecommunications charges have already made the United Kingdom an attractive location for people to do business and invest--even lower charges will reinforce this.
Mr. Dykes:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on trends since the end of the third quarter of 1996 in respect of United Kingdom exports of manufactured goods, with particular reference to (a) electronic equipment, (b) motor parts and components and (c) machine tools. [15178]
Mr. Greg Knight:
Information on trade with other EU countries to October 1996 is published by HM Customs and Excise in business monitor MM20A. Information on trade with non-EU members to November 1996 is published in business monitor MM20. There is insufficient data since the end of Q3 1996 to assess trends.
Ms Short:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the debt currently owed to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, indicating (a) arrears and current maturities that have rescheduled, (b) arrears and current maturities that have not been rescheduled and (c) future maturities that have not yet fallen due for payment. [16206]
Mr. Nelson:
At the close of ECGD's last financial year on 31 March 1996 the debt currently owed to the Department amounted to £6,721.3 million. Rescheduled amounts totalled £4,819.1 million and unrescheduled amounts £1,902.2 million.
Total future maturities which have not yet fallen due for payment amounted to £17,720.3 million.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the Northern Ireland public sector pension schemes with their (a) current membership, (b) last annual income from employer and employee contributions, (c) annual expenditure in payments of benefit and (d) administration costs. [14839]
(39) All monetary figures as at 31 March 1996.
(40) Approximately.
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Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the staffing and overtime costs of the recent special redundancy and early retirement exercise in the Northern Ireland civil service; how many civil servants of which grade and from which department were given payments; what was the average gratuity and pension awarded; and how many posts were declared redundant. [15726]
Sir John Wheeler:
Not all of the releases planned under the 1996-97 redundancy and early retirement schemes have yet been processed; therefore the information given relates only to the period 1 April 1996 to 31 January 1997. The number of releases by department and grade are shown in the table.
| Cost/figures | |
|---|---|
| Staff costs | £85,000.00 |
| Overtime costs | £39,039.00 |
| Number of redundancy/early retirement cases processed | 311 |
| Average gratuity | £50,362.55 |
| Average pension payment (annual amount) | £2,131.26 |
| Number of posts declared redundant (anticipated in period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997) | 557 |
Agri-environment Schemes
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding his Department has allocated in the current year for the operation of agri-environment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the operation of the schemes. [15210]
Mr. Ancram: Total funding for the operation of agri-environment schemes in Northern Ireland is £5.96 million. Of this, £5,092 million is allocated for payment to farmers, £100,000 for monitoring and evaluation costs and £768,000 in respect of operational costs.
The agri-environment schemes are subject to periodic review. Approval has recently been received from the EC
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to certain minor changes on payment rates and other provisions of the environmentally sensitive area schemes which resulted from a review in 1996. The changes will be introduced shortly. A fundamental review will be carried out in 1998. The organic aid scheme is presently under review.
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