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Offshore Installations
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals the Government have to require operators to clean up the sea bed around offshore installations on the UK continental shelf. [17000]
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Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: Removal of installations and any debris will be addressed at end of field life in the abandonment programme approved by the Department of Trade and Industry. In addition, part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 includes powers to take action in response to instances of illegal dumping.
In relation to operational discharges from offshore installations, a recent study funded jointly by the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association and the Department of Trade and Industry identified a range of options for dealing with drill cuttings piles at the decommissioning stage. All the options require further investigation and the Government are considering how this might best be undertaken.
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland (a) before 1 July 1977 and (b) after 1 July 1977 have (i) received human growth hormone treatment, (ii) died as a result of human growth hormone treatment, and (iii) been diagnosed as ill as a result of human growth hormone treatment; and how many court actions have been raised, or are currently pending, as a result of death or illness following such treatment. [17261]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
[holding answer 25 February 1997]: The Institute of Child Health holds and is continuing to develop a UK register of patients treated with pituitary-derived human growth hormone. The current register does not identify separately whether treatment took place before or after 1 July 1977. In total, 144 patients received pituitary-derived human growth hormone at treatment centres in Scotland. Four of these have subsequently died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. None of the remaining patients is currently known to be suffering from the disease. I am not aware of any legal actions on this mater raised in the Scottish courts. Two actions including an appeal are currently pending at the High Court in England.
Rape and Sexual Violence (Prosecutions)
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Attorney-General what factors underlie the recent decline in prosecutions for rape and sexual violence; and if he will make a statement. [16656]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service's case work statistics do not separately record the number of prosecutions for offences of rape and sexual violence. The table shows the Home Office statistics for prosecutions of offences in rape, indecent assault on a female, unlawful sexual intercourse and buggery in England and Wales. The total number of prosecutions in 1995 was 5,715, compared with 6,276 in 1994.
The reason for this reduction is not known. The Home Office is conducting a major research project into rape cases.
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| Buggery | Rape | Indecent assault on a female | USI(6) with girl under 13 | USI(6) with girl under 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 289 | 844 | 2,556 | 138 | 407 |
| 1986 | 266 | 927 | 2,592 | 129 | 368 |
| 1987 | 329 | 1,048 | 3,131 | 155 | 360 |
| 1988 | 423 | 1,288 | 3,414 | 165 | 345 |
| 1989 | 376 | 1,400 | 3,646 | 139 | 290 |
| 1990 | 413 | 1,467 | 3,804 | 146 | 292 |
| 1991 | 402 | 1,711 | 3,659 | 155 | 254 |
| 1992 | 426 | 1,648 | 3,627 | 112 | 254 |
| 1993 | 371 | 1,704 | 3,639 | 97 | 189 |
| 1994 | 410 | 1,782 | 3,794 | 88 | 202 |
| 1995 | 245 | 1,641 | 3,557 | 77 | 195 |
(6) Unlawful sexual intercourse.
Source:
Crime and Criminal Justice Unit (CCJU), Home Office.
Parliamentary Answers
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Attorney-General how many questions were tabled for reply by his Department in each Session since 1979-80; in how many instances in each year the reply has been that providing the information involved disproportionate cost; and in how many instances in each year questions have been given the reply that the information was not available centrally. [16792]
The Attorney-General: A list of the number of written and oral questions answered by my Department in the Sessions 1982-83 to 1995-96, as supplied by the parliamentary on-line information service unit, has been placed in the House Library. Figures for 1979-80 to 1981-82 are not available.
The number of replies given by my Department stating that information could be provided only at disproportionate cost, or was not available centrally, was eight in the Session 1995-96, plus five instances where part of the information requested was available. Details of replies given in previous Sessions could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Equipment and Furniture
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and its agencies during the past 12 months, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [17059]
The Attorney-General: Information on items stolen or otherwise unaccounted for during the 12 months to 31 January 1997 is as follows for my Departments and agencies:
- Crown Prosecution Service
- 1. Non-IT equipment and furniture:
- Eleven items were stolen, at a total cost of £1,884.
- Five items were otherwise unaccounted for, at a total cost of £85.
- 2. IT equipment:
26 Feb 1997 : Column: 236
- Serious Fraud Office
- Two non-IT items were reported as stolen or otherwise unaccounted for, at a total value of £140.
- Treasury Solicitor's Department
- Two non-IT items were stolen, at a total value of £60.
- Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers
- One lap-top computer was stolen, cost £2,000.
- Government Property Lawyers
- Nil.
TREASURY
Short-term Financial Assets
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present total of short-term financial assets held by the Government; if he will list the major categories of such short-term financial assets held; and if he will make a statement. [17183]
Mr. Jack: Identifiable short-term financial assets of central Government were over £8 billion at the end of September 1996. These assets consisted of sterling bank deposits, £6.7 billion; foreign currency bank deposits, £500 million; and holdings of short-dated bills by the issue department of the Bank of England, £900 million. Non-identifiable short-term financial assets include a proportion of the official reserves--the total value of which was £28½ billion at the end of September 1996--and of Government holdings of local authority and public corporation debt--£42 billion and £21 billion, respectively. Figures for the maturity structure of these assets could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Government debt, net of financial assets, was reduced by nearly £6 billion in January. This was the largest repayment of debt in a single month for eight years.
Money Supply and Inflation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his assessment of the relationship between the money supply and the future rate of inflation. [17647]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The Government consider all the relevant information when assessing the prospects for inflation up to two years ahead. The growth of the money supply is just one of the many indicators examined when making this assessment. The relationship between money growth and inflation has varied considerably in the past, for instance when financial markets were liberalised in the 1980s.
Privatisation (Advertising)
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost has been of advertising each privatisation since 1979. [17642]
Mr. Jack
[holding answer 25 February 1997]: The table shows the cost to the Government of advertising in each privatisation or secondary sale since British Telecom, in 1984. The overall cost represents 0.29 per cent. of aggregate proceeds from these sales. Information on advertising costs of earlier sales is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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| Share offer | Year | Costs (ex VAT) £ million |
|---|---|---|
| BT1 | 1985 | 9.7 |
| Britoil | 1985 | 3.0 |
| Cable and Wireless | 1985 | 2.2 |
| British Aerospace | 1985 | 1.7 |
| British Gas | 1986 | 21.4 |
| British Airways | 1987 | 2.8 |
| Rolls Royce | 1987 | 1.6 |
| BAA | 1987 | 4.9 |
| BP | 1987 | 18.3 |
| British Steel | 1988 | 4.9 |
| Water | 1989 | 17.3 |
| Regional Electricity Companies | 1990 | 20.6 |
| Generating Companies 1 | 1991 | 8.1 |
| Scottish Electricity Companies | 1991 | 5.3 |
| BT2 | 1991 | 14.7 |
| Northern Ireland Electricity | 1993 | 1.1 |
| BT3 | 1993 | 11.9 |
| Generating Companies 2 | 1995 | 8.0 |
| Railtrack | 1996 | 4.4 |
| British Energy | 1996 | 4.1 |
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