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Nature Reserves (Contracting Out)
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) job numbers, (b) consistency of management, (c) management expertise, (d) the United Kingdom's commitment to biodiversity made at the Rio summit and (e) accountability of the contracting out of the management and maintenance of Northern Ireland's national nature reserves. [17387]
Mr. Moss: Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Environment and Heritage Service under its chief executive, Mr. Robert C. Martin. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Robert C. Martin to Mr. Eric Illsley, dated 26 February 1997:
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Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the current number of electors in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland. [17538]
Mr. Ancram:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Shettleston (Mr. Marshall) on Monday 24 February 1997, Official Report, columns 95-96.
Mr. Dowd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which individual or organisation his Department is paying the costs associated with the hire of the consultant mentioned in his answer to the hon. Member for East Antrim (Mr. Beggs) of 27 January, Official Report, columns 53-54; and what those costs are. [17628]
Mr. Moss:
Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Environment and Planning Service under its chief executive, Mr. Robert C. Martin. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Robert C. Martin to Mr. Jim Dowd, dated 26 February 1997:
Mr. Frank Cook:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade under what statutory basis the Swan Hunter shipbuilding yard was privatised; and if he will make a statement on the degree of indemnity given to (a) the new owners, (b) the shareholders and (c) the new company officials against claims for (i) faulty design and (ii) poor construction conducted on vessels built during the period of public ownership. [15567]
Mr. Greg Knight:
The Swan Hunter shipbuilding yard was privatised under the terms of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977, as amended by the British Shipbuilders Act 1983, which regulates the activities of British Shipbuilders. An indemnity was given
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by British Shipbuilders to the purchasers of Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd. on 20 January 1986. This indemnity, in brief, relates to demands, claims, liabilities, costs and expenses relating to vessels constructed by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd. prior to completion of privatisation, and other work carried out prior to completion, excluding work in progress. The indemnity does not cover the new company officials at Swan Hunter.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the proposal of the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) in relation to low pay expressed in the debate on the Queen's Speech of 23 October 1996, Official Report, column 87. [16070]
Mr. John M. Taylor:
The Government share the view of my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton that statutory pay fixing, such as a national minimum wage, would destroy many thousands of jobs. However, the proposal that low-paying employers could face legal sanctions would also place an unacceptable burden on companies and damage employment. We believe that pay is a matter to be decided by the parties concerned in light of their particular local circumstances. Businesses are best able to judge what they can afford to pay and what rates are needed to recruit, retain and motivate suitably qualified staff.
Mr. Dunn:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the overspill surveillance flights carried out on behalf of his Department. [18139]
Mr. Page:
For the month of January 1997, no oil at all was detected by the surveillance aircraft employed by the DTI. Two hundred and eighty-four installations were surveyed during this time with aircraft and equipment capable of detecting, by day or by night, spills as small as a few litres. These results are confirmation of the offshore industry's continued good environmental performance.
The total amount of oil from positive detections in 1996 from 3,336 overflights was 5.67 tonnes. This is to be compared with natural seepage into the North sea of 1,000 tonnes each year and discharges from rivers amounting to about 30,000 tonnes.
Mrs. Beckett:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade with which European Union countries the United Kingdom had a surplus in trade in goods and trade in services, transfers and investment income in each of the most recent three years for which figures are available. [15935]
Mr. Lang
[holding answer 14 February 1997]: The information requested is given.
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As Chief Executive of the Environment and Heritage Service, I am responsible for operational aspects of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland's work on nature reserves.
I am therefore responding to the Parliamentary Question which you put down in the House of Commons:
"To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) job numbers, (b) consistency of management, (c) management expertise, (d) the United Kingdom's commitment to biodiversity made at the Rio Summit and (e) accountability of the contracting out of the management and maintenance of Northern Ireland's National Nature Reserves."
The Prior Options Study leading to the creation of the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) as a next steps agency took into consideration the four strategies published in January 1994 as apart of the government's follow-up action to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro. The Study determined that it was not inconsistent with those strategies to explore whether any non-government body would have the expertise to manage and maintain Northern Ireland's National Nature Reserves.
Management/Operational plans for each Reserve are currently being devised following which those bodies which have declared an interest will be assessed to determine whether they have the expertise to carry out the plan effectively, efficiently and economically. No property will be transferred unless I and my Directors are satisfied that the transferee has the necessary expertise and capacity to care for the property. Accountability for management and maintenance will remain with the EHS.
No jobs will be lost as a result of any transfer.
As Chief executive of the Environment and Heritage Service I am responsible for all operational aspects of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland's environment policies.
I am therefore responding to the Parliamentary Question No. 376 which you put down in the House of Commons:-
"To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to which individual or organisation his Department is paying the costs associated with the hire of the consultant mentioned in his Answer to the honourable member for East Antrim of 27th January, Official report, columns 53-4; and what those costs are."
The successful competitive tender for the contract for the provision of Preliminary Waste Strategy and Site Audit Specification was Haul Waste Ltd who nominated a single consultant to carry out the work. Payments for the services of that individual are made to Haul Waste Ltd at a rate of £9,500 per four months.
| Trade in goods | Years of surplus | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium/Luxembourg | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Greece | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Ireland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Netherlands | -- | -- | 1995 |
| Portugal | 1993 | -- | 1995 |
| Spain | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Austria | -- | 1994 | 1995 |
Source:
ONS--Geographical breakdown of the balance of payments economic trends October 1996.
| Trade in services | Years of surplus | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium/Luxembourg | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Denmark | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Germany | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Ireland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Italy | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Netherlands | 1993 | -- | 1995 |
| Sweden | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Finland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
Source:
ONS--Geographical breakdown of the balance of payments economic trends October 1996.
| Transfers | Years of surplus | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Greece | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Sweden | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Finland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
Source:
ONS--Geographical breakdown of the balance of payments economic trends October 1996.
| Investment income | Years of surplus | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | -- | -- | 1995 |
| Germany | -- | 1994 | 1995 |
| Greece | 1993 | -- | -- |
| Ireland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Italy | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Portugal | -- | 1994 | 1995 |
| Sweden | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Finland | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
Source:
ONS--Geographical breakdown of the balance of payments economic trends October 1996.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will rank the European Union countries by their balance in trade in goods with the rest of the European Union, based on figures for the latest available year (i) in pounds sterling and (ii) as a percentage of gross domestic product. [15936]
Mr. Lang
[holding answer 14 February 1997]: The information requested is in the following table. For completeness, information is also included on the UK's balance of trade in services and in goods and services combined. For trade in services, data are not yet available for 1995 and the figures shown relate to 1993, which is the latest year for which an analysis of services earning by partner country is available. The country composition
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of the tables reflects EU membership at the time. Overall, the current account is close to balance and at its strongest for a decade.
| Ranked according to: | £ billion | As a percentage of GDP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 28.6 | Ireland | 18.4 |
| Germany | 19.8 | Netherlands | 11.4 |
| Belgium/Luxembourg | 11.4 | Belgium/Luxembourg | 6.3 |
| Ireland | 7.5 | Finland | 3.3 |
| Italy | 5.0 | Germany | 1.3 |
| Finland | 2.6 | Sweden | 1.2 |
| Sweden | 1.8 | Denmark | 0.9 |
| Denmark | 1.0 | Italy | 0.7 |
| Portugal | -3.7 | France | -0.5 |
| UK | -4.2 | UK | -0.6 |
| France | -5.3 | Spain | -1.8 |
| Spain | -6.4 | Austria | -5.4 |
| Greece | -6.8 | Portugal | -5.9 |
| Austria | -7.9 | Greece | -9.3 |
| £ billion | As a percentage of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 6.9 | Greece | 4.2 |
| France | 4.8 | Belgium/Luxembourg | 3.1 |
| Belgium/Luxembourg | 4.6 | Spain | 2.1 |
| Greece | 2.0 | Netherlands | 0.9 |
| Netherlands | 1.8 | Portugal | 0.6 |
| Italy | 1.3 | France | 0.6 |
| Portugal | 0.3 | Italy | 0.2 |
| Denmark | --.1 | Denmark | -0.1 |
| UK | --1.0 | UK | -0.2 |
| Germany | -15.2 | Germany | -1.2 |
| Ireland | n/a | Ireland | n/a |
| £ billion | As a percentage of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 19.4 | Netherlands | 9.4 |
| Belgium/Luxembourg | 13.1 | Belgium/Luxembourg | 8.9 |
| Italy | 6.8 | Denmark | 2.2 |
| France | 2.1 | Italy | 1.0 |
| Denmark | 2.0 | Spain | 0.5 |
| Spain | 1.6 | France | 0.3 |
| Portugal | -3.6 | Germany | -0.5 |
| Greece | -3.6 | UK | -0.8 |
| UK | -5.3 | Portugal | -6.2 |
| Germany | -5.8 | Greece | -7.4 |
| Ireland | n/a | Ireland | n/a |
Sources:
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Eurostat International Trade in Services.
HM C and E Business Monitor MA20.
OECD Main Economic Indicators.
Mrs. Beckett:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will rank the European Union countries by their balance in trade in goods with countries outside the
26 Feb 1997 : Column: 249
European Union based on figures for the latest available year (i) in pounds sterling and (ii) as a percentage of gross domestic product. [15937]
Mr. Lang
[holding answer 14 February 1997]: The information requested is in the following table. For completeness, information is also included on the UK's balance of trade in services and in goods and services combined. For trade in services, data are not yet available for 1995 and the figures shown relate to 1993 which is the latest year for which an analysis of services earning by partner country is available. The country composition of the tables reflects EU membership at the time. Overall the current account is close to balance and at its strongest for a decade.
| Ranked according to | £ billion | As a percentage of GDP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 22.2 | Finland | 5.5 |
| France | 12.8 | Sweden | 5.3 |
| Italy | 12.2 | Denmark | 2.1 |
| Sweden | 7.7 | Italy | 1.8 |
| Finland | 4.4 | Austria | 1.7 |
| Austria | 2.5 | Germany | 1.5 |
| Denmark | 2.3 | France | 1.3 |
| Ireland | 0.1 | Ireland | 0.3 |
| Greece | -2.1 | Spain | -0.8 |
| Belgium/Luxembourg | -2.5 | Belgium/Luxembourg | -1.4 |
| Portugal | -2.5 | UK | -1.5 |
| Spain | -2.9 | Greece | -2.9 |
| UK | -10.4 | Portugal | -4.0 |
| Netherlands | -17.4 | Netherlands | -6.9 |
| £ billion | As a percentage of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 7.2 | Greece | 4.1 |
| UK | 7.1 | Denmark | 1.9 |
| Greece | 2.0 | UK | 1.1 |
| Denmark | 1.7 | France | 0.9 |
| Spain | 1.5 | Spain | 0.5 |
| Portugal | 0.2 | Portugal | 0.4 |
| Belgium/Luxembourg | -0.1 | Belgium/Luxembourg | -0.1 |
| Netherlands | -0.8 | Italy | -0.2 |
| Italy | -1.1 | Netherlands | -0.4 |
| Germany | -16.3 | Germany | -1.3 |
| Ireland | n/a | Ireland | n/a |
Sources:
Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade.
Eurostat International Trade in Services.
HM C and E. Business Monitor MM20.
OECD Main Economic Indicators.
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