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Rate Bills
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many establishments in each council area in Northern Ireland will have their rate bill increased by more than (a) 25 per cent., (b) 50 per cent., (c) 75 per cent. and (d) 100 per cent., and how many will have their bill reduced in the 1997-98 financial year as a result of the recent rates revaluation. [20317]
Sir John Wheeler:
The table provides the information requested:
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The figures for increases above 25 per cent., 50 per cent., 75 per cent. and 100 per cent., 23,918 properties in total, include those who will benefit from the transitional relief scheme announced in February. Approximately 19,000, 79 per cent. of the 23,918, will qualify for relief having NAV £10,000 or less.
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Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the budgeted capital expenditure at DENI headquarters, Bangor, for the last financial year; what is the figure for the present financial year; and what estimate he has made for the next financial year. [20353]
Mr. Moss:
The budgeted capital expenditure for the three years is as follows:
1995-96: £0.075 million
1996-97: £2 million
1997-98: £2.4 million
Earth Summit
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what preparations his Department is making for the UN General Assembly special session to review progress since the Rio earth summit of 1992, and for the preparatory committees leading up to the summit; and what consultations he has undertaken. [19139]
Mr. Moss: The Secretary of State for the Environment is taking the lead within Government on the preparations for the UN General Assembly special session in June to review progress since the Rio earth summit of 1992.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on Wednesday 5 March 1997 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo), Official Report, column 634.
Departmental Legislation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Bills his Department has sponsored in each of the past 15 years; and how many have been passed by Parliament. [19771]
Sir John Wheeler: All the Bills sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office in the last 15 years have been passed by Parliament. The details are as follows:
1982
The Northern Ireland Act
1985
The Elections (Northern Ireland) Act
The Northern Ireland (Loans) Act
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1987
The Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act
1989
The Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act
The Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act
1991
The Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act
1 Social Security Contributions Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act
1 Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act
1 Social Security (Consequential provisions) (Northern Ireland) Act
1995
Northern Ireland (Remission of Sentences) Act
1996
The Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act
The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act
1 Statute Law Revision or Consolidation Act
Ulster Hospital (Union Flag)
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if a Union Flag has been provided to the Ulster hospital, Dundonald; if the Ulster hospital has been provided with the dates for flying the Union flag; if the Union flag was flown at this hospital on Commonwealth day; if the person responsible for flying the Union flag at the Ulster hospital is prepared to carry out this duty; and if he will make a statement. [20506]
Mr. Moss
[holding answer 17 March 1997]: The Ulster, North Down and Ards hospital health and social services trust has confirmed that it owns a Union flag and that it was flying on 6 February 1997, Commonwealth Day. However, the trust has advised that the flag was wrapped round the flag pole and had to be unwrapped by a member of staff once the wind died down. The schedule of the dates for flying the Union flag has been advised to staff and the person responsible for carrying out this duty has no difficulty in fulfilling same. However, there is no requirement for the trusts to fly the Union flag on these dates, and it is at the discretion of each organisation whether the flag should be flown on those buildings occupied by its staff.
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Customer Charters
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department and its executive agencies have spent drafting, publishing and circulating each of their customer charters and customer standard documents; and how many copies of each document have been issued. [19387]
Mr. Hague: The available information is shown in the following table. Expenditure on drafting cannot be identified separately.
| A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charter | Cost of publishing | Cost of distribution | Number of copies issued |
| (£) | (£) | ||
| Parents charter for Wales | |||
| 1st Edition 1991 | 150,076 | Included in B | 60,000 |
| 2nd Edition 1993 | 73,943 | Included in B | 250,000 |
| 3rd Edition 1994 | 138,595 | 100,402 | 1,252,000 |
| Patients charter for Wales | |||
| 1st Edition 1991 | 250,000 | 100,000 | Over 1 million |
| 2nd Edition 1994 | 43,793 | Included in B | 150,000 |
| 3rd Edition 1996 | 33,993 | 7,978 | 160,000 |
| Further Education charter for Wales | |||
| 1993 | 41,354 | 1,175 | 40,000 |
| Higher education charter for Wales | |||
| 1993 | 40,362 | 1,175 | 35,000 |
| Tenants charter for Wales | |||
| 1992 | 175,987 | Included in B | 250,000 |
| Heritage charter Statement | |||
| 1994 | 14,000 | No added costs incurred | 100,000 |
| A Charter standard for farmers in Wales | |||
| 1995 | 15,391 | Included in B | 7,400 |
Public Bodies
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people he has appointed to non-departmental public bodies in Wales. [20284]
Mr. Hague: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 29 November 1996, Official Report, column 439.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total amount of money paid to members of non-departmental public bodies in Wales for their service as members of organisations in the last year for which figures are available. [20282]
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Mr. Gwilym Jones:
The latest year for which figures are available is 1995-96. The information requested is contained in "Public Bodies" 1996, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Ron Davies:
To ask the Secretary of state for Wales what targets the Government have endorsed in the UK biodiversity steering group report for the conservation of certain upland species and habitats. [20171]
Mr. Hague:
I refer the hon. Member to the "Government's Response to the UK Steering Group Report on Biodiversity", published in May 1996 (Cm 3260).
Mr. Ron Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, Official Report, column 91, on overgrazing, how many cases of overgrazing ADAS is currently investigating in Wales; when the investigations are expected to be completed; and if the results will be made public. [20210]
Mr. Hague:
At my Department's request, ADAS is carrying out work in relation to the overgrazing and supplementary feeding conditions which attach to the payment of livestock production subsidies at 12 locations in Wales.
I have no plans to publish any reports which ADAS produce. Some reports will be made available to graziers and landowners affected as the basis for discussion where my Department believes it has demonstrated that livestock are grazing land in such numbers as to adversely affect the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation--other than vegetation normally grazed to destruction--on that land to a significant degree.
ADAS work currently under way will result in reports to my department during 1997.
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