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Public Bodies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject

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to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [20932]

Mr. Hague: The information requested is as follows:


Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) a register of members' interests; and if this is in each case (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20893]

Mr. Hague: This information requested is as follows.






Forest Enterprise (Sales)

Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each unitary authority in Wales the number of woods which Forest Enterprise intends to put up for sale by the end of the financial year 1996-97. [20980]

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Mr. Jonathan Evans: The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its chief executive. Mr. Gordon Cowie, to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Gordon M. Cowie to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 19 March 1997:



Glaucoma

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients suffering from glaucoma were treated by general practitioners during (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94, (c) 1994-95 and (d) 1995-96. [21084]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information requested is not held centrally.

Departmental Cash Limits

Mr. Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he is proposing to make to the cash limits for his Department for the current financial year. [21427]

Mr. Hague: The local authority capital cash limit--WO/LACAP--will be reduced by £6,465,000 from £518,206,000 to £511,741,000; the Housing for Wales cash limit--WO/HFW--will be increased by £6,465,000 from £96,137,000 to £102,602,000.

The transfer of £6,465,000 from the local authority capital cash limit to the Housing for Wales cash limit is in respect of work undertaken by housing associations on behalf of local authorities.

Housing

Mr. Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what progress has been made with the sale of Housing for Wales's loan portfolio. [19567]

Mr. Hague [pursuant to his reply 6 March 1997]: The purchase price will be subject to changes in the underlying portfolio and to movements in the gilt rate until completion on 26 March. I cannot therefore, give a figure for the final sale receipt until after Parliament has risen. However, I shall write to my hon. Friend when the final figure is available, and place copies of the letter in the Library of the House.

DEFENCE

Army Training Land

Mr. Riddick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current requirement for Army training land in the United Kingdom; and what arrangements there are for the stewardship of such land. [21457]

Mr. Soames: I have today published a document, "Striking a Balance '97", the second report on the management of the major Army training areas, following the original "Striking a Balance", published in October 1995. The new document describes the work going on in

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a number of areas to ensure that the land on which the Army trains is managed with as much sensitivity as possible to the requirements of local people.

The document also reports on the work we have done to analyse the Army's requirement for training land in the United Kingdom. This work shows that, following the return to this country of many units from Germany, and the introduction of new systems, the Army has a significant shortfall in training land in the UK. The report also shows a number of ways in which this shortfall can be reduced including by development of existing facilities and, in particular, the proposed development of Otterburn.

A copy of "Striking a Balance '97" has been placed in the Library of the House.

Army Sales Teams

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries Army sales teams were deployed in 1991. [20106]

Mr. Arbuthnot: According to our records, Army sales teams--now called export support teams--were deployed in the following countries during 1991: Brunei, France, Morocco, The Netherlands, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Loan Service Personnel

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those countries where loan service personnel were deployed in 1991. [20174]

Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 March 1997, Official Report, columns 507-10.

Gulf War (Organophosphate Pesticides)

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what quantities of Fenitrothion were taken to the Gulf for use at British military establishments as part of Operation Granby in 1990-91; up to what date it was used; and what additional stocks were (a) obtained locally and (b) used; [19086]

Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 4 March 1997, Official Report, columns 587-88.

Departmental Responsibilities

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his annual departmental budget was spent in Wales in each of the past five years; what (a) non-departmental Government bodies and (b) executive agencies responsible for his Department operate in Wales; and what land his Department currently (i) owns and (ii) leases in Wales, indicating the area of each site. [20707]

Mr. Soames: It is not possible to split the total defence budget by geographical area. Defence expenditure on equipment and associated direct employment in Wales for the most recent five years for which analysis is available

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is in table 1.9 of "UK Defence Statistics 1996", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. For each financial year from 1990-91 to 1993-94 inclusive the estimated proportion of the total equipment expenditure spent in Wales was about 1 per cent. In the financial year 1994-95 the proportion is estimated to have been about 1.5 per cent.

The National Employer's Liaison Committee is my Department's only non-departmental Government body to operate in Wales.

Five Ministry of Defence agencies maintain operational establishments in Wales: the Army Initial Training Organisation; the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; the RAF maintenance group; the RAF training group; and the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency. In addition the Army base Repair Organisation has a contracts office in Cardiff.

The Defence Estate Organisation, which is scheduled to launch as an agency on 18 March, maintains a deputy defence land agent office at Brecon, and is responsible for the management of the defence estate throughout Wales.

The following agencies maintain a presence or from time-to-time conduct operations or training in Wales: the Ministry of Defence police; the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency; the Meteorological Office; the Defence Dental Agency; and Military Survey Defence Agency.

I am placing the information requested regarding Department owned and leased land in Wales in the Library of the House of Commons.


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