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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Minimum Wage
Mr. Tom King: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research has been commissioned and what estimates have been made by her Department, and what information presented to her, regarding the costs per annum to the DTI budget of the introduction of a minimum wage at (a) £3.50 an hour, (b) £4 an hour and (c) £4.40 an hour; and if she will make a statement. [2109]
Mrs. Beckett: We will ask the independent Low Pay Commission, before it reaches a recommendation on the level at which the national minimum wage might be set, to take into account all the economic circumstances, including its likely impact. I will not speculate about the possible effects of hypothetical levels before the Commission has had a chance to consider the issues.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Departmental Publications
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage by what means his Department makes available its publications in (a) Braille, (b) audio tape and (c) large print; and how this is publicised. [1665]
Mr. Tom Clarke: The Department produces both Braille and large print copies of publications where a demand has been identified or where there is an obligation to inform people of their rights and entitlements.
The Department is currently reviewing its policy on the production of accessible formats to agree a set of objective criteria for judging demand and to help develop cost-effective ways of providing information.
Tourism
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what evidence he has of the effect on the balance of payments in tourism of changes in the real exchange rate measured in terms of export unit values; what were imports and exports of tourism in cash terms and as a percentage of gross overseas products for each year since 1983, together with the balance of payments in tourism; what estimate he has made of the extent to which the figures are affected by changes in the real exchange rate since 1994 as measured by changes in the nominal exchange rate and in the real exchange rate weighted by the percentage change in import and export unit values in
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trade on manufactures with non-EC countries; and what is his estimate of the increase in output in the United Kingdom tourist industry in 1997 and 1998. [2127]
Mr. Tom Clarke:
The level of inbound and domestic tourism in the UK is affected by a number of factors such as the quality and range of hotels (and other facilities) and
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the marketing of attractions, as well as the relative cost of the holidays in the UK and elsewhere. The Government are aware that the sterling exchange rate can affect the level of inbound and outbound tourism but do not make forecasts of the specific effects. The figures requested are shown in the following table:
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(3) Provisional.
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Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment has been made of the effect of the sale of British Rail International Ltd. on United Kingdom tourism. [2007]
Mr. Clarke:
None. The sale of British Rail International Ltd. (BRIL) to Grandes Lignes International SA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Societe National des Chemins de fer Francais, (SNCF), the French state-owned railway was only completed on 24 March 1997 after competitive tender.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to allow purchasers of lottery tickets to determine which causes are supported as a consequence of that purchase; and if he will make a statement. [1955]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer 5 June 1997]: The national lottery is the people's money and its proceeds should go to projects which the people support. To that end, the Government plan to establish a £1 billion fund for health education and other initiatives and to review the way lottery funds are distributed to the existing good causes. We will be publishing a White Paper setting out our proposals next month.
Mr. Flight:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of making television licences available to pensioners at a discount of (a) 75 per cent. (b) 50 per cent. and (c) 25 per cent. of the normal fee for colour and black and white sets; and if he will make a statement; [2169]
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(3) what would be the annual cost of exempting all pensioners from having to buy a television licence; and if he will make a statement. [2281]
Mr. Fisher:
The estimated annual cost, in lost licence fee revenue, of providing concessionary television licences for all pensioners would be:
(2) what representations he has received from pensioner groups requesting him to exempt pensioners from having to buy a television licence; and if he will make a statement; [2170]
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| For a 25 per cent. discount | 157 |
| For a 50 per cent. discount | 314 |
| For a 75 per cent. discount | 471 |
| For free licences | 628 |
Department of National Heritage records do not distinguish between representations from pensioner groups and those from other organisations or individuals, nor between those calling for free television licences for pensioners and those seeking a lesser concession. Since the Election, the Government have received 56 representations about television licence fees for pensioners and the concessionary television licence scheme, 25 of them from hon. Members. We have no plans to amend the concessionary television licence scheme.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
ENVIRONMENT AND THE REGIONS
Environmental Protection and Sustainability
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the initiatives taken by the Government since 1 May in respect of environmental protection and sustainability. [2084]
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Angela Eagle:
We will fulfil our Manifesto commitment to put the environment at the heart of decision-making across Government and we are considering the mechanisms which will deliver this. The framework for this was outlined in the speech my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister gave on 5 June at UNED-UK. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will reinforce our international commitments when he addresses the special session of the United Nations General Assembly at its conference on sustainable development at the end of this month. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of the environment in his mission statement. The Department for International Development has announced a commitment to promoting sustainable development through its activities.
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