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School Playing Fields
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what form the Government plans to replace DES Circular 909 in order to stop encouraging schools from selling their playing fields.[6080]
Mr. Byers: The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981 were replaced last year by the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1996, which set out minimum areas of grassed playing field for all schools with pupils over 8 years old.
We intend to make sure that those playing fields which schools and their local communities need are not sold in future.
My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and the Secretary of State for the National Heritage are discussing this as a matter of urgency. We are looking at a wide range of options to ensure that all school pupils will have access to proper sports facilities.
Mr. Fitzpatrick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will announce the allocation of credit approvals to local education authorities and of capital grant to the governors of voluntary aided schools. [6357]
Mr. Byers:
I shall announce the allocation of £33 million of credit approvals to local education authorities under the 1997-98 round of the Schools Renewal Challenge Fund and £3.9 million of grant to governors of voluntary aided schools under the Voluntary Aided Schools Minor Works Challenge on Tuesday 1 July. Details of these allocations will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about the Government's response to the report of the Education and Employment Committee on the operation of the nursery voucher scheme, published on 12 March. [6386]
Mr. Byers:
The Government's response to this report has been laid before Parliament today.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the OECD figures for higher education expenditure per student in each year since 1992 for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each other EU country, (c) Pacific rim countries and (d) the USA. [5131]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 25 June 1997]: The OECD's Education at a glance figures are at present available only for 1992 and 1993: copies are available in the Library. Comparisons between the figures for these years are particularly difficult because of changes in the basis of some of the calculations. In the case of the UK, these changes account for some of the 20 per cent. decline in the UK's spending per student per year on tertiary
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education between these years. The 1993 figures show that the UK spends more per student on tertiary education than Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Japan and New Zealand; but less than Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and the USA.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his assessment of the minimum rate of unemployment for adult men consistent with full employment at a high and sustainable rate of growth. [2282]
Mr. Andrew Smith
[pursuant to his reply, 16 June 1997, c.48]: It may clarify the position further if I advise that the government has placed no such minimum figure on the rate of unemployment for adult males. Our aim is a high and stable level of employment, to be achieved by running a successful low inflation economy, with macro-economic stability as a platform for sustainable growth, and by enhancing skills and improving the operation of the labour market to open up job opportunities to all groups in society--men and women, young and old.
Mr. Hanson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on regulation of the utilities. [6217]
Mrs. Beckett:
I am announcing today an inter-departmental review of the regulation of the utility industries. My aim is for the review to report to Ministers by the end of the year.
The Government's objective for the review is to set a long-term stable framework for utility regulation which is seen as fair by all the interest groups involved, particularly by consumers. Without fairness, there can be no long-term stability. We want the regulatory framework to deliver value, quality and choice to consumers while providing incentives to managers to innovate and improve efficiency. The guiding principles must be transparency, consistency and predictability of regulation.
The terms of reference for the review are to consider whether changes are required to the system of regulation of the utility industries in order to ensure open and predictable regulation, fair to all consumers and to shareholders, and which promotes the Government's objectives for the environment and sustainable development, whilst providing sufficient incentives to managers to innovate, raise standards and improve efficiency.
The review will concentrate on the regulation of gas, electricity, telecommunications and water in the context of the development of competition in the regulated markets, and against the background of general competition law, where we will be legislating in the autumn. It will also consider whether there are lessons to
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be learnt from this and other regulatory experience, to inform the development of regulatory principles of general applicability.
In short it is time to take stock to see how the existing framework can be updated, modernised and refreshed.
Arms length independence of regulators will be preserved, although after 13 years we need to ensure that the balance between Ministers and regulators is correct. Also, while the review will be examining the formula for determining prices, it will not consider rate of return regulation.
There has been extensive consideration of utility regulation issues. The review will take this into account, together with the conclusions and recommendations recently made to the Public Accounts Committee, the Trade and Industry Select Committee, and the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development. This work has already identified many of the key issues, and provides a helpful and well developed starting point for the review. Any further representations to the review may be made in writing by 5 September.
Ministers will consider advice emerging from the review in the autumn. If changes are contemplated, the Government will consult fully then.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals are currently under discussion in the European Union on approximation of member states' laws over collective redundancies. [6089]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
A proposal to consolidate the two existing Directives relating to this matter is currently under discussion. It would make no substantive changes.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what moves have been made towards the creation of a standing committee on standardisation, pursuant to COM(96)642; and if she will make a statement. [6094]
Mr. Battle:
The proposal presented by the European Commission for a European Parliament and Council Directive laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (codified version)--COM(96)642--consolidates the text of Directive 83/189/EEC, as amended by Directive 88/182/EEC and Directive 94/10/EC. The Standing Committee established under Directive 83/189/EEC meets on a regular basis. At least twice a year it also meets with representatives of the European and national standardisation bodies.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the implications for the insurance industry of developments which allow prognosis of an individual's future health based on analysis of genetic material. [5947]
Mr. Battle:
The Human Genetics Advisory Commission (HGAC) has been established to take a broad overview of developments in human genetics. It has
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identified the implications of genetic testing for Insurance as an immediate priority. An Insurance sub-group is taking this forward, and I look forward to receiving the HGAC's advice in due course.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration she is giving to the recommendations of the Science and Technology Committee that a Genetics Commission with regulatory powers should be established in its Third report, 1994-95, Human Genetics: the science and its consequences, (HC41); and what discussions she has had on this subject with the Association of British Insurers.[4565]
Mr. Battle:
Human genetics is a fast-moving field which requires a flexible approach, avoiding undue regulation. I look forward to receiving advice in due course from the Human Genetics Advisory Commission (HGAC), which has identified the implications of genetic testing for insurance as an immediate priority.
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