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Defence Sales
Sir George Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the review of defence sales policy. [6645]
Mr. Spellar: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has consulted my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on a number of occasions, in the course of normal business, on the criteria used in considering licence applications for the export of conventional arms.
Redundant Land
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the advantages of changing the method of disposal of redundant Ministry of Defence land. [7878]
Mr. Spellar:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 2 June 1997, Official Report, column 12.
14 Jul 1997 : Column: 64
Area Museum Councils
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the future of area museum councils. [7847]
Mr. Fisher: A review of area museum councils was recently carried out for the Department by Mr. Tony Pender. His report was published in May and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. We are considering the recommendations he made about the future of the councils within the broad context of the Government's approach to regional and cultural strategies and the creative economy.
Tourist Facilities
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will introduce legislation to improve standards in facilities for tourists.[7712]
Mr. Tom Clarke: "Breaking New Ground" set out the Government's commitment to high standards in tourism and hospitality. We are considering carefully with the ETB and the industry the action necessary to achieve this.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will visit the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. [7704]
Mr. Tom Clarke: My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to visit the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Hotels
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to introduce a standardised rating system for hotels in (a) London and (b) England. [8169]
Mr. Tom Clarke: We welcome the proposals announced earlier this year by the ETB, AA, and RAC for the rating of hotels. The Government therefore has no immediate plans to introduce a standardised rating scheme of its own.
Royal Yacht
Mr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what will be his Department's role in the preservation of the Royal Yacht Britannia when she is retired from service. [7580]
Mr. Tom Clarke [holding answer 10 July 1997]: My Department is represented on the Government's interdepartmental group which is considering the future of Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia.
SCOTLAND
Departmental Publications
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his Department's publications have
14 Jul 1997 : Column: 65
been available in (a) Braille, (b) audio tape and (c) large print in each year since 1992; and what percentage of the total number of publications this represents in each case.[7640]
Mr. Dewar:
In the last five years the number of publications made available in Braille and audio tape is set out in the table.
| Year | Braille | Audio tape |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 6 | 2 |
| Percentage of total publications | 4.9 | 1.6 |
| 1993-94 | 1 | 2 |
| Percentage of total publications | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| 1994-95 | 3 | 3 |
| Percentage of total publications | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| 1995-96 | 3 | 4 |
| Percentage of total publications | 2.5 | 3 |
| 1996-97 | 2 | 3 |
| Percentage of total publications | 1.3 | 2 |
No large print publications have been issued.
A1 (Lorries)
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the average and maximum number of weekly lorry movements on the A1 road in East Lothian expected to be generated by the use of the new landfill facility at Oxwell Mains for rubbish from Edinburgh. [7698]
Mr. Chisholm: The waste from Edinburgh will be transported to the Oxwell Mains landfill site by rail. Only in emergency situations, to be agreed by East Lothian Council, would the A1 trunk road be used for this purpose.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Deregulation
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the Government's policy towards deregulation; and if he will make a statement. [7574]
Mr. Kilfoyle: We are committed to ensuring that regulations are fair, properly costed, simple to understand and practical to comply with. We aim to deliver responsible and responsive regulation for business, particularly small firms, and the citizen. I have appointed Chris Haskins to chair a new Better Regulation Task Force and the Deregulation Unit has similarly been renamed the Better Regulation Unit to reflect the fact that our priority is to get regulation right.
WALES
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for the Review of Compulsory Competitive Tendering in Wales (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review. [8240]
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Mr. Win Griffiths:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him today by my hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford).
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the Dyfed Powys health authority's total expenditure in 1996-97 was accounted for by (a) managerial and administration costs, (b) wages, (c) salaries and (d) fees. [8411]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
Total expenditure in 1996-97 by the Health Authority was £357.328 million, within which the HA's own costs were:
| Cost £000 | Percentage of total expenditure | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Non Executive Directors fees | 57 | Less than 0.1 |
| 2. Executive Directors Remuneration | 337 | 0.1 |
| 3. Other salaries and wages | 3,108 | 0.9 |
| 4. Other administration costs | 823 | 0.2 |
Source: Unaudited accounts of the Dyfed Powys Health Authority. Please note all percentages are given to the nearest 0.1 per cent.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of his Department's publications have been available in (a) Braille, (b) audio tape and (c) large print in each year since 1992; and what percentage of the total number of publications this represents in each case. [7639]
Mr. Ron Davies: My Department has made available bi-lingual versions of the following publications both in large print and audio tape since 1995. For previous years comparable information is not readily available.
1995-96
The Mental Handicap Strategy guidance (audio tape).
A Brief Guide to the Disability Discrimination Act for people with learning disabilities (large print and audio tape).
1996-97
A Patients Charter for Wales (audio tape).
In addition we plan to produce the forthcoming Devolution Summary Document bi-lingually, both in large print (RNIB approved) and audio tape.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Exclusion Orders
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many exclusion orders have been issued or renewed since May; how many orders are presently in force; and if she will make a statement.[7370]
Mr. Ingram:
No exclusion orders have been renewed or issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State since May, and none for which she is responsible are currently in force.
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Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, following the recent Budget, she will give her estimate of the total real level of her Department's budget, in 1995-96 prices, in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99; if she will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997-98 and (2) 1998-99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if she will make a statement. [8309]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The figures requested for my Department's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: £7,791 million, £7,664 million, £7,864 million and £7,741 million. In addition Northern Ireland will benefit from part of the expenditure outside the Control Total which was announced in the Budget, for Welfare to Work and spending under the Capital Receipts Initiative.
Mr. Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new plans she has to introduce cuts and savings in her Department as a result of the effect on her Department's budgets for 1997-98 and 1998-99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if she will make a statement. [8310]
Mr. Murphy:
All Departments are reallocating spending within their Departmental ceilings as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
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