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Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on consultation with respect to departmental reorganisation. [9664]
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Mr. Morley:
Departmental organisation is a matter for internal decision, bearing in mind the jobs to be done and the need for efficient and economic administration. It is not a subject for public consultation or negotiation, although we consider very carefully representations made by interested bodies and individuals. We do, of course, consult fully with the departmental trade union side on the effects of our decisions on our staff.
Mr. Michael John Foster:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to ensure that the public are properly informed of the results of food chemical surveys for which his Department has a responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [10072]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government believe that the public should be properly informed about all food safety matters. I have therefore decided to make some important changes to improve the reporting of results from our regular food chemical surveys. I plan to increase the amount of information available about surveys and ensure wider publication of the results. For all relevant surveys, the full results for individual samples, including brand names, will be given. Furthermore, I will open up the food chemical surveillance programme to greater public scrutiny by publishing information on surveys to be undertaken.
I endorse fully the view that we must release the results fairly and provide the public with the best possible advice on their significance. These changes will benefit consumers by enabling them to make a more informed choice about the food that they buy. The only surveys which will be excluded from these arrangements are those for which brand names have no bearing on the interpretation of the results, such as dietary surveys involving individual people or exploratory surveys aimed at developing analytical methods.
In addition, I propose to review the current arrangements for reporting surveys on pesticides, veterinary residues and microbiological safety of food, which are administratively different from food chemical surveys. I will report on proposed changes to the House as soon as possible.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new initiatives her Department is planning in respect of obesity; and if she will make a statement. [8745]
Mr. Worthington:
A multi-agency action plan aimed at increasing the levels of physical activity among the sedentary population is presently being developed and people who are obese will be one of the target groups. In addition, "Eating and Health--A food and nutrition strategy for Northern Ireland", which was published in November 1996, aims to improve nutrition including the reduction of obesity in Northern Ireland.
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Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of the police action to enable the Drumcree march to take place. [8771]
Mr. Ingram:
The cost of the police action to enable the Drumcree march to take place is not currently available. I will write to my hon. Friend when the costing has been finalised.
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Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were born in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990; how many maternities there were in each year; and how many multiple births in each category were conceived as a result of (i) in vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete intra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conception. [8178]
Mr. Worthington:
The information requested is set out in the table:
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(24) Provisional.
(25) These figures are as result of IVF by year of conception.
Gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) was available in Northern Ireland only in 1986 and 1987.
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Members' Interests
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests; [8061]
- (2) if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8058]
Mr. Ron Davies: I do not intend to hold or attend any meetings solely for the purpose of discussing Members' registered interests.
Welsh Language Teaching
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to ensure that Welsh will be a core subject under the national curriculum at key stage 4 from 1999. [8913]
Mr. Hain:
The White Paper "Building Excellent Schools Together", Cm 3701, published on 8 July, re affirmed the manifesto commitment to the teaching of Welsh in schools in Wales. Welsh is compulsory at key stage 4 in Welsh-speaking schools, and will remain so. The regulations to make it a compulsory part of the curriculum for 14 to 16-year-olds in non-Welsh-speaking schools from September 1999 are already in place. I
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regard it as essential that all schools should now be actively preparing themselves for the full implementation of national curriculum requirements at key stage 4 from that date, and that their school development plans and prospectuses should set out what they are doing in that regard.
There are 10 secondary schools in Wales that do not currently come within the scope of the regulations to make Welsh compulsory from 1999. The Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales will be consulting on a proposal to bring them into line with all other non-Welsh-speaking schools from that date.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were born in Wales in each year since 1990; and how many multiple births in each category were conceived as a result of (i) in vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete intra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conception. [8176]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The available information on multiple maternities in Wales recorded by the Office for National Statistics is as follows:
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twins | 397 | 416 | 423 | 399 | 431 | 417 | 436 |
| Triplets | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 12 |
| Quadruplets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Quintuplets | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sextuplets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Figures relating to multiple births following assisted conception are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole and are contained in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority annual report, copies of which are held in the Library of the House.
School Pupils (Exclusion)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children with statements of special educational needs were permanently excluded from schools in Wales in (a) 1993-94 and (b) 1994-95; and what each figure was as a proportion of the total number of children permanently excluded from schools. [8723]
Mr. Hain: The information requested is not held centrally.
Quangos
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the contracts of Secretary of State appointees to quangos expire by April 1999. [9552]
Mr. Ron Davies: Of the appointments to public bodies which I make, singly or jointly with other Ministers, 399 are due to expire before 1 April 1999. I announced on 13 June 1997 the new procedures for making public appointments in Wales, and I will write to my right hon. Friend with details of that announcement.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the management costs of all-Welsh quangos. [9556]
Mr. Davies: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr. Rowlands) on 4 June 1997, Official Report, column 204.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what action he proposes to reduce unnecessary quango administrative costs before April 1999; [9551]
- (2) what action he will take to abolish quangos before April 1999; [9555]
(3) what action he proposes better to coordinate the Welsh Development Agency, the Land Authority for Wales and Development Board for Rural Wales before April 1999. [9557]
Mr. Davies: I will announce my proposals in the White Paper, which is to be published tomorrow.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what studies have been undertaken of unnecessary quango administrative costs; and if he will place them in the Library. [9553]
Mr. Davies: All non-departmental public bodies are subject to a comprehensive review at least every five years. The reviews test firstly whether an NDPB's function is required at all and, if so, the scope for contracting out, privatising or transferring any of the functions to another body. The second stage considers the whole system of financial management and control, including administration costs, within the body.
Copies of the action plans of the financial management and policy reviews are available in the Library of the House.
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