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Ministerial Visits
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those visits made within the United Kingdom since 1 May on which (a) he and (b) other Ministers within his Department have been accompanied under Rule 83 of the Ministerial Code indicating (i) those persons accompanying and (ii) the cost to public funds. [23751]
Mr. Ron Davies [holding answer 19 January 1998]: No visits within the United Kingdom have been made since 1 May by me or either Minister in my Department on which I or they have been accompanied under Rule 83 of the Ministerial Code.
Hedges and Trees
Ms Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to consult local authorities in Wales on the problems caused by the planting of hedges and trees around residential property. [30936]
Mr. Win Griffiths: None at present but the Government are considering whether there would be a case for reviewing the need for controls over hedges and trees near residential property.
Development Board for Rural Wales
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to review the Development Board for Rural Wales' targets 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [31835]
Mr. Ron Davies:
I have written to the Chairman of the Development Board for Rural Wales to inform him of the revision of certain of the targets for 1997-98. A copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Overseas Visits
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his Department's policy on the (a) class and (b) mode of travel abroad for Ministers and public servants. [25553]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 January 1998]: The rules for DCMS Ministers, as for Ministers generally, are that the Secretary of State is entitled to use the best available class of air travel for all journeys by air. Junior Ministers may travel by the best available class for flights lasting longer than 2½ hours but should normally travel by Club or equivalent class, or economy class when an intermediate class is not available, on flights of less than 2½ hours.
The rules for Officials are set out in the DCMS Staff Handbook and I shall write to the right hon. Member to let him have a copy of the relevant pages. Copies of my reply will be place in the Libraries of the House.
The objective throughout is to secure value for money, striking a suitable balance between economy and convenience.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list those visits made within the United Kingdom since 1 May on which (a) he and (b) other Ministers within his Department have been accompanied under Rule 83 of the Ministerial Code indicating (i) those persons accompanying and (ii) the cost to public funds. [23747]
Mr. Chris Smith:
[holding answer 19 January 1998]: There have been no visits within the UK on which I or Ministers in my Department have been accompanied under rule 83 of the Ministerial Code.
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 281
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the cost to public funds and class of air travel of the visit to the USA between 20 to 24 January by (a) the Minister for Film and Tourism and (b) his civil servants and special adviser. [25551]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 26 January 1998]: My right hon. Friend and his Private Secretary travelled first class during his recent trip to the United States and the special adviser who joined them for the Los Angeles part of his trip flew out club class and then returned first class in order to be able to discuss the results of the visit with my right hon. Friend. The total cost of this air travel was £17,358.80.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the engagements he
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undertook in the United Kingdom in the course of his duties during January indicating in each case which were accessed by (a) car, (b) train, (c) aeroplane and car, (d) aeroplane and train and (e) other means. [28929]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 10 February 1998]: I attended 39 engagements by car. All were within the London area apart from one engagement in Hatfield. I travelled to one engagement in Sheffield by train. I did not travel by air, but did walk to a number of engagements.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the conferences held by his Department since 1 May 1997, giving in each case the (a) purpose and (b) estimated cost. [27754]
Mr. Tom Clarke
[holding answer 5 February 1998]: The information requested is as follows:
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| Title | Purpose | Estimated Cost (£) |
|---|---|---|
| New Deal Conference | A joint conference with the Department for Education and Employment to provide information to the tourism and hospitality industry to encourage them to participate in the initiative. | 10,310 |
| Tourism Ministerial Advisory Forum | The Secretary of State's first meeting of the Forum. | 0 |
| Tourism Forum | First meeting of the Secretary of State's new and expanded Tourism Forum (Formerly the Tourism Ministerial Advisory Forum). | 1,340 |
| Press conference for the launch of the Millennium Dome | The launch of the Millennium Dome | 5,103 |
| Press Conference for the launch of the National Lottery White Paper. | The launch of the National Lottery White Paper | 4,947 |
| Accountancy Conference | To inform non-departmental public bodies about developments in financial areas over the last year, eg. Resource Accounting & Budgeting and the European Monetary Union. | 1,370 |
| DCMS and related bodies. Heads of Internal Audit Conference | To bring together Heads of Internal Audit from DCMS and related bodies to discuss matters of common interest. | 488 |
| Fraud Awareness Seminar | To increase Lottery distributors' awareness of public sector fraud and provide advice on how to deal with such incidents. | 598 |
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 283
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Lifelong Learning
Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will publish his consultation paper on lifelong learning; and if he will make a statement. [31351]
Mr. Blunkett: I am today laying before Parliament copies of a Green Paper on lifelong learning, The Learning Age (Cm 3790). I am also placing in the Library copies of the Government's response to the report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education under the chairmanship of Sir. Ron Dearing and my response to the report of the Further Education Funding Council's Widening Participation Committee under the chairmanship of Helena Kennedy QC, now Baroness Kennedy, all of which are being published today.
Lifelong learning is at the heart of the Government's education and training policies. Higher education and further education play key roles in lifelong learning. The Learning Age sets out the Government's vision for a learning society in which learning is easily available, valued and enjoyed--an everyday feature of life for all people of all ages--and we have skilled and qualified workforce that will be essential in the 21st century.
The Learning Age aims to engage employers, trades unions, individual men and women and those who deliver and plan education and training to work with us to develop a "learning society". I hope our proposals and the questions we pose will stimulate a large response.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the proportion of gross domestic product spent on education in each Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country in the last financial year. [30839]
Dr. Howells:
Information on the proportion of gross domestic product spent on education in each OECD country is contained in table B1.t of 'Education at a Glance OECD Indicators 1997' published in December 1997, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library. The latest year for which comparative information is available is 1994. Comparisons across countries are complicated by the need for consistency of definition: the OECD figures for the UK may differ from the main UK measure as published in "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses".
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the capital expenditure on education by each local authority in England in 1997. [30863]
Mr. Byers:
In the financial year 1996-97, capital expenditure on education by each local authority in England was as follows:
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 285
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