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Trading Credit Approvals
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 March 1999, Official Report, column 469, if he will list the local authorities that made trading credit approval applications in 1997-98, indicating (a) the value of each application, (b) the purpose for which the trading credit approval was sought, (c) the political control of the local authority concerned and (d) whether the application was successful. [77618]
Ms Armstrong:
My reply to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough on 15 March 1999, Official Report, column 469, listed Trading Credit Approval applications by local authorities considered in 1998. In each case the applications were received in late 1997 or early 1998. Records show a further application, received in January 1997, which is also listed.
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| Authority | Purpose | Value (£ million) | Political control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woking | Town centre regeneration | 4.1 | Liberal Democrat |
| Sheffield | Waste incinerator | 17.0 | Labour |
| Plymouth | TCAs for self-financing schemes | n/a | Labour |
| Harrogate | Harrogate International Centre | 6.6 | Liberal Democrat |
Note:
None of the applications was successful.
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Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 March 1999, Official Report, column 469, if he will list the applications for trading credit approvals which were successful in 1998-99, and the political control of each local authority concerned with the applications. [77616]
Ms Armstrong: None was successful.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 March 1999, Official Report, column 469, what effect granting the trading credit approval applied for by Harrogate Borough Council would have had on the PSBR for 1999-2000. [77617]
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Ms Armstrong:
If the Trading Credit Approval of £4.3 million applied for by Harrogate Borough Council for next year had been approved it would have been expected to increase the PSBR for 1999-2000 by that amount.
Mr. Bennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the appointment of members of the Countryside Agency will be announced. [78297]
Mr. Meacher:
I am very pleased to announce that the following people have accepted my invitation to become members of the Board of the Countryside Agency.
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Liz Blackman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what further action he proposes to take against those local authorities whose direct labour and direct service organisations failed to meet their statutory financial objectives in 1997-98. [78347]
Ms Armstrong:
On 18 December 1998, 26 statutory notices were served on 18 local authorities concerning the failure of their direct labour and service organisations (DLOs/DSOs) to meet the required financial objectives in 1997/98. My right hon. Friend has now considered the responses to those notices, and has decided to give nine directions to seven local authorities.
The Directions require authorities to retender the work by 13 December 1999 if they fail to meet the financial objective in 1998/99, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent where the work has to be retendered and where the authority subsequently wish to award the work in-house.
The directions take the following form:
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Compulsory Competitive Tendering is due to be replaced in 2000 with a duty for councils to achieve Best Value for their local taxpayers. In the run up to Best Value the Government remains committed to ensuring that local authorities' accounts for the delivery of goods and services remain in good financial health and that pressure to minimise costs to council taxpayers is maintained.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the occasions since 29 July 1998 when (a) he, (b) his colleagues and (c) his officials have met representatives of biotechnology or seed companies, stating in each case (i) what matters were discussed, (ii) what the outcome of the meeting was and (iii) the names of those at the meeting. [70555]
Mr. Rooker
[holding answer 11 February 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) on 19 November 1998, Official Report, column 285, in which dates of ministerial meetings with companies about genetically modified organisms are provided. No further meetings of this type have taken place since the answer was provided.
I can also confirm that the following meetings between officials and biotechnology/seed companies have taken place since 29 July 1998:
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Kate Ashbrook
Janet Bradbury
Bishop Alan Chesters
Martin Doughty
Dr. Victoria Edwards
Prof. Philip Lowe
Catherine Mack
Miles Middleton
Frances Rowe
David Woodhall.
Coventry City MBC (vehicle maintenance)
London Borough of Croydon (building maintenance)
London Borough of Redbridge (building maintenance)
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (refuse collection, other cleaning, other catering)
South Tyneside MBC (grounds maintenance)
London Borough of Tower Hamlets (construction and maintenance of sewers)
The Secretary of State has also decided to take no further statutory action in respect of financial failure in 1997-98 by:
West Wiltshire District Council (refuse collection).
Colchester Borough Council (grounds maintenance)
Reviews of the financial operations of other councils' activities are ongoing.
London Borough of Hackney (supervision of parking and legal services
Harborough District Council (building and grounds maintenance
London Borough of Hillingdon (finance)
London Borough of Merton (refuse collection)
North Somerset Unitary Council (grounds maintenance)
Northumberland County Council (vehicle maintenance)
Oadby and Wigston District Council (management of sports and leisure facilities and grounds maintenance)
London Borough of Redbridge (building cleaning)
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (building maintenance)
Stafford Borough Council (highway maintenance)
London Borough of Waltham Forest (building maintenance).
Meetings with biotechnology/seed companies and officials since 29 July 1998
Meetings to discuss pesticide regulatory matters
| Company | Date of meeting | Company | Date of meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 3 August 1998 | Monsanto | 18 November 1998 |
| Zeneca | 6 August 1998 | Zeneca | 28 January 1999 |
| Novartis | 22 September 1998 | Zeneca | 5 February 1999 |
| AgrEvo | 23 September 1998 | Novartis | 11 February 1999 |
| AgrEvo | 14 October 1998 | Novartis | 16 February 1999 |
| Novartis | 5 November 1998 | AgrEvo and Rhone-Poulenc | 22 February 1999 |
| Novartis | 9 November 1998 | Zeneca | 8 March 1999 |
| Cyanamid | 11 November 1998 | Cyanamid | 9 March 1999 |
| Zeneca | 12 November 1998 | Zeneca | 10 March 1999 |
| Cyanamid | 17 November 1998 | Cyanamid | 11 March 1999 |
| AgrEvo | 18 November 1998 | -- | -- |
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Meetings with the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops (SCIMAC)
Meetings with SCIMAC to discuss the industry's progress towards establishing guidelines for the growing of new types of herbicide tolerant crops took place on the following dates: 2 October 1998, 9 October 1998, 13 November 1998, 9 December 1998, 11 December 1998, 29 January 1999 and 3 February 1999.
Meetings to discuss research projects
Meetings to discuss various research projects, including those under the BRIGHT (Botanical and Rotational Implications of GM Herbicide Tolerance) project, SAPPIO (Sustainable Arable Production through Precision and Input optimisation) project and environmental management and wildlife conservation projects, took place with companies listed below on the dates given.
Company Date of meeting Company Date of meeting
Monsanto, AgrEvo and Cyanamid 28 July 1998 Dow Agrosciences and Monsanto 14 December 1998
Monsanto 30 July 1998 Dow Agrosciences 5 January 1999
Zeneca and AgrEvo 3 August 1998 CPB Twyford and PGS 8 January 1999
Zeneca 5 August 1998 Zeneca 11 January 1999
Advanta 19 October 1998 Cyanamid, Monsanto and AgrEvo 27 January 1999
Advanta Seeds 2 December 1998 -- --
Meetings related to administration of plant breeders' rights and related matters
The administration of plant breeders' rights, national listing and seed certification call for frequent meetings and other contacts between officials and representatives of plant breeding and seed companies. Since 29 July 1998 officials of the Plant Variety Rights & Seeds Division have had meetings with members of Sharpes International Seeds Ltd., Midland Shires Farmers, J. E. & V. M. Doultons Ltd., M. Hancocks & Son Ltd., Monsanto, Pioneer Hibred, Novartis, English Sugar Beet Co., AgrEvo, Advanta Seeds, CPB Twyfords, and the British Agro Chemical Association. The Plant Health & Seeds Inspectorate also made numerous visits to seed companies and held discussions with them in pursuance of the Inspectorate's duties.
Other meetings
A meeting took place with Monsanto on 20 January 1999 to discuss their GM cotton seed application under EC Regulation 90/220.
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